Waking up to a Princess

If I am to be totally honest, I would have to admit that I've been turned off to all the popular "Princess" themed paraphernalia that has exploded into the little girl culture.  Jon and I both have been pretty clear that we don't want anything that would communicate to our little girl, or anyone else for that matter, that she is in charge and that the world somehow revolves around her.  Not the message we want to send to our child.  Sadly, we've pretty much written off the whole princess idea because of these cheesy articles.  So needless to say, our Hannah hasn't had much in the way of princess type stuff.   Yesterday, however I had some change of perspective.  Now, don't get me wrong, I'm not an avid Royal Wedding follower.  I honestly didn't even know until about two days ago that this event was even taking place.  But the experience I gained from watching this wedding (the parts I did watch) was worth the time investment.  Yesterday, I believe a light bulb turned on in my head, and I was able to see past all the cheesy paraphernalia and see the true story, my story, our story.   Are we not all a princess at heart?  Isn't it at the heart of every woman (if she were truly honest with herself) that we long to be sought after, fought over, rescued, and then celebrated?  Well, if you're out of touch with that desire, might I suggest you spend 15 minutes with a group of 2-year-old girls.  

Hannah watching Princess Kate 

(Excuse the bed head look)

"Hannah would you like to see a Princess?"  I asked her this first thing yesterday morning after pulling her out of bed and bringing her down for breakfast.  Her response, "YES!"  So we turned on the tv and watched as the new Princess Kate rode through the streets of London with her Prince, in a carriage no less.  It was like watching a Jane Austen novel come to life.  All I can say is that the British know how to throw a wedding party!  Wow.  It truly was magical.  Hannah was thrilled.  Here she is, not terribly familiar with the concept of a princess and she got it.  She understood to some degree that what she was seeing was a real Princess, and her reaction was priceless.  Almost immediately she ran over to a chair where her discarded tutu from yesterday was thrown and announced, "I need to wear my princess dress while I watch the princess."  So she literally stood in front of the tv, stared and waved.  After a few minutes she twirled delighting in the moment, enjoying beauty and being the beauty.  You need to understand something about my daughter, she doesn't watch tv for very long, but on this particular morning the princess was all she could see.

I got it, perhaps for the first time.  How precious, how pure, and how delightful the experience.  All I could think about was how much this desire to be a princess is built into the heart of a little girl (and women), and how much this is a story specifically designed to be there.  While watching the royal wedding, what kept coming to my mind is how grand this wedding was and much it made me think of the celebration to come one day.  It was magical, magnificent, elegant, and joyous.  The celebration was packed and you could tell from the crowd that the energy was contagious, I felt it sitting in my living room thousands of miles away from it all.   

Yep, I'd say that's a roaring party

Still watching

Hannah's pure, unguarded response to her desire to be the princess this morning, and having the opportunity to watch this wedding stirred my heart.  I couldn't help but think about the grandest wedding to come, the one in which we play the part of the bride. Was it just me, or did it seem like every camera shot somehow included this new bride?  No offense the guy looked great, but anyone watching could tell that all eyes were fixed on this bride.  And what captivated me was the thought that he chose her.  Kate would still be Kate Middleton without William.  He chose her and brought her in to his family.  Are we not also celebrated, brought in, and given a new name?  The wedding in heaven between Christ and His church will be a celebration beyond compare and the energy and joy will be to a level that I don't think we can fully grasp in this life.  And seriously, do we really have to even worry whether heaven will be boring (i.e. harps, cherubs, all singing and no play)?  I think not.  The British weren't the first to invent such partying.  And to think, that we (as rugged, broken, messed up, and marred that we are) have the privilege to be called the bride.  Wow... just, wow.  I was humbled and grateful.  

I'm still not in favor of the cheesy princess stuff that takes away from the real story.  But I hope that I can instill in my daughter how much she truly is a Princess,

 and how dearly she is LOVED by the King.

P.S.

On a somewhat unrelated note... did anyone else feel taken aback by all the impressive, stunning, and flamboyant hats these ladies had on?  Brave souls.  But really, isn't there some part of you that would like to sport one of these??  Although, I think I'd feel slightly guilty for blocking the view for pretty much everyone behind me.  Knowing me, I'd be lethal with some of those hats. 

