along the way

2012-01-18T16:26:00.000Z

Florence and Nathaniel were hanging out together yesterday afternoon while I was running errands.
When I returned I found this little piece of art on our coffee table - I loved the paper but was a little surprised at the liberty that was taken on the table top.

I asked Nathaniel about it, he said:
'I figured that the table top was covered ugly marks and stains anyway, so why not cover it with the creativity of our daughter?'
Hmmm - He makes an interesting point.

follow up...

2012-01-06T20:47:00.001Z

So I could hardly believe it this morning when I found a muffin and a half left on the plate. Apparently they liked them. I am so glad they left one for me! - the muffin was indeed delicious.

I feel rather cheeky that they came out so well considering my out look on them last night.
I wondered if they would know that there is only have a half a cup of sugar and a quarter of a cup of oil? this is the healthiest thing I have made them.
So, I guess to sum up. I love the cranberry muffin at Panera Bread, and I felt like this muffin was just as delicious - even without the nuts. And probably better for me anyway.
Nice.

2012-01-06T01:47:00.000Z

I have had a bit of a holiday from Friday morning treats, and now I am back to it and I am a bit rusty.
I poked around my kitchen at about 6.30 to see what I had to work with and it seems that I haven't been shopping in about two weeks. All I had to work with was oranges and frozen cranberries - yes delicious I know but I feel like the guys have been over loaded with cranberry - And on top of it all it seems I used my last stick of butter last night! I know you are wondering why I don't just run out to the store, but it's a bit complicated.
So I have just put into the oven some muffins that uses the random bits I have here at home and will hopefully taste delicious.

Cranberry Pecan Streusel Muffins from Epicurious.com
so I didn't use any nuts, wheat germ or orange extract as I didn't have them in my cupboard, but pretty impressive huh? I am quite please. and I will say that at the moment they smell absolutely delicious. I will post a picture tomorrow to show them off.

2012-01-03T20:01:00.000Z

my sweet Florence...

She will be 1 year old this month...

what ever did I do without her?

2011-12-08T00:48:00.001Z

Yesterday I helped my in-laws get a few Christmas decorations up.
While poking around in the Christmas closet, looking for a small floral box that contained the string and clips that have held their christmas cards on display year after year, Lucinda pulled out this or that and would comment:
'oh yes, and this is from my childhood, though I only remember there being two of them...'
or
'someone gave that to us for Christmas one year and I have never none what to do with it, would you like to take it?'
or
'if you see anything you need for your Christmas decorating, be sure to take it home with you'.
It was nice to look through some of the treasures in that closet, it got me thinking about my undecorated home down the hill.

Anyway, today I pulled out our one box of Christmas decorations from the closet.
I discovered that we don't have much decorating work to do until we get a tree - it seems that all we own are two strings of Christmas lights and tree ornaments. Oh, yes and three red and white stripped candles that I think have been sitting unused in the box since we were married.

I kept out the candles and two tree ornaments, then put the rest away till we get our tree.

Its a start...I think later this week I will take Lucinda up on her offer to pick out a few Christmas decorations from their wonderful Christmas closet.

2011-12-02T02:52:00.001Z

Last Thursday I was cooking Thanksgiving dinner all by myself....it's kinda lonely cooking a big meal all by yourself. I was missing the company of my mom and my sisters and my sisters-in-laws. Throwing caution to the wind I called home - we all know that it is dangerous to cook and talk on the phone at the same time, you never know what mistakes will be made!
After being passed around the ladies in the kitchen I was passed (very smart of them) to Mercy who was not yet on duty and who was actually enjoying a bit of breakfast. She was eating an all time Newton favorite - Cranberry Coffee Cake. We discussed it - this is kinda how it went:

me: I love that coffee cake, I wish I made it for our breakfast.
Mercy: Yeah, its pretty delicious...but I just wish it had more cream cheese in it you know? It's just that I love cream cheese so much.
me: Maybe you should talk to Mom about that...maybe the cake could have a cream cheese icing instead of powered sugar.

Anyway, I don't know if you talked to Mom about that cream cheese idea Mercy, but I was inspired by our conversation to make the Cranberry Coffee Cake for the guys tomorrow for breakfast. I considered, for about 5 seconds, how to add more cream cheese for you Mercy but in the end I figured you wouldn't be here to try it so I had just better stick to the recipe.

Cranberry Coffee Cake:
preheat oven at 350 F
1 8oz package of cream cheese
1 cup butter/margerine
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
4 eggs
2 cups flour
1 1/2 Tbs baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 cups of cranberries (sorry, I don't know if these are supposed to be chopped or not...I did a bit of both. hehe. anyone who knows, do fill the rest of us in!)

Cream the sugar, cream cheese and the butter then add the vanilla and eggs.
Mix together the flour, baking powder and the salt then add to the butter mixture.
Once combined add the cranberries and mix until evenly distributed.
Spoon into a greased bundt pan.
Bake for 1 hour, check after 50 min - it's done when a knife comes out clean!

2011-11-28T18:58:00.001Z

isn't this adorable?

(find out all about it here.)

Sunday brunch jacket by Oliver + S

maybe a nice sewing project for these up-coming long winter days & nights.

I'm thinking it could be a lite Spring coat for florence.

colossians

2011-11-27T19:38:00.000Z

dear Naomi - it's so good to be asked about how memorizing colossians is going.

lets just say I have had my ups and downs...but I have been pressing on.
we are using a scheme from this website. the basic idea is to memorize 2 verses a week and by the end of a year you will have memorized the entire book! it has been so good - but I tell you what those first two chapters are jammed packed with mind boggling theology. so good, so intense. it has taken me a bit to get them memorized properly.
at the rate I am going, I think I am on the 2 year plan. and that's ok, disciplining myself in memorizing scripture is always worth it even if I get off schedule! it is amazing how memorizing scripture reinforces and cements truth in my heart and mind.

I think the coat from Selma will be just perfect for the winter...so cute, even with the sleeves rolled!.

2011-11-27T19:10:00.001Z

the Thanksgiving center piece.

nice. simple. little. perfect.

2011-11-18T00:56:00.001Z

A picture of Autumns last burst of color

I think there must be two kinds of cold - one that makes you want to bake and create wonderful things in the kitchen, and the other one makes you want to cuddle under a blanket, read a book and really do nothing. yesterday was a cuddle up under a blanket and do nothing sort of cold - lets just say I was not terribly productive.

Nathaniel was so kind as to eat left overs from the night before so I didn't have to make dinner but I still needed to make something for the guys. I was planning on making an cinnamon type roll with an orange flair - a recipe I tore out of a magazine years ago and never got around to making.
Due to my 'do nothing' state I didn't get around to starting my baking till 6.30 - not enough time to make a yeast dough unless I was planning on staying up till 11, which I was not. Instead I flipped to a banana bread recipe in my recipe binder...the title on the recipe: Real Simple Banana Bread.
real simple thats what I needed...and it really was really simple. nice - I hardly had to think while putting this together.
So I guess most of you out there already have a really simple go to banana recipe but for those of you who don't tuck this one away it may just come in handy.

1 stick of butter melted
1 cup of sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp baking soda
2 cups flour
3 mashed ripe bananas
*and I added 1/2 tsp of salt and left out the 1/2 cup nuts*

mix in order given
pour into a large greased loaf pan
bake at 350 F for 50 minutes until golden brown
cool on wire rack 10 minutes then turn out onto rack to cool completely

I did over cook mine - we were having issues with our heater, you understand how one can get distracted by heaters right? See, because it was so cold in our house we turned the heater on in the afternoon - but then it wouldn't shut off so that it was 84 degrees in our house and climbing at 7.30 last night.
I told Nathaniel that this was the only time in my life we would have our home so warm in the winter and I wasn't even being able to enjoy it because I was stressing out as to whether the heater would ever shut off. Anyway I was a little distracted and the bread over cooked. but here is the thing - it was still delicious, it just needed a little...ok fine, a lot of butter.
Also - I think this recipe is courtesy of Gab, at least it looks like her hand writing...thanks for passing along this great recipe I have been looking for something like this for ages and silly me, I had it all along.

2011-11-11T14:44:00.000Z

last week I bought some molasses - I have been thinking about gingerbread.
for this morning I made a pan of gingerbread, a Jackson family recipe.
I don't think I realized that gingerbread could be anything but cutout cookies until Nathaniel and I got married.
as it turns out gingerbread is one of Nathaniel's favorites - loves it at breakfast, tea, dessert with a bit of whipped cream...

Everyone can use a good gingerbread recipe - especially with Christmas around the corner (Ahhh! Christmas is coming!). Please, please, please make this recipe at some point in the next two months and especially eat it with freshly whipped cream and a cup of coffee.

mix together:
1 1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp cloves
1/2 tsp nutmeg

in a different bowl mix together
1/2 cup of melted butter
1/2 cup of boiling water
1/2 cup of molasses
1 egg

mix all the ingredients together until smooth
pour into a 8-9 inch cake pan
bake at 325 F for 35 minutes

I ate a piece while skyping with Gab this morning - I restrained myself from exclaiming out loud just how delicious it was because I didn't want her to be sad not to have a piece of her own.
I definitely do not make this recipe enough.

I don't make it nearly often enough.

coconut banana bread

2011-11-10T14:51:00.003Z

our yummy bread from last Friday morning.
Nathaniel called it Caribbean banana bread.
he loved it - Florence had a little nibble of my piece, she was wild about it. She would have eaten my entire piece if I had let her get her little hands on it. Thanks for the suggestion Jamey!

(the picture is from the myrecipes.com)

when the days get really cold this winter I will whip up a batch of this bread and pretend we are far away in the Virgin Islands.
For those of you interested check out the recipe here.

2011-11-03T14:14:00.001Z

At some point in the early summer, my sister-in-law, Gillian came over for dinner.
Because she is totally awesome she stayed around to help with the clean up. After poking around under the sink a bit she turned and asked me where I kept my rubber gloves for washing dishes.
I told her that I actually didn't own any - simply put she was baffled.
I have my reasons -

those yellow gloves are always soooo huge! when I use them I feel like I am clunking around in them
because they are huge, water always gets in them and they take forever to dry out - gross
probably the biggest reason is that really, I can't be bothered with them - I don't want to take the time to pull out the rubber gloves and put them on when by the time I do all that I could have my dishes washed (in theory!)

Gillian listened to my reasons and simply said, 'I don't know, you might find that you like them...'

A couple weeks later, I am opening my birthday present from Gillian...she bought me a pair of rubber gloves. Size x-small the package said, and they are purple not yellow. Gillian smiled - you never know...

Ah - well those gloves have sat under my counter unused since July.
Last week I was washing up the blender and cut my finger on the blade (because I was lazy and didn't take the blender apart the way I should have done), a terrible inconvenience. I remembered the gloves under my sink and decided they might just keep my fingers dry (remember - size x-small!?) and I could keep washing up without the risk of infection.

I think I have been converted. These purple gloves have done everything Gillian said they would do and then some. So I don't know - come over some time and offer to do my dishes, I might even let you use my awesome purple gloves that are not clunky, keep your hands dry and if the sponge is smelly your hands don't get smelly too.

falling behind...

2011-10-30T18:12:00.001Z

but still here.

