The Value of a Diamond

In determining the value of a diamond there are five C's to be considered: carat, color, clarity, cut, and cost. The carat refers to the weight of the diamond, not the diameter. The color is actually the lack of color. The clarity is the amount, location, and contrast of flaws, both internal and external with internal having a greater effect on the value of the diamond. The cut, which is often confused with the shape, actually refers to the proportions and cut specifications. These specs are extremely important in how the diamond returns the brilliance, dispersion and scintillation to the viewer's eyes. Finally, the cost is how much consumers are willing to pay for the diamond given its grading based on the first four C's. To find a diamond that is perfect in every category is incredibly rare.

Now, I'm not writing all of this because I am some kind of diamond expert. The only diamond I own is on my engagement ring and I have no idea what it's grade is. I've never shopped for a diamond and, beyond the basics, would have no idea for what to look. I can't imagine the pressure many man feel when shopping for that perfect engagement ring. They want to find something that they can afford that their fiance is going to love. Of course, most (if not all) women I know wouldn't know the difference between a good diamond and a great diamond just by looking at it with the naked eye. That's because you can't tell much about the appearance of a diamond without the help of some special tools like a microscope, a scale, and some color grading stones. On a couple of occasions I've found myself admiring another woman's engagement ring because the diamond was so much bigger than mine or it seemed to sparkle more. In all actuality mine could have been more valuable (doubtful, but possible) if it had less internal flaws, had more clarity, and was cut properly. But to my naked eye the other diamond just seemed prettier.

Isn't this true in life as well? Don't others seem to somehow have better lives than us? Have you ever looked around and thought, "That person has it all together.", "They have the perfect relationship with their spouse.", "They have the most well-behaved children.", "They have the easiest job.", "They have the nicest house.", or "They are so much more spiritual than I am."? It's an easy trap to fall into. We've all done it. We look around and see a bunch of beautiful diamonds and we feel like a lump of coal beside them. It's funny how to some of those very people, WE look like the beautiful diamond and THEY feel like the lump of coal but we have no idea. We can only see with our naked eye what their lives are like. We see how they sparkle and shine. But remember, the perfect diamond is rare.

Unless they give us the microscope to see inside, we don't see the tint of color, the internal flaws, or even the external blemishes . Even then, we can only see so deep. God is the only one who can see right down to the core of each person and know their true value. Of course, He's the one who gives us our value and really, we all have the same value in His eyes no matter what our C's tell us. We ALL have the same cost: the life of Jesus Christ, His Son. He paid the same price for each and every one of us. Jesus was the only perfect diamond.

So the next time you start to think about how someone else has it better than you, remember that they are just an imperfect diamond like you. If we start allowing others to use our microscopes, they'll probably let us use theirs. When we realize that others have imperfections just like we do, we can stop comparing ourselves and start helping each other instead.

One final note: Did you know that the purpose of some diamonds is to be ground up to polish other diamonds? Food for thought...

FREE Music!

I've known about this for a while and I don't know why I didn't think of blogging about it before now.  Hopefully, this is new and helpful to some of you.  Although if it is not new then that's great because you are already taking advantage of it.  So anyway, if you have an mp3 player and want to try some music without having to pay for it, here is a LEGAL way to do it.  (By the way, it is illegal to have music, movies, etc. on your mp3 player or on a copied disk that you have taken off a friend's cd/dvd, a library cd/dvd, a netflix dvd, etc.  Sorry, that's the law.  Don't shoot the messenger.)

So for the FREE music, you can go to Amazon and search for FREE songs or albums by clicking HERE.  Look on the right hand side and you'll see the top downloaded FREE songs.  Below that are the top downloaded FREE albums.

Or you can go to the iTunes store.  If you scroll down to the bottom of the page there is a spot that says "Free on iTunes".  Click there and you can get FREE songs, videos, television episodes, and podcasts.

You can also get FREE music at your local Starbucks store.  They typically have a display of "pick of the week" cards either on the counter where you order, pick-up, or doctor your coffee.  On the back of the card is a code with instructions on how to download the song.  You do need to have an iTunes account for this.  They update every Tuesday.

