Thankful Thursdays

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

157. sunshine
158. new furniture smell
159. clean windows
160. hydrangeas 
161. giant chocolate chip cookies
162. answered prayers
163. backyard views

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

This super giant and very delicious cookie is not only simple to make, but also very easy to share!

Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Oatmeal Skillet Cookie 

{photo credit and recipe website}

Ingredients:
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
1 large egg
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt, optional and to taste
1 1/2 cups old-fashioned whole rolled oats (not quick cook or instant)
one 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
ice cream, optional

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350°F, spray oven-safe skillet with cooking spray,set skillet aside. 
In a large microwave-safe bowl, melt the butter, about 1 minute.
To the melted butter, add sugar, egg, vanilla, and whisk or stir vigorously to combine, for about 1 minute, slightly fluffing up the batter. 
Add the flour, baking soda, salt, and stir until just incorporated. 
Add the oats and stir to combine. 
Pour slightly less than three-quarters of the dough into the skillet, reserving about 1 1/4 cups to be crumbled on at the end; set skillet and large mixing bowl with reserved dough aside.
In a small bowl, combine sweetened condensed milk and peanut butter and stir until smooth.
Pour mixture over the dough in the skillet.
Evenly sprinkle the chocolate chips over the top. 
Drop tablespoon-sized chunks of the reserved dough into the skillet, dispersing then as uniformly as possible over the surface, which forms the crumble topping.
Bake for about 25 minutes, or until edges begin to barely crisp up and most of the top surface of the cookie has set. {The center may not be completely set; this is okay because cookie will continue to cook in the skillet after it's been pulled from the oven, noting that there is a fairly significant carryover cooking effect with cast iron; so don't over bake in the oven because cookie is meant to be very gooey.}
Yield: Makes one 10 1/4-inch skillet cookie
Enjoy!

Take Care

Porch sitting

I sit on my porch and my mind wanders. Situations play out in movie-like quality, conversations, interactions, moments in life. What I would say if “this” happened or what I would do if “that” happened. Maybe it’s my over-active imagination, or the fact that I read to much, but it happens all the time. Taking my thoughts to a place…  they’re not bad thoughts, they’re just… a lot.

I watch the birds flit around dancing through the air.  The trees sway in the wind their branches whispering to me. And it seems they are speaking to the stream of thoughts running endlessly through my mind.

It’s hard for me to sit still when there is so much more to be doing.

“There is a time for everything,

and a season for every activity under the heavens. 

Ecclesiastes 3:1

{New International Version {NIV}}

It implies waiting and patience. It doesn’t fit in our fast-paced, get-it-done, make-every-second count world. But as I stare at the trees I’m reminded of how we’re created to live. We need silence and stillness because it’s in those moments that growth happens.

God isn’t in a hurry. He never runs out of time because He has eternity. The expectations I place on myself are more mine than His.

I seem to hear another whisper as I sit on the porch. This time it comes not from the branches of the trees but from within my heart. The One who loves me whispers “Shhh, shhh.” 

It sounds like an invitation. And this time I listen, embracing the new stillness in and around me.

There will be time tomorrow, or the next day…whenever the season is right.

Take Care

Keeping my focus

I was doing fine.

Or so I thought…

Those last few weeks before the move were busy to say the least. Trying to keep my focus only on the good, the next thing on the list, making the hundreds of decisions, and getting everything ready for the big day!  In my flurry of activity ~ packing, purging, thinking, organizing, recycling, and cleaning, I had been holding things together pretty well.

But, I knew it was coming. I just didn’t know when.

I know myself well enough that when life feels overwhelming, I need to take some time and refocus, get refreshed and regroup. And sometimes, most times, that happens through tears.

This week, I’ve been unpacking the thousands {slight exaggeration} of boxes and deciding where to put it all in our new house.  And I've had more than my share of tears this week. Tears of joy. Tears of sadness. Tears of satisfaction. Overwhelming tears of “what have we done.”

But this is what were supposed to do, right? 

Life is changing, but God is in the changes.

