A Picture is Worth...

After I posted a couple of recipes, my friend Marybeth suggested that I include photos with the recipes. She said that there are lots of women who won't try a recipe without photos. I mentioned this to another friend and she agreed, adding that she doesn't even read recipes! Instead, she follows the pictures. She said she really needs to see how it is supposed to look. That's how she knows if she is preparing the dish correctly. (Notice that I am now adding photos to my recipes.)

I thought about this and realized that lots of things in life require an example. I take on a new craft project only after seeing a photo of the finished product. I bring a photo to my hair stylist instead of trying to describe the way I would like her to cut my hair.

So... what about my life? If my life was a photograph, what kind of example or finished product am I showing the world? It's not very likely that an unbeliever... or possibly even a new believer is reading the Bible (the instructions) so my life should be an example of a Christ-like life. There are approximately 775,000 words in the Bible, depending on the translation. Hopefully I'm representing at least a few hundred of them and representing them well.

How about you? Are you a living, breathing instruction manual of a Christian life? If you are like me, your answer will change from day to day. If someone is looking at my life and using it as a recipe for a Christlike life, I better live every day as if someone is following my recipe. It could be the difference between a perfect, heavenly dessert and a burnt one. (Pun intended!)

Blessings,
LeAnn

S'More Brownies

Can you say, "ooey, gooey, yummy in the tummy?" Seriously... you will be a rock star in your house if you make these!

Ingredients:

1 box (family size) brownie mix
Ingredients called for on the back of the box
1 sleeve graham crackers
2 cups mini marshmallows
1 1/2 cups mini, semi-sweet chocolate chips

Prepare and bake the brownies according to the directions on the box but - remove the brownies from the oven about 10 minutes before they are finished baking.

Break the sleeve of graham crackers into bite-size pieces and cover the brownies:


Layer the marshmallows over the broken graham crackers:


Layer the chips over the marshmallows:


Return to oven and continue baking for 15 minutes or until the marshmallows turn golden brown. Remove from oven and let cool completely before cutting with a serrated knife.

I made a batch of these brownies Saturday afternoon and they were gone within 24 hours! Yes... I do have a teenage son but still... isn't that overdoing it?!

Blessings,
LeAnn

Quiet Time?

From time to time I struggle with my quiet time. You know... life gets in the way and I'm just too busy to spend time with God! I am horrified to even admit this. However, I am preparing to lead Sunday School for the women at my church and the first topic is that Jesus is our Cornerstone. He is to be FIRST and CONSTANT in our lives. Everything else is built on Him. I certainly don't think it is an accident that God guided me to this particular topic. Do you think He was trying to tell me something?! Don't you hate it when He does that? It's like Daddy is going, "tisk, tisk" and I'm about to get a time out... which is exactly what I needed!

Well... God wasn't exactly subtle with His "tisking" so I heard Him loud and clear. Preparing for this Sunday School time has "forced" me to spend quiet time with the Lord and I feel more centered and balanced than I have for a while now. I was missing Him terribly. My time with Him was inconsistent and rushed. I needed to get intentional about my quiet time but I needed a little help getting on track. So, of course, I turned to the Master (literally).

Mark 1:35 says, "And in the early morning, while it was still dark, He arose and went out and departed to a lonely place, and was praying there."

What does this tell us about Jesus' time with His Father?

What did He do? He prayed.
When did He do it? In the early morning.
Where did He go? Off by Himself.
Why did He have quiet time with God? To talk to His Father and to set His priorities for the day.

Hmmm... Taking my queue from Jesus, I set my alarm a little earlier and sat down in the corner of my quiet house and opened my Bible to hear what God had to say to me. I placed my name throughout the verses as I read them. What an amazing love letter He has given us.

If you received the most beautiful love letter ever... wouldn't you read it over and over again? You have received this love letter. Immerse yourself in it. Doesn't it feel so good? Can you imagine letting a single day go by without holding onto it and devouring the words of love, hope, and joy?! Me neither. Friends, I'm back on track and standing firm on my Cornerstone!

Sweet Blessings,
LeAnn

Best Ever Banana Bread

This is absolutely, hands down, the best and moistest banana bread you will ever make!

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 stick unsalted butter at room temperature
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup sour cream
1 cup mashed bananas
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9x5-inch loaf pan.

In a small bowl, sift together the flour, salt and baking soda and set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, cream together the softened butter and the sugar. Add the eggs one at a time and blend well. Add the flour mixture and stir to combine. Add the sour ream, bananas, and the vanilla extract and stir until thoroughly blended. Stir in the walnuts. Spoon batter into the prepared loaf pan.

Bake for one hour. Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes and then remove from pan and continue to cool on rack before slicing. (Note... it may not last long enough to cool off!)

Variation: Add 1 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips when you stir in the walnuts.

Tasty Tuesdays!

Hey Ya'll... I absolutely LOVE to cook. Unfortunately, my son is not as enthusiastic about eating my creations as I am about making them! He would be very happy to live on pizza and chicken strips. (Well... he does love steak and lobster at Hops but it's not like that can happen every day!) This leaves my friends and co-workers to serve as my guinea pigs. So far they haven't complained. Some creations actually receive rave reviews!

