Happy Father's Day!

Last year for Father's day, we thought it'd be fun to go to a national park for a hike.  You can read about how that fiasco went here, but long story short, we ended up getting lost in the woods without any food or water, hiking up and down cliffs for three hours, and being eaten alive by mosquitoes...This year we decided we'd rather stay home and have a nice quiet dinner with a movie =P.

My dad's favorite foods are cheesecake and caramel, so I mixed the two into one scrumptious dessert...I had planned on making my own caramel like I normally do, but our refrigerator has apparently broken, so all our milk and cream has gone sour =(.  Luckily my mom had some caramel left over from our vacation when we made sundaes, so I just used it instead.

Crust

1 cup graham cracker crumbs
1/4 cup margarine
2 tablespoons granulated sugar

Filling

24 ounces cream cheese, softened
2 tablespoons flour
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3 eggs
1/2 cup caramel

Crust

Combine all crust ingredients and press into 9-inch springform pan.  Bake 10 minutes at 325 degrees F. and remove from oven. Turn oven to 450 degrees F.

Filling

1. Combine softened cream cheese, sugar, flour and vanilla extract, mixing at medium speed until well-blended.
2. Add eggs one at a time, mixing well after each. Reserve 1 cup of cheese batter; stir 1/2 cup of caramel topping into this reserved cup of batter.
3. Spoon half of plain batter over crust; cover with the caramel batter, spread remaining plain batter over the caramel layer.
4. Bake 7 minutes at 450 degrees F, then reduce temperature to 250 degrees F and bake 40 to 45 minutes more.
5. Remove from oven and loosen cake from rim, but do not remove rim until cool.  If you have any caramel left, you can drizzle some on the top of the cheesecake to make it look a little more fancy ;).

Hope you all had a lovely Father's Day! =)

Awkward/Awesome...

Awkward...

...my new swimsuit not coming in yet...it's been *three* weeks now and I need it before next Thursday =/...

...nearly breaking down our shed door because I couldn't figure out how to work the lock

...our cat knocking a can of paint over ...of course our dogs had to step in it and leave footprints ALL over the porch 

...Mishka being scared to death of her new toy...apparently she does not like the color white

...the smell of stain all through our house because my dad is finishing up our kitchen cabinets

...going running for the first time in years and having to admit to myself that if I ever have to run for my life, I'm probably going to die =P

Awesome...

...lemon sour cream pie...mmmmmm!

...discovering Light In the Box...haven't ordered anything from them yet but I've got my eye on these sandals...aren't they cuuute? ;)

...finally setting a date to go see Captain America Civil War with friends

...hijacking my brothers' movie night...at their request, ;P

...only a few days left till we leave for our first vacation (!!!)

...watching "The Huntsman: Winter's War" for the first time...needs editing, but it was REALLY GOOD...

...taking a psychology class on my personality type...nice to know I'm not completely crazy, I'm just an Empath =P

...homemade coconut rose bath salts

...reading The Phantom of the Opera for the first time...love the music from the movie, but the book is 100% better

...sleeping for *FOUR* nights in a row!!! I get so much more done in my day when I sleep at night =)

Hope you all had a lovely week! =)

Mother's Day Dinner and Chocolate Chip Cheesecake Bites...

I'm actually quite proud of this card ;)

Happy Mother's Day! =)

In my family, we never need much of an excuse to make something special to eat.  All of us love to work in the kitchen and the slightest hint at it being a "special day" will send at least two of us into our favorite room of the house to make some goodies.  This Sunday being Mother's Day, I wanted to try out an idea I had for Chocolate Covered Chocolate Chip Cheesecake Bites.  My family and I could very well live off cheesecake, and my mom loves dark chocolate, so it seemed like a good choice ;).  I couldn't find a recipe anywhere that didn't include a crust or peanut butter (Mom doesn't like peanut butter), so I made one up myself, and surprise, surprise! it actually didn't turn into a giant gooey mess like I expected it too.  In theory, my brother helped me, but in reality he was taking pictures, singing, and sneaking samples...=)