This Friday the plan was to make the coconut lime banana bread recommended by Jamey.
However come Thursday my bananas were just not ripe enough - It has taken me long enough to learn that if I go ahead a make the bread before those bananas are ripe I am ALWAYS disappointed.
I decided to wait a week.
Ha! now you know what I have in store for next week - finally I am ahead again!
Anyway, I decided to take some of the coconut that I had for the banana bread and make some scones mom and I made while she was here.
chocolate - coconut - almond scones. This recipe is also thanks to Joy the Baker and you can take a look here.
Here's the thing, I have always been very anti-chocolate in my breakfast. Never - ever would you catch me with chocolate chips in my pancakes, muffins, banana bread...you name it - it just never happened. And yet here I am make scones with chocolate chips...and would you believe I love them? I don't think that I have been converted to chocolate chips in my pancakes, but I think I am beginning to understand a little bit.
Absolutely delicious. and it makes more scones than my other recipe, which means that here we are on Sunday still enjoying them - grant it a little stale, but nothing a little warming up in the toaster and some butter can't cover up.

my Central New York baby

2011-10-22T15:30:00.000+01:00

loves apples.

as you can see, one apple is just not enough,

she will share as long as she gets to hold the apple

- & it doesn't interrupt her own enjoyment of it

she can hardly stop gnawing away for a picture,

ah, but I guess she comes by

it honestly!

2011-10-22T14:57:00.000+01:00

After a wonderful and inspiring visit with mom this past week I came to last night with a resounding crash. I was missing having someone to discuss baking ideas with and then the companionship that comes when you have someone working in the kitchen with you.
What in the world was I going to make for Friday morning - there I was searching through my cupboards remembering that it can't be anything that calls for too much baking powder because mom and I used so much last week I hardly had any left...and I was not about to go out and buy some.
I found a can of pumpkin puree. Perfect!
Pumpkin bread it would be. It will be a nice break from all the apples I have been feeding them.
The recipe comes from Martha Stewart - she makes it in loaf pans, I went with the bunt pan (prettier that way).
I am going to do the cheater way and I won't take the time to write it out. Have a look at the recipe here.

A few thoughts...

if you like pumpkin pie - you will love this. It is still cake like while somehow also being creamy and dense. Though, perhaps the denseness of it has to with the fact that I may have slightly undercooked it?
instead of the plain icing the recipe called for I made a cream cheese icing. This I highly recommend, it is a bit more decadent/desserty but there is something so wonderful about cream cheese and pumpkin.
and on a personal preference - I wouldn't make this recipe again for myself. I tend to like my pumpkin bread to be bread and not so much like pie.

2011-09-30T17:15:00.000+01:00

I apologize ahead of time - this is going to be a long post...and I am also sorry to say that it will have no pictures of my creations, I was a bit too groggy at 5.30 this morning to remember to grab the camera to take a picture of them just out of the oven.

So, this morning, the guys enjoyed giant cinnamon rolls for breakfast.
I have grown in my cinnamon roll making over the last few years - gathering tips from my sisters, and my mom.
I now have a couple different dough recipes to use depending on what is around in my kitchen, yesterday I made what I call the deluxe version, which involves milk and an egg.

Step 1:
1 package of dry active yeast (2 1/2 tsp)
1/2 cup of warm water
1/2 tsp sugar
dissolve yeast and sugar in the water and set aside,

Step 2:
1 cup scalded milk (cooled)
1/3 cup oil
1/3 cup sugar
1 tsp salt
pour the milk over the oil, sugar and salt. stir till combined & sugar is dissolved. If needed continue to let cool.

Step 3:
1 egg wisked
in a large bowl, combine the yeast mixture, milk mixture and the egg. gradually add -

5 cups of flour
stir till all the flour is mixed in, turn the dough out onto a floured surface and place the bowl over the top. Let it rest for 10 min.
After resting, knead dough till smooth and springy (using more flour as necessary - I find it to be a rather sticky dough). return the dough to the bowl, cover and let rise for 1 1/2 - 2 hours.

Step 4:
Roll out the dough into a large rectangle - large but not too thin!
Melt 1 stick of butter - and spread over rectangle, pour excess into baking pan.
* a sweet trick I learned from Naomi: put the butter in the microwave & almost just barely start to melt it so most of it is still solid just very very soft. It makes less mess that way when spreading onto the dough, and when rolling them up*
Sprinkle generously with cinnamon and brown sugar
and if you like - it's always fun to add raisins/ cranberries (my favorite)/ toasted nuts...

Step 5:
Roll the dough loosely into a giant log (roll up the long end of the dough), with a knife slice the log into about 1 1/2 inch rolls and place them into a 8 1/2 x 11 pan.
Don't squeeze them together - I generally do a 2-1-2-1-2 with the rolls, this gives them room to grow and (I personally think) helps them cook through properly.
I generally have overflow and need to put 3 of the rolls into a pie dish (this will depend on how thick you make the rolls).

Step 6:
You can now do one of two things
- cover them with plastic wrap and put them in the refrigerator to bake later, I have stored them this way for up to two days no problem. I take them out of the fridge 30 min - 1 hour before I want to bake them.
- bake them right away and of course, enjoy!

Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes

and finally make an icing to go over the rolls out of confectioners sugar and milk - or I like to use half&half.

2011-09-23T22:15:00.002+01:00

I did get these made in a timely fashion yesterday, I just didn't manage to get it written down.
I found this recipe in a cookbook I borrowed from the library, The Sono Baking Company Cookbook by John Barricelli.
This is about the third time I have borrowed it - I love the pictures and the recipes, but I have never actually made anything from it. Today was the day!

I chose a recipe that would work with all the apples I have lying around my kitchen.

Apple Handpies:
2 Tbs unsalted butter
2 Tbs granulated sugar (I used brown sugar...)
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
a pinch of salt
2 Granny Smith (or cooking apples) cored & sliced
Juice of 1/2 a lemon
1 (14 oz) sheet of puff pastry
1 large egg beaten, for egg wash
1-2 Tbs coarse sugar, for finishing

Preheat the oven at 425 F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper (not necessary but terribly convenient for clean-up).
In a saucepan, combine the butter, sugar, cinnamon and salt over medium-low heat, stir to melt the butter. Add the apple slices and the lemon juice. Cook, stirring often, until the apples are tender. Use a potato masher or fork to mash 1/4 of the apples to create a chunky sauce to help bind the rest of the apple slices. Set aside to cool
Roll out the puff pastry to about 1/8 of an inch thickness. (these can be cut to whatever size and shape you fancy...for my purposes, I cut squares so I could have triangle handpies). Cut into desired shape, brush around half of the rim of each square with egg wash then spoon in a generous amount of the apple mixture into the center of each. Fold the un-egg washed side over the filling and press the edges together with your fingers to seal. Place them on the prepared baking sheet, brush all over with egg wash. Sprinkle with sugar and cut slits into the pies to let the steam out.
Bake, rotating the baking sheet about half way through, until the pastries are golden brown - about 15 minutes.

I was delighted with how they came out. Next time I may try a different filling...pears? berries of some kind? anyway definitely a keeper.

2011-09-22T20:08:00.003+01:00

Florence and I walk to the Library on a regular basis.
(I sometimes feel like I am live in sweet luxury because I have a library, a coffee shop and a second hand shop three blocks from my house.)
When we went yesterday we looked through the tables covered with leftover books from the book sale this past weekend.
Florence found a book about all things red - nice colour my little girl!
I found Bill Cosby, Himself on VHS for .50 cents.
Nice!
we don't own a VHS player, but...seriously how much fun would it be to watch.
I totally bought it.
Now I just need to find someone who has a VHS player and claim one of Nathaniel's free nights so we can watch it together.

doing double duty

2011-09-15T18:42:00.002+01:00

My sister-in-law, Kate, is coming over this morning for coffee. I decided to make the all time classic Newton scone that can do double duty for coffee this morning and for the guys tomorrow morning.

I made the lemon poppy seed version. While making them I was remembering how I would make these when living at 10 Montague with Aunt Gillian. It took a few tries before I was able to figure out the correct conversion for butter - in England butter comes in blocks of 250 gms. I would borrow the poppy seeds from Aunt Gillian's spice shelf. If I could manage, especially while they were fresh from the oven, I would bring 2 or 3 down to share with Aunt Gillian to have with her coffee, or tea depending on the time of day.
She would always exclaim over them - then generously spread butter on the halves, which she said was the best way to eat a scone even if it did give her indigestion.

Newton's lemon poppy seed scone:
2 cups flour
1 Tbs baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
2 Tbs sugar
1/2 cup butter (8 Tbs)
3/4 cup of butter milk/plain yoghurt/soured milk
zest of 1 lemon
1 1/2 Tbs poppy seeds

mix dry ingredients, poppy seeds and lemon zest
cut in butter - using pastry cutter or food processor
mix in the butter milk, if using a food processor (which I have been using) dump flour butter mixture onto the counter or into a bowl and fold in the buttermilk.
gently knead the dough 3-4 times then pat into a round about 3/4 inch thick
cut 6-8 pie slices and place on a rimmed cookie sheet
bake at 400 for 10-15 minutes

for the icing -
2 cups powdered sugar - give or take a little for the right consistency
1-2 Tbs lemon juice
1 tsp milk
1 tsp light corn *optional* I like to use it to help harden the icing a tiny little bit

mix all ingredients with a wisk
ice the tops of scones (or entire thing if you desire) after the scones have cooled

These keep for about two days if you put them in an airtight container, but are best eaten as soon as possible.

and if you are feeling indulgent, you might try your with a thick

spread of butter as recommended by Aunt Gillian.

2011-09-14T02:56:00.003+01:00

Today smelled like Fall, the wind blew like Fall, the leaves in the trees rustled like Fall and the leaves on the ground crunched like Fall. The temperature, not so much. But I was still inspired.

Florence wore her new sweater from Gran, and I wore a tights under my dress.
I made oatmeal cranberry cookies with lots of cinnamon to take with me to visit a friend for lunch.
At lunch we ate winter squash soup, the squash fresh from the garden.
'I need someone to come pick some of the apples off my tree - are you interested?' my mother in law said in a phone message...Yes! we will be there. Right after Florence wakes from her nap!

Nathaniel came with us, we picked two big bags full. The apples are now sitting on my kitchen floor.
I am thinking homemade applesauce, apple cake, apple tart titan, apple muffins...hmm Fall has such a cozy feel to it.

2011-09-09T01:44:00.001+01:00

hmm - so you probably thought I forgot - go on, admit it!

Tonight I am trying a recipe from Everyday Foods, a coffee cake muffin.
Something I love to eat but have never actually made. I think it is because I have a love-hate relationship with streusel toppings. I love to eat them, I hate that every time I make it something seems to go wrong with it.

You can find all the details here on the Martha Stewart web page.

For the muffins-

1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temp
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 cup sour cream (I used yogurt instead)
1 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 eggs

For the streusel-

1 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup chilled butter

Directions
preheat oven at 350 butter muffin tins - this should make 12 muffins

mix streusel together (I used the food processor) and set aside for later
mix wet ingredients adding eggs last one at a time
add the dry ingredients
fill muffin cups half way with batter, put a spoonful of streusel into each cup then fill the cups with the remaining batter. cover the tops of the muffins with streusel.
bake for 25-30 min.

So I just pulled them out of the oven. the streusel disappeared - stink! - I did however cut one in half for a taste. pretty yummy, but they did not look like the picture.

friday morning treats

2011-09-07T16:43:00.000+01:00

At 9pm last Thursday I was sweetly reminded that, well - it was Thursday night, & the next morning was Friday when Nathaniel had prayer at 6am with the guys.

