The Simple Things of Summer

Day Trip to NYC with my Caregroup--July 8

Java Junction for iced-tea after the market with my Mom...
This little girl was at the market today...so precious...
The market has so much--corn, apples, peppers, wild honey, blackberries, tomatoes, apricots, peaches, plums..it is right in Old Town G'burg on Thursdays from 2 to 5pm
Lauren and I posing at Ikea...
Yes, only one hydrangea has bloomed, but i am proud of it!
The wild blackberries that I picked on my walk the other day

During the last few weeks, I have begun to see the benefits of simple summer days. Our family decided not to go on vacation this year for a variety of reasons, and I have been pleasantly surprised to find that there are so many great things you can do when the calender is not filled up (surprise, surprise!) Long times of reading my Bible, studying spanish, seeing movies like Superman and Lady in the Water late at night, reading Counte of Monte Cristo at the pool, organizing my room, and going to the weekly local market on Thursdays with my Mom have proved to be so relaxing. And then there have been other things: going to Ikea to help Lauren Minard, one of my closest friends, pick out house and wedding decorations, enjoying my one lonely pink hydrangea that my bush produced, (my Dad pruned it last winter and he wasn't supposed to!), getting iced tea at this cute little cafe called Java Junction in Old Towne Gaithersburg, (this was today's activity), making ginger granola, cooking for family dinner (the other night was Greek style pork gyros on toasted pita bread with cumin-lime yogurt sauce, arugala, and red onion), doing Pilates and Sports Conditioning classes at Fitness First, picking wild blackberries on early-morning walks in my neighborhood, and hanging out with my family and friends.

We have also been eating dinner out on our deck a lot as of late, and then we sit and talk for a while, which is usually pretty entertaining =) The other night my brother Peter was re-filling his water glass and had quite the little surprise: he took a huge gulp, and then started loudly choking and gagging because it was actually carbonated seltzer water with lemon, and he thought it was regular filter water! He then proceeded to blame it on me because I had made dinner that night...and following the usual ranting that the boys give me whenever I make something unusual (I have been known to come up with my own recipes), he went straight to "the chocolate chips". "Chocolate chips" is a term Peter and Brett use whenever they tease me about some weird dish that I make--they say, "What, are there chocolate chips in the salad tonight, Em?" I won't defend myself...but just to get the record straight, Brett was responsible for the seltzer water that night.
The second funny family time was a few nights ago when we were attempting to have family prayer. To make a long story short, we pretty much all took turns falling asleep when it wasn't our turn to pray, and only got through about a quarter of our prayer list...but hey, it was the spiritual bonding time that mattered, right? =)

Cheese, anyone?

Did you know that Holland is the largest exporter of cheese in the world? In 1991 alone, the Dutch produced over 600 million kilos of cheese, which was sold to various Western European countries, as well as the U.S. and Japan. Kind of crazy, huh? But what amazes me the most is the selection--Gouda and Edam are two of Holland's specialties, and then there's Leyden (a dry, nutty cheese with cumin seeds in it that our family grew up eating), Leerdammer, Smoked Gouda, Friesian, and Kernhem to name a few. When I went online, one store had 700 cheeses to pick from...wow.
I would have to say, cheese is not just a delicacy to me; it's a staple of life. Cheddar, sharp or mild, pepper jack, monterray jack, brie, parrano, feta, ricotta, swiss, blue, boursin, gorgonzola, parmesan, Chevre, Gruyere, Camembert...the list goes on and on.
Yep. The variety is pretty much amazing.

I Scream for Ice-Cream

Vanilla Ice-cream with chunks of Reese's peanut butter cups and dark chocolate

(Clockwise from top)
Pink Grapefruit sorbet, low-fat Peach frozen yogurt, and Coconut yogurt custard

My handy-dandy Cuisinart base!

Ever since I read "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn" when I was 15, I have always wanted to make homemade ice-cream. For the last 5 years, I have been putting it off simply because I thought it would be really expensive to buy an ice-cream maker. Well, thanks to my sister's example, I decided to go onto Craig's List (craigslist.com) last week to hunt for one. Result: a Cuisinart professional maker for $12 from a guy who lives in Fairfax, VA but works in Gaithersburg. He dropped it off at our house late last week, and ever since then, I have been busy in the kitchen. My first results have been pretty good--most of the recipes include less than 4 ingredients, in 30 minutes it is ready, and the only thing you really have to think about is putting the ice-cream bowl in the freezer the night before to make sure it is completely frozen. Of course the Vanilla one with the heavy whipping cream and whole milk turned out the smoothest, richest, and generally the best =) All this to say, if you are ever out running errands and need a little ice-cream to cool down on a hot summer day, please feel free to stop by! Happy Fourth of July everyone!

God Moves

As one of the songs we sang in church yesterday that reflects on God's sovereignty, I was personally blessed by one thought: God is smiling from above even when His providences seem to frown. Every providence, every detail, every event in my life is controlled by my loving Creator. Trials, difficulties, and 'the season of waiting' as a single are all hard at times, but I can trust that God never has a "slip-up"--what He withholds is for my good, and what He gives is to bless me. It is always His loving will at work for His glory and my good. As one of the dads said in Mexico when we got hit by the Roto virus, " This situation first passed through the heavens before it came down to us". This is so comforting to recall to mind. As a single, I can be encouraged that no matter what happens, it always is subjected to God's wise plan before He allows it to come to me. He will only give good gifts to His children. All my 'days of waiting' are perfectly planned out by a heavenly Father who knows all the details--the perfect time, the perfect person, the perfect story.

"God moves in a mysterious way
His wonders to perform
He plants His footsteps in the sea
And rides upon the storm
Deep in His dark and hidden mine
With never failing skill
He fashions all His bright designs
And works His sovereign will

So God we trust in You
Oh God we trust in You

Oh fearful saints new courage take
The clouds which you now dread
Are big with mercy and will break
In blessings on your head
Judge not the Lord by feeble sense
But trust Him for His grace
Behind a frowning providence
He hides a smiling face

So God we trust in You
Oh God we trust in You
When tears are great
And comforts few
We hope in mercies ever new
We trust in You

God’s purposes will ripen fast
Unfolding every hour
The bud may have a bitter taste
But sweet will be the flower
Blind unbelief is sure to err
And scan His work in vain
God is His own interpreter
And He will make it plain

So God we trust in You
Oh God we trust in You"