We Heart the USPS

Posted on by Rebecca Barrettfox

As irksome as Donald Trump’s effort to defund the USPS is, we must keep in mind that it’s only the newest Republican-led assault on one of the most functional services that the US government (formerly) funded. They hate it because it proves that government works–and because it pretty much accessible to people of all types, including the poor. Oh, and because making mail delivery more difficult is a way to suppress voters who maybe don’t want to stand in clouds of coronavirus just to exercise their right to vote.

Anyway, all of that is to say that you should support your USPS. We do, all the time. I buy more than half the stamps that are released and delight in sending them to folks. Even if I’m just paying a bill, it’s more fun to send it with a stamp showcasing on of America’s rivers (my favorites of the last year) or Hot Wheels cars.

Do yourself and democracy a favor and pick some up today at checkout at Kroger (If you are a regular shopper, you’ve heard the lady on the radio say that lots of time) or order them online.

Above, some of the stamps I am using right now–leftover Christmas ones, state fairs, 3-D dinosaurs (which are AMAZING!), Hot Wheels, post office murals, winter berries, Halloween foils, American rivers, Sesame Street, and Sally Ride.

Listening Hearts: Day 106

Posted on by Rebecca Barrettfox

Our family has been working on a new daily practice: listening. Active, reflective, engaged listening that says to the other person. My desire is to understand you as you are, not to correct you or improve you or educate you.

To that end, we’ve been writing questions to help us get to know each other better. Some of these questions are serious; many are silly. Sometimes we laugh at things that are meant to be serious, and sometimes our silliness leads us into serious places. Our goal is to publish one each day on our blog. We hope you find them useful, either as prompts to think about yourself or as questions you bring to the car ride or the dinner table. They’re written by all of us, and you’ll see the diversity of our thoughts and interest in them, so in the questions themselves, you’ll get to know us a little better too.

Subscribe to our blog (or follow our Twitter account @familyfoxhole) to have them appear in your inbox or Twitter feed daily.

Today’s question:

What is the first food you remember cooking?

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Listening Hearts: Day 105

Posted on by Rebecca Barrettfox

Our family has been working on a new daily practice: listening. Active, reflective, engaged listening that says to the other person. My desire is to understand you as you are, not to correct you or improve you or educate you.

To that end, we’ve been writing questions to help us get to know each other better. Some of these questions are serious; many are silly. Sometimes we laugh at things that are meant to be serious, and sometimes our silliness leads us into serious places. Our goal is to publish one each day on our blog. We hope you find them useful, either as prompts to think about yourself or as questions you bring to the car ride or the dinner table. They’re written by all of us, and you’ll see the diversity of our thoughts and interest in them, so in the questions themselves, you’ll get to know us a little better too.

Subscribe to our blog (or follow our Twitter account @familyfoxhole) to have them appear in your inbox or Twitter feed daily.

Today’s question:

What is one thing you think your government should spend more money on?

Listening Hearts: Day 104

Posted on by Rebecca Barrettfox

Our family has been working on a new daily practice: listening. Active, reflective, engaged listening that says to the other person. My desire is to understand you as you are, not to correct you or improve you or educate you.

To that end, we’ve been writing questions to help us get to know each other better. Some of these questions are serious; many are silly. Sometimes we laugh at things that are meant to be serious, and sometimes our silliness leads us into serious places. Our goal is to publish one each day on our blog. We hope you find them useful, either as prompts to think about yourself or as questions you bring to the car ride or the dinner table. They’re written by all of us, and you’ll see the diversity of our thoughts and interest in them, so in the questions themselves, you’ll get to know us a little better too.

Subscribe to our blog (or follow our Twitter account @familyfoxhole) to have them appear in your inbox or Twitter feed daily.

Today’s question:

What is one good part about living in your neighborhood?

Breakfast Carrot Cake

Posted on by Rebecca Barrettfox

Are you eating leftover carrot cake from Easter for breakfast today?

If not, you know what they say: The best day to make a carrot cake was two days ago. The second best day is today. (And yes, I know that this is not really a breakfast recipe. But the rules about such things disappeared weeks ago.)

