Joseph: "Benjamin! Let's be like cool monk guys and fast until dinner!"

CAKE ROLL!!

Praised be Jesus!

Today I made my first CAKE ROLL! If you're wondering, it's one of these:

That isn't my cake roll- my sister took our camera to camp this week, so no picture, but you can infer the awesomeness. This could easily become an obsession. It was really easy and FAST and looks SO COOL. Some might disagree with me saying that it's easy, but I'm not afraid of folding ingredients into whipped egg whites and I'm not afraid of rolling a cake- I'm feeling that kind of crazy baking empowerment that you get when something works. VIVA CAKE ROLLS!!!

Summer!

For my 3 youngest siblings today was the last day of school- and boy did they kick it of with force! Grace, as a new ninth grader spent the day at Valleyfair like every new ex-middle schooler should. Joseph, Benjamin and I went to a park with a lake this afternoon and Benjamin fell in the lake (mind you we had no towels or extra clothes along). Funny though that Benjamin had sat down in the water before he slipped and fell...8 year olds! The best age ever! After dinner Joseph was "bouncing that ball off of Benjamin's head" and they broke a wine glass that shattered all over the dining room floor- then they gorged on popcorn. Benjamin so earnestly asked me if anyone had ever won the record for having the biggest mouth. I told him I had only ever seen the man who could fit 3 cheeseburgers in his mouth at once- but that I didn't know if that could be the record for the biggest mouth. As my Dad was putting them to sleep Joseph was saying:

'We really don't have school tomorrow? What are we going to do?'...

That's my question...

Corpus Christi is the Best Solemnity Ever

Eucharistic processions are very high on my list of favorite things. Actually they probably are the first- fireworks are a close second. I think heaven will be like a Eucharistic procession with fireworks.

You might think was taking a picture of the beautiful habits but no, I was looking at the guy in the suit. He helped organize the procession and I thought this picture of him on a street corner was pretty irresistible.

Habits in Loring Park? We heartily approve. Not to mention that the Lord passed by too.

"I am sure that God wishes to lead your soul by the path of pure faith, that is by faith without any of the self satisfaction which sentiments and perceived certainty give. From time to time you will receive a ray of light and warmth, and you must live on that, holding on to your faith without any reflex consolation, though ever with a very real, but unfelt joy in the depths of your soul... You will seem to yourself at times to have almost lost your faith and yet it remains whole and entire in the fine point of your soul, all gathered up into so sharp and imperceptible a point that it seems no longer to exist. Close your eyes, and remain with Jesus, saying a loving Amen to all He is gazing at in His Father."

-Blessed Columba Marmion, Union With God, 83

A Few More

This has nothing to do with the Handmaids, but the wingspan on this dragonfly I saw this morning was like 5 inches. I thought it was really cool.

In any case, if you were aching to see more of the Mystical Valley of the Handmaids, here's a treat!

The Mystical Valley leads down to a winding river...

Which used to have a bridge before the river flooded this spring. The Handmaids are now confined to exploring only one side of the forest...

Oh, poor them...

They said they are waiting for a little boy to build a raft for them to get across.

One more look at that lovely habit! Praised be Jesus!

We've all been waiting...

Including HIM...

Our dearest Bernadette is now His dearest Sister Beata Marie of the Holy Name of Jesus!

This is the "Mystical Valley" (as the Handmaids call it) that they can wander through as they please- they just have to watch out for the cow pies!

Here is Sister Beata with her double sister: Sister Miriam Rose of the Incarnate Word. I'm a little speechless as to how beautiful they are- Praised be Jesus forever and ever!