Where Have I Been?!

It's been almost a month since I updated my blog. =0

I'm not sure what I've been doing. Homework, Easter, friends, something.. I guess. Over spring break, I finished annotating The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn- after that was done, I decided that it was summer. So maybe I have a month left of school. So what?! I am done with schoolwork. I cannot do this anymore, it's break time.

So suffice it to say, I have been "relaxing". Actually having a life and hanging out with my friends has been amazing, and I am definitely getting used to it. After this summer, I'll be a senior. I know where I'm going to college and it won't be hard for me to get in. The only thing left for my application is this year's transcript, so my senior year doesn't even "really" matter. I have worked my butt off for the past five years of my life worrying about college, and now I'm done. It is time for me to develop senioritis and worry about what I want to do, not what I feel obligated to do.

End of story.

This summer is going to be FABULOUS! I have so many plans already; now I just need a job. It will all work out.

Chocolate Sheet Cake!

Today was my uncle's birthday, so of course I made him a cake. Do I do anything but cook? Well, not really.. not anything newsworthy.. sometimes I do my homework. But that hasn't happened yet- maybe Wednesday. ANYWAYS: he requested chocolate, and this was the end result!

Chocolate Sheet Cake (Paula Deen, of course)

2 c sugar

1/2 tsp salt

2 c flour

1 stick butter

1/2 c vegetable oil

1 c water

1/4 c cocoa powder

2 eggs

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 c buttermilk

1 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Sift together sugar, flour, and salt in a large mixing bowl. In a saucepan, bring butter, oil, water, and cocoa to a boil and add to flour mixture. Beat eggs, baking soda, buttermilk, and vanilla, then add to dry ingredients. Pour into greased 13"x9" pan and bake for 25 minutes.

ICING

1 stick butter

2 T cocoa

6 T milk

1 tsp vanilla

2 c powdered sugar

1 c chopped pecans

Melt together butter and cocoa; add milk and vanilla. Stir in powdered sugar and nuts, and spread over the warm cake.

* If you don't have buttermilk, use 1 T vinegar plus however much milk it takes to equal 1 cup, and you have a cup of buttermilk. Since this only takes 1/2 cup, I used 1 1/2 teaspoons of vinegar for about 1/2 c milk, because 1 T = 3 tsp!

This cake was soooo amazing! Make it now!

Tomorrow, I'm going to Cleveland with my aunt to visit some relatives. This means that I will finally be getting out of the house! Hallelujah!

"I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of My hand." John 10:28

Another Day of Procrastination

After waking up and taking a shower this morning, I went to my Sunday school class.. I love my Sunday school teacher! Since the student council is doing an MS walk next month, we have decided to do a soup and bake sale fundraiser. This is just another commitment to add to my neverending list of things I need to do! I'm not complaining; I'm so grateful that people are generous and willing to help a cause that means so much to my family. My mom is in a nursing home as a result of her Multiple Sclerosis, and seeing her struggles makes me want to do everything in my power to help.

I went to Chipotle (love!) with Kasey and her cousin, then we went to Bible study at Starbucks.. after I came home, I started cooking. I guess it's to be expected! I made whole wheat banana bread, then for dinner, I made baked spaghetti with garlic cheese biscuits and salad.

Dinner! Yum!

While I am in the kitchen, I am inadvertently avoiding my homework.. oh well. Tomorrow is another day!

"But anyone who does not love does not know God, for God is love."

1 John 4:8

SPRING BREAK

It's finally spring break!! Luckily for me, I get to go on vacation to Homework Island.. with a 300 page book to annotate, an essay to write, a 25 page outline to do, and that's not even all. Too bad I haven't boarded that plane yet! I will eventually.

Life in general has been going pretty well for me- school's out for a week, I can cook and sleep and do homework without worrying about getting more. And then after school resumes, there isn't that long until summer. It's good!!

Today, I went shopping with my aunt, then came home and made dinner. After dinner I made lemon bars.. this can coincide with favorite recipe friday, even though it's saturday!

LEMON BARS (Paula Deen)

crust:

2 c flour

1 c powdered sugar, plus more for dusting

pinch of salt

2 sticks butter, softened

filling:

4 eggs

2 c sugar

6 T flour

6 T lemon juice

preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a 13x9x2 pan. to make the crust, combine dry ingredients (i sifted mine) and combine with butter using a pastry cutter or two knives. press the mixture into the prepared pan, and bake for 20 minutes. while the crust is baking, make the filling by whisking together the eggs, sugar, flour, and lemon juice. pour immediately over warm crust, and bake for another 25 minutes. cool and sprinkle with powdered sugar.

i loooooooooooooove love LOVE paula deen. love her.

lovelovelovelovelovelovelove her. so of course, these lemon bars were fabulous. very nice for a first attempt.

My Favorite Thing.. Tuesday?

Hello!! Yesterday was super busy for me; I had to write an essay for English between school and Bible study. So, here is my"favorite thing" that I intended to post yesterday..

MY BEST FRIEND NICHOLE!!!!

Nichole and I have pretty much been inseparable since middle school; we definitely have our differences, but we have soo much fun together and are extremely close. We have a great share of extremely random memories, that can still crack us up five years after they happened. She means a lot to me. I know she isn't a "thing", but whatever. It's my post! :]

I donated blood today for the second time since I turned seventeen. Donating blood makes me feel good about myself, since you save three people with each pint you donate. Definitely worth it!

"Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins." 1 Peter 4:8

A Busy Sunday

I had so much homework to do this weekend! Unfortunately, I had put it off until today, so I had the pleasure of doing quite a few assignments today. And I'm not even finished yet.

Total, I had seventy pages to annotate this weekend. Annotating is underlining or highlighting the important parts of a story and labeling/writing comments/asking questions of the text. I did fifteen pages before I went to sleep last night, and fifty five today. After annotating, I did a worksheet for English, then cleaned my bathroom and put clothes away.. then another English worksheet, a government outline, and a practice test for English.

Then I had to make more whole wheat chocolate chip cookies, because all three dozen were gone in one day!

And now, Leah has an essay to write. The work never really ends, but I shall prevail!

"I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength." Philippians 4:13

Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Cookies

My aunt gave up anything with potatoes or refined white flour for Lent (because she's INSANE!), so she hasn't been able to eat anything I've made for the past two weeks. This is totally unfair, so she bought some wheat flour. On the back of the bag, I found this recipe..

WHOLE WHEAT CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

3/4 c sugar

3/4 c brown sugar

1 c butter, softened

1 tsp vanilla

1 egg

2 c Gold Medal wheat flour

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

2 c semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.Mix sugars, butter, vanilla, and the egg in a large bowl. Add dry ingredients; stir in chocolate chips. Bake on ungreased cookie sheets for 10 minutes (cookies are light brown, centers are soft). Cool slightly on pan, remove from cookie sheet and cool completely on a wire rack.

Makes 3 dozen amazing cookies.

I love to make cookies, but I've never made them with anything but white flour before. These were great! They taste a little bit different, but not weird or disgusting. They're actually really good and I'll definitely make them again. Who knew?