The first is just beautiful ~ the second is funny, but just as true! Enjoy

The grace of the sacrament of Matrimony

1641 “By reason of their state in life and of their order, [Christian spouses] have their own special gifts in the People of God.”145 This grace proper to the sacrament of Matrimony is intended to perfect the couple’s love and to strengthen their indissoluble unity. By this grace they “help one another to attain holiness in their married life and in welcoming and educating their children.”146

1642 Christ is the source of this grace. “Just as of old God encountered his people with a covenant of love and fidelity, so our Savior, the spouse of the Church, now encounters Christian spouses through the sacrament of Matrimony.”147 Christ dwells with them, gives them the strength to take up their crosses and so follow him, to rise again after they have fallen, to forgive one another, to bear one another’s burdens, to “be subject to one another out of reverence for Christ,”148 and to love one another with supernatural, tender, and fruitful love. In the joys of their love and family life he gives them here on earth a foretaste of the wedding feast of the Lamb:

From the Catechism of the Catholic Church

To keep your marriage brimming,
With love in the loving cup,
Whenever you’re wrong admit it;
Whenever you’re right shut up.

I made these yesterday, so thought I’d share the recipes with you…sorry the recipes are approximations, but I just guess half the ingredients!

Cheese Scones
Ingredients:

• 8oz SR flour
• 3oz butter/marg
• Salt to taste
• Milk to mix
• A good amount of strong grated cheese
• A good shake of dried chives

Just crumb together the butter and flour, add the salt, most of the cheese and chives and bind with the milk. Mix well but not too much, and shape into a round about1 inch thick. Cut into 6 triangles. Bake on a greased baking tray for about 15 minutes in a moderate oven (Gas 5) then split, butter and eat while still warm!

Cranberry and Pistachio Cake
Ingredients:

• 4oz marg
• 4oz sugar
• 2 eggs
• 4oz SR flour
• A handful of dried cranberries
• a handful of shelled pistachios
• Some cranberry juice
• 2 tablespoons of sugar

Cream together the butter and sugar, and add the eggs and beat well. Mix in the flour, and cranberries and put in a loaf tin. Scatter the roughly chopped pistachios on top. Bake for about 35 mins at Gas 5. When cooled sightly remove from the tin and make the syrup by boiling some cranberry juice with sugar until it coats the back of the spoon. Brush over the still warm cake. Lovely served sliced and buttered.

So there you go ~ yummy scrummy!

I have been thinking about modesty and discussing it with some friends. This is a subject close to my heart, and I have been reading this post What To Wear this morning on Cam’s blog, which I really relate to.

This is not a question of legalism, but, as St. Paul writes “All things are lawful for me, but all things are not expedient. All things are lawful for me, but all things do not edify. Let no man seek his own, but that which is another’s.” (1 Corinthians 10:22-24) and although Paul is talking here about eating food offered to idols, there are, I believe, some important points which relate to the issue of how we dress and present ourselves.

Modesty doesn’t just refer to dress, but means:

• having or showing a moderate or humble estimate of one’s merits, importance, etc.; free from vanity, egotism, boastfulness, or great pretensions.
• free from ostentation or showy extravagance: a modest house.
• having or showing regard for the decencies of behavior, speech, dress, etc.; decent: a modest neckline on a dress.

…and I love these defintions of “modest” which cover so much more than just covering up one’s cleavage! It is an attitude of the heart in many areas of our lives…favouring simplicity over being ostentatious, for one…and being humble, and not vain…the root of the word is the same as that of “moderate”, and modesty simply means to moderate our appearance, habits and behaviour.

But to return to the subject of dress, while it may not be “unlawful” to dress in the prevailing, skimpy/ tight modern fashions, it isn’t edifying, to ourselves or to others, to wear clothes which reveal vast amounts of flesh, or are so tight that our underwear/body shape are clearly visible to others. As a married woman, I feel that the sight of certain parts of my body is for my husbands eyes only, and of course I have no problem with my daughters seeing me in various states of dress/undress! But when outside in the wider world, I aim to dress in a way which doesn’t tempt any man’s eyes to stare, and doesn’t make me look ridiculous! One of my “bug bears” is women wearing shorts ~ they have to be the most unflattering form of female attire I have ever come across! As to what to wear in hot weather, today I am feeling cool and comfortable in a long (almost ankle length) swirly cotton skirt and a short-sleeved white cotton blouse. I not only look but probably feel cooler than some of my contemporaries in shorts and vest tops, who aren’t protcted from the sun, and don’t have that lovely cool feeling on their bare legs covered by a long skirt, which makes its own breeze when walking around!

