Works of Love Are Works of Peace

New!!!

2010-04-11T21:07:00.010-05:00

Spring has finally sprung...and I couldn't be happier about it! Here are some pictures I took on Easter of the redbud tree in my parent's front yard:

I was just playing around with my camera but I really liked the way they turned out. But unfortunately, I have no idea what I did with my camera to get these! So I'm sure this is a one time thing.

And to wrap up this short post (but hey, at least I finally posted...right?!) , here are the flowers I potted for my porch. I hope they live!"Our Lord has written the promise of the resurrection, not in books alone, but in every leaf in spring time."
-Martin Luther

The Perfect Chocolate Croissant

2009-09-22T22:47:00.020-05:00

Something I've always wanted to do is master some kind of European pastry. Both times I have been to Europe, frequenting pastry shops daily was vital. Those of you who have been with me in Europe can attest to this...such as this little lady:

(She loves me so much that she even greeted me at the airport with
a pastry when I went to visit her in Portugal!)

So, due to my love for sugar and carbs (oh how wonderful...it makes me happy inside just thinking of the two together...in one perfect treat!) I set out to find the perfect beginner pastry to try. After my internet search returned void, I decided I should venture to the local library to see what I could find. I carefully crafted my list of books to search out when I got there...you can see the list was quite extensive.

I should have guessed that when my list consisted only of 3 books that this search would probably return void as well...but I pressed on hoping that I would find that perfect gem among the rows of books.

(I apologize for the blurriness of this picture...I felt very stressed by
a girl ripping books off the shelf next to me only to look at two pages
and replace them. She didn't understand that the library is supposed to
be a calm environment.)

But after all that extra expenditure of energy...I could not find anything that grabbed me. So I decided I would give in and just make a good 'ole croissant since I had gotten so excited at Whole Foods when I found fresh chocolate croissants!

So, I went back to the vast portal of the world wide web and cast my request for the perfect croissant recipe. Unlike the others, this search did not return void and I was led here. I was a touch skeptical, but I decided I would try it out and hope to not have a disaster. This is where the journey to the perfect chocolate croissant truly begins.

First, I mixed all my ingredients:

Then the dough needed to rise:

While I waited for the dough to double in size I rolled out 12 tablespoons of butter...that's right twelve tablespoons:
The next steps took place over the 24 hours that followed. Rolling the dough out and folding it over the butter. Then chilling it, then rolling and folding again and then chilling it, then rolling and folding one more time and letting it chill overnight:

Then finally the time arrived to roll the dough out again, cut it into triangles, and add chocolate chips to roll into croissants:

And then finally...after spending over a day preparing these, the perfect chocolate croissant was in my kitchen.

Now, I must be frank...I'm generally not that impressed with myself, but these little croissants were literally perfect! They were just the right amount of crisp on the top and fluffy bread on the inside. They tasted just like they came from a beautiful pastry shop on the streets of a European city.

I was quite pleased to say the least. So, the next time I have you over maybe I'll make some of these little guys for you. They are a treat indeed!

The Fall Glow

2009-09-22T20:52:00.005-05:00

Did you notice it this afternoon? The beautiful fall glow finally arrived...just in time. It reminded me of this:

I’d noticed that his eyes were black – coal black.

2009-09-20T23:38:00.008-05:00

As promised...to all three of you reading this...I am beginning the week of new posts! Today's post is about reading. This is the fun little book I've been reading lately:

Indeed, it is true...I have given in. I'm only on the fourth chapter, but so far it's been pretty interesting. It is fun to read something a tad more entertaining and nonsignificant than all of my nursing books. Maybe when I'm finished I'll even have something insightful to share!

I love reading, but I often times don't make it enough of a priority. Don't you just love how reading takes you to a completely different place from where you are currently? I think that is one of the best things about books. So, if you haven't taken the time lately, you should find something fun and a bit inconsequential to escape from real life for a bit.

In somewhat similar news, have you heard about this?:
http://trueslant.com/nickobourn/2009/09/20/phillys-near-loss-of-its-entire-library-system/

I first read about this several days ago. At the time of the first article I read, it was certain that the Philadelphia free library system would be shutting down, doing away with all book loans, after school programs, and cutting nearly 3000 jobs. But today, thankfully I have read that the budget bill, number 1828, was passed in the state senate by a vote of 32-17. How sad to think that there were actually 17 people who wanted to do away with this wonderful free service. It made me appreciate our own library system here in OKC that I have been frequenting lately.

