Fall Wish List

I thought about putting up my fall decorations over Labor Day weekend...because I had the time. But I just couldn't bring myself to do it. I wanted to savor a little more summer.

Nevertheless, fall is rapidly approaching and as one of my favorite seasons, I decided to make a wish list of fall hopes.

* Fire Pit Fun! It's been so blessed hot all summer that I haven't been able to utilize my cute little fire pit (other than the one night when Ronda and Jonathan came over to have a hot dog roast). Since fire pits are not nearly as fun when used alone, my goal is to have some friends over for hot dogs and s'mores.

* Pretty Leaf Hunts. Of course Brown County is always the ideal location for that, but I'm not sure I have time to make it down there this fall. Though how much fun would that be...to stroll through Nashville and look at leaves on the side! :) Even if I don't make it down there, I'd love to take a good drive in the country to check out the pretty leaves once they hit.

* Pumpkin Patch! Last year, Rachel and I went to a local orchard and picked out some pumpkins - and we had a lot of fun and some good laughs doing that. But I would love to go someplace a little bigger. Julie Crandall told me about Steele Farms up by her house and it looks like a fun place to go. I think I'm going to try to get there!

* Chili, Movies, and Hot Chocolate. For those nights that are nasty cold and rainy (not that this would EVER happen in Indiana), I think the best plan is to make a pot of that pizza chili I recently discovered, watch a chick flicks with some friends, and drink hot chocolate.

* Candy Corn and Peanuts. Yes, I do think about things other than food, I promise. :) But one of my favorite fall snacks is candy corn and peanuts. Oh YUM.
These are the good things about fall. I won't think about things like...raking leaves. :)

Magazine Miscellany

One of the perks of my new job (there are many!) is that I get to read a lot of magazines. I've never felt so in the loop in all my life!

One of my strange magazine-reading quirks is that I feel I must answer all the poll questions out loud...as though they printed them because they really wanted to know my thoughts. So for today's blog post, I thought I'd answer them for you! Answers to all your burning Bekahland questions. :)

Has anyone ever thought you were pregnant when you weren't? Yes. About ten years ago, a woman who worked in my building nodded at my stomach when I walked in the door and said, "You're really blossoming!" She had me confused with another girl at work who really was pregnant. Still, I don't think I need to explain to you why I never wore that dress again.

What level of SPF do you wear? 30. When I remember to wear it. I only think of it when I'm on the beach...never just in daily life.

What is one lesson you learned in school that you'll never forget? I took a speech class in college, taught by a rather unorthodox (but in my opinion, fantastic) professor. He threw away every rule of speech-making I'd ever been taught in high school. His philosophy was to just know your topic. Don't make note cards. Don't rehearse. Just know your stuff. That way if something goes differently from what you expect, you'll be able to stay on course. I had no idea public speaking - or radio - would be in my future, but that advice was the best lesson I learned in 4 years of college.

What's always in your refrigerator? Ranch dressing, chocolate syrup, and lots of cheese. Not to be consumed simultaneously.

What is the craziest thing you've done while sleep deprived? I don't think I've done anything crazy in the name of sleeplessness, but in the last five months, I have pulled one all-nighter and 2 "near all-nighters" (2 hours of sleep each on those nights). THAT is crazy. I'm too old to pull stunts like that!

What do you do to make your mornings less hectic? Now that I commute, I have to plan ahead! I set the coffee pot the night before, and I pack my lunch the night before, too. Having coffee within 30 seconds of waking up helps make the rest of the morning less hectic. And it makes me far more pleasant.

It's the Weekly Recap!

* Sunday was a true day of rest. I needed it! I took one of those naps in the afternoon that you just can't wake up from...try as you might. It was absolutely heavenly. I spent the day reading, scrapping, and watching TV - namely 9/11 specials that have already started to air. They fascinate me - no idea why.


* Monday morning was...well...a Monday morning at my house. Braeya sleeps in my bed, and every morning, when I get up, she gets up too and goes to the kitchen with me to get breakfast. Then she plays while I eat. Not Monday. She stayed in bed, and this is how I found her when it was time to make the bed.
I put that picture on the WBCL Facebook page and during the afternoon, I heard Ross tell people to check it out. Braeya's radio famous! :) Not bad for a cat!

