January 31, 2011

Guess who's home?

Let us recap all that he missed:

The candidates are lost without their favorite Abbe.

Mrs. C filled in for Abbe's catechism class and was a big hit!
Hmmm...

JJR grabs a handful of appetizers...again...

The Timman drops makes cajun pork for friends.

"We've got these innovative ideas for better mass attendance."
Is it February 2nd yet???

What do you think of the basement renovation?
The Packs signed a new quarterback!


January 29, 2011

My cool grandfather


My maternal grandparents are still alive, which is no surprise to me since my grandmother's parents died just 16 years ago!  My grandmother has a LOT of photographs which were scattered all over the house.  One week I went over there and went through EVERY photo, dividing them into boxes for her 5 kids (15 grandkids and 17 great-grandkids, which is weird since I have 24 children myself).  Wow, what a task!  But, it was well worth it because I came across this gem:


Grandfather looking awesome.
That is my grandfather, sometime in the 50's, I think. He's having his morning smoke and coffee from the good china in his snazzy jammies.

January 28, 2011

Compton Hill Reservoir Park Water Tower

There is a beautiful water tower located in Reservoir Park on Grand Blvd. in St. Louis.  It is actually a standpipe to relieve water pressure with a beautiful tower built around it.  It was constructed in 1898 and if you'd like to hear more about the history of this gorgeous monument, go here and poke around a bit!  You can climb the stairs to the top where there is an observation room.  I did this when 7 months pregnant once.  I don't recommend that.

My daughter took some photos a few months ago and you just might recognize something in the background of one of these photos!  I promise that ALL photos are property of MotherCrab, not another St. Louis photographer.

Compton Hill Reservoir Park Water Tower

Interior view down the spiral staircase
View looking southeast!
The Anheuser Busch brewery is on the left of the photo.
Largest church dedicated solely to the Extraordinary Form in the entire universe is in the center.

January 27, 2011

Dear Single Grad Student

It is now time for another rendition of "Dear Single Grad Student." I would really rather have "Dear Abbé" (no offense, SGS), so, if there are any Abbés out there who would like to have a segment on this oh-so-popular blog, please let me know. It would help if I knew you, you were funny, and got permission from your superiors.  I just KNOW you could answer questions about the returning cappa magna and larger than life catafalques.  On to the letter!



Dear Single Grad Student,

What is the best way to get out those stubborn grease stains from clothes?

Signed,
The Laundress


Dear The Laundress,

One of the following five usually works for me:
1) Buy a new shirt.
2) Wear sweaters over stained pieces of clothing so that no one will see.
3) Become an Abbé so that you will always wear black and no one will know if you have spilled anything.
4) Pray a novena.
5) Give the stained article of clothing to Mrs.K to wash for you.

I hope this helps.

Signed,
Single Grad Student

January 26, 2011

My favorite dessert

Those of us who are blessed to be Italian are likely to have had an Italian grandmother who made yummy food.  Every Christmas my Sicilian grandma would make cannoli and they were THE BEST cannoli ever.  In fact, I even have her small, wooden cannoli shell shapers.  Of course I've never made my own cannoli shells, but I COULD if I were so inclined.  Really, I could.

But I haven't. Sigh.  I mean, I've made my own filling, but I am daunted by the prospect of making a cannoli shell.  Hmmm.  I might have some foodaphobia here.

I bought some of these luscious yummies on the Hill (the Italian part of St. Louis) last year and they were downright gross. Oh! I was so disappointed! And they were TWO DOLLARS APIECE!!!  Ack!

So, my next adventure is going to include this gal who might help me.  Stay tuned.  And while you're at it, drool over this:


My sister loves cannoli as much as I do.
I think she's in the background trying to eat all of them, or just trying to ruin my photo.


January 25, 2011

Life with boys.

I never thought I would walk into my bathroom and find a sword on the floor. Never.

January 24, 2011

Caption Time!

My puppy got a lot of brownie points today by just being really cute out in the snow. 

