Joy Among the Pots and Pans

A new year, a new list of books to read!  When I was young, I devoured books, but as a grew and gained more responsibilities, my reading accomplishments diminished.  A few months ago, a good friend and I started an online book club, and began to hold each other accountable for reading and studying again.  This list may be a little ambitious, but they say you will never accomplish your goals if you do not first write them out.  So, here goes! (Note: I have a few more to add, so I will update later!) January: The Absolute Beginner's Guide to C Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen Northanger Abbey - Jane Austen (finished!) The Infancy Narratives - Pope Benedict (Dec 2014 Book club selection) (almost finished!) Only the Lover Sings - Josef Peiper February: The Absolute Beginner's Guide to C Book Club Selection Sense and Sensibility - Jane Austen March: Beginner's Guide to HTML Mansfield Park - Jane Austen Book Club Selection April...

Wow, so I somehow completely missed blogging during the whole Advent Season, and I am just on the tail-end of the Christmas Season.  Better late than never to post, right? So much as happened!  I successfully survived my last month of pregnancy of waddling around and having no maternity clothes that fit, and we were blessed with the most darling little girl, Baby SweetiePie.  She is still in her sleepy newborn stage, and I just adore watching her and her dark head of hair and cute dimples!  Moreover, little M had taken to her quite nicely, although we are still working on the concept of "gentle touches" and why we shouldn't wake a sleeping baby.  :) It is now a New Year, and I have quite a few goals or resolutions.  That will be another post, but I am looking forward to spending this year growing, learning, and working through the highs and lows of this adventure of life.

Updated: For some reason, every time I copy and paste something into Blogger it gives that goofy white background/highlight.  I am working on fixing this! This is a fantastic article .  It is an interview with Daniel Rabourdin, who is originally from France, and he discusses the differences of his childhood diet in the 'tuscany' of France and the harried, convience food culture here in the USA, and the connection of food and Catholicism. Really, just go read it.  I could summarize but it would be a disservice to his beautiful words.  I will admit, however, that the words are challenging for me. A few of my favorite passages: What do you mean by ‘virtue’ with regard to eating? I mean for example that the opposite of gluttony is temperance and that is a necessary virtue to have a good life. We need to know when to stop eating. Doing so is like looking intelligently to the future ourselves. This means that if we are 20 years old, we care for the “ourselv...

I have joined a small group of friends in forming an online book club, and we have been reading "Gift of the Sea" by Anne Morrow Lindbergh.  It is a memoir of sorts on her life, as seen through the vantage point of how different shells she finds along the seashore reflect truths about the different stages of a woman's life.   Before starting the book, I found it helpful to know a bit about Anne Lindberg.  She was the wife of the accomplished pilot Charles Lindbergh, but she herself was a skilled pilot, author, wife, and mother.  She and her husband explored many miles together in the sky, chartering flights between continents.  She had 6 children, included Charles Jr who was kidnapped as a young child for ransom.  (The event was declared the "crime of the century" when it occurred in 1932.)  All throughout her time of raising children and maintaining a home, she continued to pursue her interests and passions, including writing nu...

So, today is absolutely gorgeous out.  I know that these days are numbered and the frigid Minnesota winter is almost upon us.  You probably think my post is going to be about all the adventures we had outside today. Nope.  I got the bug to start sewing again, and ironically, I sewed a christmas tree skirt while little DD1 watched her new favorite movie, "Christmas Time in the Hundred Acre Wood" (or whatever the official title is on Netflix.) I may or may not have had my Josh Groban Holiday station on Pandora playing.  Maybe. But, it felt great to sew and now we are about to go outside for a quick walk before dinner.  Here are the results of today's labors! Please excuse the toys in the background.  I'll come back and crop this later! A satin and minky blanket.  It is so soft!  And we don't have green carpet.  The lighting is super weird!

A Cooks Prayer Lord, guide my willing hands, to bake my bread today. To mix a little laughter, in what I do or say. Help me to feed my family with good food seasoned right. With wisdom of a loving heart, keep my kitchen shining bright. Guide my erring thoughts to Heaven, when my spirit is sad and low. Help me to set my dinner table, with food for hearts that glow.

My friend Nell over at Whole Parenting Family  has suggested we bloggers do a Saturday meal planning link up. Most friends I talk with have very high intentions, but somehow meal planning just doesn't happen, and our families end up eating the same foods over and over and over again. I think knowing I have to publish a plan by Saturday will be a great way to keep myself on track in this area.  While I don't often have the 5PM rush of 'what are we eating?!'  I do have the 10AM or 1PM rush - I like to pull out the meat and cook up dinner while Little M is either happy enough to play alone or during nap time, or at the very least, work on meal prep so the dinner hour isn't so harried and crazy. It's only Thursday today, but I'm going to share a favorite family dessert recipe.  Ok, it's technically a breakfast food, but as Jim Gaffigan explains if it's " cake " for breakfast it's totally legitimate. Cherry-filled Coffeecake 3 cups ...