A fleeting post....

Yikes!  It's been crazy busy around here (more than usual.)  This weekend is our first show, so I've been working on flyers and websites and pretty much everything.  Just 24 hours 'til set up!  Say a prayer for us!
The show is running Friday through Sunday (see more details at http://thelaundryduchess.blogspot.com/ ,) then on Monday morning I leave for camp!  I'll be chaperoning a girls camp next week, until Friday :D :D I'm excited.  This will be real camp, complete with dirt.
But where does that leave you, my loyal and new and sometimes readers?  Without anything to read, I suppose.  Well, check the list of blogs I follow, and I'm sure you'll find something.  Just remember to come back to me!
In the mean time, I thought I'd share this video.  It's so beautiful!  Enjoy!

Sursum Corda Young Adults Camp - Part Three

Finally, we get to the actual camp!  I wonder if I have been putting this post off.  If so, it is partly out of a fear of being unable to do the wonderful weekend justice, and partly out of a “homesick” feeling, missing everyone and everything.  

  With a few exceptions it was a perfectly wonderful weekend.  I can’t decide if it was more retreat or more camp.  It certainly didn’t have the “roughing it” aspect of camp, but it was far too social to be considered a retreat.  All things considered, it was a lovely vacation.  I didn’t even check the weather while I was there, let alone email.  

  We stayed at Francis de Sales Seminary, in St. Francis, WI.  For all intents and purposes, it was Milwaukee.  I didn’t enjoy driving there, but we made it.  I am NOT a city driver.  Naturally, the route I chose to AVOID major traffic resulted in detours.  Thank goodness for GPS, or who knows when - or if - we would have gotten there!

  Our rooms were simple - bed, chair, and closet, basically.  My little group was split up, which was great, because we all got perfect roommates.  All of the rooms had an air conditioner (definitely not roughing it!) and most had a bathroom.  

    The first thing on the schedule was Mass, then a welcome.  I’m wishing now, of course, that I had taken more notes over the course of the weekend!  Of course, if it takes notes to remember, was it really learned?  Actually, in my case, yes, because I remember more with notes.  But I digress.  I’m sure we each came away from the weekend with something different, yet important for us.  For me, the important thing was the necessity of good friendships.  

So many times in my life I have found myself feeling more or less friendless.  For one reason or another, through one trial or another, my friends have been distant - either geographically, personally, or both.  I’ve questioned whether or not friendship really was an important part of a Catholic life.  After all, if we have family and faith, maybe friends are just one of those nice luxuries we sometimes just have to live without.  I don’t know if I’ve ever actually believed that, but I’m sure the thought provided some sort of consolation during long weeks when it seemed like I never talked to anyone outside my family!  I’ll be the first to admit that I am horribly shy, until I really get to know someone.  On top of that, I’m terrible at small talk.  I like discussions more than conversations, I think.  Am I starting to ramble?  Sorry.  Back to camp. It was awesome to not only hear about the importance of good Catholic friendships, but to also have people around looking for the same thing! 

  I’m not going to mention any names in this blog, partly because I don’t want to spell anyone’s name wrong or misquote them, and partly because you never know how much people will want about them on the internet.  So from now on, I shall refer to the brilliant individual who put the weekend together as Master of Ceremonies, or MC.  WE know who he is, and HE knows who he is.  I’m sure I could get enough out of this weekend to write a whole book, but most wouldn’t be true, so don’t take me too seriously - now or ever.  If or when I do write the book, I shall have to put in a disclaimer to the effect of “all people, places, and events in this book are fictional, unless proven otherwise.  Any resemblance to real people, places, or events is purely incidental and born of the overactive imagination of the author.”  Of course this is a blog account, therefore I shall portray things as accurately and vaguely as I can recall.  Please don’t hold me entirely responsible.  It just isn’t fair.  

  After Mass and the welcoming speeches by MC and Fr., we had about an hour before dinner.  MC had mentioned a grotto, so a few of us set out in search of it.  I was especially interested, due to a project at church.  We wandered around the grounds a bit, venturing into the woods and out again, but we searched in vain.  Some of us were of the opinion that the grotto was perhaps a myth, contrived by MC to get us all out of his hair for a bit before dinner, plus to allow us to get to know each other a bit.  This theory was proven wrong the next day, of course, but it was fun while it lasted.  

  After dinner, we had ice cream and a nice ice-breaker.  We had a sheet of paper with 20 questions, and had to find people who could answer “yes” to the questions.  And each question had to be answered by a different person.  Looking at this now, I can put a face to nearly all of the names (there were 28 of us,) when at the time I know next to no one.  I came in handy for question 6: Find someone who makes rosaries. :)  Actually, I could answer yes to 5 out of 20 questions, and could have made a couple more (like owning both a black and white Mantilla) at another time in my life.  Lots of fun. 

