Screaming yellow zonkers - yeah, I get that

When I was young, I HEARD color. Words and phrases were colors. The alphabet was not symbols to me, but colors. It took me forever to learn to read. I got in trouble in the first grade for going to town with a box of Crayolas in my phonics book. It made sense to me. My brain is wired funny. They give it a word - synesthesia. I think it falls under the category of learning disability. I think it's a gift. I love color. I love color even more than form. I thank God for color, in all its screaming, singing hues.



Joining Emily today - Imperfect Prose on Thursdays

Easy basil lemonade

This a family favorite on hot summer days when there's plenty of basil in the garden. I suppose you could make it using homemade lemonade. I've never been good at making that, so I use frozen :)

Ingredients:
1 can frozen lemonade
1 generous handful of fresh basil leaves
1/2 cup boiling water for steeping basil leaves
sparkling water
borage flowers (optional)

Here's how:
In a pitcher, mix the lemonade according to the directions on the can.
Substitute some of the tap water for the 1/2 cup of "basil tea", discarding leaves.
Stir, then top off the pitcher with some sparkling water
(I use about a cup of lemon flavored mineral water)
Garnish with borage flowers

Yummy and thirst-quenching...try some!

Tally on

Counting blessings

Take joy home,
And make a place in thy great heart for her,
And give her time to grow, and cherish her,
Then will she come, and oft will sing to thee...
It is a comely fashion to be glad;
Joy is the grace we say to God.

Jean Ingelow

191 - keeping cool

192 - barn swallows

193 - old gates

194 - mason jars

195 - rewards of a sunrise nature walk

196 - moss-covered bricks

197 - daybreak

198 - iPod bonding with your new brother-in-law

And the winner is...........

ALEXIS @ Finding Prose in the Laundry

Congratulations, dear poet extraordinaire! Send your info to my e-mail address, and your package will be on its way :)

Imperfect prose

Joining with Emily today on Imperfect Prose on Thursdays, I'm sharing with you my quite imperfect experiment with egg tempera painting. The illustration is meaningful to me because it expresses how I feel about praying. PRAYER means going to war, doing battle in the heavenlies, standing in the gap, depopulating hell. And our Father who art in heaven bends His ear and listens. I know because I wouldn't be alive if it weren't true. I am still here because someone prayed. And so I pray...the beat goes on.

Also sharing with you one of my favorite Greek words - hupomone.

"Hupomone is the quality which makes a man able, not simply to suffer things, but to vanquish them. The effect of testing rightly borne is strength to bear still more and to conquer in still harder battles."

William Barclay

Concerning blogging hobbits...

Did you know that hobbits enjoy giving presents on their birthdays? They do! And since I am a hobbit of the Tookish sort, and this being my blog birthday, I'd like to offer you a chance at a present. I only wish my photo were as pretty as the objects offered. These are some little trinkets crafted by artists from my neck of the woods. This prezzie includes a hand-carved and painted wooden bird, a little stone squirrel, a silver acorn, and a miniature Andrew Wyeth painting/magnet.

All you need to do is to leave a comment on this post (lurkers, this includes you, so if you've never commented before, don't be shy now). Deadline is Friday July 23rd at 11:59PM EST. Next week I will pick one name out of a hat, and then this little package will wing its way to you, wherever you are in the world!

Curious Acorn is one year old today. I've been so appreciative of all the readers and commenters that have visited this little space. It's been a pleasure getting to know each of you.

"Hobbits give presents to one another on their own birthdays. Not very expensive ones, as a rule, and not so lavishly as on this occasion; but it was not a bad system. Actually in Hobbiton and Bywater, every day in the year it was somebody's birthday, so that every hobbit in those parts had a fair chance of at least one present at least once a week. They never got tired of them."

J.R.R. Tolkien
Fellowship of the Ring

Desires of the Heart

The year the movie Prince Caspian was released was a particularly exhausting time for my husband and I. Both of us were worn to a frazzle, so one day we sought a few hours of respite at the movie theatre. There is a wonderful scene in the film where the Pevensie children are suddenly transported from a dark and dreary underground train station back to the land of light-filled Narnia.

That scene just tore at my heart. It was so gorgeous, so breathtakingly beautiful. I remember tears welling up in my eyes, and silently thinking, "Lord, I wish I could run on that beach".

At the time, I had no idea that this scene had been filmed at Cathedral Cove in New Zealand. Nor did I have any idea that two years later, God was going to answer that secret desire of my heart. Our Father - He's like that. O people, His lovingkindness is better than life!

185 - Being there

186 - Being there

187 - Being there

188 - Being there

189 - Being there

190 - Being there

There and back again

Well, we just got home last night. Still a bit fuzzy-headed and jet lagged, but our hearts are full of joy and gratitude to God for making this wonderful adventure possible, and to our many new family and friends who extended hospitality, warmth and friendship that made our stay so completetly unforgettable.

The main reason for traveling was for our daughter's wedding. Our new son-in-law Rhys pastors a church in the North island of New Zealand. He and Joy were blessed to be married by Rhys' dad, who is also a pastor. We had many fantastic experiences there and will be sharing some of these in upcoming posts. Here are a few pictures of this special day. The phenomenal photography was done by Deb and Dave (www.deborahdegraaf.co.nz). Thanks, guys, you blew us away.

P.S. Thanks to everyone for your prayers and well-wishes for our safe travel.