Because they’re giving out free 8oz Icebergs from 3-7pm today. In case you missed 31 cent scoop last night at Baskin-Robbins (we didn’t) or simply desire take advantage of every opportunity for cheap/free ice cream to fatten up for the coming swimsuit season (like me). Enjoy! Read more
Today is the feast of St. Gianna Beretta Molla. I have a special devotion to St. Gianna and so I thought it appropriate to post the origins of that devotion today. Almost seven years ago, our first daughter, Therese Joy, was diagnosed in utero with a fatal neural tube defect called anencephaly. In the days and weeks following Therese’s diagnosis, I literally survived on the prayers of hundreds of friends. Some of these friends I have never met, and others... Read more
Mary Ann Glendon was the 2009 recipient of Notre Dame’s highest honor, the Laetare Medal, which is awarded each year during Commencement. Receiving this honor put her on deck to speak alongside President Obama at Notre Dame’s Commencement in May. In the last weeks, amid the firestorm following the selection of Obama as Notre Dame’s Commencement speaker and as recipient of an honorary degree, Notre Dame officials have been using Mary Ann Glendon’s balancing presence at Commencement to justify giving... Read more
On Saturday MaryAlice and I attended the CHAPLET Homeschool Conference and had the privilege of meeting Danielle Bean! Danielle flew in from New Hampshire to speak at the conference, and MaryAlice and I acted as her chauffeurs for the weekend. What a blessing to meet Danielle in person. In my earliest days of parenthood, I remember reading Danielle’s first book, My Cup of Tea, and feeling very uplifted by her words and perspective. Unlike many other parenting books I had... Read more
Now that my cherubs are getting a bit older and more techno savvy, I’m allowing them greater reign on our family’s home iMac. They appear small and defenseless in the shadow of its 18-inch screen. Their eyes stare widely at the images glowing back at them. The computer becomes like God in their little worlds for a brief moment. Thanks to Awol, we are now regular Starfall visitors and the boys have a usual agenda of watching the snowman story... Read more
As I was flipping through the local newspaper this morning, I came across a delicious recipe for Shrimp, Corn, and Tomato Stew. I clipped it out of the paper and started reading the recipe to see if I had the necessary ingredients, and was surprised to see that this recipe calls for 1 cup – yes, that’s 2 sticks!! – of butter. Now I must confess that I’ve never made a stew that calls for a rue, but 2 sticks... Read more
As I titled this post I laughed remembering writing an email to the builders in our pre-blog days titled “avocados and chicken pox” and Red wrote back how disappointed she was when discovered it was not about some obscure link between eating avocados and getting chicken pox. So, on two unrelated notes: I know Mary Alice has confessed a similar love of Costco’s organic peanut butter. My question is this. How does one stir in the oil that separates out... Read more
I’ve been teaching my 5-yr old daughter about money. First was pennies, then dimes. Yesterday, we moved on to nickels, which of course bear the image of our third President, Thomas Jefferson. But when I showed the nickel to my daughter, she surprised me with this comment: “Mama, is that William Wallace on the nickel?” I blame my husband and his infamous Braveheart monologues. But now that she mentions it, I do see a resemblance: For those concerned, don’t worry... Read more
My parents came to visit us for Easter weekend, and it was truly a joy to celebrate Easter with them. My kids are always excited to see “Oma” and “Opa,” and I love the company and the conversations that we get to have when we’re under one roof for a couple of days. One of the best parts of the weekend, however, came after my parents had left and arrived back at home. My mom called to say that they... Read more
Building Cathedrals
Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In