"His Name is John." ;)

I realized that I did not tell you the final outcome of the entire dog-naming fiasco! ;) Well, here are three rather broad hints: [Four, actually] 

 

 

 

If that has thoroughly confused you--as it was meant to do--let me explain. The first chap is Winston Churchill. Got it? Thought so. The second chap is, of course, the ultra-amazing, entirely brilliant Sherlock Holmes. The third fellow is not George Washington (though I think they bear a resemblance) but Meriweather Lewis. You know, Lewis and Clark? And the fourth is our very much beloved C.S. Lewis.
So what does this have to do with our dog? Surely we didn't name him after all those men? What rot for a puppy.

Ahem.

Well.....

I've got a confession....

You see, there were twelve people to consult in the matter and only one puppy. We got it narrowed down to three names, and none of us could bear to just draw it out of a hat. But it had to be either Lewis, Sherlock, or Churchill.....or did it?
My rather brilliant sister Sarah had a wonderful "Snoggestion." Why not name him Churchill Sherlock Lewis, and then his official name would be "C.S. Lewis?" Ka-chow!
So that is the story of how our little puppy got such a huge name. We call him Churchill, and in my secret heart I call him Sherlock. It's a mess, but it works, and it does make rather a fond memory! :D

P.S. I have just now realized the irony of all these great men appearing on a pink blog background. Haha!

Not Glass-Threads or Frost-Work...

Dear Girls,
     Prepare yourselves for a ramble. :)
I have been thinking recently on the various kinds of friendships. I have many friends who I am very fond of, and several who I have termed "dear friends". These are the ones that I can pour my heart out to, who are such kindred spirits that I feel they sometimes know me better than I know myself.
What is it that makes such friends? I cannot quite say. I seem to have a homing instinct for kindred spirits--I will see a person and immediately know that she and I would be good chums, given the chance. And sometimes I am given the chance, as was the case with one of my dearest friends now. A real "soul-sister", if you will excuse a cliche. :)
But again, what is it that makes a friend? Certainly it is not only a person who enjoys the same things as you. I know many girls who I am not on intimate terms with who have similar interests as me. I think that friendship and companionship are two different things. There are many people I could happily be friends with, but there are fewer that I could choose as companions--people to live with day in and day out.

I have come to realize that, contrary to what I has thought for a long time, the best companions are not always those that are most like you. In beliefs, of course, it is important that your intimate friends and equally yoked with you, but in all other categories (situation, personality, likes, dislikes) it can be extremely beneficial to have your dearest friends be quite different than you. In the same way that two dull objects, but brushing and colliding with one another may grow to be sharp in time, so two friends, clashing in amiable difference, may become all the stronger for those collisions.
"As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another," Solomon said. And I have found it to be so. You see, it is pleasant to have a friend, a walking companion if you will, who agrees with you on every point, can share the same sensations over every view, every situation, every book and film and music you hear. But after a time such things can loose their luster if not coupled with a degree of originality. After all, what is it we seek in a friendship? Isn't it--to a certain point--to get outside of ourselves?
I have found it to be gloriously refreshing to make an observation on a point and see a friend smile and frown both, and say, "Really? I don't think so--" and then off they go making an indecently brilliant remark that would never have crossed my mind in ten years. Such friends are some of the best kinds, I think. After all, if we haven't a particular way of thinking (in my case, I am not exactly sensible or logical) mustn't we be taught? It's presumptuous and vain to think that we could happen upon all discoveries on our own. Sometimes we need to get a new perspective, a sparkling vision other than our own, and I bless the buttons of all my friends who provide that for me.
Of course I have some "dear friends" who are so much like me, it's ridiculous, and I treasure them as much as my gunpowder-girls. I just think that challenging, marveling friendships are precious. Please girls, never assume that because someone is bold and you are shy, or someone is quiet and you and merry and blithe, that you are incompatible--you might be missing out on a huge blessing!
In closing, I find that no words fit my thoughts any better than Emerson's. Therefore I will be quiet and let him speak:

"I do not wish to treat friendships daintily, but with the roughest courage. When they are real, they are not glass threads or frost-work, but the solidest thing we know."

Swing-Time! :)

Well, I don't know about you guys, but I absolutely love to watch Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers dance. They are crazy-good, and so cute together! Plus,  I cannot imagine dancing like she does in high-heels on a slippery floor. This is my favorite dance I've seen them do together--I hope you enjoy it as much as I do! :)

The Netherfield Walk!

