In case I haven't mentioned it on here (I don't think I have) and in case I haven't mentioned it to you personally (I probably have, though, I mention it to a lot of people), know this: I make breakfast/lunch twice a week for my family of 8. See, my mom and I did a trade off: I make breakfast instead of cleaning the chicken coop. I really think I got the better end of the deal. But, I can't simply throw cereal, milk, and bowls on the table. 8 people go through cereal really really fast. I have to actually make breakfast.
Mom started this serious breakfast-making when we were in South Africa, needing to eat at 6 AM so we could be out the door at 6:20. Breakfast is varied, filling, and delicious: cobbler, clafouti (klah-FOO-ti), chocolate cake, baked french toast, hash, banana bread, etc. Desserts work really well for breakfast - just cut the sugar, and it gets pretty healthy. And all of these (or almost all) can be mixed up, spread into her stoneware Pampered Chef 9x13 pan the night before, and ready to go in the morning. But even with this vast variety, you can get a little bored. Oh the tedium of plenty.
Through the long, cold, dark winter days, when I wake up before the sun and am out the door soon after, I don't have time to make fun breakfasts. Breakfasts where you have to think it through and then spend time doing it? No, I must be content making it the night before and setting the oven to start at oh-dark-thirty. Also, that fresh fruit, straight from our garden or a local farmer, which adds color, flavor, and zing to any breakfast dish, is seriously lacking in the middle of the winter.
So, now summer's starting (they're calling for a high of 90°F today!) and I get to have fun! Apricots, peaches, berrrrriiiiieeeessss (yum), bananas, apples... all readily available to me. I wanted some kiwi, too, but it turned out I ate the last one a few days ago. Oh well. So blossomed this gorgeously scrumptious breakfast. I should also note that the original recipe (which I won't even reference because I don't think I ever followed it) called for a sugar cookie base, but that's not such a great idea with 7 kids. Um, hyper anyone? The biscuit base worked just as well. And I still got up at 6 AM to start breakfast, but it wasn't dark. So I was happy. MMMMMmmmmmmm...
Summer Breakfast Pizza
serves 8-10
oven 450°F
Ingredients:
Biscuits:
3 c whole-wheat flour
1 1/2 Tbsp baking powder
1 Tbsp sugar
3/4 tsp cream of tartar
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 c butter
1 c milk
Cream Cheese Spread:
8 oz cream cheese, softened
2 Tbsp orange juice
1 Tbsp powdered sugar
2 tsp orange zest
Topping:
1-2 cups of fruit. I used strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, apricots, apples, and bananas. The blueberries were frozen, so I thawed them first, but everything else was fresh.
Directions:
1. In a food processor, stir together flour, baking powder, sugar, cream of tartar, and salt. Cut in butter till mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add milk all at once. Mix just until dough clings together.
2. Lightly flour a pizza pan and pat dough out onto the pan. The dough will be sticky; add more flour as needed, and then lick your fingers.
3. Bake in a 450°F oven for 10-12 minutes or till golden.
4. Meanwhile, beat the cream cheese, orange juice, powdered sugar, and orange zest until well blended. Set aside.
5. Prepare fruit topping. Thaw anything (like blueberries) that's frozen. Slice larger pieces of fruit (like apples, apricots, strawberries) so they will lie flat on the biscuit. Set aside.
6. When you pull the biscuit out of the oven, spread the cream cheese over the top while the biscuit is still warm. This way, the cream cheese will melt and spread more easily. Spread as far out to the edges as you can. You may have some cream cheese leftover, but it will be good on toast
or snack.
7. Create a beautiful fruit arrangement on top and serve to your family. Be prepared to watch it disappear in an eighth of the time it took you to prepare it, but be sure to help with that disappearing act.
Credit where credit is due:
Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook, 1990s edition
Orange Nut Bread & Cream Cheese Spread, Taste of Home, Karen Sue Garback-Pristera
I really meant to post this a week... two weeks ago. You know, right after graduation. Definitely before I left for my week at the US Air Force Academy. Did that happen? Nope. So anyone who actually reads this blog is left with a month between posts. Not ideal, but what's done is done. Better late than never? Back to that cliches thing....
