Good Friday

God Bless, everyone!
Goodnight.
Amy

Doodles, craftiness and...stuff.

Yesterday was Palm Sunday. Here we are, the last six days till Easter! *Squeee!* 

I love this last week. It's my favorite part of Lent. And not just because it's the last week, either. ;)

Anyway, I used one of the Palms we got at Church yesterday...

...and weaved it into a Rose Bud!

It's pretty, no?

If you'd like to see some tutorials for Palm weaving, you can check it out HERE.

I've been doodling a lot lately. 

So you all get to take a peek at some of my pictures. Lucky you! :) I have found that I enjoy drawing with pen more than pencil. That's new and strange for me because I'm the person that's a tiny bit paranoid of making mistakes that won't erase.

Pens, instead of stressing me out to get everything perfect, actually keep my looser and makes me 'work in' any mistakes I make. 

Pencil makes me a little uptight about my work. I erase over and over again instead of letting myself give the drawing time to develop.

Pen allows me to doodle.

There, now you know way more about my art psyche than you ever really cared to know. *Grin*

I smooshed some of the pictures together into a collage to make the viewing a little less tedious and hopefully a bit more pleasing to the eye. 

 I really love drawing birds. I find it soothing and somewhat easy. Well...easier than drawing people. 

But drawing people is more my idea of  drawing. Don't ask why. It's just more of my art psyche. *Nods*

(I am very fond of the girl with the kitty. :)

And then there's the all out doodle page.

I am currently a tiny bit obsessed with 'A Man for all Seasons.'

It is a fantastic movie.

Paul Scofield does a really amazing job of portraying St. Thomas More. 

When Henry the Eighth of England decided to divorce his first wife and break away from the Catholic Church, Thomas More was one of the few men that upheld the infallibility of the Pope and the sacredness of the Sacrament of Marriage. 

He was unjustly accused of treason and died a martyr for the Faith.  

"I die the King's good servant, but God's first."

    This is not the best trailer, but I thought I'd go ahead and show you anyway.                  

I love this movie so much I've watched it three times in the last three days. :P You know when you watch something and you want to share it with someone? So you watch it again so someone else understands where you're coming from. And then you're hanging out with someone else and can't talk to them about it so you show them as well.

That's exactly what happened. :)

I'm now officially in my 'Easter preparation' mood.
I make plans and lists and do crafts now. 

Well, I think about doing crafts. Some years I actually manage some. Other years, I look at crafts, have a good laugh, and moved on. 

This year I actually think I might get some crafts done. At least one.

Involving flowers.

And eggs.

And little, fuzzy chicks.

*Fingers crossed.*

Do you want to see some lovely egg decorating? 

Well duh. Obviously! Easter eggs are the BEST!

I don't have much patience with fancy egg decorating. I don't know why. It should be right up my alley, but I get bored after an egg or two. Usually because my attempts at fancy eggs end in tragedy. 

Ukrainian eggs? Beautiful, yes.

Also Hard.

However, I think I could manage these more scrapbook-style eggs. I just need to find the right sort of pictures to use. I think. 

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These use temporary tattoos! What a flippin' brilliant idea! I really want to try it. So pretty.

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If I ever need/want to dye my eggs without the normal dyes you an get at the story, this is pretty handy.

And now some eye-candy. 

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And since today is the Feast of the Annunciation, here's a really lovely version of Ave Maria.

        

God Bless!
Amy

Blog Award

So, a while ago Emily nominated me for That's so sweet! blog award.

Thank you, Emily. I do love a nice blog award. :)

Alright, the rules are as follows, and pay attention because this is very important!

1.) Thank the person that gave you the award. *See above!* <3
2.)Answer three questions.
3.) Nominate four bloggers.
4.) Notify the bloggers you nominate.


1. What famous person would you like to meet?
*Giggle, giggle, giggle.* .....
Josh Groban! Duet, people! That would be the coolest thing ever! The question is, what song would I want to sing. *Hmmm*  Not The Prayer, because everyone does that one. But maybe Canto Alla Vita. I love that one. Or any of the songs from Phantom of the Opera. Or a Disney duet. Basically, if I got the chance to sing with Josh, any song would become awesome.

If I tried to narrow it down to one actor, that would be really hard. I'd just like to meet the whole Avengers cast. Or the Sherlock cast. And I'd be pretty happy to meet the Psych cast.

