What to do at the beach...

...when your silly mother forgot to pack shorts or swim trunks...

This picture taken during our quick visit to the southern California last weekend for Paul's promotion.
 It was a one day trip, but I should have known we'd have to end up at the beach -- even if it was just for a little while... They made do, but....  yeah.

 *Note to self: always pack shorts for the little boys.

Congratulations, Captain Paul Davis, USMC!

Our oldest son,

Officially promoted to Captain,

United States Marine Corps

February 7th, 2014

We're so proud of you, Paul!

Nicole, with the help of  Gavin and Evelyn had the honor
of officially "pinning" Paul

Our favorite Marine

We Love You!

It matters not how strait the gate, 

How charged with punishments the scroll, 

I am the master of my fate: 

I am the captain of my soul.

― William Ernest Henley

Feast of St. Agatha!

Feast of St Agatha

St. Agatha was born in Sicily into a wealthy family. As an infant St. Agatha's parents dedicated her to Christ. For all her life she served God well and was always ready to die for the love of Him. St. Agnes was arrested by an evil Roman named Quintanus because she was a Catholic, but also because he wanted her to marry him. Agatha would never marry him because she was dedicated to Christ.

"O Jesus Christ" she cried as she set off on the journey to the prison, " All that I am is Thine; preserve me from this tyrant".

And Our Lord did preserve her. Even though Agatha was in the care of an evil person, she stayed pure and good while in prison. God gave her strength to stay firm and not fall into temptation when Quintanus offered her safety in exchange for sin.

Quintanus lost patience and sent Agatha to the torturers, but she never lost her faith in God. After being cut up and rolled over broken pottery, Agatha prayed for God to take her to Heaven, which He did.

St. Agatha is an incorruptible.
She is the patron saint of nurses and breast cancer patients.

~ by Theresa 

Written by Theresa (now a tenth grader) when she was eleven years old.

St. Agatha, like so many of the early martyrs, reminds us of the importance of purity!  True Faith has so often been tied up with the protection of this virtue; it's a treasure closely guarded by the saints, but, boy oh boy, is this a neglected virtue in our day! Worse than neglected, it's practically been stomped into the dust.  But what can we do?  

This lovely statue can be found at
this German church

We trouble over this often at our house.  Especially now that we live in Las Vegas where custody of the eyes is so important.  Scandalous billboards -- and scandalously dressed people -- are everywhere here!  But the fight is nothing new.  We have four daughters and six sons to teach and protect, and even when we lived in "backwater" country, the topics of modesty and purity were much in our minds. They've had to be, as the world has so often forced it into our lives. Let's be real.  Unless you live on a desert island with no wifi, no television signal, and no other people, you'll be subject to temptations against purity.  It has to be guarded against; we have to purposely and pointedly teach our children to protect themselves. But it's like teaching brand new recruits how to shoot a rifle for the first time --  in the middle of combat.

What a world we live in!  But we can fight against it and win.

In our own little day-to-day world right now (with only two boys and two girls of the gang still living at home), we instruct on purity and modesty practically every day!  In a subtle kind of way, mind you.  When the children come down dressed for school, we have an informal (smiling!) praise and "correction" session.  We comment on colors and styles and what sweaters look especially good with which skirts -- and whether or not a modest tee needs to be added under a scooping neckline, or a skirt retired because it's getting too short.  That's the girls, of course. The little boys are a different story...  At this stage, they mainly need to be reminded not to wear pajamas all day and to change their socks occasionally.  Bless their sweet slobbish little hearts. ( If only our worries would stay so small!)

But, what can we do about the dismal "bigger picture" we all see in the world?  It can be depressing looking out on it, but we can be proactive in the wider world, too.  

