Filed under: Cooking, Cool Finds, FUN!, recipes, These are a few of my favorite things..., tmc, work
I think these could be a new fave! They will be right at home in Sweazy where we love everything orange. I even had one for breakfast :).
Orange Creamsicle Cookies
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 firmly packed brown sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons orange zest 2 cups white chips
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a small bowl, combine flour, baking soda, and salt; set aside.
In a large bowl, cream butter and sugars until light and creamy. Beat in egg and vanilla until smooth. Gradually add flour mixture until combined. Stir in orange zest and chips.
Drop rounded teaspoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets. Do not flatten cookies; it will make them dry. Bake 8 – 10 minutes or until golden brown around edges. Do not over cook! Cookies will be plump. Cool for several minutes on cookie sheets before transferring to rack to cool completely. Store in airtight container.
Filed under: Community, Friends, FUN!, Girly-Girl, Hospitality, Student Comments, These are a few of my favorite things..., tmc, work
One of my dear, sweet RAs got engaged last weekend. I’ve known JP longer, because he was a summer intern in our office two years ago, but Noelle has become very dear to me this year. I’m rejoicing at this awesome pair becoming a permanent pair. They both love the Lord and want to please Him and I have no doubt that they will be able to do that together. At our leadership meeting this week in the dorm, we celebrated JP’s popping the question with pop, popcorn, popsicles, and pop’ems.
My coworkers and I have a little lunch club going on. It’s actually the female RD meeting, but we take turns cooking for each other. It gives us a chance to try out recipes that we wouldn’t necessarily be willing to try on just anyone. This week I hosted and I got a keeper. Here is my version of Real Simple’s Sweet Potato Chowder.
Ingredients
- 1/2 pound turkey bacon
- 1 whole orange, yellow, or red pepper
- 1/2 red onion
- 2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
- 3 13-ounce cans chicken broth
- 3 mild green chilies
- 1 cup of frozen corn or half a bag
- salt to taste
Directions
- Cook the bacon in a large stockpot over medium heat until it begins to crisp, 6 to 8 minutes.
- Add the peppers and onion to the bacon and continue cooking, stirring frequently, until the vegetables are tender, 3 to 5 minutes. Because I used turkey bacon, I also needed to add a little olive oil at this stage.
- Add the sweet potatoes, chicken broth, and chilies and simmer, covered, 15 minutes or until the potatoes are tender.
- Stir in the corn and ½ teaspoon salt and cook until heated through.
I served this with ham, apple, and white cheddar mini-paninis. We had home-made peach fro-yo for dessert. The blueberry fro-yo was a flop :(.
Sweazy’s annual black-tie game night was this weekend. Here are a few pics of the set-up beforehand. It was a lot of fun!
Decor:
Metallic Garland Photo Wall and Photo Props
Lots of Silver and Gold
White Christmas Tree Lights (A Must at Almost Every Sweazy Event)
New Additions to the lounge:
Working Ping-pong Table
Pool Table from our Bigger and Better Christmas Event, but now with all the necessities to actually play.
Menu:
Flavored Popcorns
Gluten-free Pretzel Rolo Turtles
Red Vines
Snack Mix
Italian Cream Sodas (This was a first for me. Delish! A little ice, little half-and-half, lots of club soda, and some Italian syrup).
Just read a post by Stephen Altrogge on New Year’s resolutions, which I found very helpful. And so, here are my Resolutions for 2012,
Personal:
- Work on my handwriting each week as I write notes
- Stick to the Bible Reading Plan I’ve selected
- Hang out with friends outside of the dorm at least once every two weeks
- Spend 30 minutes a week working on a foreign language
- Work out once a week – I know it is small, but you have to start somewhere.
- Read one book for leisure a month or see one movie
- Memorize one verse a week
Ministry:
- Write a note a week. This is something I’ve gotten out of the practice of. I used to write notes all the time in college, even though my roommate said that no one could read them because of my messy writing :), but now a days it seems like there is never time or I don’t have the brain power to do anything worthwhile. That has got to change.
- Every Sunday spend time looking at the month ahead to prepare personally and better communicate to my staff
- Pray regularly for eyes to see how the Spirit is at work in people’s lives to encourage them with what I see.
- Dsomething spontaneous or silly with the girls at least once a month
- And I don’t know how to turn this into a resolution that’s doable since it is more of a mind shift, but here is an excellent post on caring for the person God has placed before you in that moment instead of being preoccupied with that girl on the opposite side of the room who you are not talking to.
Filed under: Community, Friends, My life, Quirky, These are a few of my favorite things..., tmc, work
I love my job, so much so that I don’t spend much time blogging. I see more to be done than I can possibly do. My 500th post came and went without me even knowing because the last post was scheduled months ago :). Life is full but I wouldn’t have it any other way. My absolute favorite part of the job is the people I get to work with both in King Hall and in the dorm. Working with my RAs is probably my greatest joy. Here are the pictures from a recent photo shoot: the good, the outtakes, and the purposefully silly.
