The Great Hunt

Our family likes to have a

live Christmas tree!

We've been going to the same place almost

every year for over 25 years!

I can remember pulling Bri in a

sled when she was only 1 when we went there!

This year though it was nice and warm out

We took our time finding just the right one

Along the way we saw this little tiny nest--we think it was 

something small like a hummingbird.

I wonder why it abandoned it's nest?

We use Brad as a measuring stick for height! lol

Looks like this might be a contender

The guys carry it back to get it shaken

and wrapped...

I guess it's a Wrap! lol

Thanksgiving Blessings

We had a Happy Thanksgiving, I hope that you did too!

We have so much to be thankful for, I'm glad there

is a day set aside especially for us to thank God

for His goodness to us!

Here is the organic turkey we buy from a farm all

ready to go into the oven

So happy and thankful that we had

a house full of people this year!

 That I may publish with the voice of thanksgiving,

 and tell of all thy wondrous works.  Psalm 26:7

Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving, 

and make a joyful noise unto him with psalms. Psalm 95:2

PUMPKIN POUND CAKE RECIPE

Whipperberry credit

INGREDIENTS FOR PUMPKIN POUND CAKE

2-1/2 cups sugar

1 cup canola oil

3 eggs

3 cups flour

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon Cinnamon

1 teaspoon nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 can (15 ounces) solid-pack pumpkin

DIRECTIONS

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Spray a bundt pan with non-stick spray. Set aside. Stir together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Set aside. Whisk together your sugar, oil, eggs, and pumpkin. Fold in the dry ingredients and stir until combined. Pour into your pan and bake for 1 hour, or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Check out the Whipperberry site for more great ideas!

Give Thanks

Cream Cheese-Filled Pumpkin Bread

LINK to Iheartnaptime.net

Cream cheese filled pumpkin bread

yield: MAKES 1 LARGE LOAF AND 1 SMALL LOAF

 

prep time: 20 MINUTES

 

cook time: 55-60 MINUTES

 

total time: 1 HOUR 20 MINUTES

Ingredients:

• For the bread:
• 2 eggs
• 3/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 15 oz can pumpkin puree
• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• For filling:
• 8 oz cream cheese
• 3/4 cup powder sugar

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 350°.

In a large bowl mix together with beater eggs, oil, sugar and vanilla. Fold in pumpkin. In a separate bowl mix together the flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Then stir the dry ingredients into the pumpkin mixture.

In separate bowl mix together with beater the cream cheese and powdered sugar until smooth. Place in a ziplock bag and then cut off the tip, to make it easier to spread over the pumpkin mixture.

Grease your pans and then fill the pan half way with the pumpkin mixture. Spread the cream cheese mixture over the top. Then pour the pumpkin mixture over the top of the cream cheese filling (no more than 3/4 the way full). Bake for 55-65 minutes. For the small loaf pan bake for 25-35 minutes, or until a tooth pick comes clean.

Pumpkin Cheesecake Snickerdoodles

I saw this on Pinterest and they sound amazing!

LINK & PHOTO CREDIT

Pumpkin Cheesecake Snickerdoodles

AUTHOR: ALYSSA

PREP TIME:  30 MINS

COOK TIME:  12 MINS

TOTAL TIME:  42 MINS

SERVES: 24

 

Delicious soft and puffy pumpkin snickerdoodles with a surprise cream cheese center.

INGREDIENTS

• 3¾ cups all-purpose flour
• 1½ tsp. baking powder
• ½ tsp. salt
• ½ tsp. ground cinnamon
• ¼ tsp. freshly-ground ground nutmeg
• 1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• ½ cup light brown sugar
• ¾ cup pumpkin puree
• 1 large egg
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract
• Filling Ingredients:
• 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
• ¼ cup sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• Cinnamon-sugar coating:
• ½ cup granulated sugar
• 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
• ½ tsp. ground ginger
• Dash of allspice

INSTRUCTIONS

1. In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg together. Set aside.
2. In a kitchenaid mixer with a paddle attachment, beat together the butter and sugars on medium high speed until fluffy about 2-3 minutes.
3. Blend in pumpkin puree, beat in egg and then add vanilla. Slowly add dry ingredients on low speed just until combined. Cover and chill dough for an hour.
4. To make the cream cheese filling, blend cream cheese, sugar and vanilla together. Chill for an hour.
5. Preheat oven to 350 and line your baking sheets with parchment paper. In a small bowl, combine the sugar and spices for the coating and set aside.
6. To make the cookies, take a tablespoon of the cookie batter. Flatten it like a pancake and place a teaspoon of the cream cheese in center. Form another tablespoon of the cookie batter into a flat pancake shape and place on top of the cream cheese. Pinch the edges together sealing in the cream cheese and roll into a ball. Roll in the cinnamon sugar coating and place on the prepared baking sheet 2 inches apart.
7. Repeat until the dough is gone and flatten the cookie dough balls with a heavy bottomed glass or measuring cup.
8. Bake the cookies for 10-15 minutes or until the tops start to crack. Let cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes and transfer to a wire rack. Enjoy!

