Wow, I acutally managed to post 2 days in a row!

We've been doing a lot of baking lately for Christmas and I thought I'd share one of my favorite recipes. Beware though girls! My dad LOVES this dough so if you have cookie dough lovers at home and you don't watch, you might not have any to bake the cookies with! =)

Shortbread Cookies ~~ from the kitchen of my Momma =)

1 1/2 cup butter (3 sticks)
1 1/2 cup powdered sugar
2 1/2 tsp vanilla
3 cups flour

Blend the butter and sugar until smooth and fluffy. Add vanilla. Blend in the flour gradually. (I've found through trial and error that this is important.) =) The dough should be the consistancy of playdough. Add a few tablespoons of milk to soften it a bit if needed.
Roll dough out to 1/4'' thick and cut out. Bake at 350 for 8-12 minutes or until a light golden. Cool on the pan for about one minute before removing from tray. *Hint - when rolling out the dough, use a half and half combination of powdered sugar and flour to keep the dough from getting to stiff and dry.
Enjoy!!

I hope everyone's Christmas preparations are going well and that you all find it a day of Joy and Rest!

Christmas Time!

I'm thinking I'm long overdue for a post. I decided to write the first annual Christmas Letter from and about Rachel. That should cover me for the rest of the month or until I post again. (I've proven to be a most spasmatic blogger.) :-)

Greetings one and y’all! (Ok, maybe I do hang out in the sticks a little more than I should…) It’s that time of year! The season to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ! I love this time of year- the frantic last minute shopping (even though I’ve only two more gifts to buy…), the cooking of lots of yummy food, getting together with family and friends. God has blessed me in many ways this year in my family and friends and I am so thankful for all of you. Looking back on this past year, there have been a lot of “ firsts” for me.
~I was a bridesmaid for the first time. My sister Bethany got married and she asked me to be her maid of honor. That was a lot of fun! I have to admit though; my face was so sore from all that smiling!
~I got a new job! I started to work for Columbia Credit Union on May first and have loved it! It was a real answer to prayer. When folks ask me what I do for work I tell them, “I take people’s money from them.” I work at the Battle Ground branch with some really great people and have had the chance to meet lots of nice, new people too. And some not so nice people. I must say that I’m flattered that some people think I (a simple teller) have the power to change Federal Regulations just for them! =)
~I got my first car! It’s a little white Dodge Intrepid that Dad and I bought it. It’s not new, but it’s new to me. I call it Bianca. (Yes, I named my car…) She’s a good little car and I like to keep her very clean. =)
~Our family took a trip to Ohio in September and we got to spend time with Dad’s side of the family. While we were there, we drove to Kentucky one day and visited Churchill Downs. It was a dream come true for me! I’ve always been horse-crazy and I was in heaven. I even took a little jar of dirt from the track! ~ My sister Rebekah and I took an early morning tour the next day and we got to see the horses run their morning workout as the sun rose over the Twin Spires of the Downs. (I loved it; can you tell?)
~I discovered for the first time that I can quote “The Court Jester” in its entirety, songs and all! (* pats self on the back)
There were some other firsts for me this year; like my first time flunking a class at College and my first speeding ticket, but we won’t talk about those! =) I still like to laugh at the most inordinate times and I think I have a movie quote for just about any situation. This year has been one of growing in the Lord and learning to trust Him implicitly. So much of the time I think I can do it on my own and over and over again He reminds me I can’t. As my Dad would say “You’re not the fourth person of the Trinity.” Praise the Lord for that! =)
This has been a good year for me and I’m excited to see what next year will bring. I hope your Christmas is filled with rejoicing in the Birth of Jesus. May He bless you greatly this coming year!
Love, Rachel

Still and Starry

The stars twinkled through some broken clouds while the half-moon shined softly on the snow-covered fields in a valley. The snow-topped hills reflected the gentle light as well. There were soft silhouettes of barns and a few houses dotting the landscape. Not a soul in sight, not even any little critters.
Sounds like this could be the description of the front of your Christmas cards this year, or maybe even a pretty painting. Actually, this is the view I had on my way home last night from work. It was so beautiful. No lights other than the moon and my own headlights on the road. I really wanted to just stop the car and get out and watch for few minutes, but it was really cold and there was no telling when another car might be coming - even on the back roads. It gave me that "Christmas is coming!" feeling and got me all excited all over again!
Praise the Lord for His beautiful creation and for eyes to see it with!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Hope you all have a great Thanksgiving rejoicing in the many gifts our Lord Jesus has blessed us with.
I read these verses today and felt very encouraged and uplifted in my heart.
I hope they do the same for you!

