Now this is Bliss

I am really enjoying the new Victoria magazine.  A subscription is my Christmas gift each year from hubby.

The Fall issue contains stories about the Lake District in England, where Stephanie and her husband visited last year.  It is gorgeous.  My favorite issues of the original Victoria were all about England.

I remember telling Stephanie that I knew the former magazine was doomed when the brand new editor said she was going to show readers there were countries out there other than England.  They did write about other countries but the very soul of the old Victoria was British.

By the way, the publishers of the new Victoria also published a special magazine in July called Victoria Classics: Rooms of Bliss, which contains photos of beautiful rooms and such from the original magazine.

The last time I was in Border's (to peruse their copy of British Country Living because it has become too expensive for my budget), I saw they were still carrying Rooms of Bliss.  I have also seen it at WalMart so it is readily available (at least in the U.S.).

It looks like they plan to publish more of them (my copy was a birthday gift) from the article I had read introducing the magazine.  It came about when they found beautiful photographs in boxes of the old Victoria archives and thought they were too special not to share.

There is nothing like a lovely magazine and a cup of tea in a pretty cup to "take me away from it all".  :)

If you give a Grammie a cookie

So... why do I not keep cookies in the cookie jar once Christopher moved to campus?

1. My grandchildren live 1,000 miles away.
2. My husband is the most disciplined eater I know.
3. I am not.

He can walk by the cookies and take one... hear me one... cookie... all day.

I have inherited a genetic fault which I know is in the DNA because my daughter has the same defect.

If you give me a cookie, I want another... and another... until I've eaten eight or nine or ten cookies.  Then I start craving real sugar all over again and drive to Wal Mart to buy a half gallon of Edie's Spumoni Ice Cream.

Then my blood sugar is over 300 and I have to go to bed and I don't feel like making dinner so I reach for more cookies since they are handy because they are in the cookie jar.

That's what happens when you give a Grammie a cookie.

NOTE:  My mixer really is that big, it is a Kitchen Aid Professional (I did, at one time, plan on becoming a pastry chef).

Sunday Afternoon Tea

One of my favorite sections of Scripture is about the building of the Tabernacle in the wilderness.  We read in chapter upon chapter, God's exact instructions for building the Place where He would dwell with His people at that time in history.

Perhaps the most important aspect of God's character I learned from these chapters was (and is) His love of  beauty and the importance it is to our lives.  I mean, really, how can you argue with this...

^"God spoke to Moses: "See what I've done; I've personally chosen Bezalel son of Uri, son of Hur of the tribe of Judah. I've filled him with the Spirit of God, giving him skill and know-how and expertise in every kind of craft to create designs and work in gold, silver, and bronze; to cut and set gemstones; to carve wood—he's an all-around craftsman.

Not only that, but I've given him Oholiab, son of Ahisamach of the tribe of Dan, to work with him. And to all who have an aptitude for crafts I've given the skills to make all the things I've commanded you..."  Exodus 31: 1-11 The Message (modern translation).

It reminds me of Edith Schaeffer's statement that we among all people (Christians) should be known by the beauty which surrounds us.

While we are also warned against materialism and making a god of the things of this world and we know we must only spend within our income (and perhaps even less than we earn), we are also called to create.  We... who are created in the image of a creative God... will never know true joy until we find our hidden Bazalel.  Who, what, huh?

You know, the guy God gifted to create all kinds of good stuff in the Scripture above.

There is a reason we are drawn to plant tulip bulbs, paint landscapes, make up stories about Hobbits who save the kingdom, brown the beef before adding veggies to simmer in the Le Cruset, combine flour and sugar and butter and milk and chocolate chips, cut fabric into squares to sew back together into beautiful covers to warm our family, turn skeins of yarn into lovely sweaters with two needles, or a cherry tree into a table.

It is why we enjoy using our china and crystal at Christmas and cover the picnic table with red gingham on the 4th of July.  There is a reason some of us spend time carefully touching and perusing vintage books, lining them up on shelves to glance upon with fondness or keep our eclectic collection of silver spoons beside the coffeepot in an Americana mug.

Our homes (be they a room or a mansion) reflect the person God created us to become.  Which is why we can walk through the front door of a friend's house and feel immediately at home while another leaves us cold... both creatively decorated with love but the colors and style and architecture of one is friendly and the other foreign... neither right nor wrong... but unique to the individual.

We must never feel it is ungodly to spend time creating.  Just turn to Proverbs 31 again to view God's perfect ideal of woman and see that she is frugal and creative.  It is in our God given DNA from that time He breathed into Adam the breath of Life... in His image... the Creator who created us to... create.

We were born in Eden and Scripture shows us it is at the core of our being to take great delight in beautifying our surroundings.  We may not be working with gold and silver for a Tabernacle but if it is true the Holy Spirit lives within each Christian... we create our homes and lives to become a place He will enjoy living.

What Tasha teaches me...

 Time does seem to go faster the older we get!  It does not seem that long ago we were celebrating Tasha's birthday.  I celebrated Tasha earlier today with a morning tea on the deck.

I used the whimsical tea cosy purchased while thrifting last year as well as a delicious tea Stephanie brought back from England for me.  It still tastes great a year later!

I love this vintage china pattern, I have about six luncheon dishes and two cups/saucers in it.

