10 Favorite Posts, The 2012 Edition

January 1 will be the fourth anniversary of this blog.  This past year has been a light one, as my posts have been particularly few and far between.  I expect this will be the case for quite a while, at least until the school year ends in June.

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas!  We had a busy, but quiet, one here at home (Relatively quiet, that is, considering we had twelve people here including one AMAZING AND ADORABLE three-week-old baby plus two dogs), and I spent the day after Christmas doing literally nothing.  The next few days will be busier; you'll find me grocery shopping, cleaning up from Christmas, and catching up on some mundane tasks I've been putting off since before Thanksgiving.

We've seen our new nephew twice now since he was born in early December.   His mommy, my sister-in-law Jenn, has a wonderful blog called The Cookie Jar Adventures where she has been posting lots of cute photos and video of "Baby E."  Yesterday we got to spend some time playing with him, watching him wiggle, holding him, and taking some family photos with him.  Jenn posted some of their photos and memories of E's first Christmas here!  I can't wait until we see them again!

Last year around this time I published a list of my ten favorite posts of 2011.  Since 2012 has been a light blogging year (I've posted nothing since the tragic shooting in Connecticut, for instance; I've kind of been at a loss for words on that one), in the spirit of Seven Quick takes I figured I'd choose only seven of my faves from this year.  When I came up with eight and didn't want to eliminate one, I thought, oh heck, surely I can find two more good ones.   Here they are, in chronological order (click on the title to read each post):

--1--

7 Takes, 7 Choices, The 2012 Edition

Each year on January 22, Jill Stanek invites prolife bloggers to ask, "What exactly do you mean by choice?"  This was my seven-part question.


--2--

Get Thee To the Church:  St. Stephen Martyr, Washington, DC

In which Joe and I spend a night on the town, and enjoy Mass and a pretty spring walk the next morning.


--3--

Take a walk down this Broken Path

In which I, somewhat reluctantly, review a book and learn a little something in the process.


--4--

Get Thee To the Woods: A Couple of Blacksburg Parks

I like to blog about our adventures in the out-of-doors; here we explore two parks while visiting my parents for Easter.


--5--

Today

I picked this one because it was the last day of CCD classes last spring, and I really miss teaching CCD! (despite the fact that with so much going on in our lives, not teaching has been kind of nice, too)


--6--

The Marvelous Gift of...well...

Possibly my most bizarre post ever.  But there are lots of pretty pictures, and links to some cool animal sounds.  Besides, I had fun posting it.  So there.


--7--

Friendship. Loss. Rock and Roll. Gavin DeGraw. And Rick Springfield.

Mostly Gavin DeGraw.  In which I act like a teenager one memorable evening.


--8--

7 Long Days: The Alaska Edition

Lots of photos of our summer vacation.  You'd be hard-pressed to find prettier scenery, and I expect it will be quite a while before we go anywhere like this again.


--9--

Get Thee To the Church:  Immaculate Conception, Fairbanks, Alaska

The first place we went after arriving in Alaska.  Possibly the prettiest little church in the 49th state.  One of the oldest, anyway.


--10--

A Visit to Monticello:  Life, Slavery, and the Pursuit of Religious Freedom.

In which we spend a wonderful day with my parents at Thomas Jefferson's home, and I share some random thoughts.

My apologies for not including any posts this year from my other blog, Cooking Nick's Books; for one thing,  I've all but abandoned it (temporarily, I hope), plus I'm hoping to publish another "7 Quick Takes" over there highlighting some of my favorite posts (and if I can't find 7 good ones from this year, perhaps I'll include some earlier ones, too).  Maybe that will motivate me to jump-start that one again, and maybe chew on some ideas to make it better.

UPDATE:  Done.  Read it here.

Merry Christmas, and many blessings for the coming year!

And for more Quick Takes, visit Jenn's Conversion Diary blog.  And be sure to read her post; you'll laugh your head off!  Have a wonderful Last Weekend of 2012!

