April Friday Favorites {+ a GIVEAWAY!)

April 24, 2015 by · 9 Comments

NYC family final
Well, given that I’ve barely written a single word this month, I figured I’d better get my word quota finished in one post.

Sorry about that…this one’s pushing has long passed 1,500. (But I think it’s worth reading, just for the giveaway at the end!) šŸ˜‰

Some months are like that…and, honestly, there’s been a lot of processing going on…just not a lot of sharing the words. I’m finally good with that, I think.

But I really love this end-of-the-month post…the chance to update and just share my faves with y’all. And there were a ton this month because, between Easter (helllooooooo, cute dresses!) and a crazy-busy, FUN week of vacation for the three of us, there are just lots of stories to share.

So let’s get to it?

OH. And I’m throwing in another category…EAT. Because…NYC and Philly. šŸ˜‰

I’ve also got a few fun things to share and a giveaway and the end of this post. Because one cannot travel and discover so many awesome things and NOT share them with the rest of the world, or at least her ten readers, ya know?

I know! (And also, I just love presents.) :)

I bring you the April faves…there are some goodies!!!

Read

So I finished The Hardest Peace. There were a lot of tissues involved…it was one of those books. Heart-wrenching, painful mixed with absolutely beautiful. I recommend it. Read it.

This, too…a friend shared it with me last week, and it’s spot on. Plus, I had a conversation with another friend before she even sent it to me that was basically the same thing. Will you pray for me, friends?

Right now…I’m a mama. And I want to love it completely without wishing for more. My more will come someday.

Also…I’m dying to read the latest Shopaholic book. Just because I haven’t read it yet, and she is stinkin’ FUN. NY.

Watch

My hubby and I have been sorta-kinda-addicted to Flip or Flop on HGTV. Seriously…I have no idea why watching a couple buy houses in absolutely disgusting shape and transform them into stunning beauties is so enthralling, but it is. (Psst…Netflix has the first season available for streaming.) I mostly-seriously said to my husband earlier this week,Ā I think you should quit your job and we could flip houses! Wouldn’t it be fun?!

He didn’t go for it.

Ahem.

Also, with the loss of my childhood TV crush last week, Jonathan Crombie (aka: Gilbert Blythe), Anne of Green Gables has been on my TV a lot this week while I’ve drowned my sorrows in red currant wine. (Ok, not really. But someone tweeted that, and I thought it was insanely clever.) šŸ˜‰ I totally bought the DVD trilogy back when…I don’t even know. When it first came out on DVD. Gotta admit that I’m a little devastated. I loved him. I think we all did. :( Rest in peace, Gil.

jonathancrombiephoto credit: IMDB

Wear

I’m still rockin’ the earrings. (At least I think I’m rockin’ em.) Golly, where have I BEEN? Now my ears feel naked without them. I’m loving this pair from Work of Worth, an awesome fair trade company. They’re huge, and these Might. Actually. Take. Over. My. Head.

But I don’t care because they’re so cute. (And I also realized that you can’t see them too well here, but it’s late and I’m lazy. But I did manage to take this in my kitchen. Really, Mel?! OY.) :)

another earring selfie final
And, this dress. So, funny story. I ordered it from Maurices a week before Easter, which is a lot in the ordering-online-from-Maurices, world. (They are usually up there with Amazon Prime in terms of shipping. Yep.) But it didn’t even ship by Thursday night, even though I’d ordered it Sunday. And so I dashed…dashed…out of the Maundy Thursday service and sped (just a little) my bum over to the closest Maurices, skidding in the door ten minutes before they closed.

Aaaahhhh…breathe. They had it in stock. In my size. And, I LOVE it. It’s my new favorite dress. Maybe forever. :) Also, if you want one, you should buy it pretty fast because it’s selling out quick. I’m a 6ish, sometimes size 8, and I bought a medium. It was perfect.

Here we are on Easter. We’re cute, I know. And also, these two are my favorite favorites. :)

Easter2015 final
Eat

Ok. I’m a world traveler, and I love…LOVE…seeing new places. But my husband and I have confessed, many times, that while we’ve seen the world, we haven’t exactly seen our own country.

And so we added a couple new places two weeks ago…and the whole vacation deserves its own post, which it’s going to get…but I couldn’t not mention how much I now love the East Coast. Philly was fun, the bit of it we saw, and the friends we saw it with were even better. My introduction to the city happened at Reading Terminal Market in the form of this donut.

