The Quotidian (27. 6. 14)

Quotidian: daily, usual, or customary;

everyday; ordinary; commonplace.

Jennifer Jo was the inspiration for these quotidian posts

and she graciously shared with me.  Wasn't that sweet?

I like posting about the everyday things ~

they have a way of changing suddenly and without warning.

How often will I publish posts under this heading?  

Time will tell ~ I make no promises.  :)

One thing is for certain ~ I don't want to miss noticing the seemingly

small and insignificant things of life that can so easily get lost in the shuffle.

This is one way to do avoid doing that.

The pile-up at the front door ~ gear for one.

The hide-out ~ complete with orange pylons.

External spring cleaning (in summer).

Flowers gifted to us in memory of our Austin ~
Our second summer without him here has begun.

Supplies.

Using those supplies.

Outdoor cushions indoors until the rains pass.

The view from my chair one evening as the sun was setting.

Seeking to keep eyes wide open to the joys of now.
Truly, these are gifts directly from HIS hand.
May the Lord help us all to slow down long enough to really see.

Happy Weekend Y'all!
With love, Camille

Just an Illusion

It is just an illusion.  All of what we see around us is temporary.

It truly is an illusion of permanence.  Nothing here will last forever.

Nothing, that is, except our never-dying souls.
That is something to take seriously.  Very seriously.

We so often seem to forget that the things of now
will not go on and on and on forever.

Some things change so quickly we cannot keep up.
But, other things ~ like the mountains, for example ~
have been there for years and years.  Millennia, actually.
Still, they are not permanent either.

Good food for thought.  Yes?



Very frequently I find myself getting caught up in the here and now.
Eternal things get overshadowed by whatever happens to be 
commandeering my attention at any particular moment.  
It ought not to be this way.  I know it.  Eternal perspective is what I seek.

It's where I want my focus to be.  Always.

It has been said that people can be so heavenly minded
that they are of no earthly good.  I heartily disagree.
To be truly heavenly minded is to be of the utmost earthly good.
Only then are we able to shake off the fetters of this world
and soar to the pinnacle of purpose.  Eternal purpose.

We will take none of our treasures with us.
We will leave everything behind.  Absolutely everything.
Let's store up our treasures there.  Only there.
Those are the only type that will last.  Forever.  For all eternity.

One of my treasures is already there.

"Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth,
where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal:
But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth 
nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:
For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also."  Matt.6:19-21

All this is utterly impossible without the enabling of our Great God.
May the Lord give His daily grace and strength to follow Him
wherever He may lead.  He is faithful.  We can trust Him.
Always and forever.

Many Blessings,
Camille

**Image in this post courtesy of Calvin ~ 
Thank you my love.  XO

Simple Perfection

I wasn't looking for another vanilla ice cream recipe.
This one just found me.  It really did.  :)

It's creamy and smooth.  Not too sweet.  Just a little bit tangy.
This ice cream is simple perfection.  It requires no egg yolks, 
no making of a custard and setting in the fridge to cure ~ no fuss.
No wait.  (Except for the initial mixing and the churning.)

Served up straight from the mixer, it's perfect.

~ Sour Cream Vanilla Ice Cream ~
Originally found here and adapted slightly by moi.

2 cups full fat sour cream
1 cup half and half cream
1/2 cup whipping cream (heavy cream, unwhipped)
1/2 cup + 2 Tbsp sugar (I use evaporated cane juice)
2 tsp freshly squeezed lemon juice (up to 1 Tbsp if you like it more lemony)
1 tsp vanilla extract (I use pure ~ you could use a little more)
Pinch of sea salt or Himalayan rock salt (ground)

Measure all ingredients into a mixing bowl.
Whisk together until smooth.
Churn in your ice cream maker until thickened.
Serve immediately with berries and cake or just by itself.
This ice cream is best used right away.  It shines as soft serve.
If you want to make it ahead, just pop it into the 
deep freeze for an hour or two to firm it up a bit.  Ideally, no longer.

Whichever way you serve it, you'll enjoy it.
I am sure of that.  :)

Welcome Summer!
Love, Camille 

The Quotidian (21. 6. 14)

Quotidian: daily, usual, or customary;

everyday; ordinary; commonplace.

I originally saw this idea over at Jennifer Jo's place.

I asked permission to adopt it over here, and she said yes.

So, here it is...my first *quotidian* post.  Thank you for sharing, Jennifer.  :)

My sewing centre ~ aka the kitchen table.

34" waist (too big) x 40" inseam (also too big) ~ 
adjustments for the graduate.

She actually enjoys it ~ yippee...yahoo!

Something I learned from my younger sister ~

how to get the most mileage out of the dishwasher.

I like the challenge it presents.  Like doing a puzzle.

It's satisfying to maximize and find that they all come out clean.

Fearless even after injuries.

Pressure washing the roof.

Keeping eyes wide open to the joys of now.

Life is full of many precious moments.  If only we will see.

We are living tomorrow's memories today.

Happy weekend Y'all!

With Love, Camille

It's Official

Our Calvin has graduated from high school.
Last Friday, he walked the stage and had his tassel
transferred from the right to the left.
It's official.  He's done.

 It all kinda snuck up on us.
Wasn't it just yesterday that he was playing trucks
and digging up in the back yard with his big brother?
This is how I remember him.

