If Jane Austen went to Starbucks...

I love Pride and Prejudice. I love Starbucks. So it was only a matter of time before this was born.

Elizabeth: iced caffé latte

Jane: iced caramel macchiato

Darcy: flat white

Bingley: espresso

Miss Bingley: green tea latte

Mr. Bennet: chai latte

Mrs. Bennet: shaken sweet tea lemonade

Lydia: iced caffé mocha

Kitty: caramel frappucino

Mary: strawberry acai

Mrs. Hurst: coconut milk mocha macchiato

Charlotte: London fog tea latte

Lady Catherine: espresso macchiato

Wickham: iced caffé americano

Mr. Collins: espresso macchiato

Georgiana: strawberries and créme

Col. Fitzwilliam: Nariño cold brew

Aunt Gardiner: London fog tea latte

Uncle Gardiner: blonde roast

Aunt Phillips: PSL

Mr. Hurst: caffé americano.
Anne de Bourgh: shaken iced green tea

Miss Austen herself would probably be like, "Where the heck is my tea? Psssh, Americans."

Busy

I was a very busy little person. 

My imagination was my favorite toy as a child. I pretended pretty much everyday until I was twelve-ish. I thought it would be fun to write a post about the things I would pretend when I was little. It should (probably) be a funny read, and also a place to write things down that I might not remember when I'm old. 

When I was really little, my older brother (Matthew) and my little brother (Mark) would play cats. Matthew was our owner, I would be a tabby, and Mark would be a persian cat. He ate marshmallows. Another time, we three would be mice who tormented the mean (human) aunt who came to live at the house. We were some clever rodents. 

When I got older, I sometimes passed the day saving civil war soldiers as they suffered gangrene and scarlet fever. This particular game I played with one particular friend (most of my games had a specific playmate), and each time we did it, we ended up getting sick ourselves (but recovered after an extremely dire case) or marrying one of the soldiers, or both. 

Other days, I would content myself by being a squirrel (named Blossom, most of the time), who lived in our walnut tree with her little brother (who happened to be my little brother), named Bud. We would gather food to store for winter, make food, and eat food. We had one track minds. There might have been the trauma of a hunter invading our neck of the woods, but most of the time we climbed in and out of our tree house, carrying wild onions, dandelions, random leaves, and flowers to be hung upside down or stored in flower pots. 

Oh, and there were many (many, many) times I would get together with one particular friend (or two others who shared my love for this game) and play...orphans. The Wilhelm house has been an orphanage countless times, each one ruled by a cruel orphan-mistress, who beat us, made us clean through the night, and only provided us with scratchy cots and thin blankets. I'm not sure why every mistress had to be unbearably awful, but I guess it gave us opportunities to be patient martyrs of orphans. 

I was sometimes a tiny person, who rode ants and whose country was at war (it was always at war). My friend was my mother. My father had usually died years ago (so we didn't have to worry about playing him), and I usually had a couple younger siblings. My pretend mother participated in some sort of ladies aid thing, I was either terrible or amazing in school, and we owned a store at the front of our house. 

I was a nurse, a squirrel (or a mouse. That happened a lot, too), a poor orphan, or a patriotic person the size of a bread crumb. I was busy.

Homestead Dreamin'

I have lots of spare time today, so here go my homestead hopes tumbling out onto my blog. :) Yes, I'm only sixteen, but I can daydream about a lovely white farmhouse (with a wrap-around porch) in Maine, complete with chickens, heritage hogs, and maybe some sheep or goats. Not to mention the orchard, vegetable garden, and beehives.

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The end. Hope you enjoyed a ramble through my thoughts! :)

Giving thanks for...

It's a day late, but ya know...cooking, family, and pie.

1. the fact that everyone could be here for Thanksgiving

2. my parents

3. my sister

4. all my brothers

5. theatre and singing opportunities through The Academy (spellcheck says "theatre" is incorrect. Spellcheck got no class)

6. learning to appreciate my body and how to take care of it

7. learning to let go of schedules, plans, and what I think should happen

8. devotions in the morning

9. lights in the kitchen

10. Pumpkin Spice Roll ice cream (it is thing)
11. being able to learn through Veritas Press.
12. family 
13. traditions
14. movie and game nights
15. a patient Redeemer and Friend
16. the beautiful moon last night
17. my nieces
18. the view out back
19. changing seasons
20. having the knowledge and tools to be healthy
21. Thanksgiving break (and breaks in general)
22. my journal
23. youth choir
24. mercies new every morning
25. old and new friends
26. hikes
27. hot chocolate
28. candles
29. (almost) free reign over the kitchen
30. talks with Mom
31. snow
32. chickens and the vegetable garden
33. Christmas lights 
34. the seasonal colors of the kitchen: butternut squash, pomegranates, parsley...
35. family (again)

