Revolution of Love.com Blog

Quick Takes Friday (11/6/09)

2009-11-06T16:37:10Z

*** 1 ***

I love fall! It is my favorite season. Although here on the central coast of Cali, it feels more like summer. We get lots of fog and cool weather in July and August then it warms up in September and October. But now that November is here the chill is slowly moving in and anticipation for the holidays gets stronger. I am especially excited because we always spend a week in So Cal during Thanksgiving and I am sooo ready to see my family again - some of who have yet to meet John-Paul! Only 17 more days! WooHoo!

*** 2 ***

I tried that recipe for minestrone soup that my sis EL recommended. It was so tasty! Lots of veggies and flavor. Here's the link: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Jamies-Minestrone/Detail.aspx

*** 3 ***

Brian and I recently saw two movies with a Catholic theme. The first was Ostrov (Sold at http://www.notofthisworldicons.com). "The story begins in northern Russia during World War II. A Russian coal barge with a two-man crew is captured by a Nazi patrol boat. The Nazis force the young cowardly Russian furnace stoker, Anatolii, to shoot his captain. The Nazis blow up the barge but Anatolii is rescued by monks from a nearby monastery. Anatolii spends the rest of his life repenting in sorrow, and through this repentance becomes a God-bearing Fool-for-Christ who, with his God-inspired insights into human hearts, gives miraculous help to suffering people who come to him for aid. Nearing death Anatolii's own suffering is resolved through a miraculous manifestation of forgiveness."

It is a beautiful story and heartbreaking to watch Anatolii's sorrow over killing his captain, but he never gave up hope on God's mercy. In his humility and wretchedness, Anatolii became completely dependent on God and grew in holiness. God was then able to do marvelous wonders with the "little fool." (ie. He could read souls or knew when something bad was going to happen.) The story is in Russian but with subtitles.

*** 4 ***

Speaking of where we bought the movie, if you are looking for icons, check out Not of This World Icons.com. It is our favorite place to shop. So beautiful!

*** 5 ***

The second movie we saw was 2008's Henry Poole Is Here with Luke Wilson. It is not a religious movie but it had a surprisingly positive portrayal of the Catholic Church. Wilson plays Henry, a stand-offish loner (with a bit of mystery about him) that buys a house in his old neighborhood. His desire to be alone is thwarted by a friendly (and persistent) Catholic Hispanic woman who believes that a water stain on the side of Henry's house is actually a miraculous imprint of Jesus' face. During the course of the movie Henry must deal with his neighbors' faith, his own disbelief and anger, and his growing friendship with a single mom and her mute daughter. The movie is low-key and never preachy but there is a definite underlying message of faith and (physical/spiritual) healing. (Note: The movie is rated PG, mostly for language. Watch it when the kids are asleep.)

*** 6 ***

I also really enjoyed the soundtrack on the Henry Poole movie. There were some cool songs; however, there are two from the movie that are missing from the official soundtrack. If you get it from iTunes you'll have to download the Bob Dylan song (I didn't mind skipping that one) and the Blur (Song 2) separately. (I did download the Bur song - I hadn't heard them in years!)

*** 7 ***

Okay, Andrew is up and ready for breakfast so I need to get off the computer. I'll end with a pic of the kids from Halloween. Have a blessed weekend!

Coming Soon - Masterpiece Classic: Emma

2009-11-05T23:14:38Z

Is there such a thing as too many Jane Austen adaptations?? Of course not! So bring it on, baby! Premiering January 24-February 7, 2010 on Masterpiece Classic is Emma. Check out the trailer.

Catholic Chicks

2009-11-05T17:05:59Z

Wait, wait..there's one more blog you need to check out - Catholic-Chicks.com. Monique wants it to be "a social network where Catholic women of any age, race, ethnicity, and background can come together to celebrate God's love and build a support group for each other." Cool.

