Cinnamony French toast, homemade pancake syrup, and take-that-Starbucks

You know those times you try something new in the kitchen and it's a complete flop?

I definitely have experienced that.

Today, however, was not one of those times. Today I tried THREE new things and they ALL worked! I was so excited.

We had French toast for breakfast this morning, one of Joshua's favorites. I love putting cinnamon in the batter that the bread gets dipped in (I REALLY like cinnamon), but usually the cinnamon doesn't mix in and just floats on top. So the first few slices get lots of cinnamon on them and the last few don't get any. Not cool. Today I changed around how I mixed the ingredients for the batter and it worked beautifully!

First, I beat two eggs in a medium bowl. Then I added about 1/4 cup dark brown sugar and beat it again till there weren't any lumps. Next I mixed in about 1/3-1/2 cup plain (homemade) yogurt (I don't usually measure) and beat again till smooth. Then I whisked in 1 teaspoon of cinnamon and it mixed in beautifully! Finally I added 1/2 cup 2% milk (or so), and it was perfect. Usually I mix the eggs and milk first, so it starts out pretty runny. This time the batter was quite thick when I added the cinnamon, so the cinnamon mixed in well. It made amazing French toast!

While I was cooking the French toast I made homemade syrup to go on it. Last night I Googled "homemade pancake syrup" and found this recipe. It was so easy, and it tasted incredible--my husband absolutely loved it. I don't know if we'll quit the store-bought syrup altogether, but we'll definitely be using this pretty often. I added about a teaspoon of butter and a few drops of vanilla extract to the mixture after I took it off the heat, plus a little extra water because it was getting thick. I poured it into a half-pint jar when it was still hot, and it solidified in there pretty quickly as it cooled, but I'll just microwave it before I need to use it again. I know it's still lots of sugar, but at least there aren't any weird ingredients like in store-bought syrup, and NO high fructose corn syrup! Yay!

Finally, I made a homemade chai latte this morning. Yeah, you read that right.

I felt like cinnamony, spicy tea to go with the French toast, and then it hit me: if I can make a latte with coffee and hot milk, why not make a chai latte with tea and hot milk? Duh.

It worked. Really well.

I steeped a chai tea bag in half a mug of boiling water, for quite a while (to get it strong). I added milk to mostly fill the mug and popped the whole thing in the microwave for a minute and a half to heat it up well (you could just steep a chai tea bag in a saucepan of 1 cup milk, too, and forgo the water entirely). The milky tea, a healthy teaspoon of coconut oil, and about 1/2 teaspoon of honey went in the pitcher for my immersion blender and I blended it like I do with my coffee (for about a minute, agitating the blender to incorporate a lot of air into the stuff). I finally realized why it gets such a rich foam: the fat from the coconut oil helps the milk (just 2%) get really foamy and creamy. YUM.

Man, it was good. I'm doing this all the time now, when I don't make a coffee latte. Seriously, who needs Starbucks?!?

I apologize for how long this ended up being, but I hope you go try at least one of these things. I kind of tend to geek out over food. Good food, that is. You won't find me going into raptures over a burger and fries. (Unless, of course, it's a homemade burger, grilled and juicy, with oven-baked fries tossed in olive oil... sorry. I'll stop now.)

Reflecting on the A to Z Challenge

Well, I made it!!  This was my first year doing the A to Z Challenge, and I jumped in the deep end right away--not only did I sign up for the challenge itself, I volunteered to be an Ambassador for the fantastic Arlee Bird, whose idea it was to begin the Challenge in the first place.

I'm glad I took this opportunity.  It was a lot of work, but it was worth it!  I planned out all my topics in March, but I didn't pre-write or schedule any of my posts.  I like writing every day, but since I only have a certain amount of time every day in which I can do my blogging, that meant I didn't have time to visit as many other blogs as I would have liked.  I feel bad about that, and that's something I would definitely change for next year (you bet I'm doing this again!).  April was a busy month for me in other ways, but I'm proud of the fact that I did keep up with my posts, generally having them published the night before.

