Fun with Oreos...

On rainy days in Alabama, me and my boyfriend love to bake!!! After finding out today was going to be a cold and rainy day, which meant no bonfires for us like originally planned, we started figuring out what we planned to bake today. After much consideration we determined today was OREO DAY! :) I have eaten both of these before, we have just never made them ourselves. So we know they are yummy and I wanted to share these with you also :) ENJOY!<3

1st dessert we are making today:
Oreo Balls!

Ingredients:

• 1 package regular size Oreo cookies, crushed
• 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
• 1 package white almond bark
• 1 package chocolate almond bark

Directions:

• Using a blender or hand held mixer, mix Oreos and cream cheese together.
• Roll into walnut size balls.
• Chill for an hour.
• Melt approximately 3/4 package of white almond bark.
• Stick a toothpick in an Oreo ball and dip it in the melted white almond bark.
• Allow to harden on wax paper.
• Takes about 15 min.
• While waiting, melt about 1/4 package of chocolate almond bark.
• When Oreo balls are no longer sticky to the touch, decorate with drizzles of chocolate and white almond bark.

2nd Dessert with Oreos are:

Oreo Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookies!

Ingredients:

• 1 cup (2 sticks) softened butter
• 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 3 1/2 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1 package Double Stuff Oreo cookies

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Cream butter and sugars together with a mixer until well combined.  Beat in eggs and vanilla.
• In a separate bowl mix the flour, salt and baking soda.  Slowly add to wet ingredients along with chocolate chips until just combined.
• Using a cookie scoop take one scoop of cookie dough and place on top of an Oreo Cookie.  Take another scoop of dough and place on bottom of Oreo cookie.  Seal edges together by pressing and cupping in hand until Oreo cookie is enclosed with dough.  Place onto a parchment or silpat lined baking sheet and bake cookies 9-13 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool for 5 minutes before transferring to cooling rack.

My Love is Growing...

This handsome little fellow is now....
CRAWLING, STANDING UP BY HIMSELF, CLAPPING, SAYING "MAMA,DADA AND BYE-BYE" AND CLIMBING UP TO GIVE PEOPLE KISSES!

he climbed up the table to get his yogurt melts, but found his reflection and kept leaning in to kiss it! too sweet! :)

and this picture is just too cute! :) he is now 9 months old and the love of my life :)

I am Beyond Honored...

Yesterday, I had the opportunity to go to Chattanooga Tennessee and meet a wonderful little girl. Her name is Lauren Fleming, and she is the 2011 National Ambassador for the March of Dimes. I felt so honored that I was allowed to meet her. Her story touched my heart and makes me realize how wonderful this foundation is. We had a pizza party with her and her father. We played a game called "Pin the Bottle on the Baby". We mainly just had blast and praised the Lord for Lauren's health. Please please please donate to March of Dimes. Also watch the video below for the story of her life.

Finding Your Purpose...

This song has given me alot to think about. It talks about how we do what WE want in our life, not what GOD wants. We do what makes us happy, but we always forget that we are serving a higher power, our wonderful and great Savior. We should do what God would be pleased for us to do. God has our life goals planned out because he knows what is best for us and he only hopes the best for us. We need to pray that we find that and pray for God's guidance. Think about it.


And be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own, but one that comes through Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on Faith. Phillippians 3:9

GOD BLESS :)

My Savior's Love...

I've been thinking alot lately. How come I am so blessed to serve such a wonderful, forgiving savior? Just think of all the torment people put Jesus through but yet he was still willing and DID die for us. Every one of us. Even us sinners, we are all sinners. People stoned him, called him harsh names, ridculed him but yet he went thru all that pain and suffering for us. AMAZING HUH? I want everyone to take the time today just to thank our Lord for his forgiveness. We all jump to madness when someone hurts us or says something that offends us. How come we can't have forgiveness like he had? He has the strongest, most unbelievable forgiveness. We all sin, say things we don't mean, have thoughts that would offend him, but yet he still forgives us. We all need this forgiveness. I challenge everyone for the next week, or longer, to tell someone you forgive them for the stuff they have done to hurt us, I am sure it is nothing compared to the things we do to our Savior. I am so proud to serve a God that created all of this for me, who created every one of us, knowing that we would not be perfect but hoping that we would follow him into a life full of grace and strive to have the love his son did. I thank the Lord for this day and for allowing me this insight, even if no one reads it.

