Monthly Archives: August 2010

Four Days (in bullet points)

During the last four days, I…

  • Had the privilege of eating breakfast with a friend who lives 10,000 miles away (okay, maybe subtracting one of those zeros would be more accurate…). Awesome.
  • Upgraded my computer at work to Windows 7.  I’ll get used to it.
  • Made the worst meatballs ever.  Tragic.
  • Spent an entire evening at home without once turning on the computer.  Much needed.
  • Redeemed myself in the kitchen by making fail-safe chocolate éclair cake. Yum.
  • Cleaned the house, did some laundry, and organized data.  Necessary.
  • Killed [and pulverized] a wasp in my house.  Accomplishment.
  • Sang “Total Praise” with the church choir.  Powerful.
  • Attended a meeting surrounded by and covered with prayer.  Productive.
  • Experienced the first hints of coolness in the morning indicating fall is not too far away.  Glorious.

 

 

What have you done in the last four days?

Cell Phones & Checkout Lines

Let me just start by clarifying that I do not make a habit of talking on my phone at the grocery store (in the checkout line OR anywhere else), but this weekend I heard my phone ring while I was in line behind a fellow shopper with a half-full cart, and based on the incoming number and the estimated time it should take to get through the line, I made a hasty decision to go ahead and answer.

But, I was already engaged in my typical I-might-be-in-line-for-a-couple-of-minutes routine of picking up and flipping through an interesting looking (and sometimes informative and beneficial…) magazine that I have absolutely NO intention of buying. 

Then, the cashier in the next line motioned for me to move over into his (now empty) line, which I did…while still on the phone.

So, when I got home and was putting away my groceries, imagine my surprise when I found this in one of the bags…

 

 

…which I vaguely remember haphazardly tossing into my cart when I hastily decided to answer my phone.

Admittedly, it could be worse, but aside from it being just plain rude, consider this yet another reason why you should NOT talk on your cell phone while in the checkout line at the grocery store:

You might end up making unintentional and frivolous purchases.

Have you ever discovered an unintentional purchase that resulted from a distraction at some point during your shopping excursion?

Trust

“You [God] will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast,

because he trusts in You. 

Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord,

the Lord, is the Rock eternal.” 

Isaiah 26:3-4 (New International Version – emphasis added)

 

 

I was sitting in the drive-thru waiting for the driver of the jeep ahead of me to finish the money-for-food exchange when I observed a mother and her three teenage children walking across the parking lot to their stereotypically teal mini-van.  Before stepping off the curb, the mother (who was in the lead) checked and double checked to make sure the parking lot was clear of cars.  Her daughter (who was right behind her) did the exact same thing before proceeding into the parking lot. 

But her two sons (who were only a couple of steps behind), seeming to know that their mother was looking out for their best interest and had already planned and chosen a safe path, followed confidently without ever so much as a sideways glance.

At that point, I couldn’t help but think of how often in my relationship with God, I react more like the daughter than the two sons.  Even though I should know that my heavenly Father has already planned and chosen a secure path, rather than confidently trust and follow His lead, I often cast a glance to the side…just to verify His way is right. 

And in that moment, I found myself longing to be more like those two teenage boys. 

You heard me right. 

I want to have that same…

unwavering,

unfaltering, and

unceasing trust

…in God, my all-knowing heavenly Father and eternal Rock.

Chocolate Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Filling

A couple of weekends ago, I decided to experiment with a new cupcake recipe.  But not just any cupcake recipe.  After spending entirely too much time watching shows such as Cupcake Wars and DC Cupcakes, I decided to experiment with filled cupcakes for the very first time.

I had already bookmarked this recipe from Food & Wine for double dark chocolate cupcakes with peanut butter filling (say that three times fast…), so this seemed like an appropriate time to pull it out and give it a try.

 

 

Considering I had never made filled cupcakes before, I think they turned out pretty well!  My number one take-away lesson for next time, though: Add. More. Filling.

These cupcakes were a little involved, but totally worth it!

 

 

Chocolate Cupcakes

Ingredients:

3/4 cup & 2 tablespoons cocoa powder

½ cup boiling water

1 cup buttermilk

1 ¾ cups flour

1 ¼ teaspoons baking soda

¼ teaspoon baking powder

¼ teaspoon salt

1 ½ sticks butter

1 ½ cups sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

 

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line 24 muffin cups.

