Good Afternoon

In life, if you are intelligent, you are admired. 

If you are wealthy, you are envied. 

If you are powerful, you are feared. 

But if you're blessed with a good heart, 

you are remembered, always. 

It's not about the wealth, power, and intellect, but 

the LEGACY in life behind those people you've touched.

Reindeer Cupcakes

categorized as christmas, cupcakes

1. Bake cupcakes of your choosing. I took the easy way out on these and made chocolate cupcakes from a box mix.
2. Frost with chocolate frosting.
3. Top with pretzels for the antlers, a Nilla Wafer for the face, white M&Ms for the eyes (or any other type of white candy), black icing for the eyeballs, and brown and red candies for the nose (I used peanut butter M&Ms and Cadbury chocolate balls).

These are super easy to make and kids will love them!!

The Nimble Butterfly

Time, the nimble butterfly

Slips deftly through our fingers

Not ongoing grief of solemn prayer

Will make it pause or linger

The rich colors of the butterfly

Enchants as it spread it's wings

But while we see the color

We fail to see the means

We think of time as now or or past 

Or something yet to be

Be our concept of the butterfly

I know reality

Time can't be measured by a loock

On some gigantic hand

For time's a place not now or past

Time's the hollow of God's hand.....

Claire-Eugene Denton Bear © copyright 

Puppy Love

Image: Donald Zolan

In helping my friend with her puppy-raising, I noticed an issue beginning to develop—one that happens to a lot of people, even without special-needs children that most owners do not stop in the beginning signs of the problem, but rather wait until it is a full-blown issue.

The puppy was starting to chase and jump all over the kids whenever he saw them, treating them more like littermates than his leaders. The puppy was not respecting their space. The German Shepherd puppy would run after the autistic son as soon as he spotted him in the morning. The child did not even have a chance to come all the way down the steps after waking before the 8-week-old pup was chasing him in an excited manner. The pup was also behaving this way towards their older daughter. 

Most see behaviors like this and interpret them as the puppy loving the child. They are best buddies just wanting to play, but actually when a dog respects a human or object they give it space. They do not come barreling over jumping on it. Rushing humans or objects is not respect, but quite the opposite. 

This behavior can start off caused by the child's excitement. A high level of excitement is a weakness to a dog, and if all you show the puppy is excitement and play, and never show him leadership, the pup will start to see himself as above the kids in the pack order. This will become a problem as the puppy grows up into an adolescent and adult. If the puppy grows up to own the child in the house it can be very dangerous as the dog guards the child as their property. It may cause issues with your child's friends; they will not be safe in your house. For example: if your child is playing with their friend and they get hurt or start to play in a manner that your dog feels is too rough, the dog might decide to protect his "property" against the other child. 

A dog should own NO property. Everything belongs to the humans; the children are not property the dog can own. This is where a lot of people go wrong, they do not see the warning signs and they do not act like leaders. 

In cases such as this, the parents need to step in and "claim" the kids, communicating to the dog that he must respect them. They also need to teach their children how to be leaders. It does not matter if the dog is large, medium or toy-sized. The behaviors mean the same thing no matter what size the dog might be. 

http://www.dogbreedinfo.com/articles/kidsdogsrespecting.htm 

You Made My Day

       The day is finally over,

I made it through another one;
Thank You Lord, for walking with me,
Talking with You made it more fun.


You showed me so many wonders,
God created in seven days;
You taught me many new lessons,
I can use as I walk my trails.


I promise to share what You've taught,
With every one I talk to;
I promise to treat those I meet,
The way You would want me to do.


And as I lay me down to sleep,
I pray my Lord, You'll stay with me;
Teach me more lessons as I dream,
Help me to be all I can be.


Now before I drift off to sleep,
I'd like to thank You once again;
For walking and talking with me,
And for being my life long friend.


Thank You my Lord; You made my day!

~ Paul D. Berube ~

Good Evening Friends

Last night the Rain spoke to me...

“Last night the rain spoke to me

slowly, saying, 

what joy to come falling

out of the brisk cloud, 

to be happy again in a new way

on the earth! 