This song is a great one, it talks about all the things that get in the way of us realizing the blessings we have. Listen to it and Enjoy :)



And whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father also who is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses. - Mark 11:25

GOD BLESS :)

What I'm Loving Wednesday...

I'm linking up with Jamie for "What I'm Loving Wednesday"! Hope everyone is having a marvelous day like I am :) Here's what I'm loving...

I'm Loving that my English teacher cancelled class today so I started my Spring Break 2 hours earlier :) not that I'm doing anything but being lazy and working but I'm still excited :)

I'm Loving that this picture put me in the Springtime mood :)

I'm Loving that I made a 96 on my speech this morning and I timed it perfectly :)

I'm Loving that I get to spend the rest of my day with this handsome little guy :)

I'm Loving that I serve such an amazing and forgiving God that I was able to wake up today, give a speech about him, witness to one girl and how "I can only imagine" can still bring tears to my eyes, oh how I can't wait for the day I finally get to live with Jesus :)


And Finally, I'm loving my sweet boyfriend who provided me with an encouraging card this morning about how proud he was that I start Lent today and how much he has Faith in me :)

GOD BLESS :)

Let Lent Begin...

Starting tomorrow I will be participating in something called Lent.

Lent in the Christian tradition, is the period of the liturgical year leading up to Easter. The traditional purpose of Lent is the preparation of the believer — through prayer, penitence, almsgiving and self-denial — for the annual commemoration during Holy Week of the Death and Resurrection of Jesus, which recalls the events linked to the Passion of Christ and culminates in Easter, the celebration of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Conventionally, it is described as being forty days long, though different denominations calculate the forty days differently. The forty days represent the time that, according to the Bible, Jesus spent in the desert before the beginning of his public ministry, where he endured temptation by Satan.


Why should I participate in this journey?
This is a season of self-denial and I think it will be truly rewarding. People I have talked to that have done it in the past say that that it is very amazing experience and especially helps you have a better perspective and appreciation on Easter Sunday.


Ideas of things to "Give Up"
Video Games
Alcohol
Soda
Coffee
Credit cards
Gossip
Internet, for pleasure
Junk food
Meat
Sweets
Shopping, for pleasure
Smoking
Television

I am giving up Soda and Sweets because those are my two biggest weakness. I realize it will be hard but I have to remember that the things I am giving up are very little, particularly nothing compared to what Jesus sacrificed. I encourage others to celebrate our wonderful Savior's love with me :)

Joel 2:12-14
Yet even now, says the Lord,
Return to me with all your heart,
With fasting, with weeping, and with mourning;
Rend your hearts and not your clothing.
Return to the Lord, your God,
for he is gracious and merciful,
slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love,
and relents from punishing.
Who knows whether he will not turn and relent,
and leave a blessing behind him,
a grain-offering and a drink-offering
for the Lord, your God?

God Bless :)

ABC's of Me...

A-Age: 18 years old

B-Bed Size: Queen

C-Chore you hate: cleaning the bathroom, yuck!

D-Dogs: Charlie and Lucy :)

                                                                        Lucy :)

                                                                       Charlie :)
E-Essential to Start your day: Hot showers and these yummy bad boys, Quacker Oats Rice Cakes

F-Favorite Color: Pink

G-Gold or Silver: Silver Please :)

H-Height: 5 foot 2, short I know

I-Instrument you play: I'm the nerdy one who plays a weird one, the recorder

J-Job Title: K-Mart Cashier :)

K-Kids: none, but I do have an adorable nephew :)

L-Live: The great state of Alabama :)

M-My Mom's Name: Michelle

N-Nickname: My parents call me "LuLu" and my Godsister calls me "LeeLee"

O-Overnight Hospital Stay: once, I had surgery on my ankle.

P-Pet Peeve: Rude people and people who talk on bluetooths, I feel so dumb at work trying to talk to someone when they are really on the phone.

