Farewell Papa

God Bless you Pope Benedict XVI.  You will be dearly missed, but won't ever be far from my prayers.  Thank you for all you have done for the Church.

‎"When, on April 19 almost eight years ago I accepted to take on the Petrine ministry, I had the firm certainty that has always accompanied me: this certainty for the life of the Church from the Word of God. At that moment, as I have already expressed many times, the words that resounded in my heart were: Lord, what do You ask of me? It is a great weight that You are placing on my shoulders but, if You ask it of me, I will cast my nets at your command, confident that You will guide me, even with all my weaknesses. And eight years later I can say that the Lord has guided me. He has been close to me. I have felt His presence every day. It has been a stretch of the Church's path that has had moments of joy and light, but also difficult moments. I felt like St. Peter and the Apostles in the boat on the See of Galilee. The Lord has given us many days of sunshine and light breezes, days when the fishing was plentiful, but also times when the water was rough and the winds against us, just as throughout the whole history of the Church, when the Lord seemed to be sleeping. But I always knew that the Lord is in that boat and I always knew that the boat of the Church is not mine, not ours, but is His. And the Lord will not let it sink. He is the one who steers her, of course also through those He has chosen because that is how He wanted it. This was and is a certainty that nothing can tarnish. And that is why my heart today is filled with gratitude to God, because He never left—the whole Church or me—without His consolation, His light, or His love."

—Pope Benedict XVI, from his final Audience

Soup Night! : Butternut Squash and Carrot Soup

For the duration of Lent, my family and I have a specific meal assigned for each day of the week.  Tuesday night is soup night.  We allow ourselves a little bit of variety here, rather than only one kind of soup for the whole of Lent.  I'm planning on trying a handful of new soups and thought that I would share each weeks recipe with y'all.

This week we had Butternut Squash & Carrot Soup.

Where I found it: Family Circle Magazine

Prep time: 1 hour

1 large onion, cut in eights

3 cloves garlic, whole

1 butternut squash (2 1/2 lbs), peeled, seeded and cut into 1-inch pieces

1/2 lb carrots, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces

2 tbs olive oil

3/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp black pepper

4 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth

1 tbsp brown sugar

1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

• Heat oven to 425*.  Toss vegetables with oil, salt and pepper.  Spread vegetables on a baking sheet and bake at 425* for 30 minutes, turning after 15 minutes.
• Puree vegetables and broth in 2 batches until smooth; transfer to a large pot.  Bring to a simmer.  Stir in brown sugar and nutmeg.  Serve with croutons if desired.

Per serving: 144 calories.  Serves: 6  

(I increased the vegetables and the broth to make enough soup for 9 people)

To go along with the meal, I prepared an Olive Garden Salad Mix (with Olive Garden Salad Dressing) and Olive Garden Breadsticks.   The breadsticks are amazing, by the way.  They really do taste like the ones that you get from Olive Garden!  I was very, very happy with how it all turned out.

I had a few hesitant reactions to the words "butternut squash" and "carrots" prior to dinner time, but this ended up being a meal that everyone actually enjoyed.  I think it's a keeper.

The Liebster Award

I was given this lovely award by my Mom, at Homeschooling with Joy. The Liebster Award is given to up - and - coming bloggers who have less than 200 followers.  Liebster is German for "sweetest," "kindest," "nicest," "dearest," "beloved," "valued," "endearing," and "welcoming."  Thanks Mom!

Here are the "rules" for The Liebster Award: 

1. List 11 things about yourself.

2. Answer the questions that the nominator has posed for you.

3. Nominate 11 up and coming bloggers who have  less than 200 followers.

4. Create 11 questions to ask the nominees.

5. Go to the page of each nominee  and tell her about her award.

So here are the 11 things about me:

1. I'm an introvert, which doesn't mean I'm shy or I hate people.  I love being with people and being social, but I can only handle it in smaller doses, and I draw my energy from being alone rather than being always surrounded by people.  
2. If a person/place/thing is something everyone else absolutely loves to death and oh my gosh it's the greatest thing since canned corn, I tend to dislike it or not even bother just because.  Hence the reason I've never read G.K. Chesterton (know lots of people who rave over him), I'm not a big David Tennent fan (because he's everyone else's favorite Doctor) and you'll never see Downton Abbey on my list of favorite TV shows (because it's the darling of the rest of the world). I'm contrary with a lot of things like that ;)  Not all, but a lot.
3. I recently decided I like pickles and guacamole.  But not together.
4. I have a wild side.  I've thought about getting my ears double pierced.  
5. I am also a sarcastic person....
6. Going off of #2, I have already decided that beer is going to be my favorite beverage after I turn 21 just because I've had several people tell me that they could never see me liking beer.  So there.
7. My dream job is working in a library or a bookstore.
8. One of my biggest pet peeves is people who gloat when they win.  I could care less if I lose the game, but if you beat me and you have a smug attitude about it... don't expect me to be anything close to a gracious loser.
9. When you first meet me, I'm a very quiet person and prefer to listen to what you or everyone else has to say.  After a time though (few weeks to a month or two) I will open up and start talking a lot more.
10. Personally, I think we should elect a nun for Pope.