I am following quite a few new blogs as a result of the Challenge, and I'm delighted to welcome new followers myself!  This event has been a blessing in that area, allowing me to get to know other bloggers, some of whom have interests similar to mine, and others who I would have never found if not for the Challenge.

In terms of how the administrators organized everything, I have no complaints.  It's a massive job to host such a huge link-up, but I think they did well.  Those many of us who helped patrol the link-up list did our best to make sure everything was running smoothly.  I think perhaps it might be helpful if there were even MORE of us ambassadors/minions/whatever-we-were next year, especially if the Challenge grows in popularity (which I sure hope it will!).

I think perhaps it might be beneficial to have a few separate link-up lists, divided by type of blog (personal, writing, cooking, photography, etc).  That would make the list a lot less overwhelming to navigate, and it would help bloggers find more easily the blogs they're interested in, versus just blogging the whole huge list.

I will definitely be doing the Challenge again.  I appreciated the fact that it required me to be disciplined with my blogging.  I enjoyed the community, and getting to know other bloggers.  I definitely appreciated the major boost in visitors it gave me this last month!  I also enjoyed the mental challenge of having to come up with a post topic for each letter of the alphabet.

There are a few things I'll be doing differently next year.  I will start visiting blogs in the days and weeks leading up to the Challenge, as they are added to the link-up list.  I will plan my posts six weeks in advance and start writing them four weeks in advance.  Then I'll spend my time each day visiting blogs and leaving comments instead of writing.  I hope to be an Ambassador again next year, too (just for future reference, Lee!), and I hope to do a better job of it next year.

Did you do the Challenge?  What did you think?  Head over to the A to Z blog and share your post!

I'm here, and I'm writing.

This is good.  Two days in a row.  No link-ups, but you know, I think that's a good thing.  A dip in pageviews will be good for me--a reminder to not let that affect me.  A reminder of the real reason why I write: not to get my words out to as many people as possible, but just to get them out there for the people who really care about what I have to say.

(Hint: if you're reading this, that's you.)

Today has been a much better day than yesterday.  It's 8:00, I have two hours before I'll be home (to my hubby, yay!) and I'm not exhausted yet.  This is a good sign.  I had supper with my best friend and her two sweet house-mates tonight.  Meatloaf, mashed potatoes and veggies.  SO good.  Best meatloaf I've had in a while.  (Thanks, K!)

Half a week in...I think I can handle this.  I know I can.  Philippians 4:13, for Pete's sake.  This week has been a wake-up call: I can't do life alone.  I really need Jesus.  Bible reading has got to become even more important, because I need the spiritual strength so much more.  I mean, I need it all the time, but you know what I mean.

Guess what.  I discovered something.  I like writing like this, unpolished, not really thought through ahead of time, just letting the words go out on the screen.  A journal for a lot of people, most of whom I don't know personally and probably never will (and that's okay).  There is, of course, a time and place for those posts that I spend more time thinking about, planning, wording carefully, writing to fit all the various link-ups I do in a day.  But I'm really loving this freedom, to just write about whatever, and not really care what anyone else thinks--or even if it gets read or not.  It was written.  That's what matters.

Blogging, Bragging and Baking: Why God is Amazing

God has been working in some pretty cool ways this week.  As always, he gives us so much to be thankful for, but this week he reminded us how awesome he really is!

A young married lady, E, started reading my blog several months ago because she saw a comment I made on a blog that I visit on occasion.  A few months later, she started going to my parents' church and met my mom and dad.  Recently, my mom had this lady and another young married lady over for tea.  My mom was telling them about my blog, which is when E realized that she read it already.  This past Tuesday, E and I commented on each other's blogs, which was when I figured out she was from near my hometown.  Long story short...we have an insane amount of things in common, and we spent two and a half hours facebook chatting and getting to know each other.
Yeah, told you God is awesome. :)  E and I are hoping to meet in person when Joshua and I visit my parents over Christmas break.  It is a very small Lutheran world!  I'm excited to see what plans God has for this budding friendship...because he obviously orchestrated its beginning!

