Anticipating Life's Ice-cream

It is hard to wait. 

It's really hard to wait.

It's hard to wait for the things we want...

...and it's hard to wait for the things we think we don't want.

It's hard to sit back, un-clench our fists and lift our eyes to the Lord.

"Lord Jesus, I will wait for You. I won't take this into my hands. I will trust You."

In theory? Yes. It's easy. It's just a little giving-up, right?

 In practice, waiting is one of the hardest things we are called as Christians to do. We think we know what's right--how many many times have I been guilty of this! We think we've let go. We really do. And yet when God reaches to take away that thing we want, we hold tight.

 "No, Lord! That wasn't in the plan! I thought You were telling me to go in this direction! All roads were leading toward it! What do You mean that's not the way we're going?!"

We fuss and cry and clench our fists and all the while God is only waiting for us to let go of our grubby plans so that He may give us something infinitely better. I'm not saying it will always be easy to accept God's will and God's plan. But I do have this confidence: That He who has begun a good work in you is able to complete it.

He doesn't take things away and leave us hanging, empty-handed, empty-hearted.

 He does not delight in stripping us of the good things. 

He delights in gifting us with the best things.

And it is this very paradox that hangs us up and ties our soul in knots and causes angst and pain and worry. Because we have the minds of silly little children. We see our Father taking our lollipop away and don't see the ice-cream sundae He's holding behind his back. Our lollipop is going away and that's all we know [and care, frankly] about the matter.

We can't understand the ways God works until we are with Him in Heaven at the end of our earthly journey. We'll see then (and often before then) why He took certain things away, and how the things He then bestowed were so much better.

So let's all anticipate the ice-cream and let go of Life's lollipops. He promises He's got better things in store for those who wait upon Him. 

There are some days...

There are days when sunshine is all you need...

...and there are days when rain fits the bill.

There are days when you feel like exercising...

..and days when a chocolate chunk cookie is more in order.

There are days when you're feelin' "Oh Johnny"...

...and days when "Into The West" is better to your taste.

There are days when you never want to leave your dozy corner of Virginia...

...and days when NYC sounds unbearably alluring.

There are days when you're feeling brilliant....

...and days when you wish you were.

:)

This is rather one of those other days. :D

dream on.

 

dream.

The world needs dreamers and the world needs doers.  But above all, the world needs dreamers who do. 

~Sarah Ban Breathnach

There are no rules of architecture for a castle in the clouds.
Gilbert K. Chesterton

 

imagine.

 

Think left and think right and think low and think high. Oh, the thinks you can think up if only you try!
Dr. Seuss

Ze Sourdough Challenge

I wanted to alert you girls to a new sort of Challenge! I'm reprinting (or re-typing--you choose) a post I did on my blog for Stay-at-home daughters: A Butcher, a Baker, a Candlestick-maker. It's called the Sourdough Challenge...

I am in a dreadfully perverse mood recently. I don't know what it was bred of but it makes me feel rather strongly like doing strangely unaccountable things like...adopting a pair of white ducks to do paintings of, (Me, who hasn't picked up her brush in a month or two entire!) or make cheese or (and this is the point on which this whole post is orbiting...)

Make Sourdough bread.

This has a logical path. We were given some free sourdough bread and it was made with white flour. I try to avoid white flour...I really do. But Sourdough is my one weakness. I broke under the pressure of Trying Not To. ;) I cut the slices very very thinly and toasted them, buttered them, and had myself some Secret-Toast with a hot cup of tea.

"Evangeline, may I have some secret-toast-and-jam?"
"Most certainly not."
"Alright--forget the jam--just some secret toast?"

(Forgive me for quoting Nanny McPhee in a moment like this. ;) I decided I had to remedy the situation. After all, must the White-Flour-Eaters have all the sourdough? No. Never. I flatly refused. So after imibibing in the Secret-toast and tea, I betook myself to the laptop and rummaged up a Sourdough Starter Recipe.

And this is where the challenge begins. I'm starting my starter tonight. (And making it whole wheat.) Will you girls begin a starter too? It "brews" for 5-10 days and at the end of the time if you don't feel like continuing with the sourdough, just toss it--it is rather a cheap experiment anyhow! :)

The recipe I found was from a fabulous little website I just tripped over called Chickens in the Road. I think it and me are going to be good friends by-and-by. (And no, it had nothing to do with the fact that I found a recipe for Apple-lilac jelly. No indeed.)

Here, my fellow Butchers, Bakers, and Candlestick-makers, are the Brewery Instructions:

Sourdough Starter(from www.chickensintheroad.com)
1 Tbs. yeast (not rapid-rise)
1/2 cup warm water
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1 1/2 additional cups warm water
1 Tbs. honey or sugar
Mix the yeast with the 1/2 cup warm water in a non-metal container. Mix with other ingredients and stir well. Pour into a non-metal bowl or jar. (This starter will poof and grow so provide for plenty of room for fluffery.) Cover with cheesecloth and leave on the counter for 5-10 days. Stir 2 or 3 times a day.

