Autumn and December

 

 It really is the most wonderful time of the year for me. A lot of beautiful memories are centered around Autumn and Christmas. 

  
The weather here is getting chillier, but not enough in my opinion. South Louisiana is just as warm as Texas, with only two seasons. Summer, and a few days of cold Winter. I still love it here despite the lack of season change. 

 We didn't get to put up a Christmas tree this year. Before we moved, we stored most of our furniture and belongings in Texas. We made do with garland that we hung on our dresser in the living room. We bought a few cheap stockings and hung them around it. Red and white ribbon with an array of fake berries and lights makes it more Christmasy. It is as close to a Christmas tree as we'll get this year.

 

I took the leftover garland and wrapped it around the front porch. I made a few bows from the extra ribbon, but I could only make three. Two are sitting on the railing of the front steps, and the last one on the rail of the front ramp. Daddy can't stand that there's only one ribbon, so he's going to get more for me to make the rest of the bows. 

         

The leaves are falling off so fast that our yard is covered in them. The trees are starting to grow barren from all of it's green fullness, and the sky is cascaded with a gray haze. I think fall is my favorite season of them all. At least, until the next one comes along!

Socks and Blackberry Inn

 

I finished blocking and weaving in ends to my socks, and I am pretty pleased with them. They would have matched almost exactly, but I added one too many rows on my second sock, messing up the stripes. Ah, well. They turned out nice any way. 

 

I am trying to finish reading Lessons at Blackberry Inn but I have been fairly busy with being graduated and all. I still find it very soothing to read, finding myself wishing I could live canning jars of tomatoes, and teaching my children. One day. 

 

 

Completed Projects and Reading

 

I have been quite busy of late. I recently graduated from high school, and I am so relieved that I am finally finished. Since then, I have been into reading and knitting and even have a finished crochet project. 

     

I have been enjoying Lessons at Blackberry Inn by Karen Andreola. It is a fictional story based in the nineteen thirties, but the story is to encourage mothers on schooling their own children. I have been interested in homeschooling methods and such, partly because I myself have finished homeschooling. It never can hurt to learn such things, even before marriage and children, for having the proper mindset and education on educating can help me when I do. 

I have just started reading Ephesians, a book of the bible I intend on studying in depth. I didn't want to overwhelm myself on studying a long book in the bible, and I feel Ephesians is the perfect length to start practicing. I've only read one chapter, but I already know it will be chock full of lessons and convictions for me to apply to my every day life. 

 

A dear lady from our church has been crocheting pineapple shawls for the women in church. She hasn't made any for the younger girls, or given me one, so I took it upon myself to make one. I love the way it turned out, even though it has countless mistakes in it. I love wearing it all the time, as it's such a pretty shade of blue, with hints of green undertones. It reminds me of the ocean, and the colorway is called Sea Foam. 

     

I love having finished projects, don't you?

 

  

Dune and Pretzels

 

I was bored, and to the kitchen I fled. I haven't ever made homemade pretzels before, and I had everything for them. They turned out amazing! Way better than any pretzel vendor at the mall. Here is the recipe. 

 

I ate mine with mustard. Prior to my making them, Momma had made some caramel sauce for coffee, so I dipped my pretzel in the caramel.Oh my gosh, was it tasty.

 

I picked up a few books at the bookstore the other day. Dune, by Frank Herbert, was the one I decided to read first. It's considered a science fiction classic, and I am really enjoying it. It's definitely much calmer of a story than books I've read in the past, so it's a wonderful winding down book.

A Very Lengthy Update to Make Up for Procrastinating

A few weeks ago when our grandparents visited, we had a craw-fish boil

We've been pretty busy, but not enough to keep me from blogging. But let's see if I can make up for that, hmm? 

 Kat ended up having five little kittens. We weren't feeding her too much after all. In this picture they are only a day old. Aren't they precious? 

 

A few weeks ago, Tom here made himself our second cat. He's far more playful than Kat; when you pet him he bats you with his paws, and playful nips at your fingers. We don't know where these cats keep coming from, and nobody else seems too keen on taking them in. We're starting to attract more, which we are not happy about.  

About two weeks ago we transferred our chickens to their coop. They absolutely love the outdoors, and each time Caleb finds a worm, he rushes to feed it to them. They all end up chasing the chicken who got it first, hoping to steal it from her beak. 

"Say what?!"

We think all of the chickens are hens, but unfortunately the leghorns (the breed of chickens we have) are really hard to tell a pullet from a rooster. So we just have to wait till they are older to see if any of them crow. 

