The Housewife Journal ~ April ~

   ~ April 2025 ~ 

Happy Easter! He is risen indeed! Alleluia! 

Well, the long Lent is over, and now we can rejoice! I was telling a friend just last week that Easter has truly become my favorite holiday/liturgical season... 

As well as maturing in my faith and experiencing everything in the Latin rite from Septuagesima to the Easter vigil, as my friend reminded me, everything else in our faith points to the cross and resurrection. The reason Christmas is so beautiful is because our Savior became one of us, to be with us and to die for us. I always used to think that line, "the Bible is the greatest love story ever told" was kind of cringe and sappy. But...It actually holds to be true. The Bible and all of salvation history point to Christ's coming, death, and resurrection. And like Christ, everything around us rises with new life in the Spring!

~ Out And About ~

This month my husband and I went to a festival, put on by a monastery about an hour away from us. My husband actually discerned there for two years before we met! I know it's a special place for him. We walked around and met up with a few of the monks who gave us a short tour of their new living area. I was touched that I was allowed to come along! (don't worry, I didn't go through all of it, just the places open for family and a peek into some of the vacant rooms) Afterwards we visited the monks' cemetery to pray for the souls of the ones my husband knew.  

We also saw a lot of cool crafts and products by people who ran different booths. Next year I'm going with some spending money! There were these cute little bird houses and feeders made out of glass cups, plates, and serving ware! I know that doesn't sound very cute...But I assure you, they were! We also bought some jalapeno honey from a local beekeeper. My only regret is that it was in Lent. Hopefully next year Easter will come sooner. 

~ In The Home ~

Beeswax Paschal candle
(and a flag, meant for the butter lamb that never got a photo)

I pulled out my Spring decor! It isn't much, but it makes the house more bright and happy! 

My husband and I have made a master list of everything we want to do with the house and yard. It's a lot, but our goal is to get at least some things done before we potentially have some friends from Church over in June for a Pentecost celebration. I'm not too concerned about making everything perfect though. We've had people over and it's a great house for entertaining! I would, however, like to finish our chicken coop in the month of May...

~ Kitchen Happenings ~

I feel like we ate out or with family a lot during Lent, which took up the first half of the month. Here are two things I made, which are worth noting:

 1) Buffalo Cauliflower. Did it satisfy that craving for buffalo chicken wings that seemed to haunt us all of Lent? No. But they were very good as a side dish! I paired them with homemade mac & cheese and I made some homemade ranch for dipping!

 2) Cheesy Egg Bites. I used the linked recipe to create my own, something I never do, but I've tried egg bites in the past and they just never turned out right. I guess when you've eaten the Starbucks ones for so long, it's hard to make something that compares. (same with their caramel macchiato...Nobody can make it like Starbucks😭and I won't pretend like I don't miss it often) These were surprisingly good for being meatless, something I never thought I'd like for an egg bite.

Here is my version:

Cheesy Egg Bites

Ingredients:

12 Eggs at room temp.

2 Cups shredded cheese (I used a blend of 1 cup cheddar, 3/4 cup mozzarella, and 1/4 cup (and a bit extra for good measure) of a Mexican blend)

1/4 Teaspoon salt (or as needed)

1 Teaspoon garlic powder

1 Teaspoon onion powder

1 Tablespoon Italian seasoning

1/4 Teaspoon black pepper (or as needed)

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 

2. Whisk up the eggs well.

3. Add the salt, garlic powder, onion powder, Italian seasoning, & pepper.

4. Add the shredded cheese and mix WELL.

5. Use silicone baking cups (great thing to put on a wedding registry btw) and fill them up halfway or so. I got about 18-20 egg bites total. Bake for 25-30min. 

6. Remove bites from baking cups and allow to cool on a wire rack. Enjoy anytime for breakfast or a snack!

Now that it's Easter, I want to make more fresh and light foods. I made some Strawberry Lemonade that I think will be better when Strawberries are at peak season. And this Dill Pickle Chicken Salad has been one of my personal favorites! It's a nice change from the traditional chicken salad with grapes. 

Ah- it's good to be back full-time in the kitchen!

~ Things I'm Grateful For ~

MEAT. Just kidding, I didn't miss it that much. But I am more grateful than I was before, for all the people in my life who have raised and killed animals for our benefit. My husband is a hunter and even though deer isn't my favorite, sometimes it can be pretty tasty. He also raised and killed 30 something chickens last Autumn with the help of our brothers. I couldn't stomach it, although I tried to be a good sport! But what a blessing it is that we can attain meat with our own hands, even in this modern society, where it isn't the norm. In fact, all of the things we've been doing this Spring, tending to chickens and a garden, even feeding the birds, really make me more grateful for God's gift of the Earth.

~ On The Bookshelf ~

There is something so encouraging about finishing a book. The act of reading the last page and closing the book, inspires me to immediately start looking for the next one! This time, I had that feeling but I was truly at a loss for what to read next. My husband offered to find me one off his bookshelf. He said, "How about Ministers of Christ? It's about the priesthood!" Umm...

*long pause deciding to be a submissive wife, knowing he really wants to pick a book for me*

....ok. 

I took a look and you'll never believe who wrote the forward. Leila Marie Lawler. Well, I thought, I'm sure the forward will be interesting at least. I typically don't bother with the forward. But wow! I was hooked! The book is about the roles of the priesthood and the laity and how they are confused right now. It goes into gender roles (you know I love that kind of stuff) and makes it clear why women should wear veils and not lector. I haven't finished it yet, but I highly recommend it!

~ My Spiritual Life ~

About a week or so before Easter, my husband and I began preparing to consecrate ourselves to Jesus through Mary on May 13th, the feast of her apparitions at Fatima. The first twelve days, which happened to be pretty much all in Lent, were focused on detaching ourselves from worldly things. The writings of Louis de Montfort really put into perspective just how worldly we are these days. It's something I'd like to think about more, even as we celebrate.

Overall, I think my prayer life has significantly improved over the course of Lent. I think reading the Bible, which is something I started doing every day, has helped me focus on the rosary more. It probably has something to do with when you read something, especially something like a novel, you get a picture in your mind of what is happening. So when meditating on the mysteries, you have that clear picture and the words from reading the exact account from the Bible.

~ Other Random Things Worth Mentioning ~

I am not a gardener. That is my husband by all means! Yesterday, he sat me down to listen to the last chapter in the audiobook he was listening to called, The ABC's of Gardening. I believe it's an older book, because the last chapter is about why the housewife should garden. It goes through why is it good to get out of the house and work for something that brings results and health through the hard work. 

I had just begun my gardening journey (although I still wouldn't consider myself a gardener) after Auntie Leila made the claim that "The housewife grows things!" The day I read it, I decided I would try to grow something! My husband put me in charge of the herbs and I also got to planting some flower seeds I received from a friend at church. Here is how the flowers are going so far:

Some already coming up and it's only been a few days!

I planted Marigolds, Cosmos, and Celosia Spun Sugar. She also gave me Sunflower seeds, but those must be planted directly in the ground. I have hope that this will be the start of achieving my dream which is to have a huge cut flower garden so I can give them to friends and family.

I hope you have a wonderful start to your Spring,

Gina💕