talk to me tuesdays - on saturday - january/february

Talk to Me Tuesday helps keep me writing and
is kind of a dialogue between me and my friend Heidi H.  


And while I'd much rather talk to her (and all my friends!) more often than we do,
this is a good way to keep it going!


Oh, and Heidi - write back on our FB message!  :) 


Question #1: what would be on your "awesome list."

I'm going to do this in 2 minutes.  Anything beyond that will have to be described some other time! 


Awesome list:
God, John, my parents and sister, my in-laws, my family, traveling, Germany, catching up with friends, babies, twins!, art, fashion, pilates, basketball, photography, design, good haircuts, springtime, bright colors, helping others, working, visitors, games!, fishing, reading, blogging, dance!!!!, food food food, wine, chocolate, stars, flowers...and i'm done!






Question #2: What do you do to ward off cabin fever?


Get out of this apartment.  I have my friend Christie across the street, and between dinner with our husbands at her place and tv-nights featuring The Office and The Grammys, hanging out with her has gotten me out of my slump!
Also, reading my bible everyday has really helped.  It's something that's been a challenge for me to do regularly for pretty much ever, and I'm glad God is showing me the benefits of heeding His call.  




Question #3: What's in your purse?  

My blue purse - a Kenneth Cole consignment shop find!
Altoids. 
A comb (brought to an interview earlier this week).
Burt's Bees pomegranate lip balm. 
A cloth for cleaning off my glasses (can't WAIT til I can get my contacts...or corrective vision surgery).
One of those claw-hair-clip-things.  I don't know why...
Keys.
Pens.
Little notebooks (SO HANDY - get one!).
My wallet. 
My name tag from Kappa Alpha Theta Founders Day.  


Thankfully Heidi didn't say "what's in any purse you currently use?"  
If it were my pink purse...oi. 
That thing is ready for a war zone. 




Question #4 - Random Act of Kindness - do one!


I haven't yet!  
And I know that being nice to store clerks when some other people aren't probably doesn't count. 




Question #5 - What verse are you leaning on, or what is your go-to-verse?  


Romans 5:1-5.  ¹ Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, ² through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God. ³ Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; ⁴ perseverance, character; and character, hope. ⁵ And hope does disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.  


That was a little NIV/NKJV combined there.  The new NIV is gettin' on me nerves...


Also, I've been in the 30's of the Psalms lately.  Lots of stuff about the unfairness of this world and how God really makes everything right in the end.  Very, very awesome.  




And that 
is
all.  


Thanks for reading!!

food? food.

Some of the things I've made lately...

Jumbo chocolate cookies

Homemade blueberry muffins, coffee+cream, 

homemade orange-grapefruit juice

Sandwich with roasted mushrooms, avocado, romaine, ham, and muenster cheese. 

(Better w/o the ham! :) )

Garlic-Parmesan chips from Aldi!!!

Prep for chicken wraps. 

Tip: add zucchini at the very end.  They get soft fast.

catching up on plan #1 (Talk to me Tuesday)

First plan (as described in my previous post):

Catch up on TALK TO ME JANUARY (and a lil' of february...)!!! :)


Here we go:


Feb 1: What is your WORD for 2011?

No idea, actually.  I have a word or phrase that I use in regular conversation, and that word or phrase changes over time.  
Such words and phrases that many of you have experienced are the following:

.2 - expressed as "point 2," meaning that I or we were very close to something or someone.  
         example: "I was .2 from running into that girl when we were both crossing the street!"


to be honest - something i say before or after any open, honest comment that has any level of gravity. 
       example: "The weather is kind of crappy today, to be honest." 


I hate it - something I say whenever my husband picks on me, or if I have to do something that is mildy irritating. I don't tend to say this in actual difficult situations, however...
       example: John is driving and I'm in the passenger seat, and  all of a sudden he squeezes my leg right 
                      above the knee.  I'll naturally yell/whine, "I HATE IT!" [Honestly - who doesn't???  Ugh, that's 
                      the (kinda) worst thing ever....]


I love it - when some little thing makes me happy. Like when John makes dinner!!!!! Or when my mom or grandma sends me a letter.


to be frank - see "to be honest"


fyi - also see "to be honest," but with a more informative spin.  
       example: "That stop light is turning red, fyi." 


101- to express the epitome of something, including ideas, people's actions, my mistakes, etc. It's not really referring to the "basic" anything, which is ironic, I know.  Oh well.  
        example: Finding your wedding dress at a "all-in-stock-half-off" sale three days after you got  
             engaged. Bargain 101!!!!  (not the best example, but I'm trying to keep things positive here). 