Chocolate Covered Chocolate Chip Cheesecake Bites

Ingredients:

Two 8 oz packages of Cream Cheese

1/2 Cup Sugar

Two Teaspoons Vanilla Extract

11/2 Cups of Chocolate Chips

One Tablespoon shortening

Instructions:

• Combine cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla in a glass bowl
• Mix together with hand mixer until smooth and creamy
• Fold in about half the chocolate chips with spatula
• Put bowl in refrigerator for thirty minutes
• Meanwhile, put the remaining chocolate chips with the shortening into a double boiler and slowly heat until completely melted.
•  Take the cheesecake out of the refrigerator and roll it into small bite sized pieces (if it gets too warm, put it back in the fridge for a little longer)
• Using a fork, dip cheesecake bites into the chocolate and coat well
• Place on a tray covered with wax paper (or one of these amazing silpat tray liners) and store in the fridge until you are ready to eat them (it won't be long ;)

Next time I'm going to try to make these with vanilla ice cream instead of cheesecake...if it's not a total disaster I'll share pictures of them too...=)

For dinner, I made a pork tenderloin for mom and I, pork chops for the boys, broccoli with cheese, and my first ever homemade chipotle sauce...

My dad usually buys my mom roses for Mother's Day...this year she got a whole bush ;)

(I need to find this sign for my mom...=))

I hope ya'll had a lovely weekend and a very blessed Mother's Day!

Sweetsome Sundays...Paleo Blueberry Pound Cake

Happy Laetare Sunday, everyone!

This Sunday we (once again) had some friends over for dinner and dessert.  Somehow there was some miscommunication about who was providing dinner, because we both did...and we both made roast chicken! It was a good thing, though, because we were all pretty hungry and did the meal full justice =)

For dessert, I made a Paleo Blueberry Pound Cake from AskGeorgie.com...the original recipe had lemon extract in it as well, but I didn't have any so I just skipped it =).  I also found the batter to be too dry, so I added about 1/4 cup of water to it, and baked it for an extra fifteen minutes to make sure it cooked all the way.  This cake disappeared so fast off the platter that I only got one small bite, and that was only because I stole it off my brother's plate.  It was one the most delicious Paleo desserts I have ever made and I will definitely be making more! I think it would be delicious in muffin form as well, so I may try that next time...

Ingredients:

1 cup + 2 tablespoons almond flour

1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons coconut flour

3/4 cup sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

3 eggs

1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons water

1-1/2 cups blueberries

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter or oil the inside of a loaf pan.

2. In a large bowl, combine almond and coconut flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder.  Whisk to mix well and break up any lumps.

3. In a second bowl, combine lemon extract, vanilla extract, eggs, and water.  Stir to blend.

4. Add wet ingredients to dry and mix until uniformly moist. Spoon 1/3 of batter into the bottom of the loaf pan. Sprinkle 1/3 of the berries on top. Repeat layers two more times.

5. Bake for 35 minutes. Cool before slicing into 8 slices.

I managed to keep everyone away from the cake long enough to take this one photo...half of it was already eaten by the time I got my phone out =).

If you try this recipe, let me know in the comments how it turns out!

Have a lovely week =)!

From the Kitchen...Homemade Sushi

Last Friday we unanimously agreed we wanted some Spicy Sushi like we used to get at Fujiyamas back in Texas.  I know there's a special Japanese name for this dish, but to us it's just Spicy Sushi.
My brother has made basic sushi before with just cream cheese and cucumbers, but I've never tried it so it was a bit of a learning experience for me.  Surprisingly enough, it was very easy and quick to put together! I don't know if I've ever mentioned this before, but I love sushi and could honestly eat it every day, but its so hard to find a good place to buy it without any MSG, and is so expensive...I'm so happy I can make my own now!