  With another couple hours of free time (perhaps the last of the weekend!) a group of us walked down to the lake, just across from the seminary.  It was so beautiful at sunset!  I love the water, be it stream, river, lake, or ocean.  The sailboats are always so neat to see.  Ever since reading Swallows and Amazons I have wished I could go sailing.  Someday.  

  The day ended with evening prayers.  I think everyone was pretty tired Friday night, after the long drives most of us had.  I for one was in bed early. 

 

Mass was at 7:30 the next morning.  Did I mention how nice daily Mass was?  I should also mention that it was the Extraordinary Form (aka Latin or Tridentine) Mass.  After Mass, of course, was breakfast, then a conference by Mr. and Mrs. Chaperone (still not using real names, to protect the innocent.)  After their excellent talk on marriage, myself and two others set off to find the elusive grotto.  My friend had been there the night before with the MC, so we actually found it this time.  It was tucked away in the woods, near the cemetery.  Although the mosquitos insisted on biting us, both were lovely.  There were many priests and nuns in the cemetery, with some stones dating back to the 1800’s.  We weren’t able to stay there as long as we wanted, however, because my friend got a call from the MC saying we had to come back for volleyball.   

 

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 I could go through a play-by-play of the weekend, but I won’t.  Our adventures included volleyball (which I not only hate, but am apparently allergic to,) a boat ride out on the lake, a delicious grilled dinner, a square dance (which was awesome because for once I didn’t feel like the only one hopelessly behind,) rosary in the beautiful seminary chapel, an unexpected tour of the seminary, including a late-night bit of bowling, an hour long walk after Mass on Sunday (at a rather brisk pace, I might add,) a couple of hours at Milwaukee Public Museum (the coolest museum I’ve ever been to,) delicious Pizza, an awesome talent show, and lots of great times with great people.  Oh, and some really good conferences, too.   Did I mention the great people?  

National Ice Cream Day!

  I just found out that today is National Ice Cream Day!  So I have decided to take a break from chronicling my travels to post a couple of our favorite ice cream recipes, and to finally post a review on our AWESOME ice cream maker.
  Since the birth of our sweet little heifer, Eulalia, we have had lots of milk and cream to enjoy.  And what better treat to make with cream than ice cream?  Especially in this soupy weather we're having right now.  It's 91º outside, but with the humidity it feels like 105º!
  We bought our ice cream maker just before Easter, and absolutely LOVE it.  It is a Cuisinart ICE-30BC, and makes about 2 qts. of ice cream per batch.  We also bought an extra freeze bowl, so we can make more than one batch of ice cream at a time.

Chocolate Ice Cream
  The book that came with the ice cream maker has some really great recipes, including this super simple chocolate ice cream.  I have been looking for YEARS to find a chocolate ice cream recipe that didn't taste bland or burnt.  This is it.  

1 c. unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted
2/3 c. white sugar
1/2 c. brown sugar
dash of salt
1 1/2 c. whole milk
3 1/4 c. heavy cream
1 T. vanilla

Mix cocoa powder, sugars, and salt until well combined (no cocoa lumps.)  Add milk, cream, and vanilla.  Freeze in ice cream maker 25-35 minutes.  Ripen 2 hours in freezer, if desired (keeps it from melting so fast.)


Surprise Sandwich Ice Cream
For those a little more adventurous, and who love peanut butter as much as I do, there is this recipe.  You can leave out the marshmallows and chocolate, and just have peanut butter ice cream, but what's the fun in that?  The name comes from the yummy "Surprise sandwiches" my mom used to make when I was little.  She would take and spread peanut butter on bread, sprinkle it with chocolate chips and marshmallows, and put the sandwich in the oven until the marshmallows toasted.  Yum!  I recommend letting this recipe freeze a couple of days to let the marshmallows soften.  Just make sure you take it out about 15 minutes before serving to make it easier to scoop!


Ice Cream:
2 c. heavy cream
2 c. milk
1 c. white sugar
1/2 T. vanilla
dash of salt
1 c. creamy peanut butter

Additional ingredients:
1 1/12 c. mini marshmallows
Chocolate Swirl (recipe below)

Mix cream, milk, and sugar until sugar dissolves.  In a separate bowl, mix vanilla, salt, and peanut butter.  Add cream mixture into peanut butter a little at a time, until well combined (or use an electric mixer.)  Freeze in ice cream maker for about 25 minutes, or until done. Add additional ingredients and allow ice cream maker to mix them for a couple of minutes to combine.

Chocolate swirl:
1/2 c. semisweet chocolate chips
1 regular size hershey's milk chocolate bar
1/4 c. cream
dash of salt

In a double boiler, melt the chocolates without stirring until they are shiny.  Stir and add cream and salt.  Drop by tablespoons full when ice cream is done, but while ice cream maker is still running.  Don't over mix!

P.S.
The Chocolate Swirl tastes very much like the chocolate in moose tracks ice cream :)

Sursum Corda young Adults Camp - Part Two

Holy Hill.

