Uniting Our Suffering with That of Christ

Our priest told a very moving story at Mass this weekend - it was a first-hand account told at a retreat he attended many years ago, by a priest from Washington D.C. This priest had a brother that was not active in the faith, and the priest had said many prayers on his brother's behalf.

There was a young boy in his parish that was dying of cancer, and when his hour was near, the priest was called in. The priest assured the boy of his prayers, and made a request of the lad. He asked the boy to pray for his brother, knowing that when we unite our sufferings with those of Christ, they are made perfect, because Christ is perfect.

Sadly, the boy slipped into a coma that evening and died. What happened the next morning was not known to the priest for about a week, but it surely shows the work of the Holy Spirit. His brother was awakend at about 6 o'clock in the morning, just several hours after the boy's death. He managed to hold off until about 7 AM, at which time he knocked on the door of the nearest rectory where he was welcomed by a sleepy-eyed priest. He made a good confession and rejoined the church.

Better yet, when our priest returned to his parish after this retreat and told this story, after Mass he was approached in the sacristy by a man. He thought Father must have told that story just for him as the circumstances were quite similar. He hadn't been very faithful up to that point, but afterwards, he and his family rejoined the church as well.

Come Holy Spirit, and fill the hearts of your faithful, and kindle in them the fire of Your Divine Love. Send forth Your Spirit and they shall be created, and You shall renew the face of the earth. Oh God, Who by the light of the Holy Spirit instructed the hearts of the faithful, Grant, that by the same Spirit we may be truly wise and ever rejoice in His consolation. We ask this through Christ Our Lord. Amen.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
This link has a number of Scripture references to suffering.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Fr. Mike Manning says:

St. Paul gives us an insight into this when we wrote in his letter to the Colossians, "I am now rejoicing in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am completing what is lacking in Christ's afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the Church." Colossians 1.24 That means that Christ is relying on us to be part of his suffering and cross. He values our suffering. Read the whole thing here.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Catechism of the Catholic Church says in paragraphs 2014 and 2015:

Spiritual progress tends toward ever more intimate union with Christ. This union is called "mystical" because it participates in the mystery of Christ through the sacraments - "the holy mysteries" - and, in him, in the mystery of the Holy Trinity. God calls us all to this intimate union with him, even if the special graces or extraordinary signs of this mystical life are granted only to some for the sake of manifesting the gratuitous gift given to all.

The way of perfection passes by way of the Cross. There is no holiness without renunciation and spiritual battle. (68) Spiritual progress entails the ascesis and mortification that gradually lead to living in the peace and joy of the Beatitudes:

He who climbs never stops going from beginning to beginning, through beginnings that have no end. He never stops desiring what he already knows. (69)

68 - Cf. 2 Tim 4
69 - St. Gregory of Nyssa, Hom. in Cant. 8:PG 44, 941C.
Also see paragraphs 774, 407, 2725, and 1438

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Brian Pizzalato says "So, why do people suffer? Suffering can be a result of sin. Of this there is no doubt. Suffering can also serve as a way of testing and purification." Read more of his good stuff here.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Agape Bible Study has an article on How Should The Christian Respond to Personal Suffering? The verse at the top of the article is 2 Corinthians 12:9, "My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness." I have more than my share of weaknesses, for sure.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
While I was visiting the mission in Mexico, I saw a lot of suffering. I saw people living in conditions that were a hundred times worse than the garage where I parked my car - and smaller, to boot. I saw them sharing a piece of Christ's suffering on a daily basis. I learned a great deal about our call to holiness.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Come, Holy Spirit!

Image found at Web Gallery of Art.

Weekly Link Roundup: Cherry Pie Version

Hubs and his dad went to an air show yesterday - in Rapid City, SD. Goose and I really missed him, and my loneliness manifested itself in an attempt to make homemade cherry pie filling. I probably won't put it in a pie (unless I get brave enough to try Kim's crust recipe); it'll likely end up as a crisp/cobbler/whatever.

I really tried to hold my number of links down this week - let's see how I did!

