no such thing

sighs, originally uploaded by sheelajoy.

God cannot give us a happiness and peace apart from Himself, because it is not there. There is no such thing.
C. S. Lewis

P.S. This post is pretty amazing.

When the Roses Speak, I Pay Attention

roses, originally uploaded by sheelajoy.

“As long as we are able to
be extravagant we will be
hugely and damply
extravagant. Then we will drop
foil by foil to the ground. This
is our unalterable task, and we do it
joyfully.”

And they went on. “Listen,
the heart-shackles are not, as you think,
death, illness, pain,
unrequited hope, not loneliness, but

lassitude, rue, vainglory, fear, anxiety,
selfishness.”

Their fragrance all the while rising
from their blind bodies, making me
spin with joy.

Mary Oliver

for today...

poppy, originally uploaded by sheelajoy.

Outside my window… children trotting two by two, shepherded by their teachers to their bus for a school trip to the swimming pool. Gleeful doesn’t even begin to cover their mood.

I am thinking… about a podcast I recently listened to which talked about the need to live lives that demand an explanation. Thinking through what that looks like for me in my current circumstances. I spend so much effort praying and wishing for a change in situation, that I often miss out on a) living a life that points to Christ, and b) reflecting on the change that the Spirit is working out in me.

I am watching… Not so much watching. More looking at… these! It is Friday after all, and I do like my cake. The point is make a cake based on your favourite Threadless t-shirt. Some of them are ridiculously good.

I am thankful for… My semi-Pootle Day today.. (What is ‘pootling’? See here and here). The last few days have been very low on energy (yes, sorry, this again!) so I’m taking it easy. It isn’t a day of utter rest like a real Pootle Day would be; I’m up and sort of about, just doing significantly less than I would on a regular workday.

From the kitchen… Hmmm, breakfast was a bowl of muesli with soya milk, and an enormous mug of tea. I’m so healthy. Or boring. One of the two. There is a tub of non-dairy {shakes fist at dairy allergy} chocolate ice cream nestled in the freezer, which is calling my name.

I am wearing… My usual summer uniform – jeans and a (dark pink) t-shirt, brown flats, silver hoop earrings, etc. This is the first summer in a long time that I do not own a pair of flip-flops. Yes, this fact distresses me, but not enough to haul myself to purchase a pair.

I am reading… I’ve been really bad with reading lately. The continuing inability to concentrate still horrifies me, as reading is so much a part of my personality. Nevertheless, we soldier on.

I am praying… for more energy (I'm so full of surprises). This weekend is going to be kind of full, what with shopping for next weekend’s party etc. Going through it achy and exhausted wouldn't not be my favourite thing. And ok, I'm going to sound like a complete lunatic saying the following, but heyho... A few days ago, in a quiet time where I was being anything but quiet, crying out about how wretched I felt, I sensed the Lord telling me that this chronic fatigue was a gift. 'Do you jest?' I exclaimed, but I sensed he was in earnest. {Insert dramatic sigh here} And so, while I'm praying for healing, I am also praying that I will be aware of how God is using this in my life to shape my character and perhaps bless others (that latter part feels like a stretch at the moment, but...) .

I am looking forward to… Ummm, bedtime? :)

A picture for today – See above. This one is straight out of the camera. It just feels like summer, and it makes me happy. I recently reconfigured my camera settings as per Ken Rockwell's suggestions, and I really like what that’s doing to my pictures. This summer we have about 6 or 7 poppy varieties in our garden ranging from enormous bright orange ones to small pale pink ones. So yummy, you could eat them. You shouldn’t, but you could.

(HT: Owlhaven, who got it from Simple Woman’s Daybook)

portion

roses, originally uploaded by sheelajoy.

“The Lord is my portion,” says my soul,
“therefore I will hope in him.”

Lamentations 3:24

grace

grace, originally uploaded by sheelajoy.

'Grace is love at its loveliest, falling on the unlovable, and making it lovely' - Arthur W. Pink

battle of the cakes

Berry Cake, originally uploaded by Kitsch-en.

Yoohoo! Yes, you there, hello! Can you help me? Just need a quick opinion…

So my father’s 60th birthday is coming up, and my mother and I are throwing him a party. A select gathering of his chums, about 35 people altogether.

Obviously, my mother will be making an Indian meal, and obviously it will be delicious. I, however, am in charge of dessert. Bearing in mind that people will be having their fill at the main course, I thought I’d keep it simple – the birthday cake and a fruit salad for those who don’t eat cake (I know. It amazes me too, but those people do exist. The mind boggles).

I’ve been poring over my many recipes, and have whittled the possibilities down to two – both from the delectable Magnolia Bakery Cookbook. In the left corner, we have a lemon cake, three-tiered (I’m deeply ambitious, and equally delusional), with a lemon-(or perhaps lime) curd filling and the seven-minute frosting. In the right corner, we have the old-fashioned vanilla cake, again three-tiered, with a mango or berry filling and the seven-minute frosting.

This, my little sweetlings, is where you come in. What cake do I make?

Help me.

frogs