Well, that is pretty much all I have for today! Tonight I will continue my trek that began this weekend to mastering a french pastry. More on that Wednesday!

Have a lovely Monday!

*twilight photo found here

Back Again...like you're favorite rash

2009-09-19T11:27:00.012-05:00

Well hElllooooo! That was quite the break, huh? What have I been doing since I last was around these parts you ask? Well wouldn't you like to know?! Let me tell you then... my life has consisted of:

Running to Chicago for the evening and wearing big girl clothes
to learn more about Plavix and a new drug like it and how
it can help my little patients not have heart attacks.
(pardon the toilet...my picture skills will increase as this blog continues)

Sitting at this desk daily looking on my computer
for patients I can enroll or waiting for my patients
to show up to ask them lots of questions and listen
to their hearts...literally and figuratively. These little
men like to talk!

And searching for one of these. LONGEST
search of my life. But we'll get there!

So, needless to say, I've been quite the busy lady! BUT...despite all of that, I know it is time for me to get back to blogging. That is why I am here to tell you that I have a full weekend planned for myself with activities such as:

Sleep!!

Reading

Writing

Sewing

Watching Movies

Baking

AND...all of these activities should inspire new posts for this next week! So, you just get yourself ready, I'm about to DO IT BIG!!!!

P.S. I'm just now ending this post after being on here forever and I am quickly remembering why it has taken me so long to post again! I just like pictures with my posts...but it takes forever!!!

*photo

Hello again, old friend

2009-02-05T17:35:00.004-06:00

Well...It's been a while! Not much is new...but I have been sickly in my bed most of the day today, so I thought I would update. I rarely get sick, but when I do it can get pretty bad. So, I'm trying to knock this out pretty soon. Don't worry, I already ate lots of chicken noodle soup and crackers, and I used my neti pot to clear my sinuses and also gargled with salt water! Here I come health! I will probably give into some real medicine tonight.

In other news, it's the beginning of my FINAL semester of college. I can't believe it. I never thought this day would come...but here it is and soon I will be all alone and in charge of people's health care. Scary. But I think I can do it. This is what I've been learning this week in school:

Do you know how to read this? Yeah, neither do I. So, I've got a lot of studying ahead of me! Oh joy!

Well, have a glorious day or night, depending on when you read this...if anyone actually does.

Phenomenal Woman

2008-11-16T12:14:00.000-06:00

Phenomenal Woman

Pretty women wonder where my secret lies.
I'm not cute or built to suit a fashion model's size
But when I start to tell them,
They think I'm telling lies.
I say,
It's in the reach of my arms
The span of my hips,
The stride of my step,
The curl of my lips.
I'm a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That's me.

I walk into a room
Just as cool as you please,
And to a man,
The fellows stand or
Fall down on their knees.
Then they swarm around me,
A hive of honey bees.
I say,
It's the fire in my eyes,
And the flash of my teeth,
The swing in my waist,
And the joy in my feet.
I'm a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That's me.

Men themselves have wondered
What they see in me.
They try so much
But they can't touch
My inner mystery.
When I try to show them
They say they still can't see.
I say,
It's in the arch of my back,
The sun of my smile,
The ride of my breasts,
The grace of my style.
I'm a woman

Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That's me.

Now you understand
Just why my head's not bowed.
I don't shout or jump about
Or have to talk real loud.
When you see me passing
It ought to make you proud.
I say,
It's in the click of my heels,
The bend of my hair,
the palm of my hand,
The need of my care,
'Cause I'm a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That's me.

Maya Angelou

Thanksgiving

2008-11-11T20:47:00.002-06:00

Here is some of the decorations we have up for Thanksgiving. Maybe we'll put up some more...but probably not. BUT for Christmas we'll go all out! So be prepared!

Fall

2008-11-09T17:07:00.012-06:00

This is why I love fall and coming home to my Oak Hollow House:

Everyday when I come home from class...this is what i see. A beautiful sun and fallen leaves are always there to greet me.