Whenever I can, especially on the feast day of saints who especially espouse the virtues of purity and modesty, I try to post something on my blog and/or on facebook regarding the saint of the day and his/her example of purity.  Not that this has any kind of earth-shattering influence, mind you! (My readership is teensy weensy.) But, it does bring the importance of these virtues to the top of my mind, anyway, and the hope is that it'll spur good thoughts for someone else, perhaps. But our most important and effective efforts to affect the world can be made under our own roofs:
  

* Always first and foremost: Pray!  * Be a good example!  * Avoid the television programs, movies, books, and periodicals that glorify immorality through immodesty and the acceptance of immoral lifestyles. *  Avoid places where you know you will be assaulted by improper dress and behavior (the Las Vegas Strip and most Southern California beaches are a great example of places to avoid!) * Teach your children to avoid these places and things.  * Explain why you do so. *  Dress in a way that you would not be embarrassed for the Holy Family to see, whether you're a man or a woman, boy or girl! * Cultivate an understanding of the sanctity of marriage and the proper structure of a Catholic family within your own family and sphere of influence -- gently but firmly.  * Then pray some more that the whole world figures this stuff out. 

I know that I'm preaching to the choir here (if anyone's reading this at all, besides my husband), but it can't be repeated enough how we've been warned, admonished, entreated, and instructed to behave and dress in a way to preserve purity.  It's important! Our Lady at Fatima warned us at Fatima in 1917  that we would be punished if our society didn't refrain from certain styles of dress.  She told Jacinta, Francisco, and Lucia, 

 "Certain fashions will be introduced which will offend Our Lord very much."  

The first question is, of course, what kind of dress, right?  With the understanding that common sense is not common in any day or age, you can be sure that the Church has stepped in to help, reiterating the Blessed Mother's warning, and adding specifics.  St. Pius XI was very clear about what kind of clothing is offensive:

Pope Piux XI, Chair of Peter
1922-1939

"A dress cannot be called decent which is cut deeper than two fingers breadth under the pit of the throat; which does not cover the arms at least to the elbows; and scarcely reaches a bit beyond the knees.  Furthermore, dresses of transparent materials are improper."

And he adds:

 "Let parents keep their daughters away from public gymnastic games and contests; but, if their daughters are compelled to attend such exhibitions, let them see to it that they are fully and modestly dressed. Let them never permit their daughters to don immodest garb." 

The Cardinal Vicar of  Pius XI, Jan.12, 1930

"Ouch!"  I can hear folks everywhere wincing -- or worse -- at this warning.  For goodness' sake, should our daughters be deprived of athletics, then?  No.  The pope didn't say that.  He just wants them to dress properly -- and he wants us to avoid attending events where inappropriate attire is worn by others.  Unfortunately, this will include a lot of places we might want to go, and may well interfere with sports we girls may want to play...  But, Pope Piux XII addresses this point exactly, as follows:

Pope Piux XII, Chair of Peter
1939-1958

"The good of our soul is more important than that of our body; and we have to prefer the spiritual welfare of our neighbor to our bodily comforts. If a certain kind of dress constitutes a grave and proximate occasion of sin, and endangers the salvation of your soul and others, it is your duty to give it up.  O Christian mothers, if you knew what a future of anxieties and perils, of ill-guarded shame you prepare for your sons and daughters, imprudently getting them accustomed to live scantily dressed and making them lose the sense of modesty, you would be ashamed of yourselves and you would dread the harm you are making of yourselves, the harm which you are causing these children, whom Heaven has entrusted to you to be brought up as Christians."

Pope Pius XII to Catholic Young Women's Groups of Italy

This same pope goes on to explain that not every new fashion is condemnable just because it's either new or considered fashionable:

"The Church, on the contrary, does not censure or condemn styles when they are meant for the proper decorum and ornamentation of the body, but She never fails to warn the faithful against being easily led astray by them.

"This positive attitude of the Church derives from reasons far higher than the mere aesthetic or hedonistic considerations which have been assumed by a renewed paganism. The Church knows and teaches that the human body, which is God's masterpiece in the visible world, and which has been placed at the service of the soul, was elevated by the Divine Redeemer to the rank of a temple and an instrument of the Holy Spirit, and as such must be respected. The body's beauty must therefore not be exalted as an end in itself, much less in such guise as will defile the dignity it has been endowed with."