I would never advocate a complete covering up, such as some Muslim women do by wearing a burkha, as I feel the reasons why they do so are oppressive. We do not need to cover our smiles, or make ourselves look like a walking tent in order to be modest…but there is a distinct femininity to modest clothing, which others will respond to and respect. I don’t buy into the argument used for such garments either that they will lead a man to rape a woman (which is what some Islamic Scholars claim) but all the same, it is true that men respond primarily to women visually, and if I dress in a way which is provocative, then I may cause a brother to stumble. This is particularly important in Church…do I want the man sat behind me at Mass to be distracted by a patch of bare skin between my trousers and top? Or the priest to see my cleavage when I receive comunion? No!

I do wear trousers, because one can be modest in trousers and immodest in a skirt, depending on how one wears them! But I don’t wear tight, revealing trouser with short tops. I team them up with longer tops which cover the hips as in my photo below, or wear trousers which are loose and not figure-hugging. Studies have shown that when people are looking at a picture of a woman in a dress their eyes are drawn to her face; when looking at a woman in tight trousers, their eyes are drawn to the crotch area!

I feel that how we dress to go to Church is important, too. When I go to Mass, I am going to meet with the real presence of Christ. Whe I go out for a special meal or celebration with family or friends, I choose my clothes carefully and dress in something which reflects the importance of the occasion. Why then would I feel it’s ok to go to Mass in scruffy jeans with holes in the knees, or in shorts and a t-shirt such as I would wear on the beach? I also cover my head at Mass, but that is more to do with reverence than modesty. There is good article on the Fish Eaters website on modesty, the views of which I aspire to as a traditional Catholic.

Modesty is an attitude of the heart above all things ~ avoiding sin and aiming to please God. I have also found it to be an adventure in feminine expression, for as a woman, I want to look like one! How about you? I would love to see a return to the fashions of the 1940s…

…and yes, I do wear an apron!

“In like manner women also in decent apparel: adorning themselves with modesty and sobriety, not with plaited hair, or gold, or pearls, or costly attire, But as it becometh women professing godliness, with good works.” 

1 Timothy 2:9-10

I found this really interesting article on the Mail on Sunday website, from which I borrowed the picture in my last post! It is all about women who live lives from past eras, right down to the authentic home decor and clothing. I love it!

There are three examples, from the 30s, 40s and 50s ~ and all these ladies have spent a fair bit of money on creating the past in their homes! But if you read through the article, it’s not just about re-creating the “look” but also about re-creating the values of each era. These are some of their comments:

“Women were these amazingly glamorous creatures, with their perfect hair and immaculate makeup, and they were treated with such respect by men. Men and women knew their roles in society and there wasn’t all this pressure on women to have to go out to work and try to be equal to men. I do work part-time, but only because we need the money. However, we still have clearly defined roles in the home and I am the one who does most of the cooking and cleaning. I adore baking cakes and if I had my way I would spend all of my days in my pinny, making my house look immaculate.”

Diane Rowlands, 1930s Housewife

“When I see a girl walking down the street wearing next to nothing, I think: ‘Why don’t you have more respect for yourself?’ Other women may laugh at my determination to make my home perfect for my husband, Martin, but I enjoy spending my leisure time baking cakes and sewing. I really believe that women today have lost their way, with binge drinking ladettes and children as young as 11 going out in tiny tops. The age of innocence has been lost and it is such a shame. Other people may laugh at me, but I really don’t care. I think I have a far happier marriage than many other people I meet, because we have strict demarcations in our roles. I do all the cleaning, ironing, washing and cooking, and Martin puts up shelves and looks after the car. He’s the breadwinner and I create a lovely – and loving – environment for him.”

Debbie Cleulow, 1940s Housewife

“I make sure our home is immaculate, there is dinner on the table, and I look pretty to welcome my husband home. Today’s society is all rush, rush, rush, whereas I like to take my time. I never leave the house without lipstick on, and I also like to help neighbours – collecting their pensions and doing shopping for them, just as women in the 1950s would do. Some women I meet ask me if I feel patronised by being a housewife and spending my time caring for Kevin, but I never would. At work, he gets teased because he’s the only one with home-made cakes and even home-made jam in his sandwiches. But I often wonder if his colleagues aren’t slightly jealous that he has a wife who devotes herself to his happiness. How many men these days can really say that?”