LEARN:
Five Cent Nickel has a post titled "Is Personal Responsibility Dead?" (via The Simple Dollar)

I've not ever used witch hazel but find it intriguing. I was hopeful it might help with my face explosions until I learned that it does not work well with rosacea. Neither does anything else, sigh.

I thought this story on disciplining toddlers at Faith & Family Live was adorable.

The Simple Dollar has a post on the top 25 pieces of software sold via Amazon.com, and free equivalents for most of them.

Amy at Finer Things has a post on keeping childhood simple. I'm famous for overcomplicating pretty much everything.

EAT:
Sushi is just making its way to central Nebraska, and I don't think I'll be trying it any time soon. But this candy version would be fine with me! (Mommy Knows)

Some interesting tips on making jelly and jam at Tipnut. I'm leaning towards jams as jellies just don't seem like much beyond sugar. But right now, I just mooch off my dad's stash.

I'm fascinated by marinades - somehow they make meat easier for me to deal with. Trent at The Simple Dollar has a very interesting article on marinades here. Trent also wrote an interesting post on quantity surcharges and when it does NOT make sense to buy the bigger quantity. (Just do your per-unit calculations and you'll be fine.)

My friend Sarah wrote a very intriguing post on going grain free. I don't know that I could go that far. But I do know I lost a crazy amount of weight while on a yeast elimination diet where I cut out white sugar and white flour. I know that was a much healthier way to eat . . . I think I've mentioned my willpower issues, though.

PRAY:
Feminine Genius has a post with a couple of links and a very brief discussion on the Archdiocese of St. Louis's statement regarding the Susan G. Komen Foundation.

Annemarie posted about the Three Hail Marys devotion here. I have not been able to make the rosary a part of every one of my days, but this is definitely do-able. (I do pray it while in the car - but there are a lot of days I don't go anywhere!)

This week's wake-up from Jennifer at Conversion Diary is a post on discernment. Good stuff. Reminds me that I need to keep my ears open for the Holy Spirit's whisperings.

MAKE:
We use stakes (and this year, a few random markers) in our garden, but these markers found at Imagine Childhood are cute cute cute. I know they could be modified to use what you have.

This enormous outdoor chalkboard at Chasing Cheerios looks like a ton of fun! Then again, there will likely be plenty of concrete for sidewalk chalk. Then again, Papa might not appreciate art which will not soon get washed away since it'd be indoors. Melissa also has a post on homemade sidewalk chalk.

Another cute cute cute printable - ice cream cone favor holders. I'm not sure Goose will have enough birthdays (or enough friends out here on the prairie) to use all these birthday ideas . . .

I tried making bathtub fingerpaint (and crayons) a while back and it was not successful. I have high hopes for these fingerpaint recipes found on Tipnut.

This lazy susan art on Frugal Family Fun blog looks like a blast. I think we'll also be trying their homemade pinwheels.

Lori at A Frugally Old-Fashioned Homemaker posted on her homemade reusable sandwich bags. I agree with her - they'll be useful for more things than the sandwich wraps that I've seen around the 'net.

WORRY:
Extraordinary Mommy writes here about a friend finding a picture of her family being used as an advertisement in the Czech Republic! Makes you think twice about what you post on your blog!

Homemade Detangler and Leave-In Conditioner

Allow me to begin by explaining my qualifications for this post: as a pre-schooler, my mom kept my hair cut short but I grew it out long in elementary school. In fifth grade, I cut it short and while it was cute enough, it was during that awkward stage so nothing looked quite right. From the seventh grade on, I only trimmed my hair and grew it out to all one length, until it was well past my waist last year. I then had my mom cut off about a foot total over a few months, but it's still pretty long.

All this time, I believed what I read - that I needed to buy a leave-in conditioner to help protect my long hair. I still protect it, but for a few pennies per bottle versus three or four bucks! Here's how to do it:

I use water from my filtered pitcher in the theory that it won't get icky. I haven't had any problems so far, but if it started smelling funky before I could get it used up, I'd probably add a few drops of tea tree oil the next time. Or, make a half-batch!

