Logan Wolfram

Enjoying Life for Dessert

How To…Make a Book Page Wreath

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I’m up to my eyeballs in Christmas decorations around here.

This is the first year EVER that I have even gotten my Christmas stuff down before Thanksgiving.  If I don’t get a jump on it though, there’s no way I’ll get it done in time for the Lily Pottery Jewelry show that I’m having here the Tuesday after Thanksgiving.  (Which by the way, if you’re local and want to come, you’re invited…email me for directions.)

And since I’m going to have a Christmas party this year too…I just have a lot that I want to get done.

My living room has been the most fun to do so far since I’ve been crafting up a storm with those hymnals I bought about a week ago.  Today I thought I’d give you a tutorial for this fabulous wreath made from hymnal pages.  The first time I saw one was on Miss Mustard Seed and I didn’t realize until just now that she’d done a tutorial.  So for all my intents and purposes, I was doing it blindly….turns out my ingenuity was pretty much the same as her method in the end.  So here’s what you’ll need to make one.

  • An old hymnal, book, or sheet music
  • glue gun
  • sturdy cardboard

That’s it.  I’ll show you the pictures of how I did it and then explain along the way.

From a sturdy piece of cardboard, cut a circle.  I used a very specific circle cutting guide called a “salad plate.” As you can see mine is about 9 inches across.  Then cut another circle in the center…this time I used a specific circle guide called “the lid of my sugar bowl.”

Next you’ll begin to make cone shapes from the pages.  Since I wanted my wreath to be 3 cones deep, I rolled each section of pages slightly differently.  I’ll show you.

For the outer grouping, make sure that the point of the cone is at the very bottom corner of your page.  Roll at an angle, and then secure the page at the final corner with a small bead of hot glue.  Make a ton of these until you fill all the way around your cardboard.  My finished wreath is about 2ft across (if you want it smaller than that, I suggest you adjust your circle size.) Begin gluing the cones onto the cardboard.  Since I wanted my wreath 3 cones deep, I made sure to leave room on the cardboard for a couple more rows of cones to glue on.

 

 

 

 

 

For the second layer of cones, I wanted them to be a bit shorter so that they wouldn’t completely cover the back row.  To do this, you’ll use the same rolling method above, but when you begin your cone, the bottom point should be maybe 3/4 up the side of the page.  See how I did it here?  Then roll it the rest of the way and secure the end with glue again.

 

Make a bunch of these too and you’ll begin to glue them onto the cardboard guide as well.  I made my second row points touch the edge of the center circle.  Fill this all the way around.  I found it necessary to run a line of glue along the length of the cone at the back to secure it to the cones behind it.

 

 

 

For the final center row, you’re going to make more cones again, but this time the point of the bottom will be about halfway up the page like this.  Again, my reasoning for shortening the lengths of the cones with each layer was because I wanted the cones of each layer behind to show.

 

You’ll run a bead of glue along the length of these cones too and secure them to the cones behind as well.  When you secure these center cones, you will completely cover your cardboard circle’s center so that you don’t see the cardboard at all.

When you’re done, the front and back of the wreath will look like this…

 

 

 

 

 

In order to hang the wreath, I used a piece of jute rope, hot glued it on to the back and then covered it with a scrap piece of paper…just to be able to mash the glue into the rope well.

I’m pretty pleased with the results, and my mantle decor is taking a real turn towards awesomeness with this beauty hung onto a chippy looking old door that I put over the mantle.  I’ve been making ornaments and even hymnal flowers as well that are turning out great.  I’ll show you about those later this week too!

Sorry for the blurry photo below too. We left our camera at a friend’s house the other night and I’m having to use my phone!

All total, this wreath cost me maybe $1 to make since I didn’t use even 1/2 of my 75 cent hymnal, cut my cardboard from an old box, and I already had loads of hot glue.  It’s maximum impact for minimum dollar value, and I think it’ll look great all year as I change the mantle decor around it!  Once I get the mantle decorations finished for Christmas, I’ll show you the full view!

Happy Crafting!

