a link

i love this blog, and especially yesterday's post. read it here.

such a great thing to remember: faith, not hope.

the butter incident

so, i made butter this morning. on accident. say what?

we just got home from boston sunday afternoon (pictures forthcoming, as soon as certain someones email me pictures), and i thought i had enough cream in the fridge. in case you care/didn't know, i like my coffee strong, with a spoonful of sugar but not too sweet and a few tablespoons of cream, enough to make it a nice dark caramel color. i'm estimating, as i don't measure the cream (or anything really, for that matter) or use a tablespoon for it. maybe you've read my posts on the dairy here in small town, where i get my dairy products. i only use the real stuff. i take my coffee and my dairy seriously.

so, monday morning, coffee is brewed, and the cream i thought i had is nothing but the solid pieces stuck on the glass. i try to pour in milk, but it was puzzlingly partially frozen and the little bit i poured out turned my coffee a nasty gray color, not dark caramel. after adjusting the refrigerator setting, i abandoned my coffee and opted for tea instead. no small feat.

so, i got my cream yesterday and was very much looking forward to this morning's cup of joe. i pour the coffee and got the cream out of the fridge. it was frozen, too. seriously? so i run (cold) water over the glass to defrost it and when i see some liquid moving around, i shake the glass to break up the frozen cream and defrost it some more.

and that is where i make my non-fatal, delicious but not entirely convenient mistake. you know how back in the olden days you had to churn cream to make butter? yeah, well, not what i'm thinking at 7:30 on any given morning. i open the cream and see what i think is still frozen cream, so i get out a knife to punch through it. only it glides through it like, well, butter. i'm pretty sure some of it made its way into my coffee. and it was tasty.

vacation photo post, numero tres: fun in LA

the final chapter of our vacation. we came back from santa ynez and went to the LA artwalk, went out on the town, played with hex bugs and generally just hung out.

kissey & jules

welcome to funland!

the neon exhibit. way cool.

max. at LA artwalk

his first pedicure

melrose. i did some damage at aldo.

jules & zach. we think she'll keep him.

obligatory photo #1

obligatory photo #2

WE LOVE IT!

afternoon trip to the orchid hothouse in malibu.
right after the gary busey encounter.
and then i saw this hothouse in the new anthropologie catalog.

friends: aaron, sweet sarah and us

kissey: "we look so awkward, jules."
jules: "it's what we do. it's why we're friends. plus, what good are
photos if at least one of them doesn't make people go,
'wait a second...what?'"

a promise

i was reading psalm 90 the other night. here it is below.

Lord, you have been our dwelling place
in all generations.
2 Before the mountains were brought forth,
or ever you had formed the earth and the world,
from everlasting to everlasting you are God.

3 You return man to dust
and say, “Return, O children of man!”
4 For a thousand years in your sight
are but as yesterday when it is past,
or as a watch in the night.

5 You sweep them away as with a flood; they are like a dream,
like grass that is renewed in the morning:
6 in the morning it flourishes and is renewed;
in the evening it fades and withers.

7 For we are brought to an end by your anger;
by your wrath we are dismayed.
8 You have set our iniquities before you,
our secret sins in the light of your presence.

9 For all our days pass away under your wrath;
we bring our years to an end like a sigh.
10 The years of our life are seventy,
or even by reason of strength eighty;
yet their span is but toil and trouble;
they are soon gone, and we fly away.

11 Who considers the power of your anger,
and your wrath according to the fear of you?
12 So teach us to number our days
that we may get a heart of wisdom.

13 Return, O Lord! How long?
Have pity on your servants!
14 Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love,
that we may rejoice and be glad all our days.

15 Make us glad for as many days as you have afflicted us,
and for as many years as we have seen evil.
16 Let your work be shown to your servants,
and your glorious power to their children.