My husband is awesome, and other people are well aware of this fact, too!  Very good things are happening with his job.  We are blessed, and I'm so proud of him I could bust.  God is amazing; that's all there is to it.

I got to take a nap this morning (which is why this post is two hours late...oh well).  But I woke up to cloudy skies and the gentle rolling of a little thunder...I sure hope we get more rain!!  It sprinkled a little bit!

We had dinner with some new-ish friends last night at their home.  It was sooo yummy.  Also, I made dessert, which you should all try... chocolate chip cookie dough in the bottom of a paper-lined muffin tin, a mini Reese's cup on that, and then brownie batter on top.  Bake at 350 for 20 minutes.  Oh my goodness, SO delicious.  And if you wanted to make it really easy you could buy store-bought cookie dough and use a good brownie mix...but I didn't feel like doing that so I made a quarter batch of cookie dough (had some left over) and half a batch of brownie batter (which was exactly enough).  YUM.

I'm thankful this week, also, for new blogging friends, and bloggers I'm getting to know better.  Blogging is a big world, and yet we still manage to find people like us--for me, that means a heart crazy in love with Jesus, almost as crazy in love with my husband, and with a passion for homemaking.  It has been so encouraging to find others who are doing and loving the same things I am, and who have been able to encourage me in my faith and in life.

This is a ridiculously long Thankful Thursday post...I apologize.  But what's a girl to do when her Jesus is so wonderful? :) :)

Linking up with some other thankful (and thriving :) ) ladies this week:
black tag diaries; The Fontenot Four; Passionate and Creative Homemaking; Live Called; a punk, a pumpkin and a peanut; Kate Says Stuff; First Day of My Life

By God's Grace: Twenty-Five Years of Marriage

Today is my parents'

Twenty-fifth wedding anniversary.

I can't tell you how happy I am, how proud, how thankful and how blessed.

In Duluth, MN, July 2009

 My parents have been so blessed in their marriage, and they have been an incredible blessing to many people in the last twenty-five years.

They both serve in church ministry (my dad professionally, my mom on a volunteer basis) and they've both been working in marriage ministry at their church for several years now--encouraging and teaching other couples.  Because my parents know how to do marriage right.

It's by the grace of God.  It's with the love of God--not love that comes from my mom and dad.

They have relied on God constantly throughout their lives, and their marriage is no different.

They trust in his grace and forgiveness.  They show the love of God to each other every day.

They have learned (and, as they'll tell you, are still learning) how to have a marriage that honors God.

They are my heroes, my examples, and I know Joshua and I will be like them someday.

(Because our marriage is based on the very same things.)

I'm sorry this didn't turn out.  It's a high-resolution picture that doesn't upload well.

Today, I thank God for my parents and the incredible marriage he has given them.

I thank God for his grace, love, and salvation, which have made my parents' lives and their marriage the wonderful things they are.

Congratulations, Mom and Dad!  Here's to the next twenty-five years...and even more. :)

I love you both!

Linking up: To Love, Honor and Vacuum

The Gift of Community

If I lived all alone, had no friends or family, and spoke to no more people than were necessary each day, God would still bless me incredibly.  He would give me a home, food, a way to support myself, and most importantly his Word and forgiveness and eternal life.

However, my life is SO much more full and complete with friends, family and spouse!  Besides being a blessing to me, having interactions with many people over the course of the day gives me opportunities to be a blessing to others.  God works through me to accomplish his purpose in the lives of many people besides me.

Today's Joy Dare (well, yesterday's actually) has to do with the blessings of interacting with other people:
"One thing you wore, one thing you gave away, one thing you shared."

I wore (am still wearing, in fact) a real pearl necklace that I got while I was in Hong Kong my freshman year of high school.  I haven't worn it in a while, and having it on brings back memories of the day I bought it, the people I was with, the other experiences I had that day, and the things God taught me on that trip.

