A Southern Mix of Lost and Found

"I grew up in a little farm-town, a Southern mix of lost and found, but most folks seemed to stick around.... whoa-oh!"

-Andrew Peterson "World Traveler"

Hello, Friendsies!
      I am sorry the post about the DIY coffee-house decor hasn't gone up yet! My internet has been spazzing out and wouldn't send the pictures from my tablet to my laptop so I need to figure that out before I can do it. :P

      Oh my goodness. Guys, life is so hectic but SO exciting right now! In just over a week I am leaving for Romania. I will be on the plane and in Paris a week from Saturday. CAN YOU BELIEVE THAT? And then from Paris to Hungary and from Hungary to Romania! My brain is already ticking with all the things I plan to draw and write in my travel journal. I have made a solemn vow and promise to keep up my travel journal even to my own annoyance because I know that when I am seventy years old, I will be wishing I was more patient at twenty and had taken time to write about my journeys. Plus, I don't want to lose any of the writing inspiration I am assured I will collect. :) My friends and family have been SO supportive of this trip. I really want to thank Mama and Leah and Anna especially since they aren't going to Romania but they have worked just as hard as Sarah and I.

      One sweet friend saw I was looking for a crossbody/messenger/tote bag for my trip and offered to buy Sarah and I each one of our choice. I ended up choosing this beauty:

The Baccini crossbody-shoulder-gaucho bag 

     It is made of Italian sheep-leather (isn't that cool?) and supposedly comes with a long strap for carrying cross-body. I love the look of this bag...it's PERFECT for a trip to Europe, don't you think? And it is leather like my travel journal. Woohoo!

      Yesterday I took Matthew and Sarah into the Beach to catch the Wednesday 50% off all clothing sales at Salvation Army so we could load up on the few items that our whimsical Virginia weather doesn't require us to have; Sarah has spent almost the entire winter wearing short-sleeved shirts, and I don't even own a coat! Or at least I didn't till...

Yep! It's a plum-purple woolen, double-breasted pea-coat! 

   A very tiny thing few people know about me is that I have always wanted a pea coat, and I have always wanted a purple pea-coat. God was totally behind this item because it as at the Goodwill that doesn't have 50% off sales, but for some reason yesterday ALL the winter coats were 50% off! It's the most beautiful thing...there was a London Towne brown coat that was cute too, but when I saw the plum colored one, I knew it had my name on it. God also provided the shoes we needed (Mine and Sarah's black shoes were both literally falling to pieces. Like...soles flapping. It's what happens when you live in the countryside), as well as other items like a brand spankin' new pair of dark-wash jeans (I despise light-colored denim) and several adorable sweaters. When we got home Leah slightly complained, "How is it that we go out for weeks in a row and never find a thing and you go out one day and get it all?" I could only answer with the truth: I guess the Lord knew I had just over a week to get it together and hardly any time to be spared. :)

      But Sarah and I weren't the only ones that scored big...we turned Matthew into Neal Caffrey. :D

And do you see Sarah and I photo-bombing in the background?
 NO idea what that was about. I am very interested in what she was staring at on the laptop, apparently.

      The time is soon approaching and my wander-lust grows with each day. The stress I had been formerly dealing with before we got the kinks with funding worked out has been lifted, and I just feel that God is going to do wonderful things in my personal life with this trip. :) 

      It y'all could pray for Sarah and Matthew and I (and the rest of the team) that would be great because we are going to be writing up our testimonies, including how God is working in our lives and how we are affirmed in our faith and then speaking those testimonies over in Romania. :) Exciting! But a little nerve-wracking, as the things that are so beautifully simple in my heart and head get knotted when I try to make them come out. :D I have asked Jesus to give me His words, and I know He will. Pray that my heart will be quiet enough to listen. :D 

    In other news, I am re-reading A Severe Mercy by Sheldon Vanauken and finding I love to write in books. Haha. Sing ho for funny new habits! Also, some friends of ours are coming down from the Richmond area to conduct a Seder meal for our church family...can't wait to celebrate Jesus as our Passover Lamb! <3 :) 

The Long-Awaited Coffee-House Part One! :)

I am sorry to have neglected this blog recently, but the truth is that the business of planning, preparing and executing two large fund-raising events within twenty-four hours of each other put quite a damper on all things blog-related. But I DID keep my tablet charged and I DID take pictures so there you go. I suppose I ought to start at the beginning because this isn't a very coherent update for those of you who aren't on Facebook and haven't been constantly told updates about our coffee-house fundraiser event and the following yard-sale.

