mhmm monday

These shortcut chocolate croissants could not be any easier. Filled with rich chocolate, topped with more chocolate, and only 20 minutes from start to finish.

Chocolate Croissants

{photo credit & recipe website}

Ingredients:
1 can (8 oz) Pillsbury™ refrigerated crescent dinner rolls 
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips or chopped pure chocolate
1 large egg, beaten 
1/4 teaspoon shortening, optional

Directions:
Heat oven to 350F°.
Line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper. Set aside.
Separate crescent roll dough into 8 triangles. Sprinkle about 1 Tablespoon of chocolate chips/chunks on top of each triangle. {Use your best judgement} Press chips down lightly to get them to stick. 
Reserve remaining chocolate chips.
Roll up, starting from wide end and rolling to opposite point. Place onto baking sheet and curve into croissant shape. 
Brush the croissants lightly with beaten egg - this helps gives them that golden sheen.
Bake 12 to 17 minutes or until deep golden brown. 
Remove from cookie sheet and allow to cool for 5 minutes. 
Melt the remaining chocolate in the microwave in 10 second increment, stirring after each increment. Add shortening to thin out if desired. 
Drizzle over croissants and serve warm. 
Try adding fresh whipped cream or even salted caramel on top. 
Leftovers keep well covered tightly at room temperature for 3 days.
Enjoy!

Take Care

Thankful Thursdays

…and so we continue counting the things we are thankful for…

234. road trips
235. shasta daisies
236. razor blades
237. quiet moments
238. half-priced app’ies
239. morning devotions
240. oreo cheesecakes

Will you join me as we begin to be truly thankful for each day, and for each opportunity given to us, and who knows? we might just see how truly blessed we really are.

Because a thankful heart is a happy heart! 

Take Care

# 65

For the past several years, I've made a goal to read 100 books in one year.  This year though I decided to add a book review every so often.

Having just finished book #65, I thought I'd give an update:
# 1 Die Again ~ Tess Gerristen
# 2 Sinners & Saints ~ Eileen Dreyer
# 3 The Consequences ~ Colette Friedman
# 4 Promise Me ~ Harlan Coben
# 5 Hush ~ Karen Robards
# 6 Getting Rid of Matthew ~ Jane Fallon
# 7 Vintage ~ Susan Gloss
# 8 Seconds Away ~ Harlan Coben
# 9 Eyes Wide Open ~ Ted Dekker
# 10 Last Seen Leaving ~ Kelly Braffet
# 11 Necessary Lies ~ Dianne Chamberlain
# 12 White Plague ~ James Abel
# 13 The Bishop’s Wife ~ Mette Ivie Harrison
# 14 Choose the wrong guy, give him the wrong finger ~ Beth Harbison
# 15 Therapy ~ Jonathan Kellerman
# 16 The Juror ~ George Dawes Green
# 17 The Delicate Storm ~ Giles Blunt 
# 18 Digital Fortress ~ Dan Brown
# 19 Heartstone ~ Phillip Margolin
# 20 Too Close to Home ~ Lynette Eason
# 21 Don’t Look Back ~ Lynette Eason
# 22 A Killer Among Us ~ Lynette Eason
# 23 Trespasser ~ Paul Doiron
# 24 Crash & Burn ~ Lisa Gardner
# 25 Lizzy & Jane ~ Katherine Reay
# 26 The Power of Three ~ Laura Lippman
# 27 The Girl in the Green raincoat ~ Laura Lippman 
# 28 What we’ve lost is Nothing ~ Rachel Louise Snyder
# 29 Someone’s is Watching ~ Joy Fielding
# 30 What the Dead Know ~ Laura Lippman
# 31 Deadly Devotion ~ Sandra Orchard
# 32 I’d know you anywhere ~ Laura Lippman
# 33 NYPD Red ~ James Patterson
# 34 The Never Never Sisters ~ L. Allison Heller
# 35 The Mermaid’s Child ~ Jo Baker
# 36 Secrets of a Charmed Life ~ Susan Meissner
# 37 The Accidental Book Club ~ Jennifer Scott
# 38 Every Fifteen Minutes ~ Lisa Scottoline
# 39 Left Neglected ~ Lisa Genova 
# 40 Love Anthony ~ Lisa Genova
# 41 One mile Under ~ Andrew Gross
# 42 Life or Death ~ Michael Robotham
# 43 The Stranger ~ Harlan Coben
# 44 The Liar ~ Nora Roberts
# 45 Bleed for me ~ Michael Robotham
# 46 The Fall ~ John Lescroat
# 47 The Forgotten Room ~ Lincoln Child
# 48 Bones Never Lie ~ Kathy Reichs
# 49 The Guest Cottage ~ Nancy Thayer
# 50 Memory Man ~ David Baldacci
# 51 Saving Grace ~ Jane Green
# 52 Cash Landing ~ James Grippando
# 53 Truth or Die ~ James Patterson
# 54 Breaking Creed ~ Alex Kava
# 55 Blackberry Winter ~ Sarah Jio
# 56 The Secret between us ~ Barbara Delinsky
# 57 Buried Secrets ~ Irene Hannon
# 58 As Night Falls ~ Jenny Milchman
# 59 The Last Breath ~ Kimberly Belle
# 60 The Violets  of March ~ Sarah Jio
# 61 Alert ~ James Patterson
#62 Broken Promise ~ Linwood Barclay
#63 The Bungalow ~ Sarah Jio
#64 Morning Glory ~ Sarah Jio
#65 Wildflower Hill~ Kimberley Freedman

