In the good ol' summertime

Take a peek at Cheri's and April's blogs to see what I was up to on Monday! :-D It was wonderful to meet these two lovely ladies, even though our time together seemed too brief. I did make a purchase at Denver Fabrics while we were there; perhaps I can share more about that later.

Back home in Nebraska, we're in the midst of blackberry season. We have a thicket of blackberries by the side of our house, courtesy of the birds (seriously -- we didn't plant it!). They are tart and juicy and utterly yummy on waffles, hot cereals, with yogurt, plain, or in a pie (I plan to bake one today!).


The bowl was a gift from Cheri -- isn't it beautiful??
It seems like the summer is flying by so quickly, I can't believe it's mid-July already!

Wedding ring shawl

My friend Susan gave me a beautiful wedding ring shawl as an engagement/birthday gift, so called because it is fine enough to pass through a wedding ring. It is handspun and handknit with 1 ply silk and 1 ply OPTIM (had to Google that, but find it is specially treated wool). Definitely an heirloom to be passed down!

Fezziwig Ball: the aftermath

We had our Fezziwig Ball on December 23, and I do believe it was a success! We won't win any prizes as elegant dancers, but we sure had a great deal of fun. The above picture of my brother and I is one of my favorites. Click on the picture to go to Flickr for more photos from the evening.

Fezziwig Ball: the invitations

I've mentioned before that our close family friends, the S.'s, are coming to spend Christmas with us this year. Our families share an enjoyment of Dickens, so we've decided to host a Fezziwig Ball on the weekend before Christmas! I've been busy planning and preparing different aspects of the evening, which I will share with you -- but first and foremost, the invitations!

I photocopied an illustration of the Fezziwigs for the front of the invitations, then on the inside I printed the pertinent information and an excerpt from A Christmas Carol. The cards are tied together with gold ribbon. I printed the envelopes on the computer, using a fancy script font and addressing our guests by their FULL names in an attempt to be as hoity-toity as possible. I did stop short of using sealing wax on the envelopes, but not for lack of trying (I just can't seem to get good results with our sealing wax and seal).

Less than two weeks to go! Hoo-boy, am I excited. :)

Thanksgiving

We had an enjoyable holiday yesterday with a total of a dozen guests -- some family (my mom's parents), but mostly friends from our church family. Most everyone brought something to eat, so that cut down on the amount of cooking Mom and I had to do. We did brine the turkey this year, and I made some homemade stuffing, mashed potatoes, and an apple pie. Mom worked on making the table look beautiful, and I made place cards for each person. Each card had a different verse about thankfulness or remembering God's goodness to us.


Dad picked out some readings from William Bradford's Of Plymouth Plantation and we sang "We Gather Together." After the meal, we played baseball outside in the sub-freezing weather, then came inside and played ping-pong to warm up again!

Sunday dinner

(By the way, around here it's "lunch" every day but Sunday, when we usually pull out all the stops... such a feast must be called "dinner"!)

My mom and I have been doing a bit more hostessin' than usual lately. Today we had some new friends over for Sunday dinner after I visited their church this morning. On the menu:

• pistachio-encrusted chicken
  
• butternut squash puree
  
• fruit salad (bananas, pineapples, mandarin oranges, pomegranates, and shredded coconut in yogurt)
  
• green salad with broccoli, cauliflower, and carrots
  
• Snickers pie

Dad and I promptly worked this off by taking a walk in the 65-degree weather -- it's so beautiful outside today!

The Scottish fiddle

On Sunday evening, I went with a few friends to a concert featuring Alasdair Fraser and Natalie Haas, playing the fiddle and cello, respectively. The venue was small and intimate, and the music ranged from a mournful dirge to foot-stomping reels and strathspeys. I was hoping that they would play a dance tune to finish us off at the end -- and they did, but unfortunately the room wasn't large enough to have any proper dancing.

Now I'm longing for a ceilidh!

A Saturday outing

On Saturday, my friend Susan and I took off to the northern extremities of Nebraska, around the Ashfalls fossil bed area. Susan's friend Marilee lives in a small town nearby, in an old (for Nebraska!) home built in 1873. We met up with Marilee and, after eating lunch at a cute little roadside restaurant called Green Gables, made our way out to Ashfalls.

It was a lovely day to be outdoors -- not too hot, not too windy -- and Susan and I enjoyed seeing the terrain of northeastern Nebraska (hills! and trees!).




