Through the eyes of a child...

A time for reflection.... I'd like to think she'd be proud of me...maybe disappointed with my path, but ultimately pleased with my destination. Today I will try to be better than I was yesterday.

New Years Eve Jar

I'm doing this.  How cool would it be to see all the wonderful things that happen during the year.  

This is such a great way to reflect on the year and the positives that we often take for granted.

Cake Batter Fudge

Funfetti Cake Batter Fudge
  
1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk
3 1/2 cups white chocolate chips (about 1 3/4 bags)
3 tsp Vanilla Extract
1/2 tsp Almond Extract
Sprinkles (I used rainbow sprinkles, but you can use any kind!)

Pour milk and white chocolate into a microwave-safe bowl. Heat for 2-3 minutes, or until white chocolate is almost completely melted. DO NOT OVERHEAT. Stir until completely blended, melted, and smooth.
Immediately add vanilla and almond extract and combine thoroughly. Add a handful or so of rainbow sprinkles and fold in quickly because they will melt (and if they are stirred for too long they’ll turn the fudge an ugly gray color).
Transfer to an aluminum-foil lined or well-greased 8×8 inch baking pan for very thick fudge, or a 11X7 inch pan (this is the size I used and it worked perfectly). Let set at room temperature or in the refrigerator. Once set, cut into cubes (peel off the foil if you used it!). Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge.

Shoe Rack Storeage

This also works for sports bottles that don't easily fit into your cabinets.

Enjoy!

Grandmother says... Carrots, Eggs, or Coffee...

Grandmother says... Carrots, Eggs, or Coffee...

"Which are you?"

A young woman went to her grandmother and told her about her life and how things were so 

hard for her. She did not know how she was going to make it and wanted to give up. She was 

tired of fighting and struggling. It seemed as one problem was solved a new one arose.


Her grandmother took her to the kitchen. She filled three pots with water. In the first, she placed 

carrots, in the second she placed eggs and the last she placed ground coffee beans. She let 

them sit and boil without saying a word.

In about twenty minutes she turned off the burners. She fished the carrots out and placed them 

in a bowl. She pulled the eggs out and placed them in a bowl. Then she ladled the coffee out 

and placed it in a bowl. Turning to her granddaughter, she asked, "Tell me what do you see?"

"Carrots, eggs, and coffee," she replied.

She brought her closer and asked her to feel the carrots. She did and noted that they got 

soft.She then asked her to take an egg and break it.

After pulling off the shell, she observed the hard-boiled egg.

Finally, she asked her to sip the coffee. The granddaughter smiled, as she tasted its rich 

aroma. The granddaughter then asked. "What's the point,grandmother?"

Her grandmother explained that each of these objects had faced the same adversity--boiling

water--but each reacted differently.

The carrot went in strong, hard and unrelenting. However after being subjected to the boiling 

water, it softened and became weak. The egg had been fragile. Its thin outer shell had 

protected its liquid interior. But, after sitting through the boiling water, its inside became 

hardened.

The ground coffee beans were unique, however. After they were in the boiling water they had

changed the water.

"Which are you?" she asked her granddaughter.

"When adversity knocks on your door, how do you respond? Are you a carrot, an egg, or a

 coffee bean?"

Think of this: Which am I?

Am I the carrot that seems strong, but with pain and adversity, do I wilt and become soft and

lose my strength?

Am I the egg that starts with a malleable heart, but changes with the heat? Did I have a fluid

spirit, but after a death, a breakup, a financial hardship or some other trial, have I become

hardened and stiff?

Does my shell look the same, but on the inside am I bitter and tough with a stiff spirit and a

hardened heart?

Or am I like the coffee bean? The bean actually changes the hot water, the very circumstance

that brings the pain. When the water gets hot, it releases the fragrance and flavor. If you are like

the bean, when things are at their worst, you get better and change the situation around you.

When the hours are the darkest and trials are their greatest do you elevate to another level?

~AUTHOR UNKNOWN~

Thank you, Lord.

True Friendship