Tea goodies were cheese and Pepperidge Farm cinnamon bread toasted with butter spread on it.  (I must have a protein with a carb.)  It was such a nice break before accomplishing some garden work.

Why would I celebrate Tasha's life... because she was such an inspiration.  Oh, I know... she was not a perfect person but then again (and this will come as a surprise to you, I am so certain)... neither am I.  :)

Tasha's lifestyle went against the flow of modern life.  She decided she enjoyed the old ways so that would be the life she lived.  Now, I am not in a position to live such a life completely nor would I want to... given circumstances to which I am bound.

However, I can look at what I admire about Tasha's life and surroundings and incorporate them into my own day-to-day living... such as...

...gardening, cooking from scratch, tea time, making things with our hands, surrounding our life with beauty, creating, and simplifying our days, not being afraid to spend time alone, enjoying the soft light of an oil lamp, giving attention to furry family members...

... making an art of my life.

I follow Tasha and Proverbs 31 by stocking up in the harvest for those times food is not plentiful... whether circumstances are national, local, or I'm broke... I can always bake or fix a simple meal.

Like Tasha's example, I continue to learn as I get older.  This year I am growing herbs I haven't before and drying them for the winter to come.  I always wondered why chefs raved about thyme until I grew my own... where have you been all my life?

Oh yes, you were the dried and tasteless ground leaves in the overpriced plastic container.  Live and learn... and that is what I plan to do.

I will continue to learn from Tasha about the simple things and the value they had to our modern life.

Continue the celebration of Tasha Tudor day at Storybook Woods... here.  I am off to peruse Tasha's cookbook again.  :)

What happens to the cookie jar when the kids leave home?

It becomes a great holder of the cookie cutters!

This and That

I thought I'd try to answer some questions and statements which have come through on comments and e-mails lately.  I do apologize as I know many questions go unanswered.  It is a case of "out of sight, out of mind"... or more likely as I grow more ummmm... mature... my memory is not what it used to be (which was never great).

The Book and Film Recommendations #2 should be available by the end of next week.  A combination of a prolonged illness, my availability, and that of the desk top computer has been hard to come by but I do see it happening very soon.

For my sweet and patient blog friend who asked for advice on homeschooling an ADHD child.  I will write you back but also plan a blog post on lessons learned during the many years of of experiences.  I've been pondering it now for months and hope to write soon.  Thank you for YOUR patience.

I agree completely about driving and talking on the cell phone.  Christopher and I have both stopped answering the phone while driving and very rarely talk on the cell phone until we reach a safe place.  The only exception being when I was picking him up on days I borrowed his car and I'd call to tell him I was a couple minutes away.

There have been numerous accidents in our area (two of them fatal) where cell phones were either known to be a contributing cause of the accident or thought to be a cause.  I used to think my driving was fine while I talked on the cell phone until my passenger (hubby or son) told me otherwise... after their color returned to their face and their hands stopped shaking.

The basil vinegar turned out great and I posted the instructions on how I made it on my recipe blog.  While I made it to use with salad dressings, I tried it in bean soup yesterday (as recommended on the DVD) and it was delicious.  I hope to make one more batch while the basil is growing.

I can't recommend the West Ladies DVDs enough... in this case the Homestead Blessings Herb DVD.  While not an indepth teaching about growing and using herbs, it gives lots of good ideas to get you started.  While I order through Amazon using credit (thank you!!!), if you go to the Franklin Springs website, they do offer specials from time to time.

Regarding my favorite radio station, K-Love... it used to be available here in the Midwest only by streaming it from their website through the computer.  It was a happy day when I found out they were building towers in the area which made it possible to pick up on my radio.

K-Love is a California based radio station (the music is definitely contemporary Christian) but they have moved their morning show to Indianapolis, Indiana.   When we were returning from Stephanie's home in New England last year, we were able to pick up K-Love from time to time while scanning for Christian radio stations.

Hubby still prefers Moody radio (and I do for teaching) but then again, he thought The Second Chapter of Acts was a wild and crazy group.  Our taste in music is one of the only ways one can tell there is a seven years age difference.  I became a Christian during the Jesus Movement which gave birth to contemporary Christian music.  :)

Then there are those days I have a headache and only classical music on the NPR channel can sooth the aching soul (or head).

My yellow pantry and garage "pantry" shelves are going to be a feature pantry on The Perfect Pantry blog in October.  I forget the exact date, I'll post that later.  In the meantime, if you love pantries, you will love this blog.  Thank you to the blog reader who reminded me of it a couple months ago (it is one of those blogs I used to read all the time and missed switching from Bloglines to Google Reader).

I do plan some more pantry posts very soon.  Isn't it the season for squirreling away?  The squirrels on my deck have been seen scurrying across with their little mouths filled with big black walnuts!

Speaking of which, the black walnuts are once again raining on our roof (literally).  Autumn is near.

Family speak

I was chatting with Stephanie on the phone recently and other then the fact she told me she had to stop talking a moment as she was passing a semi on a narrow road (AAAACK!), what I recall was her talking about the text she received from me when I was at the coffee shop on campus.

My text had been that the coffee shop had that cake (although thoughts of my dietitian and my budget prevailed and I only had coffee).  Those two words described everything about the cake which was being offered for sale. 

