my hugsband returns today. and by "returns," i mean i got an hour and a half of fitful sleep before waking up at 2 am to get ready, i have to leave at 4, and the ship doesn't even pull in until closer to 10 am, and then it's a matter of finding each other and trying to navigate traffic off base. yep. today's gonna be a long one.
back to the point: he'll be home. which means i'm peace-ing out for a while. much as i love y'all, i need me some davidtime.
kthxbai.
6.15.2011
6.07.2011
college memories.
i did some reminiscing tonight, and just wanted to share. there are a great number of memories i have from my taylor days, but there are a few that really stand out in my mind.
taylor, i miss you. not the nowheresville-indiana part, but the home part. you took care of me, loved me, and pushed & stretched me. thank you.
- mukappa - fabulous organization (now nationwide, but started on taylor's campus years ago) for missionaries' kids and third culture kids. i was welcomed into the group, got to be on the leadership cabinet, and felt so at home with my international friends!
- summer greek (the entire second year of greek in a span of about 8 weeks, but with a fabulous class and an amazing professor) - complete with "greek spirit week" that featured dress-up days and some fun activities.
- airband. enough. said. really. although i usually worked the shows, i still got to enjoy them!
- the tears and struggles that came with having dr. smith for two senior seminar classes, but finishing both classes with a's!
- study abroads: one month in greece/italy, and a semester in j-lem.
- friends. the best friends ever.
- amazing st. patrick's day party my senior year, that involved a potluck of yummy food and watching not one but BOTH boondock saints movies!
- the souphouse. closest thing to a fraternity we had (besides broho) at taylor. international students and m.k.s who rented a house together, and it was a melting pot hangout for other students. open door policy, parties, and a full kitchen. sometimes i cooked. sometimes i cleaned. sometimes both. sometimes neither - i was just there to enjoy the party or movie. but i always felt welcome and at home. <3
taylor, i miss you. not the nowheresville-indiana part, but the home part. you took care of me, loved me, and pushed & stretched me. thank you.
6.06.2011
thank God it's monday...
yeah, i just thought of the nofx song. ohgeez.
but seriously.
monday is the end of the weekend. which is a welcome reprieve from solid solitude. this weekend was abnormally busy, but i'm still more than embracing the weekdays. to boot, i heart mondays because they're my fg day. fg = friendly grounds = my local coffee shop. my friend (i can call her that, now, since we're facebook official and all) katie works monday nights, but it's also ceramics and euchre night. i get to sit on the comfy leather loveseat with my laptop and watch the goings-on, talk to katie if it's a slow night, and be away from home. lovely.
since i haven't posted a recipe in a good while, i thought i'd give one. i failed to take pictures, which is devastatingly slacker-ish of me, but i do hope that you try this recipe. now. because it is my new favorite cupcake recipe. aside from the carbomb cupcakes (also from smitten kitchen).
spiced honey cake & cupcakes
adapted from smitten kitchen
3 1/2 c. a-p flour (next time, i might replace half of this with whole wheat flour, just for fun)
1 T. baking powder
1 t. baking soda
1/2 t. kosher salt
4 t. ground cinnamon
1/2 t. ground cloves
1/2 t. ground allspice
1 c. canola oil
1 c. honey
1 1/2 c. granulated sugar
1/2 c. brown sugar
3 large eggs, room temp
1 t. vanilla
1 c. warm coffee
3/4 c. orange juice (fresh-squeezed is best, but all i had at home was the carton)
yield: one loaf pan, and about 18 cupcakes
preheat oven to 350 degrees F and grease pans / line muffin tin with liners.
in a very large bowl* whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices. form a well in the middle and dump in the wet ingredients and sugar. (deb throws in a great reminder to measure the oil before the honey, so the honey doesn't stick to the measuring cup!) whisk all together, or use a mixer on low speed until well the wet and dry ingredients are well-incorporated.
fill the loaf pan to 3/4 full, and place on a baking sheet (deb encouraged 2 baking sheets, stacked, and said it helps to bake the cake evenly. alas, i only have one suitable baking sheet, but my loaf cake still turned out okay). the loaf gets baked for 45-55 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean!
cupcake trick: fill liners 2/3 full, using a large cookie scoop - they'll all be the same size if you do the same amount of scoops for each! cupcakes get baked for 15-17 minutes, but start checking them around the 12-minute-mark, to be sure they don't overbake! dry cupcakes are so sad...
let all of these rest for 15 minutes before removing from the pans! then, continue to cool on a wire rack. my loaf went straight for the aluminum foil and into the freezer for when hugs comes back. the cupcakes got the following frosting and attended (but did not return from) a friend's birthday party:
beat 1/2 stick butter and 4 oz. cream cheese with an electric mixer until creamy and slightly "whipped" looking. add in 1 t. vanilla, and continue to mix. turn the mixer to a slow speed and add powdered sugar until the frosting reaches a nice consistency. (about 2 cups, maybe? i forgot to measure...)
muah. love.
but seriously.
monday is the end of the weekend. which is a welcome reprieve from solid solitude. this weekend was abnormally busy, but i'm still more than embracing the weekdays. to boot, i heart mondays because they're my fg day. fg = friendly grounds = my local coffee shop. my friend (i can call her that, now, since we're facebook official and all) katie works monday nights, but it's also ceramics and euchre night. i get to sit on the comfy leather loveseat with my laptop and watch the goings-on, talk to katie if it's a slow night, and be away from home. lovely.