 

How to…Make a Great Cup of Coffee

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I’m a coffee lover.  As in, I have a real opinion on real coffee.  And while I like the occasional fluffy sounding coffee treat, as a general rule, I prefer just a plain mug of a fantastic regular brew.  For awhile my fav was a local Greenville, SC roaster called West End Coffee Company and while it’s probably still my favorite, at the rate that I go through it…it wasn’t the best for my budget.  I’ll drink the Maxwell Houses and Eight O’Clocks of the world happily at your house too…but in my house, I’ve found a soulful connection with Whole Foods’s Pleasant Morning Buzz which is a little more dinero than it used to be but still not too bad at about $13 for a 24oz bag.

I was thinking this morning as I arose to drink my happily anticipated cup of morning coffee that it seems that too many people don’t know how to make a decent cup of coffee.  I only say this because several of my friends have even confessed that they don’t know how to do it well.  So I thought I’d give ya’ll the low-down… especially since the holidays are upon us and you may likely find yourself with more opportunities to brew coffee than you’re typically accustomed to doing.

So here are some tips:

Buy decent coffee, and if you can make yourself grind it, then buy it in whole bean form when you can and keep it in an airtight container. Buying a one-week supply is ideal. Contrary to popular belief, coffee beans and grounds should be stored in an airtight container at room temperature to maintain their best flavor. (Now’s the time to rescue those beans from the freezer…yes…NOW.)  If you know you won’t grind it yourself, then it’s ok…buy the pre-ground stuff…I’m coming to hang out with YOU anyhow…not your coffee.

Use good water…In Greenville, our water was rated to be some of the best water in the country…so I use tap water.  If you have nasty minerally water, then your coffee will only be as good as your nasty water….which is well….kinda nasty.  Filter that stuff and you’ll be happier.

Ideally, grind your coffee beans just before brewing. (If you’re using pre-ground, that’s okay, too. I know what it’s like to be busy!) The faster your brew cycle, the finer you should grind the beans. A good rule of thumb is to use a fine grind (20–25 seconds in a blade grinder) for vacuum pots and one-cup cones, a drip grind (15 seconds) for most drip brewers and a coarse grind (10 seconds) for plunger pots and cold water extractors. (this little tid bit was from Whole Food’s website.)

 

Here’s the part that trips up most of the people I know.  The coffee to water ratio.  The rule of thumb is about 2 Tbsp per 3/4 c water that will be poured through…no matter how much you’re making.  On our standard coffee pots, 3/4 cup is about what they consider to be 1 cup.  So my own personal rule of thumb is to use a crazy full heaping Tbsp for every 2 cups…which when I measured it this morning to tell you this was just shy of 2 Tbsp.  Here’s what I do though…take the number of cups you want to make (a standard coffee pot makes 12)…half it (so we’re at about 6)…and then add one to grow on (so 7 ginormous heaping tablespoons for 1 standard pot of coffee.)  And if you’re making a lot of coffee or anything else for that matter, know that there are 4 Tbsp in 1/4 cup.  So do the math and cut down on your scooping.  (Tuck that little measurement conversion into your back pocket for the next time you’re doubling a recipe too.)

And, when you drink your coffee….it’s gonna taste the best within the first 30 minutes it’s brewed.

Hope this helps! Now you’ll be the one among your friends who becomes known for a good cup o’joe!  Happy brewing!

Starting on Monday, I’m going to show you a few crafts that I’ve been working on with all those hymnal pages I told you about!

Before I leave you today, I thought I’d show you how to make my MOST favorite cup of coffee ever.

<—-This old pot….

+

This company…—->

+

A fire in the fireplace…—->

+

 

 

<—- This view…

From this porch…

equals

Pretty much the most perfect cup of coffee ever.

And I’ll be enjoying my coffee that way every morning over Thanksgiving in the mountains too!

What’s for Dinner?! Hearty Sweet Potato and Sausage Soup

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It’s cold and rainy here.  The kind of day where all you want to make or eat is some flavorful, hearty, simple-to-make soup.  I posted this one back months ago, but honestly…it’s worth posting again.  When the season begs for the flavor of sweet potatoes, and savory sausage…trust me…this one is worth making over and over again.

