Tweeting is a Life Skill

Yes, indeed, it definitely is. The whole world will one day require us to express everything in 140 (120?) characters or fewer. I know this because I just filed an auto insurance claim and I was asked to describe the incident in 120 characters or fewer. (Actually, they said "less" but I think it's fewer...)

Yesterday, I hit a parked car in the grocery store parking lot. While this might seem a ridiculously unlikely accident, I'm actually surprised that in ten years, it's the first time I've done it. It's a big van, I'm a small person and I once tested in the 10th percentile on a standardized test in the category called "spatial relations." Truth be told, I divulged this information to my husband before we were married. He married me anyway and bought me a ginormous van. Brave man.

Back to the form. I filed the claim online and was limited to 120 characters to tell my story. I nailed it. [The report and the bumper:-)] The report was exactly 120 characters long. I am a much better writer than driver. Much better.

My takeaway lesson? Park even further away than my customary "far away."

And write Twitter into the curriculum for my teenagers, so they can practice filling out online forms. All about life skills.

Blessed Feast!

Hail pious mother, holy Anna hail!

Thy name falls sweetly on the Christian's ear;

They called thee gracious, chosen to prevail

By grace throughout they heav'nward journey here.

Root of you branch, whose heav'nly blossoms sent

Wide o'er the earth the perfume of its breath;

Perennial fount, e'er spreading, never spent,

Lily of Jesse, Rose of Nazareth.

Hail mother of that Star which placid rose

Above the flood of death and sin and war;

The Mother of our Queen whom Heaven chose

Spouse of King of Kings for evermore!

Receive our supplications, mother dear,

Who was graced alone, of all mankind,

The honor to conceive, to nurse and rear

God's stainless Mother, for our joy designed.

Oh, never cease, we pray thee, to present

Before that Son and mother our desire,

The King and Queen of yonder firmament,

That happy home to which our souls aspire.

-Pere Faber

How to Calm a Cranky Afternoon

Stir

two cups flour

one cup salt

2 cups water

four Tablespoons vegetable oil

2 tsp cream of tartar

in a heavy saucepan

cook over medium-low heat

until it's so stiff you need a tall, strong boy

to continue stirring for you

turn out onto waxed paper

sprinkle liberally with food coloring

you might want to choose purple because

if you add a few drops

lavender essential oil

magical things will happen...

in the kneading and the rolling

Mama will inhale the lovely scent and find her shoulders

relaxing

and then the cherubs will come

from near and far

to twist and pound and roll

and

and sculpt

and sniff.

Lavender and squishing dough through one's fingers--

creating silliness--

calming craziness--

magically

 quieting

a rowdy rumpus!

No lavender? Vanilla extract works nearly as well:-)

Talking Teenagers, Tending Gardens, Making Pesto

On today's podcast, Lisa, Rebecca, and I talk about fostering a fullness of faith in our teenagers. We speak frankly about the realities of sometimes turbulent journeys. Then, we move on to discuss our gardens in all their summer glory. And we manage to share a recipe for pesto (rumor has it basil is overtaking Danielle Bean's homestead:-).  You can hear the conversation here.

Helpful links related to the podcast:

Patrick's Confirmation Story

Mary Beth's Confirmation Story

Some thoughts on resources for sharing the faith with teenagers

An in depth,  comprehensive, apologetics based approach.

Seedlings

Pruning Roses and Souls

Never too Many Children or Flowers

Pesto Recipe

2 1/2 cups fresh basil, washed and patted dry and packed fairly firmly in the measuring cup

1/2 cup walnuts or pine nuts

5 good sized cloves of garlic, peeled and pressed

1/2 cup good quality olive oil

1 pound of fettuccine, reserve 2 cups of the cooking water

2 ounces cream cheese

1/2 grated romano or parmesan cheese

Chop the basil and process with nuts in the food processor.

Combine olive oil and garlic and heat in small pan until it just sizzles. Do not let it get gold and definitely don't brown it. As soon as it sizzles, take it off the heat. You are just heating enough to take the bitterness out of the garlic. Add the oil mixture to the basil mixture and process together.

At this point, you can freeze in small zipper freezer bag to save until it's been snowing for weeks and you want to taste summer.

To prepare as a pasta meal: boil 1 pound of fettuccine. While fettuccine is cooking, blend 2 ounces of cream cheese into the pesto (this isn't necessary but it is quite nice:-).  Before you drain the noodles, add two cups of the pasta water to the pesto. Toss the drained fettuccine with the sauce and sprinkle liberally with grated cheese.

All Caught Up! and a Giveaway...

At last! We shipped out 40 packages from the Heart of my Home Store today. Now that we're all caught up, it's time for a giveaway. If you leave a comment below, one of my little cherubs might just pull your name from a basket and you can choose a book--Small Steps, the Small Steps Journal, or Real Learning-- from the store. Can't wait to hear from you! We'll draw a winner on Sunday.

Comments are moderated so you might not see yours right away, but I promise to get it through:-)