Cran-ocolate, I Mean, Choc-anberry...Something...Oatmeal Cookies

Smaku's Super Cookie
Originally uploaded by Smaku.

Tonight, I invented a recipe. Well, not really, but the results were worth sharing. The cranberries add a nice aftertaste, methinks. Sorry if you find my measurements confusing... 0.5 is so much easier to understand than 1/2. Also, for some reason the original recipe said to use 4 tblsp of milk, but 0.25 cup is so much easier to measure. And thanks to these friends for inspiring me to blog recipes.

Mix together in this order:
0.5 cup butter
0.5 cup oil
1.5 cups raw sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp (or more :D) vanilla
0.25 cup milk
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
3 cups rolled oats
1.5 cups chocolate chips
1.5 cups dried cranberries

Bake at 325 degrees Fahrenheit for 12 minutes. My cookies didn't look all that dark, but they are supposed to be "light brown" when they get out of the oven.

Zambia Mission

My church recently set up a web page that goes into the Zambia Missions trip in more detail, and has some video footage to boot. Go check it out! Also, I hear my Paypal link isn't working...I'm sorry! It works for me. It should go straight to the log-in page for Paypal, so if you don't have a Paypal account, there are other ways to give. Thanks for your interest in this trip! It is encouraging me to wait and work patiently :-)

Sparrow Alone: Some Days Are Poetry

My friend had a great post today that includes some amazing poetry. I thought y'all may enjoy it...
Sparrow Alone: Some Days Are Poetry

Zambia

I am writing to share some exciting news: I am going to Africa this summer! However, this trip will not be a vacation. My church, Providence Church, is partnering with Covenant Mercies to send a team of individuals to Ndola, Zambia on July 5-17. We will be building a school, distributing clothing, shoes, school supplies, and teaching community outreach classes.

This work is possible because Covenant Mercies has established relationships with a local pastor and his wife. They founded the Lighthouse Christian School, which serves underprivileged children in the area. We will be building a much-needed school building on property which is within walking distance of two large shanty villages where many of their students live. Covenant Mercies currently sponsors 141 children in Ndola. Sponsorship assists these children and their families with school tuition, clothing, food, shelter, and other essentials. The school that we will build is part of a long-term missions care for these children.

Why am I going on this trip? To share the mercy of God in tangible ways to the children and families of Ndola. God commands us to love and care for strangers, widows, and orphans. Though I am not able to extend long-term care for the people of Ndola, I am able to assist those who have been caring for them, and enable them to continue their service. Ephesians 2:10 says that we are created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God has prepared already, so we should walk in them. God has been preparing this trip for me, and I am joyfully walking it through to completion so I may glorify him.

Would you pray for this team and me? Also, would you consider supporting me financially as I raise $3,000 for this trip? Any donation would be greatly appreciated. If you would like to make a contribution, you can either contact my church and let them know that you'd like to support me (it's tax-deductible!) or donate using PayPal (see button below).

I would love to keep you updated on the progress of this trip through e-mail, so feel free to contact me with your e-mail address, and I’ll include you in the updates. Thank you for your time and prayers!

Picture source

Silent Arithmetic

Not gonna lie: This was amazing.

MUTEMATH - Spotlight


Favorite moments:
Greg loses a button.
Roy's alligator claps.
Moshing with drums!
Rhodes solo!

These dudes are genii.

Language Is A Slippery Thing

This post is a response to the comment made by Samurai in the post below. It's probably more of an answer than he was asking for, but I didn't have a simple answer to give. Hope it helps, Samurai!

The author of the article I reference below wrote a book about using English called The Cambridge Grammar of the English Language. I haven't read it, but based on that article I think it may be worth reading. During my formative years, I read On Writing Well by William Zinsser, which falls into some of the same traps that Strunk & White set. It was an interesting book, but like most sources, should be taken with a grain of salt. Language is constantly changing and shifting into the tool that is most useful. Trying to limit this tool is foolish. Teaching others how to use this tool, however, is necessary.

Frankly, the best sources of information on writing that I've found are my favorite authors. Study their writing, and you'll learn way more than any textbook could tell you. Their writing got your attention, didn't it? It makes sense to learn from them. Granted, having technical knowledge of grammar and literary devices will help you understand their writing. I had issues with articles of speech and syntax until I learned other languages because this technical knowledge was vital to the learning process. But don't let technique kill creativity.

I like to ask questions of authors while reading their literature. What do I like about this book? This sentence? This word picture? How does it work so well? What does the author say in his writing? Not say? Can I use these methods in my writing? What audience does this style of writing reach? Could I adapt it to reach my own audience? I could go ad nauseam, but I'm going to take a page from Zinsser and keep the fluff out :-)

White's Style Was Never Liked By Me, Anyway

This article was found to be refreshing by me. :-) Though there were some extreme statements, I appreciated Geoffrey K. Pullum's bravery in exposing Strunk & White's so-called masterpiece as the foolishness that it is. Now if someone would only expose most of the recent academic opinion that's being published as research as foolishness...