Pumpkin Spice Bread

Last January, when we were faced with Snowmageddon, I decided I did not want to be stuck in my house with nothing to eat. (Leave it to me to think of food before...say...heat!) I didn't have much time to prepare, so I had to work with what I had on hand...and the winner was a recipe I found online for pumpkin spice bread.

I figured it would make a great breakfast and snack, plus it made my house smell AMAZING when it came out of the oven. This was definitely a keeper recipe, and I made a fresh batch of it this week to serve when Rachel came over for the Grey's Anatomy premiere. In the spirit of fall, I thought I'd share it with you! (This also makes a great gift if you're of the persuasion to give kitchen presents!) I've modified it slightly from the original, but here you go!

The Recipe
3 cups sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs
1 (16 ounce) can pumpkin
3 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
3 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup water
In a large bowl, combine sugar, oil and eggs. Add pumpkin and mix well. Combine dry ingredients; add to the pumpkin mixture alternately with water. Pour into two greased loaf pans. Bake at 350 for 60-65 minutes. Cool in pans 10 minutes before removing to a wire rack; cool completely.
My can of pumpkin is a 30 ounce can, so I just saved the other half for the next round!

Eggs, oil, and sugar in a bowl. Hey, people, I never said it was low-fat.
Hand mixing works fine. (I don't have a fancy pants mixer, so I always love a good recipe that can be mixed by hand!)

Not attractive, but the pumpkin is added...
Much better once it's all stirred...

Dry ingredients mixed in a separate bowl.

It gets thicker after the dry ingredients go in, but it's still a fairly runny batter.

Pour in (well greased) pans.

It smells AMAZING while baking.

Enjoy warm. Oh goodness. Happiness on a plate.

Happy fall!!

30 Days of You and Me: Day Twenty-Seven

We are so close to the end of this 30 day thing! (It's taken me over a year to finish it. Good night nurse.)

Today's topic is just comical to me...because it is so Bekah.

The last thing that made you cry.

I had to think about that - not because it had been so long since I cried, but because I had to stop and remember what stupid thing I cried over last!

I'm a firm believer that tears are cleansing...and let me tell you....I'm pretty doggone cleansed. While last year holds the record (and probably will for years to come) for the amount of tears shed from these eyes, I have to say that I still cry more than most.

Movies? Check. Books? Check. TV shows? Check. Bad hair day? Okay maybe not. Or maybe. One never knows.

But the last cry I had wasn't over anything frivolous. I'm actually kind of ticked that I have to fess up to this one because I'd like you to think I'm so much more together than this. (I'm so NOT.)

Sunday night I had an ugly cry (like one of those where I have to remind myself to breathe) out of sheer loneliness and anger.

I try not to complain about the land of singleness too much. I try not even to bring it up here because I don't want it to define who I am in your eyes - or in my own. But ever since the college boyfriend and I broke up, Sundays have been THE hardest day of the week for me.

Part of it, I'm sure, is going to church (alone) and sitting (alone-ish) in my pew and coming home (alone). (And, of course, watching couple-ville sit all around me.) But the bigger part of it is that when I was dating in college, Sundays were our day. Once we got home from church, we'd be together all afternoon...all evening...until we had to declare it a day. And coming home now just sometimes brings out the tears.

Such was the case by the time I went to bed Sunday night. I was lonely, I was mad that God hadn't sold my house, I was mad that He took Isaac away, and knowing me, I was probably having a fat day and was mad about that too.

So...had a cry! Big, fat, ugly, snotty, breathless cry that resulted in a magnificent headache on Monday.

So there you go. Some raw Bekah heart. Aren't you glad I usually clean it up for you on here?

Please tell me you've had a cry recently, too. Don't make me sit here with the Puffs Plus all by myself.

Etsy!

My sister first told me about Etsy. One Christmas, she bought presents for each of us from the site.

Now, one of my favorite Sunday afternoon time wasters...I mean spenders...is to peruse the shops that comprise Etsy...looking for a little bit of anything and everything. Earlier this year, I bought some super cute vinyl labels from a shop called The Vinyl Wall. I love the way they look on my kitchen canisters!

