Wow, y'all! It's been a hot one here recently! As most of you probably know, my parents choose to keep their home un-air-conditioned. So it can get pretty hot sometimes, especially in the afternoons. Monday was a particularly bad day, but I think the humidity was mostly to blame, instead of the actual temperature.
Anyway, the heat has me really loving popsicles and the water! Nothing beats the heat like jumping in the water. I'm not too picky...I'll swim in a pond (a pond with a dock is best), a swimming pool is always ideal, in the lake from the boat or in the ocean of course! I went swimming with my mom and brother on Monday, it was quiet nice! Today I went swimming in the pool where I'm house-sitting. It was a cooler day today, but the water still felt really nice. I need a pool!
I've also been contemplating the purchase of a popsicle mold! It would be pretty ideal to be able to make my own. I am about to make the purchase off Amazon and try out several different recipes I have seen lately. So refreshing!
Speaking of recipes, I found a really great food blog last week called In it 4 the Long Run. I love it! She shares a ton of healthy recipes. So far I've only tried the Almond Joy Chia pudding. She has lots of smoothie recipes, and more I hope to try soon! Has anyone else discovered any great blogs lately?
I've also been preparing to move in to the basement apartment. It's weird to think I will be living all on my own, but I'm quite excited. There are so many different things I will need and I am trying to prepare myself. I've also been making some cute decorations to hang up. Any suggestions on apartment essentials?
That was sort of a short post, but that's all for now Folks,
The Farmer's Daughter
Tidbits for Twenty Somethings
Saturday, June 27, 2015
Book Swap Reviews
Since we had our book swap during the camping trip I have been able to read two of the books I borrowed. I thought it would be good to review the books here.
Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers
There are some books that you wish would never end. This is one of those books. I became so attached to the two main characters, Angel and Michael, that I wanted to see more of their life. The book is loosely based on the book of Hosea in the Bible, evidenced by Michael's last name. After the initial rescue of the prostitute and the fact that she runs away and he retrieves her, there is little to compare. It's set during the Gold Rush and centers around a girl who is sold into prostitution after her mother dies. Angel comes to believe that is she's worth and forgets about the little girl Sarah of her past. Michael, a quiet farmer, sees her in town and hears from God that he is to marry this prostitute. The book follows their marriage, her resistance to love, and Michael's obedience to God.
I found the book realistic to emotions, even though I have no idea how it feels to be a prostitute. The book paints a picture of how love can break down even the toughest walls. It's also a testament to the importance of following God; Michael hesitated to marry Angel but because of his obedience Sarah resurfaced and many other girls were saved from prostitution.
I know it's fiction, but I think there's a lot of truth in this book.
Thanks for letting me borrow it, Farmer's Daughter!
The Last Day the Dogbushes Bloomed by Lee Smith
This was a book of emotions, beautifully written and truthful. It follows one summer of the nine-year-old Susan, who's family is falling apart in the middle of her coming of age. The story begins cute with her descriptions of her family and friends. It's a close neighborhood and a time when kids roamed free outside. Throughout the story, Susan learns more and more about life when her family has more trouble and the kids form a club.
Smith writes in such a way that I felt that I was in Susan's head. The descriptions and feelings felt real. I have experienced divorce and I think I had some of the same naivety that Susan experienced. The difference was though that Susan didn't feel close to her mother from the beginning, evidenced by the fact that she called her the queen who lived in the castle. The character is interesting and could be a psychologist's field day.
Thanks for letting me borrow it, Martha S.!
What have y'all been reading?
Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers
There are some books that you wish would never end. This is one of those books. I became so attached to the two main characters, Angel and Michael, that I wanted to see more of their life. The book is loosely based on the book of Hosea in the Bible, evidenced by Michael's last name. After the initial rescue of the prostitute and the fact that she runs away and he retrieves her, there is little to compare. It's set during the Gold Rush and centers around a girl who is sold into prostitution after her mother dies. Angel comes to believe that is she's worth and forgets about the little girl Sarah of her past. Michael, a quiet farmer, sees her in town and hears from God that he is to marry this prostitute. The book follows their marriage, her resistance to love, and Michael's obedience to God.
I found the book realistic to emotions, even though I have no idea how it feels to be a prostitute. The book paints a picture of how love can break down even the toughest walls. It's also a testament to the importance of following God; Michael hesitated to marry Angel but because of his obedience Sarah resurfaced and many other girls were saved from prostitution.
I know it's fiction, but I think there's a lot of truth in this book.
Thanks for letting me borrow it, Farmer's Daughter!
