Thumbprint Cookies

Ingredients
3/4 pound (3 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3 1/2 cups flour
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water, for egg wash
7 ounces sweetened flaked coconut
Raspberry and/or apricot jam

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter and sugar until just combined, and then add the vanilla. Separately, sift together the flour and salt. With the mixer on low speed, add the flour mixture to the creamed butter and sugar. Mix until the dough starts to come together. Dump on a floured board and roll together into a flat disk. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill for 15-30 minutes.

Roll the dough into 1 1/4-inch balls, or use a 1 tablespoon measuring spoon to measure out the dough. Dip each ball into the egg wash and then roll it in coconut. Place the balls on an ungreased cookie sheet and press a light indentation into the top of each with your finger. Drop 1/4 teaspoon of jam into each indentation. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the coconut is a golden brown. Cool and serve.

Alternative: You can make variations of the jam in the center of the thumbprint cookies - try raspberry, strawberry, peach or apple jam or preserves prior to placing cookies in the oven. Or, you can cook the cookies and after they have been removed from the oven and cooled, you can add a frosting.

A Little Giving, A Little Love...

Yesterday myself, along with so many friends and ladies of Guts Church, participated in Guts Girls Gives Back, a yearly Christmas event in which the women of Guts Church join together and visit local pregnancy centers, orphanages, fire and police stations, and those in need in order to spread a little cheer. As one of the groups of girls who visited local fire stations, we took coffee, cookies, and sports equipment to two stations in Broken Arrow. It was a great opportunity for us to thank them for all their hard work, show appreciation for keeping us and the city safe, and let them know that there were people thinking of them this holiday season. The firemen were so thankful, some surprised, and one gentleman simply said, "we can't believe you guys would go by and take this to so many stations." It was a humbling experience for me because it only took a couple hours out of everyone's day to deliver these items and yet it made such a meaningful impact on those we visited with.
Following this experience, tonight at church Pastor Bill spoke about being consistent within the areas of our lives because of the example that we are to others. And then he read 1 Corinthians 16:14, which states, "Let everything you do be done in love." He spoke about how God is love and the love of God never fails. When we show love to those around us we are displaying the love of God because he lives on the inside of us. And what a wonderful representation of Christ when we display love to others.

Holiday Cards...

With this being the hubster and my first married holiday season we are preparing in full force. We will be sending out our first couple holiday card as Mr and Mrs and I am amazed at the super cute plethora of personalized photo holiday cards that are available. Here are some of my favorites...

Come along with us...

This year, as the hubster and I embark on almost 4 months of marriage, we find ourselves at our first married holiday: Halloween! So, with every effort to make this Halloween a memorable one, we learned how to carve pumpkins (thanks to two very special friends)! Due to my intense love of owls, and the multiple owl decor objects present in our apartment, I thought it was next to impossible for the hubster to select the owl design for our couple pumpkin adventure; but, yes, to my happy delight the owl was chosen!

A Place Called Home...

Kevin and I have been newlyweds for just over 3 months, and one of the biggest to-dos for me as a wife was to create an environment that was safe, peaceful, and, of course, wonderfully decorated. Even though I am still shopping for the perfect pieces and waiting for it all to be complete, here are some of my favorite inspirations...

A Recipe of Caramel Apple Cupcakes!

So, now that I'm a newlywed I am fascinated with new recipes - special food treats for me and the huz to enjoy. So, please feast your eyes on our newest discovery: caramel apple cupcakes! You're welcome. Enjoy.

Ingredients
1 1/4 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
2 eggs
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 granulated sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 Rome (or baking) apples (peeled and shredded)
1 1/2 cups chewy caramel candies
1 tbsp heavy cream

Directions
Preheat over to 350 degrees
Line cupcake pan with liners, or spray pan with cooking spray
In large bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt.
In medium bowl, whisk eggs, brown sugar, and granulated sugar until smooth. Whisk in oil and vanilla extract. Stir in flour mixture. Stir in apples.
Spoon batter into pan until almost full (3/4 full) in each cup
Bake approximately 25-30 minutes, or until toothpick inserted into cupcake comes out clean. Let cupcakes cool.
In small bowl, combine caramels and cream. Microwave on high for 1 minute. Stir, and then repeat at 25 second intervals until caramel icing is melted and smooth.
Spread frosting generously on cooled cupcakes.

*Caramel frosting will be very sticky until cooled. So, refrain from eating frosted cupcakes until icing has completely cooled.

So, you don't think God is faithful to His Word?

"Teaching is a tough market right now." "Did you hear about all of the teachers who got laid off?" "All of those budget cuts are really going to affect teaching jobs, huh?"
Yes, ever since Kevin graduated from Northeastern State University this year with an Elementary Education degree, we have been bombarded with "facts" regarding the current state of the economy and the lack of teaching positions available. *On a side note, it is fairly annoying to know that individuals think this is actually "good" and "pleasant" conversation. Why would we ever want to focus on the negative of any situation?
However, Kevin and I did understand the "facts" of the situation. Yes, teaching positions were scarce. Yes, teachers were being let go. Yes, schools are decreasing their budgets and pay for teachers. And these were all conversation starters that directly followed, "what did you graduate for?" "teaching." "oh, did you know..."
With the public's incessant need to inform us every chance they had of the drastic and devastating state of teaching positions, Kevin and I made a different choice - what we see, what we hear, and what the current situation looks like does not determine our level of faith or our trust that God can move on our behalf. Of the upmost importance to us was that this situation offered the potential to showcase to the world visible faith in God's Word and God's timing. We simply had to trust God's Word and not doubt; speak His Word over our situation, our life, and trust that His Word never returns void of power; trust that God will move mountains on our behalf, that we operate in unmerited favor, and that those who trust in Him and His Word are never disappointed.
About 3 months later Kevin received a phone call from an elementary school regarding a teaching position for 4th grade. The elementary school let Kevin know that they weren't in need of a 4th grade teacher until an unexpected enrollment of 15-20 students occurred prior to the first week of classes, requiring the school to hire an additional 4th grade teacher. So, the elementary school called a local university, which just happened to be the same university Kevin graduated from, and requested recommendations from the university for their newly opened teaching position. The university recommended Kevin.
Kevin never applied for this teaching job. He doesn't know anyone from the elementary school that inquired of a recommendation. And, he's never visited the elementary school or sent in an application. The only explanation for this is that God moved on our behalf. That's it. And, that's a pretty amazing place to be. What's even more amazing, is that there are individuals in our life who aren't saved, who have heard of this situation, and the words out of their mouths are, "This has to be God."

Your life is shaped by the words you speak - you have the choice to allow the circumstances you encounter to happen, and you can accept them as they are; or, you can speak the Word over your life, over your family and your friends, over your finances and your job, over your home and your belongings and know that those who trust in God's Word are never disappointed.