I gave away time and energy at work, to help feed a LOT of college students (technically I got paid for that, but I think it counts!) and I gave time and energy at home to get the kitchen clean, food made, and bread baked for my husband and me.

I shared hugs.  Quite a few at church!  I thrive on hugs, and I have several friends who appreciate hugs as much as I do.  Giving and receiving hugs is comforting, reassuring, and joy-filling.

I appreciate being by myself as much as the next person--sometimes even as much as an introvert, even though I most certainly am extroverted!  However, I LOVE my family and friends, and I am so thankful that they are a huge part of my life.

New Goals for a New Year

Everybody's doing it.

Making New Year's resolutions, that is.  It's a new year, we all feel like we have a fresh start, to try again, to do the things we didn't accomplish last year, to become better at something.

I don't usually make New Year's resolutions.  I've found them very hard to keep.  But this year, I've been inspired by several different people.  Jon Acuff was the major one.  He advised making just a few goals for the year, not a lot, and making them very specific.  If I accomplish all my goals I can create more.  And the more specific they are, the easier it will be to measure that I'm actually doing them.

I want to focus on three major areas of my life: spiritual, relational, and financial.  (Physically, I've already gotten into the habit of regularly working out, and although over Christmas break that's been set aside, it'll get going again once school starts back up.)

Spiritual: I want to spend half an hour a day, at least five days a week, reading Scripture, writing down what I learn from that day's reading, and praying about what I've read.

I want to read at least two books that will encourage me in my walk with God.  (One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp is first on that list.)

Relational: I want to learn to love my husband better.  Specifically, this means seeking out one way to intentionally love him every day (by letting him have his way in something, making a food he likes, saying something encouraging, asking what I can do to help him, etc).

I will also read at least two books on marriage and relationships.  The first will be The Resolution for Women, by Priscilla Shirer (inspired by the movie "Courageous").

Financial: I want to write out, and follow, a set, specific budget for this year.  I want to keep track of our finances and tithe every paycheck.  I would like to attend Financial Peace University (there's a class at our college this spring).

Overall, I want to revamp my priorities so that it's always God, my husband, family and friends, and then me.

This isn't going to be easy.  Please pray for me, for willpower, steadfastness, and the desire to fulfill these things.  And guess what--I'll be praying for you, too. :)

Good days and bad days

Yesterday was kind of a bad day.
I say "kind of" because most of the day was good; it was only a few things that weren't so nice.  Mostly it was my attitude throughout the day that wasn't nice.  In my defense, I think it was a combination of hormones and sleep deprivation (I konked out on the couch without even trying to take a nap, for an hour).  However, those things did not give me good reason or any right to snap at Joshua so much in the course of the day.

Now, of course, I feel horrible about it.  He did a couple things that irritated me but I blew it way out of proportion and was terribly unkind.  And bossy.  And bratty.  And all my least favorite things.

Good things happened yesterday, of course.  One of the pastors at the church we attend most often here gave us his and his wife's old mattress and box spring.  The bed is only ten years old and in SO much better shape than the one we'd been sleeping on (which came with the apartment).  At least we know who used this one before us.  We slept so well last night. :)

Also, yesterday evening Ruth and Joe spent a couple hours over here.  We snacked and played Scrabble and laughed hysterically.  It was a great night.

Today was an all-good day.  We slept in.  We had cinnamon rolls for breakfast (I made a double batch last night).  I made applesauce.  We watched two movies ("Lincoln Lawyer" and "Charade").  We had waffles for lunch, I used the waffle iron for the first time.  (Mom: I MUST get your recipe for waffle batter.  I miss it.)  We went to my grandparents' so I could do laundry and so we could rake their lawn.  We would have done it for free but Grandpa insisted on paying us.  (Keep my grandma in your prayers...she fell and hurt her back last week and is having surgery this week.)  Then we went to the VFW for a benefit dinner and were treated by some other friends, an older couple from church who have "adopted" us; the wife is actually in our Doctrine class. :)

Then we came home and watched Charade while I folded laundry.  And now it's time to put it away before bed.  Yay, bed--and hooray for turning back the clocks tonight!