And, really, there’s a REASON there’s already a bite out of it. Warm, gooey, cream filled, salted caramel-ly…it was beyond delicious.

donut&coffee final 2
Go ahead. I’ll wait while you clean the drool off of your keyboard. šŸ˜‰

That was the best donut ever. I’m still thinking about it. Often. (The coffee there was pretty awesome, too.)

And when we decided to do NYC for a day, I knew I couldn’t go there without getting a bagel with lox. Dude, I’ve read about these forever, and I had to try one. Had To.

And so when we stopped in a little deli for lunch, I figured it was the perfect opportunity. $3 for a bagel and cream cheese…and I added some smoked salmon. Never even LOOKED at the price.

I figured I’d get a slice or two of salmon, eat my bagel like a real New Yorker, say yum, and call it good. Bucket list, check.

Nope. Tobin comes over to the table with our food. Um, Mel? I’m not even going to tell you how much that bagel cost.

Huh? It’s a bagel with cream cheese AND. SOME. FISH.

the bagel final
Nope. Apparently, adding TEN INCHES OF SALMON to my bagel shot the price up FOURTEEN DOLLARS! Dude, we’re not poor, but really?! And so, the saga of Mel’s $17 bagel began. (And ended rather quickly because there’s no way I could eat all of that. Or even half.)

It was good. Not the best thing ever, but it was good. And if it happens again, I will specify…how about $2 worth of salmon instead of $14? šŸ˜‰

But there was plenty about New York food to love, and the roasted cashews at Battery Park were a favorite, too. But I’ll get to that all next week. Aaahhh, New York, you now hold a piece of my heart forever. And, also, I need to come back for your pizza. I ran out of stomach space for that one.

But I’ll be back in October, and I can’t wait!!! (More on that one later.) :) :) :)

Listen

God gave me a gift while we were in Pennsylvania…the chance to attend Winsome, a retreat that is the God-sized Dream of a dear sister, Kim. It was a God-thing that the timing and location worked out, and being there was such an amazing gift. I got to reconnect with dear friends, share heart chats and LOTS of coffee, go deeper with friends I didn’t know as well, worship with my hands raised, listen to Truth from women who are doing such incredible work for God…

Winsomefriends final
The tears are running down my face right now because I just want to go back and do it all again.

One of the moments that weekend that meant so much was when a friend just asked,Ā How ARE you?Ā And she listened while I went on and on. šŸ˜‰ And she had no idea how much I needed that. And now I miss her like crazy, too.

I also need to write more about the weekend.

So clearly, I have a lot of writing to do. Someone please make me do it? šŸ˜‰

And how ’bout a giveaway? Golly, I love to give presents. :)

bagearringsgc giveaway final
Last week, I was exploring a little town in Iowa when Mae and I made a quick visit there to see some family, and I wandered into a little store, The Silver Spider. I fell in love with pretty much everything there, and it’s a miracle that I walked out without more treats. But I did discover Blue Q bags, and am now carrying a messenger one that I adore. (I also have the bicycle print one on my please-buy-me-this-for-my-birthday, list. Just fyi in case that’s important information for any of you.) šŸ˜‰

But because I loved the bags so much, I bought this zipper pouch for one of you to win! Because, hello. Bicycles = SO. CUTE. and this pouch is awesome. It would work for makeup or a Kindle or your chocolate stash. (An iPad mini fits in there, too, if that gives you an idea of the size.)

And I’m completely on an earring kick lately, in case you haven’t noticed. šŸ˜‰ These are from ViBella, one of my favorite fair trade organizations, and I think they’re adorable…as is pretty much ever piece of jewelry on their site. I hope you’ll give their facebook page a like and then hop over to the site to do a little shopping! Seriously…there are some gorgeous pieces there, and your money is going to provide jobs and education for people in need. Win-win. :)

And because it’s spring (YAY!!!!!!!) and that really deserved more exclamation points, but I’m trying to show some restraint, and because Dunkin’ has their any-size, 99 cent iced coffee between 3-6 pm back…a $5 gift card, which will cover your caffeine fix for a week. (Grammar people, please don’t pick apart that last sentence.) šŸ˜‰

I’m throwing caution to the wind and using Rafflecopter for this one. (Rafflecopter and I have a love/hate relationship.) Click the link below and follow the instructions to enter. Good luck! And I’ll choose a winner on Monday morning.

