2018: June

I’ll try not to overload you with peonies.

But that’s really hard!

Last year we did a hike through the woods that opened out onto a little cove. We took of our shoes and splashed in the water a bit, then S took off running up the hill barefoot and through the fields of tall, dry grass. I didn’t have a camera with me but it became a treasured memory of last summer. I wanted to try to recreate the moment this year, so we did the same hike and I told S to “frolic.”

I love ciabatta and after watching them make it in the Great British Baking Show I really wanted to try, and found a sourdough recipe that turned out beautifully!

My pizza stuck to the pan we use as a peel and all the toppings slid down.

Father’s Day brunch. I overproofed my challah and braiding dough was harder than I anticipated, but it still tasted yummy.

Meet Trish the Fish. Ezra and S brought her home from a Father Daughter dance. She was much loved but only lived a week. Thankfully the girls handled her death pretty well.

E is learning self-control. She loves picking peapods and baby apples, and if she’s outside all she can think about is how much she longs to pick them.

2.5 years ago I realized that with more or less 15 minutes to practice 3 times a week, 30 minute concertos were no longer a good idea. So I decided to tackle all 48 Ferling Etudes, expecting it to take a year or two… it took a bit longer but I finished them mid-June.

First kombucha slushies of the summer

Ezra’s birthday breakfast

BIRTHDAY CAKE (more coming in its own post later)

Big sister had braids, so she had to, too.

Leaving a clean house when we go on a trip is worth the extra work beforehand. Coming home to a clean house is wonderful.

memorization// finishing up “O For a Heart to Praise my God” and reviewing things I memorized a long time ago.

favorite recipes// vegan vanilla custard // Alaskan Salmon Pie // honey miso dressing // sourdough puff pancake // sourdough ciabatta // no-cook pizza sauce // sourdough challah // lentil sloppy joes // easy overnight dark rye (we did this sourdough, but I didn’t like the sourdough tang with cocoa) // apple pie breakfast cookies are always a favorite // sauteed chard with lemon and garlic //

best of online// art of biblical poetry (Bible Project) // I am afraid of death // kombucha: myths vs truths // how to analyze research // digestive enzymes and naturally supporting digestion // writing advice // becoming a stay-at-home mom was a risk I don’t regret // hope for when diastasis recti won’t close // welcoming a child with downs syndrome // I need a woman who can mulch // concerns about Jesus Calling //

we LOVED watching Little Women on PBS. And I love this song now (more about it here). And now I’m reading Little Women again, but it’s a very different view to watch/read because now I’m in the Marmee role not Jo. In the new series, really the only critique I have is that they took out Pilgrim’s Progress, which is pretty big in the book, and makes the whole thing less Christian (though it does mention God more than the older one!), but in reading the book it is fairly moralistic so not much was really lost. S and I have just finished watching the older Little Women, though, and while Amy gives Laurie a better lecture than in the new one, overall I like the  new one better and think it sticks closer to the book.

reading of late// Father Brown’s Innocence (Chesterton) // Gospel Treason (Bigney) // Little Women (Alcott) // Delighting in the Trinity (Reeves) // Practicing Affirmation (Crabtree) //

thinking about// outward focus: away from self, to Him and out of overflow of His love, to others // planning my day to apply my morning devotions, acting out of love not obligation or routine // insomnia: His power in weakness // how to keep compassion for Syria and the world without being overwhelmed/numb // dealing with emotions by acknowledging, assessing, and then altering if needed // Colossians: keep seeking the things above, where Christ is //

what brings joy// toddlers frolicking in tall grass // cool summer breezes // creating in the kitchen // kombucha slushies // Colossians

The Munchkins// E loves peapods and peanut butter, and is always saying “I come wis you.” She wants to do and say everything we do and say! S is almost certainly not a morning person, but we occasionally have actual conversations now.