my signature face. pc: Kiley

A few little lists//

MAKING ME HAPPY RIGHT NOW:

Weekend plans with my awesome family.

Gluten free donut recipes+ $10 donut pans.

Being involved in secret projects with my best friend.

I’m all done with school for the summer! Bye bye Junior year, you’ve been good and hard.

Dancing with Care in the kitchen.

Regrowing romaine hearts + planting them in our garden.

Watching Katherine learn to mow the lawn.

Running with Care, even though I have to stop all the time.

A clear blue sky+ sun after 5 straight days of thunderstorms.

Fresh flowers.

Colorful straws in fruit smoothies.

EXCITED ABOUT RIGHT NOW:

Making summer plans.

Being able to read books for my personal enjoyment and not for school!

Warm weather.

Sup’n'Stuff’s.

Working for my Dad.

Plans for my business.

My new camera is coming on Tuesday, Lord willing.

Going to the cabin.

Writing out my hilarious awks + awes from the past week ;). Coming soon!

What are you happy about or excited about right now?

Care is my absolutely amazing younger by 1 year and 11 months but taller by 3ish inches sister. Em is my absolutely amazing younger by 4 months and shorter by 4ish inches unofficially adopted sister. Basically that should explain this all. I shot these fun photos when we thought about crashing a prom photo time but decided not to, so therefore Care and Em acted super crazy (as usual). They’re the best.

awkward photo of my two year old face from may 2012

AWKWARD.

The guy running around the lake wearing all neon. His shirt said “I’m your day brightener”

Seeing a lady creep on a house with binoculars.

Accidentally writing on my leg in church.

Scented kleenex. It makes blowing your nose wayyyy worse.

Tripping up the stairs because I tried to run in a straight maxi dress.

A friend facebook messaging me from the same room telling me to get off facebook because it was a waste of time.

Running or quickly walking so many times from one side of the church to another I definitely got a workout in.

Bringing my dinner to Bible study, including my cloth napkin.

While serving at a conference as an usher, an older couple kept coming to my door and remarking on my smile they called me “smiley”.

Observing a guy accidentally walk into the women’s restroom and trying so hard not to laugh and embarrass the poor kid.

Shooting my science class while they were doing a dissection. “Madeline, get this photo.”

AWESOME.

Celebrating my birthday and Sarah’s birthday together.

3 mile walks with the best friend.

Filming crazy music videos with care and em.

Making lots and lots of healthy baked donuts.

Staying up way to late because Sari and I didn’t want to stop talking.

My sister Katherine was baptized last night, It was such a blessing to watch!

I only have one week left of school, Lord willing.

Ordering + delivering high quality pro prints to my clients. I love seeing my work printed.

Care comes with me to all of my sessions, she’s defs the best assistant ever!

Getting rid of so many things and having even more I want to get rid of. de-cluttering is one of the best feelings ever!

Working for my Dad, best boss ever! I’m so grateful that I am able to work for him. I mostly ship out filters, and other small water distiller orders.

Going to plato’s closet and finding the exact shorts I had tried on in a store a few weeks prior but had chosen not to buy because I didn’t want to spend $40, I found them for $8 and then I had store credit so I only paid .50 for them!

photo by a kind guy in the parking lot.

Awesome friends are worth waking up early to surprise. Laurie ( next to me in the last photo) turned 18 at the end of March. WHOOT! Her Mom planned a special surprise for the following weekend which involved a lot of her friends meeting at a local delicious pancake house. Some of the people were able to meet at her house to wake her up but Care and I weren’t :( So we just surprised her at the restaurant  which was almost as fun.  Laurie is one of my nearest + dearest friends, we’ve known her family for ages. When we were little my sisters and I and Laurie and her sisters would play the silliest games together for hours while our Mom’s talked. We have so many crazy memories. I’m so excited for summer so we can make many many more! Love you Laurie, Happy Birthday a month and a half late ;)

Care hair chalked her ends and looked like T Swift. nbd.

What is this a blog post?! So what May is half over and I’m just now getting to posting these goals and recap. Life has been crazy and full and wonderful.

APRIL GOALS//

Run 5 days a week- this one started well but didn’t end so well… I kept on this goal for about 2 weeks until I felt like I was getting sick so then I kinda stopped. Half accomplishment is better then no accomplishment, right?

Memorize Psalm 91- why did I not do this?!

Two lessons of math a day- kinda, most days I did this some days I missed but then made up for it!

Get rid of one thing every day/ clean out and organize my room.- This did happen! YAY!! I’ve gotten rid of so many things it feels great and I just want to keep simplifying more and more!