* Tuesday night, as you already saw, was my first ever ball game! I had so much fun taking in my entire first baseball experience (and I managed not to get hit by any wayward baseballs - though one player tried really hard to hit us - more than once).
* Wednesday I got my first taste of the end of the month (Jamie-less) at my new job. Wowza. BUSY!! It was very overwhelming...making me ever that much more grateful for Lynne's compassion. I ran into some wildly frustrating computer problems and she was so sweet about it...telling me not to worry. Bless her heart.

* Thursday was...a new month and therefore...a new picture! I know you've been anxiously awaiting. Phats...here you go! Thursday evening, Rachel came over to hang out - and we made milkshakes and watched multiple episodes of "I Didn't Know I Was Pregnant." That show freaks me out. But it was much fun to have a relaxing evening at home with Rachel. I miss her!

* Friday was a red letter day!! We got an hour's head start on our weekend, which was a super treat! And Lynne and I got the sweetest note from an author she interviewed earlier in the week. The author thanked me for putting her at ease as we prepared for the show, which was the nicest compliment. Makes me feel like I'm doing something not only right...but worthwhile! And she included this bookmark, which has the perfect words on it:
(In case you can't read it, it says, "God delights in turning the pages of our lives so that He can write exciting new chapters." - Roy Lessin)

And when I got home, the UPS man came to visit. When I went to the door, he said, "I sure am delivering a lot of textbooks today! I said, "This is no textbook - this is a SCRAPBOOK!"

PLUS - my parents surprised me by replacing my kitchen faucet. (All in the name of a marketed house.)

* Saturday was a glorious day at home. For as much as I like to be on the go, I adore being home. I slept in until ten, did a lot of reading, worked around the house, did some chores, and watched the Little House on the Prairie marathon on Hallmark. Sigh of happiness.

Books I'm Reading: Continued reading in Jesus Calling each day. FINISHED reading Deepest Thanks, Deeper Apologies - a book that releases officially in October. Absolutely fell in love with it. It made me want to write...such an inspiration! STARTED AND FINISHED two other books: Tending the Soul, which is a collection of short devotionals written by several popular women's authors, and A Woman's Walk in Grace by Catherine Martin. Found several challenging parts in that book!!

Favorite God Moment of the Whole Week: Friday night, I sat down to read and pray, and I realized that my journaling hadn't been as intense as I typically like for it to be. That's usually a sign that I'm not spending enough time with the Lord. But this time I realized I felt so close to Him...so much so that I couldn't even put the thoughts on paper. I loved that thought.

Update on Last Week's Goals: I managed to keep an open heart this week...and I'm so thankful. I wasn't sure how well I'd do, but I kept reminding myself over and over that He has proven capable of writing my story, so He can handle all the details.

Goals for the Coming Week: Busy, busy work week coming up! Despite having a day off, it might be one of my busiest weeks yet. I want to be able to handle all the newness and challenges well. (I am going to be on the air two days in a row, I get to go on my first remote event since the parade, and I am helping to cover for someone on vacation one day. Lots to figure out!)

30 Days of You and me: Day Twenty-Five

I think this one may end up being more about you, because it's definitely pretty short about me!

The topic for today is tattoos I want.

The answer?

NONE!!!!!!

My parents are not fans of tattoos, so it was never anything I even considered as I grew up. I always associated tattoos with sin. (True story!)

Then I moved in with Angela. Or rather...she moved in with me. She and her tattoos moved in with me. I can't remember how many she had when she moved in, but I remember the day she got a new one across her back. She couldn't wait to show me. Because of where it was located (between her shoulder blades), she couldn't reach it to put the ointment on it.

So guess who got that job?

Not even kidding - I thought I was going to face eternal wrath for putting that ointment on her - as though it somehow condoned the ink.

But it did soften me a bit concerning the sinful nature of tattoos.

