Five Faves: Godzilla Meets Ghiradelli

Checking in with a slightly belated, mostly quick five favorites this week while we're fighting to get back to a nice 35,000 ft above weather level. Thanks Hallie for hosting, and allowing us late bloomers to still link up!

1) Talenti Sorbetto: Yes, it was a 100% impulse buy. There was the gelato, but well, our experience has been any gelato sold here has got all the promise and none of the authenticity of real gelato. Enter sorbetto! With a flavor called Roman Raspberry, how could I resist? While there was a little trepidation given our gelato experience, the sorbetto delivered just the right punch! Yum. At almost $4 a pint, it will definitely be a rare indulgence, though.

2) Since I've been sick, I have had a hankering for a good tea and most have left me disappointed. Enter the Twinings Lemon & Ginger "tea." I do put it in quotation marks because I still have a hard time calling something tea that doesn't actually have a tea leaf in it. That aside, sweetened with a little honey, this hit the spot! Add a little somethin' somethin' stronger and maybe you have the perfect hot toddy in the making. For now it's just "tea."

3) This Christmas Ornament series. The Hubs is a huge fan of Godzilla movies and dolls action figures collectibles. I found this series of ornaments at Meijer when we were first married, and of course I had to splurge. Last year I was disappointed not to find one, so when I saw this lone little box sitting there the other day, I knew I had to snag it. True to form, the Hubbers' delight is never disappoints! I know, it's not even Thanksgiving, but there was only one there!

4) Handprint art: The kids have been rather quarantined over the last week while they fight their germs, so projects are a great distraction. Li'l G LOVES to make handprints, so the other day at work while we were talking about all the resources you can find through Pinterest, I came across this little image of ideas which should provide at least a few hours of messy, painting fun!

5) Ghiradelli bittersweet chocolate chips: I've been trying to be more conscious about the type of chocolate we buy (sans Halloween candy sadly). I did a little checking on Ghiradelli and didn't seem to find any red flags about slave labor or unfair business practices on a large scale, so I picked up this tantalizing bag. Little drops of chocolate heaven. Perfect size chips to let me feed a chocolate craving without devouring a chocolate bar the size of my head. Now, if there are justice issues with Ghiradelli, please just let me finish this bag before you tell me. Thank you kindly!

That's it for now. Go on over to Hallie's to see what the early birds (or on-timely birds) be liking! Oh, and find out about the exciting event being planned for next July. Really. Go!

Seven Quick Takes: Where Sass-Parilla May Be My New Drink of Choice

Joining up with Jennifer at Conversion Diary again this week for a slightly sass-filled seven quick takes.

1) The Death of Common Sense: While I can't sit here and name every violation of common sense that occurs on a daily, nay ongoing, basis, I can definitely say that I believe it to be a supernatural gift now, and perhaps it should be referred to henceforth as "uncommon" sense. One example: I sent a text to someone at some point in the early afternoon regarding a question they had asked me. They have repeatedly mentioned that their phone is not working properly, so I followed up with an email, which I know they received. Apparently, my text did not arrive on their end until midnight...at which time they proceeded to text me back to say they got my text. At midnight. 12:00 AM. When all critters, children and husbands were snoozily snoring away in their beds...as was I. For future reference, unless it is a dire emergency, you will not receive a message initiated by me after 9pm or before 8-9 am (depending on your circumstance). Let me rephrase - if it is an emergency, I will call.

2) When Victims Become Bullies: I am curious to know when "free speech" morphed into "free speech for what I believe but if you say you don't agree with me or my choices you are a big old meanie-pants and I'm going to tell on you." I'm not pointing fingers at any particular side, necessarily, though from my vantage point, the liberals aren't so much liberal in range of thought as they are indoctrinated in certain beliefs apart from which no kind, thoughtful person could possibly exist. Yes, there are those on the left who certainly behave this way as well. What happened to "I disagree with what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it?" My issue is this with those who feel victimized and then begin to espouse these behaviors - shouldn't our suffering make us more compassionate? Shouldn't our suffering lead us to show empathy and extend mercy and grace to one another? Sadly too often the victims become the bullies to regain a sense of control, when I have simply succumbed to the notion clear to me that there is very little I have control over other than my emotions and reaction. I am quite clearly not in charge in these parts.

3) Pope Francis and the Man With Boils: This image has gone viral, with attention from quite secular sources as well. I know some people take issue with the viral-ity of the whole thing (cough cough Mary cough cough), and I can understand why. It speaks well of your heart that you take issue with the novelty of the moment. My heart isn't so well, and I am challenged to love those who may be difficult to look upon for whatever reason (not necessarily physical). For me, this is a reminder that what appears to be unwell on the surface never negates what longs for wholeness on the inside. That the world looks upon this moment and sees the tender mercy of Christ is a moment that can go as viral as it wants. It speaks of the wellness (or lack thereof) of the hearts of the world, and its great need for more of this kind of witness until we are at the same point you are, where we look on this man with the eyes of Christ and not our own squeamishness.