Wednesday was a prep day with things like making the chocolate chip cookie-dough cheesecake, organizing piles of decor in the four categories: (Hipster, French, Coffee-Shop, and Vintage), and packing all the items for the garage sale in the garage. (A very large feat, that.)

The coffee-house was first. Thursday we spent the day cleaning the house, and in afternoon I swung out of our driveway, picked up Matthew and then drove to Petersburg to meet Josie and her momma. I also wore my awesome but hipster polka-dot sweater and straightened my hair. I look like such a kid when I do that!

We got home, unpacked, and spent the night watching This is the Army which swung us on with fabulous music till midnight. The we collapsed into bed, and the morning came way too fast for anyone's taste.

Friday morning.

I had a slight panic moment seeing how light it was when I woke up--I thought I had slept the day away. Turns out it was only 7:30 and I had nearly 12 hours to pull off my brain-child project. Josie was absolutely invaluable in boosting the skills and things that Sarah and I have in moderation. We would arrange a corner and it would look good, but then Josie would come, tilt her head, furrow her brow, rearrange something and it would look perfect. We totally rearranged the furniture, took down all previously existing decor, and re-did the house. So much so that when one of our team-guys came in he said, "Hey. You guys should keep your house like this. It looks really cool." That made me happy, because this guy is at our house at least every Sunday, and oftentimes in the days between.

Friday we literally spent all day on our feet. We felt like tree-toads, walking all over countertops and table-tops and using tape for everything. I swear tape is a modern miracle. Honestly. Scotch-tape held up 80% of our decorations! I ought to buy stock in the company and then go around demonstrating it as the party-planners best friend. ;) I'm going to do a whole post on the decorations and how we made what we made and how we spent not a red-cent, but I don't want to overload you so today you get the general push through of the weekend. One quick mention of our method, however: we asked for $5.00 at the door, and then priced the drinks and baked goods cheaply. The most expensive item was "The Neverland" which was a coffee milkshake loaded with whipped cream and sprinkles that cost $3.00. Funny thing is, that and the "Poor Edith" (a simple, plain caramel latte) were the most popular items. We made a killer off the Neverlands. Will definitely be selling those again if we do another coffee-house sometime.

The rest of the team arrived at 5:30 and we had nachos and then got down to business. (but we didn't defeat the huns ;) and I trained my team of baristas. There was a vaguely frightening moment when I started to doubt anyone besides the team would show, but then the people started streaming in and the kitchen filled up craziness from Justin, Daniel, Tim, Emma, Sarah, and I, and before I knew it people were leaving and it was 11:00 PM and we had made well over $200.00 from the thing! I was shocked and pleased when I saw how God had blessed our efforts! The whole time it kind of felt like grabbing at the wind because it was Sarah and I planning this thing kind of last minute and not knowing if it would fly, but God gave it wings enough. After everyone had left, Josie and I perched on hard chairs in the dining room (don't ask me why) and talked until at least midnight again. Wow....noticing a pattern here.

We tumbled to bed and were awakened before the sunrise to get the yard-sale set up and together.

It was supposed to start at 9:00, but people started coming at seven-thirty and didn't stop till 1:00. Again, the Lord totally blessed the method of the yard-sale. We stuck all the items in neat rows and told people  to make a reasonable offer and then pay up and take it away. By the end we had made at least $600 which brought our grand total for the weekend up to $870.00 which exceeded (by a bit) the amount we had gone into the weekend needing!

This means our trip is fully funded now! We are going to Romania and it is paid for and we will have an amazing time and we will come back!  Hallelujah, and a huge thanks to those of you who helped us all the long and tedious way to raising our funds! Those of you who came and donated your time and money (Josie! <3) and those who put effort and time into helping with the decor (Jill! <3) and everyone in between! This weekend was crazy and fun and hectic and I am exhausted now on this cold Monday morning, but it worked. To quote a very very sappy movie, "Never despise meager beginnings."

