Sunday Afternoon Tea

I was going to repeat a past Sunday Afternoon Tea but decided to write about my past two weeks instead.  Writing helps clear out the mind.

There has been a perfect storm of out-of-the-house appointments and errands, pre-wedding busy-ness (looking up addresses and sending out Save the Date cards), writing deadlines (for a wonderful new project), and a sinus infection... and a broken washing machine.

Most of my days are do-able.  I present a mental or physical list to myself of those things which must be done... those which should be done... those I wish I could do... and a few fond dreams here and there.

Most days at least the must be done items are mostly done.  Some days there are some shoulds and wishes accomplished.  Perhaps even a dream once in a blue moon.

But this past two weeks... oh, my!  I have felt the burden of undone lists weighing upon my shoulders and waking me up in the middle of the night.  When the undone includes those things you want to do and love to do and always try to make time for... life becomes burdensome. 

I think such scenarios bother me to the extent they do because they remind me of my finiteness.   Mankind and Womankind were originally not created to know what it is like to live in finiteness.  Little did they know what was meant by "if you eat this you will certainly die".

What did we inherit from our original father and mother?  Finiteness... and all that comes with it.

Thankfully I can hum the words of one of my favorite songs... I Can See Clearly Now.  Although I am not a superstitious person, I think I will stop and knock on wood or something.

It looks like the storm of extreme busy-ness has gone out to the ocean leaving behind a whirlwind of papers and laundry and clutter and ideas and unanswered mail and sinuses still on Benedryl. 

But the winds of undone lists are no longer blowing through my head and the rain of guilt pounding the windows of my soul is almost stilled. 

Although I think it is always there... as a little drizzle reminding me that I live in 24/7 time.

Today I will rest in spite of the inner nudging of the To Do list.  It is, after all, Sunday.   God... who did not need to rest on the 7th day... was the loving Father who showed us the wisdom of working six days and resting the one.   I have to think His To Do list is a lot bigger than mine.

Picture:  Afternoon Light by Susan Rios

Cake pops and birthday parties

I have an entire day before me when there is nothing scheduled, nothing at all... except a quick trip to Menard's to return the plumbing items which were not needed.  I guess that is something.  But I like going to Menard's.  ;)

Yes, my sinuses have been giving me problems.  I have been SO nauseous with this crazy weather, not to mention my head pounding at times.   Taking Benedryl all day helps a lot but can make one drowsy.  The non-drowsy formula doesn't work as well for me.  Christopher took two Benedryl on Tuesday evening and slept for sixteen hours, missing his Latin class!

It's not uncommon in the Midwest to have up and down temps but I don't remember the last time it was such a roller coaster ride for weeks and weeks... and weeks.

I have some writing which must be done, e-mails to answer, snail mails still waiting, soup to get started, and cup cakes (or cuppycakes as Cookie Monster calls them) to bake and practice icing with the pastry bag.

All of which need long periods of home time.  It's looking like that is going to happen now... God willing and the creek don't rise!  That's how I can accomplish more with a chronic illness.  When I'm away from home a lot, I'm often too exhausted to even think by the time I get back and I'm afraid a blog post would look something like... io#rhi opa*etel.

Birthdays were always a big thing at our home but Stephanie surpassed my efforts long ago.  Some readers know she has a degree in Interior Design from the University.  I love how she uses her God given talents to make her home a special place to live (and visit!).

In her post, she shares about Elisabeth's party but also what she has learned about making cake pops... here.  I wish I had been there!

I really am here!

Just popping in to tell you I'm alive!

Gosh, life has been way too busy.  I spent the weekend working on wedding plans (addressing and stamping Save the Date cards), yesterday morning I was at the retinal specialist's office for hours, and we had plumbers here today. 

Combine that with what this up and down weather is doing to my head and I have not had time to write.

The picture above is of the cupcakes and cakepops Stephanie made for Miss E.'s birthday party.  I'll put a link up to her blog when she writes about it.  She's hoping to write very soon.

She uses that vintage-antique ironing board as a buffet table!   I think it's adorable...

Picture:  Stephanie's house... link to follow soon!

Sunday Afternoon Tea

"You would watch him reading the phone book!"  That is what my family has said about my affection for Chef Jacques Pepin.  I'm afraid it is true as I was watching him cook fish and I don't even like fish very much (with the exception of breaded and fried catfish!).

