icy winter days

CHRISTMAS HAPPY LIST

| homemade egg nog | 

(see the recipe at the bottom)

| skidding around on icy sidewalks

| youtube Christmas playlists |

| ordering 5 million books off of thriftbooks.com |

(best. website. ever)

| hosting friends over for dinner |

| game nights by the glowing Christmas tree lights |

| packing for a trip to Costa Rica |

(be jealous) 

| skyping my Mother |

| laughing at my own jokes |

| doing crazy college student things |

(mainly 'cause of Charlie)

| bundling up in 4 layers of clothes |

 It's been a cozy winter so far. Cooold -- but lovely. For Advent, the husband and I have been crossing things off of our bucket list. We put up our first Christmas tree together, visited downtown St. Charles, did our Christmas shopping on Amazon and experimented with homemade eggnog.  

Somehow we ended up with (literally) 16 dozen eggs from Charlie's grandparents. Making eggnog was the obvious solution. I love eggnog -- I could live on it. This recipe makes such creamy, rich nog -- infinitely better than the stuff you buy at Wal-Mart. There's something satisfying about slurping on the foam and bragging about your abilities in the kitchen. 

1 dozen eggs

4 cups milk

2 cups heavy whipping cream

2 cups sugar

nutmeg to taste

~ Separate the yolks and the whites

Cover the whites and put them in the fridge

Whisk the yolks with sugar until it's creamy and banana colored

Beat in the milk and cream

Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour

Beat the whites until it forms stiff peaks

Fold it into the creamy mixture

Serve with nutmeg ~

*recipe is not mine -- it's from the wonderful inter webs*

In case y'all haven't heard. I am headed to Costa Rica in a next week with the Herrick fam. You won't be hearing from me for a while. BUT I will have several thousand pictures to share once we return. There will be a bombardment of jungles, beaches, volcanoes and toucans here on the blog ;) 

Till then -- stay safe m'dears and have a Merry Christmas! Praise the Lord for sending His marvelous Son!! 

living on a prayer

     God is good. Everyday I am overwhelmed with the thought of His hand guiding each individual moment in my life. And my heart is thankful - for this is a season of thanksgiving.
I am thankful for yellow maple leaves on the sidewalk.
Thankful for joyful, beautiful people pouring themselves out for others.
Thankful for the Christian folk music playlists on YouTube.
Thankful for the small opportunities. (Book clubs, dog-walking, photo shoots, small town festivals and worship services.)

     These days I spend lots of hours at my bank job. I can't complain - my coworkers are lovely people who live on chocolate and scentsy hand lotions. They never can remember my name; I've now become "Lauren" and "Lorelai" on a consistent basis. It makes me laugh.
Charlie and I spend most of the days apart -- either working or doing school work -- so our evenings are precious. He will fill a couple of wine glasses with grape juice, (because actual wine is just gross), and I will pop in a movie rental. Or, we'll go for a moonlit walk, talking and trying not to step on the record-sized slugs. How romantic.
     One night, Charlie brought home an abandoned, skinny white cat. We fed her and named her "Todd" even though it's against the apartment policy to keep pets. That was two weeks ago and we still can't find a new home for her. (The humane society is full.)  But hope is not lost. Surely someone wants a bipolar cat with chocolate ice cream mysteriously dried onto her head!
     Otherwise, life is pretty even-keel. I shall let you know if anything pops up in the future dear readers. Until then - love passionately and make beautiful things.

p.s. I am collecting quotes. Please send me your favorite scripture, song lyrics, quip or philosophical thought.

apple-picking + life

APPLE THOUGHTS W/ CHARLIE

1. we all have cores. exercise them
2. don't skip the apples on the ground. that's where I found the best ones.
3. if you go to the orchard with brothers BE ON YOUR GUARD. there might be chewed up apple being spewed at you.
4. an apple a day ain't so bad really.
5. they say money can't buy happiness, but it does buy apples.

> These fall days have been full. Full of happiness and exploration. Full of planning and remembering. There has been a little bit of stress - (where the heck did my insurance card go? how are we going to replace the broken car window?), but obstacles are nothing compared to the daily joy of living and loving. This Thursday I am joining a women's Bible study. The small group meets at Adam Bros Coffee and discusses chapters from the book "Without Rival" by Lisa Bevere. I could not be more exciting about finally venturing into the community and making connections!

