VisionPixie

It's been a while... how about some Frank?

2011-01-11T21:55:00.001-05:00

I am very thankful.

2010-11-25T00:19:00.005-05:00

Mom’s Thanksgiving Stuffing
Chop two large onions and about 3/4 of a celery bunch into small to medium pieces. Be sure to use the inside of the celery first. Sauté these in about 1 stick of butter until they become translucent. Mean while, cut slits into about 20 chestnuts and boil them in water until the shells are nice and soft. Simultaneous to all of this, be cooking two rolls of Jimmy Dean regular pork sausage. Chop the sausage into small pieces and brown nicely. Drain the sausage well when cooked.
Empty two bags of plain bread cubes into a large mixing bowl. Add all of the above ingredients when cooked, along with two chopped Red Delicious apples without the skin. Squeeze out the inside of the chestnuts into small pieces into the stuffing mixture and discard the soft shells. Dot the stuffing mixture with about a 1/4 a cup of chicken broth.
Mix well, add to a large lasagna dish, dot with a 3/4 of a stick butter and bake for 45 minutes to an hour until a little brown at 350º. Yummy

Finally Something Blog Worthy... You all know how I feel about the Saints

2010-10-03T01:29:00.003-04:00

http://frere-andre.saint-joseph.org/en/

Elvis... I always remember him on August 16th.

2010-08-16T15:59:00.003-04:00

For Brett on his Birthday

2010-08-08T22:24:00.003-04:00

Sometimes, it's just about the mushrooms.

Back then we had our reasons.

Rock on, kid.

xoxoxox

For Jerry on his Birthday

2010-08-01T10:40:00.004-04:00

In the wake of a very nice weekend

2010-07-25T22:07:00.000-04:00

Happy Birthday, Mom!

2010-07-20T00:03:00.010-04:00

Remember my mom and sing along, please.

I'm thankful for my city.

2010-07-18T00:12:00.003-04:00

The 17th and here we are again.

2010-07-17T00:30:00.005-04:00

Time After Time.... I'm so lucky

2010-07-06T23:06:00.000-04:00

Time after time
I tell myself that I'm
So lucky to be loving you
So lucky to be
The one you run to see
In the evening, when the day is through
I only know what I know
The passing years will show
Youve kept my love so young, so new
And time after time
You'll hear me say that I'm
So lucky to be loving you

Thinking of you.

2010-07-05T01:28:00.001-04:00

I can see my mother from here.

2010-06-01T21:17:00.000-04:00

ok

2010-05-06T06:25:00.001-04:00

"I realize better than ever before how tender and merciful Our Lord is; He has sent me this cross when I am capable of bearing it, whereas before I should have given way to discouragement."

St. Therese, the Little Flower

2010-04-20T22:26:00.001-04:00

Pull myself together … put on a new face
Climb down off the hilltop, baby
Get back in the race

Food for thought...

2010-03-06T00:30:00.001-05:00

2010-02-22T20:55:00.000-05:00

Good Stuff

2010-02-10T11:13:00.000-05:00

Seppina

2010-01-18T21:56:00.000-05:00

Tonight, while sorting through some antique linen which I've inherited from my Godmother, I found a white linen table cloth that I had seen before, but hadn't paid much attention to. On the bottom of the table cloth was embroidered the name Seppina. My grandmother's name was Josephine and was affectionately called Pepina, so I figured that Seppina must have some connection to her.

After a little research, it came as no surprise to me that Seppina is a nickname for Josephine, but what was surprising is that there is a minor planet, which orbits the sun by the name of 483 Seppina. A minor planet is an astronomical object in direct orbit around the Sun that is neither a dominant planet nor a comet.

483 Seppina was discovered on March 4, 1902 by Maximilian Franz Joseph Cornelius Wolf (June 21, 1863 – October 3, 1932, a German astronomer and a pioneer in the field of astrophotography. My father, interestingly enough, was also a pioneer in astrophotography back in his RCA days.

As my Visionpixie viewers are aware, I love my YouTube and decided to see what I could find musically in tribute to my Nonna, Josephine. Here is a clip from La Revue Des Revues with showbiz trailblazer Josephine Baker dancing her little heart out. This clip is from 1927, the year my dad was born.

Something tells me that my cosmic tumblers are falling into place, so dance Josephine, dance.

"In the end the love you take is equal to the love you make"

2010-01-15T20:30:00.001-05:00

Happy Birthday, Elvis.

2010-01-08T22:18:00.000-05:00

This was my favorite concert of his. Don't you just love the black leather?

There's a time...

2010-01-06T20:52:00.000-05:00

Merry Christmas, Everyone!

