Bits and Pieces: February/March '18

Hi there!  Remember me??

I haven't a valid excuse, so I shan't invent one...

Instead, I thought I'd give a pictorial account of my adventures/excursions/mischief that has evidently kept me so thoroughly occupied as of late. (Or something like that).

New chapel veils I hope to review soon...

Bacon and puff pancake for Shrove Tuesday....

One of my latest projects I did in February (more on that to come.)

~

At the end February, my brother and I went up to NY for a week to help our sister and brother-in-law move into their new place!  It was a lot of hard work, but also fun to be doing it together.  And seeing my niece was a nice bonus, too :)  Here are some pictures from the trip...

A little sleepy...

Now these, I will have you know, are the best swings ever!!!

Trying for an artistic angle...how'd I do? ;)

 Being silly with her Uncle Matthew!

Part of the view heading home again after a busy week...

Woohoo!

A warm welcome home from the greeting committee!

Homemade Lenten pretzels...mmm

When will I learn to read one book at a time???

Hopefully the last snow of the season!

It is awfully pretty, though...

Benjamin caught being nice for a change!

 

 St. Patrick's Day! Only a few days late...

Okay, so I pinky promise you I'll have a "real" post up very soon!  This has been an especially busy time for me and, as you can tell, life kind of pushed blogging to the back burner.  That doesn't mean I haven't thought of you, though, because I have!  That's partly the reason for the excessive flood of pictures, so I'd have something to share of my adventures!  I hope you enjoyed :)

 Happy Feast of Saint Joseph! 

Always,

~Emma

 p.s. Please let me know if you have trouble viewing any of the pictures, either on the blog or email version, as I was having a difficult time uploading them.

September.

  Firstly, it is Our Lady's birthday today, so here is this beautiful image in her honor.

  

What I tell ya, folks?  Now do you believe me when I say August went by fast?  I feel like I blinked too long or something.

I kept giving myself little tasks to complete before I allowed myself to just sit down and type up a blog post.  (Which I fully realize is rather unfair to you. Sorry ;) ) The truth is, as I'm sure you are all very much aware, life is busy.  Wow!  I know, right?!

(Some happy yellow flowers for you. Because I love you.)

September, though.  September is busy.  September is always busy.  For me at least.

We start school on Monday, I have a part-time job beginning next week, our church fair is the following weekend so I'll be face painting for that, and I still have a few minor, measly little things to do before then and it seems it's always those petty things that weigh you down and make everything feel so much more hugely overwhelming than they really are.  Hopefully that's the only run-on sentence you'll have to deal with in this post, but I think you get the idea ;) 

Now please don't think I'm complaining because I truthfully don't really mind all those things.  Like I said, September is always busy.  I mean it's true, busyness can lead to craziness, craziness often leads to chaos, once chaos ensures the feeling of being overwhelmed sets in rather quickly and can easily lead to insanity, but as long as you take a few deep breaths and say a Hail Mary or two before things get out of hand, you can usually avoid going stark raving mad and inevitably being locked away in a nut house for the rest of your days.  I don't know about you, but I'm pretty okay with those odds.

(Oh look! There's another one!  Whoops...)

Anyways, when I'm not concerning myself with the added strain put on my mental state, I find September a rather endearing month.  It's so charming, caught between the desire to be as warmly carefree as summery August or brisk and dignified as cooler October, the same as a child torn between either the sophistication or simplicity of an older and a younger sibling. 

There is just enough of sunshine and warmth so as not to mourn August's passing too dolefully, yet with a definite and irresistible spice of Fall, come to enchant the world to sleep once more against the coming chill.  

I guess I think September is special.  That's probably just me, but I'll continue to feel this way regardless!

Alas, I must be off, but you will hear from me soon, my dears!  I hope you're enjoying your Septembers, are they as busy/busier than mine?  (Not that it's a contest, of course, just makin' conversation.  hehe ;) )

Always,

~Emma

Summer Ambitions~ 2017 Edition

I am always so seized during the span of these warmer months with such soaring aspirations towards greater productivity and creativity. 

Perhaps there is something in the sunshine and warmth or that special, joyful bloom lying all about and covering everything that sends my imagination whirring.  Whirring and reminding me of all the things I want to learn,

and create,

and do. 

 

For me, if I want to get things done without forgetting or losing interest, I write it down.  So this is my list of things I want to learn, projects I want/need to accomplish, and skills I want to attain.  Some are more silly than practical, but why not have fun in the progress? 

 I plan to keep you all updated on my progress and at the end of the season see how many things I actually accomplished! 

And now the list:

1. Post more frequently. (No, I'm not kidding, I'm really going to try ;) )

2. Go through/reorganize/consolidate my hope chest and items therein.

3. Make more time for writing, and just write.

 

 4. Learn to play guitar. (Or at least try.)

 

5. Maybe finally figure out how to ride a bike. Maybe.

6. Teach myself to play the lap harp. 

7. Repair bureau drawer. (There's a story to that, I promise!)

8. Learn to paint hand-blown eggs. (You know, like those gorgeous Eastern European ones. So fascinating!)

 

 9.Read books  lots of books. 