My Etsy experience was so positive, that when I got my new job, I purchased a lunchbox from Take it Personally and I love it. Might as well eat in style, right?

I couldn't believe it when I found out Lynne had never visited Etsy in her whole life! I talked about it so much that she decided to do a whole show about Etsy. (That was one of the shows I got to research in great detail during her week of vacation. Talk about a fun job!)

So yesterday, we had our Etsy show! (You can hear it here if you missed it.) I was SO excited for that show! We started the show by hearing from Adam Brown, who is the Press Manager at Etsy. It was fascinating to hear how quickly this website took off. (It only started back in 2005, and now it has 800,000 shops!)

Then we heard from five shop owners, and each was an absolute delight. I wanted to link you to their shops, in case you need to do a little shopping!

1. Newbie Noggins and Twysted Yarn with the lovely Morgan. These two shops specialize in crocheted hats and accessories - for babies and adults! She has this one purple hat that I must have. It's so stinkin' cute!! I don't think anything in life could make me LOVE shoveling snow, but I might be slightly less bitter shoveling in that hat...

2. Red Letter Words with the delightful Dee. This shop has beautiful faith inspired wall art, well crafted on canvas. My favorite is the one that says "She knew that she was here for such a time as this." That comes from the book of Esther and really encompasses how I feel about where God has placed me in life.

3. Next Door to Heaven with the very sweet Amy. This shop features postcard ornaments and burlap pillows/doorstops/bookends/message boards. I love the uniqueness of her products and my favorite is this monogrammed message board. I adore hanging things on walls and I'm recently addicted to monogrammed things. I could put it in any room of my house and it would fit adorably.

4. Bugga Bugs with the wonderful Annika. A whole shop featuring patterns for felt toys and play food. The lovely Julie Crandall made some of these for her kids and they are SO cute. I think my favorite is the hair salon set. I remember when I was a kid...always wanting to "fix" Mom's hair. I bet these would have hurt her a lot less than playing with the real stuff like I did!

5. Ritzy Misfit with the talented and creative Brooke. Very cool wax-looking pendant monogrammed jewelry! I had no idea these were made out of metal (because I didn't read the description closely enough) until the interview...I really thought they were made of wax! Oh goodness - SO cute!!! I think this was my favorite...I just love how one-of-a kind it is...

So there you go! Some great gift ideas from fabulous shop owners who were an absolute joy to work with as we put together the show. Thanks, ladies, for being so wonderful!

Waves

I wanted to share with you the little moment God and I had on the lake this past weekend. I loved it...partly because I just loved hearing from Him at all...but I also loved it because it meant something so important to my heart.

Ronda and I both love to just sit on water. (Preferably from the safety of a boat.) Since we were the only two at the lake (in our party, of course), we were in charge of our schedule and we had the freedom to take the boat to a quiet cove, drop anchor, and sit without any guilt of being gone too long.

I kicked back in my seat, propped my feet up, and leaned my head against the window behind me. With my eyes closed, I just daydreamed for a while, soaking in the sun and the beauty of the quiet lake. I heard boats buzzing around in the background, but I was totally engrossed in my thoughts.
Then the boat began to rock a bit...then more and more...tilting quickly from one side to the other. I grabbed the side of it and sat up. I could see a series of waves rolling deeply toward us. I looked around in confusion, but whatever sped by to make those waves was now far from us. Completely out of sight in some other part of the lake.

I clutched the side of the boat until the water calmed again, then I settled back in my seat to enjoy the sunshine. But this time I kept my eyes open. If something came through again, I wanted to know ahead of time.

As I stared absently around me, God began to speak.

It's like your life. Like last year. You just sat quietly, minding your own business, enjoying life, drinking it in, and trials came speeding through.

And just as quickly as they sped in...they sped out and away...and all that was left was a series of waves that rocked you...sometimes so hard that you had to sit up and grab on to stay steady. And sometimes while you were doing that, you looked around wondering where the source went...but you saw nothing...except the handful of waves still on their way to toss you.



