Sunflowers

Last summer, despite our frequent trips to my parents' house, capturing a shot of this large swatch of sunflowers eluded me. I either had a carload of tired hungry children, a tight timeline, and/or I had forgotten to grab my camera before leaving home. Till I had the time and my lense handy the blooms had faded and dried up.

So, when I drove past this field a few days ago and discovered their bright shining faces in all their glory, I knew I had but a narrow window.

Don't sunflowers just make you smile?

I think the farm where these are planted must harvest the seeds to sell because it seems like a pretty large crop just for aesthetic purposes.

Last night when I took these shots there were several colums of dark blue storms all around. I was kind of hoping for that particular shade of blue behind the yellowish orange of the blooms, but their faces were turned to the east and I was surrounded by tall corn. Only one way to shoot.

I just love these blooms.

Multitude Monday #4

Multitude Monday is about intentionally fixing my eyes on God's blessings, big and small, whatever the season, whether life is good or the road has been rocky.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

46. Safety for Pete on the job site this past week, and that the nailgun missed all the important stuff in his thumb. (Gives me the shivers just thinking about it!)

47. Educator's Open House Day at Cherry Crest Adventure Farm and Strasburg Railroad. We got to enjoy both places as a family last Friday.

48. COLD, clean drinking water...as much of it as I want. I'm reminded of how many people in this world would consider that a luxury.

49. A stack of new (used) books from amazon that I couldn't get from my library.

50. Having the Coleman family for dinner last night.

51. Getting to walk around the site where our church building will be constructed in the coming months. They are still blasting and moving dirt around, but it is finally starting to feel real!

52. Sermons available online. I love that I can take a second listen.

53. Homemade lemonade.

54. Frozen chocolate-dipped bananas on a stick.

55. My children belting out silly songs.

56. A fresh haircut (AND a color...I told you I'm no purist!)

57. My mom and the many times she gladly watches the kids while I have an appointment or errand.

58. Cheering on my uncle, cousin, and friends who play in a local church softball league. It's like a family, high school, and youth group reunion in the stands!

59. A successful photo shoot with the kids.

60. Sweet corn from mom and dad's garden in my freezer...and having Nina along to play with Natalia and Adam while we worked.

Photo Shoot--Part 2, Outakes

Here are a few that didn't make the cut.

Either the lighting was weird and I didn't know how to fix it, I only got one shot in before the kids were moving on to the next thing, or you can speculate just from the picture why I didn't keep it.

And that's a wrap, folks.

Photo Shoot---Part 1

Last week the ladies in my Care Group met at Conestoga House & Gardens for the evening. It's become a tradition to enjoy this local gem together once a year.

Located right along Marietta Avenue and just west of downtown Lancaster, Conestoga House is the former estate of the Steinman family. It is only open to the public June 15 to September 28 on Wednesdays, from 1pm-8pm, but it's free. There is an outside area with a few tables and chairs, so we take in tea, fruit and scones with lemon curd. (They have a take in--carry out policy.) And while there, enjoy the beautiful flowers and ideas they generate.

This year I happened to be filing mental notes for this photo shoot more than for my flowerbeds. I try to take some candid shots of the kids at least once a summer since I don't take them for studio pictures. And in the midst of such beautiful scenery, positioning is the least of my concerns. Every background is fantastic.

The kids did pretty well. I was determined not to fuss at them. That never works. I asked my mom to join us, mainly to keep an eye hand on Adam so we wouldn't have to fish him out of the fountains and koi pond.

Both children didn't stay still for more than a few seconds (if that), so I just kept snapping frames. I'm happy with the few "good" shots I did get, AND I ran into an old high school friend too!

Now, which ones do I choose to frame? Help me out here...

(Outtakes will be posted tomorrow.)

#1

#2

#3

#4

#5

#6

#7

#8

#9

#10

Retrospection

I've been tagged by my friend Zoanna for a blog post survey of sorts. Kind of like the Senior Superlatives section of a high school year book...but for my blog. Get the gist?

So, after wading through 444 posts from the last 4 years...

First up, CATEGORY 1: MOST BEAUTIFUL
I'm going for the most literal interpretation here.
Favorite Pictures From 2010

CATEGORY 2: MOST POPULAR
Because I have no idea what my non-commenting readers liked the most I picked one that DID have a lot of comments. It was a particularly fun post to write too.
Sorta' Crunchy

CATEGORY 3: MOST CONTROVERSIAL
It was a toss up between the book review post that included THE SHACK and my first post detailing OUR EXPERIMENT in raising pastured poultry. In the end, I chose Why We Do What We Do--Part 2 because it's likely the post that informed people of what they really didn't want to know, and/or they misread my intention for posting it in the first place. I hope they go back and read Part 1 and hear my heart.