Pope Piux XII from the same address quoted above 

Imprimatur dated Sept. 24, 1956

 If anyone you know is of the opinion that these standards are outdated, and should be changed to be in keeping with the times, Pope Pius XII addresses that very point here:

"It is always difficult to indicate with universal norms the borderline between seemliness and shamelessness because the moral evaluation of attire depends on many factors. However, the so-called relativity of fashions with respect to times, places, persons, and education is not a valid reason to renounce a priori a moral judgment on this or that fashion which, for the time being, violates the limits of normal decency. Here, as elsewhere, greater sensitivity to this warning against the snares of evil, far from being grounds for criticizing those who possess it, as though it were a sign of interior depravity , is actually a mark of an upright soul and of watchfulness over the passions. Yet, no matter how broad and changeable the relative moral of styles may be, there is always an absolute norm to be kept, after having heard the admonition of conscience against approaching danger: style must never be a proximate occasion of sin."

When styles were introduced that seemed fulfillments of the Blessed Mother's prophecies in 

Fatima, these two popes immediately weighed in.  There was no question in the church at that time what fashions were offensive to Our Lord -- as well as what behaviors sinned against purity, but the Church laid out the rules for us who might not be so sure.  In the tumultuous ocean of the world, the Church was still the anchor of morality.  

Unfortunately, in these years since the Popes Piuses, especially following Vatican II, all the warnings seem to have been forgotten, trampled in the dust.  The world, the flesh and the devil have been very busy making sure we all forget about them, or relegate them to a back closet of our minds, marked "outdated."  So very sad!  So very dangerous for our souls!  The martyrs who died for love of purity must be looking down at us from Heaven with averted eyes most of the time!    It's a sad time to live, a hard time to raise children to save their souls.  But we can do it!  And we will.  With the help of God, our pure and beautiful Mother in heaven -- and with the intercession of saints like St. Agatha, we can do anything!

*  For a very reasonable and well researched article on modesty (including the dreaded "pants" issue!), run over to Fish Eaters.

*  Some of the words of the saints regarding modesty and purity here.

*  A very complete and well-thought-out treatise full of documentation, quotes, and common sense (among many things, discussing the "changing times" argument) can be found here at Catholic Apologetics.

*  Thoughts of a young man in his twenties regarding this subject can be found here. 

*  Common sense thoughts of our pious bishop here.

A beautiful coloring page of St. Agatha!  Just click and print.

Candlemas Day!

Today celebrates Our Blessed Mother's obedience to the ancient Jewish law requiring mothers to come to the temple forty days after the birth of a child for a ritual purification and the customary presentation of the infant to the temple leaders. As you might imagine, Mary, perfect in body and soul didn't actually require any purification, but she teaches us humility, obedience, and respect for tradition by submitting to this mosaic law.

The parallel custom in the Catholic church today is the Churching ceremony, which is not required of mothers as Mary's purification was in her day, but is a wonderful blessing for mothers to receive after the birth of children. Isn't it wonderful the care that the Church has always taken of us wives and mothers? One of the chief prayers of the marriage blessing is meant especially for our benefit as wives and future mothers, and we can receive the benefit of the mother's blessing from our priest during our pregnancies (Ask him!), as well as the special ritual of thanksgiving and petition at the Churching ceremony, after our children are born. God knows our job is not an easy one, and provides for us with many prayers and helps!

This day also commemorates the fourth Joyful Mystery, the Presentation of the Infant Jesus at the Temple, and is the day upon which one of the chief blessings of the Church takes place. We have the blessing of the palms on Palm Sunday, the blessing of the ashes on Ash Wednesday, the holy water is blessed on Holy Saturday, and the blessing of candles, today, on Candlemas Day (aka: the Feast of the Purification).

It was on this day that Mary and Joseph met both the holy widow, Anna and the prophet, Simeon at the temple. Simeon prophesied the coming sorrows of the Blessed Mother, saying, "Behold this child is set for the fall, and for the resurrection of many in Israel, and for a sign which shall be contradicted; And thy own soul a sword shall pierce, that, out of many hearts, thoughts may be revealed."

