"Harriet, I congratulate you on your choice!" ;)

"Well...alright. We can speak about Harriet if you really want to--I don't mind." ;)

 Actually, I have several ideas for posts/frequently featured topics/fun things, and I wanted to know what you'd like best. I've put up a poll on the side-bar for you to vote, but I'll write down the possibilities here:

Capering and Cookery: A New-Recipes series

Spring 2012 Feminine Fashion Week: [this wouldn't begin till April or May in all probability]

Favorite Quotes: words of wisdom, humor, and inspiration from great men and women

Little Letters: Those miniature "Dear such-and-such a thing" bits that you loved so well. :)

Devotional-style posts: The things God has been teaching me most recently

Every-Day Life: Whether pictures, reflections, humorous stories, etc.

Book and Movie Reviews: my thoughts on these things from a Christian world-view. :)

Miscellaneous: (You may suggest something in a comment. :)

Go vote, and do leave a comment if you'd like!

The Little Pieces

I love the little pieces of Big Family Life. :)

...Singing "On the Street Where you Live" in man-voices with Sarah...

...5 year-old Grace running to me crying and saying, "Benjamin is singing the ominous song!"...

...The fact that the kids can organize a full-out baseball game at any time just using a few of the 17 kids living on this piece of land...

...Comparing how far we are through our current reading project with a sister...

...Kids stealing licks from the cookie-dough bowl...and me threatening to cut off their fingers. ;)

...Singing "Amazing Grace" [William Wilberforce style] with Sarah while the kids are trying to do school, and watching them stare at us like we've lost it for good this time...

...baby giggles...

...baby dimples...

...baby yawns...

...babies in general...

...The Magnificent Wardrobe swap with sisters and Mama...

...finding that my siblings have slipped into my fictional characters without asking permission...

...making a meal and having it monstrously appreciated...

...sharing that, "I know what you're thinking" look with a sister...

...Quoting period-dramas and movies in general...

...the stinkin' amazing sense of humor most of us were endowed with...

...commandeering a vase full of brilliantly colored daffodils [picked by a sister] and falling asleep with them on my nightstand in a sheen of moonlight...

...watching the romantic scenes in North & South and realizing that not all of us girls could lay claim to Mr. Thornton, even if he was real. :D

Yep. Life's good.

Joy--do you dare?

"But I want you to know, brethren, that the things which happened to me have actually turned out for the furtherance of the gospel, so that it has become evident to the whole palace guard, and to all the rest, that my chains are in Christ; an most of the brethren in the Lord, having become confident by my chains, are much more bold to speak the word without fear." Philippians 1:12-14

Dad preached on this first chapter of Philippians in church on Sunday. My mind--which has a fearful habit of wandering--fixed upon these verses and stayed there while the rest of the universe whirled on. I am afraid I was not even thinking very hard upon the rest of the chapter, for I had my share of the sermon in these two verses.

I began thinking of Paul. He was thrown into prison, beaten, mocked, etc. and yet his attitude in these verses is not:

 "Poor me--look at what you might have to suffer for Christ!" 

= But =

"This is awesome! I want you to know that this is the epitome of my ministry! This is why I follow Christ."

Soon that thought was followed by another. How effective would Paul's ministry have been if, instead of this outlook, Paul had sulked? The letter to the Philippians might not have even been written if Paul decided to "have a reality check" and dwell in how he perceived the situation. In a way, the effectiveness of Paul's ministry depended upon his attitude. It was indeed Paul who said "To live is Christ, to die is gain," and yet I think too often martyrs of the faith have a "See me and be filled with holy dread" aura about them. Paul was cheerful in his chains. And because of that his ministry was far greater than he could have imagined!

To apply this to my own life, I thought back on last year--it was a difficult year, full of the strain and stress of starting up a naturally-grown produce farm/flowers/bakery. I'm not saying it wasn't a good year, but it was certainly a trial. And I am ashamed (and yet want to be truthful) to admit that I sulked. I sulked nearly all year. Not outwardly [most of the time] but in my heart of hearts I was being an ox--a beast that did not like what was going on and did not want to be in an uncomfortable spot and could not wait till it was all over. It was not just me that realized it was hard...in the past months when friends have asked if we are doing the same thing again this year, their questions have been tempered with remarks such as:

"Yeah...it sounded pretty stressful."

"Yes, I could tell it was a hard year for all of you."