CATEGORY 4: MOST HELPFUL
I hope Part 1 of the Why We Do What We Do series I just mentioned was helpful. It was constructive for me to struggle to articulate what I was learning and mulling over. I find the questions section something I go back to again and again.

CATEGORY 5: THE POST WHOSE SUCCESS SURPRISED ME
Homemade Condensed Soup. Recipe posts usually do not generate a lot of comments. The timing of it was just right I guess.

CATEGORY 6: THE POST MOST IGNORED
This one was hard to choose, because how do you judge, really? It's not the only time a post didn't receive any comments. And that doesn't upset me.

The Warmth of Other Suns was a book review that either came at the wrong time (right after Christmas when people were thinking of other things) or ...well, I have no idea. I really enjoyed the book and relish the mental challenge of writing an interesting and encapsulating book review. Maybe now it will garner a second look.

CATEGORY 7: A POST I AM PROUD OF
I would say the post(s) I am most proud of are the end-of-the-year "What I Read" posts, namely this one and that one. And while I like being known as a bookworm, I am aware that at times my voracious reading can take priority where it should not. So I sort of cringe at the word "proud"...because it is revealing.

BUT, being well-read is also a good thing, I'd like to think I've moved beyond just fluff, and while my other hobbies have taken a back, BACK seat to mommying, reading is a feasible form of recreation for this season of life.

~~~~~~~~~~
And, because I just waded through 444 of them, I'm adding 3 more categories to this meme:

CATEGORY 8: WHY I LOVE HAVING A BLOG
How else would I get such prompt feedback from wide-flung friends when it comes to things such as this?
Now everybody sing, "I get by with alittle help from my friends."

CATEGORY 9: KEEPING IT REAL
Blogging can easily become a portrayal of all that is "pretty" or "glamorous" in your life and essentially a betrayal of who you truly are. I've tried to blog with balance. To be mindful that anyone can read this stuff, and to show good cautionary restraint about what I reveal. But, at the same time, I want to be real with you all, because if I'm not that, what's the point?

This particular post was hard to share, but I'm so glad I did. It's the real me...flaws and all.

And, CATEGORY 10: WORDS THAT WERE TIMELY THEN...AND NOW
I loved reading back through a number of these old posts. This particular one caught my eye and fit the bill for this category.

Lemon Ice Cream Pie

This recipe was first shared by my friend Lynn who loves desserts and is not ashamed to say so. If she says it's good, IT'S GOOD!

I made a few minor changes, rearranged her directions and inserted my own crust recipe, so to make things simple I'm posting my version. The end result is basically the same though, so feel free to hop on over to her post...even if it's just for her "male refrigerator blindness" comment.

I doubled the recipe for a 9x13 since we were having guests. It was good I did too because you need to use a metal pan (and I don't have a metal pie plate--only glass). Thinking ahead...I hear it's a good thing. :-P

This is a great recipe for a "make-ahead-dessert" (don't let the long directions fool ya--it's really not that laborous). If you start around 9 in the morning, you can complete all the steps by bedtime, let it freeze overnight, and have it ready to serve the next day. I've inserted extra space in between the steps where it's hanging out in the freezer.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Lemon Ice Cream Pie (9x13 recipe version)

CRUST:
3 c. finely ground graham cracker crumbs
(I used 1 sleeve of graham crackers + 24 GingerSnap cookies--just because)
1-1/2 sticks butter, melted
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
(I omitted this because of the GingerSnaps)
LAYERS:
1.5 quart container BREYER'S All Natural "Natural Vanilla" ice cream
1 stick + 2 Tbsp. butter
4 lemons, (at room temp. will yield 4 tsp. zest and 2/3 c. juice)
1/2 tsp. salt
2 c. + 1 c. white sugar, divided
4 whole eggs + 4 eggs, yolks and whites separated

DIRECTIONS:
1. Sit ice cream container on counter to soften and preheat oven to 375.
2. Crush cookies into finely ground crumbs, mix with 1- 1/2 sticks melted butter (and cinnamon if using) and press firmly into 9 x 13" metal cake pan. Bake for 7 minutes. (No longer!)
3. After crust has cooled for 5-10 minutes, spoon ice cream into pan gently and evenly spread over crust. Cover and put in freezer for a few hours (about 3) until ice cream layer is completely frozen.
