Darcy & Elizabeth

Has anybody else fallen in love with England after watching Pride & Prejudice?  There has been great debate when it comes to which version of the movie is the best, but for me it is hands-down the BBC adaptation with Colin Firth and Jennifer Ehle.  In my opinion, Keira Knightley can't hold a candle to that one.  But moving on...

I love how the romance of Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy and Elizabeth Bennet have crept into cultural references as if everybody should know who they are.  And indeed, everybody should know, because it's an awesome story.

All that being said, mixed-in with my dream tour of Europe, I would love to visit the locations where P&P was filmed.  These grounds and mansions are beyond gorgeous and to be able to visit them would truly make for some magical moments!

Lyme Park was where they filmed the exterior of Pemberley, Mr. Darcy's home.

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Sudbury Hall was used for the interior of Pemberley

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Belton House was used for filming Rosings

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Edgecote Hall was location for Netherfield

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Luckington Court in Wiltshire was Longbourne

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If you've never seen the film, please put it on your list! 
It's beautiful, lush, romantic, and a timeless classic.

Psalm 139

May this Psalm be a blessing to you today as it was to me.

For the director of music. Of David. A psalm.

O LORD, you have searched me

and you know me.

You know when I sit and when I rise;

you perceive my thoughts from afar.

You discern my going out and my lying down;

you are familiar with all my ways.

Before a word is on my tongue

you know it completely, O LORD.

You hem me in—behind and before;

you have laid your hand upon me.

Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,

too lofty for me to attain.

Where can I go from your Spirit?

Where can I flee from your presence?

If I go up to the heavens, you are there;

if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.

If I rise on the wings of the dawn,

if I settle on the far side of the sea,

even there your hand will guide me,

your right hand will hold me fast.

If I say, "Surely the darkness will hide me

and the light become night around me,"

even the darkness will not be dark to you;

the night will shine like the day,

for darkness is as light to you.

For you created my inmost being;

you knit me together in my mother's womb.

I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;

your works are wonderful,

I know that full well.

My frame was not hidden from you

when I was made in the secret place.

When I was woven together in the depths of the earth,

your eyes saw my unformed body.

All the days ordained for me

were written in your book

before one of them came to be.

How precious to me are your thoughts, O God!

How vast is the sum of them!

Were I to count them,

they would outnumber the grains of sand.

When I awake,

I am still with you.

If only you would slay the wicked, O God!

Away from me, you bloodthirsty men!

They speak of you with evil intent;

your adversaries misuse your name.

Do I not hate those who hate you, O LORD,

and abhor those who rise up against you?

I have nothing but hatred for them;

I count them my enemies.

Search me, O God, and know my heart;

test me and know my anxious thoughts.

See if there is any offensive way in me,

and lead me in the way everlasting.

Currently Reading

I love to read, but of course, I can't stick to just one at a time or else I get bored.  There are so many good books and my shelves are overflowing with new things to choose from!  These are the ones I'm currently in the middle of, and I am happy to announce that maybe for the first time in my life the Non-fiction category outweighs the Fiction!  My mother would be proud. :)

#1 - Master Your Metabolism

This is taking me a long time to get through but it's full of so much information! 

She really takes a unique approach on "getting healthy"

and I think there is a lot of validity to what she's saying.

#2 - Beauty By God

She has some good observations but the book isn't as

great as some of the reviews made it out to be.

#3 - Before I Wake

I have loved all the O'Malley and Uncommon Hero books by

Dee Henderson but this one just isn't doing it for me. 

Rather boring, but I'm trying to get through it.

#4 - So Long Insecurity

This is the first book I've read by Beth Moore
and so far it is excellent and enlightening.  A great read!

Up next on my To Read list is:

The Blind Side by Michael Lewis

I Will Carry You by Angie Smith

What are you reading now?
Any Goodies on your Summer reading list?

What Not To Wear

Does anybody else watch What Not to Wear on TLC?

I’m addicted.

Granted, Stacy & Clinton can get a bit annoying at times (ok, a lot annoying!), but still…

I’ve learned SO much from watching that show. Sometimes it’s rather embarrassing just how much I’ve learned! Several times I’ve realized that I’m doing the very fashion faux pas they are talking about.

The idea of using handbags as an accessory was completely off my radar until I saw them doing it. I pretty much will use the same boring purse year-round, because

1.) I like it. 
2.) it’s practical.

Big they use big bold colors and it adds such a great *POP* and *SPARKLE* to the outfits – I love it! Buying new handbags isn’t exactly in my budget though, so I’ll have to keep my eyes out at garage sales or thrift shops for something that will help give me some pizzazz.