I’ve missed you all. A lot. Thanks for being here. :)

The happiest of weekends to you. May you find some sunshine and a quiet spot to enjoy it all. :)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Friday-Favorites 300

Sig

Filed Under: adventures, blessings, bucket list, coffee, community, encouragement, family, food, friends, giveaway, just life, Maelie, reading, remembering, Tobin, travel, what I'm learning, where I am

Lessons From Indonesia: Disliking Durian

February 23, 2015 by · 2 Comments

durian final
Happy Monday, friends. :)

It’s well into the afternoon before I’m even finding my blog today, but that’s ok. Some days, especially when you’re the mama of a four year-old, there are other things that are way more important. Like smearing copious amounts of red glitter glue all over paper and thankfully not the table.

We created a memory. A sticky, sparkly one…and I’m breathing thanks for it and for my sweet girl today. :)

It’s so funny. Every Monday, after I’ve posted, I tell myself that next week I’ll get this all ready to go before Monday.

I never do. Never.

Thus proving to all of you that I am a procrastinator in the truest sense of the word. šŸ˜‰

Honestly, the weekend was a good one…it was busy enough and I’m still run down enough from being sick…that last night I was tired. I watched tv instead. (And that’s ok…I’m giving myself permission for things like that lately.)

And even though there’s always an elevation in my heart rate when I share a new story, I love handing over this piece of my heart to all of you. Even almost five years after life in Indonesia, that time in our lives still remains such a precious part of who I am. I embrace that, especially on the days when I want rice for breakfast. :)

This is one of my more quirky stories. I remember writing it at Starbucks late on a Wednesday night two years ago…there was laughter between sentences and a lot of caffeine flowing, and it’s still one of my favorites.

I love hearing from all of you, but especially if you’ve tried durian, I’d love to hear your thoughts. After all…this is just one snarky opinion, written by someone who’s not completely Indonesian. :)

And there are durian lovers out there…kind of a lot of them.

Enjoy. (And please forgive the quote I used…it may have been the most accurate and descriptive I could find.)

šŸ˜‰

_____________________

34

Ā Indescribable, something you will either love or despiseā€¦Your breath will smell as if youā€™d been French-kissing your dead grandmother.
Anthony Bourdain

Durian.

From practically the moment we stepped into the country of Indonesia, and probably even before, weā€™d heard about it.

The elusive, unique, all-its-own-kind, supposedly-wonderful-but-often-detested, fruit so pungent it was banned from many places including airplanes, most hotels, and even mass transit systems.

Tell meā€¦after that description, would you have high hopes?

Most people never do. You can smell the stuff just passing by a stall where it’s sold on the street and its hard, outer, spiky shell has yet to be cracked open.

But for some reason, I did.

Have high hopes, that is.

Durian.

It was rumored to have once been an event on Fear Factor, and that alone was enough to pique the curiosity of this girl who planned to adventure as much as possible during her time in Indonesia.

And not only was it in fruit form, you could buy it in ice cream or baked into bread or it could even surprise you when you bit into a donut.

Believe it or not we didnā€™t dive into trying it immediately. First of all, a chance didnā€™t exactly fall into our laps, and it didn’t come squirting out of a donut either…thank you, God, for that. And so we never even pushed for a chance to give it a try.

Maybe itā€™s because the smell was truly enough for me.

Our opportunity finally came in the spring of our first year.

We had some good friends who were Indonesian, and they wanted us to take us to the Chinatown area of Bandung for dinner one Saturday night. Tobin and I drove our motorbike, following them on theirs, to a tucked-away section of the city I had never known existed, and had an amazingly good meal of pork nasi goreng and pisang goreng with chocolate and cheese. (I actually still think of this night oftenā€¦that was some pretty good food.) :)

After dinner we walked around the area a little and decided to go out for ā€œdessert.ā€ (Funny, because I thought the cheesy, chocolate banana qualified as dessert.)

It was quite the bike ride to get to our destination, but they finally pulled over in front of a stand at the side of a pretty busy street.

Hello, durian.

Iā€™m not sure if Iā€™m excited or not to make your acquaintance just yet.

Our wonderful friends knew what they were doing, and we clearly did not, so we just stood and watched as they paid for one of these large, brown, spiky fruitsā€¦an object that I was sure could be of far better use as a piece of sports equipment rather than something to eat.