People do that. They come in and out and don't think about the unrest they create. And like it or not, sometimes you do the same thing to others. You should think about it...about how your presence in other people's lives has the capacity to stir them up in ways that can leave lasting effects long after you've gone.
All afternoon I pondered that as boats and jetskis went roaring by...sometimes sending water pelting against the side of our boat until water rained down over us.

It was a good lesson. It was good to be reminded that the hurt that still pricks at my heart from many months ago doesn't mean I'm a failure at healing. It just means the waves might still be crashing up against me.


And it was good to be reminded that I have the capability to do that, too. I don't want to be the one who causes those kinds of waves in others' lives, though I know I've done it.


A great lesson...thanks, God!

Hello, Lake!

Last summer, I went to the lake probably every other weekend. Jonathan said it would be good for me with the way my heart hurt and frankly, I was too worn out to argue with him, so I went often. I loved the way I could hear God on the lake..and I grew to look forward to those moments stolen away with Him.

This year, because of the busyness of changing jobs and putting the house up for sale...I never made it to the lake, and it made me so sad. A few weeks ago, Ronda and I checked out our schedules and pinned down a day to spend at the lake together. So last Friday night, after the concert, I drove to the lake. Ronda and I both arrived about midnight and stayed up until about 1:30 in the morning, curled up in our chairs catching up on life. Oh I have MISSED her!

I slept in Saturday morning...and it was a little chilly when I woke up. But it's okay. A hoodie, blanket and cup of coffee made it ALL better. :)
Ronda totally spoiled me while I was there...starting with cooking me breakfast. What a treat! I never get breakfast made for me!

It was so overcast when we woke up, but that cleared off pretty quickly, and we headed to the deck to enjoy the morning sun...and the water view.

Did I mention how much I'd missed this??

I don't know whether or not you remember this, but last summer, I talked about "Grandma Sue," - a sweet lady from my church who proved to be a magnificent prayer warrior for me in my time of hurt. Well, she also has a place on the lake, and she's been asking me to visit...but it hasn't worked out. So on Saturday, Ronda and I packed up and headed over to Sue Ann's cottage to visit her. I can't even explain to you the encouragement of those almost 3 hours together...it was absolutely wonderful.

Ronda and I ate lunch and then headed out ON THE BOAT!!!!!!

It was a breezy, somewhat chilly day, but the view was MAGNIFICENT.

We anchored in a little cove and sat there for probably 2 1/2 to 3 more hours...just reading and sitting and thinking and resting and....

I actually heard the Lord whisper to my heart for the first time in forever. It was amazing.

Water sparklies...my favorite.

And this is the declaration of a perfect Saturday afternoon.

I'm sorry I only made it up there once this year, but I couldn't have asked for a more beautiful day. It was spectacular in every way.

Laura Story and David Crowder

I told you yesterday that Friday night I worked my first concert. Had such a very fun night and wanted to share with you some of the highlights of the evening!!

The concert was at a church in Fort Wayne and featured Laura Story and the David Crowder Band. Laura has lots of great songs. (Did you know she wrote "Indescribable?" As in the song Chris Tomlin made famous?) I like several of her songs, but her current big hit, "Blessings," strikes a chord with me because after the heartbreak I went through last year, I feel like it is a song I could have written. You know, if I could write songs. So I was very excited that she was part of this concert tour.

Crowder and his band are on their farewell tour, so this was my first and last opportunity to see them!
The station had a table, so before the concert began, I helped organize the stuff on the table. I didn't have a hanging name tag, so I decided to borrow Ken's. In return, he borrowed my regular name tag (that I didn't even know I had!). Anyway, this is Ken! (Since you're still taking a tour of people I work with.) He stops by my office to visit me and usually makes me laugh while he's there. I like friends who make me laugh. :)

And this is Amy! Amy is one of my lunch buddies...and after I'd been hired, but before I actually started working, she was the first person to email me and welcome me. I knew I was going to love her from that very moment - and she's just as wonderful in person as she was in that email.

We stayed at the table to meet people until shortly before the concert began, and then Ken, Ron, Jim and I went into this little cubbyhole, commonly known as backstage!

