30 Day Book Challenge! Days 19-20: Birthdays and More...

Do you what today is?? On this very day, 9 years ago, mum was at the hospital, mid-surgery, and Megan and Madeline- our very own M&Ms - were making their entrance into the world! Of course, we celebrated in proper twin-style: pizza, brownie-cheesecake-layer-cake, and way too many giggles!

The dresses from yours truly :)

 Please note the slightly befuddled faces in the next two pictures...

The Twinkles' bedroom has been, heretofore, a mess. When they were wee ones, they didn't want to have separate beds, so they have had only one mattress in the bunk bed for years...but as young ladies of 9, they have outgrown the share-a-bed idea. Hence, a birthday present from mum & dad that was confusedly received in small packages of plastic shapes, wires, and metal clips...

Happy birthday to the Twinkles!!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Oh yes, and I have those book challenge questions today, too, don't I?

Day 19: What is a book that you think is woefully underrated?

Easy answer. Little Dorrit, That Hideous Strength, The Ordinary Princess, The Princess and the Goblin, The Princess and Curdie, The Eagle of the Ninth, The Twelfth Imam, Wuthering Heights...I'm trying to make a point here. Pretty much all the books I like are woefully underrated.

Day 20: What is the environment in which you most enjoy reading?

Anywhere both quiet and pretty. Usually, this is my room. My first choice is always to read out of doors, but...the "quiet" factor is often compromised by wee siblings who also love the beautiful outside. :) I like to be comfortable, to not dread looking up while considering a part I just read (which if the room is awfully messy, etc, is the case), and to not be tempted to listen in on other conversations while I'm reading.

Where do you like to read?

Life Lately

Gather in closely, dear readers, for I have a profound observation to share with you all:

Three and a half weeks can fly by like there's no tomorrow!!!!

You have quite possibly never noticed how a busy schedule can whirl your life away through days, weeks, and months, leaving no time for blogging, little time for picture-snapping, and copious amounts of material for memory-making. The midst of spinning to and fro - this is where friendships are proved, goals are made and met, and where priorities become defined. My past almost-four-weeks have run according to this theme, and I cherish every moment from the decision I was facing in the previous post onward. Now that I finally have a moment's peace, however (although I cannot help but ruefully observe that it doesn't come until nearly midnight on any given day), I am happy to provide the requested "update".

Since May 12th I have...

1. Celebrated a graduation.

*sniff* my li'l bro is all growed up! On May 10th, Ben graduated with a degree in Mechanical Engineering. Doesn't he look spiffy?

yes, I know you're distracted by my adorable sunglasses,

but do look at Ben in his boring black robe & funny-yet-impressive

square hat, too.

2) Celebrated a birthday.

Has anyone seen my cane?? My candles read "49," and I was assured this was entirely logical and intentional - not a result of over-estimating my age or having only "4" and "9" candles. Old lady or not, it was a fab birthday, with friends, cake, "The Princess Bride" (thank you, Mr. & Mrs. J, for putting up with me! :p), and a day-before birthday dinner with my parents at a delicious pizza place!

                       dad an' me :)                                                         wood-fired pizza, baked by...Mario??

stinging nettle pizza - call me crazy, but I liked it!

3. Attended an opera!

Pirates of Penzance, to be exact. It was our annual find-something-to-dress-up-for-and-enjoy-an-evening-in-Ptown night. Great singing, great laughs, a fun tramp to a crepe food cart, and dessert at Pix- we enjoyed ourselves immensely!

 the whole gang!

                             besties                                                                       a piece of Portland at sunset

4. Enjoyed Slimification!!

They say it's not a word, but it is. "The are of being slimed," to be precise. While running three miles. And bouncing through obstacles. And slipping down water slides. Pretty much the best race ever. That's all.

 pristinely pre-race

slimey sequels

5. Hosted the "King's Daughters' Tea"

As a final conclusion to our wee girls' Bible study/handwork class, we hosted a tea! Outside, in the sunshine, it was just lovely...breeze blowing, barefoot girls, and fancy dresses: these things are good for the soul. They recited their memory chapter (Psalm 27) for the mums & grandmas, and had their handwork books/pages set out for admiring!

6. Held my Studio Recital!!
These kids...all I can say is they make me proud. Hard work, cheerful souls, beautiful performances - I feel so blessed by each one of these musicians. From the 5-and-a-half-year-old munchkin who proudly played "Mary Had a Little Wolf" to my advanced students whose music swept me away, the recital left me grinning and amazed at the capacity God has placed in these kids to make music. They are so precious to me...

many pictures = enough time to grab a camera and take them

which I didn't have

so I bummed this picture off of dad's phone

and it's all I've got

but aren't they a fabulous-looking gang of music-makers?

7. Made a Trip to Seattle!
Because we could. And we like each other. And the sun was out, and official responsibilities had ended for the summer. So we did! :) Rode the Ferris Wheel right on the water for the first time ~ it was a beautiful view, but my camera informed me that his "batter was exhausted" before I could take any pictures of it! :)

8. Ran Away to the Beach for a Day!
It was cloudy (it always is) but warm-ish and still bright! We picnic-ed, walked to haystack, bought saltwater taffy, patronized the best coffee shop in the world, drank bubble tea, and still made it home in time for Rachel's orchestra rehearsal! :D

everyone knows you bring flowers on your beach picnics, right?

