Dear Jane Austen {31 Days of Letters}

October 23, 2012 ~ Emily ~ 7 Comments

Dear Ms. Austen,

You have an uncanny skill – a skill not often replicated among authors. You craft words into narrative that speaks volumes about a woman’s heart, no matter what century she lived in. Simple greetings and common gestures become insightful social commentary with help from your quick wit and expert prose.

Even your earlier work, the juvenilia as scholars now call it, is masterful and engaging. Your Lady Susan, a work composed solely of letters, rivals the prowess of Frances Burney in Evelina. Although, I do wish you had finished The Watsons. What was to become of the love triangle between Lady Osborne, Mr. Howard, and Emma? I will forever be hanging on Mr. Watson’s fate.

Emma, however, is my favorite of your novels. It is the perfect example of how you balance social commentary and narrative. To an unsuspecting reader, your novels are a pleasant look into a place or person. For those who look deeper, they are a running appraisal of life. From the surface, Emma seems to revolve around the heroine’s matchmaking skills, but the true meat of your story lies in one person’s preoccupation with the advantages of herself in comparison to others.

I’m particularly drawn to Emma as a character, and a novel, because I share many of the same faults as the heroine. But, through Emma, you give me hope that my pride and propensity to judge others can be tempered.

You pit Emma’s advantages against Mr. Knightley’s superior, albeit wise and kind, social values. Mr. Knightley is able to see Emma in a realistic light, exposing her imperfections and loving her in spite of them. With his consistent love and steady correction, Emma begins to see beyond her own advantages in life.

Mr. Knightley is the perfect foil for Emma’s inherent loftiness. The spirit of what you’ve created in Mr.Knightley’s character, is echoed in my community – community with Christ and community with friends and family. It often takes the patient prodding of others to promote candid appraisal of my Emma-like qualities.

After reading all of your novels, your letters and scripts, your unfinished works, I am all the more intrigued by you, Ms. Austen. Just like I find myself in many of your heroine’s, you must put a bit of yourself in each one as well. Since I can’t meet you in person, I immerse myself into your world, your life, your mind via the written word.

Every revisiting comes with new discovery. I keep reading.

Sincerely,

Emily

Below are some photos from my trip to Bath – a prominent setting in Jane Austen’s novels and a vacation spot Austen enjoyed frequently.

Bath2 — Assembly rooms and Bath Cathedral

You can find all my letters here.

For more information about the 31 Day Challenge, visit The Nester.

Dear Browned Butter {31 Days of Letters}

October 22, 2012 ~ Emily ~ 2 Comments

Today, I’m sharing a letter AND a recipe. Mondays aren’t always the best, so I hope these words inspire you to start the week by browning some butter and making a batch of these delicious shortbread cookies.

Dear Browned Butter,

If I could bottle a food smell and make it a perfume, you’d be a top contender.

Your aroma is intoxicating. One whiff and I’m instantly transported to a land where my dog stays in permanent puppy stage, chocolate has no calories, and Thomas Hammer hands out free chai lattes.

In other words, your smell is nearly perfect.

Born from a steady, gentle heat, you emerge in simple glory. You aren’t a cold stick of butter anymore; you are a substance completely transformed.

Warmth. Nuttiness. You have it all!

You can go sweet or savory.

You can be a leading lady or a supporting actress.

There aren’t enough words for just how scrumptious you are.

Sincerely,

Emily

A couple years back, I had the privilege of working for Traci and Christa Hozie – the sibling masterminds behind the Brown Butter Cookie Company. They take simple, fresh ingredients and turn them into melt-in-your-mouth confections. The original Brown Butter Sea Salt flavor is addictive. It’s nearly impossible to just eat one.

Once I moved away from Cayucos (a gem of a beach town on the Central Coast of California), and didn’t have access to those delicious cookies, I trolled the internet for similar recipe concepts.

Though nothing could beat a BBCC original, warm from the pan, I’ve developed a great substitute. I adapted a recipe from Gourmet Magazine to create these shortbread cookies.

Swapping brown sugar for regular granulated sugar adds caramel and molasses undertones to the cookie base. Taking the extra time to brown the butter is what sets these shortbread bites apart from the rest. A sprinkle of salt to finish the top brings all the flavors into perfect harmony.

Browning butter is easy, but requires a watchful eye. Brown can turn to black all too quickly. Simple Recipes has a great tutorial on how to brown butter properly.

Without further ado, I give you…

Brown Butter Buttons

adapted from Gourmet Magazine

1 cup unsalted butter

2/3 cup brown sugar (5 oz)

2 1/3 cup flour (9 ¼ oz)

1 teaspoon baking powder

Sea salt, for sprinkling (optional)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.

Brown the butter until it becomes a light golden color. Let it cool down a bit while you mix together the dry ingredients.

Whisk brown sugar, flour, and baking powder together in the bowl of an electric mixer.

Pour butter into flour mixture, making sure to scrape all of the brown bits from the bottom of the pan (those create lovely speckles and contain a ton of flavor). Mix until well combined.

