Do you guys remember Summer Book Clubs at your local library? Mine always had this huge list of books to read and prizes for how far you got. I enjoyed that. I think they should have that for adults as well. A free Starbucks for every 10 books you read? Anway, I know it's not quite summer yet, but with stinkin' 90+ degree weather, it might as well be. So, I've put together my list of books to read this summer. It is, as follows:
1. Drums of Autumn by Diane Gabaldon
2. The Fiery Cross by Diane Gabaldon
3. A Breath of Snow and Ashes by, surprise surprise, Diane Gabaldon
4. Little Women by Louise-May Alcott (Rumor has it, each one of us Coulter sisters corresponds to a sister pretty accurately. Excited to see.)
5. Farmer Boy by Laura Ingalls Wilder
6. On the Banks of Plum Creek by Wilder
7. By the Shores of Silver Lake by Wilder
8. The Long Winter by Wilder
9. Little Town on the Prairie by Wilder
10. These Happy Golden Years by Wilder
11. The First Four Years by Wilder
12. Prodigal Summer by Barbara Kingsolver
13. Pigs in Heaven by Barbara Kingsolver
14. Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift (Reading the Classics Book Club Selection)
15. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen (Another RTC book, one which I've already read, but will gladly read again. Who doesn't love the story of Darcy and Lizzie?)
Well, there you have it. Any other books I read must, MUST, be books I own, because I own a lot I haven't read (Stupid thrift stores and library with cheap interesting books.) Yes, that's a lot of books, but honestly, 7 are kids books, I'm halfway through the 1st one, and well, let's just put it this way...about 7 times a day I sit down for around 30 minutes with not a lot that I actually have to do. There you go. And sorry for the lack of pictures, but time is money people (okay, not my time...but somebodies...) and anyway, I've got some reading to do!
Okay, response time. What's on your summer reading list? (Oh, and who's buying me a Starbucks after I read 10 of these?)
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Saturday, April 11, 2009
The Secret Garden
Do you remember that movie? Man, that was a favorite of mine. Anyway, I now am owner of my own secret garden, which, while not hidden behind old ruins and filled to the brim with lovely trees and flowers, is just as wonderful and exciting.
Introducing, the Coulter Family Garden. (Official, eh? Oh, and click on the pics for close ups and descriptions.)
It's a lovely little space. I like to hang out there and just relax and sip tea and stare at the plants. Jon and I will start eating dinner out there once we get a little table. The garden's doing quite well so far, and the herbs and arugula have already been used in my kitchen. Wonderful. So, in around two months, we'll be sprouting veggies around here like it's nobodies business. How fun is a garden?!?!? SO.FUN.
I hope you all had a lovely Easter weekend celebrating our Risen Lord with friends and family, good food, and plenty of joy and thankfulness. We certainly enjoyed ourself over here. Even Sweet Adelaide had a good day.
Wishing you all a wonderful week!
Introducing, the Coulter Family Garden. (Official, eh? Oh, and click on the pics for close ups and descriptions.)
It's a lovely little space. I like to hang out there and just relax and sip tea and stare at the plants. Jon and I will start eating dinner out there once we get a little table. The garden's doing quite well so far, and the herbs and arugula have already been used in my kitchen. Wonderful. So, in around two months, we'll be sprouting veggies around here like it's nobodies business. How fun is a garden?!?!? SO.FUN.
I hope you all had a lovely Easter weekend celebrating our Risen Lord with friends and family, good food, and plenty of joy and thankfulness. We certainly enjoyed ourself over here. Even Sweet Adelaide had a good day.
Wishing you all a wonderful week!
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
One Month!
Today Miss Adelaide is one month old. I know it's not much in the scheme of things, but it's a big deal to me. I know this is lame, but that already feels so old!
Adelaide is a very fun and sweet baby. Her favorite things include riding in the car, taking baths, sleeping in the corner of the couch next to mama or daddy, and her owl mobile on her swing. She likes to settle into the crook of my neck, and especially likes sleeping on daddy. She gave us her first smile on Monday, but seems to be pretty exclusive about it because Daddy, Aunt Amy, and Aunt Brittany have all tried, without success, to see the smile. (Although who got a smile this morning? That's right, the owls.)