The Last Day the Dogbushes Bloomed by Lee Smith
This was a book of emotions, beautifully written and truthful. It follows one summer of the nine-year-old Susan, who's family is falling apart in the middle of her coming of age. The story begins cute with her descriptions of her family and friends. It's a close neighborhood and a time when kids roamed free outside. Throughout the story, Susan learns more and more about life when her family has more trouble and the kids form a club.
Smith writes in such a way that I felt that I was in Susan's head. The descriptions and feelings felt real. I have experienced divorce and I think I had some of the same naivety that Susan experienced. The difference was though that Susan didn't feel close to her mother from the beginning, evidenced by the fact that she called her the queen who lived in the castle. The character is interesting and could be a psychologist's field day.
Thanks for letting me borrow it, Martha S.!
What have y'all been reading?
Friday, June 26, 2015
Go With The Flow
No pictures this post but I have so much to share.
The nerves began last Wednesday when I started toward the Extension Office to be trained for a week of writing camp. The list of things that were making me nervous seemed infinite: the kids...the little kids, my lack of Spanish, my lack of experience, how little I knew about the program. I held my head high as I entered the room in order to give myself enough confidence to remain in the room. I left that day feeling overwhelmed, excited, and tired. I hadn't signed up for much to do over the weekend because I didn't know what to do.
The week was intense and tiring but so rewarding. I arrived at the office at 7:45 each morning to help set up. The kids came on buses, ate breakfast, and then we meet them at 8:30 for morning theme time. After that it was run, run, run until lunch. Penny and I had three students all week. Our group was tiny, but it gave me a chance to really bond with the kids. The curriculum combined science and writing in a beautiful theme "Go with the Flow: Write Like a Pro". We were talking about water, its properties, and the way it moves and changes the world. Then we also talked about finding a flow of writing ideas and then cleaning up the flood mess. It was wonderful and well thought out.
Sometimes things were a bit hairy and stressful, but it all culminated with a beautifully wet and well-written day. The day started with each of the kids publishing a piece of writing. Then each of the kids illustrated their writing using watercolors. Finally we had some water Olympics, where the kids did four different experiments involving water. After a wonderful potluck lunch, we went back outside for the best obstacle course ever. There was so much water involved and interesting challenges.
It was a tiring week, but I'm glad to be working hard again. It was great to bond with some kids. It reminded me of camp.
It's Friday and I should be partying like it's 1999, but I'm tired.
Granny Eyre
The nerves began last Wednesday when I started toward the Extension Office to be trained for a week of writing camp. The list of things that were making me nervous seemed infinite: the kids...the little kids, my lack of Spanish, my lack of experience, how little I knew about the program. I held my head high as I entered the room in order to give myself enough confidence to remain in the room. I left that day feeling overwhelmed, excited, and tired. I hadn't signed up for much to do over the weekend because I didn't know what to do.
The week was intense and tiring but so rewarding. I arrived at the office at 7:45 each morning to help set up. The kids came on buses, ate breakfast, and then we meet them at 8:30 for morning theme time. After that it was run, run, run until lunch. Penny and I had three students all week. Our group was tiny, but it gave me a chance to really bond with the kids. The curriculum combined science and writing in a beautiful theme "Go with the Flow: Write Like a Pro". We were talking about water, its properties, and the way it moves and changes the world. Then we also talked about finding a flow of writing ideas and then cleaning up the flood mess. It was wonderful and well thought out.
Sometimes things were a bit hairy and stressful, but it all culminated with a beautifully wet and well-written day. The day started with each of the kids publishing a piece of writing. Then each of the kids illustrated their writing using watercolors. Finally we had some water Olympics, where the kids did four different experiments involving water. After a wonderful potluck lunch, we went back outside for the best obstacle course ever. There was so much water involved and interesting challenges.
It was a tiring week, but I'm glad to be working hard again. It was great to bond with some kids. It reminded me of camp.
It's Friday and I should be partying like it's 1999, but I'm tired.
Granny Eyre
Saturday, June 13, 2015
A Day in the Life
Recently, Granny Eyre tried out a new blogging technique by choosing a blog post idea and running with it. I was curious about the ideas in the links she attached in said blog post, so I looked them over. One that stood out to me, because of the photographer in me, was to take a picture every hour of one day and make a blog post from the photos. Martha S. also made an interesting post about her daily schedule, so mine may be similar to hers, in photo form.
I forgot to begin the day with photos, so I began around 2:30 on Tuesday afternoon and continued it until about 7:30 that night. I also didn't take them exactly on the half hour every hour, but I did my best. I hope to try this again, beginning the photos not long after I wake up and continuing until I go to bed!
