"food is my liiiffeeee"

Yeah, my birthday was almost six months ago and I'm posting a picture of my birthday cheesecake. YOU'RE WELCOME.

papa's day

my daddy and me, 1995

Happy Father's Day, Papa! I love you so much, and I thank God for you!!!

My Mama

Happy Mama's Day to the best mama--MINE!

There is so much I could say, but the simple words from my heart sum it all up--Mommy, thank you so much for everything--you are such a blessing and I am so grateful the Lord allowed me to be your daughter. I am so thankful to God for YOU and I love you so much!

My mama, the most beautiful mother I've ever known, and lil' old me, circa 1995

Love you forever,

Emmy

P.S. You's mommin' it like a BOSS!

rejoice and be glad

Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again:Rejoice!
Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near.
Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition,
with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding,
will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 4:4-7

How wonderful are those truths.

Happy friday, my friends!

P.S.I'll be eighteen day after tomorrow...

California wild poppies and lupines circa 1995 by my mama

Happy Thanksgiving!

 

 

Photos from my grandparents ranch,CA June 2012

May not and ought not the children of these fathers rightly say: “Our fathers were Englishmen which came over this great ocean, and were ready to perish in this wilderness; but they cried unto the Lord, and he heard their voice, and looked on their adversity, etc.” Let them therefore praise the Lord, because he is good, and his mercies endure forever. Yea, let them which have been redeemed of the Lord, show how he hath delivered them from the hand of the oppressor. When they wandered in the desert wilderness out of the way, and found no city to dwell in, both hungry, and thirsty, their soul was overwhelmed in them. Let them confess before the Lord his loving kindness, and his wonderful works before the sons of men.”

-William Bradford

hello my friends...

 I'm just popping in to say I have not left this little spot to fall by the wayside...my two week blog vacation was, in fact, a real life two-week trip with my family. The Lord truly blessed us with a glorious time at the coast, filling our lungs with cold sea air and our eyes with marvelous sights.
Then the week after we made our way home, I was busy with settling back in; getting re-acclimated
(that's a word, right?) to, although not loving, city life; educating my mind; working at home and our business;not to mention enjoying precious times with my family, I just wasn't ready to blog about it yet.

Now after a bit of time to reflect, you can expect to see our beyond-belief beautiful trip
in photos shortly.

xoxo,
Emily



And a sign of things to come....

my baby sister Elizabeth, photo by hannah

lunch time!

green goodness in a glass:

frozen spinach
frozen fruit ( papaya, pineapple, strawberry)
banana
coconut water
whey

blend, pour, DRINK UP!

Mmmmmmmmm.

the pleasing rhythm of everyday

c. Emily/song of the sea

Life has just started to slow down into the pleasing rhythm of  ( almost, not quite) ordinary days.
My sister Hannah's graduation was beautiful and so much fun! I am so proud of my big sis and the beautiful,godly woman the Lord is fashioning in her! ( Pictures of the ceremony are coming!!!)

My life this week has been full of taking pictures, going for walks with my two favorite littles in the world ( brother and baby sister), cooking, chores, tea, lots and lots of drawing ( want to see some?), family Bible time, singing, studying,history with my brother, music, talking, leftover graduation cake ( =, flowers, coffee, pondering, dish-washing, smiles, sniffles, light, wonder...more comes to mind as I write.

You know, life is simple and wondrous every day.

We just need to recognize it all comes out of our Father's loving hand.

Much love,
Emily

a graduation celebration preparation

My sister Hannah is graduating from homeschool this saturday!

We are in a flutter of excitement and a flurry of busy preparation!

So please don't mind my absence, I'll be back next week!

xoxo.

of adventure and lovely, simple things

I'm sorry I haven't posted in a while...

We've been on an adventure!