> Traveling has been a surfacing passion in our lives. Charlie and I are planning a weekend camping trip to Indiana Dune State Park where we can absorb some fall weather, live out of a tent and do some birding in the marshes. Also, this winter, we are traveling with some family to Costa Rica for two weeks! Charlie is taking a Spanish class this semester and I am relying on my "two years" of Spanish from high school. We are so stoked for some beaches, jungles and city markets.
This evening a new traveling opportunity was presented to us. Two wonderful women sat down with us to tell us about United World Missions and the Avance program in Mexico City. It was a lot of information to take in. I had a hard time containing my excitement, but at the same time I knew that a decision like this would take loads of prayer and thought. Next summer will be a pivotal time for me and Charlie and we want to seize it. We are feeling called to serve in some ministerial capacity somewhere, somehow. God will give us guidance - I am sure of that; we just need to open our hearts to Him.

> Otherwise, our lives have been filled with the ordinary, daily tasks that never end. Laundry, dishes, cooking, homework... They all serve a good purpose no matter how small the chore. And there is joy in good purpose.
Stay tuned for an update on our Indiana Adventures!!

{fall bucket list}

     FALL BUCKET LIST

1. Make English Wassail   Nov. 23
2. Go to Mills Apple Orchard Oct. 2
3. Make pumpkin flavored ice cream
4. Create blog post series
5. Refurbish something old
6. Have a photo shoot Nov. 12
7. Travel somewhere I've never been before
8. Paint barn wood signs
9. Go on a hayride Nov. 12
10. Design a t-shirt with Charlie
11. Go star gazing in the convertible  Sep. 19
12. Go camping/try out the camping hammock
13. Write cards to 3 friends/family members  Sep. 12
14. Make a scarf out of old sweater/shirt
15. Buy a beanie and wear it :)  Nov. 11

springtime

 

Bald eagles back in the cottonwood tree

The old brown hills are just about bare

Springtime sighing all along the creek

Magpies ganging up everywhere

Sun shines warm on the eastern slope

March came in like a lamb for a change

Gary's pulling calves at the old stampede

We made it through another on the northern range

Well the big Chinook blew in last week

Warm and strong from the western sea

Pretty soon water running everywhere

Heck it couldn't run fast enough for me

Broodmare's sleeping in the afternoon sun

She's shedding hair everywhere

Time for a change

George's pulling calves at the T-Y*

We made it through another on the northern range

Waddie's pulling calves at the Little E

We made it through another on the northern range

 

--Ian Tyson


cedar creek

    

     It's been a typical Wednesday afternoon. I suggested that we go for a creek walk (despite the fact that there are tornado warnings all over the Midwest). Mom and Clara readily agreed, so we packed ourselves into my NEW Honda Civic (which needs a name asap) and headed down to Cedar Creek.

The sky was a "dense grey pavement of clouds" (Hawthorne) and the water was a chilly green. It couldn't have been a more perfect day for exploring.
Our first discovery was a dead gar fish. Those things look so prehistoric! Like something straight out of a children's dinosaur book. We looked for arrow heads -- without any luck, and Clara scaled the smooth wall of a bluff like a mountain goat. Also I fell in the water. (My camera was spared).

The thing about adventures is that you never know what's going to happen. Instead of worrying and avoiding risky situations, you have to adapt the mindset of embracing the unexpected.
Example: Falling into the creek was not planned and afterwards I was sloshing around in wet sneakers. Then, I climbed up the sandy banks to the woods: dirt, sand and burrs were all over me and I probably didn't smell all that great. Nevertheless, there were many miles to go and many more photos to take. (Plus I no longer had to worry about staying clean. Once a person falls in the water, they are less inclined to maintain their outward appearance.)

Every day can be an adventure if you choose.
It is a decision I have made and life is full and rich because of it.

golden richness

 

          Fall is my favorite time of year. (I say that for every season, but it is especially true for fall.) ---I guess that is why I have already written so many posts on the splendor of autumn. 

There's inspiration to be drawn from the palette of browns and greys, and my heart soars when the north winds come sweeping through.

SEPTEMBER: The persimmons are ripening and if I'm lucky I'm able to harvest a decent amount to make cookies or bread. Otherwise they make an excellent meal for some woodland creature. The dogs eat them off the ground like candy and I have to shoo them away. Then, the acorns start to fall; smooth brown ones that scatter the ground. All through my childhood I would help Dad pick them up out of the driveway and throw them into the woods, giving them a better chance of growing into a fine strong tree. I still throw acorns out of the road -- it's a habit I'll never want to break.