Homemade Sushi

Ingredients:

One Sushi grade Tuna Steak, raw, cut into long strips or one inch chunks

Three Sheets of Sushi Nori

Three cups Sushi Rice

One Avocado, diced

Eight ounces of Cream Cheese, cut into long strips

Sesame seeds for garnish

Tiger Sauce:

One cup of Mayonnaise

One tablespoon of Sriracha sauce (or more to taste)

Instructions:

1. Lay the nori out on a cutting board or other hard, non-sticky surface.  
2. Cover with rice, pressing down and smoothing it all over the nori.  When completely covered, carefully turn over. 
3.  Put one strip of cream cheese at the edge.  
4. Lay the tuna and avocado next to the cream cheese and carefully start rolling the nori (it helps to have your hands wet for this part so the rice doesn't stick to you).  
5. When it's rolled into a log, wet a knife and start cutting it into one inch circles.  Place the circles standing up on a platter.  Repeat until you've used up all the ingredients.  
6. In a bowel, mix the mayonnaise and sriracha together until you've reached the level of spice you want.  Drizzle over the sushi and garnish with sesame seeds.  Serve with soy sauce, Tamari, or coconut aminos.

(You really do have to garnish the sushi with something-sesame seeds, parsley, shrimp, avocado; it just makes it look fantastic!)

Rainy Day Activities...

For the past two/three weeks, it has been raining.  Not a slow, steady, drizzle, or even a violent mist; it has been pouring and pouring until the creek overflowed every bridge and slab near us, the ground turned into one giant swamp, and even the ducks are running for cover.  In the beginning it was exciting (I felt bad when I realized that my reaction to the first huge storm that knocked everyone's power out and prevented several families from leaving their homes was "Yippee! We can go tubing in the creek now!!!") but after two days of constant thunder, lightening, and the never-ending rain, things started to lose their silver lining.  I love being outside and try to go on long walks as much as possible, but when the whole world has turned into a swimming pool, it isn't very practical.  Occasionally the sun will come out for a few hours and we all try to make the most of it, but the greater part of our day is spent inside.  This time shouldn't be wasted, though, just because we feel bored.  "Idleness is the Devil's playground." (I have no idea who originally said that quote, but my Mom and grandmother always said it to me when I was little and said I was bored...)  When you're cooped up indoors, you should use this as an opportunity for building your creativity and doing things you normally don't have time for!  Here is a small list I made of things to do when your stuck inside with nothing to do:

(Our ducks have been rather grumpy lately))

1. Read a good book

I read a lot.  And I mean A LOT.  After I graduated, I started reading more informational books, and gradually ended up reading nothing but informational books! I've learned so much and love the fact that there is still so much more to learn, just from reading! But on the downside, sometimes I just need to read something light (and by light I mean anywhere from "Tin-Tin" to "Wuthering Heights") and I usually don't have time after all my other books are finished.  So, on a rainy day, I like to take advantage of the opportunity to read something just for fun. =)

2. Exercise

This is important if you've been cooped up for a few days with no chance to stretch your legs.  When the sun is gone from sight, we human beings tend to get sleepy, depressed, and irritable, and when we're stuck in a house with our whole family feeling the same way, things can get tense.  The best way to make yourself feel better and lift your mood is to exercise your body (except watching "Lobster Bisque"; that will do it too=)).  Even just doing some jumping jacks in your room will make the whole day seem a little bit brighter!

3. Board Games

There are very few board games that my brothers and I will play together and enjoy.  We like games with critical thinking, strategy, an enormous amount of competition (no mercy in our family), and a trade system. Yes, I just described Settlers of Catan.  It's our favorite game and we play it at every party, get-together, or Family Night.   There are a few others we enjoy, such as Yahtzee!, Clue, Scrabble, Chess, and pretty much any card game...every family has their favorite game and this is the perfect time to play together!