When Steph and family last visited, we split that cake at least twice.  Oh, yum... just the moistest pound-like cake with mixed berries and mascarpone... but I digress.

One of the fun things that comes out of family life is having a unique vocabulary, for the most part known only to parents and siblings and in-laws and grandchildren and brothers and sisters and aunts and uncles... etc. (perhaps a few close friends). 

It is in the shared history as we lived day-to-day that entire pages of conversation and description could come together in one or two words.

In my immediate family, there are many words and sentences which make up the family dictionary... most coming from communal reading, favorite movies, a few television shows, and memories of past experiences.  Which is why one word spoken can cause laughter while those without the common history look at us like we are nuts.  :)

My sisters Bonnie and Jean were both married by my earliest memories of them but we still have family words, most surrounding our mother (my mother was widowed in her 30s and later married my father... I was a "yours, mine, and ours" baby).  Though Jean was born when our mother was in her teens and I came along in her 40s, some things just never changed.

Her Mamaw-isms are famous... or should I say... infamous.  Such as, "You cannot go in the water until you learn to swim".  Yeah, we never figured that out, either. So, all one of us has to do is say, "Remember when Mom said..." and the age difference disappears.  Before the remainder of the sentence is even begun, the other two are laughing. 

Which makes me hope those who have gone on cannot hear their children's conversations...

Some family speak is perhaps rather silly as when my husband and I recently heard someone talking about symmetry and we looked at each other and said, "Zathras!"... regarding a favorite character on Babylon 5 whose speech about symmetry had us in tears from laughter.

Even among friends there can be common vocabulary.  As newly weds, my husband and I played Scrabble with one of my best friends and her new husband.  Hubby won by spelling out the word Yeti.  Yvonne, being from a very small town and I not yet having my Bigfoot fetish... did not recognize the word and she challenged him.  Well, of course he won but after that evening, all he had to say to her was the word Yeti and he got a response.  Onlookers must have wondered...

I hope this new technological age we are in does not prevent the accumulation of common words.... family speak... to be remembered as each child and sibling leaves home.  With mp3 players in our ears and  individual video available on iPhones... will we spend enough time watching and listening and reading together to form common bonds?

There is something about watching a movie or reading the same book which makes us feel closer even if there are many miles in between.  For instance, I wrote Stephanie an e-mail mentioning the new song I downloaded to be the instrumental you first hear on this blog.  I told her it was the background music to that scene in the new Pride & Prejudice.

Oh, my fellow Jane-ites... you know which scene of which I talk.  The mist at dawn with Mr. Darcy walking toward his beloved Elizabeth.  Sigh... that scene.  Friends can share common words.  :)

Saturday is Tasha Tudor Day at Storybook Woods

Just a reminder.  :)

If you do anything special to honor Tasha's birthday, write about it on your blog and then share it at Storybook Woods... here.

If you don't have a blog, you can leave a comment on Storybook Woods Saturday to share what you did for Tasha's memory. 

It has been fun in past years to see the creative way individuals and families celebrate Tasha.

Of coffee shops and cauliflower

Saturday early evening found me sitting at a table in my favorite coffee shop on campus, sipping spicy coffee and copying recipes from a library cookbook to the notebook I use for that very purpose.

As I looked around from time to time, students were chatting and debating, typing intently on mobile keyboards, or curled up in overstuffed leather chair reading contently. 

An hour went by before my husband walked in the door and I don't think I saw any sad face in that time... the excitement of youth and new beginnings... all in a communal cozy place... bringing back memories of a more innocent age in my own life.

I must admit to having a love-hate relationship with campus.  While I do enjoy the energy and excitement of each autumn's beginnings (including sweater weather and football games to come), I dread the increase traffic the additional 35,000+ inhabitants bring to town.  I have been known to mutter something about "all campus drivers being crazy" when I arrive home quite often.

I have long enjoyed the foreign students who bring their own culture and foods to our Midwestern town... for it is only due to Indian and Asian students and faculty coming to this meat and potatoes society that I developed my own passion for their spicy goodness.  I don't think my mother had ever heard of naan bread.

I must admit my husband does not share my passion for Indian food but he does like the Mediterranean dishes.  Our daughter introduced him to hummus when she was in college.  He thought it sounded horrible and then went on to eat almost all their shared dish.  :)

Not that he isn't aware of international foods, having spent time in Southeast Asia during the Vietnam War.  He knew he loved some of it but did not acquire a taste for kimchee. I don't blame him.

As for the cauliflower?  I finally got out to the garden this morning to plant the fall veggies, only six cauliflower and two kale plants.  I'm still not certain if I will plant lettuce when the green pepper plants have finished producing, we'll see what my energy level is at the time.

A combination of hot weather and too many errands pushed back the planting until this morning but it was so worth it... a gorgeous morning with low humidity.  I wish you could have smelled the aroma when I watered the herbs.  The entire garden received a nice shower as the one holding the hose did not mind being outside in such lovely surroundings... especially low humidity.

Sunday Afternoon Tea

"When you have flowers, books, and tea, you are never alone."