We planted, in pots, three cucumber plants. These are the same heirloom seeds we bought a few years ago, and they thrive in this hot humid air. We planted a few pots with tomatoes and jalapenos, but they are too small to take pictures of right now.

 

Last week, rain came down in torrents, and didn't let up till a few days ago. As you can see here, our backyard was completely flooded. The water came up to our ankles. Thankfully the chickens were on higher ground, and didn't even notice they were trapped on an island surrounded by rain water.  

Animals

 

     For some odd reason, this cat seems to love us, therefore it never leaves. We've named her Kat, short for Katrina. Kat is the sweetest, docile, laziest cat I have ever seen, and she will climb all over you in order to attract your attention. She loves to be petted, and follows you around when you take a stroll.

      Kat does seem to be happy here, and is gaining a little belly fat from all the food.

     Because of our two acres, we've decided to attempt raising some egg laying chickens. We purchased this chicken coup for that, but we think it might be too small for the amount of chickens we've bought. So we're praying that it works out okay! Hehe.

     The feeding trough, that we bought for the eight chicks, seems to be their favorite napping spot. Aren't they adorable? I can't wait for them to grow up and start producing eggs!

Waffles

Finally, after weeks of promising the best waffle recipe, its finally here! We found this recipe on the King Arthur Flour website, but unfortunately they took it off, therefore I cannot link the original one. We also double the recipe for our family of seven.
     Without further ado, the waffles. 

 

     First things first. You are going to combine one and a half cups of flower with two teaspoons baking powder, half teaspoon salt, and two tablespoons sugar. 

 

     After all your dry ingredients are combined, start adding your wet.

 

     Stir in one fourth cup melted butter (I forgot to take a picture of the butter), one and a half cups milk, and one egg. 

 

     Once you have your batter, you are ready to cook some waffles. 

 

     We like to use a round waffle iron, but you can use whatever kind you have. 

 

     For this size we cook about three minutes. For smaller square waffles I would do about two minutes, but it all depends on if you like crunchy or soft waffles.

 

     Top it with butter and maple syrup and you are good to go! Seriously, the best waffles ever.

Waffles

Servings: 4 

1 1/2 c flour 

2 t baking powder 

1/2 t salt

2 T sugar 

1 egg

1 1/2 c milk

1/4 c melted butter

 

Moved

 

Recently, and I mean only a couple days ago, we moved to rural southern Louisiana. My scenery for pictures will change, and I think it's for the better. The sudden move has hurt us, for we had to leave our beloved church and some family behind, but God works in mysterious ways. I just have to be patient when it comes to things I cannot see quite yet.

 

A roaring fire is perfect for the suddenly chilly weather we've received. I'm hoping that spring will come soon, for I am growing weary of the cold fronts. Being a southern girl prompts me to enjoy the warmer weather rather than the sting from the cold.

 

To the back of our two acres lies a still used railroad. I pray for safety every time I hear the rumbling locomotive simply out of fear. I don't really like being this close to the train tracks, but the sound of the vehicle is a bit soothing. 

I hope to go back to posting regularly, since the past few weeks I was packing and didn't have internet. Recipes will be coming back, and I hope to share more of the culture that now surrounds me.

 

 

Cross Stitching and Books

Cross stitching. Such an old skill rarely used nowadays. Luckily for you I am not your average Joe (or Joann for a girl?), and I happen to enjoy it as one of my many hobbies. This particular project has been in the works for about six years. I've owned the kit for about eight. It's one of those fall back projects I take up when I have nothing else to do, or when I just feel like it. 

I mentioned in my Yarn Along this week about my trip to the library. These and a few others are what I checked out. I'm not picky with what I read, as long as it's clean and fun I will bury my face in it. 

As much as I am fond of the library, I actually prefer to lounge in a book store. My favorite being Barnes and Nobles. The smell of new books is intoxicating, and I want to buy everything therein. I wish there was a perfume with the scent "New Book Smell." Yes, I am totally a homeschooling-book loving-Cross stitching-nerd. I could list a thousand other labels that would classify me as a nerd, but I would rather know useful skills, than know how to take a perfect photo shopped selfie. No offense to those that do. 

Next week I hope to post my waffle recipe. I completely forgot I had promised it, but it is coming. And you will thank me forever when it does.

Book Thievery and Scarves

 

Last week, we went and browsed the library. I had requested The Book Thief, by Markus Zusak. I had already watched the movie, which so far is accurate to the book, and also very comparable, the story being unique and quite interesting. Over all, I would recommend both the book and the movie. 

