A Few Things on a Monday

1. Busy season really stinks. It's robbed me of my husband for seven weeks until an unexpected (and very, very minor - so he's totally fine) surgery gave him back to me for five days. I'm going to miss him more than usual this week. Good thing I have three different dinner dates with friends over the next few evenings.

2. I have a new thinking place in my house. Our living room/library/office/jack-of-all-trades space is coming together slowly now that I finally have vision for it. We added a desk a few weeks back, and now I love to be here in the mornings. And the evenings. And other times, too. Izzie finds it to be a good place to hide when I'm sitting in the chair.

3. Spring has come. Sure, the first real day of spring isn't for another twenty-something days, but the weather's been beautiful here. Sunshine and just the right amount of warmth. So things are blooming - all the daffodils are out, trees are starting to flower and the promise of more life is thick in the air. It only made sense to bring a little of it indoors, and a trip to Trader Joe's resulted in these beauties in my bay window. I love how the house smells because of them. Mmm..

So there you have it for now. Happy Monday, ya'll!

Something Sweet

It's something I've heard a friend talk about a lot. In fact it's something I've even tasted time after time over the last year. And it's something I've wanted to try my hand at making given the last twelve months of developing my new found love of cooking and baking.

But it's finicky. And it takes time. And it requires just the right hand to make it come out the way you want it.

It's Swiss Meringue Buttercream.

And after a bit of huming and hawing, I decided to tackle it not long ago. Besides, what else was I going to do with the endless lonely hours Hubby's busy season gifts me every winter?

So out came the egg whites and the sugar, and they were whisked together in a sort of makeshift double boiler - a glass bowl over a pan of simmering water.

And once combined they were dumped into my KitchenAid mixer (love!) where they where whipped into a frenzy for many minutes until they formed some of the most beautiful, glossy, meringuey peaks I've ever seen.

Then came the part that made me realize just how good this icing was going to taste and just how bad for me it was going to be - the butter. Almost a pound of it, and that was just for half the recipe. Oh, and a little vanilla for flavoring, too.

As the butter went it, those beautiful meringue peaks broke down into a gross looking curdled mess. It started to seem like I had ruined it, but by some sort of mixing magic, it slowly started to pull together in a smooth and delicious mound of buttercream icing.

On it's own, it was pretty delicious, and I could have happily slapped it on some cupcakes right then. But I had some yummy almond-flavored cupcakes that seemed to demand more than just plain buttercream, so I broke my cardinal rule of first-time recipe testing. I played with ingredients.

Out came the food processor, in went some frozen raspberries and within seconds I had a scrumptious puree to add to the icing. Let me tell you, the experimenting paid off. The cupcake itself left a little to be desired - too dense. But that first attempt at Swiss Meringue Buttercream with raspberry in it? A bit of bliss on a spoon.

Frustrations

Well, I started a post not long ago. Nothing exciting. Nothing detailed or dramatic, but one skimming the state of this life of mine (it's good, by the way). That was about the time this ancient computer of mine decided to log out at random.

That half done post? Gone.

And there you have just one of the many reasons it's been difficult to write here so far this year. But new things are in the works, and hopefully I'll have a way to be in this place more regularly soon.

In the meantime, may you always be filled so full of Him you can't help but overflow His love and joy, His peace and patience, His kindness, gentleness, humility, forgiveness and love onto those around you.

A Year to Breathe and Become

I'm sure it seems a little late to be posting a hopes-and-plans-and-dreams-for-the-new-year post given that January is gone and we're staring down February already.

But all the folks talking over the last few weeks about their word for 2012 got me to thinking about my own.

2011 turned into the year of the unexpected. When I sat down to reflect on the year at the end of December, I thought there wasn't much to think on. I didn't think much happened. But then God started whispering to my heart...

2011 was the year you opened your heart and built the greatest friendships you've ever had. 

2011 was the year that took you on an adventure halfway around the world. 

2011 was the year I provided for your family. 

2011 was the year you figured out your purpose in life is to bring me glory and make me famous - regardless of what you are actually doing. 

2011 was the year you finally felt content, satisfied, at rest and at peace with your life, with yourself and with Me.

I hardly knew so much happened. But He is right. I can honestly say I loved who I was and what I had done at the close of last year.

And the crazy thing is, I planned for none of it. It all came when I wasn't looking, when I least expected it.

So this year I am hesitant to put  any plans or goals on this year. Sure there are things I want to do, places I want to go. But I'm reluctant to say, "At the end of 2012, I will have done....." or "At the end of 2012, I will have gone..." or "By the end of 2012, I will be..."

To do that would feel like I am stifling and suffocating the coming months.

So that brings me to my word - well, actually my words.

2012 will be the year of breathing, the season of becoming. Whatever that may look like. How ever that turns out.

And I think it's going to be a good year.