Another way to get FREE music is at walmart.com.  If you click HERE, you will see about five songs that you can choose to download for FREE.

I'm sure there are many other places to download FREE music.  These are just a few that I know.  By far, amazon.com gives the widest selection from which to choose.

I hope this helps some of you in your quest to build your music library or try new styles of music or new artists.

Want vs. Need

I think the question of want versus need is a universal question regardless of spiritual beliefs.  Do I really need a new house, car, video game system, sweater, or even a name brand food item when there are people starving without a roof over their heads?

I've been thinking about this for a while.  Our church has just begun a faith-raising campaign.  The vision that God has given us is to expand His family in a variety of ways in our community and surrounding area.  He also wants those of us who are already part of His family to grow deeper in our relationship with Him.  This is why it is called a faith-raising campaign instead of fund-raising.  The main goal is to grow His kingdom deeper and wider, not to raise money.  If we follow His call to give what He wants each of us individually to give then He will be blessed and so will we.  (Luke 16:10-13)  But this campaign didn't begin these thoughts of need versus want.  I've been contemplating them for a long time, especially when my husband and I getting ready to make large purchases.  Although, I've been trying harder with the small purchases because they really add up.

I've always struggled with wondering if I really need something that seems like a non-necessity when compared to the starving children in Africa, for example.  I think it would be easy (in some ways) to say I don't need much and live in the smallest house you can find, ride a bike everywhere you go and send everything you have to those in need.  Then you could say,  "Look what I gave up to help others."  But if God wants you to have a house that can accommodate four or more people so you can host a small group or have a car so you can transport people to work, school, or wherever, then your lifestyle is disobedient to Him and therefore sinful.   On the flip side, it would also be easy (in other ways) to have a large home and a nice new SUV that holds eight people so you can host a large group and transport people who need rides.  But if God wants you to downsize because you can still do those things with a smaller house and a used vehicle that is less expensive to own, then your lifestyle is disobedient to Him and therefore sinful.  Now those are two ends of the spectrum.  My family falls somewhere in the middle.  Our home is not large but is big enough to accommodate around twelve people comfortably for a gathering.  Our vehicles are not new.  We've never owned a new vehicle.  They are big enough to transport our family but no one else if the kids are with us.  But we do have two.

Part of the problem lies in comparing ourselves to other people.  This is a problem in so many areas of our lives.  The funny thing is that God doesn't compare us to one another so why do we?  This can be problematic in a several ways.  We can see what others have and think, "I wish I had that because then I could really do God's work" or "Do they really need that?  They should sell it and give the money to someone who needs it."  Both scenarios are wrong.  God gives us what we have for a reason.  Sometimes we just need to get creative to find ways to serve Him with what we have instead of wanting something else.  Who are we to judge what others have and what they should do?  How do we know that God didn't give them what they have so they could reach people that we can't?  Who could better minister to a wealthy person than someone else with wealth?  It gives them a common ground and allows a relationship to form without guilt for having money.  Having wealth is not a sin.  God made Solomon a very wealthy man.  (1 Kings 3) On the other hand, we can see what others don't have and think, "They have nothing.  I should give away everything to help others" or "See how much I have compared to them.  I must be doing something better than they are."  Now it may seem in the former to be a noble, godly thought.  However,  God wants us to be good stewards of what we have.  If we give everything away just to make ourselves feel good we may be robbing ourselves and our families of things that God wants to give us.  I think it's fairly obvious that in the latter thought there is an amount of arrogance and self-reliance to the statement.  We need to recognize that everything we have comes from God.  We don't earn the money we have.  God blessed us with the job and the ability to perform that job so that we can receive money to provide for our families and the needs of others.  (James 1:17)

So where does this leave us?  Well, we need to earnestly ask God what He wants us to own and what He wants us to give away.  Sometimes that can be the hardest part, figuring out what He wants us to give.  I think that once you know that it becomes a lot easier in the sense that you only have two options, be obedient and give and trust that He'll take care of your needs or disobey by holding back because you think you need what you have.  But, still, many times it's not easy because you have to give something up.  If your instinct is to hold back, you should try to seek out why and ask Him to help you to trust Him. (Acts 20:35)  We also need to realize that He could send His answer in many ways, not just through an intense feeling that He is leading you in one direction but also through the encouragement of others,  circumstances in our lives, and His Word.  He may just ask us to give even though we may not know exactly what we're giving to.  It's the condition and attitude of our hearts toward Him in giving that gift that He honors, not that we think we are giving to a good cause.