2009-12-22T12:59:00.001-05:00

I could be the little girl that comes in at 0:44 on this video.

2009-12-22T00:31:00.001-05:00

I'm not big on Spoken Word, but I really Like This Guys adn What He Has to Say!

2009-12-11T11:38:00.000-05:00

Happy Birthday, Jim.

2009-12-08T12:47:00.001-05:00

Pitman Grove

2009-11-29T22:35:00.000-05:00

We went for the first time to see the Christmas Lights on North Avenue in Pitman Grove tonight. We had a fun slice of life in weird New Jersey. My kids loved it and so will yours. We saw lots and lots of lights and displays.

Frank Hagerty Jr. and seven other Pitman residents transform their Grove section yards into a neighborhood Winter Wonderland. The Hagertys on North Avenue in Pitman light up on clear nights between Black Friday and Dec. 28. They open their yards from 5:30 to 9 p.m. during the week, and from 5:30 to 10 p.m. on weekends. Santa and Mrs. Claus greet visitors from 6 to 8 p.m. on Friday and Saturday.

Santa's reindeer were my favorite.

There was a snoring, sleeping Santa puppet with extra large rubber hands. It was very strange, scarey and funny all at the same time.

Such Interesting Meringue

2009-11-29T22:33:00.000-05:00

Feeling dreamy

2009-11-26T21:12:00.000-05:00

Have you ever been to the Curtis Center at 6th and Walnut? If not, then you should, because everyone should see the Dream Garden; an enormous glass mosaic designed by artist Maxfield Parrish (1870-1966) for the lobby of the Curtis Publishing Building in Philadelphia — home of the successful magazines The Ladies' Home Journal and The Saturday Evening Post. The work was commissioned by Edward Bok, Senior Editor of the Curtis Publishing Company.

Measuring 15 by 49 feet, Dream Garden was produced by the Tiffany Studios in 1916, using over 100,000 pieces of favrile glass, each hand-fired to achieve perfection in each of the 260 colors. The partnership of Tiffany and Parrish had been called "one of the major artistic collaborations in early 20th Century America."

In June of 1998, Dream Garden was sold to casino owner Steve Wynn, who planned to move it to Las Vegas. Philadelphia historians, artists and press protested the proposed move — and the Pew Charitable Trusts agreed to provide $3.5 million to the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts in order to purchase the important work. The work is now owned by the Pennsylvania Academy, and is permanently installed in its rightful home in the Curtis Center lobby.

2009-11-07T00:28:00.000-05:00

To teach or not to teach? That is the question.

2009-10-26T22:49:00.000-04:00

Check your Nihil Obstat and Imprimatur at the door. I'm going to hell with gasoline panties.

I'm thinking about pennies and Sinatra

2009-10-14T14:59:00.000-04:00

Keep Holding On

2009-09-25T13:09:00.000-04:00

I never really paid much attention to these lyrics or Avril Lavigne for that matter, but I like these, especially because I heard this song at a time this morning, when I was asking my mom to send me a sign.
So, thanks Mom.

You're not alone
Together we stand
I'll be by your side
You know i'll take your hand
When it gets cold
And it feels like the end
Theres no place to go you know I wont give in
No I wont give in.

My new backyard

2009-09-07T17:35:00.000-04:00

Cosmo

2009-08-31T01:43:00.000-04:00

Cosmo fixed my chair with some Elmer's Glue-All, an old telephone line and some chop sticks.

Hello, friends.

2009-08-31T01:41:00.000-04:00

Happy Birthday Brett - please send me a sign in "my life."

2009-08-08T12:18:00.000-04:00

We miss you and love you.

It's July 17th, again.

2009-07-17T00:00:00.000-04:00

Hey Jim, could you please give Brett his own private concert today, please?

The Little Saint That Could

2009-07-11T02:24:00.000-04:00

Obama gave the Pope a Liturgical Stole that, from 1988-2007, was on the body of St John Neumann in Philadelphia, while the Pope handed over a mosaic of St. Peters Square & Basilica and autographed copy of the Social Encyclical, a major papal document.

Good Saint choice. Ever been to the Saint John Neumann shrine at 5th and Girard? If not, why don't you check it out?

I think this one was just for me, today.

2009-07-09T12:36:00.001-04:00

"Enjoy in peace the joy God is giving you, without worrying about the future. He is reserving for you, I am sure, new graces and many consolations."

St. Therese, The Little Flower

VisionPixie Worthy - Interesting

2009-06-26T23:58:00.000-04:00

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

I really like this one

2009-06-13T09:42:00.001-04:00

"Do not imagine that love can be found without suffering, for we carry with us our human nature; and yet, what a source of merit it is!"