Joanne Massey, 1950s Housewife

I can imagine some of my friends just throwing their hands up in horror at these women and the statements they make ~ but I definitely connect with what they’re saying. Like Diane, I have to go out to work part-time to make ends meet, and there’s nothing wrong with that, after all, it was in the 30s that women started to show their mettle as far as working was concerned, for the war effort. But the thing that attracts me the most to the old-fashioned life is the fact that manners, courtesy and values were an accepted part of society in a way that doesn’t exist today. The home was seen as a place of value and a job worthy of respect, whereas now Mums are encouraged to go out to work instead of raising their own children. Life was also less consumer-oriented and more make-do-and-mend ~ and we have definitely lost some of those skills in the 21st century. If it’s broke we don’t fix it, we chuck it away and but a new one!

I admit openly that I am at my happiest when in my home and kitchen, doing the housework, baking cakes, making meals for the family. I would love to be able to furnish my home in the style of the 1940s, but unfortunately, it’s very costly to do so and I just don’t have the resources! But I am fortunate in that I don’t live in a modernised house ~ our kitchen has 1950s built in units, and we have a 30s and a 50s fireplace in the front room and living room respectively. Plus, after recently stripping the bathroom wallpaper, we found original 30s art deco style paintwork underneath, in 2 lovely shades of green, which we will recreate, with black and white tiling when we finish decorating!

My favourite evenings are those spent sat in front of the fire, with no tv, just the radio to listen to, reading a book or writing a letter while my husband reads the paper. If I could just close my eyes and wake up in the 1940s house, I’d think I’d gone to heaven!

But that aside, there is a negative side to all of this (phew, I hear you say with relief!) If you read the whole article, it becomes apparent that some of these ladies are using their lifestyle as an escape from reality, or to create a fantasy world. Neither is there any mention of children. It feels like they have created a kind of sterile vacuum in which to hide from 21st century life, and there is an aura of pretence about it. Whatever our favourite era, it is possible to look back at it through rose-tinted glasses, forgetting about the austerities, shortages and the fact that women then really had no choice but to follow this lifestyle, and opportunities and education were limited for them. Perhaps these ladies enjoy their lives so much because they are living them out in the 21st century, where freedom of choice is everything!

I believe it is possible to take the best of these times, but still be aware that God wants us to be firmly planted in the real world, however horrible and threatening that may be. It doesn’t mean that we have to “blend in”, in fact we are called to stand out from the world, to be different, but never-the-less to engage with it. It would be truly lovely to have a 1930s home to return to in the evenings, and to relax in at weekends, but I cannot pretend that this is how it really is. Life isn’t a game, it’s often a harsh reality, and God wants to use me in it!

Still…from time to time, I can close my eyes and dream…and while you’re at it, take a peek at the Time Warp Wives website

Oh, and here’s a peek at some of my house:

  

 

 

I had a lovely weekend, a very quiet one, which enabled me to get on with some household stuff, and just to enjoy being at home without any deadlines or agenda. My daughter and grandson (who live with us) were on their regular weekend stay at Daddy’s Grandma’s house, and it’s so much easier to get stuff done without a baby in the house! I managed to clean the bathroom thoroughly instead of just a bit at a time, and the kitchen, and give downstairs a good vacuum. I got through 3 lots of washing and hung it out to dry and did quite a bit of baking/cooking. I tried a new cake recipe on Saturday by imagining flavours that might go together in my head, and came up with almond and orange. The recipe is as follows:

Ingredients:

• 4oz margarine
• 4oz sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 2oz SR flour
• 2oz ground almonds
• 1 large orange
• half a teaspoon of orange essence
• 2 tablespoons sugar (for syrup topping)
• a handful of flaked almonds

Method:

• Cream together the margarine and sugar until light and fluffy
• Add the zest of the orange and the orange essence
• Beat in the eggs
• Add the flour and ground almonds and mix in well
• Bake for 35 minutes (or so) in a moderate oven (gas 4) until springy
• Meanwhile, gently dry-fry the flaked almonds, stirring continually so they don’t burn, until brown and toasty
• Remove the cake from the tin when stilll slightly warm
• To make the syrup, boil the juice of the orange with the 2 tablespoons of sugar until it coats the back of a spoon
• Prick the cake all over with a skewer (or dried spaghetti!)
• Pour half the orange syrup over the cake, sprinkle with the almonds, and then pour on the remaining half of the syrup (careful the almonds don’t slide off!
• Serve with soured cream, as the cake is quite sweet and needs something tangy to set it off.

Voila!

Being made housekeeper, and seeing her master and mistress commit to her with an entire confidence the government of their family and management of all their affairs, she was most scrupulously careful in point of economy, remembering that she was to give to God an account of the least farthing of what was intrusted as a depositum in her hands; and, though head-servant, she never allowed herself the least privilege or exemption in her work on that account.