Marilee's home was a delight to the eyes (see my previous post). She is, among other things, a fiber artist, and she had several beautiful quilts that were given to her by crafty friends. She is also a collector of antiques, and I just loved all the beautiful old books, furnitures, wall art, etc. that filled her home!

My favorite touch, however, was probably the mis-matched lace curtains (Battenburg and woven lace) at the windows. She had thrown the windows open and a gentle breeze fluttered through the house, bringing fresh air and outdoor scents within. Before we headed back home, Susan and I enjoyed sampling Marilee's homemade wild rose and vanilla tea. It was a thoroughly lovely day!

Camping

Friday evening, my parents and I headed up to camp for a weekend of fellowship with other families from our church. We will not dwell on Friday night, but allow me to hint that it included cold weather, a hungry mouse, and lack of sleep. Saturday was definitely an improvement!

I had the most fun on the ropes course. There are three activities to try: a 40-foot climbing wall, a 25-foot pole from which one jumps to a trapeze swing, and a high course in which one must cross timber beams and wire with minimal support, only to jump down on a zipline at the end.


I did make it to the top of the wall, although I had to "cheat" two or three times by inserting my hand into a crack between the wooden planks, when I couldn't quite reach the next hand-hold!


Here I am leaping for that trapeze. I did not make it! Frankly, I think most women lack the upper arm strength to grip the bar tightly enough to hold on!


Those boots I'm wearing didn't give the best traction, but I managed to get around the course anyway.

The other highlight of the weekend was spending time with our assistant pastor's four-year-old daughter, who inexplicably latched on to me, as children sometimes do with young people. I found her to be a sweet, polite, and affectionate child, so we had a good time together!

A wedding

On Saturday my brother, Nathan, and I attended the wedding of some friends, and Nathan was one of the groomsmen. It was held in a campground in the Hocking Hills of Ohio, which means lots of greenery and lots of hills! (Driving to the camp recalled this episode.) The ceremony itself took place in a wooded glen with rustic benches, surrounded by towering trees and decorated with beautiful purple wildflowers. The bride was lovely in a simple satin halter gown with chiffon straps that wound together down the back and fell in a graceful cascade. And, of course, Nathan was the most handsome groomsman.

I'll share some photos later if I can!

Love's Labours Lost

On Friday evening, Douglas and I and two other friends took a weekend excursion to see Love's Labours Lost. I did not get the entire play read beforehand, unfortunately, but the acting and physical humor helped me to understand the parts of the play I hadn't read. This particular production was set in the 1930s, believe it or not! I wondered if that era was chosen because of the Kenneth Branaugh film, which I've heard is also set in the '30s. At any rate, I very much enjoyed my introduction to this play.

4th of July

My long-time (i.e., 18.5 years) friend Douglas has been visiting us this week. Yesterday morning we kicked off the day by going tubing on the Platte River. There wasn't a whole lot of water in the river, but there was enough to float, if you sort of held your body semi-rigid and didn't let your bottom skim along the sandy river bed. :)

Noontime brought a picnic with my grandparents and far too much food, as usual. My mom made homemade vanilla ice cream and my grandmother made her traditional flag cake.

After lunch and a few rounds of "Othello," Douglas and I went to a friend's party and spent several hours playing lawn games and visiting with other friends. We declined to accompany them to a local concert and fireworks viewing, however, and went and purchased some "explosive devices" for ourselves. After watching the official city fireworks display, Dad and Douglas gleefully set off our own fireworks, thus ending a full but satisfying Fourth of July.

I hope you all had a happy time with family and friends, too!

Emily graduates

Today my good friend Emily graduated with a Bachelor's of Music from the college down the street from our house. She lived with us for two and a half years while she attended classes, so I'd gotten quite used to having a "sister" around!

For the weekend festivities, her mother made her a gown using Sense & Sensibility's 1914 afternoon dress pattern.


After the ceremony, we had a delicious lunch of roast beef, herb-roasted potatoes, cooked asparagus, and cranberry and pear green salad. I made a milk chocolate cake for dessert, which I decorated with frosting polka-dots and three fresh roses.

An early taste of spring

My family and I were delighted to receive this beautiful bouquet from a friend who works at a flower shop. Take a close look -- you can see lilies, hyacinth, snapdragons, heather, tulips -- all kinds of gorgeous flowers! She sent it over in thanks for our taking her to see the Moscow Festival Ballet's performance of Prokofiev's "Cinderella." What a blessing to have such a gracious friend!