Remember the post a little while ago about the  variety of southern cookbooks I purchased with birthday money? Well, I am enjoying them, to say the very least. I love cooking through the recipes and sharing them with my husband, family, and friends.

This recipe – the one for the Apple Dapple Cake – is a must try, must make again recipe.

My mom came over and I said, no matter what crazy diet you are on – really, y’all, she’s done a tremendous job of diligently taking care of her body through good eating and exercise and as a reward to herself, she’s lost weight – you MUST try this cake! Thankfully, she thought the cake was worth straying from her healthy eating regime.

I told her I practically licked the batter bowl clean after pouring the majority of it into the Bundt pan. Delish!

This is the one! From A-Z (apples to zucchini!), this cookbook is a collection of southern recipes

Here’s the Apple Dapple Cake recipe :

yields 12 servings (that’s what the book says but the writer must be giving generous pieces!)

3 eggs – room temp

1 1/4 c vegetable oil

3 tsp pure vanilla extract, divided

2 c granulated sugar

3 c all purpose flour, divided

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

3 cups chopped Golden Delicious apples – do not peel them! though it’s tempting, the recipe says not to, and I promise that when you bake this cake, you will not notice the peel and it helps to keep the apple pieces in good form

1 c chopped pecans (per the recipe, but I did not include these because we don’t like nuts!)

1 c shredded coconut (again, I did not include this)

6 Tbs unsalted butter, melted

1 c packed brown sugar

1/4 c milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease and flour a Bundt pan and set aside.

As wedding present, I received this Williams-Sonoma Anniversary Bundt Pan and I do love it! I recommend this one to everyone. And I love how a Bundt pan can turn a simple recipe into a beautiful, social gathering worthy cake!

In the bowl of an electric mixer, beath together the eggs, oil, 2 tsp of the extract, and the granulated sugar. Mix well.

I used my pink Kitchenaid stand mixer to mix well these ingredients. My pink mixer was also a wedding present from my grandmother, a woman who loves chocolate and knows how to bake!

In a separate bowl, stir together 2 3/4 c of the flour, the baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Add to the egg mixture, beating well.

Combine the remaining flour with the apples, (pecans, and coconut.) Fold into the batter and pour into the prepared pan. Bake 1 hour and 10 minutes. Let cool in the pan 5 minutes, and then cool completely on a wire rack.

Meanwhile, in a small saucepan over medium heat, combine the butter (I just melted the butter in the pan first and then added the rest of the ingredients since the recipe called for melted butter), brown sugar, milk, and the remaining extract. Boil 3 minutes and set aside to cool 10 minutes. Place the cake on a serving platter. Slowly pour the warm syrup over the cake.

I love my Pottery Barn Emma Cake Stand!

Tyler brought me the thermometer and I checked my temperature. Sure enough, I had a low-grade fever. With Tylenol in me, I fell asleep.

In the morning I let my sweet friend, Lauren, know I had a fever. She has been nursing everyone under her roof back to health. Even her parents and the in-laws came into town, promptly fell ill, and she became nurse to them, too.

She immediately offered all of her loving care and help. Yesterday afternoon, she brought over a cleansing bath potion. It wasn’t hard to follow her advice : Take a hot bath in a calming, cleansing solution. No problem!

And really, we could all use a bath.

it’s true. every now and then, it’s wonderful – wonderful wonderful wonderful!!!! – to enjoy a good ole bath. Hot water, maybe a lit candle. a simple, indulgent pleasure.

This is the recipe for the cleansing bath potion :

2 cups Epsom Salt

1 cup baking soda

1 cup borax (which by the way, you will soon learn, has many useful qualities!)

Take a hot bath for only twenty – 20 – full minutes with no soap or shampoo. You simply sit and bathe.

This potion draws the toxins from inside your body out into the bath water. You may be left with a dark ring around your tub after the shower. Thankfully, I was not. I probably had sweat most of my body’s toxins out the night before as my fever broke. (Don’t worry, I have clean sheets now!)

