Check It Out!

Yay for more blog comments! Seriously, you guys have no idea how much they mean to me. It keeps me blogging! Well, actually, my slightly narcissistic personality and desire to share my thoughts with more than just the pages of my journal are what keep me blogging, but the comments are awesome.

Short post tonight, as it's Bible Study Wednesday. We went over 1 Peter 4. I highly suggest that you guys check it out if you get a chance. Lots of stuff about using the trials and tribulations of life to glorify God. Good stuff.

Speaking of good stuff, my boss sent me and a few other co-workers (and fellow believers) his father's blog today. In a normal work situation, I would humor my boss by reading a few of his dad's blog entries and shooting him a quick email saying "how much I enjoyed the entries" and "what a talented writer his father is." In this case, however, my boss is also a good friend of mine and I trust his judgment on what is or is not worth reading...not to mention the fact that the blog is well-written and thought-provoking. Larry, the author/my boss's father, puts scripture in the first person and accompanies each verse with a short devotional, a question to ponder and a prayer. I, myself, am planning to check the blog every morning when I get to work as inspiration for my day. (Bonus: I don't think I can get in trouble for reading my boss's Dad's blog on company time!) You guys should definitely check it out as well: http://god2me.wordpress.com/

The other thing you (ladies) should take a look at is Michael Buble's video for his new song "Haven't Met You Yet." Love him! Love it!!

Until Tomorrow,
Jennifer Lynn

In Search of My Thing

First of all, for those of you who think the title of this entry sounds a bit inappropriate...get your minds out of the gutter!

Second of all, what a pleasant surprise to log on tonight and see that my last post received three comments! Many thanks to Ashlie, Mike and Morgan for giving me such a warm, fuzzy feeling!!!

I needed that "warm fuzzy" this evening, as I'm having one of those days when I just don't feel very "good" at anything. It seems like everyone I know has a "thing"--except for me. Honestly, I'm noticing more and more how talented my friends and family are in one area or another and how positively average I am in, well, pretty much everything.

For instance, my friend Maggie is one of the most intelligent women I know, particularly in the area of education policy. My knowledge of education policy goes as deep as the tidbit of information I just gleaned from Jay Leno's opening act about how Obama wants to keep schools open later on weeknights and open them up on weekends in order for America's youth to have a safe (educational) place to go to at any given time.

Or, what about my friend Mary who works at Warner Bros. Records and writes an awesome blog called Mary's Monday Musicology. Not only do I love the artists she recommends, but I'd love to be able to make my blog look that professional. Wait! Don't I work in the tech industry? Shouldn't I at least be good at designing my own blog?! Ugh! This entry just keeps getting more and more depressing!

Maggie and Mary are only two examples of people I know who have their very own "thing." My friend Beth makes jewelry, my friend Justin is an artist, my mother-in-law cooks, my dad hunts... you get the picture.

So where does all of this leave me? (Other than sounding like a broken record. I know I talk about stuff like this all the time.) To be honest, I'm not sure. I don't foresee my desire to find something that I'm good at going away any time soon; but I do know that every time I start getting down about not having a "thing," the Lord puts some type of a reminder in front of me about where my true identity should come from.

Tonight's reminder came from the book I'm (re) reading, Disciplines of a Godly Woman by Barbara Hughes:

"The woman clothed in strength and dignity will behave in a manner worthy of her honored position. She knows who she is and she carries herself with assurance--not to impress or intimidate anyone but to honor her Creator and Redeemer."

A great reminder for everyone-- whether you have a "thing" or not.

Until Tomorrow,
Jennifer Lynn

I Wanna Dance With Somebody!

Have I mentioned that Dancing with the Stars is my FAVORITE SHOW EVER!!??!!?? I've never watched a show that brings me so much joy. Seriously. Sometimes my toes literally start to wiggle when I'm watching the couples dance. I'm a little over halfway through tonight's performances; and I have to say that even if I found Aaron Carter's assertion that he and partner Karina Smirnoff will win the competition more than a bit presumptuous, their dance this evening was amazing.

Husband and I went dancing this weekend. Just the two of us, out for a night on the town. I like to delude myself into thinking that I'm a good dancer, but I'm really not. In fact, as I was cutting the proverbial rug on Saturday night, I kept having these out-of-body experiences and thinking "What are these people watching me dance, saying about me?" I'm sure that I don't want to know, but honestly, I couldn't care less.

I said all of this to say that whether I'm watching it on TV or doing it myself, dancing makes me happy. What is it that makes you happy? Whatever it is: Find it, watch it, do it. Now.

Until Tomorrow,
Jennifer Lynn

P.S.- Mya and Donny Osmond were absolutely divine (Yes. I said divine.) as well!!!!!

