Author: lindsay

an easter tradition

lindsay1 Comment

If you’ve known me for longer than a year, then you know that my maiden name is Reese. 

You also know that, true to my name, I think the peanut butter/ chocolate combination is proof that God not only exists, but that he loves us very deeply. 

And for that reason, it’s only appropriate that this delightfully delicious combination would be highlighted around Easter. 

Growing up, I looked forward to Easter for a variety of reasons. Being a kid with a major sweet tooth (not much has changed on that front), one of the major reasons I loved this holiday was the Peanut Butter Easter Eggs that my mom would inevitably make. 

Peanut Butter Eggs

Peanut butter, mixed with rice krispies, butter and an ungodly amount of powdered sugar, dipped in chocolate, then put in the refrigerator to harden. It’s that simple, and that delicious. Every time I opened the refrigerator, they were quietly calling my name. My young self-control couldn’t bear it, and I would ultimately give in. It didn’t matter if it was 7am and I was on my way out the door to first period. I just needed a bite of that sweet peanut butter and chocolate. If I’m honest, not much has changed on that front either. I may have eaten one for breakfast this morning. Don’t judge me. 

The tradition started with my great-grandmother, and was passed down to my grandmother, my mom and now to me and my sister. Since I moved away from home to go to college, I’ve made my great-grandmother’s Peanut Butter Easter Eggs every year.

This time around, I wanted to share the tradition with a few of my dear friends, Jane and Kelly. We had a blast hanging out, forming the peanut butter into egg-shaped balls, and messy-ing the kitchen with dipping chocolate. I got to share a part of my history with them through something as simple as a dessert recipe. I got to invite them in to my family, share with them something I love, and was reminded that life is sweeter when we live it together, when we are truly known even in the smallest details.  

As an Easter treat for all of you lovely people, I’ve included the super simple recipe below. Maybe you can invite some friends over, share the time together, and enjoy a nice little treat. 

Happy Easter, friends. 

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My Grandmother’s Peanut Butter Easter Eggs 

Ingredients: 

– 1 stick of butter 

– 2-3 C. Peanut Butter (I typically use smooth, but these are your eggs. You do whatever your heart desires.)

– 3 C. Rice Krispies (Completely optional, but adds a nice little crunch.)

– 1 box (16 oz) confectioners sugar (I told you it was an insane amount of sugar. Just don’t think about it. It’s fine.)

– Melting chocolate 

Instructions: 

Soften the butter for about 20 seconds in a microwave safe bowl. You don’t want it completely melted, just soft enough to mix in. Add the peanut butter, sugar and rice krispies in the same bowl and mix together until throughly combined. Form the peanut butter mixture into egg-shaped balls, and place on parchment paper. I typically line a few cookie sheets with parchment paper for easy transferring to the refrigerator after dipping. Melt the chocolate either on the stove or in the microwave. The type of chocolate you use is completely up to you. My favorite is dark chocolate- the bitterness cuts the sweetness of the peanut butter perfectly. Once chocolate is melted, use a spoon or tongs to dip each egg into the chocolate. Once full coated, place dipped eggs back on the parchment paper. Refrigerate until the chocolate is hardened, or for as long as you can stand it without trying one. Store in the refrigerator, and there you go! I dare you to not eat one every time you open the refrigerator from now on. 

 

 

my life for the last month

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When I think on all that has happened in the last month, it feels a little impossible. I’m pretty convinced that somewhere in there God slowed down time to enable everything to get done. 

If you’ve been wondering where I’ve been the last few weeks, I’ve been working on this. The company I work for branded this event, so needless to say we’ve all been working late nights for the last month. The event happened this past week, and all the hard work was worth it when I realized that David Robinson was sitting right next to me at dinner on the last night. Yes, THE David Robinson. Taylor told me he wouldn’t believe it without a photo, so here you go. Please note that he is bending down a little in this picture, and I am definitely standing on my tip toes so we could both fit in the frame. 

photo

And somehow, in between the working until midnight and feeling like I didn’t do anything else except sleep, eat, work, repeat for an entire month, some other pretty great things happened. While they seemed stressful at the time, looking back I’m so thankful that they happened when they did because Lord knows I needed some happiness mixed in with my stress. 

Here’s a little recap of last month’s little moments of greatness: 

In January, my dear friend Katie asked Taylor and I if we would run the Warrior Dash with her in March. If you haven’t heard of this race, it’s similar to a Tough Mudder where you run, go through obstacles and ultimately, get really really muddy. Never ones to turn down an adventure, we obviously agreed. Plus, we got free beer at the end of it. I mean, what more could you want? 

It was a blast- climbing walls, running through mud, sliding down mud slides, crawling under barbed wire, trail running. Most of all, it was fun to do something new with two of my favorite people on this planet. 

