Excuse me while I preorder this RIGHT NOW
It's The Butt Crack of Dawn
I didn't sleep a lot.
There's a Biochem quiz to be had.
But the sunrise on the way into town today is absolutely stop-and-stare worthy (click for zoom)
There's a Biochem quiz to be had.
But the sunrise on the way into town today is absolutely stop-and-stare worthy (click for zoom)
That's one way of brightening a morning.
Work Style - Who Says I Can't Wear White After Labor Day?
So, I'm heading to work the closing shift at the bookstore tonight, and I figured I should upgrade the outfit of grungy t-shirt and unwashed hair that I left the house in this morning.
I love every single part of this outfit. The pants are a great dark maroon color, have a cool matte texture, and fit like a glove, the boots are so versatile, and the shirt is laid back and comfy. And hold up, Miss Manners. I'm wearing white on November 18th. Whatever. It was over 60 today. I'm rocking the Indian Summer style while keeping to the no-tshirts-no-jeans-closed-toe-shoes dress code. Win.
What about you? What are your favorite fashion rules to break?
shirt: Old Navy / pants: Rock & Republic (Kohls) / boots: Belk
I love every single part of this outfit. The pants are a great dark maroon color, have a cool matte texture, and fit like a glove, the boots are so versatile, and the shirt is laid back and comfy. And hold up, Miss Manners. I'm wearing white on November 18th. Whatever. It was over 60 today. I'm rocking the Indian Summer style while keeping to the no-tshirts-no-jeans-closed-toe-shoes dress code. Win.
What about you? What are your favorite fashion rules to break?
Top Ten Habits to Give Your Spiritual Life a Boost: Part 1
Alright guys, it's time to get a little real. We do so much in our day-to-day lives, but how much do we invest in REALLY ensuring the health of our spiritual lives? This list includes some of my own personal favorite ways to shift focus and really put my eyes on God.
Disclaimer: these posts are ultimately almost entirely for my own benefit. I've been having some lulls in my spiritual life lately. It comes from being busy, being stressed, and being complacent. I hope that posting this here will challenge me to get serious on some of these habits, many of which I only do on a sporadic basis. Maybe they will help you out too during those times when it's hard to keep yourself invested in your relationship with God.
So here goes: the first half of my top ten personal favorite ways to kick myself in the pants and reconnect with the joy and peace found in the Christian faith.
10) Get into creation
Sometimes all it takes to rekindle that soul-tugging connection with The Lord is sitting out and soaking up the wondrous things He made. Go for a walk. Take a drive. Hike, canoe, or climb. There's so much to see, so many colors and shapes and insane processes in the world around us that reveal what a masterful, creative God we serve. And you know what's even crazier than all that? He thinks we're even better than all that magnificence. Humanity's creation was the crown jewel of this planet. There's no way not to feel humbled by God's love knowing that. All the beauty of creation, and flawed little us were the parts He decided to make His connection with.
"28 And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” 29 And God said, “Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit. You shall have them for food. 30 And to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the heavens and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food.” And it was so. 31 And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day." - Genesis 1:28-31 (ESV)
9) Make lists
Clearly, this is one I'm fond of. I make lists a lot; I even have a little pad I carry around in my purse for that purpose. And I'm not talking to-do lists. I'm talking about lists that make you examine yourself, concentrating on one thing to write everything you can think of about. A cool project for this purpose is The 52 Lists Project by Moorea Seal, a favorite blogger of mine. Not all of those lists are spiritually oriented, but it's a beautiful project. Some of my favorites are weeks 3, 5, 6, and 18.
The lists I make myself help me examine how I feel about me. I'll make lists of all the adjectives I'm thinking of that describe myself at that moment. Some days they're positive, and some days they're not. In both cases, I like to write out as much as I can and then go back and read each entry, thinking and praying about whether it's a valid or faulty view through a God-lens. It may seem counter-intuitive to honestly write down all the negative things you think about yourself, but when you follow up by stopping and praying about each one and receiving comfort from the Holy Spirit, it can be a very cleansing process. With regularity, you'll see the negatives start to diminish.
