I've Been Sucked In

I have officially caved in.

Pinterest. Oh my gosh. Pinterest.

I always thought it was the dumbest thing. I never got into it. All I heard about it was girls going nuts trying to "plan" weddings, outfits, and a month's worth of meals on this goofy website. I somewhat accidentally made an account and a couple of boards the other day. I clearly didn't know what I got myself into.

I'm probably addicted.

I've been in Al-Anon before. Do they have a Pin-Anon anywhere? Can we start a Family Group? Please.

I've used it multiple times in the past three days, Pinning pictures of hair styles, food, outfits, and stuff for my apartment that I'm dreaming of in Albany... I even found a really cute DIY craft that I'm planning on doing soon...

Last night I planned to go shopping today, so I went to Pinterest and looked at a bunch of really cute outfits that I wanted to remake. Wow were my expectations high. I came home with a pair of nearly-knee-high brown boots, a couple of cardigans, camis, and some shirts. Now I'm trying to sift through Pinterest to find a way to fit them together.

I realize that Pinterest is just a way for me to pretend like I can actually do these things, pull them off, and look good while doing so. I know, in reality, that will never happen. I'm not that great a cook, my art skills are zero, and honestly, it can take a lot to make me look good in most of the clothes featured on Pinterest. But when I'm Pinning things to my board, I can dream. I can think, wow, I might look good in that. I might be able to pull that off... Even if I never get around to finding the components to an outfit, I can dream about rocking a sweater over a buttondown without looking frumpy (I found a way to lessen the bulge by wearing a cami between layers!). I can dream of making a perfect and healthy salad with a million things you didn't know could be combined into something edible. I can dream that my apartment will look like all these photos, even though I know that my lack of organization skills and decorating abilities will never let me come close to the perfect white-washed living room.

A girl can dream.

Pin on, my friends.

Follow me on Pinterest 

if you want to see all the crazy things

 I wish I could do... 

(Click on the graphic below)

My Pinterest 

Desperation

Desperate times call for desperate measures.

Or at least, that's what they say. So far I haven't been very successful with my desperate measures.

I made all of 90 cents on bottles the other night. Today I'm trying a new tactic. Offering to count worms.

That's what I mean by desperate measures. 

I was reading an article a while back on how to make a little extra money on the side. Things like bartending, cab driving, and selling your clothing were high on the list. I don't know anything about alcohol, I don't have a fancy license, and I'm trying to rebuild my wardrobe after coming back from the convent, so these were all duds. But then, I saw something extremely unique and somewhat possible. Getting paid to count worms. That's right. Getting paid to relive your childhood and play in dirt. Awesome. 

So I resolved that on Monday (today) I would call around to find a place to count worms. So far, not so good. 

I found a couple of places thus far that sell bait. I googled for their numbers and I gave each a call. The conversation was short, but very awkward. 

Me *Calls wormy place*

Wormy Guy *answers phone*

Me "Are you still selling worms?"

Wormy Guy "Yes."
Me: "Are you in need of anyone to count the worms?"

Wormy Guy "Uhhh no."

I feel like I'm prank calling. Is your refrigerator running? 

The best one yet has to be Haber's Export Agencies, which a friend recommended to me. Little did we know that it was actually a pet training business... The conversation that ensued, albeit short, is hilarious.

  

I'm so glad I recorded this one. This is the definition of awkward.

I think I'll just stick to selling my books... Please help.

So if you hear of any good job openings (preferably that don't involve worms) in Albany, please let me know. Thanks.

A Frying Adventure

Nearly 1 am Monday morning.   I'm hungry...   I roll off the couch and into the kitchen. The cupboards are empty. Well, not empty. You know the deal. Nothing snack-worthy resides in these cabinets. It's all soup, beans, oatmeal, and canned asparagus (why my father bought asparagus canned, I'll never know). *sigh* I hop online and start googling for good snack ideas. I don't get very far. I spot the gifted cookies that are all over my kitchen.

Fried. Cookies.

You must have heard of fried oreos before. Those yummy hunks of goodness that are often found at fairs but also on occasion with the Counselors at the Slaves' Summer Camp. I looked in my other cupboard and saw that although we didn't have oreos, we had frosted oatmeal cookies. Worth a try.

