"God With Us" & Recipe for Oreo Truffles

Tuesday, December 11, 2012
To mar means to injure or damage; to spoil, disfigure, or impair. 

It's an accurate description of sin's effect on us.



As we approach Christmas, it's good to remember why Jesus was Born.

Jesus Christ's birth, prophesied by Isaiah, was divinely mortal. Conceived by the Holy Spirit, he was a child of the heavenly Father and a human mother, and nurtured in Mary's womb. Through this miracle, the reality of Immanuel, God with us, was fulfilled (see Isaiah 7:14).


If you believe Jesus was ONLY a man, you are mistaken. If you think of him as ONLY God, you are off-track. Jesus IS God who became human so that you can know him personally. He IS God with us, and his constant, divine presence is forever, always with you, no matter how alone you may feel.


The Son of God did not come to establish a nostalgic family-oriented, commercially successful holiday.


Christmas began with a present from God to His sin-damaged world.



The masterpiece of God's human creation, marred by turning away from Him, can be restored when we give our hearts to Christ.





OREO TRUFFLES


  • ounce package Double Stuff Oreo Cookies, finely crushed
    ounce package cream cheese, softened

  •                                                      1  
    pound white baking chocolate, melted


    In a large bowl combine crushed cookies and cream cheese. Beat with mixer on low speed until well blended. Form 1-inch balls by hand. Put in freezer for 15 minutes. Dip balls in white chocolate; place on baking sheet lined with waxed paper. Refrigerate for 1 hour or until firm.

    Jason & I have been super busy (good busy) these last couple weeks. 

    Jason's 30th birthday was November 30! We celebrated in Mississippi with our family after Thanksgiving dinner. I have a couple pics to share from that wonderful time. 



    I found this adorable"30 Sucks" idea on Pinterest. I was quite pleased with how it turned out. If anyone needs to know how to make it, please just leave a comment or message me & I will post a tutorial. 


    Uncle Buddy & Jason


    Aunt Debra & Uncle Buddy


    The 2 special men in my life <3


    Jason & Aunt Debra


    Jay Fox (my bestie) & I on Thanksgiving Day!



    Our Christmas Tree this year! It's our first Christmas Holidays as a married couple and we are so excited :)


    Sophie & Bella having a staring match over who gets to eat the antler.


    Sophie & Blanche playing.


    My sweet little angel baby, Gracie, helping me do dishes.

    Well I love you all & I pray you are all having a very blessed week.

    I will try to post some book recommendations soon :)


     

























     



Patience & New Orleans Praline Brownie Recipe

Wednesday, November 7, 2012
This morning my devotion was on "Patience". Psalm 70

"Hasten, O God, to save me; O Lord come quickly to save me." Psalm 70:1 This is the Psalm David prayed. Like him, most of us don't prefer to wait either. We wait for a green lights, lines at the bank or traffic jams, but then there are the more difficult times of waiting; a childless couple waiting for a baby; a single person waiting for marriage; an addict waiting for deliverance; a spouse waiting for a kind and gentle word; a worried patient waiting for a diagnosis from a doctor.


What we wait for, however, is far less important that what God is doing while we wait. In such times He works in us to develop those hard-to-achieve spiritual virtues of meekness, kindness and patience with others. But more important, we learn to lean on God alone and to "rejoice and be glad" in Him (Psalm 70:4).


God stretches our patience to enlarge our soul!

This brought me to my 7th day of Thankfulness for November. 

I am thankful for the broken roads in relationships, friendships, careers, life plans that didn't work out. I know I am right where I God wants me to be. 



NEW ORLEANS PRALINE BROWNIES


 BROWNIES

1 (1 lb 2.3 oz) Betty Crocker® fudge brownie mix 
(Water, vegetable oil and eggs as called for on brownie mix box)
1/2 Cup chopped pecans

PRALINE FROSTING

1/2 Cup Whipping Cream
6 Tablespoons Butter
1 1/2 Cups Packed Brown Sugar
1/2 Cups Chopped Pecans, Toasted
1 1/2 Cups Powdered Sugar
1 Teaspoon Vanilla

DIRECTIONS

1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Spay 13x9" pan with cooking spray.
2. Make brownie mix as directed on the box. Stir in chopped pecans. Bake as directed. Cool completely, about 1 hour.
3. In a medium saucepan, mix cream, butter & brown sugar. Cover over medium heat, stirring frequently, until mixture comes to a boil. Continue cooking 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Stir in pecans, powdered sugar & vanilla. Cool 5 minutes, stirring frequently. 
4. Spread topping over brownies. Allow to stand 30-45 minutes, or until frosting is set. 

These are best served chilled!



I hope yal enjoy. 

I don't have much time this morning to write because PJ & Shea will be staying the night tomorrow & I have to prepare for their arrival! YAY!

I hope you all have a great week & weekend!

XOXO 













Seeing Beyond Earth's Shadows

Tuesday, October 23, 2012

With the destruction of Jerusalem, Jeremiah grieved over the fall of Jerusalem. Jerusalem was once a great city and center of worship, but it was now devastated by war. "Is it nothing to you, all you who pass by? Behold and see if there is any sorrow like my sorrow" (Lamentations 1:12). Can't we all relate to Jeremiah in the fact that when we are going through a tough situation, sometimes we think poor, poor pitiful me. No one has ever gone through what I am going through or feeling like I am feeling now.

But Jeremiah did not remain in despair. He recognized God's sovereignty in suffering. Later in this book of sorrow, the prophet reflected: "I have hope. Though the Lord's mercies we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are every morning" (3:21-23)

Has sorrow or suffering made you feel like a dark silhouette of what it once was? Remember, God's mercies are new every morning. He is compassionately working in your life for His glory and your blessings.