Don't stop there, either. Make lists of your goals, of things you're thankful for. Make a list of the qualities you'd like to gain, like integrity, exuberance, or mercy. Write it out. Pray it out. Watch yourself grow through the changes in the lists you make.
8) Evaluate your media consumption
This one can get a little tough. Are those songs something I'd listen to with Jesus sitting here? Would I ask him over to watch this movie with me? Would I recommend that book or website or comedian? It sounds cliche, but garbage in, garbage out. It's a thing. For me, the stuff that is most damaging doesn't come from specific words or situations in media, but the overall themes and attitudes portrayed. Sometimes it really helps to just saturate my media consumption with Christian themes for a few days, almost like a media cleanse or fast, and it resets my sensitivity to the things in media that are offensive or inappropriate to a healthier level. I'm not saying that you should only listen to worship music and watch Veggie Tales all the time [what? no. I'm not a 21-year-old who occasional rocks out to the Jonah movie...........], but learn to filter what you're taking in.
"3 But sexual immorality and all impurity or covetousness must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints. 4 Let there be no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking, which are out of place, but instead let there be thanksgiving." - Ephesians 5: 3-4 (ESV)
7) Feed your passions and gifts
This one can take many forms. For me, I feel like I have a weird variety of gifts, but it is when I really pour my time into using them that I appreciate them the most. If you're not sure what your gifts are, think about the things you do that make you feel like you're absolutely meant to do them? What are you good at? Does that thing work for the good of God's kingdom? Could it? If yes, that's a spiritual gift. We all have many. The trick is pinpointing yours and then DOING something about it. This is one that I'm weak on right now. My gifts fall in a few areas including music, academics, and compassion. Using your gifts requires an investment of time and a leap of faith. You have to trust that these things are what God has given you to work for Him. They're not to be wasted. I always tell myself I don't have time to start really doing things with mine yet. I'll do it when I'm a real adult and have more time. News flash, guys. We're never going to have more time. This is what we have and where we are. If God has given you something [spoilers: He has.], you have to use it. The payoff in connection with the Holy Spirit is amazing, even if you feel like the work you did might not be.
"4 Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; 5 and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; 6 and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone. 7 To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good." -1 Corinthians 12:4-7
6) Pray for others, and pray with Thanks
I'll be the first to admit I should pray more. I tend to go to God when I'm having problems, when I'm scared or stressed or I feel like people don't understand me. Really, though, that's a tiny part of the praying we should do. One of my biggest personal challenges right now is setting aside blocks of time to pray for others and be truly thankful for the blessings in my life. These two go hand in hand; it's important to recognize the good things God has done for you and ask with humility that he give his blessings and favor to others. When you focus on the blessings you already have, it's much easier to want to pray hard for someone else than for yourself. After all, we already have so very much. Your local church probably hands out a list of prayer requests every week. Some even have online message boards dedicated to posting requests and letting people know you prayed for them. A more general board for this can be found at Prayer Works, where you can pray for people in your area. [Links to your specific board can be found through WAY-FM if you have a local station, or you can create an account and browse boards from there]. These tools allow you to request prayer if you need it, but more importantly they allow you to pray for and encourage others.
"16 Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working." - James 5:16
"16 Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you." - 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
So there are number 10 through 6. Stay tuned for the top 5. I already feel better than I did when I started this knowing that there are so many things we can do to encourage ourselves and one another to grow spiritually! Let me know what you think? What do you do to keep yourself going towards God?
While I Was Out: Cider the Old-Fashioned Way
So, I'm not a huge fan of cold, but man, have I had some great times this fall!