And then I dated (ever so briefly) a guy who had tattoos. I was so grateful they were hidden by his shirts, so Mom never knew. (And she doesn't read the blog so she still won't know unless you tell her! Ha!) Dating someone who sported tattoos broke down my wall a little more.

But I remain highly unamused by the prospect of pain from any source, so I have firmly declared I shall remain tattoo free.

How about you? Thoughts on tattoos??

My First Tin Caps Game!

Actually, a more accurate title would be My First GAME. It's a sad, but true fact about my life. Aside from a few high school games I attended (both at my itty bitty public school and my BFF's ittier bittier Christian school) and a few IWU basketball/volleyball games, I've never been to any game of any kind in my life. Well. Until now.

My friends the Crandalls (of Anne of Green Gables fest fame) invited me to go with them and a friend of theirs to see the Fort Wayne Tin Caps at Parkview Field. Didn't have to ask me twice! Sign me up!
The stadium is pretty new and I'd heard it was a nice one - with a very good view of the city skyline. Granted I had nothing to compare it to, but I was pretty impressed! And MAN - what a perfect night for a game. Not too hot, not too cold, not too windy, not too still, not too sunny, not too cloudy...you get the idea.

I have no idea who this guy is. We were trying to figure out the major league team associated with the Tin Caps. Camera zoom to the rescue! The answer? The Padres!!

I loved our seats. They were field box seats - which I thought looked like cattle pens. (Much nicer than a real cattle pen, I'm sure.) We had our own table where we could sit and talk...and a waitress brought us our ballgame buffet. (We had a little smorgasboard of seasoned waffle fries, popcorn and nachos, and then we all got hot dogs and chips too. I felt that I got the entire experience.)

We had the best time laughing and talking (the game wasn't particularly high scoring, so we had plenty of time to be entertained between runs).

The players gathered for a little conference on the pitcher's mound. We assumed they were planning an end-of-game rally. We assumed incorrectly.

I also appreciated the entertainment....like this human bowling ball game!

What a very fun night...I'm so glad I went. And here is the proof that I really was there! Final score...uh we lost. 5-1, I think. To the Lansing Lugnuts, no less. Wouldn't you like to answer phones for them? "Lansing Lugnuts. How may I direct your call?"

PS - I'm not really wearing a jacket in August. It just looks like it. Good grief.

SSMT: Verse 16

Sometimes I just need a good kick in the seat of the pants. I'll admit it. So that's why I'm grateful for this new verse. It both kicks and comforts.

So then, those who suffer according to God's will

should commit themselves to their faithful Creator

and continue to do good.

1 Peter 4:19

I would like to say that I don't consider myself to "suffer." Last week I saw my former roommate, Angela, who is living with terminal cancer...and she doesn't know how much time she has left. To me, that's suffering. I think of those who face persecution for their faith...and to me, that's suffering. I think the best I face is a strong annoyance.

But I once heard Nancy Rosinski (a hospital chaplain) say that the pain in front of you right at this moment is the greatest possible pain - because it's yours. So in the same way, the suffering in front of me right now is legitimate suffering because it's mine. If it hurts me...challenges me...it's my form of suffering, and God cares about it.

But look at this...the phrase "according to God's will" means "His gracious disposition toward something. Used to designate what God Himself does of His own good pleasure." My "suffering" has been picked out by God. Graciously picked out by God, even. It's been chosen for me because He knew I could handle it - with His power behind me, of course.

So my job is to commit myself to my faithful Creator. Faithful, in case you were wondering, means "worthy of trust, belief, or confidence." Yep. That's my Abba. Faithful.

And while I'm committing and waiting through the suffering...my other job is to continue to do good. Even when it hurts. Even when I don't want to. Even when I'm tired.

That's the part that kicks me. It's hard stuff. But the comfort is that He's behind it all. He picked out the suffering and He is worthy of my trust and confidence as I work through it.

August: Done

I think August can be classified as the month of the "last minute." Very little was planned ahead but it was still so full of FUN!!

* In the world of attempting to relocate...I went house hunting with my sister, Lori, and found a house I absolutely fell in love with, which resulted in increased prayers about the entire situation. Lori also helped me by heading up (aka doing every last stitch of work regarding) my yard sale. Very excited about how that turned out - both in $$ made and stuff ditched! I also started the paperwork process of being able to purchase a new home in case mine does sell soon - getting the pre-work out of the way!