Alexandra Stoddard in Tea Celebrations

When I read this statement by Alexandra this past week, I knew it was my inspiration for Sunday Afternoon Tea today.  There is a reason she has been among my favorite writers for a very long time (even if she can get a tad on the "spiritual" and definitely not evangelical side... she is a kindred spirit). :)

My ponderings this week had already been about the concept I've written about quite often... the home as Sanctuary.  As I was stressed with increased traffic and heat "in town", I would feel the relaxation driving country roads toward home.  Peace returned miles before walking in the door as I passed pastoral settings of harvest-ready crops, horses, red barns, sheep, and the lushness of a late summer forest.

It seemed almost everywhere I went from the doctor's office to the grocery, people were stressed and strained. How good it was to walk through the front door of my smallish-ish house in the country, not only to feel the air conditioning but to be embraced into an environment that... like no other place in the world... has everything which makes me feel cozy.

When the heat returned making working in the garage difficult, I found myself puttering around the house accomplishing little jobs here and there.   Teacups were repositioned in the china cabinet, a few pictures switched on walls, labels (finally) placed on pantry jars, and vegetables became centerpieces on a table.

Just the process of placing home-dried rosemary, thyme, and Italian oregano into prepared vintage canning jars... handwriting their names on labels... and placing in the yellow pantry... brought contentment.  Basil, which had accomplished its' appointed task after two weeks, was removed from vinegar followed by a curious (but tiny) taste... oh, yum.  The decision was made at that moment that another "batch" of basil vinegar must be prepared while the herb was abundant.  How satisfying to pick basil and work through each step of preparation.

I wonder at times if society in general is missing the very things we've been taught have no value, those tasks which take time and bring about that which combines to create Sanctuary at home... chopping vegetables, sweeping the floor, sorting papers, copying recipes, rocking a child to sleep, slowly perusing grocery aisles as one thinks of ways to utilize items on clearance, finding the perfect skillet to make one's work easier for a couple of dollars at a thrift store... hours invested whose payment comes in contentment and not cash.

I realize quiet days in a house filled with antiques, vintage accessories, and lots of books would not bring sanctuary to all.  My friend, Jewels, (to whom I am known as "her pig" after gifting me with comparison to Wilbur in Charlotte's Web) loves her rather noisy house full of lots and lots of children.

My son's on-campus sanctuary contains two roommates and a hodge podge of furniture squeezed to accommodate all of them... but looks good after a busy day of classes.

But for me... Alexandra's quote proves quite true.  I am never alone when I have a beautiful cup filled with a favorite tea, flowers, and lots and lots of books.  For I am surrounded by God's beauty and gifts and the peace He has provided in the form of home... a place we can all make ours whether a room or a mansion.

Picture: Nostalgia Mini: Allposters.com

The winner is!

Tracy

"To me, domesticity is finding joy in creating a comfortable, cozy nest for my family. It is finding joy in life's simple pleasures and creating happy memories together with my family. Domesticity is freedom. :)"

Random Integer Generator

Here are your random integers, generated without replacement:

7

Timestamp: 2010-08-21 19:15:20 UTC

The comments were so much fun to read, hearing what domesticity means to each of you.  Congratulations Tracy, e-mail me your mailing information (Write Me on the Pages Info at right has the e-mail address).

Coffee Tea Books & Me Birthday Give-away

Click on picture to enlarge

CTB&Me is now four years old!  My next post will be in the fifth year of this blog.  When I started blogging (at Stephanie's request), I was still actively homeschooling dividing my time between home, a couple classes at the community college, and nightly fencing lessons... I called it "homeschooling while waiting".  Lots of reading was accomplished back then.  :)

I had no idea that day I wrote out the first post (knowing only three people who would be reading it) that I would be so blessed with new friends.  Many of you have become soul sisters along the way.  Quite a few of you have blessed me by sending a gift in the mail just when I needed it as well as ordering through my Amazon widget (which allows me to make fond purchases).

As I pondered what I'd like to put in the give-away package, I decided the books The Gentle Art of Domesticity and Tea With Patsy Clairmont would reflect what this blog is all about.  Both are favorite books which I think you would like, too.

I also have a thin journal and a package of cute coasters purchased from an Amish store.  I wouldn't be surprised to find a few packets of tea thrown in before sending. :)

All you have to do is leave any comment but if you would like, write what the word "Domesticity" means to you.  I'll be back late on Saturday to draw a name!

My quest for kale as well as a link for vintage books

Hello my friends, it continues to be so pretty here.  I dropped my husband off to pick up our car (nearly $300 to fix!) and drove to my favorite nursery for cauliflower and kale plants.  They had plenty of cauliflower but no kale, even seeds.  I found out from the staff that kale has been very hard to get this year... which made me want it even more... human nature being what it is.

That meant a stop by the nursery at Walmart on the way home, where I found just a few plants left and came home hugging two of them... mine, all mine, do you hear me!  Feeling much the same way as I do with my cans of pumpkin, which are impossible to find on grocery shelves.  Whatdoyathink... with the heat this summer, there should not be a shortage of all things squash this year!!

I bought a few seed packages while at the nursery to add to a couple I didn't use this year... safely tucked into a ZipLock bag and stored in the frig on my insulin shelf (the safest place).  I will share my summer gardening experiences and what I learned this year on a later post.