A few weeks ago, in prime apple-picking season, we drove up to my mom's parents' house on The Mountain to help with cider making! My grandparents restored an old cider press, and when there's a good apple crop, we all head up to help churn out some cider! I'm a superfan of apples, and this is one of my personal favorite ways to consume them, especially now that it's getting cold.
The whole process is really painstaking, and it takes a LOT of apples. They're cut up and crushed using the grinder on the cider press, and then blocks are placed on top and all that delicious juice is pressed out through a cloth. From there, we strained and bottled it up in jugs. Around 20 gallons of cider got made that day. I got to take home about a gallon and a half!
Grandma's deal is that if you come on Cider Day, you work, so there's me turning the press with Uncle Bob.
When I got home, I set out to pasteurizing and pretty-fying my cider. It's pasteurized by gently heating on the stove until just simmering. That way any germs those apples picked up from the ground won't make anybody sick. I also added some sugar and cinnamon extract to sweeten and spice things up a bit! Everything got rebottled in sterilized glass and wrapped in a ribbon! I gave several of these as gifts to people at work and to friends!
This stuff was so good! Such a great welcome to fall! What about you? Did you celebrate the seasons changing this fall?
Oh Blog! I Missed You!
INTERNET!
It's been too long! Welcome to the newly redesigned And Things Like Chemistry! While things are still under construction, I promise I'll NEVER leave you for this long again! There are going to be a lot of building things going on the next few days, and I have SO much to tell you! But suffice to say that there are great things in store, my loves!
See you soon!
It's been too long! Welcome to the newly redesigned And Things Like Chemistry! While things are still under construction, I promise I'll NEVER leave you for this long again! There are going to be a lot of building things going on the next few days, and I have SO much to tell you! But suffice to say that there are great things in store, my loves!
See you soon!
Edible Reasons to Love America
Happy Fourth of July, y'all!
These are looking yummy. After they're all cooked up, transfer them to your heat-safe bowl to cool off a bit. You don't want them cooking your biscuits from the inside. Make sure you get all the caramel sauce you made.
That's about right. Then scoop up 3-5 apple slices and put them right in the middle. Next, fold the biscuit in half over the apples and seal up the edges. The sauce can make this hard to do, but a little water can sometimes help cement that dough together.
Up here at the Nuclear Chemistry Summer School, we had a cute little barbecue this afternoon. My goodness was it good. And seeing as how I'm the only Southern lady here, I had to make everyone something delish. And American. And fried. That's right. It was fried apple pie time. Mmm.
These things are SUPER scrumptious, impressive, and easy to make. Here's what you'll need:
3 medium Granny Smith apples
1 stick of butter
Cinnamon Sugar [I used about half of a pre-mixed bottle. If you're making it yourself shoot for at LEAST twice as much sugar as cinnamon. It goes a long way.]
2 8-count cans of refrigerated biscuit dough
Vegetable oil
A frying pan
A heat-safe bowl
First, you need to slice your apples up. I just put them right into the pan as I'm slicing to save dishes. Make sure your pan is big enough to contain all your apples.
When they're all in, add your butter and pour on the cinnamon sugar mix. The more the merrier. Cook on medium heat until the apples are tender and the butter-cinnamon-sugar mixture is turning into caramel. Make sure you're always stirring!
These are looking yummy. After they're all cooked up, transfer them to your heat-safe bowl to cool off a bit. You don't want them cooking your biscuits from the inside. Make sure you get all the caramel sauce you made.
I cleaned out this pan and used it to fry to, but you can get another. You'll need about 1/2" of oil in your pan. Like this.
Once your apples don't burn your fingers, you can start assembling the pies. Take each biscuit and flatten and stretch it out slightly.
That's about right. Then scoop up 3-5 apple slices and put them right in the middle. Next, fold the biscuit in half over the apples and seal up the edges. The sauce can make this hard to do, but a little water can sometimes help cement that dough together.
Next, we fry em up! It takes about a minute on each side at low to medium heat. Make sure you're careful, because they can leak and make the oil mad.