4) Natural Foods vs. "Regular Food": If I were to really make this quick, this would be it - shouldn't ALL food be natural?? Backstory - as I'm beginning to become more conscious of what we are eating, I'm finding out more and more about the economic shenanigans of the food industry. Why do major brands have "regular" products and then "natural" products at a higher cost? If you admit that the other product is not natural, shouldn't you just stop making it and move to the natural variety all together? For that matter, does it really cost that much more to make these natural products, or do you make less of them and then create a perceived higher value for them so you can charge more, thereby making it more difficult for financially struggling families to eat well? It is just one big conspiracy? No, I don't want to watch any documentaries. I just want to be able to eat real food without being pumped with antibiotics, hormones and unnecessary chemicals. I want discount retailers not to use suspect brands. Did you really just switch your chicken to Perdue, Costco? Even after all the outbreaks and quality issues they have had? Even medications are not exempt from this ridiculousness- why do my pills need to have food coloring? Will my Motrin not work without the bright orange color that bleeds when it is wet? It is so frustrating to try to figure out how to find quality, real foods that won't break the bank.

5) Hallie shared her current favorite Audrey Assad tune in her Five Favorites this week. I'm in love with the whole CD (If I had to pick a favorite right now it would be Good to Me, though that might change as the next track comes on). The track she shared, I Shall Not Want, I am listening to this very second and it hits me. It is my prayer from last weekend set to music. I wrote about my experience in Adoration, about how we say the Lord is My Shepherd, I shall not want...and yet we want. We want a lot. I'm just now letting the lyrics into my soul instead of using the music as a lullaby for the kids. My bad.

6) This might be my favorite Facebook post I made this week:

While I like my new slippers a lot, I find that when transferring an already sleeping child to his crib, I prefer to be barefoot. When I am barefoot and in leggings, it is like I am choreographing a delicate ninja ballet. Add to that picking up toys which ends up being repeated pliés in first, fifth and sixth position as I "bend at the knees" and motherhood becomes a carefully orchestrated dance quite literally.

That's right, I am a ninja ballerina. Beware.


7) There are a thousand other things that run through my head all week that make me think, "Oh! I should jot that down for a really quick take!" and then I forget. Aren't you lucky? I'll leave you with this last thought: Christmas music should not be played until after Thanksgiving at the earliest. Don't you even think of calling me a Grinch! Every season gets its turn, except the season of thanks. At the 4th of July, Halloween things are out (ok, maybe a slight exaggeration). By October, Thanksgiving things are out for a split second before we are onto Christmas. Can we please just savor the moment? I know Christmas is exciting, but today can be too! I want to spend my November in reflections of thankfulness without losing an entire radio station to Christmas songs. Let's not even start on "Advent, the Invisible Season." Hmm, that might just be a whole post on its own, especially since I've been asked to give a reflection on Advent at a Ladies' Tea. Savor the moment...help me savor the moment so when we get to Advent, we can rest in that season, so when we get to Christmas we can be exuberant and not worn out. Please? Pretty please?

See? Sass-parila. That's what I be drinking in these parts. To your health!

PS - Now I'm onto the track, Spirit of the Living God, and it is now my favorite.


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Seven Quick Takes: Hello, November!

First things first. How is it November already?

Now that I have that off my chest, I'm ready to link up with Jennifer over at Conversion Diary for some Quick Takes. I know you are waiting with anticipation of epic proportions.

1) Month of Thankfulness: It seems to be a new trend to spend the month of November posting a daily update on what we are thankful for that day (or to use interwebs lingo, it's trending). It's a big hit amongst my youth minister friends fo' sho' - see, I can be trendy. I was going to spend some of October gathering different bits of Scriptures on thankfulness and gratitude, but it seems Ann Voskamp not only anticipated my thoughts, but being the rockstar she is, far exceeded my expectations with her little "craft" to go along with it (including a version for Spanish speakers). It can be found on her website in this post. You might want to check out her post from today also, about how/why November is statistically the hardest month and how we can help combat that. If you're not already in love with Ann's blog and books, get on that! I wish I had the discipline to have thought out my own activity for November, but I am so thankful she already has. And there is my first post on thankfulness! :)

(from www.aholyexperience.com)