So thanks, ya'll, and stay tuned for a post with more pictures, awesome details, and How-To-Plan-This-Party-Yourself. :D

The Scarlet Pimpernel: My Dream Cast

Oh my dears. Oh my deary-dears. You all know (or ought to know, or can imagine) that I love The Scarlet Pimpernel by Baroness Emmuska Orczy. Recently I converted a friend onto the First-Timers campaign and experienced all the honest pride of a mother exhibiting her favorite child. I can't imagine how it would feel to have written such a book! There was a film made in 1984 starring Anthony Andrews and Jane Seymour which I really do love, but I haven't seen the newest version. That being said, I have been putting my wits to the question for a long time of what my TSP Dream-Cast would look like, and here is what I have:

Sir Percival Blakeney:

Benedict Cumberbatch

He could so swing this part. Perhaps a little small-framed, but nothing worse than Anthony Andrews. He could nail the foppishness as well as the intensity, and I cannot think of a better person for this part. Seriously.

Chauvelin:

Andy Serkis

(sans crop of crazy-curly hair)

Small, intense, scheming, and evil to the core, Andy Serkis would OWN this role. 

Marguerite Blakeney:

Romola Garai

Romola. Beautiful, beautiful Romola. Ever since I saw her in her stunning role in Amazing Grace, I have pictured Marguerite Blakeney thus. Don't think Emma Woodhouse, think Barbara Spooner. I think she could carry the gravity, the heart-break concealed under the wit and mockery. She could do this if given the chance.

Armand St. Just:

Rupert Evans

Because Armand's largest fault is his bull-headed, blind passion for a stupid dancer, I think Frank Churchill (aka Rupert Evans) would do the part justice. I like his acting. I like him. And seeing Rupert and Romola in another movie together as brother and sister would be pretty great.

Lord Anthony Dewhurst (Lord Tony):

Dan Stevens

I know he's done with Downton Abbey, so whaddya think: would Dan like a nice side-gig as leaning-post for Benedict Cumberbatch as Percy? I think he'd be perfect for the role. He's just such a nice, solid Brit. You know. He couldn't be mistaken for coming from any other country. He's just....wholesome looking. Perfect for jolly, bluff Lord Tony.

Sir Andrew Ffoulkes:

Tom Hiddleston

He needs a happy-go-lucky-yet-important role, doesn't he? Because from all I've heard, Tom Hiddleston is a pretty sweet guy, and he never gets to play happy roles. He would be really great as an essentially-English man. Truly.

Suzanne DeTourney:

Rosamund Pike

Because she's gorgeous, a fabulous actress, and looks a mite French.

Other Characters:

Robespierre:

Rufus Sewell

Ew. Yeah. He'd do the job. He always looks French to me no matter what, and I think he has cold, fishy eyes. Plus he's a good actor, and has played in a period drama set right about the same time (Amazing Grace again, anyone?) but I chose him for this role because his coloring is right for Robespierre in my opinion. Seriously. He always looks kind of half-crazed. Exactly the sort of guy who could aptly play a character like Robbie. ;)

The Prince of Wales:

Tom Hollander

Because he's little and dweeby but harmless.  And the PoW needs to be little and dweeby and harmless. :)

This late at night my mind forgets what other side-characters there are on the French side, but I will state that Ciarin Hinds needs to make an appearance as a Frenchie. He just looks French. I'm just sayin'. And if I could stick Ioan Gruffud in there somewhere as another Frenchie, it'd make my day and the day of several of my friends. 

So this, my friends, is my Dream-Cast List for a remake of The Scarlet Pimpernel. I tried to be true to what I recall from the book about the various characters. (i.e. Marguerite is clearly stated to have reddish-gold hair. NOT BLACK!) All the actors I have listed are well-known BBC (or closely-related to BBC) actors, and I think would work really well in a film together. All of them have done period-drama work in their careers, and some of them are actively "Period-Drama-Actors". :) I think it's rather perfect.

 So. Who wants to bring this awesome list to the attention of the BBC? We really should. Because I would pay my life's savings to see a film with a stellar cast like this. :)

Please Hold my Head Before It Flies Off

Soooooo much is going on right now that if I stop and thinking about all of it, there is a certain chance my head will pop off and go sailing off without me.

I am going to Romania in a matter of a couple weeks. GAH! It's a slightly panicking, whole exciting and overwhelming thing. I know the moment I set foot on Romanian soil I will panick and wish myself on a flight headed home, but I also know that the next moment I will love it, so I'm not too too worried.