This soup is probably one of my all-time favorites.  I love hearty and flavorful soups and this one meets both of those requirements.  It is also one of those that is even better the next day!  The original recipe says to cut the sausage into rounds, but I cut the sausage lengthwise and then crosswise to make half-rounds because I like to have bites that have a little bit of everything each time!  It’s also really gorgeous…look at this picture.  This is the one that originally snagged me because it was on the cover of Bon Appetit Magazine several years ago.  So if you don’t know yet if you trust me when it comes to recipes, then for this one, trust Bon Appetit.

And just in case you’re wondering when you get to the part where you can choose linguica or chorizo sausage…that will depend on your ability to tolerate a little spicy heat.  My personal preference is the chorizo, but that tends to be on the spicy side for my kids, so I go with the Linguica because it is more mild.  Best case scenario I think for the whole family though is to mix the two, but that means you are buying a package of both and dividing them which gets pricey for the first time you make this. (You can totally freeze the extra for another time though.)

The cook times on this are pretty exact too which is nice.  You can serve this up in less than an hour from when you start it.  I’d recommend doing all the prep work earlier in the day though because chopping everything takes about as long as cooking it all.

 

 

 

 

I cut enough potatoes to fill a gallon size ziplock bag. Also, this Gaspar’s brand is the linguica & chorizo that I really like!

I just realized that since the day I posted this turned out to be a crazy one, these are the only pictures I took of the process!  Sorry!

If you read the post on how to make your own chicken stock then this is the perfect place to use it!

And now, I give you…the recipe!

 

 

SWEET POTATO AND SAUSAGE SOUP
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1 10- to 11-ounce fully cooked smoked Portuguese linguiça sausage or chorizo sausage, cut in half lengthwise and then crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick slices
2 medium onions, chopped
2 large garlic cloves, minced
2 pounds red-skinned sweet potatoes (yams; about 2 large), peeled, quartered lengthwise, cut crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick slices
1 pound white-skinned potatoes, peeled, halved lengthwise, cut crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick slices
6 cups low-salt chicken broth
1 9-ounce bag fresh spinach

Heat 2 tablespoons oil in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Add sausage; cook until brown, stirring often, about 8 minutes. Transfer sausage to paper towels to drain. Add onions and garlic to pot and cook until translucent, stirring often, about 5 minutes. Add all potatoes and cook until beginning to soften, stirring often, about 12 minutes. Add broth; bring to boil, scraping up browned bits. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until potatoes are soft, stirring occasionally, about 20 minutes. Using potato masher, mash some of potatoes in pot. Add browned sausage to soup. Stir in spinach and simmer just until wilted, about 5 minutes. Stir in remaining 1 tablespoon oil. Season with salt and pepper. Divide among bowls and serve.

The Hazards of Being Crafty….

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I’ve been doing some crafting here lately.  I picked up 2 old hymnals from an estate sale this past weekend for just 75 cents each, and even though something in me cringed when I started tearing them apart, that’s exactly what I’ve been doing.  I’ve made a wreath, some Christmas ornaments, some flowers, and I have a plan to make some paper feathers too.  I’ll show you all about that tomorrow, but today I have to tell you about a little known pitfall of this much crafting, that you may want to be aware of should you find yourself on a crafting binge too.

I was unloading the dishwasher just a couple of mornings ago, and since I have small children, we’re still in the sippy cup phase.  Typically I unload the sippy cup parts and leave them on the counter until I finish unloading everything else and can go back to them to reassemble all the parts.  When I was unloading, I dropped a couple of the straws onto the floor and raced to grab them before my 5-second-rule time limit expired.  I finished unloading everything to the tune of “Mommy…juice, juice…cuppy…cuppy” over and over again.  I hurried to get my littlest one a cup of juice.  The cup I selected has a real fault though.  Something happens when you screw the lid on and the pressure inside forces some liquid up the straw every time, causing an overflow.  “I’ll solve this,” I thought to myself.  “I’ll just sip some of the juice off the top while I screw the lid on.”

And that’s just what I set out to do.

Something is wrong though….in my haste to get all of this done, I must have inserted the bottom portion of the straw incorrectly because no liquid would come out.  I remove the lid and push the straw up farther into the mouthpiece…then another sip.  This time I take a good long pull to make sure it’s working.  My cheeks suck inward and nothing comes out.  So I remove the lid again…certain that I’ve just pushed the straw too far up this time.  I pull the straw back out partways and again…suck on the straw really hard to make sure it’s working properly this time….

