faith my eyes

/ abby hummel / 4 Comments

slimy!

I was going to wipe off the counters and take some pictures for a look-at-how-far-we’ve-come kitchen project update. Instead, there was an unfortunate food incident and the remodeling tales will wait a bit longer!

With a short window of time to make lunch between an appointment and piano lessons today, I threw a spaghetti squash in the microwave without poking the flesh to release steam while it cooked. The entire squash exploded when I cut it open afterwards and now I have mild burns all over my face, neck, arms and hands. Since my right eyebrow got the worst of the heat, I’m guessing I’d be in the emergency room if I hadn’t been wearing glasses to catch the stuff headed for my eyes!  I’m following my doctor’s orders for treatment and I should heal quickly without permanent damage since it’s more like a blazing sunburn than the “hot curling iron” feel. But it’s a little haunting to think – what if I hadn’t come back into the house for my glasses before that appointment this morning?

Since the kitchen is still carpeted, I’m toying with the idea of ripping it up and going down to the subfloor instead of cleaning the edible war zone. I even found a chunk of squash that flew over the island and into the back hallway. I suppose we should really think about getting a dog for these heavy-duty jobs.

…Keep me responsible, be it a light or heavy load
Keep me guessing, these blessings in disguise
And I’ll walk with grace my feet and faith my eyes.
-Faith My Eyes, Caedmon’s Call

Thou art not so unkind…

/ abby hummel / 4 Comments

first snow of the season, as seen from the front door

Blow, blow, thou winter wind
Thou art not so unkind
As man’s ingratitude;
Thy tooth is not so keen,
Because thou art not seen,
Although thy breath be rude.

Freeze, freeze thou bitter sky,
That does not bite so nigh
As benefits forgot:
Though thou the waters warp,
Thy sting is not so sharp
As a friend remembered not.

-Blow, Blow Thou Winter Wind
from “As You Like It” by William Shakespeare.

leaves under the snow

It’s not really that cold or windy right now, but with the excitement of a first snow-that-sticks-for-a-while (why does it always make me feel like I’m five years old?) it’s good to remember that no winter wind matches the coldness of an ungrateful spirit.

Praise the Lord, Oh my soul,
and forget not all His benefits…
…who satisifies you with good…
…he does not deal with us
according to our sins
-Psalm 103, esv.

joyful, joyful

/ abby hummel / 4 Comments

For some reason, I always feel like there is great pressure to just “be joyful” without acknowledging that joy is a fruit of the spirit. It’s something that we receive from God,  not something we need to achieve in order to please Him. Of course, we should be joyful. Scripture clearly tells us to “Shout for joy… Be joyful in all things…  Count it all joy…” and it’s undeniable that a heart in union with God is a heart of joy.  The conflict here comes when the rubber hits the road: life is hard and joy is not a natural response in the face of difficulty.

Thankfully, this joy is not at all a burdensome command placed on weary shoulders! It is a gift. God delights to give us gifts, and when joy seems out of reach we can (must!) ask for it with confidence.  I love that the hymn Joyful, Joyful We Adore Thee abounds in encouragement. This song points us to God who gives joy instead of demanding something that seems so impossible to achieve on our own.

Joyful, joyful, we adore Thee, God of glory, Lord of love;
Hearts unfold like flowers before Thee, opening to the sun above.
Melt the clouds of sin and sadness; drive the dark of doubt away;
Giver of immortal gladness, fill us with the light of day!

All Thy works with joy surround Thee, earth and heaven reflect Thy rays,
Stars and angels sing around Thee, center of unbroken praise.
Field and forest; vale and mountain; flowery meadow, flashing sea;
Chanting bird and flowing fountain call us to rejoice in Thee.

Thou art giving and forgiving, ever blessing, ever blessed,
Wellspring of the joy of living, ocean depth of happy rest!
Thou our Father, Christ our Brother, all who live in love are Thine;
Teach us how to love each other, lift us to the joy divine.

Mortals, join the mighty chorus, which the morning stars began;
Father love is reigning o’er us, brother love binds man to man.
Ever singing, march we onward, victors in the midst of strife,
Joyful music leads us sunward in the triumph song of life.

-Joyful, Joyful text from Henry Van Dyke in 1907.

Literary Decor

/ abby hummel / 7 Comments

I took a little time this fall to re-read Perelandra, a special favorite of mine from C.S. Lewis’  Space Trilogy. In many ways, a good book can become much like a dear friend, and I loved contemplating the themes of perfection and un-Fallen paradise in this Utopian story.

