Pumpkin Spice - Cookie Balls

These are insane!  One of my favorite cookie Balls I've tasted.  I totally just created this little bite of craziness and glad I followed through. These are simple and taste very pumpkin-like. So here goes! ...


What Ya Need:
10 Vanilla cookies (both sides without the cream)
4-5 Graham Crackers
1/2 Block Cream Cheese
1/8 Cup Pumpkin Pie Spice Coffee Creamer
2 Tbsp EACH Powdered Sugar and Brown Sugar
1/4 tsp Cinnamon
1/4-1/2 tsp Pumpkin Pie Spice
4 Blocks Vanilla Candy Coating
20 Walnuts (optional)

What Ya Do:
1) Soften the cream cheese with a short stay on the counter.
2) Remove filling from cookies and crush cookies with Graham Crackers until fine texture is reached.
3) Add your cinnamon and pumpkin pie spice to crumbs and mix
4) Mix cream cheese for about 35 seconds or until soft.
5)Add the sugars to the cream cheese and mix well
6) Pour the coffee creamer into the cream cheese mixture and mix until smooth.
7)  Add your crumbs and stir with wooden spoon until incorporated.
8) Line a pan with wax paper and shape balls about 3/4 inch diameter. Place on the sheet.
9) Refrigerate 45 minutes to hour.
10 ) Melt four blocks of vanilla bark.
11) Dip the balls with a slotted spoon. Shake off excess and roll onto wax paper.
12) Place a walnut on top and make rows of the cookie balls.
13) Refrigerate until ready to be munched

* I hope you enjoy making and popping these treats.! These are perfect for a Thanksgiving midday snack... right between the two or three huge meals :)
Please feel free to leave comments or questions!

Almighty Author

Who's your favorite author? 
You know, the one that seems to speak through sentences, straight into your heart. 

I ran into a sentence yesterday, from the most accomplished Author of all time, and this is what he said...

"Is not my word like as a fire? said the LORD; and like a hammer that breaks the rock in pieces?"

Interesting inscription from an interesting Author. His word, like a fire.? Nothing stand against fire or competes against his incontestable truth! The fire of His inscriptions tests our humanity with tRuTh that burns away impurities. We cannot escape, without noticeable evidence of change when we get close to His fire.

His Word, is like a hammer that breaks the rock in pieces.  If a rock we're human, it would boast of its absolution, foolishly declaring its grounds to stand, based on its strength and abilities. Are we so afraid that the hammer will break us to pieces and remind us of our lack, that we dare not to pick it up? 

Although we have a favorite few authors, this One takes the cake. The Almighty Author poured out more capable and intense utterings than we can withstand.

He poured His heart onto pages, through those who were quiet enough to hear and obedient to record. Then!!.., he made sure we could access them in His Book: proven, ultimate, unwavering, transforming and ABLE. Will we get close enough to allow the inscription of the Almighty Author to do as He promises it can?!

The one who "spoke" the earth into existence and "spoke" the raging sea to calm... Still speaks. 

Will we let Him sPeAk to us?

[ * Jeremiah 23:29 * Matthew 8:26 ]

Demetria

Carpenter of Souls

My dad is a carpenter by skill.   His ability is a gift of generations he uses in his spare time. I've seen him use many tools in bringing to life, a vision. Tools used to mold his workmanship from what it is not, to become what it should become. 

My Heavenly Father uses many tools to perfect His work in us. At times He may use His goodness and grace to grab the heart's attention. Other times, His mercy and love are refining. But there is a tool He donated that requires our hands in commitment to use. 

His Scripture.

His Words displayed in the Bible are designed to sand down the rough.
Chisel away at the heart.
Coat us with joy and peace.
And even pound us to the core.
...all to refine the souls of His work. 

Here's where it gets exciting! 
God sent a declaration to perfect His work. A promise that all the refining would be complete. He sent the One who promises perfection to the life dedicated to the refining of the soul! 

I love the SwEEt connection that the Refiner sent by my Heavenly Father was a carpenter by trade, on earth. (Mark 6:3)

Once, Jesus was an earthly carpenter. 
Now He's the Carpenter of Souls at the right hand of the Throne in heaven!

God, give me surrender to your tools of workmanship and the hunger to allow your BiBLe to refine my heart and soul.  Shape me from what I'm not, to what I need to become.

Matthew 4:4
...man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.

S' Mores Crispy Treats

S' Mores Crispy Treats

This is surely not a recipe for meticulous measures ;)
I was in a rush to make something for a Sunday lunch and this is what resulted. Do, bare with me as my ingredients are centered around the word "about".

What Ya Need.
* Marshmallows (about 20 regular)
* Cinnamon square cereal ( ehhh.. about 2 cups)
Use more if you are not using ring cereal.
 * Honey Nut ring cereal OPTIONAL (however much you need to compensate for the lack of cinnamon squares )
* Butter (3 tbsp.) I guess ;)
* Mini Chocolate Chips (however many u want)

So, if you are still with me, you apparently are a person of non specifics ! Glad you are.

