"Our adolescent girls aren’t looking for tourists – adults who are only interested in seeing the beautiful spots, taking a few pictures, and then leaving after a short while to go back to their comfortable lives. Rather they are looking for pilgrims who will wade into the muddy adventurous mess of a journey of adolescence with them. Pilgrims who aren’t looking for the comfortable, easy path but are willing to take the hard road of understanding the issues that adolescent girls face, issues that are unprecedented in their magnitude.  - Ginny Olson   "

Tasty Homemade Cinnamon Rolls

The world in the city turned white and cold as freezing ice and some snow descended upon Frisco.  Knowing that we most likely would be unable to get out of our house today, Roommate Sarah and I were in the mood for some warm treats.  Cinnamon Rolls. That's what my tastebuds were telling me to make.  After some searching on Pinterest, and a quick check to the refrigerator, I found that we had no eggs and then found a recipe.  No eggs!  How does one bake things without eggs?  They go vegan, apparently.  I found a recipe that looked tasty and I decided to try it.  So I woke up this morning to the quiet of a frozen world and made some cinnamon rolls.  I've never done this from scratch, but they turned out very tasty and was pretty easy! 

After tweaking the recipe that Pinterest had, I want to share this recipe with you. Hope you enjoy it!


No Yeast, Quick Cinnamon Rolls
Yields: 8 (mine made 9, probably could have gotten a few more.)

For the Dough

2 ¾ c. All Purpose Flour (I started with 2c. white flour, 3/4 c. wheat flour)

2 T. Sugar

1 ¼ t. Baking Powder

½ t. Baking Soda

½ t. Salt

1 ½ c. Milk

6 T Unsalted Butter, Melted

1 t. Vanilla (and almond extract, optional)

For the Cinnamon-Sugar Filling

2 T. Unsalted Butter, Melted

2 T. Sugar

1 1/2 T. Cinnamon

For the Glaze

About 2 c. Confectioners Sugar

About 1 T. Milk

1 t. vanilla or almond extract, optional

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.  Line 1 baking sheet with parchment paper, or a silicone mat; set aside until needed, or use a non-stick cooking sheet.

To make the dough, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.  Add milk, vanilla, and melted butter and mix until a dough starts to form.  Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and begin kneading the dough with your hands until a smooth, elastic dough ball forms.  If the dough starts to become too sticky, add more flour a little bit at a time.  My dough was very sticky, so I had to add a little under a cup of extra wheat flour. [We have a lot of wheat flour here and its a bit healthier, so that's why I split the recipe.]

Using a rolling pin (or long glass because we don't yet have a rolling pin...), roll out the dough into a large rectangle, about ¼-inch thick.  Brush the top surface of the dough with the melted butter for the filling.  Combine the sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl and sprinkle over the top of the butter; being sure to cover the complete surface of the dough. 

Starting with the shorter end of the rectangle, slowly roll the dough up into a long, tight log.  Flour the edges of a sharp knife, and carefully cut the log into 1 to 1½-inch thick rolls.  To cut the rolls, rock your knife back and forth, being careful not to press too much into the dough.

Place the rolls on the prepared baking sheet, and bake until the dough is golden light brown, 9-12 minutes.  Remove the rolls from the oven, and allow them to cool for 1 minute.  Transfer the rolls to a cooling rack to cool completely.

While the rolls are cooling, make the glaze.  Combine the confectioners sugar and the milk and vanilla in a medium bowl.  Whisk until the glaze is lump-free and is thick, liquid consistency.  If the glaze is too thick, add more milk a little bit at a time, and if it too thin, add more confectioners sugar.

To serve, drizzle the glaze over each cinnamon roll.  If you are not serving the rolls immediately, wait to glaze the rolls right before eating.  These last up to 4 days in a sealed container.  


Then share the tasty cinnamon rolls and be excited that you just made them from scratch!

Cozy Little Home At Christmastime

Last summer I moved into a house with a friend. It's been a blast! She has a crazy, fun loving puppy and we have enjoyed getting to know each other. It's been great to have people over and nice to go between my house and my parents house throughout the week. Out house is very old! In the oldest part of Frisco (Insert "In the Ghetto" by Elvis). But it's cozy and home. When students come over they often compare this 1940's house to their grandma's. Oh boy...

Here's a pic of our house from the Fall:

Anyway...

We decorated Sunday night for Christmas! It was somewhat of a saga once the dog got out. Two white girls running around our very ethnic neighborhood at night chasing a very black dog. Good times! However, once we got her back, we finished the decorations to some Michael W. Smith and Harry Connick Jr. Christmas music. I think our decorations are quite cozy and lovely. And just down right festive for the season! Now if it'll just snow this weekend so that all is calm and white. Ah! (:

I didn't want to put the typical tree shot up on the Instagram, so here are some pics. 

Now all we need is a leg lamp!! (Haha)

How are you celebrating or decorating for Christmas?

Glimpses of Thanksgiving Rest

How did you spend Thanksgiving? What did you take time to give thanks for?

Passive Blogs?