"Oh, give thanks to the LORD, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever. Let the redeemed of the LORD say so whom He has redeemed from the hand of the enemy, and gathered out of the lands, from the east and from the west from the north and from the south." Psalm 107:1-3

"Then they cry out to the LORD in their trouble, and He brings them out of their distresses. He calms the storm, so that its waves are still. Then they are glad because they are quiet; so He guides them to their desired haven. Oh, that men would give thanks to the LORD for His goodness, and for His wonderful works to the children of men! Let them exalt Him also in the assembly of the people, and praise Him in the company of the elders." Psalm 107:28-32

What a blessing to be reminded of Jesus redeeming us from sin and death and how He hears our cries of distress. Even my small worries and fears He hears and calms and shows me His promises of guiding me to my "desired haven." No matter how many times I read it I still am amazed that God hears my prayers - no matter how small or silly the matter may seem to me. It's with joy that I can say with the Psalmist " O give thanks to the Lord for He is good; for His mercy endures forever!"

For what Officer?!

I got pulled over Friday. I wasn't speeding. I wasn't talking on a cell phone. My lights were on. I was wearing a seatbelt. I wasn't driving recklessly. Would you like to know why I got pulled over? (I'm still trying to figure it out myself, there didn't seem to be a good reason...)
According to the officer - it is because I was putting on lipbalm. Yep! You read that right. Lipbalm! You know the chapstick kind - Burt's Bees brand to be exact.
I was so mad. He had no reason to pull me over. He claimed it was a traffic hazard because (and please try very hard to imagine the disdainful and lofty tone that he used here) "...more female drivers cause accidents because their too busy putting on their makeup instead of paying attention to traffic!"
Ok, first off, lipbalm is not makeup. Guys use it. Second, I wasn't using my rearview or any other mirror to apply the said lipbalm. I don't need a mirror for that. I do it by feel. It's not hard. I had one hand firmly on the stearing wheel and it took me less than 4 seconds to put the stuff on. It was all I could do not to tell him to shove off and leave me alone and take his chip-on-the-shoulder somewhere else.
But I didn't. I stayed calm and was VERY respectful. It would have been the last straw though if he had given me a ticket. He didn't. Still, what loony pulls someone over for putting on chapstick!?

Some funnies

Got these from someone at work :-)

BEAUTY PARLOR: a place where women curl up and dye

CANNIBAL: someone who is fed up with people

CHICKEN: the only animal you eat, both before it is born and after it is dead

COMMITTEE: a body that keeps minutes and wastes hours

DUST: mud with the juice squeezed out

EGOTIST: someone who is usually me-deep in conversation

HANDKERCHIEF: cold storage

INFLATION: cutting money in half without damaging paper

MOSQUITO: an insect that makes you like flies better

RAISIN: a grape with a sunburn

SECRET: something you tell to one person at a time

SKELETON: a bunch of bones with the person scraped off

TOOTHACH: the pain that drives you to extraction

TOMORROW: one of the greatest labor saving devices of today

YAWN: an honest opinion openly expressed

WRINKLES: something other people have. You have character lines

Definition of "eclectic"

Pronunciation: e-'klek-tik
i-Function: adjective
Etymology: Greek eklektikos, from eklegein to select, from ex- out + legein to gather
1:selecting what appears to be best in various doctrines, methods, or styles
2 : composed of elements drawn from various sources
also 'heterogeneous'

I've decided that I have a rather eclectic personality.

Maybe not - I like saying that word...

Round em up!

Even though I don't celebrate Halloween, I had to dress up for work.
I came as a cowgirl. :-) Big surprise right? ;-)
I've got the whole deal - hat, bandana, vest, plaid shirt and all. I took what was probably the only opportunity I will ever get to wear my jeans to work!

And tonight, I get to dress up again for our Reformation Party! Wohoo! Two costumes in one day! I haven't played this much dress up since I was about 10! :-)

I'd like to be a Swedish chef - so I can say "Bork!" all the time

"I will now endevour to perform acts of incredible lunacy" ~someone from the Muppets
Life is full of surprises. Just thought I'd share that thought.
I know you were waiting for something profound to come from me but I believe that some of the greatest profundities are not always original. Don't you?
Thought so.

not on purpose....

Sorry. I know I'm disobeying direct orders, but I did get sick. I could hardly help it.
Now I'm taking my Vit C and drinking lots of water and using boxes of tissues and feeling generally miserable. I'm just glad I have the next two days off of work. There is but one thing I want to do.