 

 

Besides these 8 things, getting ready for an upcoming trip, raising sponsorship money for a race to benefit Pathways Pregnancy Center (thank you to everyone who contributed!!!!), getting together with friends who have just returned from trips and friends who are about to leave, taking Rachel's graduation pictures, getting a new bookshelf (hooray!!), and starting work at a tea room, I pretty much have just sat around twiddling my thumbs for the last couple weeks. I'm sure you know how that is. Just the story of my life, lately...

Until Monday, dear readers!

Birthday Card

Dearest Twinkles in my eye,

Sweeter than an apple pie,

I wish, today, I was with you,

To celebrate your birthday, too!

 But since, instead, I'm miles away,

On this, your special 8th birthday,

I'm sending you upon a quest.

Follow the clues to know the rest!

But first, my dears, I need to say,

"Happy, Happy 8th Birthday!"

I miss you much, and love you more;

This year, I know, God has in store

So much for you to learn and do,

Be sure to love Him ~ He so loves you!

Obey and listen ~ spread His Joy

And Hope to every girl and boy!

Love again! Now here's the clue ~

Think carefully; It's up to you!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I have many hammers, but they're not for nails

Keys and pedals, but I don't drive

When pushed, I sing, when left, I'm silent

My sound makes the household come alive 
 

Make-It Monday: A Birthday!

 

 Gracious, what a whirlwind life is right now! Because planning the studio recital, choosing/arranging music for students over the summer, making packing lists, clothing shopping, "just-because" jaunts to Seattle, summer kick-off parties, normal teaching schedules, working, sewing a gown for my sis (another make-it monday! ;), scouring the internet for a good price on return tickets from Glasgow, nailing down final details for travel once across the pond, practicing and rehearsing to accompany a friend, Mother's Day, and trying to keep my room in a semi-sane state isn't enough for the month of May, we also have birthdays! There are moments when I feel a little overwhelmed.


the Twinkles cut camellias & placed them at each spot.

However, we were able to effectively put all that craziness on hold Saturday, as we took a day to celebrate Mama's birthday! While Mumsie and Dad typically celebrate by going to the beach for the day, this year they stayed local ~ even though they were still out 'til evening. We were able to clean the house, decorate, set a formal table (for the high-class Costco pizza the parents brought home), and try out a new cake recipe!

 

 

When I asked Mumsie what kind of cake she wanted for her birthday, her response was, "Oh...lemon would be good..." (wait a minute, I have lemon cake on my birthday), "...or lime..." (I've never even heard of a lime cake...maybe key lime pie, but..) "...or orange..." Finally the decision was "Something citrus-y." What's a girl to do but google "Citrus Cake Recipe"? Oh boy, did Google come through for me.

The cake is a delicious, moist, butter cake, with grated lemon & orange zest...

 

Filling? Some killer lemon curd!

 

 

 

Frost with some delicious orange-flavored frosting...

 

I promise, I finished frosting it the whole way, this was just when Emmy took the picture :)

 

And garnish with orange, lemon, lime, and grapefruit slices:

 

 

Oh! and mint (which you may have to run to the store and purchase, if forgotten)

 

 

Check out the recipe here. It will certainly be found in our kitchen again!

 

Hooray! The birthday girl! :)

 

Have a Yummy Monday! :)

 

 

One Year - Imagine That!

Photo Credit

Do you know what today is? Today is my first bloggy-birthday - isn't that exciting?? One year ago today I
was reallyandtruly introduced to the world of blogger. One year ago today I began the never-ending fun of playing with blog designs. One year ago today I typed my first four-lines-of-a-blog-post.


One year.          115 posts.          Imagination.          Smiles.          Lessons.          Colors.
    

And, of course, YOU!!! :)


In celebration of the fun, I'm hosting a give away! What do you suppose it could be? Come come, you've been reading my blog, what's your best guess?

Photo Credit

You're right - a book!

But not just any book. It's not a romance, not a classic, not a forgotten old treasure, but a book that had me hooked at the preface, nonetheless. A chewing book, according to Sir Francis Bacon's definition. It is, in fact, Anthony Esolen's ten ways to destroy the imagination of your child. In this poignant, witty satire on all aspects of child-rearing - from school to "play dates" - Esolen submits for your review 10 easy steps with which to destroy the imagination of any child. An excerpt from the preface:

"We must, then, kill the imagination. The ideal, of course, would be to cease having children, but that might have some adverse effect upon the long-range economic prosperity, besides threatening certain industries with extinction - the manufacturers of tasteless clothing, for instance, and importers of refined sugar. Since we must have children, we should be sure to subject them to all the most efficient and humane techniques to fit them for the world in which they will live, a world of shopping malls all the same everywhere, packaged food all the same, paper-pushing all the same, mass entertainment all the same, politics all the same. We owe it to them, and, what is more important, they owe it to us...."

There now, doesn't that whet your literary appetite? Wouldn't you like to read such a book for yourself? Well, let me tell you how to enter to win it!


Photo Credit

Mandatory:
~ Post something imaginative on your blog - it could be a story you've written, a quote you read, a photo you took, a video you made...use your imagination! - and leave a comment on this post with the link!

Extras: (one comment for each additional entry)
~ Leave a comment with the title and author of a book that has most sparked your imagination
~ Follow The Lord's Lass
~ Leave a comment with the title and author of one of your favorite "chewing" books

Entries will be accepted until 11:59 pm of Thursday, March 23, 2012. Good luck, and happy imagining!

NOTE: The drawing is open to both U.S. and international bloggers! :)