Fallible Blogma

2009-11-05T16:55:39Z

Came across this blog the other day and really enjoying it. Check it out. Fallible Blogma | A Catholic blog on Catholic issues

Planned Parenthood to Pro-Life

2009-11-05T16:33:52Z

I know this story has been all over the Catholic blogs but in case you haven't heard, here's a great pro-life story about former Planned Parenthood director Abby Johnson.

(Note: It isn't mentioned in this news segment but Abby's turning point came when she saw an ultrasound of an abortion. There was no denying what was happening to the baby.)

"The Catholics Next Door"

2009-11-05T16:15:35Z

I was reading through my twitter feed and saw a post about Duff Goldman (from one of my fave Food Network shows Ace of Cakes) being on a Catholic radio show to talk about his baking, his book and his charity work. Then I found out that the "The Catholics Next Door" radio show is put together by Greg and Jennifer Willits from the Rosary Army. (I interviewed Rosary Army years ago at RoL - back when I was friends with a crazy thing called "spare time.") I am so happy to see what they are doing! If you don't have Sirius Radio, you can download their podcast from itunes or listen here.

New Magazine for Catholic Singles

2009-11-05T16:06:52Z

Lisa at CatholicMom.com posted about a new magazine for Catholic singles called Tobias. (Where was this ten years ago??) Check it out and get a complimentary issue here.

Slow Cooker Recipes

2009-10-26T19:04:04Z

Now that the weather is cooling down, it is the perfect time to dust off the slow cooker and whip up some tasty meals. I asked my sis EML to send me her fave recipes and she did. So now I'm sharing them with you! The charizo one looks really yummy although I have to tone down any spiciness right now or else JP will let his disapproval be known loud and clear. ;-)

Slow Cooker Lentil and Ham Soup (Bobbi's note: I think I'll try this one first.)
Slow-cooker Turkey Chili

Slow Cooker Black Bean Soup
I added some cooked chicken and cheese to each bowl when I served it.

Peppered Beef Soup

These three aren't slow cooker, but they are good and I assume you could throw everything in the slow cooker and cook it that way.

Devilish Chorizo Chili with Hominy

Minestrone
Edith LOVES this soup. (Bobbi's note: Edith is my adorable niece.)

Potato Broccoli and Cheese Soup

www.southernliving.com has a slower cooker section that has some good recipes.

This site ( crockpot365.blogspot.com) also has some good recipes.

Enjoy!

To Vaccinate or Not Vaccinate?

2009-10-26T18:49:09Z

With all the talk around the H1N1 vaccine - and child vaccines in general - I found this post at Momopoly very timely. (Thanks to Danielle at F&F for the heads up.) As for us, we have vaccinated the kids but we found a doc that does a delayed schedule so they don't take so much at once. We are still debating about the H1N1 and will talk to our doc about it on Wed. We'll see how it goes.

All Saints Day Costume Ideas

2009-10-15T19:30:49Z

The site has been getting a lot of search engine hits from people looking for All Saints Day costume ideas so here is the link to an old post at RoL for saint costume ideas and pics of Bella and Andrew in their costumes.

Simple Woman's Daybook: 10/12/09

2009-10-12T14:56:30Z

Courtesy of The Simple Womans Daybook.

FOR TODAY...October 12th

Outside my window... cold and gray with a storm approaching. (I'm looking forward to some rain but the tree toppling wind, not so much.)

I am thinking... about the 43 more days until I leave for So Cal to visit my family. (Familia and Disneyland, here I come!)

I am thankful for... John Paul sleeping six hours straight last night. (Insert happy dance.)

I am wearing... black knit pants, white tank, worn out black zipped sweatshirt jacket. (Don't tell Stacy and Clinton!)

I am remembering... that I need to email T and see how he's doing. (Say a prayer for him.)

I am going... to get some shopping done when Brian gets home. (Daddy needs some alone/bonding time with JP and Mama needs a breather.)

I am reading...The Shadow of the Bear: A Fairy Tale Retold by Regina Doman ( So far I'm really enjoying it.)

