White Christmas

Hi readers. It's been a while. I am on Christmas break and am loving it so far. I have been to Sips N Strokes, seen the Beauty and the Beast Broadway play, celebrated my birthday, and celebrated the birth of Jesus Christ. Yesterday was Christmas. It was a good day, but was way too busy and I would have loved to have some more time to relax and enjoy the day. My favorite part of the day was sitting down after all of our company had left (about 9:00 pm) to read the Christmas story. For Christmas, I asked for Eric and Leslie Ludy's When God Writes Your Love Story. Instead, I received When God Writes Your Life Story, hahah. While it is not the book that I asked for, I began reading it anyway. I am excited about it and hope that this book will give me the motivation that I really need to transform my life. After realizing the mistake, we ordered When God Writes Your Love Story from Amazon :) I'm excited to receive it. It snowed yesterday! It was the first white Christmas on record in Alabama in a long time! The snow continued this morning -- it was so beautiful. I'm enjoying just staying home on this snowy day and relaxing. 
As for my cupcake contest: I'm in a bit of a rut. I cannot decide if I want to continue experimenting, and the contest deadline is in just a few days. I think I may do one more day of baking this week and then just submit what I have done. My motivation is dwindling. 
I hope you all have a wonderful week and enjoy a bit of a break from the craziness of life!

Are You Ready?

We are not promised tomorrow, so be ready for Him today.

He Gives Me Strength When I Am Weak

Lately, I have been struggling with putting all of my faith in God. It is so easy to forget that He alone can be my strength and sustenance. When I learned a little over a week ago that I would be giving a speech in class today, I immediately became nervous. Public speaking is, without a doubt, my biggest fear. No amount of practice in English class and Law Academy (including debate competitions) has ever helped me to overcome this fear. The knowledge that I will stand up at that podium and freeze is what has come to create my fear in the first place...I have a fear of fear. My family constantly reminds me that God can take away my fear, but I have never really been able to fully believe that. So, leading up to this speech, I vowed to put my full faith in Him. I knew that, if I relied on Him, my speech would be easy. It was extremely hard to just have faith. As I got into class today, I was not completely without fear. When it was my turn to give my speech, I was surprised with how much easier it seemed than usual. That is not to say that it was without flaw, but it was definitely better. I know that this improvement was only achieved through Him, and believe that, over time, my fear will disappear. So, I urge you to also try and hand all of your worries over to Him.

My friend Shelby posted this on her blog yesterday. I thought it was awesome, and so reassuring!

My Child,
You may not know me,
but I know everything about you. 
Psalm 139:1

I know when you sit down and when you rise up. 
Psalm 139:2

I am familiar with all your ways. 
Psalm 139:3

Even the very hairs on your head are numbered. 
Matthew 10:29-31

For you were made in my image. 
Genesis 1:27

In me you live and move and have your being.
Acts 17:28

For you are my offspring. 
Acts 17:28

I knew you even before you were conceived. 
Jeremiah 1:4-5

I chose you when I planned creation. 
Ephesians 1:11-12

You were not a mistake,
for all your days are written in my book. 
Psalm 139:15-16

I determined the exact time of your birth
and where you would live. 
Acts 17:26

You are fearfully and wonderfully made. 
Psalm 139:14

I knit you together in your mother's womb. 
Psalm 139:13

And brought you forth on the day you were born. 
Psalm 71:6

I have been misrepresented
by those who don't know me.
John 8:41-44

I am not distant and angry,
but am the complete expression of love. 
1 John 4:16

And it is my desire to lavish my love on you. 
1 John 3:1

Simply because you are my child
and I am your Father. 
1 John 3:1

I offer you more than your earthly father ever could. 
Matthew 7:11

For I am the perfect father. 
Matthew 5:48

Every good gift that you receive comes from my hand. 
James 1:17

For I am your provider and I meet all your needs. 
Matthew 6:31-33

My plan for your future has always been filled with hope. 
Jeremiah 29:11

Because I love you with an everlasting love. 
Jeremiah 31:3

My thoughts toward you are countless
as the sand on the seashore.
Psalms 139:17-18