Honey From A Thorn

Life is like licking honey off a thorn

I heard this quote recently and it resonated with me on so many levels.  It put into a word picture all of our present and past experiences.  The sweetness of life has been complicated by some of the struggles we've been through.  Yet, I would say that the honey, the good things have been satisfyingly sweet at times.  And we are the better for the struggles we've walked through.

Last weekend Jon had a three day break and we decided to make another trip to North Carolina before the madness of his CNA course began.  Before we headed west through the mountains to North Carolina, we made our way to Tennessee to make some preparations for the bee hive.  Jon spent a couple of hours cutting grass and leveling out a spot for our soon to arrive hive.  During this time we were able to get over to our property and walk around the outside of our home.  It was surreal to be back again, standing amidst acres of grass and the two trees that we planted for Hannah and Eli.  I am reminded of how God allowed such a generous blessing from a difficult tragedy.  Beauty from ashes, honey from a thorn.

 This girl loves to run!  I couldn't get a shot of Hannah standing still!  The moment we hit the property she was off.  Three acres of level grassy field had to be conquered, and so she ran and ran and ran.

 

  Eli Discovering a caterpillar and standing by 'his' tree that we planted in 2008

After a short jaunt to Tennessee we made our way over to see friends in North Carolina and to enjoy once again a place that feels so much like home.  Over the last 2 years we have developed a true love for the Western NC area, it is like home to us in so many ways.  God really poured out a blessing as we were able to visit and catch up with so many who we lived life with during out time there. 

Our first stop was to see Nick.  Nick became apart of our lives almost from the moment we first moved to the area.  I remember Jon telling me that as 'part of his job' at the college he and this guy, Nick had to go mountain biking and check out some trails.  Are you buying any of this?  Really, mountain biking and get paid?!  Yep, and so it started.  This work (if that's what you want to call it) relationship developed into a friendship.  Nick and Jon spent hours together boating, climbing, caving, biking, building, goofing off, and the list goes on...

Jon and Nick.  Jon and Nick.  Jon and Nick... sound repetitive?  That's what I heard constantly all last year.  These two were inseparable. It was a running joke that Nick saw Jon more than I did!

 Eli scoring a big rock from Nick

Don't  even consider separating these two.

"Sir, please do not kick the swans. " 

If you're wondering about this caption, ask Jon.

Our next stop was to visit our dear friends, Aaron and Megan.  They recently moved and had plenty of room for the four of us to invade their space for a little while.  It was such a joy and it was incredibly refreshing to hang out with them and be pampered by their hospitality.  Two amazing breakfasts and a day hiking and lounging by the river were just what we needed.

 Hannah loved hiking with Megan

 Our destination,

 Standing behind the waterfall

 Trillium 

 One of my favorite spring wildflowers

 Two hours of hanging out on a beach at the river,

 watching the kids entertain themselves 

= one happy mama!

 Megan and Aaron + One on the Way!

 A trip to the Looking Glass area wouldn't be complete without ice cream. 

Raspberry truffel and chocolate cake.  Can we say, ah-mazing?

 SUGAR RUSH

Something Jon and I really enjoyed doing during our time living in WNC was to go downtown.  Asheville, is a vibrant and varied place.  I've been in the summer heat and the cold of winter, and there almost always seems to be some type of entertainment going on there.  From hula hooping to living statues, there is always something that catches the eye.  And of course musicians are scattered everywhere, its an artisan mecca, a musical buffet.  

Waiting for pizza at Mellow Mushroom

Still waiting for pizza

 Pack Place

 Water love 

This particular fountain has always been a favorite for Eli

EASTER!

We had the opportunity to spend another Easter with Aaron and Megan.  

We joined them at their new church and were reminded of why we have hope!   

 Kiss

 Being Silly

 Okay, enough with the pictures 

As a mentioned above, God worked an amazing treat for us as we were able to meet up with so many of our friends.  We spent a couple of hours catching up with Brandon and Martha and their new little girl.  It was again such a blessing to sit in their home perched up on a mountain and enjoy some sweet fellowship (sorry, no pictures.  I sort of dropped the ball on that).  

At the end of our time.  We were able to track down and see our dear friend, Sophie.  This truly was a gift as this amazing woman has her hands full working at a busy and thriving wilderness therapy camp.  She is usually off on some incredible trip (costa rica, key west, etc), but for this moment our worlds were able to collide.  We are so enriched by her presence, her smile, and her ability to all-out love people.  We are honored to know her.  I so enjoy watching God work through this beautiful jar of clay.