4. As that is hanging out in the freezer, melt the stick + 2 Tbsp. butter in a saucepan over medium heat while zesting the lemons/squeezing the juice into a separate medium-sized bowl. Add the zest, juice, salt and sugar to the butter. Rinse the bowl you used for the lemons, and use it to whisk 4 whole eggs and the yolks of the other 4 eggs together. Add a few spoonfuls of the butter mixture to the eggs, then very gradually add the egg mixture to the butter mixture, stirring continuously. (This will ensure that your eggs won't cook when you add them to the hot butter mixture.) Cook for 10 minutes on MED. heat, stirring often, until it has thickened to the consistency of Greek yogurt . Transfer to a bowl, cover, and refrigerate until completely cooled.



5. Spread lemony layer over ice cream layer and put pan back in the freezer for at least 4 hours (maybe longer) until completely hardened.



6. Preheat oven to 475. Beat 4 reserved egg whites until foamy, then slowly add the remaining 1 c. of sugar while mixer is still on high speed. When stiff peaks form spread on top of lemon layer, gently pushing the merigue down so no air bubbles remain between layers. (It's okay if the top is not smooth--the bumps and ridges are pretty when "toasted".) Bake for 4 minutes, promptly remove from oven, cover and stick in freezer right away. Freeze overnight and let sit on the counter 5 minutes before serving.

Enjoy!

Multitude Monday #3

Multitude Monday is about intentionally fixing my eyes on God's blessings, big and small, whatever the season, whether life is good or the road has been rocky.

Picking up where I left off last week...

31. Our marriage. We just passed the 11 year mark at the end of June and will take some time before the school year begins to celebrate. We've hit rough patches along the way, but the last 6 years have been particularly sweet as God has grown us and surrounded us with many godly examples and sources of counsel. I am so thankful to be married to my best friend.

32. Creature comforts--I so often take them for granted. A clean (indoor) bathroom, safe drinking water, a house with central air, cars that function, ceiling fans, electricity, high-speed internet, green grass to run around in barefoot (and an association that mows it), grocery stores, washing machines...

33. Heather @ Sit A Spell--she challenges me and I so appreciate her candid thoughts about loving and caring for the poor, whether it's right where we are, or in the mission field as her young family has been this past year in Haiti.

34. Homegrown tomatoes. Tonight I'm trying out a new recipe: Double-Crusted Tomato, Onion & Bacon Pie. Can't wait!

35. Friends coming for dinner tonight. Besides the Tomato Pie, I'm dishing up the Spinach Quiche I posted the recipe for in June.

36. Summer employment for Pete. He had 3 days of framing work last week and it looks like regular hours might be possible until he returns to school in late August. A definate answer to prayer!

37. Visiting with college roommates/friends yesterday. Carolyn, her daughter Julia, and husband Eric, drove up from VA earlier this weekend and came to church with us. Karla and her family and Shelley-Ann joined us later in the afternoon.

38. Our local library. For a small town it's a great little library. And by borrowing from other branches in Lancaster County it's rare I can't get a hold of what I'm looking for. Right now I'm re-reading THE OMNIVORE'S DILEMMA--this time taking notes. Should have done that the first time.

39. Summer reading program. Pretty soon we'll fill up the kid's 30 book slots and get our tickets to Strasburg.

40. Tiki torches for the flowerbed. On sale at ACMOORE for $1.50 each! Hopefully they'll help to keep the bugs away from our deck area in the evenings.

41. Dates on the calendar with 3 couples we've wanted to reconnect with or get to know better. What's funny is that ALL the men are named Josh!

42. A solution for our truck conundrum. Since starting our pastured poultry operation last year, we've been borrowing my dad's truck alot (not counting the other household/yard projects that we've needed it too!), and going back and forth on whether we should replace Pete's car with a truck. But buying a truck that could fit the kid's carseats in the event of an emergency was out of our price range...and we don't want a gas-guzzler if we can help it. SOLUTION: a hitch on our Subaru wagon and a trailer from Pete's dad that just needed some assembly.

43. Vibrant, gospel-centered worship with other believers. I so appreciate the songwriting and composing gifts represented in Sovereign Grace Ministries, their incorporation of hymns, and especially our particular church's worship leaders.

44. Getting to watch THE KING'S SPEECH with my husband. We had tried to see it when it was in the theatres but tickets were sold out by the time we got there. I ♥ films with Colin Firth. He is such an excellent actor.

45. My family. Life is messy because we're human and we sin, but I am so thankful that time with my family is not characterized by discord, tension, or indifference.