But if so many people raved over this delicacy, there had to be something to love about it, right?

Our friends took the fruit, which was now cracked open, and offered us some. They showed us how to pull out a section, which we both did so, reluctantly, taking the smallest pieces.

Watching them start to eat, clearly enjoying the entire experience, we put the fruit into our mouths.

Actually, Iā€™m still not sure why it is even classified as a fruitā€¦it tasted like stinky gym socks with a little garlic thrown in there.

And I do believe that was a very kind statement.

I choked it down and, probably-less-than-politely, declined seconds.

EW.

EW.

And I managed to keep it down, too, which I believe qualifies as a success worthy of some kind of medal. For it was truly that bad and it took all I had to keep myself from losing my dinner on the side of the road.

But the one thing everyone says about durian is that to appreciate it, you have to try it three separate times. Two of my friends even attested to this factā€¦after three times they liked it.

Honestly, that was hard to fathom after the one bite I had, quite literally, choked down.

Enter time number two.

As a birthday party/introduction to the Indonesian culture for new staff, several girls hosted a fruit party at their house. The party itself was actually a great ideaā€¦there are tons of incredible fruits available in Indonesia, and I would never turn down a chance to eat manggis (my favorite!) or rambutan.

After weā€™d all tried the good stuff, one of our hosts pulled out the durian.

In my head, Iā€™m thinkingā€¦this is my second time. Surely itā€™s got to taste better than the first.

I watched the birthday girl have her first taste, and she swallowed it down like a pro, even exclaiming, Oh, itā€™s not that bad!

I just figured weā€™d lucked out and ended up with an exceptionally wonderful piece of this particular fruit, and her exclamation was followed by a few others who ate it and liked, or at least tolerated, it.

The pressure is kinda on here, Melā€¦

I reached for a bite, popped it in my mouthā€¦andā€¦

Blechā€¦

Ok, ok, so I didnā€™t throw up, though if I had let it hit the back of my throat, Iā€™m quite certain I would have lost my breakfast or lunch or whatever meal Iā€™d eaten previous to the party.

That time, I spit it out right into my hand. I didn’t care who was watching.

And thought, What the heck does everyone see in this nastiness masquerading as a fruit?!

It was quite a whileā€¦over a year laterā€¦before I even wanted to go for my third try. I was pretty much convinced, by that time, that it was pointless.

Some friends and I were at a local shopping mall, and we passed one of my favorite restaurants there, which also served gelato. The workers there were always great about letting us sample the different flavors, and I noticed that there was durian flavored gelato.

Yes, yes, I realize what you are thinking by this point. Durian-flavored gelato is NOT the same as durian. Point well taken.

But if you want a happy ending to this durian-sized fairy tale, this is going to have to be it.

I took a bite.

Uhhhā€¦mmm? Maybe.

Of course, we are talking about gelato here. Not some silly, spiky, grayish-brown, somewhat-spherical fruit.

Then I asked for another sample. Chocolate chip to wash the flavor down. šŸ˜‰

And that, my friends, is where the saga of my life with durian ends.

That third attempt, in the form of an ice-creamish substance, was my last time.

Ā The truth is that I think everything is worth trying once. Or even three-ish times. But sometimes, thereā€™s just no hope, and itā€™s best to move on to things we do like. Like cheesy, chocolate, fried bananas.

A year and a half later, we left Indonesia. Among the very long list of foods I was sad to leave behind were most of the wonderful gelato flavors available there, my favorite fruits, and many Indonesian foods.

But durian-flavoredā€¦anythingā€¦didnā€™t make the cut.

And I’m totally good with that. šŸ˜‰

no durian sign final
Photo Credits: Hafiz Issadeen, Tagosaku

_____________________

The stories Iā€™m sharing are about a place and people who are in my heart foreverā€¦I never want to paint a negative image of them or their amazing country. Therefore, I ask for your grace over each word and story. I pray that I share these words well.

The above is an excerpt fromĀ Lessons From Indonesia: On Life, Love, and Squatty Potties. All words and stories are my own and are copyrighted through Amazon publishing. Feel free to read them, but please ask for permission before sharing them. :)

Thank you!