* In the land of entertaining...it was fun to have Lori and Jeff here to open up Bekah's B&B (which is now sorely lacking the first B...we sold it in the rummage). I hosted Pancakes with the Princess for my friends, the Hubbards, and had another overnighter party with Julie Crandall when she came for the Anne of Green Gables fest!

* In Mid-Morning news...I made my first appearance as an engineer WHILE talking on the air at the same time. Took multi-tasking to a whole new level. I was also so excited to receive invitations from Lynne to help with the show as a whole...new ideas...brainstorming...all that. Very exciting. Have I mentioned I love my job? And while it wasn't for Mid-Morning, I also recorded my first station promo! Freaks me out every time I hear it on the air. I spent Lynne's vacation week researching like CRAZY - left her a whole stack of show ideas - complete with a table of contents for each one. NERD!

* Had some time to cook...trying out Judy Reynolds' chocolate and caramel crispie bars, plus a peach cobbler (never cooked with peaches before - ever!). I didn't love the cobbler...I'm more of a crisp girl. But I loved the crispie bars! Tried - and loved - the new pepperoni pizza chili recipe. For the Anne of Green Gables party, I made a shortbread cookie recipe (turned out mediocre...but cute!), raspberry cordial (minus the alcohol), and a tortellini caesar salad. AND I made a fantastic cream cheese danish that you're going to love!

* Acquired my neighbor's tree in my backyard...during the great windstorm of 2011. So thankful for Dad and his friends who came over and cleaned it up so my house isn't too horrible looking while it is on the market!

* Worked on a "fresh start" with some new clothes and accessories (I like to do one or two big clothing blitzes each year) for the new job. No more mid-year slump for me! And in that fresh start business...a new day planner and color coded system!

* Also did some new stuff...including going to my first Thirty-One party, eating at Biaggi's for the first time, and going to my first ever Fort Wayne Tin Caps game - which you'll see more about later this week!

Stone Altar: End of August

August's Interesting Factoids

It's the end of another month, and I've learned a few more things on the job that I didn't learn in kindergarten!

* I did NOT know that if you've had an operation that leaves you with a scar in the general area of your appendix, they automatically take out your appendix whether or not it was on the schedule. Did you know that??

* Lynne shared with me this tip for toasting nuts in the microwave - which saves heating up the oven! Put the nuts in a (microwave safe, obviously) bowl and nuke for 30 seconds on high. Stir and repeat until the nuts are toasted satisfactorily. She found that tip in a Good Housekeeping magazine and we shared it on the air the day we made the f.a.b.u.l.o.u.s. popcorn/chocolate/caramel bars.

* Did you know you can get health insurance for your pets? I had no clue. And no. I'm not going to do it.

* I did not know the name "Stacey" (or any of its alternative spellings) means "Resurrection." We did a show on baby names, and someone emailed to say she and her sister were twins, and their parents gave them Christmas and Easter names: Holly and Stacey. I figured out the Holly part, but the Stacey part was perplexing, so I looked it up. Who knew?!

* Did you know if you get a stain on your clothing, you should try to remove it from the inside out? That apparently keeps it from being ground in further. I had absolutely no clue. (Thus proving the point of the author who mentioned it as a bit of info she included in a book for girls...in a section about stuff no one ever told them.)

The Anne Fest

My friend Julie Crandall and I have a life-dream: to one day travel to Prince Edward Island in Canada, and have a whole week(ish) of Anne of Green Gables bliss. We LOVE Anne. Okay so actually we love Gilbert (in the movie, anyway), but we also love Anne.

At this moment, such a trip is financially beyond our scope of attainability, so we did the second best thing we could think of. We had an Anne weekend! Julie's husband (who deserves husband -of-the-year award for doing things like this with actual joy) kept the kids so she could come to my house and spend part of a weekend watching movies with me. THANK YOU, JON, FOR MAKING THAT POSSIBLE!!!

