The Giving Challenge #1

When God asked me to do this, I was really excited because I knew how much it would bless others.   

But…

I was SO scared.  Why?  Because I didn’t feel worthy enough to take this on.

Here’s another but. 

BUT I knew God wanted me to do this.  So I pressed on!
 


I had a hard time finding who I wanted to Give to this week.  There are SO many great people in my life!
There was one person that has stuck in my mind that I really wanted to do something for.  She has blessed me by providing a house-cleaning job when I needed it the most.  So I started with her.

A Blessing for a Blessing!

So, can you guess what I did for my first Giving Challenge?  Baked, but of course.


I made a Cherry Pie In A Jar!  The idea came from the blog “Explore The Cabin”.  Click on the link to find the recipe….a very easy, yet creative recipe!
For the pie crust; I used the Butter Pie Crust recipe from Aunt Ruthie from Sugar Pie Farmhouse. 

OH MY, that crust was GOOD and Easy, also! 

I have a love/hate relationship with pie crusts…but not this one! 

The Almost Finished Product

THE Finished Product

As I wrote out a card to thank her for providing extra income for me, I couldn’t help but feel complete GRATITUDE.

Of course, I was always thankful for this extra job…but in doing this for her, my heart was just smiling with GRATITUDE for her.  She was an instrument in God’s hands in helping me in tight financial times.

Thank you Mrs. D.!

When she was gone, I left this on her counter as I continued cleaning her house.

She returned home a little earlier than I expected.  But with that, I got a surprised “thank you!”…and a “what do I do with it"?.

Oops!  I didn’t think to put instructions to say “This is your own personal slice of pie that you can eat right from the jar”.

*note to self:  put instructions on things that are a little out of the ordinary.

So, tell me…what did you do for this week’s Giving Challenge?

Share your Giving Challenge story that you posted on your blog in the Mister Linky below.

Giving Challenge Reminder

Friday, I will be posting my Giving Challenge for the week.

Have you been working on yours?

Or

Have you not yet heard of the Giving Challenge?

If you haven’t, scroll down 2 posts and read the Challenge I have given myself and others.  Join us, will you?

I can’t wait to hear what God will do through your giving this week!

“Personally…

… I think I have too much bloom.”

Judy Garland as Esther in “Meet Me In St. Louis”.

If you haven’t seen it,…see it!!  It’s up there in the best musicals ever made list…that is if there is a list….which in case there is because it’s my list.

You’ll LOVE it!

 

Click here to find it on Amazon.com

The Giving Challenge

Something has spurred me on.  Spurred me on to Give.

Little things I have read.

Watching a TV show.

Creative thoughts in my daily activities.

Memories of others Giving to us.

And even today’s tragic events.

What can I do?  How can I give? 

How can I encourage?  Where do I start?

God has spurred me on.  To go beyond myself and my weakness’.

To go beyond myself and my strengths.

This is my challenge. 

The Giving Challenge.

Join me in The Giving Challenge, as I challenge myself to give more.

Here’s what we can do…

 

The Giving Challenge Guidelines:

1.  Create: cook, bake, sew, paste, drill, paint….  This challenge is meant to use your creative abilities.  What do you love to create?  That’s all I’m asking, and what I’m doing.  Do what you love and go one step further.

2.  Give to someone once a week.

3.  Pray.  At the beginning of each week, ask God who He wants you to bless . 

4.  Post your Giving Challenge every Friday, on your blog.  Tell us what you made, who you gave it to, and what their reaction was, and so on.  If you aren’t comfortable sharing who you gave it to and/or their reaction, that’s okay.  Just share with us what you did to bless that person.

5.  Share your blog post in the Mister Linky that I will attach with my blog post of my Giving Challenge on Friday.

Will you join me? 

 

Invite your friends.  Let’s start a revolution of Giving! 

It’s what our Lord has asked us to do.

Bless others, and you will be blessed.

 

“Give, and it will be given to you.”  Luke 6:38

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If you need a little help on what to create; here’s a book from Gooseberry Patch, which was one of my inspirations for this challenge.  Click on the picture below to find it on Amazon.com. 

It's on my list to buy!

“Newhart”

When I was a little girl, I watched the TV Show “Newhart” with my dad. 

Once that theme song came on, it was time with Dad.

Just recently, I found out how much that theme song has become a comfort to me.  I always enjoyed it when I was little, but now I believe it was the time spent with my dad that brings warm thoughts to that little ditty.

You know, if I ever visit Vermont, I FULLY expect that theme song to magically appear out of nowhere.  I will be thoroughly disappointed if it doesn’t. 

*note to self: make sure to download the theme song on your ipod, just in case….that is if I ever go to Vermont.

