25 Days of Praise Challenge

Over at the Women Living Well Blog, Courtney is hosting a Marriage Challenge - the 25 Days of Praise!


I enjoy her challenges - they tend to be pretty simple and are really things we should be doing anyway! 

The Premise of this Challenge is as follows:
There are 25 days until Valentine's Day so it's time to implement the 25 Day Praise Plan.


Each week the challenge will be the same - to praise, encourage, inspire, admire, build up, thank and appreciate your husband. But each week I will give you different ways to express your praise. Feel free to tweak it for what you think is best for your husband. (Copied from her site - why re-state what is already stated so well!)

And the first challenge for this week is:
Week 1 starts TODAY! Look for ways to praise your husband verbally. Praise him in front of the kids, friends, family, co-workers, on facebook, tweet it - get praise out anyway you can! Try to mention something noteworthy he has done - in his role as provider, father, husband, lover, or friend. If the thought of trying to come up with one terrifies you, then pray right now that God will give you new eyes to see your husband as God does. Then open your mouth and say something kind and uplifting to your husband today and tomorrow and the next day until Valentine's Day arrives!(if you want a devotional to go along with this Nancy Leigh Demoss has an amazing Marriage Pdf here)
So often, I hear and see women - those I know and those I don't - who are quick to share their husband's shortcomings but aren't so quick to share the great things that they do!  I have a wonderful husband, I truly do - but I'm not sure how creative I always am in making sure he sees it!  We used to play a game a lot called "How much do you love me" and we would see who could be the most creative (i.e. I love you more than the number of hairballs both cats have spit up in their entire lives. - yes, I know it is gross but that is A LOT of love LOL)  I know it seems silly, but do you "Love him more than the number of dirty socks he's left on the floor" or "the number of times he's left the toilet seat up in the middle of the night" (I must say - my husband does NOT do that - he is very courteous!)  Or do you love reminding him of his failures more?  Just a thought!

So, join the challenge!  Check out Courtney's site by clicking the link above (that big blue button at the top of the post) for more details and to check out other sites that have linked up as well!

Cookies, Cookies, Everywhere!

Yep - Wednesday's I usually post a Weekly Song but I have so many posts written up on other topics, I wanted to share this today instead.  Plus we are having a busy, crazy day so I'm not sure if I'll have a chance to search for a song today!

I had planned to make Christmas Cookies this year - one or two batches a week to gather up some favorites and new recipes for future years.  I don't mind baking lots of cookies because most of them you can freeze and take out later.  I've done this for vacations - during the 6-8 weeks prior to a vacation, I put 6-12 cookies from each batch in the freezer so we have a variety while gone :-)  Well, I ran out of time and grocery money due to shopping for special days and birthdays.  My original plan was to make 6 different types but I only got 4 made . .well technically 3 because the 4th one did not turn out.  Not sure what I did wrong but there was nothing right about that cookie!! 
Most of these recipes I got from a blog a follow called What Megan's Making.  I'll give you a picture, a link back to her recipe and also any notes I have about the cookie :-)

1. Monster Cookies

Check out the recipe here

My Notes:  These cookies are fabulous and I didn't even have enough ingredients!  I ran out of oatmeal and didn't have the right amount of M & M's but they were still fantastic.  This recipe makes about 3 million (ok, maybe a few less than that) cookies so it is a great one for company.  One downside, for every batch of cookies I made, I ate at least 2 in cookie dough - some of the best dough ever!! 

2) Magic In the Middle Cookies

Find the Recipe Here

My Notes:  These should be called "A little bit of Heaven on Earth" they are so good.  Wow.  You can't eat more than 2 - they are super sweet.  Unlike the previous recipe this one only makes about 24-26 cookies.  I thought they would be more time consuming, but they really weren't.  This would be a great one to make for a cookie Exchange - people would be surprised when they bit into it!!

3. Peppermint Bark - this was a very popular recipe all over blog land and it is very simple. I found this recipe at The Long Thread

Peppermint Bark Recipe

• 24 ounces white chocolate chips
• 24 ounces milk chocolate chips
• 1 teaspoon peppermint extract
• 20 candy canes

1. Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with aluminum foil and spray with cooking spray.
2. Pour the milk chocolate chips onto the pan and spread them around. Bake for a couple of minutes until they look a bit melted. Then take the pan from the oven and spread the chocolate around with a spatula. Put the pan in the refrigerator to cool and harden for about 30 minutes.
3. Next open the candy canes, place them on a cookie sheet under a clean dishtowel and crush them with a hammer (this part is fun for kids). Sort the larger candy cane pieces from the candy cane dust.
4. Melt the white chocolate chips in a double boiler (I used a smaller pan in a bigger pan), stirring constantly. Add the peppermint extract and stir in the candy cane dust which will color your chocolate a light shade of pink. Let it cool a bit, then pour it over the top of your milk chocolate layer.
5. Sprinkle with candy cane pieces and press them down gently so that they stick.
6. Refrigerate for several hours, shake off the excess candy pieces, then break the bark into chunks. Best kept refrigerated.

My Notes:  This is a really easy, quick recipe.  I like having it in my fridge for a little snack :-)  I cut this recipe in half and made it in my 1/2 cookie sheet.