To raise funds for this trip (the further funds we discovered we will need) Sarah and I are hosting Cafe en Romania, a coffee-house night with European flair on Friday, March 22 at 7:00 PM.We are going to run it exactly like a Starbucks, complete with a full menu of drinks for a song, and a raffle for some great items my so-generous friends and family have donated for the purpose. Sarah and I are hard hard at work thinking up ways to transform our sunny, open farmhouse into a cozy coffee-shop on our limited budget. Truth be told, as Sarah and I were huddled upstairs painting and drawing and ripping away at the decor, I flourished my paintbrush, spattering modge-podge over my project and declared:

"LET'S DO ALL THE DECOR WITHOUT SPENDING A DIME!"

Which, considering I literally have nothing but dimes left in my wallet, shouldn't be too hard to resist. :P But seriously. Sarah and I are two creative girls, and we. can. rock. this.

The fruits of a morning's labor are already amazing. Our efforts combined with the donation of several neat things from a friend's home are bringing the coffee-shop idea together. YES. It's working. Now it's up to you all to come. I'm serious. Any of you who live in the area or near the area, you know my email. (psssst: heirloomrosebud@gmail.com) If you'd like to participate in this fund-raising event, just shoot me an email and I will give you full details. The decorations are seriously awesome. I'm not sure that some of you who have a special fondness for coffee might not like to buy some of it off the walls. For real. And we'd be good with that. ;)

Yes, yes I know you were hoping for pictures of what we've done so far, but I want to keep it a magical surprise for all of you who will come. If you are our friends and need a place to stay the night if you come, we have couches and floors and rooms and squish-in-places available! Come one, come all!!

Now for the other part of this post that deals with the larger event in life right now.

My Gentleman got a job.

Daniel got a job with Generation Joshua and he is moving four hours away this Saturday.

As you can imagine, this is a pretty major thing for our family. He has lived with us since the day he was born, and it's gonna be an adjustment. I was reminded by a friend that we have had Daniel with us far longer than most people get their older brothers (he's 22) so I ought to be glad for that. And I am! I really am. And I know the move doesn't mean we won't see him anymore, because he's still gotta come South to go courtin', and I'm planning on frequent roadtrips, and clogging up the Post Office with mail, and clogging up his phone with texts, and doing all the things I've winkled out in my brain for years and had no one to use them on. Oh yes. It's gonna be fun. We have consoled ourselves with the idea that truly, until Daniel is gone for five weeks in a row without coming home once (which I hope won't happen for several years) it won't be any worse than when he and I were in Georgia for a month last year. Still, we miss him, and listening to "Drive Your Truck", "The Ballad of Jody Baxter", and "Come Back Soon"  is not an especially wise thing to do right now for fear of making all of us more sentimental and glum than ever. Thus we have sworn off pretty nearly everything but Broadway and Disney till the deed is done and he's in Purceville and we are accustomed to the idea.

Gon' miss my crazy guy. :'}

Truly. Sarah and Danj and I were driving in the car the other day and listening to Andrew Peterson and the Wistfulness was getting way too big so we turned on the good ol' country station and "Drive Your Truck" came on and affected me like it always does, and we turned into the drive not in a very dry state of eyes.

Really, the hugest emotion I've felt so far over this whole thing is excitement. I mean, this is a big deal. Daniel has a full time job with which he can provide for a family which means....a lot of things. Yep. It's pretty awesome, and I am so ready for him to get up there and learn the ropes and have all the wonderful, fulfilling things I know are in store for him. 

So Daniel and Coffee. Those are the things occupying my brain these days, along with a bit of deep allegorical poetry, historical romance, and Newsies....and when all of those wonderful things come together, life is overwhelming, but good. Very good. In an overwhelming, help-i-think-i'm-drowning kinda way.

Craziness.

:)

A deep and wildsome glory

"Into the peace of these wild things,

 Into the wild of this grace,

Into the grace of this blessing,

Speak in the peace of this place."

-Andrew Peterson "The Magic Hour"

There is some beauty too great for words.

Have you ever stood outside at the moment Day washes into Night, and felt the very air was filled with a thrum of praise?

Have you even been awakened by the scent of daffodils in the dark, or watched the laughter bubble over in a baby's smile, or seen the moon hanging low in the West and felt your heart might burst with the pain of Joy?

