You Best Recognize!

While reading my church's One Year Bible devotional for the day, the following scripture made me take pause for the first time:

"Immediately he spoke to them and said, “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.” ⁵¹ Then he climbed into the boat with them, and the wind died down. They were completely amazed, ⁵² for they had not understood about the loaves; their hearts were hardened. "  Mark 6:50-52

This took place right after the loaves and the fishes and the feeding of the 5,000 (plus the woman and children, of course).  We've all heard that story.  But this is the first time I've noticed just how human (and possibly even passive aggressive?) the disciples were in these stories.  They're kind of ticked that Jesus asks for their own food and then makes them carry around the miraculously multiplying food to all of the people.  Then, they go hang out on the boat while Jesus takes a well deserved siesta.  The disciples are caught in a storm when Jesus strolls out on the water to stretch his legs and climbs in the boat and everything calms down.  This is when they suddenly go "Oh, He's the Son of God!"  They don't get this while working as part of a miracle that is blessing the socks off thousands of people.  That's when they are hot and tired and ticked  and don't care that there's thousands of whiny people in need of food.  But let him save them from strong winds, when they are scared, and then they are amazed. 

I'm not trying to be all snarky or falsely humble, I was just surprised that the disciples were like "Whatevs, so the food multiplies, yada yada yada." I like to think we would all be like "Dude!! My basket is still full!"


How often are we a part of miracles that we don't recognize?  How often is it because we don't want to work or sacrifice to be a part of it?  And what does it take for Him to get our attention?  Our gratitude?  Particularly when our needs are met and we have food (hope, life, love, joy, etc.) to eat. 
 
We best get to recognizing our miracles.

Don't accept the counterfit

I just received the following email from a coworker:

"Do you have a tested, tried and true red velvet cake recipe?"

On the surface, this seems like a simple question.  But to a woman that is really and truly from the Deep South, this is the Holy Grail of questions.  I immediately envisioned a movie where a group of Southern women set out all Indiana Jones like on a search for the almost mythical perfect red velvet cake hidden in a cave under a farm house.  Actually, I'm surprised this movie doesn't already exist.  Truthfully, there are so many of us on a search for a red velvet that reminds us of our grandmother's.  I'm all about it being trendy these days, but I'm also sad that the folks buying into the trend often unknowingly accept a counterfit.  I mean, these people don't even know that a real red velvet cake includes toasted pecans IN the cream cheese icing.  

Those of us that have tried to make our own are also aware that finding that perfect match of flavors is also a challenge.  Some recipes work one time and not the next.  Sometimes they're tangy and sometimes they're dull.  Sometimes they are unbelievably moist and sometimes they're dry.     

If you've found your recipe, then good for you!  That is a merit badge to be proud of.  If you are suddenly aware that you haven't had a real red velvet cake, then get help now. 

Happy Valentine's Day!!

I love Valentine's Day!!  I always have, eventhough I've technically never had a "valentine".  I come from a family of gift-giving and loving folks that are always looking for a good reason to express some love on a holiday, so this day has always been a fairly big deal in my family.  I get kind of sad when the cynical folks go on about how this is the most made up and commercialized holiday ever.  I just think, "Who cares, it allows me to give cute & dorky stuff to people I love with complete abanadon!".

The red velvet heart cookie sandwiches above went to the hard-working staff at West Alabama AIDS Outreach.  Yes, it's another grainy i-phone picture, and the filling is not perfectly aligned with the hearts, but that's real life folks. 

My parents did not have the opportunity to go shopping for my sister and I this year, so they went the sentimental route instead.  My Mom's first wedding band (she has 3 bands but just 1 husband) went to my sister.  I got my Great Aunt Lizzie's engagement ring, which is a bloodstone instead of a diamond.  In case you have no clue what bloodstone is (like me until this weekend), it's a dark green stone with red/orange flecks.  Non-traditional perhaps, but she was engaged in 1918, so maybe it was normal then.

I'll leave today's post with a scripture that is permanently etched in my brain due to one of those church camp ditties:

"Beloved, let us love one another (echo - love one another).  For love is of God, and everyone that loveth is born of God and knoweth God.  He that loveth not (insert 3 hand claps here), knoweth not God, for God is love (echo - God is love).  Beloved (echo - Beloved), let us love one another.  1 John 4: 7 & 8 (insert double hand clap) 1 John 4: 7 & 8."

