Day 23

(Full list.)

A Picture of Your Favorite Book

So, when I read that, the following song popped into my head:  "B-I-B-L-E! Yes, that's the book for me..."
That's actually including the "...", because my childhood church didn't have Sunday school to teach me said song.   I probably learned the few lyrics I know from osmosis during my time at Pine Cove.

I have some other faves, as well (in no particular order):

On the Christian Life

The Divine Conspiracy stands out to me because it is an intellectual book about Christianity.  There are not a lot of modern books that reach my heart and my mind.

Favorite quote:

"Can we seriously imagine that Jesus could be Lord if he were not smart? If he were divine, would he be dumb? Or uninformed? Once you stop to think about it, how could he be what we take him to be in all other respects and not be the best-informed and most intelligent person of all, the smartest person who ever lived?... 'Jesus is Lord' can mean little in practice for anyone who has to hesitate before saying, 'Jesus is smart.' He is not just nice, he is brilliant... He always has the best information on everything and certainly also on the things that matter most in human life."

Sci-Fi

Douglas Adams is a comedic genius.  He's also a little crude, so don't read it if you're sensitive to that.  And, promise me that you will never, ever under any circumstances watch the movie.  It will ruin everything.  Just take my word for it.  The best things about the book are lost when converted to cinematic form.

Sci-Fi

Ah-may-zing.  Genius.  Thought-provoking.

It's a collection of short stories that I've really enjoyed.  "There Will Come Soft Rains" is probably the most famous story, and, coincidentally, a very common prose piece in high school forensics.  But, that's besides the point.  This is one of my favorites.  The end.

P.S.  Mom, I have proudly put on my nerd glasses to bring you this post, thank-you-very-much.

Thought of the Day

Love with no conditions
lives for holding nothing back.

-Phil Wickham

Day 22

(Full list here.)

A Picture of Something You Wish You Were Better At

We've already talked about remembering... so I'll spare you that one. (Tee hee.)  However, related to remembering is The Art of Joke-Telling.  I will laugh at just about any joke, mostly because I know (oh so well) what it feels like when you've just delivered the punch-line and your audience is still expectantly waiting for it... "Uhh... that was it guys... get it? Too-farty!!"  So... yeah.  I wish I were better at telling jokes.  Uhm.  Anyway, I don't know what sort of photo-form that comes in, so... moving on.

(Insert photo of blank stares.)

I also wish I were better at being brave.  Some of you are naturally confident, and my wish will seem incomprehensible.  Honestly, it boggles my mind, too.  So many of my confident friends have tried to talk me into being brave.  "What's so scary about it?"  "What are you waiting for?"  "What's the worst that could happen?"  I can answer those questions, and I know my fears are sometimes illogical, but it still takes all of my will-power to override my hard-wired timid nature.

The EPITOME of Brave.

The thing that helps me more than will-power is my confidence in the Lord.  I have never been comforted by being convinced that I'm nuts for being timid or afraid.  I mean, what's so comforting about someone questioning your feelings?  Logic prevailing, I still feel afraid.  But, confidence from knowing scripture and trusting that I can know God's will and obey him helps remove the feelings of fear and replace them with confidence.  Knowing that I am following the God of the Universe gives me great confidence... 'cause he's bigger than anything else I'll run into! (Cue: "God is bigger than the Boogey Man, he's bigger than Godzilla and the monsters on TV...")

Surprises and Adventurings

First of all... it's been a while, I know.  I started my internship last week (the one where I get paid to sit at a computer all day and type stuff).  And when I get home, I'm a little tired of computers... but don't worry, I miss you guys, so I'll be coming around more often, now.

Second of all, I need to say that I'm thankful for spell check.  When I was younger, I was pretty good at spelling, but now, oh my, spelling has gone out the window.  I may be better at history than I am at spelling... eeks!  (Surprises doesn't seem like it should have two "r"s, but one, since I pronounce it "suh-pryze-ehs"... phonetics, sheesh.)

Onward... check out what Handsome brought me on Sunday!

That's right, monster popsicle molds!  We saw them a couple of weeks ago at Bed, Bath and Beyond, and Handsome wanted to get them for me then, but I wasn't sure if I really wanted them or not...  but then I bugged him for the next few weeks about them.

The green one reminds me of Mike Wazowski on Monsters, Inc. (one of my favorite movies).

It was a fabulous surprise.  I made strawberry shortcake popsicles to test 'em out.


On Saturday we ventured to Tuttle Creek for some canoeing.

It had rained all week, but the sun came out on Saturday, so we did too!

Charming, eh?  He only looks threatening.  Don't let him fool you.


So, that's what we've been up to lately.  Later this week I'll continue the "30 Days" series that's going to take 4 months... oh well.

"The Stuff That Dreams are Made Of" Ice Cream Cupcake Recipe

Wow.  This post might boast the longest title of any so far!  And why a recipe?  Well, here's the scoop:  a blog that I read is holding a recipe contest (yipee!) for ice cream cupcakes (yes, Handsome was very happy about this) and I decided to enter.  Handsome thought I should name them "The Stuff Your Husband's Dreams are Made Of", but he decided that I am more dreamy than these cupcakes.  He's so sweet.

If you want to enter the contest, too, here are the links to the details\:
Cupcake Project
Scoopalicious

This recipe is probably the easiest and most delicious dessert I have ever made.  Seriously.  I'll prove it.  Ready, Go!

"The Stuff That Dreams are Made Of" Ice Cream Cupcakes

adapted from a recipe by Joy the Baker

• Brownie Batter (I used a box)
• 1/2 c. Chocolate Chips
• Caramel Praline Ice Cream (I used Kroger Brand)
• 1 c. Sweetened Flake Coconut
• Chocolate Sauce (I used Hershey's)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line two 12-cupcake pans with foil liners (important).  Scoop 1 heaping tablespoon of batter into each liner. Sprinkle a few chocolate chips onto each cupcake.  Bake 8-10 minutes, until set.  Cool to room temperature.

Meanwhile, turn oven up to 400 degrees.  Scatter coconut on a rimmed baking sheet and toast until golden (~5 minutes), checking often and shaking pan so it toasts evenly.  Cool on cookie sheet and then store in an airtight container.

Once brownies are cool, place in the freezer for 30 minutes. Also place ice cream into your refrigerator to soften.

Next, scoop small balls of ice cream onto each cupcake (I used my cookie scoop).  Flatten with the back of a spoon to fill in all spaces and add more ice cream to fill the liners to the top.  Then put the cupcakes back into the freezer.

To serve:  Unwrap cupcake, drizzle with chocolate syrup and sprinkle with toasted coconut.  (Try no to drool on your plate, especially if you have guests.)

So, there it is, folks.  My new favorite dessert.  In fact, I polished off the last ice cream cupcake while writing this post.  Dreams don't last forever, ya know.