Awkward Turtle - oh Thetas of Gamma Pi yore, you'll appreciate this.  For those of you who don't know what "Awkward Turtle" is, simply replicate a turtle on it's back with your hands.  Place one palm on top of the back side of your other hand.  Wiggle your thumbs.  Akward turtle.  Perfect statement for any awkward or idiotic situation.  


I know that this isn't what Heidi was getting at with her TtMT question, 
but it's simply all I can concretely come up with.  
If I had to say what my "theme-word" would be right now, 
it'd probably be something like "proactive."  
Not because I am excited about 
any particular skin-care line, 
but because I've determined myself not to 
just sit around and 
wait for life to happen. 
Hopefully that works out - no, I'll proactively make it work out!! :)  
In God's timing, of course.


I'll catch up on other ones later!  It's time for me to "proactively" clean our kitchen...

Plans...

So here are my plans:


I'm planning on catching up on Talk to Me Tuesday. 
Between moving, unpacking, dealing with post-moving blues, trying to find a job, etc.,
I've fallen off the tracks. 
Well, Heidi., I'm getting back on...soon!  Watch out!  :)  
Oh, and for all of you, watch out for her 
30 outfits in-
                30 days with-
                                30 items-challenge.  So cool! 


Another thing that's kept me from
doing Talk to Me Tuesday is a post I wrote
for Kingdom Twindom, an awesome blog featuring an awesome family who God is bringing through an incredible, challenging, God-glorifying journey. 

I thought it'd be challenging as well as exciting.
However, I'm a little nervous as I 
plan on bracing myself for the comment section,
considering the topic is, at times, taboo, and instead of constructive criticism,
some people on the internet like to
snark/
         bash/
                 start flame wars
                                         for any reason. 
But I know Sarah (the mom of Kingdom Twindom) is great and
has a lot of supportive readers,
so it should be ok.
Also, I'm hoping that this post is something that can get a few people thinking and may bless someone out there who's been considering the post's message like I have. 
I've had this message on my heart for many years now, 
and I know that others share my sentiments, including my friend B. 


Speaking of B., she and I have talked about 
doing a post on her amazing,
gorgeous,
addictive blog. 
Really, I am nervous because she is so darn good at what she does on there.
Oh, and she's a Christian and a Theta at the same time;
I'm lucky that she's my friend! 


One plan I have for this weekend is to catch up with some old friends and hang out with some new ones.
The Trinity Wives group is hopping along here at the seminary, and
I met another awesome 
seminary wife-The Office loving-blogging friend,  
Christie!!! 
If you want to know more about what Trinity is like when 
there aren't snow drifts almost as tall as I am from our recent 
megablizzard, 
check out her blog.


Lastly, here's to a quick shout-out to my friends Katie and Bret, 
who had a beautiful little baby girl on Monday!  
She's super cute and has a full head of hair.  
I hope to give her a big ol' hug some day soon! :)  
Congrats you guys! 


Ok, that's about it for me.  

Have a good day, everyone!

The Cake. The very best Cake.

Cake from scratch is best.  

Cake that's dense and rich is amazing.  

Cake that has great ingredients and makes a chocolate fiend completely satisfied 

is the very best cake.   

Flourless Chocolate Cake (adapted from this recipe, which is from Gourmet Magazine).

I found this recipe on TasteSpotting.com and fell in love with it.  
I've made this cake at least 7 or 8 times, 
and I'll surely make it again.  
It's simple and quick and satisfies my chocolate tooth. 
Yes, chocolate tooths exist.
I use semi-sweet chocolate because that's what I always mistakenly buy.  
I think that the semi-sweet is just as good and 
gets to be a little bit bittersweet (in a good way) with the added cocoa.  
I also add some salt to bring out that amazing chocolate flavor. 
Finally, I didn't mix the wet ingredients first and then add the dry (tip: sugar is a wet ingredient). It made this latest cake my best success yet! 
So hop to it. You'll be done with this in less than an hour, and that includes baking!


Ingredients:
4 oz. semi-sweet chocolate (NOT chocolate chips), roughly chopped
1 stick of butter (1/2 cup.), cut into smaller pieces for easier melting
Pinch of salt
3/4 c. sugar
1/2 c. cocoa powder
3 eggs
See below for topping options I've thought of. 

Preheat oven to 375.  Cut a piece of wax paper for the bottom of an 8-inch round cake pan and butter it.  I used a non-stick spring-form pan this time (9-inch round); it worked great!  But if you don't have either a spring-form pan or wax paper, just use a regular round cake pan and butter and flower it. 