I also adore how they use shoes to spice things up. My collection of shoes is 95% black, 2% brown, 2% white and 1% red. How boring is that? Heels really hurt my feet, but I’m trying to branch out a bit with some wedges and cute flats. I wear heels on occasion, but they usually come off after about an hour.

The one topic I disagree with them on is Flip-Flops. They come down very harshly there, and I just can’t go for that. Flips-flops & I are pretty much inseparable and I don’t think it’s fair that anyone try to split us up. So there.

I love watching them pair various colors together and have it look amazing. So lately I’ve been experimenting and actually enjoying the results. One of my favorite combinations has been bright blue and coral. Not two colors I normally would have put together, but I love it and it’s a great summer look! Old Navy is another great place to get color inspiration – they use so many different combinations on their manikins and it always looks fabulous!

I have a big soft spot in my heart for Carmindy. I think she’s completely amazing and I love her philosophy on makeup – it’s to accentuate the natural beauty that’s already there in every woman. I enjoy reading her Blog and getting new ideas for makeup application and healthy or homemade products. Not to mention she’s gorgeous herself.

And Nick, well, all I’m going to say is he has great hair and a really cool accent.

New hair stylist Ted Gibson, not a big fan.

I think that's all I have to ramble about at the moment. :)

Do you watch it?

What have you learned?

Sesame Goodness

Last week I made Asian Chicken wraps and the sesame dressing on them took me back to Kimo's Restaurant in Lahaina, Maui were I ate the most amazing chicken salad on the face of the earth. The dressing on these wraps was very close to what they used on that luscious salad.
Their menu calls it: Wo Hing Salad and per their description is has Fresh greens, vegetables with wontons, roasted peanuts, sesame dressing, and teriyaki chicken breast.

Be still my heart. It was absolutely amazing.

So if you want a small taste of Maui, try making these chicken wraps and you’ll be transported from your kitchen table to a beautiful Island, if only for a few bites.

Asian Chicken Wrap:

Tortilla, large

Chicken -- crunchy, teriyaki or plain

Mandarin oranges

Salad greens

Almonds, slivered & toasted

Cheese, shredded

Sesame Dressing (below)

Sesame Dressing:

1/2 c. Mayonnaise

1 Tbsp. Sesame Oil

1 Tbsp. Lemon Juice

1/8 c. Sugar

2 Tbsp. Milk (more if too thick)
1 Tbsp. Sesame Seeds

Layer all ingredients in the tortilla and drizzle with Sesame dressing. 

Wrap tightly and enjoy!

I promise to tell you all more about our trip but it's not going to happen until we get the rest of our pictures organized. All I currently have are ones that were still on my camera from our last two days there. The rest are on the laptop waiting for us to have some “free time” because we have to renumber about 1,000 of them (long story…).

And yes, I said 1,000 more. We really enjoy taking pictures.

Have a great weekend, ya'll!

To workout or not to workout. That is the question!

Does anybody else struggle with staying motivated to do their workouts?

Seriously.

Sometimes it’s sheer torture trying to drag myself into the gym.

Ugh.

I’m usually ok once I’m there, but so many times I’m exhausted after work
and then my car just steers itself home instead of to the gym.

Yes, it steers itself home.

Workouts seem highly overrated when I just spent
eight hours in the office and am tired and hungry.

Any tips to make that better?

Why We Praise Him In The Storm

I was sure by now, God,
that You would have reached down
and wiped our tears away,
stepped in and saved the day.
But once again, I say amen
and it's still raining
as the thunder rolls
I barely hear You whisper through the rain,
"I'm with you"
and as Your mercy falls
I raise my hands and praise
the God who gives and takes away. 

 The storm clouds roll in and the thunder & lightening clash.

Our souls are overwhelmed.

But I will praise Him in the storm.

Because after the clouds break and the sun peaks through...

His promises are made evident once again.

I'll praise you in this storm
and I will lift my hands
for You are who You are
no matter where I am
and every tear I've cried
You hold in your hand
You never left my side
and though my heart is torn
I will praise You in this storm

I lift my eyes onto the hills
where does my help come from?
My help comes from the Lord,
the maker of heaven and earth.

 

"Whenever the rainbow appears in the clouds,
I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant
between God and all living creatures of every kind on the earth."

That's why we praise Him in the storm.

Ordinary Life

This past week we’ve been lacing up our shoes and going for long walks in the sunshine. One day we went for our walk and then Mike bought me ice cream. Definitely a great end to a good walk. I also squeezed in a long-overdue Pilates workout this week. And I do mean long overdue...especially when you mix in the ice cream like you see there on the left. :)

We had a lovely weekend, including only a half day of work on Friday (yay!). Saturday we went out for pizza & a movie with my husband’s parents to celebrate his mom’s birthday. They came back to our house afterwards to partake of the cake which I attempted to make for her.

