Blog
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Chocolate Carmelita Bars Recipe (Vegan!)
I’m going to share one of my favorite recipes with you today! It’s the recipe my friends request from me most often.
Everyone gets really excited when they hear carmelita bars are being made. We’re all kind of obsessed.
You think I’m kidding? I’ve had friends joke that they want carmelitas to be the dessert at their wedding. (I’m actually pretty sure they weren’t joking.)
I once froze a batch of carmelita bars, packed them next to an ice pack in my luggage, and took them to California with me. They were still cold and amazingly delicious after two plane rides and then getting left in a trunk while I ate dinner at a restaurant before visiting the Hollywood walk of fame. (Yes, I forgot about them in my excitement.) My friends’ faces were priceless when I announced I’d brought dessert.
Carmelitas: don’t leave home without them!
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Caramel Sauce Recipe (Vegan!)
I loooove caramel.
I was so sad when I found out I was allergic to dairy in college. Caramel is one of my favorite foods, and it’s usually made with milk. My mom altered this recipe so it is safe for me. And now it’s safe for you! (Thanks Mom!)
We normally use this recipe to make chocolate carmelita bars, which is an all-time favorite around my house.
You can also use this caramel as an ice cream topping or as the filling for German Chocolate Cake (just add chopped pecans and coconut). It also makes a great dip for slices of apple.
I’ll link to the ingredients/brands I use because I know that can be helpful when trying a new recipe. (Note, because of how Amazon sells these products, they may be in packs of 2 or 12, etc.)
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My Favorite Nonfiction Books From 2018
The nonfiction books I read this year are a bit of a strange mashup—historical figures, devotionals, and…design inspiration. Despite the odd mix, I think you’ll really enjoy these books.
Any time I recommend a nonfiction book, you know I liked it a lot, because I actually finished it instead of turning to my first love: fiction!
I hope you find some great inspiration and learn something new from these books.
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My Favorite Fiction Books From 2018
I have some fun reading suggestions for you! I’ve been going through my reading journal from 2018 and picking out which fiction books I most enjoyed.
Not surprisingly, there are quite a few fairy tale retellings on here, and some YA titles I adored. I also stretched myself to read a genre I normally don’t. (Mystery!)
When I tallied my 2018 books, I felt a little bummed out that I read fewer books than last year, until I reminded myself that quality is better than quantity. I’ve gotten better at putting books aside if I’m not enjoying them, something that has been hard for me in the past. (Can anyone relate?)
I also realized that brain fog has frequently made me indecisive when I’m trying to decide what to read. Recognizing this has helped me—I thought for awhile that maybe I was losing my love of reading (gasp!) but now I know it’s just a side effect of chronic illness. I’m hoping my reading goals for this year will help me spend less time deciding what to read, and more time enjoying reading. I hope my suggestions help you too as you decide what books to dive into!
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My Reading Goals For 2019
This is my first year creating reading goals for myself, and I’m quite excited!
I keep a running list of books I want to read, but have never written goals outlining which ones to read next. I’ve merely had a general sense in my head that “I should read more of…(fill in the blank).”
Plus, my to-read list is a little intimidating at 56 pages long. Fifty-six pages. Okay, it’s a little less alarming when you know that some of the titles in the Word doc are in pretty large fonts due to copying and pasting from the Internet, and there are some book summaries included, again as a result of copying and pasting. But I want a list that’s a little more manageable for the new year. (In case you’re curious, I naturally gravitate toward fantasy, historical fiction, Christian fiction, and YA books.)
So here are my five reading goals for 2019.
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Merry Christmas!
I hope your Christmas Eve has been wonderful so far. I’m getting ready to go to Christmas Eve service a later today. I love the Christmas carols included in worship this time of year. Particularly powerful are these words from “God Rest You Merry, Gentleman”:
“God rest ye merry, gentlemen
Let nothing you dismay
Remember, Christ, our Saviour
Was born on Christmas day
To save us all from Satan’s power
When we were gone astray
O tidings of comfort and joy,
Comfort and joy
O tidings of comfort and joy”May your Christmas be filled with comfort and joy as we celebrate the birth of our Savior!
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To the Christian Who Feels Sad at Christmastime—Here’s What’s Helping Me
We’re getting real on the blog today.
I want talk about struggling with feelings of sadness around Christmas, something that can impact anyone, not only those of us with chronic illness.
In a way, this feels a bit like a taboo subject. I kind of worry about admitting to this struggle out of fear that people will think I’m not grateful for all Christmas represents (it is Jesus’ birthday after all!) or that my sadness means I somehow dislike Christmas (which certainly is not the case!)
I’ve struggled over the past several holiday seasons, and a lot of it has had to do with getting used to my limitations due to chronic illness. Christmas is one of my favorite holidays, so in addition to struggling with not feeling happy, I’m also struggling with not feeling quite like myself. My love for Christmas is a part of who I am, so this sadness is yet another way my chronic illnesses impact my identity.
And I think as Christians we can sometimes feel pressure to feel or act happy 24/7, so feeling sad this time of year adds another layer of complexity—I feel guilty about it!
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Low-Cost Low-Stress Gift Giving When You’re Chronically Ill
As Christmas approaches, I wanted to share some ideas for inexpensive and low-stress gift giving. Being chronically ill often means you’re watching your budget and conserving energy, so spending a lot of time and money hunting for gifts is not a great idea. The point is to let those you love know you are thinking of them and care about them, and a simple, well-chosen gift can do that perfectly! So I’ve rounded up ideas that are low cost, or easily made without using up all your energy.
The best way I’ve found to give meaningful gifts is to make sure I’m gifting something in someone’s love language. If you’ve never read The Five Love Languages, I highly recommend it! (I read the original, but there is a singles edition, and other versions available too.) The book breaks down the way people best receive love into five categories: Words of Affirmation, Acts of Service, Receiving Gifts, Quality Time, and Physical Touch.
My default way to show love is through gift-giving, so in years past I’ve created a lot of stress for myself by thinking I have to find the *perfect* gift.
