august

August is slipping away. How is it that I started out so strong with blogging this year, and then as life began to "slow down" I stopped? I think maybe because as I get older, the less I feel the need to share my thoughts and life online. As time marches on, I do think about this blog and have the desire to keep posting, keep writing, keep updating. But life is changing, and as my priorities have shifted, this blog isn't anywhere close to the top anymore. If you still enjoy reading, I do thank you. I will keep posting, but clearly, just not as frequently and I won't make any promises of how often. 

I think one of the reasons I've slowed down is a simple lesson that time has taught me. Once you've said something - especially on the internet - it cannot be taken back. Once a picture is shared, it can't be unseen. I'm not really ashamed or embarrassed by anything I've ever shared on here, I just know that I want to stay guarded in this world that knows no boundaries. There have been enough times in my life that I look back on and cringe. I don't want to put those moments in a place where they cannot be erased. Once words leave your mouth - or fingers, in this case - they can only be forgiven, rarely are they forgotten.

The months of June, July, and August have fallen through my fingers like grains of sand. One moment I had a tight grip, the next they were gone entirely. I have been overwhelmed by God's grace and goodness. At the age of 24, I have begun to experience things that force me to look to Christ and pay more attention to Him than the circumstances around me. I feel as if these days my main request is for wisdom, while last year I had a bucketful of questions I couldn't even find words for. God can pull us out of our confusion and place us in peace if only we can adjust our focus on Him. I'm still trying, still learning, and a lot of the time it's still a struggle. Trust is simple, really, if we can just only let go of our own weak grasp on control.

On Father's Day, we were given a tangible gift that represented the answer to a specific prayer prayed for so many years. In February, 2018, my oldest brother Stephen and his wife Tara will add a little baby to our family!

July included the wedding of a close friend, and lots of swim days with my niece and nephews. August came and brought with it my friend Faith's sweet baby Judah and a huge creek baptism for our church. Jackson was baptized with several others that day, and who cares that all of us on the bank were hot and sweaty? There's such a sweetness about an old fashioned creek baptizing.

Monday was the day of the great solar eclipse, and we just so happened to live right in the path of totality. As long as I live, I will never forget that day. The photos below were all taken within a few minutes of each other, and the bottom one was around 1:28pm. Two minutes later, it was bright and hot again, but for those two minutes the crickets chirped, stars and lightening bugs came out, and we were surrounded by a 360° sunset. As goosebumps covered my arms I stood in awe of God's creation. How sweet that in a world such as ours, He still stuns the world with the evidence of His existence. How sad that some refuse to see it.

I suppose we're in the "dog days of summer", but as it cools off and September approaches with it's structure and schedules, I hope each of you enjoy it. Thank you for reading even though it's silent on here so often and my writing style refuses to stay the same. I really do appreciate it!

currently

It's 10:20pm and this is the first opportunity I've had today to get on my laptop. This post is as creative as I can get but a new years resolution is a new years resolution, and (at least until February) I'm determined to post every Thursday!

reading

Isaiah. Anyone else have trouble getting Genesis and January to align? I do the thing where I divide how many pages are in my Bible with 365, but it just never finishes exactly right. Sometimes I read extra, occasionally I don't get it all in, and sometimes I like to re-read passages. Whatever happened this time, I'm making my way through this book trying to pay extra attention this time and glean a little more. Please tell me I'm not the only one that goes slowly through the major prophets!

loving

Essential oils. Amie and I got Doterra diffusers for Christmas and my favorite one to diffuse right now is Thieves...or fighting five. It's the immune booster one, and no one's sick right now but I just love the scent! I have several blends but I want to get a few more individuals...does anyone have a favorite they'd like to recommend? I really want to try grapefruit soon. 

anticipating

Sunshine. It's been warm and rainy here which isn't the loveliest weather for January. I'd love some super low temps and snow, but a week of gray skies and foggy drives and wet everything, and right now all I can think about is warm sunshine.

grateful for

God's grace. An update on Collin - he came home the day after his crash to wait for the swelling in his face to go down - he even went to class this week and was at church Wednesday night! He had facial reconstructive surgery today and will probably get to go home late tomorrow afternoon. I can't think about it too much because I start crying every time. He really is a walking, talking miracle. He showed up in my office Wednesday night and as I hugged him I thanked God for the millionth time that he's still here. What a wake up call and reminder that Christ protects His children.

celebrating

Lena Rae. She turns three on Saturday - what?! For my birthday she gave me a night with just the two of us - coloring books, snacks, a movie and gift card to the candy store, and matching pj's. Her personality is so similar to mine at her age, and she and my nephews are growing up way too fast. I thought it was funny when my dad used to tell me he was going to put a brick on my head to make me stop growing...now I get it!