Goofed Blueberry Muffin Trifle

So I made blueberry muffins for my kids the other day but they didn't turn out so well.  The bottoms were burnt but the tops and the insides were fine.  So, not wanting to waste them, I scooped out the part of the muffins that were okay and put them in a storage container.  Then for MOPS this morning I made a trifle with the muffin pieces, some vanilla yogurt, and fresh blueberries.  It was such a hit  there was none left at the end of the meeting.  So remember, just because you bake something and it doesn't turn out quite right that doesn't mean it can't be used to make something fantastic!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

My father's side of the family is very Irish.  I grew up having corned beef and cabbage with carrots, potatoes, and irish soda bread every year on March 17.  We would also get together with family and other Irish friends to celebrate.  Unfortunately, I haven't tried to make corned beef on my own yet but I may try it this year or next.  I definitely want my children to grow up with that tradition, especially since my husband has some Irish blood in him.  The one thing I have made is Irish Potato Candies.  They are little coconut candies that look like potatoes.

They are very easy to make.  If you would like to try the recipe, here it is.

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons butter, softened
• 1/4 (8 ounce) package cream cheese
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups confectioners' sugar
• 1-1/4 cups flaked coconut
• 1-1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Directions

In a medium bowl, beat the butter and cream cheese together until smooth. Add the vanilla and confectioners' sugar; beat until smooth. Using your hands if necessary, mix in the coconut. Roll into balls or potato shapes, and roll in the cinnamon. Place onto a cookie sheet and chill to set. If desired, roll potatoes in cinnamon again for darker color.

Natural Remedy for Allergies and the Common Cold

Well, it's that time of year again.  The itchy eyes, runny nose, and sore throat are back again.  It tends to stay away during the winter months but as soon as the weather gets warmer, they're ba-ack!  So a few years ago, my mother and sister turned me onto my new favorite remedy...  

The Neti Pot  

You use a saline solution (you can buy packets at the store or make your own).  You use the neti pot to pour the solution in one nostril and let it drain out the other.  It sounds weird but it really works to clean out your sinuses.  You just have to make sure you breathe through your mouth or you'll swallow it, not fun.

I've noticed that when I use my neti pot, my throat doesn't hurt as much, if at all, and my nose is cleared for a while.  The nice thing about the neti pot is that you can use it as many times in a day as you want.  With medicine you have to be careful not to take too much in a day or you can really harm yourself.  It is also perfectly safe to use during pregnancy and breastfeeding when you have to limit the types of medication you use.  There are days when I use my neti pot up to six times.

Coffee in an Instant

So, as you may have figured out, I love coffee!  My sister-in-law (my husband's brother's wife) shares this love, as well as the love of chocolate.  We have great bonding over coffee and chocolate.  Anyway, since they live about 10 hours away from us by car, we don't get to see them very often, which makes me sad.  So at Thanksgiving we sent our Christmas presents for them with my mother-in-law and father-in-law and they sent theirs to us this past weekend through the in-laws as well.  

This is what I got, a Starbucks Via Ready Brew mug.  It is a 10 oz. travel mug that holds 6 Via Ready Brew packets on the bottom so, as long as you refill the mug with packets, you always have coffee available if you have your mug with you.  All you have to do is empty the packet in the mug and fill it with hot water up to the fill line.  To put the packets in the storage compartment, you just unscrew the bottom and put them in.  Then just put the bottom back on.  This is very convenient if you want a cup of coffee but only have access to hot water.  I love that you don't have to worry about finding a packet of instant coffee because it's already in the mug.  I've also found the Starbucks Via Ready Brew to be the highest quality instant coffee I've ever had.  It's not as good as brewed but it's not bad at all.  It doesn't taste burnt like some of the other brands.  You can get three different kinds:  Columbia (Medium), Italian Roast (Extra Bold), and Decaf Italian Roast (Extra Bold). 