Nothing.

“Screw this,” I think to myself…I’ll just use this other straw.  Somehow I ended up with an extra at the end of my assembly process anyhow.  I put that straw in and Voila…drinking just fine.  I sip the top amount off of the straw and hand it to my little guy.

“What in the heck is wrong with that straw though?!”  Maybe something clogged it while it was in the dishwasher.  I pick up the straw to inspect it only to immediately see my problem is not the straw….

it’s that the “straw” is….

image source

a gluestick!!!

Yes ladies and gentlemen….a little known hazard of crafting in your kitchen….the gluestick is mistaken for a sippy cup straw.  Now that you know this, you can be aware when you are crafting.  Maybe this should be a label on the package of gluesticks when you buy them.  “Buyer Beware:  Gluesticks are not intended for liquid consumption.”  You know those ridiculous warnings happen because someone has done the stupid thing and then tried to sue the company for it.  Well not to worry hot glue stick company out there…no law suit here.  Just a little wiser…and a little more aware of the many hazards of being crafty.

You need to know about….Lily Pottery

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Swoon….

image from Lily Pottery

That’s the feeling I had when I first saw Lily’s amazing ceramic pottery jewelry.  To put it plainly…it’s just totally rad looking stuff.  It’s classic, and funky, and artsy, and feminine, and hardcore, and original all at the same time.  I love it, and I think you will too!

I’m a fan of celebrating hometown flavor anyways, and my hometown of Greenville, SC seriously has loads of flavor to sink your teeth into.  I was so stinking excited when Greenville was featured in the September issue of a fantastic magazine called Garden and Gun this fall too.  (I’ll tell you more about Garden and Gun soon….but for now, just know that it’s a must have on your Christmas list.)  Anyhow, in the magazine I was especially thrilled to see mentions of some of my favorite local places as well as features on some fantabulous artists in the area such as my friend Barb from Knack Studios and Lily from Lily Pottery.  Lily even got some full-page love and let me tell you what… this girl deserves it.  Her creations are gorgeous!

Here’s what G&G had to say about Lily:

Lily Wikoff
Design Star

Twenty-seven-year-old potter and jewelry designer Lily Wikoff expected to spend just four short years in Greenville, getting her degree in studio art at Bob Jones University before heading to New York, where she had the occasional modeling gig. But sometimes smaller really is better. “I just love this city,” Wikoff says. “It’s a smaller city, but it’s such a melting pot. I’ve been able to surround myself with so many other creative types.” From her Pendleton Street studio, Lily Pottery, Wikoff crafts ceramic jewelry painted in vibrant hues and stamped with her intricate organic designs. But it’s her housewares that have lately caught the eye of national purveyors. She’s in talks with the Urban Outfitters–owned Terrain and with home-goods company Shabby Chic to create outdoor and home lines. “I could not have made all this happen as quickly in another city,” Wikoff says. “The support in Greenville is just amazing.”

image from Lily Pottery

image from Lily Pottery

Did ya’ll catch that?!  Yep…the girl is going places!  I’m so excited for her!  And I’m even more excited to be hosting a show for her on Tuesday, November 29th from 6-9pm!

Now ya’ll have to understand something about me.  I quit doing the home show circuit awhile back.  I’ll go these days to support a friend, and maybe I need another Pampered Chef spatula since I do love those….or if I’m jonesing for some Tastefully Simple beer bread, then I might hit up one of those parties…but I have to be honest and say I’m not big on hosting home shows anymore.  It’s not that I don’t want to support friends’ businesses, but if I threw a home show for everyone that asked, I’d burn out myself and all the friends I’d be inviting to come.