Since I'm gluten free--I may try to come up with a gluten free version!

You are Accepted

You are Accepted

Jennifer Rothschild

August 25, 2015

"… to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved." Ephesians 1:6 (NKJV)

Several years ago, my friend Lisa was going through a crafty phase and wanted to make a piece of word art for me. So, she texted this question: "If one word could become a reality in your life, what would it be?"

Girl, this took me awhile! The one word that kept coming to mind was "accepted," but I was too embarrassed to admit that feeling accepted was what I really longed for.

I was a Christian, so I knew God accepted and loved me unconditionally. Wasn’t that already a reality in my life?

The reality was, I was afraid God accepted everyone but me.

In pondering my one word, God began to show me that I associated my performance

 with my acceptability.

Here’s what I (wrongly) believed: If I am good, I am acceptable. If I help people … if I am 

a blessing instead of a burden … well, then I am accepted. But, if I fail, blow it or mess up, 

then I feel like a reject — not acceptable to me, not to others and certainly not to God.

My skewed belief was I was acceptable only when I was at the top of my game or in the center 

of God’s will. Clearly, I had not truly embraced my identity in Christ because acceptance is what 

I already have.

So, I texted Lisa back with my one word that I needed to embrace and believe: accepted.

Lisa’s gift showed up in the mail a week later. It was a wooden ledge with the Scrabble

 letters A-C-C-E-P-T-E-D glued on it. This is a treasure to me because it is a constant reminder 

to see what I already have in God rather than seek it in the wrong ways and places.

Lots of us struggle with trusting the truth that we’re acceptable to and accepted by God. We are

 accepted not because of what we do or don’t do; we are accepted not because of how we succeed

 or if we’re good. We are accepted not because of who we are, but because of who God is.

God loves us with an everlasting love (Jeremiah 31:3) and to as many as receive Him, He gives the

 power to be sons and daughters of God (John 1:12). Talk about accepted!!

We are not only accepted "in" the beloved, we are accepted "by" the Beloved Himself!

My Scrabble word "accepted" reminds me I already have what I want. When I am feeling less than acceptable, I hold it in my hand, wrap my fingers around it and the truth it represents, and tell

 myself, "This is what God gave me. This is who I am."

Can you take that truth in?

If you feel invisible, it may be because, deep down, you never really embraced the truth about 

yourself — that you are accepted by God, admired by Him and have His full and unconditional love.

Just like Lisa glued the word "accepted" to a Scrabble ledge for me, ask God to glue the word 

"accepted" to your heart so that, with every heartbeat, this truth is reinforced and becomes woven

 into the very fiber of your being.

Oh my friend, you are accepted by God. That is your reality.

When you accepted Christ, He accepted you. You may sometimes feel rejected, but how you feel

 is not who you are! You are acceptable, accepted — no exceptions!

Lord, please write this truth on my heart. Help me trust what You say about me more than I trust

 how I may feel about myself. Protect me from the lies that tell me I am what I do or how I feel. 

Thank You for accepting and loving me without conditions. I love You. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

TRUTH FOR TODAY:
Hosea 2:19-20, "I will betroth you to Me forever; Yes, I will betroth you to Me in righteousness 

and in justice, in lovingkindness and in compassion, And I will betroth you to Me in faithfulness. 

Then you will know the LORD." (NASB)

RELATED RESOURCES:
Invisible: How You Feel Is Not Who You Are by Jennifer Rothschild affirms that no matter who 

or where you are, God sees you and loves you faithfully.

For more encouragement and freebies from Jennifer, visit her website.

Enter to WIN a copy of Invisible: How You Feel is Not Who You Are by Jennifer Rothschild. In celebration of this new book, Jennifer’s publisher is giving away 10 copies. Enter to win 

byleaving a comment here, letting us know why you’d like a copy for yourself OR whom you 

would give the book to, if you won. {We’ll randomly select 10 winners and email notifications 

to each one, by Monday, August 31.}

REFLECT AND RESPOND:
You are indeed accepted in the beloved and by "The Beloved!" Stop right now and ask God to help

 you receive and believe you are accepted and acceptable.

Your acceptability is not based on your failure or past. Your acceptability is not based on your

 success or virtues. Your acceptability is not based on what you do, what you did, haven’t done, 

should have done, or wished you’d done. Your acceptability is based on who God is!

LINK TO DAILY DEVOTIONALS

- See more at: http://proverbs31.org/devotions/devo/#sthash.2ii0Mq4z.dpuf

Watermelon Lemonade

credit

Watermelon Lemonade

 

Ingredients

• 4 cup cubed Seedless Watermelon
• ½ cup Sugar
• 2 cup Water
• ½ cup Lemon Juice

Instructions

1. Combine sugar and ½ cup water and bring to a boil. Stir to dissolve.
2. Allow to cool.
3. Place watermelon, sugar syrup and lemon juice in blender. Run until completely liquified.
4. Add remaining 1½ cup water and run to mix.
5. Chill and serve over ice. Garnish with watermelon or lemon slices.

