Baking My Bundts Off

Hi everyone!

Spring Break is FINALLY here and Easter is just around the corner, so I am using my week to take on several projects. In January I stumbled across some INCREDIBLE Nordic Ware Bundt pans and I have been having a ball baking for my friends and family.

My Louisiana roots made Nordic Ware's Fleur De Lis Bundt Pan a MUST buy!! I have scoured Pinterest for recipes, asked  friends for ideas, and sent my creations out into the world for my friends and family to enjoy! I have discovered several things with this new found hobby. For starters, I have learned that you can make a cake and it can sit on your counter for days and you do not have to consume it all. Second, if you are diabetic, you can taste wonderful things...the key is to have them in moderation. Creating cakes from scratch...well you can just taste the love in the homemade. I have also found that when you bake from scratch it does not make blood sugar spike like the box mixes do. It is true that different foods tend to impact those of us with diabetes in different ways, but this is what I have found works for me. My daughter likes to tell me, "You do you mom." Well baking these cakes is teaching me to take it one creation at a time.

For this milk chocolate bundt cake I decided to try a coffee glaze. Community Coffee's King Cake flavor seemed to be the PERFECT fit, once again drawing on my Louisiana roots!! This time though, my years spent living in Bavaria, made Nordic Ware's Bavaria Bundt Pan another must have! I absolutely loved the years I spent in Bavaria, so teaching the kids about where they were born and the Louisiana roots of their family is always fun and makes for a festive time.  

     

With each new cake I am learning new things about baking, trying new ideas, and allowing the process to slow down my life a bit. For example, when making a cake from scratch the order and process that must be followed is critical. I even came across a recipe recently that made sure to state that the process of creaming the butter and sugar should not be rushed. We have become such a fast paced society that the idea of slowing down or it could impact the outcome of something we are creating...well let's face it, we really don't give that much thought any more. We look at prep time, but do we ever stop to think about what we learn in the process when we are prepping food? While I carefully added one ingredient after the other into one of my cakes I could not help but think of the perfectly orchestrated steps God has for our lives, steps that sometimes we want to rush through or skip all together. Often times we want the prepacked, processed product to yield a homemade taste. In other words, we do not stop to savor each layer that He adds to our lives. Each lesson He is bringing our way shapes us and mold us, and turns us each into the beautiful creations that He designed for us to be.

Baking and teaching my kids to entertain made Nordic Ware's Heritage Bundt Pan a piece that not only allows me to bake incredible cakes, but also create desserts that can also serve an beautiful accessories for any table. It thrills me every time I use this pan. Because the beauty of this cake when I am finished. The gift, or heritage, that I want to pass down to my kids from my baking is that if we slow down enough to savor the simple things in life, like baking a bundt cake. We will find that we can savor the goodness of sharing beautiful thing with others and our own family. And that, in the simple things, we can find incredible beauty.

Until next time...

Hugs!

Jen

And Then She Bloomed

Hi everyone!

The past week my best friend surprised me with this beautiful little tea cup.  She said when she saw the tag she just knew she had to get it for me.  It reads, “In Full Bloom.”  And what my precious friend told me was “you may not realize it, but you are in full bloom.” 

Yes I cried, but I was also able to accept this sweet complement and really allow it to sink in.  Sometimes things can happen in life that slowly, but surely start to bury us.  This may be taking care of kids or aging parents, divorce, a loss of a job, or other life stressors.  Slowly but surely the aftermath from life events can begin to bury us, slowly, some may go underground deeper than others, sometimes we may think we will never see the light of day again.  But then one day it just happens.  One day things just start to change.  Friendships start to water our soul and their smiles act like the sun sending down the fuel needed to start our growth.  Slowly, but surely the shells that we once used as walls to protect ourselves start to open up.  It often begins to happen so slowly we don’t quite realize that impact of the changes taking place.  It may be small steps, baby steps if you will, at first.  Maybe we start to take better care of ourselves. 

