I'm suddenly fascinated with this time in history and can't seem to get enough information about it in this old brain of mine. While I was "Googling" I ran across these images of Martin Luther's hymnal and Bible. I thought these were very interesting artifacts.
My Great Aunt was married to Frank Wassall who was the brother of Dr. Sam Wassall who was responsible for the vaccine to cure Malaria, and I have the Wassall family Book of Common Prayer which I really treasure. Guess that's why I'm so interested in old books.
I've also been watching The Tudors on Showtime and that has really peaked my interest in English history. As a gift to myself, I have purchased seasons 1 & 2 of this series. It's really fascinating.
Since I'm such a visual person, I find it much easier to retain facts if I can see them as well as read about them. Season 3 has just started and is on Showtime on Sunday nights. I highly recommend watching it. I never realized how truly mean Henry turned out to be. One thing's certain ... you don't ever want to be sent to the Tower for a "visit". The chances of your returning are pretty slim!
My dear friend and prayer partner, Diane, had a birthday last week and I painted this little butterfly for her. I feel as though our friendship is like a metamorphosis .. always changing and growing, so the butterfly painting seemed appropriate for this occasion. She appeared to really like it.
We had the pleasure and privilege of seeing the Monarch Butterflies when we were in Pacific Grove in California. They are so beautiful and fascinating to watch.
I took a break from study and The Tudors to get ready for Easter on Saturday. Last week was Holy week and we were extremely busy with church activities. There is a slide show following this entry if you'd like to take a look. Most of the photographs in this show are taken from Father Matkin's blog. He's so good about keeping all of the parishioners up to date with photos of things going on around the church. My thanks to him for his many talents.
We attended daily mass last week so on Saturday I decided that I'd better get my act together and get ready for the family gathering here on Sunday.
The first thing I did was to set the tables.
I've always loved these little dancing rabbits so they make their appearance each Easter.
Once the tables were set, Frank and I went grocery shopping. He's always such a dear to help me out on all occasions but especially on holidays. Easter is so very special to us for many reasons. We MET on an Easter Sunday 53 years ago, so it's a very important day in our lives as a couple and a family.
We've changed a little since then, but our love for each other had not changed. it's only grown.
While we were shopping we found these wonderful strawberries, so I decided to give the boys a special treat. They aren't always as interested in the desserts that the adults have, so I had a special plan for them. These particular strawberries were almost as large as a small egg. They are amazing!
As soon as we returned home, I started to prepare the big people's dessert. For some reason, Easter brings Pineapple Upside Down Cake to my mind.
Here is the pattern that I made in the bottom of this huge cake pan. The fruit and nuts are sitting on a caramelized glaze on the bottom of the pan. Of course when we turn this cake out, this will be the top .... and here it is .... Voila!
Sunday morning after church I hurried home to put the ham in the oven, slice the tomatoes and green onions. I had already cooked the navy beans on Saturday, so with the exception of cooking the ham and the cornbread, the meal is almost ready.
Ian arrived wearing his new Fedora. When I told him that he reminded me of Justin Timberlake, he didn't take that as a compliment even though I meant it as one!
Connor helped devil some eggs for snacks when they first arrived. He's lots of help in the kitchen. We were waiting for Ethan to arrive so we could all get started. It was great that the entire family was present!
And here comes Peter Cottontail! Actually, this is a painting that I did a little while back that is painted in the style of Albrect Duerer.
The day started out to be very dreary with lots of rain but about 1:00 it started to clear up and turned out to be a beautiful day after all. My ham turned out well also ;-) I might add that it was delicious.
After the meal was finished, I brought out the boy's surprise. They loved the warm, melted chocolate that they could dip these wonderful strawberries in.
That's an egg sitting on the table, so that will give you an idea of the size of the berries!
The boys debated for a long time and then finally decided that they might try the pool which is NOT heated.
Connor checked with his folks to see if it would be all right.
Franklin was checking his IPhone to see what the temperature was (and also to check on the golf scores at the Masters). We need to get a TV for the deck. It would make life much simpler.
Ethan, out Great grandson is getting so big. He's 14 now and it seems like only yesterday that I was babysitting him as a cute little boy. Now he's a handsome young man. The young ladies had better watch out!!!
The weather warmed up to nearly 70 degrees so the jackets came off and everyone enjoyed basking in the Easter sunshine.
Since tomorrow is a school day, the troops left about 6:00 p.m. My baby boys are growing up They're all such cutie pies! After all, if you have a skateboard, wear a fedora and bring your own champagne, how can you miss?
Have a great week. I'll write again when I have something to say!
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