So last Friday night, after I came home from work, Julie showed up! We started out with dinner. I tried a new recipe, which in my estimation was a wild success and you'll be seeing it on here next time I make it: cheesy tortellini Caesar salad with homemade croutons. YUM.
Remember those cookies I made for Lynne? Well the whole reason I made shortbread cookies to begin with was because they were from the Anne of Green Gables cookbook. (Or so the online recipe said.)
We ate at the table and everything! (We decided to forgo the plum pudding with dead mouse. That will only mean something to you if you're familiar with Anne.)

Let the festivities begin!!

Julie brought dessert - and it was h.e.a.v.e.n.l.y. I think she said they were called tuxedo bars. They had a chocolate brownie base, raspberry jam, raspberries, a topping of white chocolate/cream cheese/whipped cream - and then raspberries on top. I think its deliciousness is self-explanatory.

And then we began to watch. Oh Anne. I just love her. Julie can quote this movie almost word for word. I love it!!!

Movies are best when watched from the comfort of a fleecy blanket.

I have lots of fleecy movie-watching blankets. :)

The movies, if you've not seen them, are extraordinarily long - between 3 and 4 hours each. So the first movie ran until midnight, and then we decided to get some sleep. We got up at 10 on Saturday and I made breakfast - another keeper recipe you'll see soon: cream cheese danish.

Breakfast in "bed" while watching Anne of Avonlea!!

Yes. Braeya attended the party too. She always shows up for the food. Wonder where she gets that trait?

We also made authentic raspberry cordial. It was pretty good!

When the second movie ended, Julie had been gone almost a whole day, so she headed home. (Neither of us are wild about the third movie anyway. It deviated too far from the original story.)

This was so fun. Loved getting to hang out with Julie, loved an excuse to watch eight(ish) hours of movies without guilt, and loved a party!! Now to save my pennies for P.E.I.....

It's the Weekly Recap!

* Last Sunday, as you saw, I had Pancakes with the Princess, with my friends, the Hubbards. Loved their fellowship! Then I spent the rest of the day cooking like a fool! I made a strawberry shortcake (to use up the leftover strawberries from lunch) and tried a new shortbread cookie recipe. A whole day in a kitchen is a good day! (I made some of the cookies for Miss Lynne - man I missed her while she was gone!)
* Monday I had a hair disaster. People ask me if my hair is naturally straight or naturally curly (since I wear it both ways). The correct answer is my hair is naturally BIG. It takes much effort to achieve either look. So Monday I decided on straight, dried my hair and when I went to attack the big mop of it with the flat iron...the iron was dead. With no time to start over OR go to the store, I had no choice but to swallow my pride and head to work with that monstrosity sitting atop my head. There will be NO photo of that mess for you to view - but you can look at these pretty flowers Lynne brought me!

* Tuesday night I managed to get out of mowing the yard (thank you, rain!) and with that extra time, I thought...what have I not done FOREVER? The answer? COOK! :) So I went back into the kitchen and whipped up a big batch of chocolate chip cookies.

* Wednesday night I had a treat! Lynne took Amy (from work) and me out to eat at Biaggi's in Ft. Wayne. You should know that in general, if a restaurant doesn't sport a drive thru window and a dollar menu, I don't frequent it. I'm too frugal. :) So this was a super treat for me! It was so great to enjoy their fellowship for the evening. And the food. Oh sweet mercy, the food. Lynne thought it was funny that when the food arrived, she reached for her fork and I reached for my camera. Meet the stromboli:

* Wanna hear my work "funny" from Thursday? We did a show on technology and how it impacts our lives. Twenty minutes before the end of the show, I realized I forgot to turn on the backup recorder. Ironic, huh? Fortunately the main recorder didn't fail. Also on Thursday - I became a "real person" on the station website! Here I am with Miss Lynne and here I am on the staff page!