Anyways, although my technical "what year am I in school" definition is way more complicated than "Senior", suffice it to say that I walked a graduation ceremony this year and will (likely) not next year. I walked with 7 other seniors at the homeschooling coop that I was part of for a few years before moving to South Africa. It was such a nice ceremony, just family and friends, but the small graduating class (many who used to be in our class graduated from the local high school) meant each and every one of those graduating had to give a speech. I probably knew about this 3 or 4 months ago, but did I write it? Noooo.... It was okay, though, the speech-writing and -delivery went fairly well. Below is the product of that hurried 15 minutes an hour before showtime. As the M.C. said, perfected procrastination is known as inspiration. Keep that in mind.
Let's start at the very beginning, a very good place to start.... it was a spring day in North Carolina when I was born on April 9, 1996. The first born, I was to be my parents' guinea pig, as they have so lovingly called me, for the next several years of my life. Indeed, probably for the rest of it. Thankfully, my parents are relatively ethical with animals, and I think I turned out okay.
My mom jokes that she started homeschooling me because she didn't want to take me to the bus every day, and I am certainly thankful for that decision; buses almost always smell bad. Thus began my homeschooling journey, with many different teachers, friends, and experiences. I tell people I love homeschooling because I can finish my work at noon and have the rest of the day to myself, but I also love working at my own pace, avoiding the drama of public school, and forging a strong relationship with my parents, especially with my mom. She has taught me so much outside of academics - to cook, to sew, to be independent, to serve those around me. I am so thankful for her.
I am also thankful for my Dad. he is a strong father who loves me deeply, who wants me to figure out everything, including how to change the car radio, and who is always ready with a hug when I need one. I love you Mom and Dad.
And although at times it may be hard to see past the annoying outsides, I love my siblings as well. Esther, I love your laughter. Ivan, your cheerful heart. Becca, your smile is beautiful. Jonathon, I do (most of the time) love your goofiness. Teresa, I love the way you listen to me in the night as we discuss how to solve the problems of the world. Or how you put up with me when I fall asleep in the middle of the problem solving.
My whole family has supported me as I've grown. It hasn't always been easy, goodness no, or even always good, but it has been a family for which I am so grateful. Now, as I look to the future, I don't know where I'm going, but I know they'll be with me every step of the way.
Although I have been class of 2014 my entire life, my 2 years overseas "messed up" my school schedules, so I am actually only a grade 11 in the eyes of the government; I dropped back a year to take full advantage of the Running Start program. I am acting a senior in most everything else, but I'll finish up my Associates Degree next year.
From there, who knows where God will lead me? I'm considering the air force, or going into chiropractic. I'm interested in photography as well, I want to raise a family, and I sense the call of God into the mission field. Wherever I am, my Lord will be with me and my family behind me.
So yea.
Lots of teachers diss cliches, but I think there's value in them. Over-usage might be a problem, but when a certain phrase has been around long enough, it starts to gather connotations, same as a word would. So sometimes cliches more accurately express a concept better than a long train of words meticulously pieced together. That's not really what this post is about, but I'm about to use a couple cliches and now you won't immediately dismiss my thoughts because I'm not being "original" enough. Although I'm sure you wouldn't have done that anyway.
Friendships come in many different shapes and sizes; "one is silver and the other's gold"; opposites attract? No, that last one probably doesn't hit the nail on the head. I've had many friends and many chances to see how those friendships last through different circumstances and this has caused me to reflect on those different types of relationships.
- Your childhood best friend whom you gradually drift away from.
- The relationship which is based mostly off of joking, silliness, and plans for the next moment of laughter.
- A friend who you knew for two years, who you saw every day in school, who you were close with, but with whom you won't stay in touch when you leave the school.
