my gift to you...

Since my computer has crashed, I rarely get to upload pics let alone blog about anything...sorry blog world. This will be the first of many blogs I have that were supposed to be posted throughout the holidays...but hey, better late than never.

Oh, how I love the holidays. The Christmas lights, the family gatherings, radio stations devoting their airwaves to holly jollies and rockin' around Christmas trees, Jesus is the reason for the season, peppermint mocha everything, cool crisp weather (thank You, Jesus, for that!), and of course, the Christmas crafting and baking! This year, with a little one toddling around and a move on the horizon, I kept the baking to a minimum. In true Christmas tradition, I did however manage to make my hot cocoa cookies that the family waits all year round to sink their teeth into. So here's my gift to you:

HOT COCOA COOKIES:
2 sticks butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
2/3 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
3 1/4 cup flour
4 packets of hot cocoa (the one I use is a secret, sorry)
1 tsp salt
1 1/4 tsp baking soda
1 cup each, white, milk, semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and lay out parchment paper on a cookie sheet.

Cream together both sugars and the butter until light and fluffy. In another bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients. Mix in the eggs and vanilla. Slowly add in the dry ingredients, in stages, scraping the bowl each time. Stir the chips into the dough.

Chill in the fridge for about an hour.

Drop cookie dough in tbsp size balls onto the parchment lined cookie sheet. Bake 9-11 minutes. Let cook on a wire rack for about 5 minutes. ENJOY!

I know this is late but....

...this is my little man on his FIRST THANKSGIVING...he even had his own puree of sweet potatoes, turkey, and cranberry sauce. He ate every bit of it!

My pretty girl on Thanksgiving! She got to play football and had lots of fun with friends!

I got this kids table idea from Pinterest and it was a hit! The little drumsticks had fun crafts inside and their place mats were activity sheets. The little pies in the middle of the table had popcorn, Reese's pieces, and teddy grahams in it and there were little pilgrim hats for them to dress up with. Thank you Pinterest for the idea!

This was my daughter's place setting :)

oh technology ...

I am sorry for my lack of posts as of late...my computer crashed. Sad day for me, especially since I have a new obsession with Pinterest. Such is life. My phone is limited, so I have not been able to access my blog until now. It will probably be a while before I am able to write another blog post...we'll see. Praying the computer issue can be resolved in a timely manner...but I am not holding my breath. Sorry for those of you that actually read my blog and feel out of the loop. I have so many pictures and stories and crafts and just random things I want to share...sigh. At least I have learned one thing out of this whole ordeal. My computer does not control my life, as I previously thought it might. I have dealt with this crash way better than I thought I would and to be honest, it's a little liberating. Although I miss my pictures and recipes, I have enjoyed the time and relaxation that comes along with few technological distractions. I say few, because my phone still accesses Pinterest. Point is, try a week without the computer. It's actually quite nice.

rough patch

Every so often, we endure various trials. Big ones, little ones, some that stick, some that don't. A growing process for our faith is what I like to think of them as. In 1 Peter 1:6-9 it reads, "In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials, that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ, whom having not seen you love. Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, receiving the end of your faith--the salvation of your souls". Amazing to think of our faith as being "much more precious than gold...". But I love how it reads, "...that perishes..." right after those words. The Lord is letting us know that something the world holds to such high esteem, perishes. A reminder that our faith is much more important, we should be spending our time focusing on our faith and not our riches. The Lord's faithfulness to us is never ending, as should our faith in Him be also. The Lord puts us through these trials to test our faith. To make us stronger, not in ourselves, but in Him. The Lord wants us to endure these things so that when we are standing on the other side of the storm, safe and sound, we can look back at everything He did for us to get us through those trials. To teach us how our faith in Him made it possible for us to make it through. It's in that moment, when we thank Him for His faithfulness and mercy, that our faith is strengthened. In James 1:2-4, it touches on this point, "My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete lacking nothing.". With each trial we endure, we are slowly being shaped into the perfect work of art the Lord is molding us into. I have to keep my mind on God during these times, those moments when I ask myself, why? Instead I should be praying, 'help me through this as long as You chose for me to endure, Lord? What can I do for you, Lord? Am I soft and pliable in your hands, Lord? Mold me, Lord.'...

oooo fall is upon us!

It feels like fall! The temperatures are slowly coming down from the 100's, there's even a nice breeze in the evening, and Starbucks put out their pumpkin spice latte! Oh yes, it is fall. So in honor of fall, I am going to make my first fall recipe of the season for our sweet ladies at bible study tomorrow. I spent way too much time looking through my numerous fall recipes, there were lots of apples, cinnamon, pumpkin, brown sugar, oranges, nutmeg, cranberries...mmmmm. It's so hard to choose! I finally decided on these wonderful looking Melt-In-Your-Mouth Pumpkin Cookies.