No matter if you are sick or well, you can enjoy a cleansing bath, too. And who wouldn’t enjoy a nice, hot bath?

a lovely, silvered antiqued clawfoot tub

a modern look, this clawfoot tub and its bathroom look like a serene day spa

With all of that in mind, enjoy some of my favorite pieces this spring!

yes, please. i think these hot pink pants with the white tank and gold detail is wonderful. - michael kors

just in case the previous outfit wasn't enough pink, i think this will do it. shirt dress is HOT pink. spring to summer wonderfulness. - michael kors

And for all of the options, from pants to dress and now shorts, this really is perfect. very wearable. very PINK, which i do love. - michael kors

a bit more dimuitive (because we cannot always wear bright pink) J. Crew's t-strap ballet flat is a beautiful choice. From what I can tell, the t-strap flat is making a new grand appearance. - J. Crew

I love this satiny silver pop-over and I think you could wear it all four seasons, especially in North Carolina! - J. Crew

Again, the silver popover. This time, paired with high-waisted, lady like shorts. Too bad girlfriend's shirt isn't buttoned or this would be a very proper look. - J. Crew

Preparation – the physical conditioning of life – provides you with the flexibility and freedom to love and to help others around you well.

When you are prepared you can open your arms, your home, your lives, to those around you – family, friends, neighbors, strangers.

If you are not prepared – if you are not ready – if you do not have any of it all together, then you cannot easily help anyone else. You are the one who needs help.

And we all have been that way before. I know I have. But I do not think this is a place we should stay. I am not saying that I think you should be completely self-sufficient, every man for himself sort of thing.

Obviously not. And I am not saying your type of helping others should be the “pity the fool” type either.

What I am saying is that as we are prepared we can seek to love and to help others in tangible ways. We also know when we need to ask for help. In the manner, we can live in one accord, in harmony, in a complementary way with one another.

Let me flesh this out for you in a real life example. So far, I may not be making any sense. Hopefully this will clear it up.

Throughout my years in college, I was a nanny. It really was a perfect job for me. I was able to be flexible with the families that I worked for and I made (almost) enough money to pay for school and other basic life costs. A few of the families would have me come one day a week. The mom would make her appointments during this window of time; she would run errands, she would meet a friend for lunch. The mom knew that in this time I would come to take care of her children and tidy her home while she accomplished other life to-do’s. These relationships were very complementary. I helped the mom with her child and home and to manage her time; the mom helped me pay for college.

Money does not always have to be involved, of course.

Perhaps you know your friend is short on time and energy so you offer to make dinner for both of your families that night; you make an extra-big pot of spaghetti and take it over to her.

In both examples, everyone involved was prepared, knew when to ask for help, and everyone worked together to accomplish life well.

Does this make it a little clearer now?

When we are prepared, we are able to help others around us. When everyone works together – when we are all sure of our purpose, have a good plan, and prepare well – we can freely enjoy life together.

Think of the opposite : When you are not purposeful, you have not a clue what you are doing, and you are not equipped to do it, life is chaotic. If everyone around you is like that, chaos and discord ensues. Quarreling and screaming can get involved. Everything sort of self destructs.

Wow! Isn’t the Lord, who is the God of order, so good to give us a purpose, help to establish our plan, path, and footsteps, and prepare us for life through the day to day?

A ready pitcher of sweet tea prepares you to freely enjoy good conversation with anyone who stops by.

here we are at the prepare part of life.

we’ve stated our purpose.

purpose – to glorify the Lord and to enjoy Him forever. to love Him most and to love others well.

plan – JOY – Jesus, Others, You.

prepare.

When I think of preparing, I think of packing for a trip. We know why and where we are going, what we are going to do. With packing, you are getting ready what you want to talk along for the ride. When you pack, you have your essentials. You take a few what-ifs. You fold your clothes well, you remember your toothbrush. I pack all of my books on top.

Preparation is packing for life. I think that sounds funny – like you are carrying a gun.

You need your essentials. You may carry a few what-ifs. This is new to me; I usually try to have my essentials and if I forget something figure a Target or a friend will be nearby. With a new baby in tow these days, I have come to terms with the reality that it’s best to have on my some stuff for the might-happens of life.

My essentials for preparation do include my bible, my planner, a pencil. A journal. my phone.

But even more importantly  - regardless of whether or not you like a planner, you prefer a pen, or you think it’s silly to journal on real paper – preparation includes a good heart check. A get your head in the game mentality. and a good night’s sleep. (we will talk about this a little bit more tomorrow)

If you want to enter into life well, you have to prepare with

a. clean hands and a pure heart – the Lord does this for you through His Son Jesus Christ – so that you can worship Him rightly and well

b. a mind that is fixed on Christ, not on earthly things

c. a heart that seeks hard after Him, to love Him with your all

d. a mind that is made up. period.

e. an attitude that you will behave your way into a feeling, not feel your way into a behavior.

If I’m thinking through this like a football player – I was a cheerleader (written with a sideways grin) – then the purpose is to win the game; the plan is the plays from the play book, and the preparation is all of the drills and physical conditioning.