What Ya Do

* Melt marshmallows and butter on 2-3 in ssucepan. I used 9 giant ones but translated for those who had normal ones.
* Pour in cereal. If I had all cinnamon squares, I would have only used those, but I substituted with ring cereal.
* Pour and mix until it looks gooie enough to get into pan, but will not be too gooie to harden into cut able squares.
* Pour and level into greased 9 inch pan.
* Sprinkle with mini chips.

Easy.
Hope it works :)

Keurig Coffee Machine Cleaning! EaSy!

Keurigs are excellent. We have had ours for about a year and a half, although we  have not cleaned it until just recently. I made and tested a simple method of cleaning not just the reservoir, but the tubing .

I thought about a  dishwasher cleaning method i had heard of and used myself. Placing a cup with vinegar top rack and shaking baking soda around the bottom portion of washer... then run a cycle.

**I also incorporated the Keurig method from "A Few Shortcuts" and "cleaningmyspace.com" that i have on my Pinterest boards.

The method itself and the details of amounts are my own.

So,  used the same tried and tested concoction.

Simply, here goes!!

I hope you enjoy estimates because this does not require exact measurements.

What Ya Need:
Baking soda
Vinegar
Dish Detergent
A fill-your-own pod for Keurig

What Ya Do:
Empty your reservoir and pour apx. 1/2cup vinegar and 1 1/2 cups water. Enough to run two cups through machine. Now use a pod that is meant for loose coffee or tea and fill almost full with baking soda. Run two full sessons through the machine as if you were brewing coffee. Now empty the baking soda carrier and wipe details of visible coffee remnant out of port. Empty reservoir and wash with soap and water. Now fill with enough water to run three more cups. Simply run three more cups and watch the transition from dark brown water to clear water.
I think you will be surprised at how much  remnant is in your first run of cleaning.
My machine has worked perfectly.

* I have to disclaim that this is simply a home tested cleaning method and I cannot prove its result other than it produced dark water and gradually became lighter with the progression of cleaning. Attempt at your own curiosity :)

Here's to happy coffee.!!

Demetria

28 Day Love Prayer Challenge

We pray many prayers. Among our requests, could it be that we have overlooked one most precious.
The prayer for LoVe.
Our Heavenly Father henges extreme importance on this simple element in our lives. Jesus reveals in Matthew 22: 37-39 that LoVe is THE element in which we should abide.
Matthew 22: 37-39 And he said to him, You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it, You shall love your neighbour as yourself.
We often run through our days, low on LoVe. It's possible that we are at times, running on empty.
New Hope Ladies are committing to a challenge.  We desire to see how a simple daily dedication to prayer for LoVe could affect our lives and the lives of others.
If you would like to commit to the Challenge, allow God to reveal personally as to your reviving needs. Although you can make your prayer your own, there are some elements that you may find helpful as you seek His pouring out.
Some elements you could include in your prayer:
- Heavenly Father, shape my heart to Love You More!
- Lord, mold my heart to accept your unfailing love more purely and with more assurance.
- Open my eyes and ears to recognize the little amazing gifts of grace you bestow, simply because of your love for the world.
- Bring to memory, the life of Jesus, my Savior and His displays of love for His children. And give me strength to love others as Jesus continues to love me.
- Refresh my mind to the attributes of love (I Corinthians 13: 4-8) and fill my home with its outpouring.
 - (Hardest to pray) Help me see myself through your loving eyes. That I may truly know how valuable I am to you, and be able to love your creation with all my strengths and weaknesses. (Pridelessly :)
- Lord, let your love be the root of all that I am and all that I do, and in my service to you.
- Fill me, that I may overflow your love to others.
28 days in February.
28 prayers for LoVe.
1 yOu.

Walking With the Master

Each day we wake in this life contains a mirage of blessings to be discovered. Every day is the dawning of a new path.  Just as blessings are a possibility, our paths can also be mingled with uncertainty.

Where the path will lead and what the days may hold, is a mystery to be unvailed as we take our journey. Often times the uncertainty twists it way into concern, then worry and anxiety. Blessings too often turn to grey as our doubts take full color.  We view our uncertain future and earthy existance, in much the same way. 

What would the path be like if everyday was surrendered to walking with the One who created it? The worries and frets about our day ahead and the years ahead, take an amazing turn when we do something simple that God desires from us. He desires, at the waking of each day, the dawning of each path, to hand the day to the Master. 

There's no better trail buddy than the One who knows all the answers!  Day surrender. Worries ceased.  Future secured.  All because of the Master. 

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                                     John 13:13
                       You call me Master and Lord;
                                 and you say well;
                                     for so I am.
                                          (KJV)