Wednesday, June 30, 2010

Movie Quote Trivia


1. Pick 5 of your favorite movies.


2. Go to IMDB.com and find a quote from each movie.

3. Post them for everyone to guess.

(Hint: There is a theme)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 
1. I am not an expert on love, I am an expert on the lack of love, Delysia, and that is a fate from which I wish more fervently to save you.
 
2. God loves you just the way you are. But He loves you too much to let you stay that way.
 
3. I seek a beautiful girl. My life partner, my one coquette, the answer to my love's duet.
 
4. You are the butter to my bread, you are the breath to my life.
 
5. I am Kah Mun Rah, half god, once removed on my mother's side.

Tuesday, June 29, 2010

My "To Read" List - In Perspective


Daily: The Bible

Esther: Becoming a Woman of God by Elizabeth George
Becoming a Woman of Purpose by Cynthia Heald
The Hidden Art of Homemaking by Edith Schaffer
Passionate Housewives Desperate for God by Jenny Chancey & Stacy McDonald
Lady of Milkweed Manor by Julie Klassen
Contagious Joy - Women of Faith Series  by Thomas Nelson
Home Comforts by Cheryl Mendelson
The Duggars - 20 & Counting by Michelle & Jim Bob Duggar

Make Mine Freedom

Sunday, June 27, 2010

Wildflowers





It was a beautiful weekend for a camping trip.  The weather held up, with a light rain in the wee hours of the morning.  If it weren't for darling dog getting sick all over the quilt in the middle of the night, the trip would have been a perfect break from the "real world".  Admittedly, between the trees, things seem more real than between walls.

Friday, June 25, 2010

Going Camping



We are leaving to go camping this weekend...and while I'm not looking forward to the freezing cold water, and dirty dirt all around...I'm sure we'll have a ton of fun. 

Joshua 1:9
Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the LORD thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.

Thursday, June 24, 2010

Lady Luck


These days, tingling with the newness of summer, I feel lucky to live in such a beautiful corner of the world.  Everything blooms and speaks in colors, heights challenge my equillibrium's balance, and even the clouds are happy to cover the cerulean sky; the biggest drink, with the lightest of whipped cream dollops.  Skylines chatter in pastels, a marker for visitors, a remark for homelanders voyaging in longer strides towards daily deeds, practiced dinner and drinks.

2 Corinthians 5:1

For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.

Tuesday, June 22, 2010

Kitchen Fail

I love raw, vegan food...it's a bit of a passion of mine though my zest usually waxes and wanes with the weather.  Tonight I tried a new recipe for "ice cream" and may I just say...next time I'll simply be whipping it all together in a smoothie.  This was just a lot of work for the same effect on my tastebuds.  I'm not even going to bother you with the recipe...but the ingredients are: bananas, blueberries, dates, and water.  Simple.  Smoothie.  I suppose if you were going to have company over and wanted to plate it nicer than I did with mine, it might seem less silly, but for lazy me, eating out of a Tupperware container...I could have gotten 15 minutes of my life back and put it toward more lofty pursuits.  Such as...watching the Animal Planet special on "Michael & Bubbles."  Ha!

Sunday, June 20, 2010

Loveliness

Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.

Philippians 4:8

I find this verse worth oft' repeating, it is a guidepost verse for me.

Saturday, June 19, 2010

Wedding Cakes


Finding the right wedding cake is treacherous territory.  A couple should express their style, it should be in keeping with the theme of the wedding, and appeal to the guests sensibilities as well (both in decoration and taste).  I toy with the idea of going the cupcake route, to bunk tradition and be playful in a way that doesn't make the wedding seem kitschy, but then I see a cake like the one above and think..., "No, no...I'm a traditional girl at heart."  Gorgeous, simplicity...

Wednesday, June 16, 2010

A Simpler Time


My mama mia sent me me this poem in a forward and I enjoye it so much I figured I would pass it along.  While I'm much too young to remember these times, I do try to keep some simplicity and good old-fashioned togetherness, contentedness, and comfort in our modern lives. 

A little house with three bedrooms,

One bathroom,and a car on the street.
A mower that you had to push
To make the grass look neat.

In the kitchen on the wall,
We only had one phone,
And no need for recording things,
Someone was always home.

We only had a living room
Where we would congregate,
Unless it was at mealtime,
In the kitchen where we ate.

We had no need for family rooms,
Or extra rooms to dine,
When meeting as a family
Those two rooms would work out fine.
We only had one TV set,
And channels maybe two,
But always there was one of them
With something worth the view.

For snacks we had potato chips
That tasted like a chip,
And if you wanted flavor
There was Lipton's onion dip.
Store-bought snacks were rare,
Because my mother liked to cook,
And nothing can compare to snacks
In Betty Crocker's book.

Weekends were for family trips,
Or staying home to play.
We all did things together --
Even go to church to pray.
When we did our weekend trips,
Depending on the weather,
No one stayed at home because
We liked to be together.