- The friend you met when you were young, who has been through everything with you, who you consider as close as a sibling. Who you know, no matter how often you talk, you will always consider your best friend.
- A person you sat next to for one class and got along well with, but you won't talk once the class is over.
- One you see from a distance and put on a pedestal. You wish to be friends, but never have the guts to talk to that person. Or you do talk, but it's limited because you see the person so far above you.
- The chance meeting of someone who you can look up to but are equal to, you understand each other in almost every way and can always be supportive of each other. You stay in touch, but no matter how infrequently you talk, you pick up right where you left off and nothing has changed. You can see being friends for a very long time.
- A friend you aren't extremely close with, but when you leave you stay in touch constantly.
- Your everyday friends who you easily laugh with and chat with and share experiences with. You look up to them in varying degrees for various reasons and care about their joys and frustrations.
I obviously didn't include names, and some of these are more general, others more specific. I didn't include every relationship I have - that would be too many. Maybe you can identify with these or identify who I'm describing. Maybe not. The pictures don't match up, if you're thinking of using that as a clue. I don't think you should even try to match people with descriptions. And this isn't a scientifically researched list of carefully evaluated relationship types, this is just my reflections. There are so many types of friends, depending on the people interacting and the environment they're in. Each relationship is as unique as the people forming it.
The last two days, as part of my gift to my mom, I've spent several hours working in the garden with her. This is actually a really fitting gift because it fits both my love language, quality time, and hers, service. So even though I don't normally find joy in weeding, it was enjoyable to work next to her in the sunshine, being productive, sometimes chatting, sometimes quiet, finding worms.
As a college student, so much of my time is consumed by schoolwork, and I don't often have the time to really get my hands dirty. Now, I've made it through the bulk of this term and I've got a little time to relax. Mother's day - perfect timing! So I weeded and planted snap peas, shelling peas, sweet peas, mint, and nasturtium. And weeded some more. And found worms.
Good dirt is beautiful. If you've ever been a gardener, you know what I mean. Rich, dark, mineral-laden dirt, nicely soaked with rainwater and full of stones, worms, and roots. You dig your fingers into it and crumble it together into a packed lump and then squeeze it back onto the ground. It gets under your fingernails and covers your hands, knees, and clothes. Gorgeous.
You may have also picked up, I like worms. Obviously, I've been worm deprived for a while. They're cool! They can be long or short, fat or skinny. They regenerate if you accidentally chop one in half with your trowel (I did that a couple times). I'm pretty sure they can move backwards or forwards, and they feel weird slithering over your hand! And they're good for the garden. And they're pretty - dark purple and pink, not just a dull brown! Yes, I kind of enjoyed the worms. Mom laughed at my exuberance, but I don't mind acting childish like that.
As my pastor is preaching, God is a working God who created this world and we are His working people, created in His image to enjoy what is good! I like getting my hands dirty!
It always seems like I'm the slow driver. I'm very much a rule follower, so I always go the speed limit, or one or two over. When I'm in a rush, I go 5mph over. Speedy huh? Not so much. Apparently few others think so, too. I drive 5 miles to work and cars gradually stack up behind me. The come up going 5 or 10mph faster than me and then are forced to go my speed, the speed limit. Or they pass me, that happens a lot, too. I rarely get stuck behind anyone, and I'm rarely not followed, which would lead me to believe I'm in the minority for driving right on the speed limit. Cause of other cars were going the speed limit, I would more often be not followed. Right?
I live in a beautiful place (see For The Beauty of the Earth http://teenreflectionsonlife.blogspot.com/2013/12/for-beauty-of-earth.html?m=1), but everyone seems to go too fast too appreciate it. And driving over the speed limit is against the law. Maybe we can't smell the flowers, since we're enclosed in a box of shiny metal, but we don't need to go by them so fast the only way we're noticeable is the light breeze we leave behind full of our exhaust fumes. Take a lttlw time to roll down the window and ejoy the breeze, put some uplifting music on, not get a speeding ticket, take in the scenery around you. It's nice - I can testify.
