Thankful Thursdays 02/28/13

Music: Mad World - Tears For Fears
          All To You - Bleach
          Daylight - Brave Saint Saturn


Holy smokes, I'm actually being consistent with a post. It's a miracle! That's something to be thankful for right there! Okay, let's jump right into this bad boy...or should I say good boy? Hmmm...


1. I'm thankful that the Lord holds my tongue against my own wishes sometimes. I had a very ugly run in on the phone the other day with a man, and thankfully I did not stoop down to his level of rudeness. Although, I did vent about it to a few dear friends, I didn't tell him what I thought of him even though he certainly told me what he thought of me. It wasn't pretty, but thank you, Lord for dousing the fire of my tongue with Your water.

2. My bestie, Amber. Sweet Moses, I love that girl. I seriously did not know what it meant to have a best friend until I met her six years ago. We're so similar that I'm pretty sure it freaks out our mothers. We've been told that we have our own language. (We do. It's called Amamberese.) We know what the other is thinking with a look. We've shared each others' burdens through sickness, loved ones deaths, heartaches, and frustrations. We can carry on complete conversations consisting of only movie and TV quotes. "Carnations?!" "Do you dance with all your friends moms?" "I really am ruggedly handsome!" "You've lost your muchness!" "Captain Tightpants." We share a mutual love and adoration of this man:

(The dimples, the smile, the eye crinkles...I swoon...)

I've cried on her shoulder, and dripped snot all over it. A lot of people will let you cry on their shoulder, but drip snot on it? Only a bestie will put up with your boogies.We have a standing Saturday night coffee date where we talk, laugh and carry on (much to the annoyance of our fellow coffee shop addicts, I'm sure). Thanks to her I've gained a sister, a big brother (her hubs, Matt), two nieces and a nephew. Amber is one of my biggest blessings and greatest joys. She's my comrade in arms, partner in crime, and dearest friend.

(Cheesy grins. No charge.)

3. Nutella. Oh, you divine, chocolately, European spread. I love you on toast. I love you on Oreos. I love you on brownies. I love you by the spoonful right out of the jar. 

I'm still not sure if I like the title Thankful Thursday. It seems a bit corny to me. Any suggestions out there? Any thankful thoughts to share? Feel free to comment.

Amanda

Thankful Thursdays 02/21/13

In order to temper the snark a bit, I'm going to try to start a regular feature I like to call "Thankful Thursdays" (oh so witty, I know!). Too many times I find myself going days without giving the Lord a big thank you for all the things He's done for me. Instead I'm always going to Him with my problems. Then when He does answer a prayer, I just give Him a flippant "Thanks, God.", and go on my merry way. Obviously, this is not the right heart attitude to have. It's kinda like that one friend we all have that always seems to be complaining.  They're a Debbie Downer or a Negative Ned. This person never has a positive thing to say, and is basically the equivalent of biting into a mealy, soggy apple.  You all know what that's like....not enjoyable, kinda gross, and just plain "blech". Just as hard as it is for us to be around this person, I think it's kinda the same with God. He doesn't appreciate a soggy apple any more than we do. Thankfully, His patience with us is infinite, and He never throws His soggy apples away. Thank heavens!

So all this intro to say I'm going to try my darndest to have a more thankful heart, and I think this feature will help me quite a bit. My "thankful for's" may be serious, cheesy, silly, sweet, or most likely some combination of all of those. So. Here we go!

1. My Lord's patience. I know I try it daily, hourly, minute by minute, and even second by second sometimes. Thank You, Lord for never leaving my side, or giving up on me.

2. My two cousins named Jennifer. You're both completely different, but I love both of you so dearly.

    Jennifer (Jen) M.: You're the one I grew up with. We share so many fun memories. Sleepovers at Grandma's where we though it was the COOLEST thing ever that she let us sleep on those folding lawn chairs. Giant pancakes and bug juice. Helping Grandma at her job. Our crazy family camping trip (we so need to do another one!) Singing with our moms to scare the bears away on our way to the outhouse. Grandma's and your dad's earth shattering snoring, and the insomnia is caused in all the other family members. Winning push-up pops from your mom when we got the Wheel of Fortune words right. Laughing at our dads' and uncles shenanigans. Your sweet and generous spirit never ceases to amaze me, and I love seeing how much you love your beautiful baby girls and your hubby.