IMG_5828Screen shot 2014-04-13 at 10.23.08 AM

The next weekend, one of my roommates from college, Rachel, got married in Dallas. My senior year I lived in a house with 10 girls, on a street in Austin named Enfield. Thus, we now refer to ourselves as Tenfield. Since graduating, we’ve kept in touch and made it a point to have reunions every so often. As you may guess, a wedding is a perfect opportunity for a reunion. Rachel looked gorgeous, and it was a blast getting to catch up with these great friends, and take way too many pictures in the photo booth. 

Yes, we still love Texas.
Yes, we still love Texas.

 

The next day, my sister-in-law Lindsay, got engaged! I mean, talk about a wedding weekend. My in-laws held an engagement party at their house on Saturday night, and it was just wonderful. Lindsay was so surprised, and so happy. It was incredibly special to be there, and get to celebrate Perry joining the family! 

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And then last weekend, I hosted a bridal shower for my sister, Corrie, who is getting married in June. As tired as I was, I loved it. It was great getting to know her good friends better, and to host people in our home- something I’m hoping to do more now that work isn’t as crazy. We drank mimosas, ate four different kinds of cheese, fruit, and of course, chips and salsa. My mother-in-law, Betsy, baked the most delicious, gooey chocolate cupcakes and they were a complete hit. It’s such an honor to get to walk with my sister through this season, and I’m glad I could stop for a little bit last weekend to celebrate her. 

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So, there you have it. My life lately has consisted of work work work, weddings, and getting really muddy. As relieved as I am that a slightly slower season is coming, I’m thankful for the last few months as well. I’ve learned a lot about myself and how I react in these seasons- something maybe I’ll share here after I’ve had a little more time to process- and learned that I wouldn’t have made it without my family and friends supporting and cheering me on the whole way. They are truly a gift, and the time I got to spend with them in the past month is how the Lord encouraged me and kept me going. 

Here’s to seasons. The first four months of this year have been a little crazy. Yet, it’s in the crazy that I’ve learned to look harder for the little daily gifts, the little moments of joy and celebration and peace. I’ve learned to listen and sit more in those moments as they implore me and strengthen me to persevere. 

i don’t have anything to write about

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“I don’t have anything to write about.”

I hear that thought in my head every day. Multiple times a day, even. Sometimes, it rings so deafening in my ears that I have to walk away. I need something else, a distraction, anything, to make it stop. I get up from my computer, or close my journal and busy myself with something else.

All the while, the lie I just gave into is killing the artist, the creativity that longs to come out of me. I’m stifling it with fear, with excuses, with doing the dishes or the laundry or going to the grocery store. I’m stifling it by doing anything but showing up at the page.

I’ve been going through The Artist’s Way, which is a self-guided workshop that helps people who are “blocked” creatively to process and heal so that they might create in the way they were created to. The last few weeks, the question of “What is keeping you blocked? Is it worth it to stay blocked?” has been posed multiple times.

Those are hard questions. Hard because they bring all of the ugly parts of your heart right to the surface, and before you know it you’re staring the darkest parts of yourself in the face wondering, “What do I do with this?”

I can list off a number of things I think contribute to keeping me blocked. But, the top of that list by far is the lie above: “I don’t have anything to write about.”

Because what that really means is: I don’t think my life is interesting/cool/dramatic/funny/meaningful/purposeful/(insert adjective here) enough to be worth writing about publically.

And what that really means is: No one will care about what I have to write about.

You can see where this is going.

Because what that means is: I’m writing to earn people’s approval. I’m writing to impress people. I’m writing to try and be noticed. To have something to offer people, so maybe I’ll get something from them in return.

Yikes.

That is not the best side of my heart, I’ll tell you that.

And I desperately need it to change. I desperately need Jesus to tear down that idol, and give me a new heart that desires to create and write as obedience to him. As an offering of worship to him, in response to his goodness and gift of writing that he’s given me. That desires to show up out of obedience, and leave the results to Him. A new heart that sees Him and other people as beautiful, and not as useful.

Because the belief that I don’t have anything to write about is a straight lie. This morning, I jotted down a list of over 20 things that I could write about right now. But, I too often look down that list and mentally cross off topics that I don’t think other people would find interesting. Before I know it, the list is down to zero and I’m paralyzed by the belief that I am not good enough.

My artist, who is longing to write, to tell stories, to articulate the beauty in this world no matter how small, is left curled in the fetal position, bruised once again by my abandonment.

There is an artist in all of us. We were created by the Creator, in his image. To create is in our very DNA, so how could anything other than that be true? And every time I let fear or insecurity drive me away from the page, drive me away from creating; every time I choose to hide in my busyness instead of being obedient to how God has wired me, I’m killing a little bit of that artist. I’m killing a little bit of my own soul.

Just because I’ve recognized this lie, doesn’t mean it’s going down easy. Satan would love to keep me paralyzed with fear, and not taking steps toward the life God created me for. It’s going to be a process of healing my artist, of building trust that I’m not going to abandon and run away out of fear. It’s going to take a time of healing that won’t happen overnight. And I’m ok with that because I’m not doing this alone.

Jesus is walking with me, and I’m going to do my part by showing up at the page.