Primitive Pleasures: September

~ Emily ~ 4 Comments

Tomorrow is October? That means it’s basically Halloween and the end of Fall. Family visits and Thanksgiving will be here before I know it. then Christmas music and holiday lights will bleed into a frosty New Year, which means I’m about to have a baby.  Just WHOA! While I regain a proper sense of time, please enjoy this list of fun stuff from September…

septemberFor the introverts and extroverts alike, don’t miss Susan Cain’s book, Quiet.

This bike/stroller blurs the line between want and need. I’m leaning towards need…

Such a sweet baby announcement.

I’m really missing Chai from Thomas Hammer this fall (which is regrettably caffeinated), but am consoling myself with David Rio’s Flamingo Chai – sugar free AND decaf.

Wanting to make this bookshelf quilt.

In love with the photo on my friend Lindsay’s blog post about finding beauty in brokenness.

So much truth in this post from Jen Hatmaker. And, who else is excited about her upcoming HGTV debut?

Forget Ikea’s Swedish Meatballs. Tim and I made Turkey-Apple Swedish Meatballs from Food Network Magazine over the weekend. They tasted like Thanksgiving dinner in a ball.

I would kill TIm if he ever did this to me. However, I would never be that close to a cliff. I would be lying flat on the rock hundreds of yards from the cliff… The rest of Devin Graham’s videos are pretty insane.

PS – Many of these goodies were culled from my time on Pinterest. You can follow me on Pinterest here.

I’m linking up with Leigh for What I’m Into.

Disclosure : Amazon Affiliate links included in this post.  If you click through to Amazon, any purchase you make supports Primitive Roads.

Why I’m Not Doing 31 Days This Year

~ Emily ~ 5 Comments

31 Days

Let me just say that I love The Nester’s 31 Days of Writing series. I enjoy organizing and outlining posts for the topic, investing time and mental energy into said topic, and the challenge of writing something (public) everyday for a month. Participating last year was a great introduction to the blogosphere – a concept and community I was brand new to. I connected to wonderful people online (like Katie of Cardigan Way) and sweet parishioners at what was then our very new church by writing my 31 Days of Letters*.

We moved into our first house in May and my original plan was to write 31 Tales of a First Time Home Buyer over the summer. That didn’t exactly happen. I found out I was expecting in June and lost all my writing gumption (hence the summer silence on Primitive Roads) for the first few months of pregnancy.

When I regained energy and motivation for things other than couch-sitting, Kindred Grace, a blog I contribute to, was already planning for October’s A Peek Into Your Personality series. I jumped at the chance to review Quiet by Susan Cain (SO good!) and became immersed in all things introversion. All types of posts started whirring through my mind about introversion so I decided that would be my 31 Days series topic.

One small hurdle. Another week in NY was in my future for the beginning of October. I didn’t want to take my computer or write posts everyday or struggle with limited Internet access when i had friends, family, and fall to enjoy. So, I planned to write the first half of my series ahead of time.

And then I got super overwhelmed by schedules, projects, and ministry – life in general. I was overdue on posts for other people and I was eager to get Primitive Roads out of radio silence mode. Looking down the barrel of a September that was fading away so quickly, all I saw was stress. I realized my drive to participate in 31 Days was more about not being left out and the chance to generate some increased traffic to my blog. I was beginning to feel like a failure for not getting my posts pre-written. With some encouragement from those who know me way too well, I recognized that my boundaries were lacking.

So, I am not doing 31 Days this year. I don’t want to compromise time with my husband or time with my family in NY by perseverating about writing blog posts, something I am way too apt to do. That being said, I will absolutely be following along with people’s 31 Days series. Here’s some I’ve already got bookmarked:

What can you expect from Primitive Roads during October since I’m not doing 31 Days? I’m still going to be writing about introversion. I have a couple great guest posts lined up for when I’m in NY. Plus, I’ll be sharing about the Bread and Wine book club my friend, Katie, and I are leading.

* I loved writing my 31 Days series last year. If you missed it, here’s the most popular of 31 Days of Letters.

Is Baby Gardner a Boy or a Girl?

~ Emily ~ 3 Comments

Tim + Emily Gender Announcement 018It’s a BOY!

Tim and I are so excited about welcoming James into our home (he is already firmly planted in our hearts) in February.

Here’s a few of my favorites from the photo shoot we did this afternoon. Major thanks to my siblings-in-law, David and Holly, for braving the wind and cold to take these photos!!