And I rejoice over you with singing. 
Zephaniah 3:17

I will never stop doing good to you. 
Jeremiah 32:40

For you are my treasured possession. 
Exodus 19:5

I desire to establish you
with all my heart and all my soul. 
Jeremiah 32:41

And I want to show you great and marvelous things. 
Jeremiah 33:3

If you seek me with all your heart,
you will find me. 
Deuteronomy 4:29

Delight in me and I will give you
the desires of your heart. 
Psalm 37:4

For it is I who gave you those desires. 
Philippians 2:13

I am able to do more for you
than you could possibly imagine. 
Ephesians 3:20

For I am your greatest encourager. 
2 Thessalonians 2:16-17

I am also the Father who comforts you
in all your troubles. 
2 Corinthians 1:3-4

When you are brokenhearted,
I am close to you. 
Psalm 34:18

As a shepherd carries a lamb,
I have carried you close to my heart. 
Isaiah 40:11

One day I will wipe away
every tear from your eyes. 
Revelation 21:3-4

And I'll take away all the pain
you have suffered on this earth.
Revelation 21:3-4

I am your Father, and I love you
even as I love my son, Jesus.
John 17:23

For in Jesus, my love for you is revealed. 
John 17:26

He is the exact representation of my being. 
Hebrews 1:3

He came to demonstrate that I am for you,
not against you. 
Romans 8:31

And to tell you that I am not counting your sins.
2 Corinthians 5:18-19

Jesus died so that you and I could be reconciled. 
2 Corinthians 5:18-19

His death was the ultimate expression
of my love for you. 
1 John 4:10

I gave up everything I loved
that I might gain your love. 
Romans 8:31-32

If you receive the gift of my son Jesus,
you receive me. 
1 John 2:23

And nothing will ever separate you
from my love again.
Romans 8:38-39

Come home and I'll throw the biggest party
heaven has ever seen.
Luke 15:7

I have always been Father,
and will always be Father.
Ephesians 3:14-15

My question is…
Will you be my child? 
John 1:12-13

I am waiting for you. 
Luke 15:11-32

Love, 

Your Dad Almighty God

Father's Love Letter used by permission Father Heart Communications 
© 1999-2010 www.FathersLoveLetter.com

Dreamcakes Take 2

I happened to be in the neighborhood....so I had to stop by Dreamcakes again. I think I'm forming a bad habit.
This time, I tried the Caramel Apple cupcake. This was butter cake with an apple butter filling and covered in caramel icing. I also got nuts on mine. Yummy. It was really good, and really rich.

Oh and I got another Mississippi Mud, because the first one was so good. This one was just as good.

I also brought my roommate, Ally, The Dean Martin, a classic. It was marble cake topped with chocolate and vanilla icing. She said that it was good.

My parents tried the Pecan Pie cupcake. My dad fell in love. In fact, he loved it so much that he printed out a list of all of the Dreamcakes cupcakes and is going to eventually try and rate them all. Yeah, they're that good.

Cupcake Experiment 1

The experimentation has begun, and it was relatively successful.
I wanted to try a white velvet cake, so I used the same batter for two different kinds of cupcakes. 
The first cupcake had a ricotta and strawberry filling (ricotta being an adventure ingredient) and was topped with chocolate frosting. I am not a big ricotta fan, but my family approved of the filling :) And the frosting turned out wonderfully. It would be so good just to dip fruit in. The cake recipe, on the other hand, not wonderful. It tasted like cornbread. How, I have no idea, because it contained neither corn nor cornmeal. I think I will try the same cupcake with a white or butter cake next time. (Sorry for my poor decorating skills...I need to buy some new piping tips.) 

For the second cupcake, I added meyer lemon juice and zest (another adventure ingredient) and pieces of semisweet chocolate to the white velvet batter. I frosted it with a marshmallow frosting. The concept was pretty good, but I'm not sure if it's a keeper. The frosting was turned out well, both with and without cocoa powder. 

Happy baking (or eating)!

Dreamcakes

 Dreamcakes. Oh my goodness. Go there. Just go. I stopped by Dreamcakes in Homewood, AL to get some inspiration for my cupcake experimentation. And boy did I. 