I find it so reassuring to know that my husband loves me ALWAYS, even on those days when I'm mean and bratty to him.  He's not perfect either, of course, and there are days when he's not nice to me.  But we're always able to forgive each other.  I don't think we've once fallen asleep angry at each other.  What's even more amazing is how God continually loves and forgives us, on the good days and the bad.  Sometimes it's easy to forget how much he blesses us when we're so distracted with our own sinfulness (selfishness, discontent, laziness, etc).  But even on those days that don't go the way we wish they would, God blesses us so richly.  And sometimes, he even blesses us through those things that seem to be getting in our way.  They're never, after all, in God's way.  He works all things for our good, Paul tells us in Romans 8.  That's a promise I can cling to any day.

The blessed pain of discipline

I started working out on Friday, for real.  I mean the weight-lifting, elliptical-jogging, crunch-doing working out.  My lovely and athletic friend Ruth offered to give me some pointers and be my workout buddy.  She really knows what she's doing and I'm very thankful for her guidance and instruction!!

I'm one of those people with a slim but very not-athletic build; I've always been more sedentary.  I like walking but this kind of working out is very new for me.  As a result, I'm using muscles that don't often get used, and I'm feeling it!  Saturday morning my abs hardly wanted to work, and I've been walking painfully the last couple days after a lower-body workout on Monday.

I knew this would happen; since I haven't been very active before I knew that any amount of real exercise would hurt at first.  I also know that in a couple weeks I'll be more used to it and a lot less sore.

I keep reminding myself that this pain is a good thing.  It means I'm working my body, making it stronger and healthier, and Ruth said today that my abs already look more toned.  I have to keep pushing myself, but the results in the long run will be totally worth some sore muscles now.

Discipline was like that when I was little.  Now I'm disciplining myself to work out, but a decade ago it was my parents instructing me to do and not do certain things, and there was punishment when I didn't obey.  It hurt and it was inconvenient: spankings, time-outs, groundings, depending on my age and the severity of the disobedience.  But I learned what I needed to and I was a better person as a result.  (Yep, Mom and Dad, it worked...you can say "I told you so" now. :) )

Funnily enough, God puts discipline to work the same way.  Have you ever noticed that the root word of discipline is disciple?  As in, a person who follows someone else to learn from them and behave like them?  What a concept!  When God disciplines us, he is treating us as his disciples: helping us to learn from him and behave more like him.  God disciplines us because he loves us.  No, God does not cause "bad" things to happen to us.  He allows us to go through difficulties and trials because he always uses them for our good and his glory.  I have learned so much about trust by living on not a lot of money.  I have learned patience through illness.  I have learned to rely on God for comfort and help when I'm scared and sad.  I have learned to give control over to God when it seems like my life is out of my hands.

Discipline hurts, certainly.  No one likes the pain and frustration and discomfort of trials and difficulties.  But it's a good pain, one that God uses to bless us richly!!

I'm thankful for my aching muscles that are growing and strengthening.  I'm thankful that God loves me so much to use the good and the bad times in my life to help me become more like him, and grow closer to him in faith.

Womanly, Godly Accomplishment: What is it?

Anne over at the Modern Mrs. Darcy is looking to "redefine the accomplished woman."  (Click the link to see her post about it!)  It got me to thinking: what is an accomplished woman?  More importantly, what does God consider an accomplished woman?

Proverbs 31 and Titus 2 both describe what it means to be a godly woman.  A godly woman submits to her husband as she does to the Lord (Ephesians 5), provides food and clothing for her family, takes care of the home, is a hard worker and not lazy, trusts in God above all things, and is a credit to her husband and family.