This would be when I started to pray fervently. This is a LOT OF PEOPLE TO STARE AT YOU!!!! We represented the station on stage to talk about upcoming concerts, throw freebies into the crowd, and introduce Laura Story.

It was while we waited there that I got a chance to talk to Laura for a couple of seconds! She had been at the station earlier that afternoon but I'd not gotten to meet her and I really wanted to at least say hi. So while she pilfered for a bottle of water, I said hi! She was very sweet.

Jim introduced all of us and no one threw anything at me, so I called that a good day. In that bag were about a dozen t-shirts, which I SUCCESSFULLY threw into the crowd. My pitching arm is better than I knew!

I was very sad to not get many good pictures of Laura, but her part of the concert was short, comparatively speaking, and I wasn't even in there for part of it. Anyway, this is Laura!

She shared a little about the story behind "Blessings," which is a song born out of prayers she offered up while her husband was battling a brain tumor. During the concert, she told us some of the funny stories from that time too - some of those "you have to laugh or you'll cry" sorts of things.

After intermission...Crowder took the stage!

The crowd was very worshipful while he was there - and I think this was my favorite picture of the entire night.

His musicians were good...those guitar guys could tear it up!

The whole band. (Well, one of the guys is hiding over to the right behind someone's head, but he's really there. I promise.)

David told a few stories of his own.

My favorite part of their segment was this part where they sort of sounded like TSO. Lots of violin and pop sounds. Very cool.

Best part of the whole night was getting to share it with my friend, Jessica! She was one of the Financial Aid student workers a few years back. She came over to my house every week to watch American Idol with me! She still lives around and I knew she loved Crowder...and she's a concert JUNKIE...so I invited her to join me!

I also got to meet someone who reads my blog - and I didn't even know her! That made my whole night. (Bless your hearts...you people who don't know me and still show up here to read. I'll do my best to keep you entertained!)

It's the Weekly Recap!

* Last Sunday I watched quite a bit of the 9/11 anniversary coverage before going to church, and then I spent the afternoon at Hazel Dell's Homecoming service, which I already told you about.
* Monday was a hilarious M.o.n.d.a.y. We had a bit of a chaotic show, and after it ended, Lynne said life would be so much better with an iced tea. So while she worked on other things, I sneaked down the road to McDonalds to buy us each an iced tea and our friend Amy a Diet Coke. All three drinks spilled (twice) in my car on the way back. I just laughed. Pretty good when the beverages purchased to fix the Monday actually added TO the Monday!

* Tuesday evening I went out to dinner with my mentor, Lara. We really hadn't had time to spend talking since my birthday back in May. She took me to a new Japanese restaurant here in Marion (boy there's a sentence I never thought I'd write). It was really wonderful. Hands down BEST crab rangun I've ever had in my life. And she said I ate seaweed. (Can I count that as a vegetable?) Proof that anything tastes good drowned in enough sauce!

* Wednesday was another first at work...my first day of Friendraiser! The station needed to raise money to help cover some unexpected costs...so they had Friendraiser. Most of the day, I was in the phone room ready to take pledges:

And during the Mid-Morning hour, I was in the studio with Lynne and Ross helping read pledges on the air...which was much fun! (And may I also just mention...love the food that descends upon the station during Friendraiser!!)


* Thursday was the conclusion to Friendraiser. I was much more comfortable in the phone room the second day, and I found it was great fun to get to hear more of my co-workers' stories during the breaks. (Sheryl and Scott are in this picture...Sheryl is one of my lunch buddies, and Scott is on the air in the afternoons.)
We were so excited to reach our goal EARLY! Almost three hours early! What a great blessing!

* Friday night...worked my first concert! Laura Story and David Crowder were in concert in Fort Wayne, and I was part of the station team working that night. More on that to come, of course (like you could get out of such a story), but just to get started...here's what it looked like from the backstage door. Pretty cool, huh?
And after the concert was over...I drove to the LAKE!!