Maybe we quit singing to the squirrels in our backyard and start singing in on a Praise Team, for the first time EVER.  Maybe eating healthy and exercise aren’t just New Year’s resolutions, but something we actually enjoy doing.  Maybe we start to have our nails done again and change our look.  Changes, little changes start to help us sprout and grow.  Life didn’t bury us really, but it actually allowed us to grow and mature, and the tough times actually just fertilized us.  And then one day it just happens.  Oh people may have been noticing for a while.  But maybe we just brushed it off.  And then one day we look in the mirror and we realize we REALLY do glow.  We really ALL are uniquely beautiful creations that God created for a special purpose so others can see His handiwork in us.  It isn’t a conceded or overly confident thing.  No it’s a beautiful gift when we start to bloom.  It’s a beautiful gift when we can look in the mirror and accept all of our flaws and imperfections, not viewing them as flaws and imperfections, but as precious pieces of mosaic that He has used to best illustrate the master piece that is each and every one of us.  

Once this happens, THE most amazing thing starts to transpire.  For me personally, I have found that my faith has become so much more than my mustard seed pendant.  I have REALLY started to believe that He will give us the desires of our heart.  BOLD prayers are written in my journals with excitement and anticipation, because for months He has been gently whispering “write down the desires of your heart, every last detail.”  And to be quiet honest I think I have been a bit afraid of this exercise…after all, there is a reason I am writing books. lol But I have been watching God Wink at me for so many years, hearing His voice, and doing the things He has guided me to do…so why was this so scary???  What am I so afraid of???  THIS, this is what I have really had to lean into this week.  And I keep being drawn to my copy of the book Fervent, so I decided to look up the definition on Google.

Fervent – having or displaying a passionate intensity

....intense, sincere, heartfelt, burning, or glowing.

I couldn’t help but laugh out loud, not because I was making light of this book, but rather because anyone who knows me, knows that I approach EVERYTHING in life in this manner.  So if I approach everything in my life in this manner, then why on earth would I not approach placing the desires of my heart at His feet in the same manner?  Tada, the glow, the bloom, the lightbulb going off, the angels singing….okay, maybe not angels singing, but all of a sudden it all made sense.  He has been waiting all along for me to lay my fears down, just step up to the plate, swing for the fence, and tell Him what I want.  Wow!!  Ok, so maybe I am a late bloomer, but who cares, all that matters is that I am blooming!!  All that matters is that I make sure this incredible process is documented in my writings so that other people can see that the caterpillar really does make it out of the cocoon.  Hey, no one said there was an age limit on the caterpillar to butterfly process, because it’s all about His timing in the end.  So as I start to make more exciting and incredible changes I will be sure to share, because I know some of you fellow caterpillars are wanting to find your wings too.  Until next time…

Hugs! Jen        

Cry Out

Hi everyone!

For the past several days when I have first woken up Third Days’ song Cry Out to Jesus has been on my heart.  When this first happened I thought about it – in the stillness of the morning I cried out.  I have friends who are sick, some with lift threatening illness; friends who have lost loved ones; friends who are lost; and children trying to see where God is leading them.  The list doesn’t even begin to address my prayers and petitions.

Then in the quiet of my morning, with the only sound being that of the animals He created, I cried out.  In that moment, it was like time stood still, like He stopped everything just to sit and listen.  I couldn’t help but smile because one of my best friends in the world will do the very same thing.  When I need to cry out, he will stop whatever he is doing and simply listen.  Now don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying he is a god, what I am saying is that if I have a friend on earth that is that attentive, that if he is willing to stop everything in the middle of his busy day and listen, then how much more willing is out Heavenly Father to stop and sit and listen. 

We know from the Bible that “Jesus wept.” He hurts when we hurt.  He cries when we cry.  Yes sometimes life gets messy and complicated, but He is there to help us with the mess.  He is there to mend out broken hearts.  He is there to give us direction.  He can make what seems impossible, possible.

Several months back I heard a sermon where it talked about if we weren’t careful Satan could take even the most precious desires of our heart and use them to entrap us.  The sermon came when I was finishing up my cottage.  A cottage that I created for writing, but as the process of putting it together continued I knew it was meant to be my War Room.  It is no accident that in that sermon the preacher warned that as we get closer to what God has for us Satan will use whatever He can to distract us and throw us off course.  It is no accident that my best friend is sick and that it has caused me to slow down and cry out. 

