When I Grow Up…

In the culture that we live in, throughout our lives, we’re always asked “what do you want to be when you grow up?” But when we get older the question gets really serious. One starts feeling very pressured to decide on ‘something to be’ by graduation time. This normally means picking some type of career.

I’ve been thinking about my passions and wants and hopes and heart desires recently in terms of what I want to be doing in the future. What do I really want to do, what do I want to accomplish. What do I see myself doing in ten years and what I’ll have behind my name. What has God laid in my heart?

For a while I thought writing was my calling and it is something I’m going to fiercely pursue. But when I look down the road, having books published isn’t really what I want to see. While I know that I have a gift for writing, it’s not my strongest passion.

The question comes down to, what have I always wanted to do?

It ain’t being a published author.  Selling a popular book would be awesome, don’t get me wrong; big dreams would maybe see it inspire a motion picture even.

But accomplishing that goal is not my life’s yearnings.

I realized my heart’s desire has always been marriage and motherhood. What I want more than anything in my future is to be with my best friend for life and have children of my own. You know; my own house to clean, my own kitchen to cook in, my own little gaggle of children racing around the backyard with lightsabers and Captain America shields screaming “Hiemdall, open the bifrost!” complete with a tree fort for Robin Hood and a playhouse for Sheild’s base to fight Loki and the Chatarri.

Love, laughter and life with my very own. That’s what I want more than anything else. I want a clean slate, I want to take everything I’ve learned over my eighteen years and start fresh. I don’t know if that’s actually possible but that’s what I want.

I don’t know if this is in my future or not, but I really pray that it is. This is my heart’s desire.

Oh, I’ll be taking a week break from computer/internet very shortly here; so… if I disappear, that will be why.

~Jamie

Chocolate

I love chocolate. When I was younger, I liked milk chocolate. But Mom is parcial to dark chocolate, and that’s the only type of chocolate she’ll buy, so I learned to love bitter chocolate a long time ago. Yum, yum, yum!

I used to think I’d get my first bouquet of roses and large box of chocolates from Prince Courage. Grandpa beat him with the chocolates this time. I’d never received so many chocolates that were all for myself before. It was about twice the size of the picture above. They were good. Oh, and I did share! With Mom and Nathan. Kayla got her own as well. (We did trade the chocolate that we didn’t want with each other.)

One thing I really love is homemade chocolate frosting; when you cut the chocolate, melt it, and then stir it into the butter cream frosting….it’s so good. However, I’ve yet to learn how to make frosting roses. Hopefully soon.

I love chocolate!

~Jamie Joyce

Strawberry Jello Pie

This is a very easy recipe that I made (it’s a Paula Deen recipe!) It was good and cold! Jello and strawberries, with real whipped cream!

And then we put the left over jello in cups and they came out cute as well.

~Jamie Joyce

Daisy Cake

Here is the cake I made for Easter. Mom wanted it yellow and white like a daisy. I think it turned out great. It was actually pretty large too. It took two cake mixes! I really like decorating cakes. It’s lots of fun!

~Jamie Joyce

Easter Molds

It’s hard to believe it’s nearly Easter! I have lots of good Easter memories; most of them with Ben and Bethany’s family; Egg hunts, Easter lessons, and just being with family. Easter baskets was another thing we enjoyed. We got lots of our family reading books in our easter baskets; Millie Keith, Violet Travilla. I don’t think we got the Elsie books in our baskets….I know we got four of them for Christmas one year, but not in our baskets. Anyway, Easter is lots of fun. We don’t do baskets, eggs, or get-togethers anymore, but it’s still fun remembering.

Oh, and above are candy molds that I made (all by myself, too! Twas very easy!). Mom  bought molding chocolate and I pulled out some Easter molds…and some that were not Easter molds. The favorites have been the cowboy hats and boots. Figures. I prefer the cute teddy bears myself. They’re not really Easter-y though. Nathan really likes them. After lunch, he now asks, “Can I have a mold?” It really doesn’t sound appetizing when he says it though because then we all picture green fuzz growing on rotten cheese—-yeah, you get the picture. Sorry. ANYWAY, that’s my attempt at doing something for Easter….

~Jamie Joyce