Giggle + Giggle = Girl Time

March 27, afternoon

Warning: If there be any male readers don't bother wasting your time for it will only make you become very frustrated at the opposite sex. If you do dare read I offer no explanation for the following behavior described only that it is completely natural.

I can hear the plink of the ice has its hits the windows. I'm glad to be in our cozy house next to the woodstove. The vegetable soup from dinner is still keeping me warm. When I get cold again I think it will be time for a tea party. Sadly the ice will spoil my plans for a little girl time tonight. But that’s okay because the company of females has been enjoyed plentifully this week by me.

First you see there was the party where I just knew it was going to lovely as soon as I drove up the Bradford tree lined lane of my friend's house. Blossoming trees in full spring bloom no less. We giggled and talked over Mexican food and chocolate fudge. Conversing while sitting at a round table, very elegant I thought. Between shared glances of radiant smiles I gazed out the tall French doors past the deck and looked at the lush green of the wheat crop covering the surrounding fields like an emerald valley.
Lovely, just lovely.

Until we were interrupted out of our secret sharing reverie taking place in the darkness of night on the trampoline, by a rather horrid looking ghost mask worn by a very naughty boy. Since we were girls we screamed loud enough to be heard in the next county. Scared us right out of our flip flops.

But that’s okay because there were 5 girls (strength in numbers) who walked each other to our perspective cars after a rather sad adieu.

That was only the beginning however.

I don't know how all the silliness started after church. I think it had something to do with trying to keep warm while standing in a tight circle. Swaying seemed to help, yes a circle of 11 swaying girls going in the same direction. The boys thought it was slightly odd.

Presently the form of movement grew boring so we decided to pop up and down one at a time in quick fashion.

Now the boys were really staring at us.

Such frivolous activity soon found its end for a new much more purposeful game was brought to light. Let me explain, it was like Musical chairs, only with no chairs, lots of slapping of hands, and singing. Makes perfect since doesn't it? The game of course couldn't be played without a good deal of jollity. By now the boys were so shocked and perhaps even embarrassed at our behavior they pretended not to notice. Except for occasional applause at our “singing”. Then we were embarrassed.

So we laughed until others compelled us to return home. I danced beneath the moon with my friend giggling away feel altogether entirely too silly. I drank it all in, longing to fill the dry dessert of my soul. Parched from so many times of loneliness and tears. Now distant memories erased by the shared laugh and touch of a friend.

The smile remained on my lips days later, the memory new just as if it were yesterday. Sadness only felt when I remembered my friends weren't by my side. But they will be again perhaps here on earth but most assuredly in heaven. Beautiful laughter will be shared every moment then.

Making Your Home a Haven

Cooking is something I take a liking too, even funner than cooking is reading about other people cooking. Tammy's Recipes always seems to have delicious simple recipes and I enjoy reading them and sometimes cooking them. Yes I read about cooking and than go make up my own recipe:) Tammy is holding a weekly challenge and I decided to join in. You can read more about the the Making Your Home a Haven at Tammy's blog. Though I still live with my parents managing the house is largely my responsibility so I think I could learn a few things here. This week Tammy shared her 5 things to do in the morning. I decided to follow suit.

1. Rise by 6:30
2. Bible Time or Study
3. Exercise
4. Clean up Breakfast/ Drink Tea
5. Tidy Myself and Room

I'll be sure and let you know how it goes. Setting goals is always fun but I've heard it said "do than talk":)

I am Here

How many times this week have I been reminded who I really am. I am not the cheerful girl that appears to have it all together. No I'm not the one who eagerly serves others. My conscious is not heeded as it should. I think I can do it all myself.
I can't.
Because I'm just a poor little sheep to dumb to even follow my Shepard. Too scared to do the things I ought. Just a lowly bawling little sheep. My brain may be small and feeble but I can remember one thing.

Grace.

Grace that covered my sin.
Grace that gave me strength.
Grace that brought me here.
Grace that will lead me on.

And because of the grace that will never end I will worship the One who Died to give me that grace.

Irish Cooking

I'm wearing my one and only green shirt today because of the Irish holiday. In honor of the dear old saint I got up at 6:00 this morning to fix us some Irish scones. Now really all I need is some red locks and I can have people "kiss me because I'm Irish". Thankfully I'm not Irish and even if I were you can be sure they wouldn't be kissin me now would they? Imagine an Irish borough coming through.


Irish Soda scones were just the start of my Irish cooking today. Irish stew is simmering away for supper. Minus the lamb because I heard "Little Bo Peep" too often growing up. Missing also that good Irish whiskey because I believe in temperance. I also believe in substituting where needed so I put in a can of good old American root beer. I hope mother doesn't find out till after supper. I do hope it turns out, I think its a little too soon for another cooking disaster.

We used not to be Irish, as long as it was green it counted as a dish to be served for the celebratory meal. Unfortunately this included spinach however most gratefully there was pistachio pudding for dessert. Not to be consumed until the spinach was eaten. One fateful St. Pa tricks day I couldn't seem to keep the slimy spinach down after swallowing it whole. The lime jello, green of course, suddenly found it self covered in already eaten spinach. Perhaps I should have warned you in case you were just finishing your corned beef in cabbage.