Sig

Filed Under: adventures, culture shock, food, friends, God-Sized Dreams, Indonesia, just life, Lessons from Indonesia, remembering, Tobin, travel, writing

Cookies…Oh, Cookies

December 11, 2012 by · 2 Comments

So it’s gonna be one of those posts.

The kind where I type a few words between cookie batches. šŸ˜‰

The kind where I desperately attempt not to be serious because, honestly, there’s so much going on in my brain (and heart) that I’d rather not completely spill everything tonight because I want to actually sleep.

That, and I really need to focus on cookie-baking.

Can we say, Pro. Cras. Tin. A. Tion. ???

I am so, so bad.

We have a neighborhood party at our house on Sunday, and yours truly seriously started baking the cookies for it today. (Let’s just say we have a LOT of cookies to go.)

Last year I think I was done a week in advance with everything perfectly frosted and sprinkled and stored in the freezer.

Oy…

It’s funny how childhood has quite the bearing on our Christmas cookie preferences as adults…at least it rings true in this house.

Tobin loves these cookies his mom always made (and still does) called Bon Bons. Basically sugar-ish cookie dough wrapped around something like cherries (his favorite), chocolate, or nuts. Oh, they have frosting, too. They’re ok, and since they’re his favorite, I can’t remember a Christmas in our married lives when we haven’t had a batch (or twelve) of them in our house. šŸ˜‰

But my favorite are still plain old sugar cookies with frosting and sprinkles. When I was growing up, I loved when my mom would bring home sugar cookie dough and a can of frosting and a jar of sprinkles and I could “make” my own Christmas cookies.

I still love them…though my sugar cookies don’t come from a tube anymore. (But don’t ask me about the summer of ’08 when we were home from Indonesia and the tube of sugar cookie dough and the spoon. Ever. ‘Cause if I told you the story, you might wonder how on earth I managed to NOT die from salmonella. Really.)

Ok, ok, that was quite the confession. šŸ˜‰

Back to cookies…not cookie DOUGH.

So we have a list of several kinds to make by Sunday, and while I enjoy making them, it seems a bit daunting right now. One batch at a time, I guess. :)

But other than the two kinds I talked about, we don’t have any others that are every-year-or-die-from-cookie-withdrawl. We’re both suckers for peanut butter and mint, so this year the other three types of cookies on our list involve those.

Are you drooling yet?

I am. And I ate, um…I ate some cookies today. The number will not be disclosed until I attempt to run off at least some of the calories tomorrow morning. šŸ˜‰

So, what about you or your family? Are there any kinds of Christmas cookies that you just have to make in order for the holiday season to be complete? (Recipe links are welcome!)

Now off I go to bed.

To probably dream about cookies. šŸ˜‰ G’nite!

Sig

Filed Under: family, food, friends, just life

For Those Nights When You Just Want Oreos and Peanut Butter

August 19, 2012 by · Leave a Comment

There’s something I probably haven’t told you yet.

Yeah, I haven’t shared everything yet, apparently!

I loooooooooove Oreos with peanut butter. My preferred method is to actually dip the Oreo into the peanut butter jar and use it as a scoop. But when you live in a house with other people who also eat peanut butter from the same jar it’s more polite to scoop the peanut butter out of the jar with a spoon first. šŸ˜‰

Not like it matters too much…I mean, it mostly tastes the same no matter what. Though, here’s a little family secret…Tobin and I have “his” and “hers” peanut butter. True. He likes crunchy, I like creamy.

Peanut butter should NOT crunch. But that’s a topic for another day. šŸ˜‰

When I was in the hospital last week…ironically, while I was feeling insanely nauseated, also…there was a commercial for these. And even in my state of near-throwing-up, I. Wanted. Them. So. Badly.

At the time, I may or may not have been convinced that my body could defy the laws of nausea if those Oreos had been in the room at the time…but, alas. I guess we’ll never know.

On the afternoon I came home from the hospital, my hubby came home with a package of them. (Along with another sweet get-well-soon present that I may tell you about later.)

Though my digestive track and stomach, in general, were still not doing that great, I let myself have one. (Or possibly more than one…) šŸ˜‰

Oh, my…SO yummy. (They also have coconut and mint flavors, which I’m sure will be equally amazing…I have to admit that the coconut sounds incredible.)

I was resting this morning and missing church :( and trying to keep my mind off of things when I realized that, in my love of all-things-Oreos-and-peanut-butter, I had not considered the fact that THESE would be awesome dipped into that peanut butter jar, too. (Well, as long as we don’t count calories…)

šŸ˜‰

Seriously, doesn’t that sound amazing?!?!