New Music From Old Faves

Short post today. Husband and I threw an impromptu BBQ this evening, and I'm exhausted.

Through the magic of Twitter I found John Mayer's new single as well as a new (partial) song from Dave Barnes. (Yes, I'm doing some tweeting these days. And yes, I realize it's virtually--pun intended--pointless.)

I'm far from a music critic, but Mayer's new song sounds a lot like some of the tracks from his Continuum album, namely Heart of Life. The difference is that the new track, entitled Who Says, is all about "getting stoned"--something Mayer's been an advocate of for quite a while and I myself find to be his most morally repugnant trait. Still, I like the song (mainly because I love him) and I'm giddy with anticipation of his new album being released on November 17.

As for Dave Barnes new song, it's also very similar to his old stuff. However, I started listening to Dave in 2006 and have had his first CD (from 2006) playing continuously in my car stereo for the past month. Songs like "Until You" and "Crazyboutya" never get old! Very glad to hear he's back in the studio again. (If you've never heard of Dave, I highly suggest you check out him and his music: www.davebarnes.com. You can listen to songs from his most recent album on his website.)

Until Tomorrow,
Jennifer Lynn

Friday Favor

I'm sure you guys have an incredibly busy weekend planned, but if you get a free minute, do me a favor and visit the GAP Casting Call website to vote for my little buddy Ashton P. to win the Baby GAP modeling contest. Believe it or not, Ashton is actually even cuter than that picture (if it gets any cuter than those baby blues and that popped collar).

In case you can't tell from the picture, Ashton's parents are incredibly talented photographers. I would recommend their work to anyone and everyone who appreciates the value of "capturing life" as it happens.

Thanks in advance for voting!

Until Tomorrow,
Jennifer Lynn

Kirk Cameron Versus Charles Darwin

Earlier today, I stumbled upon an article on People.com that was far more interesting than the usual inane celebrity gossip. The article, entitled Kirk Cameron Stands Behind Controversial Darwin Statements, talked about how Cameron (of Growing Pains and Fireproof fame) created copies of Charles Darwin's book Origin of the Species, with a 50 page introduction that picks apart Darwin's evolutionary theory and tries to lead people to the truth of Creationism and, ultimately, to salvation. Cameron and others are passing out copies of the book on college campuses, and I'm hoping that copies will also be available for purchase somewhere.

In true liberal media fashion, the People.com author attempted to make it seem like Cameron's beliefs are outlandish. The article even quoted a professor from the University of California, Berkeley, who said: "The two kinds of people who believe that religion and evolution can not coexist are extreme atheists and extreme religious fundamentalists. Everyone else doesn't really have a problem. [A majority] of Americans believe that a belief in god is compatible with evolution."

Well, I hate to break it to that guy, but the heartbreaking reality is that the majority of Americans are also going to spend eternity in Hell. I'm even more convinced of the veracity of that statement after I Googled "Kirk Cameron, Origin of the Species" and saw some of the horrible comments about Cameron, Christianity and God that were posted on other websites. Like I said: heartbreaking.

I've debated whether or not I should be so blatantly honest about my beliefs in this blog. I'm far from perfect (ask Husband, my closest friends and my co-workers) and would hardly consider myself educated about the merits of creation vs. evolution. But to be honest, I don't really think that's the crux of the matter. Don't get me wrong, I believe that God created this world and everything in it (including us); but I don't think that someone will or won't go to heaven based on whether or not they believe in creation.

The real issue here is that more often than not, people who believe evolutionary theory do not believe in God, much less that Jesus was God's son who died to save us from our sins and eternal separation from God. There's a reason why John 3:16 is the first verse they have you memorize in Sunday School: "For God so loved the world that He gave his only begotten Son that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life."

The message is that simple. All other beliefs pale in comparison to the greatness of knowing the Lord.

Until Tomorrow,
Jennifer Lynn

PS- I plan to purchase a copy of Cameron's refutation of Darwin's theory. I'll let you guys know where you can find it too.

Why I "Heart" Williams-Sonoma

I hate getting the mail. Not necessarily the physical act of pulling it out of the mailbox--though it would be nice if we still lived in a world where the postman (who you knew by name) brought the mail to your doorstep--but more the things that you receive in the mail: bills, bills, spam mail and more bills.

Today, however, my trip to the mailbox yielded a much better return than I anticipated. Crate & Barrel catalog. JCrew catalog. And the crowning glory of them all: the Williams-Sonoma catalog. Surprised? You thought I'd say JCrew, didn't you? Don't get me wrong, the bright cardis and matchstick cords do put a smile on my face, but there's something about Williams-Sonoma that warms my heart. Just walking in the store from October 1st-December 31st makes me feel festive. So, as soon as I saw the cover of the catalog, my mind thought "FALL" and my fingers flipped through the pages.

