hey guys i'm 20 now

- pomegranate tea in my new Priscilla teacup - 

- a photographer husband who makes me look good - 

- typewritten love notes - 

- Star of Bethlehem flowers sprinkled along the driveway - \

- pressing wildflowers - 

- preparing for Easter festivities this weekend - 

- flat Illinois landscapes - 

- driving the buggy around the field station with my love -

- Dairy Queen sundaes -  

- hand picked bouquets from Charlie - 

- an incessant flow of loving messages from my friends - 

- smelling freshly cut grass - 

- open windows on a spring evening -

-falling into bed and hugging my pillow tight - 

yes. that was one heck of a birthday. a good year is ahead.

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!! 

the order of camping

Loading the car trunk with necessary items. Like tent poles, cast iron skillets and corn meal muffins. 

Going without shoes all weekend.

The assortment of thermos bottles, bird guides and canned beans scattered on the picnic table.

Spending the evening doing nothing else but journaling by the campfire.

Being able to call the outdoors "home".

Bundling up in leggings + two sweaters + woolen socks.

Bumping around in the dark with nothing more than a headlamp.

Crickets.

Reaching my toes into the cold corners of my sleeping bag - tucking the wool blanket under my chin to keep warm. 

Sun filtering through the you trees and waking me up with its gentle fingers. 

An Instagram worthy view out the tent door. 

Perpetually smelling like campfire smoke and hot chocolate. 

Running out of clean clothes and not giving a darn. 

Finding raccoon tracks on the hood of the car. 

Rolling up the tent for another day of adventures. 

Challenge + Reward. 

{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

my day

Sunbathing in my expensive blue swimsuit
Planning future writing and photography projects
Enjoying my new bobbed haircut
Wishing I had a few extra thousand dollars
Missing my fiancé
Crying over a happy video on Facebook
Thinking about decoration ideas for the wedding
Wondering when my car is going to be fixed
Trying to consider my blessings instead of negative thoughts
Praying for peace
Reading some pretty rad travel magazines
Writing in my journal
Imagining my life in 10 years
Scheming ways to travel a lot this summer
Texting my friends
Soaking in the beauty of this day
Remembering the stories of yesterday
Living Life.

What does today hold in store for you?

yet another list of happiness

          This morning, my Facebook page for Landsflicka dutifully notified me that "people who liked your page haven't heard from you in 13 days." Thank you Facebook for that reminder that I am a shamefully negligent person.
          While I am in the process of writing a brilliant blog post (and also waiting for a guest post from Mr. Somebody:), here is my happy list for this summer:

 

-- when the radio plays three of your favorite songs in a row --

 

-- an unexpected party invitation --

 

-- fireworks and sparklers lighting up the night sky --

 

-- typewritten letters from your pen pal --

 

-- putting in a thorough day of work at your job--

 

-- submitting my first college paper --

(WOOHOO)

 

-- Sunday worship rehearsal with some wonderful people --

 

-- late night laughter with the little siblings --

 

-- "Loving You is Easy" by Zac Brown --

(that song has been on repeat for days now)

 

-- black and white photography --

 

-- swimsuit tan lines --

 

-- the slapping sound that flip flops make --

 

-- summah living --

 

 

        -- now go and make your own adventures :) 

dancing the night away.



- the petronella -
 

- whooping and calling when the tune changes -
 

- 'balance and swing your partner!' -
 

- the rhythm of the music -
 

- swirling skirts -
 

- meeting people from all over the Midwest -
 

- people watching from the balcony -
 

- getting dizzy from spinning -

- the energetic atmosphere -

- the camaraderie of the dancers -

- well earned blisters from swinging so much -

- contra dancing -

 

 

I got some precious few video clips of the dance which you can see here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kRCpGXn15y4

bits of happiness

 

the smell of chainsaws and freshly cut wood

 

teasing the cat with some string

 

listening to words of Truth on Sunday morning

 

getting a compliment on your handwriting even though it is atrocious

 

email conversations that are 75 messages long

 

raising your hands in worship

 

shoving heavy things around and then feeling invincibly strong

 

moonlight on a gravel road

 

sticking your head out the car window like a dog

 

singing as loud as you want because you're at home alone 



homemade apple butter

 

getting hugs from sweet old ladies

 

 the anticipation of preparing to leave for Europe

 

stomping around in the snow with my rubber boots

 

lazy mornings on the couch with a cup of tea

 

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

~happy list~

finding that one special book at the library

 

seeing the big dipper every night when I go to walk the dogs

 

hundreds of little toads hopping about after a big rain

 

buying my first pair of elephant pants

 

spider webs. and running smack dab into them.

 

rediscovering things you forgot you had

 

curling up in a handmade quilt

 

the creaking of a western saddle when you ride

 

listening to music while I cook

 

smelling every single candle in the country store

 

chaotic family reunions with laughter and too much food

 

wildflowers along the highway

 

concocting a smoothie with random things you find in the freezer 

getting sticky hugs from my nieces and nephews

 

life.

happy list

 

1.      Getting handwritten letters in the mail from friends you haven’t seen in ages.

2.      Reading old journals and seeing how far I’ve come.

3.      Singing opera in the shower. Very loudly.

4.      Driving through rural Missouri with the windows rolled down at the height of autumn color

5.      Pictures of babies smiling.

6.      A full moon

7.      Tea cups. Especially blue china ones.

8.      Singing “The Sound of Music” while running up a grassy slope with my arms flung wide.

9.      Watching Tex gallop across the field in early morning.

10.   Finding the perfect treasure in an antique store.

11.   Warm bed sheets fresh out of the dryer.

12.   Huge mansions with turrets and bay windows

13.   Intimate devo time with church friends.

14.   Sunlight pouring through the stained glass windows at church.

15.   Taking selfies with Catherine and Olivia.

16.   The sound of children laughing and screaming on a play ground

17.   hearing my dog snore when she sleeps:)

18.   The smell of a candle burning.

19.   A live orchestra playing waltzes.

20.   Soft cuddly puppies when they groan in their sleep.

21.   The general chaos of our family during Christmas.

22.   Bright red cardinals in a snowy apple tree.

23.   Having pointless conversations with my very good friends because we understand each other so perfectly.

24.   Scuffling around the house in my slippers

25.   Watching birds on the feeder through the kitchen window.

26.   Puppies playing in the snow.