So my list A-E is like the drills and physical conditioning of life.

one of my favorite movies - when i left the theater after seeing this for the first time right after thanksgiving with my family, i told tyler i wanted to be an interior decorator and adopt a big black kid - and really, i mean it.

when you are prepared, this is the truth, you are available to help and to love others around you

Italian Chicken

4 chicken breasts, 1 packet Zesty Italian dressing seasoning, 1 8 oz. cream cheese (softened), 2 cans cream of chicken soup; Cook on low for 4 hours. If sauce is too thick, add a little milk. Serve over pasta.

This photograph is from a blog, Homemade by Holman, but the recipe does not match the photo - The recipe above is easier and yummy. My husband loved it!

This is what my plan for Monday (today) looked like :

6am time in the Word

6:30 workout

7 Leland wakes up

7-11 laundry, housework, prep dinner

11 Leland naps

11-3 prep for bible study

3 Leland

Perhaps get together with a friend of mine

6 Dinner

7 Leland to bed

8-11 time with Tyler

11 Leland and Bed

What a wonderful day, right? No rush – just simple, get everything accomplished in an enjoy the Lord and my family kind of a way

Well, then Monday rolled around. A little too early. A little too dark outside.

And  I didn’t wake up until Leland did, at 7AM. You may be thinking at this point, it’s just an hour! You can make it up! And while that’s what I was thinking too this morning at 6AM when I did not get out of bed – I now realize with the sun up and a clear mind – I cannot get that hour back. And it’s an important hour.

I can do those things today – that’s true. But  I will be bumping into other time.

So far it’s only 9AM right now – my day has looked like this :

7 Leland

change our sheets because he spit up all over them

fold the laundry in the dryer – move the wet clothes to the dryer – and fill the washing machine with sheets and anything else that will make it a FULL load

bath Leland and take a shower because at this point, why not?

enjoyed a latte, cheerios, and quiet time in the Word

and now it’s 9AM and I am writing this post.

I wanted to share with you what the Lord is teaching me. That as we purpose ourselves in the Lord, as we plan and prepare, He will many times have to come along side us, behind us, and hurry ahead and around of us, and fill our little plans with His patchwork of grace.

After all, He does say in His word, that He goes before us. And hems us in. and leads us in the way we should go. And covers it all with His grace as we work out in our lives what He has called us to.

I mean y’all, I KNOW – my PASSION – is being Tyler’s wife and Leland’s mommy. This is my CALLING. I LOVE it. And here I am, on Monday morning, can’t barely get out of bed. Seriously.

The Lord has been teaching me this morning His patchwork of grace. And I cannot wait to see all that He does – and I’m sure that there will even be aspects that He does not reveal to me on this side of heaven. At the same time, I do not want to take advantage of His grace.

The Lord has been teaching me this morning that He sustains throughout every minute detail of my life. One of the seemingly justifiable reasons I was so super slow to get out of bed this morning is because a. I did not sleep super well last night. And with that being said, we can all laugh at one another with knowing glances. We sleep in safety, temperature controlled environments, in beds with bedding and comfy pj’s. Come come. We ALL had good nights of sleep last night. Barely no matter how many hours – and I did say HOURS – of sleep we got. So, in the middle of the dark of the morning, all I can think is how much I wish I had slept more and better and I thought, I’ll just take this hour to get some more sleep. Because Lord knows I need it. This morning the Lord said, girl, you know I’m your sustainer. I’ve got you. I know how much sleep I’m giving you and what your day holds. (It may just hold a nap, for all I know!) And when I call you to get up in the morning – at 6AM – I want to see your pretty face. Can’t you just hear the Lord saying that to me? Well, He did.

In the most gracious of ways. He is so faithful. and so true. and so good. and loving and pure and wonderful. And righteous in all His ways.

So now, with this Monday morning’s pot holes all filled up with God’s patchwork – I resolve humbly before the cross of Christ, where we are all equal – equally needy, equally special in His sight, to redeem the time today. To walk in love. As His child of light, in His wisdom.

Blessed be the name of the LORD.

Isaiah 26:7-9 The path of the righteous is level; you, the Upright One, make the way of the righteous smooth. Yes, LORD, walking in the way of your laws, we wait for you; your name and renown are the desire of our hearts. My soul yearns for you in the night; in the morning my spirit longs for you.

I appreciated that this recipe was the kind that you just do a quick mix of all of the ingredients and bake it. It came out perfectly and we enjoyed it many mornings for breakfast. Tyler and I made this bread and delivered it to friends of ours who had just had their second son. I think pumpkin bread is the kind of delicious treat, breakfast, or snack that is everyone’s favorite comfort food.