This quote is familiar to most of us, but, upon first seeing the Infant Savior, he also spoke the following words, which prompted the Church's choice of this day for the blessing of candles:

"Now dismiss Thy servant, O Lord, In peace, according to Thyword: For mine own eyes hath seen Thy salvation, Which Thou hast prepared inthe sight of all the peoples, A light to reveal Thee to the nations And theglory of Thy people Israel."

So, we remember today at the blessing of candles that Christ is this light that Simeon is talking about.

It's on this day that we bring to the church our beeswax candles (at least 51%) to be blessed for home use. Every home should have blessed candles. They can be used at the home altar or for Advent candles, for instance, but are usually reserved for the most special occasions, due to the expense of the beesewax variety. They are generally used in the home for Extreme Unction, at dusk on all Saint's Day (according to this custom) and in the case of severe storms or other trouble or danger.

Other interesting tidbits about Candlemas Day:

* In Mexico, the person who got the hidden ring in the traditional Three Kings Cake on the Epiphany is responsible for throwing a party on this day. Tamales and hot chocolate are the traditional fare! (So that means my husband should be throwing us a part tonight, since he got the coveted ring. &:o) Are you reading this, dear?)

*But in many European countries, crepes are the order of the day, either sweet or savory. Catholic Cuisine has a great crepe recipe for today, as well as some wonderful ideas for cakes shaped like candles to celebrate the feast.

*Aussie Annie has some wonderful craft ideas for today, all involving candles, and Kimberly, at Catholic Family Vignettes has posted a wealth of ideas and links today!

*We've always got to have at least one coloring page, so here is one with St. Simeon and the Holy Family.

*Tomorrow, on the Feast of St. Blaise, two of the blessed candles from today will be used by priests to bless throats in parishes around the world.

*It's Groundhog Day in the saecular world today, while Catholic tradition places the custom of determining (guessing!) the weather of the last three winter months on the Ember Days of Winter.  You can backtrack at the National Weather Center Archives to locate what the weather was in your area on the Ember Days and see if it holds true for you where you live.

* The German Catholic custom, from which Punxatawny Phil derives is best described by this little poem:

If Candlemas is mild and pure,

Winter will be long for sure.

When it storms and snows on Candlemas Day,

Spring is not far away;

If it's bright and clear,

Spring is not yet near.

* The symbol for this day, other than candles, is snowdrops, the earliest of the flowering bulbs. According to my favorite source, Fisheaters, snowdrops "are known as "Candlemas Bells" because, being the usual earliest blooming flower of all, they often bloom before Candlemas (some varieties bloom all winter long in some places). Legend says that they sprang up by the hand of an angel, who then pointed them out as a sign of hope to Eve, who was weeping in repentance and in despair over the cold and death that entered into the world after she and her husband sinned. Because our Hope is Christ, the Light of the World as Simeon says in his canticle today, it is providential that the snowdrop should bloom by this Feast! If possible, gather some Candlemas Bells to bring inside (folk belief is that bringing them indoors before this date is bad luck, and bringing them indoors today "purifies" one's house.) These flowers, along with carnations, are also the "birth flower" for those born in January."

* This is the last day of Christmas ~ officially! If you haven't taken your tree and house decorations down by now, you can't defend yourself if you're called a slacker. For a little homemaking inspiration, here is an old poem that ties together our liturgical year with home decorating, gardening and an appreciation for the rightful passing of the seasons:

CEREMONIES FOR CANDLEMAS EVE

by Robert Herrick

DOWN with the rosemary and bays,

Down with the misletoe ;

Instead of holly, now up-raise

The greener box (for show).

The holly hitherto did sway ;

Let box now domineer

Until the dancing Easter day,

Or Easter's eve appear.

Then youthful box which now hath grace

Your houses to renew ;
Grown old, surrender must his place
Unto the crisped yew.
When yew is out, then birch comes in,

And many flowers beside ;

Both of a fresh and fragrant kin

To honour Whitsuntide.

