Some musical groups just cry out to be purchased.

The Burgundian Cadence is one of them. "Burgundian Cadence" … Burgundian Cadence! Saying that is almost like a substitute for chocolate. Their name is so musical, one hardly needs to preview their albums. But of course I did. This one is on my iTunes wish list. (At $52, can't afford it on Amazon.) And it's STILL Christmas, so I can still talk about Christmas music.

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From our Killer Headlines file

Where you don't have to click and read the story, because the headline is entertaining enough all by itself. Happy Monday.

Britney Spears stuck in tree during concert
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Well that was an easy review to write.

Worst. Adaptation. Ever.

For the love of Thomas Hardy, don't bother.

One more reason to dislike the perky and yet patently ridiculous Carey Mulligan.

If you want a very VERY fantastic version, watch the 1998 miniseries with Paloma Baeza and Nathaniel Parker.

Or just read the book. (Which is what the producers/writers of the 2015 version evidently failed to do.)

 I have not yet checked out the 1967 Julie Christie version, but frankly, my hopes are not high. In 1967, they did not know how to "do" period drama. The costumes, hair and makeup were invariably atrocious--false eyelashes, eyeliner and backcombed hair bumps? I think not (and that was just the guys).


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Is identifying with Winnie the Pooh a good thing or a bad thing?

Head full of fluff: check ("Think! Think!" is almost an hourly mantra--welcome to middle age.)
Short: check
Round: check
Cute: not so much
Obsessed with food: check (see "Round" above)

Oh well, at least I saw this on Facebook yesterday. And it's true. Stoutness exercises are better than no exercises at all.

And after all that Christmas sugar, it's back to green smoothies. You KNOW you've overdone it when you are craving organic spinach. 

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Let us begin the New Year

With this thought. "Perfect love casts out all fear."

Time to get out the silver polish

 I still haven't finished polishing my vintage silver-plated flatware set I scooped up last year from an estate sale. Yes, last year. But I've been too busy to blog about it. Too busy to blog; too busy to polish silver. There has to be something amiss with my time management skills. But I really want to use it this Christmas, so I'll make one more attempt.

Before

After

The whole glorious set (a 12-place setting). I can't tell you what I paid for it, because I'm embarrassed. Honestly I should have offered the guy more (he named the price, which is what keeps my conscience clear). And he has the internet too. It's not my fault if he doesn't care to google stuff.  (In fact, I did not know the set's value before I bought it, but only after I got home. So that helps keep me from feeling guilty too.)

The box geeks me out… so Midmod! 

Awesome Italian-made silver salad tongs (bottom) were not part of the Rogers Bros set, but they were included in my haul. Bonus! 

So were these adorable 1960s chrome Made in England jam/relish ladles.

Dyslexia, much?

Was Christmas shopping for a certain man (who doesn't read this blog, so it's ok), and when I saw this, I thought, "DENIAL? Really??" (I didn't buy it, BTW). Memo to self: wear your reading glasses when you shop.  

Architects who totally get it.

Or got it, as the case may be. Past tense, unfortunately.

 Mr. P hopes to retire within the decade, so he's studying up on the economics of it all: attending seminars, reading articles in newspapers, magazines and online. And I'm building my dream retirement home in the clouds…and googling antique home plans.  (Say what you will about First World Problems, you DO realize that it's a kind of Purgatory for someone who's been mildly obsessed with architecture since the age of 8 to end up living in home designed in the 1970s. With glittery doorknobs.)

Very interesting: most of these homes are small by today's McMansion standards, yet they have 4-6 bedrooms. This was because in the olden days, couples had "children" instead of stuff.  I get a kick out of the homes that have front stairs, back stairs and a servant's room.

How great is the inclusion of a sewing room? 

