oh, and mmm…

dinner for tonight:

• beef tips and gravy over noodles
• corn on the cob
• steamed broccoli
• ranch bread
• stupid cheesecake squares (see below post)

I can hardly wait!!!

Piece of Cake, Right?

Cheesecake, that is. And no, not a piece of cake! Noah and I made a “messy memory” today. A big one. I am quite the fan of one-bowl recipes and this didn’t even hardly qualify. Try 4 bowls…and a cake pan. These things better be good! Umm…here we go as I try to convey the sheer difficulty of this task:

LINE 13×9-inch pan with foil with ends of foil extending over sides of pan. (not quite as easy as one might have hoped when the foil tears because you went against your better judgment and bought the Dollar General brand when you heart was beating ‘Reynold’s Wrap, Reynolds Wrap’) Mix graham crumbs, butter and 2 Tbsp. sugar. Press firmly onto bottom of prepared pan. (If only it were that easy. You see, we all know this, but we never talk about it: the crumbs never just press beautifully into a pan. You ALWAYS have big crumbs that wouldn’t crush and there is NEVER, I mean NEVER, enough crust to line the whole bottom of whatever size pan the recipe called for. Every time I say to myself ‘next time I am either going to use a smaller pan or double the crust recipe’- but I never do.) Refrigerate while preparing filling.

MICROWAVE 6 of the chocolate squares in microwaveable bowl (so far, so good) on HIGH 1 min.; stir until chocolate is completely melted. Cool slightly. Beat cream cheese, 1/2 cup sugar and the vanilla in large bowl (they should have included ‘bigger than the Grand Canyon’ size bowl because that was what it necessitated) with electric mixer on medium speed until well blended. Gently stir in whipped topping (try to be graceful doing this- I dare you!). Pour half of the batter into medium bowl (do they make some kind of appartus that measures out half because I always measure too little?); stir in melted chocolate. Pour over crust (what does one assume one crumbly crust + one VERY thick batter =? That’s right, dear friends…a mixed-together crust and chocolate cheesecake batter! Definitely my most-frustrating point in the dessert-making process!; cover with remaining plain batter (surprisingly easy- though I will say the cakes are probably going to look a little more “marbled” than one might have preferred).

MELT remaining 2 chocolate squares as directed on package (I didn’t have enough squares so I pressed pecans into the cakes to garnish); drizzle over batter. Refrigerate 3 hours or until firm. Using foil handles, remove cheesecake from pan (we haven’t reached this point yet, but I am sure I will have something facitious to say about it later this evening); cut into bars. Store in tightly covered container in refrigerator.

Bless His Heart=)

There is a young boy in Stanford, KY, that has been diagnosed with Leukemia.  He has decided that he wants to make the Guinness Book of World Records for receiving the most Get Well Soon cards.  Please help him achieve his goal and give him some encouragement.  Below is his address…

Josh Adkins

124 Edgewood

Stanford KY 40484

Please pass this along even if you don’t send a card!!!

Great Post on Marriage

If you ever wanted to know the keys to a great marriage relationship, check this out!

A True Friend…

loves at all times, listens at all times, and..well…can tell you your future. My friend Kacie sent me an email to this link. She said it will be me in a few years. Am I mistaken? Or is it me now? I laughed so hard reading this. I can SO relate!

The Least I Can Do

For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.Eph 2:8-9 (NASB)

You never asked me to stretch out my arms
No one put nails in my hands
I’ll never feel the weight of the world
Or carry that cross on my back
Nothing I do could ever repay
All that You did on that day

You took my place up there on that tree
You paid the price so that I could be free
You died for me
Now living for You
Lord, that’s the least I can do

You never send me out on my own
You’re always leading the way
All that You ask for is a home in my heart
And only a small seed of faith
I know You gave me all that I have
So why wouldn’t I give it back

You didn’t have to walk down that road
You didn’t have to rescue my soul
Lay down Your life just for me
I should’ve been taking those steps
It should’ve been my last breath
But You just want me to believe

I heard this song, by Scott Krippayne (one of my absolute favorite song writers!), for the first time today. Is it clear by this point that music greatly ministers to my heart on a daily basis? I feel like I am always posting a song=)

I was very taken aback by the beautiful music and poignant lyrics. My heart was instantly moved and I was struck by what a joke I often make of the gift of salvation. I feel like many times I have found myself attempting to turn salvation into something its not. If I am not careful, I will fall prey to the temptation to try and earn it. Other days, my actions will make a mockery of Christ’s death. It is something I often take for granted.

Praise be to God, however, that each morning His mercies are new and I am given another day to seek His face, tell others about Him, and learn more about Him myself.

Just wanted to share=)

Oprah Today

I have never been an Oprah watcher, but when I heard what her show was about today, I couldn’t help myself. This really made me want to take better care of myself. Here is the link.

I got a job!

Not that I wasn’t content with the one I was doing LOL, but I will be working one day a week, Friday, at Curves- where I work out! I am so excited. I will work 6a.m.- 1p.m. so I will be working about 2 hours while everyone is still asleep and be done by the boys naps! Praise the Lord! We needed this so much but David didn’t really want me working- for many reasons. But this fit perfectly! Yay for God who is the giver of all good things and always knows what’s best!!! Glory to Him!

Praise, prayer, both…

I got some news from my dad a little while ago. They are fairly certain my mom’s cancer is confined to her leg! Most of her internal organs are clear and her bone scan came back normal. She has a PET scan tomorrow (brain) so we’ll see what that says soon.

Surgery is to follow and then she will begin interferon treatments.

Keep praying!

More on glory…

This morning I read from Spurgeon:

“It is, perhaps, one of the hardest struggles of the Christian life to learn this sentence- ‘not to us, O Lord, not unto us, but to your name give glory.’ It is a lesson that God is always teaching us, and teaching us sometimes by the most painful discipline. Let a Christian begin to boast, ‘I can do all things,’ without adding ‘through Christ who strengthens me,’ and long before he will have to groan, ‘I can do nothing’ and bemoan himself in the dust. When we do anything for the Lord, and He is pleased to accept our doings, let us lay our crown at His feet and exclaim, ‘Not I, but the grace of God that is with me.’”

How too often I find myself in that situation as a believer. I was so impacted by my devotional this morning that glory to God is everything. It is necessary in everything. When I sit back and grasp that I can do nothing apart from his grace (as my friend Heather shared yesterday), I have no choice but to stand amazed by it.

Perspective is everything. I don’t think enough is said of one’s perspective. I can be capable of doing so many things. But if I do not have the perspective that none of it was possible without God working in me and through me, then He will not get the glory…and I will not please the Lord.

God is a selfish God, remember that! As Spurgeon also said:

“The moment we glorify ourselves, since there is room for one glory only in the universe, we set ourselves up as rivals to the Most High…”

He wants the glory. He will get it. And the more I grow, physically and spiritually (thank you Lord!), I want to give it to Him! Especially when I realize that my best effort to do anything is nothing in light of what Christ can do in me.