Here’s the thing about Lily though….I ASKED HER if I could host a show.  Her stuff is that awesome, and I wanted to offer friends and readers an opportunity to buy from her in a warm and fun environment.  I do love a reason to have a party, so of course I’ll be whipping up some bites to eat and pouring hot cider and wine….but mostly I think Lily is making some pretty amazing stuff that’ll make the people on your Christmas list feel awfully special this year!  My own list of presents to buy will be considerably shorter after the show…so if you’re related to me and are reading….sorry….I just spoiled your surprise!

image from Lily Pottery

I don’t know about you…but most of the time, I don’t want exactly what everyone else out there has.  And the things I have that are showstoppers….that random people comment on when I’m in the line at the store or grabbing a coffee….it’s typically not the stuff I found at Target.  It’s something really original, like the pieces that I have from Lily Pottery.  Wearable art ya’ll.

If you’re far away, don’t worry….you can still order online HERE!  AND, between now and December 1st, enter the coupon code LIFEFORDESSERT at the checkout when you purchase from Lily Pottery online to get FREE Shipping!  If you’re in town (Greenville, SC), and would like to come to the show, then shoot an email to Logan @LifeForDessert dot com, and I’ll send you the address.  Bring a sister, a friend, a neighbor…and I’ll look forward to seeing ya’ll Tuesday November 29th from 6-9pm.  You’ll also be entered to win a Lily Pottery gift certificate just for showing up!  (And yes…in case you’re wondering, that’s the Tuesday AFTER Thanksgiving.  Forget black Friday…save your pennies and your sanity for the Tuesday afterwards.  You’ll be glad you did…

 

What’s Cooking?! Blueberry French Toast Casserole

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When we were in the mountains about a month ago with some of our friends, my gal pal Lisa made this recipe for Blueberry French Toast Casserole for breakfast one morning.  It was so amazing, and I’ve been looking forward to making it again.  Let’s be honest though, when you put cream cheese, and bread, and blueberries all together….what’s not to love?!

One thing that I particularly liked about this recipe was that it wasn’t too too sweet.  Some french toasty recipes can load on the sugar, and this one really didn’t.  There’s a little bit of maple syrup in the mixture that you pour over the bread to soak, but other than that, it’s the blueberry simple syrup that really adds the extra sweetness.  I’m thinking this is what I’m going to be making on Christmas morning for our family this year as well.  It is a beautiful dish and felt festive the first time I had it (even though we were eating it in our jammies with a cup of stove-top percolated coffee and a bunch of kids yelling in the background.)

I made some up yesterday to send with my Hubs to work this morning…just for fun.  Rest assured I’ll be carving out a slice before I send it along though!

So here you go (oh…this is a make-ahead recipe…night before sort of thing):

Blueberry French Toast Casserole

image from Allrecipes.com

Ingredients

  • 12 slices day-old bread, cut into 1 inch cubes
  • 2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, cut into 1 inch cubes
  • 1 cup fresh blueberries
  • 12 eggs, beaten
  • 2 cups milk
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/3 cup maple syrup
  • 1 cup white sugar
  • 2 tablespoons cornstarch
  • 1 cup water
  • 1 cup blueberries (I used frozen)
  • 1 tablespoon butter

Directions

  1. Lightly grease a 9×13 inch baking dish. Arrange half the bread cubes in the dish, and top with cream cheese cubes. Sprinkle 1 cup blueberries over the cream cheese, and top with remaining bread cubes.
  2. In a large bowl, mix the eggs, milk, vanilla extract, and syrup. Pour over the bread cubes. Cover, and refrigerate overnight.
  3. Remove the bread cube mixture from the refrigerator about 30 minutes before baking. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
  4. Cover, and bake 30 minutes. Uncover, and continue baking 25 to 30 minutes, until center is firm and surface is lightly browned.
  5. In a medium saucepan, mix the sugar, cornstarch, and water. Bring to a boil. Stirring constantly, cook 3 to 4 minutes. Mix in the remaining 1 cup blueberries. Reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes, until the blueberries burst. Stir in the butter, and pour over the baked French toast

Enjoy ya’ll!

Several of you have expressed interest in a lower fat version of this and just fyi, I used low fat cream cheese and skim milk when I made it.  I see no reason why you couldn’t use egg beaters (which are still eggs, just with a lower yolk to white ratio) and splenda to make the simple syrup. 

I’m linking up too at Women Living Well and Tasty Tuesday

That Awkward Moment….