What are you reading these days?

Take Care

mhmm monday

One of my favourite chicken recipes that Krystle makes is a Chicken Parmesan, hands down. I love the salty, cheesy, ooey-gooey, sauce-filled bliss.  So when I found this super easy, lots of cheesy saucy goodness, I knew it was something I could make.

Stuffed Chicken Parmesan 

{photo credit & recipe website}

Ingredients:
4 chicken breasts, butterflied 
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese 
1 cup garted parmesan cheese 
1 cup+ pasta sauce 
1-2 cloves garlic, diced 
basil, to taste 
salt, pepper, to taste

Directions:
Carefully slice chicken breasts in half, keeping them in-tact, so they open like a butterfly.
Salt and pepper liberally, add garlic (if you like extra garlicky chicken parm, you can add as much as 2 cloves per chicken breast!)
Add sauce and cheeses, as well as some chopped basil (I put in whole basil leaves- but that is up to you and how much basil you like.)
Wrap in foil and bake at 350 for 15 minutes.
Open foil pouch and add a handful of cheese to the top.
Continue baking with foil open for another 15 minutes, or until chicken is fully cooked and juices run clear.
Top with additional chopped basil.
Enjoy!

This delicious, lighter chicken parmesan is baked to cheesy perfection!

Take Care

Thankful Thursday

…and so we continue counting the things we are thankful for…

227. ultrasound pictures
228. lunch dates
229. techie girls
230. instagram
231. sunflowers
232. citrus sommersby
233. thrift-store shopping

Will you join me as we begin to be truly thankful for each day, and for each opportunity given to us, and who knows? we might just see how truly blessed we really are.

Because a thankful heart is a happy heart! 

Take Care

Our journey

In a few weeks my husband and I will be celebrating 29 years of wedded bliss.
Okay, maybe not bliss, but happiness and love.
Okay, I’ll just be honest here…
29 years of learning how to love each other.

We’ve had some glorious, and amazing mountain-top moments:
Our wedding day.
Our honeymoon in Jamaica
Each time we found out we were expecting - three times in four years!
The weekend retreat that saved our marriage.
Celebrating how God saved the hub’s life after the car accident.

Let me tell you, we’ve also experienced time of valleys and lows:
In year seven, the kids and I moved out for a while.
When the fights were hard and long and awful.
When our days were filled with selfishness, stubbornness, and unhappiness.

The good has always outweighed the bad. We’ve come through some major obstacles and trials, but no matter how difficult things got, we’ve walked through them together. {Even if we wanted to smack each other upside the head.}

Seriously though, it’s been a journey of learning how to love each other. Learning what’s important to each other. Learning how each other “ticks.” Learning our individual weaknesses and strengths, and how to support each other in them.