17 Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us,
and establish the work of our hands upon us;
yes, establish the work of our hands!

so, like i said, i was reading the other night after my devotional. i really didn't have anything in mind to read, just sort of flipping through. i don't read the Bible a whole lot (but should) and i usually never have a set reading or anything. i was upset about my parents' upcoming hearing, and really just the divorce proceedings in general. i've been having a very hard time trusting God--trusting that this will all work out, that He hasn't forgotten or forsaken my family, that my mother will finally get some justice and some peace, and that my father will turn to God. i know all these things in my heart and my head, but sometimes it's difficult when what i see and feel doesn't match what i think should be God's plan. and so i settled on psalms for comfort.

Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever You had formed the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting You are God.

and right there, right in front of my face--my promise from my Father that HE is the Lord, and always has been, and always will be. Nothing escapes Him. He does not leave, He does not change, He does not forget, and He never will. and even when it feels like He has not heard, or seems like He is doing nothing, i remember He is right there, mourning with me. from everlasting to everlasting. i will cling to that.

recap: random smith lake weekend

just got back from a rather interesting weekend at the lake. for you, readers, a list of the highlights.

1. got to see both my sisters!
2. had to endure (and then, to my chagrin, subsequently enjoy) a nicholas sparks movie.
3. sunglasses - 0, smith lake - 2. my chanel sunglasses, my very first christmas present from the law graduate (and he was broke as a joke), fell off my head into the lake and sank like a ton of bricks, while i watch, paralyzed and helpless. anna goes to dive for them but her (4-lb) dog shakes so hard he falls off the raft and onto her expensive tom ford sunglasses, breaking them in half and sending them deep into the green water. in a matter of 15 seconds, all that's left of almost $1000 of high-end name-brand eyewear is the left earpiece of anna's sunglasses. we both cried. i phoned the law graduate.
4. read 2 emily giffin books: something borrowed and the heart of the matter. called the law graduate again after reading the latter and making him promise he would never never never never never never ever cheat on me. he was in the middle of a nap.
5. the air conditioning unit is semi-busted. we tried semi-successfully to fix it with duct tape. i shared the duct tape (duck brand, i'm sure) motto with my sisters, who had never heard it. they enjoyed.
6. i rescued a frog. i removed him from the closet in the garage and deposited him out-of-doors. i love frogs. glad he didn't pee on me though.
7. my roxy, who does not like water and mostly refuses to go near it, decided that 15 minutes before our ETD was a good time to face her fears. thanks, pup.
8. bella (mom's 10-lb bad black bear cub of a yorkie-poo) found a nest of some sort - birds, snakes, lizards, etc. - and ate the contents. just munching away underneath the steps, snuffing out future life. she had egg all over her face. it was disgusting.
9. bella then tried to eat a frog. i rescued that one too.
10. mom killed a scorpion. nasty-looking things.
11. i woke up at 2 am, turned on the light and rolled over to see a tick crawling for roxy. on the bed. by my head. ugh.

vacation photo post, numero dos: santa ynez

pictures of our anniversary jaunt to santa ynez valley. i highly recommend it.

(having a bit of trouble putting the photos in order with blogger, so just disregard it)

getting ready to go

brander winery

the brander vineyard

the ballard inn

anniversary dinner at the ballard inn

the ballard inn

brander winery

i'd like to put up more photos of our gorgeous drive down, but i'm annoyed with blogger. enjoy!

nfp fml, et cetera

1. i miss not having cramps. and thanks, elizabeth, for my blog post title.

2. i am aware the blog is lacking because i am slacking. i told you i just like to make lists, remember?

3. i heart nba finals. i really don't care who wins, just as long as they win in game 7. i like a good series. i do love watching kobe win, but the celtics, when they are on, are a sight to behold.

4. i am still a bit depressed: the job situation (or rather, lackthereof), parents' divorce (yes, really, it's still happening and it still sucks all kinds of dirty words), not knowing the future, and being unable to leave the ice cream alone even though i no longer want to wear pants to work, only dresses. oh, and another golden girl died. i shall now have to do a memorial post.

5. i get to see my cousin this week! i haven't seen brookaloo since i got hitched over three years ago. i'm. pumped.

stay tuned.