7 Quick Takes, The Sunday Edition

--1--

I've been trying to put my thoughts into words over the last week and a half since the election.  I pound away at my keyboard and push "Delete" over and over.  How do I express my profound disappointment without sounding like a sore loser and a whiner?  How do I say that four more years of Barack Obama will turn our country on its head and it will be almost impossible to get back what the Founding Fathers gave us without sounding like an alarmist?  How do I lament the fact that so many people seem more interested in getting handouts than taking risks without sounding like a snob who doesn't care about people in need?  And how do I (finally, after four years) admit that Barack Hussein Obama is in fact anti-American, has no interest in our national security, doesn't give a crap about you or me or anyone else except himself and his own twisted agenda to make America weaker and poorer without sounding like a loony conspiracy theorist?  I've heard many conservatives rant about how people who voted for Obama are fools, crazy liberal extremists, Kool-Aid drinkers; some Catholic bishops even went so far as to imply that because of Obama's pro-abortion record, voting for him would constitute a mortal sin.  Well, I know plenty of people who support Obama, and they're not any of these things (and I'm certainly not about to point any fingers and yell "sinner" at anyone).  They are kind and generous people who, like you and me, want the best possible future for their children and our country.  We just disagree (quite strongly, to be honest) about what that might look like and who would better serve our nation.  There are certainly some raving lunatics and Kool-Aid drinkers on both sides, and I'm convinced that the results of the election (assuming there was minimal voter fraud and Obama won fair and square--although did you see this story fromPhiladelphia?) is a reflection of our culture's moving away from God and from basic moral principles and our adoption of if-it-feels-good-do-it and how-dare-you-judge-me attitudes.  If I say abortion is always wrong, I'm an extremist.  If I don't want to pay for your birth control, I don't care about women.  If I say that marriage is between one man and one woman, I'm a bigot.  Am I racist if I criticize Obama?  Most people I know wouldn't accuse me of that, but remember when Jimmy Carter said that people who were against Obama just couldn't deal with having a black man in the White House?  We have a challenging four years ahead of us, but I am not going to sit around and whine about it.  I've made a promise to myself to be more kind, more patient, and more generous.  Every day I pray for four things:  tirelessness, selflessness, wisdom, and joy.  (I don't pray for patience; that always gets me into trouble.  I figure "wisdom" is much better, don't you think?)  If we all had more of those things, how much more wonderful this world would be.

--2--

Do you know this is the Year of Faith?  Truthfully I haven't really thought much about it; other than to tell myself perhaps I should start reading the Bible daily again and pray more regularly and consistently.  I have done one thing, though:  Flocknote has a very cool way you can read the Catechism of the Catholic Church.  I have one sitting on my shelf that I've barely touched.  Well, you can sign up to receive daily emails with a little bit of the Catechism in each one, and if you keep up you'll read it all the way through in a year.  I've already fallen behind, but every few days I'll read several of them at once, so hopefully it won't get too far ahead of me.  Interested?  Go here.

--3--

Saturday I ran my first 5K.  I shouldn't say I ran it; I walked some and ran some.  I originally signed up for it because Curly and Moe are preparing to test for their black belts (hopefully in January) and they need to do some "endurance events" between now and then.  The 5K was a fundraiser for the Special Education program at the Catholic high school up the road from us; and although our kids don't attend, many of their friends do.  I figured this would be a great way for us to get out and get some exercise, give a little something for a good cause, and help the boys earn their black belts.  I even downloaded a totally boss app on my phone to help me get into a running routine, and for the last few weeks I've been pretty faithfully doing my little running/walking workout up and down the street.  (AND, I say the Rosary while I'm doing it.  That's the best part.)  As it happened, Moe came down with an upper respiratory infection this week, and although he's much better we decided he should forego the race; and Curly, well, he just decided he didn't want to do it. (He owes me $15.)   I thought seriously of skipping it altogether, but decided to go ahead and do it.  I was a little nervous not knowing what to expect, whether anyone I knew would be there, and hoping I wouldn't be the only one who would mostly be walking.  I did see a few people there I knew, and there were many people who walked the whole three miles and had a great time doing it.  I finished in a little under 44 minutes, and I think this will be the first of many 5K races I'll participate in.  Next time I'm going to drag my family with me, assuming no one is sick...