I am so thankful that these men faithfully get together every week to pray - it is such a blessing and an encouragement to me to see them make prayer together a priority in their lives.

Wanting to show them how thankful I am - I try to make some sort of nice breakfast treat to eat with their tea & coffee...you know, bless them in return.

More often then not, Thursday sneaks up on me as it did last week and I end up scrambling to whip something up.

When mom was here in July we chatted -

there are men who come bright and early to their house to pray with Papi. We laughed together as she shared about the time she and Papi overslept while the guys waited patiently out in their cars - yes those mornings happen at our house too, waking with a start hearing a knock at the door!
We also talked about how we can encourage our guys to continue on in this worthy pursuit.

I'm thinking about this -
one idea I have is to strive to get to bed at a decent hour on Thursday nights so it is not so hard to get up in the morning. And, I realize if I really want to continue bake something nice for them to eat in the morning I Cannot be remembering it is Thursday at 9 o'clock at night. The way it goes now, we never get to bed before 11.

To help me be diligent in this area of my life I am going to start sharing with you guys what I am planning on making for Friday morning.
And as I go along if you have any yummy recipes that are a hit in your house do let me know - I would love to give the recipe a go!

a new love in the kitchen

2011-09-01T15:15:00.000+01:00

mom brought me a cast iron skillet when they came to visit in July.

papi showed me how to season it, and mom made an an apple tarte tatin (from one of mom's favorite food blogs) in it for desert when we hosted my in-laws for dinner.

brilliant! I love, love, love it. I'm wondering what in the world I did without it all these years.
The other day, I found being cast iron skillet greedy when the thought flickered through my mind, "if only I had two skillets then I could...". hmmm.

truth be told, I have been enjoying thinking on how we discover things about ourselves. I remember going to a wedding shower while in college where the bride was absolutely delighted to receive a cast iron skillet - I sat there wondering who wanted a pan that you needed to season? Now I understand.

Thanks mom for holding on to this cast iron skillet for months & months, and remembering to pack it into your car when you and papi drove up this summer. Its been such a blessing.

2011-08-09T03:07:00.002+01:00

our little family took a New England holiday last weekend.
from New York to New Hampshire to Massachusetts to Rhode Island...nice.
we spent a day in Boston - a place I feel like I have always wanted to go.

walking & walking & walking - I quickly discovered how out of walking shape I have become in just one short year! - taking in all the sights! we followed the Freedom Trail, along the way we stopped into an Italian bakery and picked up a cannoli.

in the late afternoon Nathaniel insisted on treating me to a coffee (sweet husband...I was feeling pretty worn out!) & we rested our weary feet in a park near the harbor while enjoying our canolli.

look what will get this little girl crawling...

after a clam chowder dinner - a first for me, and it was delicious...probably due to all the cream and butter it contained - we were back on the road again.
as we left I wondered to myself if perhaps I might get another chance to get to know Boston a little better...perhaps just perhaps.

oh my...

2011-08-08T02:24:00.000+01:00

a sweater to make

for my next sweet baby perhaps?

Or perhaps...

for one of my adorable nieces?

i found it here at the purl bee.

Whit's Knits: Little Baby Sweater

3 matching dresses

2011-07-12T16:06:00.000+01:00

you might call it - the Jackson's Antique Attic Boutique, its where they come from.
three little white dresses, all just about the same size.

Three baby girls were born into the greater Jackson family: Florence, Anastasia & Liesl
Three little cousins almost the same age, all just about the same size.
While everyone was in town this weekend, we subjected our little girls to a matching dress photo op.

unfortunately the pictures did not come out very well - but the girls were terribly cute!

2011-07-01T00:51:00.001+01:00

Remember this lovely fabric - from this post last spring?

After making a table cloth and a dress for myself (which didn't quite come out, and I am not sure if I will ever actually wear it) there was still fabric left. I loved the fabric so much I couldn't bear to leave it in London & I managed to justify bringing it back with us by using it to wrap around some breakable items that were being mailed from Bromley to Syracuse.

Recently I was rooting through my bag of fabrics and was inspired to make a little dress for Florence. With all the interruptions of life I only just put the final touches on it.

I went back and forth about what buttons I should use - see I was so very drawn to those red buttons. But would it look like a Christmas tree Nathaniel asked? he had a point there.
In the end I went with my heart and used the red buttons, and I am so glad...hardly christmassy at all.

It's a bit big here and a bit wonky there, but she looks so stinking cute in it.
*and if you put her on the table - she practically disappears !*

life these days

2011-06-25T19:08:00.000+01:00

it seems to be spilling out all over my floors!

And lack of sleep at night from time to time results in mid-project naps.
My floors don't always look like this but it is more often then I would like, and I am learning about choices in the home these days.
As lovely as it is to have a clean home, it is not lovely if I am cleaning my home at the expense of spending time reading the Bible and quieting my heart before God.
Sometimes it is hard for me to choose time with God, but I am learning it is totally worth it.

Every word of God proves true;
he is a shield to those who take refuge in him.
Prov. 30:5

Summer in Syracuse is...

2011-06-14T19:14:00.006+01:00

Summer in Syracuse (for me at least) = visits to the ice cream stand as often as is reasonable - the hotter it gets the more often those reasonable visits occur.

ice cream outing with the nephews and niece

Here is how it goes down in the Jackson home -

You pile into the car, calling a friend or two as you do to see if they want to meet up.

On the way to ice cream stand you discuss what you will get this time - a very important decision.

While in line you study the menu options and continue to discuss what kind you are going to get (unless you are one of those people who always gets the same thing), and perhaps ask the people in line around you if they have tried such and such a flavor.

With ice cream in hand you settle down to enjoy the buzz of activity around you and some good conversation - sometimes you can even snag a table to sit at.

You make sure to sample the ice cream of those around you - using extra care when trading licks with the toddler sitting next to you!

You load back into the car happy (and sometimes a little sticky) and usually spend the ride home discussing the good & bad of the ice cream you chose and what you will try the next time.

This was just a little advert to entice people to come to Syracuse - !! - we would love a visit any time and I promise a visit to the ice cream stand as long as you arrive in the summer.

2011-06-07T14:48:00.005+01:00

I remember grocery shopping with my mom early Saturday mornings growing up (she would go really early so I don't think I made the trip very often...).
Now, I am practically all grown up - and I have a family of my own to shop for. I don't always manage to go early in the morning, though have found it is the most pleasant time to shop - you guys out there probably know what I am talking about.
I find myself doing things she would do, studying the meat prices - is there any super amazing deal this week?, browsing the flowers - sometime I buy some as a treat like she would, and if it is one of those rare early morning I get a small coffee to enjoy as I do my shopping - just like mom would.

I remember one day we went down the isle the Hersey's dark cocoa powder lives. As she grabbed one from the shelf she told me, 'This is something that I squeeze into the budget because I know that Papi really loves his cocoa, and it is a way I know that I can show him I love him.'

So sometimes when I am shopping and I make my way down the isle that the jam and fruit preserves live, I remember this wonderful practical way of loving my husband! Instead of the store brand, I grab Bonne Maman Raspberry preserves because I know Nathaniel really enjoys having some on his toast in the morning.

We may skip having something else in the house that week - but it is absolutely worth the squeeze!

A treat at 317

2011-04-22T14:50:00.005+01:00

So, Monday Nathaniel had the day off. In the late afternoon he asked me if I wanted to go for a walk. It was windy, a bit chilly and raining here and there but I love walks so of course I said yes!

The plan was - walk around the park, through the rose garden that has no roses blooming yet and then up the giant cobblestone hill to 317 Clarendon Street where Nathaniel's parents live to stop in for a cup of tea.

Florence got in her bear suite, I put on my boots, Nathaniel grabbed our Spring coats and we both grabbed umbrellas then we were out the door. It was a lovely walk - and invigorating! We got to 317 out of breath from walking up the hill, a bit chilled by the wind & the rain and ready for a good cup of tea.

Nathaniel making the fire

How lovely it was inside, Nathaniel was sent to make a fire in the fire place and Lucinda was whipping up a new scone recipe for us to try. Florence and I snuggled by the fire with a magazine until the tea and scones were ready. And what a treat those scones were! Ginger scones...with honey butter. Yum!
So we happily spent our late afternoon - a lovely fire, yummy tea and a good chat with people we love...it was such a nice time we stayed for supper and finally took ourselves home at 9.00pm!

Before we left though, I wrote down the recipe for those scones because I knew I would want to try them again.

Florence watching the fire intently in the arms of her
Grandma 'Cinda

Maybe you would like to try it too?

Ginger Scones

3 cups flour
2/3 cup sugar
1 Tbs baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp ground ginger
1 1/2 sticks butter
1 1/3 cups chopped toasted pecans
1/2 cup chopped crystallized ginger
1 cup butter milk
1 1/2 tsp grated ginger
1 tsp vanilla

Preheat the oven at 425 F
1) Mix the dry ingredients together in the food processor then add the butter cut up into chunks. Pulse together till butter is in small pea sized pieces.
2) Pour into a mixing bowl and add the pecans & crystallized ginger & grated ginger.
3) Mix in the butter milk and the vanilla.
4) Turn dough out onto the counter and knead 8-10 times.
5) Form a disk about an 1inch thick & cut wedges...place these on your cookie sheet.
6) Brush with buttermilk and sprinkle with sugar and crystallized ginger then bake for about 20 minutes.

Then to make the honey butter...(which is not necessary but oh so delicious)

1/2 cup of softened butter
1/2 cup of honey

*you can do this in a mixer if you want to*
Place butter in a bowl and beat in honey gradually with a wooden spoon (or your favorite spoon).
Serve immediately or put into the fridge for later use.

2011-04-16T15:20:00.003+01:00

5 years ago Nathaniel brought me to Syracuse to meet his family. He cleverly brought me in April when Spring is just beginning to burst forth. Every where I looked it seemed there were daffodils, lovely and cheerful. I thought perhaps Syracuse was the most beautiful places in the world! Oh to live in a place where daffodils grow even on the side of the highway.

Well, I do now.

And I now love daffodils even more, because now I understand the hardness of a long cold winter that precedes the glories of blooming daffodils other such bulb flowers. They remind me that winter has lost it's hold (even though there may still be snow from time to time) and they brighten up the grey days we still get with their cheerful bright yellow.

Did I mention that the daffodils are out in full force now? Lovely.

Ten thousand saw I at a glance

Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.
—William Wordsworth

Dear Naomi -

2011-04-12T15:59:00.005+01:00

Remember when we came to visit you in Spain? do you remember that conversation we had about what to do with the left over coffee while cleaning the kitchen up the morning after a late night of coffee, cards and conversation...and probably cake?

You said something like -
Keep it! you know lately I have been enjoying the coffee that is a day or two old better then fresh, it seems to get richer and more bold that way.

I was not too sure about that, but I poured the coffee into a glass and put it in the refrigerator for you to enjoy later that day...or whenever.

Well this morning I found some leftover coffee from the day before, thinking to myself what a shame that I didn't finish it! Then I remembered our conversation about coffee.
So I pulled down my favorite coffee cup, poured the coffee into my cup, popped it in the microwave, and stirred in a bit of milk (actually quite a bit of milk as it really does get more intense). So here I am drinking my day old coffee and enjoying it with my toast (made with stale home made bread ...but you can hardly tell when it is toasted you know!).
Thanks for passing on such nuggets of daily wisdom...I might have poured that coffee down the drain if it hadn't been for you.

