And speaking of Mitt Romney

As we were this weekend, when a young friend (of the eldest Miss P) came to visit...

I happened to mention Mod Hair Ken, and even though the young lady had had some Barbie experience in her past, she was (of course) not old enough to remember Mod Hair Ken. So here are a few images to scare you, and to remind Mattel to never, ever think about giving Ken rooted hair again.

This is how he looks in the package:

And for the first week or so, he's kinda groovy

But behold, once he's been played with for any length of time, and left once too often at the bottom of the toybox, the hair goes terribly, horribly WRONG.

Why yes, I do look like Neil Diamond!

Aaggghhhhhhh!

Just... no.

Truly the stuff of nightmares: It's the Black Sheep Dog on Rogaine! 

Same continent, different worlds

Sheesh. I just tried to order some stuff (for the kids!) from Amazon.com (based in the U.S.) because Amazon.ca (based in Canada) has oh, let's say ZERO items of the product I was interested in.


Then at the checkout, I get this message on 99% of my items.


We're sorry. This item can't be shipped to your selected destination.




"Can't"? Cuz as we all know, the logistics of carrying something across the Canada/U.S. border is so difficult and/or bewildering, due to the shark-infested waters, burning-oil-filled moats, dense forests, huge mountain ranges, marauding Eskimo drug-lords, and so forth.


I mean, how difficult could this be? They can put a man on the moon, but they "can't" ship a toy across the border of two countries that both speak English and have relatively competent postal services?
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Oh the joy

Of having not one, but two daughters studying grade 9 piano. That means, of course, twice the Chopin. In your very own house. Live.

Miss P. #3 is working on this valse. I had never before heard it (despite owning at least a dozen or more CDs of Chopin music) and it is very lovely. It was published posthumously.



Miss P. #4 is working on this one. Much better known, the famous "Minute Waltz" (originally titled, according to this video Valse au petit chien).



I like this interpretation by Erez. Most people play this waltz way WAY too quickly and it just sounds horrid and ridiculous, which, of course, Chopin can never, ever be. It is not meant to be played in under  60 seconds. It's minute as in a cute, funny little dog (hence the name) and not MI-NUT as in, 'let-me-impress-you-with-my-Cliffs-of-Insanity-turbo-speed-dog-in-a-blender-pianny-playin' --the videos of which are ubiquitous online an need not be linked to here.
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Why I love Houzz.com

Not only do they have a lot of purdy pictures,

traditional kitchen design by atlanta interior designer Mary Anne Merfeld - Allied Member ASID

but they understand me.

This year, the driving force behind what we want in our kitchens is our need for calming spaces and improved functionality to reduce stress in our busy lives.

Amen, and again I say unto you, Amen.

I liked this link: 12 Ways to Enjoy Your Kitchen More This Year

 I agree with #7 "Get rid of your cabinets". Done...but maybe I should have waited till we decided on some new ones. Other ideas are not so practical, i.e. "Introduce artwork" (exactly how do you get greasy caked-on dust off a sculpture or a painting?) My kitchen artwork is all done in wax crayon and stuck on the fridge with magnets. Alas, for many of us, these are the most practical 12 ways to enjoys our kitchens more this year:

1)  Spend less time in it.
2)  Move to a different house
3)  Move to a different house
4)  Move to a different house
5)  Move to a different house
6)  Move to a different house
7)  Move to a different house
8)  Move to a different house

9)  Move to a different house 

10) Move to a different house  

11) Move to a different house  

12) Move to a different house 

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Ye gods of global warming, hear our prayer!

It's -34 C here this morning. Factor in wind chill, and it feels like -44, which, for obscure mathematical reasons that are far beyond me, is pretty much the same number in Fahrenheit. 


From the Environment Canada website: 

Bitterly cold Arctic air combined with westerly winds of 15 to 30 km/h will produce wind chill values in the -40 to -49 range throughout most of Southern Saskatchewan today through Thursday. At these extreme wind chill values frostbite on exposed skin may occur in less than 10 minutes.