A few days ago, I stumbled upon a tweet from a friend.  It read: “I may be wrong, but I think Blogs have become a passive way of addressing cultural issues among twenty-somethings. Be courageous, people.”

This led me to think.  What is the purpose of this blog?  Do I fall into passively addressing issues, such as my friend suggests?  Do I even agree with his statement?  Why do I write?

Well, first off, I’ve found that there is a surprising following on this little blog.  I began this as a way to process thoughts and things God teaches me as He uses me.  And there is an audience.  This is both humbling and exciting.  So thank you, for visiting.

On the first blog post, I wrote, “This blog serves as mere commentary (serious and silly and anything in between) on how God guides, directs, forms and loves me according to His perfect, wonderful plan.”  I hope that these words have rung true.  I still feel that this is the purpose.  Writing is a way for me to process thoughts and events.  I feel much more at ease writing a twenty-page paper than speaking to a large group of people, although I enjoy that as well.  

As for addressing cultural issues.  I think that many people use social media to hide their true actions.  They post bold statements, but go about their day pleasing the world or not taking a stand.  I know a guy that is on the social medias constantly.  He posts great things: scripture, sermon quotes, how he thinks the world should change, and on.  However, if you met this guy, he’s pretty passive.  He is awkward to talk to and has grown in this area, but probably wouldn’t be one to start a revolution.  On Twitter, he’s bold and takes a stand, but maybe not so much in person.  Nice guy.  But he’s lacking the courage to take action in everyday life.  

I hope that this blog is more about what the Lord is doing in my life than me taking action on cultural issues (although, if the people wanted it, I’m sure I could take some strong stands).  But I think my stand comes in the conversation with people.  It comes in the truth spoken to girls when they’ve fallen away.  It comes in honest conversations with my family or roommate.  It comes in an attitude change from me, a perspective shift, to slowly combat the culture that we’re in.  It comes in relating to people so that they too can see how Christ wants us to live.  

So I’m thankful for this blog.  It allows friends and family near and far to get a glimpse of my life and thoughts.  It allows for people all over the world to read my thoughts, forming a community of our own.  (Shout out to the people in Russia, Germany, and France who consistently visit, whoever you are!)  I’ve been encouraged and taught things through blogs so often in my life, and it is my hope that others may be somewhat encouraged by my writings.  Surely God can use anything to teach us, and my hope is that this little blog of a small town girl is one of those tools He uses. 

I’m not sure why this has been on my mind lately, but that tweet really got me to thinking.  However I do know this: the Lord has given me a passion and ability to write, among other things.  He is good, faithful, and just, even when days seem bleak.  So may we be faithful to Him, to follow and trust what He has entrusted to us.

The Breaking of Bread

Family dinner.  As a young child, my earliest memories of my family are gathered around the dinner table.  I am the oldest child of three, so no siblings are yet in this memory.  My father has just gotten home from work; my mother and I greet him as he steps through the door.  Clothes are changed; comfort eases its way into our evening.  Someone sets the table.  Plates are filled with substance, glasses are filled for hydration.  We gather.  My parents sit together with me somewhere in the middle.  Heads are bowed as thanks is given.  We pause.  We share food, most likely cooked together by my parents.  They tell of the events of the day, share news, and take time to be together.  Throughout the years, this scene changes only slightly.  Two little boys enter the picture.  More plates are added, laughter is heard louder, spills become more frequent, and thanks is given.  Hands clasped as we pray together.

My family has always felt that dinner together is important.  It stressed the need for communion, community, and openness in sharing our lives with one another.  For a few moments we pause the busy schedules, the cleaning of the house, rushing to the next sporting event.  We come together and take a moment to be together to share our day.  Because of the vast age differences, we scatter in different directions throughout the week.  Dinner is a constant – at least now a few times a week it is.  We can’t go through life alone; these brief moments of eating together are opportunities to rely on each other and to enjoy one another.  This community foundation has become stronger over the years because of these moments at the dinner table.  Even if the moments of us all being there are fewer.  The laughter, the stories, the listening and caring, the randomly weird topics, the theological discussions (or debates), and most importantly the bonds have been invaluable to the life of our family.

This practice also instilled in me the importance of prayer.  In the midst of the rushing, hands clasped, heads bowed, we stop and are reminded of our purpose.  We would give the day that had just passed, the future events, worries, and our thanks to the Lord.  He would get the glory.  Pausing before we ate allows for a perspective shift.  No matter the cutting words that had been thrown from girls at school, no matter the poor grade contrasted with a sibling’s excellent grade, no matter the achievement in the band hall, perspectives shifted as we remembered who it was that gave the ability to play music, to interact with the girls at school, to be reminded of what we have been entrusted with.
The example that my parents gave us throughout the years at the dinner table have lent to prayer and community taking precedence in my life.  The foundation of faith is seen as my family pauses together.  A heart of gratitude, a desire for God’s will, striving for holiness together.  Because of the dinner table.

So may you take time to pause, to give thanks, around your dinner table.  Share a meal, share your prayers, and share moments.