The second part of our journey was a trip to The Shrine of Our Lady, Help of Christians on Holy Hill, about a half-hour north east of Milwaukee.  I have wanted to return to Holy Hill since my last visit, about nine years ago.  I was with a church group, and didn’t have half the time I would have liked, then.  This trip we STILL didn’t have enough time, but I think we got to see much more than before.  

  If you ever get the chance to visit Holy Hill, jump at it.  It is gorgeous.  There is so much natural beauty in the area, and the craftsmanship throughout the Shrine is so beautiful, I cannot describe it.  It lifts the mind to God and to Heaven.  We cannot imagine the splendors of heaven in our ordinary surroundings.  In these extraordinary surroundings, we see enough of a glimmer of that splendor to realize just how amazing it must be.  I could do a full post on each section of the shrine, but there are other things I want to get to, as far as the weekend goes.  Perhaps another time.  For now, here are the highlights.

 I love the statues in the St. Therese chapel.  They are done in white, with gold trim, and the detail is magnificent on each.  Note the mirroring pieces of marble on the high alter, with the (I think) inlayed mosaic flowers.  There were so many mosaics EVERYWHERE we went!  It was so neat to see the detail in them!

  After the St. Therese chapel, we climbed the 170-some stairs to the tower.  Talk about a long way up!  The view was definitely worth it, but I admit I was shaking by the time we got back down again.  Who needs roller coasters with a thrill like that?

    Our next stop was the main church.  What little breath I had left after our climb was taken away by the beauty of it.  The mosaic above the high alter is unbelievable, and strips of marble radiate from it like heavenly rays.

  This technique is mirrored in the side chapel, where Our Lady, Help of Christians is being crowned.  It is in this chapel that I light my candles.  

  

We were only able to see one of the Stations of the Cross, due to our limited time.  I hope I will be able to go back someday soon to make the full half-mile journey.  

  Our last stop was the Lourdes Grotto.  Of the three grottos we saw, this was the largest.  Holy water runs down the face of the rock and into a pool, and there are spigots on each side to fill holy water bottles.  

  This is just a small part of Holy Hill (we took over 200 pictures!)  Everyone says to come back in the fall, when the leaves are changing.  I recommend allowing far more than two or three hours to really enjoy it - and be sure to bring your camera!   

Sursum Corda Young Adults Camp - Part One

Yes, I survived the weekend - even the driving.  It was glorious.  We even had perfect weather.
Between my sister and I, we took LOTS of pictures - 1161, to be exact.  Of course, not all of them turned out, but I'm sure I can find a few to post ;).

Our journey started with a trip to the Shrine of Our Lady of Good Help, just outside of Green Bay, WI.  It is the site of a Marian apparition in 1859, which has been recently approved by the Church - the only approved site in the United States.

Mary asked Adele to teach the children "their catechism, how to sign themselves with the sign of the Cross, and how to approach the sacraments." Adele started a school and a chapel. 

  The candles were in the crypt below the chapel, built on the site of the apparitions.

There was also this beautiful pieta statue.  If you look closely, you can see crutches in the background, from those who have had favors granted.











As promised, I lit a candle for my family, friends, and readers.

We happened to be visiting on the feast day of Sts. Cyril and Methodius, making these statues in the main chapel even more meaningful...and a bit of a surprise!

The main alter has a beautiful statue of Mary and the Child Jesus.  On one side of the chapel there is a display with a statue given to Sr. Adele for processions (and still used today!) and two reliquaries.  One (center) contains wood from the trees Mary appeared on, and the other (right) a piece of the Blessed Virgin's veil.

Outside, they have a field with the Stations of the Cross in the center, and the mysteries of the rosary around the outside.  I really liked the way they did the rosary.  There were five banners, and on one side would be the first mysteries (for example,) and the other side had the fifth, so it didn't matter which side you started on.  Between the mysteries there were a couple of shrines and benches to stop and pray, such as this small grotto.

Another beautiful little spot was this Fatima shrine.  The statues are just gorgeous!

So concludes the first stop on our journey.  We had to drive a few hours south to our hotel, and we did a little shopping for some lavender lotion.  The mosquitos were very healthy - and hungry - in Wisconsin!  I also bought some awesome sandals :)

Packing...

...for my weekend of pilgrimage/retreat/camp!  I can't believe how quickly time has passed - it's already July!  I will be gone for the next 5 days, with no access to a computer, save my handy-dandy iPod touch, so I won't be able to post anything along the way, as much as I would like to.  But rest assured I WILL have my camera with, and I WILL take pictures, and I WILL post about our journey!

St. Raphael, guide us in our travels

In the mean time, all of my readers are in my prayers, as well as all of the intentions on my prayer wall- feel free to leave your intention, please!  We will be going to at least two pilgrimage sites this weekend, and I believe there will be daily Mass starting Friday.  I can't wait!  God Bless!