Amy Scott's Thoughts

There is nothing worse than starting a project with lots of hope and having it end in failure. Welcome to my morning!!! Last weekend while we were visiting family, Jeremy and I picked up a 10lbs. bag of Honey Crisp apples. I was brainstorming what I could do with them since we couldn’t eat them all before they went bad. I originally decided I would make an apple crisp tomorrow for our life group. However, I later decided that I want to try my hand at making a pie again. Since a pie needed more time, I set to work on it this morning.

This time I made my own crust because we were out of the mix we’d used in the past. I was okay with making my own crust because I really wanted to try it. It turns out making crust is a bit of a challenge. At least it was to me. I conquered the pie and added a lot more apples than the last pie I made. I thought I had learned from my past mistakes and this pie promised to be better than the last. I love sugary tops on pie so I decide to add that element to my crust. I followed the directions…

However, I was met with failure. The sugar on the top of the pie burnt and made my pie both look and smell unappealing. I was so discouraged because I had put over 2 hours of effort into that pie and I was planning on taking it to life group. That was no longer an option. I will not bring sub-standard goodies to my life group.

I knew I needed to make something else for life group, but I didn’t have the time to do something as complicated as a pie. I went into the pantry and pulled out my pumpkin spice bread mix from Costco. I had just used this mix last night for pumpkin spice waffles, so I knew this would be tasty and quick. The box had a cookie recipe on the back, so I went to work making pumpkin spice cookies. They turned out great and they helped with the semi-burnt smell in my house.

When trying to practice and develop skills, failure is going to happen. Something you did well last time might not turn out great the next time. I am still learning. The last apple pie I made didn’t have enough apples. This time great amount of apples, but burnt crust. I’m not sure what next time will hold, but I can assure you – there will be a next time. I’m not giving up. I may not ever be a pie master, but I will make a decent pie that I am pleased with. This is my goal. I believe it’s possible. If not – thank God for prepackaged mixes that make for quick snack substitutes!