Hello! I will be out of town much of this week, so there will be a bit of an interim before I can get back to the computer (which is probably a good thing!). Hopefully I will be able to post again by Friday or Saturday. At any rate, have a wonderful week!

A Hop, Skip, and a Jump Away

The following pictures as a whole seem to be pretty, happy, funny and real. Enjoy! (Then head over to Like Mother, Like Daughter for more {P, H, F, R}!)

(If you would like to see the pictures enlarged, just click on them!)

A baby robin was hopping around our backyard this morning...

It heard the beep of my camera and came towards me...

...Leaping...

...and bounding...

...until it was close enough for comfort.

Then momma called.

Little Dorrit Party

This past Saturday, my friend S and I hosted a "Victorian Gala" during which we watched the movie  Little Dorrit. 

Let me just say, I have never sat in front of a TV for that many hours at one time. The BBC version of Little Dorrit is a timeless classic.....but it is also 7.5 hours long. Yes, you read that correctly. Seven and a half hours. But, despite its length, it really is worth watching*. As I have now seen it all at once as well as in parts, I would recommend the latter, but it is great either way.

Since I have a propensity for giving away details of the plot, I will not write much about the plot. Let me just say, it is a fun fulfilling story, which is full of surprising plot twists and unique characters. In terms of the film, the acting was superb and genuinely made one empathize with the characters. The plot is fairly close to the book with mostly minor changes here and there. All in all, good triumphs and evil is torn apart. 

That said, here are several pictures from the party: 

A watermelon teapot which S and I carved out! (Note the tulips that S carved into the front!) On the right side of the picture, you can also see a pitcher of homemade lemonade as well as some crackers from Great Britain. After all, if you are going to have a Victorian Gala, you must serve something from Great Britain.

Here is the cake we made!  It was a triple layer deep dark chocolate cake filled with cherry pie filling and kirsch ganache. The frosting itself was a simple ganache which was then folded with whipped cream for decorating. We barely finished preparing the cake before the guests arrived! 

The cake was sweet, but sweetest of all were the guests! 

*Please note: Little Dorrit is definitely not a kids movie as the plot definitely has its downs (as well as its ups), but teenagers should be able to handle it. It should be noted as well that there is a little bit of an iffy scene at one point which is not necessary and is used to show how despicable one of the characters is. It is fairly obvious when to fast forward, but I wanted to let you know. Some might not have an issue with it as it is not explicit.  Personally, I would rather safeguard my purity especially since the scene is not integral to the plot.

Prayer Request

Please keep Leila (from Like Mother, Like Daughter) and her family in your prayers today as her daughter will be undergoing surgery. 

Surgery is never a joy-ride, especially when one is a teenager. After undergoing a three hour surgery on my leg a several years ago, I can only imagine the anxiety leading up to a four hour brain surgery. (Bridget is probably much more courageous than I was, but nevertheless it would be very nerve-racking. I am sure that she would appreciate prayers!) May God grant her a trouble-free operation and an extraordinarily swift recovery.

Time to stretch out my fingers and begin blogging again!

I apologize for taking so very long to post! It has been very busy lately, but I really cannot use that as an excuse. Still, I've keep wondering how other people keep posting despite the sudden onset of many exciting, though hectic, events. What is their secret? 

One of the exciting events in my life lately has been my cousin L's wedding. My family and her family are especially close as we have all grown up less than half a mile away from each other. (As kids we used to joke that we were all "genetic half-siblings" because our mothers are identical twins). L is the first of the girls to get married, so we were all very excited! 

The past couple weeks have been filled with feverish preparation for the wedding.  Despite all the preparation, everything was especially delightful because L was not at all a "bridezilla."

For me, the highlight of the preparation was when the bridal party got together to prepare  all of the flowers. Interestingly enough, a family friend used to work in a florist shop, so she taught all of us how to arrange them. It was a fun and amazing learning/bonding experience (not to mention the fact that it was very cost effective!). 

Here are a couple pictures from the preparations/wedding:

My aunt's kitchen at 10 A.M., the day before the wedding....

....A few hours later: it looked like a florist shop!

The wedding party

Just to prove that I really was there, here is a picture of me....

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! 

Lord, Have Mercy on Me a Sinner

 "On the tree of the cross 

the Heart of Jesus, 

our beloved, 

beheld your heart 

and loved it.  

By the love he bore it 

he obtained every good 

that you shall ever have."

- St. Francis de Sales

 (Image from the 1880's, courtesy of the NYPL Digital Database)

Pretty, Happy, Funny, Real - Holy Week Edition

~Pretty~

I must confess, I did not actually take this photo this week. But, because Comb Jellies are so gorgeous, I could not resist posting it. (Also, I was rather at a loss for finding a good photo for "pretty" anyways!) As the comb jelly's splendidness cannot really be captured in a photo, I have posted a short video as well.