 Today my pupils and I took our 3-mile "Netherfield Walk." It was a gorgeous day [not at all like January ought to be ;)] and we set out in high spirits. The rules were as follows:

• You must walk at a brisk pace, so as to get the "brilliancy" in your complexion that Lizzy Bennet acquired from her walk.
• You must speak anything you had to say in a British accent. No if, ands, or buts about it.

 

This is us in our "unbrilliant" state of countenance. :)

The Mad-Cap English Teacher....

The Cross School-Marm....does anyone else think my finger looks really long and scary? :P

I couldn't resist a picture of the bluer than blue lake. :)

At the end of the road (1 1/2 miles) we stopped to do a short photo-shoot....

....A stranger we picked up as a tag-along. ;)

 My students and I....notice the heightened color of our faces? Ah yes. Jane Austen's recipe seems to be working.... ;)

"Her hair, Louisa! She really looked almost wild!!!" :D 

What a horrid picture! I will continue to blame it on the half-wet, half-dry state of my newly-washed hair, and the wind. 

"There's a piece of blue sky--let us catch it!"

...And then we headed home, all downhill. [Well, nearly.] It was a very good walk.

Ah yes. If I weren't in the shadows there'd be quite a bit of pink in that face.

More pink. I approve Jane Austen's remedy for a pale face. How about you? :)

...The Various Reactions to Having Walked Three Miles At Once...

 Leah's main complaint was from her waist-down. 

Apparently her legs are not accustomed to much walking. ;)

 I had to drag this one home after she kept wanting to stop for a rest.

"Maybe someone will come out and offer us something!" she and Leah said at each house we passed, as if we'd been tramping through the Sahara Desert, rather than for a long country walk.

 Sarah complained of blisters, but beyond that she was top-notch. I've been training her.

Me?......

 "You must allow her to be an excellent walker." ;)

Walking is my forte. I love it. There is nothing quite like a ramble through the countryside, especially with sisters. :) I think the girls all enjoyed this experiment, and we heartily applaud Lizzy Bennet for having done it alone, in the mud, cross-country, just to visit a sister with a cold. :)

(All pictures courtesy of Sarah, except for the ones of herself. :)

Mirrors of Glory

We all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image. ~2 Corinthians 3:18

The greatest characteristic a Christian can exhibit is this completely unveiled openness before God, which allows that person's life to become a mirror for others. When the Spirit fills us, we are transformed, and by beholding God we become mirrors. You can always tell when someone has been beholding the glory of the Lord, because your inner spirit senses that he mirrors the Lord's own character. Beware of anything that would spot or tarnish that mirror in you. It is almost always something good, but not what is best.
The most important rule for us is to concentrate on keeping our lives open to God. Let everything else including work, clothes, and food be set aside. The busyness of things obscures our concentration on God. We must maintain a position of beholding Him, keeping our lives completely spiritual through and through. Let other things come and go as they will; let other people criticize us as they will; but never allow anything to obscure the life that "is hidden with Christ in God" (Col. 3:3) Never let a hurried lifestyle disturb the relationship of abiding in Him. This is an easy thing to allow, but we must guard against it. The most difficult lesson of the Christian life is learning how to continue "beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord...."
               ~Oswald Chamber My Utmost for His Highest

I read today's devotion in Oswald Chambers' book, and was challenged and blessed by it. I know we all have met someone who is a mirror of Christ, glowing with a beauty that cannot be mortal for its very preciousness, seeming to shed a shimmering light over their entire countenance. You know when you've met such a person because of the peace and joy that ebbs out of them and over you. It's such a blessing and just think about it! Everyone one of us, as Christians, has the daily opportunity to be such a mirror! It's a great honor, but a responsibility. Are we letting our mirrors become smirched and dull, or are we spending time with our Lord and abiding in Him so that our very faces shine with His glory?

"The Ornament of every polished society"

In the past few days I have become addicted to contra-dancing, [!!!] thanks to my lovely Abigail Taylor, I have spent hours on the road, I have eaten at The Texas Roadhouse for the first time ever, I have had a very close-to-fainting-in-the-arms-of-a-German-while-dancing experience, I have eaten the world's best chocolate chunk cookies, I have made homemade pretzels, and last but certainly not least, I've got a new brother:

Sarah (17) and Our Darling. :)

Meet The Nameless One. A.k.a. The Heffalump, alias The New Puppy, alias To Be Named. He's part English Setter and part Black Lab, and part Adorable. He's destined to be over-loved and over-stimulated, and a massive part of our family. :)

It was a rather amazing weekend.

What's Cookin'?