Green rushes, then, and sweetest bents,
With cooler oaken boughs,

Come in for comely ornaments
To re-adorn the house.

Thus times do shift ; each thing his turn does hold ;

New things succeed, as former things grow old.

Happy Candlemas Day, Friends!

BTW: This is another re-post, this time from 2009.  

Spam -- The Good Kind

(To start things off, here's a song to get stuck in your head for the rest of the day...
And if you're like me, you're mouth is starting to water for a fried Spam and cheese sandwich, too.)

Hi, my name is Lisa and I like Spam.  Spam, the meat product.  I realize how politically incorrect it is to admit this, and I understand the potential danger to my health in the sodium content, alone.  But, I don't care.  I love the stuff!

Let us consider Spam...

Definition of spam 

• spam  
 (spăm) 

1. n. electronic junk mail: an unsolicited, often commercial, message transmitted through the Internet as a mass mailing to a large number of recipients
3. v, send unwanted e-mail: to send an unsolicited e-mail message, often an advertisement, to many people
4. v, post unwanted electronic messages: to post a message many times to a newsgroup, or an inappropriate message to multiple newsgroups
5. n. something disliked, typically, but not necessarily, food. (From the brand name of a canned meat product.) : I can't eat this “spam.”
6. n. a trademark used for a canned meat product consisting primarily of chopped pork pressed into a loaf. 

I find it highly insulting to my favorite lunch meat that all of the negative, newly-coined

definitions for Spam come first in the dictionary! Seriously, considering that the Hormel meat packing company made up the word in 1937, I think it should have dibs on the number one definition!

For a meat product, Spam  has quite the colorful history!   Developed by Jay Hormel, president of the Hormel Meat Packing Co., the canned pork shoulder was conceived during the mid 1930s as a low cost luncheon meat, a product appreciated by many struggling families during the

For one year, in 1936, before
 Hormel trade-marked the brand name
 "Spam," its new canned meat product
went by the bland moniker:
 "Spiced Ham." Spam is so much better!

Depression.  Composed of pork shoulder, chopped, pressed and packaged in tins, it was not considered "mystery meat" when it was packaged by Hormel, though Hormel's competitors, then and now, can't necessarily say the same. (In other words, Hormel is your safest bet, friends!)

Spam was not only a superstar of the Depression, it saved countless lives during and after World War II.  Or, to be more precise. the humble luncheon meat fed millions who might otherwise not have eaten during the war years.  An inexpensive food on the battle field and on the home front, Spam became a dependable and much-appreciated source of protein for the long-suffering British and Russian troops and folks near the front lines of the war.  

Better than Santa opening his sack...
A soldier sharing his Spam was a popular fellow.

The problem with the stuff, however, was simply the fact that there was so much of it. Because it was economical and shipped so well, that little blue can became the go-to food source -- ad nauseum.  People got sick of it!  And it was some kind of fun to make fun of!  But Spam undoubtedly saved many people from starvation after the war had depleted many countries' natural resources.  Years after the fighting had ended, American shipments of ever-lasting canned Spam continued to feed recuperating nations.  The occasional wartime stash is found, with unopened cans of Spam...  questionably still edible.

Which brings up the question.... How long does Spam last? The official Hormel estimation of the shelf life of a can of Spam is "indefinite," but most food safety experts suggest 2-5 years is the actual limit.  Regardless, after a couple of years, everyone agrees that the flavor will suffer.  And, I for one, can say without hesitation that if I found an unopened can of Spam from World War II, I would definitely not eat any of it.

Eisenhower.

Dwight Eisenhower admitted to the Spam folks after the war: ''I'll even confess to a few unkind remarks about it - uttered during the strain of battle, you understand. But as former Commander in Chief, I believe I can still forgive you your only sin: sending us so much of it.'' 

Following is one of many poems, jingles, and jokes penned about Spam in the war years -- one that diplomatic Dwight would have approved as accurate.  Most were not as complimentary as this little ditty, though! 

