How about a cute little something to stir into your steamy cup of hot chocolate?  Look no further!
I found this idea on Pinterest, of course.  I plan on doing this for my little Bible Club attendees.

Won’t they love it?!

Source

Have you found any clever ideas on Pinterest lately?  I’d love to hear!

Stay refreshed,

The Lone Ranger was before my time, but who hasn’t heard of him, his horse, Silver, or his companion, Tonto?  He was a fighter of injustice in the Old West.  Being the Lone Ranger is okay in an old television series, but there’s no need to act him out in your Christian life.

In the book of Acts, we read about  the beginning of the Church.  Believers began to come together under the office of the church to worship, pray, give, fellowship and care for one another’s needs.  In Acts 2 we read:

Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls. And they continued stedfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.And fear came upon every soul: and many wonders and signs were done by the apostles.And all that believed were together, and had all things common  And sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had need. And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart, Praising God, and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved.

What a blessing!  We don’t have to struggle in our Christian life alone.  As believers in this Church Age, we have other Christians to encourage us, pray with us, share their testimonies of God’s goodness, fellowship with, and bear our burdens.  Why then do so many go it alone?  In other words…why are there so many Lone Ranger Christians?  Even the real Lone Ranger had Tonto! What does a Long Ranger Christian look like?  They don’t wear the black mask and ride a horse instead they…

If any of what I’ve shared is stinging to you, see it as the Holy Spirit drawing you to Truth.  He is the One who created the church.  Are you taking full advantage of the blessings of being a part of a good one   It’s much easier to live the Christian life in the church with other believers than to go it alone!  “Hi-yo, Silver!  Away…to church!

With love,

I love for the house to smell wonderful when I walk in!  Candles are a great aid to help with that great fragrance, but there are other creative ways to get those yummy smells.   Today’s post is an entry I shared many years ago from my friend, Vickie Stykes. She shared a great gift idea, as well as something that will make your own home smell like Christmas!

I love the smells of Christmas. The smell of freshly baked “holiday sweet treats”, homemade bread, cinnamon, fruits, scented candles, a clean house, fresh sheets made ready for guests and the air after a new snowfall. Even though we have many potpourri options in the stores, this homemade potpourri brings back the old-fashioned days of Christmas. Simmering on top your kitchen stove or wood burning stove or on a side burner this blend of fruits and spices will bring a special holiday aroma to your home. May your home be filled with holiday guests, days of family times with fun and laughter and making memories for the years to come. –Vickie Stykes

Christmas Fragrance Simmering Potpourri

Ingredients:
5-6 cinnamon sticks, broken
1 TBSP. lemon peel
½ cup whole cloves
¼ cup whole allspice
1 TBSP. orange peel
1 TBSP. nutmeg
1 TBSP. bay leaf pieces
2 slices apples, optional
½ orange, cut into quarters, leave peel on, optional

Directions:
Combine all ingredients and place in a simmer stove pot or in a crock pot. Cover with hot water, turn on high to bubbly, then on low to enjoy simmering scent. May be placed in refrigerator and reused several times. Just add more ingredients if scent loses aroma.

Thanks, Vickie!

With love,

May I re-post something I wrote a few years ago?  With my daughter’s anniversary looming, I thought back on when I was baking cupcakes for her wedding...

My kitchen has been busy the last couple of months with my Kitchen Aid running lots! No, I don’t have tins full of Christmas cookies, I have a freezer full of cupcakes and buttercream icing! Our daughter didn’t want a traditional wedding cake for her reception, but opted for cupcakes instead, so I offered to make them for her.

I found a great recipe and got after it a couple months ago. Being the “do-ahead” person, I made a batch at a time and froze them in double wrapped Ziploc Bags to keep them fresh. After the cupcakes were done, I started making double batches of Buttercream icing. Those bags are also stored in the freezer waiting to be the crowning glory of the cupcakes!

I won’t ice the cakes until the day before the wedding, but this weekend I did a trial run to see how they’d look. I bought a special decorating tip to pipe on the icing. Wow! Did that tip ever help! Here’s the finished product complete with sugar crystals…

These little cakes remind me of what a great marriage is like.

1. For the Christian couple, there is a recipe to follow for your marriage to work.

2. It’s our choice to keep the marriage fresh. Too many couples get married then quit dating each other. When children come along, they make them the focus so much that the marriage suffers. “Double wrapping” our marriage like I did the cupcakes means making real effort to keep communicating, spending time together, and building on the love that brought you together. Mommies are usually the one reluctant to leave their baby and go out on a date. Leave that little one with someone for an hour or two and go spend time with your husband! The baby will be fine! Your husband needs you too.

3. New tips will help your marriage. My new tip was a real help with getting the icing to be beautiful. After marriage, keep looking for Biblical helps for your marriage. Those “tips” can be found in the form of books by godly people, a couples’ retreat, or advice from a godly mentor. Keep challenging yourself. Keep learning and growing as a wife and homemaker. Having trouble keeping your house tidy? Ask someone that does that well how she does it! Can’t get a meal on the table quickly? Ask an older woman to teach you, or read books on quick cooking. We can all benefit from new tips!