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I got this in an email from my mom.  Yes…it’s pretty awful….but it’s also really, really funny…

It’s that awkward moment…..

Seriously….how awful….who’s the streaker?!  No wonder the guy in the background is smiling so big….there’s a naked girl standing in front of him at the office Christmas party….

No….

Wait….

Is that?….

Oh my words….

Yes it is….

It’s that awkward moment when you realize….

that your friend’s “fat arm” makes you look naked at the office Christmas party.

Oh yeah….scroll back up now. You know you want to.  Yep….that’s it alright.  What a relief….I think.

Insomnia…

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It’s 4:25 in the morning and I’m sorry to say that I’ve been wide awake for the past 2 hours.  It’s the kind of awake where I know I’m so tired now that I have that sick feeling in the back of my throat…the headache starting somewhere behind my eyelids….but nothing.  Sleep will not come.

First I woke up to pee at 2:20am.  That’s how it usually starts you know…these random times where sleeplessness grabs hold of me….a simple 12 step walk to the bathroom.  And I can do it in the dark too…but for some reason, I flipped on a light this time.  Maybe that’s what did me in.

I waddled back to bed and snuggled down in the fresh sheets willing myself to fall back to sleep.  Maybe it was the willing myself that used enough brain power to wake me up completely.

Or maybe it was the dry patch on my right middle finger…cracking open with eczema…asking for lotion in the middle of the night that I didn’t want to get because I didn’t want the action to wake me up more.  But eventually I gave in, opened the drawer that always sticks and put the heavy cream on…I even put the moisture glove over it to really make the effects last so that I’d fall back to sleep in peace.  That glove needs to be washed again….all that cream is making it greasy.

Speaking of greasy…my hair is getting that way.  Note to self…wash it in the morning.  And while we’re thinking on morning here self…don’t forget to prepare more for the Bible study you’re leading at 9:30.  Yeah…the one you’re frustrated about because people keep dropping out of since they haven’t kept up with the homework.  I think I should wake the Hubs to pray with me about it…that frustration is keeping me awake now.  He prays with me…assures me it’s not me…it’s them.  Surely I’ll fall back asleep now.

That sweet Hubs of mine.  I really need to take his 18 volt cordless drill to that place all the way across town to drop it off to have it serviced.  Dang…I hate those kinds of errands…the ones where you’re in the car for ages just to drop something off….because then eventually you have to do it all over again to go back and pick up the thing you dropped off.  And speaking of dropping things off self, you really need to take your nice digital camera, the one that broke when you were in Montana this summer, to that camera shop in the next town over.  Yeah…the one that’ll take 45 minutes just to get there to drop it off.  Stinks that Nikon won’t fix it.  I didn’t know it was “gray” market when I bought it.  Another note to self…don’t ever buy a gray market camera on accident again.  Stupid, stupid.

Oh and self, while you’re making mental notes…you really need to get that evite out about the Lily Pottery show on the 29th.  And make sure you get together that blog post about her soon too….people need to know she makes amazing pottery jewelry…not mugs and vases.  Oh yeah….and self, that dry finger is getting really dry again….how about another lotion application since you’re already up?

Hmmm….this year I’m definitely having a Christmas party.  Yep…I’ve wanted to have one the past 2 years but haven’t wanted to step on anyone else’s toes who might be having one.  Well ya’ll…this year I’m having one.  Yep…it’s on my calendar too.  Hmmm though….big party or small one?  First thought…small.  Nope….big….it needs to be big.  With Christmas decorations everywhere, and people can dress nice, and have a night without their kids, and eat good food and have a glass of wine.  Yep….I want it to be big.  Oh…and that weekend you want to do it self, make sure to call Mom to see if they will have their Christmas weekend where they take the kids THAT weekend…the weekend of the party.

You know what self….why don’t you just flip the light on and write all this stuff down?  There are too many thoughts rolling around in there to let you go back to sleep….write it all down and then this sleepless problem will be solved.  Then you’ll be free of all this mind wandering and you’ll fall right back to sleep.  Good idea….I think I will.

Crud….It’s just 3:45…and I’m still awake.  Hmmm….try a new position…shift around a bit, fluff the pillow, rub your feet together.

