Chapter One

Once upon a time...

Given a name and a few introductory phrases such as those you've seen so far on this blog, you might think that you're about to be reading the delusions and verbal meanderings of a girl who has gone and given herself a faux royal title just because.  Well, I won't rule out that you might find some verbal meanderings here... *winkwink*

Anyway!  This blog is actually named partly as a nod to a line that my father used to say to me and my three younger sisters from time to time.  "You will always be princesses," he would tell us, "as long as I am the king of the castle."  Nowadays, of course, his way of putting it has altered to a slightly different viewpoint: he is the beekeeper and the women of his house are the bees, and so long as he doesn't disturb the bees, he will be safe.  Jesting aside, my father and mother did bring the four of us girls up in a house where the parents were considered the respected and loved ruling authorities, and we girls were given a life of both privilege and responsibility.  I grew up being encouraged to be imaginative and creative, and that is where my love of everything fairy tale, whimsical, and romantic springs from.

And then, two years ago, I met my very own honest-to-goodness, real-life, tall-dark-and-handsome Prince Charming.  I like to call him that from time to time, along with my other favorite nickname for him: "Mr. Darcy".  (I gave him that appellation because he looked as though he was quite miserable and out of sorts on the night that I met him--though, as I discovered later, he was really anything but miserable and out of sorts that evening!)  We were married earlier this year, in a blur of white roses and buckets of rain, and now we are living out after "Ever After" in our own home together.

This is the first time that I've ever had my very own home.  It's been a myriad of new experiences and adventures for me, and that is what I will be sharing about in this blog.  There will be stories, pictures, projects, recipes, and I don't even know what else...I will be figuring it out as I write.  I will try to keep to a posting schedule of Mondays and Thursdays, because honestly I'm infamously bad at keeping a journal.  A set schedule will improve upon this trait, I think.  :)

And now, for a welcome-and-thank-you-for-reading-my-blog gift: my very own recipe for a refreshing and oh so simple! summer dish.


Berries and Cream
Ingredients: 
 1 cup strawberries, halved
 1 cup blueberries
 1 cup raspberries
 1 cup blackberries
    --Or you can use a bag of berries from the frozen department at the grocery store!  Just be certain to let them thaw, thoroughly, first.
 1/2 cup sugar
 8 ounces mascarpone cheese
 1 can whipped cream topping


Instructions:
 Gently mix together the assorted berries in a glass bowl with the sugar, until the sugar is no longer visibly white against the berries.  Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place it in the refrigerator, until thoroughly chilled.  Stir the berries again when you take them out of the refrigerator, before serving.
 Scoop the mascarpone cheese out of its carton into a separate bowl.  Dispense the canned whipped cream topping until it looks about equal with the amount of mascarpone cheese--you're looking for a half-mascarpone, half-whipped cream mixture here.  Stir together gently until both ingredients are combined.  Spoon this mixture over the berries and serve immediately.

A parting note for now: the berries mixture and the mascarpone/whipped cream will keep for up to three days, I would say, in the refrigerator and stored separately from each other.  As these ingredients are all rather perishable, I wouldn't store the berries and cream together, or keep it for more than three days, as they will lose their freshness quickly.  This recipe is a simple and refreshing classic, and it has always been a hit with everyone that I've served it to!