That’s what it said as it dropped, 

smelling of iron, 

and vanished like a dream of the ocean

into the branches and the grass below.

Then it was over.

The sky cleared.

I was standing under a tree.

The tree was a tree with happy leaves, 

and I was myself, 

and there were stars in the sky that were also themselves

at the moment at which moment

my right hand was holding my left hand

which was holding the tree

which was filled with stars and the soft rain –

imagine! imagine! 

the long and wondrous journeys still to be ours.” 

― Mary Oliver

The Garden of Life

The Difference between Rich and Poor People

Life is too short And friends are too few.

One day, the father of a very wealthy family took his son on a trip to the country with the express purpose of showing him how poor people live. 

They spent a couple of days and nights on the farm of what would be considered a very poor family. 

On their return from their trip, the father asked his son, "How was the trip?" It was great, Dad."

Did you see how poor people live?" the father asked. Oh yeah," said the son. 

So, tell me, what did you learn from the trip?" asked the father. 

The son answered: "I saw that we have one dog and they had four.

We have a pool that reaches to the middle of our garden and they have a creek that has no end.

We have imported lanterns in our garden and they have the stars at night. 

Our patio reaches to the front yard and they have the whole horizon.

We have a small piece of land to live on and they have fields that go beyond our sight.

We have servants who serve us, but they serve others.

We buy our food, but they grow theirs.

We have walls around our property to protect us, they have friends to protect them." 

The boy's father was speechless. Then his son added, "Thanks, Dad, for showing me how poor we are."

Isn't perspective a wonderful thing? Makes you wonder what would happen 

if we all gave thanks for everything we have, instead of worrying about what we don't have.

Appreciate every single thing you have, especially your friends! 

Pass this on to friends and help them refresh their perspective and appreciation. 

Life is too short & friends are too few.

With all Respect and Love.

Everyone has secrets.

by: Gabrielle

Everyone has secrets. 

But this girl has darker secrets.

Hiding in the depths of her heart.

They are killing her. (Secretly)

Don't tell. 

There are childish secrets. 

Janet likes Avery.

Amanda is getting a new phone. 

A secret birthday party. 

Don't tell.

There are adult secrets. 

When they are alone.

And the door is closed.

They do things.

I opened the door once. 

Don't tell.

Then there are my secrets.

Different somehow. 

A boy who broke my heart. 

Not broke, but completely destroyed it. 

A friend who abandoned me. 

For the girl who had nicer things. 

A father who yells in my face. 

I can't do anything right.

Don't tell. 

And when the pain gets so bad.

From keeping the secrets locked away 

I take a piece of sharp metal. 

I write on my arm. 

Because it must me my fault somehow.

Everything is my fault... That's what they told me. 

And suddenly the secrets don't hurt anymore.

I keep writing. 

I will never tell.

Bull Terriers -"The most beautiful ugly dogs on the planet"

Hulle sê daar is honde en daar is Bull Terriers…..

Nou ja – ek wou my lewe lank nog ‘n varkhond hê – waarom weet ek nie, want heimlik was ek ook maar lugtig vir die “gevreedse” Chinadogs met hul berugte kakebene wat glo sluit as hulle jou in die hande kry!

Na heelwat gekerm en uit radeloosheid het Manlief en kinders dit toe goed gedink om verlede jaar vir my verjaarsdag een te gee. My wens was ‘n witte met ‘n patch op die een oog. Opreggeteeld!

Ek het toe intussen vir my ‘n boek oor bullies aangeskaf en na ek dit deeglik deurgelees het, so by myself besluit – miskien is ‘n bullie nie vir my nie! Ek onthou een gedeelte uit die boek (wat intussen die BULLIE BYBEL gedoop is) baie goed.

