It's been so long since I've had the time and luxury to sit down and blog. When I do it, I realize how much I miss it and need it. Anyone who knows me knows that I am a born writer - and by that I mean that it seems to flow from me and always has. Formal education in English and a career in communications has honed it, but it was in me - breathed into me by a gift-giving God - long before I learned how to do it well.
I recall a Thanksgiving when I was about 9 or 10 years old when my mother told me I could say the blessing in front of our entire family for our Thanksgiving meal. She mentioned this several days prior to the holiday, and in retrospect, I strongly suspect that it was because she knew I had the ability to do it and that I would take it seriously. This may sound odd to Christian families whose children frequently offer a pre-meal blessing or lead their families in daily devotions or prayers, but I was raised Catholic, and our prayers were of the more memorized and predictable sort. My mother was asking me to go bigger. And with the intuition only a mother possesses, she knew God had called me to something special...a life that would involve teaching, writing, and Him. And here was an opportunity to step out and do all three at an early age.
I would give anything to still have a copy of the prayer I wrote that Thanksgiving. I remember taking great care in writing it, taking seriously the opportunity to say something meaningful to and about my God, about gratitude, and about the blessing of my family. I don't remember the prayer I wrote but I do remember that it took up nearly four pages of college-ruled paper...front and back! When the time came, my Mom's lovingly prepared meal laid out on the table, and my family gathered, I stood up with my 4 sheets of notebook paper, hands trembling, and felt the Holy Spirit draw me into ministry for the first time in my life. My family was moved and touched, and I was called. I know no other way to describe it. My love for the power of words, of language, and of its ability to impact lives began that day.
As I write this...from the BlogPress app on my new iPad...I realize that this great love has never diminished. I love writing every bit a much as I did that day. I do a whole lot of it everyday and will be doing a great deal of it in my new job, but I need a place to write from my heart and not just from my mind. When I spend days on end writing white papers, ad copy, product descriptions, and technical-ese, something in my soul just withers. I've come to realize that when God gives you a gift, you can use it for many things, but your soul will only prosper when you are using it as He ordained at the moment of it's impartation.
I've been stoked about my iPad from the moment I put my hands on it (seriously...it's an addictive and empowering blessing), but the freedom and flexibility to write and minister from it have rendered me profoundly grateful.
When did you first recognize God's call on your life, and are you operating in that gift the way God ordained? I hope so!
-Lea
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Saturday, August 6, 2011
Saturday, January 15, 2011
COUPONS: Why I am Now a Believer
I am ashamed (and rather astonished) to discover that I have not posted an entry to this blog in a full year! Thank you, AHDI credentialing exam process! It has been a intense year filled with some of the most meaningful and challenging work I've ever been asked to do, but the time has come for me to return to some balance in my life.
As part of my Awake 21 commitment to fasting, prayer, and devotion, I am endeavoring to spend some of my quiet moments blogging and journaling instead of parked in front of the TV (or Facebook) for these 21 days. While I am very hopeful to spend some blogging moments here reflecting on the powerful things God is revealing to me and culling out of me during this fast, I also want to journal my weight loss progress, and report on some other victories I'm excited about moving forward.
First and foremost, I am excited to announce that I am now addicted to couponing! Thanks to the great guidance I received from my good friend Sherry Martin about how to make coupon clipping a powerful tool for household budgeting, I am now a believer. I spent just one Sunday (1/9/2011) clipping coupons out of 4 copies of the Sunday paper coupon insert section. I organized them, filed them in a labeled accordian file just the right size for coupons, printed coupons from online sources, and sat down this week to approach my weekly grocery shopping with a new goal in mind - save BIG.
I'll admit that while I left Sherry's coupon class last week with interest and excitement to try it, I was a bit skeptical on just how much time I would have to spend doing it and whether it would be truly worth the effort. I think you'll agree that it was worth the $6 I spent on Sunday papers and the 2 hours I spent clipping, organizing, and planning.
I have a household of 5+1 (2 adults, 2 teenagers, 1 toddler, and 1 large dog). Given our tight economy and my family's even tighter budget, I have spent the last few months tracking every penny we spend and budgeting every expense. I use the Dave Ramsey approach to envelope budgeting and use an online service called Mvelopes (http://mvelopes.com/). I meal plan - usually plan out 2-3 weeks of dinners at a time so that I can shop purposefully and without excess. But I would typically plan my meals and then go buy the stuff I needed to make them. I was on the right track. Every household finance expert will tell you that you should plan meals and shop from a list. But I hadn't taken it to the next level...until now.