2. What's your favorite flower?
Uhm. I'm going to say that tiger lilies are some of my favorite flowers. They're so big and bright! What I really like is a whole bouquet! Throw some roses, lilies and carnations together and I'm a pretty happy person. :)
Lilies are kind of on my mind though, what with Easter coming and all. :)

3.What is your least favorite food?
Stuffing. I do not like stuffing. *Shudders* I don't even like the smell of the stuff! That's the only food I can actually think of that I Do. NOT. LIKE. I hated it when I was little and I hate it now. Odds are good that I will always hate it.
Sorry, all you stuffing lovers. ;)


I'm going to nominate :
Jack at However Improbable
Katrina at The World Crafter
Elizabeth at The Country Handmaiden.
Rose at The Golden Road

That's all for now, but I'll be back soon.

God Bless!
Amy

Feasts!

Hello my lovely people!

How was your St. Patrick's Day? Did you all have a wonderful time? Did you remember to wear green?

A couple of my sisters spent the day on Saturday and we stayed up till midnight. Then, since it was now Sunday, we had a cup of coffee, (a little crazy, I know...but hey!) and a cookie... and snuck in an episode of Psych.

The next morning Maria made us a very delicious Irish Breakfast. 

I baked a really lovely cake that turned out rather like a chocolate pound cake. 

(See how I cleverly decorated it with the shamrock design?)

We got ourselves all dressed up for the day and headed over to the parent's house. Wearing green is definitely a big deal in my family. You don't wear green, you will be pinched. *Grin.*

I got to wear my new, wing-tipped heals. Which I love! <3

We ate, and visited and played around outside. 

We had a five-star dinner-- Corn beef and cabbage is one of my favorite meals ever. 

Unfortunately, we had company for dinner and what with the hustle and bustle of that, I forgot to take pictures for the rest of the day. 

We ate and talked with great enthusiasm, the way Italian's do. 

The dishes were cleared away and washed while dessert was served. Which lead to more eating and talking. I blame the after-dinner-coffee for the next two hours of steady conversation that went on. One thing about us, we can talk! 

Then things settled down for a quiet(er) evening--we played a game, drank Irish Coffees and rounded the whole day off with an episode of Psych.  

It was a blast. 

What did you all do? Anyone else have have corn beef and cabbage? Or something Irish-y?

And tomorrow is St. Joseph's Day! 

It's pretty much just as big a deal as St. Patrick's day for most Catholics. 

Did you know that in Italy, it is tradition to wear red for this feast? I love traditions! And it just so happens that I do own red clothing. So...

I may have to make these for after dinner. Because they look yummy and well...they're also traditional. 

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If the weather continues to stay nice, we're going to go out after I get off work, and have a picnic. :)

That means it is definitely spring now!

God Bless!

Amy

Feminine tomboy

I was a total tomboy as a little girl. I tended to out-shine the boys in daring, tree climbing, and anything that had to do with swords, bows or capes.

I love outdoor survival things, I think boxing and martial arts are super cool, and I enjoy a bit of rough and tumble in my life. 

Like rock climbing. That was fun.

If I could have had my way, I would have joined Robin Hood and lived in the forest.

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Or I would have gone on a quest with Dandin and Mariel. 

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Or I would have asked Boromir to teach me to fence.

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Still, there was always a bit of the 'homemaker' in me. I was a very tidy little girl and I've always loved to bake and cook. Always. 

Even when I was really little, I knew I wanted to be a Mommy when I grew up. 

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I want to make a home for someone. 

I want to have a big, loud family.

I want to homeschool.

I want to be a fantastic wife and mother.

Just like any girl, I like to think about how my home will look.

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 What type of dishes I want to have.

 How I want my windows to look.

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I see pictures and say, "I love that style!"  "I want my house to have couches like that," or "I love that kitchen."

I'm happy right now as I am. A single girl with a simple life. I really am. I don't want to be that person who just waits around to get married...as if my life doesn't start till then. I am single right now for a reason and I intend to enjoy and make the most of it.

But I don't want to be single forever. Or even for years. 

Still, God knows best and I'm fine with that

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Anyway, where I was going with all this is, I don't see why a girl can't be both--A bit tomboy and totally feminine.

There's a time and a place fore everything, and sometimes the crazy side should come out for a little.

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For Example:

I don't know if any of you have ever seen The Bells of St. Mary's. It's a really good black and white movie starring Bing Crosby and Ingrid Bergman.

