"Born that man no more shall die"

     Green Christmas trees are sprouting in windows of both homes and stores.  Red ornaments are hanging on every branch, reflecting the glowing, white lights.  Sweet, ivory candy canes are wrapped in crimson stripes that await being licked off.  Silver bells are chiming at every store, asking you to show love to the less fortunate this Christmas season by dropping your change in a shiny, red bucket.  Presents that are wrapped in red are slowing beginning to cover the floor under the tree.  Gingerbread men are lovingly dressed in shiny red frosting. 

     Red is the color of Christmas, but it is also the color of the reason for the season.  Red is the color of Jesus’s precious blood that He shed on the cross for everyone who would believe in Him.  It is the color of the sweat drops of blood on His brow when he prayed in the garden.  This is the whole reason that God gave His only begotten Son to be born of the virgin Mary that silent night so long ago.  It was so He could die a horrible death on the cross at Calvary, shedding his blood in a crimson flow so none should perish, but all should come to know Him and receive everlasting life.   The Christmas story doesn't stop in that dirty little stable in Bethlehem, but it continues.  It leads us to the old rugged cross, and one day it will lead us to Heaven, where we will spend eternity, forever praising and worshiping at God's nail pierced feet for that small and heavenly babe that was laid in a manger that first Christmas.

It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas

     Mom and I have put up the Christmas tree and we have decorated the house.  The old family nativity set has been set in a place of honor were all can see on the desk.  Christmas lights are starting to appear in town and you can see Christmas trees sprouting in the windows of the houses that you pass on the road.  Christmas presents that wrapped in glossy paper are starting to appear under the tree and Bing is wishing us Merry Christmas.  Secret meetings are taking place where we  plot about Christmas morning surprises in hushed whispers with occasional over excited screech .  Christmas cookies are in the oven filling the house the the rich smell of cinnamon.  Grant is watching Christmas with the Kranks and his laughter in ringing throughout the house.  Silver bells are being rung at the door of every store in town and everyone is wishing you a merry Christmas.  Nativity sets are being constructed on church lawns to remind us of the reason for the season in the midst of the bustle, making sure that every one has a special gift under the tree.  Yes it is beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

Count Your Blesings

So, amid the conflict whether great or small,
Do not be discouraged, God is over all;
Count your many blessings, angels will attend,
Help and comfort give you to your journey’s end
Count your blessings, see what God hath done!
Count your blessings name them one by one
Count you blessings see what God hath done
Count you blessings name them one by one
Count you many blessings see what God hath done

my great-grandpa once said...

"Today you carry your money in your pocket when you go to the store 

and carry what you buy home in a wagon.  

One day though, you'll need a wagon to carry your money to the store

 and you'll carry what you buy home in your pocket."

~Wesley Angelo Johnson 1875-1978

my great-grandparents, Wesley Angelo and Nancy Gertrude with their four eldest children, 

Rosa, Carol, Leroy, and James in 1928

today in 11 words

*oatmeal * snow * warm, crackling fire * homemade tomatoes soup *

*world civilization * christmas shopping * wet puppy kisses * finished project *

* hot chocolate *  i love lucy * waiting *

Lord, let me never, never outlive my love to Thee

What language shall I borrow to thank Thee, dearest friend,

For this Thy dying sorrow, Thy pity without end?

O make me Thine forever, and should I fainting be,

Lord, let me never, never outlive my love to Thee.

{Double Chocolate Chunk Muffins}

 Healthy recipes that taste rich, velvety, and decadent are a blessing from God, especially when they involve chocolate.  I LOVE chocolate!  These sneaky little     muffins are low in both fat and calories without giving   up their luscious richness.  My family didn't even believe me when I told them that they were healthyfied (that's a word, right?).  I made these scrumptious muffins for breakfast last week.  Chocolate for breakfast is always a good thing in my world!  These tricky little chocolaty muffins use applesauce in the place of both butter and oil (this is what makes them low in fat) and yogurt to keep them super moist.

The cast of characters:

3/4 cup applesauce

1/2 cup sugar  

1/4 cup honey 

1 large egg

3/4 cup Greek yogurt 

2 1/2 teaspoons vanilla 

1 cup flour 

1/2 cocoa powder 

1/2 teaspoon salt 

1 teaspoon baking powder 

1 teaspoon baking soda 

3/4 cup chocolate chips 

1/2 cup mini chocolate chips

Optional: 

3/4 cup chopped nuts  ~ as the nutty, comedic relief
Tall glass of ice cold milk  ~ the complimenting sidekick 

Directions:

1. Preheat your oven to 425F.  

2. Spray your 12-count muffin tin with nonstick spray.  Be sure to get every little nook and cranny and do not use paper liners.  The muffins will stick to them.

