The Dawning Of 365 New Days

     Photo by Noah Zinsmeister / Noah Zinsmeister Photography

2014, I'm ready for you!

The start of a fresh year and the tradition of setting goals and resolutions have never really meant too much to me. I'm a pretty self-reflective and contemplative person (to a major fault) which means that I'm constantly working on something or other in my personal character. It could be that I'm trying to overcome a nagging fear or worry, or working on getting rid of one of my more unpleasant tendencies. It's true that I can be a little bit hard on myself and  rigid in my desire for self-improvement so I usually take a break at New Year's and don't pile on any additional tasks or goals.

But as the last hours of 2013 tick by, I am finding that I feel especially grateful and excited for the dawning of this new year. I still don't have any big goals or resolutions to share with you--truth be told, most of what I hope for in 2014 is largely out of my control, so a list of goals wouldn't serve much of a purpose anyway (I learned somewhere along the way that setting goals is a worthwhile activity only if the goals are specific and attainable and within your grasp).

I'm just feeling ready for a fresh start. 2013 was a beautiful year for my marriage, it was a wonderful year for friendship, it was such a growing year for my faith. It was a great year for my blog and I learned a lot in my teaching and musical life and I am a more patient and calm person now than I was in January.

But 2013 was hard, too. Because of circumstances we couldn't predict or change or influence, it feels like we've been moving sideways instead of forward for awhile now, and that's no easy thing to stomach. I fully believe there has been a purpose behind it and that a hundred blessings in disguise are waiting for us on the other side and that God has a better plan--always--than we do. I've found so much peace and solace in that.

Still, there were some very difficult moments to get through this year. I was tested in very personal ways and I think that part of God's plan in all of this was specifically to shape and mold me into the person He wants me to be. That job isn't done--it will take a lifetime and beyond--but I do think it's pretty amazing how the challenges we face are so often tailored to our particular weaknesses. One thing that I've learned this year is that if it weren't for life's struggles and tests and disappointments, we would never have a reason to cry out for a Savior.

I'm glad for 2013, and all it was, but I'm also glad it's coming to an end. I'm ready for a beautiful and exciting 2014! I know there will be obstacles to face this year too, but I feel better equipped than ever to face them. And when I don't feel equipped, when I feel alone and small, I will cry out for my Savior and he will change me and lift me up and carry me through.

Happy New Year, friends.

Two Years of Marriage

We were married two years ago today in an absolute wonderland of a winter's day. A perfect, dreamlike evening. Lights twinkled and candles flickered and we said our vows with happy smiles quivering in our voices. It was a day overflowing with magic and love and beauty. Exactly two years ago, we became a family.

it is an ever-fixed mark 

That looks on tempests and is never shaken

Thank you, S, for loving me with all the steadiness and grace and compassion in the world. With the kind of love that looks on tempests and doesn't falter for even one second. Marrying you has been the best decision of my life.

Magical Christmas

Christmas is such a magical day, a magical time of year. When I was a child, it was magical because of the snow, the early morning mystery of finding gifts under the tree and taking turns opening them, staying in pajamas and slippers all morning, A Christmas Carol, which we listened to on tape by candlelight every Christmas Eve, the joyful hymns we sang in church. Magical because of my family. I couldn't have asked for a more loving one.

As an adult, Christmas is just as magical but, naturally, for slightly different reasons. Each year as I've gotten older I find myself trying hard to be contemplative at Christmastime, to turn inward and to reflect on the grace of the season. This year, I've been thinking of Mary more than I ever have, wondering if she was scared or in awe or overjoyed or all of it as she looked down at her big belly and awaited her baby's birth, Emmanuel. I've found myself thinking not just of Jesus' birth but of his death, because you can't have one without the other. How can I live for Him, He who died for me? I've been thinking of that a lot over the last few weeks.

And other things too. It's magical to introduce some of my childhood traditions to my husband. We're also starting several new traditions of our own and already imagining how our kids will like them. We're writing sweet and silly messages to each other on top of gifts and gazing giddily at our tiny little tree.

It's going to be a beautiful Christmas.

I'm going to be taking a little time off from blogging over the next week or two to focus on my husband, my parents and brothers, and my in-laws. We're really lucky to be seeing almost everyone in our family this year! I may pop in here and there but I wanted to make sure to wish you all a magical Christmas, filled with love and joy and family and friends and grace and beauty.

Sending lots of love to you, sweet readers. Merry Christmas!

Homemade Molasses Cookies

If I could only pick one cookie recipe to make at Christmastime for the rest of my life, I would choose these Molasses Cookies. The recipe came from a good family friend of ours who was also one of my very first piano teachers. Often when I showed up for a lesson, the smell of baked goods would envelop me and she'd take me into the kitchen where a warm piece of chocolate cake was waiting, or sometimes a mug of cinnamon hot chocolate. Now that is the way to start a piano lesson. Not only did she teach me to love the piano but she also made me feel welcome in her home and happy to be there each week.

These Molasses Cookies are just perfect. They are crispy on the outside but so soft and chewy and melt-in-your-mouth as soon as you take a bite. I love how they really flatten out in the oven, too. There's something about a delicate, thin cookie that is so inviting. And the combination of molasses and spices is so festive and cozy for this time of year. I could eat these every day for breakfast with a cup of hot tea.