You can use any regular ol' hair conditioner - whatever is on sale (or free for you lucky CVSers and Walgreens people), or this would be a good way to use up those little bottles from hotels. Just make sure it's straight conditioner and not a shampoo-conditioner combo! You'll also need an empty spray bottle such as your former boughten leave-in conditioner or detangler, or hair spray. Just rinse it out.

I don't measure how much conditioner I squeeze in - it's probably close to the amount I use on my hair when I wash it, although in this picture, it sure looks like more than that. I usually squeeze it right in the bottle, but if you want to measure it on your hand like this, just scrape it in the bottle from your hand. I'd recommend erring on the low side, then adding water so the bottle is about half full (or half empty, if you're a pessimist) and testing it out to see how the proportion is. If your hair feels too greasy or heavy, add more water. If it doesn't seem to do anything but get it wet, add more conditioner. After a few times, you'll get a feel for about how much you need.

For this 10.5 ounce bottle, I added about a cup of water to fill it. I warm my water a bit in the microwave to make it easier to combine, but it isn't necessary. Just shake it and use it! I use it after showering - I brush the tangles out, squeeze out as much water as I can, and spray it on. (This is in addition to regular conditioning, mind you.) It also works well on static hair during the winter! Finally, I use it on Goose's hair for detangling, although if you're going to use it on a very active little girl, or one with thick or curly hair, I'd definitely up the amount of conditioner. Goose doesn't get too many tangles yet, so I just use the same proportion as for my hair.

Isn't that easy?!? For more frugal ideas, visit Life As Mom.

(EDIT: I initially saw this idea at Delighting in the Days but when I went to make it, I couldn't find the link *anywhere*. So I made up my own recipe. But I found it after cleaning out my favorites folders and I wanted to give credit where it was due.)

Home Sweet Home

I love visiting my parents and spending time with family, but I am such a homebody. Goose and I had a delightful time up until 3:45 this morning, when something wasn't right in her world. The third spare bedroom at my parents' was occupied by my uncle who has been battling cancer for over a year and my aunt, so I was trying to minimize the bother to them.

We ended up leaving early in hopes that I could get her home for a good nap in her bed. She actually did quite well on the way back - we had to stop about halfway home to get out and run around because *I* was getting sleepy, though! I was glad I did because Goose had a seriously wet diaper. We swung by the "city" to pick up a few things and made it back right about her normal naptime. She hollered about five minutes before conking out. (whew)

Anybody know if there is a Borax conspiracy going on? I noted earlier that my two regular Wal-Marts - 60 miles apart - were both out of Borax. I checked Target, and although they appear to be in the middle of re-arranging the laundry aisles, there was no Borax. I am seriously hoping that our little grocery store in the next town over will come through for me tomorrow. I'm almost out!

We also zipped through Hobby Lobby, where I picked up a couple of flannel remnants and some ribbon that was on sale for 50% off. I also spent part of my birthday money from my parents on a scrapbooking paper cutter. I'm pretty tight when it comes to spending money like that - if only I could get it to translate to the rest of my life! Anyway, I am thoroughly unable to cut in a straight line and am hoping this will help. I've been waiting to pick it up until I had a 40% off coupon, so it was a good deal, I think.

The best deal, though, is what I borrowed from my dad - all these canning books! The Ball Blue Book of Preserving is smaller than I thought it would be, so I'm definitely glad to be borrowing that instead of spending money on it. I had borrowed the Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving from the library but didn't really get it read by the time it had to go back. Dad said he uses Putting Food By the most, and there are notes carefully tucked into the pages to prove it! I also grabbed A Guide to Canning, Freezing, Curing & Smoking Meat, Fish & Game because canning meat fascinates me.

My parents will actually be here tonight for a few days, and then they'll go on to my brother's for a week or so. I'm glad, because we have a funeral to attend tomorrow and they can keep an eye on the Goose. Funerals are a bit of a stretch for her good behavior, especially when they edge dangerously close to naptime.

I can't believe June is right around the corner. I'll (hopefully!) be putting these canning books to use before long at all!

Converting Recipes for the Crockpot

In going sorting my recipe collection, I'm finding lots of kitchen tips that I've tucked away! I think this one was cut out from one of the Taste of Home magazines.