This week I approached my meal planning by looking first at what my two primary grocery stores would be offering on sale. I look at Publix and Winn Dixie. I made note of every buy-one/get-one (BOGO) special they would be offering this week. I made note of items on sale. I made note of special deals, especially at Winn Dixie, where a special enticement was being extended to purchase a specific product, so much so that if you bought 1 targeted item, you'd get 4 other items for FREE. I zipped through my carefully clipped store coupons and manufacturer's coupons, gleefully pulling any and all coupons that matched up with items these stores were offering for on sale, in a BOGO, or for FREE. My meals for the coming 2 weeks were shaped not on a whim or a preference for cuisine but on what was being offered up to me at significant savings by my grocers. BOGO chicken breasts? That's right, family. We're eating chicken breasts this week.
After two trips - one to Publix and one to Winn Dixie - here is how it all shook out:
I paid at Publix: $173
I SAVED at Publix: $83
I paid at Winn Dixie: $90
I SAVED at Winn Dixie: $58
TOTAL SAVINGS: $140!!
The picture here is all the stuff I got for FREE.
Yes, I said free. And there isn't a single thing in this picture that represented something I normally don't buy, don't eat, or never use. And as I am 2 weeks into Weight Watchers, finding all the WW snacks on BOGO was an unexpected bonus. They weren't advertised in the Publix flyer. Some of these, like the Goldfish (which Aiden eats almost daily) and the Banquet meals yield their savings in bulk. They're not advertised as a BOGO. They are advertised as 10/$10, but a quick calculation of the per-unit price revealed that they were a bulk BOGO - buy 5, get 5 for free. Not so great a concept on an item you rarely use (who needs 10 gallons of bleach?), but on these kinds of items, bulk is KING.
So, $6 on papers and 2 hours of clipping to save $140? I'll do it every week. If I saved $140 every 2 weeks on groceries, I will save $3,640 a year! That's huge. Yeah, I'm excited. And my husband is now a believer, too. :)
So, I'm headed out tomorrow morning for 4 copies of the Florida Times Union...clip, clip, clip.
-Lea
As part of my Awake 21 commitment to fasting, prayer, and devotion, I am endeavoring to spend some of my quiet moments blogging and journaling instead of parked in front of the TV (or Facebook) for these 21 days. While I am very hopeful to spend some blogging moments here reflecting on the powerful things God is revealing to me and culling out of me during this fast, I also want to journal my weight loss progress, and report on some other victories I'm excited about moving forward.
First and foremost, I am excited to announce that I am now addicted to couponing! Thanks to the great guidance I received from my good friend Sherry Martin about how to make coupon clipping a powerful tool for household budgeting, I am now a believer. I spent just one Sunday (1/9/2011) clipping coupons out of 4 copies of the Sunday paper coupon insert section. I organized them, filed them in a labeled accordian file just the right size for coupons, printed coupons from online sources, and sat down this week to approach my weekly grocery shopping with a new goal in mind - save BIG.
I'll admit that while I left Sherry's coupon class last week with interest and excitement to try it, I was a bit skeptical on just how much time I would have to spend doing it and whether it would be truly worth the effort. I think you'll agree that it was worth the $6 I spent on Sunday papers and the 2 hours I spent clipping, organizing, and planning.
I have a household of 5+1 (2 adults, 2 teenagers, 1 toddler, and 1 large dog). Given our tight economy and my family's even tighter budget, I have spent the last few months tracking every penny we spend and budgeting every expense. I use the Dave Ramsey approach to envelope budgeting and use an online service called Mvelopes (http://mvelopes.com/). I meal plan - usually plan out 2-3 weeks of dinners at a time so that I can shop purposefully and without excess. But I would typically plan my meals and then go buy the stuff I needed to make them. I was on the right track. Every household finance expert will tell you that you should plan meals and shop from a list. But I hadn't taken it to the next level...until now.
This week I approached my meal planning by looking first at what my two primary grocery stores would be offering on sale. I look at Publix and Winn Dixie. I made note of every buy-one/get-one (BOGO) special they would be offering this week. I made note of items on sale. I made note of special deals, especially at Winn Dixie, where a special enticement was being extended to purchase a specific product, so much so that if you bought 1 targeted item, you'd get 4 other items for FREE. I zipped through my carefully clipped store coupons and manufacturer's coupons, gleefully pulling any and all coupons that matched up with items these stores were offering for on sale, in a BOGO, or for FREE. My meals for the coming 2 weeks were shaped not on a whim or a preference for cuisine but on what was being offered up to me at significant savings by my grocers. BOGO chicken breasts? That's right, family. We're eating chicken breasts this week.
After two trips - one to Publix and one to Winn Dixie - here is how it all shook out:
I paid at Publix: $173
I SAVED at Publix: $83
I paid at Winn Dixie: $90
I SAVED at Winn Dixie: $58
TOTAL SAVINGS: $140!!