I miss you Naomi!

Love, me

Blue for Florence

2011-04-11T22:32:00.003+01:00

Way back before Florence was born and we were still wondering whether she was going to be a boy or a girl, my sister Rachel began to knit a special sweater. A pattern that is crazy hard, and oh so pretty, Rachel started it trusting that we would have a girl - otherwise she said it was our loss.

The sweater was hand delivered last month, when Rachel and her husband Brett came for a visit. Rachel still knitting in every spare moment while they were here to make sure it would be finished before they had to leave.
Rachel and I had a nice sister outing to pick out appropriate buttons, and when at last the sweater was tried on we discovered it was the perfect fit. All fears that it might be too boyish in blue were dispelled. (not that I ever had any concerns really)

Florence is absolutely lovely in her blue sweater...she practically lives in it so to get as much use out of it as possible before she grows out of it!

2011-03-17T21:51:00.003Z

The sun came out this past week, and not wanting to waste this precious sunshine the three of us went out for a walk around the neighborhood.
We saw and heard many exciting signs of Spring - tiny buds on the trees and flowering crocus', then there was the noisy honking of Canadian Geese above our heads flying north.
As we approached the end of our walk - across the street from our house - another sign of Spring, people clearing out their basements and clutter that has gathered up over the winter months.

Poking out of the large pile of junk we happened to see just the piece of furniture missing in our living room. A coffee table. After a quick glace over, it seemed decent enough so I picked up one end and Nathaniel the other and we walked it across the street to our little home.

Will you paint it I asked?
Nathaniel said he would do, and also said he would find something to fill the space where there used to be glass.

How good God is to provide a coffee table for us that is exactly within our budget and the then skills to spruce it up a bit.

2011-03-09T21:49:00.006Z

The other day Nathaniel was keeping an eye on Florence for me while I got a few jobs done around the house.

At some point he came into the room I was working and said very seriously:

I think there is a problem...
(me slightly concerned) Whats that?
See, Florence just wants to be kissed all the time and so I can't get anything done...
I laughed and agreed I had the very same problem.

yes our Florence has the most kissable little face...

with cheeks like this who could resist?

reminding myself

2011-03-08T21:36:00.005Z

Sometimes March can be a hard month in Syracuse.

The magic of winter and snow worn off, weary of clearing snow off cars, and putting on (and taking off) layer after layer of clothing, people start to speak hopefully of Spring.

I remember my first winter here, my sister-in-law Sarah gave me The Long Winter by Laura Ingalls Wilder, as if to say "just wait till you see what you are getting in for!" I read it for the first time in my life and I admit to feeling a little nervous about the winter months ahead of me.

I laugh now - certainly winter in Syracuse is a lovely thing and the only negative really is that the weather does seem to tease you during the months of March and April. A week of temperatures in the low 40s (warm as some people here call it) will melt away the snow and tempt you to wear fewer layers when out and about. Suddenly without warning the following week there will be a snow storm dropping a 15 inches of snow leaving you with freezing temperatures and often a cold because 40 degrees really is not that warm to be traipsing about with fewer layers!

This very thing happened over the weekend...

our car is the one on the left...it took N a good part of the morning to
shovel the snow enough so we could get out.

- and so this week instead of grumbling, I have been reminding myself of the beauty of winter, relishing my cozy sweaters, and making up my favorite soups.

And really I know that Spring Must come sometime, so I must not waste my time wishing for something that is not yet and enjoy the here and now!

2011-02-24T17:29:00.004Z

Today, Florence is 5 weeks old.

We celebrated by taking a couple steps into 'normal' life.
(whatever that is anyway...)

We got out of the house by 7 - I was in sweats and a hoodie, and Florence was still in her 'jammies, but still - We met up with some girls from church for our Thursday morning get together. This is the first one we have made it to since Florence arrived.
We went to the grocery store, sure it wasn't a big shopping venture - just to pick up a few items to make Nathaniel his special birthday desert! - but there were no melt downs by either of us and we didn't forget anything. I would count that outing a success.
We went for a walk - it was below freezing but Florence was snugged up in a couple blankets, and a lovely warm wool hat from her Gran and buttoned up into a carrier. It was good to get some fresh air even if my fingers felt frozen as I am glove less at the moment. (by the way mom - if you are reading this, I think I should try to make those sweet fingerless gloves you were wearing while you were here...where can I get my cold fingers on that pattern!?)

dear baby...

2011-01-09T16:01:00.003Z

We've got a car seat to put in the car so you can come with us everywhere we go when you arrive.

There are tiny little diapers tucked away in a drawer.

Gran has reserved her flight to Syracuse.

I am waddling more and more as you get bigger and bigger.
('try to be graceful - and stop making those grunts every time you put on your boots or get out of the car', I tell myself - sorry if I squish you).

A bag is packed and ready for a trip to the hospital.

We can't wait to meet you little baby - please come soon...

new years resolutions

2011-01-08T15:10:00.002Z

Have I mentioned this before?
I do really love the new year, there is something about having a set time to reflect and start fresh.
I generally don't make an exhaustive list of resolutions but I do try to pick one or two areas in my life I would like to focus on particularly.
A staple to my list every year seems to be remembering all the birthdays in my family...at least remember siblings birthdays I tell myself. It keeps being a resolution because be the time January is out I have missed about 3 or 4 already!

Well I have kept my list to 3 this year:

1. Keep an updated calendar - contrary to what I may feel, they are not there just to look pretty, but to keep me organized.

2. Learn how to make a Danish pastry - my mother-in-law gave me a sweet old Danish cook book to remind me it is good connect with my family history - my heritage as she puts it.

and the one I am most excited about...

3. Memorize the book of Colossians - I am doing it with 3 friends from church, we are using this bible memory scheme here where we memorize 2 verses a week over the course of
the year.

Want to join us? It would be fabulous if you did... even if you have to stop after a bit - even a small portion of scripture memory is valuable!
check out the site, they provide adorable memory cards you can print out to aid with the memorization. The cards are in NIV, which I think we may end up using the ESV translation instead - but the cards are so cute I may try to recreate them in the ESV.

*As you can see birthdays didn't make it to the list this year... I thought perhaps I needed to take the pressure off and see if keeping a calendar (resolution #1!) will naturally result in my remembering the birthdays of all my loved ones...*

moving & memories

2010-11-08T00:43:00.004Z

Yesterday Nathaniel and a few other strong men collected all our belongings from around Syracuse and deposited them into our new flat. I have been looking forward to this day for a very long time, even before we made our big move from England I was looking forward to the day I would be able to unpack all our belongings.

As I considered the boxes that surrounded me in my new kitchen I saw that all the boxes had been labeled carefully to help guide my unpacking... and all the writing was done in my mom's handwriting. And that made me smile.

The more I looked around, the more I saw little traces of my parents love and care for Nathaniel and me. Two and a half years ago they came for a visit to Syracuse, and they spent the majority of their visit packing our belongings and helping us prepare for our move to England. What a delight to go about my work yesterday (and today), remembering that time together with my parents.

Sending Papi & Mom off - after all their hard work...

Unpacking boxes of cloths I remembered Mom giving valuable input on what cloths to save, give away and take with me to England. 'Yes', I thought, 'I am glad mom told me to pack this corduroy blazer away...' Mom is wise that way.

Trying to put our bed together yesterday we were thankful for Papi's packing common sense when we went hunting for all the vital little internal pieces, and found them all safely packed together in the rods of the bed. Just where they should be...Papi is clever that way.

And so my day went yesterday - one memory after another - reminded of our time and conversations together, and it was good.
...and thank you Papi & Mom for loving us in such practical ways...

today - I am thankful

2010-11-03T00:29:00.003Z

Life has been pretty full these last few months.
Some days I have felt a little lost
- lost in the chaos of my life.
Do you ever feel that way?

If I can only make it through today, I think to myself.
And God is so faithful to not only help me through the day,
but to help me get through each moment -
and I am thankful.

This morning I experienced Autumns first frost.
The 6am sky was crystal clear,
the air was sharp,
and the moon made a bright crescent high above me.

The God who made this amazing world around me, is the same God who cares for me. He has not lost me in the chaos of my life...to him it is not chaos at all. He is my heavenly Father, and he knows my coming in and my going out -
and I am thankful.

in Cambridge you ride bicycles

2010-07-02T13:44:00.005+01:00

(just a small sample of the many many bicycles...)

We went to Cambridge (finally!), and we loved it.
We wondered why it took us almost 2 years to get there.
I told Nathaniel I would be happy to move there if he wanted to.
Nathaniel said maybe someday.

2010-06-10T17:29:00.003+01:00

In London Today
Sunrise: 4:44am
Sunset: 9:17pm

Back in February my sister and her family from Spain came to visit for a few days. On the first night I explained the blinds - 'they don't close all of the way, I hope this does not throw off your sleeping patterns...'
'What no Black-out Shades, what sort of backwards country is this?' Naomi replied teasingly.
(in Spain, every home comes equipped with built in metal black-out shades that really do keep your home completely dark no matter what time of day it is)
But really it would be not problem - as in February the sun goes down at 4 and rises at 8:30ish.

This morning at about 5am the light was pouring through our less than adequate window shades and in the grouchy fogginess of my mind to those words Naomi said came back to me...What sort of backwards country is this?
...perhaps one that will make me the early morning riser I always wish I were (for 4 months out of the year at least)!
Either that or I need to realize that I am the backwards one for not biting the bullet and purchasing proper curtains.

preparing

2010-06-09T12:31:00.004+01:00

On a walk with Nathaniel a few days ago
- we do that a lot lately, its free and now that the sun does not go down till after 9 we are often tempted for a late evening stroll -
we were discussing the many changes that will be coming up in the next few months.

After I listed several things that needed to be done in preparation - my heart beginning to feel overwhelmed - Nathaniel said, "and the most important preparation is the spiritual one..."

no pictures of our walks so just a picture of the two of us!

So very true. I think so often I get wrapped up in preparing for life and worrying about the things I can't prepare for that I forget how valuable spending time with God is.
Prepare my heart first, and then prepare for what lies ahead.

2010-05-26T19:39:00.004+01:00

The weather has just about warmed up enough
to entice me out into the front garden to enjoy my morning coffee and reading!
(though usually still with a light sweater)

*And that makes me happy*

2010-05-26T11:35:00.001+01:00

One of the fun things I have been up to recently with my time is going to the library.

I found a nice back path to get to the library which does take a little longer then the straight forward way but I always feel a little like I might happen upon something magical. As of yet nothing, but I will let you know if anything magical does happen!
(you never know...)

I have found that our local branch has a wonderful collection of cook books, and I have taken great delight in taking them out one by one and reading through them.

a recipe I recently tried (from Tana Ramsay's Family Kitchen) and that I think is super yum...

Fruit salad with oats and warm yoghurt:
1/4 cup oats
1/4 cup blueberries
1/4 cup raspberries
(really you could use any berries or fruit you have on hand)
2 Tbs water
raw sugar (or what ever sugar you prefer)
1/4 cup natural yoghurt
4 tsp runny honey

lightly toast the oat flakes in a small frying pan until golden brown (take care not to burn!). set the pan to the side.
meanwhile place blueberries and raspberries into a small saucepan, add water and a sprinkle of the raw sugar (or what ever...) heat this gently, stirring occasionally.
add the yoghurt to the pan of toasted oat flakes and gently stir through.
when the fruit is nice and warm, serve the yoghurt & oatmeal into a small bowl, spoon on the fruit, and drizzle over the honey.
this should make for 2 servings or if you have little ones probably this would feed 4...Enjoy!