St. Therese, the Little Flower

For Cosmo - Happy Birthday!

2009-06-12T07:52:00.000-04:00

Another good thought for the day

2009-06-10T10:18:00.000-04:00

"Nothing is sweeter than love; nothing stronger, nothing higher, nothing more generous, nothing more pleasant, nothing fuller or better in heaven or earth: for love precedes from God, and cannot rest but in God, above all things created."

St. Therese, the Little Flower

Takes me back...

2009-05-26T13:47:00.001-04:00

Thought for Today

2009-05-10T08:40:00.000-04:00

"Finally, I realized that love includes every vocation, that love is all things, that love is eternal, reaching down through the ages and stretching to the utmost limits of the earth."

St. Therese

hello again

2009-03-16T15:00:00.000-04:00

Mama

2009-03-09T16:53:00.000-04:00

Zinia

2009-03-04T21:48:00.000-05:00

Winter, 2009

2009-03-03T08:27:00.000-05:00

Why don't we all go to Capri?

2009-02-23T16:19:00.000-05:00

WTF

2009-02-01T02:32:00.001-05:00

Shut Your Eyes

2009-01-02T00:35:00.000-05:00

Magical

2008-12-24T00:07:00.000-05:00

You Can Count On Me - Merry Christmas!

2008-12-24T00:06:00.001-05:00

I Believe in Father Christmas

2008-12-10T15:01:00.001-05:00

I am Addicted to True Blood on HBO

2008-10-19T19:14:00.001-04:00

Thanks, Mom

2008-10-17T22:22:00.000-04:00

Jack O Lanterns

2008-10-12T20:36:00.001-04:00

My little boys and I had way too much fun today!

Sunflowers

2008-10-12T20:30:00.000-04:00

Okay, so I'm not a big fan of sunflowers. I think there kind of trendy, but in all honesty I've never been this close to so many all at once. They were very nice. They made me want to jump in my McMini Van, drink an orange soda sans ice, and listen to B101... just for a brief moment.

But I waited for you all summer, now you show up?

2008-10-12T20:28:00.002-04:00

Thank You Very Much

2008-10-12T20:28:00.001-04:00

Across the Universe

2008-08-27T14:02:00.000-04:00

Okay - so I know I'm a little late, and perhaps a tad uncool, but I finally saw "Across the Universe" this weekend on Starz On Demand. Sorry, but I've got kids and a job... sometimes On Demand is my only window into the outside world of film. Anyway, I loved this movie! If you love the Beatles, you will too. Although VisionPixie's bud GlyphJockey http://www.glyphjockey.com/ thinks it's a chick flick and therefor not his pint of ale. And he's right, but I still loved it! I like a lot of chick flicks and Jude (Jim Sturgess) in this movie is now my new imaginary boyfriend.

Spider Rock for Papa and My Boys

2008-08-22T20:09:00.000-04:00

Ya' Gotta Love the Geater

2008-08-21T22:18:00.000-04:00

Fried Green Tomatoes

2008-08-21T22:07:00.000-04:00

I drive by this old train stop each day on my way to work. It's old and boarded up. It's sad. Once this was a thriving place, filled with people headed down the line to the Jersey shore. Today, a freight train went by! I was so excited. I could almost hear the bee charmer in the kitchen making fried green tomatoes.

Why Don't We All Be Tinkerbell?

2008-08-21T10:25:00.000-04:00

My time is now and it's right for me

2008-08-20T16:35:00.000-04:00

"Children's Toys" by Jon Anderson

Kochbrunnen in Wiesbaden mit der Kochbrunnenquelle

2008-08-11T15:34:00.001-04:00

Kochbrunnen in Wiesbaden mit der Kochbrunnenquelle
Originally uploaded by amras_de

I would like to visit this place. Don't you want to?

We've been playing a lot of marbles lately

2008-08-11T12:56:00.000-04:00

Marbles are often mentioned in Roman literature, and there are many examples of marbles from ancient Egypt.

They were commonly made of clay, stone or glass.

Ceramic marbles entered inexpensive mass production in the 1870s.

Glass marbles were invented around 1848 in Germany, and entered mass production in the early 20th century when World War I cut off their importation from Europe, causing American industry to be applied to the task, producing a mechanized method of glass marble production which became the most common system in the world.

Glass marbles, too, became the most popular variety, and have remained so to this day.

In some developing countries, children use steel, minerals, or large rocks as a less pricy marble substitute.

Happy Birthday, Brett. We miss you.