Now for my MAY GOALS//

Finish school! My goal/plan is to end on the 22nd! I’m so so excited to be done and then embrace summer!

Read a book I’ve never read before. One that I’m not required to read for school. I’m crazy, I love reading but I don’t make time for it.

Shoot + blog photos I love. I want to get back to posting on my photography business blog. www.sofiahilder.com

Make RAW snickers bars. Raw desserts are my favorite. Recipe found here.

Do you have any goals for this month?

A short word on the above photo; it was taken in the early 1900′s when my great grandmother, Ingrid Sofia immigrated from Sweden to the United States as a young woman. She inspires me. So thankful to have this photo.

today I am grateful for:

Gorgeous snow storms.

Birthday gifts from one of my best friends who lives far away.

Old photos from when my great grandmother immigrated from Sweden to the USA.

Idea’s for the bare wall in my bedroom.

Working for my dad.

My hair is getting long.

Sessions on the calendar.

Anticipation of good things to come this week.

Watching a movie with my sisters, while editing photos.

Laughing through latin with Care and my Mom.

Overwhelming, all consuming grace.

________

Today we had yet another snow storm, MN hasn’t really gotten the memo that its spring yet. I was tempted to be disappointed and sad but then I decided that I have so much to be thankful for I need to count my blessings. How many little things do I miss because I’m so caught up in myself? I made a choice to change my perspective and praise God I’m not depressed. It’s amazing how much changing one thought  can change your attitude. Choose joy, choose gratefulness!

Here’s my challenge, write a list of 10 things you are grateful for TODAY.

Dear Sari,

I can’t believe your turning 18 today, its kinda crazy! I remember when we first me when I was 11 and you were 12 and as soon as I saw you, I knew that I wanted to be friends with you. I though you were so cool, and awesome, and I was right because you totally are! I love all the hilarious and some times awkward memories we have, such as:

* drama camp- the best year was when we got to play the leads as best friends in the show.

*our first sleepover, when you insisted that we drink tea and take vitamins and not stay up too late.

*Small group and all of those crazy skits. my favorite was definitely Bubba’s budget breakfast.

*when we tried to be pen pals but that didn’t really work.

*ice skating and telling you all about my life.

*AMGR and your involuntary winking which got the parents to think we were up to trouble.

* Planning event’s together.

* that one time when I borrowed your skirt and didn’t give it back for a year. ;)

* when we took forever getting ready for the first photoshoot we did before we started this blog.

*you wrote me a quiz when you decided to stop blogging.

*snuggling on the way to the retreat.

*sharing a twin cot at the DFL retreat.

* calling me at 10:45 to tell me the most exciting news ever.

and soooo many more.

Thank you for always being there for me, for listening to me sob out my problems and always pointing me back to Christ. You are such a godly example to me. You always make me laugh  and something I found on pinterest I think totally describes us: You know two people are best friends when they are laughing so hard and seeming to have way more fun then they should. Yeah, we are those  laughing  girls. I want you to know I am SO proud of you for how diligent you are in your school, I can’t believe your dual graduating, that’s just really impressive to me. I love how we can talk for a long time and still have things to say, how our 10 minute phone calls are never long enough. How I can never figure out your Spanish emails (I’m not a banana). Your voicemail makes me laugh every time. How I know that you’ll reply to my emails on tuesdays usually, how I’ve converted you to enjoy talking on the phone to me. Your amazing and I love all of you, So so blessed by you!

I’m so thankful for you my dear best friend and sweet sister! <3 I love you so so so much! Happy 18th Birthday Sari! I can’t wait to celebrate with you soon and for years and years after this when You turn 80 and I turn 79 ;)

Love,

Mads

]]> http://flameinthedarkness.com/happy-birthday-to-my-adopted-sister-sari/feed/ 3 http://flameinthedarkness.com/awkward-awesome-thursday-27/ http://flameinthedarkness.com/awkward-awesome-thursday-27/#comments Fri, 19 Apr 2013 01:38:22 +0000 Madeline http://flameinthedarkness.com/?p=4010

AWKWARD.

“Are those flowers real and growing” this comment from a random guy about my floral crown.

Deceptive sales tactics tricking me into buying something that wasn’t on sale.

Leaving my purse with friends while I went to go get something quickly, then while I was gone they walk away leaving my stuff, and not telling me where they were going.

Trying to get all of the water possible out of my almost empty water bottle. * Leans head wayyyy back*

Rolling up the window at the drive through ATM and my hair getting stuck in it.