The picture here is all the stuff I got for FREE. Yes, I said free. And there isn't a single thing in this picture that represented something I normally don't buy, don't eat, or never use. And as I am 2 weeks into Weight Watchers, finding all the WW snacks on BOGO was an unexpected bonus. They weren't advertised in the Publix flyer. Some of these, like the Goldfish (which Aiden eats almost daily) and the Banquet meals yield their savings in bulk. They're not advertised as a BOGO. They are advertised as 10/$10, but a quick calculation of the per-unit price revealed that they were a bulk BOGO - buy 5, get 5 for free. Not so great a concept on an item you rarely use (who needs 10 gallons of bleach?), but on these kinds of items, bulk is KING.
So, $6 on papers and 2 hours of clipping to save $140? I'll do it every week. If I saved $140 every 2 weeks on groceries, I will save $3,640 a year! That's huge. Yeah, I'm excited. And my husband is now a believer, too. :)
So, I'm headed out tomorrow morning for 4 copies of the Florida Times Union...clip, clip, clip.
-Lea
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
The Bees Knees
I am kicking myself today because I realize I have not been faithful to blog about my fasting experience to date, so I will have to address that in a followup post because truly God is doing something amazing (doesn't He always?) this year.But this is just a quick little post to share my latest confection - two layers of moist and nutty carrot cake separated by cream cheese buttercream frosting and walnuts. This beautiful cake was a labor of love for my "step" grandmother, Virginia, an adorable, kind woman with the most beautiful soul who has become as dear to me as my own grandmother was. She turned 93 last week, and as the matriarch of my stepmother's family, she truly is the "queen bee." To honor her, I made her this cake of busy bees. I wish I could report first-hand that this cake was delicious, but my zealous commitment to tough it out with the Holy Spirit forced me to cut the cake for a hungry crowd (including 3 adorable little boys who all wanted a "bee" of their own to eat) and enjoy their pleasure from the sidelines. But they all said it was really good, so having others enjoy it is, as I am learning, an even sweeter reward than enjoying it myself.
If you have any special events coming up in the next few months and want a cake, let me know!
Thursday, December 31, 2009
Tidings of Great Joy...and Frosting
One of the best things about vacations is the time they afford you (if you take advantage of it) to do the things you really love and rarely have enough time for. Today that means finally getting to update my blog...yay! It has been an incredibly busy season of holiday preparations and festivities, Nutcracker rehearsals and performances, and time with family and friends. You know what? I wouldn't trade a minute of it.The season afforded me three great opportunities to fine-tune my new passion for cake baking/decorating, and I would have made a fourth cake this year if head colds and winter "yuck" hadn't gripped my household for a few days. But early in December, I made this 3-layer chocolate and vanilla cake for a family gathering. I dove into the hithertofore unexplored world of sculpting with fondant and came up with the Santa cake you see at the left. Santa is snuggled in his bed (with his chubby feet sticking out of the covers), and his naughty-'n-nice list is rolling off his night stand and on to the floor.
The second cake I made during the holiday season was a 6-inch, two-layer buttermilk white cake for my best friend, Kristin. This cake was hands-down the most moist, delicious cake I've made yet. Kristin and I gave a slice to the waiter we had at Cheesecake Factory, and he came back out from the kitchen to rave about how good it was. Surrounded by amazing cheesecakes, that's saying something! The buttercream frosting and strawberries layered in the middle were amazing! And the design on top was a quick, easy, beautiful way to top a holiday cake. The "berries" are pink fondant rolled in red sugar.
After this cake, I made a 9-inch New York cheesecake for Madison's 11th birthday party, but I forgot to take any pictures (yes, I'm smacking myself). It was topped with a strawberries, white chocolate ganache and a layer of buttermilk white cake. The entire cake was frosted in buttercream and had a pair of ballet shoes, molded in pink modeling chocolate, on the top of the cake. While this was a decadant, over-the-top cake that was a big hit with 11-year-old girls, I have to say that the New York cheesecake alone would have been as big a hit. I have found a no-fail recipe for cheesecake that I plan to make for many years to come.
If you're a baker and would like any of these recipes, let me know, and I'll post them. :)
I am so looking forward to 2010 and all it has in store for me, my family, my career, and my ministry. God is an amazing God, isn't He? I am excited about the 21 days of Prayer and Fasting that are coming up in January. After a season of feasting, nothing could be better timed, both physically and spiritually, for me and my household. I won't be baking cakes in the month of January (unless they're for someone else), but I'll be posting for the next few weeks about fasting and what God reveals in the weeks ahead.
Love you all!! Happy 2010!