OCTOBER: If October were a color I would say that it is either marsala or gold. Or both. The leaves have finally reached their peak of vibrancy and the temperatures have dropped low enough to wear sweaters and jackets. In the downtown you'll see women wearing fancy leather boots with plaid skirts and scarves. Autumn is the best time for fashion -- it's all an attractive blend of subdued tones and textures. If I'm not careful, I will start to drool with greed at the wonderful clothes a person can buy; someday when I am rich and famous I shall have as many wonderful trench coats and golden tassels I desire.

NOVEMBER: The month of birthdays --- (in our family anyways.) Large family get togethers, birthday dinners and Thanksgiving feasts are abundant in number. The brightness and cheer of our celebrations contrasts with the bleakness and grey of November: my favorite combination. It is the month of transition between Autumn gold into Winter silver. It is reminiscent of late nights sprawled out on the white leather couch -- of steaming apple cider -- of scratchy woolen scarves -- and the poem by Alice Cary. "The leaves are fading and falling; The winds are rough and wild...."

Autumn is wonderful...

"I like spring, but it is too young. I like summer, but it is too proud. So I like best of all autumn, because its tone is mellower, its colours are richer, and it is tinged with a little sorrow. Its golden richness speaks not of the innocence of spring, nor the power of summer, but of the mellowness and kindly wisdom of approaching age. It knows the limitations of life and its content." -- Lin Yutang

planties

        Our favorite garden center (Strawberry Hills) was a hoppin' place today! Young families were stocking up on tomatoes and peppers, old couples were buying their favorite hanging baskets, and children were running about admiring the flowers. -- I myself was looking for whatever struck my fancy. 

 

 

          As usual, I found myself perusing the herbs and succulents section. Cacti have always been one of my favorites -- ever since I was first introduced to them at the Big House in Norton Massachusetts. Gram had a long table full of cacti (and 'lovely little green things' as she would call them,) in the front hall under a bright lamp. As a youngster, I would admire them from a distance, afraid to touch them and ruin their delicate beauty. Now I am determined to start my own collection of 'planties'.



 

          My first choice of herbs was a Silver Edge Lemon Thyme. It smelled good so I just had to get it :) Besides, Mom had the perfect yellow tea pot to stick it in. Goodness knows if there is anything practical I can do with it -- perhaps I will try making these cookies. Or these.





(Echeveria pulidonis)



 

 

          I'd say it's a good start to my eclectic hoard of houseplants. :)

a walk in the woods

     In a leaf littered forest somewhere in mid-Missouri, a caravan of hikers are making their way along a narrow path. They are a colorful group -- blue and green coats, a collection of bags and cameras, one occupied baby carrier, and a couple of large dogs.
    Suddenly, Indian war whoops pierce the silence. Two teenagers are chasing each other with young children riding piggy back (clinging on for dear life.) "I'm going to get you!" one of them shouts, immediately followed by bursts of laughter. They run doggedly up the hill, stopping only when they reach the edge of a sharp drop-off. The remainder of the group catches up and together they stand -- admiring the bony whiteness of the sycamores against the craggy rocks; taking in the wintery scene of brown and grey.
     On their descent, the hikers stop by a creek bed covered in ice. There is only one logical thing to do, and that is to try and crack the ice as much as possible by throwing rocks. It doesn't take long for them to create a game of it: a modified version of shuffleboard. Lots of giggling and joking around is involved as well as numerous Monty Python quotes scattered throughout the conversation.

     Finally, it's time to head home. Everyone has sniffling noses and bright red cheeks, but the sharp winter wind is exhilarating and pushes them back along the trail. Each traveler goes his separate way after many well-wishes and goodbyes, unsure of when they will see each other again and what adventures will arise in the future. But a new year has commenced -- a time of renewing goals and beginning again, starting with a walk in the woods.

to autumn

             Currently, in British Literature (one of my favoritest school courses this year), I am studying John Keats and his life. Of course the tragedy of his love for Fanny Brawne and his passion for beauty inspired me to dive deeper into his writing. I found this gorgeous bit of loveliness (which you must listen to without further hesitation), and also this:

TO AUTUMN

by John Keats

 Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness,
Close bosom-friend of the maturing sun;
Conspiring with him how to load and bless
With fruit the vines that round the thatch-eves run;
To bend with apples the moss'd cottage-trees,
And fill all fruit with ripeness to the core;
To swell the gourd, and plump the hazel shells
With a sweet kernel; to set budding more,
And still more, later flowers for the bees,
Until they think warm days will never cease,
For summer has o'er-brimm'd their clammy cells.

