For those of you who hear me during any given day, you are now, I am sure, well aware of my addiction to Pinterest. I have this new talent of tying everything back to some pin I put on a board. "Speaking of the election, I saw this great recipe for all-American cupcakes I could make on election day." "Speaking of the NBA playoffs, I saw the cutest basketball cake pops the other day on Pinterest." "Speaking of your dog's fleas..." You get the picture. Pinning pins onto my boards gives me a high and then when I check the pins off my list I feel an immense sense of accomplishment (sadly potentially more than my master's degree diploma that is currently still sitting on my desk waiting to find a proud little place to hang). Which makes me wonder, can I print out my pinboard on a plaque and hang that? Don't put it past me. It could happen some day. Pins take up so much of my life, from the cowboy cookie mix in a jar I made for teacher appreciation week to the snickerdoodle bundt cake I made for Fat Friday at school or the dinner of fried rice, Asian cabbage slaw, and a honey ginger chicken with a marinade recipe meant for pork chops (which I failed to pin so I guess that deliciousness was a one time occurrence, wah wah wah). Here is the dinner:
Yum. Right? Thought so. I am convinced Pinterest has made my life at least 3.25 times more interesting than it already was. There are a ridiculous amount of recipes I have compiled and I am now even more convinced that my desire to live in a 1 room house with just a kitchen is logical. I have so many pins to cook up that I have no need for any other room. So... who's gonna build that for me?
The funny thing about Pinterest is that all of these clever ideas and cutesy themes are now becoming common place because everyone sees them and copies them. I would like to count how many Superbowl parties this year had chocolate covered strawberries made to be footballs or Christmas parties had brownies with Santa hats made out of strawberries. Originality has taken a hit with the making of Pinterest. This is why when I was asked to bake some cakes for Fat Friday at school, I was so proud of my baby shower cake idea. Cake idea: bumblebees all over it with a message that said "Congrats on the ba-bee". I wanted a trophy because it is the first cutesy thing that I have made in a while that was not "pin"spired.
Cute and trophy worthy, right? And did you notice my new word? "pin"spired. I am forever and always now adopting my new word "pin"spired for those things you make because you saw them on Pinterest. Use it. Spread it around. It's gonna be famous. It's also going to be useful. Pinspiration is a reality. Without it, when I barbecued asparagus, portabello mushrooms, peppers and pineapples, I would not have also tried grilled watermelon (which is to die for by the way) or spicy honey chicken.
To Pinterest I owe many much thanks for all of the deliciousness that has occured in my kitchen. Being pinspired is glorious but all jokes aside, I am grateful for an inspiration that comes from a Greater Source. God has created us each with unique passions and talents. I have been recently in reflection on how to use my passions for God's glory. Let's see how God uses shakin my hips in Zumba class to further His kingdom. Not sure how, but I am convinced there is a way... So this summer this plan is to take my God given talents and inspirations and figure out how they can be used next to bring more people to know Him. Can't wait! Now its time for some soul searching, which isn't really something that can be found on Pinterest but I'm sure I'll use bake therapy to help me along the way...
"For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be." Psalms 139:13-16