I gathered some cookies - a frosted oatmeal, a chocolate chip, and a couple pizzelle cookies- and mixed the batter. I used Bisquick without the eggs, for fear that they wouldn't cook thoroughly. I heated up the oil and I was ready to go... (The way to tell that oil is the right temperature is to sprinkle a little water in it. If it bubbles and spits it's ready. If it gushes like a geyser, it's too hot- turn down the heat!)

 

The procedure:

Dip
Oil
Flip
Dry.


And thus it proceeded...

First up: Frosted Oatmeal

 

Chocolate Chip is next

 

And finally, Pizzelle 

 

Unfortunately the pizzelle cookie didn't make it out in one piece...

Now that the frying is done, the fun begins!

CONSUMPTION!

Duhhhhlushus

  
     PIZZELLE                                                     FROSTED OATMEAL                              CHOCOLATE CHIP

I tried the Pizzelle first. I bit into it. Where's the cookie?! It just tasted like a pancake. Worse than a pancake. My least favorite of the three and I don't recommend it.

Second, I tried the frosted oatmeal. Better, but still a little bland. The frosting taste didn't hold up very well through the process.

Lastly, I tried the chocolate chip. Delish! Out of the three, this is (not surprisingly) the best. Perhaps I'll have to try this again with other things... Any suggestions of things to fry?

Typical Saturday Night

No, no parties were involved. Trust me.

This is the hilarity of my life.

Currently I live in an apartment with my Dad. It's a bit small with two of us in there, but we're making due. I'm looking for a stable job and as soon as I find one, I'm looking to move closer to the Capital of NY, Albany.

Dad went over to a friend's for a movie, as he usually does on Saturday nights. When he left I was sitting on the couch looking for an apartment (of my own, hallelujah!) on my laptop. I found a bunch and bookmarked them all. I'm bored. Now what? I realized how many water bottles were piling up in my car, and so I went out to return them. I made all of 90 cents. Then, I wandered around the Mall, but didn't buy anything (90 cents doesn't get you very far these days...). So, I went home.

You know I'm bored when I go for a run...

I had to take a selfie to 

prove that it actually happened...

 That's right, I ran.

And then I went home and wheezed for 10 minutes, and then I photoshopped some pictures of me and had a great conversation with some friends on Twitter...

I'd like to bet that my 70 year old father had more fun on a Saturday night than his 20 year old daughter. #NotFair

My Capital Region (and Beyond) Christmas

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

I hope you had a blessed beginning to the Christmas Season! Remember, it's just begun! Christmas isn't over until Epiphany (January 6th), so keep celebrating!!

Here are a few photos and comments about my Christmas in the Capital Region...



My Christmas celebration began with Midnight Mass at Our Lady of Hope in Whitehall with my Dad and my bestie, who just came into the Church this Easter!

CHRISTMAS EVE

12/24/14

Laughing all the way!

Even a Novus Ordo parish can be 

beautiful... Not a very common sight 

in this Diocese.

Happy Birthday, Jesus!!

CHRISTMAS DAY

12/25/14

My outfit for Latin Mass.

Definitely my favorite dress!

Plus a blazer, and it's off to 

Noontime Christmas TLM!

St. Joseph's is gorgeous

as usual!

However, I noticed during Mass that the 

antependium on the High Altar is inside out, 

so it read SHI rather than IHS. 

Whatever... *SMH*

After Mass I went to a friend's place 

with Dad for dinner, fun, and games!

With Dad in front of our 

friend's Christmas tree.

Merry Christmas, everyone, and I hope the blessings continue for the rest of the Season!

PAX!

I've Had It... Revisited

Earlier this year I composed a post titled, "I've Had it with EMCHs." In it I wrote briefly about one EMHC (Extraordinary Minister of Holy Comunion) who pushes my buttons on a regular basis. I hadn't seen him for a while since I was away at the Convent, and plus I've avoided that church like the plague because of its empty liturgy. But today, today I was brave and ventured in.

Now, I didn't go to Mass there. Never would I be caught attending Mass there again. I went at about quarter to three with my father to pray a Rosary and the Chaplet of the Divine Mercy. Silly me, I forgot they had Mass at 4. As we said our Rosary, people started filing in. The noise! It was nearly. deafening. I had trouble hearing my Dad who was praying in the predu next to me. Anywho, We proceeded to say our Rosary, and then my favorite EMHC (can you smell the sarcasm?) came over, turned on the lights behind the statues of Our Lady and St. Joseph, and did as he normally does, waltzed right up to the Tabernacle, stuck the key in, opened the door, lifted the cover to the ciborium, replaced it, and then closed the Tabernacle and walked away.

