beautiful things...

9:40pm
it's saturday night.
half of the family doesn't feel too well.
i'm reading "the case of the tender cheeping chickies" to lyd.
it's a hank the cowdog book.
love them.
it's been a while since we read any of the books though.
wonderful thing to do in the winter: read.
a lot.
:)
this song? amazingness.
♥
p.s.
11:01pm monday night
today was really something else.
movies --primeval, persuasion-- and laying around taking it easy.
i'm hoping and praying tomorrow's going to be much better. goodnight. :)
~~~
All this pain
I wonder if I’ll even find my way
I wonder if my life could really change at all
All this earth
Could all that is lost ever be found
Could a garden come up from this ground at all

You make beautiful things
You make beautiful things out of the dust
You make beautiful things
You make beautiful things out of us

All around
Hope is springing up from this old ground
Out of chaos life is being found in You

You make beautiful things
You make beautiful things out of the dust
You make beautiful things
You make beautiful things out of us

You make beautiful things
You make beautiful things out of the dust
You make beautiful things
You make beautiful things out of us

You make me new, You are making me new
You make me new, You are making me new

You make beautiful things
You make beautiful things out of the dust
You make beautiful things
You make beautiful things out of us
[Gungor; Beautiful Things]

artistic endeavors: tolkien.

so on this fine, fine day in september--the 24th, to be exact-- i was making coffee.
it was cold coffee, probably saved leftover stuff from the morning brew... perfect afternoon pick-me-up in the late summer. ;)

mmmm. who doesn't like seeing the white stuff they pour into their milk curl around blend into a beautiful shade of caramel?

hmm. i was doing dishes that day, i guess??
i kinda like the different textures here.

obviously, i started this day out really right.
this was after midnight on the 24th. ;)
apples and cheese? amazing!
really. medium sharp cheddar.
yes.
i believe those were granny smiths.....
oh my. now i'm craving that.

ahh.
this is torture.
it's been around 0 degrees or below lately..... boohoo.
okay. we'll just get to the painting.

i think it speaks for itself.
but i can't tell you how many times lyd has asked me, "beka, what does that mean exactly??"
"well," i tell her, "if you don't get it, you don't get it. the older you get, the more you'll get it."
smile.
:)
yeah, i really do tell her that.
for nearly everything she can't understand. heh.

little girls, sun sparkles, and lemon bars.

once upon a time, a little girl was rearranging the magnetic words on the fridge.
she didn't like the camera too much; turned around and walked on her heel after the first photo was taken.

:)

what? i just like the cold window. 

can you tell me why you're taking pictures of me when i just told you no-no-no? 

mmm, yes. fresh coffee and a lemon bar made by miss sarah. lovely:)

yeah, sorry about this. ;)

also, sorry for the view of need-to-be-cleaned windows, but really? the sky was pretty clear, the sun was out, and the breeze was blowing snowflakes around. those snowflakes sparkled. i was trying to capture that without stepping outside in the 12-degree-cold weather. well, it's better than yesterday--which was 0. yeah. freakin' 0. :\
nasty fact for the day: this is the second day in a row....i'm pretty sure i pulled a muscle by my right front rib cage. yowzers. it hurts to cough. and oh boy, do i cough throughout the day. still getting rid of this cough thing; tea should be prescribed for later, and more vitamin stuff.
good thing is: i feel absolutely fine. good, even. coughing once every 10 minutes or so isn't that bad. no stuffy nose, no headache, no sore throat, thank God.

there! i'm not trying to be a stalker and photograph our neighbor's siding that needs to be replaced with something not wood, but if you click on the picture, it'll get big and you can see the sparkles of the snow. really. :) it's the sharp-white dots. heheh.

justin, sarah, and eliyah came over today for lunch. after house hunting in town with a realtor. :) they've lived more than an hour away for the past few years, so this is kind of exciting. plus the fact that they might need help fixing up/painting inside. :) :)

:) tired cutie.

..... 

wow. so tired. 
i have an awesome apron, yes? rachel surprise me with it for christmas. it's from etsy. :)

well, i'm off to watch the last half of the bbc emma. :) strange fact: the other day, while us girls curled up on the couch and la-z-boy chairs watching the first half, at one point lyd said emma's (romala garai) smile is much like mine. that is, when i'm smiling for real. when i'm happy.
heh.
wow.
ooookay, lyd. whatever you say.

i'm about to start chapter 4 of crazy love, by francis chan, and it's wonderful! definitely recommend it. plus, there's a blog anna found that helps you discuss the book, chapter by chapter. pretty awesome.
i'm thinking of the next canvas to paint. i already have one primed.
with hot coffee in a thermos, i bid you adieu. ;)
i hope you have a lovely saturday afternoon.
remember the small, good things in life. have gratitude for them.

tacos. :)

this was thursday, when anna came over with the kiddos.

reese loved the olives and beans. heh:)

anna lost the recipe, so she went on memory for these tacos she had when she was up north with friends:)

rise, peppers, tomatoes....mexican seasoning, and in another smaller pot, black beans, whatever else you think would be yummy. like mushrooms. ;)
layer it all on a tortilla --first of all, sprinkle cheese on the tortilla if you want, and put that tortilla in a skillet on a good, heated stovetop. melt that cheese. ;) it's amazing done that way. second, black beans. third, rice stuff. fourth, salad on top. it's good to get some big tortillas for this meal, so you can fit it all in (or just be careful in the balance of everything you put in it) and roll it up with one end tucked in.
delish.
and quite filling, with the rice and beans. very good, altogether.

we had the leftovers of the taco stuff today for lunch. so good. it's undeniable. :)
.....today:

this morning, danny saw me opening the bag of mahogany and plugging in the grinder....
he got so excited.
it's not my fault, right?
mmm, okay, it is. but it's not the worst thing to get excited about...and at least he knows he's "too wittle" to drink coffee. ;)

yeah, he sometimes can be kind of adorable. :D

"where camera? take a, a picture of ma toes!" 
ah, i remember the days of wearing footie pajamas.
simple days. hahah.

.... :)
for some reason, after this fun time in the kitchen, later he developed quite the arrogant/fussy attitude. it was exactly the way he gets once his mom is in the house. loud, finicky, fussy, bossy... he had a nap later, but woke up with the same attitude! urgh. usually naps cure him. and he's normally quite easy-going. it's weird. he better not do that tomorrow, because i was getting quite irritated and annoyed at him today. i don't normally get too annoyed at kids, because heck, they're kids! but his behaviour was totally unacceptable.
/rant on moody child behaviour.

waiting for it to brew....he's watching caleb make some apple carrot whatever juice in the juicer. :)

by noontime, i had the kitchen pretty darn good looking. better than it has since last week, truthfully. ;) what can i say? i'm gaining back my reputation for cleanest kitchen of the siblings. hah.

yeah, let's just say it isn't in quite that good shape after dad and anna made salmon patties for dinner with tartar sauce and peas.

A child can teach an adult three things:
to be happy for no reason,
to always be busy with something,
and to know how to demand with all his might that which he desires.
[Paulo Coelho]

wordless friday: making coffee with danny:)

...he was excited to help brew coffee. first of all, grind the beans. fun, noisy work. always listen to beka when shhe says stop. heheheh. i don't want powder. but he did good:) this was yesterday.

you gonna pour miwk?

i howd the coffee with you, beka. cheeeese!