The good, the bad, and the blog

A happy heart

Thursday, November 25, 2010

I AM THANKFUL FOR...

...My husband. I'm simply so glad that God gave me David. Being married to him brings me joy to my heart. Every day I'm thankful for him, but especially today.

...My In-laws. I'm very lucky that I married into such a great family. They love the Lord and they love to cook too. Amen.

...My Family. My heart overflows when I think about the blessing they are to me. I'm sad that I can't be with them today, but I love the memories of having Thanksgiving together growing up. Either in North Carolina or at the beach, we always had the best times. It brings a smile to my face.

...The food that's in the oven. Mmm mm mmm. I think I just wiped a little drool off my chin.

...The really basic things. I work with children every day who don't have the ability to walk or communicate or eat or even hold their heads up straight. I heard a little boy say he was excited because for the first time he would actually be able to eat the food at Thanksgiving this year. Wow, that makes me thankful.

...God's mercy. Because without that, none of the things above would matter.

Give thanks to the Lord today, He deserves all of our praises!

Pumpkin Gooey Butter Cake

Wednesday, October 27, 2010

THIS. IS. SO. DELICIOUS.

typing in caps means it's really, really important

This is a Paula Dean recipe (hence the word 'butter' in the title) I found last fall and it's always been a HUGE hit. It's been described to me as "it tastes like heaven" and "the best thing I've ever put in my mouth." I know that's putting high expectations out there, but I have faith it will deliver for you. Please make this dessert at your next fall gathering.

Ingredients
Cake:

1 package yellow cake mix
1 egg
1 stick butter, melted

Filling:

1 (8 oz) package of cream cheese, softened
1 (15 oz) can pumpkin
3 eggs
1 t. vanilla
1 stick butter, melted
1 (16 oz) bag powdered sugar
1 t. cinnamon
1 t. nutmeg

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Combine the cake mix, egg, and butter in a bowl and mix well. Pat then mixture into the bottom of a lightly greased 13x9" baking pan.
In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese and pumpkin until smooth. Add the eggs, vanilla, and butter and beat together. Next, add the powdered sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg until mixed well. Spread the pumpkin mixture over the cake batter and bake 45-55 minutes. Make sure not to over bake as the center should be a little gooey.

My mouth is drooling at the thought.

Snotty nose, pretty trees

Monday, October 25, 2010

Well since i'm home from work with the worst cold and sinus pressure known to me, I have some extra down time today to update. As I sit here with a soup bowl filled with tissues, I will share with you pictures from my recent trip home. Going home always brings me such restoration. I feel very blessed to be able to say that I love being able to spend time with my parents. Since they live half way across the country I don't get to see them very often, and I value every second we get to be together. Following a particularly stressful week (I turned in my first graduate school application!), I took one day off work and flew up to the mountains to see them just for the weekend. Where my parents live is so beautiful that every time I go home it feels like a mini-vacation. So if you're having a long week as well, feel free to save these photos as your desktop background and stare off into the fall gorgeousness for a mini-vacation of your own!