In His plan

"Woe to those who draw iniquity with cords of falsehood,
    who draw sin as with cart ropes,
who say: “Let him be quick,
    let him speed his work
    that we may see it;
let the counsel of the Holy One of Israel draw near,
    and let it come, that we may know it!”
Woe to those who call evil good
    and good evil,
who put darkness for light
    and light for darkness,
who put bitter for sweet
    and sweet for bitter!
Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes,
    and shrewd in their own sight!"
-Isaiah 5:18-21

I'm working my way through Isaiah using this Bible study. One of the questions asked which of the "woes" in chapter 5 struck me the most. Verses 18-21 were what got me. The people described in this passage are impatient and think they know best. They run along their sinful way, and demand the Lord adhere to their plans, times, etc. They think their plan is best. 

I often stumble into this way. I have a plan as to what my life should look like. I think I know what is best, and it does not include any trials I may be going through. I wonder if God really has my best interests in mind. Does He really love me? If so, why would He give me this?

I'm also reading the Westminster Confession of Faith for school (yay Omnibus), and it is constantly stressing the perfection of the Lord's counsel. He is wisest, strongest, mightiest, highest, and yes, He does love me. I am in His plans, His wondrous, incomprehensible  plans.

"For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
    neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord.
9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
    so are my ways higher than your ways
    and my thoughts than your thoughts."-Isaiah 5:8-9

YXL 2015

It has been a month since this wonderful youth conference. I made so many new friends, strengthened old friendships, and cannot wait to go back. Here's a summary of what went on. :) Go team C, I miss all of you!

learning lab challenges, hour long Bible study and prayer time, teabagging, late night games of Body-Body, pygmies, guitars everywhere, peanut M&Ms, hiking the AT, blindfold jokes, Geneva and Kari wailing Taylor Swift in the bus, skipping Mike in phase 10, Heather rapping, microwave gatherings, teary and real debrief time, mystery meat, team care, worship, Kiwi and Geneva ('nuff said), chicken dance and I'm-a-little-teapot, cake smashing, Kelly rockin' the electric slide, spotting, Kiwi's gum, Tyler's foot, stretch, climb, reach, grow, so much more.

Curiouser and curiouser....

Ladies, gentlemen, children of all ages! Come and see the curious adventures of Alice in Wonderland (musical style)! 

Go to the website for more details

30 days of beautiful: day 17

~elephant pants is happy~

(picture courtesy of my brother...pardon the chipped nail polish that is fortunately blurry)

Feelin' hippie in these, especially when I was hanging out with my chickens and doing stuff in the vegetable garden. #crunchy

Links: Dante and Disney

Amusing video from my Omnibus Primary teacher. Thanks for making Dante fun, Mrs. Andreades!

What if Disney princesses had real hair and real waists? Ariel is probably my favorite for the hair. :)

Go listen to this soundtrack (and watch the movie if you can). Also, go to Pandora and make a Joe Hisaishi station. I've been listening to it while studying for exams; relaxing and inspirational at the same time!

Recipe Corner: Paleo french bread! I made this yesterday and squealed (yes, squealed) with delight when it came out of the oven all golden and crusty. I did change the recipe around a bit, but it worked! Tasted good too, and there was only one piece left today, heheh. 

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Almost done with school! Next week is exams (and finishing up my ten page paper, blah), and then freedom! 

Love in the Wind

It whispers, it roars. It tears through trees, ripping off branches or scattering petals like rain. Ripples in the pond, waves in the sea. Sends leaves skittering across the road. Makes the rain lash the windows. It is strong, it is gentle, it is powerful.

"For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, not things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord." -Romans 8:38-39

spring is...

robins robins everywhere.

looking for wild daffodils.

grape hyacinths in the pasture.

damp soil.

planting the vegetable garden.

fresh air and sunshine...finally!

What can I add?

Winter is...

Christmas (obviously).

a season that seems to start at least two weeks be for it actually does.

watching snow fall and hoping it'll stick.

sledding down the hill into the pasture and getting sopping wet.

hot chocolate.

mornings when you just want to stay in your warm pajamas.

longing for spring (unfortunately this has already started for me).

What else can I add?

Coming up for air

Christmas Break...is...here!

After weeks and weeks of school, due dates, projects, stress, and fun, I have a breather (sorta. Exam studying will happen somehow). I think I shall be ensconced in the kitchen most of the time, testing out two recipes. I'll tell you how that goes. ;) I also want to read something, but need some suggestions. Anyone? 

This school year's been super busy, but super great too. I (thankfully) enjoy all my classes and am learning things that don't even involve school directly. Number one is that I can easily be sucked into the vortex of blogs or Pinterest or instagram and then I remember I should probably be working on a paper or something. It is very easy to just keep going from blog to blog to blog, and then twenty minutes have past and I've got nothing productive done. Number two is connected to number one, and it's that school comes first. It's okay if I don't get around to working out or replying to those letters. As long as I get my school done and get it done well, it's all fine. It gets rid of a lot of stress and makes school more enjoyable.