2) NaBloPoMo: Say that ten times fast. Go. If you don't know what that stands for (as was my case not too long ago), it is National Blog Posting Month. BlogHer hosts one every month (I think), but November is THE official month to encourage bloggers to post daily. Speaking of my desire to grow my writing discipline, I've chosen to play along this month and try to post something every day. No worries - I have no aspirations to wax philosophical on a daily basis. I have always intended to provide some type of "inspiration" for the day through the blog though, be it quotes or Scripture, so at the very least I hope I can acquire the discipline to share something meaningful each day to help us along the (sometimes trying) journey...like when the baby decides to throw up on you at 10 pm and then pee all over his dad when you're getting the tub ready. Yup, for days like that, we need inspiration. Or wine and chocolate, but I can't send you that through this little bit of electronic space, sorry.

3) Halloween Photos: First, Halloween is nuts. These kids are way too active to try to get them to stand still and look at the camera and smile long enough for a nice picture. So, here are our "action" shots. Little dude was the Gingerbread Man (next year, he's going to be a turtle or a rock to inspire less movement) and Li'l G wanted to be a pumpkin, so she was a punky punkin. Who knows - I tried other things, but she settled on a pumpkin. The Hubs' cousin has everyone over for Halloween in costume, so we went as Popeye and Olive Oyl. Not the best family selfie, but maybe there will be others posted on Facebook I can grab later...

4) Saint Swap: Speaking of Halloween, how do you decide how much candy is enough for the kids? I really don't like the kids to have candy or sweets, though their dad sneaks them donuts when they go out. Ok, I'll let them have a few bites here and there too. I just don't want to share my chocolate. Anyway, here's my little post on having a Saint Swap to transition from Halloween into All Saint's Day. Let me know if you have creative ways of rationing candy or celebrating All Saints' Day. (Oh, and after a question on what to do with the candy you swap, hat tip to my friend Amy from high school for this Advent activity - cones of paper with the date, an Advent Scripture reading and some candy for a home made advent calendar.)

5) Natural Foods: Speaking of rationing candy, how do you ladies who really do the natural foods or no processed foods for the kids do it? It seems to take so much energy to figure out what to give them that they can eat, especially the one year old, but doesn't require a lot of prep time...oh, and that we can afford on a limited budget. When I've been intentional about looking at labels, I feel like there just isn't much out there that wouldn't increase our grocery bill by a couple hundred dollars a month. Insert sad face here. I definitely desire to purchase and prepare better foods, or rather real food versus a bunch of chemical, fake foods. I also know I get overwhelmed easily these days and want to be smartly frugal as well as healthy. So, I suppose I could ask Mary to hijack one of her Tuesday question free-for-alls, but we'll start here. Any ideas? And...go!

6) Audrey Assad: I just wanted to share how much I am loving her new CD. I love that she left her label to focus more on worship music. I love the soft, reverent, current tones. I love every lyric, every song. Mostly, I love that it is the perfect soundtrack to naptime at the Casa. Audrey Assad, you're my naptime heroine. Thank you, thank you, thank you. I pray, they sleep. Can't get much better than that!

7) Foster parenting: Ahhh, I was set to write about something probably trivial here, then I sent a note to a friend from high school who has been fostering a little girl. Her response broke my heart with the complete unreliability of anything having to do with foster care, not always to fault the system or the players. It is just not an ideal system. When foster parents such as this amazing family give their love, their whole hearts and their home, knowing that separation may be inevitable, those ups and down and the unreliability become ever more infuriating. This is, of course, not only because of the pain this family now experiences, but more so that little person in their care. If the foster family is suffering, how much more so the child? It is a pain I cannot imagine, as is the case with so many of the stories I hear at work. My heart and prayers go out to these children, and my admiration and prayers to the foster parents who go into the work with humble, loving hearts for the good of the children and not the extra cash from the state. Here's a November double-hitter: I am so thankful you give of yourselves so freely that another little person might know what it is to begin to feel loved and feel safe. God bless you all. 

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Ten Pantry Staples at Casa McCormick

When I use the word "staples," I use them somewhat loosely in that we do not always have these items at home. However, these are the first to go on the shopping list! Oh, and our "pantry" is a loose term too. How I long for the Pinterest Perfect pretty pantry... (Say that 10 times fast!)

 1) Black Beans. Frijoles negros - a must have in our casa. Whether it is with chicken and rice, on its own, blended for a dip, black beans are a staple go-to food for this mama. Added bonus? Li'l G loves them and with all that extra fiber, well, it keeps us regular. Too much? Sorry.

2) Canned diced tomatoes with Italian seasoning. Oh, my go to for everything! Making my own pasta sauce, chicken, pork, black beans, soup...I can count on this flavorful friend to get me started!