“So you want a Bull Terrier? Do you want a dog that is playful, active, curious, quirky, clownish, sensitive, loyal, affectionate and attached to his owner? Before you scream out yes, you must further consider these things: do you want a dog that is stubborn, willful, overconfident, aggressive, bossy, dominant and destructive? Now you’re not so sure?” (BULL TERRIER deur BETHANY GIBSON)

Wel, vandag – presies ‘n jaar gelede het die nuwe baba toe gearriveer! En na ‘n jaar van – amper sê ek hel – kan ek bogenoemde woorde absoluut beaam! Maklik was die jaar beslis nie en baie aardse besittings het in die slag gebly. Al die “china ware” is hoog gebêre, die kombuiskaste se knoppe bestaan so te sê nie, al die hoeke is rond gekou, drade is afgekou, plante is verwoes, ek en Manlief is van tafel en bed geskei. Van bed – want Madampie slaap by ons op die bed en met gebrek aan spasie het ek toe maar my intrek op die ander bed in die kamer geneem en van tafel – want ek eet alleen met hond vasgemaak by my voete, anders kry nie een sy kos in soos daar agter haar aangehardloop moet word nie.

Maar sy het al soveel plesier gebring en sy het die hele gesin in die sak en gelukkig is Manlief – ek dink- nog liewer vir haar as wat ek is. En sy het ons al soveel laat lag! En die bulliebybel meen hulle is net die eerste 18 maande so erg.

Ek sal hierdie tipe honde egter nie vir enige een aanbeveel nie. Jy moet Job se geduld hê, ‘n baby sitter is ‘n absolute moet, want die oomblik as hulle alleen gelaat word, tree hulle afbrekende gedrag na vore, moenie te geheg aan jou aardse goed wees nie en weet maar, hulle kos en veearts rekeninge gaan hoog wees!

Hulle is regte couch potatoes.

maar hulle wil tog elke dag ‘n rukkie gaan speel of stap.

En hulle is sterk – hulle sleep jou waar hulle wil wees. Opleiding en gehoorsaamheid en ‘n ystersterk leiband is ‘n moet!

MAAR die absolute liefde en aanbidding wat jy van hierdie honde kry, is onbeskryflik. Die meeste mense is doodbang vir hierdie honde met hul skrefiesoë, maar dit is heeltemal onnodig. Hulle is die liefdevolste honde wat daar is en geen ander hond het jou lief soos wat ‘n Bullie jou lief het nie! En hulle sal jou beskerm met hul lewens.

Hulle sit of lê nie by jou nie – hulle wil bo-op jou wees.

As jy iets doen, wil hulle sien wat jy doen!

Hierdie honde is net die dierbaarheid vanself!

Daar is buiten die wittes ook swartes

en bruines

en die brindle kleur

HULLE IS …….”THE MOST BEAUTIFUL UGLY DOGS ” OP DIE PLANEET!!!!!

Hier is my varkie, Schabbers, die dag toe ons haar gekry het (6 weke oud)

en so lyk sy vandag – een jaar later met haar verjaarsdagstrik

Bull Terriers – spesiale honde vir spesiale mense.

Intelligent Morning Talks

Intelligent Morning Talks !

Maturity is not when we start speaking BIG things.

It is when we start understanding small things..

Search a beautiful heart not a beautiful face.

Beautiful things are not always good but

good things are always beautiful.

Do you know, why God created gaps between fingers? 

So that someone who is special to you, 

comes and fills those gaps by holding your hands forever.

Never Think Hard about PAST, It brings Tears...

Don't Think more about FUTURE, It brings Fears...

Live this Moment with a Smile, It brings Cheers.!!!!

Every test in our life makes us bitter or better,

Every problem comes to make us or break us,

Choice is our whether we become victim or victorious !!!

If you are right then 

there is no need to get angry, 

And if you are wrong 

then you don't have any right to get angry.

Alone ?

You are . . .

True Story about a Little orphan boy's search for the true meaning of love and a home

John 3:16 ( The Story)

John 3:16 

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

In the city of Chicago, one cold, dark night, a blizzard was setting in. A little boy was selling newspapers on the corner, the people were in and out of the cold. The little boy was so cold that he wasn't trying to sell many papers.

