5 Things I Can Do, Now That I'm Catholic

(I know, I know.  Some Catholics do not do these things and some protestants do.  It's simply a little fun in my life.)

 1.)  Celebrate Halloween.  Yes, sir, I love Halloween.  My only childhood memories of trick-or-treating are from photographs, as all that Devil nonsense ended at about age 10, when my parents "got saved."  Now I encourage my children to pick something really dead and scary or a saint, making sure that the identifying prop is gross (like bloody arrows for Sebastian).  I love telling them that it's a night to poke fun at Death, for the next day celebrates our beloved friends in heaven.  Plus I don't have to make breakfast, lunch, or snacks the following few days. As long as they have glasses of milk, they are ordered to eat it all so that the buckets don't languish, every sneaking Tootsie Roll ruining lunches for days.

2.)  Drink wine.  Nectar of the gods.  We were taught that Jesus drank "new wine," certainly not fermented alcohol, and the licensure contract for the Assemblies of God required a signature whereby we agreed to abstain from alcohol.  No more.  We choose; we enjoy; we thank God for luxuries.  My favorite is to sip a glass of red wine while cooking dinner.  Gets me in touch with my 1/4 Italian.

3.)  Enjoy secular art.  My salvation is neither in question nor jeopardy if I appreciate art from unbelievers, or different-believers.  If something is good, true, and beautiful; if something draws me outward and upward, then I can thank God for talent, regardless of the artists' religion.  No guilt.

 4.)  Recite rote prayers.  Such a weight lifted when I no longer had to create my own prayers.  As a brand new Catholic, it felt like cheating if I read someone else's words, but I was healed of that problem right quick.  Catholic prayers, even when prayed all alone and for personal reasons, always contain an element of community, witnessed by the many inclusions of plural pronouns like we and us.  The Communion of Saints is a consoling component of the Faith, and something I'm deeply grateful to be able to point my kids towards.

5.)  Have all the babies I want and help get them to Heaven.  No need to pretend that there's anything more important or spiritual or grave.  Or delightfully fun!  My ministry is husband, home, children and it is full-time  ("Full-time ministry" is the pinnacle of protestant sprirituality and pride.).  The world is God's and we use our fearfully and wonderfully made selves to know Him and to make Him known (Halleluia!).  But I do not carry the weight alone, for my Holy Mother Church makes available much aid. 



So I'm happy to be Catholic for all the theological and historical truth, and for all the little extras that make the journey merry.

Some of the kids on Assumption Day.


Let's be happy and enjoy the world!
Love,  Allison

 

Books and Food

I've fallen into the Rainbow Resource catalog and am unable to speak coherently (Have you seen that thing?  No wonder I've avoided it for so long.  Lawd.).  I'm ordering someone else's plan because I do not want to create my own this year.  I do want to make time for things like cooking well-thought-out meals, cleaning proactively instead of reactively, reminding myself how to play the piano, and taking showers before Ken arrives home.  So I will organize the materials on each child's shelf and answer their brilliant questions in a lilting voice while practicing my scales or reading Chesterton.  It's a good plan.  It'll work. 


That introduction is my excuse for a short post.


What I've got is wonderful, though.  Food and drink it is:
Rees' new favorite shake and my new favorite summer zucchini meal.



TROPICAL SHAKE

1 cup of coconut milk  (Ken gets small cans from Sam's that seem thick like evaporated milk.)
1 cup of OJ
1 cup of frozen mixed fruit (Ours is a blend of strawberries, mangoes, pineapples and peaches.)
A blop of honey (Maybe a tablespoon.)

It's the prettiest pale orange color and he appreciates the fruitiness, as he says he's sick of chocolate and mocha  (Who'd a thunk it?).




ZUCCHINI BAKE

Fill whatever size pan you want with zucchini circles.  Cover with shredded cheese.  Cover with bacon bits.  Bake until desired veggie tenderness, cheesy meltiness and bacon crunchiness.  Add some sort of bread and supper is ready.


I even have Clare do it so that I can continue my path down homeschool catalog insanity . . .

Kidding on the insanity part; this is me.  It is.

Happy weekend.  Happy studying.

 Warmly,  Allison





Life Site News

Life Site News writer Pete Baklinski has written a delightful article telling our story, which I'm going to link to in the About page and the Helpful Links page.  It made me smile and cry; hope you will, too.

Warmly,
Allison