Easter

Easter is here. The largest, most important feast in the Catholic Church. Unfortunately, I haven't done much to celebrate it. Lent came and went and, while I was sure to give it a passing nod in observing mandatory days of fasting and abstinence, I barely did anything else. Usually, I sacrifice some activity or object to help focus on my spiritual growth. Or, I've added a prayer to my days during the season. This year I did neither. I chose to neglect that part of my life. Most people I know would excuse me. I am a full time college student and part time employee. My brother has cancer. I have a lot on my plate. But, as I see it, that means that I needed Lent. I didn't need to abandon myself to my troubles and distractions. I needed to take that season to empty myself and focus my attention on G-d. Now Easter is here, and I wasn't ready.

I did manage to make chocolates for my siblings' Easter Baskets on Good Friday, after confession. My dad wrangled all the kids out of the house for several hours. Except one. Brother Aang (battling cancer, thus bald, thus named Aang) stayed in a secluded part of the house and watched Andy Griffith shows with mom.
I found my recipe from Pinterest. It was originaly for chocolate eggs. I, however, didn't have egg-shaped molds. The author of the recipe says that eggs can be made without the molds by shaping the filling with your hands. This is not so. I made lumps. Lumps of yummyness, yes. But not eggs of yummyness, as I was hoping.

Here is the Recipe, taken from the Instructables I found on Pinterest. Check out the original site for pictures to help you on your own epic quest for the home made cream egg.

http://www.instructables.com/id/Homemade-Cadbury-Creme-Eggs/

• 170g (1/2 cup) light corn syrup (or golden syrup if you're across the pond)
• 58g (1/4 cup) butter, room temperature
• 375g (3 cups) confectioner's powdered sugar (icing sugar)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• yellow food coloring
• 1 (12 ounce) bag milk chocolate chips

Cream together the corn syrup, butter and vanilla.
Sift in the confectioner's powdered sugar and beat until incorporated.
Take out about a third of the filling and stir in some yellow food coloring.
Put the two bowls in the fridge, as they're easier to work with once they're set.
Make little yolk balls out of the yellow mixture.  Place them on some parchment. Put them back in the fridge or even the freezer to firm up.When the yolks are set up, you can start embedding them in the whites.  Scoop an amount of white filling out and flatten it into a circle.  Place the yolk ball inside, and wrap the white around it. Stick it in the fridge.
Melt the chocolate in a double boiler or in short bursts in the microwave.
Either dip fillings into the chocolate with a fork and let set on parchment, or skewer the fillings and dip them that way

Well begun is half done

Dear Saints Augustine and Claire, look down upon this blog. Bless its readers and its author. Protect it from trite quarrels, useless gossip, and poor grammar. May it be inspiring, helpful, and well written. Amen.

This is the blog of a twenty-something university student with the best student job and a bad commute. I am poor, nerdy, and live at home as the oldest of six children. All my siblings also live at home. It is a full house.

My jobs are to study (for which I pay too much), bake (for which I am paid barely enough), and help out with the family and clean my room (for which I am paid nothing, but am supposed to gain peace as I go along). I study Jujitsu and Pinterest. I write or read all the time, unless I have an assignment involving either activity for a class.

I am in a love-hate relationship with my current environment; Houston, Texas and the surrounding area. Today, we're ok. The weather is beautiful and I'm at home for the Easter break. Today, I am free to run around our yard, search the plum tree for plums, plant random things, and untangle our fig tree from its "protective" netting.

This is the first year the plum tree has born anymore than a couple of fruit. There are twelve green globes each the size of my thumb nail. Twelve! The birds may have a field day once they ripen, but they'll have to race me to get to the fruit.

I've planted a loquat seed in a little plastic pot. I picked up the seed from the side walk on the way home from school. In nearly every neighborhood in Houston, there is at least one loquat tree, and they are all bearing the most fragrant orange fruit. My university is nearly surrounded. My own little seed will take 8 to 10 years before it bears any fruit of its own. I'll be thirty. I have something new  to look forward to.

We have two fig trees: one from my maternal grandmother and one from my paternal grandmother. The fig from the paternal side is little and barren, refusing to send out new shoots. The fig from my mother's side is huge- a little bigger than a Smart car- and sending out new shoots like crazy. Every year, we cover it in a net to protect its yield from the birds. It is sending new shoots through the net. I spent half an hour this afternoon folding leaves the size of tea saucers and pulling them back through holes the size of nickles. Many leaves I can't reach, or the stems have already grown too thick and stiff to be pulled back. Dad and I are going to have a fun time getting the net off once the season is over, but at least we won't have to race the birds.

I am eagerly awaiting the progression of the season, enjoying the days before the air is too hot, and happy. I have so much to do with my hands and my head, so much that I can give and so much that I can make. This beautiful has made me so aware of that fact that it makes it hard for me to settle down and do any of those things.
I have sewing projects, cooking projects, gardening projects, craft projects (school projects, that I would rather not think about), and writing projects. The days are full. But I hate to cram things I love. I want to do, not be done.
So, here I go! Off my butt and off my mom's pc to do something worth doing.

Slan