Life, lately

I've been at my desk, drinking tea and working on accounting.  What have you been up to?

Surprise Visit

 The honeymooners surprised me today by stopping by on their way back home!  They are too happy for words.

Don't worry, the dragons are henna.  The smiles are real.

I finally got my photo with Kate.  The only photo we took together the entire week that I was up there was in the dark, right before she and Ethan left.  Now I have this one, too!

Thirteen for '13

If you know me, you know that I love lists.  Grocery lists, reading lists, lists of things to plant, pack or do.  If it's a list, it's my friend.  Add a new year into the mix, and you get a list of things to do for that new year!  So, with some items serious, some lighthearted, I present to you Thirteen for '13:

1. Cook meals more often (enough of the salad, already.).
2. Paint and draw more, and work on hand lettering.
3. Read or finish: 
• Les Miserables by Victor Hugo
• How the Gospel Brings Us All the Way Home by Derek Thomas - Done!
• This Momentary Marriage by John Piper
• When Sinners Say I Do by Dave Harvey
• Walden by Henry David Thoreau - Done!
• The Seasons of America Past by Eric Sloane - Done!
• Art and the Bible by Francis Schaffer - Done!
4. Memorize Ephesians 3-6.
5. Run a 5k and a 10k.
6. Learn to tell the weather beyond "look, it's sunny outside!" or "it's raining" with the help of another Eric Sloane book.
7. Learn 3 new songs on the dulcimer each month (with chords!).
8. Study 1 and 2 Corinthians.
9. Finish up that Plant Science minor, and find an accounting internship for the fall summer.
10. Get up between 5:00 and 5:30 AM every day (hey, if you shoot for the moon, you'll land in the stars, right?), and therefore, get more done.  I'm most productive in the mornings, and don't mind going to bed early.  I'll start at 5:00 and see how realistic that is.  You're probably laughing already.
11. Preserve raspberry jam
12. Remove clutter like extra clothes, sewing and art supplies, papers, computer files, etc., and keep it out.
13. Take more photos!

What are some of your goals for the year?

Wed

 Kate's mom and sister.

My parents.

The bride and groom.

Just a few of my favorite moments from the wedding day.   Congrats, Kate and Ethan!  God is so good.

Blessed

As I walked across campus this morning to take a final, I couldn't help but notice the frost.  This was the latest in the morning that it had stayed, so far.   You can see where the sun was beginning to melt the edges a bit.  The whole campus was shimmering, and the reflections on the pond (which is affectionately nicknamed Walden) were lovely.  I am so blessed to be here, studying in the shadow of the hills, close to home.

P.S.  I'm done with finals!

Lights

We have a bit too much fun around here, as evidenced by the above photos.  Last night we went caroling with friends from church, and tonight we're going out to look at the Christmas lights in our town.  'Tis the season!

November Saturday

Today has been a good day.  

• Home with family
• The farmer's market this morning, held in the fire house with its large, tall windows
• A new crocheting project (the first in years!  I'd forgotten how fun it is)
• Mexican-style kale soup with a clementine
• A cardinal's nest in my room
• House projects this afternoon

When peace, like a river, attendeth my way,

When sorrows like sea billows roll;

Whatever my lot, Thou has taught me to say,

It is well, it is well, with my soul.

- H. G. Spafford

Study Space

It Strikes Again

No matter how many socks I put in the washer, there will always be one without a match by the time the laundry is clean and dry. There can only be one explanation...

... the dreaded Sock Monster.  

A November Day At Another School

 

      Chrissy and I went to Another School's library yesterday to check out some books on Bach (Beth needs them - I don't read about Bach on a regular basis).  There were shelves of books on that composer alone!  I finally just grabbed six that sounded good.  Then we stuck around and split a calzone outdoors - because it's beautiful out there.

      This school has a special place in my heart.   My parents both took classes there, and I took a class there last semester.  From when I was 12 to 16, we came here every Wednesday to run, swim, or play racquetball (with our own rules, of course) in the athletics center.  Many of my friends attend or teach here, now.  I love this place - it just feels like home.

      Also, I think part of the reason why I love November so much is because of all the textures that pop out!  The bark, the evergreen foliage, the bricks and wool and fallen leaves and sweaters.  I just want to drink a cup of tea and slowly enjoy this month and all its blessings.

November

I'll admit it.  For the first time, I'm a bit obsessed with this month.

Do The Next Right Thing

That's what the painting says.  My small-group leader's wife, Shari, a mother of seven, said that last year, and it has really stuck with me.  I haven't always done the next right thing (over and over again), but it's a good reminder, especially this semester, as my time is spread thinly between life and work and classes.  And the nest and feather just make me happy.

What have you been thinking about?

This Kind of Day.

Sunny, but cold.  Slightly breezy.  A perfect start to November in my book!  What was your weather like?

Summertime

     Ice cream with friends after church on Wednesday evening, temps in the 100's the rest of the week, grilled chicken and watermelon tonight.  Summer is indeed here, and there are good deal of things to do.