2010-05-09T17:42:00.004+01:00

I am sprouting tomato plants.
I will probably be in Texas when they actually start producing tomatoes,
but it is still fun to watch them grow.

Soon - into a pot (or two!) they will go.

frivolity with £2

2010-05-07T15:16:00.004+01:00

On an early morning walk this week I found a £2 coin laying on the side of the road.
I picked it up and put it in my pocket.
All week long I fingered it - What would I do with it? - I wondered from time to time.
A coffee maybe? perhaps that hair accessory I have been eying? or maybe I should put it away and save it for a day when we go to Greenwich market...

who knew £2 could be so fun?

On Friday I was doing some errands, browsing the shelves at Boots (our local drug store) for a few items I happened upon something completely frivolous...

Cleansing Milk...a lightly cleansing milk infused with soothing geranium oil it says on the box...for my face. I looked, smelled, read the back, appreciated the very very fun packaging (what is not to love about a glass jar of face lotion?), then put it back on the shelf and started to walked away. Then I noticed the sign, 50% off all Boots facial products.
I couldn't help it, I looked at the price -£1.98.
hmm - this was just the thing for my £2 coin!

a project

2010-04-28T14:13:00.005+01:00

back in January my sweet friend Ellen had her fourth child - she said one day,
"Abi, would you like to borrow my sewing machine? I certainly won't be using for the next good long while.."
Delightful! of-course I would take care of the sewing machine for her.
However I soon discovered that fabric, patterns and sewing notions were not as easy to come by as I initially thought. When discussing this with a friend who sews, she confirmed my suspicions there were no local fabric shops, I would have to make a trip into the centre of London to find what I was looking for. Don't get me wrong, I love going into the centre of the city - but not when I have to interrupt the flow of my day when all I need is a bit of thread or some buttons.
Since then my mom has come for a visit, and tucked in her suitcase was lovely fabric to help me get on with my projects.
how very happy!
I used half of this lovely green print for a table cloth, and it makes me smile. It helps a huge deal in making our little flat look homey - the other half I have dreams of a skirt, still waiting for the perfect pattern to appear.

the other fabric mom brought, I used to make napkins - which I have been longing to make for ages. I just hate throwing away napkins every time we have a meal! this is much better.

Saturday

2010-04-26T12:11:00.007+01:00

(bet you thought we got stuck in Paris...!)

9.30am Soo Jeung and I are awakened by a knock on our hotel bedroom -
its was Nathaniel and Steve.
They had risen at 6 to go to the train station to try to purchase tickets...what a blessing to have men to take care of us! Tickets were purchased and we were booked for a 12 noon train to Calais.

Off to the train station we went with a few moments to spare, just enough time to stop in at good old dependable McDonalds. Seemed a bit sacrilegious (I mean we were in the land of wonderful Baguette and Croissants), but but we were on a time restriction and budget, and even as I got to the counter to order I thought 'Even McDonalds can sound classy when spoken in French...Bonjour, um, le petit wrap... ' *smile*!

As we clacked along the French country side, all around us on the train we heard snippets of conversation - other travelers on the same situation with us. There was a sense of being bound together, people all on the same mission - but there was also a twinge of competition, what will we do when we get to Calais that no body else will think of? how can we be first in line.
What a battle to fight against the desires of the flesh, it is so contrary to put others first and look around for those who might need a helping hand.

To the Ferry! After so many grim reports, we found ourselves happily settled on a ferry crossing the Chanel within 2 hours of arriving in Calais. It was the beginning of the end of our journey and we were relieved.

(tired but happy - waiting in Dover for our last train home)

We were thankful for God's protection, we were glad for the opportunity to get to know Soo Jeung and share the gospel with her.
We traded contact information before we parted at Bromley South train station - who knows maybe we will meet again...

Friday...

2010-04-23T11:54:00.005+01:00

Friday morning (after our breakfast spread) we, along with many other stranded travelers got in line at the ticket office at the West Bonhough train station. We managed to get four train tickets from Vienna to Paris. It would be 14 hours long, but who's counting when you get the view the Austrian/Swiss Alps by train?

Music from the Sound of Music ran through my head for a good part of the ride.
We slept, we looked out the windows, we laughed, we got to know Soo Jeung, we ran through train stations to catch connecting trains.

it was a full day of glorious vistas, adventurous unknowns, and stress and by the time we reached Paris at midnight we were exhausted. You can imagine our hearts dropping heavily as we were told that there were slim chances of finding a room in Paris as the city had been inundated with travelers. Apparently we were not the only ones with the clever plan to go to Paris and take the Euro-star home. The expected delay in getting out of Paris was a 3 day delay.
Grouchy? yes I was grouchy and a little complainy - not a very nice picture of myself as my heart was squeezed and what was truly inside me began to spill over. I think it must be good to be squeezed - it helps me to see where I really am.

Steve seeing the overwhelmed looks on our faces said we would find a place to stay and he would cover the cost for the night. And God was so good to provide for us a very comfortable hotel to rest our weary heads. We slept hoping that perhaps travel news would be more encouraging after a good nights rest and with the light of the morning.

Nathaniel said to me, "see honey, God gave us a night in Paris together before we move back to the States. Just what you wanted"
True, but not exactly the way I had imagined doing Paris with my love... he was right though, this was an unexpected treat to be in Paris together.

when the unexpected happens

2010-04-21T13:27:00.006+01:00

A week ago this morning, we were dealing with the unexpected...all air travel had come to a halt and the best the airlines could promise us was a re-booked flight 5 days later, what were we going to do?
Well last Friday morning you could just about feel the panic and the doom in the hearts of the crowd sitting in the West bonhough train station in Vienna. We were all there you see, in a desperate attempt to purchase a train ticket out. Funny how a holiday can so suddenly go sour when faced with unknowns and no end of unknowns in site... how much will this cost? how long will this take? what if we get stuck? what about responsibilities waiting for me at home?
Well certainly this was an opportunity to trust God and a unique opportunity to be the light of Christ - though to be honest my heart wanted very much to be grouchy, and look out only for myself. (just get me home to my own bed and Clean Cloths!)

Thank goodness God does not leave us to our own devises. As my heart filled with worst case scenarios I was reminded of Matthew 6:25-34
'...do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on, Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?...But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness...'
Don't be distracted Abi! God has a plan and a job for you to do even in this!

This is how it went one day at a time:

On Thursday night we met Soo Jeung, a Korean student living in England for the year who was to be on our flight back to London. She was all alone - so we asked her if she wanted to join us as we tried to get back home. She said yes!

After much deliberating we went to a hotel subsidized by the airline, thankful for a place at least to sleep. Some how we got much more! A bathroom the bigger then my kitchen (which I guess is not saying much considering the size - but still it was a nice treat), and when we got up at 5am we enjoyed a complimentary breakfast which I very much wished I had had the appetite to sample more of then I could - who ever heard of fresh squeezed Kiwi juice? If only it had not been so early I definitely would have given that one one a try. Instead I enjoyed a nice coffee and croissant - delicious and not too heavy, just right.

While in Vienna...

2010-04-21T12:08:00.010+01:00

and it rained, and rained, and rained. I thought maybe winter had returned. I wore just about every article of clothing I brought - which was not very much - trying not to risk my fashion sensibilities too much which meant that I went a tiny bit cold on one or two occasions. Nathaniel had a good laugh at me over this.

(I would have wanted to sit on these seats if they had not been dripping wet)

The weather certainly did not stop us from exploring that beautiful expensive city though ...

(enjoying one of the free things Vienna has to offer...
a statute of Mozart in the wet park)

thank goodness we remembered our umbrellas!

Sugared Pecans

2010-04-19T17:38:00.008+01:00

Just in case you would like to try this "Easy, Fool-Proof" sugared pecan recipe:

1lb pecans (about 4 cups)

Mix together in a bowl:

3/4 tsp salt

1 tsp cinnamon

1 cup sugar

beat together:

1 egg white

1 Tbs water

add egg white mixture to sugar mixture then stir in pecans to coat.
spread pecans on a baking sheet

bake at 200 for 45 minutes stirring every 15 minutes

Enjoy!

2010-04-08T19:39:00.007+01:00

Not too long ago I was cleaning out one of our drawers in search of an important piece of paper. As it often goes with me, I got distracted by a pile of envelopes and their content. Most of them needed to go into the bin, but there were a few keepers - one of which was a pretty little card from my mom.

Funny enough, this card was written back in the spring of 2008 and somehow it made the cut to move to London with us (I am sometimes surprised at the little bits that I decided to pack into our precious suitcase space back in the summer of 2008 when we headed to London). Well I am glad it did make the cut because tucked inside was a small piece of card which contained the recipe for sugared pecans - Delightful!
Now I love, just love sugared pecans...and we have a special bond, sugared pecans and I do...here is a bit of our history. It was the month of my wedding, over the past few weeks Mom and I had been compiling welcome boxes for our out of town guest. Fun little things like, a lovely hand knit wash cloth and a recipe card with our wedding soup written out. Also to go in the boxes were small containers of homemade sugar pecans (pecans from our own back yard none the less!).
I took on the sugared pecans. For a week, any spare moment I had was spent shelling pecans - my fingers and nails being the worse for the wear! It was worth it though and finally I had enough shelled to being the 'sugaring process'. I followed the recipe to the T - but somehow I burnt the sugar and instead of yummy sugar coated pecans, I had hard burnt only worthy of the bin pecans. What a shame! I had to start the whole process again, now my fingers were really feeling raw from shelling pecans.
A long story short, I proceeded to burn a whole other batch of pecans at which point mom (ever so kind) took over. She found a new recipe that came out so wonderfully, we were in the end able to tuck little packs of sugared pecans into the welcome boxes.
Looking over the recipe card I found - I laughed when at the little note mom put at the bottom of the card 'This recipe is easy and fool-proof' she wrote. I imagine mom was remembering the struggle I had making them before and was reassuring me I make do these despite past failure!

I made my first batch of sugared pecans last week and have been munching on them ever since... just a few with my coffee I tell myself.

a little poem I found...

2010-03-19T11:17:00.006Z

DEAR March, come in!
How glad I am!
I looked for you before.
Put down your hat—
You must have walked—	5
How out of breath you are!
Dear March, how are you?
And the rest?
Did you leave Nature well?
Oh, March, come right upstairs with me,	10
I have so much to tell!

I got your letter, and the bird’s;
The maples never knew
That you were coming,—I declare,
How red their faces grew!	15
But, March, forgive me—
And all those hills
You left for me to hue;
There was no purple suitable,
You took it all with you.	20

Who knocks? That April!
Lock the door!
I will not be pursued!
He stayed away a year, to call
When I am occupied.	25
But trifles look so trivial
As soon as you have come,
That blame is just as dear as praise
And praise as mere as blame. Emily Dickinson

2010-03-08T15:20:00.011Z

I found culture shock came slowly when I moved to London. It took a good six months for it to really sink in that I truly was the foreigner. Mostly I found it was in the nuance of the vocabulary where I most felt like the outsider.