Have a wonderful weekend, everyone! I'll be back next week.

this thursday

Happy Thursday, everyone.

This Thursday I feel a bit more appreciative of life. I know I talk about my friends a lot on here, but it's because I realize it's a rare thing to have so many close ones, and I don't ever want to take that blessing in my life for granted.

Genuine friends that I've had many deep conversations with. Friends I've cried with, shared heartbreak with, prayed with, and experienced growing up with.

And yesterday, one of those friends was in a plane crash.

It's a little unique because he's a pilot and he was flying his own plane. Last summer he did a transcontinental flight for his senior thesis. My sister and several of our friends have flown with him.

He's ok - I guess I should have mentioned that already! He's having surgery sometime today because he has severe face trauma, but he got out of the plane and even called his dad right after he crashed.

But I was just on my laptop, paying a bill, when my mom came in and said "Collin has crashed his plane."

And for a second, it felt like everything paused. The same thing happened a lot last fall when my PawPaw was so terribly sick. Every time we got a phone call and I saw my aunts or uncle's number on the caller ID there was a pause. A moment of you're either about to give me some more information or you're going to crush my heart.

"He's bruised and bloody but he was coherent. They're life flighting him to Vanderbilt."

Vanderbilt means serious. Vanderbilt means a good place with amazing care.

And that night sitting in the sanctuary after church when most people had left, we were all on our phones (incredibly rare at our church, we don't even bring them inside most of the time) comparing text updates, getting informed, no longer overly worried, but concerned and grateful.

These are my people. And I know if something bad were to happen to me, it would be the same. Group texts, prayer requests and updates flying back and forth, pictures being sent to those not on social media, so much care and concern, but more than anything, so much prayer.

I wondered if it would be strange for me to post this for everyone to read, especially since every time I post something my friends text, email, or let me know somehow that they read it and especially loved such-and-such part of it. They also point out when I mention "a friend" told me or sent me something that they know who it was! But I truly am grateful for all of them, and I don't think it's weird for me to put that on here. They know. We don't act all awkward about how thankful we are for our friendships, and they know I love them. I do not ever want to take any of them for granted.
 

Please keep Collin and his family and girlfriend in your prayers as he goes through surgery today and the healing process afterwards. You can check out his "Vin Fiz 2" flight here - his plane, "Molly" is the one that crashed.

Christmas to Me

One of my favorite Christmas songs is by a group I really cannot recommend, but it played on Pandora last year and I really liked it. It's called "That's Christmas to Me", and it just reminded me that while there are so many holiday traditions, the special ones are the ones that each family has for themselves.

Christmas can be a bit of a touchy subject in Christian groups. Celebrate or don't celebrate? Tree or no tree? Christmas music or no?

While my family does celebrate Christmas, and we do set up a tree, and I've had my Christmas cd's playing on repeat, I have several friends who don't, and that's ok. We don't try to shove our beliefs on each other, and we respect the differences in opinion.

But do you know what Christmas is to me?

It's not about unwrapping presents, it's about spending the time picking out those perfect gifts that let the other person know you've been listening, that you truly do know them - likes, dislikes, wants, and needs. You heard, and wanted to do something special for those special people. This year, I'm most excited to give my mom her gift. In one way I want her to open it right now, but in another way, I want to put it off as long as possible because once everything's been given, the excitement of anticipation is over.

Anticipation. That's my most favorite part. The weeks leading up to the 25th. For us, it starts on Thanksgiving Day putting up the tree and the lights and all the decorations. In the following weeks we go shopping, we bake, we stay up late watching Christmas movies. I wish it lasted 2 months, if I'm being honest - it goes by way too fast!

