Save Me From Myself.

Well, it is Friday and I have yet to work on my paper since returning from my parents house last week. Handsome is travelling and has been for the last couple of days. It was unexpected, but the timing is probably good, for the sake of writing.

I feel like all I am writing about lately is writing this crazy paper. I worked on it for a few (okay, okay, a couple) solid hours this morning, but I am still feeling a little manic about it all. Sometimes I love the subject and feel confident in the work I have done, other times, like this morning, I feel quite down and distressed with the amount of work that remains to be completed.

These times, of frustration and confusion, likely arise when I have put extra pressure on myself. My competitive button periodically gets pushed and then I turn into some sort of Monster, and not the cute ones from Monsters, Inc. That happened today. Its almost like I become a little Smeagol / Gollum creature from Tolkien's Lord of the Rings, where the one thing I want is to do really well on this paper and I get obsessive about it and unfortunately, its counter-productive.,

Occassionally, I am able to step back and remember that my self-worth does not come from how well I do on this paper, or how well I do in any of my classes for that matter.

I am reminded that my self-worth comes from my identity in Christ. Because He loved me while I was yet a sinner. He has saved me from myself! I am saved from my competitive no-good self. I am saved from my striving and stressed-and-not-always-pleasant-or-kind-to-the-people-I-love-the-most self. I am saved from good grades and bad grades and any type of academic honors that I might desire.

Praise God for his intervention in even this small area in which I struggle!

I think this is just the kind of perspective change I need today, so that I can get back to work and not feel or think that this paper defines me or has any merit over what kind of human being I am.

Fashionista's in Academia.

I must share with you this  group of adorable bloggers. 
Here is the story:
Yesterday I went shopping and I found a well-fitting suit on sale but I didn't buy it. It felt too structured, too boring, too blah.
So I did not purchase it. 
Even though there may be days when I will need to wear a suit for the profession I have chosen.
Ordinarily I think I will be able to get by with professional pieces put together with other pieces that may be prettier than the average suit.
So in my state of feeling bummed about suits and outfits, I stepped onto a trail of looking at fashion bloggers.
(Alright, I know, I should not have been shopping or blogging, but writing. Let me just say I was really tired and couldn't write without doing damage to my paper yesterday...so back to the story.)
So I stepped onto this trail looking for fashion bloggers, possibly those in semi-professional type environments.
And that is when I came upon the most fabulous fashion blog. 
It is a group of three ladies, in academia, who are "on a crusade against the ill-fitting polyester suit of academic yore." 
The site is fantastic and so creative.
They have adorable fashion sense. 
And while I may not be interested in what they study, I was inspired by their outfits.
So much so, that I brought out some items from my closet that rarely ever make an appearance and started piece-ing them together. 
Check them out sometime.  

quote taken from the about me section at academichic.com.

Take Heart. You are not Alone.

Matthew 28:20(b)
"... Behold, I am with you always, even to the end of the age. Amen."

Returning from the North Pole.

Hello my dear patient readers,
I apologize for my slightly extensive absence. I have been to the North Pole and I am finally back. What a spring break! And what a difference from last year...  You see, last year, my mom and I had the most amazing time in Houston, TX. We went there to shop for a wedding dress as I was newly engaged! Oh what fun, desert tamales, coffee at Starbucks, and the most beautiful wedding dresses I have ever seen or tried on. Ok, basically the only wedding dresses I have tried on, but you get the idea. 
So this year I embarked on another journey, but one that must be taken alone. And one that doesn't involved any taffeta or lace or pearls or high heels, or in my case cowboy boots. Actually, I think I wore the boots some, but that is beside the point. 
As my mom already alluded to, I was working on my "writing requirement" for school. I went to her house to work on it, and no, she doesn't live at the north pole, but the process kinda felt cold and lonely at times, but was also slightly exciting at moments too. I'm still working on it, but I made a great deal of progress.. and I'm no longer in the trenches with it. I almost feel like we got bombed out and now we're being stitched together in a nice little hospital. We may have some more surgery in the days ahead, but we have come back from the far ends of the earth and we are still alive (and this means I am that much closer to graduating). 
My draft is due April 1st...which is sadly not an April Fool's joke. 

I think my creative juices are close to flowing again, though you probably can't tell it from this post. We were close to hypothermic last week, as I was functioning in a time warp and I don't think many of my bodily fluids were flowing at any normal speeds, especially not creative juices. But during this week and the next, I will still probably be slightly absent... but I hopefully won't go a full week without an update!
I suppose that is enough with my complaining and exaggerating. I'm just feeling fairly good about only needing 8ish pages and having 10ish days to write those. And the other pages that have been written, have been edited. (Man, I just can't stop myself from writing about my writing.)
More exciting things to come later. Maybe a recipe or some fabulous find or some scriptural encouragement. Who is to know at this point. 
Thank you again for your patience. 
-I'm here and I'm still writing, 

Katie's Absence.

Hi, this is Katie's mother.

Katie is diligently working on her writing requirement at school. She has sequestered herself at my home, has overtaken the dining room with research, and has been demanding snacks. She always had quite the flair for the dramatic.