Unless my car's speedometer is malfunctioning, That's possible, too.
I am prideful. Coming from that, I am perfectionistic, over-achieving, and sometimes vain. As a result of these, especially the first two, I am confident and fairly successful. Those might be looked at as positive characteristics, but I struggle with humility, am quick to judge a poor performance of myself or others, and consider myself entitled to high achievements. Lo and behold: I'm human.
I'm not proud of this (not proud of my pride?), but it will probably be a lifelong fight to overcome myself, something I know I'll only ever be able to accomplish by God's grace. I find it ironic that I tend to be good at almost everything I put my mind to, that this has caused me to be proud, and that this pride is what causes me to be bad at something: humility.
Now, I said almost everything. I am capable of everything to some extent, but I definitely have some places where I don't have an inborn talent. For example, my sister, Teresa, is a way better athlete than I am. She does the workout videos with Dad and she can run a mile a lot faster than I can and she excels at soccer and track and netball. It always frustrates me when something reminds me that she's more athletic than me because I wish I could be like her, but I can't. Another example is music; my lack of the ability to play an instrument doesn't cause as much frustration as sports do, maybe because I can sing, but it's still an area in which I'm not especially talented. I watch Matt play the guitar and I'm fascinated by the movement of his fingers, or another friend will talk about music theory and playing classical piano and most of what he says goes straight over my head. I'm just not as strong in these fields as in others.
My frustration is the wrong reaction. Multiple places in the Bible it says the body is made up of many parts, and each has its own function. In Romans 12 it says
3 Because of the privilege and authority God has given me, I give each of you this warning: Don’t think you are better than you really are. Be honest in your evaluation of yourselves, measuring yourselves by the faith God has given us.4 Just as our bodies have many parts and each part has a special function, 5 so it is with Christ’s body. We are many parts of one body, and we all belong to each other. (Romans 12:3-5, NLT, biblegateway.com)
Um, message from the Lord to me at all? This has really been striking me as I've read through and memorized Romans this year for Bible Quizzing. "Don't think more highly of myself than I ought to think." A better reaction would be to support those who have talents different than mine and cheerfully accept help when they offer.
I really like colors. And certain designs. And for things to flow a certain way. And I've realized that whenever I get an idea for a piece of clothing or a pair of earrings or some other accessory, the designers who get paid all the money haven't yet been inspired to create my idea. Come, now, that's your job! No, I'm kidding, they have lots of other ideas, but this lack of my ideas being produced has led me to learn to sketch and sew and bead. I've done my own dresses and I bead quite regularly (also brought on by my inability to wear any metal but gold), I just haven't figured ot the shoe bit yet. I'll get there... maybe. I'm not aiming to be a fashion designer at all, I don't get inspirations that regularly, I just know how to create and fulfill my dreamed up items.
Anyway, one of my more recent projects, since I started driving, was to create a key chain for my keys. I knew I needed something long, something that would stand out, but I didn't feel like spending money. So... I created it. A bunch of colorful, textured, unique accent beads, all strung onto a wire and attached to my key chain. Pretty!
It didn't last very long before that wire snapped and all the beads tumbled into the cracks and crevices of my car. Okay. I can solve this. Three wires! After all, three cords cannot be broken, right? That lasted about twice as long. Two of the wires snapped, and I set the beads aside for a couple weeks until I could have time to repair it.
This time, I've used a single wire and a single piece of string. Alright, I've not been using it for as long as the other two took to break yet but I have my hopes up. It got me thinking... when it's three wires, those wires will all snap under the same circumstances. Bend the whole thing too hard, and it all breaks. String, on the other hand, breaks when it is continuously rubbed. So if the wire is combined with the string, they'll be stronger together both because they are two and because they are different.
Same thing works with people. Put two people who work the same way and put them both in a difficult situation, they'll both break at the same time. But put two differently-minded people together, and they can support each other through the different snapping points. That's why we need friends and family who aren't the same as us.
Anyway, I'll let you know if my key chain breaks.