That comforts me today. Through the changes of life, we are not alone. God is with us, and it’s going to be okay.

Do you find yourself in the middle of a change?  What brings you comfort?

Take Care

Thankful Thursdays

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

150. moving trucks and men
151. pizza & beer
152. walks along the river
153. raspberry muffins
154. freshly laundered clothes
155. somersby apple cider
156. watermelons

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 ~ The Liar

I’m always excited when I see a new romantic suspense novel by Nora Roberts.

From the back cover 
Shelby Foxworth lost her husband. Then she lost her illusions …

The man who took her from Tennessee to an exclusive Philadelphia suburb left her in crippling debt. He was an adulterer and a liar, and when Shelby tracks down his safe-deposit box, she finds multiple IDs. The man she loved wasn’t just dead. He never really existed.

Shelby takes her three-year-old daughter and heads south to seek comfort in her hometown, where she meets someone new: Griff Lott, a successful contractor. But her husband had secrets she has yet to discover. Even in this small town, surrounded by loved ones, danger is closer than she knows—and threatens Griff, as well. And an attempted murder is only the beginning … 

We meet Shelby Foxworth shortly after her husband died in a boating accident.  Shelby is left three million dollars in debt and with a young daughter, Callie, to care for. It turns out her husband was a conman and philanderer, and the life Shelby thought she was living was a lie. So, she packs everything she still owns and returns to her hometown ~ Rendezvous Ridge, Tennessee, ~ to start over and be near her family.

But things aren’t 100% peachy though. Shelby lost contact with her friends and family when she married Richard, and there are hurt feelings. Shelby meets sexy contractor, Griff, and allows herself the space to move on with him. Initially she feels guilty, but as the extent of Richard’s deception becomes clear, she realizes she married a lie. Griff and Shelby’s happiness is threatened when Richard’s past {and past associates} show up to menace them. It seems that someone is out there watching her every move and soon her peaceful hometown will not be so peaceful anymore...

The Liar revolves around Shelby’s husband’s secrets and the danger they bring. The fun of it is watching Shelby uncover the pieces of the puzzle and put them together with the help of Griff and their loved ones.  It’s not just a romance, but a story of family, home, and building dreams. Of mystery, danger, and deception.  It’s impossible not to be drawn into this story, and into the lives of its characters. It’s the perfect blend of suspense and romance for me. The mystery was there but enhanced rather than overshadowed the romance.

Perhaps my favourite thing about The Liar was Shelby’s character growth. At the beginning of the book we see her as a widow almost completely overwhelmed by the mass of deceit her husband’s death reveals. I admired her strength from the start, how she pulls herself up and does what needs to be done to make a better life for her daughter. The Griff/Shelby romance will make you smile and sigh, every up and down in their relationship is worth it for the wonderfully satisfying happily ever after.

Though it’s pretty clear what’s going on and who is behind it, it really doesn’t hurt the story any. The ending while predictable was also very enjoyable.

What would you do if you found out your life was a lie?

Take Care

mhmm monday

Raspberry Sour Cream Coffee Cake Muffins

{photo credit & recipe website}

Ingredients:
Topping:
1 cup all-purpose flour
2/3 granulated sugar
Grated lemon zest (zest of 1/2 to 3/4 lemon)
8 tablespoons (1 stick) salted butter, melted
Muffins:
1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 eggs
1 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Put paper liners into standard muffin tins
Make the crumb topping:
In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, and lemon zest.
Add the melted butter and stir with a fork until crumbly.
Set aside.
Make the muffin batter:
Stir together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, sour cream, and vanilla until well blended.
Make a well in the center of the dry mix and add the wet ingredients.
Mix until smooth.
Add 2 heaping tablespoons of batter into each muffin cup.
Cover the batter evenly with berries. 
Sprinkle the streusel crumb topping over the batter and berries until completely covered.
Bake in preheated oven for 20-25 minutes or until tops are golden brown and toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes in the pan then remove muffins and cool on a wire rack
Enjoy!

Take Care