These are looking amazing, aren't they? CAREFULLY take them out and put them in layers on a paper-towel lined plate. I sprinkled more cinnamon sugar on top of each layer. Once they were all fried, I poured the sauce from the apples over the top of the pile. They looked [and tasted] amazing!!!!
In addition to all that yumminess, they also made all THIS yumminess!
Suffice to say, I can't move. This has been a momentous day. Off to fireworks tonight and then the city tomorrow! And I get to see Once this weekend! Amazing!
I hope you had a wonderful Fourth! I know I have!
Top Ten Men Who Sing
Ok, ladies. There is nothing better than a beautiful man who can sing. Am I right? I know I am. Look, I'm firmly taken, but I get a little swoony when it comes to some men's voices [of course, have I mentioned that Jacob can sing? no? well he can and he sometimes records sweet little songs and sends them to me... and yeah...]
Ahem. Anyway. Lemme tell you about some singing men that I personally love. Prepare yourself.
10. Dave Grohl
This guy is the best. Goofy smile, growly voice, and even after the suicide of his BFF, he manages to go on with a lot of joy. He's a dad, too, which is precious. Even if it does make it a little creepy to find him so attractive...
9. Olly Murs
"Troublemaker" is awesome, first of all. That song is such a good jam. This dude has a lot of groovy music with a sort of British-Maroon-5 vibe. And man, is the man cute while he sings them. He's so sweet and stylish and precious. I'm a sucker for cuties like this one.
8. Nate Ruess
So, from the Format all the way up to Fun. we've all loved this man. Have you HEARD him sing? It's heavenly. I'm so happy that this guy made it big. He's one of the most talented musicians in the business today, and SUCH a cutie.
7. Patrick Stump
So, when I saw this picture, I was speechless. Besides the awesome new music, this cardigan-sporting, lite version of our favorite lead singer was my favorite part of the current Fall Out Boy comeback. He's still got that unique powerhouse of a voice, too, so punk-pop ladies, prepare to melt.
6. Ewan McGregor
Oh, my. Moulin Rouge changed my life because OBI WAN WAS SINGING. And dang, he was singing fiiiiiinnne. Baz Luhrmann, thank you for doing whatever you did to make this happen. It totally made up for all the Hawaiian shirts in that Romeo and Juliet interpretation.
5. Aaron Tveit
Soooo, this man. Ohhhhhhhh this man. Best part of the Les Mis movie by far. [SPOILER] And when he died... Oh, that one hurt. He's also played Roger in RENT and other gorgeous stage roles. Sign. Me. UP.
4. Justin Timberlake
You had to know this was coming. I mean. JT. His suit and tie. That Tennessee charm. That HAIR. And he's hilarious to boot? The definititive picture of sexy. After all, he brought it back.
3. Jon Foreman
Aka Switchfoot's lead singer. He's got beautiful hair and a voice that will actually bring me to tears. [And not JUST in A Walk to Remember] He's a good man with a good soul and a heart-wrenching voice. Plus he's in love with Jesus? NOTHING not to love.
2. Darren Criss
So, first of all, HE'S HARRY FREAKING POTTER. We should always start there with Darren. Then he gets on Glee, and gay or not, melts every heart who hears him sing. I mean, any man who can slay dragons with song can certainly slay me. Mmm.
1. Ramin Karimloo
Speaking of men who've played Enjolras... Ramin Karimloo is heaven in an Iranian-Canadian stage singer. He's been the Phantom [in the original and was OC in the sequel], Valjean, and he sings folk music for fun sometimes. With his sleeve tattoo. And those eyes. If you've never heard him sing, GOOGLE HIM NOW.
That's my list, and I know there are so many more. Who are your favorites? Did I miss anyone big?
Ahem. Anyway. Lemme tell you about some singing men that I personally love. Prepare yourself.