However, this past week I was watching his new PBS series called Essential Pepin and had a Eureka moment which led to today's ponderings.  I was remembering the discovery long ago that the food I enjoyed in fancy restaurants was no different than what was sold at my neighborhood grocery store... mixed with techniques which could be learned.

What followed was the addition of cookbooks and cooking lessons and many (many) delightful Saturday afternoons perusing my favorite gourmet store in Saugatuck, Michigan.  This was all B.C. (before Christopher) when there were but three of us... a Mom, a Dad, and a delightful little girl.

When Stephanie and I experienced the amazingly wonderful cooking class-gourmet dinner at Colonial Williamsburg, the chef had begun his cooking career at one of the favorite restaurants in Michigan which inspired my love of cooking (what a small world!).

So, what does all of this have to do with my week's ponderings?  Well, when I was stretched out on the living room sofa with a fluffy kitty and a cup of coffee (for it was the early morning hours)... I was thinking how life is a lot like that.  We are all given basic gifts and it is what we add to them, how we use them that creates something lovely... or not.

Jacques was making the most delicious looking dinner with a monk fish... a fish who in the water has a face only a mother could love.  I mean, this is one ugly fish.  But when prepared properly, it is delicious (I have cooked it long ago with a recipe called "poor man's lobster").

Sometimes my circumstances remind me of that fish.  Sometimes they are not very pretty.  But it is what I do with those circumstances that creates a life that is lovely or one that looks a lot like that fish... just ugly.

It is my choice to take what I have with Thanks.  To accept unexpected gifts with love as if from Him.  When I can't do what I want... I thank Him for what I can do.  When the money doesn't stretch to cover all desires... I thank Him that I have what I need.

I am His creation and the work of His hands.  Jesus is that Master Chef... only He can use the ingredients set before Him to create a person worthy of presenting to the Father.  It is when I stomp my feet and whimper and wail and snivel and have a fit that I tie even the eternal God's hands and he cannot create within me something of Beauty.

He wants to create within me:  Love... Joy... Peace... Patience... Kindness... Goodness... Faithfulness... Gentleness... and Self Control (Galations 5:22-23).

While I cannot always choose my circumstances,  I can choose how I react to those circumstances... and I can make a mess or a masterpiece.  I think I'll take my lessons from Jacques and turn the ugly fish into a gourmet delight.

Come Saturday morning...

Do you remember that song?  "Come Saturday morning, I'm going away with my friend..."?

It is one of those when you get it in your mind, it stays there all day.   Um... sorry about that.  

Anyway, I wanted to show you what Saturday morning was like in my world today.  We had a mixture of snow and sleet.

The first picture I snapped with only my hand and the camera out the front door.  Brrrr...  The above picture was taken when I went out to see if my newspaper had made it out to the country.

My neighbor's farm looked lovely in the snow!

Not a lot of traffic, is there? 

Miss Victoria was able to watch her favorite TV show this morning.  

It is called Wild America. 

 She especially loves the show when it is about birds, 

in this case duckies.

She needed a closer look.

After such a frustrating hunt, she is now stretched out on the back of the sofa getting a long deserved snooze.

A probably partial list of favorite books in 2011

A corner of my living room

Since I never found the notebook where I wrote down everything I was reading, I had to depend on going through last year's blog posts to get an idea of favorites.  I know I missed something!

I am not including any books I re-read.  It was interesting skimming through the posts of summer and autumn as I read less and what I did read was mostly re-reading.

That included the time period from the month of the lightening strike and subsequent gas leak until we were able to get some resemblance of "normal" a few months later.  I think my brain was fried, along with the house!

Favorite books are listed from the beginning of the year through to December.  You will notice that most of the fiction favorites I read last year are not listed.  

I needed old friends to re-read instead and everything on this list are those I read for the first time.  I also did not include cookbooks or gardening books.

Fiction

The Twelfth Imam (Winter) and The Tehran Initiative (Autumn) by Joel Rosenberg
This is Joel's newest series of end times adventure novels.  Basically... imagine The Twelfth Imam appears to have returned, Iran gets the nuclear bomb, and America is under attack internally.

I don't know why I've always had a thing for "the end of the world as we know it" disaster movies and books but I do. 

Vittoria Cottage and Music In the Hills by D. E. Stevenson
Imagine a story set in a small English Village and continued (for one or two of the characters in the previous book) in Scottish farmland.  Charming story... believable characters... took me away from it all for awhile.

Henrietta's House by Elizabeth Goudge
Henrietta's dream is to have a house of her own where everyone she loves most can be together.  When her friends and family get together for a birthday picnic for Hugh Anthony, most of them end up lost in a new part of the woods where adventures and magic (Narnia magic so to speak) happen.