Just for fun, I have been putting together a list of words and phrases I have encountered since arriving in London. I thought you might enjoy a few.

to faff (v./adj.): a waste of time, to dither about.
'Sorry we are late, Abi kept faffing about with her makeup.'
or
'I would rather not fill out those forms, it is such a faff.'

To take the micky: to make a joke at someones expense or to make fun of someone

Elevenses (n.): a late morning snack just to tied you over till lunch, usually to go with a cup of tea.

Queue (v./n.): a line you have to waitn
someone may ask you, 'Is this the queue for the toilet?'
or
'People have been queuing for ages and ages to get a look at the Van Gogh gallery'

Moreish (adj.): when one helping will simply not be enough, usually given as an excuse to take a second (or third) helping when a person knows he probably shouldn't.
person standing next to a plate of yummy chocolaty cake might say:
'I really would like a piece but it looks so moreish that I won't be able to stop once I taste it.'

I caught on quickly that if you through words in like,
Brilliant! or Fab! to describe anything I was excited about,
by putting 'a' in front of coffee or tea (ex: a coffee),
& by complaining about the weather
(which really I don't because, well that is not cultivating a thankful heart, and on the whole I really do love rainy drippy days!)
I would not stick out like a sore thumb any more than I had to.

2010-02-18T16:06:00.003Z

When Mercy and Jeremiah arrived from Spain at the beginning of January we had a mini post Christmas Christmas celebration. It was fun - we had a happy time of wrapping gifts, and saying things like, "Don't come in here!", and "Who took the tape?", and "Oh no, I cant seem to find so and so's gift!" Then we settled down on the sofas and cheered, admired and celebrated as each gift was given, then opened.
Double Stuffed Oreos! A whole box of Lucky Charms Cereal! Twizzlers - and not just one kind either!...Nathaniel was over the moon with delight.
A back rub for Jeremiah!
and so the evening went happily.

We settled down contented - and tired out from the excitement. Then Mercy produced one more gift - "Abi" she says, "you have the awesomest sister in the whole wide world." and she handed me the parcel.
and what do you think it was?

hmmm - Thank you Rachel for your sweet generosity, if only you could see how perfect they fit in... really just about anywhere I chance to use them.
and thank you Gab for your hand in the process and Mercy for caring it safely across the ocean. I certainly do have the awesomest sisters in the whole wide world.

the towels in the kitchen...

2010-02-17T17:30:00.006Z

One day last winter I was down stairs in Aunt Gillian's kitchen helping with some washing up.
We were chatting away about something or other and soon enough all the washing was done. All that was left was a bit of drying. I reached up and grabbed the towel hanging on the rack near me and began to dry the dishes in the strainer. Mid-sentence, Aunt Gillian interrupted herself and exclaimed, "What are you doing?!" confusion must have been written all over my face because she went on, "Why are you using a hand towel to dry the dishes? You should be using a tea towel for the dishes." Feeling a little silly I explained I had no idea there was a difference between the two towels - and to be honest did it really make that much of a difference?

So I got a mini lesson right there and then about kitchen towel rules and etiquette. One must always have a hand towel and a tea towel in use in ones kitchen for both have unique purpose.

the Hand towel: used to dry your hands after washing, or used to wipe food and juices off your hands while cooking (ie - perhaps you are making some tomato sauce and you get a little on your hand and so you wipe the sauce off on the hand towel). It is understood that this towel may get dirty quickly.
the Tea towel: Used to wipe clean dishes dry, also can be used to cover dishes to keep them warm before being placed on the table. This ensures that clean dishes are always wiped with a clean towel, and that guest are not presented with a dirty towel covering the food they are about to eat.

Huh - it made so much sense! I decided to try it out for myself and probably if ever you come to my house and have a peek into my kitchen you will find some version of this kitchen towel advice being put to practice... though I will admit that I am not as vigilant about it as Aunt Gillian!

tonights treat

2010-01-14T15:32:00.005Z

It is common knowledge that if you are having any sort of event, whether prayer meeting or convention there Must be time for tea, coffee and some sweet treat to eat. This of course, applies to bible studies in your home as well.
On Monday nights Nathaniel and I host a bible study for the 18 - 25 year olds who attend Christ Church Bromley. So this afternoon my mind is turning to what sort of sweet treat I will be providing tonight! Now if you go to the home of an experienced hostess you will probably find a beautiful cake of some sort, as I am only learning I will be sticking to something more simple - I am thinking oatmeal cranberry cookies.
Simple but oh so yum!

Just in case you don't already have a favorite Oatmeal Cranberry/Raisin cookie recipe already...

1 cup butter
1 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
1 1/4 cup flour
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp banking soda
1/2 tsp salt
3 cups oatmeal
1 1/2 cups dried cranberries/raisins
optional - 1 cup chopped nuts (pecans or walnuts perhaps?)

bake at 350 for 8-10 minutes

2010-01-01T18:14:00.005Z

So - with a new year comes new adventures, new opportunities to grow!

I am rarely gun shy of new adventures, but this year I find myself a bit intimidated by the prospect ahead of me. You see, my adventure is Time - what do I do with my time. I suppose we all have this same adventure, but the challenge is unique to each of our specific situations.

Last week I spent my last days as administrator in the church office. On the 31st of December I handed over my keys to the administrator, and started to function full time as wife and homemaker.

Here is the plan - With Nathaniel working towards going into full time ministry, this seems to be an ideal time for me to get a feel for what it might be like for me - to be the wife of a man in ministry. Nathaniel has thoughtfully made this learning time a priority, "Go ahead Abi, explore your gifts and interests, learn from the women around you, and grow in your usefulness for the kingdom of God. Take advantage of the opportunities around you, as this is a unique time in your life!" he says.

So, I have the adventure of Time. I am so thankful for it, but I am so afraid I will waist it - and that would be such a shame. How and where do I start? Well I have decided to start with a few small things and then work my way up and out!

I found out that my elderly neighbor upstairs enjoys sweet pastries to go with her tea. It would be nice to make a habit of baking something nice and dropping in for a visit and a cup of tea.
Nathaniel would be delighted if I took on the challenge of keeping up with the family birthdays (no small task when you consider that on Nathaniel's side of the family alone there are no less then 35 birthdays to keep track of.)
I learned last Spring that a big challenge of not having a job that required you to be up and out the door at a specific time was that I struggled to get out of bed in the morning! So, I will try to be up by 7 to go for a run and read my bible.

It is just a start, hopefully it is a good jumping off point for other ways I can use my time productively!

the Senior Saints in my life

2009-12-28T16:14:00.003Z

Through various situations this past term, I have enjoyed opportunities to get to know some of the elderly members from Church. One of these is a woman named Kris.

She is from India and moved to England when she married a British soldier...she has been widowed for some years now. She is known at Christ Church Bromley for her passion for the gospel and delicious home made curry.

On Sunday morning I was having a chat with her about my plans for the new year. "I hope to learn more about how to be a godly woman - ministering along side my husband - and finding ways to reach out to my neighbors..." I said.

Kris then told me how she has been trying to think of ways to be a witness for the gospel. When she was younger and still working, she frequently traveled by taxi and would share the gospel with the cab driver. Now that she is retired and lives by herself in a quiet apartment, she has very few interactions with non-believers. She has resolved to take the bus to the local library once a week and pray for opportunities to speak about the gospel to the people she meets there.

Here is a woman who, though she is nearing 80 years old, has not stopped running the race. It was a wonderful challenge to me - and I am so very thankful for it as I endeavor to run along the way in the new year.

For the Newtons

2009-12-28T15:44:00.005Z

who live on Trafalgar Street in Texas...

Trafalgar Square in London

We miss you guys!

2009-12-17T18:56:00.002Z

hmmm - so sweet!

measuring cups I found at Anthropology (here).

a little Christmas baking

2009-12-12T17:49:00.004Z

Around this time 3 years ago - I, with the help of my sisters was busy making sugar cookies for my wedding favors (have a look at them here). Thanks to their creative hands they came out beautifully!
I now like to try to make sugar cookies to remind Nathaniel and I of our special day.

Yesterday invited my friend Betsy and her daughter Sophia to make sugar cookies with me. I made my cookie dough but when I went to roll my cookies out I remembered I have no rolling pin. After a bit of mutteling around in my tiny cupboards, I found a couple of jars that would make a good substitute.

2009-12-05T22:51:00.004Z

the other night we walked through Trafalger square and we visited the lions.

usually the four lions that guard the square are covered with children - I was thrilled to have a chance to climb up myself and have a picture with one of the lions.

something worth rushing & waiting for

2009-12-05T21:54:00.006Z

Winter has come to London...
which means lots of rain and cold.

Nathaniel and I have been waiting with great expectation for the arrival of a new little one into the White family (Nathaniel's cousins...). She was well past her due date and we were praying hard for a natural birth.

You can imagine our joy when we received news that mother and baby were home after an exhausting 24 hours of labor. Soon after we received a special invitation to meet the baby - and though our schedule would be tight worked out a plan... I would leave work at 1.30pm so we could take the bus (35 min) then walk (20 min) to their house, we would spend an hour with cousin Daniel and family then make our way back home to make an appointment for 6pm.

But what a day it was! I was late leaving work and so we just missed our bus - and it was wet, windy and cold. Conscience of the our tight schedule we ran through the rain and were only 10 minutes late. But after knocking loudly on the front door several times we began to wonder if we had gotten our dates/times wrong. As it turned out there was only a slight miss-communication and after a couple phone calls and 20 min on the front door step we were finally able to meet the newest addition to the White household. Ophelia Rose.

and she was worth all the running and the wet and the waiting...she is a beautiful little miracle! Congratulations Daniel and Ellen!

Goodbye Mazda, Goodbye school loan

2009-11-05T21:57:00.000Z

While back in the States this Summer Nathaniel and I sold our Mazda 3, and it was hard. I remembered back to when I got my first car, a 86 Honda Prelude - a gift from my sweet grandfather who was graciously giving up his right to drive. The Prelude was one of my grandfather's special earthly possessions and it was I am sure hard to give it up. I went to pick up the Honda and my grandma did something that I did not quite understand at the time - over dinner she asked all who were at the table to give a memory of Grandpa and the Honda Prelude as a way of helping Grandpa say goodbye and let go of the car.

On August 31st as I handed the keys over to an excited new owner of our Mazda 3 and watched it drive away, I understood in a small way and appreciated why Grandma asked us to share memories with Grandpa to help with the transition.

So I am going to share a memory of the Mazda with you guys as a goodbye as it were...

A month before my wedding I was getting ready to move from my home in Santa Clarita Ca. to San Antonio Tx. My job was to whittle down all my earthly possessions to only that which I could fit into the Mazda 3. I think I must have packed and repacked about 5 times - I am sure my dad could have done the packing in 2 tries ... and then he would have fit about 10 extra things in that I thought I was going to have to give away. But there was no Papi around to help, so it was left to me.

Finally it was done, you could not see out any of the windows and the person in the passenger seat would have to keep things on their lap. So I was ready to be off - I just needed my traveling companion...Jeremiah who sweetly offered to fly out to Los Angeles only to turn right back around and make the long drive back to Texas in my packed to the hilt Mazda 3.

Certainly this is a memory about the Mazda 3 but also it is a memory of a wonderful exhausting trip with my younger brother (who insisted in driving the entire way - and anyone who has driven through New Mexico, Arizona & West Texas knows what a sacrifice that is) as I left behind a stage of my life to prepare for a new life as Mrs Jackson.