Yesterday I sent you to my daughter's blog and I should have explained her last two posts. She is in the midst of telling the story about how her already busy life turned upside down with a move during her last trimester of pregnancy. 

I can't tell you how many phone texts, conversations, and then e-mails crossed each others' path as I encouraged her that this will all be behind her and she will enjoy her new (to her) house... and that I would survive bronchitis!

Tomorrow (Wednesday) will be the birthday of Coffee Tea Books & Me, tune in for a birthday give-a-way.  In the meantime, my sweet and talented friend Lanier has set up an online vintage book store.  Sigh... she even has The Dean's Watch.  You can fine her ever changing list of books... here.

See you tomorrow!

Stephanie writes again

 Stephanie in England last summer

The weather here is gorgeous!  I was driving on a narrow country road this morning... one with those sudden "S" curves... windows rolled down and K-Love playing I Can Only Imagine... the August corn turning to gold in the fields as I made my way in and out of woods and fields... sigh.  One of those golden mornings of summer I'll be sorry to leave behind albeit they have been very rare this year.

We are taking advantage of the nicer weather to begin cleaning the garage.  It must be done and better now than later.  I know once everything is nice and tidy, I will be happy that is how I spent my good weather days.

In the meantime, I direct you to my daughter's long neglected but updated blog... Cottage Thoughts.  I must admit to hoping she has the time to keep up her blog now that the move is behind them.

She is not only a wonderful writer but a former interior designer, Charlotte Mason homeschooler, gourmet cook, and my fellow lover of all things British... not to mention a bibliophile.  Recently she texted me waxing poetic about her new bookshelves because she new I'd understand.  :)

I'll write more later, especially about my first day of the empty nest syndrome.  In the meantime.  you can reach Cottage Thoughts... here.

Sunday Afternoon Tea

"But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, 

then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve... 

But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD."  

Joshua 24:15

Choices and overcoming... those has been my ponderings this weekend as the occasions and events of the last weeks have brought memories... many which have tumbled over each other with only the clearest landing in my mind... often of a moment when a decision was made.

The decision to remain in a marriage when it was no longer fun when friends were telling me to go.  The decision to leave the corporation, when it was still fun, to raise our daughter.  The decision to homeschool when we saw what the public school system was doing to our ADHD son.  Even those seemingly small decisions made on the spur of a moment after a quick prayer was sent up to Heaven... and realizing much later that it led to something bigger than us.

If the decisions had gone the other way?  I would have been a single mother working long hours in a corporation and never had the son join our family.  None of the decisions at the time were the easiest but all brought about great reward... here and There (I am certain).

I remember a morning long ago, reading the Letters to the Churches in the book of Revelation... among my favorite sections of the Bible.  They are so clear as to what pleases God and where He finds fault. 

I'm not certain why the word overcomer suddenly jumped out at me after dozens of readings of these verses, perhaps it was during a season of trials... but I realized how over and over the promises were given to he who overcomes and that would make an assumption that there was a lot to overcome in this world.

How many times our beliefs have sent us in a different direction than the world, leaving behind family and friends as we took the road not often taken.  Each decision made during a fork in the road and as Joshua proclaimed... "you may... but we shall". 

Giving up sadly friendships of those whose understanding did not include leaving behind some of the things of the world as we became more careful of the environment we allowed in our home... authors read, movies watched, TV shows blocked... often called too protective of our children as we walked that path.

Family members turning their back and talking about us, invitations not given, space needed... trying to show love while explaining why we took the path we did to live by the standards we felt He desired... at times love not returned by those few who could not comprehend our life's decisions.

But the rewards of choosing... as one of us is in late middle age and the other just into the "official" senior citizen status (that not being moi')... oh, the rewards.  A husband and wife and daughter and son... a son-in-law and three granddaughters and two grandsons... all on the same hymnal page so to speak.  Watching as our child teaches her children to love God and walk with Him in all their ways. 

Sitting up at night chatting with the other child as he speaks of a young woman who loves God and whose family shares similar values... smiling that this is so important to him.  Having prayed him through and gone through many long conversations as he realized God has no grandchildren and he must come to his own conclusions about belief... his own choosing... and he coming out on the other side stronger.

I shudder to think how easily it all could have gone the other way if we had taken the easier path.  No, life is about overcoming obstacles in front of us and clinging to Him when the winds of adversity are blowing and it is no longer fun. There are moments of bliss followed by days of tears and the knowledge that He gives the oil of joy for mourning as the dark days turn back to gold. 

Did we make the perfect decision every time... far from it.  All of us will leave this planet with some regrets and bruises along the way, wishing we had done this or not said that... a life lived imperfectly in a world that does not know perfection.  But there will be a Day when imperfection meets Perfection and there is nothing left to overcome.

As C. S. Lewis put it so well in The Last Battle...

“But for them it was only the beginning of the real story. 

All their life in this world and all their adventures in Narnia 

had only been the cover and the title page: 

now at last they were beginning Chapter One of the Great Story, 

which no one on earth has read: which goes on for ever: 

in which every chapter is better than the one before.”

The cinnamon rolls

I was quite tired by the time the dough finished its' first rising... so this was my easy way out.

Cinnamon rolls were covered with maple icing (not as thick as cake icing but not a glaze) all over the top and walnuts pressed into half of them.  :)

This has been my "go to recipe" for bread and cinnamon rolls since my husband and Stephanie gave me the bread machine as a gift in the 1990s.