It is these moments I wish I could speak the language of the birds who flit over the sunset and pour a fountain of notes tumbling one over another down the fingers of the breeze.

But I am only human. My attempts to speak and write and pray are met with complete silence and a mind whisked clear of words.

I watch the sun gleam over the Spring's-blood green of the wheat field and the soul-ache deepens.

"Lord, Lord!" is all I can manage, and as I murmur the Name the pain cuts deeper and sweeter, sending shafts of holy light blinding my soul.

If I cannot tear myself away from the beauty and I cannot ease the joy-pain with words, I am awash and afloat in helpless, unbridled Joy.

It can terrify me, this soul-moment.

The pull of eternity is so near, so deep that my heart strains for it.

But human I am, mortal-life coaxes me back and the veil is half drawn again over the face of the wild peace.

"Lord..." I begin again, near to breaking under the weight of His glory.

"Satisfy your soul."

The gentle, tender commandment takes the desire of words from me.

Defenseless.

My words.

My weapons and tools.

The King has taken them away, gentle but firm and asked me for silence.

And my soul...

      My soul warms in the after-glow; expands, dances.....and is full.

Satisfied.

Nothing more I could ask.

Nothing less I could wish.

Eternity in the heart of Man.

What a deep and wildsome glory.

The Shrinkage Diaries: Breakfast in the Bahamas

Dear Figure,

      I bet it'd be really easy to be skinny in the Bahamas. It seems like a place where--since one is required to wear a bathing suit even at Christmas--one would be more conscious of eating pineapples and mangoes and other fruits. I have friends who were in the Bahamas last week. Yup. They're an amazing couple who work really hard and deserve a vacation like this. Still...for those of us winter-bound in Virginia, it can be a bit...ehhhhhhhh... to see the photos of these friends on pristine beaches, looking like an ad out of a travel magazine. Jill even got sunburned. In March!

So! What's a girl to do when the sun is just starting to warm up, and you, Figure, are requiring something schnazzy to keep inspired to trim down? I make a Bahama Breakfast, that's what! Pair this "clean" muffin recipe with a smoothie made out of frozen pineapple, mango, and peaches blent with coconut milk, and voila! You'll look like a beach-bum in no time. :)

Choco-Tropic Oat Muffins

I started with this recipe, but quickly expanded the add-ins to make these unbelievably delicious, exotic muffins! Perfect for a spring morning!

• 2 1/2 cups rolled oats
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1 c. yogurt
• 2 eggs
• 1/3 c. honey
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 2 ripe bananas, smashed
• 1/3 c. unsweetened, shredded coconut
• 1/3 c. slivered almonds
• 1/3 c. dark chocolate chips, chopped

1. Pulverize oats in blender or food processor until you have a "flour". Add in other dry ingredients.
2. Mix wet ingredients together, then add to dry. Mix with a few quick strokes
3. Line muffin tin with papers, and bake muffins at 400 degrees for 15 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

Makes 1 dozen muffins

These muffins were way more delicious than I'd even hoped. I mean really--did you ever think you could make a muffin that had not flour or sugar?! I'd heard of replacing the sugar with honey, and even done it before, but most times the muffin ended up tough with a leathery "skin". These muffins are fluffy at the same time they're full of texture from the coconut, almonds, and chocolate chips. Definitely a keeper recipe: one to use over and over again!

In other news, I'm creating: Shrinkage Diaries: The Cookbook for my own use. Can't wait to stock it with many more of the recipes I've been experimenting on!

Guys, I'm going to Europe.

Hey Everyone! I emailed many of you with an update on my planned trip to Romania. It's actually happening, and you can read all the details of that over here. But I thought that for those of you whom I didn't have an email for, you might be interested in the contents of the email, so I'm re-posting it here.  Before that, however, I want to let you know that I am so crazy blessed by those of you who have supported us in prayer, and especially those who have supported us financially. You are what God is using to make this trip happen, so thank you.

Hello girls!

       Okay. I'm gonna go out on a limb here and tell a little God story and ask for a little help at the end. :) Just bear with me.

      Lots of you already know about my upcoming trip to Romania, whether by me personally telling you, or by some other means. If you haven't, then here's the gist:

   For some time God has placed a calling on my heart to go to Romania on a mission's trip, and this spring it's finally happening. On April 5th I will be leaving (along with a group of other young people from my church) for two weeks in Romania, ministering with a church we have connections to there. The plane tickets are bought, and the time is set for April 5th. No backsies.

