Cinnamon Rolls and Testing

Today was a great day. Seriously. We're doing the government required testing so that we can continue to homeschool. Plus, our family consists of a fairly wide range of ages (6 - 13), so whoever is not testing at the moment gets to hang out quietly upstairs doing almost anything. They can watch TV (Leave It To Beaver!) and read and play with Legos and train tracks and (my personal favorite) write.

Which is what I did. I wrote. All Day. Can you believe it? All day. Doesn't that sound like a fantastic day? I think so. I also baked. Cinnamon rolls. The really good kind that are huge and gooey and nutty and homemade. Can't you just smell them?

So, baking is another thing that I love to do and it consumed about 5 hours of my day to make these cinnamon rolls (yeah, they're that good). Then they sat on the counter, filling the house with their rich smell for a good two hours.

Unfortunately, us humans weren't the only ones to smell them.

My mom and I were outside viewing tree forts when disaster struck. "You better come inside, quick!" said Will, one of my younger brothers. Someone said something about dogs and that's when I started despairing.

I entered the kitchen, only to find the expected. The plate of now-demolished cinnamon rolls was upside-down on the floor, half-eaten. I didn't know whether I wanted to laugh or cry. I did neither at the time, still trying to control my thoughts.

The really funny thing was, that the strongest reaction came from my dad, who was not happy that tomorrow morning's breakfast was destroyed in such a short time by someone other than himself.

The mutts did not get to everything though.

Imagine the scene: I come in to the room and stand for a moment, shocked. Eventually, I am able to pick up the plate and set it on the counter, then begin picking up the pieces off the floor. Once the floor is clean, I see the cinnamon roll pieces that are still stuck to the plate. I see no reason to waste good food, so I peel off the parts that touched the floor and the dog's mouth (not that I would have minded eating them, but people would have made a big deal out of it) and I share the salvageable bits with my mother and the brother that attempted to rescue them.

So that was it. My great day. I only have one last thing to say: they were good. :)

Searching

I read this book about a year ago called Do Hard Things: A Teenage rebellion Against Low Expectations. It was written by Alex and Brett Harris when they were 19 years old. The twins decided to write this book about how teens today are "shackled" by the low expectations of today's culture and how that needs to change.

As is pointed out in this wonderful book, teens less than a hundred years ago were working to earn money for their families and were treated like adults from a "young" age. Now, we are expected to sit around and goof off for years then suddenly be able to recover and gain some immediate work ethic - yeah, right.

Since going back to the "Rebelution" blog, as it's called (started by the same people), I have been restless. Restless to do something for God - and that's another thing. The Rebelution isn't about doing hard things just to do them. No, the point is to do something to glorify God. That should be our goal in life anyway. The Westminster Shorter chatechism even says it in the first question: "What is man's chief end? - Man's chief end is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever."

So that got me thinking. What on earth am I doing to glorify God right now? How am I working to further His kingdom? The answer is, I am doing nothing. And that needs to change. As in, now.

This brings up the question, what should I be doing? That one's hard. What work does God have for me to do right now? And is it more than what I'm already doing? Maybe God wants me to just put everything I have into what's going on in my life now. I honestly don't know right now.

So in conclusion to this short blog post, please pray for me and let me leave you with a few questions to torture your mind for a while: where does God want you right now? What should you be doing to serve the Lord? And what are you going to do about it?

Writing, Life's Meaning, and Jars of Clay

Random Awesomeness Teenager Section (RATS)

(The part where those who do not laugh or cry just roll their eyes.)  



So... hi. 


In case you couldn't tell, this is the amazingly amazing start to my very first blog-post, as I am a friend of the Quintins' and do... not... have... an... actual... blog... GASP! ATLEASTNOTYET! Hopefully this will turn out great.

Anyways. (See? This is my "Reporter Font", aka awesomeness font.)

How are you, Internet Surfer, Friend, Giant Squid/Pine-Tree mutant, whoever or whatever you are? It is very nice to meet you and nice that you have not clicked the "close" button on this tab yet. (If you have, then you are not reading this, are you? No, didn't think so.)

Today, I am going to write about... (drumroll) WRITING!

Wow. AmAZing.