There's a part in it where Ingrid Bergman/Sister Mary Benedict teaches one of her students how to fight. He's always getting picked on and she thinks he should be able to defend himself. And she teaches him. Very femininely....boxing.  :D


 

I love it. She is so cute. Ingrid Bergman was so charming.

And then...

 

I want to be like that. Only as a mother. ;) I think it's awesome.


I understand that in our society, the whole femininity thing has been terrible degraded and that is a bad thing. God made men and women different for a reason.

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But there is a difference between feminine and girly. All girls should be feminine. But I am definitely not a 'girly' girl.

And hey! Being a girly girl is fine! But being a tomboy is fine, too. God made different people with different personalities. They are all important.

I like to paint my nails and fix my hair...and shoes are so fun! (That's a new thing with me. Shoes. They're my Achilles heel. Mwahahahaha! Pun intended. :)

But there is nothing wrong with a girl knowing how to defend herself. Or playing sports. Or enjoying wilderness survival.

Seriously? Tomboys do have way more fun. :D

Anyway.

It's Friday! *Cheering* I hope you all have a wonderful weekend. Is anyone else looking forward to St. Patrick's Day as much as I am?

Are you going to have corn beef and cabbage? Or something different?

Do you have any traditions? Or Plans?

I am going to make a cake. *Nods* And I'm pretty sure it will be epic.

God Bless,
Amy

That sort of day.

It's the sort of day where spring fever begins to sneak in.

Where the sun is so delightfully warm and the sky so strikingly blue that it gets under you skin and makes you want to burst into song.

It's the type of day where all that clutter that's been gradually pilling up around the house is finally cleared off and put away.

Spring cleaning, people. It's satisfying. :)

It's the sort of day where the birds and squirrels seem happy to be alive and you can smell the earth warming up.

The type of day that isn't rushed and makes you feel content---and a little bit crafty. Because, after all, Easter isn't that far away.


All that being said, I am not a fan of daylight savings time. Sure, it's nice to have the added light in the evening, but it's hard for me to adjust to this one.

I find myself wide away in the middle of the night and then it's suddenly morning... before it should be. *Sigh*

Yep.

Just when my mornings had finally gotten nice and bright. *Snark.*

What about you all? Do you find daylight savings time a good thing? Or an unspeakable evil.

Remember, it's for posterity, so be honest.  :D


And now, a song.

God Bless!

Amy

Foodiness

Wow, it's already Wednesday! Which means tomorrow is Thursday...which is close to Friday. Then Saturday and Sunday. You see? I know the days of the week!

It just seems like time is going by really fast in a tangle of Mondays and Thursdays and Sundays. Which isn't necessarily a bad thing. It means I'm busy and it means Lent is sort of whooshing by. *Smile.*

Easter is going to be here in a flash, people. And I'm looking forward to it.

We had a few weeks of lovely, bright weather, (I'm not going to lie, I loved it!) but winter has decided it isn't quite done with us yet and we got snow today. The sky is grey, it's cold, and there is snow. Tea and muffins, anyone? Seriously, that's what I really want right now.

What do you do when you're board? Well, currently I have this thing with recipes. I love recipes and food-y blogs.

Like, doesn't this look f-aaaab-ulous?

And I've never been one for Pot Pies, (More, I don't eat them very often rather than don't like them,) but I'm pretty sure Pot Pie is going to be on my menu very soon.

And I like mushrooms, so...

I'm always up to trying out new dishes and this one looks pretty yummy to me.

And then there's dessert...

*Dies*

I could go on and on for hours. There are so many fun things to cook and eat! It awesome. Are you salivating yet? Your welcome.


All the images came from my Pin board--which in turn link back to the original source. No copy-right infringement intended. :D

This site is quite, quite lovely...The Italian Dish

There is nothing like Italian food. You should go check it out.

And my new favorite place to hang out, Sally's Baking Addiction

It's as wonderful as it sounds. I freakin' LOVE her blog. She creates some of the most amazing things. And her pictures are first class. So, really, go take a look. You'll find yourself in your own kitchen, equipped with apron and spatula, whipping up something decedent for dessert. Just see if you don't.


How many of you love to cook/bake? Please tell me I'm not the only one who's idea of a good time is to spend my Saturday making this and that in my little kitchen while I listen (and sing to) good music. How sad would that be?

God Bless!
Amy