We received word this morning in an email that the actual cost of us staying in Romania will be 15 dollars a day per person, plus donations for gas. I am still unsure whether they mean Romanian dollars or American dollars. Either way, the sum we each need to raise is between 100 and 300 dollars. (probably toward the 300 end) Frankly, this really scares me. We have under a month to raise 300 dollars each. I KNOW God can do this and will do it since He's let us get this far and purchase the tickets and everything.

So Basically I had kind of a crazy idea. First off, any of you with Etsy shops...would any of you be willing to donate an item for me to raffle off at any of the fundraisers we will be doing? We are thinking of hosting a coffee house night and/or a spaghetti dinner where people would give a donation at the entrance and then have a fun night. We could raise even more money by raffling items. :) 

And the rest of you, if you could pray really hard for God to make a way for this to happen, I would so much appreciate it. I have faith He will provide, but we need Godspeed, as the time is very short. :)

Thank you so much for reading this, and for your prayer and support. To those of you who have already given money toward this project, THANK YOU. It's such a massive encouragement. If you feel led to give any donations, there is a donation button on the sidebar of my personal blog, the blog I share with my younger sister, and the blog for this trip: www.suffolkchristianassembly.blogspot.com

        Much love,

                     Rachel Heffington

The Shrinkage Diaries: and some days you'd like to kill the cat

Dear Figure,

       Today I'd like to bite nails. Like...metal ones.
       Today I'd like to throw something.
       Today I'd like to go to a Krispy Kreme and eat every raspberry doughnut on the place.
       And yes. Today I'd almost like to kill my cat.

The reason? Eh. I don't know that I have one. To quote a friend, "It must be a Thursday. I could never get the hang of Thursdays." And as for the cat, I came downstairs this morning and was greeted by Dad very sweetly saying: "Good-morning, but your cat apparently couldn't use her litter box last night and went in the laundry basket."

Oy vay.

Yeah. Not an auspicious start to my day. I think this strange humor began last night with a chocolate craving.  I almost caved and made brownies, but I am so glad Leah wouldn't let me. Instead I went to Pinterest, and from there to one of my new favorite recipe sites: The Gracious Pantry, and oh. my. stinkin'. goodness.

Figure: I totally owned you last night. How?

By whipping up a batch of her Clean Eating Double-Chocolate Oreos. I'm not even kidding. These things...they're...they're....they are "simply too too too diveen!" For real. As my FB feed would show...

"I will NOT eat all the clean-eating oreo dough before baking. I will NOT!"

And really. It was hard not to. Sarah was a skeptic and didn't want to admit that the smell rising out of the oven was akin to ambrosial breezes from the ever-after. But seriously, girls. Who cares about eating clean. At the moment these cookies were ready to come out of the oven, I would challenge the staunchest junk-fooder to say they tasted "too healthy." These are not only the best clean-eating cookie I've ever had...they are the best chocolate cookie I've ever had. Even counting everything bad-for-you I have tasted my whole life through. For reals, people. For reals. And to raise perfection an increment higher, yesterday was the 101st birthday of the Oreo cookie! :) Perhaps it was the Dutch-processed cocoa Mrs. Vandebrooke gave us that lent these cookies such elegance. So rich and divine you could only eat one stack. You only dared eat one, for fear of what might happen to you if you experienced such grandeur over again. ;)

Whatever it was, I am never going to taste anything quite that craving-quenching in my life. Now. The recipe.

Clean Eating Double-Chocolate Oreos

Cookie ingredients: 

8 oz. almonds ground into "flour"
1 c. unsweetened cocoa
1/3 c. honey or maple syrup (I used honey)
1/3 c. coconut oil
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla

Filling ingredients:
1/4 c. coconut oil
1/3 c. unsweetened cocoa
3 Tbs. honey or maple syrup (I used honey)
1 tsp. vanilla

Step One: Blend almond flour and cocoa powder together in bowl. Add other ingredients and mix well with a wooden spoon.

Step Two: Form walnut-size balls and flatten with the palm of your hand till cookies are desired thickness. They will not rise or flatten in the oven, so what you see is what you get. Form accordingly. Place on parchment-lined baking sheets. Bake at 350 degrees F for 15-20 minutes.