10. Repair broken statue.

11. Create a resume.

12. Make homemade SPRINKLES!!!  (Sounds super fun, maybe a disaster, but a fun disaster!)

 

 13. Turn 17! (Eek)

14. Expand run for chickens. 

 15. Crochet lots of items for Fall craft fairs and local fair entries.

There!  That's my list, what do you think?  It certainly isn't comprehensive, but it's something from which to work.  As I said, I 'll be sure to keep you all updated on my progress, success or fail, I promise!

While we're on the subject of goals, do you have anything you'd like to accomplish over the summer?  Things to do, places to go, people to see?  I'd love to hear!   

Well, I guess it's time to get started and "make hay while the sun shines", as they say!  Wish me luck!

Always,

~Emma

In the Land of the Empire State

Do you all remember a few weeks back when I said that I was going to post about my trip to New York?

"Life has been pretty crazy around here lately, but I fully intend to get in at least one post about New York while I'm here.  One.  I have so many ideas floating around in my head right now I just need to find a few minutes to write them down!  Please, bear with me, I think you'll like them :)"~April 26, 2017, Introducing.....

(Yes, I copy and pasted my exact words.  I strive for consistency despite lack of productivity.)

 

Anyway, clearly that is a promise I have not yet fulfilled, and I do so dislike broken promises.  So here we are.  This is my collection of  adventures, misadventures, and observances concerning the grand ol' state of New York. (oh, and be prepared for random facts throughout because facts are just cool.  They are.)

 

Let's start with a quick geography lesson, shall we?  

That, that is not New York City. That is in fact New York State.  Let it be cleared up here and now that New York is a state, a state in which NYC just so happens to be located in, but they are not one in the same.  You see up in the Northwest corner by that unlabeled-body-of-water? *Good job whoever said Lake Ontario*  My sister whom I am visiting lives somewhere up there.  So I did not visit the aforementioned city, not even close.  We will not mention that place again.

If I'm going to do this correctly then we have to back up two months to the beginning of the adventure.

 

 My adventure by train began here...

 

 ...Union Station

Fact: Union Station first opened its doors in 1911, servicing over 10,000 passengers daily, and is known as "the Beautiful Portal to the Heart of the Commonwealth".

The train ride from Worcester was uneventful but not disagreeable by any means.  That is up until...

Albany: a pleasant place?

What was supposed to be a 1-hour stopover in the state capitol quickly turned into more like upwards of 3 hours.  Stuck on a train.  A train that needed to restock its cafe car.  On the upside, it turned out to be a neat experience chatting with fellow stranded passengers and learning their destinations, getting to be a part of their story.  

  

The brochure in front of my seat, I showed this to my dad (who was my traveling companion) and it quickly became our motto.  Well done, Amtrak, truer words have never been spoken.

 

Eventually we did get moving again and I got a cool shot of the skyline.  I suppose all-in-all Albany wasn't too bad, considering we made it to our respective destinations before cannibalism became an immediate concern.

Fast forward from the end of March and here we are!  I am still in NY but will be returning home again next week, and I must say, it will be good to be home again!  

In closing, here are a few observations I've made during my time here.  Wait, allow me to bullet them for you.

• If I had to describe Syracuse in one word, that word would be rust.  

•  There are seagulls haunting EVERY McDonald's parking lot. Literally.  It's a rare occurrence to turn onto the highway entrance ramp and not be bidden farewell from a seagull perched on those infamous golden arches!  

 

• Friendly people.  They almost make me believe all those cliche lines about "cold, reserved New Englanders "!

•  Nearly everywhere you look there are daffodils.  Like, absolutely everywhere, especially along the highway.  I was really surprised when I heard they weren't the state flower!

 

Fact: The state flower is the Rose.  (Of which I haven't seen one)

• The Bagel vs. Bagel (bag-gle) controversy.  I personally subscribe to the former pronunciation and had never heard this strange alternative until recently.  Which do you use, I'm curious?

 Fact: Bagels did not originate in NY despite their popularity therein, the first bagels were made in Jewish communities in Poland as early as the 15th century :)


There, I think I've covered everything!  If you ever have the opportunity, New York is definitely a nice state to visit!  Have you ever been before/lived there?

~Emma

Introducing.....

Anastasia Therese!

     I want to thank you all SO much for your prayers for this little girl!  Believe it or not, she was born naturally at 3:15 am Easter Sunday morning, exactly 9 hours and 10 minutes after my prayer request! 

 And unsurprisingly, she is such a sweetheart!

 So again, thank you all for your prayers, I am so appreciative of them!

      Life has been pretty crazy around here lately, but I fully intend to get in at least one post about New York while I'm here.  One.  I have so many ideas floating around in my head right now I just need to find a few minutes to write them down!  Please, bear with me, I think you'll like them :)

Talk soon!

 Always,

 ~Emma

Ramblings of Mischief and Preferences

I know I've been away for a bit and I've been thinking of all sorts of wonderful posts while I was gone that will come soon, but right now, I just feel like giving you a life update!  Not sure why, but answering a bunch of made-up questions sounded like fun to me tonight.  I hope you don't mind!

