Projects

Living in a 92 year old farmhouse means a life of projects to tackle.  Most of the work falls onto Sweetheart.  That's a lot of work for one person.  He had some help recently finishing the attic.  After he framed and hung drywall on some of the crookedest beams ever (the original wood not his framing), a neighbor helped him with taping, mudding and texturing it.  He was able to teach Sweetheart what to do and Sweetheart did it.
And so the attic is "finished".  That means it is finished enough to move it even if there are still more things to do to it.  So, nearly three years after I began packing up our old house to sell it, I finally have a space to create.  I love it.
I unpacked tub after tub of art and craft supplies and have enjoyed finding places to put it all.  I still have one laundry basket of stuff to deal with, but I moved in enough.  We were able to spread out and make some Valentines for people, even if some didn't get mailed out until Valentines Day. 
It's so nice to have a place to sit and think and spread out papers and paints and not have to clean it all up for the next meal!  I've gone up early a few mornings armed with my thermos of tea and or coffee.  I can sit up there and do devotions and even do some sketching and watercolouring. Joanne is my inspiration for that.
I've got several books on living creatively that I have been reading through as well and trying out some ideas and teaching myself a lot.  The Creative Call is one book I bought in January that I am really enjoying.  I bought Taking Flight shortly after Dumpling was born and am just now getting around to reading it again.  And The Creative License:  Giving Yourself Permission to Be the Artist You Really Are is the final one.  Now, all I have to do it get going on it all.
I am not one to consider myself An Artist.  I always think of my Aunt as such.  But, as I grow older I am learning to live more creatively and feel freer thinking of myself as one.  I enjoy creating beauty whether it is in writing, taking pictures, reading stories, gardening, or making cards.  I am learning that my life is my art.  I may never sell a thing, or be published, or whatever, but that's ok.  I am happier whenever I can be creating beauty in whatever form it takes.  We'll just see where it takes me.
Well, it's time to create some beauty in the kitchen and while I wish that was to be in the form of making some scones, it more just needs to be in doing the dishes I've left in the sink.  Since breakfast.
In all fairness to myself, I've been battling a cold since Saturday and have spent more time just trying to rest and get better than I have cleaning.  Which would explain the laundry pile threatening to overtake the downstairs washroom...I have been able to read though.  Sense & Sensibility, Pride & Prejudice are complete and I am in the middle of Mansfield Park.  Not bad for a few days reading!
Hmm...maybe I should whip up the scones and do the dishes while they bake...  ;)  I think I like that idea.  Having discovered how much a simple vanilla glaze can do for my scones has been a dangerous thing.  It's elevated an easy treat into something amazing. 

Joining Kellie's 2nd Annual Literary Heroine Blog Party!