10. Dave Grohl
This guy is the best. Goofy smile, growly voice, and even after the suicide of his BFF, he manages to go on with a lot of joy. He's a dad, too, which is precious. Even if it does make it a little creepy to find him so attractive...
9. Olly Murs
"Troublemaker" is awesome, first of all. That song is such a good jam. This dude has a lot of groovy music with a sort of British-Maroon-5 vibe. And man, is the man cute while he sings them. He's so sweet and stylish and precious. I'm a sucker for cuties like this one.
8. Nate Ruess
So, from the Format all the way up to Fun. we've all loved this man. Have you HEARD him sing? It's heavenly. I'm so happy that this guy made it big. He's one of the most talented musicians in the business today, and SUCH a cutie.
7. Patrick Stump
So, when I saw this picture, I was speechless. Besides the awesome new music, this cardigan-sporting, lite version of our favorite lead singer was my favorite part of the current Fall Out Boy comeback. He's still got that unique powerhouse of a voice, too, so punk-pop ladies, prepare to melt.
6. Ewan McGregor
Oh, my. Moulin Rouge changed my life because OBI WAN WAS SINGING. And dang, he was singing fiiiiiinnne. Baz Luhrmann, thank you for doing whatever you did to make this happen. It totally made up for all the Hawaiian shirts in that Romeo and Juliet interpretation.
5. Aaron Tveit
Soooo, this man. Ohhhhhhhh this man. Best part of the Les Mis movie by far. [SPOILER] And when he died... Oh, that one hurt. He's also played Roger in RENT and other gorgeous stage roles. Sign. Me. UP.
4. Justin Timberlake
You had to know this was coming. I mean. JT. His suit and tie. That Tennessee charm. That HAIR. And he's hilarious to boot? The definititive picture of sexy. After all, he brought it back.
3. Jon Foreman
Aka Switchfoot's lead singer. He's got beautiful hair and a voice that will actually bring me to tears. [And not JUST in A Walk to Remember] He's a good man with a good soul and a heart-wrenching voice. Plus he's in love with Jesus? NOTHING not to love.
2. Darren Criss
So, first of all, HE'S HARRY FREAKING POTTER. We should always start there with Darren. Then he gets on Glee, and gay or not, melts every heart who hears him sing. I mean, any man who can slay dragons with song can certainly slay me. Mmm.
1. Ramin Karimloo
Speaking of men who've played Enjolras... Ramin Karimloo is heaven in an Iranian-Canadian stage singer. He's been the Phantom [in the original and was OC in the sequel], Valjean, and he sings folk music for fun sometimes. With his sleeve tattoo. And those eyes. If you've never heard him sing, GOOGLE HIM NOW.
That's my list, and I know there are so many more. Who are your favorites? Did I miss anyone big?
Six weeks - Two Bags. Why Packing is Either My Best Or Worst Skill
So.
I'm spending this summer at a national lab doing a nuclear chemistry summer school. I know. It's fancy. Drink it in. Six weeks of learning all the awesome applications of nuclear science? Sign me up. Of course, after I was signed up, I had to fly up here. And that meant packing. For 6 weeks. Including stuff for a dorm and a kitchen. Not to mention the fact that our labs have pretty strict clothing requirements, and the laundry is expensive to do. Needless to say, it definitely presented a challenge. Want to know how I did it? Extreme amounts of luck and some favor from God, probably... but here's my tutorial on packing 6 weeks of clothes [including lab appropriate ones, beach appropriate ones, athletic clothes, and clothes for networking lunches with the foremost experts in this field] in one bag that you can check, under the weight limit of 50 pounds, and completely manage in the airport.
First, you need a good, big, versatile bag. Mine is like this except blue. It was an awesome gift from my mother for Christmas last year, initially intended for my trip to Italy, but it ended up being used for this.
Next, you have to decide about those clothes... I admittedly brought probably a bit more than I needed, but I would rather have everything up here and not get kicked out of lab.