He walked up to a policeman and said, "Mister, you wouldn't happen to know where a poor boy could find a warm place to sleep tonight would you? You see, I sleep in a box up around the corner there and down the alley and it's awful cold in there for tonight. Sure would be nice to have a warm place to stay,"

The policeman looked down at the little boy and said, "you go down the street to that big white house and you knock on the door. When they come out the door you just say John 3:16, and they will let you in."

So he did. He walked up the steps and knocked on the door, and a lady answered. He looked up and said, "John 3:16." The lady said, "Come on in, Son." She took him in and she sat him down in a split bottom rocker in front of a great big old fireplace, and she went off. The boy sat there for a while and thought to himself: John 3:16....I don't understand it, but it sure makes a cold boy warm.

Later she came back and asked him "Are you hungry?" He said, "Well, just a little. I haven't eaten in a couple of days, and I guess I could stand a little bit of food," The lady took him in the kitchen and sat him down to a table full of wonderful food. He ate and ate until he couldn't eat any more. Then he thought to himself: John 3:16... Boy, I sure don't understand it but it sure makes a hungry boy full.

She took him upstairs to a bathroom to a huge bathtub filled with warm water, and he sat there and soaked for a while. As he soaked, he thought to himself: John 3:16... I sure don't understand it, but it sure makes a dirty boy clean. You know, I've not had a bath, a real bath, in my whole life. The only bath I ever had was when I stood in front of that big old fire hydrant as they flushed it out.

The lady came in and got him. She took him to a room, tucked him into a big old feather bed, pulled the covers up around his neck, kissed him goodnight and turned out the lights. As he lay in the darkness and looked out the window at the snow coming down on that cold night, he thought to himself: John 3:16... I don't understand it but it sure makes a tired boy rested.

The next morning the lady came back up and took him down again to that same big table full of food. After he ate, she took him back to that same big old split bottom rocker in front of the fireplace and picked up a big old Bible. She sat down in front of him and looked into his young face.

"Do you understand John 3:16?" she asked gently.

He replied, "No, Ma'am, I don't. The first time I ever heard it was last night when the policeman told me to use it," She opened the Bible to John 3:16 and began to explain to him about Jesus. Right there, in front of that big old fireplace, he gave his heart and life to Jesus. He sat there and thought: John 3:16. .. .. I don't understand it, but it sure makes a lost boy feel safe.

You know, I have to confess I don't understand it either, how God was willing to send His Son to die for me, and how Jesus would agree to do such a thing. I don't understand the agony of the Father and every angel in heaven as they watched Jesus suffer and die. I don't understand the intense love for ME that kept Jesus on the cross till the end. I don't understand it, but it sure does make life worth living.

TomTripp

The Storyteller

A Minute With God

My name is God. You hardly have time for me. I love you and will always bless you. I am always with you. I need you to spend 30 seconds of your time with Me today. Don't pray, just praise. Today I want this message to go across the world before midnight. Will you help? Please do not delete it and I'll help you with something that you are in need of. Just dare Me! A blessing is coming your way. Please drop everything & pass it on.

Why do we feel sleepy in prayer, but stay awake through a 3 hour movie?

Why are we so bored when we look at the HOLY BOOK but find it easy to read other books?

Why are prayers getting smaller, but bars and clubs are expanding?

Why is it so easy to worship a celebrity, but very difficult to engage with God?

Think about it, are you going to forward this or are you going to ignore it because you think you will get laughed at?

Forward this to all your friends. 80% of you won't. God said if you deny me in front of your friends, I will deny you on the day of judgment.

When one door closes, God opens two. If God has opened doors for you, send this message to everyone

God has no BLACKBERRY but he's my favorite contact.

He is not on FACEBOOK but he is my best friend.

He is not on TWITTER but I still follow Him, and even without the INTERNET I am always connected to him.

He is not on gmail but he's always online.

Forward if God's been good to you! God has been very good to me,

He has given me a wonderful family, great friends and so much more.

Little Boys

Little Boys

Little boys come in all shapes and sizes,

Shy and adventurous, full of surprises,

With misshapen halos and mischievous grins,

Small dirty faces, and sweet, sticky chins.