--4--

Joe got a new car last weekend.  Want to know why?  On Friday as he was turning left through an intersection a woman driving a minivan sped around a curve, ran the red light, and slammed into him.   The whole front of his car was smashed.  I'm just glad she didn't hit the driver's side door, and that no one was injured.  Now he has a 2011 Hyundai, with automatic transmission that he can take to work and Larry can learn to drive; he's already talking about the two-seater sports car he'll someday get to drive on the weekends.

--5--

And now for our family entertainment report:  Moe made all-county chorus, and he got to spend a day at one of the area high schools practicing for the concert that was held in the evening.  He stood in the front row, and you can imagine how proud it made me seeing him standing up there singing his heart out.  Last weekend (in the middle of all the excitement with the accident) Larry starred as the prince in a musical production of Cinderella.  My parents came and stayed with us for the weekend, and Joe's mom and my brother and sister-in-law spent time with us and came to the show as well.  And this week, Curly and Moe auditioned for the school production of Disney's The Little Mermaid.  Curly will play Chef Pierre, and Moe snagged the most coveted part--Sebastian the crab.  Needless to say we'll be hearing this a lot in our house these next few months:

--6--

In the past we've traditionally traveled to my or Joe's parents' house for Thanksgiving; this year I'm hosting for the first time.  Yesterday I picked up my turkey at the farmers' market (I'm told he--she?--lived a happy life on the farm until Friday morning), and today's agenda (besides Mass, of course) will be to do finalize my menu plan, make my shopping list, and do some of the cleaning around the house that I didn't do yesterday. (BAD mom, BAD!)  My dad sent me a recipe for gluten free stuffing, and I expect I'll be browsing the Internet for some more of those; and my mother-in-law has already given me lots of great advice about cooking the turkey.

When I brought home the bird yesterday I found myself talking like the Swedish Chef.  I may be doing that quite a bit this week.

--7--

Our prayers continue to be with the victims of Hurricane Sandy.  Seeing the devastation and hearing the stories of communities coming together and helping each other reminds me of how much I truly have to be thankful for. 

I hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving, no matter who you voted for (haha) !

For more Quick Takes, visit Jenn's Conversion Diary blog.  Happy Sunday!

7 Things I've Wanted To Tell You But Haven't Had Time

--1--

It's rare that we take a vacation to a place like Alaska, and I wanted to share some more memories, in addition to the pictures I posted.  I wanted to tell you how strange it is to be where there are so many hours of daylight, and that when it's 10 p.m. and still light out, I hardly know what to do with myself.  I feel like if I go to sleep, I might miss something.  I wanted to tell you that I never cared about dogsled races, but after this trip I might just have to follow some; at least the Iditarod, and maybe the Yukon Quest too.  I wanted to tell you more about the musher we met and the dogs he trains, and how he rescues them from shelters, works with them, and adopts them out to families with kids; they'll most likely never be in any races, but they'll be happy and loved.

--2--

We found this video of Emmitt the Dog Musher giving a demonstration on how he trains his dogs.  We were privileged to see him do this while we were there.

--3--

Did you know there are geocaches all over Fairbanks, Alaska?  We didn't have time to go searching for many of them, but we did manage to find one here

and here.

Maybe someday I'll go back to Alaska and look for some more.

--4--

I still haven't quite adjusted to my increase in work hours.  I'm still getting myself into a rhythm, and I've been trying out different time management strategies to help me balance my work, play, rest, and prayer.  Once I get into a regular manageable routine I'll tell you all about it.  Meanwhile, bear with me as blogging takes a back burner.  And pray that I don't lose my mind.  All you moms out there who work full time (and technically, my job is still part-time), any advice you can give me will be most welcome!