God doesn't say that he wants all women to work at home, and he doesn't require all women to be wives and mothers.  Now, it's assumed that women work at home, partially because that's just how it was in the Bible and was for centuries; only recently has it become accepted and expected that women work outside the home.

Personally, I believe that one of the most God-honoring and productive "jobs" a woman can have is to be a wife, mother and homemaker.  She can serve God and others in so many ways!  However, I do not by any means condemn the woman who works outside the home, either by choice or by necessity.  She, too, is providing for her family, helping to take care of the home, and is a credit to her husband and children.

Nor do I condemn the woman who chooses to remain single or who chooses to not have children.  I believe it is best for women to marry and bear children, but neither is it wrong to do otherwise.  Children are a great blessing from the Lord, but some people may choose not to become parents, and that is absolutely fine.  They will have opportunity to make a difference in the lives of many people, both children and adults.  And the woman who remains single is able to focus more directly on serving God in whatever vocation he has placed her, without the distractions of husband or children.

The point I am trying to make is that there is no one definition of womanly, godly accomplishment.  I believe that each person has their own unique God-given vocation, so accomplishment is as unique to a person as their vocation.  An accomplished woman is one who fulfills her vocation to the best of her ability, with the help of God, no matter what it is.

That is the woman I seek to become.

I'm Glad to Be Me

I'm thankful for the person I am and for the body God put me in, but I tend to put myself down a lot and have been discontent with myself--my hair, my maturity and responsibility or lack thereof, my skills or lack of them.

My husband is good at encouraging me and making me feel better about myself.  That helps.

I've also realized that putting myself down and not being content with myself, the way I am, is really putting God down and not being content with the way he made me to be.

David wrote in the Psalms that we are "fearfully and wonderfully made."

My Sunday school teacher used to say that "God don't make junk."

Two of our best friends, Ruth and Joe (they're married) told me yesterday that they think my hair is beautiful when it's down in all its wavy, sometimes-frizzy (I think) glory, something Joshua says all the time.  And today Joe, who has known me for two years now, said he's enjoyed watching me grow up and mature in that time.

It's one thing for my parents to say I'm beautiful and they're proud of me.  I know they mean it, and I take them at their word.  But they're a little biased. :)

It's nice to be reminded of my own worth: which comes not from my own self and accomplishments but comes from the single fact that I am a created child of God.

GOD MADE ME.

He also lived, died, rose and lives again for me.  For me.  Me, Jaimie, with all my failures and mistakes and sorrows and flaws and sins.  With all my successes and joys and talents: all gifts from God.

The God who made me.
I'm glad I'm me.

A Day of Rest...and Productivity

Sleeping in this morning.  Necessary after a late night with friends and then with my husband.  :)

Homemade oatmeal-bread-toast and tea for breakfast!

Smiles and tears in church, joy and tragedy (a plane crashed at the local airport this morning), thankfulness and blessings, the Word spoken and sung.

Easy, yummy, filling lunch.  Doing the dishes together.  Getting the kitchen into a little better order.  (It never ends...)

Spontaneous romance.

Walking to work, hand in hand, such a cool and wonderful sunny day!!

Making pizza for several hundred people, with a lovely young lady, discovering a connection we didn't know we had.

Legs and feet throbbing after work, but thankful for the exercise, the ability to move and work.

A hot, long, soothing, refreshing shower.  Bliss.

Hubby laying out my nightgown and bathrobe, making tea and more toast for an evening snack.

Smallville.  A shared passion (obsession?).


Looking forward to tomorrow, with hope, with excitement, with peace.

Today's DONE List!!

Instead of listing what all I have to get done this week, I'm taking Lindsey's example and listing everything I got DONE today!!

Got a lot done of the dishes that needed doing

Article AND editorial written and submitted for the school paper

Meeting attended for library workers

Today's two classes attended

Birthday supper with the family for my mother-in-law (Famous Dave's, my first time there, YUM!)

Rent paid

Hopefully tomorrow's list will be even longer!