I really like this painting by Mary Cassatt.  It is entitled “Breakfast in Bed” and I feel that it is appropriate for today!

Mary Cassatt really fascinates me.  She depicts so many precious moments between mother and child.  This, in and of itself, is not so very interesting, but in the context of Cassatt’s life it seems more intriguing.  Cassatt is known to be a supporter of feminism who chose to devote herself to her career instead of settling down and having a family.

I cannot help but wonder why she chose to focus her career on the bond of mother and child.  Perhaps, this was her was of experiencing motherhood; or, maybe she was just fascinated with this magical relationship that is unlike any other.

I feel like I agree with Mary Cassatt.  I think we should celebrate motherhood and mothers.  Instead of viewing the role of a mother as something degrading, we should respect women who embrace the role of motherhood and ask ourselves: is there really something more important that a woman could be doing with her life?

This is my mommy before she was my mommy.  Isn’t she pretty?  I think so.  I am very blessed to have an amazing mother.  She works harder than just about anyone I know and has spent so much time caring for her children.  I could never pay her back for how much she has blessed me.

This is me with my mommy!  I love her!!  Sometimes I say things that sound just like her and then I think maybe they are right: every girl turns into her mother.  I hope so.

Happy Mother’s Day!

So, I suppose now is my chance to catch you up!  (I hope you have not abandoned me.  I truly am sorry!)

I’ve been hard at work on my patchwork quilt!  It is coming along nicely.

Alex and I got the opportunity to lead a Passover Seder Meal.  It was a lot of work but such a wonderful experience.  I will tell you more when I get the pictures!

I’m afraid I have outgrown the Easter Bunny, so these are the Easter eggs I now hunt for!  Quite pretty!

They make such lovely bouquets!

And they look great on cupcakes too!!  We were out of sprinkles, so we had to get creative.  They turned out beautiful!!

All of this baking inspired Carolynn and I to start a pseudo baking business.  We held an event in the park and exhibited our first wedding cake.  If you would like to read and see more, you can visit our website/blog: www.friendlyflours.wordpress.com.

So, yes I have been crazy busy working and doing all these other things in the meantime.  I hope to have more time to update you soon.  I hope you enjoyed a glimpse of my busy life!

Two years ago, on this very day, my day began as most normal Saturdays do.  I slept in.  At some point I am very certain I watched The Sound of Music with some of my friends in the lobby of my dormitory.  Other than that, it was a rather uneventful day, until later that evening when I got a text message: “Would you like to hang out?”  The person who sent it to me just happened to be the one person I wanted to hang out with more than anyone else.

Alexander Strickland.

We went for a walk and at some point he lead me to a little white gazebo and that is where he told me that he liked me.  I remember how nervous I was.  I reached for something off of the ground to mess with.  I picked up two wires that I restlessly twisted together.  In the end, I had made a sort of bracelet to give to him.  I thought it was very symbolic.

*Photo by Cameron Bohls

So, now we have been dating for two whole years.  Sometimes it seems like it has been much much longer.  Although it has been hard at times, I have never regretted that decision we made in that little gazebo.  Alex is my very best friend and I am so blessed to have him as my boyfriend!!

If you have read Anne, then you know all about Gog and Magog.  They are an iconic part of the story.  They were very dear to Anne, and Anne is very dear to me, which is why I am determined to find my own Gog and Magog.  (If at this point you are still somewhat confused, you really do need to heed the advice above and get reading.  I don’t think Gog and Magog even come up until book 3, so you need to get busy!  Don’t worry though; you will fall in love with the story and it will take you no time at all.)

Carolynn and I have searched for Gog and Magog for years now.  We still have yet to find anything worthy of bearing those rather sacred names.  (She once suggested some wooden reindeer, but I’m sure she was just kidding.)  So, now the time has come for us to take matters into our own hands.

I was thinking about our quest one day, and the solution just hit me out of nowhere: we could make our own Gog and Magog out of papier mache!  I’m not entirely sure how we are going to go about this, but be warned: you have not heard the last of this.  I will keep you posted as our quest continues!

(You can also read Anne online for free!  Don’t cheat and watch the movies!  You’ll be sorry you did!  I don’t even know if they mention Gog and Magog.  Get busy!)

http://www.literature.org/authors/montgomery-lucy-maud/anne-of-green-gables/

Here you can see I have a whole bunch of of very colorful squares of fabric.  This isn’t even all the squares.  There are hundreds of them!

Aren’t they colorful and happy!  This was a Christmas present.  A jelly roll of Lollipop fabric by Moda.  I have to admit I am in love with Moda fabrics.  The plan for the jelly roll is a quilt with a ton of cute little squares!  I’ll let you know how it goes.

Which brings me to my very sad news: my sewing machine is broken.  The presser foot lever no longer moves the presser foot.  Now I will have to drive it somewhere to get it fixed.  Wish me luck!  Until then, I will keep you posted on other works in progress.

*Photo by Carolynn Cox

Have you ever done this before?  If not, you should definitely try it.  I love watching things baking in the oven!  These brandy snaps got so bubbly, they looked like they were alive!