We have become a society that lives at such a fast pace, grabbing a few seconds with Jesus through apps on our cell phones, that the idea of stepping away from technology and spending time with Him, crying out to Him, seems foreign to us.  My best friend and I recently bought one of the new journaling bibles that have artwork that you can color.  I think coloring in my new bible, while not artwork for me to put on display, has helped me to slow down and reflect on His Word and my life.  The youthful illustrations that I color help me to quiet my surrounds, examine the weight on my shoulders and cry out.  It brings calm to the chaos associated with life.  It doesn’t mean I have all the answers or know where life s going after I cry out; it simply means that I have taken time out of my day to give it all to Him.  He knows what He is doing.  He knows where He wants to take me.  He knows the desires and promises He has placed in my heart. 

Crying out helps me to stop and remind myself that He knows what He is doing.  His timing is ALWAYS perfect.  It helps me put my trust back in Him and to stop trying to make life happen on my own.  If I have learned nothing else from this life, it’s that if we get ahead of God’s plan, life can go terribly wrong.  By quieting our minds, hearts, and souls for just a portion of our day we are able to truly breath, relax, and let THE one who created us take the wheel. 

Wishing you the best!

Soup on a Sunny Day

Hi everyone!

Over the past several days, though life has had me slow down a bit to deal with this cold, I have found that the result has been a wave of new material for my books.  It is exciting, yet a tad bit overwhelming at times.  

I have come to the conclusion that often times writers aren’t born, life just makes us that way.  

Literally during some of the most unpleasant times in my life I have had friends like Sarah Bernard tell me, “WAIT, WAIT – like I know what you are going through is really horrible, but I can only think about your books.  YOU HAVE TO WRITE THIS DOWN!!  I’m sorry, but when I talk to you I just always think of how you need to put this into your books.  Your life is like this tragic comedy, but you have to write it down because no matter what you go through, you always come out okay.”  

Yes, there have been times when we have laughed through the tears and the pain that I have reminded her, “BELIEVE me – I WILL NOT FORGET THESE DETAILS!”

 

So I guess not only do I now have a creative tribe of friends, but I also have an incredible group of friends that have become by surrogate family tribe as well.  My friend Kathy has been rock and has walked with me through one of the scariest times in my life.  Yet we filled notebook after notebook with the tails of this unfortunate adventure, because some things are so unbelievable I just can’t make them up.  My Cajun friend Kim has spent many years on this journey with me and she knows me better than almost anyone.  The list could go on and on and I don’t want to leave anyone out, but that really isn’t my point tonight.

As I made tortellini soup, a favorite at my house when we aren’t feeling well, I couldn’t help but think of how much our lives are like the things we cook.  Sometimes we have to put things that might not seem appetizing at first into our recipes, but when we are done we have created a culinary master piece.

Aren’t our lives like that too?  Sometimes we have to go through times that may seem wonderful at first, yet turn into a disaster, or unpleasant at first - may be hot to the touch, or cold in terms of how we are treated, but isn’t it this combination of hot and cold, sour and sweet, that in the end can lead to the most delectable of creations that becomes out life?

Yes, sometimes life has us slow down a bit so that we can celebrate the aroma of what is around us and what we have been given.  So we can tell what needs to be added to our life and what we need to take away, so that in the end, like food, we feel, warm, comforted, and loved.

Until tomorrow…. 

As We Gather Together

Hi everyone!

Before I even had a chance to have my coffee this morning today’s topic was on my heart.  In just 2 days we have already seen our little tribe of makers & creatives here in Central Louisiana embrace our 100 day challenge with the enthusiasm one gets when they walk into a Hobby Lobby for the first time.  What I have found over the years, as I began my Curiosity Cottage journey, is that creatives love to share their craft with others.  Our love and enthusiasm for what we do can be contagious for those we come in contact with.  Having a place to form a tribe and meet with like-minded individuals, even if our gifts are in drastically different areas, fills our community with enthusiasm and excitement.  I think one thing that we all can agree on is that though our talents may take on different forms, we all have such a deep appreciation of each other’s work.  Unfortunately, sometimes there are people in our worlds that do not understand our creative, free spirited natures and as a result we may have held back when it comes to our true potential.

