Pretty, Happy, Funny, Real

~Pretty~

A robin's nest...

...in our backyard!

...So fragile!

~Happy~

Just recently our mixer broke after twenty-one years of service (no, that is not "happy"). But, this meant that all our homemade bread had to be kneaded by hand.

 AND, there is nothing that makes me happy like kneading dough by hand! It's so delightful! (I suppose if I had to make it the "old fashioned way" all the time I probably would not like it as much, but who knows?!) 

We usually make eight loaves at a time, but in this case, the first loaf was gobbled up as soon as it came out of the oven! 

~Funny~

 This is a picture from Easter, but it is all part of the story. So in other words, you will have to bear with me. :)

In a zealous effort to create an awesome Easter egg hunt, my sister replaced all the raw eggs with candy filled ones. She placed those she removed in a bowl towards the back of the refrigerator.... 


Let me just say, I believe our fridge is as committed to keeping things cold as my sister had been in creating a fantastic Easter Egg hunt. Therefore, when reaching for a nice fresh egg the other day, I was greeted with a nice frozen egg. See below:

It is actually neat to be able to say that I have held a peeled raw egg without it having slipped everywhere. (Not that that would be something that I would necessarily flaunt on a blog *ahem* around.) The eggs were beautiful, but the irony of the whole story gave my whole family a good laugh. (Unfortunately, if eggs are frozen within their shells they are not supposed to be eaten. They did not go entirely to waste, though, as the dogs sure enjoyed their icy snack.)

 ~Real~

 Really easy and quick cherry pie. (Really delicious too!) 


(I will post the recipe if anyone is interested.)

Stella Maris

As it is Mother Mary's month, here's a video I made some time ago as a sort of meditation. The song is "You're Here" by Francesca Battistelli. Although it is technically a Christmas song, I like to listen to it throughout the entire year. 







Here are two beautiful quotes about Our Blessed Mother by St. Josemaria Escriva:

"I like to go back in my imagination to the years Jesus spent close to his Mother, years which span almost the whole of his life on earth. I like to picture him as a little child, cared for by Mary who kisses him and plays with him. I like to see him growing up before the loving eyes of his Mother and of Joseph, his father on earth. What tenderness and care Mary and the Holy Patriarch must have shown towards Jesus, as they looked after him during his childhood, all the while, silently, learning so much from him. Their souls would become more and more like the soul of that Son, who was both Man and God. This is why his Mother, and after her St Joseph, understand better than anyone the feelings of the Heart of Christ; and the two of them are thus the best way, I would say the only way, to reach the Savior."

"My Mother! Mothers on earth look with greater love upon the weakest of their children, the one with the worst health, or who is least intelligent, or is a poor cripple. Sweet Lady, I know that you are more of a Mother than all other mothers put together. And, since I am your son, since I am weak, and ill, and crippled, and ugly ..." (The Forge, 234) 

As a side note: I will be heading out of town Friday, but I hope to post at least once between now and then. I will keep you updated! 

Back on track!

Hello! I feel like I need to reintroduce myself as it has been so long since I last posted! Life has been going well though. Finals are finished for now, and all I have left for the summer are History and English. I am extremely excited about English as it is a class on Shakespeare. It should be fascinating!


Today, my mother, sister and I travelled to Front Royal for a little outing. It was absolutely gorgeous! We ended up hiking for two hours in Shenandoah National Park. Unfortunately, I did not bring my camera, but I will have to next time! One of the highlights of the hike was the fact that we saw a wild orchid. We think it actually might be a phalaenopsis but who knows! The park was spectacular though, and I hope to go again soon! (The picture below is from a previous trip, but it'll have to do!)

In other news: the other day we discovered that much of our milk had soured. That afternoon, the kitchen was a flurry of motion as we tried to find ways to use it up. We made muffins, pancakes, "buttermilk" syrup, and "buttermilk" pie. Since then we have made many more pancakes, but we still have about half a gallon left. Do you have any ideas/recipes to help us use it up? Thanks!

Image courtesy of the NYPL digital database.

Sorry about the paucity of posts lately! Last week most of my family was gone for Easter vacation, so I had to "batten down the hatches" at home. This week and next week I have finals, so posts may be sparse until midweek next week. I promise I'll get back on track soon! 

Here's a picture from Easter:

We celebrated Easter Sunday with family and friends at Washington's Birthplace.
It was so gorgeous!