4. Make up a story

My brothers and I do this all the time, not just on rainy days.  Sometimes the story gets so wacky it would be impossible to describe to an outsider, and other times we can't even finish because we're laughing so hard.  My youngest brother's dream is to make a cartoon show of our favorite characters one day... I doubt anyone else would get our stories, but it might make a few people laugh...

5. Try a new recipe

For me, it was sparkling lemonade.  Not very impressive, I know, but we needed a drink to bring to a friend's house for a party, and all we had was water, lemons, sparkling water, ice, and stevia.  And it was so good, I made more the next day for myself.  Sometimes the simplest things can change your whole perspective, just by being new.

6. Watch a movie

This is ONLY for after you've done everything else on this list and you're getting ready for bed.  Rainy days have always been movie days for my family; it's just so relaxing to lie in bed and watch a good movie while the rain pitter-patters on the roof. 

I hope you can find some things on this list to do on the next rainy day that comes your way! 

Now that the rain has finally slacked off, all the flowers are blooming everywhere!
(Photo credit goes to my brother and his amazing camera =))

Weekly Roundup...

It's been awhile since I did one of these posts! I haven't felt up to writing much for a few weeks because of some new liver cleansing herbs I've been taking, so I'm going to combine the last few weeks into this post to get caught up. =)

What I Liked...

...spending a day at the park with some friends.  Yes, I felt absolutely miserable from the aforesaid liver cleanse, but the sun was shining, a breeze was blowing, and I still managed to have a wonderful time.  We played tennis, basketball, ultimate Frisbee, went for hikes, had a picnic lunch, biked for hours, raced each other, visited the horse stables...in short just had a really fun day...

...spending several days with out of town friends

...attending my friend's sixteenth birthday party...so blessed to be friends with lovely young ladies I can stay up till ten P.M. watching Clark Gable movies with...

...helping plan a formal dance for May

...the soundtrack for "The Longest Ride"

... the movie "Unbroken"

...hearing yet another friend is engaged...we already have three weddings coming up this year, from my circle of friends alone!

...the pilgrim statue of Our Lady of Fatima coming to our parish for the first time 

What I Didn't...

...lack of energy for the past two weeks

...our oven breaking...on Easter Sunday, no less

...one of the parts on our trampoline breaking...it's supposedly still safe but I'm wary of bouncing on it

...learning we will not be having any waltzes at our dance in May =(

...learning that we can't take off our shoes during the next dance..."You don't understand; I love dancing barefoot!"...and then my friend informs me I would be such a good hippy (haha, very funny) =p

What Made Me Laugh...

...my little brother coming and asking me to preview "Mulan" for him because he heard there was a part where the main character goes swimming without any clothes (seriously, why is this in a G rated children's cartoon?!?! I was furious...) and, to use his words, "I do NOT want to see that, thank you."

...our dog Lottie catching a Frisbee for the first time

..."It Happened One Night"...this movie had me and my friends laughing so hard

...my friend's brothers all enlisting me to convince both of our mom's to let them come watch "Captain America The Winter Soldier" at our house that night..."You can convince anybody to do anything!"

...helping a neighbor milk their cow while they were out of town and their "guard dog" didn't even bark when we came to their house

...the aforesaid neighbors showing us how their milking system works...the parents showed Dad and my brothers and the kids showed me, with much more detailed instructions..."This is Mabel, and we named her new calf Cain, so it sounds like Cain and Abel from the Bible, but it's not, it's Cain and Mabel, and Mabel always gets extra grass that I pick her after she's milked because she's a good cow, not like our other cows that broke our fence and tore up the garden, they were bad cows, but Mabel is a good cow so she gets more grass than the bad cows..."=)

...a friend's mom asking me for directions...I guess she hasn't heard about the time I got lost leaving the neighborhood...after living here for nearly six years...

What I Accomplished...

...designing and sewing my first formal dress...all I have left to do is hem the skirt and sleeves; when it's finished I'll post some pictures...