3. Combine applesauce, sugar, honey, egg, yogurt, and vanilla in a large bowl.  Whisk all of the ingredients together until they are all smooth.

4. Sift together the flour, cocoa powder, salt, baking powder, and baking soda.   Stir into the wet ingredients from the step above.  Fold in the regular chocolate chips and nuts .

5. Divide the batter evenly between the muffin tins, filling each one to the very top.  

6. Bake for 5 minutes.  Now, sprinkle the mini chocolate chips on top of the muffins, reduce the oven temperature to 375F and bake for 13 more minutes.  

7. When the timer goes off, insert a toothpick into the center of one of the muffins, if it comes out clean they are ready to be taken out, if it has some goo on it, bake the muffins for a couple more minutes.

8. Remove the muffins from the oven and allow to cool in the muffin tins for a couple minutes, then transfer the muffins to a wire rack.

Nutrition Info:

Calories: 165
Fat: 3.3g (I told you they were low in fat)
Carbs: 32.1g
Cholesterol: 18mg
Sodium: 218mg
Fiber: 1.9g
Sugar: 20.9g

The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier: A Living Memorial For Our Nations Unknown

Click, click, click. The guard takes twenty-one steps, 

symbolizing the twenty-one gun salute, the most noble
and honorable sign of respect possible. He then spins 
around on his heels; waits twenty-one seconds and begins his return march carrying a shimmering gun on his broad shoulders. Back and forth and back and forth he marches in front of the tomb of the Unknown Soldier, on top of a high, marble mesa in the very center of the national cemetery, commanding the best view of our nation’s capital. Reverence, respect, and honor hang in the air like a heavy veil. The birds fly freely overhead. The ivory marble glistens in the afternoon sun. The wind blows, rustling the leaves and causing shadows to dance on the Tomb of the Unknown. The clicking of the guard’s shoes pierces the deafening silence. So proudly the guard marches.  There are young children with wide wondering eyes, old men; dressed in their crisp, neat uniforms, backs stooped by the years and hands hard and callused from hard work. They stand as straight as possible and proudly salute their fellow soldier, wiping  a tear from their eye.  Perhaps remembering their friend that they lost during the war all those years ago.  “Attention” the commander breaks the silence with his loud booming commanding voice. He has been polished and honed to perfection, anything less is simply not allowed. He stands tall and proud with honor, dignity, and respect. His shoulders are broad and straight. He and the relief sentinel join the current sentinel in front of the tomb. From here it is like a precise ballet by these three men to the sudden staccato clicks of their soles. There is then an inspection, every movement crisp and precise. The commander snatches the relief sentinels weapon and swipes its surface with an extended finger in a pure white glove. Next he inspects the uniform, hat, belt, and shoes, not a thing slips past him. With the inspection complete, the men salute the tomb and fall back into perfectly synchronized step. The two sentinels switch positions, the outgoing one leaving with the commander while the new sentinel takes his place passing back and forth in front of the tomb. Click, click, click.  Twenty-one steps and he spins around on his heels.  Twenty-one seconds and he turns and begins his returning march. On and on this ritual goes, without end, even when no one is there to watch their march continues, through wind, rain, sleet, and snow, they guard the tomb of our countries fallen unknown.

" 'Cause I couldn't live without sunsets that dazzle the dusk " ~Dreams Don't Turn To Dust by Owl City

Dear _______,

Dear fall, I can’t tell you how very happy I am that you have finally arrived.  I've been waiting all year long.

Dear Ben and Jessa (or shall I say Mr. and Mrs. Seewald), the ceremony was beautiful.  Thank you for setting a Godly example and showing people that you CAN stay pure and honor God in a relationship, even in today’s world.

photo credit: People

Dear Grant, I miss you.  My baby brother is not supposed to be gone for this long.  It feels weird.

Dear boots, welcome back, I've missed you terribly.

Dear Tim Hawkins, you're just as awesome in person as on stage!

Dear day after Thanksgiving, please come quickly!  I can’t wait to put up Christmas lights and sing and dance to Bing blaring on the radio.

Dear leaves, you are beautiful!

Dear peanut butter m&m’s, I’m in love.

Dear Chelsea Moon, why can’t I sing like you?

                                                                           

Dear bed, I’m coming.