~Happy~

We were all pretty happy that night: dinner was underway, there would be leftovers for the morning and, well, who doesn't love pancakes?

 ~Funny~

My little sister loves music. When I showed her a short video of someone playing a harp, she ran over to the stairs and called out, "Hey! Look! I'm playing a harp!" 

~Real~

(This photo was taken by someone else several years ago, but it will have to do! I was present, though!;) )

What or rather Who is more real than the Eucharist? Thank God for his blessed gift to us! Have a blessed Easter Triduum!  

Update on Holy Week Notes

As you can see, I have not posted any more about the events of Passion Tide. The reason is because I would like to get permission from Dr. Anne Carroll before I post more. I am sure that she would not object to my posting my notes from her class, but I would like to verify. Due to extenuating circumstances, I probably will not be able to contact her until after Easter. Therefore, I will not be posting the notes from her class for the rest of the week. I apologize for the mixup! :)

A Look into the Events of Passion Tide - Part 1

As I mentioned earlier, I will be posting some notes about the events of Passion Tide this week. As Dr. Anne Carroll phrased it, it is especially important to look at Our Lord's words during this week as they were what most occupied his mind before his death. Today's post will discuss Palm Sunday and Monday of Holy Week.

Palm Sunday

Jn 12:12, Matt 21--Jesus allows the people to call him the Messiah publicly. He did not allow it before because the Jews thought that the Christ would be a military messiah. But he allows it now because the crucifixion is so imminent. 

Several Messianic signs are contained in the triumphant entry into Jerusalem. 

1. Jesus's riding on a donkey (Zechariah 9:9 "Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem! Lo, your king comes to you; triumphant and victorious is he, humble and riding on an ass, on a colt the foal of an ass."). This is also appropriate because the donkey is a beast of burden, not a conqueror's horse, and is thus fitting for the suffering servant.
2. Jesus allows the people to call him "Son of David," a Messianic title.
3. The presence of palms signify the presence of a king.
4. The people call him the King of Israel 
5. The crowd cries out, "Hosanna!" which means "come and save us"

After the triumphant entry into Jerusalem, Jesus gives a homily (Jn 12:23). In it, he mentions that, "unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit." He instructs us that those who follow him must be willing to lay down their lives for him: "If any one serves me, he must follow me; and where I am, there shall my servant be also; if any one serves me, the Father will honor him."

Monday of Holy Week

Depiction of the Temple courtesy of the NYPL Digital Database

For the second time, Christ chases the money changers and their animals out of the temple (Matt 21:12). This is significant for two main reasons: first, now that the Messiah has come, there will no longer be a need for animal sacrifice; second, the Court of the Gentiles (where the money changers had been) is now cleared out allowing the Gentiles access to the temple.

Print showing the Temple's floor-plan (1784), courtesy of the NYPL Digital Database

Holy Week

(Image part of a manuscript dating from 1475-1499; courtesy of the NYPL Digital Gallery)

I still cannot believe that it is already Holy Week! But time will continue whether I am ready or not, so I suppose I should try to get ready asap! In order to help "get in the mood" (should I really use that expression?),  I will be posting some notes about the Passion of Christ and the events leading up to it. They are taken from a class by Dr. Anne Carroll, the founder of Seton High School (who is wife of Dr. Warren Carroll, the founder of Christendom College). They have been very helpful for me in the past, and I have been meaning to type them up so that I do not lose them by some freak accident. This will give me an opportunity to do so! I hope that you can use them as much as I have!

Seven Quick Takes

1. The blog is up! Finally! I still have to modify the title design, but in terms of functionality- Little Dorrit's Diary is up and running!
2. Have you heard of Just for Laughs? Apparently, it consists of  people from Canada and Great Britain who perform gags or pranks on the unsuspecting public in order to make people laugh. There are so many, and they are each so hilarious that I will have to moderate how often I can watch them! Most of the videos are clean, and I heartily recommend them! (It is usually apparent in the title if it is not clean/family friendly). Here is one of my favorites: 
3. Holy week is next week?! How on earth did that happen? Or rather when did that happen?! Wow. 
4. If you have any questions about makeup essentials/want recommendations regarding makeup check out this post by Jennifer Fulwiler. It's totally worth the read! 
5. While making a visit the other day, bombarding God with over-stipulated prayers, I happened to overhear the simple, fervent prayer of a lady behind me: "Help us, Lord!" She was not trying to be overly pious or showy; I do not even think she realized she uttered it aloud. But, the simplicity of her prayer struck me, providing a huge contrast to the overcomplicated "demands" that I was making. Hopefully, I can learn to be more simple in prayer!
6. This semester I am taking Anatomy and Physiology, and on Monday I finished my two tests on muscles! YAY! I'm done with origins, insertions, extensors, and flexors etc. Now all I have to study is breathing and circulation and I'll be done for the semester in terms of A&P!                                               
7. A quick question for the seventh quick take! There is a group of young adults going swing dancing this weekend. It is supposedly one of the biggest swing dances of the year, but because of Lent/Holy Week, I'm not sure if I want to go. What would you do? 

