bearing blog

bearing blog


bear – ing n 1  the manner in which one comports oneself;  2  the act, power, or time of bringing forth offspring or fruit; 3 a machine part in which another part turns [a journal ~];  4  pl comprehension of one’s position, environment, or situation;   5  the act of moving while supporting the weight of something [the ~ of the cross].

  • In case you want today’s Mass readings.

    A friend of mine in real life (in fact, he’s over there cooking dinner right now) just asked me if I could send him a link to the daily Mass readings.  He reads my blog, so I told him what I’m telling you:  You can access the day’s readings two clicks from here.

    First click on the Universalis link partway down the right-hand side — it’s a beige rectangle that has the date according to the regular and liturgical calendars.   That takes you to the liturgy of the hours. 

    Then click on the link at the top labeled  "Mass."

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  • Reason #12 to homeschool the sacraments:

    … the commenter at this post at Ten Reasons who writes,

    I wish I’d been more attentive to her pre-sacrament CCD class, though. I heard for myself the catechist telling the class that "Jesus used unleavened bread because yeast hadn’t been invented back then."

    Eh.  Where to begin?

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  • Prayers for Melanie B.

    Please pray for Melanie B (Bettinelli), who comments here, and who just received a frightening diagnosis.

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  • Guestblogging highlights.

    Blogging is light for a while because Greg Popcak graciously invited me to guestblog at Heart, Mind and Strength Blog.

    I’ve been rewriting some of the stuff I wrote here this week about attachment parenting.  A few other items:

    Feel free to comment here, since HMS Blog is uncommented.

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  • When I saw the headline, I thought, “Yeah, I felt like that after the last baby shower I attended, too.”

    But not because of the children.

    "Baby shower ends with scalding oil and steak-knife threats"

    Next time, have a blessingway.

    (OK, I know, there’s nothing funny about the story AT ALL.)

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  • The day I force-fed my baby daughter Coca-Cola.

    (Permanent announcement:  Blogging is low because I’m guestblogging at HMS Blog this week.  If anyone can tell me how to make a Typepad post "Stick" to the top, let me know please.)

    Mary Jane, seven months old, has to take four milliliters of a nasty-tasting antibiotic every day for the indefinite future. 

    We tried holding her down and squirting it into her throat with a syringe.  She fought and struggled and cried and screamed.  Often she got so worked up that she vomited it all over herself and us (did I mention that the antibiotic also stains clothing?).

    We tried splitting the dose up into two 2-mL aliquots, then four 1-mL doses, then eight half-mL doses.  No go.  I think it’s a learned response.  Now she practically starts to vomit at the sight of the syringe. 

    The doctor said:  Try mixing it with applesauce and giving it to her on a spoon.  She is only just now experimenting with solid foods.   She refused the apple sauce.  I tried mixing it with yogurt.  She refused the yogurt.  I tried to jam the spoon into her mouth.  She vomited.  I tried mixing it with apple butter.  She accepted it — one mL antibiotics in two tablespoons of apple butter.  (Also it took me over an hour to spoon-feed her.  Did I mention I hate to spoon-feed?)

    I cannot feed a seven-month-old baby half a cup of apple butter daily.  I just can’t do it.  Besides, if a baby and a half takes a milliliter and a half in an hour and a half — never mind.

    The doctor said:  I know this is crazy, but have you tried something stronger?  Try chocolate syrup in the syringe. 

    I went to the store and bought Hershey’s Syrup.  I started to mix the medicine with some chocolate syrup and then (because the drug is about fifty dollars an ounce) changed my mind and filled the syringe with half a mL of chocolate syrup. 

    I squirted it into her mouth.  She threw up.

    I gave her chocolate syrup on a spoon.  She threw up.

    The doctor said, Many moms have success with Coca-cola.  Also that settles the stomach.

    I said, I’m sorry, I must not have heard you right.  Are you telling me to feed my seven-month-old Coca-Cola?

    She said, Last resort time.

    I gave the baby Coca-Cola in a syringe.  She threw up.  I gave her Coca-Cola on a spoon.  She threw up.

    I put down the spoon and sighed and turned around to see my six-year-old and three-year-old sharing the rest of the can of Coke, for breakfast.

    I think I’m going to have to teach the baby to drink from a sippy-cup.  Maybe I can mix it into some kind of juice.  *sigh*

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  • Don’t be too quick to dismiss the “C&E Catholics” this Easter.

    (Permanent announcement:  Blogging is low because I’m guestblogging at HMS Blog this week.  If anyone can tell me how to make a Typepad post "Stick" to the top, let me know please.)

    From Disputations.

    They will be there because there is where they go on Easter. They will be variously smiled at, cursed at, and tolerated, but generally dismissed as "Christmas and Easter Catholics" who do little more than clog the parking lot and mess up poll results (remember, 70% of Catholics don’t believe in the Real Presence).