Because of our family business, my parents went up to Portland, Oregon, (beloved city!) for the SCAA convention last weekend. They had not flown together, just the two of them, in almost ten years! So, we were thrilled for them to have this opportunity! My sister Hannah was the captain for our first time running the ship on our own! Although we missed our dear parents so much, we had a lovely, exciting,wonderful, adventurous time!
The high points:

• starting each morning gathered round the piano, praising our Creator by singing hymns along with my sister's piano accompaniment. 
• early morning snuggles with the baby girl. Nothing like cuddling a cozy, sleepy two year old. 
• scrumptious food! We're talkin' raw saurkraut and organic uncured hotdogs, quesadillas with homemade guacamole, mangoes and kiwis, root beer floats, smoothies, and my sister's aaaahhhmazing lemon pudding cake...yumsters. Hungry?
• watching Tintin for the fourth time. ( =
• Long talks with my sister and brother.
• cleaning the house while listening to music (have you heard this?), laughing and talking.
• stories! Elizabeth favored those of the Curious George variety.
• Hannah reading puritan devotions aloud from Voices from the Past. Praise God for the Word!
• laughing! My siblings and I can laugh! Cue inside joke: Minkey!
• neighborhood walks.
• breakfast out with dear grandparents.
• swimming!
• our home beach.
• picking flowers from the garden and arranging the blooms in vintage glass milk bottle.
• painting! Baby Elizabeth is a talented little artist. We all contributed to a Welcome Home! sign for our parents, and that was a lovely time.
• playing at the park.
• thanking God for each precious second I have with my siblings.

We had a marvelous time, but it is beyond wonderful to have mama and papa with us again.

Life is either a great adventure or nothing.

Helen Keller 

c.Emily/the song of the sea

so much love

c. Emily/the song of the sea

She snuggles into me. I kiss her little head and breathe deeply. She munches on her apple, and I listen. She offers me a bite.You're so kind, I tell her. I give her another kiss. She rests her curly head on my shoulder. I love you. My heart is overflowing. And I thank God for my baby sister.

infinitely wonderful

c. Emily/the song of the sea

The goodness of God is infinitely more wonderful than we will ever be able to comprehend.
A.W. Tozer

Amen! That quote is so true of my life right now...no matter what happens, God's goodness is always there. I just want to praise Him for His love and mercy!

my baby sister and our dear camera

                                      

My darling baby sister. 

I'm finally posting a photo taken with our new, beloved camera. For those of you who don't know, we've been wanting a D-SLR for ages...and for Christmas, my dad surprised us with a Canon Rebel T2i! This camera is amazing! We love it so much! Can you tell?

xo,

Em

O CHRIST,

All, thy ways of mercy tend to and end in my delight.

Thou didst weep, sorrow, suffer that I may rejoice.

For my joy thou hast sent me the Comforter,

multiplied thy promises,

shown me my future happiness,

given me a living fountain.

 --The Valley of Vision, Joy

Contentment in the New Year

 Say not, ''why were the former days better than these?''
 For it is not from wisdom that you ask this.
 Ecclesiastes 7:10

2011 is gone. Gone, and can't be brought back, ever.
Funny thing about it, I don't mind. Funny because it seems I've spent much of my life trying to hold onto things that are completely out of my control--like time,childhood, not wanting anyone to grow up, not wanting to forget sweet memories,being afraid I'm not cherishing each moment as I should, and the like.

This year, however, I've begun to realize that each day little things change, and oftentimes for good.
New chapters begin ever so slowly and the story doesn't end all at once. I'm learning to look at things in a new light. Taking delight in my LORD and the life He has given me...not trying to live in the past or looking anxiously towards the future. I praise God He has brought me to this realization, because it's freeing. My Father in heaven knows me and he has every moment of my life in His hands. So I don't have to hold onto things because HE already is. 

And that is wonderful.

''...Be content with what you have for He has said, ''I will never leave you nor forsake you''.
Hebrews 13:5

Now there is great gain in godliness with contentment, for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world.
1 Timothy 6:6-7

''For everything there is a  season...''
 Ecclesiastes 3






Happy New Year, and may God bless you all.