Amazon, my "office", and a solitaire tea time

What a hodgepodge of subjects today.  :)

It continues to be rather busy here, getting Christopher ready for his move as well as enjoying family evenings together, celebrating our anniversary, etc.  I told him recently, it is a good thing he is close and we're not packing for two seasons of clothing! Especially since he doesn't have much storage space in the room he shares with at least two other guys.

He texted me this morning that all the books I ordered yesterday have shipped!  I'll let you know if all are in the condition and (most importantly to college students) are the EDITION of the book promised.  I hope so, my reputation as an Amazon shopper is at stake.  :)

We've only had one even somewhat bad experience ordering used from Amazon and that was only a reference textbook ordered for extra study last year that wasn't sent when promised.  It was shipped weeks later than it was suppose to be sent but as it was not for an actual class, there was no harm done.  Christopher had ordered that book from an individual. 

Most of the time, I order at the lowest price I can find from a used book store and one that has at least a 96% or 97% favorable rating.  I have ordered from individuals but only if they have a few hundred sells behind them.  So far... so good... and most often it is the only way I am able to purchase a book (used with Amazon credit).

As usual, my work here is accomplished a little at a time... work, rest, work, rest, etc.  When I have a rare burst of energy, more is accomplished.  Just the continual learning of how to work within the confines of chronic illness.  However, after being sofa bound for awhile... I can live with this.  :)

Today's priorities have been laundry and the usual cooking, dishes, dusting, sweeping, etc.  I have unsalted butter and one egg coming to room temperature to make sweet roll dough in the bread machine.  If used as planned, it will become one pan of cinnamon rolls and one pan of nut rolls... walnut as I have no pecans right now. 

The picture above is of a solitaire tea time I put together last week to enjoy a little pot of lemon balm tea.  The amounts I use are completely based on experience, much like Goldilocks deciding what was too weak, too strong, and just right. 

I've found when I use fresh mint (including lemon balm), I fill the teapot with the herb and pour boiling water (which has been allowed to sit a minute or so) over it and then set aside to steep four or five minutes... but that is the strength I enjoy and may be too strong or too weak for another.

I have been spending a great deal of time here at the dining room table (actually just a niche near the window in the living room but made by previous owners into a beautiful dining area).   It is my little part of the world used as my "office" with the china cabinet before me...

The buffet to my side (this picture taken before I placed part of my teapot collection on it instead of the silver tea service)...

And the chamber cabinet behind me.  My sister, Bonnie, told me these cabinets held the... ummm... chamber pots... back in the day before society had indoor plumbing.  She was an antique dealer so she would know.  Today it is full of all items for correspondence, candles, and little lovelies... one of the few places in the house that is all mine.  I'd say this is a much nicer use for such a pretty piece of furniture.

All of the furniture shown was inherited and most accessories found while thrifting through the years or were special gifts received from friends and family.  Perhaps not a private office and I do have to remove everything from the dining table when we have a meal here... but pretty.

Just a little here and there

As I look back on this day, I can begin to understand how years can go by so quickly.  It really does seem like I just stumbled into the dark kitchen, made my way to push the "on" button of the coffeemaker, and mumbled to Christopher that it was time to get up for another day.  He is not a morning person and you have no idea what an understatement that is.  :)

Already it is time to start dinner, which I should be doing instead of sitting in front of a computer.  Actually, I have been staring into this screen for what seems like hours upon hours but was truly only measured in perhaps one sixty-minute period of time.

Since I have both textbook experience and know my way around Amazon, I offered to help my son order a few textbooks online.  My eyes are now crossed and my head aches... I will be dreaming of ISBN numbers and Edition dates tonight but with him no longer receiving an employee discount from the bookstore... we have joined the growing number of students and parents who order used textbooks online.

Stephanie e-mailed me a brief note (which is all one can handle when keeping five children out of trouble) that it was Anne Morrow Lindbergh's daughter Anne whose books she had read and that her favorite of all of them was The People in Pineapple Place.  Somehow I knew I may have been wrong about which Lindbergh sibling she had read... an obviously talented family!

Someone in comments had asked if I was Southern?  Definitely in my DNA although my parents moved "Up North" before I was born.  My mother is from Kentucky and my father originally from Southern Indiana... which, if you have ever been in that area, you will know is really Northern Kentucky.  The river is in the wrong place.

There is a part of me that will always love Kentucky from my memories of visiting a great deal in younger years.  Since I was raised by a Southern Woman, I must admit there are a lot of those tendencies there mixed in with my Midwestern roots.

Now my thoughts must turn toward the stove and sink... back to the hearth so to speak... as generations before me have done come evening.

Miles to go before I sleep.  :)

Books and pumpkin pie

There was another shower of golden leaves this morning as I was "setting the dishes to soak".  The sudden gust of wind and leaves falling as if in an invisible cyclone took me by surprise and gave me hope... perhaps an early autumn or at least a break in this heat wave?

By coincidence, my home is filled with the aroma of Thanksgiving in August... pumpkin pie!  I was too busy yesterday to do anything for our anniversary (and we rarely celebrate on the day, anyway) but today I baked a pie and later this evening I will grill out (should the weather cooperate).