Lucky for us, 2015 changed that with the first Maker Mornings.  Lucky for us creatives within our community saw the potential that was walking the streets of our southern town and visiting in our local coffee shops and businesses.  Lucky for us leaders within our community had the vision to bring us together in hopes that our individual creative energies would help to fuel our new formed tribe of creatives.  On day 2 our tribe was ready to create their own head dresses – yes in the form of t-shirts, but I think you have the picture.  On day 2 creatives were learning to use hashtags and incorporate them into their post.  On day 2 we saw inspiring videos that left us all a bit speechless at the beauty of the process.  Yes, all of this happened in only TWO days!!!  Where will we find ourselves on day 100???

Well if I were the betting kind, I would say that we are going to watch our tribe yield friendships and inspiration, networking opportunities, and a sense of community like none of us have ever quite known before.   I am not making just one thing here at Curiosity Cottage, I am taking my little cottage and bringing her into a world that she was never able to fully experience before.  I write, I embroider, I paint, I build things, I make Garden Glitter…I create whatever the Lord lays on my heart, which makes my life a fabulous adventure to say the least.

So my word for our tribe for today is GATHER, because that is indeed what we have done.  And in the process of joining the tribe I have now truly created a Curiosity Cottage where Friends & Family can now gather as well.

I’ll see you tomorrow.

Birthday Blessings

Hi everyone!

Well this is it, THE big day – THE BIG 50!!  The thing is though, age is just a number to me.  

Yes, it is a BIG day, but not because of the date, but because of the INCREDIBLE adventure that begins today in my life.  It seemed only fitting as I celebrate the day of my birth to look at the AMAZING women that have helped to make me the woman that I am today.  

My life has been an adventure to say the least, but as Helen Keller said, “Life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all.”  I can honestly say that I live this every single day and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

My return to school was instilled into both my brother and I from a very young age.  Our Meme always taught us that education was something no one could take away from you.  I have kind of taken that to the extreme, but I get that is what us computer geeks do. 

Meme’s compassion and love for us and her friends definitely passed down to me.  I am so very, very blessed to have the INCREDIBLE people that I do in my life.  Their friendship is a priceless gift that cannot be bought in any store.  

My grandmother was such a beautiful woman, both when she was young and when she was older.  She was never afraid of growing old and I think that trait she also passed down to me as well.

And then there is JANE.  For those of you who knew her, you know exactly what that last sentence meant.  My mom, Jane, was a spirit that the world could not contain.  Her spirit of adventure lives within me.  God needed her way too soon, but it is through my writings that she continues to live on.

This picture of her and my Aunt Mary Lee so reminds me of some of the adventures that I now have with my friends.  Thank goodness those two didn’t have access to smart phones back in the day!!

I spend countless hours on the phones with friends, who I have nick named the Posse, because they have grown very protective of me over the past several years.  As we ponder not only life’s questions, we also share what God is doing daily in all of our lives.  

To watch Him move in the lives of such an adventurous bunch makes our spirits dance even when life throws one of us a curve ball.  We literally laugh and cry from the time we wake up until the time we go to sleep at night.  I know how blessed I am to be surrounded by such an incredible group of people. 

So now I will load my friends up in a car and off we will go to celebrate my day – and perhaps find a few new things to add to my books!!

As I close, I leave you with this – CELEBRATE, celebrate all that life brings your way, both the good and the bad.  The tough times cause us to grow in our faith and as a person.  The good times let us treasure the people, places, and progress that we make in our lives.   The combination…well that is what allows us to give our spirit wings to soar and become all that God intended for us to be all along…sometimes we just get sidetracked and go down roads that He never meant for us to begin with. 

He always steers us back in the right direction…and for now, you will just have to trust this new 50 year old woman with that!! 

Wings on the Mend

Hi everyone!

As we get closer to Thanksgiving and I head into the weekend I cannot help but reflect upon the week and all that I have to be thankful for.  I will turn 49 next week and while some people dread the thought of turning 50, I CANNOT wait to see what God has in store for me during the next year!!

