Destined for Greatness?

We think so. 

Today is a Chocolate Festival put on by the Women's Resource center at Auburn.  My roommate just so happens to be a part of it and volunteered her roommates to donate chocolate desserts.

Chocolatey Chocolate Chocolate Chip Chocolate Pound Cake was my donation. 

Hello heart attack in a bundt pan.

This cake is very very moist and almost tastes like cooked brownie batter if that makes any sense. Cooked batter?

Make it. You'll see.

You'll need:
1 Box Butter Cake mix
3/4 Cup Water
1/2 Cup oil
3 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
8 oz. sour cream
Small package instant chocolate pudding
1 package chocolate chips
Mix ingredients. Bake at 350 for 50 mins. Cool 10 mins and cover to keep moist.


Make sure after it cools in the pan for 10 minutes you go ahead and turn it out. I forgot this part and my cake hardened to my pan and wouldn't come out this morning...hence the chunk you see on the bottom right of the picture. A little powdered sugar dusting goes a long way. 


 So simple. So easy. So delicious!!

I still need to get my camera fixed.

I am...

• Excited about my career choice.
• nervous about graduate school acceptance
• trying not to stress about schoolwork, rather take it as it comes and just keep plugging on.
• giving out my blog address even though it's been on the DL until now. 
• nervous about sharing it. 
• overly ambitious and would like to sew my own Easter outfit this year. (yes mom, the torch has been passed. maybe I'll stay up until 4 am on Saturday night trying to complete something.)
• Baking tonight. Right now actually. Recipe in next post. 
• training for a half-marathon.
• Hopaing I can dig up enough motivation to no only complete the race on race day but actually train properly and keep the work up for the 3 months leading up to the race.
• wanting to paint a room a shade of grey. love grey. (gray?)
• Taking 15 minutes per day to spend with the Lord. Reading, writing, listening to uplifting music, etc. 
• going to miss being an Auburn University majorette but...
• excited about the new experience of being a student at a football game...and partaking in gameday festivities that don't involve waking up at 3:30 in the morning for practice.
• missing my Mema.
• loving my Hearing Rehab professor. She is one of those who has been around for a while, knows what she is doing, and does things in her own way.
• straight-haired today. tamed the mane. 
• enjoying the feeling of productivity of today. the sun and crisp yet slightly warm air are more inspiring to get up and "do" than the cloudy wet air we've had lately
• ready to SPRING CLEAN! Open the windows, wash the walls/doors/anything stationary, mop the floors, clean out the closet.. you know the drill. I love that drill. 
• both nervous and excited about being 22, a college senior, almost a college graduate...weird. 
• looking for a piano teacher. 
• wanting to join a book club. Sara Catherine suggested I just start one of my own.. Perhaps. 
• Happy. Loved. and Blessed.

It's official...

I want to put on my my my my running shoes...

The training starts today. We have been gearing up for a couple weeks, getting back into the swing of school and meetings. And we are swinging so now it's time to add one more dish to our already full plates.

KK BFF and I are training for the Country Music Half Marathon. 

Saturday April 24th. 

Please pray for us. 

If you're running, we will pray for you too.

JoyofBaking.com would be my best friend if website's could be your best friend. (Sorry Cait).
This cookie recipe is an old standby, tried and true. I have never been led astray by ole Joy. Thank you. Please keep it up. While my waistline expresses some disdain for your gifts, my tastebuds never do.

Snickerdoodles:

2 3/4 cups (360 grams) all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 cup (227 grams) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 1/2 cups (300 grams) granulated white sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Coating:
1/3 cup (66 grams) granulated white sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
In a large bowl whisk together the flour, salt, and baking powder.

In the bowl of your electric mixer (or with a hand mixer), beat the butter and sugar until smooth (about 2 to 3 minutes). Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Beat in the vanilla extract. Add the flour mixture and beat until you have a smooth dough. If the dough is soft, cover and refrigerate until firm enough to roll into balls (one to two hours).
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (190 degrees C) and place rack in the center of the oven. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
Shape the dough into 1 inch (2.5 cm) round balls.
In a large shallow bowl mix together the sugar and cinnamon.

Roll the balls of dough in the cinnamon sugar and place on the prepared pan, spacing about 2 inches (5 cm) apart. Then, using the bottom of a glass, gently flatten each cookie to about 1/2 inch (1.5 cm) thick.