Unfortunately, with all the busyness, I haven't had time to get into the "Christmas spirit", let alone think about it's true meaning. We have Advent devotions on Sundays, but sometimes my mind wonders, so I don't really have an excuse besides being busy. :) I want to squish a lot of things into the next two weeks, but I need to make some time to sit and remember. 

Anyways, on to yummy stuff. Today I made these, but replaced the sunflower butter with tahini (weird, I know, but delicious!) and used coconut sugar instead of maple syrup. They don't have really strange or unusual ingredients, so anyone could make them. I also made this chocolate a few days ago. I want to make all sorts of other sweet stuff, but I'll probably stick with these and just eat a bunch to make up for variety. ;)

Merry Christmas one and all! Enjoy your time with loved ones and celebrating the birth of our Savior!

 "And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth." --John 1:14

"And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, 'Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom He is pleased.'" --Luke 2:13-14

Fall is...

"brrrrrr" worthy mornings.

watching the trees on The Hill out front turn color (there's already a lonely little red waiting for the rest to catch up).

darkness at 7:30.

pumpkin everything...duh.

sunshine on cool days.

trying to stay on top of school.

dreaming of Thanksgiving dinner.

comfort food: soup, stews, roasted anything, warm baked goods.

pulling out scarves, sweaters, and fuzzy socks. Sometimes a little prematurely. :)

raking leaf piles.

wind rustling through the trees.

damp days.

What can I add?

Greenie beanies

Green beans. Fat. Salt. An oven.

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Yum.

Roasted Green Beans

originally from The Paleo Mom*

1 1/2 lbs. green beans

3 T. fat of choice (I used avocado oil)

1 t. salt (or half pepper and salt. Either way is scrumptious)

Preheat oven to 450. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Wash and trim green beans. Snap in half if desired. Place in bowl and toss with other ingredients until well coated. Spread on cookie sheet, place in oven, and roast for about 20 minutes. Enjoy!

Random Happy Stuff:

One of my brothers (who shall remain unnamed): "Do you think I am a good brother? I think I am a good brother. Do you think I am a good brother?"**

The above said Brother and I are kinda tired after watching How to Train Your Dragon. We were also...um...rather hyper this afternoon while playing Scattegories Categories. Good times.

Chickens will start laying in three weeks! I'll try to post a picture of the first egg, if I don't fry it first.

School starts in two weeks! I love school things (schedules, books, sharp pencils, knowledge). Then, around November, the novelty wears off and it's just school. 

Apples, kale, bananas, and grapes. nomnom.

*so apparently I could call these "Rachel's Roasted Green Beans" if I wanted, just because I left out the lemon juice?

**well, he did accidentally delete this post while I was writing it. So...maybe? ;) (just kidding, I do love you, -------)

Suggestions (books and a smoothie)

I'm still plowing my way through "Confessions" and, now, "The Church History". I've set a certain number of sections I have to read each day and I think hope I'll be done at the end of the month. 

With all that to work on, I haven't had much time for the fun stuff that I really want to read. So for all of you fortunate people who do have time, here are two of the best books I've ever read.

1): "Pride and Prejudice" by Jane Austen.

Love, love, love. This is definitely worth while. Funny (it actually got me to laugh out loud), serious, romantic, and delicious. You read right: delicious. I just couldn't put it down!

2): "Persuasion" also by Jane Austen.

I think I may have liked this even better than P+P. It was an equally scrumptious read. I absolutely love the romance. The two characters care deeply for one another and develop well. This isn't mushy, ya'll. The book is a little mysterious at first (why is Captain Wentworth acting this way? Ahhh!), but its resolve is lovely.

Also, you should watch the movies too. Not just any old version though. This one for "Pride and Prejudice" and this one for "Persuasion".

Now, on to the recipe!

The Chocolate Covered Blueberry

From A Mad Tea Party

1/3 c. canned full fat coconut milk

1 c. blueberries

1/2 a frozen banana

2 t. cocoa powder

2 t. raw honey

a splash of vanilla

Combine all in blender. Mmmm!

(Of course, I couldn't just follow the recipe, I'm too much of a rebel (yeah right). I added coconut oil, two egg yolks (leftover from coconut macaroons), used kefir and yogurt instead of coconut milk, and not as much banana and honey.) 

~photos courtesy of Barnes and Noble~

Kitchen adventures

There's been a lot of fermenting going on in the kitchen. What's fermenting, you ask? Basically it's putting some ingredients together and letting it sit around for a while. For grains, fermenting helps make them more easily digestible and makes more of the nutrients available. The fermented-ness keeps your gut flora happy and healthy. Same with the dairy and vegetables you'll see later in this post.*

Least ways, that's what I understand. Go do your own research and find our what I haven't mentioned. Feel free to reprimand any inconsistent information. I'm ready to learn! :)

Exhibit a): Sourdough Blueberry Muffins.