~ The Questions ~

1. Introduce yourself!  Divulge your life's vision, likes, dislikes, aspirations, or something completely random!  I am a recently transplanted city girl turned Idaho Farmgirl, a wife, mother of three little ones, a teacher, a reader, and an artist who strives to make all of life my medium.  I love long walks, swinging in my hammock, reading insistently, listening to my chickens, endless cups of tea, creating beauty, and laughing with my family.   I love learning and have tried more new things in this last year than I ever thought I would.  My faith is the cornerstone of my life.  I am a bit concerned that you all will find me too old to join in your party though!
2. What, to you, forms the essence of a true heroine? A heroine to me is one who rises above the ordinary challenges of life.  She is willing to do what she knows is right regardless of others' opinions of her and her actions.  She sees life differently and strives to make the most of it, even in difficult circumstances.
3. Share (up to) four heroines of literature that you most admire and relate to. Only four?  Anne Shirley, Jo Marsh, Sara Crewe, Amy Dorritt, and Mollie Gibson. That's five.  *sigh*  I tried.  Though I cannot relate to their specific circumstances, it is how they face challenges and hardships that makes me admire them and wish I was more like them.
4. Five of your favorite historical novels? Only five?  Dear me!  Anne of Green Gables, Little Women, The Little House on the Prairie Series, Pride & Prejudice, Whatever Dicken's Novel I Read Most Recently.
5. Out of those five books who is your favorite main character and why? Anne Shirley because she never lets hard times keep her down and always finds the best and the beautiful in the moment.
6. Out of those five books who is your favorite secondary character and why?  Caroline Ingalls.  I don't know how she did all she did with little help and no breaks in it all.
7. If you were to plan out your dream vacation, where would you travel to - and what would you plan to do there? I would go to the Lake District.  I would walk, draw, paint, read, and drink a lot of tea with my scones.  A side trip to Bath would be lovely as well.  Actually, I would love to walk all over the United Kingdom and see all the sites I adore reading about!
8. What is your favorite time period and culture to read about? I don't really have a favorite.  I love Austen's Regency era, Dicken and Gaskell's Victorian England, and American Pioneer stories.
9. You have been invited to perform at the local charity concert. Singing, comedy, recitation - what is your act comprised of?  I must go with recitation as my singing would be considered either comedy, or tragedy depending on your ears!  Plus, I love to read aloud and do all the voices.
10. If you were to attend a party where each guest was to portray a heroine of literature, who would you select to represent? As I love Edwardian clothing more than any other style I would want to go as Anne when she is older.
11. What are your sentiments on the subject of chocolate? I am all for it!
12. Favorite author(s)? Dickens, Alcott, Gaskill, Montgomery, Austen, Bronte, Burnett, Karon, Clarkson,
13. Besides essentials, what would you take on a visiting voyage to a foreign land? Something to read, a sketchbook, a travel set of watercolours, gifts to share, The Wordless Travel Book , note cards, and my small Bible.
14. In which century were most of the books you read written?  The 19th.
15. In your opinion, the ultimate hero in literature is… Nicholas Nickleby.
16. Describe your ideal dwelling place.   In a cottage.  A little cottage is always very snug.
17. Sum up your fashion style in five words. Wants Edwardian, works in jeans.
18. Have you ever wanted to change a character’s name? No, though I do think Charles Dickens was simply a master at naming characters.
19. In your opinion, the most dastardly villain of all literature is... Inspector Javert, or maybe Rigaud/Blandois/Lagnier, and Wackford Squeers is pretty awful...
    
20. Three favorite Non-fiction books?  I would choose The Mission of Motherhood, The Self-Sufficient Life and How to Live It, and If Teacups Cold Talk.
21. Your duties met for the day, how would you choose to spend a carefree summer afternoon? I would pack up a picnic tea and head to the nearest wildflower meadow.
22. Create a verbal sketch of your dream hat - in such a way as will best portray your true character. I would wear a wide-brimmed straw, with a bit of a curve to the brim~open but with some mystery.  There would be a wide ribbon of lace around the crown and a ring of real flowers, preferably roses, sweet peas and pansies.  It would sit well and be comfortable~a hat that is a part of the wearer, functional and not just for show.
23. Share the most significant event(s) that have marked your life in the past year. The Move to Idaho and all its challenges.
24. Share the Bible passage(s) that have been most inspiring to you recently.   Matthew 11:28-30 in The Message translation:
    "Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? 
    Come to me. 
    Get away with me and you'll recover your life. 
    I'll show you how to take a real rest. 
    Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it.
     Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. 
    I won't lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you.
     Keep company with me and you'll learn to live 
    freely and lightly."

Another (Few) Years of Dickens...

I laughed when I saw this post the other day. That was from 2007. I took a break from reading through my Charles Dickens collection. A two year break it turned out to be. I did read some of his Christmas Stories last year, but dove back in full force this summer. I have completed Dombey and Son and Little Dorritt and am currently three fourths of the way through Bleak House. As they average 1200 pages, it takes a bit more time and thought to read than say, the Mitford series I reread last month. I do read and nurse the baby at the same time when it works out.

Dombey & Son has been my least favorite so far. Not that it isn't wonderfully written. It is just a sadder story to me. I adored Little Dorritt and begged Sweetheart to get the movie when I finished. We both loved it. Do watch it if you can!

All this Dickens led to watching an old BBC version of Bleak House that we've had for years but hadn't seen. Now we own the new version as well. *ahem* Both are good, but the newer version is filmed in a more up to date fashion and very well done as well as being easier to follow with better audio. It is an amazing story. I will be a bit sad to finish reading it.