I must check the garden for newly ripened tomatoes when it dries from the morning thundershowers.  The plan was originally to cut some more rosemary to dry for the winter months before the winds and rain and lightening blew in.  I can handle getting wet... electricity in any form is another matter.

Yes to Anne Morrow Lindbergh's daughter Reeve!  I have an autobiography she wrote about her mother on my wish list, hoping to order soon.. when I decide to read a "month of all things AML"  (and a big thank you to those of you who order through my widget... you bless me greatly).  She writes very much like her mother, pulling one into her world instantly with words.  I believe Stephanie read some of Reeve's books for young people long ago... I think.  I need another cup of coffee to remember.  :)

I am not surprised that younger people today either do not know Anne or they recognize her only through Gifts From the Sea.  Charles and Anne Lindbergh were part of the WII generation although still well known when I was young and reading her diaries.  Reeve has said Lindbergh is an authentic biography of her dad, who was a hero and a flawed, driven man (as are many who change the world).

There truly are so many books to read and so little time to read them.  I want to read more by Goudge and Stevenson, as well as a stack of books I have been given which all look wonderful.   There are books just crying out to be re-read, perhaps when the snow is falling?

I have Jillian Dare on my coffeetable, waiting to be picked up after dishes are washed this evening.  It is written by one of my favorite authors, Melanie Jeschke, who wrote the three Oxford Chronicles... one of my all time favorite series... based at Oxford in England and beginning just after C. S. Lewis has died. 

Jillian is a modern story based on the classic Jane Eyre.  I highly recommend any books by this author (who was a homeschooling mom, too).  They are well written for all ages but are also those rare safe modern books to give young ladies to read.  They are also very reasonably priced these days when purchased used online.

Sigh... I am writing at my dining room table... across from where the pumpkin pie sits on a cooling rack.  I can't tell you how distracting such an aroma is when this close.  :)

In which she ponders words, weather, and the future

I borrowed Christopher's car today for an early morning appointment and a quick afternoon trip to my favorite grocery store... the one I first shopped as a young bride... long ago... when my new husband was in graduate school and before we "moved away".

Today is my anniversary and as I walked through the aisles of that store, only recently remodeled from the 1970's aisles I remember, I found myself once again wondering where the years have gone.  Transitions will do that to you... and the out of body experience brought about by too much humidity (or is it just "out of mind"?).

Actually, I find myself anticipating what the changes will bring to my life.  Most noticeably more time to do stuff.  What stuff I am contemplating... stuff that requires little or no money... stuff like perhaps finally opening the Rubbermaid container of craft items from a former life as a folk artist.  We do not call ourselves crafters... we are artists.  Anyhoo... the only time that container has been opened in about ten years is to remember what was in it.

There will definitely be more vegetarian meals to try and the scrapbook journal to work on and (of course) books to read and entire subjects to study if I want to.  I'm certain the vacuum of extra minutes will find themselves filled, even if it is with anticipated autumnal afternoons on my deck... not hurrying because dinner will be sandwiches and fruit for the two of us.

I've earned rocking on the porch in the morning or reading in the afternoon.  Life's reward for less energy and joints that give out when I (attempt) to get up off the floor while perusing bottom shelves of bookcases... synergy at work... well oiled knees vs. not enough time in my "hands on" mothering years.

I want to revisit authors from my youth, those whose volumes created within me a love for all things words... the way words sound when spoken and how some words tend to run over and over in my mind.  I have been collecting my beloved diaries of Anne Morrow Lindberg from used book sales at the library and have most of them as well as at least one copy of Gifts From the Sea.

I think she was the first (at least that I can remember through the fog of years) that taught me beauty in the midst of tragedy and struggles... as written by one whose prose is spoken in poetry.  She will soon be reread...

As for today... appointments were kept, dinner made, dishes washed, a load of laundry "thrown in", and... as I sat in the steaming parking lot waiting to pick Christopher up from work (as I did have his car)... my cell phone picked up and a text written to my daughter to tell her I've decided to move to Alaska.

Picture:  Blue Stove; allposters.com

Times they are a changing

It is in the air... I sense autumn's closeness.  Sunday afternoon, as I sat at the laptop writing an e-mail to my daughter, I noticed movement outside the lace curtains.  The wind had blown a few colored leaves from the black walnut tree, whose branches take up part of my view.  Times goes quite fast these days, before I know it the tree will be ablaze with color.

I say that during a week it is hotter than blue blazes again with heat advisories already in place.  But heat in August is much like snow in early March... you know the seasons are with you and it can't last forever.

Another change this week... a big one in our household... we, who were once four... and then three... will become two.  Christopher will be moving to campus this weekend and although he won't be far away, I know everything changes.  I've been through this before when my college senior moved to her own apartment just a few miles "down the road".  Even if they return home to live, it is not the same.

As the old WWII saying goes, "Once they've seen Paris it's hard to keep them down on the farm".  Of course, the University is not Paris but it is... freedom.  No Mom and Dad there when they arrive home each night.  Sigh... it is time but it also signifies the end... the end of children (young or older) in our day-to-day existence.

It is also the DAY for which all the others have been forming, when we have been helping them grow roots.

When did the days become months which became years which became decades... when?  

What was I doing?  