Brrr. Dreaming of summer...

GOshshshsh!

Napoleon Dynamite has resurfaced in animated form.



It made me laugh more than a few times, but I have to say, the charm of the ND movie lies partly in the fact that we all went to school with a guy who could plausibly come to class with his pocket full of Tater Tots. The over-the-top cartoon zaniness of the two episodes I've seen kind of takes that away.

Still, I'm willing to give it a chance. Just the sound of Jon Heder's voice cracks me up.

I love being domesticated

Truly love it. Many years ago, on her way through town (a different town, not the Unnamed one I live in now) an old high school chum dropped in to see me and my new husband. Upon discovering that I had just baked a pie, she kind of snorted, "You're pretty domesticated," which seemed to be intended to make me feel ashamed (as though I had somehow abandoned the feminist principles I'd imbibed at university.)

I did feel ashamed, but mainly because I did not know then how to make a good pie. (The filling was runny and did not contain nearly enough sugar. Fail). I should add that she did not taste the pie; she was simply commenting disparagingly on the very fact of my having stooped to bake one. Feminists in the 80s did not make pie. I don't know what they did make, besides a lot of angry noises, and, later, when they took the reins of power in western society, a lot of bad laws and government bureaucracies. But I digress.

When you are domesticated, you can produce things like this:

Fresh and hot, which is really nice on a day when the temperature outside is -30 degrees Celsius (yes, that's even cold in Fahrenheit: -20). And you can get excited about owning things like these, my favourite bread-baking pans. Clay and cast iron, respectively. Now there's a throwback if ever there was one. 

Everybody wants to save the world; nobody wants to help Mother with the dishes.

Mrs. B. chimes in...

I don't care how much you hate the patriarchy - every human being should know how to cook. And mend their clothes, and clean, and fix things....

Mrs. P., those loaves look so good they could be food art. Are you sure they weren't delicately chiseled out of styrofoam, perfectly browned with a blowtorch and then coated with hairspray? If you can verify that they weren't, I think I have to get me some of theseyer clay and cast iron loaf pans.

You bring the bread, I'll bring the place for us to break it.

When Pinkertons come to town, only the very best will do.

 I'll even bring dessert, courtesy of Miss Beazly:

Monsieur le Snowman...

...his happy-go-lucky friend...

...and DESSERT IS MADE OUT OF PEEEEOPLE!!

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None of us will stand on these slippery slopes. (UPDATED)

A sample of the treatment offered to a little girl who isn't "perfect"... like the rest of us are.

What's next? Will they nix your heart surgery because you're depressed? Will they decide not to waste expensive medication on you if you're blind?

Update: A heartening development.

via Mark Shea

Self-abuse, Catholic style

I dare you. And if you can, you have a stronger constitution than I do, because I couldn't-- not after  listening to a full 25 seconds of (shudder) Ray Repp's "To Be Alive" over at Deborah G's site.

It's a site that contains audio files of original recordings of Folk Mass Music from the 60s and 70s. (In fact I think we still sing some of these in my parish, so if you feel inclined, light a votive candle and say a prayer for our deliverance, preferably via St. Cecilia).

As one wag over at Fr. Z's site commented, "I think I'll go wash the blood out of my ears now."

h/t Fr. Z, via Deborah Gyapong 
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Tragic because it's true

Or so it seems. American Spectator's David Catron compares the Republican Party to Thelma and Louise:

The GOP should be well positioned to send the President into retirement. Instead, the party's nomination process has become a bloody battle in which the candidates are viciously attacking one another rather than Obama, denouncing core conservative principles rather than the failures of big-government, and seems to be on the verge of producing a "winner" who has no prayer of defeating the incumbent.

As a Canadian, I can't vote; I can only watch the train wreck. And pray. Cuz if the U.S. of A. goes over the cliff, so do we.
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Which would you rather eat?

This:
Modified milk ingredients, cream, sugar, glucose, stabilizer (mono and diglycerides, guar gum, cellulose gum, polysorbate 80, locust bean gum, carrageenan, calcium sulfate), artificial flavour (contains sulfites), colour (contains tartrazine).

