by Cathy Baker | Faith |
I ♥ cookies, especially those that are perfect for sharing, so break out the heart-shaped cookie cutters! It’s time to bake.
Red Velvet Crinkle Cookies
Yield: 2 dozen heart shaped cookies
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Ingredients:
1 box red velvet cake mix (I used Duncan Hines)
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 large eggs
1/2 cup canola oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Powdered sugar, for rolling the cookies
Heart shaped cookie cutter, optional
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a Silpat and set aside.
2. In a large bowl, combine cake mix and flour. Whisk until clumps
disappear. In the bowl of a stand mixer, mix together cake mix, flour,
eggs, oil and vanilla extract. Mix until smooth. Take about 1 tablespoon
of cookie dough and form into a ball. Roll the ball in powdered sugar
until fully coated. Place cookie dough balls on prepared baking sheet.
Bake for 10 minutes, or until edges are set and cookies begin to crack.
3. Let cookies sit on baking sheet for 2 minutes. If desired, cut
cookies into heart shapes, using a heart shaped cookie cutter. Transfer
cookies to a wire cooling rack and cool completely. Eat the cookie
scraps 🙂 Note-you don’t have to cut the cookies into heart shapes. They are great round too!
The above is but one of many delightful finds on the Two Peas and Their Pod site.
Do you have a favorite recipe you enjoy baking on this week o’ love? Tomorrow I’m sharing an idea that might just go hand-in-hand with today’s post.
by Cathy Baker | Tiny House |
I LOVE tiny houses.
So why is an extreme claustrophobic swooning over these minuscule jewels?
I can’t explain it.
All I know is that the cozy tight quarters speaks to me. Or maybe it’s our tiny budget doing all the talking since a real-sized cabin is out of reach.
A part of me would be willing to sell everything and live debt-free on the side of a mountain. Albeit a tiny part, the idea of roaming chickens, farming organic veggies, and a lower stress level for the hubster holds a certain charm.
And apparently, I’m not alone. Many of you have said how much you enjoy my Tiny House Facebook posts {thank you!} so I plan to share a different tiny house each Friday during the February series of LOVE.
I especially love this tiny house with the adjoining studio. Half books, half vinyl. Oh, yes!
So here’s a fun question for a Friday! What would you store in the adjoining room if you lived in this tiny house?
by Cathy Baker | Faith |
by Cathy Baker
I LOVE the idea of tidying up.
I’m a sucker for book covers. Case in point: the life-changing magic of tidying up…the Japanese art of decluttering and organizing, by Marie Kondo.
I didn’t go in search of such a book. In fact, I was looking for a new Ravensburger puzzle when the cover caught my eye. Once inside, however, I was immediately drawn to the clean lines, white space, and content.
Books on organization of all types line my shelves but I knew this one offered a unique twist. After all, this New York Times Best Seller has sold two million copies worldwide. Maybe there was hope for me after all.
In all fairness to the author, I don’t want to give away all her secrets but one small, yet significant suggestion she makes is to touch everything when deciding what to do with it. If that particular thing doesn’t spark a sense of joy, out it goes!
Lucky for Marie Kondo, the idea of a tidy, uncluttered home did indeed spark a sense of joy within. It’s a keeper.
I’m not going to vacuum until Sears makes one you can ride on. -Roseanne Barr
The best time for planning a book is while you’re doing the dishes. -Agatha Christie
Your turn! What area is in most need of organizing in your home? (If you say books, you’re not alone.)
by Cathy Baker | Faith |
by Cathy Baker
It began with a prayer journal entry—my asking God if writing was His desire for me.
You see, in recent years I’ve struggled with guilt. Guilt because my love for teaching the Word had begun to wane while my love for writing continued to increase. I simply wanted to be as certain as possible that God was behind my desire to write, and not my flesh.
I was growing weary of asking (wondering if I’d heard Him clearly) and I was pretty certain He too was weary of confirming every fleece I’d thrown at His feet for the past five years. My entry ended with this:
Will you lead the way? I only want what You want. Give me ears to hear, eyes to see, and a teachable spirit to discern Your ways. I love You, Pappa.
As my pen swept over the final “p” in Pappa, the phone beeped, alerting me to an incoming text. It was from my dad.
“Good morning sweetheart. I often think of you on these rainy mornings that I love so much. I see you with pen in hand with a steaming cup of tea or coffee…loving the quiet sound of raindrops as you listen for a special little message to put on paper. I love your writings very much but I love you much, much more.”
Dad
And there it was. My heavenly Father speaking directly to me… through my earthly one.
Tears trickled as I picked up my pen and began to write what God had just cemented in my heart:
Father, You do delight when I write! You even love my writing!
But you love me, your daughter, much, much more.
God peeled back the curtain of uncertainty, allowing me to see the situation through His parental eyes. I delight in my boys simply because they are mine. However, they choose to use their God-given gifts to glorify Him will bring a smile to my face. Why couldn’t I believe this truth for myself in relating to my heavenly Father?
It’s not so much about the gifts, but rather, the heart which motivates the desire to use them. This is what God had been trying to tell me all along.
My days of asking God to confirm whether I should be doing this or that with my spiritual gifts ended that morning. Freedom has come to stay, for His delight in me is grounded in the truth that I am His daughter, created in His image and for His glory, just like you. Whatever way we choose to use His gifts will bring Him great pleasure.
How Do I Love Thee? It will take forever to count the ways but today I celebrate God’s specificity. Nothing vague dwells within Him, especially when it comes to His children. The timing of dad’s text was divinely charged and the message was humbly received. Oh, the joy of serving a living, loving God who IS in the details of our daily life!
Your turn! What’s one specific way God has revealed Himself to you recently?
For in him we live and move and have our being. ‘As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are his offspring.’ Acts 17:28