    Here, though, I’m not talking about the C&E Catholics too spiritually full of themselves to go to Mass on lesser feasts. I’m talking about those people, maybe not even baptized, who are too spiritually empty to go to Mass, except when it will be crowded enough that no one will notice their emptiness.

    And maybe this will be the year when a word or a gesture reveals to them that the Man they were looking for is here, in this church, on this altar, with these people. Maybe the prayer that makes it so will be yours.

    I’ve been one of them.  I would amend the above to note that even the "C&E Catholics" might in that place remember what they are looking for, too.  May it be so.

    UPDATE: Link fixed.

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    2 comments on Don’t be too quick to dismiss the “C&E Catholics” this Easter.

  • Guestblogging!

    Blogging might be light this week, because I’ve been invited to guest-blog for a little while over at HMS Blog.  Look for me there!  (And feel free to leave comments here…)

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    2 comments on Guestblogging!

  • Neufeld appearance on Popcak’s show.

    Well, either my timing is impeccable (see this post from a couple of days ago) or I’ve inspired something cool!  From Gregory Popcak at Heart, Mind and Strength Blog:

    I’m happy to announce that we just received confirmation that Dr. Gordon Neufeld, author of How To Hold On To Your Kids will be on with us for a special, full-show interview this Thurs on Heart Mind and Strength.

    Heart Mind and Strength Radio  is carried by Ave Maria Radio Network weekdays at 12 noon Eastern, 11 Central.  You can listen live online at the Ave Maria link, or you can download past shows from this page.  We used to get it on Relevant Radio 1330 here in the Twin Cities, but it’s been ditched in favor of "Dr. Ray And Friends."   

    It is a call-in show:  the call-in number during the show is  877-573-7825 and they take e-mail questions anytime at radio@exceptionalmarriages.com.

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  • Visual DNA.

    http://dna.imagini.net/friends/swf/widget.swf

    h/t Valerie.

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  • Prayer for an increase in love, adapted from The Imitation of Christ.

    O Jesus,

    Let me cry out with all the ardor of my soul:  "You, Lord God, are my whole love and all my desire.  You are all mine and I am all Yours."

    Let my heart expand in love of You.  Ket me learn to know how sweet it is to serve You, how joyful it is to praise You, and to be dissolved in love of You.

    I will sing the canticle of love to You: 

    "Love is patient, love is kind.  It is not jealous, love is not pompous, it is not inflated, it is not rude, it does not seek its own interests, it is not quick-tempered, it does not brood over injury, it does not rejoice over wrongdoing but rejoices with the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things."

    I will follow You, my Beloved, wherever You go, and may my soul never weary of praising You, rejoicing in Your love.  Let me love You more than myself and myself only for Your sake; let me love all others in You and for You, as Your law of love commands.

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  • Blueberry cake.

    This is Mark’s favorite dessert.   I adapted it from a recipe in Cook’s Illustrated; my version is just a bit more healthful and convenient.

    • Prepare

    Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Lightly oil or spray bottom and sides of a 9-inch springform cake pan.  Line the bottom with parchment paper round.  Lightly oil or spray the parchment.   Dust pan with flour (bottom and sides) and knock out excess.

    • Make the streusel topping
      • 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
      • 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
      • 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
      • 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
      • 4 tablespoons salted butter, softened; OR 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened, plus pinch salt; OR 4 tablespoons coconut oil plus pinch salt

    Combine dry ingredients.  Work fat into dry ingredients,  either with fingers or in a standing mixer on low speed, until no large butter pieces remain.   Transfer to small bowl and set aside.

    • Then make the cake:
      • 1 & 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
      • 1 & 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
      • 10 tablespoons salted butter, softened; OR 10 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened, plus 1/2 teaspoon salt  (I have not tried coconut oil inside the cake — let me know, anyone, if it works)
      • 2/3 cup granulated sugar
      • 1/2 teaspoon lemon extract
      • 1 & 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
      • 2 eggs
      • 4 cups good quality (individually quick-frozen) frozen blueberries, not thawed

    Combine flour and baking powder and set aside.  In standing mixer, cream fat, sugar, and (if you are using it) salt, until fluffy.  Scrape down bowl.  Beat in extracts and then eggs.  Gradually add flour and beat 20 seconds; then stir by hand until fully mixed.  The batter will have cookie-dough consistency.  Gently but quickly, so they don’t thaw, fold in the blueberries with clean hands. 

    Scoop the batter out of the bowl and transfer it to the springform pan, pressing it evenly down into the pan.  (Wash those hands!  They’re purple!)  Sprinkle streusel topping evenly over the batter.  Bake about 1 hour until toothpick comes out "clean" (of batter that is — it’s gonna be purple if it speared a blueberry).

    Cool in pan on wire rack 20 minutes or so.  Then run a knife around the edges of the pan and release the springform sides (cake can remain on pan bottom) and allow to cool until just warm.  Cut and serve.

    Enjoy.  Mark always does…

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