There is always room on my shelf for another cookbook. I don't know about you, but I love flipping through a cookbook's pages and planning all sorts of fabulous meals that I never make. :D
The cookbook that I'm dreading marriage because of [i.e. because when I leave my house I won't have it anymore. ;)] is 1,000 Lowfat Recipes by Terry Blonder Golson. We found this amazing cookbook at the thrift store and decided to buy it. However, Mama and I don't like cooking with all low-fat stuff. You know, modified versions of healthy foods? (low-fat yogurt, low-fat milk, etc. or specifically, things that are so stripped down the make them "low-fat" that they aren't good for you anymore) So we weren't sure how much of that these recipes would call for.
We were delighted to find that this book is full of recipes that use foods that are already naturally low-fat. And all the recipes we have tried taste *Amazing*. With 1,000 recipes, this book is sure to have an idea for anything in your pantry. :D The sections range from "Small Bites & Finger Foods" to three different sections of entrees, to "Casual Meals" and "Sauces, Salsas, Pantry Staples, and Beverages." It's my favorite cook-book by far. :) I don't know about you, but it seems to me that most healthy-cooking books are full of impossible ingredients. I'm sorry, but I haven't the budget to purchase baby button-mushrooms and young artichokes and all that jazz. But Terry Golson leaves it all behind and starts rearranging foods you already eat into healthy, delicious meals. It's pretty cool! :)

Here's a smashing recipe for Garlic and Lemon Broccoli. I promise, it's amazing.

(image courtesy of pinterest.)

Garlic and Lemon Broccoli:

• 4 cups broccoli florets
• 1 Tbs. olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tps. fine strips lemon zest or minced lemon peel
• 1/4 tsp. sea salt
• 1/4 tsp. freshly ground pepper

1. Steam florets until tender. If you like, use peeled and sliced stems as well as crowns. Drain and put in a serving bowl and cover loosely to keep warm.

2. Heat the oil in a small saute pan over moderate heat. Cook the garlic until golden but not brown. Stir in the zest. Pour this over the broccoli, toss with the salt and pepper, and serve immediately.

Serves 5 

Per serving: Calories 36, Protein 1g; Fat 3g; Carbohydrates 2g; Fiber 1g; Sodium 106mg.

Try it and tell me how you like it. :) I highly recommend this cookbook to anyone who wants to eat healthily without breaking their family budget! :)

Hilarity, Plain and Simple. :D

Well, I have never really made any sort of button before, but this Period Drama Button contest over at Yet Another Period Drama Blog was  too hilarious to pass up. We are supposed to couple pictures from period dramas with quotes from another part of the movie (and/or) different period-drama movie. :) These are my entries. Even if I don't win, I had loads of fun and giggled myself silly. :P

(And yes, if you are wondering, all of these quotes are from period dramas. :)

...because Lizzy was a bit too hard on poor Darcy...

...because the poor girl looks tormented here, rather than madly in love...

...because this fits Mr. Collins far better than it does Emma. :)

...because of the expression on Lizzy's face...

...because Miss Bates mashes her sentence so amazingly...

....because I can so see Mr. Knightley saying this to Emma with the exact same smile! :)

...and last but not least, [and though I hate to mix Sir Percy up in *any* of this sort of thing] it was too good to pass up, in this fellow's case. So... because you know it's true... ;)

The Amazing Sock-Bun :)

 I get tired of having straight hair, sometimes. Actually, my hair isn't entirely straight--it's like....wavy-gone-limp. ;) With the slightest bit of encouragement it will curl and wave very nicely, so I often like to pin my hair up in the morning, wear it up all day, and let it down at night, if I'm going somewhere. (Don't get me started on how guilty I feel when I use a curling iron...I can hear the voice of my hair shrieking at me as the iron clamps down and they frizzle to death. ;)
But there is one problem. Often times I don't have the margin in my morning to spend a long time pinning up my hair--it's not that thick, but there's lots of it. But recently I came across a fabulous help. It literally takes five minutes or less.

Enter the Miraculous Sock-Bun. :) 

It might just be my new best-friend. ;) 

First you take an old, unwanted, clean sock. Cut off the toe.

Oh bother. It's flipped.

Then roll the sock up as if you were pairing it up with another one, and make a doughnut.

 Dampen your hair, then put your hair in a high pony-tail, on the top or very-slightly-back of your head.

Stick the end of the ponytail through the doughnut, and slide it down just a little bit.

Begin tucking the ends of the hair evenly over the doughnut, and pushing them under.

Begin rolling your the doughnut and your hair, spreading your hair evenly over the doughnut as you roll. 

This is a lot easier than it looks.

Pin the finished bun onto your head with a couple of hair pins. 

