Pinterest For Your Weekend

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Pinterest for your Weekend

Pinterest is a go- to for me.

When I have time to kill in the car, when I have time to kill somewhere else, when I’m trying to fall asleep but I can’t.  I usually turn to this mega camp for all things everything for food and lettering and boy stuff.  It is fun and usually gives me fresh ideas.  Here’s some for you:

What are you go-to Pinterest places and who do you love to follow?

These pretty ranunculus (and a good vegan recipe)

This dress would be a perfect goal dress when I lose the rest of my weight and when a friend takes new headshots for me – or maybe just for Easter.

To do this for an area in the new house we are renting.  I need more counter space!

Want to do this to the remaining one bookshelf we have – I think it will be down in our office anyway

My husband drinks coffee every day, we love making coffee drinks, and we love tea!  All things pretty.  Wouldn’t it be fun to create a little area in the corner of a dining room or kitchen!

A friend and I were just talking about herbs yesterday and this is such a great idea – especially for tea lovers!

Just found this one and am going to make it next week.  hopefully the boys will love it!

This one will be filling and I know the boys will love it!

I like taking photos I’ve taken and turning them into cards to mail to people!

May make these for a boy party on Easter that is a possibility!  How fun would this be!

Because its spring and you need these cookies – and they make great favors for any showers you may be hosting in the near future.

How do you teach gratitude to your children – even when its not Thanksgiving.

Fear in the Kitchen & My Life with Bundt Cakes

Fear in the Kitchen and my life with bundt cakes

The kitchen is one of the most beloved spots in almost anyone’s home.  People tend to gravitate toward the kitchen : hanging out at the kitchen bar, sipping coffee, talking, or helping bake cookies (or eating them).  One of the mindsets I tend to hold to is everything important happens around the table.  And, when we do move into a house of our own we will get my parents’ wedding table (solid oak 8 foot long) where I ate most of my meals until I went to college.  Can’t wait.

everything important happens around the table

But, until then, I sit at an oval table that I’d love to DIY and think about everything I can learn about myself from being in the kitchen.  Why am I thinking about this today?

Because I just put a bundt cake in the oven.  I love bundt cakes but hate making them.  They are easy to make but usually, no matter how much I butter and flour the pan, I can never get them out perfectly.  Why?  For the love of butter, why?

So, I’m facing my fears today because I saw this delicious recipe over at Laura’s blog earlier this week and had everything in my kitchen to make it.  Now, I have doubly greased and floured the pan, and I’m holding my breath for an hour to see if it will come out or not.

Here are some fears of mine in the kitchen (and as you can probably relate – to the rest of life):

Chocolate Ganache Yellow Cake with Fruit

  1.  I’m not good enough. With the advance of social media and my love of photography, cooking, baking, farmers markets, local eateries, and cookbooks, I fear I will never live up to what I see on my phone, computer, or little cafe I go to. But, I’m also learning is that I never will be – but I certainly can try.  I should be competitive with myself, and not with everyone else.  I need to keep trying and learning and improving.  Progress not perfection.
  2. I will fail.  Yes, you know what I will fail.  So will you.  We are not perfect by any standard.  Even the best in home or restaurant chefs burn something, can’t capture the food with the lens, or have to throw out an entire recipe because it didn’t taste right.  Failure is a part of life.  You know what, that bundt cake might stick.  But, I guarantee my husband and two littles will eat most of it and the people I give it to will like it.  They won’t care what it looks like.
  3. Someone else will win.  I’m a very competitive person.  And, you know what, with so many bakers, photographers, runners, wives, mothers, handletterers around me – I will never be the best.  Someone will always be better than me.

When I list out these fears – sometimes they sound silly.  But I know how very real they are.  So, I press on.  I keep on baking.  I keep using my bundt pan.  I keep trying new recipes and taking photos.  I dream of one day having my own story-cookbook or having a photo in a magazine.  Maybe one day.  Until then I will keep cooking for my family, making food as gifts to people, and stick with my motto of everything important happens around the table.

What are your fears in cooking, your hobby, or other areas of life?

The Gospel and Blogging

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The Gospel and Blogging

Do you ever ask a question of God and then get the answer the very next day?  Yesterday, I was journaling through a Piper article at a local coffee shop (thanks to the Mister having a day off and graciously keeping the boys), and I wrote down a question that I wanted to talk to the Mister about – as he is very good about seeking the enjoyment of God in my life – as he should (Ephesians 5).

The question was this: how do I do blogging and social media for good – and not have it cause ungodly characteristics to take root in my life and heart?  In social media and really in all things – I struggle with envy, contentment, craving to be better and known.  These thoughts grip my heart instead of lettering the wonderment of God grip my heart and let that be enough.

I don’t want to give up blogging and photography and social media – and I don’t think the need is there – I just think that care and concern for my soul (and also yours) needs to be always at the forefront of my mind.

So, here’s the answer – or at least more of the equation that I will bring to the Mister as we talk about it on our anniversary trip this coming weekend.

So clean house! Make a clean sweep of malice and pretense, envy and hurtful talk.  Now, like infants at the breast, drink deep of God’s pure kindness. Then you’ll grow up mature and whole in God. You’ve had a taste of God. Welcome to the living Stone, the source of life. The workmen took one look and threw it out; God set it in the place of honor. Present yourselves as building stones for the construction of a sanctuary vibrant with life, in which you’ll serve as holy priests offering Christ-approved lives up to God.

1 Peter 2:1-5 The Message

I went through especially the first couple verses from my She Reads Truth reading for today:

Here’s the KCV (Kimberly Campbell Version):

Since you have been called to the amazingness of the Living Hope of Christ saving you and the Spirit living in you: don’t have anything to do with causing distress or pain on anyone else, don’t have anything to do with concealing or misrepresenting truth, don’t have anything to do with claiming and not being, don’t have anything to do with discontentment or wanting what other’s have, don’t have anything to do with communication that causes harm to another.

What of the above areas do you struggle with in blogging/social media?  For me – its envy.  Why do I write and photograph and cook – others do that and they have more followers, likes, giveaways, etc.

Do you struggle with putting down others in your blog?  Maybe its the cute sarcasm of something that will be funny but you well know that it is really a slam against someone else?

Do you only put the good on IG and not real-life – that would be the claiming and not being part.  Does it only show your home when it is show-worthy or your kids when they are all clean from a bath?  Why not put the real life of them screaming their little heads off when  you take away their milk cup?

God wants us to crave Him, crave the Word, work as unto the Lord (not so we gain more likes on facebook).

Who is set in the place of honor in your blogging and social media?  Is your life on the computer or your iphone a sanctuary or dwelling place for God?