Non-Fiction

Marriage to a Difficult Man: The Uncommon Union of Jonathon & Sarah Edwards by Elisabeth Dodds
Excellent biography which is mostly about the marriage and family life of the Edwards family but also gives the reader insight into pre-Revolutionary War New England.

I came away wanting to know even more about Jonathon Edwards and his teaching.  I also realized why it is said there would have been no Jonathon without Sarah (which meant in her role as wife and mother, she helped to start the famous revival called the "first Great Awakening" in America).

One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp
Ann (of the Holy Experience blog) writes the story of the tragedy in her life which led to her being a self described "mess" and then the simple action God had her take to bring healing and joy to her life.   She shares how we can do the very same simple steps to bring joy into our lives.  Ann's prose reads like poetry.

Walking On Water: Reflections on Faith & Art by Madeleine L'Engle
In this book, Madeleine shares very personal insights and experiences regarding what it is like to be a Christian and an "artist" (in her case, a writer).  A book which reminds us we are created in the image of a creative God and we were meant for "art".

The Rhythm of Family: Discovering a Sense of Wonder through the Seasons by Amanda and Stephen Soule
A lovely little book with pictures and a lot of ideas to show how we can enjoy each season as a family.  The book offers many ideas for teaching our children about living closer to nature, crafting, cooking, etc.  I skipped the pages about teaching children to meditate, otherwise this is a book one can enjoy reading off and on all year.

Where Women Cook, Celebrate! by the editors of Where Women Cook magazine
This is kind of a cookbook because it has recipes and kind of a book about cooks and kind of a book that tells us how different people hold parties and celebrations.  But mostly it is a book filled with fun, letting us peek into the lives and kitchens of all kind of women.  I read this book now when I need to brighten my day.

Surprised By Oxford by Carolyn Weber
This is a wonderful book!  I loved it so much I had to write Carolyn to tell her.  It is the story of a young woman (that being Carolyn, or "Caro" as she is known to friends) who gets a scholarship to study for a graduate degree at Oxford.

It is the story of her life before Oxford, her journey to Christ, the people she met along the way, and her insights and experiences at Oxford.  The book is a real autobiography that reads like a novel.   I know so many like minded people who would love this book.

Now... I must brew some tea and enjoy watching the snow fall outside my window.   In front of me are household chores to do, cooking, dishes soaking, wedding preparations, and a couple snail mail letters to write.  I may take a nap instead.  ;)

Tea time with Friendly Village

It has been a long time since I gave the subject of tea time the attention it deserves.  It is almost false advertising to keep it part of this blog's title.  :)

However... I had to take pictures of a recent solitaire tea time.  The small plate really was there for a purpose, to hold a slice of homemade chocolate chip pumpkin bread.  But it was so pretty, I took a picture without the bread!

So many people who also love Friendly Village said they use it through the winter, I started doing the same thing.  I usually just used it in the autumn and for Thanksgiving.  It would also be pretty for Christmas.

Can you see why it reminds me of my neighbor's barn?

I'm really enjoying Season 2 of Downton Abbey.   There were one or two scenes I could have done without in the first season but I love the way they brought everything together even though this season takes place two years later.

Each time I see the actual house, I can't help but think it looks like a smaller version of the castle shown on the brown transferware pattern of Old British Castles (which I also adore).

Sigh... I think I need therapy.

A quick followup to MLK, Jr. day...

Friends don't have to look like us.  :)

Feeling literally under the weather today!  We were awakened a few times last night with heavy storms going through but even then I was surprised to see the tornado warning icons on the TV screen this morning.

Temperature is dropping all day with snow to move in soon.  It is not nice to do such a thing to my head.  Yuk...  Thankfully, I was able to bake two loaves of chocolate chip pumpkin bread as promised hubby and I'm turning leftover meatloaf into shepherd's pie for dinner (cheating and using instant mashed potatoes but no one notices in this dish).

Just dropping in to add a little to yesterday's post.  My husband once asked me why I admire Martin Luther King, Jr. so much.  I know he was not a perfect man or minister but my family has a Southern tradition so I grew up knowing racism while it kinda' passed hubby by as he grew up just outside of Chicago.  He certainly saw it as a soldier in Viet Nam.

I remember when I saw the first African American person as a child, washing windows at J. C. Penney's.  We had just one or two African American students in our large high school (large after three counties were incorporated into one school).  It wasn't until I was married and lived near the University that I began to meet people from all races.

