Update!!!

Here is an update on my last post:

Lily (the blind dog), and Maddison (her guide dog) have been adopted!!! YAY!!!  The Williams family has adopted the puppies... but over 2,000 people expressed interested in adopting the pair after the release of the news article.

Blind Spot

I stumbled upon such a sad and touching story that I can't help but share it. 

Meet Lily and Maddison.

Lily is a six year old Great Dane whose eyes had to be removed five years ago due to a condition that caused her eyelashes to grow into her eyes.  Maddison, Lily's seeing eye dog, and Lily have been best pals ever since.  The two are inseparable, and now in need of a new home. 



Click here to read the entire story and to see more pictures of the pair.

Pinspiration

Thanks to Pinterest, I have managed to get LOTS of Fall baking and crafting done these past few weeks.  And thanks to my NEW JOB I have had lovely people to share my treats with!!! 

My mom recently decided to put a hot bar up at the office for patients to enjoy while they are waiting in the waiting room... And what goes better with a cup of coffee or tea than sweets?!  And who doesn't want to eat a frosting-laden cupcake right before or after getting their teeth cleaned!? (: 

So, in the spirit of Fall, and thanks to the creative people who made Pinterest possible, here are some more of the treats I have come up with for Fall so far:

 These little guys are my favorite.  They were super easy and turned out just as I hoped... they have found a special place in my heart! 

All you need to make these are:

Marshmallows

Sucker or cookie sticks

White chocolate coating

Black icing (I used royal icing so it would harden nicely)

Orange food coloring

Ribbon

For a step-by-step tutorial, hop on over here. 

Another easy, Halloween-themed treat were these candy corn cupcakes:

These things are pretty self-explanatory as far as how-to is concerned.  Since I was short on time, I made the process even easier by using a glorious thing called... BOXED CAKE MIX! 

All you need is:

Boxed cake mix (I used Devil's Food because that is what I had in the pantry)

Homemade frosting (I used Wilton's buttercream because it's easy.  And doubling the recipe made almost the perfect amount)

Yellow food coloring

Orange food coloring

Candy corns (optional) 

For a step-by-step, totally homemade version of these cupcakes, click here.  Her pictures are also much better than mine!!!

This cinnamon pumpkin bread (original recipe from Cheeky Kitchen) turned out wonderfully.  The only modification I made to the original recipe was replacing cinnamon chips with chocolate chips.  I actually wanted to use cinnamon chips, but didn't have any on hand.  And sometimes, you just have to work with what you've got!  

My favorite part about this recipe?  The cream cheese surprise in the center!!!

My next project is something non-baking related.  My mom and I found a great mirror/ coat hanger at Goodwill last weekend for ten dollars.  Even though it was in need of a little TLC, we snagged the thing, and with a quick paint job, transformed it into this: 

 It is the perfect addition to our little entryway. 

And the idea for handmade leaf garland came from here.  I only wish I could claim it as my own!

Today brings to an end the first week of my new job.  And this week has been the best I have had in a long time.  I absolutely love the job, and being at the office.  It is so fulfilling to go to a job that I feel truly and wholly invested in.  This week was the first I can remember that I have not gone to bed dreading waking up to go to work in the morning.  Quite the opposite actually... I have gone to sleep excited about the following days!  

And I will be going to sleep tonight EXCITED about our upcoming Saturday!  (:  

Table of Delight

" When the present is difficult, we too easily forget past experience of God's bounty, the tables spread with blessing when we were most conscious of our poverty and need.  If we choose to remember the grace of God toward us in the past, the present is transformed by hope, and dry placed become rich with the soul food for which we long.  The gift of memory keeps us on the path.  The wilderness of silence and solitude beckons us to discover once again that God loves and yearns for us.  We are lured again and again by the Lover of our souls, whose unconditional love always waits to take us back, to forgive all our unfaithfulness."  - Elizabeth Canham,  Feasting with God in the Wilderness p. 17-18

Keep Going

"Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here?"
"That depends a good deal on where you want to get to," said the Cat.
"I don’t much care where--" said Alice.
"Then it doesn’t matter which way you go," said the Cat.
"--so long as I get SOMEWHERE," Alice added as an explanation.
"Oh, you’re sure to do that," said the Cat, "if you only walk long enough."

~ "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland", Lewis Carroll

Something I hear so often from friends in this stage of life (young adulthood) is that they are looking for their purpose... that they do not know what they are meant to do or where they are meant to go in life.  

I understand feeling like we are made for something great, and feeling like we have unreached potential inside of us... But, more than that, I agree that we just have to move SOMEWHERE.  The same principle applies spiritually... If we do not move forward, we fall backward and become stale.  Our spiritual life, and our physical life, is a process... a journey... not an isolated incident or happening. 