* Find a similar recipe that is intended for a slow cooker. Use it as a guide with regards to the weight and size of your meat and veggie pieces, and adjust the liquid in your standard recipe to mirror that of the crock pot recipe. The heat setting and cooking time should be similar.

* You'll likely need to reduce the amount of liquid because there is no evaporation in crock pots. Although if the standard recipe doesn't call for any liquid at all, you'll want to add half a cup of water, broth, or juice.

* When making stews and soups, place the veggies on the bottom and up the sides of your slow cooker. To get them to go up the sides, make sort of a well in them in which to set the meat.

* Canned condensed cream soups can be substituted for dairy as they'll hold up to the longer cooking time without breaking down. To be safe, you may want to add them near the end of the cooking time.

Here are some rules of thumb for converting cooking time:

Conventinal Recipe: 15 to 30 minutes
Crock Pot Low: 4 to 6 hours
Crock Pot High: 1 1/2 to 2 hours

Conventinal Recipe: 35 to 45 minutes
Crock Pot Low: 6 to 8 hours
Crock Pot High: 3 to 4 hours

Conventinal Recipe: 50 minutes or more
Crock Pot Low: 8 to 10 hours
Crock Pot High: 4 to 6 hours

And remember, to keep your kitchen cool, you can plug your crock pot in outside, on a porch, or in a garage (as long as you have an outlet available).

For more kitchen tips, visit Tammy's Recipes.

"It Feels Like Sunday" Weekly Garden Update, Week 4

Wow, I didn't even think to take a picture yesterday. It was a bizarre day, though. Goose fell off the pew twice during Mass - both times I was kneeling, and I broke her fall both times, so it was more of just a bump - then went down for her nap well but woke up screaming all too early - I think it might be nightmares? anyway I spent an hour calming her and trying to get her to lie back down - and finally we went to a barbecue yesterday evening. (I made blueberry crumble - recipe is here, except I recommend doubling the topping.) (Why yes, I do realize I'm in the running for the world's longest sentence.)

The garden sure looks a lot more green; unfortunately, most of it is weeds! I should have been out there today weeding but we've had a few showers over the past couple of days (I don't much like mud) and I managed to forget all about it anyway. I put some more effort into sorting my recipe collection. Another ten years and I'll have that sucker whipped into shape for sure.

After getting a bit more advice, I haven't transplanted anything that needs thinning (peas and beans, mainly). I think we'll put up the fencing for the tomatoes and green beans this week. I did some mulching around the tomatoes and peppers, thanks to Hubs's lawn mowing.

Looks like Goose and I will be traveling a bit this week; we'll head out to my parents' tomorrow for a mini-family reunion with some of my aunts, uncles, and cousins. I'm never happy going anywhere without Hubs, but he doesn't get away from the farm too much.

Finally, it is with mixed emotions that I tell you Baby Faith went to be with Jesus this weekend. I rejoice for her, and her mother is rejoicing, too; I just can't imagine losing a baby. I've been prayerfully reflecting much of today and kissing my own baby.

Look Out Again - Weekly Links Post

Here's a list of what I found interesting this week (I know, I'm going to have to cut it down . . . there's just so much good stuff out there!):

MAKE:
I more like the process of making fabric labels and using the leftover scraps as stickers, found here at Making Chicken Salad.

Same with this method of using packing tape to transfer images at Molly Likes to Draw.

These birds on Craftster are made from your standard plastic Easter eggs and are way cute. (But I save mine from year to year!)

I have actually made these barrettes from Belle and Burger for a niece and ran into problems getting the fabric to stay glued on. I'm glad to see this update to the project. I'll blog about my version one of these days.

These fabric buckets from pippijoe are also very cute.

I'm a sucker for pom-pom flowers like these found at lilyella. Apparently I think the Goose and I will spend a lot of time doing such things someday soon. Molly the Pirate puts similar flowers on a garland here.

Here is a template to make a box that looks like that which french fries come in. At Creating Keepsakes.

