turning over a new leaf

Writing is not a chore. Even though I love to write and create images in my mind, I still have many things to learn. Do not write forcefully, expecting it to be perfect. Instead write with emotion and sensitivity. The imperfection of your creation will just add to its beauty; people will be able to relate to it.

Well, I have been making writing a chore—something I dread doing because I ‘have’ to do it ‘for my blog’. Foolish Laurel! I have been neglecting my Loyal Friend---it’s sorta been sitting these last two years, waiting for me to do something extraordinary with it.  I’ve made the decision to remedy that, or Landsflicka won’t live much longer.

So I got this amazing book at Barnes and Noble last night called “Blogging for Bliss” by Tara Frey. Her lovely ideas and suggestions have given me inspiration to turn over a new leaf on Landsflicka. No longer am I going to write half-heartedly on a once-a-month basis. No. Instead I am going use it like my battered journal: give it the attention it needs for revival, and fill it up with little pieces from my life.

               I must confess that I was tempted to start over with a new blog, but with much thought I concluded that perseverance must prevail! I shall remain loyal and keep carving out my little space on the internet. Everyone is welcome to read over the musings of my soul. Please share your thoughts and tell me what you would like to see.

Homemade Christmas {hot chocolate}

     Though this recipe is already on the world wide web, I just had to share it with you! It makes so much hot chocolate mix that I am going to have to give some away for Christmas. Once again my mason jars will come in handy for that:)


HOT CHOCOLATE:

(Makes 15 cups of mix or 45 servings. I know! That's a lot!)

10 cups dry milk powder
4 3/4 sifted confectioners sugar
1 3/4 cups unsweetened cocoa powder
1 3/4 cups powdered non-dairy creamer (there are different flavors)

and don't forget some small marshmallows, and peppermint sticks:)

Chocolate was discovered in the 16th century when Spanish explorer Cortez brought it to Spain from the Aztecs Indians. The Spanish made it a hot sweetened beverage and guarded their precious drink carefully---  It wasn't until a century later when it began to spread across Europe. That's when chocolate houses started up in England and became extremely popular. Thank you Cortez! :)

Homemade Christmas {ornaments}

Here is your ordinary Christmas bulb--  boring, plain, and unappealing.

 

And here is your new Christmas bulb! -- beautiful, old fashioned-y, and delightful in every way:)

 

NOTE: modge podge is all I used (and a book that I didn't feel bad tearing up. Books make up the majority of our wall insulation, but I couldn't find a single one to tear up. I had to buy a romance that looked badly written:) Anyhoo, modge podge is likely to get all over everything when you use it. I spent several minutes peeling layer after layer of it off my hand when I was done.

 

Christmas bulbs (at Wal-Mart) x4 -- $2.99

Paperback novel -- 25 cents at the thrift store

 

Another pretty Christmas ornament is this button bulb that my sister Clara made. All that is needed is a styrofoam ball, buttons that you'll never use otherwise, and hundreds of sewing pins.

 

We taped a layer of tissue paper underneath the buttons to avoid any foam showing. Also you might want to put the hook in first before you start pinning buttons on (unlike like us. lesson learned.) Then you'll have a ornament that is as cute as a button! haha-- get it?

 

 

Homemade Christmas {wrapping paper}

 Crafts are beautiful. Admittedly most of my ideas are stolen from other people (Pinterest, craft shows, and blogs are chock full of wonderful DIY projects) but the splendor of crafting is that each and every project is going to be unique. This blog series isn't telling you anything, it is showing you one way of doing things. There's no right or wrong way, so cut loose and let your own creativity flow!

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 Making your own wrapping paper is a simple way of personalizing your gifts not to mention that it's completely free! (That is if you've invested in stamps and ink:)



 

 

All you need is a roll of butcher paper/freezer paper (both of which are ridiculously cheap) or better yet, the sides of a paper grocery bag. Just cut out the bottom and use the inside.

 

 

The rest is self explanatory! Clara and I had so much fun coming up with different patterns. She created the spider, alphabet, and Blue Jay themes.

 

 

 

 

These will certainly add some rusticity to your Christmas tree this year! Also vintage Christmas postcards are extremely easy to find in antique stores this time of year. They will add a nice touch to your home made wrapping paper:)

Homemade Christmas {center pieces}

     My inspiration for this bottle is from here-- a blog I discovered thanks to Pinterest. Instead of twine I used macramé which required a huge amount of hot glue. It was worth it:) You can use these bottles for practically anything:) vases, center pieces, decorative wine bottles or to play the 'jug' like Briscoe Darling in Andy Griffith.....