I plan on trying this with the watermelon my husband grew in our garden!

 

Don't Give Up

Be Still...

4 INGREDIENT GLUTEN FREE PEANUT BUTTER COOKIES

4 INGREDIENT GLUTEN FREE PEANUT BUTTER COOKIES

 

SAVE PRINT

PREP TIME

5 mins

COOK TIME

10 mins

TOTAL TIME

15 mins

 

Easy, delicious gluten free peanut butter cookies!

Author: The Happier Homemaker

Recipe type: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Serves: 18

INGREDIENTS

• 1 egg
• 1 cup peanut butter
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat oven to to 350 degrees.
2. In a bowl combine all ingredients.
3. Use a cookie scoop or spoon to drop 1" balls of dough onto greased cookie sheet.
4. If desired add the classic peanut butter cookie cross hatch by pressing a fork sprayed with nonstick spray into the top of each cookie.
5. Bake for 10-12 minutes.
6. Cool on rack and enjoy!

link

(GLUTEN FREE) SOUR CREAM CHEESECAKE

link

Prep time

15 mins

Cook time

55 mins

Total time

1 hour 10 mins

 

Yields/Serves: 16

Ingredients

• Chex crust or GF cookie crust prepared in 9-inch spring form pan (If not doing the Chex crust I recommend 1½ cups GF shortbread cookie crumbs plus 2-3 tbsp butter for a wonderful crust)
• 3 8-ounce packages of cream cheese, softened
• 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
• 4 large eggs
• 8-ounces sour cream
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees; place pan of water on lowest rack in oven - this helps prevent the cheesecake from cracking during baking.
2. In large mixing bowl beat cream cheese until fluffy. Gradually beat in sweetened condensed milk until smooth. Beat in eggs, one at a time, then sour cream and vanilla.
3. Pour into 9-inch spring form pan. Bake 50-55 minutes until edges are light golden brown. The center will still be very slightly soft. Let cool, then refrigerate at least 4 hours to chill completely

Gluten-free Chicken and Dumplings

link

Gluten-free Chicken and Dumplings

Soup

• 2 large chicken breasts
• 1 cup chopped carrots
• 1/2 cup diced celery
• 1 onion diced
• salt & pepper
• 7 cups chicken broth

Dumplings

• 3/4 cup brown rice flour
• 1/2 cup tapioca flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 3 tablespoons shortening
• 1/2 cup almond milk

Cover the bottom of a large crock pot with the vegetables.  Place the chicken on top of the vegetables and season with salt and pepper.  Pour the chicken broth over the chicken.  Cook on low for 6 hours.

After 6 hours, remove the chicken and turn the crock pot onto high.

To make the dumplings, stir together the dry ingredients.  Cut the shortening into the dry mixture until it resembles coarse crumbs.  This is easiest with a pastry cutter, but a fork will also work.  Add the almond milk and stir until it forms a thick dough.  You can add additional almond milk if your dough is too stiff to mix.

Drop dough by the tablespoon into the soup.  Cook on high for 1 to 1 1/2 hours or until the dumplings are not doughy.

While the dumplings are cooking, shred the chicken with two forks.  When the dumplings have about a half hour left of cooking time, add the chicken back into the soup and stir.

No Bake White Chocolate and Raspberry Protein Cookies (Gluten free)

No Bake White Chocolate and Raspberry Protein Cookies

Ingredients

1. 3 cups gluten free oat flour (rolled oats ground into a flour)
2. 2 standard scoops vanilla protein powder (can sub for an extra 1/2 cup oat flour)
3. 2 T granulated sweetener of choice (Optional)
4. 1/2 tsp sea salt
5. 1/2 cup + 2 T nut butter of choice (I used peanut butter)
6. 3/4 cup brown rice syrup (can sub for honey if not strict vegan)
7. 1/4-1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk*
8. White chocolate chunks (make homemade version listed earlier if strictly vegan)
9. Dried Raspberries and cranberries

Instructions

1. Line a large baking tray with baking paper and set aside.
2. In a large mixing bowl, combine the oat flour, vanilla protein powder, sweetener of choice and sea salt and mix well.
3. In a microwave safe bowl, add the nut butter of choice and brown rice syrup and heat until melted and mix to incorporate.
4. Add the liquid mixture to the dry mixture and stir until fully combined- Mixture should be crumbly. Slowly add almond milk, one tablespoon at a time, until a very thick dough is formed. Stir through the white chocolate chunks, dried raspberries and cranberries until fully incorporated.
5. Using your hands, form small balls and press down to a cookie shape on the baking tray. Using a fork, press down on it twice and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before consuming.

Notes

1. Depending on the protein powder and/or if you use all oat flour, you need to adjust your liquid mixture.
2. These can be stored at room temperature. If refrigerated, thaw very slightly.
3. The granulated sweetener of choice is optional- For a sweetener cookie, add 1-2 tablespoons. I prefer a more 'bland' cookie dough to bring out the flavours from the raspberries, cranberries and white chocolate chunks.

link