In the middle of the video, notice the little dog trotting.  It seems that he has the song in his little doggie heart as he trots to the beat of the music. 

What song do y’all have a special comfort in?

The Simple Girl’s Favorite Cookie Recipe – Chocolate Chip Cookies, why of course!

In 1957, my parents were married…and with it, my mom received a Betty Crocker 1956 cookbook.

It has been well used!  And what I mean by well used, I mean my mom has used masking tape to keep the cover on.  Yep.  And why not, Betty Crocker is today’s Pioneer Woman Ree Drummond…except Ree is a REAL person. 

This cookbook contains the BEST Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe, EVER!  However, I have tweaked it a bit to suit my fancy.  Hmmm, maybe that is why it IS the BEST Chocolate Chip Cookie Ever! 

Our cookie jar was running a little low on cookies a few days ago. 

Okay, there was none.

So mommy asked me to make some. 

 

And here it is….

#1  Soften 1 cup of butter in the microwave.

#2  Put the softened butter in a large bowl.  Add 1 cup white sugar and 1 cup brown sugar to the butter.

#3  Cream the butter and sugars together with a blender (or your Kitchenmaid….that’s on my wish list, down the long narrow road)

#4  Add 2 eggs and 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract to the creamed mixture.  Mix with the blender to make a wet creamy mixture. 

#5  In a separate bowl add 3 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon salt and 1 teaspoon of baking soda.

Here’s my version of sifting these ingredients together: I know, I know.  But hey, my cookies turn out just fine without a sifter.  *grins*

#6  Add half of your dry mixture to the creamy mixture and mix with the blender.

#7  Add the remaining flour mixture, and mix once again, but of course. TIP:  Once you are done mixing in the flour mixture, and you find the final result is a little too gooey; add about another 1/2 cup of flour, and mix.  This way, your cookies will be nice and plump, instead of flat as a pancake.  Been there, done that.  Okay, next….

#8  Hand stir in 1/2 a bag of your favorite semi-sweet chocolate chips.  I don’t like a lot of chocolate chips in my cookies, which if why I only use 1/2 of the bag.  And think of it this way; you save money by using the other half for the next batch you make! 

#9  Place a heaping teaspoonful of the cookie dough on a pre-heated cookie sheet. I really quite prefer this Pampered Chef stone for cookie making.

#10  Place the cookie sheet in the oven for 8 to 10 min.   Make sure you never over bake your cookies, or they won’t have that special gooeyness that cookies should have.  Just bake until they are lightly golden brown on top.

#11  Take the cookies out of the oven, and place the cookies on a cooling rack. 

#12  Get the milk out of the refrigerator.

#13 Grab a glass from your cupboard, and pour the milk in the glass to your heart’s desire. 

#14  Put the milk back in the refrigerator. 

#15  Pick up that warm and plump gooeyness of a Chocolate Chip Cookie you ever saw, and devour.

 Yum, yum, yummy!

 

The Simple Girl’s version of Betty Crocker’s Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 c. Butter

1 c. Granulated Sugar

1 c. Brown Sugar

2 Eggs

2 t. Vanilla Extract

3 1/2 c. All Purpose Flour

1 t. baking soda

1 t. salt

1/2 a bag of Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips

Soften the butter.  Cream butter and sugars together.  Add in eggs and vanilla.  In separate bowl add dry ingredients and sift.  Add the dry mixture in the creamed mixture and mix together.  Then stir in the chocolate chips.  Drop 1 heaping teaspoonful on pre-heated cookie sheet.  Bake at 375 degrees for 8 to 10 min.

 

ENJOY!

Wanna Come to the Farm Chicks Show?

Hmm, do you wanna?  I wanna.  That’s my kind of place.

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FYI: I really WANNA!

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Life Lesson #1 From The Simple Girl

“Employ time well if thou meanest to gain leisure.

God gives all things to industry.” 

Anonymous, 1880

How true is that.  I love the feeling I get when I’ve done a good day’s work. 

Leisure is heavenly!  Especially when there is food involved.  You burned those calories, you deserve to replenish them. 

In today’s society, it’s quite the opposite.  It would go something like this:

“Leisure time well if thou meanest to gain employment.”

Oh my!  

As the wise Solomon said in Proverbs 6:10 & 11

“A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest – and poverty will come on you like a bandit and scarcity like an armed man.”

Remember those words when you hear “I don’t want to” come out of your mouth. 

It isn’t “I don’t want to”, but it’s “I get to!”.

“I get to” have a job to provide income.

“I get to” clean my house that provides shelter. 

“I get to” cook a warm meal for my family I love.  etc….etc….

Next time you hear the words “I don’t want to” out of your mouth; replace it with “I get to!”.

Galatians 6:9

“Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.”

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FYI:  I’m learning to take my own advice.

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