This Moment: Monkey See, Monkey Do

{this moment}

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

~Amanda Soule

 

If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments for all to find and see.

Monkey see, Monkey do. Fake getting stuck in the bed.

Cheese Making

I FINALLY got to make cheese!

I have had my recipe on hand literally for weeks. I had even purchased all my ingredients. I pulled everything out to attempt to make it one day, when it dawned on me I didn't have cheesecloth! Oops. A sign of an amateur! So my project got put on hold again.

We had a hard time finding the cheesecloth at the store. For weeks I couldn't find it. While Christmas shopping one afternoon I spotted some in a oddball place at the market and snatched it up. I don't even think I looked at the price tag~I literally grabbed it off the hook and tossed it in the cart. I had found it and it was going to be mine! (Lucky for me, it was only $3; if it had been too pricey I might have been rethinking my cheese making ambitions). I got that scratched off my list. But then my youngest daughter, J(1), is a milk feen and she kept drinking up all my whole milk. Trying to have whole milk on hand when I was ready was a chore.

This morning, the stars were in alignment! I had ALL my ingredients on hand, I had my cheesecloth, and I had the time.


The process of making cheese is actually very simple. It was the preparation for the recipe that was the only pain in the butt.

I found my recipe here, but I posted it as well for you for your convenience:

Make Your Own Soft Cheese

Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Makes: 1½ cups

1		quart whole milk
1		cup heavy cream
4		T distilled white vinegar

1. In a medium saucepan over medium-low heat, combine milk and cream and cook about 10 minutes or just until steam begins to rise from the surface and small bubbles form around the edge of the pan. DO NOT BOIL.
2. Remove from heat and gently stir in the vinegar.
   
3. Let sit, undisturbed, for 20 minutes. The mixture will separate into curds and whey. (Remember Miss Muffet?)
4. Line a strainer with cheesecloth and set it in a deep, medium-size bowl.
5. Spoon the curds into the strainer; the whey will run through the cheesecloth.
   
6. Discard the whey.
7. Cover and refrigerate curds in the strainer and bowl for at least 4 hours, to continue draining. (You can also leave overnight.)
8. Remove the cheese from the cheesecloth and break it up in a small bowl.
   
9. Serve plain or stir in your choice of flavor blends * (the flavor blend recipes below make enough for one batch).
10. Line a small ramekin or vintage gelatin mold with cheesecloth and press flavored cheese into mold. (I didn't have a mold, so I just used a Tupperware bowl).
11. Tip onto serving plate and remove cheesecloth.
    

Art Unveiling

The time has come, Christmas has passed, that now I can share with you what I was working on during the Advent season. I had two new commissions that changed my crafting plans for the holiday a bit, but were very much worth it. The pictures were commissioned as Christmas gifts so I was asked to keep them hush-hush until after the fact.

Now for the unveiling . . .

As always, I enjoy making my art. For me it is not about the art or money--but how my art can help others. I'm still discovering how to do that. It's a little pieces of the story like this, after the art leaves my easel, that make me think I'm on the right path:

. . . I had to giver her the picture in the parking lot. I got it on tape . One of the ladies of her dept was there on a smoke break as well.

You should have heard the 2 of them, they couldn't believe it, at first, they didn't think it was a drawing, they thought it was a picture!! When I told them you drew it, they were in disbelief. They both said what everyone else said that I showed the picture to "I feel like I can just reach out and touch her " meaning A*** in the picture, because you got it that close to real life.

Personal Portraits are your specialty because you really capture the spirit of the person, like I said before not many people can do that.When you see the video, you will see what your work does for people.

A**** gave me a great big hug and said it was "The Best Present I EVER got" . . . I know this picture meant the world to her, because this time it was about HER !!!!!! I couldn't have given her anything better :-)

SO C*****'s picture, came out beautifully framed !! C***** opened it and didn't realize it was a drawing, said this is Beautiful and then asked me, "where did I find it?" then S**** said "Look at the signature " then C***** said "Get the Hell out of here" She was in disbelief too. I'm not sure if I got hers on tape, if I do will send that down too. I got a new camera and still learning it.

She loved it and could not believe the amount of detail . All the girls at work want to know if you realize what kind of money you can command for these types of drawings. A few people said you need to draw these pictures and keep them going , as you can always sell them at a later time .

I proudly said that I am going to be your agent and will make you famous !!!