* Friday night began a fun weekend I've been looking forward to for a while! Julie Crandall came over for an Anne of Green Gables marathon! More on this next week, but she came over after I got home from work, and we made a delicious cheesy tortellini Caesar salad and some heavenly tuxedo bars (at least I think that's what she said they were called) - and then we hunkered down to watch the original movie. (We heart Gilbert...don't tell.) * Saturday (Julie was still there...we made a weekend of it) we slept in until 10. PRAISE. THE. LORD. I'd only had two hours of sleep going into the marathon, so I needed to catch up! We made a fabulous cream cheese danish for breakfast and settled in with movie number two. (Did I mention we heart Gilbert? Did I mention not to tell?) We even made the marathon weekend authentic with homemade raspberry cordial.
Books I'm Reading: I read in Jesus Calling this week - really comforting words. I also continued reading A Woman's Walk in Grace - which challenged me. And I started reading a book that releases in October - called Deepest Thanks, Deeper Apologies, by Stephen Shortridge. Oh my goodness. I am LOVING this book.


Favorite God Moment of the Whole Week: I had a bit of a heartbreak this week...why do those always come in the middle of the night? And as I lay in bed at 2 in the morning, sobbing and trying to breathe through the half of my nose still working, these words came to mind You give and take away...my heart will choose to say, blessed be the Name of the Lord. So I did. I chose to say it - through the snot, in the middle of the night. Even while my heart screamed "Why do you keep taking things away from me??" I made the choice to say words of praise. And I'm so grateful I did. The hurt is still there, but I'm glad Satan didn't get the best of that moment.


Update on Last Week's Goals: I'm thankful for the time I had this week to sit with the Lord - drive with Him - write to Him. He continues to pull and stretch me in ways that are remarkably uncomfortable, but I"m thankful for the time with Him.


Goals for the Coming Week: As I head into a new week, my goal is to have an open heart. I'm freshly aware of my theme song from Lent - Undone - and I can tell God is still trying to do things in my life. I want my heart to be open to whatever HE has - not stuck on the things I think should be.

So About Those Prayers...

A few weeks ago, I wrote about God calling me to be devoted to prayer....and this week I've been focusing on that again.


I prayed very diligently (and by that, I mean long, labored prayers of war against the Enemy) for a while, and then I didn't pray as hard anymore. Why? Part of it was busyness. Everything about my life changed and my focus pulled me everywhere but toward prayer. Part of it, though, was Satan. I'm sure of it. He's not crazy about people going to prayer-war for other people. He'll use any tactic he has to derail the project.

But this week God called me back to it, and I love the way He started it.

It began on Tuesday, when we did a show with an author named James Banks. He wrote a book called Prayers for Prodigals. Amazing book. I can't wait to buy it. It has 90 days of conversational prayers he wrote as he prayed for his two prodigal children. While I listened to his discussion with Lynne, I heard him say God has called us to be part of His search and rescue mission for lost souls.

I grabbed my journal (I've learned to take it into the studio with me because I never know when "a moment" might present itself) and scribbled down "Why did You call me for this mission?...Are You disappointed in my weakness?"

And I'll admit...I did feel like a failure. God has entrusted me with the assignment to pray for my friend, and I haven't thrown as much of myself into this as I could have...as I should have. But God wasn't done speaking on the subject:

The next morning, I was getting ready to tweet (yes, I tweet for work...still cracks me up), and I saw this from Beth Moore: "Aren't we still a little amazed at times that prayer actually works? Last night I asked God to wake me up early, rested, and ready to go, and He did. Today let's pray for something we normally wouldn't think to ask God for. Maybe alertness? opportunity? Perception? Vision? Ask, seek, knock."

Not a moment later, I saw another tweet - this time from a woman named Susie Larson. She said, "God moves on the prayers of His people. Kind of amazing when you think about it."

Not only has God called me to participate in His "search and rescue" mission, but He reminded me that He answers those prayers. He moves. The words I have prayed, even if not as numerous as possible, are not lost.

I'm thankful for that. And as I renewed my commitment to be a prayer warrior, I wrote in the journal, This is an enormous calling. Sustain me in this journey.