(Oh, the 80's)

Jennifer (Jenni) K.: Even though, we didn't get to spend much time growing up together because over 1,000 miles separated us, we still have some great memories. Listening to Boys II Men on repeat during the infamous '92 family reunion. Yelling at a pair of certain younger male family members. Hot roller curls. Comparing My Little Pony collections. Nannie's Swedish Pancakes and Waldorf Salad. I'm so grateful that now that we're adults we've been able to grow closer than when we were kids (thank you, cheap plane tickets!) I love your fiercely loyal nature especially when it come to your family. I've always said if anyone tried to pull anything with me, my cousin Jenni would probably literally rip them apart. I also love that you're a fun loving goofball, and the way you and your Penguin ;) have so much fun together. I'm so excited that you're going to be a Mommy and can't wait to meet that little munchkin!

(The hair, the socks, the glasses, the flannel pajamas...I don't even know where to start...)

3. Pinterest. I just love you and all the many joys you bring me. Yes, it's probably shallow, and yes, even if all my friends are sick of me saying "Oh my word, I saw this (insert item, meme, recipe, or project here) on Pinterest! It was so great!". I still love you and am thankful for you, you wonderful time waster, you.

As always, I love to hear from my readers. What makes you thankful today?
 

Random Outbursts with Amanda

Music: Cold As Ice- Foreigner
           Heart Beats- Johnnyswim



Okay, so I have a quirky sense of humor, a mildly snarky view of life in general (shocker!), and I looooove people watching. When all these combine, I can't help sharing my observations. Usually it's my nearest and dearest that bear the brunt of these observations...poor souls... Now that I have a blog, I get to share them with my lucky readers. All two of you...Hi, Mom! Hi, roomie!

1. What is with all the Amish themed romance novels in the market?! I was looking through a book catalog recently, and there was page after page after page of Amish novels. I get the whole appeal of being self sufficient and living a simpler life, but really... Amish romance novels?! Didn't realize that they had the market cornered on being romantic. "Oh Rebecka, that white mesh strainer bonnet of yours really lights my propane powered generator. Mmmm, and this hand strained cottage cheese is absolutely wonderful." "Why thank you, Jedediah. I can't wait until we're married so you can start growing your beard. Sigh, those no mustache beards are just so manly. Oh, and the way you handle that horse drawn plow just makes my homemade butter melt." I don't even know...

2. People calling their significant other "babe". If this is your preferred term of endearment, good on ya, mate. It's not for me. To me, it just sounds, blah, and unoriginal. Even the popular "honey, sweetie, and sweetheart" are better options. When I hear someone call their loved one "babe" I immediately think of some washed up, bleached blonde, wanna be 80's surfer dude. "Hey, babe. Babe, can you get me a beer, babe? Those spandex jeans look hot, babe. Babe, can I use your Aqua Net? Babe, I'm going to get my board waxed..." Seriously! The English language is so original! How about we use it?

3. On the topic of using terms of endearments, if I've just met you, or only interact with you on a professional basis (and you're under the age of 70), please do not, I repeat, do not call me "sweetie, honey, or the dreaded babe (shudder)". I don't know you. You don't know me. We're not related, or friends. No need for the sweet talking.

Okay, better stop before I offend more people. I know I've already ticked off some.

Talk to you again soon,
Manda

White Chocolate Raspberry Scones

Music: Selah - Heath McNease
           Lover of the Light - Mumford and Sons
           Easy Living - Billie Holiday



Yaaaayyyyy!!!!! As promised a foodie post! I've been eyeballing this recipe for quite some time on my Pinterest Bread board, and decided to finally make it this morning. I found the original recipe over at Bake Me Something Good. It did not disappoint! Guys, these are what scones are supposed to be like. Crispy, crunchy on the outside and tender on the inside. Add in the tart, bright bursts of raspberries accented with the creamy, mellow bits of white chocolate....mmmmm, happy Manda..... The only thing that makes these puppies better is big cup of coffee ;)

I did modify the recipe a bit. I upped the white chocolate chips and raspberries to a half a cup each because well, I wanted too. I used frozen raspberries instead of fresh (they came from my parent's raspberry patch so that's pretty much as good as fresh, right?). I didn't thaw berries first because if I had they would been more like jam, and I wanted whole berries. I also dropped the scone batter instead of forming the traditional round then cutting it into wedges.

After I baked the scones, I made a simple powdered sugar glaze and drizzled it over the still warm scones...You're welcome.

Happy Saturday all!
Manda

Thoughts on True Love...

Singles Awareness Day (aka Valentine's Day) is coming up, and as my Facebook friends can attest to I'm already getting especially snarky and sarcastic about it. It's a rough time of year to be eternally single. Hearts make me angry. Every single one of Cupid's arrows should be snapped in half, and his bow put where the sun doesn't shine (sorry, Mom). Roses infuriate me. Teenagers proclaiming their love on social media makes me vomit. Yes folks, this is when you see Bitter Manda rear her ugly, snarling head.