While I'm not necessarily crazy about butterflies, the method for punching tin to make these would likely translate well to something I do like. (at Gingerbread Snowflakes)

There's something about these teeny envelopes at Cottage Industrialist that just makes me smile.

As much as I try to control my Google Reader's growth, sometimes I stumble across a blog like A Frugally Old Fashioned Homemaker and I just gotta subscribe. I really liked this post on Busy Kid Kits and this one on making butter. Crazy as it seems even to me, I remain convinced that I'll end up using predominantly raw milk some day.

I love these wrapping embellishment ideas at Homespun Heart.

This homemade jumprope looks fun for a certain Goose in a couple of years, or her cousins. At Zakka Life.

EAT:
Did I say something last week about canning beans? I wonder how long they'd keep . . .

I don't think *I'll* be eating these, and I haven't given Goose hotdogs yet, but I suspect these spaghetti dogs will be served at our house someday.

A while back, I stumbled across a blog detailing among other things, the writer's weight loss journey. A certain sentence has stuck with me since, and as I reread it now, it's actually from a book she read several years ago. Anyway, the quote: "Three-quarters of the world's population goes to bed hungry, and so should you." Read that specific post here, and the top of her side bar has two links to her weight loss and exercise posts. Found this time and last time via Elizabeth Foss.

PRAY:
Jen at Conversion Diary knocks my socks off about once a week. This week, it was a link back to this post about really and truly letting go of fear and trusting God. I don't know why we bother to think we're in charge - and anyway, why would we want to be?

I've been debating whether or not to tell my life story on here because it really isn't all that exciting. But then I want to refer to a certain point in my life and can never remember if I've mentioned it on here. So, when I lived in Colorado, I coordinated a mission in Mexico, and I met occasionally with the bishops to update them on the mission, including Archbishop Charles Chaput from the Archdiocese of Denver. He's a very gifted writer and speaker, and here is text from a speech he recently gave. Amazing stuff.

Here is a post on praying with little ones and what should be expected of them, at Faith & Family Live.

I also bookmarked this post on Faith & Family Live, about defending marriage; specifically how everything ties together with Natural Family Planning, divorce, gay marriage, etc. This is one of those things that quickly becomes a slippery slope once you take a step away from God's design. There's so much to say about it and this isn't the post, but I will note that I have extended family members who are gay and I love the sinner, hate the sin.

I've been reading Stacey at Almost There for a while, and though she doesn't have much time to post, when she does it usually hits me right between the eyes. This week, she blogs about the resurrection of the dead including this link that more fully explains Church teaching.

Three words: toddler at Mass. I don't read Elizabeth Foss regularly, and I occasional stumble across something that sends me back there to catch up.

Annemarie at Through the Narrow Gate posted a beautiful poem that Edgar Allen Poe wrote about the Blessed Mother here.

Over the past year, I have been drawn to a number of bloggers who have written about miscarriages and babies who have not lived long outside the womb. One such blogger is Bethany at Precious Infants, and she recently posted a link to a charm to memorialize an unborn baby.

Along similar lines, I read a blog about baby Faith Hope who was born over 13 weeks ago to a young Canadian woman. Faith has anencephaly, meaning she is missing much of her brain (and the skull and scalp covering it!). Myah had to fight tooth and nail to even have her baby - most doctors there wouldn't even talk about treating Faith once she was born; they couldn't believe Myah would carry her to term. Faith is beginning to have some medical problems - please join me in praying for them.

This is a bit on Church history from Christianity Richly.

Karen Edminston (a fellow Nebraskan!) wrote a post on what her daughter received as a confirmation gift from her godparents. I am the only Catholic godparent to all four of my nieces, so I will definitely tuck this away for later!

FILE AWAY FOR LATER:
Can't remember where I found this (was it you, Kim?), but the Repair Clinic can help you find parts for your appliances so you can fix it yourself (or have a handy Hubs take care of it, that is). Wherever it was that I found it recommended that you do an internet search on your appliance make and model and the problem it's having and see if you can find a fix, then this site will help you find the parts.