So, I've decided to begin "Tasty Tuesdays!" Every Tuesday I will post a recipe that has gone over extremely well. One that received lots of recipe requests. I hope that they will become staples in your home and bring you rave reviews as well.

Sweet Eatings!
LeAnn

Standing on His Word

Every summer I take on a home improvement project. As soon as our She Speaks conference is over, I head off to Home Depot and Lowes for supplies, put on my work clothes (the ones with paint stains), and get to work improving the appearance of my home. It makes me feel at peace when my home is uncluttered and decorated in colors that are appealing to me. If something isn't working right or if stacks of magazines start to lean, I feel out of sorts and overwhelmed. My environment definitely effects my mood.

Two summers ago I decided that I could no longer function effectively with pink countertops in my kitchen. That, of course, led to re-doing the entire kitchen. I carefully chose paint colors for the walls and cabinets, new countertops, curtains, and flooring that would better reflect my taste (which does not include pink countertops and dark stained wood cabinets!). Once I had all my paint chips and color swatches in front of me, I was ready to get started and very excited about the new "look" that would unfold with each coat of paint.

While my envirornment is important to me and it definately makes a difference in my attitude, the foundation of my home should be more important than how it looks... just like the condition of our heart should be more important than our outfit. But, how much time do we put into the foundation? It is so much easier to splash on a little color!

I thought about this when I was looking at new flooring for my kitchen. I wanted to know that my foundation was solid so, before laying the new floor, I took a Sharpie and wrote scripture promises all over the floor.

Here are a couple of photos of my old (ugly) floor after I wrote all over it!


I can honestly say that when I am standing in my kitchen, I absolutely know that I am standing on the Word of God. It truly makes a difference in my attitude and brings me the peace and confidence that a coat of paint never could. Sometimes I actually start to do a little happy dance in the kitchen! I know that I am standing on the Word of God and it makes me want to slide around the floor and dance!

Here are a few "after" photos of my kitchen:


I am definitely pleased with the way it turned out. Especially the absense of pink countertops! But, I have a confidence when I am in the kitchen that I never felt before. It comes with the knowledge that my foundation is strong and that, no matter the color on the walls or the pile of dirty dishes in the sink, God's promises are always true... and I stand on them!

Sweet Blessings,
LeAnn

Whatever!

A recent devotion on our teen site, Living with Purpose: A Radical Revolution, got me to thinking. The title of the devotion was "Think About This." It began, "What do you think about on a regular basis? ..... Do you allow your mind to wander to places that it shouldn't?" (No matter your age, I encourage you to visit the site and read these devotions. CLICK HERE to visit now. If you know a teenage girl, have her sign up to receive the weekly devotions, fashion advice, and weekly thoughts from Kristen.)

Many time I read the teen devotion and God uses it to work on me in an area where I need a little help! This was one of those devotions!

As the devotion mentions, "Do you take up residence in the land of lust, selfishness, worry, vengefulness, pessimism, or self-hatred?" Well... sometimes I do. I definitely struggle with worry, envy, low self-esteem, doubt, etc. "Am I a good mom?" "What if my septic system goes out and I can't afford to have anyone fix it?" "I wish I could lose 30 pounds." And on and on...

Here's what Kristen had to say in her devotion, "Whatever you think about and what you believe to be true will determine how you live your life." Hmmmm... she's clever for a youngin'!

During my time with God tomorrow morning, I am going to ask Him to clear my mind of all thoughts that should not be taking up residence in my head. Instead, as the apostle Paul said, I will ask God to help me focus on, "Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable - if anything is excellent or praiseworthy - think about such things." (Philippians 4:8)

I encourage you to do the same. We gals sure can fill our minds with negative thoughts and dwell on our insecurities. Instead, let's focus on "whatever is TRUE" and that, my friends, is the Word of God and His promises.

Sweet Blessings,
LeAnn

Performance Review

I was just visiting my friend Amy's blog. Amy always has something clever to say and she always makes me think. Actually... I'm not always happy about what she makes me think about but that's another post for another day!

Anyway, Amy's annual review at work prompted her to consider... what if God were to review her performance thus far? Oh my! That, of course, got me thinking too! What if, without any advance notice, God called me into His "office" first thing tomorrow morning and gave me His review of how I'm doing. Arrgghhhhhhh! I don't think there will be any "exceeds standards" in my review.

Now... if there was some advance notice, I would absolutely go and serve the hungry; forgive anyone who had ever hurt me; apologize to everyone that I had hurt; memorize the entire Bible; deliver clothing and blankets to everyone I could find living on the street; fall on my face before the cross and BEG for forgiveness... you get the idea.

Here's the thing... there will be no advance notice before we stand before God. Amy's post was a stark reminder that we are to live every day as if it were our last. I know that when I stand before God I want to hear, "well done My good and faithful servant." I'm not so sure that's what I would hear on most days. Now, I do have some days that are better than others but... I'm lacking in consistency. THANK YOU Amy for the reminder. I'm going to do a lot better tomorrow!

Sweet Blessings,
LeAnn