2. Combine cocoa powder and boiling water.  Whisk until smooth.  Add buttermilk.

3. Sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.

4. In large bowl, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy.  Beat in eggs and vanilla.  Then beat in dry ingredients alternating with cocoa mixture.

5. Spoon batter into liners (about two-thirds full) and bake for 20-22 minutes.

6. Let cupcakes cool in pan for about 5 minutes, then let them cool completely on wire racks before filling.

 

 

Peanut Butter Filling

Ingredients:

1 cup peanut butter

3 tablespoons butter

2/3 cup powdered sugar

 

Instructions:

1. Beat the peanut butter and butter until creamy.  Add powdered sugar and beat until light and fluffy.

2. Spoon filling into pastry bag with star tip (or if you’re like me, a plastic baggie with the corner cut off works just fine).

3. If you have a pastry bag, push tip into top of cupcake and fill.  If using a plastic bag, cut a cone shape out of the top of the cupcake, fill, then replace cone.

 

Chocolate Icing

Ingredients:

1 cup heavy cream

8 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped

 

Instructions:

1. In small saucepan, bring heavy cream to a simmer.

2. Off the heat, add semisweet chocolate to cream and let stand for 5 minutes before whisking together until smooth.

3. Let icing stand until slightly cooled and thickened (mine took about 10 minutes, but it could take up to around 15 minutes).

4. Dip the tops of the cupcakes into the icing, let stand for 5 minutes, and then dip the tops again.

 

 

Enjoy!

Photoshoot with the Roommate

This past weekend I dragged and coerced convinced my lovely roommate, B, to model for me, so I could practice taking photos of people instead of just things.

These photos made me realize HOW MUCH I still have to learn about the BASICS of photography, but we had a great time, and I managed to get a few decent shots despite my significant lack of knowledge!

 

 

We ended up taking most of the photos at a church with a quaint cemetery on site.  Although I had some trouble finding the right angles to capture the best lighting, I loved some of the elements of the location:

 

 This bench was right beside the gate (which was unfortunately locked).

 

 

 This white building was a small prayer chapel.

 

 

 And this brick wall surrounded the cemetery.

 

 

B, thanks again for humoring me and letting me practice!

2 More Hours

 

Recently, I was lamenting the fact that there just weren’t enough hours in the day to accomplish all of the tasks on my to-do list and engage in activities that I actually enjoy. 

But if there were just 2 more hours in every day I could…

 

Cook and bake more.

 

Read more…for fun.

 

Take more pictures.

 

Exercise more.  [Maybe. If I wanted to…]

 

AND Study Scripture and theology more.

 

All of a sudden, it sounds like just 2 more hours may not be enough…

What would you do with more hours in your day?

A Challenging Question

Where are you with the Lord?

Not, what are you doing for the Lord?  Not, what Bible Study are you currently involved in?  Not, what ministries are you serving with?

Where are you with the Lord?

 

 

A wise woman asked me this question several months ago, and I have been asking the same question of myself over and over again ever since.

I often find myself so caught up with the ultimately insignificant (but sometimes overwhelming) details of life…

that I may keep up with my Bible Study,

and I may keep up with the prayer requests listed in the notebook on my bedside table,

and I may be involved in several areas of service,

and I may not appear any different for a while…

but then all of a sudden I find myself exhausted.  And it becomes obvious that I’ve been running on fumes because my relationship with the Lord (that intimate, personal, at-a-coffee-shop-with-a-friend relationship) has been seriously neglected.

So as a way to hold myself accountable to the priority of my personal relationship with the Lord and to honestly examine where I stand with Him before I become far too exhausted and far too spiritually empty, I have made an almost daily habit of asking myself this question:

Where are you with the Lord?

This question has challenged me beyond what I ever realized one simple question could.  And as I have been pondering over these last few months how to best address the question (and subsequent questions that inevitably follow…), I have been drawn to the following truth that is also echoed repeatedly throughout the Psalms:

“This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth,

but you shall meditate on it day and night,

so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it.

For then you will make your way prosperous,

and then you will have good success.”

Joshua 1:8 (English Standard Version – emphasis added)

Where I am with the Lord is most often directly related to my intake of and dependence upon the truths in His Word.

Where are YOU with the Lord?

How do you hold yourself accountable to consistency and depth in your relationship with Him?