This month's catalog channels its inner Julia Child and brings us The Best of France, even printing a recipe for beef bourguignonne. I'll admit, it's a shameless way for the store to piggy-back on the success of the movie Julie & Julia (if you saw the movie, you know what I mean) but nonetheless, I am going to ask for a bright red Le Creuset cocotte and a copy of Mastering the Art of French Cooking, for Christmas.

For those of you who don't get the catalog, I'll list a few of the highlights (including the beef bourguignonne recipe) below. Who knows? You might want to ask Santa for a few of these items yourself.

Until Tomorrow,
Jennifer Lynn

Williams-Sonoma Top Five
1.) Slide Frittata Pan
2.) Halloween Pancake Molds
3.) Three Tier Oven Rack
4.) Personalized Recipe and Entertaining Journal
5.) Beef bourguignonne

Keywords, SERPs and a Higher Purpose

This whole blogging project has started to turn into something bigger than I intended it to. When I asked some of my co-workers for advice on how to improve my blog's search engine ranking, I had no idea what it would involve. The industry I work in makes it seem like there's no reason to blog if you're not going to optimize it for the search engines; but after spending over a week searching GoDaddy.com for an available URL and using Google Adwords to try to figure out how to stuff my posts full of keywords, I decided that, quite honestly, I just don't care.

Seriously, there's an inordinate amount of information floating around out there about how to make your blog show up in the SERP (search engine results page) that someone sees when they Google a related keyword. This way, people you don't know can find and follow your blog. (Sidenote: Some of you are social workers or nurses who help people everyday in your line of work. I learn cool terms like SERP so that I can impress all of you with my "stunning intellect.")

I won't lie. It would be great (a.k.a. A huge ego boost) to have a lot of random people I dont know read my writing, but that's not the purpose of my entries. And maybe that's why I was feeling so much pressure to optimize this thing: I had simply gotten away from my purpose. I started this blog to encourage others through sharing stories about my life and how the Lord is working in it. But like I often do, I lost sight of that goal and started to pursue what the world thought I should acheive. (Apparently, this blog is a metaphor for my life.)

So, let this entry and my past week of blog posts (or lack thereof) serve as a reminder that when we get too far away from what we were created to do--glorify and honor God in all things--everything, even blog entries, starts to fall apart. Maybe this blog won't show up in the SERPs and maybe I'll never have more than a handful of followers (who I am very thankful for, by the way) but hopefully I'll look back on whatever this blogging project turns out to be and say that above all else, it served a purpose. And shouldn't that be something we all strive for?

Until tomorrow,
Jennifer Lynn

Update on Happily Ever After

Sorry I haven't posted in a few days. Currently working on porting my blog content over to my own domain and increasing it's search engine ranking. Should be done by mid-week and I'll send out an email blast with the new URL.

Fast Flip, Fast Company and Scientific Retweets

I'm so behind the curve on this whole internet thing. People are writing entire books about the power of a viral loop and I'm still trying to figure out how to re-tweet. I've always thought of myself as an intelligent person, but I just can't seem to stay on top of what's going on with the world-wide-web. That being said, I'm also not one to quit something because it's difficult. Furthermore, if I were to give up, it would only be for my own lack of trying, not a dearth of information.

In that vein, I thought I'd share with you guys some of the cool new sites, gadgets, apps and info I've recently discovered. It won't be news to my tech-savvy readers, but for anyone who's also trying to play virtual catch up, you might want to check this stuff out:

I'm always looking for websites that will give me a variety of information on multiple subjects, in one location. I've found that place in Google Fast Flip (http://www.fastflip.googlelabs.com/)--a cornucopia of interesting articles from reputable sources like The New York Times, BBC News, US Weekly (reputable might be a bit of a stretch there) and Elle.

Fast Company.com and Fast Company newsletters. Whether you choose to peruse (cheesy rhyme intended) the website or sign up for one of the site's seven newsletters, you can't lose. but Best of Fast Company and Tech Weekly newsletters are my personal favorites.

Read this article before you download it, but the Viral Loop Facebook widget is pretty sweet. The link to download the widget is at the top of the article.

Speaking of re-tweets (mentioned above), here's an article about Nine Scientifically Proven Ways to Get Retweeted on Twitter.

*Note that most of these articles came from Fast Company, which I discovered as a result of Google Fast Flip. THAT must be why they call it the INTERnet.

I'm sure you're wondering when I became such a geek, and the truth is, I think I always was. Working for an IT website has simply harnessed my inner nerd.

Until Tomorrow,
Jennifer Lynn

When It's Ok to Mix Business with Pleasure

Most days, I struggle to find what those of us in corporate America commonly refer to as "work-life balance." However, there are rare instances when my personal and professional worlds come together in perfect harmony. For me, Vogue's feature article about Google executive Marissa Mayer was that ideal merger of life, love and work.