Or this:
Whole milk, sugar, cream, vanilla extract

The second recipe, you say? Me too. And now I get to, on a fairly regular basis, thanks to my girls, who got me this great toy for Christmas.

As usual, I'm too computer illiterate/lazy busy to take a photo of my machine and post it here. Maybe someday. This is an Amazon image. But the machine works like a charm and the ice cream tastes great. The best part? You can't overeat, because it only makes two litres (about 2 quarts) so there's just enough for one dessert serving for my family (8 or 9 of us, depending on who's home from university at the time).

Oh, and this hardly matters (cough) but it also makes margaritas.

I also got this date book (and a calendar) for Christmas, from Mrs. Beazly.

What the heck is 'guar gum' anyway? And 'tartrazine' sounds like something that you'd use to strip varnish.

All this talk about ice cream makes me want to listen to the Buffalo Bills...

For whoever likes a good ghost story

Rent/borrow The Eclipse. It's in the vein of The Woman in Black. (Which, I see, has apparently just been remade. But I'm talking about the 1989 version.)

I don't like gory movies, and I don't like movies with a demonic theme because unlike say, the Mountaintop Motel Massacre-er, Satan is real and at work in the world every day. But I do like a good ghost story. My only tip is don't watch the trailer first. Whoever put it together thought they needed to put all the scary moments into it, thus spoiling their effect in the film.

Just don't watch it alooooooone....

We're #3! We're #3!

You have to imagine me chanting that while waving a big foam hand around. Thank you for putting us on your list, Daria!

It's probably a good thing

That this cake topper wasn't available 25 years ago, or I'd have had it on my cake.

Perhaps I exaggerate; would Mr. P have stuck it out for a quarter-century otherwise?
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Your childhood...

...brought to you by Hartland Plastics of Wisconsin.

Curiouser and Curiouser

Christie Blatchford's latest report from the Shafia murder trial.

If killing your defiant child(ren) is supposed to restore honor to a family, why do the cowards who commit these demonic acts never own up to the valiant thing they have done?
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The Last Night of Christmas

Today we celebrate the Baptism of the Lord. Dear readers, I hope you had a merry and blessed season. If 2011 was a good year for you, join me in thanking God for the gift of 365 days of His grace and blessings. If it was not happy year for you, may 2012 be a better one.


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"What does Decent Films Guy say about it?"

...is the question we ask when looking for a good flick. Steven Greydanus is our go-to guy for movie reviews, and he continues his "Still Christmas" theme with this installment about movies for this holiday.

I have finally unearthed my VHS tape of "It's a Wonderful Life". I think it will make a nice closer for the Christmas season.

And kiss the feet of God

The story of the Magi has inspired some of my favorite carols. Here's one more: "The Three Kings" by Laurence Housman  is set to glorious music by Healey Willan. This flawless rendition is from "The Mystery of Christmas" by the Elora Festival Singers.

As I begin a new year, I like to think of the kings starting out on that long journey. The shepherds came out of the dark and the cold to see the Christ Child, but the kings were comfortable where they were, and sought Him still. Will we?




"Who knocks tonight so late?"
the weary porter said.
Three kings stood at the gate,
each with a crown on head.


The serving man bowed down,
the Inn was full, he knew.
Said he, "In all this town
is no fit place for you."


A light in the manger lit;
there lay the Mother meek.
This place is fit.
Here is the rest we seek.


Come, come. They loosed their latchet strings,
so stood they all unshod
"Come in, come in, ye kings,
and kiss the feet of God."

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More proof that Christmas is not yet over.

It's like a musical turducken.

Mrs. P., do you think Mr. Steyn might let us take Martha Stewart's place on his next Christmas show?
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Good news for Mrs. Jones

I think she just made a million dollars. Mrs. Blurn, your kitchen is small, but lovely. And CLEAN. Mrs. Jones wins the prize for the smallest kitchen. Cuz you can open your fridge, and she can't. Not without hitting the base cabinets on the opposite side. True story. These are very nice pics. You would never know a mother of six lives here and had time to clean her kitchen. 


