soda bread

  Soda bread is one of my favorite things. It's one of the simplest things to make, but it's so, so, so delicious. Especially right out of the oven. Covered in butter and strawberry jam. Yes.

irish soda bread

1 lb flour

1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda (also called bread soda)

1 teaspoon sugar

1 teaspoon salt

15 fl.oz buttermilk

   Preheat oven to 190 C (375 F). Sieve dry ingredients into a bowl and whisk together. Make a well in the center and pour in buttermilk. Gently stir together with a wooden spoon, just until it comes together (the trick is not to stir it too much.)

  Place dough on floured surface and pat gently to make a flat round about 2 inches high. With a sharp knife cut a deep cross into it.

  Place on a tray and bake for 30-35 minutes. (tip: if you knock on the the bottom of it and it sounds hollow, it's done.)

  Immediately wrap in clean dish towel. (This keeps the crust from getting too hard.)

  After it has cooled a while cut yourself a slice. Then smother with butter and jam. Then take a picture of it. And then eat it. Oh my.

 

 I sincerely hope you are having a splendid day. (if you aren't, go listen to some Owl City. It'll make your day splendider. Is that a word?)

 

of shoes and ships and sealing wax

"'The time has come,' the Walrus said,
'To talk of many things:
Of shoes, and ships, and sealing-wax,
Of cabbages, and kings,
And why the sea is boiling hot,
And whether pigs have wings.'"

-Through the Looking Glass

 I'm so excited about Owl City's new album - All Things Bright And Beautiful. I'm oh. so. excited. But do you know what I'm even more excited about? The Owl City concert in July that I have tickets for. *dies*

 Wanna here a song from his new album? Here :) <3 ...remember to live, cuz you're gonna be thrilled to death... <3

 Sunset sailors often hide away. 

|Is it just me, or does it look like the clouds are on fire?|

 

   I'm loving spring. It might be my favorite season of all. But then...I say that every season :) They are all so wonderful for different reasons. But right now, spring is just perfect. The flowers, the sunshine, the greenest of green grass - love, love, love.

   

   Six weeks of home. That's too short of a time. I'm trying to make the most of every day that I'm home...everything will be so different next year. I get homesick just thinking about it.

   53 followers. 53. I'm amazed. I literally did a happy dance when I saw. Thank you so much to every single one of you! You are all extremely splendid.

  A Collage I made of pink prettiness.

  
   Have a lovely day,

today.

Today I wore my shamrock earrings.

Today I watched Dublin's parade on tv.

Today mom and I made shamrock-shaped sugar cookies. 

 |Please ignore the fact that shamrocks are supposed to have 3 leaves...not 4.|

Today I photographed all the green things I can find.

 |rugby ball|

Today I made soda bread (recipe to come soon.)

|Mmmmmmmmmmmm.|

Today we ate cabbage.

Today I watched this video. (warning: annoying music.)

  Why? Because today is St. Patrick's day - the day that celebrates Ireland. We don't usually celebrate St. Patrick's day much...but today I wanted to make it special. Just for the craic. ;)

loch álainn

 Today was a good day. I didn't fail my math test, I didn't make the ice tea too strong, and I didn't drop my camera in the lake. ...phew...

 After I finished the aforesaid test, my dad, my younger brother, and I went down to the lake. It's a really big lake, and there's lots of little back roads that lead to different bays. The bay we went to had a castle right next to it. Epicness.

 |Okay, okay...it isn't really much of a castle. Looks more like a tree made of rock. But it really is part of a castle, promise!|

  

  |My Lake of Shining Waters|

|Beautiful swans flying overhead|

 |Dad was skipping stones...|

|...whilst Caleb was throwing big rocks :)|

|An awesome tree with little fluffy things on it.|

    The weather today was so lovely, it was an absolutely beautifully sunny day. It's hard to believe that it was snowing just the other day!

 |Proof that it really snowed.|

 I can't wait for tomorrow. Since it's St. Patrick's day, we're gonna be doing some awesome Irish-ey stuff. Such as making soda bread and shamrock-shaped sugar cookies. Mmm! :)

cordelia

  This, my friends, is Cordelia.

  Cordelia the gorgeous pink rose. Yes...I name my flowers. It's a really fun thing to do, trust me. Especially if you name them after favorite book characters (or in this case, a name that a book character wishes she had.).

 I've decided that roses are my favorite kinds of flowers. They are so beautiful, so perfect. And not only do they look lovely, but they smell so wonderfully sweet.

  
   I've also decided that pink is the perfect color for roses. I love roses of all color, but light pink just seems as if it was meant for roses. It matches the sweet smell and the delicate petals.

 
  To think you can buy something so beautiful for €3.99. Epic.

 

   Well, I must be off to watch The Two Towers. "They're taking the hobbits to Isengard!" :)

daffodowndillies

 

She wore her yellow sun-bonnet,
She wore her greenest gown;
She turned to the south wind
And curtsied up and down.
She turned to the sunlight
And shook her yellow head,
And whispered to her neighbour:
“Winter is dead.”

- A.A Milne

thoughts of spring: miscellaneous questions

Over at Dancing Barefoot on Weathered Ground Lynnette is having a fun blog party. Part of the blog party is answering fun questions :) I'm not going to answer all of the questions that she had, just a few. Here they are:

What celebrity/celebrities would create a “Star-Struck” feeling if you saw them in real life? Adam Young. Ahhh! I'd probably die. And also Julian Smith. I'd most likely die then, too. :)

Who is your favorite blogger? Why?

 It's hard to pick just one favorite blogger, because there's so many incredible bloggers out there. Some of my favorite are Carlotta, Larkin, Libby and Olivia. They are such great writers and their photography is amazing.

What is your comfort food/drink?

 Cookies. And homemade vegetable soup.

|Favorite. Cookies. Ever.|

 

Movies: Action, Drama, Romantic Comedy, Documentary, Comedy? What are your favorite genres?

  I can't pick! I love all different kinds, and I love it when there's a little bit of everything in a movie. 

 |My favorite movies. Lord of the Rings trilogy. Eeep!|

Books: Fiction, Non-Fiction, Romance, Biographies, True Stories, Self-Help, Devotional/Study? What are your favorite types of reading material?

  I read all different kinds of books. I love reading classics (like Anne of Green Gables and Little Women), historical fiction (like Chains), and I love fantasy (like The Chronicles of Narnia and The Hobbit). And I love biographies, too (especially missionary biographies. Epicness.)

If you could live anywhere at all (and take all your loved ones with you), where would you go?

 Narnia. For sure. But if you mean anywhere at all on earth, than Prince Edward Island. 

What is one of your favorite things to catch a whiff of?

 Yankee candles, cookies, and grass (yes, grass.)

What is your greatest fear or strange phobia?
 Sharp knives and big spiders. *shudders*

What are your favorite animals?

 Cats! I love cats - big cats like lions and little cats like Alfred :)

What movie or book character can you most relate to?

Anne Shirley or Ellen Montgomery.                                                                                                                                                                                        

 Hope you have a great day :)