And, gosh, I’m reiterating my dorkiness…dedicating a whole blog post to Oreos. Sorry.

But I told myself that I needed to blog before I could try one that way. However, I’m going to have to end this little story on a temporarily sad note. It’s been a rough day, and I’m not feeling well. I know better than to eat one today…so it will have to wait, which is kind of a bummer. (But at the same time, I’m marveling at my willpower.) :)

But should you happen to have some Oreo Fudge Cremes and a jar of peanut butter in your house, you’re welcome to try it out for me.

Hopefully Monday will bring more energy, less pain, and some Oreos.

With peanut butter. :)

Sig

Filed Under: food, just life, random

Don’t Eat All the Mac ‘N Cheese…You’ll Be Sorry!

July 16, 2012 by · 2 Comments

Hey, friends.

So it’s amazing how time slips away on Monday nights. Really.

And even IĀ am saying it’s too late for coffee. So this is a water and protein bar date.

Mmmmm.

Or, not really.

Long story short, I learned the hard way last week that I should definitely not eat before I work out at night. So tonight, I didn’t. I really, really, REALLY didn’t want a repeat of last week.

And then I stayed after workout to do some 5k planning with a couple friends, and by the time I walked in the door, it was 10:15 pm, and I still hadn’t eaten dinner. And by then, it was too late to make anything, and I was totally kicking myself for pulling the mac n’ cheese card on Tobin and Mae ’cause there’s never enough left over. (Or any at all if you happen to have two golden retrievers.) At the time, I never care…it’s always at that unreasonable hour that I suddenly wish there was some left for me. (Side note…really, would it KILL those people who sell mac n’ cheese to make the boxes just a little BIGGER?!)

Golly.

So, when it comes down to it, it’s Kraft’s fault that I had to eat a protein bar for dinner. Yeah.

I seriously love how I came to that conclusion…I’m really quite proud of it. :)Ā 

Though if I am being fair, I did have a handful of Cheez-It’s, too. You know, to balance out all that protein.

I think maybe I need sleep…soon. Because that story just took way. too. long. to tell you all.

And, it was kinda dorky.

I had these grand plans tonight to tell you about weddings and surprise birthday parties and some pretty amazing people, and, well…maybe my words would be better used afterĀ I sleep. Being serious here…the words are starting to swim right in front of me. And, I’m misspelling things, which I hardly ever do, and putting commas in the wrong places and spacing twice after a period.

Horrors. šŸ˜‰

Time to crash.

Thanks for letting me tell you all why mac ‘n cheese deserves a bigger box. :)

G’nite!

Sig

Filed Under: food, just life, random

Today’s Creation (That I Borrowed) :)

April 16, 2012 by · Leave a Comment

I made these today.

No-bake energy bites. They look kind of gross but they’re not. Promise. šŸ˜‰

Seriously, I could eat them all in one sitting.

No, not really…because I won’t let myself. I’ve just been looking for recipes that are healthier than the tasty treats I’ve come up with in the last couple weeks.

Like these.

And these.

Neither of which I’m sure are classified under healthy. šŸ˜‰

They. Are. Good.

And a HUGE thank you to whoever brought them to our Bible class yesterday ’cause if you hadn’t, I might have gone my whole life never knowing of their existence. That would be sad.

Now you won’t need to be sad, either. (I think I’m bordering on dorky tonight…)

Here’s the recipe. I adapted it from here. (By the way, she’s a new blog discovery for me…I’m intrigued, just by this one recipe. Will definitely be reading more!)

No Bake Energy Bites

1 c. dry oatmeal
1 c. coconut flakes (I used a little less coconut, a little more oatmeal. As long as dry ingredients equal out, you’re good.)
1/3 c. honey
1/2 c. peanut butter
1/2 c. mini chocolate chips
1/2 c. ground flaxseed (I only had whole…it still tastes fine, just adds a little extra crunch.)
1 tsp. vanilla

Mix all ingredients well and chill for an hour. Form into balls. (I’m keeping them in the refrigerator.)

I could eat them every day…and probably will. They’re a good alternative for a chocoholic like me who canNOT and will NOT cut chocolate out of her diet even if I am watching what I eat. šŸ˜‰ They even taste like dessert…really, what’s not to love?!?! So I made a double batch. (And froze half of them because, well, we WILL eat them all way too quickly!)

