Lovely

Lovely
Definition: Having such an appearance as excites, or is fitted to excite, love; (note it says "love", not "lust") beautiful; charming; very pleasing in form, looks, tone, or manner.

This seems to be a word that has consumed my mind this week. Unfortunately it is not due to the necessity of it use, but rather the absolute lack thereof. Sometimes when I am exposed to certain situations it is in fact the antonym of the appropriate adjective that first jumps to my mind (for all of you wondering, I did brush up on my grammatical terms before writing this). This can be beneficial in two ways. One beneficial aspect of this phenomenon is that when normally I might find many other more negative adjectives to appropriately describe a situation, person, or thing, I instead think of the antonym. This helps me avoid the painful repercussions of mentally bashing someone with words I wouldn't dare say to them in person. Secondly, and I think more importantly, It offers an instant challenge to myself.

It is the law of contrasts. When faced with raging anger, composure becomes necessary. When faced with dishonesty we long to be seen as forthright. The sight of great anxiety makes us ache for serenity. And finally when I see the disagreeable and offensive behaviors of one functioning so completely out of their God given role as a lady, I can't help but to long for and morn for the cast aside, trodden down adjective... Lovely.

To be continued...perhaps...

Proof

Yes, it did happen. Yes, we all survived!

Arias very first picture. Just a few moments old.


Look at those blue feet!


First picture with Daddy


Mommies happy on the inside I promise.


First family photos









Time to go home!

Speechless? I think not.

During my morning perusal of facebook, gmail, and google news I came across something that you could say “struck a cord”. There, nestled comfortably between the troubling news stories about healthcare coercion and political puppeteering, is the story/advertisement of Justin Biebers new album and single. What caught my eye is the name of his new album. “Boyfriend”. After reading through the article I instantly opened my facebook to post about this disturbing information. However I soon realized that I had a little more to say and it was time to once again break out the soapbox.

I don’t know why I still wonder at the cunning of money minded people. I’ve seen too many times (as you will if you occasionally read the news) how money can motivate one to proceed with an action no matter how injurious it will be to other people. So I suppose in this situation what really stirred up the “fire in the belly” was when I realized that the the people who this astounding act of cunning will ultimately injure are young innocent girls.

How many a young girl, with her fluffy pink slippers and hello kitty pillow, tucked herself in at night with Justin Bieber playing on her ipod and thoughts of “If he was my boyfriend” dancing through her head. It is inevitable that when you feed on something long enough sooner or later a dependency will be formed. And eventually it will take all of your effort and time to try and satiate that hunger. Luckily for the starving Bieber fans he has thrown them a rather decadent morsel in his latest hit “If I was your boyfriend”. Unfortunately the rule of lust still applies and those young girls will never be satisfied.

It pains my heart to use the words “lust” and “young girls” In the same sentence but alas, this is where we are. As I’m writing this my baby girl is asleep on my lap so content in absolute innocence and unawareness and it makes me wonder. At what age do parents look at their child and stop seeing the innocent baby girl? When did we forget the meaning of “formative years”? They are called “formative” for a reason and just as we parents are responsible for our child’s health in what they physically eat we are also responsible for what they feed on mentally. Until a child is of an age of maturity and awareness to make these decisions for themselves parents are tasked to be guardians over their innocence. Not to create naive automatons, blind to world around them, but rather to disclose the evils that surround them, showing them the difference between right and wrong and making the right choice for them until they are able to make it for themselves.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dTCm8tdHkfI

Thirteen, fourteen, ten, six, These are ages when innocence can be so beautifully represented in our flawed human race and yet no one is taking qualms at the fact that there is a direct effort weaseling its way into your home to seduce the minds and hearts of your little girls. What started as a “harmless” bieber craze has now morphed into something much more insidious in nature and now the thoughts of many a young girl have been made manifest in this new single “If I was your boyfriend”.

I wish that this post could end on a happy note. Unfortunately I see this situation as too dire to easily resolve a single blog post. If nothing else a closer perusal of this topic has instilled in me an even stronger desire to champion the innocence of my daughter and protect the purity of her mind until she is able to do so herself. By God’s mercy and grace may I be victorious.