Learning how to love each other has been a gift.

I was reminded this week how far we’ve come. And as I recalled some of our memorable moments, I was reminded of something else: Learning to love this husband of mine has been a great gift. It hasn’t always been easy, and it hasn’t always been bliss.

We won’t ever claim to have the perfect marriage, but we do have the perfect union: My husband, me, and God who joined us together.

Take Care

tasty tuesday

Chocolate, peanut butter and bananas... can it get any better than that? Just try it and decide for yourself.

Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana Bread 

{photo credit & recipe website}

Ingredients:
5 tablespoons chocolate peanut butter 
3 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon canola oil, divided 
3 tablespoons butter, softened 
½ cup packed brown sugar 
2 medium ripe bananas, sliced 
2 large eggs 
1½ cups all-purpose flour 
¾ teaspoon baking soda 
½ teaspoon baking powder 
½ teaspoon salt 
⅔ cup buttermilk 
¼ to ⅓ cup dark chocolate chunks

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350F.
In a microwave safe bowl, combine chocolate peanut butter and 1 teaspoon of the oil. Microwave on high until melted, about 30 seconds; stir. Combine 3 tablespoons oil, butter, brown sugar and banana in a large bowl, and beat with a mixer on medium-high speed until well combined. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition.
Combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a separate bowl. With the mixer running at low speed, all the flour mixture and the buttermilk alternately to banana mixture, beginning and ended with the flour mixture. Mix until just combined.
Pour half of the batter into a greased 9x5 inch loaf pan. Top with peanut butter mixtures. Spread the remaining batter over the top. Using a wooden pick or knife, gently swirl the batter. Sprinkle the top of the batter with dark chocolate chunks.
Bake for 55 minutes, or until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out with moist crumbs clinging. Cool 10 minutes in the pan on a wire rack. Remove the bread from the pan, then allow to cool completely on rack.
Enjoy!

Take Care

The Maelstrom

Today, in my devotional “Jesus Calling” by Sarah Young I read this:

Find me in the midst of the maelstrom. Sometimes events whirl around you so quickly that they become a blur.  Whisper My Name in recognition that I am still with you.  Without shipping a beat in the activities that occupy you, you find strength and Peace through praying My Name.  Later, when the happening have run their course, you can talk with me more fully.

Accept each day just as it comes to you.  Do not waste your time and energy wishing for a different set of circumstances.  Instead, trust Me enough to yield to My design and purposes.  Remember that nothing can separate you form my Loving Presence: you are Mine.

“Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name

that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, 

in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue 

acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

Philippians 2:9-11 {New International Version {NIV}}

“But now, this is what the Lord says - he who created you, Jacob,

he who formed you, Israel: 

‘Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; 

I have summoned you by name; you are mine.’ ”

Isaiah 43:1 {New International Version {NIV}}

These lines “Accept each day just as it comes to you.  Do not waste your time and energy wishing for a different set of circumstances.  Instead, trust Me enough to yield to My design and purposes” ~ really spoke to me; especially after the week I just had.  Too often I get caught up in the circumstances of my illness and I struggle with the purpose of it all. Perhaps I am not to understand it, but to simply trust that regardless of my situation He is still with me.

It's wonderful when God lovingly reminds me of this.

Take Care

It is what it is

It’s been a rough week…

I’m tired.

I’m tired of talking about it

I’m tired of living with it.

And probably, more than anything else

I’m tired of being tired of it.

Sometimes the days are just tough, aren‘t they ? 

But even in the tough days, something can be learned.

Sometimes, I feel like I’m hanging on for dear life, and maybe that’s just the perfect place for me.

To keep hanging on.  To never give up. To keep looking for the good.

Romans 8:28 {New International Version {NIV}} reminds us “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”

I don’t get it, and probably never will.

But maybe, I’m not supposed to.

Because it is what it is...

