The 'Fun-ness' of Spring

I've given myself exaclty seven minutes and twenty-three seconds to update this blog. So I'd better type fast! Life has gotten sooo crazy this past week! But I'm glad. It's a good crazy. Catching up with friends, getting homework done so that I only have seven more weeks of school left (can you say WOOHOO?!?!) and... starting a job! :) I'm strictly working only one day a week so that I can stay on top of the responsibilities I already have until summer comes. The first day wasn't so great, but it was because I started on a Saturday without training so I was forewarned that it wasn't going to be a good experience. Once I know what I'm doing I think I'll love working. 


Can you believe it's spring already? I'm excited about that. Tulips are blooming in the neighborhood, and I love going for walks without being really cold. I forgot what it's like to hear birds chirping outside my window when I wake up in the morning, and dandelions (although they're considered a pesky weed by most people) make me happy. Especially when they're seeds and you can kick at them and watch the seeds float into the air. 


Aaah! Only forty-five seconds left. 
I guess that about wraps it up for me! 
Oh, one more thing... I'm not so sure how to write a blog, so if anyone has any suggestions or help on how to be a better blog-writer, I'm all ears!! :)

Have a good Monday!
Lena

(we heart it)

Surviving the Semester Slump :)

   Is it bad to be ready for school to be out when you're only halfway through the semester? I'd like your thoughts on this. Are you ever sick of college long before you can see the light at the end of the tunnel? Or do you love every second of it? I thought I would really, really enjoy being a college student. Unfortunately, I'm not as thrilled with it as I hoped. Don't get me wrong-- it's interesting, I'm learning a lot and I'm getting good grades, but maybe because I'm a newbie (second semester Freshman) then it's just a tad more stressful for me than for others. 
I'm sure that once I declare a major besides "Undecided" then things will heat up. I'll be studying more interesting subjects and not just required ones, I'll be with more similarly minded people, and hopefully I'll be smart enough not to schedule an 8 AM class!!!! That wasn't the brightest thing I've ever done. Ah, well.

 So, any readers out there who are seasoned students, any advice for surviving EIGHT more weeks of school?? Looooove to hear any thoughts!! :)

BTW, I hope I'm not droll or boring to anyone... it's been a very interesting week and really slow yet weirdly busy all at once... and I can't really talk about it. And it is a bit weird feeling as if my blogs are being sent into the vast world of blogerspace and not being read by anyone. Trust me, I'm more interesting than dry toast and will be talking about more than just school and baking in the very near future. 'k? 'k. =)

~Lena

Proud to be Green-- and Red!

Day five of spring break. And I've yet to get any  real accomplishment under my belt. Except I now have a wonderful monologue memorized (not from a play... oops) and a couple of articles for two papers I have to write in my health class. Never mind that I've only completed 10% of the 90% of work I HAD planned on doing, but we're just gonna focus on the positives here.

Like the fact that I have done quite a bit of baking: a batch of my WORLD famous (maybe exaggerating that a bit) Chocolate Chip Cookies, a batch of pumpkin muffins, and of course, banana bread. My mom was also in the baking mood and made a cake (boxed) with a homemade fudge frosting that totally made up for the Duncan Hines boo-boo.  You know, I really should work in a bakery with all the baking I do. I'm planning on getting a job (being a college student and all it's a tad overdue) so maybe I'll consider it...

Is anyone else out there experiencing a more productive break than I am? I'd loooove to hear about it! Maybe it would give me that extra "umph" to get up and DO some stuff!!

Oh, and before I go, I must say Happy St. Patrick's Day!!! My family and I all have Irish blood flowing through our veins and aren't ashamed to admit it. I even have the red(ish) hair and curls to prove it. Even though I haven't put on green today I'm proud to say that I haven't been pinched yet! Hopefully I can keep it that way.

Well, I guess I'd better get productive for a while.
.: Lena :.

Spring Break and Shattered Assumptions

Hello blog world!