In a closing though a wonderful thing has come out of saying goodbye to the Mazda:

Part of the reason we sold the Mazda 3 was to enable us to pay off the last of my school loans. So it was worth it to see the Mazda 3 drive away. Last month I made my very last payment to Sally Mae for my college education. And it is Good! Thank you Nathaniel for being firm in insisting we sell the car! Definitely worth it.

2009-11-03T21:45:00.003Z

Remember, Remember the 5th of November
gunpowder, treason and plot
I see no good reason why gunpowder, treason
should ever be forgot

I am hearing fire works going off in the neighborhood tonight - I believe a pre-celebration to Guy Fawkes day here in England. On the 5th of November England remembers a man named Guy Fawkes, who on the 5th of November 1605 was caught in the the cellars of the Houses of Parliament with several barrels of gunpowder - for his plan you see was to blow up the noble Houses of Parliament and all who were inside. Guy Fawkes was tired and convicted for treason. So that all would understand how serious treason is the governing authorities made the 5th of November a day to remember the fate of man who tired.

And so this Thursday everyone here will be reminding each other that treason is a terrible thing and it will never be forgot. They will remember by setting off fireworks and making bonfires where effigies of Guy Fawkes are burned.

I don't think Nathaniel and I will be burning any effigies though we might try to find a good fireworks display to watch!

Autumn

2009-10-14T19:31:00.008+01:00

I always knew Fall was my favorite season... but I had to wait till I moved to Syracuse to confirm it.

Moving to Syracuse in 2007 introduced me to Maple leaves, crisp early morning runs, pumpkin patches (the real deal...) and apple picking. Yes - Syracuse does Autumn in glorious brilliance!

Last year I learned that London has it's own Autumnal curiosities...like conkers. Every time I pass one, I can hardly stop myself from stooping to pick it up and put it in my pocket. I thought it would be fun to share how I discovered them.

Early last September I was exploring the park across the street from our flat. As I walked beneath the trees I found lovely smooth brown spheres. I stopped and picked a few up thinking I would take them home and ask Nathaniel if he knew what they were. By the time Nathaniel arrived home from school that night, I had concluded that these must be chestnuts...and I was quite charmed by the idea! Nathaniel had a look and said he did not know what they where but he doubted that they were actually chestnuts.

I however, felt sure they must be chestnuts - I was not giving up on the idea! and the next time I went out to the park I made sure to bring along a bag. I happily filled it with these nuts - I confess to dreaming of new recipes I would get to try... and just how British was this to live across from a park filled with chestnut trees!?

Nathaniel remained quite skeptical to their usefulness in the kitchen, and so I agreed to talk to the local expert Aunt Gillian before trying to eat them. Upon inspection Aunt Gillian said, "Of course I know what those are - they're conkers." Conkers?! what in the world are conkers? Aunt Gillian explained.

Conkers actually come from Horse Chestnut trees and are inedible - as apposed to Sweet Chestnut trees which produce chestnuts that are edible. Conkers are completely useless, that is unless you are a child (especially a 7-11 year old boy) - in which case you would pick up several conkers, put holes through the middles, and thread long strings through the holes. The next time you see your mates, you gather up and play "conkers" (find out more detail with pictures here - conkers) where the point of the game is to hit the other persons conker - the one who breaks apart the other's conker wins.

hmmm - very interesting! I thanked Aunt Gillian and trooped back upstairs to inform Nathaniel that it was a good thing he insisted that I find out more about these nuts before I tried to feed them to him! But what to do with all these conkers? I was certainly not about to challenge Nathaniel to a game... not sure if swinging hard round spheres at each other would lead to much bliss in our little London flat.
What is a girl to do... You like?

2009-08-12T16:46:00.003+01:00

June came for us with a whirlwind of events including the end of Cornhill for Nathaniel. I have been remembering back to last year as Nathaniel and I packed our suitcases taking a big step across the ocean trusting that this was God's plans for us.

One of the things that has been a joy for me is meeting the other "Cornhillers", hearing their stories of how God has brought each and every one of them to London to study the Bible at Cornhill.

One of the guys we got to know well was Nick, a 23 year old medical student who took a gap year (an optional year break from studies offered to students who are intrested in travel or personal develpment) in order to attend Cornhill. Nathaniel and Nick would ride their bikes home through the London traffic after classes. They would intensely discuss the days lecture while I listened and made dinner. Then over tea and desert we would play a card game or two and chat about life...what God is doing in our lives.

So with the end of Cornhill, Nick came round to 10 Montague for a last time where we enjoyed pancakes in the back garden on a rare sunny evening in London. It was a neat time to reflect back on the year and look forward to work that God has yet to do. For Nick it is back to medical school, for Nathaniel and I it is continued work at Christ Church Bromley.

simple pleasures

2009-08-12T02:14:00.004+01:00

Every third Saturday there is a little farmers market
across the street in Hilly Fields.
I usually enjoy a stroll through the stands
to enjoy the sights and the smells.
On this particular morning, I had a few pounds sterling
burning a hole in my pocket,
so I bought a few treats.

It is hard to explain but I am very inspired to be
creative with my cooking after a stroll through the farmers market...
not to mention when I have a few little treats to work with.

2009-07-18T20:44:00.003+01:00

All morning long on Friday there was the noise of construction outside my second floor window at work. At one point, I happened to glance out the window to observe two of these hard working men taking a break outside their British Gas Works van. Of course this is normal enough, but as I watched I realized that these sweaty, burly men were not stopping to rest their feet and take a smoke, no these men were making proper cups of tea out of the back of the van! Anyone else find this slightly amusing?

I began to reflect on the role tea plays in the life of the average Englishman - after living in London almost a year I think I have come to understand and even appreciate the place tea has.

Tea is the solution to any problem you may have no matter how big or small.
Tea is the perfect antidote for drippy dreary weather that seems to chill you right to the bone.
Tea naturally encourages people in social situations to feel like they have something to do.
No day is quite complete without a cup of tea - which somehow rights the world of all its issues for a few moments of the day.

I remember feeling a bit tea logged during the first month of being here because you are constantly being offered a cup of tea. To refuse is unthinkable or if you do refuse you must be slightly mad! I think my body has adjusted quite well since those first weeks, and I admit that every now and again I get an odd feeling that life is just not quite complete without a proper cup of tea in the middle of the afternoon.

2009-07-18T17:09:00.006+01:00

well my birthday has come and gone...but it was such a lovely day I thought I would share the details with you all!

Nathaniel discovered that if you show up in the late afternoon to Wimbledon you can get in for a discounted price. I had shown interest in the past to go to Wimbledon and so it seemed the perfect birthday treat.

I left work at noon, and headed into London to meet Nathaniel where we would head out to Wimbledon together. To be honest I know little to nothing about tennis, but I was all excitement and as we purchased our tickets I could hear the crowd watching various matches ohhing and cheering...one can't but help be caught up in the excitement.

We bought tickets to see a doubles match at Centre Court -where Nathaniel explained, the final matches are all played. As the match progressed Nathaniel had to explain a few things to me - here are a few bits I learned:

All tennis played at Wimbledon is played on grass courts
You are supposed to be very very quiet while the ball is in play
A Gentleman's match is between retired players
The match officials were very cute outfits

Here we are with Centre Court behind us after the match was done. I was very happy that day despite the pained expression on my face!

After we had our fill of tennis we wondered back to the neighborhood where Nathaniel lived way back when, and visited a few of his old haunts - then settle down for some Italian food.

We made our way back to the underground...this is Nottinghill Gate tube stop where it we happily waited for quite some time.

When we arrived home I walked into our flat to find this lovely pitcher of happy sunflowers to finnish off a wonderful evening together.

2009-05-06T23:20:00.001+01:00

Nathaniel and I spent some time with his cousin Robert and family over
the Easter holiday. Robert's wife Gail and I had a lovely time together, and
before we left their wonderful company and cute home we had to be sure to
have some pictures to remember our time together...

I laughed and laughed when I reviewed the sequence below.

Gail is one of the most lovely women I have ever spent time with.
Nathaniel says I'm not such a crow myself.
BUT...you wouldn't know it from these photos!

We were in their backyard, but by our expressions we might have
easily been inmates at a psychiatric ward. So much for vanity!

Praise God that life is ultimately about substance, not appearance.

"Charm is deceitful and beauty is vain,
but a woman who fears the Lord,
she shall be praised!"
Proverbs 31:30

a little inspiration

2009-04-10T15:50:00.003+01:00

While we were in Spain for Christmas, I enjoyed seeing all of Rachel's beautiful projects. I think there were about six or seven different ones going - a couple dresses, pretty paper, balls of yarn some being knit into lovely little sweaters! Each beautiful and inspiring. Before we left Rachel gave me a bit of her yarn (what a treasure!) to start a project of my own. So I have brought out my knitting nettles too long neglected and I am trying my hand at a little baby hat.

A few things that make me smile...

2009-04-05T17:05:00.011+01:00

Little daisies

Picnics

Nathaniel

and green hats

are there rules for mixing denim???

2009-03-09T16:06:00.008Z

So I got dressed this morning - without looking in the mirror.

Half way to my destination I realized that I was mixing my denims. Hmmm - Can this be done? I wondered to myself...or is that why those people back there looked at me funny.

When I finally found a mirror to get the full affect of my outfit - lets just say I was a little bit embarrassed.

Maybe some fabulous people out there could pull off mixing denims but quite frankly I look like a disaster.

2009-03-03T21:36:00.003Z

This is what I found lined up by the front door last Friday afternoon! - the Whites had come for a visit and for me it meant the pleasure of sweet fellowship with friends, and the joy of children playing through the house!

I felt a bit like one of the bears in the story of Goldielocks when I found these two sleeping happily in our bed during nap time ...

The Whites stayed the night - and in the morning we enjoyed cinnamon rolls, coffee and tea, and good conversation.

Certainly God is good to bring friends like Daniel and Ellen into our lives - and for this I am thankful.

2009-03-02T16:32:00.007Z

A couple weeks ago Nathaniel helped with a missions week in a little English village - Sherbourn St. John. He was gone for the whole week - and I was invited to join him for the weekend!

Friday morning I was up early and off to the train station. I arrived at Waterloo Station in London where I was to catch a train out to the country. I tend to feel a bit romantic about trains - I think I get it from my mom - so I brought along what any girl might have when traveling on a train to the English country side to see her husband. A good book, a few ginger snap cookies, and a special treat - a latte from a local coffee shop which I bought while stopped at Waterloo Station. hmmm - happy thoughts!

An hour and half later, I hopped off the train. Nathaniel and a few friends picked me up and off we went to see Winchester Cathedral where Nathaniel said I would see something very fun.

I was very intrigued by what I would find "fun" in a beautiful reverent cathedral so I looked and looked but seemed to look in vain! I made the full circuit and nothing! Nathaniel a few steps behind, called me back to look at something. Wouldn't you know, I missed it? There Nathaniel pointed out the "window" memorial of none other then Author Jane Austin!

The actual burial place was at the back of the cathedral - I was satisfied with the memorial window and felt no need to retrace my steps. It was indeed very fun, and as the week progressed I found out from several ladies I spoke to that I was in Jane Austin's old stomping grounds as it were! I did not have time to visit any other Austin sites but thought if I ever make it back out to Sherbourn St. John, I would happily make time to see a few of the well known landmarks.