On that note, we're required to wear long pants pretty much every day [ugh] so I brought 9 pairs, including basic skinny and bootcut jeans, dress pants, colored and patterned jeans, and sweats.
Next were some shorts, T shirts, athletic clothes, and dresses that ranged from beachy to appropriate for nice dinners. I had to start building into the top clothes section of the bag for this. You'll see why that's so awesome in a minute.
I also added two swimsuits, pajamas, and a few more tops for normal to dressed up days.
All cozy in there...
In that top compartment with the zippered flap, I put a couple of trash bags over the opening and got all my normal shoes [athletic shoes, flip flops, nice sandals, and some canvas slip-ons] along with my "sturdy, closed-toed shoes" for lab nice and happy in there. Then it was super easy to zip up and make sure everything was nice and safe for the flight. And it all came in at under 45 pounds.
There was also a box of beauty supplies that went in.
For some reason, I didn't get a picture of the thing fully packed, but it was super manageable. I had a second checked bag with all of the things for my room up here [I'll spare you the saga of wrapping my Keurig in bath towels and praying for the whole flight that it made it here safely], but it was just as easy to deal with.
Basically, the goal with packing is to manage the space in your bag as wisely as you can. Having good luggage really helps with that. My bag has lots of ways to get at the stuff inside and lots of ways to carry it. It's a good little guy and I highly recommend it.
I'm spending this summer at a national lab doing a nuclear chemistry summer school. I know. It's fancy. Drink it in. Six weeks of learning all the awesome applications of nuclear science? Sign me up. Of course, after I was signed up, I had to fly up here. And that meant packing. For 6 weeks. Including stuff for a dorm and a kitchen. Not to mention the fact that our labs have pretty strict clothing requirements, and the laundry is expensive to do. Needless to say, it definitely presented a challenge. Want to know how I did it? Extreme amounts of luck and some favor from God, probably... but here's my tutorial on packing 6 weeks of clothes [including lab appropriate ones, beach appropriate ones, athletic clothes, and clothes for networking lunches with the foremost experts in this field] in one bag that you can check, under the weight limit of 50 pounds, and completely manage in the airport.
First, you need a good, big, versatile bag. Mine is like this except blue. It was an awesome gift from my mother for Christmas last year, initially intended for my trip to Italy, but it ended up being used for this.
Next, you have to decide about those clothes... I admittedly brought probably a bit more than I needed, but I would rather have everything up here and not get kicked out of lab.
On that note, we're required to wear long pants pretty much every day [ugh] so I brought 9 pairs, including basic skinny and bootcut jeans, dress pants, colored and patterned jeans, and sweats.
I'm a big fan of packing by rolling, so that's how they went in. Next came blazers, jackets, and cardigans. It gets pretty cold at night here sometimes..
Next were some shorts, T shirts, athletic clothes, and dresses that ranged from beachy to appropriate for nice dinners. I had to start building into the top clothes section of the bag for this. You'll see why that's so awesome in a minute.
I also added two swimsuits, pajamas, and a few more tops for normal to dressed up days.
All cozy in there...
In that top compartment with the zippered flap, I put a couple of trash bags over the opening and got all my normal shoes [athletic shoes, flip flops, nice sandals, and some canvas slip-ons] along with my "sturdy, closed-toed shoes" for lab nice and happy in there. Then it was super easy to zip up and make sure everything was nice and safe for the flight. And it all came in at under 45 pounds.
There was also a box of beauty supplies that went in.
For some reason, I didn't get a picture of the thing fully packed, but it was super manageable. I had a second checked bag with all of the things for my room up here [I'll spare you the saga of wrapping my Keurig in bath towels and praying for the whole flight that it made it here safely], but it was just as easy to deal with.
Basically, the goal with packing is to manage the space in your bag as wisely as you can. Having good luggage really helps with that. My bag has lots of ways to get at the stuff inside and lots of ways to carry it. It's a good little guy and I highly recommend it.
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