...and carry a big stick!

The children were adorable too, but I only took a photo of the dog.

If you can top my caption, you will win lots of prizes praises!!
Contribute in the comment box!




January 23, 2011

One Week Ago Today

One of my favorite people (and yours!) left for a small vacation.  His vacation is now half over.  Let us re-cap what he has missed:
  • Small fire which J promptly put out.
  • JJR's dinner party, complete with 5 courses.
  • Opening night of the new bar in the 1888 building.
  • Colt 45 hiring a new spokesman.
  • The Pope's visit to St. Francis de Sales.
Kind of a boring week, really.

January 22, 2011

Stop. Haiku Time.


Saturday schedule.
Planned to attend Requiem.
Nixxed by sore tummy.

January 21, 2011

No Dear Abbe means it's time for Dear Single Grad Student!

Dear Single Grad Student,

What is the best way to make hot dogs?

Signed,
Curious

Dear Curious,

The best way to make hot dogs is what I learned while researching Napoleonic naval warfare for my dissertation on the fourth-century Arian Crisis. It is a simple process, but yet it makes the best hot dogs ever. First, slaughter some pigs. Next, wash your hands. (You may have to repeat this step several times.) Then bring to bear your 12-pound howitzer. Load the raw flesh into the barrel of the cannon. Ignite fuse (being careful to remove hands from the barrel's aperture). After the loud explosion (which will be kind of like an old-fashioned microwave bell), you will notice all around you nice, bite size chunks of hot dogs that you can be proud to serve to all your fellow single, nerdy, grad school friends!!!

Sincerely,
Single Grad Student

January 20, 2011

One Man's Junk...



I love my neighbors.  I really do.

5 years ago when I only had 48 children they put up a new fence.  But THIS time they put in a gate between our two yards so my children could actually go into their yard and play on the hammock!  They named it the hammock gate, appropriately. I actually shed a little tear when they did this.  I mean, they obviously
liked us!  They really liked us!

They are also a little eccentric.  I have kids, they have a huge paper mache mule in their front hall. I have a playset, they have an outdoor fishpond.  I have chickens, they have bottle sculptures.

This bottle sculpture looked really pretty today with the snow so I snapped a photo. I wanted to get the pink flamingoes in there too, but they flew away.

Liber Usualis

If you ever attend a high mass in the Extraordinary Form you will hear chant.
If you ever attend a high mass at St. Francis de Sales you will hear exquisite chant.
The book that holds all of that beautiful music looks like this:


Gorgeous.

January 19, 2011

Eating Bonbons!

If you were trying to reach me and couldn't, this may explain why.

January 18, 2011

Spoonlighting II

I follow the blog of a girl who has taken it upon herself to cook her way through The Silver Spoon, the Italian equivalent to The Joy of Cooking.  It's ambitious, for sure.

Here is my cooking/baking post for the day.  I am going to give Miss Spoonlighting a run for her money!

This
Plus

This
Equals

THIS!

YUM!

January 17, 2011

Latin Man

Throughout the years there have been colorful characters who have attended St. Francis de Sales.  Typically these people aren't harmful and, well, we just deal with them however we can.  There was the man who pretended to be a brother and would "bless" people.  There was the person who would yell at women for not veiling.  Once there was a guy dressed as Jesus in a white jump suit - it turns out THAT guy makes the rounds at every church in St. Louis.

Then there was Latin Man.

He was so named because he insisted on reciting not only the responses, but a lot of the priest's prayers during low mass out loud.  Also, during the rosary, which is in English, he would respond in Latin.  Miserere nobis!  He would talk to himself and make quite expressive faces before, during, and after mass.  It was distracting at best, annoying at worst. 


He would always get to church first, sitting in the front row in front of the St. Francis de Sales statue.  He would place a piece of rug stop pad on the pew so his missal wouldn't slip off and he would never kneel on the kneeler, preferring to keep it up and kneel on the hardwood floor.  He was fervent in his prayers, marking his St. Andrew's missal with chip clips, paper clips and prayer cards.  He would bring additional prayers written in tiny script in zip-lock bags and pull them out during various parts of the mass.  I also noticed he brought The Liturgical Year by Dom Gueranger with him to mass.  Many times he was at daily mass.