In my very full life I have been so blessed with such INCREDIBLE friends to help me walk through life's journey.  Supporting me in good times and bad, encouraging me along the way - well that is all any of us could ever hope for!

When Robin Williams died in August I took it very hard.  I think it was because his words were so meaningful to me...  "I use to think the worst thing in life was to end up alone.  It's not.  The worst thing in life is to end up with people who make you feel alone."

Sometimes we inadvertently allow people into our lives, who while on the surface may appear to have our best interest at heart, yet in reality all they are ever really concerned about are their own interests - even to the point of making us feel completely alone.  If we are not careful they can bankrupt us emotionally and financially.  Sometimes our true friends have to help us metaphorically throw water on our face in order for us wake up.

Once we take off the rose colored glasses we can then take the lemons that have been given to us and turn them into lemonade.  Slowly but surely our crushed spirit realizes it really does have wings and can fly yet again.

When traveling down a road such as this, the biggest blessings come in the form of unexpected God Winks sent from far away angels.  Angels sent to illuminate all that God has been trying to show me for so long.  Angels, who have also had their wings broken.  Yes, this angel will indeed fly!!

Overcoming Obstacles

Hi everyone!

Obstacles, almost seems like a 4 letter word right here at the beginning of the year.  I mean the ink from our New Year's resolutions has not even dried on the page yet.  Why in the world would I so much as dare whisper this word???  Try as we might to silence the voice of the obstacles, they always manage to awaken us with their often abrupt vibrato.

So do we treat obstacles as annoying rap songs or do we embrace them like a country ballad on a summer afternoon...or in the case of today, do we welcome them like a great book and a warm fire on a cold day.  It is all in how we handle our obstacle, whatever they may be.  For example, if you are caught in a sudden traffic jam and find that you are going to be late for your destination do you

1) let this cause your blood pressure to approach stroke level or do you or
2) take the time to put on your favorite song and sing like there is no tomorrow??? 

I have always approached these types of obstacles from the point of view that God may be doing this so that I avoid an accident...but it could also be said that He just likes to hear me sing???  :D 

Some obstacles are much tougher to steer around or through.  Sometimes we are faced with helping sick and dying loved ones.  How do we muster the strength to not let ourselves be overtaken by the mental and physical stress that these types of obstacles bring.  Well, having had way too much experience in this area, what has worked well for me consisted of the following:

1) singing again;
2) prayer, prayer, and more prayer;
3) having friends and family pray;
4) knowing that at times I had to take breaks to get the rest I needed to endure; and
5) hold on to the knowledge that God really does have a plan. 

For me, writing down my mom's words and thoughts was both theraputic and also provided a great deal of humor.  Sometimes it just plain helps to laugh through the tears!!

In my opinion, the toughest obstacles of all can be the very people in our lives that are supposed to be our support system.  How do you deal with the friend that bring you brownies when they knowing you are counting each and every point on your Weight Watchers program? Or the family member that makes snide remarks? Or the over bearing parent or sibling that had made it their mission in life to try and pluck your last nerve daily???  For me, the best way to mow through these obstacles like a new Snapper mower is by calling on a friend.  I am very fortunate to have several friends like this and we both know that when the obstacles start popping up like targets at a shooting range, we can call each other up and vent. 

One of my dearest friends in the world, who I am so blessed to be able to call when I cannot hold back the tears will enevitably always saw "baby, who are they and where do you want me to bury the body??"  Of course she is always joking, but this so helps me to stop crying and then of course we always laugh.  This is why we are friends, because we know that though we can do nothing about these human obstacles, we have other humans, who we affectionaly know as our friends, who can help us bury the pain that these obstacles sometimes try to bring in to our lives.  OOOOrrrr you can just choose to put your experiences in a novel and watch them sweat!!  :D

When I lived overseas they always taught us to be aware of our surroundings.  I was never afraid, but I was always aware of my surroundings.  Sometimes we do not have time to do this and must think fast on our feet given the unexpected, but in terms of the annoying human obstacles that are in our lives, well just plan, have good friends on speed dial and pray.

Let 2012 be the year that your overcome the obstacles in your life or at the very least least learn to swerve and miss them whenever possible!!  Enjoy the rest of your week!