 

Bottle: free (this one was in our woodshed, but you can use wine bottles or coke bottles)

Twine: 3-5 dollars at Hobby Lobby.

Macramé: roughly 10 dollars at most craft stores.

Net price: 15 dollars for enough supplies to make several vases.

 

 

Buttons, burlap flowers, twine braids, or ribbons are simple ways of embellishing your final product. I am still discovering the millions of ways twine and macramé are useful, so you might see some more blog posts about them:) 

 

Mason jar candles-- a common craft project, but one with so many possibilities! I've seen them on Pinterest made with book pages, music sheets, and/or paint.

 

The two I decorated are especially easy to make. A lace doily, some cut up newspaper, a little ric rac and TA DA! My next mason jar experiment is to modge podge fabric onto a couple and see how those come out.

Homemade Christmas

I am absolutely thrilled to begin this series!!!

Most people complain about the commercialism and expense of Christmas. Parents outdo themselves in gift-giving, yet children soon tire of their brand new toys. Some people mean well by giving overly expensive gifts only to find out that it was ill received and secretly returned to the store. There must be a better way to show the Christmas spirit! --A less expensive and more meaningful way to express your love to others.

That’s why I’m starting this blog series: (Which I’m completely stoked about:)) to share ideas and resources that can help you save money and (hopefully) relish the experience much more. Welcome to “The Homemade Christmas!” Sit back and relax to enjoy the world of creation and ideas!

There will be posts with decorating ideas including homemade wreaths, Christmas tree ornaments, paper chains, lights, how to make your own wrapping paper etc. The list goes on and on.

  I will share some of my favorite recipes and creative tips to make your home attractive to visitors. (Did you know that if you boil cinnamon sticks your house will smell absolutely lovely?)

The highlight of this series will be gift making--- or should I say gift ‘transforming’. We are going to take some old items from an antique store and transform them into something beautiful. This is the perfect way to make a gift personal not to mention that it is significantly cheaper than buying brand new materials. These posts will include ‘before’ and ‘after’ pictures, how I went about it, and the net price of everything I used. Hopefully that will get your creative juices flowing so you can transform your own gifts.

And lastly I will throw in some delightful Christmas poems and the history behind Christmas hymns we sing all the time. Such as “Silent Night”, “Angels We Have Heard on High”, and “Lo How a Rose”.

Your thoughts and ideas are welcome. PULLLLLEEEEASE comment if you would like to contribute something. Sound like fun? Then let’s get started!

OKLAHOMA!

Last week the Dey family took an impromptu excursion through the Ozarks of Missouri and Oklahoma up into the vast prairie of Kansas. Every day we saw something new, marveled at the beauty of nature, and took LOTS of pictures.

 

The first day was spent in Mansfield, Missouri at the Laura Ingalls Wilder Museum and Home. That woman has always been an inspiration to the writers in our family! It was gratifying to finally see the picturesque home where she spent most of her life.

 

That night we camped out at the Dodson's where we had a blast eating ice cream and looking at family photos. We always love hanging out with you guys--including the 'gang' at 5am (haha:)  

 

Day 2: Cherokee Heritage Center! This was one of my favorite stops. I was simply awe-struck by the tribe's customs and stories. They must have been a people full of poetry and music and ingenuity considering their beautiful culture. Following our visit at the museum we camped out on a peninsula at Tenkiller Ferry Lake. It turned out to be a perfect bird-watching site as there were Scissor-tailed Flycatchers, Pileated Woodpeckers, Seagulls, Blue Jays, and several other species. The sunset was beautiful too. Cabe got this picture of me right when all the colorful splendor was just beginning.

 

 

     The nice thing about vacation is that you are completely on your own schedule. You don't have to be anywhere at a certain time, you can sleep in as long as you want, and meals happen when ever you're hungry. I don't believe we packed up camp until close to lunch time:) Highlights of day 3 included Fort Gibson and the Five Civilized Tribes Museum. 

 

 

  There we are! Enjoying the rustic appeal of Fort Gibson. Unfortunately, most of the fort was closed for renovation, but we got to enjoy most of the old buildings. At the museum we learned about the Choctaw, Cherokee, Creek, Seminole, and Chickasaw tribes. Each tribe was (is) wonderful in their own unique ways.