Tim + Emily Gender Announcement 008Tim + Emily Gender Announcement 010 Tim + Emily Gender Announcement 024 Tim + Emily Gender Announcement 026

Raspberry Brie Bites

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Raspberry Brie Bites I wish I could take credit for these Raspberry Brie Bites, but they were the brain child of my sweet friend Christie. She made them for a Fall party in 2011, which ended up to be the day before Tim and I got engaged! (That’s her on my right (below), holding the apple…). She makes some of the most delicious little appetizers and these are no exception. After having them at that party two years ago, Tim and I have made these jammy, cheesy puffs a dozen times, especially during the holidays.

The recipe is really straightforward, but this simple combination of flavors is addicting. Plus, they’re just cute. They remind me of mini brie en croutes with a sweet touch from the jam. Three ingredients and ten minutes later Raspberry Brie Bites are in the oven. By the time you tidy up the kitchen, the bites are golden and bubbling.

Raspberry Brie Bites 4

Once you start making them, you’ll think of endless variations. I LOVE Brie, but you could sub any soft cheese. Cream cheese would be great, as would gorgonzola for a more savory bite. Same goes with the jam. Try fig preserves, blackberry jam, or a chutney of some sort. If time had allowed yesterday, I would have fried up some bacon to crumble inside this batch.

Make sure you plan ahead a bit – the puff pastry needs to thaw. A final warning: You will be tempted to pop one of these bites in your mouth the minute they come out of the oven. Resist or be scarred by the molten hot jam lava…

Raspberry Brie Bites

  • 1 package (2 sheets) frozen puff pastry, I use Pepperidge Farm
  • Brie cheese, approx 3 oz depending on how big your chunks are
  • Raspberry jam

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Lightly grease a mini muffin tin or two.

Let the puff pastry thaw in the refrigerator (great) or countertop (good) until the sheets are workable but still cold.  One sheet at a time, unfold the pastry and lay flat on a lightly floured surface. Roll the pastry sheet out until the folds are smooth and the sheet has stretched a bit. You don’t have to be exact. Cut the sheet into 12 pieces. Line muffin cups with the pastry pieces. Repeat with the second sheet so you have 24 all together.

Raspberry Brie Bites

Trim the rind off of the Brie and cut into small chunks. Mine end up being 1/2″ cubes. Place one chunk of brie in each pastry cup. Drop a teaspoon of jam into each cup. Now comes the fun part! Squeeze the tops of the pastry together to create little packages.

Raspberry Brie Bites 2

Bake the bites for 20-25 minutes or until just golden. Let them cool in the pan for 5 minutes and then take the bites out. Eat warm or at room temperature. We’ve never had any leftover so I can’t vouch for how they weather an overnighter.

Yield: 24 bites

Raspberry Brie Bites 5

When The Scales Tip

~ Emily ~ 4 Comments

Next Tuesday I’m scheduled for my second ultrasound. Tim and I will get to see our little one again and find out if BG is a boy or a girl. We’ve been counting down the days to this doctor’s appointment. It was incredible to see the small nugget of a person being formed at 8 weeks, so seeing his/her progress at 20 weeks is thrilling.

I’m beyond excited. And beyond terrified.

scales

I shouldn’t be; there’s no reason for me to be alarmed. My pregnancy has been pretty smooth thus far. I was nauseous during the first three months but have yet to throw up, which for this barf-phobic gal is truly praiseworthy. All of my check-ups have gone splendidly – BG’s heart rate, my weight gain and blood pressure are all on track. I’ve been able to travel without complications. Tim is a sweet father-to-be and an exceedingly patient husband during this season.

But, I’m still terrified. The precious life Tim and I created is fragile, just like ours. There is no guarantee of health and safety. A multitude of things could go wrong in the next 20 weeks I carry our babe, some of which could be revealed next week at the ultrasound. The what-ifs are endless: mental handicaps, genetic diseases, physical deformities, a dangerous labor and delivery.

In my anxiety I tend to view God as a lawyer with His scales, apportioning blessings and catastrophes to each person, making sure that all is in balance. Despite the fact that I know this image of God doesn’t hold any weight scripturally, it feeds my worry. Subconsciously I think since I’ve had a good pregnancy thus far, I’m due for something to go wrong…

But God doesn’t use scales. We aren’t in a system of checks and balances. The truth is that bad things do happen. The doctors could find something wrong during my ultrasound. Labor could be horrific. I could develop some sort of third trimester barf reflex.

God doesn’t promise smooth sailing. He promises grace and love and strength and peace and healing. Grace that can cover our messy. Love that can stitch up our wounds. Strength that can get us through the unthinkable. Peace that can calm our irrational fears. Healing that brings new life.

In my excitement and terror, that’s where I want to camp out. I want to pitch my tent in green pastures, by still waters. God doesn’t dish out the good and the bad. He is Immanuel, God with us, in the good and the bad.

photo credit: procsilas via photopin cc