Bake the cookies for about 8 - 10 minutes, or until they are light golden brown around the edges. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool.
Can store in an airtight container, at room temperature, for about 10 - 14 days.
Makes about 6 dozen cookies



Beware. It does make 6 dozen cookies..You may want to adjust proportions a little bit, find some friends in need, or just run a little bit longer on that treadmill. These. Are. Good.
And sidenote: looking at the pictures of her desserts on the website, and on everyone else's blog (because Mom, everybody is doing it) I realize I need to step it up, get my camera fixed...get rid of the darn thing and work to buy one I actually will enjoy. Hello summer job.

KK BFF gives the inside scoop!

Since I am sure that Laura will not fill her readers in on a fun little escapade that she and her friend, Sara Catherine, took today...... I figured I would not only fill you in, but give you pictures as well!

So want to know what they did? They modeled at a bridal show! Who would have thought? Apparently they randomly signed up to model at this bridal show and got picked! They traveled to Montgomery on Friday and selected two dresses each to wear down the runway today in front of hundreds of brides to be! I  honestly did not take them seriously when they first told me about "their big day," but I have proof!

Here is dress #1 for Laura (courtesy of the technological advancements in the wireless industry):

Here is dress #2 (once again, courtesy of wireless technology):

Thats a big big dress.

And the hair that complemented dress #2:

\

Very pretty hair!

I am sorry to report that I do not have any pictures of the lovely Sara Catherine. (I honestly don't want to have the wrath of Wilson Patrick on me if I did post any pics of SC!) I have no doubt she was also very pretty in her wedding dresses of choice.

We all know that Laura would have never showed these beautiful pictures to you all. So naturally, I didn't let her not share them. She is going to make a very beautiful bride one day and make one man very very happy! Good thing I will get to stand beside her on her next "big day".

Until next time.... KK BFF

Easy Easy Dinner.

 My 2nd year in college I found myself cooking wonderful meals but then I'd be eating the leftovers for 3 or 4 days after. That sucked the fun out of being able to have my own kitchen and cook. I resorted to pretty much the same things every night. Rachel Ray and her 30 minute meals could hold no candle to my 10 minute masterpieces. I made all sorts of things. I also wasted all sorts of things until I got the hang of adjusting portions. I really just missed the company and fun of having someone else sit down at a table and eat with me. My roommates would have it I had asked them to, and sometimes our schedules happened to mesh so that we could but we were all busy and we were all just in different routines. But this year, finally, I have a dinner friend. KKBFF moved into her own little house last fall and has a wonderful little stove (which I believe I have posted about before somewhere. We make cookies at her house a lot. ) We are definitely more adventurous with the cooking when we know we won't be stuck eating for 5 days after cooking. And with only one person using her freezer, there is room to store leftovers in case you want to save them for later. We also have taken to grocery shopping together too. I have this thing for grocery stores. I love them. I couldn't tell you what it is about being able to just walk down the aisles and see what's out there. It's calming. I rarely even take my cell phone inside because the aisles and the fellow shoppers are a little escape from the world for just a little while. Sometimes I will intentionally not buy something just so I can go back. Yes, I realize this sounds wasteful of both time and gas but we all have our guilty pleasures. Mine just happens to be not-so-guilty.

Quick Dinner...Thank you Kroger. How do I love thee? Let me count the ways...

1. miniature shopping carts.*

2. clean aisles, clean store

3. friendly staff

4. lovely flowers.

5. healthy produce.

6. awesome organics.

7. delicious, reasonably priced sushi.

*Sidenote to that comment. I am in love with Kroger's mini carts. If you haven't used one, you are missing out. I believe WinnDixie has them now too. They are a wonderful size. Bigger than a basket and definitely easier to manage but not as big as those buggies with the truck bed attached. I usually seek them out at stores. Tonight i was "that girl" who HAD to have a small buggy. I went to 3 cart returns in the parking lot (they are rarely inside the stores because they are in high demand.). I saw one..The only problem is this little gem was tucked up into the cart return by the "Return Here" sign. It was pinched in by alllll the other wet buggies. I wanted him. Bad. So I lifted him up and over the rails. Embarassing, a little. But I got my buggy and was a happy shopper.

Kroger goes East. Best thing since Sliced Bread.

Even though I don't really mind tearing in to a good loaf of unsliced bread sometimes.  

Between KKBFF and I we bought 2 cartons of Sushi. (found in the deli).

Dragon Roll and Crunchy Shrimp were the picks tonight.

1 bag of frozen Edamame.

2 Frozen eggrolls.

Soy Sauce.

Chopsticks.

Steam your Edamame in the microwave according to package directions. Then while it cools, heat your egg rolls according to package directions. Dump edamame onto a plate with a bowl for shells. Egg rolls onto a plate. Eat your sushi out of your plastic carton if your casual or place it on a plate too if you must.