Here's a little taste of the Halloween decorations we had that I didn't get around to posting earlier:

(hanging paper bats...that all fell down)

(our spooky coffin that Emily and Laci made)

(our inside decor)

(we had lots of creepy crows around too)

So...there it is! Next post I'll have pictures of my decorations for Thanksgiving. Hopefully I'll get those pictures up before the holiday is over!

Structure

2008-10-23T00:29:00.009-05:00

This is what I purchased and filled in tonight:

Because I was freaking out about all of this:

It was so bad, I even called my mom and cried...you know that cry. Oh...it's lovely to be a nursing major in this month.Next month will probably be worse. But I shall survive. But, I did de-stress with this:

You should watch it soon.

Time. Do you have some? Can I borrow it?

2008-10-19T00:37:00.012-05:00

Do you ever feel like there's just not enough time in the day?? Of course you do...we all do. I hate it that I finally get everything that I've been meaning to do done and feel really great...but then two days later I'm back to feeling the same way of,"Gosh I need to do that, but I really don't want to".
There's still a list of
people I should have called back 2 weeks ago,
someone I should have visited a month ago,
a book I wanted to read and got halfway through and now would have to start at the very beginning again to even remember what I read the first time.
There's still a list of
projects to get done for school,
papers to write,
tests to study for,
letters to write for my upcoming nursing trip to the Middle East.
There's a list of
things that I want to know more about just for my own personal gain,
a list of new crafts or food I want to try and make.
And then there's
the never ending thought on the list,

"Read my Bible more. Spend more time with Christ. Love others more".

I guess that is just how life goes. There's always one more thing to do, one person we should have taken more time for, one more craft we should have taken the time to learn. So...I'm so sorry if you're that person that I should have called or visited...it's just been one of those lives! I'll get to it soon, I promise.

In other news, I did cross off a few things on my list over this break. And here they are:

I've been meaning to get this apron done forever so I can try and sell it! It's not even that it was that hard, I just couldn't find a time to sit down and do it. But here it is...and I was quite pleased with how it turned out.

And finally, I made this tasty little cake for a family reunion this past weekend (although I didn't eat any of it knowing how many sticks of butter I used and I'm not a big fan of icing either!) . It was a butterscotch pecan cake that was the dessert of the month in my Martha Stewart Magazine. Oh how I love Martha. I think everyone enjoyed it...and I'm glad they did.

Well, I hope that you find the time to get everything on your list done. And I hope that the things on your list are not all work but that your list is full of things that make your life more beautiful. I am thankful most of the things on my list make my life more beautiful. Peace to you my friend.

A cup of tea

2008-10-06T23:55:00.004-05:00

When was the last time you laid in bed with a good cup of tea, wonderful music playing in the background, and looked up pretty little things things to dance across your computer screen?? Well you should probably do it NOW!

Happy Fall!

Grandma Smith

2008-09-11T20:44:00.007-05:00

Tonight I am thinking about my Grandma. I miss her. I wish I had a picture of her to post on here, but I don't have any on my computer. I started thinking about her as I was going through my recipe books looking for a recipe.
When she passed away in 2004, I got a lot of the stuff that had been in her kitchen. I think tonight was the first time that I have actually looked through the cook books I got. And I am truly realizing tonight what a treasure they are, and how happy I am that although I wasn't wise enough then to see the value in them, for some reason I took them.
Cooking and baking are some of the most vivid pictures I have of her. Even in her old age she was an avid cooker and baker. Some of my favorite memories at her house were sitting in the kitchen at a little table with two chairs talking with her while she was cooking. Also, sitting at her long dining room table eating her "orange" chicken that I have wished for several years now that I could find the recipe written down somewhere, but I'm sure it was never written down...just like everything else she made.
I still remember the smell of each room in her house. I remember what each room contained. I remember what it smelled like when she was cooking. I remember her hands being wet as she washed and cut the tomatoes from her garden. I remember loving that she never told me "no" when I asked for some kind of treat. I remember how she always had lemon drops and gum in her purse.
Two summers ago when I was staying with my cousin in Utah I felt like I got to remember her everyday because my cousin has pictures of her throughout the house. I also felt like I got to know her more through the stories my cousin told me. It was the first time that I felt like I hadn't had enough time with her. That's how I feel tonight.
She was a beautiful women. She was a tiny little woman, with tiny hands...but a great big heart. She was the strongest woman I have ever know and made it through so many unimaginable things. She loved to cook and bake, but most of all loved her garden. She was a sewer and for many years to make money would fix up items she found and resell them. She loved animals and loved people. She had a beautiful life.
As I've grown older I have realized how much I'm like her. The things I love are the the things she loved. The things I have found beauty in are the things she found beauty in. I wish I could sit and talk with her for hours. I wish I could have been at the point I am in life now when I had the time I did with her. I regret that I didn't understand how valuable it was to know her deeply. I truly feel like I missed out.
So...all that to say, that if your grandparents are still around, know them deeply. See what you can learn from them. See what is beautiful about them and how to add that to your life.
I'll leave you with a recipe that I found tonight in her handwriting. I haven't tried it, but maybe I will soon...or maybe you can try it first and tell me how it turned out! Here it is:

Coke Cake
1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees
2. Combine 1/2 a cup of buttermilk and 1tsp of baking soda and set aside.
3. Combine 2 cups of sugar and 2 cups of flour.
4. Combine 1/2 cup of margarine or butter, 1/2 cup of oil or shortening, 3 T of Cocoa and 1 cup of coke in a pan and bring to a boil. Pour over sugar and flour and stir.
5. Add 2 well beaten eggs, 1tsp of vanilla, and 1 1/2 cups of miniature marshmallows together. Then add buttermilk and baking soda mixture.
6. Bake at 300 degrees for 50 minutes.
For Coke Icing:
Combine 1/2 cup of margarine or butter, 3 T of cocoa, and 6-8T of coke in a pan and bring to a boil. Pour over 1 lb. bag of powdered sugar. Add 1 tsp of vanilla and 1 cup pecans(optional) and pour over hot cake.

Yum! Enjoy!

I wish I could...

2008-09-07T00:21:00.012-05:00

I wish I could do this:

And this:

Everday.

Oh...and be a nurse. That would be just lovely. I made these tonight:
Yummy!!

U.S.A.

2008-08-13T16:41:00.008-05:00

Man...I love the Olympics.

Even though they didn't win gold, they still did well. Dang those Chinese. They weren't even old enough to be there...so their win was cheap. GO USA!!! haha. Welp, that's all I have for now. Enjoy the Olympics.

Welp...here we are

2008-07-28T00:55:00.002-05:00

Well here I am. I don't know how often I'll be here, but I'm just doing what I'm told! I hope that somehow I might have some sort of insightful thought occasionally for your eyes to see. But maybe not. I won't claim to be someone who is "just not a deep thinker", because I am. I think about everything very in depth...and I mean everything! And sometimes those deep thoughts are voiced, but when they are typed they usually don't sound as magnificent as they did in my head. But we shall see I suppose. Hopefully this won't turn out to be like my Xanga. Gracious...haha.

Speaking of Xanga, just a few days ago I looked at mine. I stopped using it probably several years ago, but I left it up because my plan was eventually to print off the posts that I made so that I could look back at them one day. Obviously, I haven't gotten around to that. But I decided I would read through a few of them. Man, I was stupid! Well really I was just a child. And I really thought I had it together. Praise the Lord that He is more powerful than we can imagine and far more gracious than we can comprehend. I'm so thankful for the things that the Lord has allowed me to learn in the last few years...mainly in this last year. I'm sure there will be more posts to come of these lessons.

Well, to end today I will leave you with a quote from Mother Teresa. Isn't she beautiful? Gracious I think she's beautiful. Everything about her is wonderful. Most of you know of my love for her and her work, so I'm sure this blog will include many thoughts from her. The title of this blog is actually a quote of her's that is the title of one of my favorite photography books about her work. I love the quote because it is so simple, yet there is a magnitude of truth in it. But let me leave you with this quote: "Spread love everywhere you go. Let no one ever come to you without leaving happier." -Mother Teresa
This is my prayer today for each of your lives. Oh that people may know the beauty of Christ through the love you spread.