I am hoping... to get ALL the laundry and ironing done. (Hey, I can dream, can't I??)

On my mind... how much smoother the day goes when I start the day with quiet prayer with Our Lord. (Well, the day is actually just as chaotic. I am just better equipped to handle it.)

Noticing that... I am in love with my iphone. It keeps me close to those I love when they are far away and I have all my info on there - from my shopping lists, to my baby feeding tracker to my digital prayer book. (That is when I can get it away from Andrew who wants to watch Thomas the Train on it.)

Pondering these words... from a priest during confession, "Make your home a piece of heaven on earth." (Touche.)

From the kitchen... scrambled eggs, wheat toast and fruit. (Followed by a candy kiss?)

Around the house... autumn decor. (I love fall!)

One of my favorite things... these quiet mornings with Bella at school and the boys still snug in their beds. (But enough of this, back to the laundry.)

From my picture journal...This picture is a month old now but it is one of my favorites of John Paul and his big eyes.

Sites for Catholic Cooks

2009-10-12T14:46:43Z

Here's a cool site to check out when you want to combine your love of cooking with your love of the Catholic faith - Catholic Cuisine Blog.

When you are done there, head over to Fr. Leo's Grace Before Meals.com.

Coming Soon: The 13th Day

2009-10-08T22:50:29Z

Check out this new movie about Our Lady of Fatima coming out on October 13, 2009. It looks really good! For more details about screenings in your area or the DVD, visit http://www.the13thday.com.

Tiny Treasures Tuesday 10/6/09

2009-10-06T22:40:13Z

Sorry for the absence of posts but family life has been all consuming! I'll catch you up to date using....

Tiny Treasures Tuesday is dedicated to celebrating the lives of your children.

Bella

Happy Birthday, Bella!! It's hard to believe that my baby girl is now eight years old. I can still remember the day I found out she was growing in me. We spent a year trying to get pregnant but with no luck. Then at the end of December/early January we went on a pilgrimage to Rome. I remember at one cathedral we lit a candle and said a special prayer asking God to bless us with a baby. Two months later, on Valentine's morning, I finally had a positive pregnancy test. I went into the kitchen and told Brian to close his eyes and I would give him his Valentine's gift. He did and I placed his hands on my stomach and told him to open his eyes. It took a minute for it to register but he understood what I was telling him. Tears of joy flowed from both of us. And we're still thanking God for his miracle of life.

Andrew

I've been the most worried about Andrew and how he would adjust to not being the baby of the family anymore. It was a little rough for him the first few days but I think he has adjusted well. We have been making sure he is given lots of love and attention and extra playtime when we can. He loves to "help" me in the kitchen so today we made some banana-carrot bread together. It was a bit messier than I would have liked but he loved it! And my reward was when he rubbed my arm and laid his head upon me. His silent "thanks, mom" was worth the mess. :-)

John-Paul

What can I say, I am in love with my little guy. Granted it has taken some time to get a routine down and I have to accept that I cannot get on the computer or take a shower until Brian comes home and the late nights will sometimes leaving me crying because I am so exhausted... but in the end, I love my little guy. And taking care of him, and the kids, is just what I need to work on my selfishness and impatience and pride and whatever other vice you want to name. Right now my role as mom (and wife) is the greatest tool God can use to form me into the person he desires me to be. And just when the forming gets tough, God sends some encouragement, such as John-Paul's first smiles. So cute!

New Site: Vocation Boom.com

2009-09-16T23:09:25Z

Thanks to a heads-up from NCR, I came across a great new site called Vocation Boom. Their overview reads:

Founded by Jerry Usher, Vocation Boom is a team of passionate advocates dedicated to supporting the priesthood as a life's vocation and mission. We seek to develop a global support community where youth and young men interested in the priesthood can find comprehensive resources, encouragement, mentors and friends to aid in the discernment process.

Be sure to check it out and pass along the info to others.