I have missed her writing, and I recognize some of you may have also. I explained this to her and she told me I could tell you what was going on. She explained to me how to post, and I'm guest-posting about her absence, in her absence.

The silly child says she has no creative energy left to blog, but will hopefully return soon. Do not lose hope. Today she is editing, and I'm certain she will have more research and writing to do after this edit, but eventually her brain will return to its newly created blogger state and she will be able to write to you, which I am certain she would prefer over this paper she is working on.

Now, I'm off to enjoy my new illustrated copy of The Elements of Style, by Strunk & White. She

picked it up for me at the local bookstore when she went out in search of a new Thesaurus. Oh the joys of writing and words and style have once again filled my home.

Thanks for reading.
-Katie's Mom

Almost-healthy. Indulgence.

Chocolate is one of my best friends. We regularly get together for afternoon snacks and desserts and other fun times. We laugh together, we watch movies together, sometimes we cry together, and we have a particularly sweet relationship for at least several days out of each month. We are true to one another and have been present with one another at both the best and worst of times. 
I basically like all forms of it... Actually, no, thats not true. I don't settle for a chocolate candy bar very often, because I just know it won't do the trick. Its like cheating because I'll have to have more, better quality chocolate later to make up for the mistake I made on a whim at the grocery store check-out line. (Not always true if we're thinking about Twix or KitKat, but this is ordinarily the case). As with most candy bars, tI'm not a big fan of plain chocolate chips or Hershey's kisses, but if either are included in baked goods, it is a totally different story. 
When I'm in desperate need of a chocolate fix (like a I'm-gonna-flip-out-in-two-point-three-seconds-if-I-don't-have-some-chocolate), my go-to is the Ghirardelli Brownie Mixes. Oh. My. It's the most delicious thing to ever come out of a box. Usually I satisfy the craving by making the batter, and savoring a spoon-full or two. (Yes, I know the health repercussions I could suffer form eating raw eggs in batter, but that doesn't stop me.) This type of situation usually only occurs two or three times a year. And one of those moments might be coming soon... 

But I will share with you my newest chocolate obsession. Introducing...

Chocolate pudding, with freshly halved strawberries and a little whip cream! Can I say so fabulous and so easy! And even the slightest bit healthy tasting because of the fruit. Ok, just kidding, but still. This is my newest fresh, delicious spring obsession. And it is fairly "budget-friendly" becuase strawberries are reasonably priced (and you only need a few), pudding is a heck-of-a-deal, and with the small amount of whip cream I use, it's completey affordable too. Just thought I'd share.

*If you haven't tried the brownie mix mentioned above, you must. You don't have to try the raw batter, but make the mix, cook the brownies, and hide them, so you can enjoy days and days of deliciousness that tastes homemade. Actually, tastes better than most homemade brownie recipes I have tried. Just my opinion. The only downside is that it's not exactly budget-friendly, but if you only make them three times a year... 

Chicken Soup for a Not-Feeling-Very-Well-Physically Body and Soul.

Handsome was sick earlier in the week. Poor boy. He doesn't get sick often, so when he does, it usually hits him pretty hard. One night I decided he probably needed some chicken soup, because he was feeling well enough to eat something, but most things didn't sound too good to him. My mom's chicken soup always makes me feel better, whether I'm recovering from a stomach virus, a head cold, or some sort of emotional hurt. So that (with some variation) is what I made him. 
I used Swanson's broth, because I definitely didn't think about it early enough in the day to make my own. I also bought a few ready-to-go items, so that my prep time would be shorter and so Handsome would have something in his precious tummy sooner. (Did I mention that earlier in the day I forced him to finish my mint Oreo blizzard from Dairy Queen, which wasnot a good idea...so I definitely had some making-up to do, and I needed to do it quickly). 
Here is a general recipe of what I did, in case you don't have basic (use ingredients mostly ready at the store) Chicken Soup recipe.
You need:Chicken. I shredded a few legs and the breast of one Rotisserie chicken. (I really liked the taste / texture of it shredded.)Cut up one half of one white onion.Cut up six stocks of celery. Cut up about one small bag of baby carrots.3/4 of one bag of wide egg noodles. 2 boxes, and 2 cans of chicken broth. 2 regular potatoes, cut into bite size pieces.
I essentially just poured it all together and let it cook for maybe an hour-ish before we sat down to eat. The carrots were not as soft as I would have liked, but by the next day (I let it cook for a while after we had dinner)...they were doing well. We have plenty of leftovers. (So much, actually, that I might invite you over. Oh, except our house doesn't fit a lot of people. And that would probably require a plane flight and a little more notice anyway). I froze about 1/2 and we have been eating the others for dinner. This recipe is good for the budget! 
Anyway... I was proud of myself. I know it is not the fanciest or most difficult soup, but it hit the spot for these two lovebirds on a cold, and a little bit sick, week. 
Here are pictures: (I had to take them myself, and I don't know much about lighting at this point... so they would have probably looked a little nicer had Handsome been the camera operator and feeling better...but you still get the idea.)

So, if its cold at your house, and your up for a relaxing night in, I hope you will be inspired. And I would add green beans the next time I cooked it, but I didn't think to do so that 

Have a great weekend!