My First E-Card

Dear Friend,

This made me smile.

Jeannie Prinsen made it for me. I've never received an e-card before! How fun!
Jeannie blogs at Little House on the Circle. She's witty, wise, and very kind. Hop on over to her place now. I've got a busy mommy day ahead.

(I'm determined to peek my head in here more often, even if it's just to say hello.)

Hope you have a great day!
Soon I'm going to tell you about the silent retreat I went on last Saturday. If you have never been on one before, I'll give you the full scoop.

Gotta run now!
Peace & Joy,

Adriana

Tea for Two: Oliver Twist on my Front Porch

                                                                                                                                         

Dear Friend,                                                                                                       

I have an extra rocking chair. Care to sit for a spell? 

Would you like a cup of tea? 

I'll put my kettle on now. :-)

What kind of tea do you like?

Do you take cream? Sugar? Honey?

What have you been reading lately? Anything good?

Name your favorite novel. Can't pick one? Well then, name some of your favorites. Or your favorite at the moment.

Wish you didn't have to go!

I enjoy spending time with you. Come back soon!

Love & Blessings,

Adriana

Finding Freedom Beneath the Unclouded Night Sky

Hello dear friends,

Have you ever taken a long stroll in the night?

One night last week I went for a walk at around 3AM. At first it was a little creepy, but after a while, it was wonderful. I meandered along. There was no moon. The stars were brilliant. 

I recognized a couple constellations: Ursa Major and Ursa Minor. Ursa Major is also known as the Big Dipper. Before the Civil War, runaway slaves referred to it as the Drinking Gourd. I live in a place where runaways likely passed through the night on foot in pursuit of freedom in the North. They looked to the Drinking Gourd as a guide. It is a symbol of freedom.

Crickets chirped. Owls hooted. Deer barked as I approached their beds. I captured this picture of two bucks butting heads. They didn't notice me for a long time. I stood still, hidden in the shadows. So much to see and experience in the night time!

I thought about Jane Eyre. Last I saw her, she was curled up on the heath in darkness:

Night was come, and her planets were risen: a safe, still night: too serene for the companionship of fear. We know that God is everywhere; but certainly we feel His presence most when his works are on the grandest scale spread before us; and it is in the unclouded night-sky, where His worlds wheel their silent course, that we read clearest His infinitude, His omnipotence, His omnipresence.

If you are feeling stressed, overwhelmed, unable to rest -- perhaps a night walk will help you sort things out. 

When I got back from my ramble, I slept like a baby til morning.

Peace & Joy,
Adriana

Sacred Pathways and Celebrity Diets

Dear Friends,

Last week over dinner my husband and I had a conversation about the barrage of celebrity diet advertisements on our Facebook news-feeds. Aren't they bizarre sometimes? "Baby-food Diet," "M-Plan Mushroom Diet," "Five Factor Diet" (in which you cook with only five ingredients), and of course don't forget to stock up on the "revoluntionary fat-buster" diet supplement --Garcinia Camogia!

My husband said he heard a radio talk show host say the only celebrity diet worth following is the "Marilyn Monroe Diet."

"The Marilyn Monroe Diet?!!" I had no idea there was such a thing.

I did a search online. It really exists! And you are absolutely guaranteed to look like the Blonde Bombshell if you follow it.

One journalist went on the "Marilyn Monroe Diet" for ten days. She ate two raw eggs whipped in warm milk for breakfast, no lunch, broiled liver, steak, or lamb with five carrots for dinner, and a hot-fudge sundae for dessert.

Here is part of her entry for the final day:

"I have stayed basically the same weight and have a huge cystic pimple on chin. But my breasts seem — slightly? — more firm, and I don’t have to drink raw eggs anymore. Raw eggs make everything seem tolerable in comparison."

Ayiyi. I think I'd rather eat bread, potatoes, and a Philly Cheesesteak on occasion. I think I'd rather eat a fresh Cobb salad, or homemade chicken noodle soup! Maybe instead of trying to be Marilyn . . . I'll just be me.

Now let's talk about diets for the soul --

Recently my pastor loaned me his copy of Sacred Pathways: Discover Your Soul's Path to God by Gary Thomas.

I gobbled it up like a hungry child.

"Instead of learning from others, Christians have often chosen to segregate themselves by starting a new church whenever worship preferences diverge. Unless you happen to be born into just the right tradition, you're brought up to feed on somebody else's diet."

With a heavy heart I think of the church of my childhood. It began as a church split because there was a disagreement over whether or not puppets depicting Bible characters should be used in children's church.

Puppets? They split the church over puppets?! 

I think, too, of some of my life-long spiritual frustrations --

Why does this little plastic communion cup and stale cracker make me sad? Why am I afraid to admit that lighting this candle helps me pray? Why does my heart positively ache with a yearning for beauty? Why am I afraid to lift my hands in church?

Ina Garten's maple glaze. Drizzle on muffins, scones, quick bread, and cake.
Mix  1  1/4 cup confectioners sugar, 1/2 cup real maple syrup, 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract.

Thomas describes nine "sacred pathways" for those who feel like they are stuck in a one-size-fits-all spirituality. Each of these temperaments has unique traits, strengths, and potential pitfalls. Most individuals will find their spiritual temperament to be composite of multiple "pathways." 