Beauty-omous

I love quotes about beauty.  Something about my beliefs in the revealed beauty of God, ya know.

Here's a couple of quotes I came across today:

"If you get simple beauty and naught else, You get about the best thing God invents." 
Robert Browning, "Fra Lippo Lippi"

"It is easy to be beautiful; it is difficult to appear so."
Frank O'Hara

Both courtesy of Real Simple magazine.

Desperately Seeking Dove

I'm at an age and stage where I really want to focus and streamline.  I'm tired of running after everything sparkly and I want to be good at what I do.

This is a broad statement that reveals itself in its own little ways, such as this week's purchase of good 'ole Dove soap bars.  They had been calling out to me for a while, and I desperately wanted plain, creamy soap.  Not a pomegranate and acai berry infused microexfoliating shower gel.  (But I admit to buying the pink Dove bars).

I've noticed the same is true with recipes.  I love (as in adore) recipes and cookbooks and cooking magazines, but I feel overwhelmed by the number of amazing recipes in the world.  I think I want to start actually trying a few, keeping a few, and stick with the thousands of recipes I already have.  Pick the ones I want to make more than once and be good at and create my own style of food.

I really am trying to say no in my work and social life as well.  I thought I had started to do that years ago, but I need constant refining in this area. 

I'm also acutely aware that I need to work on the meaningful relationships in life and take initiative, even when I don't feel like it and when it is foreign to my personality to pick up the phone or plan an outing.

Maybe I just want comfort.  Maybe I just need defined priorities.  But this is where I'm at right now.  Hopefully, I still have some adventure and a little flair in there too - but I'm craving the useful and worthwhile.   

Somebody Loves Me :)

When I got home today, I had a package.  I was like "What?", because I wasn't expecting a package.  Turns out, it was my annual gift package from my college roomate.  You see, we're not quite the folks that get packages to each other by Christmas, so we get a big annual gift package each year, just when we least expect it.  This one came right on time!

At first, I got all teared up because I realized the fullness of the package meant she'd sent my mom a home-knitted blanket from one of the two ministries she and her husband are a part of in Boston (they're both ordained and he's a hospital chaplain - please pardon if I didn't use the right words).  There is nothing like receiving a soft blanket handmade with the purpose of making you feel better.  The closest thing I can compare it to is holding the magical combination of tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches. 

The extra surprise was that there was an envelope for me in the box as well.  And it held the most wonderful things!  Things that said to me "Hey, I know you, I know you'd want this, and I love ya so I got them for you."  I felt so very very loved.  My gift included a handmade apron, a very cool bracelet clutch made out of a laminated newspaper article (that I had actually read when it was printed in The Times and had kept going back to because I liked the ballerina picture so much), a gorgeous cookbook from the Flour bakery in Boston (that she had already signed - which is a personal request I make of all book gifts), and 2 dried leaves.  Yes, the dried leaves threw me off at first too, but they blessed me to pieces.  One is from Boston this past fall and the other is a gingko leaf from a tree at the White House.  Perfection.

The only criticism even possible is the red velvet cake recipe in the cookbook.  It doesn't use a cream cheese icing or give the option of pecans.  But, bless her heart, the author had never heard of a red velvet cake until people kept asking her to make one - so she just didn't know better.  Her other amazing goodies make up for it.

I think there's a spiritual analogy of knowing and being known here, but I'll spare you further ramblings.  Thanks for letting me share this!  Here's a picture of all my loot (sorry for the crooked iphone pic):

It's a Cobbler Christening

I think I found the perfect thing to christen my new Lodge porcelain over cast iron dutch oven.  And here it is:

Nutella Chocolate Cobbler from Savory Sweet Life

I'm thinking Super Bowl Party

I want them all

Somewhere along the way I came across a blogger & artist named Arian Armstrong.  You've may have heard of her because she's made music videos and has an etsy shop and a facebook fan page and such.  I absolutely adore her prints and have wanted one for ages.  They only cost $12, so you'd think I'd have made this dream come true by now.  But everytime I go to her shop I want to buy everything and can't make up my mind so I don't buy any.  I need to change that. 

Here is her etsy shop

Here is her blog

Here are a few of my favorite pictures (again - I couldn't even decide what to put here!)