(Mrs. Blurn's comments in italics. Mine in not-italics.) 

Note Joanna Bogle book on my trolley, waiting to be used for the liturgically appropriate Christmas cooking that didn't eventuate this year.

You have room for a trolley. Oh, and I love the magnetic knife rack. That's on my wish list. 

White subway tile: score.

Bench space speaks for itself

(I'm guessing that's Ozian for countertop) 

Stainless steel integrated drain board: score. They are standard in Oz; you have to special order them here, which is jist as stupid. I mean, how many of those crappy Rubber dish drain things do you have to buy (then watch as they crack and mould) and then throw away? There must be some kind of Rubbermaid conspiracy here that makes integrated steel drainboards so rare. 

Look at that poor Kitchenaid mixer tucked away in shame.

No reason for shame: for one thing, it's RED (score). For another, dig that counter-to-cabinet clearance! In her last apartment, Mrs. Jones did not even have room to accommodate her mixer on her countertop (there must have been like ten inches of clearance).

Lovely window size; white trim: score. WINDOW: score (Mrs. J. doesn't have one)

(Is that ceramic tile on the floor? I have three layers of linoleum (70s, 80s and 90s) and some bare patches of plywood where we ripped out cabinets) 

Saddest part: I'm thinking, "Well, the 90s stuff is fairly new." Yah, right, only pushing 22!)

Verdict: the only thing bad about your kitchen is that it is NOT IN CANADA.

Thank you, Mrs. Blurn, for the virtual tour of your kitchen.

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Some boys of my acquaintance will appreciate this

And so will their mom. I'm not smart enough to embed the video (boo hoo!) but it's funny and reminds me of the Masters Beazly's Lego animations.

(Oops! Language warning on one of the rioters' signs. Share at your own discretion.)

LiveLeak.com - Occupy Wall Street Riot Brigade Lego Set

The world can stop at a partridge in a pear tree if it wants to, but I'm in for the whole 12 days.

The stores are displaying their Valentine's Day merchandise and your neighbors' snow-bound trees are slumped by the curb like evicted Ghosts of Christmas Past, but the season isn't over yet. Christmas is the gift that keeps on giving. Here's how Steven Greydanus, and some of his readers, keep the holiday.
  
We got a great idea from A Treasure Chest of Traditions for Catholic Families (buy it here): make your living room window into a giant Advent wreath. You can see the candles in this photo of our tree. You "light" them one by one with yellow tissue paper, and when Christmas day arrives, you can change the purple and pink tissue candles to white.
  
I've never gotten 12 presents for any one Christmas, but I  think it would be cool to open just one gift a day until they ran out, instead of opening them all on Christmas Day.  Of course, this idea is as popular with the Beazlies Minor as, say, packing away the Wii for the summer. So I'm pretty sure it will always get vetoed in the lower house.

   Another tradition I  like is the "pass on to your little sister the nativity set which has been in your family for sixty years" tradition.  You have to have a little sister and be unselfish to carry on that tradition, so I'm afraid the ox stops here on both counts. One must use these opportunities to practice being a grateful and humble receiver.

Enjoy the last week of Christmas!

Mary, Mother of God, pray for us!

The funniest part is

I want one of these.

I'm still enamoured of unfitted kitchen design. I was looking at some fancy, expensive cabinet brochures the other day, and thought, "These kitchens are all ugly, boring and completely free of personality," which is a good thing, because I can't afford them anyway.  In the end (and I do mean The End, because I pretty much expect to die of old age by time my kitchen renovation is completed), I will have achieved something akin to "shabby chic." Perhaps "shabby eclectic" or "shabby rustic" or  "shabby scrap and salvage" or just "shabby." In which case I should probably just keep what I have right now and save a whole bunch of money.
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Mark Steyn, Christian evangelist

Read it all. 