That's the basic recipe I found on the website and there are further instructions in The Post itself. I will be posting about the next step in 5 or 10 days so stay tuned! Will you join with me in the Sourdough Challenge? Pretty pretty please? :) Leave me a comment telling me if you are being darlings and doing this Sourdough Challenge with me! :)

Farmin's Fun :)

"Green Acres is the place for me--farm livin's where I'd rather be..." :D

Life on the farm has been busy recently! I was overjoyed to see that (1) the hail didn't kill our strawberries, (2) my oregano is ALIVE! and (3) our peas are up! We hand-planted them this year instead of using that infernal seeder and all of them came up. I feel victorious! ;D I've conquered the modern conveniences. :D 

We now have....7 goats! Daisy, Chip, Lizzie, Dove, Finch, Emma, and Harriet. :) Daisy just had Emma and Harriet a week or two ago--they are so cute! I'll try to get a picture up soon. Both Lizzie and Dove are expecting babies too so our goat population is booming...we're like the Rural Baby-Boomers. ;) 

Daniel has been selling these industrial-quality chicken-nesting-boxes on Craigslist and I have had to be the spokeswoman when the people come to buy them. I take their money and furtively count it to make sure it's right. Inevitably they ask to see the goats so I wander over to the pen with them  and explain all the inner workings of Goatdom. (pretending *ahemahem* that I know anything about Goatdom *ahemahem*) I explain what kind of goats we have (LaMancha--I know how to pronounce that now) and why they don't have ears and who is whose baby (they all look so much alike now it confuses me. :P)

The only thing that stumped me was this: What does one call a...a...a round of goat babies? I got befuddled over that while talking to the last group of chicken-boxers.

"And Lizzie and Dove are about to have  their...their....litters of kids," I finished lamely. (Way to go, Rachel, way to go. :P) I felt very ignorant and citified after that sentence so I looked benignly at the goats and fingered Daniel's moolah in my pocket and promised the chicken-boxers that we'd call them if we decided to sell any of the goats. They finally got the memo that I was out of information ,but I redeemed my reputation a moment later by airing my knowledge of what a back-ward feathered chicken was, and what an over-the-fence chicken was. (Don't ask.)

....Ahhhh....farm life is never dull! :) 

Keep Calm and....

Rach and I have been having fun making Keep Calm posters, so I thought we'd show you a few...

Our motto when sickness is in the house. :P

Think "Emma" ;)

From Wicked

Movie Review: War Horse

War Horse (2011)

Starring: Jeremy Ervine, Emily Watson, and David Thewlis

This film tells the exciting story of a horse and his boy. But unlike those normal animal/man bonds, this tale is not nice and pretty. Set in 1914, it follows the journeys and trials of a thoroughbred horse, Joey through World War I. Albert Narracott (Jeremy Irvine) lives in Dartmoor, England on his family's quiet, working farm. When his father unexpectedly buys a young, spunky thoroughbred horse, Albie gets the opportunity to train and raise it as his own. The two become inseparable buddies, but that's when the war starts. I won't spoil the movie for any of you (I know even Rachel hasn't watched it yet!) but here's a layout of the characters:

Albie Narracott: The so-called hero of the movie. He's about 17 or so when the movie starts, and learns so much about courage, bravery, and friendship through the tough surroundings of war. 

Joey (the warhorse): Just a spirited horse, he sees a lot, and befriends a special boy. Follow his trail, and experience the war through his eyes.

Ted Narracott (Peter Mullan): Albie's dad. He's a pretty heavy drinker, but is trying with all his might to keep his farm, against all odds.

Rose Narracott (Emily Watson): Albie's mother. She is a very opinionated, but very kind English lady, who's heart is to support her family. 

Andrew Easton (Matt Milne): Albie's best friend. A tad simple, but sticks with his chum through thick and thin.

Lyons (David Thewlis): I guess he'd be one of the villains in this story. The stingy, mean, and cold-hearted landlord of the Narracotts, he just has to make life hard for them.

Captain Nicholls (Tom Hiddleston) : A young cavalry officer, he's real good fellow. :) Not your average army captain---he's kind-hearted and brave.

Major Jamie Stewart (Benedict Cumberbatch): May I just say that Benedict made a great British cavalry guy? :D But really, he did a great job, and....well...I won't say more...*hint of a sniff*

Lt. Waverly, left

Lieutenant Charlier Waverly (Patrick Kennedy): A pretty minor character, but I had to stick him in here somewhere, because of the love/hate relationship I got with him through watching Bleak House. ;) 

(couldn't find a film still of him)

Sergeant Fry (Eddie Marsan): :P He's totally minor as well...but I was very surprised to see Pancks in a uniform and 

Emilie (Celine Buckens): This young French girl has lived with her "grandpere" since her father and mother's deaths. She certainly is the "boss" but crack open her slightly bold shell and you find a girl who just wants to know the truth.

Grandpere (Niels Arestrup): Emilie's grandfather, he's a pretty worried man.

By shielding his granddaughter from the ugly truths of life, he isn't quite on the right track. But the love he has for his daughter's child is quite sweet.

Haha! Sorry these are going on and on! There are just so many great characters in this awesome movie! :D 

Pros: This movie is such a fantastic, gripping and sweet story! The characters really grow on you, the plot moves along nicely, and the whole war side of things is done very tastefully. The acting is superb! A great film to watch with a middle to older audience. (It shows a realistic view of war, which means there is some violence-- some of which is off-scene, but it the content is still intense) And the soundtrack! It's soooo beautiful!

Cons: There is a little bit of language (the officer, when in the midst of battles use the "h--" word a couple times) and of course violence with the whole war subject. I wouldn't recommend it for a entire family film, but for a mid-range group (11ish up) it's a remarkably done movie.

My all over opinion is this: The film is stupendous! I've already watched it twice and won't tire of it easily. The soundtrack's been on this blog since before I even saw the movie, and will stay on. ;) I loved seeing familiar faces throughout, too!
                    Hope this was entertaining, and make sure you get a chance to watch this soon!

-Sarah

p.s. are you all interested in more movie/book reviews? Please leave a comment and let me know. :)

Spring is for.....

Beautiful azalea blossoms

Looking up into a canopy of that^ is pure bliss..

Wild cherry trees!

Inchworms. :D

Gentle breezes, rustling my hair...

Capris!!! 

Spring Fashion on the whole.

Rain showers

New life!

What just says spring to you?