I could probably forego one of those six bedrooms in order to get a Master bath and walk-in closet

One of the funniest things about these vintage plans is the commentary: 

"To know the value of right environment is one of the first steps in the mastery of self. It is impossible for anyone to think his best thoughts or do his best work when his home life is not in keeping with his ideals. Those who firmly fix their hearts on The Carolina for a home may be assured of the refining influence which its possession will bring."

Which explains at last why I've been unable for the last 50 years to think my best thoughts: my home life has never been in keeping with my ideals.

Then this:

"The feeling of aloneness is almost entirely unknown in small, comfortable homes like The Dover. Mental depression comes, as a rule, from tired nerves and unsightly surroundings. In the small home which has been provided with an abundance of light, life is more cheerful and housekeeping is a pleasure, provided the husband daily expresses his appreciation."

Finally, confirmation of what I always suspected: men are responsible for women's depression because: a) He hasn't given her a cute character home to live in; b) he doesn't daily express his appreciation for her housekeeping.

Oh rats. It's not all up to the men after all…

"Men change only as their environment and associates change. A good home and a good wife will enable any man to become stronger and more efficient. Any man is worthy of the highest trust who saves from his earnings sufficent to build The Englewood, and whose life companion is in sympathy with him and his work."

and

"The woman who knows that the surest way to a man's heart is through his sense of taste, and that sympathy and appreciation will lead him over mountains while criticism causes him to balk stubbornly on a level, can make any home an influence for permanent good whether it is of The Fulton style of architecture or a more humble cottage."

And it doesn't stop there. Health benefits… of sun (and by extension, home plans that have well… windows):

"Sunshine is to the physical body what joy is to the heart. Those frail of body should seek the sun porches of homes of The Kendall plan, and those frail of heart can find inimitable balm in the building and making complete a new home and a new environment. Health and home joy come to those who prepare expectantly for them."

You said a mouthful, brother!!

Six fireplaces, yes! (That's a lot of wood chopping, and ash-scooping, Mr. P) But oh, the benefits to the little woman!

The hearth that glows with good fellowship warms chilly hearts and drives out the dampness of discord and disappointments. Such hearths are guarded constantly by women who worship sacred home ideals, and who turn a deaf ear to the voice of gossip. The Haverhill will make an ideal home for those who yearn for better conditions in which to demonstrate the power of right thought."

Ha ha! It's not just a home brochure: it's social engineering!

When a normal woman comes to herself at the age of twenty, twenty-two, or twenty-four, according to her physical and mental growth, she realizes that her highest ambition is for a home of her own, affection and children, but her happiness is never complete until the love and home she wins is hers by all equitable and legal rights."

and

A child seldom becomes a burden on society whose home life has been one of happiness and contentment. The home is the localized center from which initial impulses for good or evil go out. Those who select The Rochester as a home in which to purify the environment for their children may well pay the debt to humanity which all of us owe.

If only we still had 1920s prices, when you could build one of these homes for under $5,000.

And it's not even camping season

When it comes to clever kitchen gadgets, I think I have now "seen it all." Found these while browsing the Bed, Bath and Beyond website while making my Christmas wish list. Collapsible silicone kettles. Says they are compatible with gas stovetop, so supposedly I could use these in my trailer. Too cute!

At least the colour is improved, and other things are too.

Smoothies, continued. This time, rosy red-crabapple butter and berries masked the swiss chard. 

And the taste was good too. But not as good as this: 

Yes, daughters! I must sheepishly admit that I consumed my Christmas 2014 mulled wine gift only this past month. But really, who drinks mulled wine in Lent, Easter, or summertime? I pretty much had to wait for another winter. And it was worth the wait. 

Diet-wise, the first week of December did not feel exactly great. There were too many treats and lapses, and the schedule was too crazy. And yet last week, I managed my first treadmill run in ages: did a modest 2.5 km (yes, Imperial friends, I know that's a mere 1.55342798 miles, but who's keeping track?). Most surprising of all, the bathroom scale was my friend this week. It was only 1.8 lb down (from Dec 1), and yeah, it was probably all water, but down is down. It's encouraging.