Thursday, December 3, 2009
Two Tiers - No Tears
Those who know me well know that I am a woman of many interests. My mother has always joked about the fact that I always have a new hobby. I don't know whether to attribute this to an undiagnosed attention-deficit disorder or the fact that I have an insatiable desire to learn new things. But there are a few interests that never seem to change in my life, and certainly one of those is good food. More often than not if you were to visit my home you will find my television tuned in to TLC, We, Food Network, or whatever channel Martha Stewart reruns are on (this is during whatever hours of the day that Sesame Street, Barney, and Thomas the Train are not on the TV).
After months of awed fascination with shows like Ace of Cakes, Cake Boss, and Wedding Cake Wars, I finally decided to jump into the trendy world of baking and creative cake decorating. The early results received mixed reviews, like this pumpkin cake I made on Halloween, constructed with two Bundt cakes (one chocolate, one vanilla), where one cake is inverted on top of the other, frosted with buttercream frosting, and covered in rolled fondant icing, which I made from scratch with marshmallows and boatload of 10X sugar. The chocolate layer was moist and delicious, but the vanilla layer was dense and dry. So I determined to find a better recipe. Afterall, no matter how cute the pumpkin looks, it still has to taste good, right?
I found a great book called The Well Decorated Cake by renowned master baker Toba Garrett. I found a heavenly recipe for vanilla cake in this amazing book of craft, technique, and expert recipes. So I ventured out with these new skills in hand, to make a two-tiered creation, again of chocolate and vanilla cake, for Mildred Carter's 87th birthday. Ms. Mildred is my husband's grandmother who celebrated this milestone on Thanksgiving day this year. It is becoming somewhat of a tradition that I bake her birthday cake on Thanksgiving. So I gave her this two-tiered confection, each tier composed of a layer of chocolate cake and a layer of vanilla cake, separated by thick buttercream and fresh strawberries. This cake was moist, delicious, and beautiful. It was received with rave reviews. :)
I have plans for three holiday cakes and a birthday cake before this month is over and will post those pics as I go.
After months of awed fascination with shows like Ace of Cakes, Cake Boss, and Wedding Cake Wars, I finally decided to jump into the trendy world of baking and creative cake decorating. The early results received mixed reviews, like this pumpkin cake I made on Halloween, constructed with two Bundt cakes (one chocolate, one vanilla), where one cake is inverted on top of the other, frosted with buttercream frosting, and covered in rolled fondant icing, which I made from scratch with marshmallows and boatload of 10X sugar. The chocolate layer was moist and delicious, but the vanilla layer was dense and dry. So I determined to find a better recipe. Afterall, no matter how cute the pumpkin looks, it still has to taste good, right?
I found a great book called The Well Decorated Cake by renowned master baker Toba Garrett. I found a heavenly recipe for vanilla cake in this amazing book of craft, technique, and expert recipes. So I ventured out with these new skills in hand, to make a two-tiered creation, again of chocolate and vanilla cake, for Mildred Carter's 87th birthday. Ms. Mildred is my husband's grandmother who celebrated this milestone on Thanksgiving day this year. It is becoming somewhat of a tradition that I bake her birthday cake on Thanksgiving. So I gave her this two-tiered confection, each tier composed of a layer of chocolate cake and a layer of vanilla cake, separated by thick buttercream and fresh strawberries. This cake was moist, delicious, and beautiful. It was received with rave reviews. :)I have plans for three holiday cakes and a birthday cake before this month is over and will post those pics as I go.
I'm Back in the Saddle Again...
After dumping my rather costly personal website a year or so ago, I've decided to jump back into blogging here at Blogger both because it so beautifully imports via Networked Blogs to my FB profile page but more importantly because I missed it! If God has deposited the fiery gift to write and communicate into your soul, even a short season of not using it can be detrimental to one's mental and emotional health. It's rather like a faucet that has been turned off.
So I've decided to settle for a simple blog site where I can journal and share on a variety of life issues, not the least of which is my new passion for baking! I recognize that this is antithetical to my need for healthier living and weight loss, but I've come to understand that at least for me, happy living is going to mean striking a balance between health and joy. And cooking and baking brings me joy; therefore, I must follow my bliss. It just might mean that I may have to decline my own creations and serve them up to others instead. :)
And I wish to use this space to continue to explore God's call on my life to teach and minister to women, wherever and however He may create an opportunity to do that.
So I've decided to settle for a simple blog site where I can journal and share on a variety of life issues, not the least of which is my new passion for baking! I recognize that this is antithetical to my need for healthier living and weight loss, but I've come to understand that at least for me, happy living is going to mean striking a balance between health and joy. And cooking and baking brings me joy; therefore, I must follow my bliss. It just might mean that I may have to decline my own creations and serve them up to others instead. :)
And I wish to use this space to continue to explore God's call on my life to teach and minister to women, wherever and however He may create an opportunity to do that.
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