--5--

Last week I overheard a three-year-old say to her friend, "Sometimes I just get weally fustwated wif my mommy."  Ah, the deep discussions that take place over Play Dough.  I'm sure my boys have said this about me plenty of times.  I love my job.

--6--

Last weekend I pulled a ham bone from my freezer left over from last New Years', and I made split pea soup for the very first time.  I am happy to say that even though the color seemed a little off, it was delicious.  We've been eating it off and on all week for lunches and dinners, and I even had enough to freeze for later.  Here's the recipe I followed from The Ultimate Southern Living Cookbook:

SPLIT PEA SOUP

1 (16-ounce) package dried green split peas

2 quarts water

1 medium onion, chopped

1 medium potato, peeled and diced

1 cup chopped celery*

1 large meaty ham bone

1 clove garlic, minced

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1 bay leaf (which I forgot to put in)

2 cups chopped carrot

-Sort and rinse peas; place in a Dutch oven.  Cover with water 2 inches above peas; let soak overnight.  Drain; add 2 quarts water and next 9 ingredients.  Bring to a boil; cover, reduce heat, and simmer 2 1/2 hours, stirring occasionallyt.  Remove ham bne; cut off meat and dice.  Discard bone and bay leaf.  Let soup cool slightly.

-Process mixture in batches in an electric blender until smooth.  Return mixture and meat to Dutch oven; cover and simmer 5 minut3es or until thoroughly heated.  Sprinkle each serving with Homemade Croutons.**

(The Ultimate Southern Living Cookbook, p. 428)

*Joe and Larry do not like celery, so I left that out and just used a little more carrot and onion.

**I did not follow the recipe for these provided in the book.  I just took some extra pieces of gluten free bread (mostly heels and such) and cut them into pieces; stirred them with olive oil, salt, pepper, and garlic powder and placed them on a baking sheet.  I baked them at 425 degrees F for about 10 minutes.  You can stir them after 5 minutes of baking, but I don't think I did that and they turned out just fine.

--7--

And last but not least, my sister-in-law Jenn has joined the blogging world!  Pop on over to The Cookie Jar Adventures and say hello!  (And be sure to check out this post to see an ultrasound photo of our nephew, due to enter the world in late December.  I love his nickname, "Bopper;" after my most favorite contestant on The Amazing Race ever.)

This week, Grace at Camp Patton is hosting "7 Quick Takes;" head over to her place for more!

7 Long Days: The Alaska Edition

DAY ONE:  THE ADVENTURE BEGINS

We arrived in Fairbanks around midnight and checked into our hotel, exhausted.  On Sunday morning we woke up early (being in a whole different time zone and all) and went to Mass at the 

 little church across the Chena (CHEE-na) river from our hotel.  Stay tuned for more photos and some of the fascinating history of the first Catholic church in the interior of Alaska!

After church we explored this little park,

(I was excited about the fact that we were closer to Tokyo than to Washington, DC.)

and after a yummy lunch at a nearby diner, we visited the University of Alaska Museum of the North.

(One of the more bizarre artifacts in the museum)

(This is Mount McKinley--I think.)

Creamer's Field is a former dairy farm where we saw lots of migratory birds--mostly Canada Geese and Sandhill Cranes--and took a little nature hike.

Finally, dinner at The Pump House, right on the Chena River.  Three of the five of us ordered Alaska salmon, and it was delicious.  

(I took this photo at about eight p.m.  Sunset is still hours away.)

DAY TWO

Monday morning we drove the three hours to the entrance to Denali National Park.  From there we caught a bus for a six-hour ride to the end of the park road.  Here's a glimpse of some of the amazing sights along the way:

(We saw lots of caribou.)

(Mama Grizzly and her two cubs.  I'm not sure which is the mama and which are the kids.  Obviously teenagers, likely soon to leave the nest.)

(On a break to stretch our legs.  That's our bus driver in front, Kirsty from New Zealand.)

(Our first glimpse of "The Mountain")

(Denali decided to peek his head out for us.)