P.S. Excitement: my papa bought us an amazing Christmas gift--a Canon Rebel. Yes, a DSLR!
That is a fulfillment of a dream. Can't wait to start posting pictures!

simple moments

A few weeks ago, after a day of stormy skies and monotone rainfall, the sky was illuminated by the setting sun. The rain stopped for a moment, and the clouds turned peachy golden in color, the world around me cast with a rosy glow. I was breathless for a moment, my heart full of wonder at this life God has given us. I love those moments. Those moments where everything is still and you say to yourself,
Life is so, so beautiful. Lord Jesus, you are so, so good. Your works are marvelous. Thank you. I love you. Thank you for moments like this.
These are the simple moments I hope never to forget.

words and pictures for Thanksgiving

O come, let us sing unto the LORD: let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation. Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving, and make a joyful noise unto him with psalms. For the LORD is a great God, and a great King above all gods. In his hand are the deep places of the earth: the strength of the hills is his also. The sea is his, and he made it: and his hands formed the dry land. O come, let us worship and bow down: let us kneel before the LORD our maker. —Psalm 95:1-6

In everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

1 Thessalonians 5:18

  

 “A sensible thanksgiving for mercies received is a mighty prayer in the Spirit of God. It prevails with Him unspeakably.”  

-John Bunyan

Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good, His love endures forever.

Psalm 107:1

Whereas it is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits, and humbly to implore His protection and favor; and Whereas both Houses of Congress have, by their joint committee, requested me to "recommend to the people of the United States a day of public thanksgiving and prayer, to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many and signal favors of Almighty God, especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness. Now, therefore, I do recommend and assign Thursday, the 26th day of November next, to be devoted by the people of these States to the service of that great and glorious Being who is the beneficent author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be.
—George Washington

Happy Thanksgiving!


Love,
Emily

siblings, snickerdoodles, and thankfulness

Last week, my little brother and sister ( the two littles pictured below) wanted to bake cookies. Not just any cookies, but Snickerdoodles, our family's beloved easy-to-make-and-to-bake cookie of choice. These cookies are delicious--so much so I've been temporarily 'banned' from making them to preserve the health of our family...these cookies are not particularly healthful...not at all actually...and they seem to have the habit of making themselves addictive. With most recipes, I try to make them healthier by using less sugar, but with this one...not a chance. If it a'int broke don't fix it, right? With these cookies that is most assuredly true.

It is such a blessing to bake with little siblings. I loved helping the 'littler' one add the salt and mix it up, and watching the 'bigger' one take off and measure everything to the T...spoon (hey, I just couldn't resist).

Any time spent with these two kiddos is time well spent, and I loved baking with them. They've got talent!

Not to mention they're pretty cute and kinda sorta amazing. ( =

(Yes, I do love my siblings a LOT. And NO, they're not for sale.)

Freshly baked beauties! Want to learn how to make em'?

Snickerdoodles

        2 cups all-purpose flour

        2 teaspoons cream of tartar

        1 teaspoon baking soda

        1/4 teaspoon salt

        1 cup ( 2 sticks) butter, softened

        1 1/2 cups sugar

        2 eggs

Preheat your oven to 350 F. Line or grease 2-3 cookie sheets ( it is helpful if you use a couple cookie sheets because you'll need to either have several sheets OR wait until the sheet cools down before you put the next set of cookies into the oven. Make sense?).

Now, whisk the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda,and salt until well mixed.

Next, beat in a large bowl (an electric mixer is quite handy at this point) the butter and 1.1/2 cups sugar, until creamy (and, I might add, delicious). At this point add the eggs and beat until well blended.

Now, slowly mix in the flour mixture until completely combined and the dough resembles...well, cookie dough.

Shape the dough into roughly 1.1/4 inch balls (it's very approximate-don't stress about it and I order you NOT to reach for the ruler) and roll into a mixture of:

       about 1/4 cup sugar and 3-5 teaspoons of ground cinnamon

arrange on a cookie sheet with 2-3 inch spaces between each cookie ( they WILL spread, so make certain they have plenty of room).

Bake for 12-14 minutes, turning the cookie sheet once midway through the baking process to insure they bake evenly, until the cookies are light golden brown. Let stand briefly, then remove to a rack to cool. One batch usually makes 3-4 trays of cookies.

That's pretty simple, right? 

This little face is so dear. Thank you, LORD, for my sister.