I know...yum! I can just imagine it now...a cookie in one hand, coffee in the other hand, a nice breeze blowing through my hair (since I'm outside in my daydream)...sigh...I love fall.

(Oct. 4th) update: These cookies were a hit! They were soooo good! I highly recommend this recipe!

when the Lord answers me

I am so ungrateful and so undeserving of the love and mercy the Lord shows me. I am selfish and so wrapped up in myself and what I am going through that I often miss what the Lord is saying to me. Its always "woe is me..."...blah, blah, blah. I pray prayers everyday. Long ones, short ones, selfish ones, selfless ones, needed ones, encouraged ones, and the list goes on. I even pray what my pastor likes to call "flare prayers". The quick, "help me, Lord!" prayers spoken out of fear. And sometimes I don't pray. And I wait, expecting to hear something, when I've done nothing. But, most times, I pray. And I wait. Not long enough. And I think to myself, 'I hear nothing...I'm not getting any answers, God why aren't you answering me?'. And that's when the Lord gently says to me, "Dear child, you're not listening. Just wait.". I forget that a relationship consists of communication, it's not a one way thing. It's not only talking, but also listening. This is a relationship I have with my Lord and Savior, so why am I neglecting our communication? I wouldn't do this in my marriage, just talk at my husband and then walk out of the room without waiting for a response. I want to hear what my husband has to say, I want to spend time with him. I hold my marriage in very high regard. So, shouldn't I hold my relationship with my Creator, my Redeemer, my heavenly Father to an even higher regard? Jesus wants to spend time with me. He wants to hear from me. But, He also wants me to listen to Him and wait for His answers. This has been on my heart lately and it's amazing how even when this is put on my heart, how disobedient I still am. And yet, grace is shown to me again and again. My Lord loves me. I don't know how or why, but He does. It's amazing though, when I do wait, and I do listen. When I come to Him and lay myself at His feet. The answers are so clear...as clear as if He were sitting right next to me.

...during a recent prayer, I had said, "Lord, why are things so difficult? Why does it have to be so hard?"...He sweetly answered me saying, "Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it." (Matt. 7:14). When I say, "How are we going to afford clothes for our children? How are we going to afford groceries this month?"...He tenderly says to me, "Therefore do not worry, saying, 'what shall we eat?' or 'what shall we drink?' or 'what shall we wear?'...For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you." (Matt.6:31-33). When I mumble to myself worrying, "What if I something happens? What if it ends up worse?"...He comforts me by saying, "Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble." (Matt. 6:34). When I am wide awake at night, praying, "Lord, please take this fear from me...", He puts His arms around me and says, "Fear not, for I am with you..." (Isaiah 41:10). He is. He is always with me. Always there waiting to hear from me. As should I be...always with an open heart and open ears, waiting to hear from Him.

"Wait on the LORD; Be of good courage, And He shall strengthen your heart; Wait, I say, on the LORD!" Psalm 27:14

Rememberance

I originally wanted to write a long heartfelt post about 9/11 and where I was and what I remember...but after watching one too many recaps of that horrific day on CNN and CNBC and whatnot, I just can't seem to find the words. I should have turned the TV off hours ago. It was an awful awful thing done by mean hateful people. 10 years later, and we are all still on edge, as if waiting for the next act of terrorism to fall upon us. So on this day, while we remember those that lost their lives in so many tragic ways, and while the rest of us continue to go on with ours, I say, lets not fear the what ifs. In Psalm 56:11, David writes, "In God I have put my trust; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?". If we put our lives in Jesus' hands and fully in-trust our lives to Him, we have nothing to fear. That includes terrorists and their could be plots. We can sit around and speculate all we want about what might happen in the future, or what the enemy might be planning, but in reality, we would be living in constant fear, like our enemies (worldly and spiritually) want us too be. We would just be wasting time on mindless nonsense that fuels our fears, when instead we could be living our lives full on for the Lord, redeeming our short little time in this wicked world, showing the love of Jesus Christ to those who are submersed in fear themselves. Put your trust in the Lord and leave the fear to the enemy. That is the only way to keep living our lives after an event such as this one. I pray that the families who lost loved ones on 9/11 find comfort, and I pray that everything works out to the glory of the Lord, that they may see His miraculous works through all of this. Amen. & God BLESS America!