Sitting at the drive through waiting forever because Starbucks doesn’t brew decaf after noon.

The rain turned my skirt into leopard print for a little while as we dashed through the rain to get to church.

*friend waves at a guy she knows* “oops I shouldn’t have waved” me: “yeah now he’s running up here” friend: “is he really, great, I don’t really want to talk to him”.

The Church where our BSF class meet’s furnace is broken. Of course I didn’t find that out until we got there and it was so cold. That was the week I decided not to wear long sleeves.

The lanes at the bank where my Dad’s business account is are too narrow for our suburban, the last time I was there I ran over the curb of the median, and the time before  that I think I scraped the side a little.

Being “on display” at a furniture store. Because my family decided to look at this office room in the front window room of the store and we proceeded to make ourselves at home.

Wearing my parka during class because I was so cold.

Trying to pose an american girl doll.

Minnesota looks like Narnia right now where it is always winter and never Easter. ;)

A friend doing a double take before wishing me a happy birthday.

AWESOME.

Making floral crowns with my sister.

An email full of best friend quotes on my birthday.

My birthday was kinda epic this year because I turned 17 on 4/17 at 4:17. My golden birthday was amazing!

Going out to dinner with my family and having a blast. As we walked out and older man commented to my Mom that he loved watching us because it seemed like we were having so much fun.

Handmade cards from my younger sisters.

Filming a diy video with Care. She filmed my hands.

Organic cotton sheets.

Making raw desserts.

Care gave me a raw cookbook for my birthday, I am so excited to use it!

What has been AWKWARD or AWESOME about your week?

p.s. birthday list post coming soon :)

AWKWARD.

We just experienced a huge snowstorm. It’s April 11th, even in MN this is not normal….

Walking through Target with a jug of Apple Juice on my hip.

Wandering around Blockbuster trying to look like I knew what I was doing, but I couldn’t find the movie that I had just called to make sure they had in store.

There not being a garbage can when I really needed one!

There is a posted list of staff that I should be on and even though it’s been updated a couple of times. My name is still nonexistent.

When I thought my hair looked terrible and my sister said it looked like that everyday.

Accidentally sending the same email twice because I didn’t remember that I sent it the first time.

My back getting covered in a dark purple blackberry and blueberry smoothie after my sister dropped her cup and it splattered all over the wall and me. So I had to change right before we needed to leave!

AWESOME.

Fully Raw Kristina’s videos. So inspired by her,  someday I would love to be fully raw!

Awesome varied in the car conversations.

Going to see Treasure Island with part of our small group.

Running and working out. Never thought I’d say that I was becoming a runner.

“cross-training” = shoveling super wet heavy snow.

Planning super exciting things with my sister!

Being a part of a super fun surprise party for my amazing friend Laurie!

Sarah sent me a bunch of awkward pictures of us from a couple years ago but both of us agreed they are much too awkward for the blog ;) We were so weird…

1, 2, 3. the shredding of the carrots.

4. the cupcakes are firming

5. fresh squeezed orange juice for the frosting

6. we’re obsessed with life factory glass water bottles.

7. naked raw carrot cupcakes.

8. care licks her fingers.

9. Laura devouring her cupcake.

10. just before the cupcakes disappeared.

My family has a passion for eating healthy and exploring many different foods. We have been blessed to discover and try a wide variety of things. Though we are no where close to being fully raw, we love trying raw recipes and incorporating raw foods as much as we can into our lifestyle. We have found so many raw recipes that we love and even a fully raw restaurant that has become a family favorite. If your in the Minneapolis, MN area you should try Ecopoliton! Recently my sister found the youtube channel of FullyRawKristina, after watching many of her videos we have been even more inspired to eat more raw.  Yesterday, I made one of her recipe’s that I had wanted ever since she released the video, Fully Raw Carrot Cupcakes with Orange Vanilla Cream Frosting. So so so so delicious!! I can’t wait to make them again, I’ll probably make them next Wednesday because it’s my golden birthday! They were so good! Ohmygoodness I want to eat one right now. They are just as good even better then any carrot cupcakes I have ever had! So easy to make too, I’d equate the amount of time spent to that you would spend making a box cake mix. Except that they are  completely healthy and good for you. The cupcakes firm up beautifully in the fridge and the frosting is perfectly creamy and exactly the right texture. I love raw desserts, I posted a raw blueberry pie recipe here.

Have you ever experimented with raw recipes?

Be sure to check out Olivia’s 10 on 10 photos!