 So, as usual, the Lord in His infinite wisdom and timing takes these moments of self pity and loneliness, slaps me upside the head and reminds me "Daughter, it's not about you. Let Me show you what true earthly love is."

Two couples walked into my office today. One was a couple who have been married for almost sixty years! Hold on. Did you hear that? Sixty years! Let me put that into a little perspective. This couple married in the early fifties. As a married couple, they've seen four wars. Seen the stock market crash multiple times. In 1954, the average annual household income was under $4,000.00. Gasoline cost $.21 a gallon. A loaf of bread was $.17. A stamp was $.03. The advances in technology they've seen is mind boggling. They've had their son pass away in the past year. Serious health issues have come up. Yet, through it all, this sweet couple still delight in each other. They poke each other, make fun of each other, express their concern for each other, and laugh through it all. Every time I see them in the office, they're laughing. Can you image it? Almost sixty years together, and still laughing as if they're eighteen. I just want to sit at their feet and say "Teach me. I want to be your padawan....(Yes, I know, a Star Wars reference, but I did warn you. I'm a nerd.)"

The other couple, oh, this other couple...These two break my heart, inspire me, and convict me of my selfishness all at the same time. They've been married for over fifty years, and they too have, obviously, seen a lot of change in the world. What sets them apart is the husband has a very serious degenerative condition that causes him to not be able to walk without a guiding hand. He cannot hold his head up properly and he can no longer speak. His wife has become his primary care giver. Her husband can no longer be the strong shoulder. She has to shoulder it all. Yet, instead of becoming bitter or treating her husband as a child, she still includes him in everything. She asks him his opinion about all their decisions in our office, even though he can only  answer with a nod or shake of the head. She respects him. She never belittles or talks down to him. He, in turn, is always smiling at her. When she leaves the room, and then returns you see him light up! Even sweeter is the laughter they share together. Like my other couple, they too can still laugh with each other. I wish every young couple could spend time with these two and learn from them.

My last example is my very own parents. They are my constant reference for true love. My parents have been through a lot together in their almost 34 years as a married couple. Emotional, physical, spiritual, and financial hardships have bombarded their marriage, and through it all they've grown in Christ and their relationship. Every year, they fall deeper in love. She's his "wiffey", and he's her "pukey bear". If you ask them how they've made it so long, they'll immediately give all the glory to Christ and tell you that it's only through Him. Guys, I'm so blessed to have them as my parents, and I hope they know that they're an amazing blessing to me and so many others.

My final thoughts are this. True love means laughing together every day. True love means sacrificing your comfort in order to care for your love. True love means giving not taking. True love means growing in Christ and growing in your love for each other. What are your thoughts? What does true love mean to you? I would    love to hear!

I'll leave you with these pics of my favorite couple. Enjoy!

Manda

P.S. I promise. I will do a foodie post soon. Promise, promise, promise!

What's in a name...

So you might be saying to yourself "What in the heck is a 'sassy wallflower'?" Well. It's me. It's how I see myself. Yes, it's kind of an oxymoron, but still I think it's the best way to describe who I am. A couple of months ago a dear friend told me that I was an extroverted introvert. It's true! I love being with people, particularly those near and dear to me, but I love being by myself just as much. I can get up in front of a crowd and make a perfect fool of myself during a skit. Put me in an unfamiliar group of people, and I clam up or make conversation with the nearest pet. I can be singing 80's power ballads at the top of my lungs with my girlfriends at Target one day, and the next all I want to do is stay home and watch Doctor Who for hours on end.

I've always been like this. When I was little, I would only talk to family, but with family I was loud and probably obnoxious. A complete "ham" as my aunt called me. As a teenager, I was more comfortable with adults than my peers. Even as an adult I can be completely silly with a group of ladies, but around the opposite sex, I tend to do the "icy, silent, no eye contact thing" because I feel so awkward. Crazy, I know, but that's just me :)

So there you have it the origins of The Sassy Wallflower. Thank you for listening.

See you soon (hopefully with a cooking adventure!),
Amanda

Well hello, there!

Welcome, welcome!!

Yes, I've decided to join the world of blogging. I'm a little late to the game, but hey, at least I showed up at the field...wow...what's with the sports analogies? Any who, you're probably wondering what this blog is going to be about. Glad you asked! I plan on sharing thoughts, stories and things that make me smile or think. These will include recipes I've tried or made up, nerdy delights, and hopefully some serious items too.

See you again soon!
Amanda