And now...here we are!
How did it happen?  It seems like a blur.
Time just flies by...doesn't it?

How MUCH we miss our Austin.  It hurts my Mama heart.
How thankful we are that we soon will be together again.
Very soon.  In our forever home.  For all eternity.

The Lord is so very good.  His ways are always perfect.  
Even when things don't turn out the way we want them to.

He is with us each step of this journey.
And He is faithful to carry us through.
May His loving hand be upon you in your lives as well.
Truly, He is the only reason we have any hope at all.

With Love, Camille

All the Dust

I don't have much to say these days.

Perhaps it's because there is so much to do.

We keep on tying up all those loose ends and moving forward.

At the same time, we continue to grieve.  We miss our boy.

It's really quite exhausting.

Right now, it would seem, is a time for silence here.

Thank you for always understanding.  Thank you for grace.

I'll likely be back sometime next week.

When all the dust has settled.  Or, most of it?  :)

Many Blessings,
Camille

**Photo credit ~ Calvin XO

Tying up Loose Ends

The school year is winding down.

We are in the midst of tying up loose ends.

It's busy and good and crazy all at the same time.

This too shall pass.  It's how it goes.

So we work and live and plod along.

The list of to-do gets shorter each day and 

we see the light at the end of the tunnel.

It's a good feeling.

Fraser is preparing for his RCM exam ~ two days to go!

Emma reads in the sunshine....

...and is in the midst of a project.

She is also plodding away at her math.

Calvin just has one more exam to write and is filling
his days with jobs ~ some for pay and some for dinner.  :)

What about me?  I cut three heads of hair this morning.
That's a good feeling, too.

And so it goes.  We are seeking to do the next thing.  
By God's great grace.  And in His strength.

We are thankful for eyes and ears and arms and legs that work.
There are many in this world who struggle to live out their moments.
Who struggle to survive.  Every. Single. Day.  All their days.

Nothing is guaranteed.  We are not promised a life of ease.
We don't know what tomorrow will bring.
However, we do know the One Who holds it all together.

May we never take for granted the blessings we have been given.
And may we look for opportunities to be a blessing to others ~
In ways big and small.  All for the glory of our Great God.

With Love,
Camille

Right Before Our Eyes

It's a big deal.  Orthodontia, that is.
Our first two were subjected to the full treatment.

We are hoping that Fraser and Emma will be able to avoid it. 
Emma did have a little preventative intervention a few years ago.
Hopefully, she will progress just fine.  So far, so good.

Here's our *little* Calvin at the beginning of his adventure.
This photo was taken in January 2012.  He was 14.

Calvin wore the upper brackets for a total of two years,
four months, and ten days (but, who's counting?).  
The lowers were on for just under 23 months.

They came off last week, and now he has a (mostly) new smile.

Here's the proof.  
Yippee...yahoo...he's done!

Yes, for those of you who might be wondering,
there is a missing tooth in the front of our Calvin's smile.
That tooth was not knocked out ~ it just never was.
A Maryland bridge is in the works.  It will fill that space very nicely.

Our boy is so quickly becoming a man.  Right before our eyes.
My mama heart is nearly bursting.  It's not a bad thing, really.
However, time does seem to go by too fast.  I cannot keep up.

These are precious, precious days.

Many Blessings,
Camille  

Tossed

On a recent Sunday, our pastor preached a wonderfully encouraging
sermon from the book of Matthew.  The passage of Scripture retold
the story of the Lord Jesus coming to His disciples on the stormy sea.
He was walking on the water, and Peter asked to come out to Him.

We know how that turned out, don't we?

Peter began to sink and cried out to the Lord to save him.
The Lord reached out and pulled him to safety.
He then chastised Peter for his little faith.

Our pastor pointed out, however, that little faith is not no faith.
I like that.  Little faith is enough when saving is involved.
Of course, we want to see our faith increase, so we pray.

And, the Lord very often answers by sending trials.

~ Austin's Rose in full bloom 2014 ~

At the end of his sermon, our pastor read the following quote.
It was such a blessing to my heart.  I trust it will bless yours as well.

“There is encouragement here for all true Christians. 

Let them know that there is nothing created, which is not under Christ’s control…

He may allow His people to be tried for a season, 

and tossed to and fro by storms of trouble. 

He may be later than they wish in coming to their aid, 

and not draw near till the ‘fourth watch of the night.’ 

But never let them forget that winds, and waves, 

and storms are all Christ’s servants. 

They cannot move without Christ’s permission. 

‘The LORD on high is mightier than the mighty waves of the sea’ (Psalm 93:4).

Are we ever tempted to cry with Jonah, ‘the floods compassed me about: 

all thy billows and thy waves passed over me’ (Jonah 2:3). 

Let us remember they are ‘His’ billows. Let us wait patiently. 

We may yet see Jesus coming to us, ‘walking on the sea.’” 
~ Quoted from Expository Thoughts on the Gospels, p.167 by J.C. Ryle ~

Be encouraged.  Our Great God is with His people in every trial.
His ways and purposes are so much higher than ours.
His grace is always sufficient.  His ways are always best.

If you find yourself to be without Him in the life you live,
cast yourself upon Him.  He is faithful to save.
Utterly and completely.  For all eternity.

Many Blessings,
Camille