Sometimes we would separate
To do things on our own,
But we knew where the others were,
Without our own cell phone.

Then there were the movies,
With your favorite movie star,
And nothing can compare to
Watching movies in your car.


Then there were the picnics
At the peak of summer season.
Pack a lunch, and find some trees,
And never need a reason.

Get a baseball game together,
With all the friends you know,
Have real action playing ball--
And no game video.

Remember when the doctor used
To be the family friend,
And didn't need insurance
Or a lawyer to defend?

The way that he took care of you
Or what he had to do,
Because he took an oath and strived
To do the best for you.

Remember going to the store,
And shopping casually,
And when you went to pay for it
You used your own money?

Nothing that you had to swipe,
Or punch in some amount,
Remember when the cashier
Really had to count?

The milkman used to
Go from door to door,
And it was just a few cents more
Than going to the store.

There was a time when letters came
Right up to your door,
Without a lot of junk mail ads
Sent out by every store.

The mailman knew each house by name,
And knew where it was sent;
There were not loads of mail
Addressed to "present occupant."

There was a time when just one glance
Was all that it would take,
And you would know the kind of car,
The model, and the make.


They didn't look like turtles
Trying to squeeze out every mile;
They were streamlined, white walls, fins,
And really had some style.

One time the music that you played,
Whenever you would jive,
Was from a vinyl, big-holed record
Called a forty-five.

The record player had a post
To keep them all in line,
And then the records would drop down,
And play just one at a time.

Oh sure, we had our problems then,
Just like we do today,
And always we were striving,
Trying for a better way.

Oh, the simple life we lived
Still seems like so much fun,
How can you explain a game,
Just kick the can, and run?

And why would boys put baseball cards
Between their bicycle spokes,
And for a nickel red machines
Had little bottled Cokes?

This life seemed so much easier,
And slower in some ways,
I love the new technology,
But I sure still miss those days.

So time moves on and so do we,
And nothing stays the same,
But I sure love to reminisce,
And walk down memory lane.

Tuesday, June 15, 2010

Stay - Clouds


from...  Stay by Franz Wright


"The clouds were pretending to be clouds
when in fact they were overheard comments
regarding his recent behavior, but muffled..."

Wednesday, June 9, 2010

Shrimp & Artichoke Heart Fettucine





Ingredients


2 tablespoons olive oil

4 large cloves garlic, minced (about 4 teaspoons)

2 medium shallots, thinly sliced (about 1/3 cup)

1 1/4 pounds large shrimp (about 20), peeled and deveined

1 (11-ounce) package frozen artichoke hearts, thawed, or 1 (14-ounce) can artichoke hearts, rinsed, drained, and quartered

1/3 cup dry white wine

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, plus more for garnish

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and shallots and cook, stirring until softened but not browned, 2 to 3 minutes. Add shrimp, artichoke hearts, wine, and lemon juice and cook until the shrimp are cooked through, 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in the parsley, salt and pepper. Divide among 4 plates, garnish with additional parsley, and serve.

Tuesday, June 8, 2010

British Columbian Adventour


Numbers Man and I went to British Columbia last week with a couple friends of ours; Vancouver came first and then Victoria.

The Vancouver skyline as we drove into city from the south, was unexpectedly drab...all of the buildings greeted us with sameness of tone, material, and structure. "What?" thought I..."What is this foregin land?" Americans would not tolerate such sameness. In fact, it wasn't just me that was thrown off by the bizarre homogenity of Vancouver's architecture, the rest of the care echoed my dismay. Number's Man's freind remarked that it looked like a single architect was surely making bank on the great Vancouver Commission. Wacky.

As we further explored the city, of course we found that there were areas with more varried character...and they were lovely! The food was incredible...amazing...stupendousicular!!! Oh the things we ate! The food highlight was definitely a little place called Granville Market - a shopping center packed with deli's, cafe's, produce stands, and fast food (not McD's...fresh, fast food). The place so so good we couldn't help coming back for more.

Another hit in Vancouver...Van Dusen gardens! Not much trumps a garden in sprintime, sprinkled with a light rain. It was fragrant and brimming with so much life. Sparkle and shine!

We ferried over to Victoria and found our feet were our biggest asset as this little village is best explored slowly and with curious eyes. The typical tourist attractions were thoughtful and engaging and the soul of the city beat hard against the buildings and in the faces of the locals. You could really sense the pride of the people in what they had to offer. Numbers Man and I will be venturing back in the near future to see more sights and maybe be a little romantical. *wink*

Being back in the swing of normal life is bringing the twinge back to my shoulder muscles, but I'm happy to have the structure of routine, the constant of Lake Washington when I wake up and go to bed, and my darling dog to cuddle uncontrollably.
For more pix, just click on the one in this post and it will take you to my flickr page.
xoxo C

Sunday, June 6, 2010

Where Have I Been?





You'll find out soon enough... :)