2008-08-08T15:44:00.000-04:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7zEJ5m429AI

and for all of you country fans:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ug-juF9mOXo

Are you my mother?

2008-07-28T21:44:00.000-04:00

Mmm good, Mmm Mommy...

2008-07-21T21:24:00.000-04:00

I could have stayed here all day

2008-07-14T21:31:00.001-04:00

I'd like all of the cupcakes, please

2008-07-14T21:28:00.000-04:00

The best part about my commute to work during the summer

2008-07-14T21:21:00.001-04:00

Today, I took a stroll down memory lane...

2008-06-30T20:52:00.000-04:00

June 1, 2008

2008-06-26T21:25:00.000-04:00

And then the sun broke through the clouds after the storm began to pass and revealed the expectation of all the goods things to come.

The bridge to the heavens

2008-06-26T21:24:00.000-04:00

All this for Nascar. I just don't get it.

2008-06-26T21:21:00.000-04:00

The line of cars on Rt 1 in Delaware stretched on for miles. Thousands and thousands of people waiting to get in to the race. I just don't get it. I've never had less interest in anything in my life, except for maybe celebrating St Patrick's Day.

It's the little things in life that make us happy

2008-06-23T21:29:00.000-04:00

We used to go to Pietro's a lot. My husband and I think it's the best pizza in the city. We went with our boys on Monday during a spur of the moment trip into town for work. I felt like such a tourist taking these pictures, but it was so worth it. It made me happy to be with my family; the people I love, in a place that is part of who I am.

And then the tears just stopped...

2008-06-19T10:53:00.000-04:00

Don't get me wrong, I'm glad, but a part of me misses them. They were mine and a true reflection and outward sign of my sorrow. Now they are almost extinct. Where did they go? Am I numb? I know I still miss her a lot, only it's different now. It's like I am "mirror of a mirror of myself." Is the sorrow gone? Is it released? Is it just suppressed? Sometimes I feel like it is settling in the center of my chest like an invisible bubble being filled with my emotions. I hope it doesn't burst. I think for now I should just let go, let God and ride the wave...

Sometimes Memories Are All We Have To Cling To

2008-06-02T12:20:00.000-04:00

I Was Tempted to Sit Out Here for A Long Time

2008-05-27T21:52:00.000-04:00

Matching Shoes and Bag, Please.

2008-05-27T21:51:00.000-04:00

Grandpa Al Lewis

2008-05-27T21:50:00.000-04:00

I'm Not Particularly Fond of Frogs

2008-05-27T21:48:00.000-04:00

Slippery Little Suckers

Turtle Mosh

2008-05-27T21:47:00.000-04:00

If you're a bird, then I'm a bird.

2008-05-27T21:45:00.000-04:00

Scabby Bubble Head

2008-05-27T21:44:00.000-04:00

You Don't Have To Stay Here, If You Don't Want To

2008-05-27T21:41:00.000-04:00

I know that it looks like downtown Tijuana, but it's Pittsburgh. WTF?

Heavenly Cotton Candy

2008-05-27T21:39:00.000-04:00

Padre Pio's Body Exhumed, Will be Venerated

2008-05-06T10:34:00.000-04:00

"The body is here, but Padre Pio is not just a body. In fact, he who lived in full union with the crucified Jesus now lives in absolute communion." Cardinal Saraiva Martins

SAN GIOVANNI ROTONDO, Italy (CNS) - Venerating the relics of St. Padre Pio is a reminder that the saints were real men and women who lived for God, said Cardinal Jose Saraiva Martins, prefect of the Congregation for Saints' Causes. Cardinal Saraiva Martins celebrated Mass April 24 at San Giovanni Rotondo before officially unveiling the new, crystal tomb in which Padre Pio has been reburied. Pilgrims will be able to view the body of the Capuchin friar, who died Sept. 26, 1968. In his homily, Cardinal Saraiva Martins said he wanted to emphasize two things: the meaning of death and the significance of venerating relics.

"That which we will see is a dead body, no longer animated by that breath which God the creator breathed into the primordial clay," he said. "Facing the mystery of death, we are called to understand that that which we see does not sum up everything about human existence," the cardinal said.

"Looking at his mortal remains, we remember all the good he accomplished in our midst through this body. The relics of those who sleep in the Lord -- and of the saints in a special way -- invite us to look toward the future.

They call us to renew our faith in the resurrection of the flesh." The Capuchins of San Giovanni Rotondo and the papal delegate for the saint's shrine, Archbishop Domenico D'Ambrosio, have said the body will be on view at least until September, but perhaps for as long as a year before the crystal will be covered.