The memory remains vivid to this St Patrick's day. Now we are a bit more gourmet and I'd like to think more traditional with the meal. Corned beef and cabbage is accompanied by the above mentioned soda bread. Fresh squeezed limeade is served along with peas. No spinach allowed!

We may be pure bred Mennonite but don't say didn't try our best to be red headed Irish men.

So I wish you a top of the afternoon and if nothing else do at least have mint ice cream for supper.

The Simple Woman's Daybook

Outside my window...
The birds are twittering from the trees that are still bare. Green grass is over taking the brown.
I am thinking...
About my grandma who hasn't been feeling the best. My mother that she wouldn't get overworked.
I am thankful for...
My family and the newness of spring.
From the learning rooms...(if this applies)
Its spring break the books are in hiding!
From the kitchen...
Leftovers from the Saturday cooking storm. Waffles, Shepard's Pie, Mexican casserole.
I am wearing...
My PJ's, getting up early hasn't been priority lately.
I am creating...
Digital scrapbook pages and notes for friends.
I am going...
To town with my mother, we shall browse the shops and than have coffee.
I am reading...
My Bible has been my sole source of comfort this past weekend.
I am hoping...
That my grandma has a good day and I that I would get to have my hair cut.
I am hearing...
Silence broken by the clicking of the keyboard and the ticking of the clock.
Around the house...
My breakfast sitting on the table waiting to be cleaned up.
One of my favorite things...
My aunty who just washed the breakfast dishes and the pile of from Sunday.

A few plans for the rest of the week:

Making a green meal for St. Patrick's day and hanging out with my family.

Simple Woman's Daybook

Gone North and Back Again

I'm back from the land of South Dakota! The trip was pure delight even driving in the very flat fields of NE however the glorious rolling hills in SD and even mountains made up for it. As pretty as it was the bright array of colors that met us in KS as the sun set made me feel so glad to be home.

We had some good farmer boys for drivers. They got my daddy's little girl safely home while facing dangerous ice and snow and utterly boring stretches of roads.



I had to take a picture to see how I looked before we arrived:) Vain wasn't I? Perhaps it would have been better if I didn't know the whole story.

One of the very fun moments of the trip was waking up snow! Imagine there is even real hills there to go sledding on, a real novelty for us Kansans. However they would have to be passed up for we were homeward bound.


The blurry sunset. I knew I was back in the land I love.

So Long Farewell...

Well I'm running away for the weekend to Hot Springs SD! I'm so excited to spend 10 hours+ in the car with friends and then spending more time with a friend when we get there!

However the cold temps and snow aren't drawing me right now. Its so lovely here in KS as of now, warm and delicious like apple pie.

I've spent today cleaning house and packing. For Christmas I got a snazzy new suitcase with very snazzy wheels. And I'm just now getting to use if for the first time. I must say its pretty impressive, a real tiny little thing yet holds everything to make a girl beautiful (yes I know a lot), clothes, boots, coat and a few other things. I'm glad for the wheels because I'm not sure I can carry it:)

So you won't be hearing for me till sometime next week. I do hope to show you some pictures of the Black Hills, which I've never seen before. Exciting things!

Photo Caption: Bethanne next the Sioux Falls in Sioux Fall SD the last time she was in SD, 3 1/2 years ago. This time she will be on the other side of SD:)

The Tragady of the Pumpkin Soup

Cooking just hasn’t been my thing lately. Of course I’m sure everyone will agree with me that we all make mistakes. But well I topped them all the other Sunday, it wasn’t appealing, trust me.
Pumpkin I learned recently is one of those vegetables that are just very good for you. In honor of our health I decided to serve pumpkin soup for dinner. Pumpkin soup is rather gourmet, so I was delighted to bring such culture to our farm kitchen. I think it could have been grand and glorious. It wasn’t.

First of all I decided I wouldn’t use a recipe, while a recipe could have enhanced the flavor. My downfall was not in that sector. Rather with the onions.
We love onions of our house and have what seems like gallons of them in the freezer. Knowing that pumpkin soup is not probably the most well like dish. I thought an addition of mom’s caramelized onions would perhaps help it to slide down easier. It would have been a good idea. However it wasn’t, later in this discourse I will tell you why. But first back to the soup preparation.

Broth from the freezer was put in the soup pot along with the canned pumpkin. An extra large can no less. I added minced garlic, salt and pepper. And last of all the fateful onions. Peacefully the soup simmered all morning while we were at church. Before serving I attempted to add half and half however it was sour. Milk worked just as well not mention low fat thus being easier on the waist line. I served up the marvelous creation feeling rather pleased and imagining how healthy we were going to be. Really I could just see our muscle aches fairly disappearing like magic.

I took my first taste, not bad at all, but I didn’t sense any fireworks going off. Two bites later I found myself choking the soup down. Suddenly the days of Lima Bean soup were coming back to haunt me. Quickly I realized something was erroneous, but what? Why didn’t the onions taste succulent as usual? What were those black strings in the soup? Horror gradually filled every fiber of being as I realized what those so called onions were, bananas.