They'll keep you so busy, and yet all the while

Nothing can brighten the world like their smile.

And no greater treasure has brought homes more joy

Than a curious, active, and lovable boy!

It's A Brand New Day

It's A Brand New Day

Leave back all your worries and troubles of yesterday,

Make yourself a silent promise to make today a better day. 

Now my dear friend, a brand new day lays ahead of you,

Face it with pride, because it is a gift and is totally new. 

May all your goals and ambitions for the day be set,

I wish you have an amazing day and a night without regrets.

Good morning buddy. 

Have a grand day! 

- poem by wishafriend.com

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups

Something that will satisfy even the sweetest of sweet teeth…

Ingredients: (Makes 12 servings)

• 3/4 cup crunchy peanut butter
• 3/4 cup graham cracker crumbs
• 1/4 cup maple sugar or sweetener of choice (eg. stevia, agave nectar)
• 1 cup dairy-free chocolate chips **
• 1/4 cup soy, rice, or almond milk
• 1/4 cup chopped pecans, almonds, or peanuts
• **semi-sweet chocolate chips are just as good if you’re not “fussy”

Directions:

1. line 1 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners
2. melt peanut butter, cracker crumbs, and sweetener on stovetop
3. add 2 tablespoons of mixture to each muffin cup
4. combine/melt the chocolate and milk in another pan on stovetop
5. spoon the chocolate mixture over each peanut butter cup
6. top with chopped nuts
7. place in refrigerator to set for at least 2 hours

Source: The Kind Diet – Alicia Silverstone

Praying Scripture for Your Family and Yourself

by Cooking Up Faith

Today we are going to look at 

what Jesus had to say about how to approach prayer, from Luke 11.

We see at the beginning of Luke 11 Jesus is praying Himself in a “certain place.” His disciples witness Jesus praying and ask Him to teach them how to pray. Jesus responded to His disciples with what to pray and how to pray.

What: Jesus gave these words on what to pray. Let’s look at this familiar prayer and break down what Jesus was telling His disciples and us:

Father, hallowed be your name: Hallowed means “sanctified; consecrated; highly venerated; to hallow is “to make or set apart as holy. To respect or honor greatly; revere.” When we start our prayer, may we start with a humble heart in deep respect and honor to the One we are speaking to. These aren’t just our thoughts floating into space. We are communicating with the very One who offered hope and promise through His Word and has the authority to carry them out.

Your kingdom come: The kingdom of God is God’s rule and authority over all things. So when we say “your kingdom come,” we are saying your rule, your authority, God, I acknowledge over anything I bring to You in prayer. May we realize as we pray that we are welcome to bring our petitions and requests before God, but with the understanding that He has the perfect authority and rule over what the answer and outcome should be.

Give us each day our daily bread: This is the first request in the Lord’s Prayer for ourselves. Jesus said “each day,” meaning let us come to God for our dailyphysical and spiritual needs for that day, not in a big lump supply that will get us through the week, months, or even years. This broadens our awareness of our dependence on God as a daily need for His provision and presence…something He longs for from us. Adam and Eve would walk with God in the cool of the day. He enjoys spending time with us and as we receive from God our daily physical and spiritual needs it’s as if we are taking slow walks with Him in peace…not in rush. It becomes a relationship. It becomes a longing and desire for more of Him as we little by little receive what we need from Him.  

Forgive us our sins: Asking for forgiveness of our sins reminds us of our failures and humanness and our deep need for a Savior.  

As we forgive everyone who sins against us: It’s interesting that Jesus included this line in His prayer. Jesus got it – He knew that life is about relationships, hurt feelings, miscommunications. He knew that these ups and downs in relationships happen more than we wish, and there will always be a constant need to extend forgiveness to others.  

And lead us not into temptation: We know from James 1:13 that God does not tempt us to sin. When we ask God that we would not be lead into temptation, we are again realizing that our mind is willing, but our bodies are weak (Mark 14:38). We are weak and have sinful desires, and Jesus tells us to pray that God would help our hearts be strong to fight against the temptations and trials that come our way, even deliver us through and from them.  

