Saturday, December 31, 2011

My Favorite Song Of 2011...

This was my theme song for this past year.

This is my favorite song of 2011.....and I'm sure it will continue to be as I begin this year. Maybe it should be my theme song too?!




I have nothing left to do but to wait on Him....so let's see what God's going to do in 2012!


Happy New Year to all my blog readers!!! Thank you for sharing in my life, carrying me in prayer. I'm blessed!

Monday, December 26, 2011

Top Blog Posts Of 2011

Third most popular post


Second most popular post


Most popular post


This has been one of the most difficult years of my life.  It's has been a year when God's fire has refined me. I have learned more about Christ, as well as myself than I ever thought possible.  I have had to dig deep~way down into places I never even knew existed in my soul. 

I have seen the very human side of me, some of you have seen it too. But, in the middle of all of the chaos, turmoil, searching, brokenness, sobbing, somehow I have found God right in the center of it with me. He has given me joy, hope, peace, love in beautiful ways. I see Him all around me, I hear Him speaking through a song.  I see Him when I open my Bible to a page, begin reading and realize the verses that I am reading are exactly what I need to hear.

I cannot imagine living my life without knowing Him, and because I know Him I can live my life for Him.

Friday, December 23, 2011

Merry CHRISTmas

Merry CHRISTmas! May you be blessed as you remember the one and only reason for the season. May it not be just a day in December, but may you live each and every day with Christ as the center of your life. There is absolutely no greater gift that your could have in life than to know Christ as your personal Savior!

Jesus is a life giver and a life changer!!!

Thursday, December 15, 2011

Requested Recipes...Snickers Surprise Cookies, Slow Cooker Lasagna, White Chicken Chili

Requested from friends~enjoy!!!
Snickers Surprise Cookies

2 sticks butter (softened)
1 cup creamy peanut butter
1 cup light brown sugar
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
3 1/2 cups all purpose flour (sifted)
1tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 pkg. (13 oz) Snickers miniatures

1. Combine the butter, peanut butter, and sugars using a mixer on a medium to low speed until light and fluffy.
2. Slowly add eggs and vanilla until thoroughly combined. Then mix in flour, salt and baking soda.
3. Cover and chill dough for 2-3 hours.
4. Unwrap all the Snickers minis
5. Remove dough from refrigerator. Divide into 1Tbls. pieces and flatten.
6. Place a Snickers mini in the center of each piece of dough.
7. Form the dough into a ball around the Snickers
8. Place on a greased cookie sheet (I used parchment paper on mine and it worked great) and bake at 300 degrees F for 12-14 minutes.
9. Let cookies cool on baking rack or wax paper.
Optional: Drizzle melted chocolate chips over the top of each cookie

***IMPORTANT*** Hide them away or they will be gone in a blink~especially if I'm around =)

Slow Cooker Lasagna link:
http://www.kraftrecipes.com/recipes/slow-cooker-lasagna-114123.aspx

This was really, really good and pretty easy.  The only change I made is using cottage cheese instead of ricotta because I didn't have that in the house.

White Chicken Chili
2 lbs. diced chicken
48oz jar Great Northern Beans (use juice also)
16oz jar of salsa
8oz Monterey Jack Cheese (I've also used colby jack)
2tsp. Cumin (I skip this...kids don't care for it)
1tsp. Chili Powder
1 1/2 cup Chicken broth

Put all together in a crock pot and cook for 4 hours on high. Add salt, pepper or ground red pepper as desired.

While The Cookie Dough Chills...

I just made a batch of cookie dough for my snicker surprise cookies (a mini snickers baked inside cookie dough) yummy!!! Those are going to tip my scale in the wrong direction because I'm pretty sure I'll have to sample a dozen  few!!

The best part of the cookie is what is in the middle!!!  It gets all soft and gooey when baked.  It has to undergo the heat of the oven to melt the inside.

Oh how often I feel like that cookie!!!  I am baking in the heat, God melting me on the inside. Changing and growing all the time.

I would much rather be the cookie baking in the oven, then the dough just sitting in the bowl in the refrigerator!!

Friday, December 9, 2011

Monday, December 5, 2011

My Prayer Today

I had to laugh the other day as I was listening to my favorite radio station. The DJ was talking about how all these blogs she reads are always showing only the positive~warm fuzzy side of life of the author and how that just wasn't her life at all.  I chuckled because I'm afraid I've become one of 'them'.  I'll sit down to write something that is on my heart to share and end up deleting it because it exposes what goes on inside of me sometimes.  Honestly, I would much rather post a blog entry that encourages someone~but life just doesn't always work that way because sometimes life is just discouraging. Sometimes you just have a really bad day, or like today a really difficult afternoon.

So, here is a non-fuzzy post~sorry if it offends anyone that it's not a wrap yourself up in a cozy warm blanket with a cup of hot chocolate and be encouraged post. 

Sometimes I feel like I'm just completely all alone. People are selfish (yes, I will lump myself into that category~I'm not perfect by any means). They say they care, but they don't. They say they are praying, but they really aren't. They forget about you...even when they are supposed to remember. So, this is what I cried out to God today, because God is indeed the God of my hope, my need. He will never change. I have to believe that. I simply must believe.

God of my hope, God of my need
God of my pain that no one else will ever see.
God of my healing, God of my strength.
God who is always and will forever reign,
God of my everything.

God of my everything.

And when the mountains shake, you are my God. You never change.
And when the earth gives way, you are still God. You never change.