From: St. Zita

We are not all housekeepers to a privileged family, as St. Zita was, but we can still learn much from her approach to household management! St. Zita very much saw her position in life as working for God, as much as working for her employers. Similarly for us, whatever we are called to do, in the home or outside, we are doing it “as unto the Lord”, and that should influence all that we do.

Saint Zita was most scrupulously careful as regards economy ~ and there is much to emulate in her frugality. I have been pondering ways of making the most of my resources this last week, in a discussion with others. One of the tools I have to help me is a fabulous book which was sent to me by a friend, called 101 Things for the Housewife to Do, 1949 which is fascinating! It is full of handy helpful tips, such as how to mend and darn clothes, to home decorating on a budget to making a window seat with a curtained storage area for your bay window! Reading through, one realises just how much more resourceful women were back then, when it was impossible to just go out and buy something new.

We can also eat more cheaply, whether that’s by growing our own vegetables, or making from scratch instead of buying ready made. It is a good idea to make the best use of leftovers too, as Hugh F-W did on River Cottage last week. Some of the other tips I discussed with friends were:

• Using washable dishcloths instead of disposable j-cloths and kitchen roll
• Using washable cloths to clean baby’s bum instead of nappy wipes
• Old tea towels can become dusters/shoe cleaning cloths
• Mince and other meat can be bulked out with cheaper lentils
• Kitchen foil can be re-used 2, 3, 4 times!
• Use tubs with lids to store leftovers, rather than wrapping in clingwrap
• Odd bits of paper, or faulty print outs can be cut into small squares, threaded on string, and hung in the kitchen to write shopping lists on
• Cut the bottom of the toothpaste tube and get another few uses out of it
• Shop for reduced food at the end of the day, and freeze it ~ it will last beyond the sell by date!
• Make liquid soap out of all the little leftover soap ends: Grate all your odd ends of soap into a pan, add the same volume of boiling water, stir until melted and then boil for 5 minutes to sterilise. Add some drops of essential oil ~ lavender and tea tree are good for their anti-bacterial properties as well as scent ~ and decant into a pump dispenser
• Use old-fashioned LifeBouy carbolic soap to clean the grime off shirt collars
• Make your own washing powder:
  1 Cup  Cheap Grated White Soap
  1/2 Cup Washing Soda
  1/2 Cup Borax
  For light load, use 1 tablespoon. For heavy or heavily soiled load, use 2 tablespoons.
• Turn worn out collars on shirts by unpicking and turning the other way round
• Always re-use any plastic bags you have
• And lots of other tips!

We may not be living on rations, as was the case when the book I mentioned was written, but we can still have a rationing mentality, and be good stewards of the resources we have. This can also be extended to how we take care of our possessions. Do we look after them, expecting them to last a lifetime, or are we careless, knowing that we live in a “throw it away and but a new one” society. I was struck reading a book about the life of a Novice Sister recently, at the reverence with which objects were treated. because they had taken a vow of poverty, things were only replaced when something was worn out beyond repair…and on the way it was used and re-used for other purposes. Many years ago, Nuns used to make little thumb guards for holding the page in their prayer books, to safeguard the book from greasy marks and thumb prints.

So, here’s to living an economical and ecological life, which is more natural and more healthy! Here are some Frugal Tips, and some WWII Recipes for you to try!

I thought I’d venture out and show myself…in my Summer clothes during last week’s lovely weather. It’s all dull and grey again now! Excuse my rather tatty looking garden, with the babygros dangling above my head, and our broken microwave on the left We’re working on it!

She is not afraid of snow for her household, 
        For all her household is clothed with scarlet.

Were you a Girl Guide, or Scout? If so, then you will know the motto is “Be Prepared”, which just about sums up this verse from Proverbs 31. The Proverbs 31 woman is prepared for anything! For those of us who have families and children how often have we been tested in this area? Who is it who remembers to take a little first aid bag, spare change, wet-wipes, sunblock and spare pants on a trip out t the beach? Yes, Mum of course! How many of you, when going through your handbags will find a similar collection of items? We learn, as wives and Mothers, that being prepared is not an option, but a necessity, and the rest of the family come to rely on us being so!

If we are prepared for most eventualities (because admittedly, we cannot be prepared for all, and need to be wary of becoming obsessively prepared…sometimes it’s great to just go with the flow and hope for the best!) then we won’t be caught out freezing on a day out because the weather turned and we didn’t bring a cardigan, just in case. “Justin Case” is a very useful person to have around!