How: Now that we know what we should pray, let’s look at what Jesus said abouthow we should pray. Jesus shares a story about a man who boldly asked his neighbor for 3 loaves of bread, and although it was midnight and the neighbor was irritated, he gave the man the bread anyway…because of his boldness in his asking.  

Hebrews 11:6 says, And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.  

We are to come to God with bold hearts of faith knowing that He exists,He loves us, and He wants to help us.  

This understanding goes back to the beginning of the Lord’s Prayer where we are to believe in God’s Kingdom come – His rule and authority over all things.  

We are to have bold faith that we can pray to Him, make requests to Him, and accept His perfect answer and will.  

So, as you continue to pray those scriptures for your family, yourself, and your circumstances, may you go into pray with an undivided heart, with respect and awe for God, with little by little requests, and with a boldness of faith in your heart.

Fear thou not...

112 ways to say, I love you

English - I love you 

Afrikaans - Ek het jou lief 

Albanian - Te dua 

Arabic - Ana behibak (to male) 

Arabic - Ana behibek (to female) 

Armenian - Yes kez sirumen 

Bambara - M'bi fe 

Bangla - Aamee tuma ke bhalo aashi 

Belarusian - Ya tabe kahayu 

Bisaya - Nahigugma ako kanimo 

Bulgarian - Obicham te 

Cambodian - Soro lahn nhee ah 

Cantonese Chinese - Ngo oiy ney a 

Catalan - T'estimo 

Cheyenne - Ne mohotatse 

Chichewa - Ndimakukonda 

Corsican - Ti tengu caru (to male) 

Creol - Mi aime jou 

Croatian - Volim te 

Czech - Miluji te 

Danish - Jeg Elsker Dig 

Dutch - Ik hou van jou 

Esperanto - Mi amas vin 

Estonian - Ma armastan sind 

Ethiopian - Afgreki' 

Faroese - Eg elski teg 

Farsi - Doset daram 

Filipino - Mahal kita 

Finnish - Mina rakastan sinua 

French - Je t'aime, Je t'adore 

Frisian - Ik hâld fan dy 

Gaelic - Ta gra agam ort 

Georgian - Mikvarhar 

German - Ich liebe dich 

Greek - S'agapo 

Gujarati - Hoo thunay prem karoo choo 

Hiligaynon - Palangga ko ikaw 

Hawaiian - Aloha Au Ia`oe (Thanks Craig) 

Hebrew - Ani ohev otah (to female) 

Hebrew - Ani ohev et otha (to male) 

Hiligaynon - Guina higugma ko ikaw 

Hindi - Hum Tumhe Pyar Karte hae 

Hmong - Kuv hlub koj 

Hopi - Nu' umi unangwa'ta 

Hungarian - Szeretlek 

Icelandic - Eg elska tig 

Ilonggo - Palangga ko ikaw 

Indonesian - Saya cinta padamu 

Inuit - Negligevapse 

Irish - Taim i' ngra leat 

Italian - Ti amo 

Japanese - Aishiteru 

Kannada - Naanu ninna preetisuttene 

Kapampangan - Kaluguran daka 

Kiswahili - Nakupenda 

Konkani - Tu magel moga cho 

Korean - Sarang Heyo 

Latin - Te amo 

Latvian - Es tevi miilu 

Lebanese - Bahibak 

Lithuanian - Tave myliu 

Malay - Saya cintakan mu / Aku cinta padamu 

Malayalam - Njan Ninne Premikunnu 

Mandarin Chinese - Wo ai ni 

Marathi - Me tula prem karto 

Mohawk - Kanbhik 

Moroccan - Ana moajaba bik 

Nahuatl - Ni mits neki 

Navaho - Ayor anosh'ni 

Norwegian - Jeg Elsker Deg 

Pandacan - Syota na kita!! 