These are based off a Kitchen Stewardship recipe. I just added blueberries, sour cream, various spices, and sprinkled some almonds on top. They're very fall-y apart-y (as we like to say) and apparently eaten better in a bowl with milk, as a sort of cobbler.

Exhibit b): Sourdough Bread.

This is what's left of the loaf I made yesterday. A delicious recipe from the Cultures for Health blog. Mostly. I added two tablespoons of butter and decreased the water a little bit. Because butter.

Needless to say, I made more today. :)

Exhibit c): Yogurt. 

Simple (we make it in the crock pot like this), delicious, nutritious, and it saves money!

Exhibit d): I told you there was a lot of fermenting! This time it's milk kefir. 

Even simpler and nutritious than the yogurt, but, alas, not as delicious. That's why you hide it in a smoothie. Or ice cream, which I'm going to try this weekend. 

Exhibit e): Pickles. Two different kinds actually.

Number one is from The Food Journal of Lewis and Clark (classic homeschooling material), which we've made several times.

Number two is from The Nourishing Cook. This one uses whey (leftover from the yogurt) and doesn't use sugar. We'll see how it tastes.

What strange things have you been experimenting with?

*does this mean I'm an amateur zymologist? Now that would be something cool to put on an about page.

Summer is...

the smell of catkins on the chestnut tree.

hot outside and cool inside.

picking wineberries along the road.

watching the neighbor's fireworks from our own porch (free show!).

that summery feeling. Different for all, perhaps, but still The Summer Feel. 

the air conditioning coming on and off.

ice cream, watermelon, or popsicles on the porch.

grass stains and bug bites.

What can I add?

A new blog (sort of) and another recipe

When I started this blog, I imagined it to be full of recipes, encouraging and interesting posts, some chicken stuff, and maybe some family tidbits. In other words I imagined it to be like my sister's blog, which I (and I know other people) enjoy reading. It didn't really work the way I hoped, because (shocker!), I'm fourteen and she is twenty-six! That means I can't write like I've experienced all the stuff a college-graduated, husband-caring, baby-toting, adult has. Hey, Rebekah, don't you love my description? :)

So after a talk with Mom, I decided to stop trying to be more mature than I am or imagine my life as something different. I wanted to share about things I've experienced, and so I shall, but it'll be from who I actually am, a fourteen year-old, not what I might have wished I was. Now expect to see chickens, recipes, gardening, and a thoughtful post now and then. Because I can be serious. :)

To start off with a bang, here's a recipe for--bum ba da bum ba daaa--pesto! Of course, there are hundreds upon hundreds of pesto recipes out there. Like this. And this. And this. Feel free to check them out, I'm sticking with ours (which we had before the internet-blog stuff happened, as Mom has just informed me. So there.)

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Pesto Recipe #six hundred eleventy five                                                          

2 c. basil, packed
1/4 c. olive oil
2-3 T. pine nuts (I usually just do two)
2 garlic cloves
2 T. Parmesan cheese
1/2 r. salt

Combine all but cheese and salt in blender. Add cheese and salt. Process until smooth. Makes for one pound of pasta

You can easily freeze this and it only takes a few hours to defrost. Delicious on top of pasta, steak, eggs, sourdough bread (tee hee), and salad.

Random tidbits

This is basically pictures and me trying to keep up with posting. Enjoy!

I made sourdough bread twice--once last week and once this week--using this recipe (with a few alterations because the dough was too dry). The first batch wasn't very airy, but still tasty! And it looked so old fashioned, I couldn't help myself....

Ahh, I love baking. I could spend half the day in the kitchen.

In chicken-news, we're almost ready for the big move. Hopefully tomorrow we can relocate the girls to their palace. It's about time, you can really smell, um, tell that they're here.

Now I can say I helped build the coop. :)

My sister, niece, and hardworking Daddy.

O God, you are my God; earnestly I
       seek you;
   my soul thirsts for you;
my flesh faints for you.
  as in a dry and weary land where 
      there is no water.
So I have looked upon you in the
      sanctuary,
   beholding your power and glory.
Because you steadfast love is better than
      life,
   my lips will praise you.
So I will bless you as long as I live;
   in your name I will lift up my hands.

My soul will be satisfied as with fat and
       rich food,
and my mouth will praise you with 
       joyful lips,
when I remember you upon my bed,
    and meditate on you in the watches
       of the night;
for you have been my help,
    and in the shadows of you wings I
       will sing for joy.
My soul clings to you;
     your right hand upholds me.

-Psalm 63:1-8