...learning three new dances and helping teach some friends all the steps

...singing Benediction with just one other friend...it was the first time we had ever had to do this without anyone else in the choir (not even the choir director!) and I thought for sure we were going to forget something or not be loud enough (we actually did forget one "Alleluia" but nobody noticed except Father =)) but thanks to my levelheaded friend, we made it through and everyone was impressed...

...figuring out my Dad's system for stocking inventory (finally)...once you figure out everything is divisible by eleven, it all falls into place...

...finding my puppy.  MY puppy.  A little Yorkie on CraigsList.  Now I just have to make sure the owner isn't a serial killer...

...teaching my brother's friends how to do "Cups"...we even figured out how to pass the cups back and forth between us!

...making coffee caramel creme brulee...it was deeeeeelicious...

...finishing Father Faber's "Sermons On Kindness, Death, and Vocations"...I highly recommend these to everyone, they were wonderful!

How Was Your Week?

Happy Easter!!!

Happy Easter!!!

Well, things have certainly been festive around here.  Personally I would jump in the air screaming "Hallelujah!" if I wasn't working so hard to keep my eyes open, because for the first time in *FIVE* years, I managed to attend, enjoy, and survive the Easter Vigil! For those of you who don't know, the Easter Vigil starts at ten P.M. Holy Saturday, with the blessing of the Paschal Candle, the blessing of the fire, the blessing of the Baptismal Water, the litany of the saints, and the renewal of our baptismal vows, and finishes up at midnight.  Then midnight Mass begins and lasts until around one A.M., after which you can either stay to pray Lauds with the monks for another forty-five minutes, or go socialize outside with everybody else.  It's a beautiful ceremony, and I've missed attending every year.  I wasn't even planing on going this year, but was going to just sleep in and go to High Mass on Sunday, but a friend told me frankly that (cough) I was a wimp.  Okay, since you put it that way, I'll spend all day long preparing Easter dinner, visiting with out of town friends, cleaning the house, changing the table and altar cloths, and then go stay up till two in the morning just to protect my self respect.  I didn't get to bed before midnight for the past four days and I will probably be exhausted in bed for the next four, but no matter! if that's what it takes to prove I am not a wimp, so be it. =)

Every holiday seems to have it's own share of catastrophes; this year mine included not finding anything to wear until literally twenty minutes before we had to leave, being attacked by a moth (it was scary), and the oven refusing to heat up (when you have been fasting for forty days and looking forward to a feast at the end, and suddenly you are faced with the possibility of NOT having that feast...panic ensues...).  On the upside, we all got to practice our improvisation skills and, thanks to pinterest, I now know it is possible to cook Creme Brulee in a crockpot.

 Dinner was HEAVENLY and we definitely enjoyed feasting after all that fasting...

After Vespers, some friends came over to play Yahtzee and eat dessert while Mom and Dad watched "Unbroken" upstairs.  As I mentioned before, I've been staying up late for the past few nights, and I'm so tired I can barely manage to type this post up, but, hey, it's only once a year. Even though this past week has been exhausting, it's been wonderful at the same time.  Now that I've gotten this checked off my list, I'm going lay in bed, eat chocolate and watch "Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D." with my family for the rest of the day.

(The Hot Cross Buns turned out to be a big hit, by the way.  I was too busy to try the recipe I had originally intended to use so I just made biscuits, replaced a third of the flour with powdered sugar (hehe), and added raisins.)

I hope you all have a very blessed Paschal-tide!

Weekly Roundup...

What I Liked...

...helping prepare for a masquerade ball to be held in our community

...finding this mask on Etsy

...new makeup brushes made from natural fibers

...the way our living room looks now that my brother rearranged all the furniture

...friends who take great pains to make Paleo dishes for my mom and I when we go to their house

...my first ThredUp order coming in (yippee!!!)

...how the employees at Natural Grocers all know my mom and I by name

...the song "I Will Never Love Again" from The Princess Bride...I'm listening to it as I write this and it is so beautiful it will break your heart

...a third person telling me that if I had dark hair I would look like Keira Knightley...I don't see that, but thank you...