Mouse Update

2009-02-23T20:13:00.002Z

Just in case you were wondering - I have not seen nor smelled the little mouse since taking drastic measures. You can only just imagine my relief!

a little guest

2009-02-09T01:00:00.001Z

and an unwanted one at that.

For two weeks now we have seen small signs and ever so often a bold appearance of a mouse. We have tried some traps unsuccessfully - I was not however ready to move onto the poison for the obvious reason that I did not want to find a nearly dead mouse crawling across my floor.

Sunday, Nathaniel left for a week long mission an hour and a half away - leaving me to deal with my creeping fear of the mouse. Fear of a mouse being where it does not belong, dancing on my kitchen floor and counter tops.

I resolved not to be overcome by my natural fears. Sunday night I scoured the kitchen spotless, then I crawled into bed with chocolate and the movie Ratatouille - ready and willing to believe that rodents are totally cute.

This worked well until this evening when my space was invaded! Ratatouille though very cute as a movie just was not very practical in real life.
I have declared war on the local mouse. The mouse who had the gall to come into our kitchen/living room/dining room right in the middle of my supper! Who took his time having a look around, who caused me to shriek and jump up out of my chair, and who decided it was a good idea to run behind our refrigerator!

With my heart racing and my hands a bit shaky, I gingerly tip-toed across the room to, to, to - to do what? trap the mouse? and with what - a dish towel? I pulled out the fridge, the mouse jumped out and ran straight for the couch. Ahhh! of-course all I did what you might expect, I dropped my dish towel and danced about saying "oh, oh, oh!" Though traumatized, the mouse made a big mistake to run for the couch...I was not about share My couch with any old mouse! I was on a rampage, I tore the room apart looking for it. Not sign to be found, though I have a sinking suspicion that he is hiding in the couch somewhere (ugh!).

Yep it is war time - and I am going to fight to win! I cleaned the room spotless and then out came the poison, strategically placed under the couch and behind the fridge. No more trying to pretend it is all natural to have a rodent rummaging around in your space! Time to put on the ugly face!

It Snowed

2009-02-05T12:04:00.005Z

We went to bed Sunday night and it was snowing.
I said to Nathaniel, "wouldn't it be nice if you had a snow day tomorrow?"

and he did - as did the rest of London because all of London city transport was shut down due to the 8 inches of snow that fell over night.

The park was alive with activity, young and old were enjoying this rare occasion. I am told the last time there was so much snow was 18 years ago!

Nathaniel, Football & I

2009-01-27T10:00:00.000Z

Nathaniel really really enjoys football (mind you it's football not soccer). This has been gradually dawning on me over the past two years with the help of little hints such as:

He keeps about 6 soccer balls in the trunk of his car (just in case!)
He slows down - when walking or driving - past a pick-up soccer match
He pours over the selection of soccer cleats in his sports catalogs as much as I do an Anthropology catalog

But I have arrived at a new level of comprehension. Not only does Nathaniel really enjoy football - he is passionate about it and loves to share this aspect of his life with me! This is evident, when he invites me to join him for a 'football workout', which often includes a mini lesson and the encouraging declaration, "You're a natural babe!"

So, the other night when Nathaniel asked if I would like to join him to watch Match of the Day (his favorite TV program that shows the highlights of all the English premiership games that day), it was with delight that I snuggled up next to him in front of the television for an hour of footballing fun.

While I took note of how "that poor guy is on the wrong team -- his hair color just does not work with the color of his uniform..." Nathaniel admired the skill and finesse of the athletes. Sharing with me bits of information about what was going on. He patiently answered my questions about the game, which always seemed to come at the most inconvenient moments (like right before a big goal was scored). My favorite part was when they showed the top 10 goals of the month. To my delight, Nathaniel even added his own commentary to his favorite ones.

I think I am getting it - this football business. Just the other day I made a football connection - I said to Nathaniel "I bet Josu looks a lot like Wayne Rooney (English footballing hero) when he was 3 years old!" Nathaniel laughed heartily in agreement. Score!

Dear Mom,

2009-01-19T17:53:00.004Z

Somehow - somehow I always miss your birthday. "How is this possible?" I ask myself every year after your birthday has slipped by. Well here it is - over a week past and I have missed your birthday yet again!

That said...I would like to say:

Happy Birthday Mom - truly you are a wonderful treasure! You are a faithful example of Christ likeness and you inspire me to press on to a higher calling! Someday I hope I can be even a little bit of what you are... fun, thoughtful, wise, creative, orderly, godly, cute, and a wonderful wife and mother.

I love this picture because it shows just how very fun you are!
paletas on a meltingly hot day in San Antonio - Yum!

I love you!

- Abi

p.s. Sorry I missed your birthday!

Because he loves me so...

2009-01-12T18:04:00.005Z

When we walked into Lewisham to do a few errands together,

Nathaniel bought me a cute pair of red shoes!

2009-01-05T11:32:00.009Z

I love to say to Nathaniel: "Remember when such and such happened? ... "

Recently I have been "Remembering" to Nathaniel about our past two Decembers together! here are just a few:

Remember when we got married?
how overwhelmed we felt by the kindness of so many people?
how beautiful everything looked? how wonderful it was to go
to the airport and get on an airplane together
- isn't together such a happy word?

Remember last Christmas time? how there was a snow storm on our anniversary - but we went out anyway, and remember how magical it all was? Remember how you surprised me with a perfect little Christmas tree?

I can imagine that in a couple months I will be "Remembering"
to Nathaniel about this Christmas just passed...Christmas Smith style in Pamplona!

Remember wonderful conversations over cafe con leche with
the Smiths and Rachel?
Remember when Naomi made that
salad/tikka masala/pizza/stout cake/ministroni...?
Remember those delicious pastries and chocolate
covered orange peelsfrom Biatriz?
Remember Malachai singing Spanish Christmas carols?
Remember all the cheese Gillian brought from France?
Remember running with the bulls? ... errr um, bull statutes?

Help!

2008-12-06T22:33:00.007Z

FOR LUNCH: Day Old Focaccia Bread and a Side of Soft Chaumes Cheese.

The other day I was given this nice little round of cheese - Hooray! I love cheese, and it was free! I brought it home and put it in our refrigerator.

A couple hours later Nathaniel came home opened up the fridge and declared that something had gone quite bad and must be hunted down. Indeed, I was on the other side of the room and I could smell it. After smelling several different containers of leftovers, I found the little culprit - my nice little round of cheese!

Yesterday I enjoyed the above mentioned lunch, yum! but, I have a problem...

Nathaniel is just not a fan of the smell or the taste. It is up to me to eat this cheese before the smell overpowers everything else in our fridge. Where are my cheese loving family members when I need them?

Thanksgiving in London

2008-12-01T09:35:00.004Z

I love Thanksgiving Dinner- this year I somehow managed to get two, and in London no less! Having it twice was great, but since we had the dinners on consecutive days, I felt even more like a stuffed Turkey; I would recommend two days recuperation in between.

Friday night we enjoyed Thanksgiving with the Whites and three added guests. It was like Thanksgiving out of the pages of Bon Appetit.

Saturday mid afternoon we took the bus to the home of an American couple from church. We brought our contribution to the meal packed snugly into a bag.

At both dinners Nathaniel carried on a Jackson tradition by reading two excerpts from the diaries of William Bradford. Nathaniel says I carried on a Newton tradition by making delicious pies!
One of the Bradford excerpts was about the journey to the new land, and the other of the prospect that lay before the pilgrims upon arrival at Cape Cod. It was a tumultuous journey across the sea, and the difficulties multiplied when they reached land. But God knew their needs and He cared for them as only He can. A profound reminder of God's faithfulness to His own.

2008-11-25T15:54:00.007Z

When Nathaniel and I were making plans to move to London, I would say something like "how wonderful! we are so close to so many places I have always wished to see..." and I would proceed to list off all those wonderful cities and countries: Spain (to see the Smiths and Rachel of course), Scotland and Wales (cause they are so close - and I think I have a bit of Welsh in me so really we must!), Paris, Rome! and Nathaniel would say "that is only if we can make our bank account stretch past our daily needs - sure that would be nice!" Of course Nathaniel was right, but I couldn't help but dream, and hope that somehow we might squeeze in at least one or two trips!

Travel certainly has not been in the budget since we arrived - and yet God knows how to give good gifts when it seems least possible. About a month ago Aunt Gillian invited me to go on a trip with her - she had not decided where, but she had extra air miles and she would like some company.

And so I went to Paris! We filled four days with drinking coffee (the real way according to Aunt Gillian),

seeing the sites,

listening to music in subway passages,

and getting as much time with Gillian Jackson (Nathaniel's youngest sister) as we could!

But with all that we saw and did, the very best part was coming home to the arms of my wonderful husband!

"Fish and Chips and Vineger, Vineger..."

2008-11-20T17:17:00.007Z

Nick (Nathaniel's brother) came for a visit on his way back from China. The day of his departure, we discovered a farewell note and a 'tenner' (10 pounds sterling) with very special instructions..."use this to go out and get a treat of Fish and Chips!"
So one night, not too long afterward, we did...

We walked 'round to a local fish 'n chips shop and ordered our haddock and chips with lots of vinegar. Then, with our dinner wrapped up in paper, as is customary, we walked briskly home before it got cold! Fish and chips are a distinctively English prescription for wet chilly days.
Nathaniel thinks we ought to obtain a weekly prescription!

Daisy June

2008-11-13T16:37:00.006Z

Yesterday I spent the morning with my friend Ellen and her three precious children. Daisy June, three, chatty and inquisitive, was sitting on my lap quizzing me about my family. the conversation went:
DJ: Where does your mummy live?
me: Um -- (wondering how much detail to give)- well, my mom lives in Texas
DJ: Oh, (short pause), well what is your mummy called?
me: Well, "Mom"
DJ: Nooooo... but what is she called?
me: Her name is Darcie
DJ: Oh (finally satisfied, but maintaining her characteristic pouting expression)

Slight interruption as the bus stopped and people rearranged themselves.

Lady across the aisle: Excuse me - I did not mean to be listening in on your conversation, but did you just say that your mom lives in Texas and that her name is Darcie? - This is going to sound so strange, but I'm from Texas and My name is Darcie!
me: No kidding (laugh)!
DJ: is that your mummy? (the puzzle completed)
me: No, she is not-though she does have the same name and is from the same place.
DJ: (silent and disappointed)

What are the chances? I am sitting on a bus in the middle of London and there across the aisle is a woman who (revealed later) was named after Mr. Darcy in Pride and Prejudice (sound familiar?), and who is from Houston Texas. It's a small world after all.

what I found...

2008-11-10T15:36:00.000Z

The other day I went out to do some job hunting - though I did not find a job, I did find a few other things. I have been looking high and low for a pie pan - which surprisingly are few and far between - and while I was out I discovered the Cookery Nook. Surely, I thought, this is the place for me! and I did find a pie pan - a little deeper then I am accustomed, and a little more expensive than I would have liked, but it was white with pretty rippled edges and I would be sure to use it often...so I bought it.

As I headed home, I stopped at a near by out-door market to see if there were any deals. I found a great load of bananas for a smashing price - from a man that was yelling "ol dat der fo a poun!" (translated "all that there for a pound!"), how could I say no?

I walked home with my precious pie pan, and a load of bananas wondering what would I do with so many bananas...well make banana cake!... and lots of it!