Tasty Thursday: Chocolate Peppermint Cheese Ball!

I recently made this for a Ladies Christmas Fellowship at our church.  It was a big hit...and I loved it!!!  I love how cute it looked in my little garage sale twenty-five cents glass globe cloche too!!

Chocolate Peppermint Cheese Ball

from RecipeGoldMine 

Serve with chocolate-flavored "Nilla" wafers or chocolate graham crackers  

I used plain grahams and they were fine!

2 (12 ounce) package semisweet chocolate chips
1 cups peppermint candies (about 36 candies)
2 cups pecans
8 ounces cream cheese, softened

Process the chocolate chips, peppermint candies and pecans in a blender or food processor until finely ground. Place the mixture in an airtight plastic bag until ready to use. There will be enough mixture to make several cheese balls.  Holy Cow...they aren't kidding...this makes enough for about 4-5 cheeseballs!

When ready to make a cheese ball, place the cream cheese in a bowl. Remove 1/2 cup of the ground candy-nut mixture from the bag and mix with cream cheese. Shape into a ball and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 2-3 hours or until firm. I rolled mine in the mixture for the outside ...and obviously decorated with candy canes and button candies too!!

WFW: God with us...

Today as the wind roars outside...it is so wonderful to ponder IMMANUEL...God with us...WOW!!  Join all the Word FILLED Wednesday over with Lori at all you have to give.

Shine...don't be Scroogie!

"Oh! But he was a tight-fisted hand at the grind-
stone, Scrooge! a squeezing, wrenching, grasping,
scraping, clutching, covetous, old sinner! Hard and
sharp as flint, from which no steel had ever struck out
generous fire; secret, and self-contained, and solitary
as an oyster. The cold within him froze his old features,
nipped his pointed nose, shrivelled his cheek,
stiffened his gait; made his eyes red, his thin lips blue;
and spoke out shrewdly in his grating voice."

A Christmas Carol: Stave 1, Marley's Ghost

I'd love to say that I thought Christmas brings out the best in everyone...but...there seem to be more bleak spots than bright this season so far. No matter how hard I try I always end up over scheduled...often faking the cheerful spirit...often grouching at those I love most. I'd love to say that celebrating advent has solved all my scroogie problems...but it hasn't.

So, should we all be like Polly Anna and "look for the good" in everyone? We could just ignore the bad...right? Well...first off...no one is good...we're all sinners...

Romans 3:23, "for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,"

...so looking for good might just run us into the ground. Not that there isn't any good...I mean today...for example...a nice lady got me a shopping cart and another nice guy put it away. (I must look like I have my hands full...shopping with two toddlers in the snow! HA!) AND...I'm grateful for their kindness...but the bigger issue isn't really how to deal with the nice people...the do gooders...it's those scrooges...oh...

For example, those grouchy postmasters who treat you like an idiot cuz you don't quickly hustle to the counter because you are trying to gather your packages and toddlers first...and repeats himself loudly to embarrass you in front of all the other patrons.

OR...those ladies in the checkout who glare at you when you break out your coupons...

OR...the drivers..."holiday shoppers"...insane people who didn't go to driving school...

OR...the people who hammer on you at church to do everything and anything cuz you're young and you have time...you don't work, right? Ugh...

I find myself praying that God would help me
...guide me
...at all costs
...to POINT TO CHRIST!

Philippians 2:14, "Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe."

That's my goal for this crazy season...
...no matter how scroogie the individual I encounter may be
...no matter how tired I might be
...even if it's my Loverbrains who should know better (haha)...

Focus on Christ...and maybe it will keep you from road rage, glaring back, or telling someone off this season...if so, I'm glad. Even more important though...share with others about Christ...the GIFT of Christmas...

Matthew 1:21, "She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.”

John 3:16, "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."

I'm struck by...Isaiah 9:6,
"For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace."

That is my God...who can surely help me with any awful scrooge out there...who can help me see scrooge with compassionate, Jesus like eyes...who can share the free gift of salvation with anyone...no matter how much they embarrass, anger, upset, or demean me...after all, they killed him!

Isaiah 53:7, "He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth."

Caffeinated Randomness: How Bizarre, how bizarre...

I'm happily caffeinated...and excited to be with all the caff, half caff and decaf gals again! Today we were instructed to share our most bizarre ornament(s). We're supposed to take pictures and 'splain why we possess these jewels in our collections!
I should start by saying that I LOVE all my Christmas stuff...especially our new Willowtree nativity...that's growing slowly each year.

This year we gained the shepherds, some sheep and the CAMEL. Seriously, that's bizarre...and in my humble opinion a marketing ploy to get you to buy the wise men.

