Forging into the New Year, Reflecting on 2011 Posts

The new year is about to begin!  It is hard to believe!  The Christmas season always seems to fly, leaving just a hint of time to start squeaking out a list of hopes and dreams for the new year.  This week we were endowed with the beloved stomach “flu” -  yes, our entire household, except for our niece who was probably thankful she was visiting elsewhere!  I haven’t had much time to regroup this week, but I AM looking forward to starting a new year.  Starting something fresh, with a clean slate, always feels good.

As we head into the new year, I thought I would review some of my posts from this past year to fuel us.

May you be blessed as you reflect upon the many blessings you have had this year and look forward to what God has in store for the future!

Personal Growth:

Finding Your Niche

Discouraged or Encouraged?

Protect Yourself

Embracing and Promoting Work

Marriage:

Marriage Getaways

Are You Dating Your Husband?

Motherhood:

Seeing the “Simple” as Superb

There will be Fruit

Keeping Focus

Cooking:

Cake Extravaganza (included Confetti Cake, Ice Cream Sandwich Cake, Chocolate Cakes, Red Velvet Cake, Yellow Cake, Chocolate Peanut Butter Wacky Cake, “Better Than a Hug” Cake, Root Beer Float Cake, and Sour Cream Banana Cake)

Bread for Dinner

Mexican Lasagna

Layers of Goodness – Poor Man’s Stroganoff

Homeschooling:

Homeschool Curriculum Review (included Math in Focus, Spelling Power, Spelling Workout, Horizons Math, Bob Jones English, God’s Design for Science, and First Language Lessons)

Homeschool Personalities

Our New Reward System

Merry Christmas!

Have a very Merry Christmas!

May you be blessed with joy, rest, and peace as you celebrate the Savior of the world!

Remember Those Who Are Suffering This Christmas

This Christmas I am reminded that so many people suffer.

Many suffer with grief as they remember their loved ones who have passed on.

Many suffer from loneliness.

Many suffer from poverty.

Many suffer with broken hearts.

Many suffer from devastation, like our friends and their acquaintances who live in the Philippines who just lived through a terrible flood.

While so many of us “have it good” this Christmas as we shop, wrap, sing, cook, and celebrate, there are many around us who suffer. 

Please remember them!

Send a card or a simple note.

Make a phone call.

Send money or tangible goods.

Schedule a visit.

Ask God what He wants you to do to help someone.

Most of all, pray for God to be with those who suffer.

What Are Your Children Believing in This Christmas?

Today I was discussing Christmas with someone, and her young son was nearby.

“Do your children still believe?”, she whispered.

At first, I had to stop and think…  “What is she talking about?”

My initial internal response, being a Christian, was that she was asking me if my children believed in God.  I asked her to repeat herself.  Oh yeah, got it!  She means do they believe in Santa?  “Um, no.”  That was my gracious response. 

My children know about Santa.  They know he is fictitious.  Some would say this “ruins” their Christmas, but for us, we believe it deepens their Christmas experience. 

For us, Christmas is about God sending Jesus Christ, His Son, to earth to save us from our sins.  Songs like “O Holy Night” and “How Great Our Joy!” actually mean something very special to us!

We do not want our spiritual celebration to be overshadowed by Santa Claus.  We want our children’s focus to be on Jesus Christ and what He can do for them.

We believe it is a blessing for our children to know that their gifts are coming from parents, relatives, and friends who love them.

We want them to know that we are blessed to give (and receive) because we have received from our God in heaven.

We want them to celebrate God’s gift of Jesus Christ – the greatest gift of all!

I ask you -

What are your children believing in this Christmas?

In whom do their hopes and dreams lie?

Santa or Jesus?

Who has been the focus of their hearts the past few weeks?

Santa or Jesus?

If you are a Christian family, I encourage you to diminish the teaching of Santa in your home and uplift and esteem the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords!

Think about what your children are believing this Christmas.