With a double boiler (boiling water in a pot with a glass bowl on top, that is), add the chopped chocolate and the butter.  Let melt and stir it semi-regularly.  Not constantly, but keep an eye on it for when it completely melts.  Once it's all melted, turn off the heat, remove the double boiler, and carefully and quickly take the glass bowl off the metal pot.  Add a pinch of salt and mix together.  Let it cool slightly. 

While the chocolate is melting with the butter, measure in the sugar and then the cocoa powder into another bowl (one that will be able to fit all the ingredients when combined).  Mix it all together so the two ingredients are thoroughly combined.


In the middle of this mixture, make a dent/crater and add the eggs.  Combine the ingredients by folding the dry mix into the eggs with a rubber spatula.

Tip: don't drop your phone into the batter while taking a pretty picture. Trust.

Once the eggs are mixed with the cocoa and sugar, slowly add the melted chocolate to the rest of the ingredients.  Mix it all together and put it into the cake pan.  Spread it around until it's nice and level.  This is a thick batter, so make sure it's covering the whole bottom of your pan.  



Bake for 22-25 minutes for a 8-inch pan, 18-20 minutes for a 9-inch spring-form pan, or until the top has a glossy crust and a toothpick can be poked into the center and comes out clean.  Let it cool for 5 minutes and then flip the cake onto a plate. 

You will, and I'm serious, want to eat this instantly.  
Let it cool for a while so it gets a little more dense.  

Also, can think through your options first:




With nothing on it at all, it's simple and amazingly delicious. 
With a little whipped cream, the richness of the cocoa is delightfully complemented by the sweetness and lightness of the whipped cream.
With a very light layer of cocoa powder, you will get a little bit of bitterness that's perfect for chocolate lovers.
With a dusting (no more!) of powdered sugar and a sprinkle of cinnamon, it's awesome. 
Be wary of frosting - it might be too sweet, but it might work.  I don't know.  

Avoid a too much powder. It will "puff" in your mouth - not good!

So go for it. 
Make this cake, and be happy. 
I'm serious. 
Be happy!

something nice #1

Just some things that have been catching my eye right now:

fashion - OdLR fashion, that is.

from OdlR's FB Fan Page

 

ambition (as seen on TasteSpotting.com)  - 

Joconde Cheesecake from "You Made That?"

expression - 

From 1988 - I was almost 5.  My mom sent this to me on Monday.


"This remembrance is from Great-Grandma Hoppe (pronounced "hoppy"). 
Cherish it from her.
Remember her with a prayer.
Love, Grandma K."

thoughts on mission, indecision, lost vision

So we're at Trinity International University for a reason:
to follow
and glorify 
God. 


That's our mission as Christ followers,
and God wants John and I to do that through John's step into ministry. 


I know that God knits two into one when they get married, 
so what is John's mission
is also mine.

I'm all about him going into the military again.
He is so happy when he talks about his army buddies
and his experience working for a purpose so much more intense than most other jobs out there,
plus he looks dang good in uniform (and with an army body!). 




He's going to be embarrassed if he ever reads that. 




Anyway, the question that I always asked myself
and previously got asked by others even more was
"So, what are you going to do?"


Eventually that word "you" 
magnified exponentially in my mind whenever I heard that question. 

I realize now that it's because over these last few years
I've been asking myself that continuously.


What are YOU going to do?
What SHOULD YOU be doing?
WHAT THE HECK ARE YOU DOING?!


Ok, I only asked myself that last one once. 


Yes, I've been fighting indecision for a long time. 
Oh, let me tell you, 
I 
hate
indecision.
It's my biggest pet peeve,
and now I'm doing it!


But you know what, 
I'm going to figure it out. 


I want to get a master's degree either while we're in this land of universities 
(seriously, look it up; it's crazy.),
or right after John gets done with his M-Div (master's of divinity). 


Masters in what?
Oh - I don't know.  




See that!  That's my indecision. 
I've tossed around the ideas of 
education - but i wouldn't get hired with a masters + only 1 year of teaching experience, right?-
a medical career - which would mean both undergrad + grad work - 
or el. ed. - which would probably be only an undergrad initially. 


or something else?  I don't know!


Well, when I get overwhelmed by this indecision,
I start to feel a little lost.  


It's not a good feeling. 
However, it forces me to rely on God.  


It's kind of like walking in the dark.  
If you've ever played Super Mario Bros. Wii
(Thanks, Mom, for giving us that for Christmas!),
you know that the levels you play in the dark 
only allow you to see about one or two steps ahead
with "assistance" from your enemies at times. 

 kingtonyx.blogspot.com

If you have a light-up block or a 

fire-power flower, you can see a little further ahead.

dipity.com

If you get the STAR(!!!), you can see EVERYTHING!

mario.wikia.com

I'm hoping that God gives me a STAR(!!!) sometime soon.