* Saturday I spent the whole day at the lake with Ronda. I have SO missed her and it was wonderful to have an entire day to just hang out with her. More on this later, too, but this is a sneak peek at my BOAT RIDE! Books I'm Reading: Still loving the words in Jesus Calling. Didn't have a ton of reading time this week, but I almost finished A Confident Heart by Renee Swope. Oh my word - what a challenging book for me!

Favorite God Moment of the Whole Week: I think my favorite moment was yesterday. ALL of yesterday. Earlier in the week, one of the ladies at work shared with me an analogy she heard Angela Thomas give once...about drinking up more of Jesus in the moments when you feel thirsty. And yesterday was one big gulp fest for me. Being at the lake...making new memories to replace ones that still hurt so deeply...hearing God whisper to my heart because I was actually sitting STILL enough to listen...hearing Sue Ann talk for a while...all those things really boosted me in a way I'd not experienced in a while!

Update on Last Week's Goals: It was every bit as busy as I thought, but I did take some moments in the car to sit still and listen to the Lord...and then there was the day at the lake...yes, it was a definite success!

Goals for the Coming Week: It's the return of The Biggest Loser!! And in honor of that, I am working on finding a new workout routine that works for me. I'm facing the end of the outside workout days, both because of daylight issues and temperature issues. And I no longer have gym privileges since I left the school. I have several workout DVD's - but I need to find a rotation that works. So that's my goal for this week!

It Doesn't Take Much to Fascinate Me

It's a slow news day. :) Therefore I feel compelled to share with you the answers to some burning questions I had this week.

1. Why are the numbers on a touch tone phone backwards from the numbers on a calculator? During my days (or eleven years) in Financial Aid, I became VERY fast at punching in numbers on my calculator and on the little keypad on the computer. But then...when it was time to call people, I can't tell you how many times I misdialed, because the numbers are backwards. On a phone, the top row starts 1, 2, 3, the middle row is 4, 5, 6 and the bottom row is 7, 8, 9. On a calculator, the 1, 2, 3 is on the bottom row...then 4, 5, 6 are in the middle and 7, 8, 9 are on the top. Here are some (viable, I think) theories I found about the why they're different!

2. Do ticks serve any purpose? This one wasn't actually my question. It came up during Friendraiser when a few of us in the phone room talked about our dislike of spiders. One of the girls said she hates spiders as much as ticks...and she wondered why ticks even exist because they're just nasty. (Agreed!) Since I already had a running list of things to research...I added this one. And here's what I found. Doesn't make them any less disgusting, but it's intriguing information.

3. Can St. Joseph sell my house? A friend of mine emailed me a few weeks ago with a suggestion to bury a statue in my yard...was supposed to make my house sell. I didn't pay much attention, but last week, someone else told me that as a joke, she and her husband buried a statue in their yard - and the next day they got a full price offer on their house. I found an article about it here - St. Joseph, the patron saint of houses, is said to sell a house!!

I know it's a Saturday and you should probably have the day off, but it never hurts to pack in a little extra knowledge. Hopefully I've helped boost your skills today!

Friendraiser 2011 - Above and Beyond!

The last two days have been another first for me in the world of my new job! WBCL is a listener-supported station, and this year there were several unexpected expenses that popped up, so we had what we call "Friendraiser." Two days of raising funds - and getting to hear encouraging (and occasionally tear-inducing) stories from our listeners.

One of the unexpected expenses this year was the need for a new furnace. The morning team demonstrated what this winter would have looked like without said furnace:
Side note - these guys are SO FUNNY. Larry is on the left, and he's the news guy. My favorite story he's reported so far was this week. (I'm not laughing at the situation...merely the phrasing.) "Dr. Dobson is in the hospital after falling while horseback riding. He is listed in stable condition." (Get it?) Anyway. Then Phil is in the middle and Jim is on the right. Phil and Jim are always still in the studio when I come in to engineer and they make me laugh every single day.

The days actually started with Dunkin' Donuts and coffee but I failed to take a picture. (I was THAT hungry.) Then I went into the phone room for an hour to take calls. This was my very first one.

Do you notice how close that coffee cup is? And that I once again look like a Life-Alert operator? "Don't worry, Mrs. Smith. The paramedics are on their way."