Wednesday was a pretty good day! Gosh, I sure love summertime! I hope you enjoyed my day in photos! I'll try to do another day like this again! The Farmer's Daughter
I forgot to begin the day with photos, so I began around 2:30 on Tuesday afternoon and continued it until about 7:30 that night. I also didn't take them exactly on the half hour every hour, but I did my best. I hope to try this again, beginning the photos not long after I wake up and continuing until I go to bed!
Thrift store shopping in Spg!
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| Yum! Hazelnut iced coffee! |
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| Mom shopping in the garden shop! |
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| Examining my finds from the thrift store..I found several books with pretty covers, they were 10 cents each! |
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| Met up with my beau; he needed a car battery |
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| Had some Mexican food, he ordered an interesting stone bowl meal |
Thursday, June 11, 2015
Life is a Vapor
Life is scary. Life is uncertain. But life is awesome!
This past Sunday I went to church with my beau. We have been going to church together for about a year I guess, alternating. My church one week, his church the next week, and so on. It's different doing things this way, but neither one of us have felt the conviction to convert, so we're still doing it this way. But that's a different blog post subject entirely.
The sermon last Sunday was about how life is vapor and I have been thinking about it off and on all week. There were multiple lessons within his message, one being that life is short. With each year of getting older, time seems to pass more and more quickly. I have noticed this in my life...take this for example: it has been 5 years since each of the Twenty-Somethings have graduated from high school. Wow! As he mentioned on Sunday, our time to leave this Earth could come at any moment. And although we can't (and shouldn't) walk around thinking about when our time will come, we should keep it in mind so that we don't waste our life/time on things that don't matter. His second point tied in nicely with his first: when we think about eternity, our life here really is a vapor! It's merely a splash in the ocean. Really think about that for a second.
It particularly hit hard when a colleague of my Mom's found out her father has invasive lung cancer. It has spread throughout his body, including to his brain. He only found out a week or two ago and now he may only have days to live. I can't fathom the of idea of this happening to me or someone I love. It breaks my heart for their family. It seems I know of several people who have died recently or found out recently that they have cancer. That awful C word. I don't mean to be a downer, but this has been weighing on my mind today. This is just one way our lives are unexpected and scary. But...there is hope!
Back to the sermon...the pastor talked about how we must live life as if there is no tomorrow, because tomorrow isn't guaranteed. I am challenging you to live so that you treasure each moment. I am challenging you to be productive in each aspect of your life. I am challenging myself to be kinder, more thankful, more prayerful and more patient. Remember that today is a gift and we must live knowing that this life is short and eternity is long. We must make the most of our time here on Earth and suffer, love, laugh, share, and look forward to the awesome joy that is to come in the next life.
Those are my deep thoughts this week..what are yours?
The Farmer's Daughter
That my glory may sing your praise and not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give thanks to you forever!
(Psalm 30:12)
This past Sunday I went to church with my beau. We have been going to church together for about a year I guess, alternating. My church one week, his church the next week, and so on. It's different doing things this way, but neither one of us have felt the conviction to convert, so we're still doing it this way. But that's a different blog post subject entirely.
The sermon last Sunday was about how life is vapor and I have been thinking about it off and on all week. There were multiple lessons within his message, one being that life is short. With each year of getting older, time seems to pass more and more quickly. I have noticed this in my life...take this for example: it has been 5 years since each of the Twenty-Somethings have graduated from high school. Wow! As he mentioned on Sunday, our time to leave this Earth could come at any moment. And although we can't (and shouldn't) walk around thinking about when our time will come, we should keep it in mind so that we don't waste our life/time on things that don't matter. His second point tied in nicely with his first: when we think about eternity, our life here really is a vapor! It's merely a splash in the ocean. Really think about that for a second.
It particularly hit hard when a colleague of my Mom's found out her father has invasive lung cancer. It has spread throughout his body, including to his brain. He only found out a week or two ago and now he may only have days to live. I can't fathom the of idea of this happening to me or someone I love. It breaks my heart for their family. It seems I know of several people who have died recently or found out recently that they have cancer. That awful C word. I don't mean to be a downer, but this has been weighing on my mind today. This is just one way our lives are unexpected and scary. But...there is hope!
Back to the sermon...the pastor talked about how we must live life as if there is no tomorrow, because tomorrow isn't guaranteed. I am challenging you to live so that you treasure each moment. I am challenging you to be productive in each aspect of your life. I am challenging myself to be kinder, more thankful, more prayerful and more patient. Remember that today is a gift and we must live knowing that this life is short and eternity is long. We must make the most of our time here on Earth and suffer, love, laugh, share, and look forward to the awesome joy that is to come in the next life.
Those are my deep thoughts this week..what are yours?
The Farmer's Daughter
That my glory may sing your praise and not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give thanks to you forever!
(Psalm 30:12)
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