4. Embellish your marriage with extra attention to detail. See those little crystal sugar sprinkles on top of the cake? That’s the part of marriage that takes it beyond having a good marriage to having a great one. It requires extra attention to – just like the cupcakes. They would taste fine without the sugar, but the embellishment makes them really special.

I am so blessed to have a husband who pours on lots of sugar (not just that kind) – the kind that lets me know that he really loves me. He brings me coffee in the morning poured into a mug he knows I’ll love. He leaves me notes on the bathroom mirror about something that just the two of us understand. He picks up the slack at home when I’m busy with life and he’ll fold a load of laundry or set the table when the meal is almost ready. He doesn’t have to do those things; our marriage would survive without all those sprinkles, but boy, it sure makes an ordinary marriage extraordinary! I am so blessed.

The point here is that we have to look for opportunities to pour it on. Buy his favorite candy bar, pick up his dry cleaning, run an errand for him even if it’s out of your way, or send him a text when he’s stressed. We have to look for ways to show our love in little ways and think of him instead of ourselves.

Recently I was at Cracker Barrel’s store and this older woman was reading their greeting cards. She saw me walking towards her and she said, “Here’s a good card! It says, ‘To my husband at Christmas, it’s not about what you give me for Christmas, it’s about what you give me all year long!’ That’s the truth and the men need to know that!” she said in a disgusted tone. I told her that I had a husband who was very thoughtful about doing little things for me all year. She looked at me like I was from Mars and then she said, “Well, you better appreciate him!” “Oh, I do!” I assured her. It’s easy to get the focus on ourselves and what our husband’s doing or not doing. Instead, we need to get out the sugar and sprinkle it on with great determination to let our love for him really show!

In today’s world, it’s rare to see a marriage that lasts longer than a batch of cupcakes. These are very simplistic analogies, but I encourage you to follow God’s recipe, keep it fresh, learn new tips, and then add the little touches that will not only help your marriage to last, but will take your marriage from average to fantastic!

What are you doing to keep your marriage fresh?

With love,

I’m making my Christmas baking plans and gearing up for some yummy treats!  I found this recipe for Divinity that’s done in the microwave!  I can’t wait to try it!

Another thing I’m thinking about making is a cake; it’s one I made for a birthday a couple years ago.  It’s the Chocolate Mint Cake from Southern Living.  It was incredible!  It’s a great cake for Christmas because of those two flavors of chocolate and mint that taste just like a Peppermint Patty!  

Chocolate Mint Cake
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate morsels
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 (16-ounce) package light brown sugar
3 large eggs
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 (8-ounce) container sour cream
1 cup hot water
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Preparation:  I would recommend baking the cake layers early in the week and freezing them.

Melt semisweet chocolate morsels in a microwave-safe bowl at HIGH for 30-second intervals until melted (about 1 1/2 minutes total time). Stir until smooth.

Beat butter and brown sugar at medium speed with an electric mixer, beating about 5 minutes or until well blended. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating just until blended after each addition. Add melted chocolate, beating just until blended.

Sift together flour, baking soda, and salt. Gradually add to chocolate mixture alternately with sour cream, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Beat at low speed just until blended after each addition. Gradually add 1 cup hot water in a slow, steady stream, beating at low speed just until blended. Stir in vanilla. Use immediately, following directions for desired cake.

Pour batter into 2 9-inch cake pans (or 3 8-inch pans).   Caution:  grease and paper the pans with waxed or parchment paper!  How do I know?  One of my layers got put in the freezer to be used for a trifle!  Bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean.  Cool in pans on wire racks 10 minutes; remove from pans, and let cool completely on wire racks.  Spread Peppermint filling between cake layers.  Spread Chocolate Ganache evenly on top and sides of cake.

Note:
The addition of hot water at the end of this recipe makes for an exceptionally moist cake.

Peppermint Filling
Ingredients

1/2 cup butter, softened
1 (16-oz.) package powdered sugar
1/3 cup milk
1/4 teaspoon peppermint oil

Preparation

1. Beat butter at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy; gradually add powdered sugar alternately with milk, beginning and ending with powdered sugar. Beat at low speed just until blended after each addition. Stir in peppermint oil. Refrigerate this filling so it will get to a spreading consistency.  Otherwise, it will just run down the sides of the cake layers.
Ingredients

Chocolate Ganache
1 (12-oz.) package semisweet chocolate morsels
1/2 cup whipping cream
3 tablespoons butter
Preparation

1. Microwave semisweet chocolate morsels and whipping cream in a 2-qt. microwave-safe bowl at MEDIUM (50% power) 2 1/2 to 3 minutes or until chocolate begins to melt. Whisk until chocolate melts and mixture is smooth. Whisk in butter, and let stand 20 minutes.
2. Beat at medium speed with an electric mixer 3 to 4 minutes or until soft peaks form. I had to refrigerate for a short amount of time.

Assemble the whole cake a day before and refrigerate it and it will slice perfectly and beautifully!

If you need a cake for a birthday, I would highly recommend this one!  Just plan ahead and it will be stress free!

With love from my country kitchen,