We arrived at Kantishna Road House, the lodge at the very end of the Denali Park Road, around eight p.m., where we were treated to a delicious dinner.  There's a river called Moose Creek that runs right behind the roadhouse.  Here's what it looked like at 9:40 pm:

DAY THREE

On Tuesday we took a guided hike to the McKinley-Bar River.  The day was clear and we had some spectacular views of Mount McKinley.

(Heather, our guide, showing us how this rock was scraped up by a glacier.)

(Yes, those are EXACTLY what they look like.)

(Wild blueberries are a delicious snack for bears, and for humans, too!)

(Autumn has already arrived in Alaska.)

We got back just in time to try our hand at goldpanning.

(Wait, did Curly find something?  Alas, no.  We walked away emptyhanded.)


DAY FOUR

While Joe and the older two boys went for a bike ride, Moe and I took another guided hike with Heather.  We hiked straight up for about a mile and then along a ridge.  Another clear day, more beautiful views of The Mountain.

(Kantishna, our home away from home)

(Lunch time!)

Upon our return we were introduced to some sled dogs in training.

(This is Emmitt Peters, Junior.  His dad, Emmitt Senior, won the Iditarod race in 1975.)

(The original Kantishna roadhouse)

The boys had some time to do some fly fishing with Dad before dinner.

DAY FIVE

We bid good-bye to Kantishna and boarded the bus for the long ride out of Denali Park.  It was cloudy and drizzly in the early morning, and bright and sunny by afternoon.  Even though we couldn't see the mountain, this ride was just as exciting as the first:

(The Ptarmigan, Alaska's state bird.)

(Grizzly Number One)

(That's a dall sheep.  We saw lots of those, looking like tiny white dots on the mountains.)

(Grizzly Number Two, Three, and Four)

(Grizzly Number Five.  Don't worry, we were safe inside the bus.)

(Grizzly Six, Seven, and Eight.)

DAY SIX

We spent two nights at a place called Chena Hot Springs, about an hour's drive north of Fairbanks.  Here you can soak in a hot spring, swim in their geothermal-heated pool, go horseback riding, hike, and eat the fresh vegetables they grow on their property.  This is the view we had from our little balcony:

After a late breakfast Joe and the boys took a horseback ride while I took a dip in the hot pool.  After that we took a lovely hike.

We explored the grounds of the resort, and admired the gardens, greenhouses, and the beautiful flowers planted everywhere.

(I was excited when I saw this mint.  That night when I ordered a mojito at the bar, I was told they didn't have any of those.  Go figure.)

(The long hours of daylight help the vegetables grow extra-big.  Check out the size of this parsley.)

(And this will be the first time I've ever seen a walrus head hanging on a wall.)

DAY SEVEN:  THE LAST DAY

We set our alarms for two a.m. on our very last night in Alaska in hopes of seeing the Northern Lights.  We weren't disappointed!

(Even at 2 am, there is light on the horizon.)

After a few more hours' sleep, we had another late breakfast and took a tour of Chena Hot Springs' ice museum before heading back to Fairbanks.

We took a small detour to check out the Trans-Alaska Pipeline.

(We saw this across the road from the pipeline.  Drill, Baby, Drill!!)

Back in Fairbanks we had a few hours to kill, and decided to check out the uber-touristy Pioneer Park; formerly known as "Alaskaland."  Quite possibly the tackiest place in all of Alaska, but teeming with families with kids.  Not a bad way to spend an afternoon.  And it's free.

And finally, the most important place we visited that day:

After Mass, it was dinner at The Cookie Jar (Guy Fieri ate there once), then off to the airport for the long flight home.  We left Fairbanks Saturday night, arrived home on Sunday, and walked around like zombies for the rest of the day.  The adventure is over, but it's good to be home!

 Later I'll tell you more about the churches we attended, and maybe some deep thoughts about what we saw and learned on our vacation; meanwhile, thanks for letting me share some of our memories with you.

And if you're not already bored out of your skull after scrolling through this mega-post, check out Conversion Diary for more Quick Takes.  They are sure to be much quicker and more entertaining than mine.  Have a wonderful weekend!