Oh, and here’s my little helper. Her “helping” consisted of standing on the chair, watching me, and about every thirty seconds begging for a bite of “Cookie! Cookie!” Hey…if she spends her whole life thinking this is a cookie, I’m ok with that! Was too cute not to share.

G’nite, friends!

Sig

Filed Under: food, just life, Maelie

I Miss Her

February 15, 2012 by · Leave a Comment

I have often talked about our house helper in Indonesia, Ibu Sari, and how much I miss her.

When I talk about missing her…I’m talking about her as my friend. I miss cooking with her, laughing with her, practicing my Indonesian with her…just being her friend. She’s wonderful. :)

And though, at times, I’veĀ missed the things she did for us, I think I did ok adjusting. For the most part I can keep up on laundry and cooking and (some) cleaning. (No comments from a certain person reading this… ;))

But today I missed her for a completely selfish reason.

See, she used to make this coffee cake for us.

I made it once, it took a small forever, and she watched. I planned that she would watch me make it so I would never have to do it again. I know, I know…I’m a teeny bit sneaky. šŸ˜‰

And, without even asking, she made it all the time…probably at least once a month. And if we ever went on a trip, we knew it would be there waiting for us when we got back. (Once, it was the only thing we had to eat in the house.

True story.)

We haven’t had it since Indonesia…in fact, I think I ate a piece of it the morning I left. :) But there’s a reason for that.

(insert cheesy grin and slight head tilt)

And I rediscovered it tonight.

I have treats for Bible study tomorrow morning and have been planning to make this for a couple weeks.

Why did I NOT look at the recipe before today?

More importantly, how did I possibly FORGET why I hate making this so much

?

Because not only does the dough take eight hours to chill, the rest of it takes at least two. Three if you’re me.

Ugh.

And you are probably wondering why I have time to blog about it all…because I get to wait for an hour for it to rise before it bakes.

Hello going to bed at midnight.

I always miss my friend, Ibu Sari.

And tonight, I miss her just a little more. šŸ˜‰

Sig

Filed Under: food, friends, Indonesia, just life, remembering

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

September 28, 2011 by · 1 Comment

Sorry…I just couldn’t resist.

LOOK what I found at the grocery store today!!!! Just look at it!!!!

REAL Indo Mie. Made in Indonesia and everything!

I can die happy now.

Well, today, at least.

šŸ˜‰

Sig

Filed Under: food, Indonesia, random

Crazy and THE CAKE

June 12, 2011 by · 3 Comments

Crazy day. A good one, one that I’ll write much more about over the week.

We celebrated our girl tonight.

(Her birthday is actually Tuesday, but weekend parties are just better for everyone.)

And what a fun night it was!

We got the most perfect weather…low 70’s and sunny, lots of friends and fun and ( too

much) food.

I love memories, and THE CAKE is definitely one

I will always remember.

My dear friend, Kris, spent over two hours helping me put it together, and we were pretty proud of how it turned out.

I think Maelie liked it, too. :)

The Cake
The Cake
Maelie eating cake

Sig

Filed Under: blessings, food, friends, Maelie

91 Cupcakes

June 11, 2011 by · Leave a Comment

I seriously almost forgot to blog tonight.

First time that’s happened so far.

:)

This late-night, almost-forgotten post comes to you from a girl with frosting in her hair and powdered sugar all over her shirt.

I baked A LOT of cupcakes today.

And made five batches of frosting.

And tomorrow begins the great birthday cake assembling.

Hopefully it works ’cause I have no clue what I’m doing!

A few lessons learned today from baking.

#1: Just because the box says a mix will make 24 cupcakes, that is not necessarily accurate.

#2: If a cert

ain girl makes too much buttercream frosting, she will never, ever want to eat it again.

#3: Wilton’s icing dye stains fingernails. Just sayin’. (And the blue turned out the coolest of the four colors I made.)

#4: Chocolate cupcakes smell better while they’ re baking than vanilla ones do.

Just sayin’ again. šŸ˜‰

#5: Three hours straight spent in a kitchen can cause a person to go crazy.

So…91 cupcakes later, I am putting my feet up, letting my head hit the pillow, and calling it a night. Big day tomorrow!

Sig

Filed Under: food
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