Christmas is about family and friends, and spending quality with those you love the most. It's helping others who are maybe a little lonely or have a little less. 

It's telling the story of Christ's birth over and over while Lena Rae moves our nativity magnets where they go. Mary and "Jophus" making the trip to Bethlehem to have baby Jesus, the angel telling the shepherds who were watching their sheep to find the sleeping baby, and the wise men from the east following the star that pointed to Jesus. Then we move it to the other side of the fridge as we tell it again.

It's our quiet Christmas Day (which we spend as Christmas Eve), playing games, eating good food, and ending with "It's a Wonderful Life". I cannot tell you how much I love this movie, I truly look forward to watching it every year and I don't think Christmas would be the same to me without it.  "Remember, no man is a failure who has friends."

cousins! matching was a BIG deal :)

It's making Stromboli with the kids and buying them pajamas to wear while we drive around town with our hot chocolate looking at Christmas lights. They're old enough now to remember and realize that it's an annual tradition, and their excitement makes me even more excited. Just the aunts and our nephews and niece! 

I always try to take some extra time to contemplate (and usually write) about Mary and Joseph and what the birth of Jesus must have been like for them. There's no way to even come close to imagining carrying the maker of your own body inside of that body. To nourish and clothe and raise the One who gave you life. If I had the chance to sit down and talk to Mary and ask her questions and hear her stories, I would never stop listening. I would always want to know more. 

Christmas doesn't have to look the same for everyone - indeed, I hope it doesn't! But I do hope you don't get caught up in the commercialism of it. The stress and worry of trying to get everyone you know a present. My friends and I try to get together for coffee or just a talk, but we made a "no gift" rule several years ago because that's just not what it's all about. 

Anyway, I just wanted to tell you a bit of what Christmas is to me and I hope you have a very merry one. I will be spending it in church with my very large "extended" family! Thank you for reading, and I'll "see" you in 2017.

things i love thursday

"It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it."

-Aristotle

Two weeks in a row, what do you know? Look at me go!

I love dumb rhymes.

the weather

Y'all, it was 30° this morning! What a change from last week! There was ice on my windshield and I shivered all the way to work - finally!

holiday season

Can we just say it's here already? I mean, it's too early for Christmas but Thanksgiving's in two weeks and today the kids are going to be at the house and I think we'll do some Thanksgiving crafts and teach them how to do a skit (update: Amie said she tried and it did not go well. ;) )

fall back
I don't like the fact that it's dark at 5pm and I get sleepy at 7pm and I feel like I'm always running late for everything while I'm actually an hour early, but other than that, it's great! Honestly though, it's really nice not getting up while it's still dark, and it feels like the days get off to a better start somehow. Plus, when it gets dark so early there's not much else to do but read a book!

answered prayers

The months of September and October and the first part of November were incredibly difficult for my extended family. After weeks of unanswered questions, a nearly miraculous recovery, and a few weeks of healing, today all is well again. We're planning Thanksgiving as usual and no one is ill. Only God could could have made that possible.

the election. is. over.

Regardless of how you voted (and I sincerely hope you did), it's over now and Donald Trump is our president elect. I wrote a big long thing on how I feel about all of it this morning and just now deleted it because there's no point in publishing it. Let's just remember that the most important changes will be the ones we decide to make inside of our own homes, we can lead by example, and as Christians, our orders have not changed. We'll respect those in authority and pray for them, regardless of how we feel about it. (I think feelings should be left out if it more anyway.)

a clean car

Can I confess something? In all of my neat-freakish, tidy tendencies, I HATE washing my car. It is without a doubt my least favorite responsibility. The inside stays neat as a pin 99.9% of the time (any trash is removed from that thing the moment I pull in my house). The outside, on the other hand, has to get pretty embarrassing for me to grant it worthy of a washing. It got a bath Monday though and I must say I'm quite enjoying it!

friends

The older I get, the more dear they become. I love my friends like they're my family.

And I leave you with Longfellow because...I mean, c'mon, it's Longfellow. I don't really need a reason, do I?