If I was ever under the impression that a college student relaxes during Spring Break, then this week would prove my notion horribly, horribly wrong. Granted, life for my family has been amped past "Normal Chaotic" and has recently reached "Neck-Break Speed Chaotic" but that's sadly pretty un-surprising. But this being my first 'official' spring break (for reasons which I will not be sharing with le reader), I was (maybe unrealistically) expecting to have at least a little bit of a relaxing week. Not one that is chock-full of:
-Stress
-Homework (shouldn't that be illegal??)
-Huge, life-altering decisions
-Cleaning
-A to-do list longer than I am tall.

Now I'm not a big partier, and I wouldn't go to Acapulco over Spring Break if the trip was handed to me on a silver platter. But I thought this week off may include... oh, I dunno, FUN?!?

I think I'm going to go bake some cookies.

I hope your Spring Break is less eventful and more 'relaxful' than mine!!

Love,
       Lena

One Of the Things I Love Most

  Yesterday I had to bake. Usually when I bake I make cookies, but this time I didn't care what it was, as long as it included flour, sugar, and an oven. While browsing through possible goodies, I noticed I had two rather large bananas that were on the verge of being inedible, their peels were so dark. My family is very picky about bananas and their ripeness factor. My sister likes them green-- almost to the point that there's a distinct crunch sound when one bites into it (ew.) My mom doesn't have a great passion for bananas in general, but she likes them just a tad more ripe than my sister. I, on the other hand, will eat them at almost any stage of ripeness, as long as the peel is more yellow than brown. The bananas from yesterday were past the hope for any of us to eat, so I decided rather than waste them entirely (especially in light of my family's recent new-and-improved grocery budget) I would bake banana bread. Usually I make muffins; they tend to stay moist longer and are easier for a grab-and-go snack food, but I found myself mixing the batter and pouring it into a bread pan rather than a 12 cup muffin tin. I also wanted to use the small toaster oven, because I felt too lazy to turn on the large oven and heat up the entire kitchen... but that's just a happy coincidence.

  Have you ever noticed that getting in the kitchen and baking is like stress therapy? Maybe it's just me. But when I'm looking at the recipe, life seems to simplify itself. Suddenly I know what I'm supposed to do: measure out two cups of flour. Add one cup of sugar. Beat two eggs in a bowl and combine with one teaspoon of vanilla and one cup of buttermilk. The guesswork is gone, and I can focus on one task: baking. Best of all, I know when I'm done. I don't have to worry that I didn't do my task well or that it's going to require my attention again. It's measured or poured into its baking device and, voilà! You pop it in the oven and can count on having a wonderful baked goody in less than an hour.
It's so predictable. And comforting. Sometimes one needs a bit of that in life.
So next time you're stressed, try it! Bake a batch of brownies. Or a three-layered cake. Even a batch of cookies. It doesn't have to be from scratch, but it needs to be something that you love. Find the joy of baking.  I guarantee you won't regret it.

Happy Monday!
Lena

Introduction!

If you're reading this, chances are you have at least a slight interest in cookies/baking/sweets... and if that's true, then we're going to get along just fine.  you might be wondering, what's with the blog title? I'm so glad you asked! :)

1. I have a passion for baking. Particularly baking cookies, and everyone who has known and loved me for long enough is in love with my Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe. ( I also have a passion for sign language, ACTING, reading, singing, laughing, and many, many other things. But that's a story for another day...)

2. I've learned that through the highs and lows of life, if all other 'happy fixes' fail, the comfort of baking cookies has never let me down.

3. Baking cookies puts unmistakable and irreplaceable happy in my heart. It brings me joy, no matter how stressful, grumpy, or sad I get. Thus, the blog title: The Joy of Cookies.

I guess I should also tell a little about why I started this blog, seeing as this is  the beginning to a (hopefully) long and satisfying blog life. I started this blog because:
1. I looooove to write!
2. Having a platform to speak my mind on issues is important to me (probably because I usually am not brave enough to speak up in groups)
3. I want to let people see the writer in me
4. Connecting with others in cyber land is a undeniable aspect of my generation, and... well, if I can't beat 'em, I guess I'll join 'em.


So. There you have it. A very condensed introduction about the Head Blogger of The Joy of Cookies.


Yours truly,
Lena ><>