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Above, carrot cake in its most simple form. Why? Because I have children. You can bake a more exciting carrot cake using the variations below.

Ingredients:

Cake

  • 4 eggs
  • 1 1/2 c. oil
  • 2 c. sugar
  • 2 c. flour, sifted (Spoon it in your measuring cup and level it off–this takes 30 more seconds and always produces better results)
  • 2 tsp. cinnamon
  • 2 tsp. baking soda
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • 3 c. shredded carrots

Frosting*

  • 1 lb confectioner sugar, sifted
  • 1 stick butter, softened
  • 1 bar cream cheese, softened
  • 1 tsp. vanilla

Directions:

Cake:

  • Grease round cake pan of size of your choice or 9×13 pan. Heat oven to 350 degrees.
  • In a large bowl, beat eggs; add oil and beat further.
  • In a separate bowl, sift together dry ingredients.
  • Combine wet and dry ingredients. Add carrots, being careful not to overstir.
  • Spread into pan and cook 30-50 minutes, depending on the size of the pan.
  • Allow to cool briefly in the pan, then turn out to cool further before frosting.

Frosting:

  • Beat butter and cream cheese until smooth. Add vanilla and beat further.
  • Add sifted powdered sugar and beat thoroughly.

*This recipe makes enough frosting to frost the top and sides of a single layer cake or the top and interior of a double layer cake. To frost only the top of a single layer cake, reduce ingredients by half; to frost top, interior, and sides of a double layer cake, add half a stick of butter, half a bar of cream cheese, half a pound of powdered sugar, and half a tsp. vanilla.

Variations:

  • To add raisins, soak 3/4 c raisins (golden ones or a mix of regular and golden) in hot water or orange or pineapple juice until they re-hydrate; then add to cake batter with carrots. Failure to re-hydrate raisins means they will suck moisture from the cake, leading to dreadful consequences.
  • Add 3/4 chopped pecans or walnuts to the batter or top with toasted nuts.
  • Add 3/4 c. crushed pineapple, reducing sugar by 1/4 c.
  • Add up to 2 tsp total of ground cloves, ginger, and/or nutmeg.
  • Top with shredded coconut, if you hate the people you are serving it to.

 

Prayers during a Pandemic: For those Celebrating Holidays

Posted on by Rebecca Barrettfox

Our family is taking time daily to pray about the current global health crisis. Our prayers will likely reference the Christian tradition, but we’ve written with an ecumenical and agnostic audience in mind.

If you’d like us to pray for you, let us know. If you’d like us to write a prayer for you or for a concern you have and share it here, just ask. You don’t have to share your name if you don’t want to, and we won’t share it or any other identifying details about you here or elsewhere.

Today we pray for people experiencing sadness around Holy Week (for Western Christians who have already celebrated it, for Eastern Christians who celebrate it this week) and Passover (for Jews).

Today we pray for people who are experiencing sadness, grief, and loss around their sacred days and traditions. We pray for those who are finding joy in these moments, too.

We pray for those we don’t know and for those we do, including [names of people we know who are struggling with holidays, including ourselves].

We pray for those who miss celebrating with friends and family. We hope for them companionship across distance.

We pray for those missing their sacred spaces. We hope for them dignity wherever they are.

We pray for those who are unable to participate in tradition as they might want. We hope for them good memories of times past, inventiveness and assurance in this moment, and hope for future times.

We  pray for those who feel disconnected from their own lives, communities, and traditions. We hope for them grace for themselves.

We pray especially for Christians and Jews around the world who have recently, are currently, or will soon celebrate holy days. We pray for them peace of heart as they engage these sacred days. We hold in our hearts those for whom these days are hard.

We are thankful for people of faith in our lives and in our communities. We are thankful for the rich traditions they share with us. We are grateful when we can share their stories, insights, art, and other traditions.

Do you yearn for an earthly Jerusalem — or its heavenly counterpart? (Ancient earthly Jerusalem as painted by James Tissot, ca. 1890)

Above, artist James Tissot’s vision of ancient Jerusalem (1890s).