The Tide Rises, the Tide Falls

Related Poem Content Details

BY HENRY WADSWORTH LONGFELLOW

The tide rises, the tide falls, 

The twilight darkens, the curlew calls; 

Along the sea-sands damp and brown 

The traveller hastens toward the town, 

      And the tide rises, the tide falls. 

Darkness settles on roofs and walls, 

But the sea, the sea in the darkness calls; 

The little waves, with their soft, white hands, 

Efface the footprints in the sands, 

      And the tide rises, the tide falls. 

The morning breaks; the steeds in their stalls 

Stamp and neigh, as the hostler calls; 

The day returns, but nevermore 

Returns the traveller to the shore, 

      And the tide rises, the tide falls. 

P.S. I loved reading what you loved last week, so please feel free to use my comment section to list the things you love Thursday!

summer photos

I could ramble on and on about VBS, Jr. Camp, Youth Camp, and all of the in between planning that goes into each event, but instead, I'll just share a few pictures.

VBS and Jr. Camp happen in the same week - and let me tell you, there is no tired like Friday afternoon of that week tired. It's so fun, though! I got to travel around with the 2 and 3 year olds again this year, and they're so sweet. It's all new and exciting to them, and as Lena Rae called it, "ABCD" is a very grown up experience to these little people. (Once Lena finally remembered the correct letters were VBS, she pronounced it as "b-b-ee-us")

Many parents don't want pictures of their children online, so here are just a few of the pictures I have where none of their faces are visible.

The parachute is THE. FUNNEST. GAME. (or so I've been told)

The Jr. Campers put on a skit for the kids at VBS on the Prodigal Son. This was the riotous living. ;)

Lena Rae was very willing to put on the outfit when we "visited Mexico". 

VBS starts at 9am - by 11:30, Duck Duck Goose is way too demanding.

Silly Supper

Kaitlyn and I decided that the kids needed to experience a Silly Supper like we did "back in the day"

Silly Supper explanation: We came up with a menu, and then assigned each item gross, silly descriptions - such as Shredded Stock (roast beef), Swarm of Lice (lima beans), and Swine Husks (corn on the cob), just to name a few. We told the kids to dress up for a "nice dinner" and then each of our waiters (teens and young adults) dressed up in ridiculous outfits, us females wore pigtails or whatever other unusual thing we could do with our hair (see above picture - this was after supper so we're a little disheveled), and acted proper while seating them, watching them stress over their very strange menus while taking orders, and then serving them their Scorch (brownies) or Sweet Disappointment (lemonade). It's a lot of fun and the kids had a blast!

After that week was over, we had Saturday and Sunday to clean up, do laundry, regroup, and pack  rest before heading out to Youth Camp on Monday. Youth Camp this year was incredible. I once again had the 13 year old girls in my room and we had a lot of fun. Our camp is entirely tech free so there were no phones, iPods, cameras (expect for the designated photographers), or anything like that all week. I had my phone because I was a counselor, but I only took this one picture on the last afternoon. I kept mine off and away like everyone else and it allowed for a clear mind and better ability to focus on what God wanted to do. I believe it was one of our best camps yet.

We've had three weeks free, and it's been wonderful! One week from today Music School begins, and even though that's a little overwhelming, having these weeks to just rest and have fun has really helped. We've kept ourselves busy, but it's been a good busy.

One early Saturday morning Amie and I took a hike with a couple of our friends at a lake nearby. I thought it was going to be a stroll by the lake. Nope. It was a hike. We had 6 miles in by 8:30am though, so it was a lot of fun and by the time we finished it was up to 85 degrees so we beat most of the heat!

We finally had another girls' night after about a year. We realized the last time we did this was when Lena Rae was just a few months old, and now that Tara's back in Tennessee we should do it more often.

We ate at Puckett's in downtown Franklin and had dishes like chicken and waffles, shrimp and grits, and mac-n-cheese BBQ. I highly recommend this restaurant! It was really small, was also a grocery store, and had live music (we weren't sure about that at first, but the man playing an instrument I've never seen before just played songs like Wonderful World, Fools Rush In, and Somewhere Over the Rainbow, so it was actually nice). We then walked around window shopping because all the shops were closed and got ice cream at Kilwins. I love Franklin!