Now Jackson had his acorns

And Grant his precious rye;

Teddy had his poisoned beef—

Worse you couldn’t buy.

The doughboy had his hardtack

Without the Navy’s jam,

But armies on their stomachs move—

And this one moves on Spam.

For good or ill, there's no denying that Spam had an enormous presence in the war years; talk about brand recognition! Who doesn't recognize that square blue can, right?  Now, more than five decades later, Spam not only has a place in the collective memory, but it still has a place on our pantry shelves.  To date, Hormel has sold more than 7 billion cans of its iconic luncheon meat.  With Americans consuming more than 113 million cans a year, Spam has somehow managed (in spite of its somewhat "low class reputation") to retain its original "cravable" likability.  

Hormel also kept up with times.  I'm almost embarrassed to admit how much fun I had exploring the Spam website!  It's a particularly good and creative one, full of fun interactives -- and lots of goodies besides lunch meat. I think I just may have to get myself a nifty Spam slicer, for instance -- or maybe a Spam football.  (Now that would make a statement playing ball in the park, wouldn't it?)  Spam is Kitschy, fun, and darned if it doesn't taste good, too!  Check out some of the recipes at the bottom of this post and see if you don't agree -- it could be great fun to try some of these out-- and easy on the wallet, too!

Amazing Spam Trivia

The Basics

*  Nutrition information: A 100-gram (3.5-ounce) serving of original Spam provides 310 calories, 13 grams of protein, 3 grams of carbohydrates, 27 grams of total fat, inclu
ding 10 grams of saturated fat, The cholesterol content of Spam is 70 milligrams. A serving also contains 57% of the recommended daily intake of sodium. Spam provides the following: 0% vitamin A, 1% vitamin C, 1% calcium, 5% iron, 3% magnesium, 9% potassium, 12% zinc, and 5% copper

*  To learn all about the actual production of Spam, go here. 

*  For several years in a row, Hormel has been named by Newsweek as a top "Green" American company; in other words, it has been deemed to be environmentally responsible.

* Hormel has received numerous accolades recommending it as a fair and good employer; the military, in particular, has singled out Hormel as a great place for military veterans to work. 

Spam Stats

*  On March 22nd, 1994, Hormel celebrated its 5 billionth can of Spam!

*  If laid end to end, 5 billion cans of Spam would circle the earth 12.5 times

*  5 billion cans of Spam would feed a family of four three meals a day for 4,566.210 years

* On average, each person on Guam currently consumes 16 tins of Spam each year and consumption is similar in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI), Hawaii, and Saipan. These areas have the only McDonald's restaurants that feature Spam on the menu

Hormel, appealing to modern sensibilities.  They
have both "Lite" and "Bacon" Spam now!

*  In the U.S., alone, 3.8 cans of Spam are currently consumed every second (assuming that Spam is eaten 24/7/365)
*  Which means that Americans consume a total of 113 million cans of Spam a year

*  Remember the slimy gel-like substance that used to glog out with the Spam when you dumped it out of the can?  That was really no more than the natural gelatin and broth resulting from the processing of the pork.  The addition of potato starch in the Spam recipe in 2001 has removed the evil gel.

* In recent years, in spite of possible negative connotations that have attached to the word "spam,"  consumption of Spam lunch meat has increased approximately 11% from 2009 to the present -- an increase attributed to consumer's reaction to the recession 



Spam During the War Years

 *  "If  Lend-Lease had been denied to Russia, perhaps by an isolationist America, the Red Army would never have become the military steamroller that it eventually became. Lend-Lease trucks and jeeps put the Russian Army on wheels for the first time ever while US food (including, famously, spam)kept the Russian population going. Nikita Khruschev, who later became Soviet Premier, was aware of this and noted in his memoirs: "How could we have advanced from Stalingrad and Kursk on to Berlin without American aid and foodstuffs? We had lost our grain-producing areas". Stalin was of the same opinion but naturally did not admit it publicly."

