“Now, our God, we give you thanks, and praise your glorious name.”
1 Chronicles 29:13 (New International Version)
Today, I give thanks for:
Caramel Brulee Lattes from Starbucks.
A new car battery and alternator (labor courtesy of my father…on his day(s) off no less).
Time with family and friends.
Koine Greek. Challenging, but rewarding.
Jesus Christ.
Words. Written and spoken.
Pumpkin pie. It’s just not Thanksgiving without it.
What are you giving thanks for?
For some reason which currently escapes me, last night I decided it would be worthwhile to stay up until all hours of the night in order to catch-up on some [long over-due] studying. While this decision did [amazingly enough] result in a session of extremely productive study, it also resulted in significant sleep deprivation.
So as I was responding to a friend’s email today that had absolutely nothing to do with the topic at hand, I closed with these words:
ps: On a completely unrelated note, I am not in college anymore and do not function well on 4 hours of sleep. Just sayin’.
pps: I don’t know that I ever functioned well on that little sleep.
ppps: Happy Wednesday, Friend!
And then I had to pause and verify that today was/is actually Wednesday.
And then I had to laugh at my flow of consciousness…or lack thereof…especially considering it is highly improper to use that many post-scripts.
Happy Wednesday, Friends!
On Saturday afternoon, I co-hosted a shower with these two ladies:
For this bride-to-be:
The lovely Jenny.
Decorations were kept to a minimum, but included rose petals and a small bouquet on the gift table, balloons that read “I Do…Me Too” placed strategically throughout the space, and a couple of these lanterns hanging from the ceiling beam:
The menu was simple and consisted of:
I mean, seriously, how cute are these cupcakes courtesy of my roommate, B (pictured above in the tan sweater)??
We played a couple of classic shower games:
1. How well do you know the bride?
Jenny served as our answer key.
Well, at least until we asked her a tie-breaker question that she didn’t know the answer to (as I recall, something about a favorite restaurant…)!
2. Toilet paper bride / wedding dress
Both teams did a great job working on their dresses.
Team #1
Although one “bride” was ultimately deemed the winner, even the runner-up team was awarded with chocolate for their efforts!
And of course, no shower is complete without the opening of gifts while a faithful bridesmaid (and in this case, soon-to-be sister-in-law) takes notes.
Overall, the shower was very laid-back, but perfectly suited for all those involved. Congrats to Josh & Jenny!!
Remember this letter from exactly two months ago? The one where I promised five posts that would be coming “soon and very soon”?
Well, as some of you may have noticed (or not…which is totally understandable…it has been two months), I have delivered on four of those five posts to date. But whatever happened to the coconut macaroons? The ones that I labeled as the “easiest/fastest dessert ever”?
Epic fail. That’s what happened.
Okay, I suppose “epic” may be a bit harsh. But seriously, my recent batch of these ridiculously simple treats just didn’t turn out as well as I would have hoped. Oh, they tasted alright, but the texture was a little off, and the color was not the crisp-white-with-a-few-appropriate-spots-of-toasted-coconut that had resulted from my first successful batch a month earlier.
But after a midnight brainstorming session with B (my roommate) in which we were both recounting our coconut recipe woes, I feel fairly confident that we uncovered a plausible explanation for the fail(s).
The reason I attempted this recipe for macaroons in the first place was to use leftover coconut (from another recipe) that had been stored in the fridge for a couple of weeks. But for this most recent attempt, I opened a brand new bag of coconut that had been stored in the pantry.
So, it seems that the coconut stored in the fridge (which was probably significantly lacking in moisture compared to its fresh counterpart), may have worked a little better for this particular purpose.
I intend to make the recipe again to test our theory, but for now, here’s the recipe that I have now used with a 50/50 success rate:
Coconut Macaroons
(as adapted from the Baker’s brand coconut bag)
Ingredients:
1 14oz pkg. coconut
2/3 cup sugar
6 tablespoons flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 egg whites
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions:
Between spending Friday night and most of Saturday in class and preparing for an exam that I completed tonight, the last week of my life has been completely consumed with studying Koine (New Testament) Greek. And yes, it has been as exhausting and overwhelming as it sounds!
So, in an effort to take a break from the intense studies, and since it is now the first week in November (how is that possible??), is actually starting to feel like fall outside (hello, beautiful chilly weather…how I have missed thee!), and I have all things pumpkin on my mind, I thought it might be fun to share the few decorations that my roommate, B, and I settled on this year for the fall season.
I don’t typically participate much in seasonal decorating. But from October through the first (or second. or maybe even third…) week in January, I DO like my home to reflect the season. At least in a simple and minimalist sort of way.
This pumpkin-shaped-but-unscented candle sits on the mantle:
This grouping of three pumpkins found its home on the coffee table…
…along with this adorable pumpkin votive holder (with a pumpkin-scented votive, of course):
And finally, this pumpkin sits in the middle of the kitchen table…
…surrounded by leaves in fall colors, two of my favorite pumpkin-scented candles ever…
…and these fun napkin holders…
…to form a simple and seasonal centerpiece:
What about you – do you decorate with the seasons?