Eeesh. Was it that obvious? Oh dear. I learned a lot and grew a lot over the year, and by the autumn my attitude was changing. But as we read these verses in church on Sunday, I couldn't help but wonder how much more I could have learned and how much more ministry I could have had if I had had a cheerful, submissive heart over it all. Paul's reaction to imprisonment was an inspiration to me--having a cheerful heart and playing Pollyanna are all very good things to talk about in theory, but when the nitty-gritty moments come, are we letting Jesus have his way with us? Are we accepting it all with joyful hearts, truly knowing that something beautiful will rise out of the ashes of the situation?

This skill can be applied to so many areas of life. I think of Sarah Mally, author of Before You Meet Prince Charming. (A fabulous book for younger teen girls)

Sarah, Stephen, and Grace Mally)

She is 30 years old and still unmarried, yet because Sarah has been faithful to the Lord during her single years and has lived them joyfully and fully, she has become a role-model for hundreds of young women across the nation and around the world. If Sarah had decided to bemoan her lot and sit with her hands folded until a guy came and swept her off her feet, I can imagine she'd be a bitter, lonely old maid. But the term "old-maid" could no more be applied to Sarah Mally than it could be applied to a mother with a dozen children. Being an "old-maid" is a state of the heart--not the circumstance. But I digress.

In short, I was just struck by the idea that the effectiveness of our ministry is, in some measure, inversely proportional to our attitude through-out the trial. What are your thoughts on it? :)

Capering and Cookery: Tomato Bisque Soup

First off, Capering and Cookery is the name of the Recipe/Cooking Series I'm beginning on this blog. :) It is a name that has three reasons:

1. It sounds much like a historical-dance-society's name: Capering and Kickery and I've always liked that.
2. Fancy recipes seem to use a lot of somethings called "capers". I had always thought they were a sort of mushroom or something, like truffles. Come to find out they are pickled chrysanthemum buds!
3. I like the name. It sounds bouncy and inspirational. :D

That being settled, I've come to teach you how to make the most amazing Tomato Bisque Soup. I don't use a recipe--I just do it by eye. But the other evening when I made it I tried to pay attention to quantities. This recipe should serve about...6-8 people I should think. (I usually make twice that quantity for my family) I had taken pictures documenting the whole process but Dad told me that we simply cannot put a single picture more on this computer or it will crash (Oh the joys of having a photographer for a sister) and so you will not get them, I'm afraid. But do not be afraid--it is a very simple recipe. :D

image courtesy of pinterest

Tomato Bisque Soup:

• 3 ribs celery
• 1 smallish onion
• 1 stick of butter
• 1/4 c. flour
• 2 cups milk
• 64 oz. tomato juice
• 1 large (4-inch or so) can crushed tomatoes
• mixture of basil, oregano, and a little thyme
• salt
• pepper
• 2 tsp. sugar

Right. So here's the deal. You will start off by melting the butter in a large soup-pot on the stove. Meanwhile, finely chop the celery and onions. I like to make them small enough that they are pretty much diced onions and celery...not really chopped.

Throw 'em in the butter and saute over medium heat for 8-10 minutes--you want them to be translucent and soft, but not mushy.

Add your milk and stir well over low heat. Now you are in the middle steps of making a roux. (pronounced "roo") A roux is basically what Southern people call "white sauce". Its base is butter, milk, and flour. So using a whisk--and this is really important--stir in your flour. Make sure you whisk out all the flour-lumps, otherwise you might end up with lumpy bisque and that won't look good.

Continue stirring over low-medium heat. Once your roux has thickened till it is about the consistency of thinned sour-cream, dribble in your tomato juice and whisk together. When that is done, add your crushed tomatoes. If it is a little thick for you, feel free to add more tomato juice or even a little more milk--a bisque, however, ought to be on the thicker side of things, as it is a creamy soup.

Salt and pepper to taste. Add Italian herbs and sugar--the sugar is to cut the acidity of the tomatoes. I don't like thinking of adding sugar to soups and things, but when you are dealing with tomatoes it is a must. I even do it to pizza sauce!

Heat the brew on medium-high, stirring continuously. When heated, serve immediately and enjoy!

Servings: 6-8
Time: 30 minutes
Difficulty level: Easy-Medium (It would be an "Easy" recipe, only the roux makes it a little harder)

I can attest that this is a stinkin' amazing recipe--I don't usually go for the whole tomato-soup thing, but this is incontestable. We usually pair it either with a salad and homemade foccacia bread, or with tuna-salad sandwiches. Either way, it is a superb, elegant, and easy recipe to whip up when you're feeling ready for something a bit different than usual. Try it and let me know how it comes out. :)