I finished my scarf! I didn't expect to finish it so fast, but when we visited the library, I spotted an audio book that I wanted to listen to. Actually, they just didn't have the book, so I settled for the listening version instead. I don't 
recommend audio books, especially for fast readers such as myself, but it helped me finish my scarf incredibly fast, and I am happy about that. 

 

Desires

 

Instead of doing yarn along every Wednesday, I will interchange it every other week with the homemaking link up on Raising Homemakers. Basically, I will teach or share something about homemaking. 

"Take delight in the Lord, 

and he will give you the desires of your heart.

Commit your way to the Lord;

trust in him and he will do this: 

He will make your righteous reward shine like the dawn,

your vindication like the noonday sun"-Psalm 37:4-6 

 

This has recently become one of my favorite Bible verses of all time. I believe God has been speaking to me through this verse, and I wish to share with you.

For the past several months, I've noticed a change in my heart. Instead of delighting in the Lord, and looking forward to the future, I hardened my heart to God's calling for my life. I didn't do it on purpose. This shift in perspective came gradually over time. I didn't commit my way to the Lord and my reward certainly didn't shine like the dawn. I was watching my iPad too much, and I wasn't gaining knowledge of God's word.

Just the other night I really focused on the lyrics of a song I was listening to. I had told myself over and over again it didn't affect me, but my mind was polluted with feministic views, and a warped view on men. It didn't encourage me to Praise the Lord or look forward to a future with a husband and children. I had slowly morphed into a career crazed monster, and wanted a job right now so I could indulge in selfish desires. 

Don't fall for this trap! Your heart is naturally inclined to follow foolishness, unless you fight it with God's word. Reflect on what you've been wanting lately. Are you delighting in God's presence? Or are you daydreaming on what YOU want, and not what God has for you? 

Desires are very strong and when we give into them, our righteousness will not shine, and our vindication will not be like the noonday sun. We must commit to the Lord's desires, not our own. Then we will have peace, and we will take delight in the good things God has prepared for us. 

I know I still have a lot to learn on this concept, but I hope this has helped you young girls to embrace being the opposite of what the world thinks women should be. Get rid of those worldly desires, and replace them with God's calling for your life.

Inactive Knitting

I haven't been knitting as of late, but a few days ago I grabbed some of my cheap yarn and cast on a simple ribbed scarf. I like it because I don't have to think about it, which means less slipped stitches. It will probably take me forever, but I don't have anything else to knit or crochet, so I don't mind.

I am currently reading two books, one of which I will finish today. Robinson Crusoe I have been reading a little while, and I am really enjoying it. Daniel Defoe's writing style is simple, yet the wording and structure of the story is far beyond anything a modern writer could accomplish.

The second book I bought last night on the kindle, and I am reading it on my IPad. It's titled Have Your Cake and Lose Weight Too, by Danelle Wolford. I follow Danelle's blog, and last night I found out the ebook was on sale for a really great price. So far I am enjoying it immensely. I don't need to lose any weight at all, but I love learning about nutrition, which I know will help me in keeping my future family healthy.

 

Update...

I can't believe it's been six months or more since I last posted. I've been so busy with life that I made excuses for not working harder. That, and in October we lost our camera, never to be found again. Sigh. Not to worry, I'm borrowing my grandmother's camera for now, so I can still post some nice pictures.

Life has been pretty hectic since I last posted, and I could never find something to write about. But this blog is supposed to be an outlet for me to share my thoughts about lessons I've learned, things I'm doing, and my life as a young Christian girl whose trying to serve the Lord. I no longer have writers block (hopefully), and my brain is brimming with all the things I can share. When I started this blog I would write pretty much anything that came to mind. Not such a good idea when you have a specific plan on what you wish to write. I'm hoping, now, to be an encouragement to girls my age, or even women who are older than me, about being the women God has called us to be. 

 

Now that I've established what I plan on doing with this piece of the internet, let me finish with what I've been up to lately. 

I've created a few New Year's goals instead of resolutions, in order for them to actually work for me for the rest of the year. One of which has been to only use my IPad once a week...for only ONE hour. Let me tell ya, it hasn't been that easy. I've slipped several times in my attempt to do more things than just stare at a screen, but that's why it's a goal. I'll just keep trying until I don't even think about my IPad any more. 

One hobby I've recently come to love is Pilates. For those of you that don't know what that is, it's a style of exercise that builds muscle without weights. I absolutely love it, and even though I didn't need to lose any weight, I've noticed I can do more physically than when I didn't exercise at all. Now to tackle my diet...

I hope to post regularly once or twice a week. I have so many ideas to share with ya'll and can't wait to get started!