Check out Conversion Diary for some other Quick Takes!

Pretty, Happy, Funny, Real

Like Mother, Like Daughter is hosting {Pretty, Happy, Funny, Real} a way of "Capturing the context of contentment in everyday life." Here's my attempt for the week!

{Pretty} Or rather beautiful: Mother Mary!

{Happy} Does it take a lot to make me happy? :)

{Funny} When toothpicks for fondue are wanting, matches will suffice!

{Real} Today I realized that my younger sister has more shoes than I do! (Several pairs are not shown as they are scattered around the *ahem* messy house--another unfortunate reality!) ;)

He is Our Vanishing Point

I've never really liked modern art. I should clarify--let's just say, I do not like art that does not portray proper order/perspective. Hence, I'm not a huge fan of Cubism or Surrealism. 


In high school, when I learned about vanishing points, I was amazed at how they were used to "real"-ize any object from any angle. Now, I could actually draw a table instead of some misshapen, unrecognizable scribble. I could draw a whole scene and make each aspect of it the correct size in relation to the rest of the scene. It was as if I were nearsighted and someone had given me the key to clear vision.... ok. perhaps I am exaggerating a little bit, but you get the point. 

Needless to say, the concept of a vanishing point is probably one of the only things I remember from my high school art class. Therefore, when I came upon a reference to it in Little Dorrit, it caught my attention. In this case, Charles Dickens uses the concept allegorically in reference to one of the character's love life. 

Looking back upon his own poor story, she was its vanishing-point. 
Every thing in its perspective led to her innocent figure. He had
travelled thousands of miles towards it; previous unquiet hopes and
doubts had worked themselves out before it; it was the centre of
the interest of his life; it was the termination of everything that
was good and pleasant in it; beyond, there was nothing but mere
waste and darkened sky.                                                                                 (http://www.literaturecollection.com/a/dickens/little-dorrit/64/)

As I read this paragraph, it entered my mind that although this is a fitting allegory for romance, it is even more apropos in reference to Christ. He is this world's true vanishing point. Everything in life gets its proper perspective in relation to Him. He is the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. Through the distortion caused by sin, we lose our proper perspective on everything.  We get our perspective back only when we focus on Christ. 

Do you have any thoughts about it?

My First Post--I finally wrote it!!!

Hello! One of the hardest things about starting a blog--harder than even choosing its background--is writing the first post. After the initial enthusiasm for starting a blog wanes, I find myself writing a thousand "first posts:" none of which make it to the actual blog. So, basically, I figured that I'd introduce myself and perhaps say why I am blogging in the first place.


To begin with, my name really isn't Little Dorrit,  nor is it for that matter Amy Dorrit. When I first "began" blogging some time ago, I found that it would be much easier for me to blog, if I were to write under an alias. It takes the pressure off blogging and it's just plain fun! After having read Little Dorrit  by Charles Dickens and after having seen BBC's adaptation of the story, I fell in love with the it and thought that it'd be intriguing to post as Amy Dorrit (otherwise known as Little Dorrit). Little Dorrit is a very interesting character--some might criticize Dickens for making her too perfect--but I think we could all learn something from her character. I will leave that topic for another post, otherwise this will be far too long a post! 

Why am I blogging, one might ask? Well, basically, it's rather enjoyable and it helps me sort and organize my thoughts. 


A short introduction about me? I am currently a college student. I am not sure where my life is headed after college but in the long term, with God's grace, aspire to heaven with Him forever. I am a Roman Catholic (not to be confused with "I'm Catholic, but....") and ask God for the grace to get to know Him better each day. My favorite hobbies include, but are not limited to: playing ultimate frisbee, reading, watching period dramas, hiking, cooking, writing letters (yes, people in my generation do write letters every once in a while), and spending time with my family and friends. As of now, I am living at home, although perhaps next fall I may be living independently. Um... let's see... is there anything else? I am extremely blessed. What more can I say? God is so good! May His name be praised forever! 


Well, that appears to be all for today! God bless! 

Little Dorrit