Learning to Breathe

I felt renewed after church service this morning.

I love when you are reminded that there is restoration found in Christ.

I tend to forget this and come to the point of growing weary, dragging my feet around, KNOWING I am weak and that my weakness is getting the best of me.

Palm sunday and this morning's church service could not have come at a better time for me.

I found myself singing this song tonight:

Hello, good morning, how ya do?
What makes your rising sun so new?
I could use a fresh beginning too
All of my regrets are nothing new

So this is the way
that I say I need You
This is the way
This is the way

That I'm learning to breathe
I'm learning to crawl
I'm finding that You and
You alone can break my fall
I'm living again, awake and alive
I'm dying to breathe in these abundant skies

Hello, good morning, how ya been?
Yesterday left my head kicked in
I never thought I could fall like that
Never knew that I could hurt this bad

I'm learning to breathe
I'm learning to crawl
I'm finding that You and
You alone can break my fall
I'm living again, awake and alive
I'm dying to breathe in these abundant skies

So this is the way
that I say that I need You
This is the way
That I say I love You
This is the way
That I say I'm Yours
This is the way
This is the way

As you all knooooooow, Switchfoot is, beyond a shadow of a doubt, my favorite band. With all the crap on the radio today and all I've been exposed to in the music business, they are the only hope I find in the good of music anymore. I was introduced to them when I was 14 after having just moved to Tennessee. It was a time when my heart needed to be nourished with something much deeper than I had been feeding it. Switchfoot's album literally landed in my hands with me not having a clue who they were and I've never looked back. I have never listened to more inspiring, raw, original, heartfelt music in my life. After watching their latest documentary, I think I fell 20 times more attached to their songs than ever before. It's as though every single song has spoken to me personally and gotten me through some kind of event in my life. I literally cannot think of another band that comes even close, and I thank God for their music and the passion He has placed inside of those men.

"Learning to Breathe" is a song that reminded me today that when I'm broken, full of regret, struggling, I am still learning to crawl and learning to "give up" and just admit "God, I need You."

Thank you, Switchfoot.

I hope you find restoration this Easter.

spring time recipe!

The other weekend, my mom and I created a recipe.

Really??

Really.

There is a cookie recipe that I got from Semi-homemade with Sandra Lee, and I have made probably baked 20 dozen of these cookies because they're requested all the time, PLUS they're soooo easy. They're chocolate toffee cookies and what makes them so easy is that you use chocolate cake mix to bake them. No, I wouldn't call them cake cookies- I'm not a huge fan of cake cookies... When you bite into the cookies I make, you get more of a brownie consistency, which I really like! So I was at my mom's house cleaning and figured I would ask her if she had a box of chocolate cake mix to keep me from going to the store. She had about 6 other cake mixes except chocolate......... go figure :)

But she had a strawberry cake mix and suggested that, but then quickly changed her mind, seeing as how strawberry and toffee might not be very good together. I agreed, but I did like the strawberry cookie idea. I asked her if she had chocolate chips and she had both milk and white chocolate chips!

I took the chocolate chips and strawberry cake mix home, not knowing what to expect, but man.... the results were better than I thought!

I made a batch and took them to Birmingham and let me tell ya, they were a hit. Yay!!! A family recipe!!!

Though it may be unbelievably simple, I'm proud of this recipe me and my mom brain-stormed up.

If you have time, try this recipe out. You'll find yourself in love with how simple it is and how yummy the cookies turn out!

Strawberry chocolate cookies:

1 box of strawberry cake mix (I used Pillsbury moist supreme)

1/2 cup milk chocolate chips

1/2 cup white chocolate chips

2 eggs

1/2 cup oil

1 cap full of vanilla extract

Mix ingredients. Spoon into small-sized dough balls onto greased cookie sheet about 1.5 - 2 inches a part. Bake for 10 minutes in a preheated 350 degree oven. Once cookies are baked, leave them on the cookie sheet (they're very delicate) and let them cool completely before removing from cookie sheet.

OOOORRRRRR!!!

If you want a really creative cookie, here's a little alternative recipe:

1 box strawberry cake mix

2 eggs

1/2 cup oil

1 cap full of vanilla extract

1 bag of milk chocolate chips (I used Ghirardelli brand)

Mix cake mix, eggs, oil and vanilla extract together. Spoon onto greased cookie sheet. Bake 10 minutes at 350 degrees. Let cookies cool completely on cookie sheet (remember, they are delicate!!) In a double broiler (take a medium pot, fill just under half way with water and bring to a LOW boil. Place a large glass mixing bowl directly onto pot and pour in bag of chocolate chips. Stir until chips are melted.) melt the chocolate chips. Remove melted chocolate from heat and dip cooled cookies half way into chocolate--- be careful! The cookies are DELICATE (are the cookies delicate? The cookies are delicate). Place cookie on wax paper and allow chocolate to harden before serving.

As you see here, I made a CHOCOLATE COVERED STRAWBERRY cookie. So cute, huh???

I was out of wax paper, so I had to place my cookies after I dipped them onto plates greased with cooking spray. Works just fine, but you dirty up a lot of plates.

Also, if you really want the cookies to pop, drop in a couple drops of red food dye.

Since I suggested small-sized dough balls, the recipe made 3 dozen for me. But if you spoon the dough into medium-sized balls, expect 2 dozen.

And there ya go! A really simple cookie recipe that is really, really good..... AND CUTE!!! Make them for Easter :) They're a pretty cookie, too!