 So what, you may ask is the thorn in all this?  Well, I would put it simply, it was leaving.  We had such a great time and our hearts were reignited with our love for the area and the people there.  As we climbed back into the car and drove off, we were filled with that bitter sweet reminder of what we left behind.  Perhaps someday we will have the opportunity to go back.  But as a follower of One who writes the story for us, I am not sure I can confidently say what the next chapter will hold - only the Author knows that.

Regardless of the distance, 

the road leading away from friends is a long one.

Weekly Menu

First let me just say, I know.  It's Monday and I'm just getting around to posting this.  It's been busy weekend!

MENU RECAP

Well, last week wasn't as much of a success as I had hoped, but I was able to complete two out of my three proposed meals.  Note to self, do not make your most detailed meal on your busiest day (I should know this one, right).

Monday: Home made Chicken Fingers

This meal was easy to make, perhaps a little more messy/time consuming than I would have liked.  The recipe called for Panko bread crumbs (Japanese bread crumbs) and that was the first time I've ever baked with them.  They were great!  The recipe was decent, it called for a curried egg wash, which actually turned out to be pretty good.  In the end however, I believe this baked chicken fingers recipe wasn't a keeper - sad, I know.  The search continues.

BBQ Chicken Pizza

This was SUPER easy.  Pre-made pizza dough, a bottle of your favorite bbq sauce, chopped cooked chicken (I used some I had frozen), cheddar and monterey jack cheeses, pineapple, and purple onion.  Bake it all up for about 13 minutes - done.  I will add that the bbq sauce should be used sparingly.  It has such a strong flavor that it can easily dominate and take away from the other ingredients.

So, just two easy recipes last week.  

THIS WEEK'S MENU:

Monday - Manicotti 

Tuesday - Poppy Seed Chicken

Wednesday - Fish sticks/sweet potato fries

Thursday - Green Enchiladas

Friday - Leftovers or TBD

Saturday - Grilled Chicken Salad

Since I'm posting this late, I'm happy to say that Monday was delicious!  I'll keep you posted.  Also, my green enchilada recipe is AMAZING.  I'll try to post that next week.

Lastly, I'm trying to think up an idea for Friday night.  I usually make this our pizza or calzone night, but we've eaten LOTS of pizza in the last week so I'm stumped.  I would LOVE any ideas you might want to share.  I'm wide open to suggestions!

Getting Ready for the Girls

“Most people don’t have any idea about all the complicated life going on inside a hive. Bees have a secret life we don’t know anything about.”

~ The Secret Life of Bees ~

You just might be wondering what's up with all the bee references on the blog?  Well, for those who don't know I've decided to dive into a new hobby - bee keeping.  My interest in the subject began to grow a few years back after reading a popular book, The Secret Life of Bees (the book is way better than the movie).  I am fascinated by the driven and motivated nature of such a small yet complicated creature.  Their community is built on order and hard work, they value each member of the colony, and they all work together.  I have so much to learn about these brilliant creatures, and I am excited about being a student again.
The girls are set to be ready for pick-up on May 7th.  So while waiting on the bees (plus the hive) I have been collecting all the needed gear.  Today, I received my first pieces of bee keeping equipment and it got me really excited!  Of course I also experienced that feeling of butterflies and a twinge of anxiety.  I'm wondering if I'm really cut out to do this.  But honestly, I am thrilled to watch a small but incredibly vital part of creation go to work.  I know that I will learn real-life practical lessons from them, and I will learn about them.  I know I will get stung and pain will go along with the process, but my desire to learn will hopefully trump my fear of pain!  I'm hoping to blog about my experiences as I go along, sharing my insights, blunders, and moments of awe.  And for some, I hope to also share some of the reward, honey!

 Smoker, Hive Tool, and Sheep's Skin Gloves

Still to come, a veiled hat and heavy clothing

Lastly, while getting ready to throw myself into the this process I have come to learn that bee keeping has been a family practice in the past.  My great-grandfather (my mother's grandfather) was also a bee keeper.  I've heard little snippets of stories my mother has shared about my great grandfather.  In a strange way, I feel somehow connected to history in my desire to pursue this hobby.  Perhaps the mindset of sustainability and nurturing the land are passed down through generations, even when no personal connection lies between the family members.  I have thought how neat it would be to be able to sit down with my great-grandfather and glean from his knowledge.  But since that is impossible, I guess I have to learn as I go.

So here goes, a new beginning and new adventure awaits.