Insta-Smile

I give her my Panera Card, and watch with anticipation as she swipes it. 

"You get a free pastry and a free hot drink today", she says with excitement. Even the employees love it when customers get free things! 

"Really? Yay!" I respond with a massive and instantaneous smile. 

It's the little things in life that oftentimes bring the biggest joy. 

And in case you are wondering, I got an orange glazed scone (heated, of course) and Earl Grey tea with cream and sugar. Yummmmmmm. :) 

Tonight's Plan

- I drink a delicious mug of hot cocoa
- Nicole drinks a delicious mug of chocolate milk
- We sit together and finish reading Lewis' Prince Caspian

Thank you, Lord, for this fun night of yummy drinks and great literature.

Icecream

Cookies and Cream.

I had some when I got home from a Bible Study I went to tonight. I got out a small, red, Christmas coffee mug  with a happy penguin on it (my select choice for holding ice cream instead of a bowl), got a couple of scoops of delicious ice cream, added some crunchy peanut butter (my staple mix-in for most flavors of ice cream), and then stirred away.

It was yummy. Sweet and yummy.

Now I'm watching Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone on the t.v. It's awesome. I'm so excited to go see the last movie when it comes out!

So, thank you, Lord, for the yummy ice cream. :)

Serenity

Tonight, I am treating myself to a movie and popcorn. 

Cost: Free 

(Blockbuster has an awesome deal where I can get one-night rentals for FREE - needless to say I've become quite the Blockbuster addict) 

I'm excited to pop my popcorn, put the movie into my laptop, insert my headphones, and enjoy the wonderful cooking of Julie and Julia.

Thanks, Lord, for the simple things. Thank you for this simple and relaxing fun. :)

Baker's Therapy

Baking is therapeutic for me. 

When I need some constancy and a sense of control in my life, I usually find myself in the kitchen, baking for my family. 

Tonight, it was chocolate chip cookies. I asked Nicole to take some pictures of me because I knew this is what I would end up blogging about tonight. :) 

Pouring brown sugar. 

Look! Chocolate chips! :)

Insert caption here. haha.

Don't worry, Nicole didn't take this picture. Our dad did. Yay, cookie dough! 

When I'm baking, I'm in control. It's up to me how much of each ingredient I put in. It's up to me how hot I make the oven. It's up to me how long I put the cookies in the oven for. That's part of the reason I love baking so much; it's all up to me. 

Now, I know that this actually reveals a deep psychological flaw in myself that I needn't ignore. Baking is coping. Coping with stress which needs to be addressed head on. And, in time, I will address it. In time. 

But, for now, baking is also joyful. I love it when my entire family comes in the kitchen and grabs a spoonful of delicious dough and says how yummy it is. I love it when the cookies are fresh out of the oven, and people are waiting to snatch one up while they're hot. I love the feeling of contributing something to my family which brings us all together and makes us happy. 

So, whether it's coping with stress or just trying to bless my family, I thank you, Lord, for baking, and it's therapeutic effects on me. 

Spontaneous Fun

Today my mom and I went shopping for birthday presents for my dad and sister. Since my dad reads this blog, I will not reveal what was purchased. mwahaha. :)

Anyways, as my mom and I were starting to head home, my mom said, "I just wish you and I could go out to dinner or something". Then I said, "Well, why don't we?"

So we did! It was spontaneous and fun! It was spontaneous fun!

We drove down to Edmonds, an adorable little town right by the Puget Sound. We parked and walked around and happened upon a quaint little restaurant called Chanterelle. We decided, yes, this is where we should sit and eat delicious food.

We walked in and were seated at a cute little table right by the window.

Our appetizer was a Pear, Brie, Spinach, and Garlic Quesadilla. Yeah, it was DELISH.

Then, we got warm bread and our little bowls of potato soup.

And, then, oh my goodness, the best part of the meal was Pork Loin Saute with luscious Madeira wine sauce with apricots and cranberries. Yes, it was more delicious than it sounds and looks.

All in all, it was so magnificently wonderful. Thank you, Lord, for spontaneous fun with my mom. And delicious food. :)