Dull Moments

Hi everyone. I try not to make this a political blog. Because that ruins everything, doesn't it? If you want to have lunch with me, we can chat politics. But not like this. However, I think this is important. I have a friend from college whose brother works for Invisible Children, which is responsible for the KONY2012 video. I know there is controversy. I know it isn't perfect. I get it. But we aren't perfect people, so imperfect results happen. The following is an email from my friend regarding the current situation. Please pray about this. I think it's something much bigger than us, and I think we need to take a moment and fight it. Regardless of IC's controversy, their point is valid .  Having been to Africa and seen the struggles there (though not this particular place or struggle), I can say that my heart aches for this situation. I can also say that it can be a very oppressive place spiritually, so I think what my friend is saying below is accurate. ...

This is what I've been thinking about lately. The accident. I was in a car accident a couple of weeks ago. Horribly, I rear-ended someone on the highway. It wasn't fun. Ironically, I'm pretty sure I saw the same car I hit driving like a total moron earlier this week, explaining a little about how this really went down. Though it makes me feel better about the accident, it makes me mad he'll have none of the blame. Because of the accident, I am seeing a chiropractor 3xs a week. Do you know how impossible that is? Who knew I didn't have 3 extra hours a week? I didn't realize it. This made me realize how busy the next 2 months are. Though it may change, we have had or are going to have trips to Boston, DC, and San Diego (between the two of us). We have parties. We have Easter in there. We have birthdays and black tie events. I AM GLUED TO MY GOOGLE CALENDAR, terrified everyday I am going to forget something. We are not this cool, and I don't think we ar...

I mentioned in my last blog that I do not like cream cheese frosting. I do not like it in a  box, I do not like it with a fox.  Which  made some people go... so what do you use? To be honest, most of the time, I dump one stick of a butter in a bowl and turn on the Kitchen Aid mixer and walk away. Then I come back, dump in a little powdered sugar, some vanilla and some whipping cream, a pinch of salt, turn on the mixer and walk away. Then I come back and keep dumping in powdered sugar and milk until it looks, spreads, and tastes right. It is not a science. So here is my attempt to write down and track what I do! Basic Buttercream Frosting 5 tablespoons of softened butter 2-3 tablespoons heavy whipping cream 2 teaspoons pure/real vanilla extract Pinch of salt 4-5 cups powdered sugar (I recommend Domino) Milk With an electric mixer, beat butter for 1-2 minutes. Add in 1 cup of powdered sugar, vanilla, and whippi...

At this point, I have been baking enough that it's getting out of hand. By out of hand, I mean that Robert looked close to tears when he got the Quicken for our groceries. However, he looked pretty excited about that cupcake last night... We are hosting our church community group tonight, so I volunteered to make the treats. I like to try new things on people (so I'm not stuck with all that junk if I don't like it). As I try to do when baking for large groups, one is dairy/peanut/chocolate free. The other one is deadly delicious. I made these 2 recipes: Dark Chocolate Chip Cupcakes with Buttercream frosting http://www.yourcupofcake.com/2011/09/dark-chocolate-chip-cupcakes-with-cream-cheese-buttercream.html Orange Cookies http://www.stephanieskitchen.com/2011/05/orange-zested-cookies-w-sweet-orange-glaze/ A few notes... The cupcakes are awesome. I mean, heavy and moist and rich and not overwhelming. I didn't do the cream cheese frosting (Because I just don...

Robert does not like breakfast for dinner. So when he works late doing some contract work, I meet up with a good friend of mine at I-Hop. And we have pancakes. And eggs. And bacon. And girl time. There is something about a friend that you can laugh with and bare your soul to all at the same time. A friend that when you randomly sing a line from an obscure musical, she can complete the verse. Another person that watches the Oscars - the entire show . A friend you text a prayer request to in the middle of the work morning, and she prays for you all day long. When you say what is making you lose your mind, she finds a way to hand your sanity back on a platter. A pancake-filled platter. Aren't you glad we aren't doing this alone? Friends are such a gift. Especially friends that like breakfast for dinner. Oh, and I know that Robert was working really, really hard last night while I chowed down on blueberry oat pancakes. However, our waitress messed up our original order, s...

Everyday I walk through the hospital, and I see a huge banner with IU Health's logo. The strength it takes. Everyday I laugh at this, because I think of how helpless we are. Helpless against theft. Pride. Disasters. Test results. Accidents. Job losses. Conflicts. Crushed dreams. Bad Republican candidates. Dogs who hate their crates (ok, that's just me). Today, I had a revelation. A friend said to me, "God put you right where you are to love, support and encourage these people in your life. It's awesome." I don't always think it's s awesome, but I realized that she right. I realized, I need to change my perspective on this strength issue. I don't have the strength it takes. But I'm finding it, one day at a time, one friend at a time, one, Lord now what? at a time. It's amazing to me that not only is God so much bigger than me, but that He chooses to manifest a tiny, tiny portion of that power in using me. I just have to be willing to serve and ...

Have I mentioned Robert and I are both dieting, and I that I have had to bake like a madwoman lately? It's an unfair world, people. I made these layered cookie bars when we had friends over for dinner. The leftovers were brought to the monthly cousins' dinner. They were obviously a hit... I made a new chicken dish for that dinner, too. It was adapted from a Martha Stewart recipe. The flavor was good, but the chicken did dry out quite a bit. Our guests were running late so I left it in the oven longer than I should have, but maybe if I didn't do that and basted it some it would have been better. I liked it overall, though. (the photo below is not mine, it is from Martha) Pan-Roasted Lemon Chicken with Green Beans and Red Potatoes Juice of 1 lemon 1 teaspoon lemon pepper seasoning 4 cloves garlic (I used a mandolin slicer) 1 teaspoon kosher salt 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 3 tablespoons of olive oil 1 small can of vegetable broth 3/4 pound trimmed green beans 8 s...