But being prepared is also something we can apply to our spiritual lives. It is all too easy to become complacent when things are going well, and we are swimming nicely along with the current. Then when the going gets tough, we find we are not prepared, and don’t have the resources we need to work harder and swim against the tide. Then we become discouraged, or may even give up. This is why I believe God sends us periodic trials, to enable us to be prepared for every spiritual eventuality. It is like having some money put away in a savings account, for the lean days, just as Joseph advised Pharaoh to save the grain of the fat years in preparation for the lean.

So how can we become spiritually prepared, so that we and our loved ones are clothed in Spiritual Scarlet” in readiness for snowy weather? By prayer, meditation on Scripture and regularly receiving the Sacraments. All these things build us up in faith and trust, and make listening to God and leaning on Him a natural part of our daily lives. If we are familiar with meeting with God on a daily basis, then it will be all the easier to rely on Him when we are struggling with life’s inevitable penances. It is a good idea to have a daily practise, setting aside time to pray the Offices; to meditate on God and His goodness through reading His Word; to regularly go to confession so that the effects of our unforgiven sins don’t build up and stop us from being all we are called to be in God; to receive Holy Communion as often as we possibly can, so that we are continually fed with the Body and Blood of Christ. Then, when the weather turns, we will be clothed in the scarlet robes of the Holy Spirit, and kept warm and alive!

Be prepared! Even if you were never a Girl Guide!

Finding God in the Things We Do

I am taking a bloggy-break from my main blog, but am still here in the kitchen, the heart of my home! I found this today and thought it so good I wanted to share it…it’s very Br. Lawrence! I hope it blesses you

*

 

When Saint Ignatius of Loyola taught people to find God in all things, I wonder if he had ever experienced searching for God in a house filled with people whose only goal in life seemed to be creating chaos?

A Messy House
Coming in from work with three bags of groceries, I am greeted by white scrapings on the living room rug from the plastic foam that Daniel transformed into a tombstone for his English project. He said he would vacuum, but he was up past midnight, working on this project, which was due this morning. The kitchen isn’t much better. Katie started the dishwasher before she left for school, but I guess that in the rush to help Dan with his assignment, she didn’t notice the pan now caked with dried food. After putting away the groceries and changing into more housework-appropriate clothes, I plug the vacuum into the outlet. While pushing the vacuum, I realize once again that all the plans for family organization and chore sharing can easily come apart in the bustle of daily life. Looking around this house that six of us call home, I sigh at the sneakers, skateboards, CD’s and notebooks scattered about the living room. I hope one of my more perfect neighbors does not choose this moment to ring the doorbell. I would have to pretend I’m not home. I know some families are efficient and organized: everyone knows what his or her tasks are, and somehow these get accomplished. But we have always had a different, more casual approach to maintaining the household.

“I give you a new commandment: Love one another.” (John 13:3)
That phrase from John’s Gospel whispers itself into my ear while I am straightening up the mess before the kids return from school. Jesus didn’t leave us with a lot of rules by which to live a Christian life, did he? He did give us that one commandment, though: Love one another. If you get that one right, everything else will fall into place. That’s the theory, anyway. I smile as I pick up scraps of paper, remembering that last evening Mike stayed up all night with his younger brother to help finish his project. He worked to compose a poem, because Daniel needed a rhyming eulogy to inscribe on the tombstone of the poet he was assigned. Dan is a great artist and wonderful skateboarder, but he’s never been very comfortable with words. Mike,on the other hand, is glib, sarcastic, witty, and versatile with the English language. These two boys of mine have been wrestling each other in one way oranother since the day Daniel came home from the hospital,but when they need each other, they find the time and the energy. I realize that when St. Ignatius of Loyola taught us to find God in all things, all people, and all events, he did not mean just in the quiet but also in the chaos, in our thoughts, and in our work and actions. Of course. Two brothers working together to get through a tough assignment. I don’t need a neon sign to point to the presence of God amidst the skateboards, stray socks, dirty dishes, and projects worked on together long after these two high school kids should have been asleep.

Love one another. If you get that one right, everything else will fall into place.

By Julianne B. McCullagh ~
Director of Family Life Ministry,
St.Philip the Apostle Church in Lewisville, Texas.
From LoyolaPress

This what I made this weekend! A tangy lemon cake, made with the zest and juice of a lemon, sandwiched together with lemon curd and lemon buttercream and finished with a lemon icing A family favourite!