Then I went into the studio to help on the air during the Mid-Morning hour. This is the lovely (truly lovely inside and out) Lynne Ford that I work with each day.

Part of my job this week was to hep set up for our lunches...the super duper Friendraiser salad bar! YUMMY!!!!!
This is me on the air Thursday - I should have used the more flattering headphones! LOL! I was unaware that my outfit sported the school colors of Lynne's high school...until I walked in Thursday morning and Ken sang the fight song for me. Guess I shouldn't wear that again, huh? :)

Thursday afternoon we got a GREAT treat! YOYO (Yogurt On Your Own) brought us cups of yogurt and toppings. I had a little festival of chocolate going on in mine. Fantabulous.

Friendraiser was scheduled to run until 6 pm on Thursday, but at 3:30, we reached our goal!! This was Cindy's first time to ever reach a fundraising goal since she'd worked there, so I had to take a picture. She was pretty excited!!

My favorite part was that we all gathered in the studio when Ross announced on the air that we'd made it to the goal. Pretty cool that he included everyone. I love these people and I love being part of their team!

While it's obviously great that we raised the money we needed so the morning guys don't have to wear coats in the studio...it was also a great boost to my faith to be reminded that God meets needs. And He'll do the same for me!

SSMT: Verse 16

I almost forgot it was time for a new verse...this month has absolutely flown by! Goodness.

I'll be honest about it...I had a hard time finding a verse. As I mentioned not long ago, I'm feeling kind of disconnected right now, and I really don't like that feeling at all.

So I went to Beth Moore's blog and looked at the verses people had posted for last time...and one of the very first ones listed fit me perfectly.

I will give them a heart to know me,

that I am the Lord.

They will be my people,

and I will be their God,

for they will return to me with all their heart.

~ Jeremiah 24:7 ~

Here's what I love about this verse:

* I will give them a heart to know me, that I am the Lord. God does the giving. That heart to know Him is His to give and mine to receive. And I love the intimacy of the word "know." Not just a head knowledge, but a deep, close, loving knowledge. Like what I experienced last year as I traveled through the desert. That kind of intimacy.

* They will be my people, and I will be their God. I love being claimed. (You can't tell me you don't like it.) And right now, that's a frequent topic of conversation in my prayers. It's so comforting to find in this verse the affirmation that He wants to claim me. He's chosen me. It's not news...but it's so comforting.

* ...for they will return to me with all their heart. And that is what I need to do. I need to throw my whole heart back into this relationship with Him. To ache for His closeness like I did in those painful days when even breathing required prayer.

So thankful for these words...I need them now.

30 Days of You and Me: Day Twenty-Six

Today's topic: The last random act of kindness I encountered.

I love random acts of kindness. I like to do them and I like to be the recipient of them! And when I stop to think about lately...I have received a lot of kindness. Among the acts...

...the author Lynne interviewed a couple of weeks ago who sent me an autographed copy of her book about singles.

...the strawberry smoothie my manicure lady gave me Saturday.

...the new kitchen faucet my parents surprised me with a couple of weeks ago.

...Dad's friends who came over to help clean up the tree disaster.

But the one that sticks with me the most actually happened last fall. (Some of you might remember this...I blogged about it.) Last October, I took a road trip up near Chicago to visit Jenna and then went on up to Eau Claire, Wisconsin to visit some friends who had been my youth pastors back in the day. As I traveled back to Jenna's from their house, my car overheated in a construction pile-up on the interstate.

I was near the Wisconsin Dells - about halfway between my destinations. I had zero phone reception and knew no one. I sat on the side of the road in my newly purchased boots and skinny jeans and cried...and then a trucker pulled over and came back to check on me. I popped the hood and he checked all the fluids for me. (Which was super helpful, as I know nothing about such things.) He told me I was okay...and just to take it easy to the next exit and try to stop to rest the car for a while.

No idea who he was - or even what company he drove for. I was far too out of sorts to collect that. But I am forever grateful he stopped to check on me. I know he was on a schedule...and probably already behind because of the pile-up. Thank you, Mr. Trucker!!!

What about you? Best random act of kindness done to you?