Our freezer holds many things, broth, ice-cream, applesauce, frozen veggies from the garden, grass fed beef, many things I don’t know about, onions, and frozen bananas. These bananas and in particular were quite black when they had been froze. Caramelized onions are quite dark in nature, hence the mix up.

I thought about finishing the meal without confessing my mistake. However no one seemed to be going back for seconds. Most embarrassedly I admitted what was really in the soup. Mother laughed and laughed in-between fits dad was let in on the joke. It had been a long time since we laughed so hard at a meal.

Our meal was concluded with cheese and apple muffins. Healthy not to mention tasty.
Later that evening all I could think about was that awful soup. Not the fried chicken and pecan pie I had consumed but that pumpkin soup with bananas floating in it.
I don’t think I’ll be serving pumpkin soup any time soon even if it is healthy and gourmet.

25 for my Big Brother's 25th Birthday

If your on Facebook you have seen the recent craze of 25 things notes. Well I decided I would write a special one dedicated to my brother and I on his birthday.

1. My brother and I are 6 years apart in age. Which makes me think he’s like really big and I’m really little.

2. Ben communicated exclusively by fighting growing up. I of course always won.

3. We don’t clash anymore except for when it comes to the virtues of eating salad vs. the deviousness of steak.

4. During a particular boring moment during school one day Ben stole the teacher’s red pen and drew underneath his toes nails giving the appearance that blood seeping from them. Then announced a trip the ER was in order. Mom was very smart of course and saw right through it. I still laugh about it to this day.

5. One sunny day Ben and I went out to play hide and seek. Wanting to make it easy on my brother I told him where I would be hiding. Ben was kind enough to inform that when you hide you don’t tell your hiding spot. I knew he always would make a good FBI agent.

6. I don’t like to brag but if weren’t for me Ben wouldn’t like chocolate. After years of scraping the chocolate layer off of the ice cream cake for his birthday Ben finally gave in and admitted that chocolate is heaven on earth. If Ben were here I would make him a chocolate ice cream cake.

7. A sprained ankle laid Ben up for a few days. I despised the extra attention given to him. Now I clean the house just for his arrival home. and even bake pie

8. Ben used to pay me to clean his room. I found organizing a guy’s room to be most boring but the pay was nice.

9. Ben will make a good husband some day because well he knows a girl needs certain items. He has been known to take me home get a forgotten item or bring my purse when I left it.

10. Banana shake always has been a shared favorite. One day Ben was making it with many more bananas than milk. The blender couldn’t handle such a load so Ben tried rousing it causing the concoction to “burp” all over the kitchen. Thankfully mom was out of the house at this point in time and still doesn’t know of the hasty redecorating of her kitchen.

11. I was a business partner to Ben in his chicken business. Which meant I fed and washed the eggs and Ben just kind of took care of the profits. I’m still ever so grateful to this day that Ben “forgot” to close the coop door thus leaving the chickens to their death and I to my happiness of never having to wash eggs again.

12. During school we would constantly be involved in cat and dog fights. Prompting mother to instruct us not to speak to each other. Thus causing me to commit the sin of getting angry at Ben for talking to me.

13. If I gave Ben a $1 for every time he gave my advice he would be living in a condo on a Florida beach.

14. Ben always has delighted in killing snakes and then showing me the carcasses. I was never impressed.

15. Ben left home 2 weeks after I got my learners permit thus he has never ridden with me. What a wimp!

16. My brother and I would never make it to “American Idol” singing a duet in fact we probably couldn’t sing on the same key together not to mention the right note even if you paid us.

17. When Ben would entertain his friends I thought it was cool to hang out them. They didn’t. I’m still embarrassed to this day when I think about the pesky little sister I ahem used to be.

18. People say that we look alike but they have overlooked the fact that Ben is nearly a foot taller than me and has irresistible short curly hair. And most importantly sports a beard. Do I look like I have a beard?

19. Ben is the only person in my life that will listen to me for an extraordinarily long time on the phone. Uttering only the few words that are necessitated.

20. Ben and I call each other….well never mind.

21. Ben has a real heart for children and is a stellar teacher nearly idolized by his people’s. During my 8^th grade year I helped teach a Good News club with him and I always got to do the verse. Twas Ben that started me down my lifelong path of children’s work.

22. Ben has laid down quite a few rules concerning me and guys which are entirely too strict and Ben will therefore be notified of such a relationship by form of a wedding invitation.

23. Levels of spiritual discipline are displayed by Ben in every area of life. I feel compelled to brag about him to my friends because he is just an incredibly good guy.

24. My nieces frequently tell me I need to marry Ben; I smile and tell them that wouldn’t work because it just would be gross. I smile and wish that I would meet Ben’s carbon copy so their matchmaking avowal could be fulfilled.

25. Ben is 25 today which makes me feel so little to have a brother so very old. But that’s okay because than he is all the wiser with wisdom to surpass down to me.

Selah

9 And he hath said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my power is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my weaknesses, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

10 Wherefore I take pleasure in weaknesses, in injuries, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.
II Corinthians 12, 9,10

Photo Credit: smsmsm