Borrowed Angel

This tiny being
face of dew and milk
causing heavenly visions
with wings of softest silk




The delicate touch of cheek
the grasp of hand so tight
speaks of one who wrought you gently
despite His awesome might




What is this whispered heart song
that tugs upon my soul
you sing in silent voices
the song that makes me whole




Can it be this tiny being
indeed has captured me?
or rather through her life
I am made more free




Once hidden loves
have finally claimed their place
inside my very being
I now can see their grace




Grateful for this precious gift
to God my heart will sing
I give You back my angel
the one who gave me wings

Three months later

Okay so, I understand it has not been three months since my last post as my title might suggest. It has however been three months since one of the most momentous events of my life. Just three months ago our baby girl entered this world. God answered my prayers and made her arrival a calm, peaceful event and thus far her personality has followed suit. They always say the first child spoils you so that you are tricked into having another one. Though I am not racing to take that plunge again any time soon I have indeed been spoiled these three months with a pleasantly, plump, and placid bundle of joy who's temper only rarely finds occasion to surface. Tummy time and clipped finger tips being a few of those rare occasions.

Therefore with no further adieu I am going to celebrate these three months with a baby-bomb blog. This way I can satisfy eager family members without blowing up facebook's feed with pictures of my admittedly adorable Aria.

Here are some pictures from her 3 week shoot. Thanks Jennifer Hamilton!

Jenis Ice Cream Columbus OH

On an absolutely beautiful friday I accompanied Roger down to Columbus for a business meeting. In an attempt to make the most out of the trip I researched a lovely area called the Short North Arts District. Just south of Ohio State campus, this little strip of eclectic shops and places to eat was a total score for Roger and I and after sampling a couple of tidbits and checking out a couple of awesome shops we came across Jenis Ice Cream. After every single of its 300 some odd google ratings gave it five stars we thought we better investigate. What a wise decision this turned out to be.



As we walked through the doors I was impressed by their enormous menu board that proudly sported all of their tasty concoctions. We were also met with the tantalizingly scrumptious sent of fresh baked waffle cones. Among the ice cream flavors were oddities like Roasted cherry and goat cheese, wild berry and lavender, poached pear, and sweet corn with black raspberries.



My personal favorite was the sweet, tart, bitter mixture of Lime, Rhubarb and Cardamom. Yummm... Need I say more? If you're ever in Columbus just know that I would consider it a terrible loss if this tasty little heaven didn't cross your path. Happy eating!

Mini Seasonal Cobblers

I have discovered that if you want some baked deliciousness in half the time you just have to make it a mini. This cobbler was cooked in 30 minutes with approximately 15 minutes of prep. If you choose the stone fruit version prep will be longer as you have to chop up the fruit first.
I desperately wanted to take advantage of the berry season so after stocking up I hovered around my fridge trying to sum up some cooking inspiration. What started as a berry scone attempt turned into a berry cobbler thanks to my husband who’s initial “yucky faces” turned into hopeful puppy dog eyes when I mentioned the potential of making a cobbler instead.
This recipe makes approximately 4 8oz ramekins. Ramekins have become an essential piece of my culinary equipment and are ideal for any individual desserts.

Ingredients:2 cups berries (Due to some unexpectedly rotted berries I used a box of raspberries, half a box of black berries, and a few blueberries.)
¾ cups water
3 tablespoons butter
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
¾ cups all-purpose flour
1 Teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
1/3 cup milk
1/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup sugar

• Pick over and wash berries. Place in saucepan with 1/4 cup sugar, and water.
• Bring to a boil and simmer for 5 minutes. Pour equal amounts into 4 greased tart pans.
• Cream butter, 1/3 cup sugar, egg and vanilla until well blended.
• Mix flour, baking powder, salt and nutmeg. Add to creamed mixture along with the milk. Beat until smooth. Spoon batter over hot berries. (if batter sinks in don't worry. It puff up nicely during baking)
• Bake at 375° for about 30 minutes or until browned. Serve warm, plain, with ice cream or whipped cream.



The cobblers actually popped up like little soufflés in the oven. Yumo!


Mini Peach mango Cobbler

Once again inspired by my husband I decided to attempt a stone fruit version, as peach cobbler is his favorite. This also turned out quite nicely. I followed the same recipe with a couple changes.
• Substitute: 2 cups of diced peaches and mangos for 2 cups berries (My fruit was slightly unripe so I cooked it longer on the stove. Remember if you do this you must add additional water and/or fruit as the longer you cook it the more it will reduce leaving you with not enough fruit per ramekin.)
• Substitute: ½ teaspoon of almond extract for the 1 teaspoon vanilla extract.
• Addition: ¼ teaspoon cinnamon to fruit reducing on stove.

I hope you enjoy these recipes and if you discover any more creative versions please feel welcome to share!