Bill!
I hope these batteries keep your summer going and going and going and going....... :)
Monday, June 4, 2012
Energizer Ultimate Lithium Battery Winner
Thanks to everyone who entered this awesome giveaway. Today's winner is......
Sunday, June 3, 2012
Days #9 and #10 of Summer Vacation
In May, our cat, Baxter turned 15. We have been without our other cat, Buddy for a couple months now and Baxter sure misses him. They were best buds. I remember getting Baxter on a farm in Wisconsin and picked him out because he was the cutest of the all the kittens.
Reagan had her 1st T-Ball game of the season tonight. She had 2 great hits and had some great fielding.
Reagan had her 1st T-Ball game of the season tonight. She had 2 great hits and had some great fielding.
Scenes From Our Week - Week 35 including Caramel Apple Sweet-Za Recipe
We had a great 2nd week of summer! The chore list began, but the days were still laid back and fun.
Reagan has been begging to make this dessert ever since her latest AMERICAN GIRL magazine arrived. So, since we had friends coming over Sunday night, we made her Caramel Apple Sweet-za and it was delicious. Scroll to the bottom of the post for the recipe.
On Monday, we celebrated Ali's 18th birthday with family and friends. Can't believe she is all grown up!
For other snippets from our week, scroll down for each days Summer Vacation shot of the day and stay tuned for daily posts both here and on Instagram!
CARAMEL APPLE SWEET-ZA
1 roll refrigerated sugar cookie dough
1 8 oz pkg cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup peanut butter, creamy
1/2 brown sugar
2 TBS milk
2-3 apples
lemon juice
caramel sauce
Press the cookie dough into a greased 12-inch pizza pan. Bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes. Let cool.
In bowl, mix together the cream cheese, peanut butter, brown sugar, and milk until smooth. Use spatula to spread mixture on top of cooled cookie crust.
Cut apples into thin slices. Toss slices in lemon juice so that they don't turn brown. Arrange apples on top of cream cheese mixture.
Finish by drizzling caramel sauce over the apples. To serve, cut the pizza into wedges.
Saturday, June 2, 2012
Day #8 of Summer Vacation
Reagan has been begging to make these ever since we got the CAKE POPS by Bakerella book. But, the cake balls hadn't hardened enough, so we only were able to make these two. Hopefully we can make up the rest today. But, they sure are cute!
Join Me In This Challenge - 31 Days to Pray for Your Spouse
Do you have about 5 minutes a day to spend praying for your spouse? Did you know that doing so each day over the course of 31 days can improve your marriage?!?
I'm joining hundreds of other spouses in the 31 Days to Pray for your Spouse Challenge. This is taken from the book 31 DAY TO BUILD A BETTER SPOUSE by Ashley Pichea that I reviewed HERE. The challenge runs from June 4 - July 5, 2012.
From the introduction:
Building a better spouse isn’t easy. It takes a lot of work. And a lot of faith.
And, honestly, you can’t do it.
Only through the work of the Holy Spirit in your spouse’s life will he change. But, just because you can’t force change doesn’t mean that you can’t play a role in that change. You have the ability to build up your spouse through the power of prayer.
Prayer is one of the greatest privileges we have as believers. Having the ability to access the throne of grace with confidence whenever we have a need or want to offer up praise – what an incredible blessing we have!
Prayer is the means through which we are changed in our own lives, and it is the means through which we see change in the lives of others. It is through prayer that you can have the power to change your spouse. But, beware – through prayer, you too, will experience change!Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. {Hebrews 4.16}
Really, you can not go wrong joining me in this challenge. I have done it myself while reading the book and I am feeling the urge to do it again. My husband didn't even know I was doing it the first time. But, this time he will because he reads my blog. :)
If you decide to join me, leave me a comment below. I'd love to hear your thoughts.
Check out the 31 Days to Pray website HERE to sign up.
Join their FACEBOOK page HERE.
Click HERE to sign up for the challenge.
Friday, June 1, 2012
Soft and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies
I made these and they were delicious. I feel like I am always trying to find that perfect Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe and these are pretty darn close. I found the recipe in my March 2012 Food Network Magazine. These were part of the Chocolate Chip Cookie feature under the Chewy category. You should definitely try them out!
Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies
From March 2012 Food Network Magazine
Click HERE for printable version
2 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
2 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
1 1/4 cups packed dark brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 lg eggs, room temperature
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
Sift the flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda together into a large bowl.
Beat the butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar in a bowl with a mixer on med-high until pale and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then beat in the vanilla. Reduce the mixer to low. Add the flour mixture and beat until combined. Stir in the chocolate chips by hand.
Press plastic wrap directly onto the surface of the dough and refrigerate at least 1 hour or preferably overnight.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Drop heaping tablespoonfuls of dough onto the prepared baking sheets, about 2 inches apart. Bake until the cookies are golden around the edges but still soft in the middle, about 12 minutes. Remove the cookies from the oven and let cool 10 minutes on the baking sheets, the transfer to racks to cool completely.
Notes: I used regular C & H brown sugar as that is what I had on hand. I also only let the dough cool for 1 hour because I couldn't stand it any longer. I used my largest cookie scoop and my cookies are probably about 2 inches in diameter. I did use parchment paper as I have learned that is THE SECRET to excellent cookies. Even after 2 days in a container, they are still YUMMY and soft!
Day #7 of Summer Vacation
Spending the night watching our oldest play baseball......wearing a fleece and under blankets.....and I was still cold. Summer in Iowa still means keeping hand warmers, blankets and sweatshirts in the van.
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