Sleep.

'I sink I'm gebbing a colb'

my head aches and my throat is sore. I hope don't get one-- I have lots of stuff to do. Maybe I can kick it before it gets any worse.

I know this will sound very redundant of my sister's post but:
She's coming in 4 weeks! I was able to get the day after Thanksgiving off and we're going to go shopping!! :-) I can't wait!
I mean, I suppose I'll have to wait, but I do get filled with a certain delightful anticipation, the kind that desperately wants the time to speed by! :-)

Busy day

It's been a busy day - going to work, coming home to pick up littlest sister, taking her to her doctor's appointment, then picking up other younger sister from college, taking them both home, (all within less than 2 hours) going back to work, and then I'm off to choir practice.

So now, about 3 1/2 hours, an ear-infection in the right ear, a determination to succeed in English class, and the whole tale of "Barbie and the Magic of Pegasus" later: I'm pooped!! :-)

lo and behold!

I'm feeling very proud of myself. And why shouldn't I be? In case you didn't notice-I have a whole new list of links to the left of my blog page.





<------- right there! And wouldn't you know, I finally figured it out!

On my own!!

HA! "Take that Pembridge scholars!"

Now I understand that may not be such a big accomplishment to some, if you happened to know my dismal, extremely technologically challenged past, you will understand what a milestone this is for me. This is a truly gratifying day! :-)

Today my list of links - tomorrow--the world!!

I love my mommy. She fixed me oatmeal for breakfast, and made me a sandwich for work, and fixed me some coffee for the road too. *sigh* She's so good to me. Thanks Mom, those little things mean so much to me. :-)

Mea Almost Culpa

Intentions vs. Actions. How many times do we hear or use the phrase "It's the thought that counts."? It's pretty common I think. But, if you think about it, we're judged on our actions, not what we intended or thought. Somehow, I don't think that when we stand before the face of God, that we get extra Merit Badges or Brownie Points because we thought of the right thing to do - we had the best of intentions of course.

In my great disgust for certain male fashion tastes (or the lack thereof) I almost forgot to mention:
Check out my new Myspace page: http://www.myspace.com/thederbygirl

Somethings I'll never understand.
Like how guys can walk around with their pants hanging off of their backsides with their oh-so-not-so-lovely boxers showing at the top. I mean, seriously, that cannot be comfortable.

Small blessings

Sometimes it amazes me how good God is. I know I shouldn’t be amazed but in my fallen state I do forget to give Him the Glory due His name. I was talking today at work to my new supervisor about school. She asked me what I wanted to do. I asked her if she was referring to school or life altogether. She though a moment and said “ Well, all of it.”
I explained where I was in school and my goal in school to study History and get some kind of degree. I told her that ultimately I want to get married and have a family and be a stay at home mom and to homeschool my children like I was. She was surprised to hear that I had been homeschooled and had lots of questions for me about it. Did we get to go on outings? What prompted my parents to it? Were they homeschooled? Where did they get materials? Did we have a schoolroom or did we work in the kitchen or dining room? Did I ever go to any school outside of home?
I was able to tell her (without going into much detail right now) about my homeschool experience and how my parents chose homeschooling because they wanted to give their kids a solid Christian worldview and education etc.
I felt I was able to give a witness and testimony to my Christian heritage and upbringing and give a good witness of my faith. I’m praying that my words were right and I was able to speak boldly for what I believe while in the workplace. Lately I had a hard time finding ways to be a witness in words not just in the way I act and don’t speak. J I am very thankful to the Lord for this opportunity. It was an answer to prayer and I’m praying for more such doors to open to discussion and witness opportunities. There have been days lately that I’ve been feeling down at work or the day has not been going well for me and God has been encouraging me in little ways reminding me that He

Living for who?

I was driving to work this morning, going over in my head the things that I had to do today and thinking about all the things I wanted to do not just today but in the very near future and with my life. It was then that it struck me how much I have been concerned lately with all that I want to do and hadn't been asking God for it and been trying to figure it out on my own.
It reminded me of the sermon I heard 2 weeks ago from a visiting Gray Friars student, Chris Morris, who spoke on prayer and asking God for things. It was like God just said to me "What are you worrying for? Just ask me."
So I did. And now, I can't tell you how much better I feel. Sure, I'll still be planning and dreaming but that gentle reminder to be always planning with "Lord if it's Your will" at the front of all my plans and dreams, not just some of the time, was what I needed.
God is good and has better things for me than I can plan or dream about.

"A man's heart plans his way but the LORD directs his steps"
~Proverbs 16:9