Your Personal Celebration of Christmas

All over the world there are discussions as to HOW to celebrate Christmas.  Topics include gifts, parties, donations to charity, decorations, etc…  Someone like me can feel overwhelmed in trying to create the perfect holiday.

In the end, the choice is up to you as to how you observe Christmas.  The celebration of Christmas is just that – a celebration, a personal reflection of the values and desires of your heart.

Some may choose to celebrate by keeping things simple and humble.  Others think it is important to glam things up a bit (or a lot!) and give abundantly. 

Some may attend every Christmas event possible while others may choose a select few events to keep their lives more doable during this season.

Whatever you decide to do, be confident in your decision.

Have peace!

This is YOUR celebration of Jesus. 

The season of Christmas should heighten our lives not drain them.

Are your activities lining up with the way you desire to celebrate the gift of Jesus Christ?

May your life be blessed as you attempt to keep in step with the meaning of Christmas – peace, holiness, generosity, fellowship, and joy!

Christmas Happenings!

Christmas is finally happening at

“The Cozy Nook”!

All over Blog World, people have been talking about Christmas for weeks now!  Here at “The Cozy Nook”, I’ve just been living life and trying to squeeze in Christmas here and there.  With Christmas only less than a week away, it is time to get serious!

Although my blog hasn’t shown it, I *have* been preparing for and celebrating Christmas!

A couple weeks ago I went to a friend’s house for a very lovely time of fellowship.  We ate delicious food, filled our need for friendly companionship, and exchanged gifts with each other.

All of the food was extremely tasty, and I made a cookie dough dip that was divine.  If you follow me on Pinterest, I’ve got the recipe pinned on my “Food” board.  Otherwise, you can find the recipe here. 

My children made homemade gift tags by recycling old Christmas cards that a relative had given to us. 

We also made Christmas wreath cookies, and my son wanted to shape some of them into trees. 

 

 

Of course, I put up my Christmas tree.  Brian and I surprised the kids one night, by bringing home a precious fir tree after an evening out together.  I love my tree!

 

 

What have you been doing to prepare for Christmas?

I’d love to hear from you.  Let me know what you’ve been doing by leaving a comment below or on my Facebook page.

Confetti Cake Pops

I made confetti cake pops with my daughter a couple weeks ago to celebrate her birthday, and we enjoyed our time creating them!  The cake pops were a great alternative to cake, since we had already eaten “real” cake with her friends a few days before her actual birthday.

If you are looking for a treat to make this Christmas season – for a special gathering,  as a gift, or just to have some fun in the kitchen, I would recommend these!

Confetti Cake Pops

9x13 pan of confetti cake

1/2 recipe of Swiss Meringue frosting

2 bags of candy melts

lollipop/cookie sticks (~50)

sprinkles of your liking

For an excellent video on how to make cake pops, check out Bakerella’s video here!  That is where I learned to do the following…

First, make the cake.  After it has cooled, divide it into four sections and crumble into crumbs.

Mix the crumbs and the frosting in a large bowl.  Then shape into balls. Place them on a tray, covered with wax paper, into the freezer for about 15 minutes.  Then place the tray in the refrigerator until you are ready to dip the cake balls.

Melt the candy melts following the instructions on the bag.  Note:  I used a double boiler.  If you do this, you must adhere to the instructions carefully.  You must put water (below the top pot level) in the bottom pot and heat alone.  Once the water is simmering, remove pot from heat.  THEN, place the top pot on top with candy melts inside.  Stir continually for a few minutes until melted.

Place the end of a stick into the melted candy, about one half inch.  Then insert into a cake ball.  Tenderly dip the cake ball into the melted candy, until well-covered.  Gently tap off excess by tapping on your hand that is holding the stick rather than the stick itself to be careful not to lose the ball on the end of your stick! 

Splatter sprinkles of your choice upon the cake balls.

Allow treats to dry upright.  We used tall glasses.

You can purchase treat bags and ribbons to place atop the cake balls if you would like to gift them once they are dry.  We did this for my niece’s basketball team, and they absolutely loved them.  ~smile~

~ Enjoy! ~