3) Montreal Steak Seasoning. Mmmm, mmmm, good. Why do I still have it in spades in my spice cupboard when we gave up red meat you ask? Because it's not just for steak, my friends. Spice up some smashed potatoes, y'all! Complements baked chicken as well as seasons turkey burgers. We love the flavor, so why limit it to steak? Definitely one that is missed when it runs out.

4) Cumin. Perhaps it is the Indian tastebuds, but I love some cumin. Especially with black beans (see #1). Just a touch adds an earthy flavor that works with foods of the subcontinent in whatever Americanized hybrid it appears from our kitchen. Besides being a staple of our "Indian" kitchen, it's got some bonus health benefits too, if you believe what you read! Here's a tip: though you can buy it ground, find a local Indian grocer and get it whole. Toast it in a pan, grind yourself, and you'll quadruple the flavor and aroma!

5) Shake 'n' Bake / Panko / Bread Crumbs. Any or all in that combo are definitely a keeper for our small kitchen. I'd forgotten how much so until I finally re-stocked our Shake 'n' Bake the other day. Perfect for a quick dinner and oh so tasty. Yes, I know I can make my own bread crumbs, but I'm just not the domestic goddess I had envisioned becoming as a wife and mother. I need to have something to aspire to, I suppose. Besides, who can forget those commercials from our childhood? "It's Shake 'n' Bake, and I helped!"

6) Stove Top. It's not just for Thanksgiving, folks! Quick, easy, versatile for so many meals, it's a nice alternative to rice and pasta which get boring after a while. Added bonus? I'm not a huge fan of croutons, but sprinkle a little Stove Top on a salad, and you've got just the right added texture for me. 

7) BBQ Sauce. Grilling weather or not, this is definitely something to keep in stock. It makes a great "dip dip" for Li'l G (though messy), and in a pinch, nothing like a little chicken or pork in the slow cooker ready to shred and smother when it's dinner time! 

8) Canned cut green beans. Yes, I know. Fresh should be better, and I do love a good pot of fresh picked green beans cooked to perfection. You know what is a close second in my book? Yes - canned (definitely NOT frozen). I don't know if it is a nostalgic preference, but I love a can of green beans - plain, buttered, with ranch, whatever. Li'l G has picked up her mama's habits too, and it is an easy go-to vegetable for her if nothing else is working...or I'm lazy. You decide which usually happens.

9) Honey. It's expensive, but I try to keep this in stock as much as I can. Used in tea or hot water with lemon/lime, on ice cream with a little cinnamon, or as a glaze with some lime for chicken, it is scrumdeliumptious! Plus, talk about health benefits (vs. sugar especially!).

10) Golden potatoes. We love some smashed potatoes, and while any potato will work, this golden variety provides a buttery texture and the skin smashes up a little more nicely. Plus, they are usually a little smaller in size so they cook through faster. Yes, it sometimes does become about speed and convenience when you're cooking in a hurry.

* Cilantro. Ok, technically that stays in the refrigerator and not the pantry, which is why it didn't make my top ten list, but it is a staple in our home and kitchen. You can chalk it up to the Indian genes.

Spicing Up Married Life

Enjoying spaghetti alla
carbonara in Rome on our
honeymoon in 2009....

Before you get too excited, this is just a quick review of Fr. Leo Patalinghug's newest cookbook, "Spicing Up Married Life," which came out in 2012. Ladies, you know how the saying goes - a way to a man's heart is through his stomach... I'm not sure I would bet the farm on that, but a shared meal (and a tasty one at that) can open the door for greater intimacy.

I've mentioned before how hard it can sometimes be for Hubbers and I to connect during the week. With jobs, kids and life, we can often go days without an extensive adult conversation that doesn't focus on the kids' diapers, our to-do list, or our schedule for the week. It's not that we don't want to connect - it just simply happens that sometimes days can go by without us having an opportunity for intimate conversation and prayer, among other things. Heck, some days it's even hard to string together enough full words for one cohesive sentence when we are low on sleep and high on stress!

In Fr. Leo's book, you'll find not only delicious (and fairly simple) meal ideas, but also inspiration for conversation and prayer with your spouse. Fr. Leo's ministry, Grace Before Meals, centers on the premise that mealtime is a grace filled time to grow and connect - not only in the eating, but in the making. With topics such as competition, finance, communication, parenting and more, there is ample material to kickstart some great conversations coupled with suggestions for prayer to open our hearts to draw closer to God together as a family. I'm loving it so far - just check out my Pasta Carbonara (which is a slight deviation from Fr. Leo's recipe - his calls for rigatoni but all we had was spaghetti!)!