Dinner is served.

Fat quarters

I have a stack of them. Cute ones. What to do with them? I need ideas. 

today

was beautiful. Sunny. Warm. Stark contrast to the days we've been having here lately. Harsh and cold and uninviting. The weather this afternoon made me want to open all the windows and just have fresh air flowing through the house. Airing out the winter stuffiness and breathing new life into these old walls. So that's exactly what I did. It feels so good to be in a clean room that feels like it has literally had a breath of fresh air. (Remember that whole "smell post"...well, my room smells fresh now.)

My kitchen is bitchin at me to get in there and show it some loving. I just can't bring myself to do it. With graduate school applications, school work, clinic starting this week, the last thing I find time to do is cook. even though I miss my precious baby mixer like I would miss my left thumb if it fell off. I have promised myself that this week I WILL make something. Now, this sounds a bit selfish and gluttoness (word?) really of me to those who may not know me or even those who do know me but do not know why I enjoy the kitchen so much. It's not about me enjoying the products of the oven, or "fruits of my labor" as some may say..i love giving them away. One of my favorite things is to call up my dear friends and say "Hey I have something for you...are you home?" You see, by the time I finish mixing, baking, and cleaning up (i.e. licking the bowl) I really have little desire to eat the finished product, leaving me with 15, 36, 75-80 (yes that did happen one time.). Everyone loves a treat, especially as an unexpected surprise. I'm not good at too many things and many times I feel like I am a lazy, bad friend. I suppose these sweet surprises are my ways of saying "I'm sorry I've been a bad friend and haven't called you lately. Here. Have a cookie. I really do love you. See?"

And in other news..The tragedy in Haiti. Etsy is sponsoring a "Craft Hope for Haiti" shop. What a wonderful way to contribute to a good cause using talents that we have been given. An excellent chance for service! I realize I am probably like 8 years late with knowing about this but I just got so excited when I read about it that I had to post. Sadly, I have just about missed the deadline that is 2 days from now. I highly doubt I could think of a project, complete it, and send it in with such a short amount of time. ... Better luck next time.

Oh how I need to find a way to serve other people. I feel like a giant sponge and all I do is absorb everything around me and give very little back. Someone please come wring out the excess. I'm feeling a little heavy.

Acts 20:35 (New International Version)

³⁵In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: 'It is more blessed to give than to receive.' "

Almost there.

The breaking point.

I am so tired and it's only 4 days into the semester. I really do have a positive attitude about this semester! But that little voice keeps trying to creep in to tell me how much I have to do and how there are not enough hours in the day and make me miserable. I'd rather listen to it's counterpart that tells me all will be well. Because really. It will.

I've never been one of those "live for the weekend" types. I have always just tried to enjoy each day as it comes and soak in what every day brings. Good, bad, ugly..and sometimes smelly but I can't guarantee that. You see, I have this thing with smells. It's more of an issue really. for example: Citrus smells. Orange and grapefruit in particular...gag me. I dont' know what it is but I cannot...i mean cannot stand the odor. I will leave a room, bathroom, business, place of worship, if the scent of orange is in the air. This nose knows no bounds. Now, lemon..I can handle lemon. I have actually come to enjoy many lemon-scented cleaning products. Pledge being one of my favorites. In fact, recently I pledged every surface in my room that would tolerate pledge because I wanted my room to "smell clean". See..again. That thing with smells. If I can't smell it. It's not clean. If it has the slighteset twinge of sour or stale..not clean. Even if it only because it's a clean shirt that hung in the closet too long. It must be washed. Yes. I realize this makes me sound crazy..neurotic..a little obsessive compulsive.. Maybe I am? or not?

Just a thought because this candle in my room..that I only burn when I reeeaaally need some smell-therapy (aroma therapy for the technical ones)..is sitting beside me. Beckoning me to please light it. I think I may have to give in...

By his light I walked through darkness.
Job 29:3

My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest. Exodus 33:14

..."all will be well"...

hi there...

slacker here...

Christmas was a blur. It was wonderful to be home, but I am so glad to be back. I'm not going to attempt to rehash the past 3 weeks because I don't have hours to devote to one post.

I share one project...
I got home Saturday night and realized I needed to get Codi her Christmas present. No wrapping paper to be had. No tissue paper. No bows. What is a girl to do? I can't leave an unwrapped present!! I have burlap. Fabric scraps. Paper towels. Thread.

I sloppily sewed the present into the burlap and stitched a little bird on the outside. Done.

Burlap+thread=precious (if i may say so myself) little gift!