As I curled up on the couch with a mug of steamy tea and devoured this beautiful tale, I was also stuck feeling like the fireplace was looking a little sad. I’m not ready to get out the Christmas stuff yet, and I found some great inspiration here:

fall mantel from "sweet something design"

So I whipped out a few things I had around the house and used a key phrase from Perelandra to put on a bunting banner, so now our mantel is looking great for fall. I think I can make this banner work for the Christmas season, too!

my mantel!

“I know now what they say in your world about justice. And perhaps they say well, for in that world all things always fall below justice. But [God] always goes above it. All is gift. …The best fruits are plucked for each by some hand that is not his own.”
(Perelandra, C.S. Lewis.)

all is gift

[Linking up to The Pinterest Challenge – see other projects here: Sherry, Katie, Erin and Ana.]

friday five: classical music for halloween

/ abby hummel

One of my goals in life is to get more people listening to classical music. I believe this would be a great weekend to explore some of my spooky favorites, which are shared here in chronological order. (Admittedly, some of these youtube videos are not that exciting.)

1) Toccata and Fugue in D Minor by JS Bach (1685-1750). Such a classic.

2) Erlkonig by Franz Schubert (1797-1828). This sad story is from a poem by Goethe, and you can hear  the child crying “My father, my father!” in terror before being kidnapped.

3) Symphonie Fantastique by Hector Berlioz (1803 – 1869). This is just the fifth movement, called “The Witches Sabbath.” This selection depicts the vulgar and grotesque sounds of a pagan gathering. The witches’ dance becomes a diabolical joke as it melds with the tune of a “Dies Irae” chant, which was used in churches to teach about Judgment Day.

4) Danse Macbre by Camille Saint-Saens (1835-1921). This gruesome “Death Dance” isn’t quite as exhilarating and terrifying as some of these other songs, but the xylophones are supposed to sound like rattling bones.  Creepy!

5)  Night on Bald Mountain by Modest Mussorgsky (1839-1881). This is another Witches Sabbath scene from a Russian composer.

I hope you can explore some interesting music this weekend!

Future selves

/ abby hummel / 2 Comments

Having it together - censored from the hilarious and inappropriate SomeEcards site

In recent conversation Aaron found out someone looked up to him and thought he really had his life together. This is an encouraging compliment because we both feel like we are still flying by the seat of our pants when it comes to “having life together.” While we are both still shocked at Aaron’s effortless deception, this comment prompted some dinner discussions about our “future selves.” They are like our current selves, only in the future, when we are more disciplined and better at things, and maybe even have life figured out.

I think most of this dreaming is good and healthy, and it’s good to know that there is purpose in day-to-day happenings. For instance, future Aaron maintains his buffness and has a PhD, so current Aaron needs to lift weights and work on science. Since future Abby has 25 piano students, current Abby works on meeting more potential music lesson families. Though some of our musings are probably a bit far-fetched, it’s fun to think about what we can do now to succeed later.

You can’t get so caught up in living for the future that you forget the importance of the here and now, though, so Calvin (Aaron’s inner child) is right to muse as he does here:

Calvin and Hobbes

an ode to latin

/ abby hummel / 5 Comments

One of my exciting adventures this fall is taking a Latin class. I enrolled mostly for mental refreshment, since I studied the language eight years ago (!!!) in college, and the chance to get student-rate health insurance. Those practical reasons aren’t at the forefront of my mind right now though, because I’m having fun getting back into the school-groove of studying, homework and even taking tests. Yes, I said “tests” and “fun” in the same paragraph!

flashcards - what ecstasy!

I love autumn and I’m grateful this year’s cooler weather brings opportunity to use my favorite school supplies: 3×5 flashcards, skinny sharpie markers, 3-ring binders and post-it notes. With my mug of peppermint tea, a warm hooded sweater to keep out the chilly breeze, homework in my lap, and joyful anticipation for a visit with some Hillsdale girlfriends next week, I’m having serious college flashbacks right now. And so, in this spirit of reminiscence, I share a poem I wrote nearly eight years ago when I first began learning the mother of all romance languages.

“an ode to latin”
This language has passed: it is dead, it has died!
But study I must, though I can’t – I have tried!
So many new rules, my brain’s full – it is fried!
“No more nouns or verbs!” my poor eyes, they have cried.
“A cinch,” I was told, “Its easy,” they lied,
But poor grades like these, parents fail to abide.

I start out my homework with paper and pen,
Someday I will finish – the good Lord knows when.
Grammar and vocab – it’s all beyond my ken.
The sounds are so silly, they’re starting to blend.
It’s worse than Beowulf with his mean monster Grend
Latin is stupid- was it made up by men?