I knew that I wanted something chocolate. And I also wanted something with a filling. I couldn't decide on just one...so I got two. 

The first one I tried was the Mississippi Mud cupcake. Oh. My. Goodness. It was chocolate cake topped with marshmallows and fudge frosting. It wasn't the prettiest cupcake, but man was it good. I loved it for every reason I thought I would. Chocolate. Marshmallows. Chocolate. The frosting was fudge-like, and wonderful. Yum. This was probably the best cupcake I have ever had. But not so great for my waistline. 

The second was Over the Moon, one of their bestsellers. It was white velvet cake with buttercream filling and vanilla bean frosting. Mmm. In this one, I preferred the cake to the icing, but I'm more of a chocolate frosting person anyway. The white velvet cake and buttercream filling were so moist and delicious.

My parents also tried the caramel sea salt mocha cupcake, and fell in love.

I think I will need to try the rest of the flavors...just to make sure that it is really as good as I claim it is. But I think you should try some yourself. You won't be sorry.

Catching Up

I don't have anything too thought-provoking to say today. 
The most exciting part about today was that I got to have lunch with my friend Quade, who I haven't seen in two and a half years. It was good to catch up with him :) 
I took a psychology quiz, which I think I did pretty well on. And I was only in class for ten minutes, which was nice. 
Also, I hit my knee on my desk. Now it isn't functioning properly. 
That was exciting, wasn't it? Have a good night!

Just a Thought

Something has been on my heart today that I just wanted to put out there...I'll make it brief.
My pastor said this morning that he has never heard anybody say that they wanted to spend eternity in Hell.  So I was thinking, are the sinful "pleasures" of this world so enjoyable that they are worth spending "life after death" in the misery of Hell? Our priorities are so out of line. We should enjoy things that please God; how did we ever come to think that the best things in life are things that our Savior abhors? He never said it would be easy. If it were easy, if we didn't have to sacrifice, what kind of commitment would that be? 
"What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul?" --Mark 8:36

La Dama

Okay, I admit, I love food. So the majority of my blogging will probably be related to food. I think I can come up with some good information for my readers, so spread the word (pretty please)! I want to tell you about a restaurant I went to for the first time last night: La Dama Italian Bistro on Liberty Parkway in Birmingham. My family had heard good things about La Dama, so we decided to try it out.
For starters, it was very crowded. They don't write down your name so you just have to try and keep your place in line and make sure that the hostess doesn't forget you. After 20 minutes or so, we were seated. There were kids running around everywhere, and it was very loud, but the atmosphere was nice anyway. Our waitress didn't provide us with the best service. She forgot things here and there--a salad, limes, etc. After waiting quite some time, the food came. But something was missing...my meal. They had completely forgotten to place my order, and I had to wait another 20 minutes for my food. My dad and sister, Lindsey, ordered the salmon with spinach and Parmesan risotto. Their meal was a little bland, but not bad. My sister's fiancé, Jordan, ordered spaghetti and meatballs. He said that his was pretty good. My mom ordered eggplant Parmesan, which most agreed was the best of the meals at our table. My five cheese calzone had mozzarella, ricotta, bleu cheese, feta, and cheddar. I really enjoyed it, but it was a little heavy on the bleu. Some of our dishes were supposed to come with garlic bread. When we asked the waitress about it, she said that they were out. We were further disappointed when we saw our waitress bring someone at another table a plate with garlic bread on it. We were at the restaurant for a little over 2 hours total. Overall, this experience gets a mixed review from me. Our waitress was quite slow and the food was just okay for the price. While it was disappointing, I'd give La Dama another chance. I hope this helps!

I Caved

Yes, I caved and entered the world of blogging. Hi bloggers! I'm not sure that I will have anything too exciting to post in my blog, but I will do my best to keep you entertained :)
The most exciting thing going on in my life is my recent decision to participate in a cupcake recipe contest! This isn't just any contest, it is The Chocolate Adventure Contest. You can read more about it here if you'd like. So anyway, I am very excited about getting started on my cupcake creations! I will keep y'all updated on my cooking adventures, so I hope you like food! 
Have a blessed day!