Quick Tip: Easy Instant Guacamole

Here is something that I came up with today that worked fairly well for making instant guacamole. I had a small ripe avocado that I needed to use and made an instant guacamole for lunch today for me with a few tortilla chips.

Ingredients:

1 small ripe avocado

1/8 tsp. sea salt (or a pinch of iodized)

1 cube frozen cilantro...from Trader Joe's (or 1 tsp. fresh chopped, or omit...but less flavor)

1 TBS. prepared jar salsa

Directions: Cut avocado in half lengthwise. Remove seed. Scoop out pulp and mash in a small bowl with a fork to desired consistency. Add salt, cilantro (i used a fork to crush up frozen cube), and salsa. Stir and enjoy with tortilla chips or on a salad.

Catholic National Reader Goes 'Pulp Fiction'

Well.....maybe not 'pulp fiction', per se, but my children (5 of 6 at this point) have all learned to read primarily through an old series of hardback books called "Catholic National Readers".

The Primer/One is always a favorite to the older children as the younger child is reading. They speak of remembering the reading of passages with fondness and enjoy hearing them even more that when they had read it aloud.

I think that the books are wonderfully challenging and the stories are full of nostalgia and "proper" English that I realize we have somewhat let go of, so the phrasing of some passages are confusing, though they are actually written properly.

Though most lessons are mostly benign and teach morals, there is one particular Lesson that my children have always read with a mixture of either horror, disgust, or hilarity....sometimes all of the above. (Hilarity is usually reserved for the veterans of this passage.)

That is Lesson XXXVII.

I am sure that, as the original book was published in the 1890's, that rodents were even more of a problem than the random assortment of rogue mice in a home or rats that proliferate within the various sewer systems.

However, this certain lesson has become the anticipated cornerstone for our older children when they know it is soon to be read by the younger sibling.

With an eagerness that would raise a brow in most, my graduates of the CNR Primer watch the reading child intently for their particular reaction to the passage.

I admit more inwardly to be slightly nauseous at the enlightening lesson, but I do allow this excitement and ceasing of all other activities and studies to...once again...relish the words of the author on this particular day.

Perhaps the author of this passage had a rough night with such rodents and thought to take his vexation out in words of alertness and caution as to the dastardly deeds of the four-legged pests.

Nevertheless, I shall keep you in suspense no longer......here is Lesson XXXVII of the Catholic National Primer.

" ...1.We all know what a rat is, or we think we do. Yet how few there are who can tell much about it.

2. We know that a rat has very sharp teeth, black eyes, and a long tail, and that it has its nest in a hole. But we do not know much more.

3. Then let us hear what a learned man says about the rat and its ways.

4. He tells us in one of his books, that he once saw two rats steal and egg. And this is how they did it.

5. One rat lay down on its back, and took hold of the egg with its paws. Then the other took hold of the first one's tail, and pulled it along, egg and all, till they came to their nest, when in went the egg, and the rats after it.

6. The same man saw three or four rats steal some sweet oil. The oil was in a bottle with a long, narrow neck, and Mr. Rat could not get at it.

7. But he did not mean to give it up. So one rat ran his tail into the neck of the bottle, then pulled it out, and let the other rats lick the oil off his tail.

8. After a little while, the first rat gave way to a second, and then took his turn at licking the oil."

...Well, I'm hungry!

Random Things Overheard

Here are some of my random funnies for the week....most from 2 year-old Katie Beth.

1) (In church, no less...) "Mom, can I have the gun in your purse?" (Gum!!!)

Then she proceeds to literally yell this out louder when my attempts to ignore her fail and, of course, the parish now believes they have a woman with six kids "packing heat" in the pews.

2) "I wanna try the maggot! I wanna try the maggot!"

Which, after only a moment of panic, I came to find out meant the MAGNET that my son was using to totally empty out my husband's coin dish in one very long chain of change....say that five times fast...

3) "Tinkerbell, Tinkerbell, Tinker all the way......." (Most recently sung as a unique version of 'Jingle Bells')

4) "Clean up! Clean up! Happy Birthday, Clean up!" (Many of you who had 90's babies may recall the Barney 'Clean Up' song in which the word EVERYBODY is in place of my child's favorite phrase.) But, with so many birthdays in this family, I can see this thing happening...

5) Her favorite movies right now are requested by the titles: "Hi-Barbie" and "Barbie-Cracker", which are respectively; "Holly Hobbie" and "Barbie in the Nutcracker". As an aside, she also dances around the room like a ballerina and yells out, "I'm a cracker! I'm a cracker!"

How can we not smile?

Where Have I Been??

Well, my dear husband graduated from college with his MBA in May of 2010! As is typical of a pending graduate, he began searching for a position in January of 2010 (1 year ago!) and it became clear that credentials and education were little match for the economy slump as over 200 applications were sent out and only 2 positive responses!

God has been so good to us, but he did not promise the ride would be smooth, nor lack for stress and more gray hair!!

He received a position as financial analyst and is working hard to promote Snapple and Dr. Pepper! ;-)

We managed to sell our old house and purchase a new home, not realizing the full impact of something called an "occupancy code" and what that would mean for our large family. In short, one of our new neighbors saw the 'number' of children playing in our back yard and called the code enforcement on us. We were served papers and the real test of faith and stamina began. It was hard for our children, as the calls and threats continued, we were faced with criminal charges for having too many children in our 2000 sq. foot home. (I am still not entirely over this emotionally, I believe). (Here is the math: there must be at least 50 sq. ft. of sleeping space per person in a bedroom designated for 2 or more and 70 sq. ft. per person if the room is qualified for 1 person. Bunk beds are obviously not counted as legitimate sleeping quarters for children.)

Yet, our Faith reminds us God is there through the Holy Spirit, working through others and showing His power in our daily lives and needs. Thanks go to some amazing and fantastic people we have met here, the support of our Peoria friends and our families and especially my parents, we made it through the difficulty. And, in hindsight, this was a very minor problem compared to the struggles that so many others endure. But, as you are going through something painful like that, you still feel the negative impact.

Now, the good news: We had money come in that we were not expecting that paid for the egress window that had to be put in the basement to render another bedroom approved to sleep 3 people. We both had the threat of police action against us and at the same time a Catholic policeman, who is also the father of six children, helping to put our window in.

So, I am truly thankful with all I have, I am so grateful to have a warm home, food for my children, our military men and women who are protecting us, a job for my husband that is supporting us, six beautiful children that I am blessed to homeschool, and a wonderful network of family and friends supporting us.

God Bless and Happy New Year!