This is one of my home altars, situated in my living room. The other is in my bedroom and has a statue of Maria Rosa Mystica. The statue of Mary pictured above is quite a contemporary one, and I love it! It is beautiful smooth, white porcelain, and the faces of both Mary and Jesus are serene and full of peace. I first made a home altar in the living room at Christmas when I made my Advent wreath, and decided to keep a statue there after the Christmas season. This has been quite a big thing for me, as the rest of my family are not Catholic or even Christian…yet there, in the centre of my “Domestic Church”, is the Blessed Virgin cradling her Son. It is a place of quiet reflection in the midst of a busy household, and I regularly light a candle, and make sure that there are alwasy fresh flowers!

The red candle is the one I was given at the Mass of the Presentation of Jesus (Candlemass) and the photograph of Pope John Paul II is a postcard I chanced upon in a box of postcards in a charity shop The Saint Therese card is one which was sent to me two years ago when I was recovering from my hysterectomy. I also include a prayer card of St. Joseph, the patron Saint of Fathers, for my husband (on whose behalf I regularly pray for St. Joseph’s intercession). The icon is my favourite icon ~ Our lady of Perpetual Succour:

The icon depicts the Blessed Virgin Mary wearing a dress of dark red with a blue mantle and veil. On the left is the Archangel Michael, carrying the lance and sponge of the crucifixion of Jesus. On the right is the Archangel Gabriel carrying a 3-bar cross and nails. This type of icon is a later type of Hodegetria composition, where Mary is pointing to her Son, known as a Theotokos of the Passion. The Christ-child has been alarmed by a pre-sentiment of his passion, and has run to his mother for comfort. The facial expression of the Virgin Mary is solemn and is looking directly at the viewer instead of her son. Jesus is portrayed clinging to his mother with a dangling sandal. The Greek initials on top read Mother of God, Michael Archangel, Gabriel Archangel, and Jesus Christ, respectively.

Do you have a home altar? If so, I would love to see it!

It’s praise time again, hosted by My Chocolate Heart. Every day is a good day to praise, but for me, today especially, because I am not my usual Happy Housewife self, but rather sad and flat. Things have happened in the last week which have been like little rain clouds blocking the sun, and sometimes pouring down on me, so to make a sacrifice of praise will be a good exercise in discipline!

“By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise always to God, that is to say, the fruit of lips confessing to his name.” Hebrews 13:15

• I praise God for the sunshine that I did have yesterday, when I spent a couple of blessed hours at the park with my husband, daughter and grandchildren. We had a lovely time, and I made a daisy chain necklace, which I haven’t done for years!
• I praise God for friends who support and love me and are prepared to stick around and listen when the going gets tough.
• I praise God for my physical health, which although not brilliant, is good enough to get me through each day in one piece.
• I praise God for coffee and chocolate, and then for the opportunity to offer them up as a sacrifice now that my stomach won’t tolerate them *sigh* thank you God for this opportunity for mortification and sef-denial! (I am not gritting my teeth, honestly!)
• I praise God for the fact that I am now on a break from my work, and I am going to go out into the sunshine and enjoy looking at the sky, and listening to the wind in the trees. Thank You Lord for the beautiful creation You have made! 

Look to this day:
For it is life, the very life of life.
In its brief course
Lie all the verities and realities of your existence…

For yesterday is but a dream
And tomorrow is only a vision;
And today well-lived, makes
Yesterday a dream of happiness
And every tomorrow a vision of hope.
Look well therefore to this day.

Kālidāsa ~ Sanskrit Poet

I made my own variation of Dorset Apple Cake yesterday, and it’s beautifully moist!

It’s just a basic cake mix (4oz sugar creamed with 4oz sugar, 2 eggs and 6oz SR flour). Just add a large peeled and grated Bramley apple, some cinnamon and nutmeg, and top with crunchy sugar (I used this) and more cinnamon and nutmeg, and bake in a moderate oven until brown and springy to the touch.

A light dusting of icing sugar, and hey presto!

Delicious with double cream!

It’s praise time again, hosted by My Chocolate Heart. Today’s are all centred on this last weekend 

• Praise God for that lovely tired feeling that comes from a day well spent. On Saturday, I spent the afternoon in my garden, doing some brushing and sweeping, and tidying up the shed and preparing my pots for planting. The sun shone, and I was happy to share God’s beauty in nature!
• Praise God for that lovely feeling, after such a day, when one sinks into a long, hot bath, with jasmine scented bubbles. Recharging our batteries and looking after ourselves in little ways is so important.
• Praise God for the time my husband and I have had alone this weekend while the rest of the family have been away for a few days ~ time to chat, or to just sit companiably together in silence.
• Praise God for the Bank Holiday today, an extra day off work! I have celebrated by spending it in my pjs and dressing gown ~ well, it is a holiday!
• Praise God for my kitchen, and for the simple pleasure of baking cakes, meaking meals, or just pottering about. My favourite place to be!
• Praise God for good books, in which I can, for a moment, enter into another world. At the moment, it is a biography of Queen Katherine of Aragon ~ a true Catholic Queen and my historical heroine.
• Praise God for good films too. I enjoyed watching Amelie on Saturday evening, and it has inspired me to bless people in the little things, without them knowing!