I appreciated this article on Dr. Sears' website on coughs and colds. (If you get an error message, click OK and then refresh - should work.) The range of normal is much broader than I might have guessed.

Here are a bunch of canning publications online. I really, really want to get over my fears of canning this year!

Goose isn't quite old enough to help with too many chores, so I'm bookmarking this post for down the road when she's able to do more to help. Also, here is a post on I'm an Organizing Junkie regarding chores with lots of links. And one more at Sunny Side Up.

This site seems to be a great resource regarding mail-order seeds and plants.

Ants have been marching their way through my kitchen (much to my dismay!) so this article is pretty timely. If I could find a Wal-Mart that stocks Borax, I would probably mix up some of that for in the cabinets. (Seriously, Wal-Mart, what is UP with that? Neither of the ones I frequent - 60 miles apart, mind you - have had it the past couple of weeks.)

If God tacked on an extra five hours to today, I'd probably blow it clicking around this learn HTML site. There's a lot I need to learn . . .

I'm not sure I would actually go this far, but this chalkboard fridge is interesting. (Guest post at the kitchn)

Remember when I linked to the post and book on the disappearing bees last week? Here's a way to help, via the Great Sunflower Project. It's for 2010, though.

Goose will probably need to be a bit older for much of these, but since I don't have a DVD player in the car for her, I bet Mom's Minivan can help.

This site has some lovely Christian graphics.

Frugal Farming Family is another new interesting read. This post is on garden pests.

Runza Casserole - Freezer Cooking

Tonight's contribution to the freezer was Runza casserole. If you don't live in or near Nebraska, you probably have no idea what I'm talking about, and I'm sad for you! Runzas are actually a single serving bread pocket with hamburger, cabbage, and spices inside. There are other versions that include cheese, swiss cheese and mushrooms, and an Italian version. Pure deliciousness! I've also seen recipes for something quite similar called bierocs.

They can be made at home a number of ways, with your own dough, thawed frozen bread dough, all the way down to canned biscuits. They're great for freezing and eating later - in fact, I can remember real frozen Runzas being sold for fundraisers.

I'm still not so good with dough. I'm working on it, but just not there yet. This is an easy way to get a similar deliciousness. I'm still tweaking this, but here's how it's written.

Runza Casserole

2 lbs hamburger
1 onion, chopped
1 small head cabbage, chopped
1 can cream of mushroom soup
8 oz shredded cheddar
salt, pepper, garlic powder, celery salt to taste
2 tubes crescent roll dough

Brown hamburger, drain if necessary. Add onion and cabbage, cook 10 minutes. Add soup and spices, mix well.

Lay one tube crescent rolls in bottom of 9x13 pan (ungreased). Press to cover the bottom as needed, pinch perforations to seal if you wish. (It really doesn't matter.) Pour meat mixture over dough and spread out. Sprinkle with cheese. Cover with other package of rolls. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes or untill dough is golden brown. (Picture is before baking.)

I never can find a small head of cabbage, so I chop it all and freeze the extra. Tonight, I tried chopping it with a knife as usual - I quartered it, cut out the core, and sliced thinly then chopped. It was a huge pain and the pieces were bigger than I wanted. I then got out the food processor and pulsed the remaining. This is what it looked like. I ended up dumping that which I chopped by hand in the processor and chopped it, too. I then split it in thirds, two packages of four cups for the freezer and four cups in with the hamburger.

For seasoning, I used seasoned salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Several months ago, I made a few batches of condensed cream of mushroom soup. Not sure where I found the recipe, offhand. Amy at Finer Things has a post on how she did it here. I used the approximate equivalent of two cans, I think.

Finally, I used one 8x8 pan, one can of crescent roll dough, and half the hamburger mixture. I put the other half in a gallon freezer bag - I may have been able to squeeze it in a quart, but it would have been tight.

I baked the one 8x8 pan, I have one more pan's worth in the freezer ready to go, and two bags of cabbage for two more double batches. Yum!