*This was originally supposed to have been posted last, however, due to technical difficulties, (the internet, one of the sacrifices of living out in the middle of nowhere) I am just now able to get it up.*

Baked Sweet Potato Fries... Yummm!

All of my family absolutely loves sweet potato fries.  If you order them at a restaurant, watch out!   They will be gone before you even get one.  However, our favorite fries are almost two hours away, making them a rare treat when we have to go on a trip to the big city.  Because of this, my mom and I started looking for a recipe that we could make ourselves.  We finally found this one and have been enjoying them on a regular basis since.

Ingredients:

6 cups oil

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup cornstarch

3/4 cup cold club soda

2 pounds sweet potatoes cut into fries

seasonings (salt, cinnamon and sugar, powdered sugar,
 cavenders, pumpkin pie spice, paprika, garlic salt, whatever floats your boat.)

Directions:

Heat the oil to 375 degrees F in a heavy-bottomed dutch oven or deep fryer. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees F.  Whisk the cornstarch and club soda in a mixing bowl. In batches, dip the potatoes in the batter, and place on a wire cooking rack and allow to dry. Repeat with rest of the potatoes.  Fry half the potatoes, stirring occasionally until golden brown and crispy, 6 to 8 minutes. Sprinkle with seasoning of choice , place on cookie sheet and place in the oven to keep warm until all are cooked and ready to serve.

*Note: If you go with the cinnamon and sugar or powdered sugar for seasoning then I suggest honey for dipping*

in case you are having a bad day...

How about a tiny turtle getting his tummy tickled with a tooth brush?

Or maybe a terrier with a terrifically, poofy perm?

Maybe this puppy who is positively  enchanted with this cupcake?

Now don't you feel better!!!

Fall: The World's Final Blazing Flame Before Winters Cold Sleep

The sharp bright colors of summer are softening and taking on a softer hue.  Leaves that have graciously offered shade from the blazing fever of summer are now set ablaze, turning golden hues of crimson, amber, and auburn.  They are gracefully floating to the ground in a whirling cascade that carpets the earth’s floor.  All the cheerful flowers that sprung from the ground to dance in the bright glow of the summer sun are now fading, fleeing from the chill that now threatens their soft, delicate petals.  The wind has evolved into a lonely, howling giant, which causes the crisp leaves to fall with an even greater torrent.  Sweet smells of maple mingle with the spicy smell of cinnamon and nutmeg, along with the smoky perfume that wafts up from the warm crackling fire.  The abundant harvest of the green, fertile garden of summer is now yielding itself to be stored for winter.  Apples bubbling into a spicy, sweet sauce and pumpkins along with sweet potatoes are being baked into a savory sweet velvet.  Fall is the world’s blazing flame, a final glorious show, before winters cold sleep. 

an introduction

Hi there!  I'm not much for introductions, I would much rather to just sit down and carry on a good ol' conversation, but blogger says that I should start off with an introduction.  So here it goes...

My name is Nikki and that is me with my life long, absolutest best friend Harlie,

(I'm on the right)

I live on a farm in the middle of beautiful, rural Arkansas were the tea is always sweet, the chicken is always fried, Y'all is a proper noun,yonder is a clear direction, and people pride themselves in, "being able to smell a Yankee from a mile away".

       I live on this farm with my amazingly wonderful parents...

                                                                

My positively marvelous younger sister, Rebekah

(aka. bekah, B. rebah, bek, and blondie)... 

and my awesomely cool little brother, Grant.

(ain't we a good lookin' bunch?)

Along with our two hairy babies...

Mr. Bennett, a 3 1/2 year old long haired

Chihuahua who just wants to be loved on... 

and Cowboy, a 3 year old, short haired

 Border Collie who has more than enough 

energy and just wants to make you happy. 

(Aren't they cute?)

Now for a little bit about me...

I am a college student currently working on my Associates of Arts and trying to figure out what degree to pursue from there.

I love music of all kinds from bluegrass by to Ricky Skaggs, to rap by Lecrea, and everything in between.  

I love laughing and having fun with my family and friends, chocolate, strawberry pie, and anything Italian..  I am a history buff, a crazy Christmas lady, and a hopeless romantic.

I love baking, mysteries, winter, old movies, and Rummikub.

My favorite color is green and my favorite movie is Sleepless in Seattle.

I am a sinner saved by the wonderful matchless grace of Christ Jesus my King and my Savior.

I was home-schooled K through twelfth by my incredible mama.

That's enough talking about myself.  If you want to find out more about me, why don't you stick around and get to know me a little bit better through my random chatter.