by Krista | Jun 23, 2011 | Plucky Thursday
“Resolve in advance that no matter what happens,
you will remain calm and cool.
You will not become upset or angry.
You will take a deep breath and focus on the solution rather than the problem.”
Brian Tracy
“Perhaps I am stronger than I think.” Thomas Merton
Hi luvs 🙂
The above quotes have helped me so much this week as I faced one long series of unfortunate events while in much pain from injured back and severely sprained ankle. I printed out and posted the first one so it’s the first thing I see when I get up in the morning and the last when I go to bed at night. It’s so good to take a deep breath, accept my limitations and just do one thing at a time.
Thankfully things are looking up and the good bits are now forming a series of their own. 🙂
Like finding a forgotten bag of ice packs in the freezer so I can ice my badly injured back, knee, ankle and foot all at the same time instead of the round robin mishmash I’ve been doing all week. Bliss!
Or getting texts from friends saying they are coming tonight AND tomorrow night to help me sort all my belongings for a garage sale on Saturday. I could weep from relief and gratitude.
And, joy of joys, hearing from the garage that the troubles with my busted car are completely under warranty. HOORAY! 🙂
So today I’m being good and resting on the couch, going to the chiropractor, and working through my to-do list a bit at a time.
And I’m writing an Already Done List to cheer myself on. 🙂
How are YOU today?
xo
by Krista | Jun 15, 2011 | Plucky Thursday
What do you look for when you’re at the beach? Sea glass? Smooth white stones? Perfect seashells?
I love how at first glance a beach can look like pristine sand or a blanket of water-smoothed pebbles, but once you get down on your hands and knees there are SO many treasures and delights to be found.
I look for different things according to the beach I’m exploring.
When I lived in Portugal I found hundreds of teeny-tiny shells about the size of a lentil. I collected them and have them safe in a pretty glass jar.
In Italy and the Balkans I looked for smooth sea glass in shades of green, turquoise and blue. I have those bits in a different jar.
In Washington I always look for the shells that are like a purple watercolor inside, and display them in a pale gray dish on my coffee table.
After a long day of exploring in the wind and sun, I love coming home to something hearty and healthy with bright colors and flavors like this Black Bean Salad with Lime Dressing. It’s so simple to make if you don’t mind a bit of chopping.
Just drain and rinse two cans of black beans and add whatever diced fresh veggies you like. My favorites are sweet bell peppers (capsicum to my Aussie readers), sugar snap peas, and celery, with lavish amounts of fresh cilantro. Then I toss everything with a simple dressing of lime juice, olive oil, and a good, grainy mustard. I made it for the family I’m staying with and they cleaned up every morsel. 🙂
What are your favorite treasures from the beach?
Black Bean Salad with Lime Dressing
Ingredients:
2-3 cans black beans, rinsed and drained
2-3 stalks celery, diced fine
1 red or yellow or orange bell pepper, diced fine
1 cup sugar snap peas, sliced fine
2-3 scallions, sliced
1 bunch fresh cilantro, chopped
Dressing:
1/4 cup lime juice
1/4 cup olive oil
1 Tbsp grainy mustard
salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
- Combine beans, vegetables and cilantro in salad bowl. Toss to mix.
- In small bowl combine remaining ingredients and whisk until emulsified.
- Add dressing to salad and toss to incorporate. Best eaten right away.
by Krista | Jun 9, 2011 | Plucky Thursday
It was a gloriously hot and sunshiny afternoon in Australia as my friend and I drove home. We had spent the day visiting friends on their remote property dotted with gum trees the occasional wallaby hopping by. We’d had a grand time taking tractor rides and gabbing for hours on the back porch while sipping cold drinks.
Usually after a long day of visiting and trekking all I want to do is get home so I can crash. But not this day. We were in Australia bush country at sunset and the tiny towns and farms were so beautiful and interesting that I wanted to stop at every one and take a gander.
Thankfully my friend was in a similar frame of mind so we took a meandering route home, stopping where we liked.
We saw picture perfect country homes with white picket fences and perused a barn full of rustic handmade wooden furniture glossy and glowing in the setting sun.
One of my favorite finds was this lovely old church in Leyburn, Queensland.
Church of England, St Augustine's, Leyburn, Queensland, Australia
Anglican services had been held in Leyburn since the 1840’s under the leadership of one Reverend Benjamin Glennie known as the Apostle of the Downs. The congregation gathered in public houses or the courthouse until 1870 when donations for a church arrived from students of the college of St Augustine in England. Land was purchased in for a whopping £4, and the church was built in 1871.
It’s a beautiful little church with timbered walls and bell-cote and a roof of hand-split hardwood shingles. It was designed by architect Richard George Suter (1827-1894) who also designed at least ten other churches in the area.
Suter caused quite a theological ruckus by deviating from traditional stone with this wood design. Apparently timber was viewed as an unsuitable material to be used in the construction of the houses of God. He got away with it, however, and it is now one of the only surviving examples of timbered, shingle-roofed buildings.
Church of England, St Augustine's, Leyburn, Queensland, Australia
If you make it to Leyburn one day and have a hankering to wander the church grounds, look for a memorial to one Dan Bray, a gold miner who died in 1901. It is a tribute to all the gold miners of Leyburn’s’ early history who lie in unmarked graves in unknown places.
I’m so glad we decided to stop that day. So glad to learn about men like Mr. Suter who do “wild” things like use timber instead of stone so we have charming buildings like St. Augustine’s to make us pull over in the middle of nowhere for an amble and a think.
Have you ever stopped out of the blue and found something that delighted you?
by Krista | May 18, 2011 | Plucky Thursday
by Krista | May 11, 2011 | Plucky Thursday
“It is not so much for its beauty that the forest makes a claim upon men’s hearts,
as for that subtle something,
that quality of air, that emanation from old trees,
that so wonderfully changes and renews a weary spirit.”
-Robert Louis Stevenson-
I hadn’t planned to go to the park that crisp spring morning last week, but my appointment ended sooner than I expected and I had full twenty minutes to spare, so off I went.
I love moments like that. Those unexpected gifts of time that are so precious in the midst of a busy day.
There was hardly anyone at the park so early in the morning, and I had the whole forest to myself save for birds twittering in the tree tops and the occasional squirrel bounding through the underbrush.
It was that delicious sort of early morning cold that makes you take deep cleansing breaths and feel heartily glad to be alive.
It also made me want to play hooky and fritter away an entire day picking berries, lolling by the stream reading, or ambling along squishy, pine-needled pathways.
But I was a good girl and stuck with a 20-minute amble, stopping often to bend down and inspect sturdy mushrooms, delightfully curly ferns, and a carpet of cheery yellow blossoms.
As excited as I am about moving to Australia, I do so love Washington State with her dense forests, rugged coastline, and achingly fresh, rain-washed air.
And until I move, I’m going to enjoy every moment of it.
What is your favorite part about where you live?
by Krista | May 4, 2011 | Plucky Thursday
“Flowers have an expression of countenance as much as men and animals.
Some seem to smile; some have a sad expression;
some are pensive and diffident;
others again are plain, honest and upright, like the broad-faced sunflower and the hollyhock.”
– Henry Ward Beecher-
Dear ones, I’m not doing so well today, so I thought lingering among these bright and cheery sunflowers might be the very best thing to do. I hope you have a wonderful day wherever you are, secure in the knowledge you are loved, you matter, and this world is better because you are in it. xo