 

In the golden hours of evening we drove through the Oklahoma hills to our campsite on the Osage reservation. At one point Mom gasped excitedly and told Dad to stop the car! She had spotted this little fella whom we duly named Terry the Tarantula. He was almost as big as my hand which rather intimidated me. 

 

 

     It was an exciting night we spent in the OK hills. Raccoons boldly raided our garbage in front of us, the three amigos got lost on a hike and went twice as far as they had intended, the shower house was full of frogs, and we stayed up late singing rounds and ballads around the campfire.

 

Our final day was spent on the Tallgrass Prairie Preserve. The scenery was breath-taking! And then of course, there were the buffalo...... Those great big beasts were wonderful and kinda scary too. I stood as close to the car as possible just in case one of them decided to stampede:)

 

 

 

Our final stop was the "Little House on the Prairie"--the site where the Ingalls family used to live. It was the perfect conclusion to an epic trip. Family vacations are so much fun!

 

 

 

Thanks to Cabe, Mavis, and Dan Dey for the great photos!

1 Timothy 2:1-3

       
¹ I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people— ² for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. ³ This is good, and pleases God our Savior…” -1 Timothy 2:1-3
 
These past few weeks have been days of uncertainty for our country; there has been a lot of friction between political parties which has overflowed into the personal lives of every individual. That's why I wanted to share this passage with you. No matter what your political stance is, God desires prayers and petitions on behalf of those in authority and for all people.

Petition that the leaders of our country will stand on principle and fight for what they believe. Pray that God will give them wisdom to make right decisions. Ask God to intercede on behalf of the welfare of America, and be thankful that we are indeed a nation under God.

Doing so will fill our lives with peace, godliness, and holiness. It will please God our Savior.

From the inspiredwomanblogs.blogspot.com

    

The Lord is my STRENGTH



It’s a family tradition that we attend the Missouri State Fair every year, so last Sunday afternoon Dad loaded up the Chevy truck and took us to Sedalia. Upon arriving, we realized there wasn’t much going on except for the pig races every half hour and that didn’t hold as much appeal as it used to when we were little kids.

               We wandered around a bit until we came to the livestock barns. We saw cows and bulls of all sorts, sheep getting clipped, goats, pigs fighting each other, roosters screaming their waddles off, and even the champion goose! But my favorites were the giant mules. They were big lovable beasts and enjoyed it when I scratched them behind the ears.

 

 

In the swine barn there was a show for 4 year old kids to enter their pigs.

I got a kick out the cutest little boys wearing plaid shirts and wrangler jeans;)

 

The highlight of our day was a jousting event performed by Knights of Valor. It was pretty impressive to see guys in armor just ridin’ around on their PercheronsJ  Not to mention that the jousting was about as real as it could get. Lances were splintered to shreds, horses were frothing at the mouth, and the knight’s hands got all bloody. It was perfectly wonderfulJ

 

 

By the time we ate corndogs and visited the horticulture building it was DARK out and we hadn’t even been to the carnival! It was purely spectacular to see all of the lights flashing, and go people-watching during one of the most exciting people-watching opportunities everJ Dad let us ride on the Ferris Wheel—another family tradition.

 

 

From up top we had a bird’s eye view of the people beneath us. It was great fun even when Dad embarrassed us greatly by screaming ‘mommy’…….

 

It was an exhilarating experience to live the night life for a short while.

 

Yup. Can’t wait till next year!

Thank you Dad for taking usJ

 

hullo again.

     Hello folks! I'm back believe it or not--so sorry for not keeping you updated on the series of events. Starting the second week of June I was gone for three weeks straight. One week of CYF (Christian Youth Fellowship) camp, one week of junior counseling for an elementary camp, and one week of an intense mission trip in South Dakota.  

     CYF camp was a time of fellowship and renewal. We had so much fun delving into the Bible, playing games, making new friends, worshiping every night, and generally goofing off:) I absolutely LOVED every minute of it. What a great experience....... whew. I'm  still riding a high from that week if you hadn't guessed already.


     Week #2 was junior counseling at elementary camp. This camp had such a different atmosphere than CYF. It was more laid back, and I had a bigger responsibility as a leader and a role model. For me personally, it felt good to come out of CYF and immediately have a chance to share my love for Christ. And I couldn't have asked for a more willing and receptive audience. Those kids were angels, I loved hanging out with them:)

 

     Last, but not least came the EPIC mission trip to the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota. A total of 19 teens and 6 adult leaders (well supplied with jolly ranchers) headed off on June 22. We didn't really know what to expect or what was going to be required of us, but our spirits were high and we felt ready to face anything.