...a completely different person telling me I look like Scarlett O'Hara from Gone With the Wind

What I Didn't...

...really nice, warm weather turning into sub-freezing, grey weather...overnight

...not sleeping for a week and the consequential dark, baggy circles under my eyes

...feeling terrible for a whole week and not being sure if it's a good sign (the new enzymes I'm taking starting to work) or a bad sign (something is wrong)...the life of someone with an Autoimmune Disease...

...hearing our parish priest may very well have been exposed to whooping cough

...being unable to log into Blogger on our new tablet...for some reason it only has my dad's account on there

What Made Me Laugh...

...these remarks from two little boys we were babysitting as they colored pictures "I'm the best color-er in my whole family!" "Yeah, except for me."

...playing fetch with our dog, Lottie

...my brother's friend saying he wants to wear one of those Medieval Black Plague Masks for the masquerade...sure, that will get you a lot of partners, all right...=)

What I Accomplished...

...finishing the back of my quilt...for real, this time

...finding enough music for us to have thirty-two reels and eight waltzes at our masquerade...no danger of running out of songs, I guess...

...getting caught up on all the business bookkeeping...I feel like Bob Crachit

...cleaning out my closet (finally)

How was your week?

What did you like/not like/laugh at/accomplish?

(I forgot to publish this last week!)

From The Kitchen...Cherry Macaroons

Hello there! Today I'm sharing a recipe for an amazing and healthy treat that my mom and I love to munch on from time to time.  These Macaroons are very much like the Hail Merry Strawberry Macaroons you can find at Whole Foods or any other Health Food store, except I make them nut free and with freeze dried cherries.  We love Hail Merry's version but they are too expensive to consume in the quantity I would like, so I blended several different recipes and added some touches of my own to make my own, much cheaper version.  If you do not have a dehydrator, get one.  It is one of the most marvelous inventions since cheesecake.  Until then, you can use the oven to make these by baking them at 300 F. for twenty-two to twenty-five minutes, or until they are dry on the outside.

1 Cup of Coconut Butter (just blend 5 cups of shredded coconut in your food processor until smooth and creamy)

1/2 Cup Maple Syrup

1 1/2 Tsp. Vanilla

2 Cups Unsweetened Shredded Coconut

1 oz. Freeze-dried Cherries (or strawberries if you prefer)

Pulse the cherries in your food processor until they are course and well ground.  Add the remaining ingredients minus the shredded coconut and blend until well mixed.  Fold in coconut with a spatula and mix well.  Roll mixture into little balls (or use a melon ball scooper) and place on your dehydrator trays (or cookie sheet if using the oven) and place in the dehydrator.  Dehydrate on 110 degrees for 12-24 hours and try to avoid eating any until they're done (this may be difficult).  When they're done, put them in an airtight container and store them in the fridge until you finish them off (it won't be long).  Enjoy!

Print The Recipe Here


(And in all honesty, Mom actually made this batch...)

(Last Three) Weekly Roundup...

What I Liked:

...attending a St. Nicholas party at a friend's house! There were games, delicious food, singing, and even a visit from the great saint himself! 

...having some new neighbors over for Thanksgiving dinner...then, after they left, heading over to another neighbor's house for dessert

...starting the Ketogenic Diet

...thoughtful friends who think to buy my brothers and me Almond Milk Eggnog

...the new "Maze Runner" movie...they followed the book closely enough to make me happy, though I was very disappointed about the language in there...

...finding THE Christmas tree

...having turkey for Thanksgiving...for the first time in ten years

...my new eShatki Christmas dress

...the rumor that a friend may be hosting a New Years Eve dance

...receiving the Piano Guys "Family Christmas" sheet music from St. Nicholas...I can only play one song so far, but as I'm not Jon Schmidt, I am not surprised

What I Didn't:

...finding out the Warren Theater will not open until December 23rd...so I will have to wait until January to see "The Battle of the Five Armies"

...no snow.  Last year had at least three blizzards by now...