I think next I will venture off to The Curiosity Shop for a visit. By then it will probably be time to finish up the Christmas Stories. As my set of books is quite old and worn I sewed, a book cover that I can put on each book as I read them. I hope this will help them to last longer.

Though at over 135 years old, I think they've paid their dues, don't you? Maybe I'll get a picture of the cover I made taken and posted soon. As computer time varies wildly these days, we'll just have to see. I am keeping quite busy these days and loving it all. Well, except the crying. And I am a wee bit tired today. Therefore, I am going to sign off for now wishing you all the best. Maybe I can get a few more pages read...

What are you reading???? Do tell!

Choc-lit

"I find that it is the classics that are best with chocolate. I suspect this is because I have to digest and savor them slowly (they are not always the easiest reads), and need to read them in bite-size chunks and reward myself every so often for my valiant efforts. The works of Dickens are the ultimate choc-lit, as are most nineteenth-century doorstoppers."
-Jane Brocket (TGAOD)

I guess this explains the need for a bit of dark chocolate whilst reading Little Dorrit. With 750 pages still to go, I may need to lay in a bit more chocolate. Dickens must have been paid by the word. Doorstopper indeed.

***

It is a rare, cloudy summer day here in Denver. Goodness! I just peaked at the weather page and our high is to be only in the low 60's! There's a chance of rain, but I think we'll brave it and head to the zoo this morning.
I think most of the country is in a heat wave so we'll be sure to enjoy what we have! What is your weather and/or plans for the day?

Dreaming of Tuscany

Having completely thrown over my plans to spend the day with the apples, I've instead been pouring through A Thousand Days in Tuscany, a book my Mom brought over last night. I've taken a brief break from reading to start a loaf of Schiacciata Toscana, or Tuscan Flat Bread. I love books with related recipes written in them. I'm guessing it will be like a fochacia bread with fresh rosemary, sea salt, and olive oil as focal ingredients. It contains a fair amount of cornmeal so that will add a bit of a different texture, I think.


I dashed out back and picked some rosemary and basil. I have a bowl full of fresh tomatoes and am trying to figure out what all I want to make. Maybe some pasta with grilled chicken? Shall I pick some beans to add to the mix? A bit of zucchini is always good with the abundance we have right now. Decisions, decisions. How blessed we are to have all that we do!

The bread is on its second rising and I've just minced the rosemary so my hands are fragrant with that delicious piney scent.

We've just tucked the boys in for naps and I need to spend more time outside cleaning up the garden spaces. I pulled the sunflowers out over several days this week and discovered all sorts of things still growing, hiding and seeking out a bit of sunshine. We'll see how they do know that the crazy canopy of sunflowers is gone. I've been collecting seeds from the various flower heads for planting next year.

I am planning on not having the sunflowers in that garden area next year. I also think the mallows and cosmos were a bit much. They simply all engulfed the smaller plants and groundcovers I put in. Right now there are purple mums blooming away, a purple delphinium, and one purple anenome. The gladiolus came in purple as did a mystery bulb. There are a lot of different greens from the rosemary and basil plants to the lemon balm and baby tears.

Besides all the glorious shades of purple, there are bright spots from the nasturtiums and a few forget-me-nots. The forget-me-not seeds are easy to save as they are little burrs and I am forever picking them off of whatever I've worn into the garden. They also love to attach themselves to my hair where I seem to find them hours later.

As the days cool we're spending as much time out back as we can. The boys played out back as I pulled and cut and tended the gardens yesterday. They love their sandbox and running through the grass. Pumpkin loves to see all that's still growing and is happily counting watermelons and cantaloupes. I'm amazed by the tomatoes and beans! Some of the tomatoes are enormous and I hope they ripen up this week.

This is so wonderful to be enjoying the bounty. Worth all the endless hours of work this spring and summer to make it all happen. I will be even happier next year when all I have to do is plant and not do all the work we did to get this all going. We still have the old garden area to whip into shape and I am planning on doing more weed pulling as soon as I can put the bread in the oven.

Ciao!