 

    2 days later we landed in a small town (not too far from Wounded Knee) where a Youthworks base was established. (This organization is great! Their program staff were exceptionally helpful and very supportive. We wouldn't have survived without their wisdom and guidance;))

     The first couple of days were pretty rough for us. We were complete foreigners merely trying to help out in this small community. The culture, the lifestyle, the people--everything was new to us. All we saw on the first day was the outside of things--the brokenness, the poverty--and circumstances we hadn't expected.

     Then we met some of the people living there, worked more determinedly than ever, and strengthened the community within our group. That's when we looked deeper than just the outside--that's when we discovered the beauty of our surroundings and the Indians we were working with. Finding that beauty made the rough edges so much easier to deal with and gave us Hope.

JC and COMO First Christian Church Group. We called our selves FCCC
(First Christian Church Crew.)

 

   One morning we hiked up to the Camel Back Butte behind the school for devotionals. From up on our little mountain we could see for miles around, hear the birds, smell the yucca blossoms, and admire God's creation from a perspective we had never felt.

 



     South Dakota is a wonderful place! One our way back we drove through the Black Hills. The scenery there was breath-taking. We had to stop several times to take a gazillion pictures:)

Mount Rushmore!!!!!!!

 

 

Hullo Buffalo. We went to a farm where they let us feed the Buffalo treats.

 

 

 

We had great times during the 16 hour car ride. Whoopee!

 

 

     I am the most thankful little girl for these wonderful times I have had. I praise God for everything that happened in those short three weeks and ask Him to continue guiding me in the Way that is Good.

 

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. --Romans 8:28

    


(photo credits go to my big bro. Austin Dey and Dani Jennings. Check out Dani's awesome photography website here!) 

    

     Okay, so everyone should be well aware by now how progressively sporadic my blog posts are becoming! Part of the problem is that I've been having a major case of Writer's Block. ---I feel all of these beautiful emotions bottled up inside of me with no desirable way of expressing them on paper. So, instead of writing, I have been playing the piano.

     For those of you out there who are musical, you will understand me when I say that playing music not only releases my emotions, but transports me into another world. I mentally leave the hubbub of daily life and revel in the poetry of music.

Albert Schweitzer describes this experience much better than I do:

Joy, sorrow, tears, lamentation, laughter — to all these music gives voice, but in such a way that we are transported from the world of unrest to a world of peace, and see reality in a new way, as if we were sitting by a mountain lake and contemplating hills and woods and clouds in the tranquil and fathomless water.

     Last night I competed in the National Piano Playing Auditions (Guild). I must admit, it was a challenge: I had to memorize 6 pieces and sight read a sonata.  The judge gave me a high score based on my "ability to play musically". I don't entirely attribute that accomplishment to myself . Yes, I worked hard to learn those pieces, but an added dimension -- the depth of the music --  was there because I was surrendering to emotion.

     So, in conclusion to this tangent, writing and music aren't the only ways to express yourself; everybody has his/her own niche. Nevertheless, it is important to express your emotions in one form or another. Am I starting to sound like a hippie? Then it is time for me to sign off;)
Expect more posts soon!!!
Ever yours,  
Laurel

sweet sixteen

     Today I am officially sixteen! At last!--the song "I am sixteen going on seventeen..." has some shred of relevancy in my life:) 

     But honestly..... I thank God for what a wonderful 16th year I have had..... and I know that He will guide me through my 17

th with the same loving care. 

     My sister Clara took all of the following pictures for me. We had fun goofing off and striking silly poses..... Can you tell?  

Which of these pictures do you like the best? Black and white or sepia? 

 

 (the wind was not doing justice to my hair.) 

 

 

Mom gave me these nice garden togs for my birthday.... I love the pastel blue! 

 

 

My birthday was concluded with an intense game of monoply that lasted till midnight. Thank you to everybody who gave me such a happy day! 

 

Now that I am so mature and wise, I would like to share this pearl of wisdom with you all:-)

Life is a song - sing it. Life is a game - play it. Life is a challenge - meet it. Life is a dream - realize it. Life is a sacrifice - offer it. Life is love - enjoy it.

(from brainyquote.com)