I'm sure that God will help me find my way. 
I'm not lost, really - just can't quite see what's next.  

Yet whether I can only see two or three feet in front of me
or if I can see everything that's ahead,
it's God that shows me where and how to go.

not really a feel-good post, but it get's better at the end.

so it's not as easy as i thought to -


wait, i don't think i ever thought life would be easy,


but anyways, I am still trying to adjust here in Deerfield.


For me, personally, moving was never anything I grew up with, 
nor was it something that I actually got used to in college,
and I've come to recognize that every move we've made
has been harder
and harder
for me.  




So I've been battling and losing to a lot of Satan's attacks:
depression,
laziness,
and guilt about those two things,
plus frustration. 

Fun times!


No, seriously, 
after a little breakdown a couple of days ago,
things are back to being a lot better.


except...

except that I don't have a job yet.


I've begun to realize I need to get out and branch out ASAP. 


I'm always better when I'm working and
involved in something,
and dang it - I want some new leggings
and a hat that doesn't crimp my bangs. 






So I'm looking for work still, and 
I know that God will provide it.  


I wish I could find a job that paid what I made when I was teaching,
i mean - my bachelors degree is worth more than minimum wage!
but let's be honest:
public education is at least a year or two behind the rest of
private industry when it comes to improvement in employment. 




Also,
that first teaching job drove me a little crazy!!  
Oddly enough, almost all my students loved me,
so maybe they were a little crazy, too.  
Actually, get rid of that "maybe" (my students would agree). 




So I'm still truckin', 
and I'll be writing again.


Enjoy what you're about to see and read,
(I've got about 4 or 5 posts in "edit")
and thanks for 
sticking around!

keeping it real in chicagoland

hi friends, family, and visitors.






i always like to include "visitors" because you never know how people find your blog.  i've followed a few blogs just by searching what's next at the top of blogger's webpage.




so, back to my title.




John and I arrived here last friday.  After a flurry of unpacking, placing, and put-put-puttering into bed
(i'm attempting to personify a car running out of steam with that puttering bit),
we started to figure out life around here a little bit.
Now, I have to say "little bit" because so far living on a campus at Trinity
has been quite unlike living on campus at ISU,
but it's much more like a
24-hour small group meeting time where
you can either participate in it or
hide from it (aka go into your apt. and sleep, eat, blog, facebook, etc.).


I also have to say "little bit" because TIU has, so far,
been much more of "John's thing" than mine,
but I'm sure that will change.


Anyways,
I'm not sure what I'm going to be doing here,
as I'm asked what I'll be doing
all
the
time.
However, I do know that I'm going to be
keeping it real
to the best of my ability.


What I mean by
"keeping it real"
is that I'm going to do my absolute best to retain my
Minnesota Nice
and my
Iowa Honest
in this
Ca-razy Chicagoland. 




Few people here are crazy, I'm certain,
but anything can seem crazy if you
don't know what the heck is going on
(including why the customer service lady at Target doesn't make small talk...dang it).




Welp, that's about it for me.
I've got a J.Crew gift card burning in my e-mail inbox that I need to use
and hopefully the sales associates at the stores will give me
the same opportunity to order site-to-store/home
as they would do in WDM. 


If not...
well, it'll just be another opportunity to understand the ca-razy. 

leaving home, again.

It's tough to move.


I learned that in 2002, when I first went to Ames for college.  I had never left my family for more than a week, and there I was, giddy yet scared and sad about being so far away.  


That, 
as well as moving from PI to Ames my sophomore year, 
was the last time I was ever at all happy to leave home.  
I was content, perhaps, 
even accepting, 
but not happy.




While I'm always a little bit excited, 
it's the day before moving and the day of moving that is tough. 


Right now I'm at the day before moving.  
We are getting stuff together like clockwork.  
Having a month to do that 
makes things a little simpler.                                                   
                                                                    - I don't think "simpler" should be a word -

We will be heading to Chicagoland tomorrow at about 6 AM.  
Once we're there, we'll unpack and arrange stuff. 
Once we're done with that, we'll find a church and hopefully find me a job. 

As for now, 
I'm going to finish up our packing with ma' man 
and try to relax for the rest of the day. 




I'm going to miss our current home
(and I'm thankful I can say that, 
because our home is with our in-laws, and I got blessed to have the ones I do), 
I miss my PI,MN home, 
and I miss my Newton, IA home, too. 


At least I know God wants us in Deerfield, 
so I can be content with that!