“Praise God from Whom all blessings flow!”

[Although it is May 2nd as I write this, I am backdating it to May 1st, the feast day of St. Joseph the Worker and the beginning of Our Lady's month of May, when we honour her crowning as the Queen of Heaven.]

 

It is wonderful to have a day on which to honour both Mary and Joseph, the Mother and foster-Father of Christ, for in their hidden life in Nazareth, we have the example of family as God intended it to be. There is very little written about the life of the Holy Family before Jesus’ ministry began. So how can we use them as an example by which to live?

A lot can be learned from being aware of the customs of a devout family during the time of Jesus. Living according to the laws of Judaism, they would have a family pattern which was set out in Scripture, with study of God’s Word and attendance at the Temple the basis of their life. Joseph, the carpenter provided for his family through his work. Mary, the wife and Mother provided for her family through her work! That is what parents do ~ the fact that the work each is called to is different does not devalue either one or the other. Of course Mary would not have worked outside the home, but the home would have been her sphere of influence. Her loving, caring for and nurturing of Jesus were vital to the man and ministry that was to come. Making His meals, sewing His clothes, cleaning His cuts and scrapes when He fell, are all acts of sanctified work and love…so too is ours. To be honest, I think that there must have been much about this special, holy family that was quite ordinary, and didn’t standout as being very different from the lives of many families around them. The beauty of the incarnation, is that Jesus grew up in an ordinary, working, Jewish family!

The lesson we can learn from these hidden years in Nazareth, is that it is not only “ok” to be an ordinary family, it is a blessing from God. We do not need to strive to riches or greatness. Huge houses, flash cars, expensive clothes, ostentatious jewelry, exotic holidays…none of these are necessary. So often people look for these things outside of themselves to try and relieve the boredom within, missing the very blessings under their noses. I would imagine that Jesus’ family had very little, and expect that Mary lived a frugal and careful life, and yet God chose this to be the environment Jesus grew up in.

God also chose a man and a woman, reflecting His blueprint laid down in Genesis, Adam and Eve. It is a fact of sadness in our world that not all children can benefit from a home where there is a Mother and a Father. Sometimes, this is because of the tragedy of a parent’s death, sometimes because the parents have made unwise choices; at other times it is because of fear and abuse. I all of these situations, there is a loss to be grieved ~ in some of them, sins to be repented of. Unfortunately, the family is not valued enough today, and it can be financially more difficult in a home with two parents, especially where the Mother chooses to be a stay-at-home Mum. How our society has warped and twisted God’s plan for us! And it is now seen as acceptable for two people of the same sex to have children, either through IVF, AID or adoption, regardless of the impact this may have on the well-being and development of the child involved. I would be seen as homophobic in some circles for believing that to choose a same-sex relationship means to lose the opportunity to have children. Children which are a gift, not a right. We are encouraged, even in the Church, to bend over backwards to accommodate “new expressions” of the family unit, but at what cost?

So maybe some would look at the example of the Holy Family, and feel that it is out-dated, and not relevant anymore ~ but God doesn’t work in relevancies, God’s ways are timeless. We need, more than ever, the example of Mary and Joseph living a quiet, devout and simple life. Perhaps this month of May is a good time for all of us to revisit our family vision, and ask God if we need to make changes…

+JMJ+ ~ pray for us who have recourse to thee!

I got this idea from a new blog I have stumbled across today, My Chocolate Heart (fab title!). Click the link to Jennifer’s lovely blog. I will make this a regular slot on this blog, for a happy homemaker has a heart which praises God in all things, big and small, and which also praises God when the going gets tough! Read ahead for my praise points this week, and join in yourself if you feel inspired

• I praise God for my family, who are a constant source of joy to me, even during the tough times, the tired times, the tragic times. They never cease to inspire and amaze me!
• I praise God for my home and kitchen, and just having a corner that I can call “mine”. Making a house into a home is a great joy in my life, and not everybody has the opportunity.
• I praise God for my conversion and journey in the Catholic faith, which enriches and enlightens me like nothing ever has before. I love being a Catholic!
• I praise God for the many holy men and women who have gone before me and written their thoughts in the form of books which have become my friends and companions. I am especially grateful right now to St. JoseMaria and his book “The Way” which is daily inspiring me and spurring me on to greater heights of faith.
• I praise God for my Doctor who has lookied after me through a few health trials big and small over the last two years, and for the medication I am on right now which means I can tolerate just a little bit of chocolate and a tiny cup of coffee each day without leaving me in dreadful pain from this peptic ulcer!
• I praise God for the weather right now. Ok, so it’s raining, but I am pretty sure there must be some farmers somewhere who have prayed for rain this week, and I am glad God is blessing them!
• I praise God for my friends ~ I don’t have many, but those I do have are loyal and faithful, and support me often in prayer. Lord help me to do the same.