Strawberry Shortcake

* Adding this recipe to the Thistlewood Farms Summer Inspiration Recipe Link-Up! *

All that talk earlier this week about my guilty pleasures...and how one of them is strawberry shortcake from Ivanhoes...put me in the mood to EAT some strawberry shortcake!
Seriously. Ivanhoes has the best shortcake on the PLANET. It's amazing in ways I can't describe. And while this isn't Ivanhoes' version...it's much closer than that sponge cake stuff you buy in the stores. In fact, I'm not sure I can ever eat those again.
I got this recipe from my friend Ronda. She called me one night and said she'd made it and I was welcome to come over to sample it if I wanted. I think I waited a respectable 2.5 seconds before showing up at her door. It was HEAVENLY, and I asked her if she shared her recipe. She did, and I've made it several times since.
So after I served Pancakes with the Princess on Sunday, I had leftover strawberries. I knew they'd go bad before I had time to eat them, so I made shortcake!
(Technically this recipe is for Butter Cake...but I prefer to think of it as shortcake.)
2/3 cup butter, softened
1 3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
2 3/4 cups flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cup milk
Heat oven to 350. Grease 9x13 pan or two 9-inch round pans. Mix butter, sugar, eggs, and vanilla until fluffy (about five minutes). Mix dry ingredients. Alternate adding dry ingredients and milk to butter mixture. Bake a 9x13 for 40-50 minutes and smaller layers at 30-35 minutes.

That was the cake recipe. Of course I added the strawberries because it's strawberry shortcake!
I rarely think ahead enough to soften butter properly, so I cut it into smaller pieces to nuke. Then I dumped in the sugar, vanilla, and egg. (I just made 1/2 of the above recipe.)

This is what it looks like after it's beaten.

I mixed the dry ingredients in another bowl. I have a weird habit of stirring them with the knife I used to level the flour.

I'm an impatient cook, so the whole alternating of milk and dry ingredients annoyed me, but I hear it's important to do it that way, so I tried to be a good little baker girl.

Here's the batter after it's done....

I put mine in an 8x8 inch pan. I'm a rebel...what can I say?
While it baked, I rinsed off the strawberries, cut the tops off, and halved (and in some cases quartered) them.

I put some sugar over them to pull out the juices...and then put that in the refrigerator.

Here's the cake after it baked! Isn't it pretty?

Isn't this amazing?

As close to Ivanhoes as I can get!!!

The New Day Planner

Last week, I got a new day planner. Yes, I still use paper.

Jamie set me all up with a fantastically color coded Outlook calendar at work, and I love the electronic version of a calendar for work. I love the reminders that pop up and the way I can move things around easily in a job that requires a ton of flexibility in the world of calendars.

But in Bekahland - I like paper. And one of my favorite things to do in school supply season is to buy new calendars. I remember last August, when Isaac and I were falling apart, there was something very comforting about gathering up my determination, walking through the store with a shopping cart, and putting a brand new day planner inside. I came home and resolved that though my entire world may be crashing beyond my ability to repair, I would start over - and I would begin with an organized life.

Last week when I walked through the store again, I felt a similar resolve. Finding new routines with my job, especially knowing said routines are likely temporary until I move, has been difficult. So I threw in the cart not only a new planner...but pens and highlighters as well. Time to color code Bekahland.

I find that sharing ideas can spur others on toward good habits (in this case organization), so here's what I did. Take it...leave it...or tweak it for your own use!

A must in day planners (for me) is that there be a monthly calendar (like you see in the picture above) and also a two page spread for each week. I like to be able to see a month at a glance, to see what commitments I have, but on the weekly pages, I like to see those commitments again, alongside my tasks to be accomplished.

So here's how it's working for me this year.

On the monthly calendar pages, work commitments are written in red, personal commitments are written in purple, writing, speaking, and other ministry commitments are written in green, God-time commitments are written in blue, and chores are written in black. (Very few chores show up on the monthly spread - mostly just if I have something important to remember - like an unusual bill coming due or something.)

This way I can see at a glance how my life is balancing out. I'll be able to quickly see if something is non-negotiable (because it's for work and therefore is in red) or if I'm getting too many personal commitments or not enough God commitments - things like that.

