Robb + Jessie Married & in the Badger State
A Delicious Disaster
I continued on my Kneading adventure last night with the tasty looking Caramel Pecan Loaf. Yet, as wonderful as this sweet bread turned out, it I took a long and winding road to get a satisfactory product. Why? Simple: the directions. (Or to place the blame: my inability to correctly follow the directions.)
My first mistake was that I didn’t see the first measurement of butter in the ingredient list (1 Tablespoon). Rather, I shockingly saw the 1-1/2 sticks of unsalted butter measurement, and thus added that to the 3 cups of sifted flour. After rubbing in the butter (the flour felt amazing and it would have made a delicious pie crust) I wondered how this rich flour mixture would turn into a bread. Wouldn’t all of the butter melt out of the flour mixture while cooking, or for that matter, while rising?
I consulted the recipe. To my astonishment, there was a second mention of butter which would be part of the filling. Oh dear. It called for “1 stick of the butter”… but where was this extra stick in the ingredient list? I was, at this point, dumbfounded and confused. I continued to read and saw that I was to “melt the remaining butter and sugar together” (for the topping) while the pecan loaf was baking. Where did all of this butter come from? By this point I decided I was baking a butter loaf rather than a pecan loaf. What was wrong? [Read more →]
good news
Firstly, I got so many lives in Super Mario Bros. that my life count was measured in gold crowns and blue squares.
Secondly, I fixed a major hole in my pants with duct tape. Before, you could clearly see my underwear.
Thirdly, I got Donald Miller’s new book, To Own a Dragon. I listened to Don read the first chapter of it at a reading in Seattle last fall. I’m looking forward to it big time.
Fourthly, I received the very wonderful news that I am graduating next quarter! Yes, that is correct. I receive my diploma in June.
Doggy Paddle
My friend told me this nice analogy dealing with our path towards Jesus. We are all walking on a road together in the same direction. Our destination is Jesus. And we can all see him for miles and miles because he is so big and beautiful. He is our only focus.
I like that part about Jesus being our only focus. I like that we are all together heading in the same direction.
But lately, I feel like we are all in an ocean or a swiftly moving river. Everyone else has a life boat, or life jackets, or are fine swimmers. I feel like I keep getting pushed under the water because I don’t have any of those safety devices nor can I swim.
Help me Jesus.
“I- I don’t — understand.”
This weekend, rather, last night, I finished The Last Battle, and thus The Chronicles of Narnia for the second time. I read it the first time in the fall of my sophomore year of college when I still lived in Missouri. When I still was growing in my understanding of our great Lord.
I don’t think I cried as much the last time I read the series. But this time I identified so much more with specific instances in the character’s lives. I joined them in their sorrows and excitements. This time I grew more attached to the characters. For that I am happy. I love being fully immersed in a book.
Yet, this time, I was taken with the Bear’s character. Yes, some may say he was a bit dense, but I think he was such a truthful character. He did not understand evil. He did not understand the ways of The World (or “Narnia”). (At the same time, he didn’t fully understand what had happened to him after he died and went to his true home — Aslan’s home). Ah, but I identify with this character. I feel so clueless and confused by the ways of the world. I know that I am still quite a child in the ways of both the world and in God’s eyes. There is much to learn. And every time I do learn something, I feel there is even more to learn and thus I feel even further behind in the scheme of things. [I have no idea if this makes sense to you, but to me it does… perhaps that is my fault, I’m sorry. You can talk to me and I can try to clarify this.]
Perhaps my favourite part of the Bear was after he went through the stable door:
The Bear was just going to mutter that he still didn’t understand, when he caught sight of the fruit trees behind them. He waddled to those trees as fast as he could and there, no doubt, found something he understood very well.
Oh, yes. Sometimes the only thing I understand is food. Oh bother. To me, it makes perfect sense. I don’t understand murders. I don’t understand hatred. I don’t understand politics. I don’t understand so much… but food: I understand.
We have all been given gifts by grace, yet I wonder what is my gift? Am I just a keen bread maker? What is my gift? It shouldn’t be something I ponder, I reckon, but how do I hone it if I don’t know what it is? Am I baking bread in vain? Sigh.
humor from 11:11
My favourite comic is Foxtrot, followed closely by Pearls Before Swine.
Thus, I was incredibly happy to see this comic.