And ya'll know...I have issues with the wise men being at my manger scene...I've already planned for them to be on the bookshelf across the room (which is a two to three year journey for all those interested, ha ha)...so I was going to leave the camel in the box...but my Loverbrains thought he was cute and felt bad for him...so now he's off to the side...I've decided he belongs to the innkeeper! How bizarre!?
Also bizarre is the use of many decorations from our wedding. We were married Dec. 21st ...almost six years ago. Yeah! I figure it's sort of odd to use things from one's wedding each year...but very cool too...right?!

Okay, I think my most bizarre ornament is this noodle angel. She's made of four types of pasta...bow tie (wings), penne (body), elbow mac (arms), and that Stelline (hair)...a tiny bit of ribbon, music, glue and a wooden ball...and VOILA...a noodle angel. A tad bizarre but pretty cute!!

I get a kick out of this bizarre little melting snowman each year. I should make some more and send them to my Southern relatives. He he he!

Every time I hear the word bizarre I start singing this song...which I know nothing about so had to look up the lyrics to make sure it's er, kosher...I didn't really understand them but there wasn't any swearing...so I thought I'd include the imeem link in case any of ya'll wanna bop along while reading this...hehehe! Have a very Merry and BIZARRE week!!

How Bizarre - OMC

Away in a manger...simplified...

My little girl just started to really sing songs with me. She sings "Away in a Manger" beautifully...and has just started asking questions about the words....

...how my heart thrills to be able to point her to why we celebrate Christmas...Christ's birth!!

Away in a Manger
No crib for a bed
The little Lord Jesus
Laid down his sweet head

Sweet Girl: Mommy, what's a manger?
Me: It's a place where animals eat hay. Like here...in our nativity...see all the straw? (Personally, I love that Willowtree has Mary holding the baby, but I was really wishing that Jesus was in an actual manger at this moment.) Baby Jesus was born in a stable or barn...because all the houses were full of people...and there was no room except in the barn.

The stars in the bright sky
Looked down where He lay
The little Lord Jesus
Asleep on the hay

Sweet Girl: Hay looks scratchy! It makes me itchy!!
Me: I'm sure that Jesus' mother, Mary, took good care of him. The Bible says she wrapped him in swaddling clothes! That's soft clothes...just like the blankies you use for your dollies.

The cattle are lowing
The poor baby wakes
But little Lord Jesus
No crying He makes.

Sweet Girl: Mommy...what's lowing?
Me: It's another word for mooing...the noises cows make. Cattle are cows!

I love Thee, Lord Jesus
Look down from the sky
And stay by my side
Til morning is nigh.

Sweet Girl: Mom...what's nigh mean?
Me: Nigh means near...the song is praying that Jesus would stay close all night long...even until morning comes!
Sweet Girl: Yes, God takes care of me when I sleeps...

Be near me, Lord Jesus
I ask Thee to stay
Close by me forever
And love me, I pray

Bless all the dear children
In thy tender care
And fit us for heaven
To live with thee there.

I love that this says "fit us" for heaven...as we work out our faith in fear and trembling. I tremble with excitement when she asks me about God's Word and His amazing gift...but also I tremble with fear...of God's Word and I seek His guidance to tell her correctly what she needs to know!

Away In A Manger - Corrinne May - Corrinne May

Word FILLED Wednesday: No Whips!

Sometimes Jesus' teachings are difficult. Not hard to understand necessarily...but hard to accept. His difficult teachings must be received for spiritual growth. We have to relinquish our own ideas. Where else can we go...but to Jesus.

Psalm 73:25-26, "Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever."

Worship is a gift...not a chore. We are tied to Him with the bonds of love...not the whip of the law. Are you facing a difficult teaching right now? What does your response say about God in your life?

Join today's Word FILLED Wednesday's hostess here...PennyRaine

Eating...full of Jesus?

I just finished reading John 6 for Bible Study. Some interesting things came to my attention. Since Thanksgiving has just past...and a lot of eating has been done...*groan*...I thought I'd share.

The murmurers in verse 52 were probably being deliberately obtuse. There are bunches of metaphorical references to eating and drinking in the OT. They would have known these...

Proverbs 31:27, "She looks well to the ways of her household, And does not eat the bread of idleness."

Ez. 3:1, "Then He said to me, "Son of man, eat what you find; eat this scroll, and go, speak to the house of Israel."

Duet. 8:3, ""He humbled you and let you be hungry, and fed you with manna which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that He might make you understand that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by everything that proceeds out of the mouth of the LORD."

Eating is necessary for life. Don't spiritually starve yourself. Spend time in God's Word...feeding on him!

Eating involves appropriation. We can go to a restaurant (church), look at the menu (bible), order the meal. (say what's expected)..but if we don't ingest the food (believe/learn)...we aren't benefiting from the food.

Eating is personal. No one can eat for you.
You are never really finished eating. We continually need to feed on the Word.

Only through eating God's Word and spending time with Him in prayer can we recognize real intimacy. I can think of several times where God's Word strengthened me for a specific life circumstance.

Are you hungry? Only the Bread of Life truly satisfies.