(Isn't this sweet? I wonder what they could be saying...)

My current mood:

Contented.  I'm not feeling happy or unhappy, really, just a comfortable, contented sort of gratitude for life.

What I'm thinking about:

Lot's of things are going through my busy mind right now, but my favorite recurring thought is that in just a few months I will be an auntie!  

Projects I'm working on:

(Or rather, "Projects on which I am working" ;)

Regardless, my biggest project this/last month was organizing a baby shower for my sister, but that's more or less under control now.  My next project will be all of the girly, ruffly little trifles I get to make for my impending niece!

(I mean, c'mon, aren't these two just undeniably cute?)

Things I've been watching lately:

Oh, that dreadfully wonderful BBC!!!  Isn't it just the greatest most terrible thing, my dears?  Ugh.  But I love it!  

I've recently finished watching Dickens' "Little Dorrit".  To those of you who've seen it, isn't it awesome?!?  I know it was long (14 episooooodes!) but it was great!  A tad dark at times, I had no idea how dark Charles Dickens could be, yikes!  Still one of my new favorites, though!

To whoever made this, this is gorgeous

And just this weekend I watched the 2004 BBC version of Elizabeth Gaskell's "North and South".   I thought it was lovley!  Granted, not the "cute" romance like Little Dorrit, but the story was pretty intense at times, which I thought was quite well done, even though I'm still not over the shock that Richard Armitage is Thorin Oakenshield.

Books I've been reading (or pretending to):

Ooh, ooh!  That one! ^ ^ ^  It is so good!  I thought Saint Catherine was a pretty interesting saint when I began this book (part of the reason for my picking it up), but it is turning out to be an even better read than I expected!  I'm a third of the way through and I can say right now I'd already recommend it.

I'm also reading "The Fellowship of the Ring" to Matthew, and "Flee to the Fields: The faith and works of the Catholic land movement", compiled by nine different men whom I don't have the patience to name.  The preface is written by Hilaire Belloc, if that rings a bell!

What I'm writing:

A short story I thought up, not sure where it'll go, but we'll see.

Listening to:

At this precise moment I have Pandora set to my "Humble and Kind" station playing "Middle Of A Memory" by Cole Swindell.  It's kind of sad, but not too sad to skip ;)

My current favorites to sing that are subject to change periodically weekly,  include:

"Leaving On A Jet Plane" John Denver

"30,000 Feet" Ben Rector

"Better Place" Rachel Platten

"Already Home" A Great Big World

And those are this week's "happy-songs" :)

And finally, my favorite things right now:

TEA! Raspberry, honey-peach, sugar cookie, all warm and wintry and lovely!  Dreary days.  Chicken keeping.  Singing!!!  Snow flurries.  My Favorite Person. The smell of wood smoke.  Chartreuse, coral, and turquoise.

And that concludes my ramble for the evening, I hope you made it to this point!  But if you did, let me know how you liked the style of this post. I found it quite relaxing and I'd be interested in your opinion :)

Always,

~Emma

The Lady Returns

   No, you haven't imagined it.  It's true.  I'm really and truly returned to this dear little spot, and I must admit, I've missed it and I've missed you!  I told myself I wouldn't laden this post with all manner of lengthy apologies, explanations, and promises  of amendment.  I will say once that I am truly sorry for the delay and move on to more important things!

   I will, however, give you an overview of my adventures since last our paths crossed! (Which, in case you were wondering, has been exactly 125 days.  Yes, I counted.)  Anyways.

• I helped throw a surprise bridal shower for that wonderful sister o' mine! 

•  I finally took the plunge and started my very own flock of backyard chickens!  (more on them later!)

This is Kateri ;)

• Also, I took my first road trip to New York state!  (Well, first road trip to anywhere, actually.)

• And was maid-of-honor in the wedding of the year! (Congratulations, you two!)

   Needless to say, I've had quite a lot to keep me busy!  I thought about you all so often! Thank you to those of you who sent little messages of concern through the comments, it's nice to know you've been missed!  (You know who you are! ;)  Although, I mustn't make off as if those few things above mentioned were all that kept me away.  Because, in truth, they weren't the only reason!

 

(Image courtesy of Pinterest)

   Something was bothering me about this dear old place and I couldn't get to the bottom to discover just what it was.  I was still posting on a fairly regular basis then, but something was not right.  I went back in my mind searching for the reason I had started this blog in the first place.  The reason?  I love to write!  That's the reason so many of you started your own blogs, for goodness sake!

   There, I'd found my reason!  Now what was wrong?  I could see it right off.  I wasn't letting my true feeling into what I wrote, not the way it did in my personal writing.  Everything on here that I reread seemed dull to me, my heart just wasn't there.

   Before you all go into a panic thinking I'm shutting down my blog or some such nonsense, the answer is no!  I wouldn't do that to you and I know I certainly couldn't do that to myself, either.  I am simply going to start fresh!  To write straight off the top of my head and see what happens!  I hope you'll stick around for the ride!

Always,

~Emma