(quote from Tony Martin, London SE15 United Kingdom)

 *  "My British born-American raised Mother has told me that my British born-British raised Aunt Bethel always claimed that "Spam saved England" ---because it was ration free.   ...The question should be "What would have happened in WWII if there had been no Spam?"

James H Hauser, Bloomington IN USA

Publicity shot of the Hormel girls

*  In the United States in the aftermath of World War II, a troup of former servicewomen was assembled by Hormel Foods to promote Spam from coast to coast. The group was known as the Hormel Girls and associated the food with being patriotic. In 1948, two years after its formation, the troupe had grown to 60 women with 16 forming an orchestra. The show went on to become a radio program where the main selling point was Spam. The Hormel Girls were disbanded in 1953. (Darnit, anyway!)

*  Austin, Minnesota has a restaurant with a menu devoted exclusively to Spam, called "Johnny's SPAMarama Menu"

* The image of Spam as a low cost meat product gave rise to the Scottish colloquial term "Spam valley" to describe certain affluent housing areas where residents appear to be wealthy but in reality may be living at poverty levels

Fun With Spam

*   In 2005, Monty Python's Broadway Musical Spamalot  won a Tony award. The musical is based on the Monty Python hit, "Monty Python and the Holy Grail," its title nodding to the iconic silliness of the Spam skit (shared below)


*  Now (naturally) there is a video game take-off on Spamalot, which you can find  here.  (You really have to try this one out.  It's free and very, very silly.)

*  Spam Celebrations: Hawaii holds an annual Spam Jam in Waikiki during the last week of April.  The small town of Shady Cove, Oregon is home to the annual Spam Parade and Festival, and Spamarama is a yearly festival held around April Fool's Day in Austin, Texas.  

 *  Austin, MN opened a semi-tongue-in-cheek museum dedicated to Spam lunch meat in 2001, the same year Hormel launched the Spammobile, a traveling Spam promotion -- which could be coming to a town near you! (Though I can't, for the life of me find a schedule for it  Sorry!) 

*  We live too far away to attend the Spam celebrations in Hawaii, Oregon, or Texas, but the girls and I, inspired by this Spam-athon of research on our favorite canned lunch meat are planning a Spamarama of our own.  July 5th, 1937 is Spam's official birthdate, so we think we'll aim for that day, when we may possibly have some big kids home to join us.  The current thought is that it will have to include a "Green Midgets Cafe" theme, obnoxious English accents, skits and music featuring the word "Spam," possibly a couple of vikings, and lots and lots of Spam dishes...  Stay tuned.  (I expect I'll repost this if and when we get that ball rolling...)


* The crafting world has long known about the creative use of Spam's distinctive square can.  Sturdy, but light, it's just the right size for all kinds of fun!  Check out this blog for lots of Spam can makeovers!  And this blog features a well-done tutorial on the cutest little magnetic Spam pencil holder you ever saw!

And More Fun

Back to the definition again.  I really do hate the cyber-world kidnapping of the word "spam!"  Especially since internet spam is such a bad and annoying thing, the scourge of the computer age!  But, honestly...  When I hear the word and have the need to click the word in my inbox, unwanted e-mails are not all I think about.  I think about Monty Python.  Which makes the whole irritation less irritating.

Do you know what I'm talking about?  Certainly I can't be the only person in the cyber world who dumps unwanted, questionable, possibly infested mail into the spam file while muttering: spam, spam, spam, spam, spam, spam, spam, baked beans, and spam...?




And Then...

Some Scrumptious Spam Recipes

Spamboli 

(Makes 12-14, 1-inch servings)

1 12-ounce can of Spam
1 loaf fresh or frozen bread or pizza dough
4-6 slices of Swiss cheese
4-6 slices provolone cheese
1 green bell pepper, sliced in rings
1 tomato, sliced
Pinch of dried oregano
Pinch of dried basil

Preliminaries: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray oil on a cookie sheet.