Step Three: Blend all filling ingredients together in blender or food processer, and keep in fridge till thickened. You might want to add a little more cocoa if your filling is too runny, but it will firm up and thicken as it sits a moment so wait to add anything till you're certain.

Step Four: Once cookies are cool, assemble with filling between two cookies.

Makes 10-12 sandwiches

So Figure? Never again am I going to lament that I can't entirely satisfy my chocolate craving while catering to your touchy whims. Because, honestly? Even if I threw my hunt for you to the wind, I'd never find a better-tasting recipe than this.

eShakti Dress Review: Dotted Retro Poplin!

The time has come! I was going to do my review for eShakti earlier, but my photographer severely sprained his ankle and life came up so now I'm here at last. Sarah was a dear and came with me, being patient while I fastened my ridiculous (and very chic) shoes before getting out of the car, then took them off when I started to drive again, then performed the whole ritual once or twice more.

The dress. I chose the Dotted Retro Poplin Shirtdress in cobalt blue, and custom-sized it.

As expected, eShakti came through with a dress that fits like it was made for me because, frankly, it was! I lengthened the sleeves and the skirt to reorganize into a style that would flatter my shape best, and I am so happy with the dress. 

(Notice the bold, coral-colored wedges? Got those at Payless for $10 last weekend. ^.^)

I adore the color of the dress, the fit, and the style as well as all the little details that make eShakti dresses so magnifique! The collar  is especially nice, and the little polka-dot buttons are too adorable. And pockets! eShakti dresses have pockets! Two of them. Perfect for stashing lipstick, cellphone, and whathaveyous without needing to carry a purse. Oh--and do excuse the wrinkled waist--I was driving and not overly careful of creasing. :P

Thank you, eShakti, for the gorgeous dress!

Oh. And before I forget, there was a glitch with the former coupon-code online. Because of that, eShakti has given me a new coupon code for you all, and extended the date till March 25, 2013!

New Code: LSSFLLTRDE85

Enjoy the extended date, and check out some of the company's absolutely amazing dresses. :) The quality is well worth what you'll pay for a dress you'll love.

The Shrinkage Diaries: It looks like a bird's nest...

Dear Figure-seekers!

If you would be so kind, take a look at the picture below....

This is a severely inauspicious plate of food.

Honestly. It looks like a cross between a haystack, a bird's nest, and what I used to pull out of the garbage disposal when it got clogged up. (That is, before we moved out to the country where we can't have a garbage disposal system.)

Look at it again.

It looks bland at best, I know. But this is pancit, and it is one of the stinkin' best Asian dishes there is to feed a large crowd. My first introduction to pancit was way back at the church where my Dad worked as assistant music pastor. There was a Philippino woman in the choir, and on occasion she would make pancit for us. Then a Philippino couple moved down the street from us, and she made us dinner and lo and behold, pancit popped up again. Then we moved churches and house, and I forgot all about this amazing dinner until we were at a friend's party, and there again was a huge bowl of the stuff. In fact, I'm pretty sure it was at a Narnian costume party to which I went dressed as The Lady of the Green Kirtle. I ate pancit again, and boom! Right back to memory lane. 

The best part about this meal is that it's waist-friendly, (more-so if you use chicken instead of beef) and qualifies as Shrinkage food because there's not a smidge flour or sugar, and it's packed with veggies. Also, it's gluten free, because those are rice-noodles up there, not wheat, which makes them much better. It would be awesome if you could buy brown-rice noodles, but for now these are great.

Pancit is one of those things that is great for feeding large families because it's kind of a catch-all dish. You can use any kind of meat in the dish. (We've used chicken, beef, shrimp, etc.) Really whatever you have on hand. Last night we had ground beef, and I'd never done that before. When I think of Asian cuisine, ground beef isn't exactly the first thing I think of. I knew I'd need to kick the recipe up a notch of I didn't want dinner to taste like a Teriyaki-Burger from a Japanese McDonald's.

