an occasion for cookies

I was in Dallas last week with Noah, Jamey, and sweet Adalyn Grace. Jamey expected friends to visit us-mainly to hold Adalyn, you know. . . so, we decided to make cookies and a sour cream coffee cake; I planned to whip up the cookies, but Jamey beat me too it. So-she mixed, measured, baked while I held our newborne.

In our family, Jamey gets the prize for the best chocolate chip cookies ever- here's the Cook's Illustrated-Thick and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies, but we simply call them:

Jamey's Chocolate Chip Cookies

2 cups +2 T unbleached flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, melted & cooled

1 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 egg + 1 egg yolk

2 tsp vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

coarse salt for sprinkling

So-mix together the dry ingredients; next mix sugar and butter together; beat in egg, yolk, vanilla. Add dry ingredients and beat at low speed until combined. Stir in chips.

Roll golf ball size dough and place 2 inches apart. Cook 12-15 minutes @ 325 degrees

Pull the cookies out of the oven and sprinkle tops with any coarse salt. Salt on cookies? Jamey says that's the way Noah likes them-and we all agree!

As expected, Jamey and I hosted visitors every afternoon that week, women who came to cuddle Adalyn-and talk. . .

I got to serve the cookies!

Preparations

We're getting ready for a wedding. . . Brett and Rachel's!

11 years ago I was preparing for Naomi's marriage to Joshua and I remember my struggle with wedding distraction!
Then and now (and the 4 weddings in between) I've been encouraged by Nancy Wilson's perspective on weddings. . .
So, a wedding is like a beautifully decorated doorway into a house, however the doorway is not the house!
The doorway is the entrance. . .the substance is found beyond the doorway in the house- the marriage relationship; keeping this distinction protects me from being distracted or mezmerized by the doorway.
here's to decorating the doorway-beautifully!

Testing the fabric swish

a glimpse of His goodness. . .

I'm not the greatest photographer- but I love viewing life through the lense of my camera. . .you know, the glimpses of life that freeze a moment, those with a story.

This summer I studied the character of God with a group of women at my church.

hmmm, always a worthy pursuit to view my circumstances through the lense of God's character-and to keep looking through that lense day after day- year after year.

I imagine you're a lot like me-when my circumstances don't appear at all good. . .then I'm tempted to doubt that God is good.

You are good and You do good (Ps 119:68)
"We must never tolerate an instant's unbelief as to the goodness of the Lord: whatever else may be questioned, this is absolutely certain, that Jehovah is good; His dispensations may vary, but His nature is always the same." (Spurgeon)

So, I'm asking the Lord, Help me never tolerate even an instant of unbelief!

And I look through life's lense at glimpses of the obvious-

3 amazing men who love God, who are committed to loving my daughters-
A glimpse of His goodness .

I'm thankful for the reminder-

2 girls and a birthday

Usually my mother walks the Golden Gate Bridge on her birthday.
this year, her 89th, was extra special. . .

Billie Lorraine, born August 8, 1921

Adalyn Grace
(born to Noah and Jamey)

August 8, 2010

Rejoicing!

intentional-just 15 minutes a day

This morning I was in the garden. . . it looks dead brown. . .of course, the heat index is 105-and it's August in Texas.
And the weeds! the weeds are green, imagine that? So, when the plants are dead looking, the weeds thrive. . .Sigh
I'm thinking. . . why not just 15 minutes a day in the garden, in the cool of the morning, intentionally-at least I would conquer the weed invasion and prepare for autumn planting.
And even more-just 15 minutes a day, in the cool of the morning, intentionally-in God's Word, when my life is scorching.
I have set the Lord continually (intentionally) before me; because He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken (Ps 16:8)

dog days-

Of course, summer is Hot in south Texas-I've lived here 20 years, why would I expect otherwise?
I found this quote-cut it out, pasted it up in the kitchen for our mutual amusement:

What dreadful hot weather we have! It keeps me in a continual state of inelegance. (Jane Austin)

hmmm. . .I admit we're not too concerned with elegance around here- but what a sweet family summer.
John goes back to school on Monday-and I can expect cooler nights, in a month or two.
Spring time-summer-harvest. . . God is faithful like that.

to dwell

My friend Virginia is moving-again.

Dan, Virginia, and 3 tiny girls are moving to a new home in a different state this week.

Virginia is carrying a wee girl within. . . .hmmmm, I will miss them.
I reminded Virginia (and myself),"Trust in the Lord and do good, Dwell in the land and cultivate faithfulness" (Ps 37:3). . .always worthy truth to apply to every context in this life, I've discovered.

to dwell-to live as a resident, to settle down, to rest -I love the word. . .

And my home is my dwelling.

25 years ago John and I drove with our 6 small children to Mexico-would there be curtains for the windows of my dwelling? I remember feeling itchy about that.

I needn't have concerned myself since my new dwelling didn't have windows-or running water or a bathroom.

to dwell in the land means that I reside right here, this moment, not wishing to be somewhere else, with anybody else, to have something else. . .choosing to be content.

And I remind myself that for a Christ-follower, my dwelling isn't a physical place at all-

Lord, you have been our dwelling place in all generations (Ps 90:1)

And He never changes. . .