Pumpkin Bread

1 1/c cups sugar

1/4 t baking powder

1 t baking soda

3/4 t salt

2 large eggs

1 t ground cloves

1 t ground nutmeg

1 2/3 cups all purpose flour

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1/2 cup water

1 cup canned pumpkin

1/2 cup chopped pecans – I did not add these because Tyler and I are not the biggest fan of nuts

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl, combine the ingredients in order, mixing well after each addition. Pour the batter into a greased and floured – this is important so the bread cleanly comes out of the pan – 9×5-inch loaf pan.

Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool on a wire rack for at least 30 minutes before slicing. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Here’s a very recent real life example in my life ::

Tyler, my husband, travels with a band. Starting this month, he will be gone almost each weekend until the summer. Then, we will be able to travel with him for (most of) the summer week dates. He is gone even including the weekend of our anniversary. We will celebrate FIVE YEARS of marriage – YIPPEE!

The weekend before our anniversary and the weekend of our anniversary are travel dates where we will be able to go with him. So, we are. We will enjoy the time with Tyler, with the band, celebrating our anniversary, and doing ministry and life together.

My really wonderful friend, Julie, got engaged recently. She sweetly surprised me by asking me to be in her wedding – I thought my bridesmaids days were over. It really made me so glad that she asked me. I was tickled pink! I wanted immediately to say ‘YES!!!!!’ but thinking twice, I asked her the date to make sure I could do it.

I was super super sad when I looked at the calendar. Her wedding date is the weekend that is the closest weekend to our anniversary. With Tyler gone, even if I stayed home to be apart of her wedding, I didn’t know how I would take care of Leland well that weekend.

I was at a crossroads. I talked with the Lord for a good while. I ran the situation by Tyler. I came to the conclusion that the best thing for my husband and for my child would be if  I declined Julie’s wonderful, sweet invitation and honor to be apart of her wedding party.

It made me sad and happy to make this decision. I knew I was doing what the Lord wanted; what would honor and respect my husband, and what would take care of my baby boy the best.

When hierarchy of priorities are established, it really does make decision making simple. Not always easy, but in the end, I know that I made the best decision. Thankfully Julie understood too.

I want to encourage you to take time before the Lord, in His Word, perhaps journaling, in prayer, to consider your hierarchy of priorities. Put in place JOY – Jesus, Others, You. Read Philippians 2 for encouragement. Christ is the Answer; He is our model.

You will truly experience JOY as you seek Jesus first, in all and through all, Others in order second, and yourself last.

Ohk, so hierarchy of priorities has to do with ordering your world, ordering your relationships. We look to Scripture to know order – God is the God of order – and to know what our world should center around. Scripture tells us from the very beginning – in Genesis before the Fall, that our worlds should be ordered around

a. The Lord and fellowship with Him, glorifiying Him

b. Relationships

c. Filling and Subduing the Earth, through marriage, through discipleship – we learn this later in Scripture, and through our work 1 Corinthians 10:31 style

Ok, so this might give you a glimpse into your hierarchy of priorities. Let me show you what this looks like for me.

First, the Lord comes first. He is above all, in all, through all. This is what Colossians one teaches us. He holds everything together and in Him everything exists and is sustained. WOW!

Practically this looks like me spending time with Him in the Word each day, filtering my thoughts, words, and actions (not perfectly, but remember it’s a life long process and discipline full of grace) through His Word and Holy Spirit, spending time with the family and faith in church, and serving and loving Him in the every day of life.

Then, my husband. I am to submit, respect, honor, and love him. I am to consider him more esteemed than myself. I am to put him first. I regard his thoughts and opinions better than my own.

Practically, this looks like praying for him. This looks like talking with him. Communication is key! This looks like knowing his schedule so I can build mine around his and so I can be helpful to him. When I come up with an idea, I ask him about it. When someone asks me if I can do something and it may overlap with time I could have with Tyler, I ask him what he thinks about me going and doing.

Then, my son. Ensuring that his needs are met. Spending loads of quality time with him.

Taking care of Tyler and my son includes the art and lifestyle of homemaking. Something I am learning more and more about each day.

Then my family and the family of faith.

This takes the idea of JOY – Jesus, Others, You. The “Others” is for each of us where life may differ. Depending on if you are married, if you have children, your children’s ages. There are many factors and Scripture shows us the boundary lines of the spacious places and lets us enjoy life in the freedom of Christ.

Now do you see a little bit of what I mean by hierarchy of priorities?