Encouraging Hymn

(This hymn has been very encouraging to me, as of late.)

How firm a foundation, you saints of the Lord,
is laid for your faith in his excellent Word!
What more can he say than to you he has said,
to you who for refuge to Jesus have fled?

“Fear not, I am with you, O be not dismayed;
for I am your God, and will still give you aid;
I’ll strengthen you, help you, and cause you to stand,
upheld by my righteous, omnipotent hand.

When through the deep waters I call you to go,
the rivers of sorrow shall not overflow;
For I will be with you, your troubles to bless,
and sanctify to you your deepest distress.

When through fiery trials your pathway shall lie,
my grace, all-sufficient shall be your supply;
The flame shall not hurt you; I only design
your dross to consume and your gold to refine.

The soul that on Jesus has leaned for repose,
I will not, I will not desert to his foes;
That soul, though all hell should endeavor to shake,
I’ll never, no never, no never forsake.”

Sevy

(Me and Sevy, relaxing on the couch.)

About two months ago, my brother and sister brought

Sevy, a little kitten, home. She is a welcome addition

to our house and my constant companion. This little

cat, who weighs less than a pound, follows me around

the house and wherever I go.

Every time I sit on the couch to read, watch TV, or

use my laptop, she's right there next to me. Often,

she's snoozing. I'm flying back to California for a long

weekend and I'm going to miss her a little bit.

Oh well, I'm excited anyways!

Resolved 2010

Well, I'm off tomorrow to the Resolved Conference.

This is my annual "kick off the summer" conference

that I go to, to refresh my mind and heart for the

year/summer ahead. It's a good way to get away from

the chaos of life and to refocus my energy and perspective

on what really matters - Christ and eternity.

It's held in Palm Springs every year and this

weekend, it's supposed to get up to 115 degrees!

...I have a feeling that I'll be spending the majority of

my time indoors...

Check out the website, even better - COME!

Genius

As many of you are aware, I'm a pretty pale lady. I've always used the lightest or second-lightest shade in the makeup department. And I've always avoided sun exposure, fake or natural. I'm really concerned about the health of my skin and think that tanning in a bed is just unnatural and super unhealthy. It's a bit humorous, given the fact that all of my friends in high school were major fake bakers. I'm talking every day tanning. They looked like browned Oompa Loompas! That was enough to scare me into avoiding tanning beds for life! I'm also not a fan of laying out. It's just such an uncomfortable process and it takes sooo long!

But this summer, I'm sick of looking so... ghostlike! I'd like a healthy looking tan without the physical and financial costs of fake baking. And as a result, I've been racking my brain, trying to come up with some sort of alternative that doesn't

A. harm my skin in any way

B. cost a fortune

C. give me natural-looking results.

So... I've turned to self-tanning lotions. I've tried and experimented with a few brands and products. I have to say, I have some clear winners, as well as a few tips and tricks for the individual who wants a tan without any hassle!

If you're in the market for tanner skin but don't want any streaks or blotches, make sure that you exfoliate in the shower before you apply the product. Use a loofah or a body scrub. Even a wet washcloth will do the trick. The smoother your skin is, the more even your application will be. After you're done with your shower, make sure that your skin is totally dry before applying the lotion. When applying the self-tanner, make sure that you have an even coat on every part of your body - arms, legs, abdomen, etc. Avoid putting a lot on your elbows and knees, as this part of your body absorbs product quickly and turns darker than the rest of the skin. Don't forget to get the tops of your feet and the backs of your hands. (This was my first mistake!)

Once you're finished with the self tanner product, make sure to throughly wash your palms and between your fingers. After a few days, enjoy your new tan - sun free!

Here are some products that I really enjoyed! Basically, anything from the L'Oreal Sublime Bronze line is exceptionally effective. I got results the next day!

If you're looking for subtle color that builds slowly but surely, Jergens Natural Glow is a clear winner. This is good for the newbie or for the cautious self-tanner. They even have a product that's designed for the face! Go figure!

Thirty Day Shred

Well, I have to do something with all of my newfound time and

mental energy. One of my goals this summer is to get more

fit and to make regular exercise a priority. I've heard a lot of

buzz about Jillian Michaels' video, 30 Day Shred. There's even

a blog dedicated to people who have gotten some serious fitness

results from this DVD. They're affectionately called "The Shredheads".

I bought the DVD a couple of months back, not really thinking

anything about it. I tried it once or twice and it was hard. I mean,

Jillian really works you out in the span of about 20 minutes. Well,

last night I decided that I wanted to do the workout video every day

for 30 days. I really want a challenge and this seems like just the thing.

All you really need is two 3 lb weights and a yoga mat if you're

working out on a hard surface. This is not for the faint of heart,

so make sure to wear the "proper" sporting equipment (ladies!)

and workout sneakers. Unfortunately, I don't have 3 lb weights, so

I'll be making a stop to Target today.

So, wish me luck on my fitness quest! And who knows,

maybe I'll share some of my results here!