Filed under: Christian Living, Good Advice, Gospel, Lessons Learned from Reading, Vocation, work
Recently my group of coworkers read a chapter from a book on words of life and words of death. It examined the counsel that Jesus gave to the people He encountered. It caused us to think about I Thessalonians 5:14. To be helpful we must choose our words wisely. They must not only be true but they must address that individual where they are at. The article reminded me of the fact that most people come into counseling with their interpretation of the problem and the solution. Martha did. She thought the situation was that she needed to put on a fine meal, the problem was her sister, and the solution was Jesus telling her sister to get her petuty into the kitchen to work. Jesus didn’t reply the way she wanted. To reply the way she wanted, would have been harmful to Martha. It wouldn’t have brought life to her soul it would have caused her to rely on herself, be preoccupied with making a meal, and to continue to judge God in thinking that He didn’t care for her, if He didn’t respond the way she wanted Him to, in order for her to control the situation. Instead he says, “Martha, Martha, You are anxious and troubled about many things. Mary has chosen the better portion and for that she will be rewarded.”
I am a people pleaser and as such these words about counsel are hard to think about. I need my faith, wisdom, grace, and love for God and people to be increased by God so I can walk in the Spirit and minister rightly. If I walk in the flesh, my counsel, is going to lead people away from Christ not to Him.
In chapel, a speaker spoke on evangelism. He said the fields are ripe for harvest and yet we tend to look at them and say they are green… Who can live this way? God why did you choose me? I’m so awkward, I’m not a good representative. Why didn’t you choose the best, the brightest, and the suave to represent you?
If God wanted to bring a person to the saving knowledge of Himself or encourage, confront, and have them change He could snap and it would be done perfectly. Instead He chooses to graciously and patiently work through imperfect you and me and He gets the glory and He works for our good.
Recently there have been a number of things where I have been led to cry out in response to God’s commands or God’s call on my life, “Who is sufficient for these things?” “Why did you choose me? Why didn’t you choose someone who was wise or more gifted, someone who wasn’t broken and didn’t mess things up?” “Lord, increase my faith and increase my love!!!” I’ve been led to see my desperate need for Him and I’ve been reminded of the confidence I have in the Holy Spirit abiding within me. I see the work He has done and I know that He will be faithful to continue it. I have a confidence that He will grow my faith and He will foster more love in my heart because He is faithful and He will finish the work He has begun in His perfect way in the perfect time. One day I will be with Him and I will be like Him and I will see Him as He is but for now I will walk humbly and faithfully, confessing my failures and sins, and depending on Him for truth, growth, and life. And in the mean time, I join with the disciples at seeing the great call of Jesus to forgive others in Luke 17, in saying, “Increase my faith!”
Filed under: Community, Cool Finds, Friends, FUN!, My life, These are a few of my favorite things..., tmc, work
Coffee Stop at Starbucks – Always a good start to a day.
The Griffith Observatory – Laid on the grass, talked, enjoyed the view and the sun.
Lunch in Griffith Park – White sack lunches. We traded sandwiches and fruit just like on the playground. I’m sure we looked funny – a bunch of adults crammed at a table swapping items from sack lunches on a Monday afternoon in the park. If people wondered, “Don’t you work?” they never asked, but it’s fun to think about our answer, “We are working right now :).” Love it!
Hung out at the Grove – Anthro is always a favorite spot of mine. Here are some Anthro finds or inspirations:
This one is from Gap, but it is still inspiring. On a normal bench only two random strangers would sit down, but this actually provides seating for three:
Dinner in little Ethiopia at Merkado - spongy, stretchy, pancake bread to scoop up delicious zil zil tibs and various vegetables. We sat on interesting saddle chairs.
Dessert at Crumbs in Beverly Hills – completely different than dinner, but a lot of fun.
It was a good day spent with friends.
RD Day Away was yesterday. Pics soon. Day of Prayer today. No pics of that, but I’m looking forward to it.
Found this note on my whiteboard outside of my apartment door. It was from my first RD at TMC. Weird, but oh so fun!
Last Friday was Sweazy Tie Day. I didn’t know girls could look so cute in ties :). One of the guys’ dorms on campus did this and we thought it was fun and would be funny to copy them :).
John MacArthur Legacy/Welcome Center Opening – I snapped the shot too late. I wanted the shot with all the board members cutting the ribbon, but I didn’t realized I wanted it until the group dispersed.
Karrie with John McCain in her office. Don’t know where this came from. I love happenings on a college campus :).
Make a Difference Day – A bunch of students and staffers joined the community to help improve Santa Clarita. It was fun to work with Master’s peeps and locals at the Senior Center. Weirdest moment of the day was a lady asking us if we were there for the AA Convention. When we said no, she said, “Oh, you’re not drunks? Well you should go become drunks so you can join our convention.” I also liked the lady that said she joined a sorority that day because she flashed a Sweazy sign in one of the pictures :).
That’s all for now folks.
Filed under: Community, Cool Finds, Discipleship, Friends, FUN!, pop culture, role models, school days, Student Comments, Teaching, These are a few of my favorite things..., tmc, work
Does it come as a surprise to anyone right now that I despirately need to do homework?