As everyone in the tech community already knows Mayer is quite a remarkable individual. At 34, she's accomplished more in her career than most women hope to achieve in an entire lifetime. Even more impressive--at least in my opinion--is the fact that the woman who's largely responsible for the launch of Gmail, Google Health, Google Chrome, Google Maps, Google News and iGoogle wears Manolo Blahnik heels, Carolina Herrera blouses and Oscar de la Renta dresses to the office. In fact, De la Renta says she's one of his biggest customers. (Question: When does she find the time to shop???)

I think there's often an unspoken perception that pencil skirts and code snippets don't mix. As one who works in the world of technology, I'll be the first to admit that it's difficult to dress up for work when most of your peers are, as the Vogue writer so aptly put it, "brainy men in baggy shorts." All the more reason to give Mayer credit for what she does. Hopefully, all you other women navigating your way through the male dominated tech-world will read Mayer's story, be encouraged and proudly don those four-inch wedges before walking out the door tomorrow morning.

For all you fashion lovers on E-E, check out the full article about Mayer and enjoy the nirvana of mingling business with pleasure.

What Would You Say If...?

I’ve been re-reading some of my entries from the past few days. UGH! Can you say VANILLA!? I know I’m my own worst critic, but seriously, who cares what I think about Seth Godin or The September Issue? I struggle with how personal, political, religious or sarcastic to get in my entries. (Yes, you can be religious and sarcastic at the same time!)

I mean, I'm always honest with you, but that's because I don't write about anything that I wouldn't be comfortable being truthful about. However, I'm thinking I should test my limits in this post. I'm going to give you my (somewhat controversial) opinions on a few things and I'd like you to give me your thoughts. So, let's play a little game that I like to call "What would you say if..."

What would you say if I told that I think Kanye West is a complete jerk for interrupting Taylor Swift’s acceptance speech at the VMAs (apparently President Obama agrees with me), even if I'm not a fan of Swift's music. He was just upset that the country-singing white girl beat out the African American pop star. (To be clear, Beyonce's video was smoking hot and I am not racist, but Kanye was COMPLETELY in the wrong.)

Or, what would you say if I told you that I think Bill O’Reilly is spot on with his political analysis of just about everything, and I would vote for him for president in a heartbeat.

Lastly, what would you say if I told you that I hate the fact that no one in California dresses up for work. There's a time and place for shorts, a t-shirt and flip flops, but that place is not the office. (Ironically, I think this last statement will enrage more of you than the first two.)

Well, there you go. Now, feel free to let me know whether you like my polite, thoughtful side or my loud, outspoken side better. (Mom, I already know your answer.)

Until Tomorrow,
Jennifer Lynn

Seth Godin's Hierarchy of Success

For those of you who haven't heard of Seth Godin, let me introduce you to him. Mr. Godin is the author of "the most popular marketing blog in the world" as well as "the bestselling marketing books of the last decade" (or at least that's what his website says). I receive email feeds of his blog posts every day, as do most of my co-workers, and it's safe to say that his posts shape many of the ideas that are thrown around my office. If you can ignore his penchant for tooting his own horn, much of what Mr. Godin has to say can be applied to your job, even if you don't work in marketing.

The thing that I find so interesting about his entries is that he has something new and noteworthy to say every single day. Now that I have a blog of my own, I realize how difficult it is to come up with fresh content. Eventually I hope to get to a point where everything that I say is entertainingly thought-provoking; but on the occasions when I'm lacking inspiration, I'll try to point you to someone else who might make you think.

I've posted Mr. Godin's entry on the hierarchy of success below. It's definitely better than anything I could have written today.

Until Tomorrow,
Jennifer Lynn

The hierarchy of success by Seth Godin

I think it looks like this:

1. Attitude
2. Approach
3. Goals
4. Strategy
5. Tactics
6. Execution

We spend all our time on execution. Use this word instead of that one. This web host. That color. This material or that frequency of mailing.

Big news: No one ever succeeded because of execution tactics learned from a Dummies book.

Tactics tell you what to execute. They're important, but dwarfed by strategy. Strategy determines which tactics might work.

But what's the point of a strategy if your goals aren't clear, or contradict?

Which leads the first two, the two we almost never hear about.

Approach determines how you look at the project (or your career). Do you read a lot of books? Ask a lot of questions? Use science and testing or go with your hunches? Are you imperious? A lifehacker? When was the last time you admitted an error and made a dramatic course correction? Most everyone has a style, and if you pick the wrong one, then all the strategy, tactics and execution in the world won't work nearly as well.

As far as I'm concerned, the most important of all, the top of the hierarchy is attitude. Why are you doing this at all? What's your bias in dealing with people and problems?