"Hey!" I whisper-yelled (is that a thing?). He turned and looked at me. I waved him over. "Just a tip. When you go to the Tabernacle, make sure you genuflect or bow or something. Our Lord is in there!" I was nearly steaming. He seemed to be a bit annoyed that he had just been corrected by a clearly far younger woman in a doily.  But hey, that's my Lord, and I've had it with EMHCs. Again.

like O.M.G.

Take a Gander...

A friend of mine posted a link to an article on FaceBook that I think you will enjoy. It details 4 Holiday facts that you didn't know about Albany, and I found it particularly fascinating! Even if one is not interested in the Capital Region, you probably would be astounded at the etiology of these 4 traditions. Below please find an excerpt of the article:

The fable surrounding the origin of "a baker's dozen" places it's beginning to a successful bakery owned by Baas [Boss] Volckert Jan Pietersen Van Amsterdam in present day Albany. Each year around December 6 when the Dutch celebrate Saint Nicholas Day, Van Amsterdam baked fine gingerbread cookies that resembled Saint Nicholas.

When an elderly customer insisted that thirteen cookies made up a dozen, Van Amsterdam refused, and exactingly gave her twelve. Soon after, his bakery started losing customers and his business began to fail. Only when the customer returned and her request was granted by Van Amsterdam did his luck change for the better. He continued this practice to safeguard against future bad luck. In fact, Van Amsterdam grew so wealthy that the other bakers in town began doing the same. From there, the practice spread to other towns, and at last through all the American colonies.

Read the full article HERE.

PAX

Introductions are so Awkward

Hi.

You might remember me from a couple of months ago. Or perhaps you don't. I was the author of the blog SheSpeaksWithWisdom, as well as the YouTube channel by the same name. You might also recall that I entered the convent in October.

The Order, as of October

Well, I'm back!

I'm sure you're thinking, Whaddaya mean, you're back?! I thought you were gone for good! Yeah, about that...

I entered the Convent on October 7th, the Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary. I entered with the full intention to give the rest of my life, starting from that moment, to God, to be His Bride, and to take vows of Poverty, Chastity, and Obedience in the Order. And He let me. But it wasn't His plan for me to stay there. After two months of living with the Sisters, doing the work of the Sisters, and praying for God to reveal my vocation to me, I discerned that I was called to marriage. How? I felt that, although the Order, its spirituality, and its members were amazing and were a great fit for me (there literally couldn't be a better Order than this one for me!), there was something that just wasn't working. My prioress likened it to shoving a square peg in a round hole; I just wasn't clicking, and I could tell it too. The harder I tried, the more miserable I became. I knew that I was going to leave, and it was painful. I had promised my life to God in the Order and given up literally everything. I was certain at the moment of my entrance that I would be there for the rest of my life. And after a month and a half had passed, nearly all surety had flown out the window. My soul was confused, and when I brought it to Confession, no consolation was given, and in fact, my soul underwent even worse torments because nobody could help me. I wanted to be freed from this thought of leaving, what I thought was a temptation...

A conversation with my prioress (who is awesome, BTW) left me with better clarity. All these things that I had been feeling and observing in my soul were not temptations, but were clear signs that this was not the vocation that God had planned for me. I left on the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, and returned to my hometown to restart my life in the world.

It's been a little over a week since I left, and in that short amount of time, I've been asked a lot of questions, so I'll answer some for you here:

1. No, I didn't hate it.
2. No, the Sisters weren't mean to me (on the contrary, they were GREAT!)
3. Yes, I missed home.
4. NO I'm not engaged yet! (Someone actually did ask me if I was engaged already)
5. Yes, I miss my Sisters now that I'm home.
6. No, I don't plan to try to enter again.
7. Yes, I'm going to visit them occasionally.
8. and Yes, I do get to have my 20 kids that I dreamed about having!

Also, someone said to me that they wonder if I inspired the Novices to leave. Many points on that, but just two for now: 1) I would never wish the stress of leaving the convent on anyone. It's not easy. and 2) why in the world would you wish for someone to leave the convent, especially if it's been proven to be their vocation? It's not a dungeon or something... (grrrr)

So now I have a blog again. 

I plan on using this blog to share my journey as I rebuild my life (and wardrobe, as I have hardly anything as far as raiment goes), and also write about this area that I love so much. I hope you'll join me on this journey.

May God bless and reward you. 

PAX

Follow me on Twitter!