Macaron Makin'

I am, for the second time, attempting to

make macarons. My first attempt... didn't

go over so well. My major problem was

the lack of experience in the area of

almond meal. I didn't have it, I didn't

really know how to make it. I tried and

ended up with an epic fail. So, I've learned

how to make almond meal the right way.

To be honest, it's pretty easy. My fault wasn't

sifting it in the right way. My parents didn't have

a legitimate flour sifter, so that was an essential tool

that contributed to my failure. However, I'm much

more prepared this time around.

Almond meal/flour is pretty simple. However, you

have to work in smaller increments. Around 1/2 cup

of whole almonds at a time should suffice. You can

either blanch them or use them with their skins on.

If you decide to blanch them, let them boil for a few minutes

in a pot on the stove, then immediately rise them in a

strainer with cold water until they've cooled down.

This "shocks" them. Then, you should be able to slip the

almonds out of their brown skin. I'm told that this is

the fun part. Then, put them on a baking sheet and

bake them at 300 degrees for a few minutes, just

make sure that you don't brown them. 2-4 minutes

should suffice. Then, leave them in the oven overnight,

just to make sure that they're totally dried out. Just make

sure the oven is turned off. We don't want any fires!

To actually make the almond meal, use either a food

processor or a coffee grinder. Use short pulses of a

second or two until it's all crushed up. Don't over grind

them, as it may easily turn to almond butter. When

it is finely ground, put it through a flour sifter. You know,

the kind with a handle and everything. This step is

key, as it filters out any large particles. Repeat this

step until you've ground up and filtered all of the almonds

that you want.

So... THIS is a crucial step in macaron making.

I'll be updating my progress on this blog, as well

as my foray into making pâté. (Yes. I'm culinarily ambitious.)

But, I must conquer macarons first. I have a score to settle!

Rachie's Graduation

Re-Design

...I did it again.

I completely redid my blog layout.

Again.

I just haven't found something that

I'm satisfied with yet. So every couple

months, I either get bored or annoyed

and change it up.

However, I have a couple of things to say:

A. Resolved is coming up SOON and I can't wait!

B. Some French missionaries are coming to my

parents' church in July. The husband runs a seminary over

in Provence, which is where I'm thinking about being

placed for my year overseas. So, I'll get to brush up on

my French AND see if there's any ministry opportunities.

AWESOME. This is a big deal.

C. I'm most likely going to be visiting some friends up in

NYC pretty soon. I'm also stoked about that too. I love

that city and am considering a grad program at NYU.

D. I'm also probably going to be visiting one of my

nearest and dearest, K, in DC sometime over this summer.

I can't wait to see her and her sweet baby girl, R.

E. If you read my blog on a somewhat regular basis,

(and I know that I have lurkers) I'd love to hear comments

and things from you! Make your presence known! And besides,

what's the fun of blogging if no one gives your feedback?

Okay, c'est tout!

Calm

Phew.

Finals are OVER.

As of now, I'm sitting on "my"

bed in my parents house, back on

the East Coast. Let me tell you,

it feels SO good to be finished and

free for the summer. I'm so excited

for all of the various things that I'll

be doing while I'm away from Los

Angeles. It's really going to be something

special. I just have quite a large number

of things to do before I leave for England

and Paris, such as read 8 plays. I've

already started cracking on one.

Hoorah!

Today's the Day!

At 6pm west coast time, I'll be DONE with my last

final and officially a UCLA senior! This is crazy crazy

crazy. It's going to be my last summer as an undergraduate.

And if I play my cards right, it'll be my last summer with

braces. Score!

This year has gone by so fast. It seems like just yesterday

that I was starting my first week here, unsure of what

Powell or Royce was. Now, I've become quite accustomed

to my academic home. I'm a little nostalgic about the

thought of leaving it, desperately contemplating a

double major in French so that I could stay an extra

year. But, that doesn't seem feasible... So... I'll be

graduating in the spring of 2011.

But, there's pretty cool things that I'm planning for my

senior year. I'm the current vice-president of the

English Dept honor society, so there'll be a lot of

nerdy opportunities for me. I'm also planning to

take first year Italian as well, as a way to make myself

more competitive for grad school. They like it

if you have your hands in two foreign languages

besides English. And even if I don't go to grad school,

I'll still learn quite a bit of Italian. I don't see that

as being a detriment in the least, ya feel me?

That'll just make me an excellent traveling companion

when in Europe. My father speaks German and

wanted me to learn it, but I think that Italian would

make me much more competitive.

So, that's what's going on with me. I should go now.

My final is an hour and a half! Woo! Freedom, here I

come!

It's Finals When...

...I start listening to radio top 40 music.

I'm talking about pop music. The kind that

erodes your brain and sticks in your mind

for DAYS. (I know.)

In 6 days, I'll be free of this nonsense and

can get back to quality stuff. It's my way

of stress compensation, I think. Want an

example of my crazy? Don't say that I didn't

warn you...

Finals!

It's that time again.

See you all when it's over!

Pray for me,

Lord knows that I need it.