Some more questions:

• How do you deal with failure?
• When will you quit?
• How do you treat competitors?
• What personality are you looking for in the people you hire?
• What's it like to work for you? Why? Is that a deliberate choice?
• What sort of decisions do you make when no one is looking?

Sure, you can start at the bottom by focusing on execution and credentials. Reading a typical blog (or going to a typical school for 16 years), it seems like that's what you're supposed to do. What a waste.

Isn't it odd that these six questions are so important and yet we almost never talk or write about them?

If the top of the hierarchy is messed up, no amount of brilliant tactics or execution is going to help you at all.

It's Not About the Label

If you go on to the website for The September Issue, the subtitle for the pictures in the photo gallery reads: "Fashion is a religion. This is the Bible." Inappropriate religious reference aside, the description may not be that far off. Vogue has been defining American women's views on fashion for decades and Anna Wintour has been at the magazine's helm since 1988.

Many speculate that Meryl Streep's character in The Devil Wears Prada is based on Wintour. The book's author, Lauren Weisberger is a former Vogue employee. The September Issue, a documentary about Wintour, her staff and the making of the magazine's record-breaking September 2007 issue, does nothing to dispell that rumor. Shades of Streep's character are recognizable throughout the documentary, and you almost forget that Wintour is playing no one other than herself. She is indeed cold, stoic, abrasive and hard-nosed--qualities that her critics undoubtedly find repulsive but that I found engaging.

But enough about Wintour...let's talk about the clothes and their designers. Or wait, let's not. If there's one takeaway from this film, it's that it's not about the label. The store managers and employees at the shops in New York and Los Angeles would have you believe that fashion is about the name on the tag of your dress and how much you paid for it. After listening to the conversations between Wintour and her employees, particularly creative director Grace Coddington, you realize that an outfit is one part who designed it and three parts the story you tell while you're wearing the clothes.

Take a look at this year's September issue of Vogue. The 40's themed spreads and feature articles on people like Jenny Sanford and Marissa Mayer prove my point. Every piece of clothing and every person who puts it on has a story to tell. Wintour and her employees are simply better at storytelling than the rest of us.

The September Issue begins with Wintour looking deadpan into the camera, saying "there's something about fashion that makes people very nervous." For years, I have agreed with that statement, feeling inferior to those who paid more for than me for their purse. This morning, I woke up and paired a pencil skirt and satin top from Banana Republic with shoes from Payless and a Tory Burch scarf knowing that the outfit itself was secondary to the memories I'd make while wearing it. In the last eight hours of wearing one or more elements of the aforementioned outfit, I've taught elementary school kids about God's promises, cuddled on the couch with Husband and made new friends at a backyard barbeque; and I'm now more convinced than ever that if Anna Wintour defines fashion, there's something en vogue about all of us.

Baby Sex Reveal Party and The September Issue

Sorry for not posting yesterday and for cheating you guys with a short post today, but I've said before that there's a thin line between work and play; and apparently that line is a baby sex reveal party and a trip to L.A. to see "The September Issue." Check back tomorrow for my thoughts on why every pregnant woman should have a baby sex reveal party and how "The September Issue" changed my view of fashion...

Until tomorrow,
Jennifer Lynn

Beef Stroganoff: It's What's For Dinner

Husband and I hosted a dinner party this evening...a quite successful dinner party if I do say so myself. The menu included broccoli and cauliflower seasoned with Smart Balance butter and Season All; French bread; mixed green salad with dried cranberries, feta cheese, carrots, almond slivers and white balsamic salad dressing; and the crowning glory, beef stroganoff.

I was a bit nervous about the stroganoff, as I've never made it before. However, I should have known that any recipe from Paula Dean, posted on The Food Network and labeled "easy" is sure to be a winner. There were five people in attendance (including me) and everyone (including myself, and I'm my own worst critic) confirmed that the meal was, in fact, nothing less than amazing. (Then again, three of the five people in attendance were males who consider ramen noodles a complete meal.)

Should you need a new recipe to liven up your culinary reportoire, I'm posting the recipe below. As a bonus to you, my faithful followers, I'll also post my never fail dessert recipe--Jello Chocolate Chip Cookies. (Disclaimer on the cookies: Jello is made from cows hooves. Those of you who fear contracting mad-heffer disease, BEWARE!)

Until Tomorrow,
Jennifer Lynn
(See below)

PS- I substituted Smart Balance butter, low fat sour cream and fat free cream of mushroom soup in the stroganoff and it tasted awesome. I also use Splenda Blend Brown Sugar and Smart Balance butter in the Jello cookies, and they are even more awesome!