Take Care

Thankful Thursdays

…and so we continue counting the things we are thankful for…

220. peanut butter cookies

221. peach pepper jelly
222. drive in movie theatres
223. fruit smoothie icecream bars
224. gala fundraiser dinners
225. wings & beer date nights
226. k-cups coffee/tea

Will you join me as we begin to be truly thankful for each day, and for each opportunity given to us, and who knows? we might just see how truly blessed we really are.

Because a thankful heart is a happy heart! 

Take Care

Book Review ~ Broken Promise

Recently I had a hankering for a good suspense read ~ the kind that you can lose yourself in the plot and characters and have a little edge of your seat action.

Linwood Barclay’s latest book, Broken Promise, hit the spot.   I’ve read a couple of his novels and have loved the gripping suspense, ruthless killers and unexpected twists. The plot of Broken Promise sounded interesting so it wasn’t until it arrived, I discovered it referred to as Promise Falls #1 and I was excited to read the first in a new series.

From the Back Cover
After his wife’s death and the collapse of his newspaper, David Harwood has no choice but to uproot his nine-year-old son and move back into his childhood home in Promise Falls, New York. David believes his life is in free fall, and he can’t find a way to stop his descent.

Then he comes across a family secret of epic proportions. A year after a devastating miscarriage, David’s cousin Marla has continued to struggle. But when David’s mother asks him to check on her, he’s horrified to discover that she’s been secretly raising a child who is not her own—a baby she claims was a gift from an “angel” left on her porch.

When the baby’s real mother is found murdered, David can’t help wanting to piece together what happened—even if it means proving his own cousin’s guilt. But as he uncovers each piece of evidence, David realizes that Marla’s mysterious child is just the tip of the iceberg.

Other strange things are happening. Animals are found ritually slaughtered. An ominous abandoned Ferris wheel seems to stand as a warning that something dark has infected Promise Falls. And someone has decided that the entire town must pay for the sins of its past…in blood. 

Broken Promise has all the elements {a good mystery, a multitude of characters harbouring dark secrets and chequered pasts and of course family drama} but the delivery is a bit slow. It wasn’t a bad read, quite the opposite, with multiple plot lines and diverse cast of characters; it was intricate and well written.  There was a lot of other stuff happening in the background but it added a lot of flavour, rather than be too confusing. I had a hard time putting it down.  I enjoyed seeing how these plots weaved around each other and were resolved in the end ... well, for the most part.

At the end of Broken Promise, we’re left hanging just a bit with some unfinished business… but Barclay’s obviously setting the scene for future novels in this series. Not so much to be frustrating but just enough to have us coming back for more. And you can bet that I will be.  And that's a promise!

What a fabulous first-in-a-series read it is! I enjoyed this so much I’m eagerly awaiting the next book in the series.

Take Care

mhmm monday

These are a cinnamony cupcake with cinnamon-sugar cream cheese icing. Can you say yum!

Snickerdoodle Cupcakes

{photo credit & recipe website}

Ingredients:
Cake:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups cake flour
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 Tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 3/4 cups sugar
4 large eggs, at room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups whole milk
Icing:
12 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 pound powdered sugar, sifted
2 Tablespoons brown sugar
1/2 Tablespoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Topping:
2 Tablespoons sugar + 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line 28 muffin tins with paper liners.
Sift together both flours, baking powder, salt and cinnamon.
In a large mixing bowl, cream together butter and sugar until pale and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until each is incorporated, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Beat in vanilla. Add the flour mixture in three parts, alternating with additions of milk, beating until combined after each addition.
Divide batter evenly among lined cups, filling each about 3/4 full. Bake about 20 minutes, or until toothpick inserted into the center of one of the cupcakes comes out clean. Remove to a wire rack to cool completely before icing.
Prepare frosting: In a medium bowl, use electric mixer to blend cream cheese and butter. Add sugars, vanilla and ground cinnamon. Spread onto cooled cupcakes, or scoop into piping bag and pipe on the frosting decoratively. Place sugar-cinnamon mixture in a fine sieve and tap it lightly over the cupcakes to give them a light sprinkle.
Enjoy!