Q-Quote from a Movie: I'm scared of walking out of this room and never feeling the rest of my whole life, the way I feel when I'm with you. Ahhh, I love Dirty Dancing :)

R-Righty/Lefty: Righty

S-Sibling(s): Heather and Tyler :)

T-Time you wake up: 5:15 on Mondays and Wednesdays, for school, and 5:45 the rest of the week for work.

U-Underwear: Victoria's Secret

W-What makes you run late: my hair, it never looks right

X-X-rays you've had: at the dentist, when I had broncitis, and when I had surgery on my ankle.

Y-Yummy food you make: Chicken Enchilidas, yummo :)

Z-Zoo Animal: I've always loved Llamas :)

Walk Your Call...

This morning our message at church was "Walking your call" and it's been stuck on my mind all day. You always hear people say "I can walk the walk and talk the talk" or "Walk like you talk" but what we should really live by is "walk your call". Every one's talk can be fake, misunderstood, sinful or just plain wrong; however, your call by our Savior is a blessed, beautiful, very clear message. We were all called to be Christians, we were all called to live as Christians, we were all called to witness as Christians. So of course, walking our call is clearly the best possible choice. That has been stuck on my mind all day, because I know I don't always make the best decisions or say the right things but my call to be a Christian is a everlasting, wonderful thing. I strive daily to be a follower that God would be proud of. I feel like this message was meant for me. I've prayed and prayed that God give me a direction to go in to be a better follower and he done that through my pastor. I challenge everyone to start walking their call so that God will be extremely pleased of his children


Also my song of the day is "Safe" It has a great message about how no matter what we go through, God is there beside us. Great Song :)



"The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still." Exodus 14:14

God Bless :)

Busy Busy Busy...

I'm a bad blogger. I haven't blogged since Tuesday, so please excuse my rambling. I never have an off day, ever. I work two jobs plus go to college full time, so I'm used to my life being hectic but now for some reason, we decided "hey let's re-do the house" I'm beginning to think we are crazy. Then on top of all of that, sickness is all around us. My boyfriend has kidney stones, my dad has the stomach virus, my godsister has inner ear, my brother has allergies and I have a sinus infection. Plus keep in mind, none of us have took a day off from school or work while in the midst of all of this. But I don't mind because the Lord has blessed us with the strength to deal with all of this. He never gives us more than we can handle. The one thing that keeps me going throughout my crazy life is my faith, and my nephew. I drive 45 minutes to school everyday and unlike some, I love this. This is my Savior's time, as I call it. I pray about all my struggles, I talk just about anything, and I keep my sirus radio locked on channel 66. If you have Sirus Radio or XM radio I highly recommend this channel. It's called "The Message" and boy does it make my day so much better. My prayers lately have been towards The Staats Family for their loss of their beautiful baby girl. I pray that they find strength in all of this and praise the Lord for the short time they did have with precious little Maddie. I do believe that had a piece of heaven with them for four months.

This is the newest song I've heard on "The Message" and I'm now addicted to it, so please check it out :)

I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”-John 16:33

God Bless :)

Prayer Requests...

I want to start off by saying that the Lord has blessed me tremendously today and I am extremely thankful.We raised $261 for March of Dimes today :) Take delight in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart. -Psalm 37:4 :)

Now time for my prayer requests..

My boyfriend called me at 3 am this morning in extreme pain, he went to the ER and found out that he has Kidney Stones. Please keep him in your prayers these next few days as he tries to pass them.

My little god sister, Kamber, is sick. Not sure what with, but she is only 19 months old, so any kind of sickness is bad for her. She was born with a hole in her heart, so it is harder for her to fight sickness off than a normal baby. She is a very playful baby but you can tell she don't feel good because she doesn't wanna move. Pray that she fights this and is back to her playful wonderful ways.

Also, the triplets that my friend just had. Their names are Jaiden, Aiden and Camelia. Aiden is now off oxygen but the other two are not. They are all three also taking milk now so praise the Lord :) But pray that they continue to get better and that the Lord is strong in their lives as they grow older.


God Bless :)