The shrine has opened a telephone line -- (39-088) 241-7500 -- which potential pilgrims can use to reserve a date and time for visiting the tomb. Those without reservations will have to stand in line and take a chance on making it inside the crypt between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. As of April 23, the friars said, about 750,000 people had made reservations. Padre Pio's body was exhumed in a service that began late at night March 2 to verify the state of the body and to allow technicians to ensure its long-term preservation.

The friars had said the body was in "fair condition," although the skull and parts of the upper body showed serious signs of decay. The archbishop and the Capuchins hired Gems Studio, the London-based firm that makes figures for Madame Tussaud's Wax Museum, to create a silicone mask -- including a short moustache and ample beard -- for the body.

Fall Gernaniums

2008-05-05T17:12:00.000-04:00

I've been meaning to post this for quite some time now. I took this photo back in November, 2007. Look at the trees in the background, they are bare, yet these geraniums did not die. One of my CCD students gave me one of these type geraniums yesterday. Pink with white stripes. I love them.

Philly Skyline

2008-05-04T21:06:00.000-04:00

I love the Philly skyline, but am not particularly fond of the new Comcast building, for various reasons, which are too many to waste my time writing.

Hail Holy Queen, especially during the month of May

2008-05-04T21:01:00.000-04:00

Hail, holy Queen enthroned above,

O Maria.

Hail, Queen of mercy and of love, O Maria.

Triumph, all ye cherubim,

Sing with us, ye seraphim,

Heaven and earth resound the hymn:

Salve, salve, salve Regina!

Our life, our sweetness, here below, O Maria!

Our hope in sorrow and in woe, O Maria!

Triumph, all ye cherubim, Sing with us, ye seraphim,

Heaven and earth resound the hymn:

Salve, salve, salve Regina!

To thee we cry, poor sons of Eve, O Maria!

To thee we sigh, we mourn, we grieve, O Maria!

Triumph, all ye cherubim, Sing with us, ye seraphim,

Heaven and earth resound the hymn:Salve, salve, salve Regina!

Turn then most gracious Advocate, O Maria!

Toward us thine eyes compassionate, O Maria!

Triumph, all ye cherubim, Sing with us, ye seraphim,

Heaven and earth resound the hymn:

Salve, salve, salve Regina!

The cause of joy to men below, O Maria!

The spring through which all graces flow, O Maria!Angels, all your praises bring, Earth and heaven, with us sing,

All creation echoing:Salve, salve, salve Regina!

Some cakes are too pretty to eat

2008-05-04T20:59:00.000-04:00

Fans of Tommy

2008-04-20T13:14:00.000-04:00

There's something special about being with your oldest and dearest frinds that just makes you feel good. As the world zips by us, work day after work day, game after game, school project after school project and on and on... we get to stop, if even for a couple of hours and look at the faces of friends that we've laughed the hardest with and shared the most with over the years. And my God, what a gift.

Flowering Phillies

2008-04-20T13:09:00.000-04:00

Zwartboek (Black Book)

2008-04-17T00:12:00.001-04:00

If you haven't seen this movie, you should. Check our Starz OnDemand, if you have cable. It's available until 4.21.08.

Israel 1956. Rachel, a Jew, rather unexpectedly meets an old friend at the kibbutz where is she working as a teacher. It brings back memories of her experiences in The Netherlands during the war, memories of betrayal. September 1944. Rachel is in trouble when her hiding place is bombed by allied troops. She gets in contact with a man from the resistance and joins a group of Jews who are to be smuggled across the Biesbosch by boat to the freed South Netherlands. Germans from a patrol boat murder them all however. Only Rachel is able to escape. She is rescued by a resistance group under the leadership of Gerben Kuipers. When Kuipers' son is captured after trying to smuggle weapons, he asks Rachel to seduce SS-hauptsturmführer Ludwig Müntze.

Sebastian Koch plays Müntze.
Born on May 31, 1962 in Karlsruhe, Koch is a German actor. Koch grew up in Stuttgart and studied acting at the respected Otto-Falckenberg-Schule in Munich from 1982 to 1985. He is the only actor to have won two Adolf Grimme Awards for two different productions in one year (2002).

Carice van Houten plays Rachel Stein / Ellis de Vries and did all of her own singing for the movie. She was born in Leiderdorp (near Leiden) on 5 September 1976. Carice is a great admirer of American silent comedies - particularly Chaplin and Laurel and Hardy - although she can display an equally dramatic talent. In 2001 she made Minoes, in the title role of the cat-woman after Annie M.G. Schmidt. In the 2001-02 season she won the main role in a theatre production of Schmidt's musical Foxtrot.