You can add a pretty headband or ribbon.

 And suddenly you have a bit of an Audrey Hepburn style! :D 

After the morning and afternoon (or overnight, depending on when you set your hair) unroll the bun and take the doughnut out. Sorry for the quality--my room is on the back of our house and the evening sun doesn't come in at all.

 

You could leave your hair in a pony-tail...this is really cute also. :)

 

But I take it down all the way.

You can pull it back in a clip, or use it as the base for any style that needs wavy-curly hair. I love this Sock-Bun method because it looks really cute in the process as well as at the end! :) Try it and tell me how it works.

Boy Meets Girl...my thoughts.

I have been thinking recently on a topic that we conservative, Christian young women tend to shun. The topic of being friends with boys. My sister, Sarah, was recently given a copy of It's (Not That) Complicated by Anna Sofia and Elizabeth Botkin, and from what I've clandestinely peeped at, it's a hard-hitter on this topic. It's about time it was addressed! :D

First off let me make two points:

• I believe young ladies can be friends with young men.
• I believe its important to be friends with guys.

Now for the clarification points. When I say friends with boys, I do not mean that sickly, shallow:

"Oh yeah--Caleb and I are like best friends forever!!! <3 <3 <3"

 No chance! :D What I mean is friendship in its purest sense--two people who help each other onward and upward, who have kind, self-less intentions, who converse easily and pleasantly with one another, are interested in similar things, etc. I don't necessarily mean buddy-buddy with guys, but you can be friends with them. Relax.
Why do I say that? Because believe it or not, we actually have duties toward them as sisters in Christ. We are to encourage, edify, and uplift all believers, not just the "safe" female ones. In an effort to quell the rush of boy-girl, dating-mentality relationships, many Christians have moved in the opposite direction--to complete shunning.
We've all seen it, and it's pitiful. The girl who starts trembling and getting defensive the moment a young man speaks to her. Her answers are clipped and short, awkward and cold. The minute he leaves, (scared off, no doubt, by her cool reception of his entirely pure intentions) she sighs with relief.
It's so sad to see girls who are deluded by the whole boy-girl issue. When a girl blocks off relationships with any young men of any age, she is missing out on a vital part of Christian fellowship.
You see, having friends who are not girls gives you a whole new outlook on life. You are much more sensible when your female, chick-flick emotions are toned down by a practical, manly opinion of a relationship, a piece of news, a book, and many other things. Not all of your interactions have to be hard-headed, deep, theological conversations, but I'm telling you, guys think of things a girl would never happen upon in a million years of gushing girl-talks.
I love our home-church for several reasons, but one huge one is the relationships we young men and women have. I don't know how it happened exactly, but we've got one of the hugest pile of brothers and sisters in Christ who enjoy each other (without flirting, coupling off, and play-fighting) that I've seen. We have fun, we joke about things, we talk seriously about things, we discuss movies, history, music, books, current events, politics, social trends, scripture, many many things more as one huge family. I love all the guys in our church like brothers, and they love me like a sister. I think I can truly say that not a one of us has an ulterior motive in our relationships.
The way to relate to young men (and the way we should even relate to our girl-friends) is to approach the friendship on self-less terms. Don't act in ways that serve you. Act in ways that will serve, aid, and encourage them. Behave modestly, and be yourself, not some brainless Barbie-doll. You'll avoid all silly-girl actions in this way, and the guys will appreciate it. Believe me. :D
You see, it is not their being boys that make the relationships awkward. It's how we are viewing them. If every guy you meet is a Husbandus Prospectus, chances are you're going to be jumpy, nervous, and ridiculous around them. If you are viewing them as brothers and fellow fighters for Christ's kingdom, the awkwardness falls away and you are left with a precious camaraderie. :) I am not trying to say that the guys should be your closest friends, your confidantes, or your soul-mates. That's approaching more dangerous territory. And I'm not saying that you ought to be "friending" every random guy on Facebook. That's not really a true friendship. A friendship, in the correct term, is two people investing in each others lives, building each other up, etc. It's not "liking" each post Dillon writes, and trying to sound smart in conversations online. It's also not wise to be even as "close" to an un-saved guy as you are to your brothers in Christ.
I'm merely making a point that we have no right, we have no business to shelf them merely because they are not female. It's like...like backwards feminism! I believe that in Christ, young men and women can have beautiful, pure, effective relationships. It's really not that complicated when you think about it. :)

Lastly, I want to thank, by name, several young men I know for their friendship, their putting up with me, their honest opinions, their character, their good sense, and their encouragement. :)

First and foremost, for my brother, Daniel, for being my buddy all through our childhood, and even now. We are inseparable, and I fancy we always will be. Love you! <3

Next Important is my cousin, Matthew, for his Bingley-ish personality, for his congenial attitudes, his patience with my caprices, and his tolerance for my hare-brained inspiration.

