C is for Cookie, That's Good Enough For Me!

Today marks the third month since I have officially become a missus. After several weeks, I can finally say that I'm starting to be more comfortable in the kitchen.

Sure, my chopped onions, garlic, tomatoes (and everything that requires me using a knife) continue to be extremely unequal in size. However, I'm becoming more adventurous with my weekly meal plans. I'm now trying out dishes that need more than just oil to cook. :P

Today, I wanted to try out something near and dear to my heart... DESSERT! While other people opted to spend their Saturday night drinking and dancing... I attempted baking Chocolate Chip Cookies for the first time! Thankfully, they were pretty yummy!!!

Since our kitchen is still very incomplete, special mention definitely goes out to the hubby who mixed the batter for me with a wooden spoon!

The non-cook.

I've been married for almost two months now, and it's been amazingly great. My cooking, however, is not so great. Every time I step into the kitchen, I embark on a new chaotic adventure.

Thankfully, I've been blessed with a hubby who will eat anything I put on his plate. It's a good thing he made a promise to me before we got married: that he will eat anything I cook... as long as I eat it too.

The Waiting Place by Eileen Button

The Waiting Place is a series of short essays written from the point of view of the author (a mother, a columnist and a pastor's wife). In this book, Eileen gives us glimpses into various points of her rather complicated life.

To be honest, I was a little disappointed because I expected the book to be more about finding God in these "waiting places." However, once I got over that fact, I found myself appreciating the author's sharings, especially in the latter part of the book.

Overall, The Waiting Place is written in an intimate yet entertaining manner, making it a refreshing and light read.

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I received a complimentary copy of this book from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of BookSneeze, a book review bloggers program. Find out more at BookSneeze.com! :)

The Adventures of Tintin (and JV).

It's been exactly 17 days since JV and I tied the knot. Yesiree, this blogger is now a married woman.

Am I happy? Most definitely. Am I domesticated? Not quite.

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No, my name is not Tintin.

Alive.

I used to blog religiously. Up until recently, I would (mentally) kick myself if I went by an entire month without blogging. For crying out loud, I'm in front of the computer almost the entire day! The fact that I cannot jot down a single thought over a period of 30 days is inexcusable! Say it with me! Lazy bones, lazy bones, lazy bones!

Seeing that I missed blogging for the whole month of July (Eep! April, too!), here is a blog post. Yes, a post for the month of August. I am officially safe. I am guilt-free for the next few weeks.

Here I am. Extremely busy, but alive, alert, awake and enthusiastic. Yes, I am very much alive, alert, awake and enthusiastic.

Fifteen days to go. <3

Overwhelmed.

There are times wherein I feel so *blech* that I want to curl up into bed and sleep the entire day away.

On the other hand, there are moments like now wherein I am absolutely flabbergasted when I realize how many wonderful people are in my life. I look around me, and I see that I've found an amazing support system over the years. I am constantly surrounded by kind, loving people who understand me and who love me for me. At this point, it is impossible to feel anything but appreciative and thankful.

Loved, loved, loved. I'm a happy girl.

Unto the Hills: A Daily Devotional by Billy Graham

I may be busy and may often forget to pray… but that does not mean I do not crave for prayer time.

Unto the Hills is a wonderful daily devotional to help aid one’s spiritual growth. Life sometimes seems too busy for one to find time to read the Bible readings on a daily basis. Whether we admit it or not, our schedules can greatly hinder our prayer life.

This devotional by Billy Graham is written in a manner that is very simple and easy to understand. It begins with a particular verse from scripture, and then leads into a short reflection related to the day’s passage. Afterwards, it ends with a short yet relevant prayer.

You may opt to read one page everyday, or may also choose to read several pages at a time. What I particularly appreciate about Unto the Hills is that each reading for the day is labeled with the month and date (such as January 1, March 15, August 27) – and is not made for a particular year. This devotional is timeless as it allows you to read it for years to come – which I have every intention of doing. This book is perfect for your bedside because it will help you start your day (or even end your day) on a right note.

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I received a complimentary copy of this book from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of BookSneeze, a book review bloggers program. Find out more at BookSneeze.com! :)

Nora.

At the end of the day, it is family that matters most.

Thank you for reminding me of that, Lola.

We love and miss you.

Oink, oink.

On pretty much any given day, you could comment on my (incredibly large) figure and it wouldn't bother me so much. Food makes me happy. Tell me I gained a billion pounds and I wouldn't lose my appetite. I wouldn't throw away the Venti Frappe or the can of Coke I was drinking either.

Unfortunately, today was not one of those days. I sit here at the end of the day and think back at what I've eaten since I woke up. This sounds really stupid, but I simultaneously want to cry, run a marathon, shake myself, do pushups and weights, slap myself and scream, "WHAT WERE YOU THINKING, KRIS?!?! DID YOU REALLY HAVE TO EAT ALL THAT!? WERE YOU EVEN HUNGRY!?!?!?"

Little Miss Cranky Pants.

Every little thing has been getting on my nerves lately. Please be careful with what you say to me. Jokes aren't funny and sarcasm is not appreciated. I'm in dire need of sleep and sugar, and I could snap any minute now. Watch out, world. Ugh.

One step forward and two steps back.

The days have gotten incredibly short lately. I find myself with zero time to watch the TV shows I used to follow religiously. I cannot seem to have the energy to pick up the book that's been my bedside for more than a month now. In fact, I barely have an hour of "me time" a day. To put a little fun in my day, I have resorted to a few games of Bejeweled before getting up in the morning. Yes, life is that exciting. :P

I am finding myself always trying to catch up with things I have fallen behind on. Sometimes though, just when I've caught up on everything, life speeds on a few steps ahead and I will find myself left behind once again. Yes, I am struggling and all this "catching up" is taking it's toll on me. Oddly enough though, part of me wishes it could go faster. Six months into the future, to be exact.

There are wonderful, wonderful, wonderful things to look forward to this year. No matter how stressful the daily grind may be, it is a beautiful thing to wake up each day, absolutely in love with the idea of the future. I will get there eventually. One step at a time.

The unforeseen.

So we're more than a week into the new year. I won't do a customary "The Year That Was" post with reflections or a blow-by-blow account of things that happened over the past year. Instead, let's focus on the future.

One thing is for certain, 2011 is full of promise and all sorts of exciting possibilities. It may be merely psychological, but the new year gifts us with a clean slate. No matter what age you are, you can still teach yourself new tricks.

I start the year slightly stressed and already a tad worn out. That's okay, though. This year will definitely be like no other. This year will be my year.

Image by Little Aviary via The Sweetest Occasion.

2011.

Here's to 2011! It's going to be the most bestest, awesomest year yet. ♥