For those out there in the world who do not know me (this probably means you), my name is Anthea and I am a friend of the Quintins (who, bytheway, are the people who started this blog and are awesome in every way imaginable except that they are sometimes too awesome for their own good). I like (in no particular order) soccer, piano, carrots, swimming, climbing, reading, adventures, decorating, blahing with my friends, languages, txting, being outside, being with people, dance, youth group (where we have had conversations about, besides the amazing and perfect Word of God and His amazing love for us and Him dying and coming back to life, conquering death so we could be with Him in bliss forever: unicorns, Doctor Who, and German Chocolate), potlucks, building/creating, dogs, photography, and writing.

WRITING !?! Wait, stop! Writing is BORING! 

Too late. MWAHAHAHAHA!!!



Section One: Opinion (Read Complaining) Section
   
See, we all have great experiences in life, and we all have not so great experiences in life. Writing is a way to impact others with your worldview, change lives, all that junk. And it is pretty much just plain fun. On paper.

Literally. Because once you have it (at least started) on paper, all the hard work is DONE (besides, you know, all the income tax forms on the heaping amounts of money you are receiving every day from your finished book.) All that work- over with (pretty much). But writing is very, very, VERY(!!!) hard to get started. Because, if you have ever written anything (or started), you know that, besides keeping the readers' interests, you need to keep your own. To keep you going so you can find out, as the writer, what happens next. And you don't want to be just any old writer, you want to create a masterpiece. A Mona Lisa, not a splash of black paint on lined paper. When you are a writer, you typically read a lot, and your expectations grow with each title you finish- you have to make something brilliant, but you don't know how.  WRITER'S BLOCK!!!

TA-da.



Section Two: The Philosophical (read Mushy) Section
 
It is now summer (YAYYYYYYY!!!) for me (except math: blech, right?). I would like to write a book, go bungee-jumping, or build a raft. I want to do SOMETHING with my LIFE! And thousands of others, who have also been stuck in school all year, expecting bliss to come with summer, now have the same boredom. A wise man probably once said that boredom is because of lack of imagination. Maybe the world is losing its creativity, I don't know. And it isn't like I haven't done anything (I totally have this summer.) Yet the days go by so fast, and there isn't a slow down switch. Or is there?

Maybe, just maybe, the more we do things, the more our lives are filled up, the more we fill up our lives, the less time we get. The more we do, the faster time runs. But if we slow down doing so many things, as we take a rest and enjoy life, time gets a breather. And we have more of it.

(Really mushy part)
Then, we begin to wonder, why was I doing all those things anyways? The meaningless ones at least. And as we start to rout out the meaningless, the trash, the unnecessary, layer by layer, we find, in a treasure trunk labeled "Awesomeness" what actually matters to us. What is full of meaning, what we want in our lives. Meaningful.

WOW. People, you should be crying right now. 




Section Three: Seriousness. (Ha!)

My absolute favorite song for FOREVER (meaning the next twenty-four hours) is

JARS OF CLAY: Boys (Lesson One)

Except I don't think this only applies to boys. It is to everyone in one way or another. You should listen to it. Right now. Yes, seriously, NOW. Unless you are about to perform brain surgery, in which case, why are you even reading this anyways? 


Amazing quotes: 


Trail mix is just M & M's with obstacles in it.
The Sentient Lobsters! (Pals in Peril: Agent Q)
Intense.
Confusticate and bebother these dwarves!(The Hobbit)
The Angels have the Phone Box. (Blink, Doctor Who)
I am calling Captain America's publisher. (My friend, Rachel. Oh, teenage angst. Gotta love it.)
And, "God Is Love." (The Bible)



Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed it. My very first blog post.
  That's all, Folks!
Toodles


 

 

 

A Reminder

Snow is beautiful. It is clean. It is sparkly. Who doesn't like it? Usually, here in Virginia, we don't get an overload of snow very often, but this year was different. 4 to 6 inches was the estimate. 18 to 19 inches was the actuality. Of course everyone was excited - the college closed for the first time in years which meant we got the day off of home school. Awesome, right? Maybe. The snow was great, but the irony of the situation was somewhat amusing and extremely frustrating. We were living at our grandma's house while our house was being shown. Which meant that all of our snow gear was back at our house. During the deepest snow we have had in years. Funny, right? It wasn't as amusing at the time.