“Babe….what’s going on?  Why are you up?” – the Hubs

“No idea…still thinking too much. Sorry. I’ll be still.”

Ok….so the shifting to get comfortable thing isn’t going to work.

I should really write a blog post about this in the morning.  Speaking of which I really should get up about 5:30 so that I have time for a good quiet time with the Lord, have time to think some more about this Bible study in the morning…oh yeah…don’t forget self, you HAVE to wash that greasy hair in the morning.  Man it’s greasy….seriously, go look in the mirror…and pee again while you’re at it, maybe there’s still some left in there and it’s the reason you can’t fall asleep.

Done and done.  Seriously, it’s 4:15…make some good notes self… about all these feelings you have when you can’t sleep so you can write about it in the morning when you wake up.  The sick to your stomachness, the whole thought of “should I even keep trying to go back to sleep if I’m just waking up in a little over an hour?”  Yes you crazy fool…you should go to sleep…because if not, then that means you have been awake…wide freaking awake since 2:20 and only asleep before that since 10.  You cannot function well on 4 hours of sleep…who are you kidding?!

Just get up self…write the post now.  Go sit on the bathroom floor so you don’t wake up the Hubs.  Man, I miss the days where I had a sitting room off of my bedroom….hmmm….I can ly here instead and imagine doing some cool renovations to this house one day.  Yes….the things I can imagine…if I just bump a wall out here….or wait…would I bump it out over there?  You know, if I was gonna bump out a wall there, then it’d make just as much sense to add another space right over there beyond it.  Logan…get a grip….this imaginating of home improvements is probably about $400 thousand dollars worth of real life money that you don’t have.  Oh yeah…good thought self…stop thinking about that and go back to sleep.

Ok…go back to sleep.  Sleep….sleep….sleep.  One sheep, two sheep, three sheep….seriously, does anyone ever fall asleep counting?  Forget this…it’s the pits.  You’re never gonna have the same stream of consciousness going on when you try to get up and remember it all to write it.  Just get up and write it now…and then maybe you’ll go back to sleep afterwards.

Ok self….It’s now 4:56 and i just did it.  I wrote the post.  Now can I go back to sleep?

Wait…it’s 4:56….I have to be up in just half an hour….do I even go back to bed or do I just recognize that I’ve been up since 2 freaking 20 in the morning?!

UGH!  Maybe I can squeeze in just 30 minutes….

If I Could Turn Back Time….

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You’re totally all going to be singing Cher the rest of the day! HA!  You can thank me later! 🙂

I am absolutely giddy right now.  A great place to be…giddy!  Here’s why I’m giddy….

The Old Pick-up Truck at the General Store

Yes friends…they’re here!  The Yesterville pictures that my unbelievably talented friend and photographer, Kim Deloach, took of my family to give you a taste of what you can expect for your family photo session in Yesterville!  Now, not everyone will want to go all out and try to find semi-period clothing like I did….but I do love a good a good opportunity to play dress up!  Besides, I thought it’d be more fun for ya’ll to look through them that way too!  I have to be honest and say that I cannot get enough of my little fellas dressed in those hats!  Wanna buy a newspaper anyone?

I’ll post a few of the pictures here for you to see, and then I’ll give you the link at the end to see the whole slide show that she put together too.  It’s amazing.  And you have to watch it with the sound turned on….the music she put it to makes you want to just dance and be happy.

Lucky for those of you who’ve already signed up for the November 19th shoot day…now you’ll know what you’re in for as far as what the property offers when you pick the spots you want.  And for the rest of you out there who are really itching to FINALLY take some family photos…we’ve still got a couple of slots available.  For more information about pricing and details, go HERE to read more and then email me ASAP if you’re interested.

For now though…a little old-fashioned photographic fun!

The Old General Store

The Barbershop

The Farmhouse Porch

The Gardens

The Post Office and Firetruck

The Shoe-Shine Station

And if you really want to get a feel for the MASSIVE amount of fun we had at Yesterville, and the unbelievable variety of things you can do there, don’t forget to check out this most happy slide show HERE!

Seriously…what do you have on Saturday, November the 19th that is better than making memories like these?!  Nothing?  Oh…I thought you’d say that!  Email me ya’ll… Logan @ LifeForDessert dot com to reserve your slot today!