And now, it's July 4th - my favorite holiday! After Christmas but tied with Thanksgiving. ;) I hope everyone has been having an amazing summer!

thanksgiving week | wednesday

After church tonight we had a "pie potluck" (which we actually called a Pie Social). All the ladies brought a pie or two or five and I had a little of four! We love pie.

With Missions Conference two weeks away, guess which group thought it would be a good idea to learn a new song or two without sheet music? Two and a half hours later...I'm hoarse, but it was so much fun.

Tomorrow's Thanksgiving Day!!!

thanksgiving week | monday

 

Making cupcakes AND frosting from scratch isn't always my idea of a good time, but during the holidays it's my favorite thing ever. I started Thanksgiving week early this morning by mixing these up at 7am. I did not have one for breakfast, but the finished product this afternoon was well worth the wait. Try them out! 

An annual party that kick starts the holiday season around here! There were 53 ladies that participated in the White Elephant style ornament swap. It took awhile, but it was so much fun. I'm so grateful for sweet church members and friends willing to host that many people for so many years in a row!

august 2015 recap

It's hard to believe August is over. It's gone by so quickly. It's funny to me how sometimes something that happened at the beginning of the month can feel like years ago, and sometimes it feels like only yesterday.

At the beginning of August we took a quick trip away for some very much needed rest. We were only gone about four days, but it was just what we needed.

If you've never been to the Biltmore, I highly recommend it. This was my second trip, and I'm trying to talk some friends into going at Christmas time. :)

We did some hiking and "nature viewing".

The entire family got together for my mom's birthday. It was a combination of her birthday and eating the fourth of July food we'd had to put in the freezer since no one was around for that holiday. It was a week early, so on her actual birthday I made a supper that catered more towards her favorites. :) (salmon, avocado salsa, roasted carrots...I've posted the recipe, and each time I've made it we wonder why we don't eat it once a week. ;) )

Anyway, when the entire family gathered, we simply grilled out, Mama made an ice cream and peaches recipe from the Biltmore Cookbook, and we enjoyed a relaxing evening....inside, because the bugs were insane.

It was a blessedly un-busy month comparatively speaking. It began cooling off a little bit, but I think we're having an Indian Summer because it's getting hot again.

I hate to see summer end. School has started back, life is returning to a scheduled pace, and while I enjoy the structure to my days, there isn't as much room for spontaneity. August was a nice farewell to summer festivities, and I'm excited to see what Autumn holds. The full calendar in front of me says it will be anything but dull!

Have a lovely evening, readers. You will hear from me soon.

| AUGUST SNAPSHOTS |

 

june & july 2015 recap

The Lord bless thee, and keep thee: The Lord make his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee: The Lord lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace.

I'm combining these months because they ran into each other creating such a blur that it just seems like putting them together is the thing to do. It was a couple of really hot and humid months weather wise, but we were too busy to stop and take too much notice. 

Saturday, June 6, my Sunday School class got together and hiked to a waterfall near us. It was a beautiful day, and we went early enough to beat the heat. Our teachers brought sandwich stuff and we ate after the hike. It was a really fun way to kick off summer!

The following Monday we started things off with a bang with our combined VBS and Jr. Camp week. Monday through Friday I was in charge of making sure the 2&3 year olds got to their places. Assembly, class, activities, crafts, and lunch. It was a fun week learning about D.L. Moody, Fanny Crosby, Billy Sunday, George Washington Carver, and David Brainard. The theme - obviously - was American Heroes of the Faith, and each classroom and teacher highlighted and focused on one of the above mentioned names. They decorated their rooms, dressed in period clothing, and were as dedicated and involved as you could ever hope a teacher would be. When adults are moved by a lesson for toddlers, you know something good is happening.

the kids even got to do some pottery this year because our newest church member is a pottery missionary!