PS- Here's the link to the Spice Pumpkin Waffles. The chutney recipe requires me typing more, so it'll be up another day.

Do I Thirst?

I know you through and through. I know everything about you. The very hairs of your head I have numbered. Nothing in your life is unimportant to Me. I have followed you through the years, and I have always loved you – even in your wanderings.

I know every one of your problems.

I know your needs and your worries.

And yes, I know all your sins.

But I tell you again that I love you –

not for what you have or haven’t done –

I love you for you,

for the beauty and dignity My Father gave you

by creating you in His own image.

It is a dignity you have often forgotten, a beauty you have tarnished by sin. But I love you as you are, and I have shed My Blood to win you back. If you only ask Me with faith, My grace will touch all that needs changing in your life, and I will give you the strength to free yourself from sin and all its destructive power.

I know what is in your heart – I know your loneliness and all your hurts – the rejections, the judgments, the humiliations, I carried it all before you. And I carried it all for you, so you might share My strength and victory. I know especially your need for love – how you are thirsting to be loved and cherished. But how often have you thirsted in vain, by seeking that love selfishly, striving to fill the emptiness inside you with passing pleasures – with the even greater emptiness of sin. Do you thirst for love? "Come to Me all you who thirst…" (Jn. 7: 37). I will satisfy you and fill you. Do you thirst to be cherished? I cherish you more than you can imagine – to the point of dying on a cross for you.

I Thirst for You. Yes, that is the only way to even begin to describe My love for you. I THIRST FOR YOU. I thirst to love you and to be loved by you – that is how precious you are to Me. I THIRST FOR YOU. Come to Me, and I will fill your heart and heal your wounds. I will make you a new creation, and give you peace, even in all your trials I THIRST FOR YOU. You must never doubt My mercy, My acceptance of you, My desire to forgive, My longing to bless you and live My life in you. I THIRST FOR YOU.

If you feel unimportant in the eyes of the world, that matters not at all. For Me, there is no one any more important in the entire world than you. I THIRST FOR YOU. Open to Me, come to Me, thirst for Me, give me your life – and I will prove to you how important you are to My Heart.

No matter how far you may wander, no matter how often you forget Me, no matter how many crosses you may bear in this life; there is one thing I want you to always remember, one thing that will never change. I THIRST FOR YOU – just as you are. You don’t need to change to believe in My love, for it will be your belief in My love that will change you. You forget Me, and yet I am seeking you every moment of the day – standing at the door of your heart and knocking.

Do you find this hard to believe? Then look at the cross, look at My Heart that was pierced for you. Have you not understood My cross? Then listen again to the words I spoke there – for they tell you clearly why I endured all this for you: "I THIRST…"(Jn 19: 28). Yes, I thirst for you – as the rest of the psalm – verse I was praying says of Me: "I looked for love, and I found none…" (Ps. 69: 20).

All your life I have been looking for your love – I have never stopped seeking to love you and be loved by you. You have tried many other things in your search for happiness; why not try opening your heart to Me, right now, more than you ever have before.

Whenever you do open the door of your heart, whenever you come close enough, you will hear Me say to you again and again, not in mere human words but in spirit. "No matter what you have done, I love you for your own sake.

Come to Me with your misery and your sins, with your troubles and needs, and with all your longing to be loved. I stand at the door of your heart and knock. Open to Me, for I THIRST FOR YOU…"

~Mother Teresa

****
This is one of the readings from the devotional I've been going through, Bread and Wine: Readings for Lent and Easter. It's been the one reading I can't stop rereading. And so I wanted to share it with you. I full the strong pull of His love in these words. Do you? I find myself reading it again and again and praying that I would thirst for HIM as He thirsts for me.

To my friends reading this that do not believe, I pray these words will draw you to Him, Jesus Christ, who loves you so much. May my actions and words not get in the way of His love. Happy Easter.

~Kimberly

Ideabook * Cookbook * Lifebook

I wrote the other day about MaryJane's latest magazine, but I forgot to add a link to it. Here is her website. You can order a subscription to the magazine. It is a lot easier than trying to find it in the stores. I'd ordered a book a few months ago and received the magazine direct, then I found the next issue at Barnes & Noble. The other day was the first time I'd seen it at the grocery store, Sunflower Farmers' Market.