since i haven't posted a recipe in a good while, i thought i'd give one. i failed to take pictures, which is devastatingly slacker-ish of me, but i do hope that you try this recipe. now. because it is my new favorite cupcake recipe. aside from the carbomb cupcakes (also from smitten kitchen).
spiced honey cake & cupcakes
adapted from smitten kitchen
3 1/2 c. a-p flour (next time, i might replace half of this with whole wheat flour, just for fun)
1 T. baking powder
1 t. baking soda
1/2 t. kosher salt
4 t. ground cinnamon
1/2 t. ground cloves
1/2 t. ground allspice
1 c. canola oil
1 c. honey
1 1/2 c. granulated sugar
1/2 c. brown sugar
3 large eggs, room temp
1 t. vanilla
1 c. warm coffee
3/4 c. orange juice (fresh-squeezed is best, but all i had at home was the carton)
yield: one loaf pan, and about 18 cupcakes
preheat oven to 350 degrees F and grease pans / line muffin tin with liners.
in a very large bowl* whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices. form a well in the middle and dump in the wet ingredients and sugar. (deb throws in a great reminder to measure the oil before the honey, so the honey doesn't stick to the measuring cup!) whisk all together, or use a mixer on low speed until well the wet and dry ingredients are well-incorporated.
fill the loaf pan to 3/4 full, and place on a baking sheet (deb encouraged 2 baking sheets, stacked, and said it helps to bake the cake evenly. alas, i only have one suitable baking sheet, but my loaf cake still turned out okay). the loaf gets baked for 45-55 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean!
cupcake trick: fill liners 2/3 full, using a large cookie scoop - they'll all be the same size if you do the same amount of scoops for each! cupcakes get baked for 15-17 minutes, but start checking them around the 12-minute-mark, to be sure they don't overbake! dry cupcakes are so sad...
let all of these rest for 15 minutes before removing from the pans! then, continue to cool on a wire rack. my loaf went straight for the aluminum foil and into the freezer for when hugs comes back. the cupcakes got the following frosting and attended (but did not return from) a friend's birthday party:
beat 1/2 stick butter and 4 oz. cream cheese with an electric mixer until creamy and slightly "whipped" looking. add in 1 t. vanilla, and continue to mix. turn the mixer to a slow speed and add powdered sugar until the frosting reaches a nice consistency. (about 2 cups, maybe? i forgot to measure...)
muah. love.
6.02.2011
coastering.
the "ER" in there is important...
a lot of my silence the last month or two has been due to a serious back and forth action going on in my whole being. i'm excited for the impending return of my hugsband, but i'm also anxious with all that needs to be done and nervous for the transition back to married life. because let's face it. deployment marriage is not at all the same as married life.
in the last couple of weeks the up and down coastering over peaks and thru low-low valleys has been especially tough on my sleep and well-being. even though the time difference between the ship and here is less, my sleep is possibly more screwy than ever before on this deployment. today i overslept and missed out on 30 minutes of an hour-long coffee date with navy-wife friends i hadn't seen in months. because i was awake 'til 5 am or later (earlier?). because i'm too antsy to get to sleep before that point these days.
while i deeply crave the community i've already wiggled into at the church in town, i'm deeply craving something different, something more. i long for expository teaching, as opposed to series after series of themed sermons. themed sermons are okay... i just miss going through scripture in context. i'd like my college classes back, sans homework, please. :-)
and at that... i'm gonna sign off. because clearly, i'm crazy and need to go put some sustenance in my body and try to sleep this insanity off.
a lot of my silence the last month or two has been due to a serious back and forth action going on in my whole being. i'm excited for the impending return of my hugsband, but i'm also anxious with all that needs to be done and nervous for the transition back to married life. because let's face it. deployment marriage is not at all the same as married life.
in the last couple of weeks the up and down coastering over peaks and thru low-low valleys has been especially tough on my sleep and well-being. even though the time difference between the ship and here is less, my sleep is possibly more screwy than ever before on this deployment. today i overslept and missed out on 30 minutes of an hour-long coffee date with navy-wife friends i hadn't seen in months. because i was awake 'til 5 am or later (earlier?). because i'm too antsy to get to sleep before that point these days.
while i deeply crave the community i've already wiggled into at the church in town, i'm deeply craving something different, something more. i long for expository teaching, as opposed to series after series of themed sermons. themed sermons are okay... i just miss going through scripture in context. i'd like my college classes back, sans homework, please. :-)
and at that... i'm gonna sign off. because clearly, i'm crazy and need to go put some sustenance in my body and try to sleep this insanity off.
6.01.2011
whaddup, wednesday!?
so... because i'm sleepy and almost forgot a post, i'm going to entertain today. and by "entertain," i simply mean copy and paste a few of my favorite quotes from @Had2SayIt ... because they are pure twitter gold.
seriously, friends. if you are on twitter, go follow @Had2SayIt. you won't be inundated with nonsense. just enough funnies to keep you laughing along with me.
do you have any favorite puns or quips from recently?
- True story: After Monday and Tuesday, even the calendar says W T F...
- Tweeting bible verses doesn't count as having a quiet time. Matthew 6:5
- I have had a perfectly wonderful evening. But this wasn't it.
- All those who believe in telekinesis, raise my hand.
- If you say "beer can" with a British accent, you're also saying "bacon" with a Jamaican accent.
- Those who think they know everything, annoy those of us that do.
- No sense being pessimistic; it wouldn't work anyway.
seriously, friends. if you are on twitter, go follow @Had2SayIt. you won't be inundated with nonsense. just enough funnies to keep you laughing along with me.
do you have any favorite puns or quips from recently?
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