• Summer school -  So far, so good.  I think I'm in the fun part of college now, when the classes start to all build off of and relate to each other.  BONUS: I thought classes started Tuesday.  Nope, Monday.  Too bad I realized that Monday night!
• Canning - Rhubarb and black tea jam, and strawberry-rhubarb jam are both done.  I'd love to learn to make tomato sauce!  
• Reupholstery - Beth and I are going to try our hands at reupholstering two chairs that have lived quiet lives in the basement up until now.
• Reading -  I finished last summer's reading list about a month ago (I know, I know...), and am ready to start another.  I've started How The Gospel Brings Us All The Way Home by Derek Thomas, and highly recommend it so far.  It's not too long, either, so you could bring it with you for vacation reading. 
• Music - One of my closest friends, her husband and their three sweet kiddos are going to a folk/bluegrass music festival, and I get to join them!  I hear that the lemonade is a reason to go in and of itself.

What are you up to this summer?  

Returning

After an unintentional sabbatical from blogging and Etsy, I'm back! Spring is here already, and life is rolling along quickly. Here's a photo from the time off.

My lovely sister Beth and I, making rosettes, which, for the uninitiated, are pictured below with Mama. Think crispy, thin funnel cakes dipped in sugar. They are a scandinavian cookie, though many cultures claim them. This really isn't surprising because they're SO good!

An Update

It's about time, after all.

I like Joanna's ideas for changing the blog header.  Once I have access to photoshop again (i.e. once Chrissy brings her computer back from the speech and debate tournament), I will continue the editing.  The orchid did re-bloom!  

School is over until July!  I must say, my first year of college went by very quickly.  Overall, I enjoyed it much more than I expected to, and have had so many useful experiences.  Even if the classes won't all prepare me for "real life" (though most of them will), I've had many opportunities to interact with people - Christians and Atheists and everything in between - and these experiences are preparing me for real life, for sharing the Gospel with those around me.  It's really crazy what some people believe and why, but most of them have reasons, and it's good to understand those reasons, in order to address them.

As I type, there are cakes baking in the oven.  These cakes are most likely going to be failures.  The recipe said they were supposed to bake for 38 minutes, but are nearing 50, and still aren't done.  That's what I get for messing with a recipe (substituted coconut oil for shortening - it worked when Beth did it).   Ah, well, there's always Betty Crocker.  

After experiencing what seems like Brazil's rainy season (just colder) for a few weeks, I'm happy to say that the sun is shining today and Summer may have just arrived.  Please ignore the stormy forecast for the next three days.

Excuse me, that sounds like the timer...

After 55 minutes, the cakes are done!  They're still rather dense, but they'll taste good with strawberries and whipped cream.  Everything tastes good with strawberries and whipped cream, right?

More to come. 

The Sandhill Cranes...

... are headed North with their gurgling calls.  More v-shaped flocks pass overhead each day.  Spring is coming!

When a Boy Makes Dinner...

    
     David made supper for our family recently.  I think it was a success!  The broccoli was right, and the meat was good, though a bit dry, due to a miscommunication over setting timers (these things happen).  As you can see, however, this potato was the most remarkable food on the table, and with good reason.

If looks could kill, no one would live to eat this spud.

In Which February Comes Sweeping In

     The air outside is damp and cold, and a mixture of rain and snow has been steadily falling all day.  The house is gray and quiet inside, because half the family is very sick and two of the healthy people are away.  I left a still house this morning to go to class, and came back to a still house. I ventured out again to the post office to mail a package in the afternoon, and when I returned the house was still quiet.  This type of day makes me want to hunker down in a big chair with a book and some tea.  I think I will do that, as I feel sorry for my poor parents and brother (though he's recovering quickly).  I'm afraid the book will have to be about accounting, but that's ok.  I'll survive.

     Plans are brewing in my head.  Plans for lots of things, like traveling, watching birds, helping more at church, sewing, designing, and walking the dog.  Good plans. Plans that I hope will work and turn into something.  But I should remember these verses:"Come now, you who say, 'Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit' - yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. Instead you ought to say, 'If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.'" James 4:13-15 
  
     I'm glad life doesn't happen according to my plan, because I would mess. it. up.  God won't. 

...

Talk about a stream of consciousness post.

Hearts in a Window

     Valentine's Day is such a happy holiday!  Flower Patch Farmgirl has a tutorial for making these pretty transparent hearts, and even though Valentine's Day is several weeks away, I made them a couple days ago.  They really brighten up our kitchen, and make it look so festive.
     Basically, you shave crayons with a pencil sharpener, take the shavings and iron them between two sheets of wax paper, then cut out hearts, punch a hole in them, and hang them up!
     If you want yours to looks like hers and be different colors, make separate batches of each colors (so you have red, orange, pink and purple sheets of melted crayons and wax paper).  I put all my colors on one sheet of wax paper, and even though they were in different groups they all blended into one bright mix.