what's for dinner?!?...to drink.

as i was saying in this post...for the girls' Christmas presents, i had this idea to write a recipe down on a cute recipe card and put it in a ball jar with a vintage apron!! :)
i got this recipe from my cousin, quincy. she made it the night Mission Church went out caroling, and it was ridiculously good.

CROCK POT HOT CHOCOLATE!!
(preferably use a 3-qt. pot; serves about 8.)

the recipe calls for:
- 1/2 c dry baking cocoa
- 12 oz condensed milk (can)
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 1 1/2 tsp vanilla
- 7 1/2 c water

directions:
- in crock-pot, combine milk and water.
- add dry cocoa and salt, stir until smooth.
- cover and cook on high for 2 hours, or low for 4 hours, or until very hot.
- top each serving with marshmallows, if desired, and enjoy!!

mmm--l.o.v.e it.

(ps-i made these cookies yesterday...and all 50 were gone that day...with only five people eating them. record.)

thrifty thursday.

for the girls' Christmas gifts this year, i had this cute idea that i'd write a recipe down (recipe coming soon) on a cute recipe card and put it in a ball jar with a vintage apron!! :) i was so excited about it.
i looove aprons; i guess you could say i collect them. i have 23. ha.

an olathe antique mall that we frequent never lets us down. we've found a lot of "goodies" there...including several aprons.
obviously, i couldn't resist buying a few for myself.

i first walked in and saw this adorable apron with red polka-dots and rick-rack along the edges.
i love how it looks worn in the middle, like a lot of use has gone into it; a lot of history in this one.

then i saw this beaut. i already have a lot of predominantly red and white aprons...but nothing like this. checkered, rick-racked, annnd cross-stitched.
this one would just look so great hung up in a kitchen even!!

and then i came across this darrrling apron.
oh my gosh, i'm in love. i'm such a sucker for sheer aprons. with blue and yellow detailing.

all under 10 bucks each!!

tell me about your thrifty finds!!
other thrifty thursdays found here and here.

wake up my soul
and tired eyes
it's time to go and realize

today is all we have.

- elenowen.

here in the power of Christ, i stand.

"what heights of love, what depths of peace, when fears are stilled, when strivings cease; my Comforter, my All in All...
here in the love of Christ i stand.

and as He stand in victory, sin's curse has lost its grip on me.
for i am His, and He is mine.
bought with the precious blood of Christ.

no guilt in life, no fear in death; this is the power of Christ in me.
from life's first cry to final breath, Jesus commands my destiny.

no power of hell, no scheme of man could ever pluck me from His hand.
till he returns or calls me home, here in the power of Christ i stand."
- in Christ alone.

(Christina Grimmie.)

WHAT'S FO DINNAAA...?? (aka: a snack.)

it's been awhile since i did a what's for dinner.
well, you're in for a treat. (literally. i'm hilarious, i know.)
we had nothin in the house today for me to snack on...so i thought i'd whip up somethin real quick.

for new year's, we had gotten a whole heck of a lot of chex cereal to make...chex mix. which i don't really care for. but i thought--hey, we have enough...i'll probably get to make somethin with it still.

let's back-track for a minute.
so my mom's the best, and for my 22nd birthday, she had every member of our family bring/send a handwritten recipe card--instead of a gift. as if that wasn't wonderful enough, my parents presented me with a recipe box that dad had handmade and mom had hand-painted. see?? the best.
the thoughtfulness of that gift was so special to me; i felt incredibly blessed. (and on top of that, i was given aprons that belonged to each of my grandmothers. amazing. like i said, blessed.)

one of the recipes, from my cousin pendilton, (who was 14 at the time,) waaasss...

CARAMEL SNACK MIX!!
(serving size depends on your personal preference, but makes about 10 handfuls. i will definitely eat almost all of it, myself.)
(i'll give you this recipe, just as he wrote it. for fun.)

the recipe calls for:
- 4 c corn Chex cereal.
- 1/2 c packed brown sugar
- 1/4 c butter
- 2 tbsp corn syrup
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp vanilla

directions:
- "put brown sugar, butter, corn syrup into the smallest pan, no lid. bring to simmer on stove top. stir occasionally."
- "take pan off stove & add baking soda & vanilla."
- "put cereal in a brown bag, that's in another brown bag." (i poured the mix over cereal in an oven-friendly pan, instead...and stirred until almost fully coated.)
- "pour mixture over cereal in bag and shake. put in microwave for 30 seconds and shake. repeat two more times." (i set the oven to 200F and baked for five minutes, instead...to melt the caramel, so it could fully-coat.)
**"we make this in school, and i really like it.
p.s.-don't forget to put baking soda and vanilla in. haha!"


:) so cute. love him.

let our walls crash to the ground,
let our greed and pride fall down.
let's take a hammer straight through the door,
invite love in to be our floor.
- elenowen.

i sing because i'm free...

"faith is the bird that sees the light and sings when the dawn is still dark."

- Rabindranath Tagore.

i love coming across quotes, phrases, lyrics, instances that reaffirm my beliefs, decisions, being.

almost exactly three years ago i broke down and got
a tattoo.

it had been a long time coming.

it had been an extensive process.

it was anything but spontaneous.

i had definitely done my research.

what. why. where. who. and finally when.

as my 22nd birthday approached, i succumbed to the urge and went for it.

i had decided on the silhouettes of two sparrows...

"Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow nor reap nor store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?"
- Matthew 6:26, NIV.

"Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten by God. Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows."
- Luke 12:6-7, NIV.

as i furthered my research, so as to not receive any snide remarks i.e., "you know what sparrows mean, don't youuu...??"...i soon came to find out that sparrows have countless positive symbolisms, two main ideas being love & faithfulness.
"let love and faithfulness never leave you...bind them around your neck; write them on the tablet of your heart."
- proverbs 3:3, NIV.
(^another future tattoo in the making...shhh.)

i was sold.
i chose my wrist, so i could be reminded at all times, and so it could be a conversation-starter to spread the good word.
not one regret since.

photo courtesy of: trisha marie, 2/8/11

"I sing because I'm happy, I sing because I'm free...
for His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me."
- "His eye is on the sparrow".