Variations on Lemon Loaf

So I was making Mrs Stratfords Lemon loaf a few days ago and wanted to mix things up a little and couldn't decide between adding blueberries or chocolate chips. In the end I went with blueberries, with amazing results. I also mixed things up a little by baking it in a round bundt pan instead on a loaf pan again, it was a nice change.
Today I needed to bake something and thought I would go for chocolate chips but it turned out we had no lemons, so I used a Honey Tangerine...SO GOOD! Again I went with the round pan which l;ooks pretty and makes nice little pieces. My coworker Sabine somteimes made a Nutella cake that was something similar so I think next time I will leave out the citrus and try swirling the Nutella in the batter.

Blogging my thoughts

These posts have been all in one go, but I find that when postings are really long, I get board reading them...also pictures help (have to get on that).

a lot of my interesting thoughts have been in the wee hours of the morning while I am feeding Lochlan. Usually when I have these kinds of thoughts I lose them by morning if I don't write them down, however in having a baby latched to me makes this tricky. when I had my thoguhts about getting to know God through mutual friends, I knew I had to remember it, so I repeated the thought processes that lead me to that conclusion until I fell asleep, and it worked, I totally got it I think. Now when I have time I will include these thoughts on my blog for anyone else who is interested, and for my own reference.

The "How"

So it's all very tidy in print, but how do you pursue a relationship with God? This is the question I pondered at 4am while feeding my son. The sunday school answers are pray and read your bible right? This requires doing again, and don't get me wrong they are right answers, but they are not so simple. for one I thought, when I pray it is a bit like a monologue, a one sided selfish conversation all about me; how do I intmately get to know God this way? What kind of questions should I ask God , about himself? Do you have any hobbies? What do you do in your free time?
I know that reading the old testament is supposed to be good for learning about God's character, and the new testament is about Christ's charater and the Holy Spirit.

But still I want to know, how do I get to know God, how do O walk with him?

Then a brillient thought came to me, this doesn't have to be just me and God alone. Maybe if by spending time with other people who know him and walk with him, I can get to know him better, like a group date :)

This may sound really elementary, I have gone to church my whole life, but I feel like these are ideas that God is opening my eyes to.

My friend Shelly has seen Jesus literally with her eyes (part of her initial testimony), and I know she prays regularily. She told me last week this man who she met once called her and spilled out his problems with her on the phone, and she was able to pray with him right over the phone. I would have been a) super weirded out and annoyed that a stranger was taking up my time with his problems (hmmm reminds me of that selfish monologue bit), and b) not confident to pray over the phone with him.

I thought Shelly knows God ,can walk with and talk to him.,she is someone I need to be around, I need to learn how to know God through our mutual friends.

Profound Purpose

With the fall comes new routines and start ups of meetings again, with this I have started up with two bible studies which actaully both start on the same day. I like going to these because they force me to read my bible and think of such things besides just on Sunday. Recently for one of the groups we were asked to write a "Mission " statement for our life I though , simple, "To pursue God's purpsoe and desire for my life". With this satement I don't have to have everything figured out, I just have to be pursueing the answers. The problem with the statement is it requires me to "Do" something not simpley "be" something, it implies that I must have a task a reason for being which then asks the question "what". I have always thought along the lines that our purpose is to win more over to Christ, which we are instructed to do in the great commission, but to what? To have new converts called to the same mission? It seemed a bit like a pointless cycle. In one of our studies John Bevere was talking about being "used" how no one wants to be used by their friends. God doesn't want to use us, he doesn't need to and that is not the point. The purpose of being saved is so God can bring us to himself. God wants to know us intimateley and walk with us. This was partly concluded from Enoch who walked with God for 300 years (Genisis 5) and was taken from earth to be with God because he pleased God (Heb 11:5).

God created us to hang out with, the purpose of Adam in the Garden was companionship with God, they walked together.

All in all this lead me to realize I needed to change my Mission statement, it needs to read "To pursue an relation ship with God"

book bloggers appreciation week

I know books have little to do with recipes aside from cook books, but it is likely that I will take this blog over as my personal interests blog (my personal instersts include sewing, crocheting, crafts, cooking, reading, and probably a dozen other things).

The book bloggers appreciation week is hosting the following meme - if you wish to join in check it out here

Do you snack while you read? If so, favorite reading snack? - not usually, sometimes I will have tea, but I usually forget to drink it

Do you tend to mark your books as you read, or does the idea ofwriting in books horrify you? - I don't usually write in books, although I might highlight or underline things if I am studying or writing a paper.

How do you keep your place while reading a book? Bookmark? Dog-ears? Laying the book flat open? - flat open or I remember the page number

Fiction, Non-fiction, or both? Fiction or based on a true story

Hard copy or audiobooks? hard copy

Are you a person who tends to read to the end of chapters, or are you able to put a book down at any point? - with a baby I put it down as soon as I find myself re-reading the same paragraoh and not able to comprehend what it says

If you come across an unfamiliar word, do you stop to look it up right away? no

What are you currently reading? The Courtesan's Daughter by Claudia Dion, it has way too much dialogue, I feel like I am reading a play (like The Importance of being Ernest or something)

What is the last book you bought? I just ordered Good Harbour by Anita Diamont who wrote The Red Tent

Are you the type of person that only reads one book at a time or canyou read more than one at a time? If I am reading more than one it is because I am not that interested in one of them, or there is one that requires more digestion time

Do you have a favorite time of day and/or place to read? I like reading in bed, almost anytime of day

Do you prefer series books or stand alone books? I don't think I am a series fan

Is there a specific book or author that you find yourself recommending over and over?
The time Traveller's wife

How do you organize your books? (By genre, title, author’s last name, etc.?) sadly by size and sort of by fiction and non fiction

Book Contest

So it has been firever since I have posted, I thought once I had a baby I would have all this time to blog, but no (as I sit here typing with one hand). But I do want win Kristen's Contest, not that I have as much time to read as I thought I would either, but I LOVE historical fiction and both those books look fantastic, so here's to winning, an to hoping I find more time to blog and read.