h/t Pundette

December Turned to May

What sweeter music can we bring
Than a carol, for to sing
The birth of this our heavenly King?
Awake the voice! Awake the string!
Dark and dull night, fly hence away,
And give the honor to this day,
That sees December turned to May.
Why does the chilling winter’s morn
Smile, like a field beset with corn?
Or smell like a meadow newly-shorn,
Thus, on the sudden? Come and see
The cause, why things thus fragrant be:
‘Tis He is born, whose quickening birth
Gives life and luster, public mirth,
To heaven, and the under-earth.
We see him come, and know him ours,
Who, with his sunshine and his showers,
Turns all the patient ground to flowers.
The darling of the world is come,
And fit it is, we find a room
To welcome him. The nobler part
Of all the house here, is the heart.
Which we will give him; and bequeath
This holly, and this ivy wreath,
To do him honour, who’s our King,
And Lord of all this revelling.
What sweeter music can we bring,
Than a carol for to sing
The birth of this our heavenly King?

Robert Herrick (1591-1674)

A most beautiful, merry and blessed Christmas to our readers!
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More Christmas music

From the incomparable Jim Reeves.

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Oxymoron of the day

Heh, we saw this sign on a recent family outing.

Speaking of quivering with excitement

Recognize anyone special in this trailer, Mrs. P.?
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May contain more than a trace of Peanuts

 Mark Shea directs our attention to 10 Things You Probably Didn't Know About 'A Charlie Brown Christmas'.

Thank God Charles Schulz stuck to his guns (#1-3), that he followed his artistic sensibilities even when they conflicted with his personal taste (#4), and that he sought to glorify Christ in his art, as we all should in every work we do (#5). The rest, as they say, is history! (I'm also glad 'ACBC' is no longer a Coke commercial.)

We now enjoy "A Charlie Brown Christmas" on DVD, but every time I hear the opening chords of "Christmas Time is Here" I think of the excitement that ran through our house when those once-a-year broadcasts aired: "How the Grinch Stole Christmas", "A Christmas Carol", "The Sound of Music".  You always hoped the CTV station from Regina wouldn't be coming in too fuzzy when "The Sound of Music" started on Christmas Eve!

I've added to my list of favorites as I've grown older: "It's a Wonderful Life", "Meet Me in St. Louis". For me, this is still the best moment from them all:

Theo on the Agenda

I enjoyed this interview between two of my favourite Canadian journalist-guys, Steve Paikin and Theo Caldwell, as they discuss the U.S. presidential race.  Theo thinks it's a two-horse race at this point: Newt and Mod-hair Ken Romney, whereas I hope, along with Pundette, that Rick Perry still has a shot (but then everyone knows that Catholic mothers who wear pants all think alike). Anyway, Theo could talk for 22 minutes about stale cheese and I'd still listen with rapt attention. He is as insightful, eloquent, witty and dapper as ever. (Have I ever mentioned how stupid SUN News network is for cancelling his show?) Don't worry, Theo, I'm not planning to dye my hair red or start wearing a black spandex unitard any time soon.

It's the marshmallow on our figgy pudding.

Still quivering with excitement from our stay in the "Listener of the Day" slot, we Housewives now find ourselves tucked into SteynOnline's Countdown to Christmas. Woo-hoo!

A great read for anyone who has been wondering how Mark made the leap from wordsmith to warbler.
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Demography is only half the equation

You also need Faith in God. Most other kinds of "Believing" just won't do. Feel sorry for Europe by all means, but be mindful that they consciously chose their fate.


From a fabulous-looking site: Mommy Life

The decision of one or more generations to not have children and walk away from their faith has ultimately affected the whole economy of a country. For this reason our compassion needs to be properly placed. Since this experience, I have chosen to focus compassion towards a society who has lost faith in God and who have only placed faith in themselves, causing a failure and collapse which extends to all of us financially and socially. I pray for an increase of faith in society. Only then will there be economic prosperity.

h/t Pundette
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I'm having chicken for Christmas

More here
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Glittering crowds and shimmering clouds

 This fall we took our first trip to New York City.  We had a great time even though about 50% of the souvenirs we bought were umbrellas.