I think I'm just going to do the subscription since she started going to putting out regular issues every two months. It used to be real hit or miss as to when an issue would come out, but now it's being published regularly. It's also a lot less expensive that way.

MaryJane’s Ideabook, Cookbook, Lifebook - For the Farmgirl in All of Us is a book I received for Christmas. I had seen it at the bookstore and enjoyed looking at it. I was overjoyed upon receiving it and being able to read it all. It arrived just after Sweetheart and I decided to simplify our lives and I was looking for the "how" now that I knew the "what" and "why" of it all. This book contains that. It is filled with both the practical how-tos as well as a lofty idealism that colors my world.

There are recipes, gardening tips, sewing projects, cleaning helps, and more all complete with gorgeous pictures that fill each page. I've discovered that I am a Farmgirl at heart, though I may live in the city, and may always. I have a sense of simplicity and beauty and the desire to find them in my daily life, as well as to highlight them for those around me. A Farmgirl isn't afraid of working hard, but also loves being a woman and delights in femininity even in unexpected places.

It's a good mix for me. While I may long for a few chickens and some wide open space, I am content here in suburbia making my house a home and refuge for those that pass my way. Though this latest issue did have directions for making a delightful hen house....Think the HOA would notice?

"Love has its own communication...

one you can't prove in a courtroom, in a lab experiment, or on a doctor's chart.

It's the language of the heart,

and while it has never been transcribed,

has no alphabet,

and can't be heard or spoken by voice,

it is used by every human being on the planet.

It is written on our souls,

scripted by the finger of God,

and we can hear,

understand

and speak it with perfection

long before we open our eyes for the first time."

from Maggie

by Charles Martin

Found This at the Grocery Store Yesterday

I skimmed a few pages yesterday and am looking forward to pouring a cup of tea and sinking into its pages later tonight. I love MaryJane's books and magazines. They encapsulate so many of the changes we've been making for this year towards a simple life and inspire me to continue in this journey.

life: beautiful

I'll write more about this lovely publication later (during naptime!).

I just couldn't wait to tell you what I'd found!

Edited Later:

I've skimmed through this and have seen a lot to enjoy.

I'm not sure I can whole-heartedly recommend it, due to some of the choices for columnists. I don't know. Here's where life and choices and faith become intertwined and questions arise. If 90% of something is fine, should we ignore the 10% we might not agree with? Because it's certainly "better than a lot of other things out there", should I choose to buy and read it? Am I thinking too much about it all, or not enough?

I enjoy "Victoria", but their Writer in Residence is someone whose worldview, while focused on beauty, is skewed to me. I'm not cancelling my subscription, just choosing to skip her columns. Here, "Life: Beautiful", arrives with a subtitle of "Faith for Your Journey" which causes me to look more intently at it.

I like the premise of the magazine overall and the photography is some of the best around. The recipes look great and I'll try the Lemon Roll this week. I love that it addresses life in all its parts. There are suggestions for everything from decorating with things you make and/or repurpose, crafts, dinnertime, smart money management, life lessons, serving others, caring for your body and even healthy cleaning supplies. There's even a section reviewing and previewing a variety of media related things like movies, books and music.

I know that part of the journey I am on is trying to simplify and to see how all the parts of my life intersect viewing them all through the eyes of my faith.

Life is not always beautiful, but I am trying to see and appreciate and even highlight the beauty that is there in this fallen world. I desire to create a haven and refuge for my family in our home. Not so that we can just hide in here and not have to deal with others, but that we may be refreshed and refilled here with His love and the love of one another and then go out to share His love with others in our paths.

I think this publication does a wonderful job in those aspects and I am excited to see something that "gets it", even when I cannot always articulate my thoughts and visions for life.

What say you?

My Year of Dickens

Like many of you, I was required to read at least one Charles Dickens novel for English class. We read Great Expectations one year. It was not very interesting to me at the time. I was completely grossed out by Miss Havisham and her home. I couldn't seem to get past my revulsion at her way of life to notice the rest of the story.