Preparation: Allow frozen dough to rise according to directions. Allow fresh dough to rise, doubling in size. Roll out on lightly floured surface. Place on a greased cookie sheet. Slice Spam ‰-inch thick. Layer half of the sliced Spam across center third of dough lengthwise. Cover with half of the pepper and tomato slices, and all the Swiss cheese. Fold left side of dough over Spam and cheese so it just covers. Fold remaining side of dough over the top and moisten the edge so it seals closed. Moisten the ends and fold them under so the hot cheese does not leak out. Spread olive oil over top and sprinkle with oregano and basil. Transfer to cookie sheet or pizza pan. Bake for 40 minutes.

Source: Jane Christyson and Bob Mahoney of Strongsville, first-place winners of the 1994 Spam recipe contest at the Cuyahoga County Fair.

"Burns and Allen," a famous comedy duo of the
radio age, are still hilarious.  Gracie cracks us
up.  You can listen to some of their schtick
here.

Spam Veggie Pita Pockets 

(Makes 8 servings)

1 7-ounce can Spam, cubed
1 cup chopped broccoli 
1 cup chopped cauliflower
1 tomato, chopped 
1 carrot, peeled and chopped 
Ð cup chopped cucumber 
Ð cup finely chopped onion 
½ cup Italian salad dressing 
4 pita pocket breads, cut in half

Preparation: In large bowl, combine Spam, broccoli, cauliflower, tomato, carrot, cucumber and onion. Toss with dressing. Cover and refrigerate several hours. Spoon mixture into pocket bread.

Nutritional information per serving: calories, 216; protein, 8 grams; carbohydrates, 22 grams; fat, 11 grams; cholesterol, 20 milligram; sodium, 539 milligrams.Source: "Great-Tasting Recipes with Spam Luncheon Meat," Publication's International, 1996

Heehee!  I'm not sure where this silly image comes from.  I thought at first it
might be one of the "Wacky Packages."  Kids of the 1970s and '80s might remember
those...  But, usually, "Wackies" didn't use the actual trademarked name of a
product; rather, they made a goofy (stupid) word play out of it. So, yeah.
Still, made me smile. Reminded me of the kids that collected these when I was
in grade school.  My mother hated them and didn't allow them in the house!

Cool Cucumber Avocado Spam Sandwiches

Ingredients:
8-oz pkg cream cheese, softened
1 medium cucumber, sliced 1/4"
12-oz can SPAM, sliced 1/8"
1/4 cup sour cream
2 ripe avocados, cut into 1/4" wedges
1/4 cup chopped fresh dillweed
2 tbsp lemon juice
1/4 tsp pepper
8 slices rye bread

Directions:
In small bowl combine cream cheese, sour cream, dillweed and pepper; stir to blend. Spread 2 tablespoons cream cheese mixture on each slice of bread. Reserve remaining cream cheese mixture. Arrange cucumber slices on bread slices; or with 3 slices of SPAM. Dip avocados in lemon juice; Arrange on sandwiches. Garnish with remaining cream cheese mixture.

Source:  Spamrecipes.net

All the above recipes sound delicious, and we're especially anxious to try the last one for the cucumber avocado sandwich, but it's still hard to beat a good old-fashioned breakfast of eggs and fried Spam!  One of our favorites -- and way cheaper than bacon!

* And now I just have to say: researching and writing about Spam has been more fun than a Mom should be allowed to have! I've been smiling so much while I've been writing this that my cheeks hurt.

I mean, really.  Look at this:  a spamolantern!

And if you've gotten this far...  and have enjoyed the factorama and, especially the walk down memory lane, you might enjoy a visit at Sepia Saturday, where you can find a slew of links to bloggers sharing their memories through vintage and antique photos, facts and ponderings.  One of my favorite link-ups on the web!

Each week has a suggested theme, but folks over at Sepia Saturday seem to turn a kindly eye toward somewhat off-topic entries.  This week's topic is "suitcases."  So, well.  Uh...  Perhaps this time, anyway, I can fudge my way into compliance by claiming that my can of Spam could have arrived in a trunk or package to a soldier as pictured above...