 

Bewilder….Be Wilder….

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Image Credit Thomas Moran Painting "The Wilds of Lake Superior"

I got an email early this morning (I’ve gotten several since yesterday’s post in fact and I thank you all so much) and in the email the person said that she was praying for me to feel the Lord’s “peace that passes all understanding” as I’m walking in this altogether familiar and unfamiliar place again.  I say familiar because I have been here before…the loss of a pregnancy…of a life yet to be lived.  But unfamiliar because this time it is SO different my friends.  In my email back to her I said “I am sad, but I can say in all bewildered honesty that the Lord has given me a peace that does indeed pass all understanding.”  And after I wrote it, I thought on my own words for a bit….”bewildered by the gentleness of the Lord.”

I’m into word studies lately.  I’ve been studying lots of words and am finding that the more I get back to the definition of them, the more clearly they jump off of the page and into the function of my life.  So don’t you know that after I found myself thinking more on my own words, I had to look up “bewildered” this morning?  It means “to be completely puzzled, confused, or perplexed.”  And then I found the origin of the word… dating back to the 1680s, from be- “thoroughly” + archaic wilder “lead astray, lure into the wilds,” probably a back-formation of wilderness.  The word is often used in conjunction with a notion of becoming almost lost.

And I’m struck by a thought….that I can be completely puzzled and confused and lost in the peace of the Lord.

I’ve been in seasons of actual wilderness before.  I think most of us have at some time or another.  Mine happened to coincide with my first couple of miscarriages.  There were other factors at play during that time, including leaving a beloved church that had played a huge part in shaping my adult faith….but I’ll never forget our exit meeting with the teaching pastor there being a sweet time.  We knew the Lord was calling us into a new place and after 11 years in that body, it was hard to leave.  And the pastor asked us where we were going and my husband plainly replied “the wilderness.”

And that’s exactly where we landed….wilderness.  Months of feeling lost and confused and “bewildered” at all that was going on around us.  Nothing made sense…I felt puzzled, confused, perplexed, and lost.

And this morning, as I’m thinking back on that time and thinking on this current place where I’m sitting in my life, I find myself again bewildered….but bewildered by goodness and peace.  It’s a good place…this twirling around in a peace that makes absolutely no sense by the standards of this world.  I am literally imagining myself twirling in a field of peace…and I’m no ballerina.  I don’t know how to do the spot trick where you twirl across a stage and don’t get dizzy.  Heck, I don’t really even know how to twirl gracefully if we’re being honest.  But somehow I find myself twirling and spotting afterall.  Twirling and spotting…twirling and seeing….twirling and….Jesus.

My dear friend Erin and I went to the Relevant conference together a couple of weekends ago.  And on the much delayed plane ride home we both sat there in a state of bewildered amusement of all the insanely good things that the Lord used us to do and to be a part of.  Truly…we were almost laughing at the blessings that the Lord poured out on us separately that we hadn’t even dared to dream…much less expect.  But these things happened.  Crazy things that made absolutely no sense.  Good things that honestly knocked our socks off.  Relationships made, truths etched, opportunities opened, that I’m not kidding you…even if I’d been sitting around with a list of completely unreal expectations for things that’d happen while I was gone, that list couldn’t begin to even touch the realities of things that actually happened.  And so we sat…bewildered by the syrup of God’s favor oozing over us both.

So this morning, I’m thinking on that word.  And I wonder why in my infinite humanity I think that I actually can try to understand that “peace that passes all understanding?”  The very phrase itself states my inability to actually understand it….it says it will pass all understanding….be beyond it….be beyond my wildest dreams.  And I can’t help but notice that breaking that word…bewilder… down into parts leaves the words Be and Wilder. And I find myself thinking…and asking the Lord to “Be Wilder.”  More beyond my understanding, more wild than even my wildest dreams, more peace that I can’t begin to comprehend, more gentleness that I don’t deserve, and more goodness that makes no sense.

I want to remove the lid and cut open the sides of the box that I dare to put the Creator of the Universe in…Bewilder me Lord….Be wilder with me Lord….knock my socks off….I know you will.