Beef Stroganoff

Recipe courtesy Paula Deen, 2008

Prep Time: 5 min

Inactive Prep Time:

--

Cook Time: 40 min

Level: Easy

Serves:4 servings

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 pounds cubed round steak, cut into thin strips
• House Seasoning, recipe follows
• All-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 medium onion, sliced
• 8 ounces fresh mushrooms, sliced
• 1 (10 3/4-ounce) can beef broth
• 1 (10 3/4-ounce) can cream of mushroom soup
• Salt and black pepper
• 1 cup sour cream
• Cooked egg noodles

Directions

Season the steak strips with House Seasoning, then dust with flour. In a large skillet, quickly brown them on both sides in the olive oil and butter. Remove the steak from the pan. Add the onion slices and mushrooms to the pan drippings. Saute for a few minutes, until the onion is tender. Sprinkle with 1 teaspoon flour. Put the steak back into the pan with the onion and mushrooms. Add the mushroom soup and beef broth. Cook over low heat for about 30 minutes, covered. Adjust seasoning to taste, adding salt and pepper, as needed. Stir in the sour cream the last few minutes, right before you serve. Serve over cooked noodles.

House Seasoning:

• 1 cup salt
• 1/4 cup black pepper
• 1/4 cup garlic powder

Mix the ingredients together and store in an airtight container for up to 6 months.

Yields: 1 1/2 cups

JELLO PUDDING CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

From COOKS.COM

---

2 1/4 c. flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 c. butter, softened
1/4 c. granulated sugar
3/4 c. light brown sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1 pkg. (4 serving size) chocolate instant pudding
2 eggs
1 (12 oz.) pkg. chocolate chips
1 c. chopped nuts, optional

Combine butter, the sugars, vanilla and the pudding mix in large bowl, beat until smooth and creamy. Beat in the eggs. Gradually add flour and soda; then stir chips and nuts. Batter will be stiff.

Drop by rounded teaspoons about 2 inches apart onto ungreased baking sheets. Bake at 375 degrees for 8 to 10 minutes. Makes about 7 dozen.

My Favorite Things About 9/9/09

1.) Rediscovering old music I'd forgotten about. (Thanks Pandora!) Check out "A Beautiful Mess" by Jason Mraz

2.) Buying the earrings I've been wanting from my friend Beth's jewelry company, Lillian Ray.

3.) Learning new things at work. "The Presentation Cookbook" will help all of my fellow right-brained thinkers and "What's With All the Dates?" will be of service to you left-brainers.

4.) Listening to online sermons from my old church in Raleigh, Providence Baptist. I highly recommend the one on Biblical Romance.

5.) Receiving my first Shop It To Me sale alert email.

Until Tomorrow,
Jennifer Lynn

A Case of the Montuesdays

As predicted, this whole three-day weekend has completely thrown me off-schedule. Therefore, I'm blaming everything I've done or haven't done today on the fact that I keep thinking today is Monday. I'm calling this a case of the Montuesdays.

For instance, I didn't get out of bed until 7:00 this morning. I have to leave for work at 7:25, so I showered, threw my hair in a ponytail and didn't put on any makeup. Nevermind the fact that I (secretly)hate drying my hair and getting ready in the morning. I'm blaming Montuesday.

For breakfast, I ate a hard-boiled egg and drank some coffee. Lunch consisted of cottage cheese, carrots and tuna from a can, and around 3:00 I tried to convince myself that the artificial sweetener in my Diet Coke counted as my afternoon snack. I'm now starving and not looking forward to the chicken and vegetables I'm making for dinner. This has nothing to do with the fact that I've been eating like a pig since the honeymoon and had to end my love affair with sugar and carbs last night after I weighed in at two pounds over my acceptable limit. Nope. My sucky new diet is entirely Montuesday's fault.

Finally, since I was in Santa Cruz and couldn't make my Sunday afternoon grocery run, there is no food in our house. Therefore, I had to go to the market at lunch to get food for Husband and I to eat this week. This, of course, thwarted my lunchtime workout which is not helping take care of those extra l-bs. Not to mention that I am now in a crappy mood because I didn't get my afternoon dose of endorphins, which means I'm gonna have to fight extra hard not to breakdown when I see the bathroom "scunge" referenced in my previous post. Once again, I'm holding Montuesday personally responsible for all of this.

I'm ending this post to start cooking (my bland dinner) and cleaning (the "scunge" I'm pretending not to notice), which I'm not too thrilled about. Why? Because it's Montuesday. Feel free to leave your own Montuesday mournings below.

Until Tomorrow,
Jennifer Lynn

Organizationally Challenged

Ah, home sweet home! Husband and I are back from Santa Cruz, trying to suck the last moments of relaxation from the weekend. He's playing video games and I'm blogging. (Sidenote: Does anyone else fail to see the point in video games? Particularly racing games. How many times can you turn left without getting dizzy?) As much as I love going out of town, I hate what it does to my routine. Weekend getaways mean starting the work week off behind on laundry, cleaning and other housekeeping items. I'm already feeling guilty about making this blog entry when I should be doing a number of other things.