To see beyond earth's shadows, look to Christ the Light.



The link above is the link to the song by Laura Story called Blessings


PUMPKIN CRUMB CAKE


Cake Batter
1 3⁄4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1⁄2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
3⁄4 teaspoon salt
1⁄2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
1 1⁄4 cups sugar
3 large eggs
1 cup canned pureed pumpkin
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1⁄3 cup milk
3⁄4 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Topping
2⁄3 cup plus 2 tablespoons rolled oats
1⁄2 cup all-purpose flour
1⁄2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1⁄2 teaspoon cinnamon
6 tablespoons unsalted butter


Directions
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Grease a 9x5x3-inch loaf pan and line with parchment paper.
To make the topping, combine 2⁄3 cup oats, flour, sugar, and cinnamon in processor. Add butter and cut in until crumbly. Transfer mixture to medium bowl. Stir in remaining 2 tablespoons oats. Set to one side.
Sift the flour, pumpkin spice, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into a bowl.
In a separate bowl, beat the butter with an electric mixer until smooth. Gradually beat in the sugar and 1 egg at a time.
Add the pumpkin and vanilla extract to the wet batter mix.
Gradually beat the dry ingredients into the batter. Slowly add the milk and stir in the walnuts (optional). Transfer the batter to the prepared pan and spread with the topping.
Bake the loaf cake until a toothpick inserted into center comes out clean, about 55 minutes. Cool in the pan for 15 minutes.
Turn the cake out onto a rack and cool completely


For all my friends who have a kindle or a nook, I have compiled a list of all the books I have available for LendMe & Lending. If you would like the list just email me or comment on the blog with your email & I will email the list over. There are over 200 books available for sharing. 

I haven't shared my favorite books I've read recently. Whew, there are SO many. I will try to just share the best ones.



This is one of the BEST series I have read in a LONG time. It is a YA Paranormal Romance Series. I would compare it to Twilight Series by Stephanie Meyer, except this one is way better. I have all 3 books available for lending on the Kindle!



This books was amazing. I usually am not into this type of book, but I was captivated from start to finish. I also have this book available for lending on the Kindle.

Here is a summery.

In the fall of 1999, psychologist Sophia Beckman is compelled by the court to give testimony on behalf of a death row inmate that results in his sentence being overturned. Haunted by secrets from her past, she avoids the media spotlight as much as possible, but soon, other prisoners' families come seeking her assistance. One family in particular, the wife, children, and brother of Jarrett Capshaw, is especially insistent. Forty-one days ago Jarrett's request to die was granted by the State of Texas, and he became a dead man walking, a man they call a volunteer.

Jarrett's crimes were unusual, involving the theft of precious Mayan antiquities. Murder was never part of the plan, but murder is what happened. He pulled the trigger, and as little as he feels prepared for it, as much as he struggles with matters of the soul, he's ready to die. It is the only way his family and the families of his victims will be free to move on. While Jarrett labors to find the words to say good-bye to those he has loved, Sophia finds herself drawn into a relationship with his wife and oldest son. It is Jarrett's family she can't resist and there will be a price to pay. But not even Sophia could have foreseen the outcome when the brutal truth is exposed, the unalloyed facts that, incredibly, will deliver Jarrett's fate straight into her hands.

The Volunteer is a story about families, how they are made, and how in one single, horrifying instant, they can be broken. It is a story about mothers and the lies they tell to protect their children, to keep them from being hurt. But what happens when the truth comes out anyway and nothing and no one is spared? Sometimes the truth has the power to break your heart, and in Sophia's case it will also endanger her freedom and threaten everything she has ever believed about her life.







I believe there is also a 6th book coming out soon! This was another amazing series. The first book was free from Kindle. I am not sure if it is still available for free, but I have all the books available for Lending on Kindle. 

FAMILY UPDATE

Jason, Gracie, Sophie & I have been doing amazing! We are so blessed and sometimes I just sit in awe of how much God has blessed us with.... love, family, good health, jobs, pets that adore us, church home and friends that are truly the cream of the crop. The list could go on and on, but those are just a few.

I was able to go home to Mississippi a couple weeks ago. I was supposed to be going because Jason was going to be working almost all day everyday for about 3 days for this base mat pour, but a couple days after we had already booked the trip he found out the base mat pour had been pushed back. At first, I was so upset because that was the whole point of the trip that I would get to see my family while Jason was really busy, but then I got on Pinterest for a little therapy (lol) and immediately I saw a pin that said "Trust in God's Timing". I was immediately thankful for the message straight for God himself. I did not know his plan for this deviation from my plan, but I was reminded that I must trust Him because he knows best. It was a amazing trip! I got to spend lots of time with Granny & Poppa, Dad, and Ameila. I got to see almost all my friends, PJ, Sherrie, The Girls from The Cotton Patch, Aunt Carolyn, Ms. Mickie & Mr. Earl, Aunt Debra & Uncle Buddy.... I think there are a few I am forgetting. I just cherish those times with all the people I love dearly so very much. I am so thankful God allows me to be able to take trips home to visit the people I love.













Please continue to pray for my Aunt Debra & Uncle Buddy. He has brain cancer and needs your prayers. I was so thankful to be able to spend a little time with both of them. They have been an inspiration to me & my family and I love them both so much. 

I can't leave without showing a little love to Sophie & Gracie!


Gracie was "helping" (aka sleeping) in the mannequin while we were doing some work with Bella Grace Boutique. My sweet little angel.


Sweet little Sophie, as cute as ever!



Ok. Well this is all I have time to write for now. 

I LOVE YAL!