But another week of Advent is nearly gone, and I'm starting to feel a bit frazzled: a sure indication that I need to force myself to slow down and spend more time in prayer.

Blingy Knobs and other Glittery "Delights"

Mrs. Beazly just sent me some rather shocking news: my glam 1970s doorknobs are actually designer doorknobs. We always knew they were "special" (in a horrifying kind of way), but I'm amazed that this person is willing to go on record as having created them. (Blurns, I hope you realize how privileged you are for having been gifted with one of these, even if it was a small one.) Yikes, are people really willing to pay to put these in their homes? Call me; I'm willing to negotiate.
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Killer headlines don't come along every day

So when they do, you have to post them. Not only are they funny, but they are also an efficient way to get the news, since they make actually reading the story entirely superfluous. Utah Paperboy Headbutted, Tackled and Trapped in Tree by Goat Named Voldemort.
Thanks to Miss P #5 who sent this to me.

Cooking Your Goose

Literally and figuratively. I am making my Christmas wish list for the kids (sorry I'm so late with this, gals!), and came across this baby. These pots are simply beautiful, but OUCH! At $650, that would blow my Christmas budget (like, for the whole family), perhaps for several years. And that's ON SALE: on Amazon.com, they're listed 'regularly' at $750 (red) and $860 (blue). On this site, $930. Oh dear.

Here is a link to a video of a chef cooking a goose in this product: photos of the pots alone really don't indicate much (unless you provide reference, as this person has done):

Some lucky cook's assortment of Le Creuset pots.
From left to right: 8 qt, 15.5 qt (goose), 5.5 qt.

Watching the video was totally not a waste of time for me, because (THANK YOU, MICHAEL RUHLMAN!!) I have now been liberated from the angst of presenting lovely cuts of poultry meat to my guests: he just chops up EVERYTHING except the breast. I also learned how to keep the poultry meat hot AND moist while hubby is carving (am I the only cook who stresses about the turkey meat not being hot enough when you serve it? And the only cook who's dumb enough not to have figured out Mr. Ruhlman's brilliant yet painfully simple method by this point in my life?) He keeps the cut up meat in a shallow covered pan of hot stock. So much more sensible than putting it on a cold platter. I am now actually looking forward to cooking the turkey this year! Though I do realize I will never, ever own cookware made by Le Creuset. (And no, daughters, that is not a self-pitying passive aggressive hint. The stuff is just. Too. Expensive.)

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A vastly underappreciated hymn

I have loved this Christmas song ever since I first heard it on The Bishop's Wife, but in vain did I struggle to know more about it. In those days, there was no internet, and I could not find out who wrote it, or what it was called, or anything. I even thought it might be an original piece that had been written for the film.

Thanks to Google and YouTube (and eventually iTunes), not only did I find out about it, but I purchased a version of it (but not, alas, the one below). The hymn/anthem is a 19th century piece: the English title is "O Sing to God" and the words were written by Rev. Benjamin Webb. The music (original Title: "Noël: Montez à Dieu") was composed by Charles François Gounod (yes, the Ave Maria guy). I found this information, and much more, at this site, The Hymns and Carols of Christmas.

The thing that makes me really really sad is that there are SO FEW recordings of this hymn! (You know you are truly desperate when you resort to listening to a scratchy 1916 recording on YouTube.) I cannot  fathom why some of those great choirs kicking around (King's College, Cambridge, I'm looking at you) have not recorded this piece on any of their Christmas albums. If I'm wrong, please let me know! I've searched high and low online but I can't find any professionally recorded choral renditions. The version I purchased was by French Canadian tenor Richard Verreau, which is simply lovely (indeed, the entire album, Un Grand Noel Classique is sublime).