NOTE: It’s important to measure your dry ingredients very accurately or the dough will be dry and crumbly, making the rolling process difficult. If this happens, brown more butter and add it to the dough 1 tablespoon at a time until the dough is maleable.

Using a small cookie scoop, measure out the dough and roll into balls. Slightly flatten the balls before baking with the palm of your hand.

Bake at 325°for 18-20 minutes. Edges will be just starting to brown. There may be cracks appearing – that’s okay!

Cool on wire racks. Store in airtight containers (after cooling completely) for up to three weeks. Freeze well.

Yield: 45 buttons

* sprinkle a bit of sea salt on the top of each cookie when it comes out of the oven for a spark of salty/sweet flavor.

You can find all my letters here.

For more information about the 31 Day Challenge, visit The Nester.

Dear Autumn {31 Days of Letters}

October 21, 2012 ~ Emily ~ 2 Comments

Dear Autumn,

Of all the seasons, you are the most complex.

You usher in change with a splendor unparalleled. With chameleon-like qualities, your citrine turns to amber and your emerald to auburn. At the height of beauty, you shed your colorful skin to brighten the drab earth below. A second wave of Fall opulence can dance across gravel, grass, and dirt.

You are a golden rae between the vibrant and the colorless.

Your time is fleeting. One frost or one gust of wind could sap your fragile life. But while you last, you bring forth the harvest. Labor and toil is rewarded with maturity and abundance.

May I enjoy your fruits and your grandeur during this season. May I dwell in your warmth for however long it lasts without looking toward the ominous cold ahead.

Warm regards,

Emily

You can find all my letters here.

For more information about the 31 Day Challenge, visit The Nester.

Dear Jesus {31 Days of Letters}

October 20, 2012 ~ Emily ~ 9 Comments

Mary DeMuth wrote Everything, a book about letting God be your everything. In her words:

I’m a mess like you (though you’re probably much less messy!). I truly want Jesus to be my everything, but some days I try to be my own everything. I forget God’s strength shines best when I feel small and weak. And I bootstrap myself more than I’d like to admit. {Mary DeMuth}

Sounds like me! I don’t own this book yet, but Everything is on my to-buy-ASAP list. I’m looking forward to reading it, and I’m also kind of nervous. I fail at making God my everything and know Mary’s book will stretch and challenge my daily walk with God.

In honor of Everything being released this past Tuesday, my letter today is based on The Worrywart Prayer. Worry is a self-inflicted road block to letting God be everything in your life. It distracts us, demeans God, and deadens our joy.

Here’s my take on The Worrywart Prayer, which Mary wrote to help us all let go of worry. I encourage you to fill in the blanks for yourself. Prayerfully consider what worries are disabling God from being everything in your life. Pray for God’s freedom from those worries.

Dear Jesus,

You are far greater than anyone or anything I can fathom. You have been faithful to me – faithful in my doubts, in my worry, in my unbelief – for all my twenty-five years.

You are more than able to handle my burdens. You are more than capable of caring for my loved ones. You are more than willing to turn my worries into a thing of the past.

Jesus, I give You my future. I give You my emotions, my health, my marriage, my family, my writing.

I don’t know what You will do with these things, but I know that You are more loving and more wise than I could be, even about the things that I hold so dear.

I hold on to my life with such a tight grip that I strangle Your plans and purposes. I am sorry for my obsession with control.

Please give me the strength to let go, to open my hands, and relax my grip. I want Your will and Your presence.

Jesus, take it all! Help me to trust You today and forever. I give up my desires, my plotting and planning. I humbly ask for Your guidance, for Your will to be done in my life.

I choose not to worry about my future and all that it holds or doesn’t hold. When I slip and stumble along the way, let Your grace overcome my worry.

Amen.

Emily

You can find all my letters here.

For more information about the 31 Day Challenge, visit The Nester.

Dear Gramma {31 Days of Letters}

October 19, 2012 ~ Emily ~ 6 Comments

Dear Gramma,

I miss you. I miss you a lot.

Has it really been five years? Those five years have held so many changes for our family – good changes, exciting changes, important changes, changes you would have loved to be a part of.

Missing you and knowing the things you’ve missed has been a daily reminder of God’s sovereignty. He is anxious for us to dwell in His house. I cannot dispute His perfect timing in the number of your days even though I would have preferred you to have more of them. I strive to have my heart echo Job’s words:

The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away; may the name of the LORD be praised. {Job 1:21}

I do praise God for the 20 years you were present in my life. You taught me how to make pie crust and divinity. You passed on your lust for travel and learning. You cheered me on in all my endeavors. I think you were my biggest fan when pep flags performed at football games.

But, my heart aches when I look back on my college graduation, on my wedding, on my move to Idaho, knowing that you weren’t able to witness and celebrate those events. You would have been proud of me in my cap and gown. You would have loved my Tim. You would have loved to visit Coeur d’Alene.

I know as time goes on, there will be more milestones that my heart aches over, especially when little Gardners arrive. However, I am thankful for the undeniable legacy you have left in your stead.

I miss you.

Love,

Emily

You can find all my letters here.

For more information about the 31 Day Challenge, visit The Nester.