Justin and Timothy Wright, for giving all of us lots of laughs, recommending movies like The Great Escape without telling me everyone dies, being great partners in Civil War dances, speaking easily on so many topics, and acting in general like great younger brothers.

BJ Taylor, for making me think, for your patience, cheerfulness, and that crazy four-wheeler ride where you, your sister Abigail, and I rode triple and you made sure you didn't dump me off my precarious perch on the back.

Daniel Tate, for your technologically savvy mind and technological donations to The Dinosaur Fund (my ongoing quest for a computer for my writing), your technological help with my blog-header, your political-labyrinth of a mind, your logic, and your sense of humor. 

These are the guys that come first to mind as friends I've spent the most time around, but there are many more young men that I will thank as a whole for their pleasant, innocent, brotherly camaraderie. Thank you! :)
It might seem like a bold stroke for the old regime of Don't Talk To Guys, but I approach these thanks out of the purest motives. I mean everything I have said, and I do my utmost best to practice thinking of young men as brothers in Christ. Girls, let's make sure that we take into account the kind of friends we are being to the guys in our life. Would they be able to list you in a post about girls who have shown them respect, purity, and innocence as sisters? Think about it. :) It'll change the whole way you look at the young men in your life. :)

"Let no one despise your youth,  but be an example to the believers in word, in conduct, in love, in spirit, in faith, and in purity." (1 Timothy 4:12)

"Do not exhort an older man, but exhort him as a father, younger men as brothers, older women as mothers, younger women as sisters, with all purity." (1 Timothy 4:17)

Hair-flower Tutorial: "The Authoress"

"The Authoress"

It seems that hair-flowers are all the rage recently. I hadn't jumped on the fad until a few weeks ago when I designed and made what I've termed "The Authoress" hair-flower. It's a very simple, very smart-looking addition to an out-fit, and as several people have wondered how it is done, I've put together a tutorial on how to make your own Authoress Hair-flower. :)

What you will need for "The Authoress" hair-flower:

• A large bobby-pin
• A small wire hairpin
• Pages of a book (or other paper)
• A cute button
• Glue
• Scissors

It all begins with Opera and Poetry. ;) 

 Actually, this was an old poetry book my brother rescued out of the trash for me...I used it but it finally fell apart. Rather than throwing such a precious volume away, I decided it would serve its purpose very well in different projects. That's how I got such cute paper for this hair-flower. But really, you can use any kind of paper--it won't have quite so much authoress to it, but that's okay. [The Opera part is just what I happened to be listening to. Norma, in fact.]

Step One: 

Cut out 7 or 8 flower-shapes of graduating sizes. The largest  will be the base of your hair-flower.

Step Two:  

Cut out 5 or 6 decorative-edged circles. I did these with a pilfered pair of scrapbook-scissors. ;)

Step Three: 

Begin stacking the shapes--a flower or two, a fancy circle, another flower or two, etc. Glue each layer with a small dot of glue in the very center. For the first flower I made I actually sewed the layers together. It was a bit much for my poor finger-tips, however, so I went with glue this time--it worked perfectly well.

 The first two layers--

I like to shift the second flower-shape so its petals go in the spaces in between the previous layer's petals. It gives the over-all appearance more fullness.

 

Here is the finished stack of shapes, all glued together.

 

 

 Now you'll need one large bobby-pin (I use roller pins) and a hair-pin.

 Step Four:  

Trim off the "ball" ends of the hairpin and stick the hairpin's "legs" through the bottom layer of the flower. Spread out the "legs" like a brad, leaving a little hump of wire on the back of your flower.

 Step Five:

Bend the edges of the petals forward, so your flower looks like its blooming. :) 

(see "Paul Revere" on the top layer? The British are coming!!! :D)

Step Six:

Slide the top "foot" of the bobby-pin through the little wire-hump.

Step Seven: 

Glue a button in the center of the flower. I used a black-velvet button to coordinate with the colors of the hair-flower, but you can use any kind you want! :) Just be sure it isn't a shank-button--that won't lay right.

 There you have it! A lovely hair-flower: Romantic, vintage-looking, very smart, and entirely fashionable. I hope you enjoyed this tutorial, and I'd love to see any flowers you make using it. :) In the picture I had just washed my hair and hadn't done anything with it, but I could see this flower gracing a super-cute up-do as well. :)