Pangasinan - Inaru Taka 

Papiamento - Mi ta stimabo 

Persian - Doo-set daaram 

Pig Latin - Iay ovlay ouyay 

Polish - Kocham Ciebie 

Portuguese - Eu te amo 

Romanian - Te iubesc 

Russian - Ya tebya liubliu 

Scot Gaelic - Tha gra\dh agam ort 

Serbian - Volim te 

Setswana - Ke a go rata 

Sign Language - ,\,,/ (represents position of fingers when signing'I Love You') 

Sindhi - Maa tokhe pyar kendo ahyan 

Sioux - Techihhila 

Slovak - Lu`bim ta 

Slovenian - Ljubim te 

Spanish - Te quiero / Te amo 

Swahili - Ninapenda wewe 

Swedish - Jag alskar dig 

Swiss-German - Ich lieb Di 

Surinam - Mi lobi joe 

Tagalog - Mahal kita 

Taiwanese - Wa ga ei li 

Tahitian - Ua Here Vau Ia Oe 

Tamil - Nan unnai kathalikaraen 

Telugu - Nenu ninnu premistunnanu 

Thai - Chan rak khun (to male) 

Thai - Phom rak khun (to female) 

Turkish - Seni Seviyorum 

Ukrainian - Ya tebe kahayu 

Urdu - mai aap say pyaar karta hoo 

Vietnamese - Anh ye^u em (to female) 

Vietnamese - Em ye^u anh (to male) 

Welsh - 'Rwy'n dy garu di 

Yiddish - Ikh hob dikh 

Yoruba - Mo ni fe

The Beautiful Colour of Love...

 

Just Dropping By To Say Hiiii!

God Won’t Ask

The best things in life aren't things

God won’t ask what kind of fancy car you drove.

He will ask how many people you took to church who didn’t have transportation.

God won’t ask the square footage of your house.

He will ask how many people you helped who didn’t have a house.

God won’t ask how many fancy clothes you had in your closet.

He will ask how many of those clothes you gave away to the Salvation Army.

God won’t ask what social class you were in.

He will ask what kind of “class” you displayed.

God won’t ask how many material possessions you had.

He will ask whether those material possessions dictated your life.

God won’t ask you what your highest salary was.

He will ask if you trampled over any people to obtain that salary.

God won’t ask how much overtime you worked.

He will ask if you worked overtime for your family.

God won’t ask how many promotions you received.

He will ask what you did to promote others.

God won’t ask what your job title was.

He will ask if you performed your job to the best of your ability.

God won’t ask how many promotions you took to chase a dollar bill.

He will ask how many promotions you refused to advance your family’s quality of

life.

God won’t ask how many times you didn’t run around on your spouse.

He will ask how many times you did.

God won’t ask how many degrees you had.

He will ask how many people you thanked for helping you get those degrees.

God won’t ask what your parents did to help you.

He will ask what you did to help your parents.

God won’t ask what you did to help yourself.

He will ask what you did to help others.

God won’t ask how many friends you had.

He will ask how many people you were befriended.

God won’t ask what you did to protect your rights.

He will ask you what you did to protect the rights of others.

God won’t ask what neighborhood you lived in.

He will ask how many other neighborhoods you visited.

God won’t ask how many times you told the truth.

He will ask how many times you told a lie.

God won’t ask about the color of your skin.

He will ask about the color of your heart.

God won’t ask how many times your deeds matched your words.

He will ask how many times they didn’t.

Source: Unknown (A Parable)

Table prepared for us...

“You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. 

You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.”(Psalm 23:5 NIV)

God’s dream for your life is that you would be blessed in such a way that you could be a blessing to others. David said, “My cup runs over.” God is an overflow God. But here’s the key: you can’t go around thinking thoughts of lack, not enough, or struggle and expect to have abundance. If you’ve been under pressure for a long time and have difficulty making ends meet, it’s easy to develop a limited mindset. “I’ll never get out of this neighborhood.” Or, “I’ll never have enough to send my kids to college.” No, that may be where you are now, but that’s not where you have to stay. God is called El Shaddai, the God of More than Enough! Not the God of Barely Enough. Not the God of Just Help Me Make it Through. No, He’s the God of Overflow!

