this girl is cool.

So, one of my mindblowingly awesome friends also just happens to be a mindblowingly awesome artist.  Seriously though, this girl has got talent.  So, if you don't mind me totally showing off for her (because of course she's way to modest to do that :) without further ado...a collaboration of my favorite pieces courtesy of Monica at That Girl Who Doodles.

St Michael the Archangel

Liam Hemsworth, Thor

JGL. Seriosuly though(!)

Hawkeye :)

Katniss, aka the Girl on Fire, aka JLaw

Scarlet Johansson...I'm actually pretty sure she looks better her than in real life...

Elementary my dear reader, it's Sherlock

Snape, Snape, Severus Snape... 

And of course, Rapunzel

If you liked what you saw, but sure to definitely check her out at her blog!
xoxo, Rachel

Rolls. Scrumptiously delicious and easy rolls.

So, apparently I made this post sometime around Thanksgiving but somehow never posted it.  The good news:  your wait has not been in vain (I knooow you've been waiting with baited breath for this :).  May I present...the bestest and easiest roll recipe ever!!
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I don't know how the tradition got started, but for years now, I've been the one that bakes the rolls for Thanksgiving. I've never been able to settle on just one recipe, but this year I think I found it.

These are the easiest and tastiest (so tasty they even brought in a proposal...but that's a story for another time :P) rolls I've ever come across.  Did I mention DELICIOUS???

See? I told you so :)

Okay, so let's get down to business (...to defeat the Huns...).  All you need for the basic roll is
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.6 cups of flour
.2 tsp baking soda
.2 packets instant rising yeast
.3 cups of warm (borderline hot) water.
(yes, that's really it!!)

Pour yeast into water, let sit for 5 minutes.  While the yeast is sitting, mix flour and baking soda in a new bowl.  Once the yeast is done, pour into the flour bowl, mix, and knead for 5 minutes.

Let sit for one hour.  The dough will become gloriously large, doubling in size, at least.

I think  let mine rise for too long.

Remove from bowl and separate into however many buns of different shapes and size and place on a tray.

  At this point you coat with a a thin layer of olive oil.  I added salt and rosemary, but it's up to you.  Bake for 7-10 minutes and enjoy!!
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Simple and delicious, right??
xoxo, Rachel

Another Tangent...

I'm sure by now you've all heard of the big Duck Dynasty uproar about Phil, his anti-gay comments, and his subsequent suspension from the show.  if you haven't here you go, courtesy of the lovely BuzzFeed :)

http://www.buzzfeed.com/mbvd/duck-dynasty-star-suspended-from-show-for-anti-lgbt-comments

I don't know about you, but I'm getting pretty annoyed with all this drama over gay/anti-gay situations.
People getting suspended of fired for mouthing their opinions...yeah, maybe it's not their place to say something, but hello, is the phrase "First Amendment" ringing a bell?  Freedom of speech (not to mention press and religion, but that's a whole other fight)...and yes, that includes, even encourages when your opinion is different than everyone else's.  Phil wasn't giving a hate-speech or enforcing everyone to follow his beliefs, he was just stating his opinion.

This isn't about Phil and his opinions, this is about the freedom of speech and the right to say what you want without encountering an entire force of people messing in your lives.  PEOPLE!!  Duck Dynasty is a controversial show,  and while you may not enjoy it, does anyone have a problem with all the outrageous things they say?? Actors and actresses are always saying outrageous things, even leading people, telling them how to live their lives and which way to vote...NO ONE CARES.  Why now?

Now, go watch some Duck Dynasty

What do you think? Am I overreacting?  (probably yes, but hey, that's what the internet is for...freedom of speech, Pinterest, grumpy cat...)

Ranting With a Purpose

So, as a teenage girl, it's pretty much a granted that I love the mall :).  Unfortunately, along with the shopping for shoes, body sprays and a pair of fantastic jeans comes an onslaught of models with that "perfect" body, hair, face, and who knows what else?  Everywhere you turn is a new reason why you're not good enough.  it bugs me so much when I see stores preying on someones insecurities just to make however much more money.  Yeah, none of them say "buy this pair of jeans and you'll be as sexy as Rhianna", but that's what they're marketing.

I'm blessed with an awesome older brother who likes to remind me before I reach the checkout counter that no, I'm not a ridiculously sexy black singer, I'm me, but most people I know don't have that. Instead they go ahead, buy the jeans, get home, and then when they realize that they're still the same person they've always been and they think it's something wrong with them.

I know so many girls (and guys too) who blame themselves for not being the perfect ideal of beauty, but guess what?? That ideal is always changing!! Below is an advertisement for...wait for it...gaining weight!! Stick thin anorexic wasn't always the ideal of beauty, but instead the ads were selling a weight-gaining product.

The world continually pushes us to be perfect, but it can't make up it's mind what perfect is...even those models we see in the billboards and on TV aren't really what they loo like, but instead a combination of professional makeup, perfect lighting, talented photographers, and more photoshop than you can imagine!  Hair and skin care provider Dove gives us just a small peek into the work that goes into a single ad in their video Evolution of Beauty.  

Yes, even Harry Styles.

Wait, is anyone really that surprised?