       Joking! Joking!  Totally joking! Keep your mitres on, the last thing I want is a nun as Pope.

Now for the 11 questions that I was asked.

1.  What prayer do you find comfort in?  The Memorare

2.  What is your guardian angels name? Matthew, I like to call him Matt, but I think he prefers Matthew.
3.  Beef or chicken? Beef.
4.  What is your favorite eye color and why? Brown... because blue eyes are in every song and story and TOTALLY overrated (just like blonde hair...), also my Knight's eyes are brown.
5.  Describe your dream vacation.  Some place quiet, in the mountains with extensive forests and a small river and maybe a few little waterfalls.
6.  Would you rather live someplace rural or urban and why?  Rural... I like having space, the scenery.  Urban seems so close and clustered and loud.
7.  Which season is your favorite?  Fall.  Spring is a close second, but in Fall the weather tends to be a steadier mild, and not so much cold and warm and cold and hot and cold like Spring can be.
8.  What is the farthest place you have traveled to?  Treasure Island, Florida
9.  Would you rather work for someone else or be self-employed?  I would much rather work for someone else
10. David Tennat or Matt Smith?  Matt Smith
11. What do you like to do on a Sunday?  Go to Mass, come home and just be at home with no one else around and nothing that I have to do.

And 11 people to tag... Well, I don't really follow that many blogs, but here are a few!

Faint Hue of Grace

My Spare Oom

Ramblings of a Writer

Thilly Little Nothings

And anyone else who is reading this who hasn't been given this award already!

11 questions for the next round of people

1.  If you could date a historical figure, who would it be?

2.  In the winter, do you prefer making snow angels or building a snowman? Why?

3.  What is your favorite kind of candy?

4.  Which Saint/Title or apparition of the Blessed Mother is a source of inspiration for you?

5.  What do you do to cope with sadness?

6.  What kind of toppings do you like on your tacos?

7.  In another life, would you rather be an impala or an iguana?

8. Do shopping sprees help you relieve stress or are you an anti-shopper?

9.  What does your dream home look like?

10. What is your favorite mystery of the Rosary?

11.  Do you think you will actually do all these questions?

Have fun!

Modest Mondays: Brightening up Winter Gray

Just joining the Modest Monday party? Here's the original post (from My Spare Oom). Each Monday, I post a modest, stylish outfit. 

Why? Because I believe you don't have to sacrifice fashion and style for purity. 

 Modesty does not equal frumpy. This is my way of showing that modesty can be fashionable 

and pretty. I'm a girl determined to live a life of 

purity, 

modesty, 

and plenty of style. 

- - - - - - -

Yesterday was a dull, cold and gray winter's day.  It was a quiet day as well.  Only my work in the morning, and at home in the afternoon - to watch and bewail the season finale of Downton Abbey.  Seriously, that was the most depressing last minute of a show that I have ever seen.

To brighten up the cold and dreary day, I decided to throw some red into my outfit.

Beret: I crocheted it myself!

Black Shirt: Forever XXI

Patterened Camisole: Either Wal-Mart or Target

Belt: Had it forever and don't know where it came from

Red skirt: One that I made from a Simplicity pattern a number of years ago

Bracelet: Charming Charlies

Evenstar Necklace: Why, I got it from my Elessar, of course!

Admittedly this was a self photograph that I took while preparing dinner last night.  You can see it there on the stove behind me... what else better to bring cheer to a chilly day than a warm pot of soup?

Grace at My Spare Oom is the mastermind behind Modest Monday.  If you feel like joining in... post on your blog and then share the link over on hers!

Modest Monday: On a Friday... with the outfit I wore Thursday

To quote from Grace's blog My Spare Oom, from whence this post originated....

Just joining the Modest Monday party? Here's the original post. Each Monday, I post a modest, stylish outfit. 

Why? Because I believe you don't have to sacrifice fashion and style for purity. 

 Modesty does not equal frumpy. This is my way of showing that modesty can be fashionable 

and pretty. I'm a girl determined to live a life of 

purity, 

modesty, 

and plenty of style. 

- - - - - - -

That being said, I plan on participating in Modest Mondays from time to time here on this blog.  However, I usually work all day Monday and from there run off to choir practice, which leaves me without much time to take a photo or blog about my outfit.  Therefore I have a feeling most of my Modest Mondays will actually be Modest Other-Day-of-the-Week.

Since I actually had a picture of what I wore yesterday (and thought it a pretty cute outfite).... voila!  What I wore on Valentine's Day.

Sweater: Burlington Coat Factory

Skirt: Goodwill

Boots: Payless Shoe Source

Necklace and earrings: gift from a friend!

Belt: Khols

Rose headband: ... I think a fundraiser somehow connected with the FTN forum?

Roses: My Knight ^_^

This was such a fun outfit to put together and wear - and I got quite a few compliments while I was at work. One sweet old lady saw my outfit and gushed about how cute it was that my rose and lipstick and shirt all matched so perfectly and how adorable I was.  It was cute.

The best part of getting dressed up for Valentine's Day was then getting to skype with my Knight, who was of course, the reason I fancied up in the first place. ;-)