for my beautiful mother who lives an inordinate amount of miles away :)

bon voyage (well, kinda)

Well, it didn't go quite as well as last time. But Timothy George, John Elliot, my brother, and I sure had a good time! Note to self, Joel, and next year's team members: sides need to be lower to promote paddling.



Video compliments of Caitlin Meharry

Thus says the Lord:

"Let not the wise man
glory in his wisdom,
Let not the mighty man
glory in his might,
Nor let the rich man
glory in his riches;

But let him who glories
glory in this,
That he understands and knows Me,
That I am the Lord
exercising lovingkindness, judgment,
and righteousness in the earth

For in these I delight,"
says the Lord.

-Jeremiah 9:23,24

A Guaranteed Christy-fied Baking Experience

Yesterday I made Cinnamon Apple Oatmeal cookies and I was going to post a picture of my delectable creations. However, before I could find our ever-illusive camera, my family (i.e. my brother) finished off the last of my Cinnamon Apple Delights! But I remembered the recipe (well, rather the process) so I decided to post it for any of you adventurous culinary artists out there who need some holiday baking inspiration!

• First, have your dearest mother buy a bag of Cinnamon Chips from Wally World in hopes that her children will make some cookies.

• Second, have your most beloved sibling reject your ultra-cool idea of Cinnamon Blueberry cookies. (I thought it was a perfectly logical idea! I mean, if cinnamon goes well in blueberry pies and blueberry crumbles, then why not make Cinnamon Blueberry cookies!?!)

• Thirdly, be inspired by the applesauce simmering on the stove.

• Fourth, look at the back of the Cinnamon Chip package and notice the recipe for Cinnamon OATMEAL cookies.

• Fifth, exclaim with great enthusiasm and zeal, "I know! I'll bake Cinnamon APPLE Oatmeal cookies!!!!!!!" (Don't forget to add the seven exclamation points at end.)

• Sixth, rummage up a mixing bowl and the needed utensils and add liberal doses of the indicated ingredients. (Feel free to use whole wheat flour instead of the nutrient-starved white flour or applesauce instead of eggs.) Don't worry about amounts--measuring is over-rated.

• Seventh, look in the cupboards and add any other spices, seasonings, or yummy-looking ingredients that you find. (Don't forget to look in the freezer! That's where I found the frozen apple juice concentrate!) Mix thoroughly.

• Eighth, steal an apple that your mother is trying to wash and chop half of it into small bits. Add to batter. (Use the other half of the apple to calm your borborygmus stomach).

• Ninth, taste it! And be careful when letting your family taste it, they might take more then you expected!

• Tenth, plop the batter into small roundlets on your cookie sheet and bake at 350°. It's ok to run upstairs while they're baking and read blogs but make sure to listen for when your mom calls you to tell you that the cookies are getting black.

• Eleventh, don’t burn your tongue while you carefully nibble at the steaming cookies because you can't wait until they've cooled down to try out your new creation!
  

• Twelth, for a ‘more excellent way’ (1 Corinthians 12:31) dip cookies in honeyed peanut butter or add a fluff of whipped cream to the top!

Enjoy!