I'll use that same color coding for writing events on the weekly spread, but I added the highlighting to those pages. When an appointment is for entertaining people in my home, I'll highlight it in pink. When the event is an appointment I need to attend, like a manicure or a haircut, I'll highlight it in blue. When I'm spending time with friends, I'll highlight it in orange. When something is urgent, regardless of the subject, I'll highlight it in green. And I'm highlighting the names of those having birthdays and anniversaries in yellow.
This way I'll be able to see at a glance the kind of prep work any given week will entail. Like if I see pink -I'll know someone's going to be at my house, so a day or two before that, I'll need to clean it. If I see blue, I'll know I need to account for some travel time that day. If I see a lot of orange, I'll know I'm spending a lot of time with friends...which typically means I'm not taking enough time to care for myself. And when I see yellow, I'll know I need to plan for gifts and cards.

You might be saying "Man that's a lot of work." Right now it probably is. I haven't memorized the system yet. But I think it will help me take stock of my life and figure out what things need more balance!

And besides that - it's just pretty.

Pancakes with the Princess: August

This past Sunday, I had another round of Pancakes with the Princess. If you're new to my blog, Pancakes with the Princess is a new thing I started this year...inspired by my friend Jenna and her husband. He is the pastor of a church, and they have "Pancakes with the Pastor," a time when they invite their congregation over to their house for...as you might have guessed...pancakes!

I'm not a pastor, but Princess was my nickname in college, so I made that slight alteration, and I invite someone over once a month for the festivities. (I missed hosting in July. I tried to invite a family over but our schedules didn't coordinate, and with all the busyness of starting my new job, I just didn't get it done.)

This month I hosted my friends, the Hubbards...party of five. I didn't ask if I could post pictures on the blog, so to be on the safe side, I won't. But I still wanted to tell you about their visit!

Paula is the worship leader at our church, and she has a lot of fun energy. Her husband, Greg, and I went to the same high school. And they have three kids that kept me in stitches on Sunday.

We had Amish breakfast casserole...and pancakes (the regular kind, not the cinnamon swirly kind)...fresh fruit...and orange julius for dessert. The kids were very intrigued by the food prep and informed me early on that they loved pancakes.

Won't lie to you...I'm always nervous to cook for people for the first time, but cooking for kids is an extra nail-biter. They don't have much of a filter, so if they don't like what you made, you're likely to know about it. But these three did not disappoint. One declared she needed a shovel to eat as quickly as she wanted. All three asked for seconds and one asked for thirds. Her parents said no. She tried to barter for dinner leftovers. Must have been a good meal!!

In typical kid fashion, they had a plethora of things to discuss that brought great mortification to their parents. You know...things like poop and pimples and pigs. After turning red several times, their dad said to me, "When you do your scrapbook page of this day, can you say that we were discussing the writings of the Apostle Paul instead of pimples and pigs?" You got it, Greg!

My favorite moment was at the end of the day. I thanked them for coming over, and for this hostess gift they brought me:
Without missing a beat, one of the girls said, "You can thank me by making something for me from that book."

Love. Those. Kids!

Pancakes with the Princess...August Edition = SUCCESS!!!!

30 Days of You and Me: Day Twenty-Four

So here's a fun topic for today's blog post!!

My Guilty Pleasure

I'm sure it won't surprise you to know I have more than one of those!

So here you are...little known/definitely known guilty pleasures of Bekahland:

Beverage: The biggest possible size of caramel frappes from Gaither Family Resources in Alexandria. Hands down the best frappes on earth and it's simply impossible to purchase a small. Probably has four billion calories. I don't even care.

Dessert: Strawberry shortcake from Ivanhoes in Upland. I know most people say they can only eat half of one. But if I skip the meal, I can put away the whole thing. The.whole.thing. Oh man. The warm cake...the cold strawberries...the whipped cream. Could I have one right now, please?

TV Show: After all these years - it's still Grey's Anatomy. Though I sorely miss the original cast - especially poor George - I heart McDreamy!!

Time Waster: I know I shouldn't admit this one out loud, but it's true. The auto-correct website. I laugh until I cry at that thing. And I'm very aware of it now that I have auto-correct on my phone and I've been a funny-mess-up victim myself!

So that's me! What about you? What's your guilty pleasure?