...the news that our friends may have to go out of town right after Christmas...which means they will miss our Christmas party AGAIN...

...the Christmas gift I got for my mom taking an unpardonable amount of time to get here

...no internet for nearly two weeks

What Made Me Laugh:

...at the St. Nicholas party, when the saint called my little brother up to give him some candy, he bounced out of his chair and said "Hi! How are you doing?" like it was the most ordinary occurrence to meet a saint from Heaven.  I have a feeling he would say the same thing if he really did see an apparition.

...reading "Go, Dog, Go" to a friend's little boy...he always gets all worked up at the "Where are those dogs going?" part...the suspense is such torture...

...my photographer brother offering to take pictures of one friend's family...and suddenly everyone in the neighborhood wants their portraits done

...the Nutcracker song by Straight No Chaser...you must listen to this...I defy you not to roar

...my little brother dressing up as St. Lucy and bringing St. Lucy buns to my room because I overslept on the feast day and forgot to do it myself

...some friends from out of town telling me that they love coming to our house because me and my brothers make such great food

...babysitting some neighbor's kids, and the reaction of the five-year-old when his little brother started swinging a rosary around like a whip..."L----! YOU NAUGHTY BOY! THAT'S A ROSARY!!!"

What I Accomplished:

...getting my body into a state of ketosis in only three days...the average is two weeks...=)

...making grain-free St. Lucy Buns

...learning an entirely new Latin Advent Hymn for Mass in approximately three minutes

...making it to the 6:50 AM Low Mass three days in one week...my friends were about to give me three cheers

...winning every game of "Catholic Trivia"

...getting our Christmas card photos done with minimal stress..thank heaven for brothers with professional cameras...

Weekly Roundup...

What I Liked...

...sitting in the parking lot of Bass Pro Shops when a mini van pulled in and parked close to our car.  A little boy (maybe six years old) jumped out, ran to the back, opened the door, and pulled out a wheelchair that was almost bigger than him.  He set the whole thing up, put a pillow at the back, wheeled it to the driver's door, and helped his mom into it.  Then he ran around to the other side and helped his little sister out of her car seat, had her put her hand on the arm of the wheelchair, and started pushing it towards the store.  It was soooooo sweet...

...the cold front that is supposed to come tonight...highs in the forties tomorrow!

...playing the "Dear John" theme on the piano

...chocolate truffles from Whole Foods...mmmmmm...

...the demo track of the credits song from the newest "Hobbit"movie sung by Billy Boyd

...selling our Jeep Compass!!! Thank you, St. Joseph!!!

...new neighbors who are living behind us for the winter months

...discovering eShakti.com 

What I Didn't...

...windy days.  And I don't mean days with a little breeze...I mean the "Tornado-Winds-Don't-Even-Think-About-Wearing-A-Flared-Skirt-Or-Fixing-Your-Hair" days we've been having lately

...getting the results from my hair analysis test and being told that I am one messed up girl with high levels of Aluminum in my system and practically no thyroid gland left...

What Made Me Laugh...

...a friend's little boy at church, who looks all around until he sees me before he can settle down for Mass

...my brother opening up the birthday gift he bought for his friend because he wanted to build it first...and his friend being the only one who completely understood because he would have done the same exact thing

What I Accomplished...

...sewing a new nightgown for Mom

...converting a "Cream of Mushroom Pot Pie" recipe from a neighbor into a more Paleo style dish...and yes, it did taste good.

...making a birthday card in less than five minutes

Weekly Roundup...

What I Liked:

...attending the beautiful ceremonies at the Abbey for All Saint's and All Soul's Day

...Daylight Savings Time

...finding the original sheet music to "River Flows In You" by Yiruma online FOR FREE!!!