My favorite things she does? Her streches. Oh, they make me smile.
We love you Adelaide and are so happy you're here!
Adelaide is a very fun and sweet baby. Her favorite things include riding in the car, taking baths, sleeping in the corner of the couch next to mama or daddy, and her owl mobile on her swing. She likes to settle into the crook of my neck, and especially likes sleeping on daddy. She gave us her first smile on Monday, but seems to be pretty exclusive about it because Daddy, Aunt Amy, and Aunt Brittany have all tried, without success, to see the smile. (Although who got a smile this morning? That's right, the owls.)
My favorite things she does? Her streches. Oh, they make me smile.
We love you Adelaide and are so happy you're here!
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Childhood Dreams.
I remember very clearly wanting to live on a farm when I was a little girl. I would imagine wearing overalls and pigtails, and going to pick vegetables and collect them in my wicker basket. I thought I would gladly get up at 5am to milk the cow and collect chicken eggs. I really have no idea where this desire came from, but as you can see, it's been evident in my life for quite sometime.
On this general idea, my dear friend Brittney posted a blog the other day about a dream. A good dream at that, her ideal homestead. She then asked, "What's your dream?" I am very inclined to answer, having been seriously discussing this with Jon not an hour before I read the blog. Coincedence? I think not.
Okay, no surprise, I want to live on a farm. Well, okay, maybe not an actual farm, but somewhere I can play farm. I want to live on land. Green land. Lots of beautiful rolling hills with fields up to my knees where I can play with Adelaide and have picnics with Jon. Somewhere I can have an actual huge garden. Somewhere we can have an orchard of fruit trees. Somewhere with a back porch where I can sip lemonade and watch the sunset (and apparently behave like an 80 year old). And since this is a dream, we'll go all out, right? A wonderful house that Jon designs. (Although a cool old farm house that we get to fix up would be alright if we aren't millionaires that get to design our own home.) I'll let him decide the details of this one, as long as there's plenty of windows that allow for tons of natural light (but any good architect should do that anyway, right?) and a huge amazing kitchen with a breakfast nook/bay window, and french doors that open up right into the garden. Sigh.
And I love what Brittney wrote. She mentioned the fact that God gives us our desires and that she's confident one day He'll provide. I had said the same thing to Jon. "God either gives us the desires of our hearts, or he changes our hearts to want different things." So, I'm with Britt. One day, I'll get my dream house, or God will change my heart and give me a desire for something different, but just as wonderful. And for now, I'm feeling satisfied with my garden planters (more on that later...). So, let's hear it. Dream homes?
On this general idea, my dear friend Brittney posted a blog the other day about a dream. A good dream at that, her ideal homestead. She then asked, "What's your dream?" I am very inclined to answer, having been seriously discussing this with Jon not an hour before I read the blog. Coincedence? I think not.
Okay, no surprise, I want to live on a farm. Well, okay, maybe not an actual farm, but somewhere I can play farm. I want to live on land. Green land. Lots of beautiful rolling hills with fields up to my knees where I can play with Adelaide and have picnics with Jon. Somewhere I can have an actual huge garden. Somewhere we can have an orchard of fruit trees. Somewhere with a back porch where I can sip lemonade and watch the sunset (and apparently behave like an 80 year old). And since this is a dream, we'll go all out, right? A wonderful house that Jon designs. (Although a cool old farm house that we get to fix up would be alright if we aren't millionaires that get to design our own home.) I'll let him decide the details of this one, as long as there's plenty of windows that allow for tons of natural light (but any good architect should do that anyway, right?) and a huge amazing kitchen with a breakfast nook/bay window, and french doors that open up right into the garden. Sigh.
And I love what Brittney wrote. She mentioned the fact that God gives us our desires and that she's confident one day He'll provide. I had said the same thing to Jon. "God either gives us the desires of our hearts, or he changes our hearts to want different things." So, I'm with Britt. One day, I'll get my dream house, or God will change my heart and give me a desire for something different, but just as wonderful. And for now, I'm feeling satisfied with my garden planters (more on that later...). So, let's hear it. Dream homes?