We took a little breather the Saturday after VBS to do some laundry and pack for Youth Camp. It began Monday morning and ended Friday night. It was such a good year, and my very first as an official, call-me-Miss-Kelley-counselor. I tend to be overly organized and tidy, and I had 6 girls (five thirteen-year-olds and one fifteen-year-old) in my room. It was anything but quiet and tidy, but it was a lot of fun. It was all of their first time at Youth Camp, so I enjoyed helping them get ready, do devotions, talk about the services, and pray together before bed. I found myself channeling my former counselors and I'm so very grateful for the positive and lasting influence they had on me. 

Two of my best friends since childhood were there as well, and it was so much fun experiencing the flip side of camp together!

Two weeks later, and we're getting into Music School. I didn't get to participate in much of it this year because I was helping with some behind-the-scenes work, but I was able to go to the singing at night and learn some of the songs. It was a wonderful year, with well over 300 people attending at night.

Once again, my friends and I experiencing the other side of what we attended for years as children and teens.

Faith, Kaitlyn, & I. the menu? hotdogs for lunch and ziti for supper!

But the cherry on top of our summer was Douglas Mac being born on July 17 weighing 10 pounds and 2 ounces.

he is our favorite part of summer

This post would have been up much sooner, but we took a quick getaway at the beginning of this month and put everything else on hold. I hope everyone has had a wonderful summer, ours has been busy but we're looking forward to a little free time in August!

| JULY SNAPSHOTS |

I hope all of you have a lovely August!

 

april 2015 recap

It's hard to believe we're beginning the month of May. April zipped right on by in a flurry of raindrops. We had some hard, sad days at the beginning of the month. As a family in our church went through an incredibly difficult time, my memories of the beginning of the month are of tears and so much prayer as our church banded together at heaven's door for them. God is faithful, and through it all He is good and sovereign. When we don't understand His plan, and question why He allows certain things to happen, He comes to us in whispers. Gently comforting us when we face the cruel realities of life on this earth. All in all, April was a good month.

This isn't a great picture because it was taken with a phone but it's the only one I have right now. This is all of the girl cousins on my mom's side of the family. We had a baby shower for my cousin (the brunette in the middle) and her baby boy due on May 4. I love spending time with family, and it was a happy day. We can't wait to meet our new little cousin!

Easter Sunday was cloudy but pleasantly warm. As per tradition, out came the dressy spring clothes and lots of ham and sweet potatoes were consumed. We don't celebrate Easter like most people - no easter bunny! - and while we know that it's not the actual date of Christ's resurrection, it's nice to set an entire day aside to appreciate and celebrate that blessing.

Sisters! We all ended up matching - can you tell which pair of sisters belongs to each other? ;)

We celebrated the sunshine with trips to the park, bike rides, and picnics. It's still just spring here, but it's slowly getting warmer and I love it! The boys and I have lots of big plans for this summer - the  new niece or nephew is due to be here early July, so we'll be making our own summer bucket list!

I'm not sure what's gotten into me, but I cooked up a storm in April! The majority of my Saturdays have been spent in the kitchen and I'm loving it! I'm not sure if recipe posts are a thing y'all enjoy on here or not, but if you see something in the above picture that you'd like the recipe for let me know and I'll try to get around to sharing it! (They were all quite good, if I do say so myself!)

FROM THE BLOG

ending - my one and only April Fool's Day joke. Turns out it really did fool some people! 

summer bucket list - an early start on some practical plans for Summer 2015

grilled salmon & avocado salsa | recipe - a heart healthy meal with recipes and pictures included

And that was April in a nutshell. I'm playing around with the layout for my recap posts, still not sure what I like best but I'll find an easy-to-read format soon! I hope your April was beautiful, and that God was there in every day.

What were some of your favorite moments from April?

DIY Christmas | brunch + 2 recipes

Welcome to DIY Christmas, Sincerely, Kelley style! (where "this is how I did it" would be more accurate!)

It's been busy, busy around here! So busy in fact, that this brunch almost didn't happen. But when my nurse friend is off work and my Kentucky friend is in town on the same day some getting together must happen, whether it's in the middle of Missions Conference or not! :)

We planned a brunch at my house for 9:00am, perfect time to sleep in a little extra, but still get home with plenty of time to spare. Here's what we had!

Pumpkin cream cheese muffins, eggs, sausage balls, and apple pie apples. And of course, plenty of hot tea and coffee!

