{bits & pieces}
Recently, we celebrated the first birthday of our dear little boy.
Which means that yes, it’s one year ago that Auntie Leila became an amateur midwife and a little less than a year since I recounted Peabodee’s dramatic entrance. In case you’re in a mood for a birth story.
I was talking with some friends about the paradox of a first birthday: on the one hand, we as the moms want to do well for our precious little ones and we sense the opportunity to start off a tradition; on the other hand, the kid is one, and therefore doesn’t care much and certainly won’t remember anything. It’s a funny place to be.
Despite my one-year-old being a very picky eater, I did land upon a few featured items that I thought he’d really enjoy on his big day. He loves cheese (especially cream cheese), he’s recently become a fan of graham crackers… His birthday is always going to be in the spring… So a springy carrot cake seems like a great tradition to start, right? What could be more perfect than this Carrot Graham Layer Cake from smitten kitchen*, which will – of course – be accompanied by a cream cheese frosting?!
I thought that this was surely the jackpot. I had struck gold and would never again have to wonder what do make him for his birthday. He’d grow up loving this and always looking forward to it as his special cake that only comes around once a year… You’re welcome, future Deirdre – one less decision to make on an annual basis!
Except he didn’t finish his piece. Finnabee didn’t even finish her piece. Every following day since then when I’ve tried to tempt him with leftovers, he has flatly refused. And, to be honest, the Artist and I haven’t totally loved the cake, either.
*I wonder if the fault is mine for a slight recipe change: I didn’t have enough cream cheese for the proportions of the recipe, so I substituted ricotta cheese (about 1/2 cup, I’d say). When first mixed, the frosting tasted delicious. The first few bites of each slice of cake tasted delicious. But by the end of each piece there was something… dull? cloying? I wonder if we were missing an essential bit of zing from that extra cream cheese. (I also used coconut oil instead of butter, and wonder if that might be an explanation for why my layers seem flatter than Deb’s look.)
I haven’t completely given up, however. Maybe another time around I’ll try my mom’s carrot cake recipe, which is more carrot-y tasting, anyway.
This week’s links — again, a collection of miscellany this time around:
The feast of the Ascension is this coming Thursday. Does it matter that it’s Thursday? Can it just be another day? Douglas Farrow in First Things Magazine makes the case.
Mark Regnerus is a professor who has been vilified for standing by his findings on how children of same-sex couples fare. Time has only strengthened his position, however. Media Gush over New Study, only to Find Same-Sex Parents More Irritated with Their Children.
Auntie Leila says, “interesting — one of several stories recently that to me, just show that discoveries come from an interested person who pursues interesting thoughts, not from any particular sort of technical education.” Copper Pajamas: An 18-Year-Old School Girl Beats Scientists to A MRSA Remedy
This really needs no introduction: Midwife Rides Inflatable Swan trough Houston Floods to Deliver Baby
Christopher Mueller is directing all the English World Youth Day liturgies. Since music vitally affects the spirit of any particular liturgy, this is great news. Let’s help Mr. Mueller get his whole family (who sing chant and polyphony together) to Poland for this event! You can hear some of the music in the video at the top of this kickstarter page, and send a few dollars his way if you can (they are very close to their goal!). Who are the poor today? Many of them are those starving for beauty and true worship!
From the Archives:
Remember Nora’s Baptism last year? And why we care about getting the Baptism in without much delay.
Ask Auntie Leila: How to Talk to Children About Scary News
{bits & pieces} with a little Savory Pie How-To
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