You are on your way to something Special !!! One thing people love is pictures of themselves, loved ones, deceased , babies and their pets !!!!

So as I enter the New Year, wish me luck and offer me prayers as I begin St. Catherine's Apprentice: Fine Art & Commissions by Carrie Goad. St. Catherine of Bologna is the patron saint of artists, who is my patron saint. I have always forsaken her in the past, wishing I had gone rather with St. Jude, patron saint of hopeless cases, which I believed to be better suited for me :) I figured it was time to pay St. Catherine the homage due her. I ask for prayers for confidence--which I lack--and divine guidance--which I need--as I begin this venture. Let it about what my art can do for others and not merely about the art itself or the money it can provide for my family.

Adoration Farewell

I didn't think I was going to miss my adoration hour this much.

I completed my final adoration hour yesterday morning at 5am. A new adorer will take over in January. For those who don't know what perpetual adoration is, you can read more about it here. I have been going to adoration for a few years now, at one hour or another during the middle of night. People were always shocked when I told them I did adoration from 2-3am or 4-5 am, whatever it would be. I joked that with all my kids the only time I have to myself is during the night! Over the years I was even asked to become the 3-4am adoration hour coordinator, keeping in touch with and being the go-between for the main chapel coordinators and the weekly adorers for my hour.

My story is one of a Catholic convert, in sorts. I was raised in a non-practicing Catholic family. Baptised Catholic, but that was about the extent. It wasn't until I was about 23 years old that I came into the Church. You can read part of my conversion story here. My conversion was in a way half-asked on my part. I attended RCIA but not because I wanted to become Catholic, per say, but for ulterior motives. In fact, I went in not even believing in God! Things started happening though. It felt sort of like magnetism~some sort of magnetic pull that kept pulling me in little by little despite myself and my resistance. The funny thing is is that I began adoration in this fashion. I actually recall walking from my car, across the church parking lot to the adoration chapel, asking myself what in the world was I doing waking up at odd hours of the night, losing sleep, to drive into church and spend time alone in  a room before the Blessed Eucharist that I wasn't even sure that I believed in? I started adoration thinking I was crazy for doing it! But that ol' magnetic pull had a hold of me and I just let myself go with it. Let it be.

Here I am YEARS later. Many, many adoration hours later. I am six and half months pregnant with our sixth baby. The adoration coordinators went through a dry spell with signing up new adorers to cover all the hours for the week, especially the midnight hours. It was taking months to find replacements and fill-ins. Being on the committee I knew this and turned in my resignation with plenty of notice, expecting it to months to find a new taker for my hour. I wanted to leave with a smooth transition from one adorer to the next, not leaving a gap to be filled.  As I've done with my last two pregnancies, I was expecting to keep up with my hour until I delivered my babies. Against my expectations, it took all of about a month to find a replacement.

So here I am saying my farewell to perpetual adoration for the unforeseeable future. I pray I'll be back, but as to when, I cannot say. I will have my baby and take take my maternity leave. When the time is right, and my baby is sleeping through the night, God will call me back. I will miss it. I have been through a lot~and I do mean A LOT~ over these years and the adoration chapel has been my refuge. I have found faith, and lost it. I have laid down my worries at Jesus' feet. I have cried numerous tears. I have shared enthusiasm and spiritual breakthroughs. I have laid prostrate before the Lord out of sheer desperation. I have met a criminal visitor and shared faith.
It has been my piece of silence in this noisy world; my slice of peace in this crazy, chaotic cosmos. My father once forwarded me an email when I was going through some rough times. It said something along the lines that two artists were asked to create a picture of their interpretation of the meaning of peace. The first guy painted a lovely, calm, serene nature scene. The second artist, on the other hand, painted a little birds nest out on a branch. In the background, a dangerous storm was thrashing all about the nest, while inside the little bird was sleeping as if in a bubble~peaceful and safe. The moral of the story, peace is internal not external. Alone with Jesus, fully present in the Eucharist, that little adoration room became a representation of my own little peace bubble like the one that surrounded the little sleeping bird. While the world and all that goes with it thrashes dangerously about me threatening my livelihood, my faith, my marriage, my family. . .here, with Jesus I find internal peace~rest~and come back weekly to renew that peace. It is my sanctuary. But peace is internal, not external--so now I take what I have learned and experienced during my years of adoration out into the world. Now I must keep my peace bubble on my own amidst the wolves. I must remind myself always, no matter where I am, I am always and forever in a peace bubble with Jesus surrounded by God--nothing can harm me. I can rest peacefully like that little birdy, I need not fear. I can look at this is a chance to grow spiritually. If I feel myself growing week, I can always return for a visit--24 hours a day, 7 days a week :)