Did I know in my heart that I would blink and all the years of children at home would be gone... in what seems like a moment?  

Did I teach them what was important about life... about God... about the Golden Rule... about literature and art and music and the Bible and how people are more important than things... that Star Trek the Next Generation was better than the original no matter what their fathers says?

A lifetime is not made in years but in each moment lived... baby kisses to toddler hugs to preschool picture books to picnics in the park to watching swimming practice and fencing classes to Dad teaching them how to drive to...
... receiving their wings.  :)

Sunday Afternoon Tea

I have been enjoying the brief respite from heat and humidity.  It is actually enjoyable to be outside (heat returning later today).  Come the middle of January, I must remember what Summer 2010 felt like... and not complain about the cold.  :)

I have had many comments and e-mails about my good attitude through adversity and trials.  The years have taught me that attitude is a habit and I must choose to trust God in all things.  His mercies are new every morning... and every morning I must be renewed for I cannot live on yesterday's grace.

At the same time, there are days when frustrations arise and I stomp my feet and complain to He Who Created Me... usually when I really, really want to go to Starbucks or have breakfast at Cracker Barrel.  I am certain He listens to my whining about the lack of cash (especially for such nonessential longings) and then reminds me just a couple of months ago, I told him I didn't need anything but to breath easily!  Sigh... one must be careful what they say to God.

One of the things I have done through the years of marriage and homemaking was to watch what women and men (in person and in print)  I respect did... what was it about them that set them apart from "normal", what attributes did they show, what was it about the way they lived their days that drew me to them?

I came to realize what attributes of their lives I wanted to reflect in my own.  Not that I wanted to BE that person...  and no one human perfectly lives the years which have been allotted to them.  However, as one becomes more thoughtful about the way they want to live their lives... certain habits and attributes come to the surface just as lovely delicious cream in the days of old.  A grateful life was definitely one to be admired.

In the same way, there are attributes of those I've known through the years which I made a conscience decision not to emulate.  My own mother was the most loving and giving person I know.  Yet, a very fearful attitude toward life (albeit brought about by tragic circumstances through the years) caused her to make very bad decisions... including a disastrous marriage after my father passed away.  The older I got, the more I understood those decisions... and how if one did not develop a deep faith in God's provision... it was easy to let fear cloud better judgement.

My mother-in-law was an excellent cook and gardener.  I have many of her recipes, which I've used through thirty-plus years of marriage.  However, when my thoughts are of time spent with her... they are of a critical and judgemental spirit.  Both of my in-laws had a critical spirit (and in the long run, my father-in-law's criticism perhaps more deeply affected his children)... but it was she who met us at the door complaining about her life and kept it constant throughout our visit.

We choose each day of our lives what legacy we are leaving the next generation.  How will your family and friends remember you?  The Bible tells us "love covers a multitude of sins" and I see that in memories of Mom.  My mother's eight children all truly loved her with a passion in spite of her imperfections. Our memories are often met with laughter at "Mamaw-isms". 

My husband and his siblings have little good to say about their parents (even though their father was an excellent provider and their mother always kept a tidy house and three delicious meals a day).  What goes around truly comes around... and all three siblings are critical of their parents... all three have been in therapy due to words spoken by their parents.

I want my legacy to be one of a thankful spirit and I do this each day by choosing to be grateful... not looking at what I don't have but what He has given.  I have learned to... as I walk on the front porch... thank God for my little house in the country.  I thank Him for both my family and my friends.  I thank Him for those items He has given me through the years which come together to make a lovely and cozy environment... His care about the little things of life which shows me He... understands.  :)

There is much I can be thankful of... so much more than any lack in my life.

Attitude is a habit and by choosing to be thankful instead of complaining... I know it is a gift I give back to Him... and a legacy which will affect the lives around me.

Pantry Pics -- show and tell

 Finding places everywhere to dry herbs!

We're finally having a nice day here and what do I decide to do... organize the "shower pantry".  I should have taken a "before" picture... then again it is a good thing I didn't.

 Behind this shower curtain is...

 ... storage!

 I stole borrowed this idea from Manuela, turning an unused shower into storage space.  I have gorilla shelves in the garage for canned goods and such but this puts my plastic and paper goods inside where I can grab them easily when needed.

Victoria's kibble is in the plastic storage bucket...and she knows it, too.

The two wire baskets were Goodwill finds.  The bottom basket is upside down (to hold the top basket) but it can still hold two large packages of paper plates and one large package of disposable cups (all left over from my son's summer break car trip).

I inherited this yellow "pantry" from my in-laws.  My mother-in-law had this in her basement (holding laundry and cleaning products) and its' twin (which had been nicely refinished) in her dining room.

The refinished pantry is in the home of my brother-in-law.  My husband offered to refinish this one, too... Stephanie and I were both appalled at the thought!  We love all of its' vintagy yellow and red chippy paint.

It provides the perfect storage for my collection of condiments, spices, and baking products.

Hmmm.... I just noticed that sugar cookie mix which I bought months ago to try in a new recipe.  That may be my next baking assignment!

I hope you liked the interior pantry tour.  Since we live in a small house with no basement, we utilize any extra space possible.

Note:  If you are snoopy like me, all pictures can be enlarged by clicking on them.  :)