Our hotel was in Secaucus, New Jersey. It was beautiful. It's not always easy to find a single room that holds five people, but the Hyatt Place has them.

(This is only half the space - there was also a sitting area with a pull-out couch.) Plus, the room bore the hallmark of luxury: the TV had more inches than years I've been alive.

Break out the eggnog!

Christmas comes but once a year - and so have our links from SteynOnline since we started blogging in 2009. I am very excited to be today's Listener of the Day.
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And speaking of chocolate

Bernard Callebaut, Canada's world class chocolaterie.

Forget the diamond anniversary ring. I want this for Christmas. I had to resist the temptation to file this bookmark under "Faith and Devotions" and instead opted for "Shopping". I especially enjoy the interactive chocolate map.
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It's Rummage Sale day at DOH

In honour of the Fourth Sunday of Advent, here is a column that was published in the December, 2009 issue of Catholic Insight. 

The Spirit of Christmas Present

I have an embarrassing admission to make: as a long-time devotee of 19th century English literature (and Dickens in particular), I have only just recently read “A Christmas Carol.” I can hear the incredulous gasp all the way from Ottawa, where my sister lives. (A decade ago, she gifted me with the book, and now I can tell her that I have finally got round to reading it.) I have no defence, other than to say that my procrastinator’s disposition knows no limits.

O, I almost forgot, but it's a good thing Mrs. Beazly didn't

Today is the first of the O Antiphons, O Wisdom. I see Mrs. B. has posted a video. Enjoy.
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This year Mark Steyn has released a Christmas album AND accurately predicted the devastation of society as we know it.

Do you even have your Christmas shopping done yet?

You know, I still remember the moment I found out Ronald Reagan had had this whole other life as an actor before he became President of the United States. I can just see my kids having the same reaction years from now with Mark Steyn: "You mean he wrote books, too?!"

UPDATE:

Hello, SteynOnline readers! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Thanks for spreading some Christmas cheer our way, Mr. Steyn!
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If you need to have this explained to you, you are not a nerd. Congratulations!

If you think it's really funny, you are classified as nerdoid.

If it makes you angry, then I'm afraid nerdifaction is complete and you should just go back to working on your Klingon costume once your spasms have subsided to the point where it's safe to use scissors.

Thank you,  Mark Shea.

 Mrs. P weighs in. The only way this joke could be more complete is if Leonard Nimoy was behind Patrick Stewart, making rabbit ears (with the Vulcan salute, of course).
 .

Jim Cuddy reminds me why I love him.

I was a little disappointed with Blue Rodeo's last album. Not so with Jim Cuddy's latest solo work.

Skyscraper Soul. Get it. Listen to it. Love it.




I also love Jim Cuddy because in the notes of every Blue Rodeo and solo album he tells his three children and wife of twenty-some years how much he loves them.

And because he reminds me of Woody the Cowboy.

 Separated at birth.

Am I right?








This week the Ottawa Citizen was running a contest in which Cuddy fans could win tickets to his February stop at the National Arts Center, as well as a library of all his CDs. One lucky contestant will also get to meet the man himself after the concert. Now,  I already have all his CDs and my tickets to the concert, but I still kinda wish I had entered. Jim Cuddy has written the soundtrack to my life, and I would have looked forward to the melancholy ballad he might have penned after meeting me: "Nervous Mumbling Idiot Girl from Ottawa":

Oooh, I was tired when I met her,
But I smiled and said hello,
She said somethin' that sounded like "Newtnk apptr ak lrrr,"
And that's when I knew it was time to go....

In other news, Blue Rodeo is about to be inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame.
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Homeschooling mom moment of the day

Mom: Are you girls enjoying the Authors card game?
Misses Pinkerton: Yes!
Mom: Are you learning lots?
One of the younger Misses Pinkerton: Yes, I've pretty much memorized all the titles of the books by Jane Eyre!
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Understanding Islam

In a bid to help explain why some Muslim clerics think bananas and cucumbers are evil.