While I love my Melitta Ready Set Joe, I can see that this mug will also be useful for those times when I don't have even 5 minutes to make a cup of coffee but really want one.

One of the Highlights of My Week

I love my MOPS group.  We meet twice a month.  We also have a play date and a mom's night once a month.  It's a great time of fellowship, food, and fun.  We are very blessed to have wonderful childcare providers during our meetings so we can really focus on spending quality time with one another.  I strongly encourage any mom, working or not, to find a group like this to support one another.  For more information on the national organization, click HERE.  For more information on my local group, click HERE.

Building a Better Marriage

We just went to one of these conferences this past weekend.  It was fantastic!  There really is something for every couple whether you are engaged, newlyweds (one couple on our weekend had been married for 6 days), married for 52 years (as was one couple there), in a "healthy" marriage, or on the verge of divorce.  

My husband and I have been married for 7 1/2 years and have a 3-year-old and a 1-year-old.  This conference helped us remember why we got married and figure out how to grow toward oneness with our busy home life and schedules.  There's even a built-in date night so we went out to a restaurant that we don't have at home and just enjoyed each other's company.

For more information, click HERE.

Next year Family Life is having a marriage cruise!  I would love to go on that because we've never been on one and if it's anything like the conference it will be AWESOME!  I don't know if you can read it but it will be Feb. 14-18 2011 from Port Canaveral, FL to Cococay & Nassau, Bahamas.  I'm sure there will be more information on their website (www.familylife.com) as the date drawers nearer.

Get Your Craft On!

We've been snowed in for a while now and since my husband is a teacher, he hasn't had to go to work.  Today I decided to be crafty since he was playing with the kiddos.  I made candles, hand cream, and hand scrub.

Craft #1 - Candles

When my son was still eating baby food, I would buy some jars to keep for days when we were on-the-go or I ran out of homemade baby food.  (I'm not the most organized person so I've learned to keep something easy on hand.)  Anyway, I kept the jars because I knew I could use them for something.  That something happened to be soy candles that I made today.

In order to get the industrial glue off the jars, I soaked them in hot, soapy water.  That didn't completely work so I tried rubbing alcohol.  That didn't work.  So I tried peanut butter.  That worked!  I put some peanut butter on the gluey area and rubbed it with the abrasive side of a kitchen sponge.  After the glue rubbed off, I washed the jars again in the soapy water.

Earlier this week, I bought 4 pounds of soy candle wax and candle wick string at Michael's (using my 40% off coupons).  To prepare for the candle making, I cut the wicks to be around 2 1/2" for the smallest jars and about 3 1/2" for the bigger jars.

Following the directions on the box of wax, I melted the wax using a double boiler on my stove.  When it was completely melted I poured the wax into the jars and placed the wicks in the middle of the jars and kept them in place using clothespins.  (It's a good idea to do this over newspaper or cardboard so you don't have to clean up wax drippings when you're done.)

For some of the candles I added some Grapefruit essential oil to the melted wax and mixed it before pouring into the jars.  The box says to use 1/8 ounce of essential oil for 2 pounds of wax.  I'm still experimenting with the amounts.  I think it depends on the oil you use.

Here is my finished product.  I did not use any coloring because I personally like white candles.  I think they look more elegant.  Besides the unscented and the grapefruit scent go well with a white color.  There may be some scents that would be nicer with color such as a coffee or chocolate scent.

Let's see if it works well.

Ooooooo, pretty!

Craft #2 - Hand Cream

I've made this before but that was pre-motherhood so I thought I'd try it again.  I took some beeswax (since I still had some left after all these years) and weighed it.  Then I weighed three times that amount in olive oil.  I put both in the double boiler and melted it together.  When it was all melted together, I added some Grapefruit Peppermint essential oil.  After that was mixed well, I let it cool.  During the cooling process, I occasionally whisked it to keep in creamy.  

It looks a little like vanilla pudding but DON'T EAT IT!!!  It won't taste like vanilla pudding!