Take Care

words

sometimes, i want to use them to…

retaliate

or

cast blame

sometimes, i want to use them to…

inflict doubt

or

cause pain

sometimes, i want to use them to…

cause distress

or

bring anguish

sometimes, i…

too honest?

too transparent?

good.

i want to be both

why?

i struggle

maybe you do, too

the natural me wants rule, speaking damaging, spiteful words

to speak hurt instead of hope

to speak venom instead of victory

to speak retaliation instead of restoration

to speak what comes naturally

i fight it, not wanting to submit to it

but, i know…

on my own, i’m unable to control my mouth and the words that roll off my tongue

i need HIM

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

those who consider themselves religious and yet do not keep a tight rein

on their tongues deceive themselves, and their religion is worthless

~ James 1:26

set a guard over my mouth, Lord;

keep watch over the door of my lips

~ Psalm 141:3

(may) my mouth be filled with your praise,

declaring your splendor all day long

~ Psalm 71:8

do not let any unwholesome talk come out of (my mouth),

but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs

~ Ephesians 4:29

Take Care

Thankful Thursdays

…and so we continue counting the things we are thankful for…

213. s’mores
214. holiday weekends
215. fresh tomatoes off the vine
216. shade trees
217. iced tea
218. beaches
219. dq blizzards

Will you join me as we begin to be truly thankful for each day, and for each opportunity given to us, and who knows? we might just see how truly blessed we really are.

Because a thankful heart is a happy heart! 

Take Care

tasty tuesday

Grab the Reese’s Pieces, grab the Cake Mix… and get ready for chocolately peanut butter goodness!

Reese’s Pieces Chocolate Cake Mix Cookies

{photo credit & recipe website}

Ingredients:
1 box Betty Crocker Super Moist Milk Chocolate Cake Mix {15.25 oz.} 
1/2 cup Vegetable or Canola Oil 
2 eggs 
1 bag Reeses Mini Pieces Peanut Butter Candy baking chips, 10 oz. {approx. 1 and 1/3 cups} 

Directions:
Combine cake mix, eggs, and oil in large mixing bowl, and beat well. 
Stir in Reeses Mini Pieces baking chips. 
Drop onto ungreased cookie sheet in rounded balls. 
Bake for approx. 8 – 9 minutes {or until done} at 350°F.
Enjoy!

That’s it! So easy, and SO delicious! No one will know how easy these are to make, so just sit back and enjoy the compliments. Be sure to make these Reese’s Pieces Chocolate Cake Mix Cookies, your cravings will thank you later!

Take Care

Just Blog It

I’ve been writing/journaling for as long as I can remember.  From my first blue fuzzy ‘dear diary’ to my school lined spiral bound book, to hard cover journals, right up till now with blogging on-line.

It was a lifeline.

It IS a lifeline.

When I began blogging, more than 7 years ago now, I had no idea what I was doing.  I have fumbled and bumbled my way through much of it.  But I was willing to give it a try in order to reach my goal. My goal?Simply put, to leave a permanent record of my thoughts about my life.

I’ve often wondered if I should keep it up.

You see, I really I struggle with comparing myself to other bloggers. The number of followers, the amount of comments on a post ~ these things that I see other people getting can be discouraging.  There’s also this thought that I may not be living up to the very thing I am writing about. I know life is a journey and my walk with God is a process and that I am likely going to fail in some way, each and every day.  Perhaps multiple times a day. But, I want to share things that are real. And here’s what I’m learning ~ there is still a long way I have to go in this journey.   

I’m reluctant to call myself a writer. I didn’t go to school for writing.  Even when I started my blog, I didn’t think of myself as a writer. I called myself a blogger.   I simply write because I enjoy it, it’s an online journal for our family, and it’s helpful for me to process the things that God is doing in my heart by writing it out.  

Writing ministers to me in a way I never thought it could.  It’s how I process my thoughts, think through situations and how I solve problems that I am faced with.  It has caused me to read more, think deeper, and sit in awe of Who my God truly is and all that He does in my life.

Writing is the most important thing I do for myself.  

Take Care