I was still waiting for Aaron to ask me out when I wrote this, which may explain the gender-jab. Angst!

school supplies

“…the grammar of even one language is more than enough to make life a perpetual agony.” ~ Erasmus, “The Praise of Folly”

punctuated equilibrium (kitchen, pt 7)

/ abby hummel / 4 Comments

The way we move forward on this kitchen project is rightly compared to the theory of punctuated equilibrium evolution. The idea with PE is that the world evolved inconsistently, with long periods of stasis and rapid evolutionary change occurring at various points along the way. This is supposed to account for the gaps in the fossil record. Of course I’m not on board with this in regards to life and origins, but it’s definitely a great analogy how things are progressing in this DIY kitchen adventure.

And before I get started, I need to get something off my chest: We have a whole room in the back decorated with a hunting theme. Deer skulls, turkey  talons, rustic art, signs that say things like “We interrupt this marriage to bring you HUNTING SEASON,” antique rifle ads, etc.  While this isn’t something I mention often,  I can’t deny it after sharing the following pictures.

In order to move the refrigerator, we had to reconfigure the funky kitchen pantry, which was just a big hole in the blue wall. That hole took space from the closet of our hunting-themed back bedroom/office/potential-nursery-if-we-had-a-baby-here-but-the-poor-thing-would-probably-get-speared-by-antlers. It looks like this:

closet with pantry cut-out

And Aaron, working hard as usual, took off the lid to that wood box, which was basically the pantry ceiling.

underdressed

There are a million skipped details here about moving outlets, ripping up carpet, and splicing wires. Basically, Aaron is a wiring and outlet-moving champion. He did require the use of an assistant, which means there were no free hands for taking pictures. After lots of this beastly wiring was finished, we cut up into the drywall and made space to move the fridge to it’s new home.

wall cave, sweet wall cave

Yes, that blue wall is indeed hideous and it will not be like that forever. But for now, I’m really glad the fridge is safely where it belongs – a cave in the wall. Before the project is complete, we will create built-in shelves on both sides of the fridge, put trim around them and stain it to match the woodwork. I have some great inspiration for this area’s final look. I’m really excited about painting the wall (obviously), adding a clock, and using the built-in cabinet shelves for wine storage and baskets!

Friday Five: Pre-Autumnal Foods

/ abby hummel

I have a tendency to discover a favorite food and then eat it constantly until I can’t stand the thought of that dish anymore. This habit usually drives Aaron crazy, but right now we are both in a crazy food phase together and having a lot of fun! If you stop by sometime soon, we’ll probably be eating one of these:

1. In first place, Roasted Pears. Apparently we have never fully appreciated this fruit before. This recipe gives the basic gist of how it works, but we’ve been making up the filling combination as we go. Our favorite version was cinnamon, almond butter and craisins, but cinnamon, nutmeg, and golden raisins with a touch of real butter came in second. I imagine these would be fabulous with ice cream, but we’ve been eating them on their own.

Pears in the new oven!

2. We have a wealth of fresh juicy tomatoes, so I usually eat a big one for lunch with salt and pepper. Sometimes I add a poached egg to make it a more complete meal.

3. Aromatic Jasmine Rice isn’t anything outrageously special, but this is much more fragrant than regular white rice and adds an extra kick to stir-fry nights.

4. Popcorn microwaved in a paper bag,  covered with an inappropriate amount of melted butter and liberal salting. And then consumed far too quickly.

5. Since fall is almost here, tea has replaced lemonade as the recreational beverage of choice.  The favored blend for both of us right now is Tazo Zen, which has green tea leaves, lemongrass and spearmint.

Tazo on the patio

acquainted with grief

/ abby hummel / 2 Comments

What a full summer for us! There are plenty of exciting pictures of long-awaited kitchen progress to share soon (I’m cooking on the new stove already and we have the bar counter top ready to install!), and I’m very pleased with some other home projects we have accomplished as well, like making over the brick fireplace and relaying some stone pathways outside before reseeding all the grass. This has been a good season, and we are grateful for the chances to improve our home and see so many beloved friends and family. …And then at the end of this excellent summer, I find myself thrown into situations where grief is all around, both for myself and those I hold dear.  This is truly a heavy thing to think on and discuss.

The Thinker

Someone who isn’t in the midst of this can pull all sorts of cliche comments out of thin air, trying to explain gut-wrenching heartache by saying things like,  “Everything happens for a reason,” or “Things will get better; your good time will come soon,” but those are shallow answers to one who is devastated by sadness. A trite comment cannot explain away the painfully simple truth: grief is hard, dark and lonely. Whether you are witness to the deep soul-groaning of the bereaved or experiencing it yourself, the weight of difficulty seems unbearable and cruel. It is true comfort for a Christian to cling to Jesus, the man of sorrows and acquainted with grief, in these times.

He was despised and rejected by men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces, he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed.
All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.  (Isaiah 53, esv)

If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? …Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? …No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8, esv)