When it's finished cooling, spoon it into a wide-mouth container such as a canning jar or a pretty tin.

I recommend using this hand cream before bed or while doing dishes.  It will feel greasy on your hands at first but if you put on cotton gloves or dishwashing gloves for 30 minutes, your hands will feel smooth and soft.

Craft #3 - Hand Scrub

Like the hand cream, I've made the hand scrub before but it's been a while.  This was the easiest of all of my crafts today.  I just filled a wide-mouth jar about 2/3 full with granulated sugar.  Then I added olive oil and some Grapefruit Peppermint essential oil and mixed it all together.

To use, just put a tablespoon of scrub in your hands and rub them together well.  Then rinse your hands in warm water.  Your hands may feel a little greasy at first but if you follow it with the hand cream it makes your hands feel soft and smooth.  I recommend using the scrub twice a week for best results.  

Ready, Set, JOE!!!

I have been searching for months for a one-cup coffee maker that just sits on the mug and brews it right into the cup.  The reason I wanted one is because I'm the only one in our house who drinks coffee and I don't always want to brew more than just a cup.  While I like my french press, I don't always have coarsely ground coffee on hand (and I don't want to wake the children by using the grinder) and I'm not a huge fan of cleaning it.  So I wanted something that would be easy to use for when I just want one cup with minimal clean-up.

I finally found one online in December by Melitta.  It's called the "Ready, Set, Joe" and it got pretty good reviews.  It's top-rack dishwasher safe and fits most mugs.  They sell it for $3 -$7 online and then, of course, you have to pay for the shipping which is usually at least $5.  I didn't want to pay that much so when I saw it on the Kitchen Collection website I decided to go to our local store to see if they have it.  Unfortunately, they didn't but they did say they'd order it.  I called every few weeks to see if it was in and finally last week it was!  So I went over there and got one for $2.99 plus tax.  I wanted black but all they had was red.  Oh well, it's just a kitchen gadget.  It doesn't really matter what color it is.

So I used it for the first time today and it works very well.  All you need is a #2 cone filter, some coffee, and some boiling water and you're good to go.  

So once you put the cone on your mug, put in a filter.  Then put the amount of coffee grounds you like in the filter.  Pour the boiling water over the grounds in a circular motion.  You can watch the coffee filter into your mug through the openings at the bottom of the cone.  This helps you to make sure it does not overflow out of the mug.

When the cup is full to your liking, remove the cone and your coffee is ready.

Jewelry Crafts

My daughter made a penne rigate and yarn necklace and bracelet while I made...

a faux pearl bracelet out of beads and stretchy string.

Neither are very difficult to make.  The noodle necklace is made by taking noodles and stringing them on the yarn.  Finally, you just tie the ends together and... Voila, you have a noodle necklace or bracelet.  Any noodles with holes can be used.  The number of noodles and length of string is up to you.

The faux pearl bracelet is similar.  You will need approximately 10 - 11 inches of string (I got mine at Michael's Arts and Crafts store using a 40% off coupon!) and about 25 beads (again, I got them at Michael's using another 40% off coupon), depending on the size of the beads and how loose you want the bracelet to be.  You will need a longer string and more beads to make a necklace but the same steps can be used.  I used the thinnest string I could find so it would fit through the holes in the beads.  

Tie a knot in the string about an inch from one end so the beads don't fall off the string.  Take the beads and string them on the stretchy string.  When you've strung all the beads, tie a knot with the two ends of the string close to the beads.  Place a drop of super glue on the knot.  Tie another knot on top of that knot and place another drop of super glue on this knot.  Let it sit for 24 hours to dry completely.  Cut off the ends of the string and ENJOY!  

Chick-Fil-A and Denny's FREE food

EVERY Tuesday in February, Chick-Fil-A is offering a FREE breakfast menu item between 6:30 AM and 10:30 AM.

Denny's is offering a FREE Original Grand Slam®, Tuesday, Feb. 9, from 6 AM TO 2 PM.

Want to save some money?