Typically, this lack of organization results in a mid-week breakdown on my part. One minute I'm felicitously happy, the next minute I see some sort of "scunge" on the bathroom sink and become absolutely hysterical about my inability to keep the house clean. (Please tell me that at least one of you can identify with this.) This week, however, I'm going to try my hardest to spare Husband (who usually takes the brunt of my hysteria) from my Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde persona. I mean, he's never had a meltdown over dirty dishes, so why should I?

I won't lie to you. This means a pretty drastic mental shift on my part. Sadly, now that I'm thinking about it, I'm not sure that I can recall going an entire week since we've been married without feeling the slightest bit inadequate over some chore I failed to accomplish. (It's ok if you can't identify with me on that one. That's a good thing!) Therefore, I am going to issue myself a personal challenge this week; Relax, let it go and stop stressing. (I should probably carry that advice over into other areas of my life as well, but it's best to start small.)

Right now there's suitcases and various other things that need to be unpacked, and I should probably plan our meals for the next six days--but I'm not going to. Instead I'm to go downstairs and see if I can pry Husband from his "race". We've only got an hour till our self imposed 10 p.m. bedtime and I intend to enjoy it!

Until Tomorrow,
Jennifer Lynn

One Dimensional

I wasn't going to make a post while I'm out of town, but there's something inspiring about listening to crashing waves and watching the sunset. (One day I'll stop talking about my proximity to the beach, but today is not that day.)

I've been feeling very one dimensional lately. I get up, go to work, come home, cook dinner, eat and go to bed. The focal point of my day is work and while I really enjoy my job, I feel like it currently defines me. Rather than work being the main dimension of my life, I want it to be one of the many dimensions of who I am. So, I decided that rather than continuing to complain to Husband about how uninteresting I am (which is, in and of itself, uninteresting), I would use this weekend away to develop a list of things that I'd like to know more about and spend more time doing. (In other words, I was going to get a life!)

I developed my list of "things" easily enough: writing, cooking, internet technology, behavioral psychology and fashion. Writing is my passion. Cooking is something I do every day and something that Husband would benefit from. Internet technology directly relates to my job. Behavioral psychology is something I have a vested interest in. (More about that later.) As for fashion, well, I think you all know that I "heart" it!

I was going to make the content my blog entries stem from this list (e.g.- a series of entries about my culinary ventures or a series about the latest tech gadgets), but as I looked back over the list earlier today (while lying on the beach), I noticed that it was largely rooted in practicality-- and a bit boring. Discouraged, I picked up the book I have been reading, The Problem With Pain by C.S. Lewis. (Not the ideal "beach read" for those of you who might be wondering.)

As I was reading, I began to realize that I have things all wrong. As humans, we are created to be one dimensional. Our sole purpose in life is to bring honor and glory to our Creator. Therefore, all other things should seem "uninteresting" in comparison to the greatness of knowing God. This is not to say that I can't be fashionable, enjoy cooking, learn more about behavioral psychology or excel at my job; but it does mean recognizing that every "thing" comes from God and it's my duty to do everything I can to honor and glorify Him with those things.

I'm not sure what a life with a singular purpose of glorifying and honoring God looks like...but you can guarantee that I'll be updating you as I try to figure it out.

Until Tomorrow,
Jennifer Lynn

Happy Three Day Weekend!!

I'm in Santa Cruz with Husband and the in-laws for the weekend. I'll be working on new material, including a new series of entries which I will announce on Monday.

I hope everyone enjoys a safe, happy and healthy Labor Day!

Until Monday,
Jennifer Lynn

Vino and Amigos

One of the things that I strive for in this blog is honesty. Regardless of whatever else you might say about my writing, at the very least, I would like for you to say that I am always honest with you. So, in the vein of honesty, I will tell you that I am cutting this entry off before I even start it due to the fact that I have just enjoyed a lovely dinner with friends and am now at home enjoying a bottle of Ficklin Vineyards 1991 Vintage Port. (Sidenote: The Ficklins are personal friends of Husband's, so we'd encourage you to check out their wine selection.) There's a time for work, and a time for play. The key is to know when it's time to stop the former and start the latter. On that note, I will say...

Until tomorrow,
Jennifer Lynn

I Don't Know Where Georgia Is...

For one of the projects I am working on at work, I have been tasked with grouping countries together according to their proximity to one another. As I sat at my desk entering country after country into Google Maps, I was struck by how poor my knowledge of world geography is. In my defense, I have never taken a geography class. Neither my high school nor college curriculum required it. However, I don't think this is an excuse for not knowing that Egypt is in Africa-- not Asia-- or that Japan is smaller than China. (Alright, maybe I should have said that my geography skills are EXTREMELY poor.)