Who hath not seen thee oft amid thy store?
Sometimes whoever seeks abroad may find
Thee sitting careless on a granary floor,
Thy hair soft-lifted by the winnowing wind;
Or on a half-reap'd furrow sound asleep,
Drowsed with the fume of poppies, while thy hook
Spares the next swath and all its twined flowers:
And sometimes like a gleaner thou dost keep
Steady they laden head across a brook;
Or by a cider-press, with patient look,
Thou watchest the last oozings, hours by hours.

Where are the songs of Spring? Ay, where are they?
Think not of them, thou hast thy music too, --
While barred clouds bloom the soft-dying day,
And touch the stubble-plains with rosy hue;
Then in a wailful choir the small gnats mourn
Among the river sallows, borne aloft
Or sinking as the light wind lives or dies;
And full-grown lambs loud bleat from hill bourn;
Hedge-crickets sing; and now with treble soft
The redbreast whistles from a garden-croft,

____________________________________________________

 

         Read it aloud, and you will see why I am in love with Keats. The imagery is astoundingly vivid and brings all of your senses to life. 

autumn bucket list

I think I can safely say that autumn is one our favorite seasons. It is the only time no on will judge you for drinking copious amounts of hot chocolate or rolling around in the leaves.

People enjoy doing special things during fall. The festive holidays and brisk weather gets into their blood and they feel the need to celebrate. That's why I am putting together an 'autumn bucket list' for you! You can adapt it however you want, but hopefully it gives you some good ideas to fully enjoy the time of harvest. Here goes:

• Take a foggy morning walk
• Go for a scenic drive in the countryside with the cocker spaniel
• Make a trip to the bookstore and buy a thick novel. (I bought Les Miserables which I think is thick enough.)
• Go stargazing with some friends
• Watch "Trapped in Paradise"
• Go to the country store and buy bulk items to stock up
• Make a straw man to sit on the front porch
• Smell a cinnamon candle
• Go to a drive in movie
• Hide in a pile of leaves and scare somebody (muahahahahah)
• Enjoy a homemade pie or apple tarts
• Stay warm in an oversized sweater
• Go on a hike and collect pine cones for a garland or wreath
• Try a new flavor of hot tea
• Make a Thankful Tree
• Drink a pumpkin spice latte

sugar and spice and all things nice

So I was trying to improve my blog labels and accidentally deleted my previous post on tea and hot chocolate. *face palm* I'm not going to write it all out again (sorry!), but I will include the pictures and directions once more.

1 cup tea (I used pumpkin spice tea which blended nicely with the hot chocolate, but be adventurous and try your own flavor!)
1 cup hot chocolate
The book New England Wilderness

Fill your mug 3/4 of the way full with hot chocolate and top it off with tea.
I suggest you drink it over the book "New England Wilderness" to satisfy your desire to travel; there are lots of detailed descriptions and beautiful photos of the rugged northeastern landscape.

Happy Autumn and Enjoy!

autumn

 

{wool plaid skirts}

{chopping firewood with Dad}

{breathing in the steam from hot tea}

{chilly morning breezes}

{cable knit sweaters}

{late night visiting on the couch}

{rain on the roof}

{wrapping up in a blanket for movie nights}

{red cheeks and noses}

{listening to Sarah Bauhan CD’s}

{autumn}

 

            I woke up this morning to grey clouds overhead and cricket chirps filling in the cracks of silence. A brisk morning breeze nipped me in the face and I knew—without looking at the calendar—that it was autumn

            For the past few weeks I have been anxiously looking for signs of fall. If a leaf fell from a tree, it was dutifully recorded. If the temperature dropped ever so slightly, it somehow gave me reason to put on a sweater. I guess you could call it autumn fever.

So, to celebrate the coming of fall, Mom took the three amigos for a hike. We spent an entire evening trekking around taking pictures and absorbing the subtle beauty of Missouri.

 

 

I wore my Ariat boots which are worn with age and still smell pleasantly of horses. 

 

We splashed in the creek a little…..

 

 

…risked our lives to take a good picture (that is us on top of a precipice which drops straight down into a creek bed), and overall had a loverly time.

 

 

"Her pleasure in the walk must arise from the exercise and the day, from the view of the last smiles of the year upon the tawny leaves and withered hedges, and from repeating to herself some few of the thousand poetical descriptions extant of autumn--that season of peculiar and inexhaustible influence on the mind of taste and tenderness--that season which has drawn from every poet worthy of being read some attempt at description, or some lines of feeling.”

― Jane Austen, Persuasion