...all the lovely Fall colors

...this WONDERFUL weather we've been enjoying

...my brother's Paleo Samoa Donuts...to DIIIIIIEEEEEE FOR...here is the recipe

..."Dear John"...such a sweet movie, though it requires some editing

...getting some new leather boots for this winter

...a campfire/chili night at a friend's house

...organic, all-natural, gluten-free, dairy-free, soy-free, fruit-sweetened blow pops...and chocolate truffles...and Tootsie rolls...oh my!  Didn't realize these things existed...

What I Didn't:

...suddenly realizing there weren't any meals made in the house...and I am starrrrrvvvviiinnnggg...

...Dad taking the laptop to South Carolina for a week, thereby preventing me from using it

...the library notifying me that the movie I ordered had come in...after I had picked it up, rechecked it twice, and returned it

...old friends who were supposed to come for dinner but couldn't because they got sick

...four hour old Whole Food's rotisserie chicken...ugh...

What Made Me Laugh:

..."Seven Brides For Seven Brothers"...I love that movie!

...winning the "St. John Bosco Relay Race" at our party and hearing all the younger boys cheering me on...until they remembered I was on the other team...

...King St. Edward and St. George chilling out on the porch with their blow pops...

What I Accomplished:

...beating my friend at "Dunk the Devil"

...making myself and both of my brothers costumes for All Saint's Day

...learning the words to "Bless Your Beautiful Hide" after hearing it only twice

...Paleo Italian Flat-bread

...introducing my friend to Pinterest...Her life will never be the same...

Weekly Roundup

What I Liked:

...Easter Sunday!

...out of town friends who came for Easter

...visiting after Easter Vespers with Fr. Abbot and another priest...yet another perk that comes from living next  door to an abbey!

...dark chocolate eggs in my Easter basket

...watching "Frozen" for the first time...one of the funniest movies I have seen all year!

...being able to attend the beautiful services at the abbey for Holy Thursday and Good Friday

...our ducks sitting on eggs for the past week...we might have ducklings soon!

...my friend letting me borrow "Letters to Juliet".  It was such a sweet movie, though the costumes left much to be desired.

...buying a fedora hat...I love it!

...Fr. Chad Ripperger's conference on "How To Raise A Man".  I very highly recommend it to boys and young men...it will really inspire you to man-up and...well, be a man.  You can listen to it here.

...being well enough to go help Dad and the boys at the local farmer's market...it's been at least three years since the last time I was able to go!

...watching "The Desolation of Smaug" on our new 3D projector!

What I Didn't:

...my whole family catching the flu, one right after the other.  We were all miserable and blowing our noses for about two weeks.

...watching "Kung Fu Panda", one of the dumbest, most worthless, pointless, and plot-less movies I have ever seen.  I could almost feel my brain cells evaporating...

...trying to make chocolate covered marshmallows...failure.

...the headache I always get when I don't sleep well

What Made Me Laugh:

...Olaf the Snowman from "Frozen"...I just love him!("I've always wanted a nose! So cute...like a little baby unicorn!")

...Charlie from "Letters To Juliet"...he has the same exact personality as the older of my two younger brothers, and I laughed at almost everything he said.

...my friend's thirteen year old brother.  He can make me laugh anytime, any day.

...watching my brothers and some of their friends learning to do back flips on the trampoline...and succeeding (I'm really jealous, actually.)!

...seeing a man who looked just like Kili the Dwarf...long hair and everything.

...a little boy's t-shirt that said "I'm warning you, if ninjas attack, I will use you as a shield."

...passing by an open door at the civic center and catching a glimpse of a dance marathon...done entirely by elderly women and one elderly man holding pom-poms.

What I Accomplished:

...chocolate chip marshmallows...much better than the chocolate covered ones.

...learning to play "I Dreamed A Dream" on the piano...while my brothers are singing it.

...sewing my Easter dress, and making up the pattern as I went along.

...fixing Easter Dinner all by myself.