“…and at once I knew, I was not magnificent.” Holocene, Bon Iver
I’ve been writing this post for two weeks and it’s time for me to just get it out there. It’s always good to turn a critical eye on yourself from time to time, after this summer I knew I was due. It’s never been my season and no matter my intentions it feels like the only good thing to come out of this one is the revelation that I need to get back to work.
I started this year excited about writing, sharing my writing, and challenging myself to be published. I wrote a rather good interview (that I will be sharing here soon), shopped it around, and then sat back and waited for the offers and writing opportunities to come to me. I didn’t keep up with the writing. I didn’t keep pushing the interview. I didn’t really do anything after that initial surge. Why you ask?
For the past few years, I’ve gotten lucky or been in the right place at the right time and had opportunities present themselves with little effort on my part. Don’t get me wrong, not everything has gone my way and I’ve had my fair share of long work hours and sacrifice. Still, this influx of chance occurrences has made me lazy and entirely too comfortable. As I struggled through this summer, busying myself with social media and half-assed blog posts, the lines of the song quoted above were constantly playing in my head. I am not magnificent. I’m only as good as my weakest part, and right now that’s pretty weak. Humbling but true.
Why am I telling you all this and what does it mean for you?
Like anyone else, exposing my shortcomings, publicly no less, motivates me. Which means you can expect to see a consistent supply of creative crafts, scrumptious recipes, and lots of other fun stuff leading up to the holiday season. If you don’t, please feel free to call me out on it.
One last thing…Thank You. I don’t say it nearly enough but having this venue to express myself (even if it’s via my newest scone recipe) means so much to me and I truly thank you!
For the past few weekends my husband has been building a garden shed, there’s a picture below but it’s not the finished project, you’ll just have to wait for that. Anyway, while cleaning out the old shed we were staring at one of my favorite unfinished furniture projects, a credenza. I sighed, “I really love the two sides; I wish we could just cut the middle part out and turn it into two cabinets.” I love my husband. Two minutes later, the middle was gone and I had a couple of cabinets. YEAH!
I haven’t really discussed it hear before (but I’m thinking I should), I craft and we homeschool at the dining room table; I know it’s cliché but it’s the way we roll. I LOVED being able to bring this hutch into the room for storage but this year Vin and Es have separate Science and Math so we end up with books everywhere and these cabinets are the answer to our disarray.
Here’s a quick run through of how we turned what you see below to what you see above.
As promised this is a picture of Nate’s magnificent shed…but it’s not finished yet…I’m thinking we need some old gas station signs for the side, what do you think?
I apologize. It wasn’t that I forgot that I said I was going to share this little bit of experimental baking I did, I remembered. Unfortunately, I didn’t keep an eye on the calendar and before I knew it, it was Saturday. I’ll spare you the details of my MRI experience for now and just get on with the recipe.
On more than one occasion I’ve read that you can replace applesauce and/or yogurt for butter in baking recipes. Sure it sounds all good and well, but see, I’m from Missouri, you’ve gotta Show-Me it works to make me believe it. So last weekend I finally got up the nerve to try it out, here is the recipe I modified. NOTE: I was too chicken to make the lemon curd with anything other than butter. Maybe another time.
