I think the biggest things we had this month were graduations; four of them! Many have said it, but I don't know of anyone who actually enjoys going to a graduation ceremony. Not because you don't want to support your person of course! If one could go to a graduation for just their friend/sibling/cousin, I'm sure most people would say yes. Nevertheless, you go to support even if it's two and a half hours long (or two and a half hours away in our case) and I've never once regretted attending a graduation ceremony. It gets the family together. Usually a meal is shared before or after. And as boring as the ceremony is, I think families need to be bored together more often. It brings them closer. Remembering how you felt like you could do anything during your own graduation when the cliche Valedictorian speech comes around, cheering for your person when their name finally gets called and sitting through an Alma Mater that probably not even the students would sing if the words weren't up on the screen... Even graduations have their fun moments. 😊
I did it- I made a clothesline! Although I've always liked the idea of it, I wasn't really going to get a clothesline because I've heard people talk about the crispness of the towels and sheets. It honestly made me think my clothes would be just like when I airdry something inside. Stiff and rough. However, the first load of dresses and skirts I took off the line say otherwise. They smell wonderful, they're soft and I can't begin to explain how satisfying and relaxing it is to put things up, watch them blow in the Spring breeze, then take them down again, fully clean and dry.
I will say, we haven't had much humidity lately. So once that comes, I might concede and go back to using the dryer. It's just that running the dryer in our home when it's 80 degrees out, makes it so much warmer inside. So we're using electricity to run the dryer (and from what I hear, it uses a lot) Then I have to crank up the AC which uses even more electricity. No wonder our summer electric bill is so high! I guess we'll see what happens as summer comes.
I'm really rooting for the clothesline. If it gets us through the summer, I might see about expanding it!
~ Kitchen Happenings ~
I've found my new favorite way to make bacon... It's in the oven! I had to make three full recipes of broccoli salad a couple weeks ago, and I was not about to fry three packs of bacon on my cast iron in one day. So I found a recipe for easy bacon in the oven and wow! It tasted amazing! It cooked evenly! It took 15 minutes max!
I usually hate crispy bacon but that's probably because microwave-crispy is nothing like oven-crispy. Oven-crispy is full of flavor! I was able to put together most of the salads while the bacon cooked, and had most of the kitchen cleaned by the time all the bacon was finished. Honestly, I think frying on the stove takes just as much time, if not longer (and with constant supervision) Therefore, I will be using the oven method indefinitely. I think that's all I have to say about the kitchen this month😂Try it if you haven't already!
~ Things I'm Grateful For ~
This month I've been SO grateful for the beautiful weather we've been blessed with. The mornings are cool and there's been a breeze throughout the day that makes the heat more bearable, even enjoyable in the shade. I'm also grateful for our big front porch. I've been sitting out there at least once a day. It's therapeutic to just look upon nature- the trees, flowers, birds, and deer if I'm lucky- and just to let my self think in quiet. No phone, no book, just thoughts and also prayers.
~ On The Bookshelf ~
This month's read was inspired by this video from
War on Beauty and a comment on that video, which eventually led me to this video by
A New Crusade. In the War on Beauty video, Julia makes the argument that there is a difference between nudity and nakedness. One is acceptable, the other isn't. She uses art in her examples and then talks about modesty.
This was a view that I've always struggled with. On one hand we have tons of old Catholic art that features partial to full nudity. On the other hand we have what we would call, "traditional" beliefs; women should veil in Church and cover their shoulders and knees. But to me, those two views don't exactly line up... If we are supposed to believe that the body is beautiful and should be looked upon naked (in art) but in a nonsexual way, why is it that we must dress modestly? Or if modesty is subjective, as Julia makes it out to be, then really anything goes for what we wear. And how about nudity in advertisements and art today? After all, not all of them would be sexually provocative by her standards.
That leads me to the comment on the video by A New Crusade. He mentioned a book that talks about how the Renaissance era was actually the beginning of to revolt against true Christian culture because it introduced Humanism, specifically in art. So I found his video and watched it (and bought the book he talked about) and honestly, it is a more logical view to hold than the "nudity is good and can be modest, depending on your intention" view.
So I started reading the book, which is called
Revolution and Counterrevolution by Plinio Correa de Oliveira. I haven't gotten to the specific part about the Renaissance yet but it's good so far and as mentioned before, it makes sense that the revolutionary spirit of the Renaissance, was later corrected by the Council of Trent and the covering of nudity in the Sistine Chapel, which Julia even covers in her video. I will definitely be considering this topic more! And definitely check out the A New Crusade video, it was very thought provoking!
~ My Spiritual Life ~
My new thing is leaving my phone untouched until after I say my morning prayers. Usually this means it sits there at least an hour after I get up. It's really helped me to focus on what's important in the mornings. My relationship with God and with my husband. No distractions until those two things are tended to. It's been wonderful!
~ Other Random Things Worth Mentioning ~
So this caught my eye around Mother's Day...
Am I the only one bothered by this? I'm sure those Conservatives who got on to Meghan Kelly not so long ago would agree with me...This is kind of appalling. Look, I think Karoline Leavitt is a great woman. I've heard she's Catholic. She does her career well. So well that I sometimes wonder who is
actually taking care of her children. Everything in this photo is giving away what she is really focused on. Spoiler alert: it's not that small child in her arms or what she is making for dinner.
And this social media post that someone at Fox News created, showcases the biggest issue with the Conservative movement. Feminism has taken hold and we have completely forgotten why we are Conservatives with traditional values. What are we conserving? Everything in politics should be for the greater good of our society. Or you could say, for the greater good of the family, which is the building block of our society. It's ironic to claim to work for the greater good of families, while also neglecting your own.
Those things these women are advocating for in the public square, will never be as fruitful in their lives as being with and supporting their families. Many have said it before, but I'll say it too: Ms. Leavitt can be easily replaced in "one of the most high-pressure jobs in politics" but nobody can replace her in her own home.
And please, we need to stop praising women for being "super moms." No woman can have that intense of a job and simultaneously give 100% to their family. You better believe there's a nanny. Maybe a cleaning lady. Possibly a personal chef or maybe just a loyal DoorDash driver. Not to mention this whole thing is an attempt to appeal to the Left by proving that "Conservative women are powerful too!! We're inclusive and believe in women's rights too!!" Let's stop pretending this is being truly Conservative. This is called Feminism. Ok, rant over.😌
Until next month!
Gina💕
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