What’s yours?  

I made this on Sunday. It’s not a flavour I have made before, so was really an experiment, but it turned out just fine, and has the right mix of chocolate and orange, in fact it tastes like one of these…

Basically, it’s an ordinary chocolate sponge recipe with the zest of an orange and half the juice added ~ don’t make the chocolate too rich, or the orange flavour will not come through. I just added a tablespoon of cocoa powder and one of Cadburys drinking chocolate powder to the mix. The buttercream is icing sugar, Cadburys hot chocolate powder and margarine, with some real orange essence added, which gives it a real intensity without adding too much liquid. The little orange jelly slices add colour and also taste nice and orangey! It is one I will definitely make again

Today is the Feast Day of the patron Saint of this blog, Saint Zita! In honour of her day, I will continue with my reflections on her life…

Her master and mistress discovered the treasure which their family possessed in the fidelity and example of the humble saint, and the other servants gave due praise to her virtue. Zita feared this prosperity more than adversity, and trembled lest it should be a snare to her soul. But sincere humility preserved her from its dangers; and her behaviour, amidst the caresses and respect shown her, continued the same as when she was ill-treated and held in derision; she was no less affable, meek, and modest; no less devout, nor less diligent or ready to serve everyone.

From: St. Zita 

From this passage, we see that eventually, Saint Zita was regarded as a treasure by the family she worked for, and her virtue, rather than being maligned, was praised by her fellow servants. Her perseverance in diligently following God’s will in a spirit of penance and humility was thus rewarded by God. We too may find, that after going through times of trial and suffering, or of being disregarded and even badly treated by others, God provides us with an oasis of blessing and refreshment. There is a sense of all our hard work finally bearing fruit, and the praise and respect of others is a juicy fruit indeed.

But there is also a down-side, a danger here; we can all too easily be flattered by the praise of others, and so make that our aim and our goal, instead of consistently working to please God, and God alone ~ our audience of one. When family and friends see and acknowledge the work we do, it is good that they give us their affirmation, but it is not so good if we use that to puff ourselves up, and begin to believe in our own goodness. It is better to humbly say thank you, whilst all the time recognising that nothing good comes from us that is not of the Holy Spirit, and God-given. The credit belongs to Him!

It wold have been easy for St. Zita to bask in the light of her new-found popularity, and an entirely human response. We are conditioned to respond to positive affirmation, and it is entirely counter-culture to let such things pass over our heads as it were. But St. Zita’s behaviour did not change. She displayed the same humility and meekness as she had done when she was being derided and ill-treated.  This was a sign of her true servant heart, which we too can emulate, treating others with the same loving attitude whatever theirs might be towards us. This can mean biting our tongue instead of speaking a harsh word or retort, or keeping a smiling face when things are not going well. It can also mean not allowing ourselves to get carried away with excitement when things are going well! In many ways, it sums up very well the Benedictine vow of Stability…not to be swayed this way and that by the winds of our and others’ emotions.

 St. Zita rightly feared prosperity more than adversity, because it is during times of prosperity that we can become lazy and slothful in matters of faith, and begin to take our blessings for granted. How many of us pray far more in times of crisis than during those times when all is plain sailing? Like St. Zita, it is important to maintain our devotions during all circumstances.

So, on this Feast day of this humble saint, who God chose to exalt after her death as a sign of virtue and servanthood, may we develop a true servant heart and not be elevated by the praise of others…

 

I have started a new series of posts, photos of mt favourite things. If you wish, you can join in on your blog and post the link here ~ let’s see if I can get this going!

The objects can be anything, quirky, unusual, ordinary, as long as they’re special to you for one reason or another! Here’s mine for today; my little 1950s mini pyrex casserole dish ~ it’s only about 3.5 inches across! I use it as a sugar bowl, and think it’s really pretty…I bought it for about 50p in a charity/thrift shop years ago!

What’s yours?

For your enjoyment ~ I love these! Especially the woman hoovering the toaster!

Click for a bigger image…feel free to save and use!