Treasure Hunting for The Week

First, I must share a pic of Goose playing outside while I worked in the garden last night. My lawn mower isn't working, so Hubs took it to town yesterday and then brought over his dad's riding mower. He did a great job mowing the lawn (even brought the weed-eater over later) - plus he bagged the clippings and deposited them by the garden so I can use it as mulch. I don't mind mowing too much, but I don't care for stopping to empty the bag. If I put the mulching attachment on, I can just zip through it and the clippings blow out the side. So that was a blessing and it looks great! Here's hoping my mower has an easy fix, though. Oh, that yellow sweater Goose is wearing? It was Hubs's when he was a wee laddie. I smile every time she wears it.

Yesterday while I was in town, I made a quick stop at the dollar store to buy bubbles - Goose hadn't tried them yet and I thought she might enjoy them. I discovered they had some school/art supplies on sale, so I picked them up at $1-$1.50 each. And a few other things. :>) The two little tubs of colored "blocks" are plastic gel or something filled things that you freeze and then put in your drink to keep them cool. I've seen a number bloggers who use them for sorting by color, shape, etc. I think there are two paintboxes, and three to five sets of each of the markers. I should be set for a looong time! (It ended up too windy for bubbles by the time we got to them.)

And then today, I hit our little thrift store. I only had about half an hour of proofreading to do at the newspaper, so I had some time to kill. My MIL doesn't like it if I come back too soon and cut into her time with Goose! :>) I scored a number of great finds for $2.50. Not shown is a woven placemat I got to put on the backseat of the car as a rug of sorts for Goose. I've been letting Goose walk down the deck stairs and into the garage holding my hand. But then she gets the seat dirty climbing in - so this should help. I was thrilled to pick up the box of stationary as my collection is dwindling. I especially love the colors - brown and mustard yellow. I love picking up odds and ends of ribbon - these spools are pink and white.

Of the books, I picked up some random textbooks. They include two Spanish books, one on science, one American history, one speech, and two writing/grammar. The big coup for me was Teaching Montessori in the Home although mine is the 1968 version. :>) I was also excited about the guide to growing vegetables.

I can see Goose and her papa writing each other secret messages after reading Codes & Secret Writing in a few years. I loved Encyclopedia Brown as a kid, and I'm betting Goose will too. (1982 version) We also picked up 100 Pounds of Popcorn (great for entrepreneurship!), and three Scholastic books for when she gets into chapter sort of books.

I also picked up a book for Hubs. It's one I read in middle school that I did NOT like, called A Day No Pigs Would Die. I can't be exactly sure, but I suspect this is at least a large part of the reason that I gradually quit eating meat - it was about that time, wasn't it Mom? Sixth or seventh grade? Parts of it have really stuck with me through the years, and not at all in a good way. I told Hubs once he finishes it, I'm taking it back to the thrift store to re-donate.

Pretty good haul, I think! I'm not sure if they get new (to them) books in very often, or if I just all of a sudden see them after looking over them several times. It's so fun to see what I can find, though.

Baked Oatmeal Recipe

It's been a while, so I made baked oatmeal for breakfast yesterday (leftovers for breakfast today and again tomorrow). Hubs doesn't care much for it but the goose and I love it, so maybe I'll make it a bit more often for us. I found it in a Taste of Home magazine but tweaked it to make it a bit more healthy. Here's my version:

Baked Oatmeal

3 c soaked and dried oats
1/2 c brown sugar or honey
1 c milk
1/4 c butter or coconut oil, melted (I have forgotten the butter/oil before and it turned out OK)
1/4 c applesauce
2 eggs (note: I have made it with only one before and it was fine)
2 t baking powder
1/2 T salt
2 t vanilla extract
2 t cinnamon

Combine ingredients, mix well, and spread in a greased 9x13 pan. Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes or until edges are golden brown. Spoon into bowls and add warm milk (or use the milk to cool it off for little ones). Top with fruit such as strawberries, blueberries, peaches, etc. Store leftover oatmeal (without milk or fruit of course!) in a covered container at room temperature. Yield: 4-6 servings.

I used to make this with regular quick oatmeal, but after trying soaked and dehydrated oats, I am a believer! Goose and I both experience less "rumbly tumblies" and it is still delicious. It works fine without soaking, though.