I would love to find a CD or mp3 file of a good children's/boys (or any!) choir singing this piece--the few versions on YouTube are mostly amateur, and leave much to be desired for audio quality. As does the clip from the Cary Grant movie below, delightful though it certainly is.

This arrangement is original to the film, as they do a bit of juggling and omitting with the original lyrics, but it's still extremely beautiful, and gives me shivers every single time I hear it. Enjoy.



The Robert Mitchell Boys Choir appeared in other films as well.
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Well there goes my Advent resolution… (diet update and such)

Not the author. (How I wish!)

One of my Advent resolutions (besides overcoming procrastination--which is why I'm making resolutions in Advent and not waiting till the New Year) was an intention to post on this blog every day. Contrary to what our overwhelming number of Followers might lead one to believe, I know for a fact that at least 3 or 4 people actually read this blog on a regular basis. (I'm trying to tell you how Very Special you are, because I'm willing to make the effort just for you!)

Yeah, I'm trying to post daily during the busiest Mom-season of the year (are there any seasons that aren't busy? I think not). Anyway, the last week was crazy and I'm sure it will only get more so as December ticks on. But for the first time in many years, I've already completed a good chunk of my Christmas shopping, which is kind of miraculous in itself. Maybe this year, I'll even get the gifts wrapped before 5:00 pm on Christmas Eve.

On the minus side, being away from home (and staying in the big city) for the better part of two days meant two things: special treats and restaurant meals, both of which have done no favours for my new diet. But I am not discouraged! That's the important part. (Catholics become practiced at that perseverance thing, because… sin…confession…firm purpose of amendment… sin…confession…lather, rinse and repeat). Despite falling off the healthy-eating wagon a few times in the last three days, I have been exercising every day since I started this (and YES, slogging through malls for hours on end counts! Especially if you're carrying heavy shopping bags).

Here is a fast fitness tip that I'll bet a lot of people, especially middle aged moms, don't know. If you sit on an exercise ball every day to put on your socks and shoes, in a year's time (probably less, like 6 months), you will have core muscles that you did not even know existed. I've been doing this for a long time (years), and I literally have 6-pack abs. Unfortunately, due to bad habits, genetics, and bad habits, they are currently hidden under an 8-pack of raw bun dough. (No, not gonna post pictures. There are enough of those online).
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Please clarify what you mean by "quite easy"

Image from ItalianFoodForever.com.
Perhaps I need one of these rolling pins. 

I made homemade lasagna noodles the other night. Why, you many ask? Because like a dunce, I prepped EVERYTHING for all the layers of lasagna (and, as Mr. Collins would say, 'There are several') before I realized that I had no noodles in the house. Driving 90 miles (round trip) to the nearest open grocery store (and postponing dinner till 10:00 pm) wasn't an option. Having made homemade pasta before, I thought, "How hard can this be?" and googled a recipe. The result was so un-pretty, I did not dare post pictures.

I followed this recipe (can I be blamed for being attracted to a site called "Italian Food Forever"?), which was advertised as "quite easy." However, my unhappy mixture was so dry that I had to add some of the egg white, just to get it to resemble dough. I was skeptical that it would roll out, but after letting it rest for half an hour, it did roll--but only with great difficulty (and a slight wrist injury). If I were on Twitter, which I am not, I would probably start a hashtag #HelloPastaMachinesWereInventedForAReason.

Anyhow, the noodles turned out nicely, and cooked up well in the lasagna. (I did not boil them beforehand: what a waste of time!) And they tasted very good. I am now brave enough to try making more homemade noodles and pastas. Next time, I'm going to try this recipe (billed as "Super Easy") because she uses whole eggs--and a stand mixer. (Don't bother watching the video; there are too many time-lapses, where stuff gets done behind the scenes. Thus, although she says she's going to "show" us how to make the noodles, she actually doesn't. But she is very pretty and has way more followers than I do, so who am I to criticize?) If those lasagna noodles turn out, I will post pictures.
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If you can get beyond that whole 'Drinking Baby Poop' thing...