Words of Wisdom: when decorating with strawberries, place them on just before serving or else the juice will pool and leak all over…

Um, yeah.

Moving on.

Sunday was church and then brunch with Mike’s family, which was lovely and yummy. Then a quick trip to see my family, who was still recovering from colds and a stomach virus.
Love ya, but no thanks.

Hubby & I have been making our way though the Lord of the Rings trilogy of movies. I use the phrase ‘making our way’ rather loosely, seeing as we are only on the second disk of the first movie (extended editions, of course!). I have a really hard time staying awake for movies so we have to watch it in rather small segments so I don’t doze off and miss stuff. It’s been several years since I’ve seen the movies, and I admit, it’s been fun getting to watch them together. I just love those little hobbits! Definitely my favorite characters.

Worked out in the yard yesterday and get a bunch of bushes trimmed down and brush out to the street for pick-up. Now for confession time: I am not an outdoor-kind-of-girl! I hate bugs, thorns, dirt under my nails, sweating, spiders, etc. But I absolutely love flowers and pretty gardens, so I make sacrifices. And after making those sacrifices, I run as fast into the shower as I possibly can to get all the above-mentioned items off my skin.

He Arose!

Hope is alive; Love is now risen!
Jesus the Christ has conquered the grave!
Fears are behind, sins are forgiven;
by God’s own Son the power of death has died.
Hope is alive!

Hope. Love. Joy. Life. Peace.

Easter is the culmination of all these things.

I watched Daffodils bud and bloom in my garden this week and it was such a perfect picture to me of the life that sprung forth on Easter morning. A reminder of the hope that was given to all men on that beautiful day.

There in the ground His body lay
Light of the world by darkness slain
Then bursting forth in glorious Day
Up from the grave He rose again
And as He stands in victory
Sin’s curse has lost its grip on me
For I am His and He is mine
Bought with the precious blood of Christ

Because of Christ’s work on that cross, we have Life, we live with Hope,
we have Peace unsurpassed, a Joy the world cannot fathom,
and we are surrounded by His unbounded Love.

As Dark As It Gets

These words are not mine, but I hope they touch you as they did me.

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Johann Sebastian Bach's The St. John Passion was first performed on Good Friday in Leipzig, Germany, some 285 years ago. I heard it for the first time on Good Friday in a small Lutheran church in Houston, Texas.

The libretto combines the text of John's Gospel, stanzas of old church hymns, and poetic text. It is not known who ordered the words to accompany Bach's achingly beautiful score - perhaps he had some hand in selecting them; perhaps not.

As they were sung in German, I followed the English translation in my lap, but I could have closed it - and my eyes - and still understood. The familiar story unfolded on a current of sheer emotion, carried along by the music's inflection and intensity, and the sometimes harsh, sometimes hushed interplay of voices.

Loud, angry cries of "Kreuzige ihn!" needed no footnote. I got it. And the music itself let me know the moment my Lord said "It is finished!" I waited to hear the rocks split, and the temple veil to tear top to bottom, and for tombs to open and darkness to fall, and I did. I heard it all.

Then a soprano voice sang these words: "Dissolve in tears my heart, in floods of weeping in honor of the Most High. Tell the earth and the heavens your anguish: Your Jesus is dead!"

That's as dark as it gets.

Have you ever been in utter, total, can't-see-your-hand-in-front-of-your-face dark? The kind of dark that makes you wonder if there'll ever be light again? Once, near midnight in a tiny house in a Hill Country canyon, I blew out one last, flickering oil lamp and the world fell away. I didn't know black could cover so much, so fast. And I thought to myself, "This must be as dark as it gets."

Maybe the dark you remember is not physical dark, but dark of another kind. Maybe there was a moment when you lost something so precious that you thought the sun couldn't possibly bring itself to rise another time. Maybe you thought when it happened, "This is as dark as it gets."

It wasn't.

"As dark as it gets" was when the Father's only Son offered up His final breath, and it looked like death had won. "As dark as it gets" was when communication ceased between God the Father and God the Son - when two who'd never been apart, were. "As dark as it gets" was a snuffed out hope, a sealed tomb, a buried promise, and the empty hours between Friday and Sunday.

"As dark as it gets" happened once. It will never be that dark again.

"Rest well, sacred limbs;" the chorus sang as the music ended. "I no longer weep for you: sleep well, and bring me too, to rest. The grave which is reserved for you no more dismays me: it opens heaven's gates for me and closes those of hell."

"Ruht wohl, ruht wohl," rest well. It's already been as dark as it will ever be.

"Why do you seek the living One among the dead? He is not here, but He has risen." (John 24:5-6, NASB)

© Leigh McLeroy 2005