I know I also read A Christmas Carol somewhere along the way as well. I enjoyed that story more, but still wasn't too interested in Dickens as an author.

I think part of the problem was that we read the stories aloud as a class. So much is lost in a story to me that way. I would get caught up and distracted by how others read aloud, usually poorly, and certainly without expression. If I tried to ignore my classmates and read ahead on my own, I would be totally off track if I was called on to read, so that didn't work too well. All in all, I read what was required, but no more.

That recently changed. Sweetheart and I bought the DVD of Nicholas Nickleby awhile back. This was the 2002 version. We loved it. It is a wonderful movie that, while not including all 800+ pages of material, does a fine job as a feature film. Of course, I also like the 2005 Pride & Prejudice film which may make my opinion suspect to some of you. :) see my thoughts here.

It was probably a year or so after watching the movie several times that I decided I should read the book. I read it last fall and enjoyed it tremendously. It is quite long and contains an amazing amount of detail, but was an enjoyable read none the less. I highly recommend it!

Reading Nicholas Nickelby led my on to reread A Christmas Carol last December. I took a few months off of Dickens, but then reread Great Expectations. This time through I loved it! I am sure that it was due in part because I was reading it for my own pleasure and not as an assignment. I was amazed at how little I remember. Of course, high school was a long time ago for me...

I then jumped in and read Oliver Twist and A Tale of Two Cities in just a few weeks. We had seen a recent movie version of Oliver Twist on sale at Target, but didn't purchase it. This motivated me to read the book to see if I'd want to get a movie version.

While I was reading Oliver Twist and ATOTC, I discovered a set of 1874 editions of all of Dickens' writings on ebay. I was so excited when we won the auction for such a low price. It's a lovely set, well-worn, but so neat to own. Besides, I think most books that are over 130 years would be pretty worn, don't you?

I was in for another surprise, though. Sweetheart mentioned he found a copy of the BBC version of Oliver Twist and ordered it. I was so pleased when it arrived, all 12 episodes! Imagine my surprise though when Sweetheart informed me that it came with a two box set of ALL the BBC movie productions of Dickens. We now have about 10 different movies to enjoy. Of course, it took about two weeks to get through watching Oliver Twist a bit t time every few evenings, so I think this is a set that will keep us busy for quite some time!

I absolutely adore Dickens now! His wit and attention to detail is masterful. How he kept track of so many characters and plot twists astounds me, especially when you note that most of his writings were done as serials in monthly installments. While he made a few editorially changes in some of his works as they were printed in novel forms, he was basically publishing his stories while he was still writing them.

The history contained in his writings is fascinating to me as well. I feel as though I have learned so much just from reading his novels that I never knew before. It is quite an education.

It is neat to know that his writing was more than just entertainment. He actually championed a lot of needed reforms at that time through his writings. His descriptions of conditions in both schools and poor houses led to much needed change. How wonderful that he could both entertain people and lead them to fight for reform!

I've just started the copy of The Pickwick Papers from my wonderful old set. I look forward to discovering what awaits between the covers of this story. I am planning to read through the entire set. It will take some time, but I'll keep you posted.

Apparently, I'm not the only fan of Dickens. Mrs. Wilt has some ideas and links on him as well on her new blog. I look forward to checking them out as well.


Why don't you join me in revisiting some of the old classics, and see if you too enjoy them more the second time around? Let me know what you're reading.

****Question: Usually movie titles are in quotes while book titles are listed in italics, what does one do for a book that's been made into a movie?

Victoria Returns!

Some great news discovered over at The Sparrow's Nest! Victoria Magazine is set to return this holiday season. Here is the link to the story.
Guess we'll all have something new to read instead of just rereading all our old copies. I was reading the May 1998 issue just this morning on the treadmill. I hope that it is like the original Victoria under Nancy Lindemeyer. I know I actually stopped my subscription for a time under the second editor. I wish they had never changed it!
I wish there were other magazines out there for women that celebrated beauty and joy in life. Everything out there now just seems to be filled with celebrities, advertisements and articles that in no way relate to my life. Do you have any magazines to recommend?