Go to the websites of stores where you shop or would like to shop and sign up for their emails. If you don't want your inbox flooded with these, set up a new account just for this purpose. You can get some great stuff just for signing up for emails. For example, about every two months I get a coupon either in the mail or on email for a free pair of panties from Victoria's Secret and coupons for free items at Bath & Body Works. (I can't remember the last time I actually bought a pair of panties.) I also get printable 40% off coupons from Michael's Arts and Crafts about every other week.

Register your Starbucks gift cards online to get some free stuff like a coupon for a free drink on your birthday, free wifi at their retail locations, and points towards more free stuff every time you use it.

Looking for Old Navycoupons? Check out www.oldnavyweekly.com for a variety of coupons to find.

FREE Pancake Day!

On Tuesday, February 23, 2010, IHOP will be celebrating National Pancake Day from 7 AM until 10 PM. They'll give you one free short stack (three pancakes). *They will be taking donations for local children's hospitals through Children's Miracle Network or other local charities.

You CAN have too much chocolate!

So I was super excited to try a new hot chocolate recipe from Real Simple. I only called for two ingredients: coconut milk and chocolate. I thought I had the recipe down. I mean, how hard can it be? Two ingredients. So I poured the milk into a pot and started heating it. Then I added the chocolate. As I was stirring it seemed a little thick (like fondue). So I called in to the other room and asked my husband how much chocolate I was supposed to add. "One ounce." he said. Okay, well I thought it said one pound. BIG difference! Fortunately I only added 11.5 ounces. Not that it made much of a difference than adding 16 but oh well. I tried adding more regular milk. It didn't work. I think I'll try putting some of it in my coffee tomorrow and see how that tastes. You can probably tell by looking at it that it isn't quite right.

Valentine's Day Breakfast

I don't know if you know or have children who don't like to eat very many fruits and vegetable but I have two. They will eat a few fruits and one won't eat any vegetables. So I'm always trying to come up with ways to sneak them in. This morning I decided we'd have pancakes. Now usually I add applesauce, pureed pumpkin, sweet potatoes or fruits. When my son stopped eating baby food like peaches and pears, I used that so it wouldn't go to waste. Today I decided to try something different.



I had just bought some Strawberry Banana V8 Fusion to see if my son would drink it. My daughter loves pink so I thought, "I wonder if they'd eat pink pancakes." I use Krusteaz pancake mix so all I have to add is water. So today instead of water I used the V8 juice. They both seemed to like it and my daughter loved that they were pink. Then I thought, "These would be an easy Valentine's Day breakfast, especially if you shape them in hearts." You could also used pureed strawberries for this.

If you aren't very good at creating shapes with pancake batter one solution is to take a squeeze bottle (I bought one at Walmart and cut the tip some to make the hole bigger) and put the batter in there. It makes it easier to create different shapes because you can control how much and how fast it comes out much easier. I used this method when my daughter stopped eating pancakes. I started with a Mickey Mouse shape and moved on to hearts, flowers, smiley faces, guitars, dogs, and basically anything she likes to try to get her to eat them. It worked. She loved the shapes. Now she doesn't mind if they are round so I do shapes on special occasions. Others have suggested reusing sqeezable ketchup bottles. This didn't work for me.

Also, some brands end up clumpier than others so they may not work very well in the squeeze bottle. Mine tends to get clogged using the Krusteaz brand. Another tip is to NOT fill the bottle all the way. If you fill it to high, it may cause the lid to pop off or overflow out of the hole as it sits in the bottle.

Losing it

Since we've been snowed in for the past four days, we told the kids that we could build a tent in the living room. So while I was building the tent, the kids started playing in it. My daughter kept throwing a monkey beanie baby on top of it. In my frustration, I scolded her by saying, "If you keep playing with the tent, I'm going to take it down!" Okay, so that really just makes no sense. The whole point of putting the tent up was to PLAY with it.

Sometimes things come out of my mouth and I just have to wonder where my brain cells went. I used to be an intelligent person, who taught high school and had a come-back for most of their comments. Now I have trouble coming up with words that make sense most of the time. My husband blames the children. He says that I lose brain cells with each child we have. So far we only have two. I was hoping to have more. Will I end up completely stupid, walking around with my tongue hanging out, uttering nonsense? Will it make a difference if we choose to adopt the other children? Is it the birthing process that takes the brain cells? (I did notice that the whole getting dumber started with my first pregnancy.) These are things I think about. What do you think?

