A Song

This is a beautiful song I wanted to share with you all. It's by Allman Brown.  I haven't listened to his other music, but this song, Sons and Daughters, has beautiful words and music. 

It so beautifully captures a relationship in which man and woman are offering different values. And together both of them are silently praying for sons and daughters some day. Gloriously poetic. 

And I, will hold you tight, like the moon in the arms of the sky
And I, will keep you warm, I will build a fire in this house

And I'll build a fire, you fetch the water and I'll lay the table
and in our hearts, we still pray for sons and daughters
and all those evenings out in the garden, red,red,wine
These quiet hours turning to years

And I, I'll wrap myself around your heart I'll be the walls of his heart
And I, I'll keep light on, to call you back home

And I'll build a fire, you fetch the water and I'll lay the table
and in our hearts, we still pray for sons and daughters
and all those evenings out in the garden, red,red,wine
These quiet hours turning to years

And it's all to come for now we're still young
just building our kingdom but it's all to come

And I'll build a fire, you fetch the water and I'll lay the table
and in our hearts, we still pray for sons and daughters
and all those evenings out in the garden, red,red,wine
These quiet hours turning to years

It's all to come for now we're still young

Have a wonderful weekend!

xoxo,
Madeleine

thredUP Finds!

Hello! I wanted to share some recent finds from a new delightful discovery of mine--thredUP.com! I got interested in it after hearing about it on Erica Lea's blog, ericalea.com (you should check that out, too!) But I digress.

Let's get back to thredUp. I'm so excited about this place. You can get brand name clothing for a fraction of the normal price. And everything--the packaging, the box--is super adorable. Oh! 

Here's the haul and a few of my outfits with the new clothes. :)

Red top: Free People via thredUP | Jeans: Banana Republic via Resale | Purple top: Gap via thredUP | Corduroys: J. Crew via thredUP | Sweater: Anthropologie via Resale | Corduroys: J. Crew via thredUP | Shoes: Toms gifted.

And a surprise...if you use this link and join the website, you'll get a free $10 to spend for your first order! They've got women's clothes and accessories, as well as children's clothing. 

Enjoy!

xoxo,
Madeleine

My Seventeenth

This is me right now. Yes. I had eight teeth (yes, eight!) pulled on Wednesday. What do you think of my new chipmunk look? Days 2 and 3 following the surgery were the most painful. Glad to have that part over. But now I'm just so tired of being in bed. So today, at last having a bit more energy, I resolved to do something fun. And thus this post. But I couldn't resist sharing the pictures of myself. It's a sight to behold, I think. 

 This post features pictures of gifts I got for my seventeenth at the beginning of the month--September 1st, to be exact. :) Anyways, I was given lovely things, and wanted to share a few pictures with you all. 

Little spice jars...for anything!

Good reads to anticipate. 

This is a little pot whose shape and color delight me! Is it not adorable?

Antique candelabra. Gorgeous. 

Linen dress. Lovely and comfy. I'm SO in love. 

Glass water bottle! Been wanting one of these. :)

Earrings--adorable with any outfit. 

Lapus Lazuli ring from my Mama. 

Pearls. Nothing can beat their loveliness. 

Lanterns! I got seven of them. They create such a nice, cozy space. 

An antique fountain pen. So look forward to learning how to use it.

Spice Jars: World Market | Books: Antiques | Journal: Moleskine | Ceramic Pot: Antique 

Candelabra : Antique | Linen Dress: J. Jill | Glass Water Bottle: Life Factory | Earrings: World Market Ring: Antique | Earrings: Thrifted | Glass Lanterns: World Market | Fountain Pen: Antique

All in all, I was a very blessed lass on my seventeenth birthday!

Now, with my loss of teeth, I'm trying to fill my time. It often becomes a conglomeration of reading, Pinterest, and eating soups and smoothies. If you've got a favorite recipe, let me know! :)

xoxo, 

Madeleine

Constance's Wedding Dress

Earlier this summer I had the pleasure of photographing Constance in her handmade wedding dress. I wanted to share the photos with you all, as I am so in love with the design of the dress and the white-on-white embroidery.

I was a bridesmaid in her wedding on June 14th. It was a truly glorious event. Best wishes to Constance and Ruben!

Love,
Madeleine

Pico de Gallo Recipe

Oh, friends! It has been so long since I've had the chance to post here. I am so excited to be back!

I have a recipe for you all. We were gifted with many tomatoes grown in local gardens, so I decided to make up a recipe for mild tomato salsa, also called Pico de Gallo. So this salsa was made with mostly local ingredients. The tomatoes and tomatillos from friends, and the onion from our local farmer's market. It doesn't get much closer to home. My siblings approved of the recipe by descending on it with fervor.

While no chips we usually eat are completely starch-free as I would prefer, we love Beanitos. Beanitos are just beans and rice, which is pretty much the best you can get for store-bought chips. I want to try making some chips....we shall see. The chips pictured here are Way Better Snack's Tortilla Chips, which were allegedly sprouted, but turned out to have stone ground corn as the first ingredient. I found that out after I ate them. Whatever. You do the best you can.

Enough about the chips...time for the salsa.

Pico de Gallo

4-6  tomatoes, diced
4 small tomatillos, diced
1/2 onion, diced
2 limes
1/2 bunch cilantro, chopped
sea salt and fresh ground pepper

Wash tomatoes and tomatillos, and dice finely. Peel the onion, and dice it finely, too. Wash cilantro, break off leaves, and chop finely. Squeeze lemon juice on mixture. Salt and pepper to taste.  This recipe is ripe for experimentation. Work with what you have, and adjust to your preferences. This is just a starting block. And, if you like, you could add hot peppers. My family isn't big on hot spice, so I avoided the use of jalapeños.

Printable Recipe

Update on Life!

Hello, my dear friends!

I wanted to send a quick note and explain where I've been and will be. About two weeks ago, I got a sudden opportunity to be a counselor at a camp in the North woods for eight weeks. So blogging, I'm afraid has to be abandoned until mid-August when I return. This makes me sad, but I'm also really thankful that the Lord has opened up this opportunity. While I'm leading, the Lord is teaching me all kind of things about Himself. God is so good. 

 I will miss you all and look forward to catching up in August! I will be back, so please don't abandon me. :)

Love,

Madeleine

Visit to an Organic Farm

Hello, dear readers! After saying I would post soon, we left on a two week family trip! So I've had spotty or nonexistent internet access. But here I am now. :)

I wanted to share some pictures of a trip we had to an Organic Farm near where we were staying. Unfortunately, right as we arrived they were closing their shop where they sell food. But we got to walk around and explore the grounds. The grounds were beautiful, and it was so fun to see their beds of organically grown greens, their chickens, and cows. They raise cows, for milk and meat, pigs for meat, and chickens for eggs and meat. It's all free range and grass fed.

I enjoyed snapping pictures of the grounds on a beautiful day. So brace yourself for a volley of photos.

Have you had any outdoor adventures recently?

Best,

Madeleine