Well, I found out Latin Man died, alone.



REQUIEM aeternam dona ei, Domine, et lux perpetua luceat ei. Requiescat in pace. Amen. ETERNAL rest grant unto him, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon him. May he rest in peace. Amen.

January 16, 2011

Bon Voyage

Today one of my favorite people in the whole wide world is going on a small vacation.  Nothing too exciting, really.  I mean, it's only to a state a few states away.  I think the name of the town is Podunk, but I'm not certain of that.

However, he could sure use some "west and welaxation."  His work is very demanding and he needs to kick back and spend some time with his friend Mr Williams.  I mean, look at this list of things he does EVERY DAY:

*Lighting candles.
*Folding things.
*Letting the smooth taste fool him.
*Locking and Unlocking things.
*Filling water cruets, sometimes.

I'm sure there are 1 or 2 other things, but I can't think of them right now. I hope he comes back refreshed and ready to go!  And I'm sure there are a few of us who will miss him, too.

January 15, 2011

Midnight Mass. Yes, it was 3 weeks ago...

Finally, the videos from Midnight Mass are available here: YouTube

Enjoy!

Deja Vu

As I was going through my photos of heads, heads and more heads something clicked in MY head.  I  had seen these photos before!  So, a little search revealed my awesome skills from a little over 3 years ago.

(At the time) Archbishop Burke confirmed children, specifically, my daughter, at St. Francis de Sales.  It was November of 2007.


Archbishop Burke (now Cardinal Burke) processing in.


I wish I could take MORE pictures of heads with Archbishop (did I mention he's now Cardinal?) Burke
as an almost shadowy figure in the background.



Oh, wait, I CAN do that.  More heads! Impressive!




Again, not a great photo.  I try, I try...




Canon Lenhardt, our former rector.



Canons Lenhardt and Avis with the star of the day!
Notice that I can take a good OUTSIDE shot?  Grrr.

So, there you have it.  Proof that I can take a lot of very bad photos INSIDE my church
of a man with the name of Burke.  That's CARDINAL Burke.

Bishop Rice

Click here for some beautiful pictures taken Thursday at the Basilica (where I got married!) for the installation of our new Auxilliary Bishop, Bishop Rice.  There are a few photos with Canon Wiener (Institute of Christ the King) and Cardinal Burke.

January 14, 2011

The real and professional photos of His Excellency's visit

Click here for some gorgeous photos and a write-up of Cardinal Burke's visit to our Oratory.

I will admit that the photos are a little better than mine,but not as great as
the parallel universe photos I took.

January 13, 2011

The parallel universe visit of Cardinal Burke

A couple of days ago I posted all of these wonderful photos of Cardinal Burke's visit
to St. Francis de Sales Oratory.  I think those were 8 of 200 photos I took.

What you HAVEN'T seen are the parallel universe photos that I did NOT post.  These photos look like they are in St. Francis de Sales, but it is really a parallel universe St. Francis de Sales.
 It is by no means the real thing. Nope. Nu-uh. Nyet. Nein. No(n).


Wow, look at all of these Knights.  Oh wait, you can't. 
It's all just a huge blurrrrr!

Hey, did anyone get any shots of people's heads?  I really wanted to see heads.
Heads? Anyone? Heads?

Awwww, I was really hoping to get MORE pictures of heads.
 Oh well, this will have to do.

I love this photo and all of the priests in it.
BUT IT'S OUT OF FOCUS!! 
This would have been the best picture!!!!!
I'm going to go find some more heads.  I'm reaaaaaallllly good at that.

He was moving at the speed of light.
He had hands to shake and photos to snap.

I KNEW it was impossible for him to do all of that work himself!
He has the Mini Me of Three!