Secrets by Kristen Heitzmann

I've read this book a couple of times because I like it so much.  The story is great and the characters are interesting.  I think Lance is the most interesting character.  I wish I knew a real-life version of him or his grandmother, Antonia.  I would love to know someone who could fix authentic italian food the way they  do.  My family doesn't do much ethnic cooking and I envy families that are rich in their heritage, even if they are fictional.

Hawaii - Our Favorite Place on Earth

My husband and I went to Hawaii when I was four months pregnant with our first child.  Neither of us had ever been there before.  He wasn't sure he was going to like it since he's not much of a beach person but he loved it!  He can't wait to go back.  We probably talk about it once every two months.  Maybe someday...

The Best Chewy Chocolate Chip Recipe EVER!

This is a sample of the cookie next to a Hershey Kiss so you can get an idea of how big it is.


As many people know, my husband LOVES chocolate chip cookies so I've experimented with a variety of recipes. He has selective taste so I was pleasantly surprised to hear him say that (with my new favorite recipe) I make the best chocolate chip cookies of everyone he knows (and he knows a lot of people who use different recipes). I must admit that I got the recipe from Alton Brown of "Good Eats" on Food Network. The man is awesome! Every recipe of his that I've tried has gotten rave reviews. So here is the chocolate chip cookie recipe:

Prep time: 20 minutes Cook time: 15 minutes per sheet

Ingredients
2 sticks unsalted butter
2 1/4 cups bread flour
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 cup sugar
1 1/4 cups brown sugar
1 egg
1 egg yolk
2 tablespoons milk
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Hardware:
Ice cream scooper (#20 disher, to be exact)
Parchment paper
Baking sheets
Mixer

Directions:
Heat oven to 375 degrees F.

Melt the butter in a heavy-bottom medium saucepan over low heat. Sift together the flour, salt, and baking soda and set aside.

Pour the melted butter in the mixer's work bowl. Add the sugar and brown sugar. Cream the butter and sugars on medium speed. Add the egg, yolk, 2 tablespoons milk and vanilla extract and mix until well combined. Slowly incorporate the flour mixture until thoroughly combined. Stir in the chocolate chips.

Chill the dough, then scoop onto parchment-lined baking sheets, 6 cookies per sheet. Bake for 14 minutes or until golden brown, checking the cookies after 5 minutes. Rotate the baking sheet for even browning. Cool completely and store in an airtight container.

Yields 2 1/2 dozen.

Hopes and Dreams

A couple of weeks ago, I attended a MOPS (Mothers of Pre-Schoolers) meeting and spent some time with new and old friends. As I sat at a table talking with other moms, the conversation turned to the spacing of our children and the pros and cons of having them close together or far apart. There were several opinions based on a variety of experiences and life circumstances. One woman made the comment that life rarely turns out the way we plan or expect anyway. I tucked that statement in the back of my mind for the rest of the day.

That evening I had the opportunity to spend some time with some dear old friends. I went out to dinner with a couple of women whom I've know since high school and two mothers (who are also dear friends) of other friends with whom I went to high school and youth group. We all get together, give or take a few other women, every year to remember our friend who passed away nine years ago at the age of 21. Her mother is part of our standing dinner date every year. She is a strong, Christian woman who has been through a lot in the past nine years. Years after her daughter died, her husband left her for another woman. However, she has been very blessed to have her son remain close to her and she is now recently remarried to a great man who loves her deeply. She probably thought she'd be spending her retirement alone but God has blessed her with someone with whom to enjoy it.

I'm sure when she was my age she never thought her life would turn out this way. We all have our hopes and dreams but rarely do they come to fruition the way we have planned in our minds. Dreams are a great thing but if we get too stuck on them we can't move forward when they don't turn out the way we want. If my friend had chosen to dwell on her dreams from the past, she would have missed out on the blessing of her new husband. We may go through difficult times but God works through it all if we allow Him into our lives. He has better plans for us than we could ever dream.