After all our baking work was done, we went out to the garden to enjoy the fruits of our labor. As I took the above picture, my heart filled with wonder and thanks to the LORD.

I am so, so thankful, and He is so, so good.

Love,

Emily

Every good and perfect gift is from above...

James 1:17

                    

she is TWO!

This is the little girl who captured my heart the moment she was born two years ago.

The first day I met her. November 2009, born at home.

What a rose!

Summer 2011

She keeps us laughing!

With mama.

Sleeping Beauty.

Making tea!

Me and my girl. 

Wearing the mama's baby dress (handmade by Great Grandma Bertha).

 So precious is she!

Oh, sweet baby!

This was taken with real film! My mom is an amazing photographer.

This is my baby sister.

My heart swells with thankfulness to Jesus that He made her my baby sister.

I love her more than words can say. I love her so much I think I might just burst.

Today is her birthday.

Happy Birthday, my little lady of loveliness.

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo

Your doting sister,

'Eminy'

Wonderful are Your works;

my soul knows it very well.

Psalm 139:14b

the invisible identity of the the peanut OR always read the label yourself

Whilst grocery shopping and simultaneously browsing sample stands ( what can I say? Why refuse tasty morsels of free food?) at costco the other day, I overheard this conversation and thought it humorous enough to share...

 1st lady (giving out samples):  Well, hello there ma'am! Would you like to try our delicious Cheesecake Factory Reeses Peanut Butter Cup Cheesecake?

 2nd lady ( desiring a sample): Oh yes! I'd love some!

 1st lady: Here you are ma'am. It is delicious!

 2nd lady: about to take a bite... I almost forgot! I can't eat nuts!!! This doesn't have nuts in it, does it?

 (Mind you... this is 'peanut' butter cheesecake)

 1st lady: No ma'am! No nuts!

(This IS peanut butter cheesecake...)

  2nd lady: about to take a bite...


 1st lady: Wait! It's processed in a facility that produces nuts! There just might be traces of nuts in that            cheesecake!

(But it's peanut butter!)


 2nd lady: In this cheesecake? There could be traces of nuts in this cheesecake? goes over to trashcan and plops sample in


Well, it was peaNUT butter cheesecake.


Now isn't that something! True story. I suppose I'll never see a peanut without laughing again. ( =

Love,
Emily

thoughts on blogging

I've been thinking about my blog lately... 
It's about to grow.
I began this blog with the intent to post about daily happenings, my walk with the Savior, photo-journaling my life, my family, chronicling my little siblings childhood, my art, creative endeavors,  
natural living, food and cooking,  little and big things that I love... the list goes on. I didn't intend to post sporadic writings that, because I was in a rush to 'finally post something', did not convey very accurately who I am and what I had desired this blog to be. I would say 'My blog isn't the one I would like to have, but I don't have time for it to be different'. Not enough time. Could that really be true?

Everyday it seems I have something I would love to write about, pictures I would love to post, adventures I would love to share, that it can no longer be an option for me to not have enough time. Obviously, I have very little time. But time can be made. Thinking of all the little, unimportant things I waste time on...I realize that blogging can be squeezed in somewhere. It has to be. I had been thinking about all of this, and talking to my mama, and she told me that she wanted me to blog the way I'd wanted to in the beginning, sharing my life with writing and photos, creatively and productively...as a family record, and for my grandparents to enjoy. Well, having mama say that in her kindness and wisdom clinched it for me.

I want this blog to thrive. I want it to be productive.  It is something I've wanted to do for such a long time. I pray the endeavor will strengthen my skills in writing, photography and creativity
(and time management *grin*), I pray that  it will bless my family as I journal our life, that it would encourage and inspire you in some way, and most of all I pray that the LORD would receive all glory and praise.

 I won't be posting all the time, but I hope my blog will start to take the shape I had originally intended.
I'm excited!

Thanks for being on this journey with me.

~Emily

 This post needed a picture, so here's one  I took this summer. It's no longer summer, but today has to be the warmest day we've had this year...so a summer flower photo is appropriate. ( = 
My mama told me this lovely flower is called Jupiter's Beard.