 

Listening Hearts: Day 103

Posted on by Rebecca Barrettfox

Our family has been working on a new daily practice: listening. Active, reflective, engaged listening that says to the other person. My desire is to understand you as you are, not to correct you or improve you or educate you.

To that end, we’ve been writing questions to help us get to know each other better. Some of these questions are serious; many are silly. Sometimes we laugh at things that are meant to be serious, and sometimes our silliness leads us into serious places. Our goal is to publish one each day on our blog. We hope you find them useful, either as prompts to think about yourself or as questions you bring to the car ride or the dinner table. They’re written by all of us, and you’ll see the diversity of our thoughts and interest in them, so in the questions themselves, you’ll get to know us a little better too.

Subscribe to our blog (or follow our Twitter account @familyfoxhole) to have them appear in your inbox or Twitter feed daily.

Today’s question:

Have you ever had a friend of a different religion? What did you learn about their religion from them?

Easter 2020

Posted on by Rebecca Barrettfox

It was a weird end to Holy Week. No in-person services, no visiting friends in their churches (something we like to do this time of year), no new clothes or fresh haircuts. No Easter foods shared with friends. Instead, it was stormy and gray and windy and we stayed home all day, feeding the pellet stove, cooking, playing games, video calling with family, and watching a movie. I don’t think we’ll repeat in in 2021.

Still, there were highlights. They begin, of course, with dessert.

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Carrot cake for dessert this year to go along with our usual cherry-and-pineapple topped ham and other dishes.

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Homemade Easter baskets since I didn’t buy them before the stores closed. Follow me on Pinterest for more great crafts to make your kids feel loved and appreciated!

 

Far fewer eggs this year than usual, since we were dyeing them alone rather than with friends.

 

Some of my favorites. The first two were made by applying the food dye directly to the egg; the third resulted when the kiddo who made the first two picked up a white egg with fingers covered in dye. I’m especially proud of my little bunny and chick eggs. The last one is the interior of a fertilized egg. Yes, my youngest child goes to a farm-based school, so these are the kinds of things he thinks about.

Contenders for our annual egg pun contest: HENrietta Lacks, FRY-er Tuck, and Guy Mont-EGG, the protagonist from Fahrenheit 451, wearing his firefighter’s hat.

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Waited for a break from the wind to hunt for eggs in the backyard.

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The eggs all found.

 

 

Listening Hearts: Day 102

Posted on by Rebecca Barrettfox

Our family has been working on a new daily practice: listening. Active, reflective, engaged listening that says to the other person. My desire is to understand you as you are, not to correct you or improve you or educate you.

To that end, we’ve been writing questions to help us get to know each other better. Some of these questions are serious; many are silly. Sometimes we laugh at things that are meant to be serious, and sometimes our silliness leads us into serious places. Our goal is to publish one each day on our blog. We hope you find them useful, either as prompts to think about yourself or as questions you bring to the car ride or the dinner table. They’re written by all of us, and you’ll see the diversity of our thoughts and interest in them, so in the questions themselves, you’ll get to know us a little better too.

Subscribe to our blog (or follow our Twitter account @familyfoxhole) to have them appear in your inbox or Twitter feed daily.

Today’s question:

Share a memory you have associated with Easter. If you don’t celebrate Easter, is there a tradition related to Easter that you think looks interesting?

easter

Listening Hearts: Day 101

Posted on by Rebecca Barrettfox

Our family has been working on a new daily practice: listening. Active, reflective, engaged listening that says to the other person. My desire is to understand you as you are, not to correct you or improve you or educate you.

To that end, we’ve been writing questions to help us get to know each other better. Some of these questions are serious; many are silly. Sometimes we laugh at things that are meant to be serious, and sometimes our silliness leads us into serious places. Our goal is to publish one each day on our blog. We hope you find them useful, either as prompts to think about yourself or as questions you bring to the car ride or the dinner table. They’re written by all of us, and you’ll see the diversity of our thoughts and interest in them, so in the questions themselves, you’ll get to know us a little better too.

Subscribe to our blog (or follow our Twitter account @familyfoxhole) to have them appear in your inbox or Twitter feed daily.

Today’s question:

We’ve had 100 days of question so far. What is one conversation you had because of these questions that you enjoyed?