Friday, March 27, 2009
Good Eats
Currently reading:
Currently studying:
All in the attempt of planting a small, yet successful garden. Nothing too crazy here; a few tomatoes, some peas perhaps, a couple peppers, and, well, a lot of herbs. And some beautiful climbing plant that will look lovely all flowered. It's a simple goal, but an honest one.
Let me just say, 'Animal, Vegetable, Miracle' has really challenged me. It follows Kingsolver and her family as they try to go a year only eating what that raise, grow, or buy from people locally that raise and grow themselves. It seems an extreme concept, but we as Americans have forgotten where our food comes from. We think it's gross that vegetables come out of the ground and are covered in dirt, yet we digest McDonalds like there's no tomorrow (and there's not likely to be one if we keep eating that way...) Middle America is dying, and it's because we have no respect for the farmer and what he's doing for us. Fresh produce, in season. A simple idea, but a powerful one. A healthy one. A revolutionary one in this day and age. So, that's my goal. Buy local, eat in season, and avoid buying "fake" vegetables (tomatoes any time of the year besides summer, for instance?) that grew in some false environment and cost an arm and a leg in oil to have shipped to me. So, I'm frequenting the farmer's market, and planning my meals around what's in season, instead of what's in stock. And this week, that consisted of some amazing oranges, strawberries (that I was assured were picked that morning), swiss chard, and multiple kinds of peas. The strawberries?
Well, they were quickly put to use.
So, everyone, I know it's a tough gig, but someone's got to do it. If we want to actually enjoy our food, we should probably eat food that actually tastes good. I know, crazy concept. But one I'm gladly willing to try. Bon appetite.
Strawberry Glace Pie
One Pie Crust (your good ole' standby recipe works perfectly)
3 pints of strawberries
1 cup sugar
3 tablespoons corn starch
1/2 cup water
1 package (8 oz.) cream cheese
Make pie crust and cook until golden brown. Set aside.
Mash enough strawberries to equal one cup. Combine with the water, cornstarch and sugar in a pan over medium heat. Stir constantly until mixture thickens and boils. Boil for one minute. Remove from heat. Cool.
Whip the cream cheese (a few seconds in the microwave greatly helps this process) and smooth over the pie crust. Add the whole strawberries. Pour the cooled strawberry mixture over the top. Refrigerate for 3 hours.
Enjoy immensely.
Currently studying:
All in the attempt of planting a small, yet successful garden. Nothing too crazy here; a few tomatoes, some peas perhaps, a couple peppers, and, well, a lot of herbs. And some beautiful climbing plant that will look lovely all flowered. It's a simple goal, but an honest one.
Let me just say, 'Animal, Vegetable, Miracle' has really challenged me. It follows Kingsolver and her family as they try to go a year only eating what that raise, grow, or buy from people locally that raise and grow themselves. It seems an extreme concept, but we as Americans have forgotten where our food comes from. We think it's gross that vegetables come out of the ground and are covered in dirt, yet we digest McDonalds like there's no tomorrow (and there's not likely to be one if we keep eating that way...) Middle America is dying, and it's because we have no respect for the farmer and what he's doing for us. Fresh produce, in season. A simple idea, but a powerful one. A healthy one. A revolutionary one in this day and age. So, that's my goal. Buy local, eat in season, and avoid buying "fake" vegetables (tomatoes any time of the year besides summer, for instance?) that grew in some false environment and cost an arm and a leg in oil to have shipped to me. So, I'm frequenting the farmer's market, and planning my meals around what's in season, instead of what's in stock. And this week, that consisted of some amazing oranges, strawberries (that I was assured were picked that morning), swiss chard, and multiple kinds of peas. The strawberries?
Well, they were quickly put to use.
So, everyone, I know it's a tough gig, but someone's got to do it. If we want to actually enjoy our food, we should probably eat food that actually tastes good. I know, crazy concept. But one I'm gladly willing to try. Bon appetite.