Writing this post is making me hungry!

Now, for the recipes...

 

 

My cousin made these for Thanksgiving, and our entire family absolutely loved them! I've made them twice since then, and I'm going out today to buy the stuff to make them again! They're super easy, and once you slice them up, they won't last long!

You will need...
Granny Smith Apples
Caramel Apple Wrap (cheat and use these instead of dipping, it's so much easier!)
Vanilla or White Chocolate Almond Bark
Cinnamon Sugar

• Wrap your apples with the caramel and put them in the oven on 200 for 5 minutes.
• Let them cool while you melt the almond bark
• Once they've cooled off, dip them in the almond bark and immediately sprinkle cinnamon sugar on them.
• Let them harden, then slice and serve! SO YUMMY!

 

I got this one straight from Pinterest, and I'm just going to copy and paste the recipe, because I just exactly follow it when I make these!

Ingredients

For the filling:
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
1 cup confectioners’ sugar

For the muffins:
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. ground nutmeg
1 tsp. ground cloves
1 tbsp. plus 1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
4 large eggs
2 cups sugar
2 cups pumpkin puree
1¼ cups vegetable oil

For the topping:
½ cup sugar
5 tbsp. flour
1½ tsp. ground cinnamon
4 tbsp. cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces

Directions

• To prepare the filling, combine the cream cheese and confectioners’ sugar in a medium bowl and mix well until blended and smooth. Transfer the mixture to a piece of plastic wrap and shape into a log about 1½-inches in diameter. Smooth the plastic wrap tightly around the log, and reinforce with a piece of foil. Transfer to the freezer and chill until at least slightly firm, at least 2 hours.
• To make the muffins, preheat the oven to 350˚ F. Line muffin pans with paper liners. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, pumpkin pie spice, salt and baking soda; whisk to blend. In the bowl of an electric mixer combine the eggs, sugar, pumpkin puree and oil. Mix on medium-low speed until blended. With the mixer on low speed, add in the dry ingredients, mixing just until incorporated.
• To make the topping, combine the sugar, flour and cinnamon in a small bowl; whisk to blend. Add in the butter pieces and cut into the dry ingredients with a pastry blender or two forks until the mixture is coarse and crumbly. Transfer to the refrigerator until ready to use.
• To assemble the muffins, fill each muffin well with a small amount of batter, just enough to cover the bottom of the liner (1-2 tablespoons). Slice the log of cream cheese filling into 24 equal pieces. Place a slice of the cream cheese mixture into each muffin well. Divide the remaining batter among the muffin cups, placing on top of the cream cheese to cover completely. Sprinkle a small amount of the topping mixture over each of the muffin wells.
• Bake for 20-25 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely before serving. (It may be hard to resist immediate consumption, but the cream cheese filling gets very hot!)

 I hope you try these recipes out, and let me know if you do! They have become favorites at my house!

I hope everyone is having a very merry holiday season!

Week's End Review

Saturday, Faith and  I drove 3 hours to visit Hannah and her beautiful baby Amelia. Another of our friends, Kaitlyn, was already up there, and we went and got pedicures. We also went to a coffee shop and just hung out and visited. It was a really fun day!

Earlier this week I got our church's monthly newsletter ready to be mailed. It's not a fun event or anything, but it was part of my week! And now you can see what the cover of our September newsletter looks like, and how many of them I fold manually. ;)

Other things the week included are...

• Jace, Jackson, and Tanner came over and we swam twice. I got soggy water-logged brain.

• Lena loves to do pat-a-cake, and she's good at it, too!

• I finished "For Such a Time" by Kate Breslin. You know those books that, even thought they're fiction, kind of change your mindset about certain things? Yeah, this was one of those books. It made me go "hmmm".

• I went to a going-away party for one of my friends who is moving to Washington D.C. for an internship this semester. Pretty cool, huh?

RENOVATION/ADDITION UPDATE:

tear out the back porch
dig footer

pour footer

lay block

build floor & walls

build roof & put shingles on

take out counters, island, & cabinets

take out wall separating the old from the new

build new pantry wall (not pictured)