Sometimes life, and faith, requires that we "walk long enough," even without having a clue where we are going! 

Cookies and Cakes

Well, LOTS has happened since my last blog post, so I am not exactly sure where to start. 

Let's start with the good news...

I quit my job!!!  I gave my two week's notice last Monday, so Friday is my last day.  And I probably should have prefaced that by saying that I do have a new job lined up.  And this is where the news gets even better.

I am going to be working part-time at my parents' office!  Now, I realize that for many people this may not be good new; however, I get along WONDERFULLY with my parents!  And I CANNOT wait to start my new job. 

A big part of me really did love my job.  I love the little victories that come with it, and I love becoming involved in other people's lives, but coupled with other things going on in my life right now, it has just become so draining.  I come home and by the time I unwind and then start my schoolwork, I am just exhausted.  I feel like I have not been myself for months.  And that just isn't fair.  It is not fair to Andrew, and it isn't fair to my family, and isn't fair to myself.  I want to be invested in the rest of my life:  my family, my education, and even hobbies. 

Since my parents mentioned their job to me, I have felt like a thousand pound weight has been lifted off my shoulders.  And Andrew will tell you that I have been back to my "normal, happy" self!  I feel such a peace about the whole situation.  Next week cannot get here soon enough! 

In honor of my new-found LIFE.... Cupcakes seemed appropriate.  

And after much debate, Snickerdoodle Cupcakes with Brown Sugar Cinnamon Buttercream seemed the PERFECT celebration treat. 

I used the original recipe from here, but halved it.  It ended up making 48 mini cupcakes.  Here are the only changes I made to the recipe, and I only made them based upon what I had and what I did not have on hand:

• Used heavy whipping cream instead of half-n-half
• Used only all-purpose flour rather than both all-purpose and cake flour
• Used 2% milk rather than whole milk
• I garnished with white, pearly sprinkles instead of cinnamon sticks!

 On a less happy note, I apparently have a staph infection in my leg.  On Friday at about 1am it started making me physically sick.  And apart from that, it looks totally disgusting.  So I went to a walk-in clinic on Saturday, where they put me on a few different meds.  I still seem to be running a fever off and on, but overall, I feel MUCH better today than I did over the weekend. 

My adoring husband (who has really proven his love by sticking by me and my disgusting leg... and my disgusting mood...) called in sick at work for me today.  The result? 

Lazy Maple Sugar Cookies

I REALLY wanted to bake, but did NOT really feel up to it.

So, with the help of Betty Crocker, I cheated.  This is so easy that even someone running a fever can handle it!!!!

Need:

• 1 pouch of Betty Crocker Sugar Cookie Mix
• 1 egg
• 1/3 C butter
• 1 tbsp flour
• Maple syrup
• Sprinkles galore!!!! 

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees, and while it is heating up, mix the cookie mix, egg, butter and flour until it forms a dough.  On a floured surface, flatten the dough until it is about 1/4 inch thick and, using leaf shaped cookie cutters, cut out as many cookies as your dough will make.  Mine made a dozen.

Bake for 7-10 minutes, or until lightly browned.

Let the cookies cool. 

Then, spread a thin layer of maple syrup over one cookie, and then cover with sprinkles.  Repeat this with each cookie until all of them are syrup-ed and sprinkled!!!

Voila!!!! 

Does it get any easier than that?  I think not. 

But, if you are in the mood to really bake, here is the recipe I would have used had I been in the mood to really bake. 

Moral of today's post? 

FALL is HERE, and GOD IS GOOD!!!!

A Bushel and a Peck

For the past few months, it seems like Andrew or I have had something going on every second of every weekend.  We haven't had much down time.  I have been longing for a weekend to spend time with him and with the rest of the family, to relax, to not do much of anything.  We FINALLY got that this weekend!  I could not have hoped for a better weekend!  Everything was perfect... right down to the weather.  

On Saturday, we went to a local apple orchard and picked apples straight from the trees.  My parents went with us and we all had a ball!  Along with ten pounds of apples, we also bought Pecan Sweet Potato Butter (and yes, it is dairy free), which I sampled immediately... so good! 

The men graciously offered to be the basket carriers during our apple picking adventure, and they were so cute that I could not resist a few snapshots.

I find these pictures hilarious... Both Andrew and my dad are such "men's men" that seeing them swinging these baskets while walking through rows of apple trees is absolutely heartwarming and hysterical at the same time.

Here is a shot of the men handling the apples that they worked so hard to pick!  (: 

After all our manual labor at the apple orchard, we all had healthy appetites, so we all returned home where Andrew made a WONDERFUL chicken salad using some of our new apples!  It was a great day! 

Source: tatteredandinked.blogspot.com via Logan on Pinterest