Today, no matter what you may be experiencing, stir yourself up in faith and declare who God is in your life. Declare that He is well able; declare that He is more than enough! Declare that your cup runs over with the blessing and victory He has prepared for you!

Father, thank You for Your grace, favor and mercy to me. I know that You are preparing a place of blessing for me. I know that my cup runs over, and as I press into You, I will walk in Your blessing in Jesus’ name. Amen.                                                             — Joel & Victoria Osteen

Naughty Brownies

Have you ever done something so bad, so wrong that you felt sinful? Like doing something that’s really, really unnecessary and you immediately fill up with regret. I did something horribly wrong that I can’t take back. I need punishment for introducing you to this overindulging dessert that I created in my naughty little kitchen today. I am sorry if your scale misbehaves in the morning. It’s my fault and I take full blame. I couldn’t help it. I needed a PB and Fudge fix and I needed it in a hurry. I shouldn’t have done it, I knew it was wrong especially with swimsuit Season upon us. Kind of like you shouldn’t go grocery shopping on an empty stomach. It’s just not a good idea. The first ingredient I abused was Toll House chocolate chip cookie dough. I spread the tube in a baking dish and stared at it. I knew it wasn’t meant to be baked this way but I love chocolate chip cookie dough and needed the entire tube immediately. But still, it wasn’t enough I needed more. I swiped a bag of Reese’s peanut butter cups from the pantry and unwrapped every one of them. I placed them each into the cookie dough and still I wasn’t satisfied. I painfully mixed up a batch of gooey, fudge brownies and poured it over top of both the candy and the cookie dough. I was bad. I’m sorry I did this too you. I know you will want to try it too. But wait, I’m not finished. This is so wrong. I Topped it off by sprinkling an entire bag of semi sweet chocolate and peanut butter chips. I know I’m dragging you down with me by sharing this sinful, over indulging , totally unnecessary fudgy, peanutty recipe that is simply to die for. I am mean. Ugh! I need another slice. 

Cookie dough pressed firmly in a baking dish

Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups pressed into the cookie dough then covered in a layer of brownie batter.

Sprinkled with an entire bag of semi sweet chocolate and peanut butter chips.

Baked to perfection with just the right flavors are blended together. There are gooey parts, fudge parts, cream peanut butter parts..it’s just too good to not want more.

Sorry!

Naughty Brownies

Layers of chocolate chip cookie dough, brownies and reese's peanut butter cups sprinkled with chocolate and peanut butter chips baked together to perfection.

Naughty Brownies  (Yields 15)

Ingredients: 

• 1 box Fugde brownie mix (betty crocker) 
• 1 32 oz tube of pre made chocolate chip cookie dough (toll house) 
• 1 bag of chocolate chip and peanut butter chip mix (nestle) 
• 1 bag of Reese's peanut butter cups (unwrapped) 
• egg, water and oil called for in brownie recipe 

Instructions:
preheat oven to 350 and grease a 13x9 glass casserole dish. Unwrap cookie dough and press firmly into the bottom of the glass dish. Place unwraped reese's peanut butter cups in rows of four to cover the length of the dish. Press down firmly into cookie dough. Mix up a batch of brownies ( any recipe or box mix will do) and pour over the reese's peanut butter cups. Tilt the pan gently from left to right to spread the brownie mixture evenly over top of each candy. Sprinkle with chips.
Bake for 50 minutes rotating pan halfway. Check for doneness by placing a toothpick in the middle of the pan. It will not come out totally clean like a cake but if you wiggle the pan and the middle seems too liquidy still, you have to bake it a little longer. When the pan is resting on your counter to cool it will continue to cook in the middle so it doesn't have to be totally baked in the oven prior to removing. You don't want to burn the edges. Cool completely before cutting.

Notes:  use any chocolate candy or chips that you like. To get a clean slice, refrigerate before cutting. 

By Buttercream Bakehouse

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