RC run St. Louis school to close its highschool

Interesting.
The school was started in the early 90s. I remember when Gateway was housed in a closed down Catholic church and school. We'd go to Mass there sometimes and knew some of the students and families somewhat. Since then, it has moved out to Chesterfield. I pray for the kids and families and the teachers who are out of jobs. God brings good out of everything and this could really be something the Legion needs--pare down, revamp and recreate itself.

Fr. Berg leaving LC for NYC Archdiocese

God be with him in his new life outside the Legion.

Veggie Burgers with Tahini Mayonnaise

Trying to eliminate meat from my diet, I have been looking for healthy recipes with some protein packed in. Last Saturday I was watching "Everyday Food" on PBS. Margot Olshan was making veggie burgers with bulgur wheat and pinto beans with some spices and veggies chopped in.

They looked really good, so I decided to make them. I added salt and pepper to taste, as they were not in the recipe. Bulgur wheat can be found in bulk at both Fred Meyer and Central Market (down the street from my work) and is inexpensive. The recipe makes 4 good sized and very filling patties which got me through 2 dinners and 2 lunches. You can find the recipe here.

A college friend also told me that his wife makes delicious red lentil rice cakes. I'll try these this weekend as I have a nice new bag of lentils in the pantry. :)

Also, we get to pick up our first box of veggies from the farm next Wednesday, so it will be fun (and healthy) to try vegetables which I've never or rarely bought.

Christina 'mentioned' on local Seattle tv show

Many of us in the Seattle area are familiar with "Evening Magazine" which features stories from the area and the Northwest. Today, a music teacher, Sharon LaFrance, from our parish school, Our Lady Star of the Sea, was interviewed about donating her hair to "Locks of Love." The mother she mentions is my sister-in-law, Christina, who donated her beautiful hair last year to Locks of Love and one year later was diagnosed with breast cancer. You can see Andrew, Jeff and Christina's oldest son, in the video singing with his class. He's standing next to the red haired boy. :)

For those of you who are not on Christina and Jeff's updates and would like to hear in Christina's own words how she's doing, let me know and I'll forward the latest to you.


http://www.king5.com/video/eveningmagazine-index.html?nvid=358263

Photo credit: Joanna Cichy (I 'borrowed' this photo from her blog).

Good Article

Here is a very good article on the Maciel disgrace. Good read for all RC members and all Catholics alike.

St. Louis Gooey Butter Cake

This is a delicious St. Louis treat that we had growing up. Gram Mahler made the best Gooey Butter Cake! Don't eat a lot of it, or you'll have a gooey butter body.

Conquering Fears

After many years of procrastinating and giving in to nervousness and fear, I finally learned to drive a stick shift. John was such a patient and kind teacher. Since my car is in need of a new starter and died as I was backing out of the driveway to go to work, I was pretty much forced to learn to drive the Expo. Sometimes, that's what it takes for me to do something. But, I did it and am driving myself to work and back. Sure, I've stalled out, spun the tires when sitting at a stoplight on a hill with tons of cars behind me, but I didn't die and it makes for a funny story when I get home. The best thing is that I can get around in any car now and am the only one of the four kids who can drive a manual. :0) There aren't many things I can claim to do that my siblings can't do, but this is one of them, so I'm claiming it!

The last week showed me that it's best to just face my fears head on, take them on and conquer them. The next one is getting back to running and training for a half marathon again. My mantra these days (since I'm a nervous personality and a procrastinator) is "JUST DO IT!"