Building Cathedrals
What am I cooking? Irish Brisket! When cooking brisket it is very important to start cooking the brisket at least 12-24 hours in advance. I cook my brisket in a slow cooker for 18-20 hours in a broth of beer (GF of course, although a Guinness Marinade would be delicious as well!), enough additional water to cover the brisket, peppercorns, garlic, 1/4 cup of brown sugar, parsley and salt. The last 2 hours I add potatoes, cabbage, and carrots.
What are my weekend plans? We have a busy weekend planned, including a trip to Philadelphia Zoo with my sister and her family, a trip to the Piercing Pagoda with grandma for my Gianna’s 7th birthday, a baby shower, March Madness and Juris Mater’s rockin’ St. Patrick’s Day Party.
What are my prayer intentions for the day? 1. Japan 2. Nathaniel and 3. Mr. Red’s safe return from a business trip
What can my children do instead of watching TV? Play outside, draw pictures of St. Patrick and shamrocks, play zoo as they crawl around the house pretending to be different animals…
What have I done for my marriage this week? I plan to pick up a six pack of Guinness this afternoon. Happy St. Patrick’s Day!
What am I reading? Just for fun, The Hobbit, and for spiritual reading, Time for God by Jacques Philippe.
What’s challenging me lately? The weight of my family responsibilities. Even when things are going very well, and life seems routine, we are always just a few hours away from chaos, and I usually feel tired! I have been going to bed much earlier than usual for Lent, and yet I am still tired. The duties of a mama never seem to end.
Something that made me think? On Tuesday Mr. Red was away on a business trip and my son Charlie (5) put his hand through the glass door in our playroom. Unknown to me, Charlie was following me out the front door. I released the door and it swung shut rather quickly. Charlie was running full speed and didn’t even see the door coming. His fist went right through the glass, and back out. I turned to face him and he stared at me with large eyes, slowly nodding his head yes when I asked him if he was ok. Luckily, our neighbors were passing by and heard the glass shatter. They immediately came to help, and cleaned up all the glass while I tended to Charlie. My heart was racing as I lifted Charlie’s sweatshirt and braced myself for a huge gash requiring stitches and a trip to the ER. As I inspected Charlie’s arm I saw only a surface scratch and I immediately thanked his guardian angel. Guardian angels of little boys work overtime, and I rarely spend time thanking these angels for their hard work! It was truly miraculous that he could put his hand through a glass door, shattering the glass, and receive only a small scratch! I spent plenty of time on Tuesday saying thank you, and every time I look at our door (now in need of a replacement glass panel), I thank God and our guardian angels for their protection.
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