*Photo by Carolynn Cox

Carolynn designed our lovely centerpiece for the occasion.

We absolutely had to go on an emergency antiquing excursion.  The beautiful tiered server was one of our amazing finds!  So pretty!  We also found this lovely ruffled serving platter!  Aren’t they perfect?

Here are our lovely lavender meringues!  Hehe.  We kept referring to them as our “little poops” because that’s what they look like.  Except, they are not a nasty color!  I know, not a very refined reference while preparing for a tea party, but sometimes you just can’t help but laugh at life.

*Photo by Carolynn Cox

I made some fun little name cards for the occasion.

So yummy!!!!  Fresh fruit, brandy snaps, lemon bars, scones, sandwiches, meringues, shortbread, and of course cream!!!  Lovely.  Lots of work, but so much fun!

*Photo by Carolynn Cox

And the tea was served!  Such pretty colors.

*Photo by Carolynn Cox

And, of course, the best part was time with friends.

I suppose I’ve never told you, but I live next door to a house that burned down.  The house is completely gone, except for a pile of burnt wood and the stairs that lead to the front door.  It is somehow quite charming.  Ominous, yes, but charming nonetheless.

Well, anyway, while I was outside some men came over with a tractor and a trailer and starting hauling off the rubble.   When my roommate Carolynn arrived to rescue me, she was as horrified as I was to see those men disturbing the remains.  She insisted we go over and ask them what they were doing.

Luckily for us, the men were very nice.  They asked us if we would like to help.  We moped for a few minutes, then decided we might as well.  We started out being somewhat helpful, but eventually we began scavenging.

I know it might sound a bit crazy, but we could not help it.  Yes, everything was burnt and had been sitting outside for years, but isn’t there something slightly romantic about that?  So, because we are both ridiculously sentimental, Carolynn and I collected a box full of treasures.

Believe it or not, in the middle of this wreckage, a tree was growing.  Somehow in the midst of the mess, new life had begun.  We could not bear the thought of this poor tree being bulldozed, so we asked if we could have it.  I cannot begin to tell you how nice these men were.  They were very patient with two very crazy girls; they even dug up the tree for us!!  (We planted it in our backyard!)

This was my first experience as an archeologist.  It probably will not be the last.  I cannot tell you how fun it was to dig through a big pile of dirt and pull out a little tea set one piece at a time.

Here are the yellow pages, still yellow!

I promise I will give you a more in-depth look at the treasures, but for now this will have to do!  I’m not sure what we are going to do with all this stuff, but I’m sure it will be amazing!

I had planned a nice, simple day for myself, but what I got was better than I could have imagined!

I’m sorry to have left you hanging on the mushrooms.  (Certainly not the most sturdy thing to be left hanging on.  Something could have happened to you!  And then what would I do without anyone to read my blog!?)

Yay for colorful veggies!!!

Have you guessed what I’m making yet?

Chicken Cacciatore!  Or as I kept mistakenly pronouncing it: kitchen catch-a-tory!!

Yum, yum, yummy!!!!  This was soooo good!  I admit, I was hesitant, but I did try the mushrooms.  I didn’t fall in love with them, but I think they might grow on me (terrifying thought!).  I shall definitely have to try them again sometime.

If you would also like to make delicious chicken cacciatore you can find the recipe here:

http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2010/10/chicken-cacciatore/

Hope you enjoy!

Today is the first day of February and I am super excited!! Why, you may ask? Because I have a calendar.

I know that sounds like a silly reason. And it is. Perhaps those of you with calendars will understand. It has been January for the past 31 days, and somewhere along the way I get curious about what the next picture on my calendar will be. After that, all I want to do is peek. I know that if I peek though, I will ruin the surprise and feel like a cheater. So, I have established a rule with myself, that I absolutely must wait until the first of the month to look at the next picture. In case you were starting to become antsy too:

Yep, there it is. I feel better already! These are the napping kitties I get to look at for the next 28 days! So cute!

I am afraid of mushrooms.

Not debilitatingly afraid, mind you, but I am most definitely leery of them.  How can you not be?  Some are poison!  Some are like drugs!  All of them are fungus!  Ewww!

Unfortunately, most people do not seem to see them for what they truly are, which brings me to my dilemma.  Many recipes call for mushrooms.  I’m told I can make them without the evil little devils, but I’m also told it won’t taste nearly as good.  So, I figure now is as good a time as ever to conquer this slightly well-founded aversion.  Wish me luck!!  Tonight I will pluck up all my courage and face my long-time nemesis: the mushroom.  The mushrooms are sitting in my fridge as we speak, plotting my demise, but something else is also in my fridge that makes me very happy!

Look at it!!!  Isn’t it beautiful!??  I have never had an orange bell pepper before and cannot wait to try one!!!  So fun and exciting!  Such amazing color!!  Yay!!

So, while I’m dreading the mushrooms, I’m dying to try the orange pepper!!  I’m so excited about dinner!!