Use the same approach as tighrope walking: don't look down. 

Make a change for better health and drink more green smoothies! Granted, I did put in too much spinach this time, but it was in danger of spoiling and I didn't want to waste it. I also put in some homemade Mongolian Cherry juice for colour (and antioxidants) but it just couldn't overtake the spinach. It did taste much better than it looked.

After falling off the Healthy Lifestyle wagon repeatedly over the last few weeks months decade, I'm Starting Over (again). So today it's "Day 1" (for the 20th time) of my John the Baptist Diet. Yeah, it's kind of insanely optimistic to start a new health-program in Advent, but if I don't, I literally won't have anything to wear to church at Christmas, except my bathrobe. 

I'm also trying to get more exercise (that shouldn't be too difficult, since when you're doing "zero" there's nowhere to go but up), and if I post about it here, it should keep me somewhat accountable. Today I did about 20 minutes of cardio on my rebounder. 

Stay posted for further elaboration. 

Cheers!

Mine is cheap and doesn't fold. I think I'd like to get a better one someday.

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Publicly naming my enemies

Samson mansplaining "retribution" to the revelers in the Temple of Dagon

A portion of Psalm 18:

You gave me your saving shield;
you upheld me, trained me with care.
You gave me freedom for my steps;
my feet have never slipped.

I pursued and overtook my foes,
never turning back till they were slain.
I smote them so they could not rise;
they fell beneath my feet.

You girded me with strength for battle;
you made my enemies fall beneath me,
you made my foes take flight;
those who hated me I destroyed.

They cried, but there was no one to save them;
they cried to the Lord, but in vain.
I crushed them fine as dust before the wind;
trod them down like dirt in the streets.

You saved me from the feuds of the people
and put me at the head of the nations.
People unknown to me served me:
when they heard of me they obeyed me.

Foreign nations came to me cringing:
foreign nations faded away.
They came trembling out of their strongholds

I love the Psalms, but let's be honest: some of them are a little dark and scary. And I don't mean the ones about the Valley of the Shadow of Death and stuff. I mean the ones such as the example above, where the psalmist is praying for the defeat of his enemies, or rejoicing that he and God have just ground said enemies into the dust. Vengeful, no? A little too dark for ordinary dumb old Catholic housewives? No.

Have you seen Mockingjay 2?

I did, and contrary to some reviewers who gave it a pass, I loved it. Yes, some moments were rather silly, and others were utterly predictable (I find most movies are; it annoys my kids to death when I predict things as we're watching films, but then I am old, and they don't realize how cliched mainstream filmmaking has become). Anyhoo, if you message me on Facebook or email we, we can discuss why I liked this movie, but I won't discuss it publicly because… spoilers. But I'll give you a hint: read this Idlepost by David Warren, and see if you can find the connection. Let's just say this: I feel vindicated.
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Want to understand the Middle East?

Graph representing historical alliances, wars and grudges in  Middle East.

Good luck. A friend recently told me that it is nearly impossible for most westerners to comprehend what's going on "over there." And after reading these two pieces (by Ben Shapiro and David Warren), I believe him. God help us. Going to pray for Our Lady's intercession with my olive-wood rosary from Bethlehem, and then make some chocolate chip cookies. 

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"We're going to have to cut that grass again!"

…a sentence probably never before uttered by my husband on November 15. Yay! We've made it to the halfway point in November with NO SNOW! I'm loving it. Have I ever mentioned how much I hate driving on icy roads? The only downside of this is that it's giving me a false sense of security as to how far away Christmas is. Suddenly there will be three weeks to go, and I'll have nothing prepared.

Compare to October 23, 2012:

Ice and Snow, Bless the Lord!
Global Warming, Bless the Lord!
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It's funny because it's true.