Basically, if you're going to take anything out of this post, let it be this: don't let the world form you into someone you are not...Oscar Wilde put it nicely, telling us "Be yourself: everyone else is already taken".

Rachel

I went to Cedar Point for the first time this year, and let me tell you, it is *terrifying*.

Yeah, that was pretty much me on the left...

There I'd be sitting in the ride, buckled up and ready to go, when suddenly I'd realize "Oh my gosh, I DON'T want to do this"and mentally start panicking...but by then the ride has started and the only way to get off is to sit it through.   This happened pretty much every time if you're not counting the one kiddie ride I went on, well, just for the sake of doing it :)

Looking back (it's so much easier to philosophize when your stomach is not 30 ft behind the rest of you) I realize this is kind of my take at life too.  I sometimes catch myself wishing I had never  been born, because then I wouldn't have to face the knowledge of an eternal fire if I screw up somewhere along the line of life.  (quick disclaimer before I receive an onslaught of concerned and well-meaning parents and friends to comfort me, I'm not contemplating suicide at all in the very least) it's just the that the idea of an eternal anything, good or bad is sorta terrifying.

The good news is, we don't have to rely on our own scant and, albeit, pretty pathetic resources to settle our eternal well-being, but instead have an omniscient, omnipotent, all-loving God who is capable and willing to do so.  It's like the original no-strings-attached deals...ask him into your heart, pray for guidance, and in return He brings you to a reward greater than we can imagine.  Sounds good to me.  

More than you Know

As terrible as it sounds, I had no idea today was that day. I've been thinking about our conversations, and the frailty of the lives we live, especially this past week more than ever, but I didn't realize it had already been a year.  Oh yes, I've missed you so much it hurts to breathe, and every time I realize you're not there I want to cry, but the actual date...that escaped me.

12 months ago today, I had a awareness check that brought reality crashing down around me: my best guy friend and "big brother" died,  leaving an array of friends and family in mourning. I remember going to his funeral and seeing the outrageous amounts of people that had gathered: hundreds came throughout the day, and let me tell you, while Peter may not have known all of them, there wasn't a single one who he hadn't touched with his testimony of Christ, loving each and everyone he met with an unconditional love.

If anything, in the eight years that I knew him, Peter tough me not to let prejudice, age, looks, anything get in the way of Christ's love.  I remember the day we met, my 6th? 7th birthday? He could have easily looked down on me when I first met him:shy, awkward, and nearly ten years younger than him, but instead he saw a girl blessed by God, though more than a little unsure of herself.  I'll never forget all those years you'd come over to our house every Sunday...swing dancing, "3 second tag" bake-fests, days when we were all so tired we just sat around and talked.  Those will always be some of my favorite memories, especially or late night talks interspersed with runs to Kroger where we got our favorite sustenance to power such "deep" conversations :)

Know that you will be missed, but more than that, know that you have touched so many many lives, spreading the love of Christ with your loving heart and beautiful smile. Also...I think I saw a studly man hiding in your car so you better had watch out :)

Best Books Ever!!

Books are: friends, escape, teachers, romance, a gift that will keep on giving. Basically, books are the best things ever, and GOOD books are priceless.

It took me a long time to discover some of these books, so I want to put them up here so that you won't have to pry them out of other people. 

These are probably  my favorites (although, knowing me, I probably left out some obvious one) :P

So enjoy!!

1.  Waking Rose by Regina Doman--from her modern fairy tale series. I can't tell you how much I love this book. You just have to read it. 
2. Mara, Daughter of the Nile by Eloise Jarvis McGraw. This book is pretty awesome and super exciting, involving spies, pharaohs, and a breathtaking romance in ancient Egypt.
3. The Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boom. A true story about a daring woman who hid Jews during World War 2, and who eventually got sent to a concentration camp. Many WW2 books are dark and depressing, but this story tells not only of the war's horrors, but also about miracles, hope, and a peace that would seem impossible in such an evil place.
4. The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale. This is a great fantasy book. I really liked a lot about it.
5. Lay Siege to Heaven by Louis De Whohl. This is my favorite saint book yet!! It is so vivid and descriptive, not bland at all. It's a story about St. Catherine of Siena, who lived during a time when the Church's servants were falling into greed, when the boubonic plague broke out. 
6. First Impressions by Deborah White Smith. This is a take off of Pride and Prejudice, and it's really good! 
7. Into the Twilight, Endlessly Grousing by Patrick F. McManus. This is basically a book of hilarious short stories. If you ever open this book, make sure you read the chapter, Uncle Flynn's Hairy Adventure. I literally fell on the ground laughing. It's hysterical!!
8. Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling. I'm sure you all know about this series, and I thought it was really good. However, you might want to check with your parents before you read it, as they may have objections.
9. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald. I loved the descriptive language in this, and it was just a great look into the twenties. 
10. Left to Tell by Imaculee Ilibagiza. I would give this book a rating of PG-13, due to the violent destruction of Human Life within it. It is a very touching, intense book about the Rwandan Genocide, and about a girl with an incredible story. This book showed me many things, one of them being that you can always have hope. 

I love each of these books in a unique way, and I hope you read them!!!

If you have a favorite that's not on this list, please put it in the comments section.

Ciao!
<3 Nina