As if I haven't already embarrassed myself enough with the disclosures above, I thought I'd give you another laugh at my expense. This incident is also related to world geography and occurred a few years ago when I was working as a magazine editor...

I was editing an article for the travel and leisure section, when I came across this sentence: "Our cruise ship disembarked in South Georgia for a tour of an abandoned whaling station, where we saw young elephant seals, King penguins and timid Pintail ducks." I read the sentence a few times to make sure I was understanding it correctly before deciding that I had, in fact, come across a major typo. I mean, everyone knows you can't take a cruise ship to the state of Georgia, much less see penguins running around down there, right?? (DUH!)

So, I did what any good editor would do. I waltzed into my boss's office and proudly announced that I had found the typo to end all typos. The conversation went something like this:

Me: "Boss, I was reading Jim's article, and he says that he took a cruise to South Georgia. I suppose he must have been thinking about Georgia (the state) when he was writing and accidentally put it in the article. Do you want me to call and ask him where he really took a cruise to?"

Boss (with very quizzical look on his face): "Jennifer, I think he meant South Georgia."

Me: "No Boss, look at the sentence. He says that he took a cruise to South Georgia. You can't take a cruise to the state of Georgia, much less see penguins running around down there!!" (DUH!)

Boss: "Jennifer, he means the islands of South Georgia...by Antarctica..."

Me (Feeling very stupid and not wanting to make things any worse than they already are): "Oh, ok. Thanks, Boss."

I promptly exited the office of my superior (who I'm sure was feeling all the more superior after that foible), retreated to my cubicle and typed "South Georgia (country)" into Wikipedia. And there it was...South Georgia..."a British overseas territory in the Atlantic Ocean." (Incidentally, Georgia is also a country that borders Russia and the Black Sea. I wonder if you can take a cruise there too...)

If you've ever found yourself in a similarly humiliating situation, you know that there's really no way to recover from an incident like that. The only thing you can hope to do is say something reasonably intelligent the next time you are around the person you embarrassed yourself in front of. However, my point in telling you that story is this: The sooner you learn what you don't know, the better; and if you can learn to laugh at yourself for what you don't know, well, that's better yet.

Until tomorrow,
Jennifer Lynn

You are Autumn

I can’t believe today is September 1st. Labor Day is this coming Monday, and now that I’m too old to go “Back-to-School” (a.k.a. the true harbinger of Fall), the Labor Day holiday signifies the end of summer to me. When I lived in North Carolina, Fall meant that the leaves changed colors and fell off the trees into rainbow piles and that the weather started to get progressively cooler until it was time to break out the coats, scarves, gloves and boots I’d put in the back of my closet earlier in the year. (Personally, I’m getting a warm, fuzzy feeling just thinking about it.)

Now that I live in a little beach town in California, it appears to me that all things Fall related are, well, non-existent. I don’t think leaves fall off palm trees, and since the temperature stays about the same all year here, there’s no real need for winter coats. Heck! I don’t even think Fall in California means you can’t wear white pants or shoes anymore. I’m pretty sure that everyone out here has been breaking that rule for years—if they ever even abided by it in the first place. (Exit warm fuzzy feeling.)

I’ll admit that as I write this entry, I am feeling an overwhelming sense of sadness. Don’t get me wrong, I love my life and I love California (minus the 8.75% sales tax and Emo trends). But as Labor Day ushers in a new season, I can’t help but think of all that’s changed for me over the past year and a half. Today is one of those days when I miss all the people, traditions, and miniscule details of the life I’ve left behind in the South, colored leaves and winter coats included.

I know I’m not alone in feeling like this. It doesn’t matter whether you’ve moved across the country or not. People, places and things come in and out of our lives for various reasons and sometimes even the simplest reminders make us miss what we've lost or left behind. However, I'm reminded of the infamous verses in Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 where Solomon proclaims that there's a "time for everything and a season for every activity under the heavens...a time to plant and uproot...a time to weep and a time to laugh...a time to love and a time to hate."

I don't know who or what it is that you're missing. Chances are, it's due to a much greater loss than I've experienced. For that, I am sorry, and to the extent I can without knowing you, I grieve with you. What I do know is that no matter what geographical location or what emotional state our heart is in, the God of all seasons feels your pain. Whether it's your time to plant, uproot, weep, laugh, love or hate, trust the One, who works all things for our good and His glory if we let him.

Until Tomorrow,

Jennifer Lynn

P.S.- The title of this entry comes from the song "Every Season" by Nicole Nordeman. Click aforementioned title to listen, and enjoy!