Strawberry Glace Pie
One Pie Crust (your good ole' standby recipe works perfectly)
3 pints of strawberries
1 cup sugar
3 tablespoons corn starch
1/2 cup water
1 package (8 oz.) cream cheese
Make pie crust and cook until golden brown. Set aside.
Mash enough strawberries to equal one cup. Combine with the water, cornstarch and sugar in a pan over medium heat. Stir constantly until mixture thickens and boils. Boil for one minute. Remove from heat. Cool.
Whip the cream cheese (a few seconds in the microwave greatly helps this process) and smooth over the pie crust. Add the whole strawberries. Pour the cooled strawberry mixture over the top. Refrigerate for 3 hours.
Enjoy immensely.
Sunday, March 22, 2009
EPIC
Sorry for the lack of posts lately. Surprisingly, it has nothing to do with the fact that we have a newborn, but rather the fact that our computer wigged out. However, we are up and running at the moment, with plenty to talk about. Stay for awhile, won't you?
Well, it's been an epic week. Monday, something amazing, wonderful and truly blog-worthy happened.
TRADER.JOES.OPENED.
It was the most exciting thing to happen to this town since Adelaide was born. We braved the crowds and ventured into what will surely be my new stomping grounds. It's lovely, spacious, and full of wonderful food like Chocolate Croissants, Cinnamon Raisin Rolls, and every type of cheese you can imagine. There are no words for how happy this store makes me.
Now, the joy didn't end there. Yesterday was day of rejoicing as well because, that's right people, Twilight made it's DVD debut. I bought one of the zillion copies they had at Target, and Jon even watched it with me. Wonderful, right? It was totally fierce.
But, the most epic of all excitement happened on Friday when Jon received this letter.
Hooray! Jon passed his test, and once he sends in the paperwork and pays money, he will officially be an architect in the state of California. So, stinking proud. I have a wonderfully talented husband, don't I?
So, that's been our week here. Beyond that, Adelaide and I have been hanging out at home, getting used to each other and having fun while doing it. We'll end with some photos that make me smile. Hope you're week was just as epic as ours!
Well, it's been an epic week. Monday, something amazing, wonderful and truly blog-worthy happened.
TRADER.JOES.OPENED.
It was the most exciting thing to happen to this town since Adelaide was born. We braved the crowds and ventured into what will surely be my new stomping grounds. It's lovely, spacious, and full of wonderful food like Chocolate Croissants, Cinnamon Raisin Rolls, and every type of cheese you can imagine. There are no words for how happy this store makes me.
Now, the joy didn't end there. Yesterday was day of rejoicing as well because, that's right people, Twilight made it's DVD debut. I bought one of the zillion copies they had at Target, and Jon even watched it with me. Wonderful, right? It was totally fierce.
But, the most epic of all excitement happened on Friday when Jon received this letter.
Hooray! Jon passed his test, and once he sends in the paperwork and pays money, he will officially be an architect in the state of California. So, stinking proud. I have a wonderfully talented husband, don't I?
So, that's been our week here. Beyond that, Adelaide and I have been hanging out at home, getting used to each other and having fun while doing it. We'll end with some photos that make me smile. Hope you're week was just as epic as ours!
Saturday, March 14, 2009
Happy Birthday, Jon!
Today, Jon turns 28. He is my best friend, the love of my life, and in general an amazing person. It's been so fun watching him be a dad these pst 6 days, because it's so automatic. He loves both Adelaide and I with a pure love, one that is completly selfless and sacrificial. He can always make me laugh and smile, even if I don't want to. :)
He's a talented architect that finds beauty in things I would overlook; a photographer with an eye for the interesting; and a lover of outdoors, one who totally appreciates the world that God has created. He's a hard worker that knows how to enjoy himself. He loves travel, and would spend every second doing it if that were possible. (We're a good match, eh?)
God truly blessed me with you, Jon, and I love you with all my heart. I'm glad we're on this crazy journey together, travel buddy! Have a wonderful birthday. But I'm the one truly celebrating because of your presence in my life.
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