But I grew up with... talk.  Talk I didn't like.  Talk that disturbed my soul.  I know there was a huge difference in this country regarding race before and after MLK.  I may not be very fond of our current President but I'm thrilled a person of color can hold the office in the same lifetime as one who remembers growing up with... talk.  Stupid talk... and pictures of colored only bathrooms and water fountains and sadly... churches.

Racism is far from over, I don't think it ever will be on this side of Eternity for it even fills the Word of God.  Mankind doesn't trust men who don't look like him... same for womankind.  But it is a lot better than it used to be.

Because we live near a large University, with one of the highest ratios of foreign students in the country... we have a little bit of Heaven on Earth.  How?  Well, the Bible tells us there will be represented every tribe and nation so we may as well learn to get along now.

For an excellent book about living with racism and overcoming it, I highly recommend Condoleezza Rice: A Memoir of My Extraordinary, Ordinary, Family and Me.  I enjoyed this book very much.

Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr.

I remember... first John Kennedy.  I think everyone my age can remember where they were that day (I was in elementary school).  It was the only time I remember seeing my father cry.  Then it was Martin.  Not too long afterwords... Bobby Kennedy.

The world was falling apart.

(Today is Martin Luther King, Jr. Day in the United States.)

Sunday Afternoon Tea

Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; 

who for the joy that was set before him 
endured the cross, despising the shame, 

and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Hebrews 12:2

This past Christmas season, I met a friend for coffee at Starbucks.  She is a young nurse from my church and I was her Senior project (my medical condition is rare enough to make an interesting project).

She's a lovely young woman and we both agreed it had been too long since we'd seen each other.  We chatted about what was going on in each of our lives.  I was thinking of her again recently because of her comment that I always appear so calm.

I had recently watched a Joni Erickson Tada video (a gift from a lovely friend) where she talked about suffering bringing about faith and trust and... calm.  When I told that to my young friend, she thought for a moment and said it was also true of her husband who is a cancer survivor.  He rarely lets anything bother him.

I don't know, perhaps sometimes the calm is a "deer in the headlights" reaction to life and those of us who have suffered are more than a little shell shocked?  But I don't think that it is it... I think we have had a lot of the bad stuff of life thrown at us and lived through it to see God miraculously at work to bring us out of the deep pit.

Not always with perfect restoration nor a lack of scars.  Chemo therapy left her husband unable to have children so part of our Starbucks' chat was about their decision to begin adoption proceedings.  (She married him knowing the affects of chemo.)

As for me... my world shrinks a bit more each year as the affects of chronic illness brings with it a world of lack (energy, finances, etc.).  I wake up tired.  There is so much I want to do but some days even the necessary lags behind.  I take advantage of good days to get ahead on gotta do's and wanna do's.

None of us get through this journey without scars to show we've walked the path in a fallen world.  As I am constantly reminding my husband, just became it seems as if someone never has a problem in the world does not mean they don't.  (Sometimes he has a tendency to think no one has had it worse than him... a tendency of those with melancholic personalities like him and Eeyore.)

When we set our eyes upon others on the journey, we will see those who are better off and those of whom we could (if allowed) look down upon and speculate as to the cause of their unanswered prayers.

Neither is the way we are to live... we are to set our eyes on "the Author and Finisher of our faith".   He knows just what to allow in each life.

That is how we stay calm in the storm... when the waves are crashing and the wind is blowing and we can hardly catch a breath because of the winds of adversity... He is calm.  He's already seen it all and done it all and overcome it all.

Nothing we are going through has surprised Him.  We keep our eyes on Him and we can walk on the raging waves toward the goal without going under.

There is a lot of speculation going on among Christian ministers and the secular press as to what 2012 will bring about.  Most of them tend toward the doom and gloom side of the fence but there is a difference.

Those who are keeping their eyes of the Lord may have times of uncertainty and perhaps moments of panic but when we place our eyes back on Him and not the storm... we find that "peace that passes understanding".

I believe the Bible tells us God places us where He wants us... when He wants us... and with the people He wants us to travel through this life.  He hasn't made a mistake even if I would love to live in Colonial Williamsburg.

Whatever this year may hold, or the next, or the next... we can rest assured He has it in His hands and we can remain calm.   I know there will be tense moments (like when the roads are icy and a loved one is late getting home) but mostly I will be keeping my eyes on Him and seeing His peace to keep on the journey.

Picture:  Girlfriends Lunching