For anyone who has never been to an adoration chapel, here is a glimpse of what my parish's looks like~images of a peace bubble. Things I will miss:

Christmas EveTradition

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas holiday. While I feel like I just went through a whirlwind Christmas season~barely being able to catch my breath~our Christmas turned out well. We visited family, attended Christmas Mass, ate lots of food, and the kids enjoyed themselves. What more could you ask for?

I wanted to share one of my family's Christmas Eve traditions. Whenever I say that word, tradition, the song from Fiddler on the Roof, one of my all time favorite movies, plays through my mind (**chuckle**). Sorry, I'm getting a kick out of it :) Any who, my grandmother on my father's side is Italian. This recipe was passed done from my grandmother, by her mother, etc~like I said: Tradition!
Every Christmas Eve we go up to my parent's house and my mother, my daughters, and I make a homemade pasta called cavatellis (which we, in our Americanized ways, pronounce them gov-a-deals ??).

And after all the hard work . . .

 OUR FINAL PRODUCT!

Some Italian Yumminess.

This Moment: Christmas Recital

{this moment}

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

~Amanda Soule

 

If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments for all to find and see.

Our daughter, C, gave a solo Christmas concert for my husband and I in her bedroom. The pictures are bad, taken from my cell phone, but the moment was priceless--especially considering the keyboard is one of those where the keys light up to tell you which key to play~it plays on it's own :) but she practiced and practiced ever so hard alone in her room for hours prior to putting on the show.  It's little moments like this I want to savor, as I'm discovering already with oldest daughter (12), that it will not be too much longer and she won't want to do these little things any more for her parents~she'll be too busy growing up.

 

Homemade Holidays: Stocking Stuffers

Filling a stocking can take a small fortune. While we do put in some candy, we try not to over do it. We realize a stocking wouldn't be a stocking without some treats, however, the last thing my kids need is a huge amount of sugar. Okay, lets get real, the last thing this mama needs is a house full of five sugared up kids! So we add little toys and such. Those little trinkets add up though, so this year I thought I'd create some stocking stuffers the kids would enjoy and fill out their stockings. Here are a couple of my ideas:

I discovered a wonderful site called The Toymaker. There is section for free paper toys. You print, cut, and glue some really neat little paper craft toys. Take a look for yourself here. Unfortunately, my printer pooped out on me not too long ago. While not being fully functional, it works a bit--enough for us to get by for homeschool purposes just not for quality images. I will be replacing it shortly, but with all the money going out at the moment with the holiday, the regular bills, and the midwife, it has had to take a backseat. I will be trekking to my mother's office (all of a few miles) to borrow her printer for these. The plan is simply to print out a few for each of my older girls and either put them in some sort of envelope or use the shrink wrap I spoke of yesterday, to give them a nice "gift" look. Then at another time, my girls can have fun cutting them out and gluing them together themselves--a little activity for them to do.

Another idea I have--which also requires a printer, go figure, unless you happen to be one of those who have physical photos on hand, which I am not--are popsicle stick puzzles. I found a great tutorial here. You can find directions and tips/hints all over the Internet for this activity. I especially liked the idea on this site for adding magnets to the back of the puzzle for use on a magnet board, or for us--the refrigerator. While I'll be being make one~or more~ for all four of my older girls, I thought the magnets would be nice for O(3). You need a picture, thick popsicle sticks, an exacto knife, and Modge Podge. You glue the sticks to the back of the picture and carefully cut them apart. Place the pieces in a bag and you're finished. Quick and easy! I thought I'd find a nice picture~a special moment~of each of the girls to make a puzzle out for them. You can use family photos but any image would do--favorite TV or story characters, animals, famous works of art, etc. . . Be creative! I tell ya, as a homeschooling mom, the endless educational possibilities of these for my preschooler gets me excited. I foresee a lot of popsicle stick puzzles in our future.

*P.S. I bought my thick popsicle sticks from the craft store for $2-$3.  After I already purchased them I saw some at the Dollar Tree for a buck. You might want to try your local dollar store first.