Fast Fun Tip: While rummaging around for the best chili recipe for Dad, I had stumbled across a website that I can't find now. The guy writing the article mentioned that most of the time we don't "brown" ground beef, we "grey" it. In short, we put too much meat in the pan at once and it basically boils in the fat without ever gaining that awesome "browned" flavor. This time I took my pound of ground beef and did it in three separate chunks, smushing the ground beef into patties, sprinkling a bit of soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, red pepper flakes, salt, and minced ginger over the top, then flipping the patties and breaking them apart. This is THE BOMB and allowed me to impart a vague Asian flare to the ground beef which was lacking beforehand.

Okay. So now that we've established how you have to cook your beef if you are using beef, we can get on with the real recipe. Again, it's a "per your own taste" thing, so the measurements for spices are going to be rather ambiguous. I change it every time depending on what we have on hand and what flavors I'm feeling. 

Pancit

• 1 head cabbage
• 1 red bell pepper
• 12 carrots
• 2 onions
• 3 tbs. minced ginger
• 4 ribs celery
• garlic
• 1 lb. ground beef (or other meat, chopped)
• 1/2 c. soy sauce (and a bit for serving)
• 1/2 c. lemon juice
• 1/4 c. rice vinegar
• 1/4 c. Worcestershire sauce
• Salt
• red-pepper flakes
• olive oil or sesame oil
• peanuts
• 2 packages rice noodles (we use Mai Fu)

1. Start by slicing up all vegetables sensibly. The idea is not chunky--it's long strips to match the noodles. I left my carrot round just because they'd go farther, but onions, cabbage, and peppers can be cut into strips. Toss all veggies in a bowl together.
2. Brown the ground beef per my instructions further up the post. Set aside.
3. This is going to get majorly messy, and this recipe feeds a lot of people. A whole lot. Like...twelve of us with leftovers. So you'll need three skillets on the stove. Pour a bit of olive oil into the bottoms of the pans, and sautee leftover ginger and a spoonful of garlic in each man till golden. Divide the veggies into the three pans, and sautee for ten minutes until the vegetables are tender. Dash all your soy/vinegar/worcestershire sauces over the vegetables and continue to cook. Sprinkle with salt and red pepper flakes. When vegetables are done, cover and let steam while you work on the noodles.
4. Rice noodles are really cool because you don't boil them. Your first step will be to pull the noodles apart and put them in the bottom of some great big bowl. Then you will boil a kettle-full of water (a couple quarts) on the stove. When it is at a rolling boil, pour the water over the dry noodles, cover the bowl with a tray of some sort, and let steam until noodles are tender.
5. Drain your noodles, and mix the noodles, beef, and vegetables together. Add more soy sauce to taste, and mix well. This will kill your arms. You may have to chop up the noodles a bit in order to be able to stir.

Serve on plates and dig in! This is a wonderful meal for a party because it's pretty cheap and goes a really long way. Plus, it is delicious, and easy to throw together; you really can't go wrong with seasonings. At different times I have sprinkled in tons of different spices, drizzled a bit of molasses, dabbled in some clam juice...anything you have on hand. Take my word for it. 

Try this recipe next time you are having an Asian-themed party or just a great big family get-together. It's delicious, and everyone will want the recipe. Then it will be your turn to tell them you pretty much did it on the wing, because with pancit you can't go wrong. Plus, your figure will thank you for making life easy.

Daniel + Abigail = Fun

A series of photos, because life where Abigail and Daniel are concerned is so much fun. :)

We go contra-dancing (and nearly faint) and we write senseless greetings on our left-overs.

                 

We hang at creepy gas stations to fill up before making trips...

We draw pictures on the windows....

We draw pictures on feet....

We suit up in barncoats and hideous ponytails and pretend to be chicken-thieves when we have to help BJ move the roosting hens after dark.

We find that the Smithfield ice-cream parlor spells "Sherbet" the way everyone says it and not the way it's properly spelled at all.

We take pictures of the soda-jerk in a manner that makes him think we're actually taking self-portraits.

We giggle over nothing and everything.

We hang out at DMV while Daniel registers his car singing "The Song of the Lonely Mountain" time and time again while we wait for him in the frigid air. 

We found a chap from the shoppe across the street who looked like he belonged in Downton Abbey.

We sample everything in the store and pretend we are food critics...

We hold hands and sing random songs just because we like to think we live in a musical.

We make Shirley-Temples and discuss how many fun drinks you can make that have absolutely no alcohol in them.

We admire daffodils displayed in blue glass, and model ships displayed in antique stores.

Daniel and Abigail are my peeps. I love them both so very much. :)