Since that February dump we have had a few more dustings of snow and even a couple of inches. Why is it that the year I'm finally eager for soccer season to start is the year that we get lots of late snow? And yet, I still can't help but be in awe when I look out the window and see the unbroken layer of white the morning after it falls. It's wonderful and it reminds me of just how beautiful God's creation really is. And the truth is, it's gorgeous.

-Buttercup

Home?

Moving. Plenty of people have done it right? My mom moved every two or three years when she was a kid and we're doing the same now. She always says "This is the last house - for real this time!" but it never is. I've moved approximately six times in my 13 years of life. I'm in the middle of number seven. So why is it still so hard? We're not moving far, just 20 minutes away. We'll still go to the same church, same soccer team, same Youth Group. This should be cake!

As I walk through our near empty house, I finally appreciate the comfort of the bedroom I share with my sister, the familiarity of the kitchen, the work that went into the tree house. Why is it that I am just now noticing these things? They've been here for a while, but not until I have to leave them do I see the little things.

I resolve in my mind to not get comfortable in the new house. To never think of it as home. I get discouraged and down. I stay this way.

Then, one day, I am reading a passage in John where Jesus tells His disciples that he is going to prepare a place for them. That is when it dawns on me. I'm not home for good - not yet. But while I'm here on earth, it doesn't matter what kind of house I live in or if it's 10 minutes further from church than I'm used to. What really matters is who's there with me. No matter how much I dislike the house. As long as my family and friends are within reach then it's home. Just for now though . . .

-Buttercup

Preacher Cookies

Another lemonade stand, another sweet to cook. This time it’s cookies. Preacher cookies. The best preacher cookies ever.

This recipe came from my Granny who is southern through and through - especially in cooking (you should taste her green beans and potatoes!). They are delicious and I wouldn’t change a thing (like I did with my chango bars). To quote my brother, Richard, "I'm really tempted to just go in there and eat all of those cookies!" We decided he wouldn't go in the kitchen. :)

Here’s the recipe. It’s doubled, because you can’t make a single batch and expect them to last the day. The double batch doesn’t last long either, though.

Granny's Preacher Cookies  

4 cups sugar                2/3 cup peanut butter

1 cup butter                  6 cups oats

1 cup milk                     2 teaspoons vanilla

1 cup cocoa (Hershey's is the best)

Mix sugar, butter, milk, and cocoa in a large pot on medium heat. 

Bring to a boil. Keep stirring. Boil for 30 seconds.

Add peanut butter, oats, and vanilla. Mix.

Turn off stove and spread out wax paper. Mix. Drop onto wax paper.

Let cool and harden. Peel off wax paper and store in fridge.

I really hope you like these, because I know my family does!

Enjoy!

Chango Bars

Chango Bars. Never heard of them? Well, I’ll explain.

Chango bars are a spanish dessert that’s kind of a mix between cake and brownies, but the only chocolate in them are the chocolate chips. They are really easy to make and are also a lot of fun.

So now for where I got the recipe.

I was in second grade and it was reading. The recipe was talked about in a story and the real thing was in the back of the book. Yes, it came from a text book. Our class made the the batter and sent it to the kitchen to cook (this was before I homeschooled and could do all that myself). We were dying to try them all day. Then, just before recess, we finally got to bite into the sweet treat (notice it was right before recess - there were some people who would benefit from running off the sugar before the next subject). Everybody loved them. We were allowed to write down the recipe and I immediately did so. The next time I made them was at home and I tweaked the recipe. I continued to tweak it until I had found a wonderful combination of ingredients that is always a crowd pleaser.

Now for the recipe:

Chango Bars

1 cup butter                    2 ⅓ cups flour

2 cups brown sugar       1 Tbs baking powder

½ cup applesauce         1 tsp salt

3 eggs                            2 ½ cups chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9x13 in glass baking pan. Melt butter. While this is melting, cream brown sugar, applesauce, and eggs, then add the butter. In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt, and stir into wet mixture. Fold in chocolate chips. Pour mixture into prepared pan and bake in preheated oven for 45 to 50 minutes.

I really like this recipe and hope you do too!