Dr. Sanity:

The men of Islam are obsessed with sex beyond even the wildest imaginings of the Western male's mind. And the obsession is extremely bizarre and pathological.
[...]
Consider for a moment a culture that would prefer to let little girls die in a burning building than to risk having them run out of said building not clothed in properly modest dress; and tell me that such a society is less preoccupied with matters of sex than we are in the West.
Enormous effort goes into veiling women, dressing women modestly, silencing women, covering women's bodies, punishing women, controlling women, reviling women, humiliating women, beating women, subjugating women, avoiding the dishonor of women, keeping women uneducated, policing women, infantilizing women--in short, dehumanizing women -- all under the guise of "protecting" and "honoring" them as they relegate them to animal-like status.

h/t Deborah Gypong 

Snippet of Steyn

Oodles of humour (and insight) in just 25 words.

After 30 years of promoting "diversity" and "dissent" and the "courage" of "artists" who take "bold", "transgressive" "stands", everyone in Hollywood now thinks exactly alike.

h/t FFOF
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Time for some Advent inspiration

This is a different tune than the one I'm used to, but it is very lovely. And of course you can't beat this sort of choir, not even with a haugenhaas arrangement.

If I had unlimited kitchen storage space

And unlimited funds, I would probably get me one of these:

A cathedral bundt pan. Who knew such a thing even existed? There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio...

Update: And this... omigosh, too cute! (You simply must have a medieval village surrounding the cathedral). Can't you just see these in a gingerbread colour, dusted with icing sugar?

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Our Lady of Guadalupe,

Pray for us.

Can't...blog...

Too busy playing with new toys. Yes, I know, it's not Christmas yet, but I'm apparently going to cook a turkey for the big family gathering this year, so I want to try this thing out before the fact. (Very unlike me, I know.) Today, we're making the Mother of All Chili recipes.

And the best part (besides getting a better price than this, which I did) is, I didn't have to order it online or drive 200 miles to buy it. Picked it up at my local Co-op grocery/hardware store after Mass today. It feels good to shop locally (even though the dang thing was probably made in China...)

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New MacBook update

It's proving to be really handy! It's great for distracting the kids while I get my writing and correspondence done on the Acer. They could play with that amazing Trackpad all day. And they'd have to, wouldn't they, because it didn't come with any games! (What can you possibly say about a computer that doesn't have FreeCell?)

Oy vay! What can you say about a company that doesn't know when to use adverbs?
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One of the great things about having a blog hardly anyone reads

Is that you can re-post things and nobody minds. Such as the lovely photos of the Delicious Things of Christmas Past. (We haven't done any baking yet this year, but as soon as we do, I'll put up some snaps).

Tealight holder on right not baked by me. 

Oops! How did this get in here?

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Not really happy posting for a Sunday in Advent

Will it impress anyone if I say that I was just as skeptical as The Steyn about the so-called Arab Spring? Probably not. Wish we'd both been wrong.

 In the so-called "Facebook Revolution," two-thirds of the Arab world's largest nation is voting for the hard, cruel, bigoted, misogynistic song of Shariah.
The short 90-year history of independent Egypt is that it got worse. Mubarak's Egypt was worse than King Farouk's Egypt, and what follows from last week's vote will be worse still. If you're a Westernized urban woman, a Coptic Christian or an Israeli diplomat with the goons pounding the doors of your embassy, you already know that. 

Jim Reeves

Because I just feel like listening to his mellow, mellow voice.


Advent inspiration can come from anywhere.
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Happy Advent

I'm only four days late with this wish, but may you have a peaceful, fruitful Advent season.

...more peaceful and fruitful than mine has been so far. I'm embarrassed to say that we've been so busy running around doing relatively useless things, I have not even had time to set up my own Advent wreath. Peace on earth? I would like fifteen minutes of it on my own schedule...

Here, courtesy of EWTN, is a link to some daily Advent devotions.
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