But the part that isn't funny is what the meme doesn't say: it doesn't say that if you don't exercise and don't eat right, you will gain weight, retain water, lack energy, not sleep well, gain weight, be chronically constipated, gain weight, get bloated and gassy, look awful, and Feel. Like. Crap. 99% of the time. Welcome to my world, from December 2014 until November 2015.

This is a long-running saga (as any of my girlfriends from high school can tell you). Like all too many girls and women who've lived through the modern and post-modern eras, I've spent a lifetime obsessing over those false standards of beauty and body image. Well who am I kidding? This sort of thing probably began with the invention of the corset (which probably happened 14 hours after Adam and Eve got booted from the Garden after the Fall, and only because it probably took Eve 13 hours to gather and weave together the twigs).

I am quite happy to say that since Nov. 2, I've turned over a new leaf with my eating and exercise habits, and am already feeling 90% better. (The other 10% has to do with annoying and ongoing medical issues, but c'est la vie--Doctrine of the Cross, and all that). It certainly is worth it to take decent care of your health--not that that's a revelation or anything. But Happy Friday anyway.
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A dusting of snow

Is winter here? I hope not. The forecast for Saturday is +10 degrees C (50 degrees F). And yet you can see the snow yonder in the veggie garden. It's in the lawn too, but for some reason it doesn't show up on camera. (This is the view from my kitchen window). 

At any rate, I am extremely thankful for every single additional hour that we don't have to start cars in -30 C weather, or drive on icy roads.

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Fretting over the demise of western civilization?

Or perhaps I should say, "Fainting in the sultry glebe"? Yeah, me too. As if you couldn't tell (we have an entire category devoted to that). Well, shame on you. And me. Though it is just a teeny bit surreal when some of us on the planet are listening to Chopin, and others are throwing their feces around ...and yet secular leftist humanists shrilly insist that all cultures are equal. They are not. But why cry or rant over it? Pray instead. And embrace beauty. And do not be afraid to proclaim that no one and nothing has brought more beauty to the world than Christ and Christendom. 

And mea culpa, mea culpa, mea maxima culpa for so often failing to remember all of the above.

Now go to the Divine Office site and listen to this hymn (sung by the Choir of Christ's College), and then pray the Office for the hour where you are.

The Lord My Pasture Shall Prepare

The Lord my pasture shall prepare
And feed me with a shepherd’s care;
His presence shall my wants supply
And guard me with a watchful eye;
My noonday walks He shall attend
And all my midnight hours defend.

When in the sultry glebe I faint
Or on the thirsty mountain pant,
To fertile vales and dewy meads
My weary, wandering steps He leads,
Where peaceful rivers, soft and slow,
Amid the verdant landscape flow.

Though in a bare and rugged way,
Through devious lonely wilds, I stray,
Thy bounty shall my pains beguile;
The barren wilderness shall smile,
With sudden greens and herbage crowned,
And streams shall murmur all around.

Though in the paths of death I tread,
With gloomy horrors overspread,
My steadfast heart shall fear no ill,
For Thou, O Lord, art with me still;
Thy friendly crook shall give me aid
And guide me through the dreadful shade.

“The Lord my pasture shall prepare” by Choir of Christ’s College; 

Words: Joseph Addison, 1712.

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Origami

I don't think that word means what you think it means. More fun at Walmart. I mean, the whole point of origami is the sheer cleverness of the design and the folding (see below). I guess I have a weird sense of humour but this struck me as funny. Just like the brown straw basket that is Not a Toy. I suppose they should put a warning label on these too: "These are not really made of folded paper." 

But these are.

Many more here. 

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I am so loving this

What's so great about that, you may ask? I'll tell you. This is a picture of my backyard. It  was taken yesterday, November 2, and there is NO SNOW. In fact it was raining gently all day. NO SNOW. Could global warming finally be upon us, after they've been promising it for 30 years? If so, Hallelujah!  Let the rain and green grass continue till March as far as I'm concerned! NO SNOW.
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