This recipe is in our cookbook, Finger Lakes Feast, if you happen to have a copy. But I wanted to share it here too in case you're itching to get out the flour and cookie sheets this weekend but need some inspiration. 

Patsy's Molasses Cookies

3/4 cup butter, softened

1 cup sugar

1 egg

1/4 cup molasses

2 cups flour

2 teaspoons baking soda

3/4 teaspoon ground cloves

1 teaspoon cinnamon

3/4 teaspoon ground ginger

Pinch of salt

Powdered sugar (for dusting)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Cream together the butter and sugar. Add the egg and molasses. In a separate bowl, combine the dry ingredients. Gradually add the dry ingredients into the wet and mix thoroughly. Bake on ungreased cookie sheets for about 7-10 minutes (really depends on your oven) or until just set. Let cool and roll in powdered sugar.

Perfect, Holiday Red Lipstick

I've been on the hunt for awhile for that perfect red lipstick--not too orange, not too bright, not too pink. A brick red that flatters my skin tone and feels good on (some lipsticks are so dry and flakey). A lipstick that wears nicely and doesn't do weird things, like settle into the creases of my lips, after it's been on for a few hours. I'm sure you can tell by these descriptions that I've experimented a good amount!

I already have an everyday red lipstick that I love and wear a lot--Dubonnet by Clinique. My mom got me into Clinique lipsticks and their formulas are just so perfect and creamy. This shade of red is rosy and lovely and is great for the daytime--it's what I'm wearing in my blog photo, actually. But since Dubonnet is fairly subtle, I wanted to find a red lipstick that was a little more bold and dark, a sultry holiday red that looked sophisticated and grown-up. An evening red.

And I do believe I've found it in Revlon's Colorburst Lip Butter in Red Velvet. It's so beautiful. The shade is not at all pink or orange, but a true, wine red. It's actually a lip butter instead of a lipstick which means that it's ultra moisturizing and while it isn't glossy, it does have a hint of a healthy shine to it. It feels like I'm wearing lip balm when it's on. And one of my favorite things about it is that after a few hours, it fades into a gorgeous matte stain. Some lipsticks just disappear altogether but this lipstick leaves your lips looking natural and lovely and stained a perfect red. 

I wish I could show you how it looks on but alas, a talented photographer I am not, and the lipstick did not look at all true to color in my photos. But the way it looks in the tube is pretty much how it looks on your lips. So if you're searching for a perfect, holiday red lipstick that feels good and is just beautiful all around, try this! I think you'll love it.

p.s. This isn't a sponsored post, just a girl tip I couldn't help but pass along!

DIY Simple Stockings

This year, for the first time ever, my husband and I are spending Christmas alone together at home (last year we were in Napa Valley on our belated honeymoon and the year before, we were days away from getting married!). We're leaving early the next morning to see our families, and we can't wait for that time with them, but it feels so exciting to be celebrating this special holiday together at home, just the two of us.

Our house is feeling cozy and festive with our little tree and the simple Christmas decorating we've done, but something was missing--we didn't have our stockings! Like a lot of our things, they are packed away in storage many miles away. Both of us have a special attachment to our childhood stockings so I didn't want to make entirely new ones for us, but it just wouldn't quite feel like Christmas without stockings. So I whipped up some makeshift ones using things I had around the house, and I think they'll be perfect for our first Christmas at home as a little family.

I started with (clean!) wool ski socks--the perfect size, and that red stripe across the top is oh-so-jolly. I found some green velvet ribbon in my crafts closet and strung it right through each sock and tied it in a bow. These pearls, which come with a sticky backing that worked well on the wool, were leftover from another project and I had just enough to make a "K" and an "S." 

And that was it! Completely simple but totally sweet--just my style.

Creamy, Tangy, Frothy Buttermilk

I've always been a big fan of sour dairy products--I will reach for plain yogurt over flavored any day, and my favorite part of eating Mexican food is the sour cream I pile unapologetically on top. So, needless to say, buttermilk and I are good friends.

I think buttermilk is such an overlooked dairy product. Sure, we use it all the time in baking to bring richness and moistness to pumpkin and zucchini breads and fluffiness to birthday cakes. But you can't exactly taste the buttermilk in these recipes. So I've been experimenting lately with giving buttermilk more of a place of honor in my recipes, and I'm loving the results.

I first realized that buttermilk is a worthy flavor in and of itself when I made this Buttermilk Pudding. This is a silky smooth pudding with just the right balance of sweetness and tartness. The vanilla is a lovely compliment to the buttermilk without overpowering it. I think this would be a beautiful addition to a Christmas Eve dinner, or a Christmas day brunch, if you're looking for an easy, unusual, and highly delicious recipe to try.

I also like using buttermilk in place of milk for simple, everyday foods. Whisking some buttermilk into my scrambled eggs makes them creamier, richer, with just a hint of that tang I love. I've also started making mac and cheese with buttermilk in place of milk. The sharpness of the cheese and the sourness of the buttermilk make excellent partners, and the end result is the most decadent mac and cheese you'll ever eat.

There was a time when I would buy a quart of buttermilk to make pancakes or muffins and then the rest would go bad in the fridge. But those days are very much over, and buttermilk is now one of my favorite ingredients to cook with. (And a confession: sometimes I'll even pour a tiny glass of it and drink it straight up! Does that make me an old person?)

What about you? How do you use buttermilk in your kitchen? Sparingly or with abandon?