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.*