Here is a list of the nine "Sacred Pathways":

Naturalist: Loving God out of Doors
Sensate: Loving God with the Senses
Traditionalist: Loving God through Ritual and Symbol
Ascetics: Loving God in Solitude and Simplicity
Activists: Loving God through Confrontation
Caregiver: Loving God by Loving Others
Enthusiast: Loving God with Mystery and Celebration
Contemplative: Loving God through Adoration
Intellectual: Loving God with the Mind

Sacred Pathways offers a short test at the end of each chapter to help you determine which pathways help you relate to God best. I scored highest as a "Sensate" and lowest as an "Activist."  This was helpful information. (For example, now I know why I hesitate to share the status updates of my activist friends.)

This is a 100 year old recipe for apple cake that my friend, Tim Fall, shared on his blog.

Let me clarify: I am not trying to implore you to leave your faith tradition! But I will encourage you to give grace to others who might need to exercise their faith in a way that is different from you. Let's celebrate the wondrous diversity of spiritual life, while at the same time being wary of the potential pitfalls that come with each "sacred pathway."

Do you sometimes feel pressured to practice your faith in a way that does not suit your spiritual temperament?

Peace & Joy,

Adriana

P.S. I'm eager to develop this further. Viewing some of the authors of the classics through this lens might help me answer the question, "Why did the author write this book?

Jane Eyre Synchro-Read Starts Today!

Good Morning Dear Readers!

It's Jane Eyre Day!

I am so pumped. I've been looking forward to this one for quite a while.

So here's how the Synchro-Read will work:

1. Go to my Classical Quest Facebook Page and click "like" if you haven't already.

2. Grab an unabridged copy of Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Bronte.

3. Read as much as you are reasonably able to each day. Remember, I have five young children so this is not a high pressure thing! Most people can easily keep up with my pace.

4. I will try to post a status update for each chapter read. (If you haven't seen something in over 24 hours it probably means there is a stomach virus in my house.)

5. Feel free to read ahead. I promise I won't be mad at you! In fact, I encourage you to read ahead if you can.

6. Interact with me and other readers under the status update for each chapter. Write about how the chapter makes you feel. Share you favorite passages. Ask questions. You are even allowed to complain! Don't worry about being articulate. Just be yourself. Your thoughts matter.

7. If you come across an interesting article on the web about Jane Eyre, feel free to post it directly on the timeline.

8. Enjoy!

Dancing "The Charleston"

the road home

Dear Readers,

While driving home this evening, I rolled down the windows and tuned in to our local radio station for some Saturday evening big band and swing jazz music.

It was good.

There is something about big band in late summer. Crickets chirping between songs, curtains flapping in the breeze .  . .  I'm seventeen again and back home at my parents' farmhouse. It's a Sunday evening.

in Mom's parlor

I know it is a Sunday evening because I still have on my dress. (I always wore dresses to church then.) It's my favorite dress -- black with tiny lavender flowers all over it. I love how it flows when I dance "The Charleston." Such a goofy dance! But so fun! I giggle as I move forward then backward across the hardwood floor.

in Mom's parlor

My cousin is visiting. She is laughing at me too. I take her hands and show her the steps. She catches on quickly and before long, we are dancing together. As she moves forward, I go backward, then vice versa.

Watch George Bailey and his sweetheart Mary dance "The Charleston" in this famous scene from "It's a Wonderful Life":

George Bailey: "We must be good!"

Oh. I love it! 

I love how George and Mary laugh at their own ridiculousness. I love how they keep on dancing even after they fall into the pool!

Haven't we all been there?

I must be good!  . . . KERSPLASH! 

No matter how ridiculous we may seem, it is a soft, happy, childlike spirit that will keep us afloat.

Blessings to you, friends!

With Love,

Adriana

P.S. I'm looking forward to starting Jane Eyre with you tomorrow, the 26th of August.

Summer Play: Ocarinas, Cards, Cup-Clapping, and Fried Chicken

Dear Friends, 

Today I'd like to share with you some really important things I learned how to do this summer.

Make an ocarina with my hands. 

I think ocarinas are neat. I especially like the ones that look and sound like birds. I own two: one sounds like an owl, the other sounds like a mourning dove.  My oldest son and I enjoyed learning how to create an ocarina with our hands via the You Tube video below. (We have some room for improvement. The kid in the video is amazing.)

I received this one as a gift. It was purchased from Ten Thousand Villages.

I bought this one in Eger, Hungary. It sounds just like a mourning dove. We like to "talk" to real doves with them.

Play "Slap Jack."

I don't recall playing this card game as a kid, but it was the perfect game to play with my 4yr old and 6yr old on vacation. I bought a special "Slap Jack" deck. Normally it is played with a standard deck of cards.

Sing while cup clapping.

My 9yr. old daughter and I had a blast learning to use cups in sync as rhythm instruments.

Watch the adorable Lennon and Maisy do it --

And here is Anna Kendrick singing the song my daughter and I learned --"Cup Song"--

It is so fun! I seriously can't be left alone with a cup and a flat surface. It's addictive!

Here is the chant to help you learn it:

clap-clap

1-2-3

clap

up-down

clap

side

hand

table

hand 

slap

down

If you haven't had enough yet, here is the same song in a music video. It starts with one lone cook rolling out biscuits and before long all of the customers in this restaurant are cup-clapping.

Make my grandmother's fried chicken.

Well, I hope I have learned how. While on vacation with her last week, I watched closely as she made it for dinner -- twice!  I bought the ingredients tonight and I plan to make it tomorrow.

Your turn! Have you tried anything fun and new this summer?

P.S. Don't forget: I'm starting Jane Eyre on August 26th. Grab an unabridged copy and plan to join me!

With Love,

Adriana