Favorites Fridays- A Book Review for you!

Happy Friday!  Welcome to "Favorites Fridays". 

I wasn't quite sure what to share today and then it hit me- last night I finished a book that I ended up being pleasantly surprised with, so I decided to share that with you!

A while back my hubby and I were out and about (Ok, we were on one of the many Hobby Lobby trips that I make throughout the week trying to keep my boutique afloat, lol).  Now, we live in a city which has a Mardel Bookstore right next to HL.  My husband LOVES Mardel...  I was seeking to be a peacemaker this particular day and we hit both stores :-).  While he perused the aisles I ended up in the "Super saver" book section and bam- I found this little goodie for about $2!  I'll be honest, I was a little "leery" about it- Many "mainstream" Christian Authors get a little...forgive me for this...cheesy.  Many Christian authors, I have found, try so hard to weave "Christian" themes into their novels that they end up with disjointed story-lines and a lack of discernible plot or character development.  (Again, MY opinion). 

Now, to THIS book, lol.  I was drawn by the premise, which is always a good sign.  However, I quickly realized a few chapters in that I was kind of flying through it- I had a few late nights and finished the book in 2-3 days!  "The Chair", by: James Rubart is very well written and draws you in.  Yes, he is a Christian author, yet he managed to make his plot very REAL to actual life and centers the story around the theme of RESTORATION.  I'm not sure if it is the raw-ness of the characters and their pasts and struggles or if it is perhaps the adventure aspect of the prospect he presents- but I ended up LOVING this book.  Not only for entertainment value, but also for the thought-provoking aspect it gave me.  It spoke to me about my own life, my own struggles and actually had me in tears near the end.

The book is about a man named Corin and his failing antique store.  The main "premise" is that one day an anonymous woman shows up in his store and gives him a chair that seems to be VERY old.  She leaves him only with the idea that "a master craftsman" constructed it long, long ago.  A few days later a mother and her young son (who has severe asthma) are in the store and the boy has an extreme asthma attack.  To calm him, they sit the boy in "the chair".  Later, Corin finds a newspaper article with that very mother and son claiming that he was healed overnight after sitting "in a chair".  The idea has already come to Corin that the chair was built by JESUS in His years as a carpenter.  After cutting a piece of the chair and submitting it for "date" testing, the results come back impossible and amazing, deepening the mystery. 

Add very real-to-life characters in Corin's own life,  multiple people who "catch wind" of the item and will do anything to get it, and the "legend" of the enigmatic woman who gave him the chair and you get a surprisingly wonderful story which is faith-based.  I definitely recommend it!  I plan on looking for the other 2 novels that the author has written.

If you can't find it at your local Christian bookstore, you can get it here: http://www.amazon.com/The-Chair-James-L-Rubart/dp/1433671522/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1393623372&sr=8-1&keywords=The+chair

If you read it, let me know what you think of it!

I will leave you with a quote from the book that really spoke to me about my own life.  Haven't we all felt this way at some point in our lives?  I think this is why the book was so good, in my opinion.  It is very REAL to the REAL lives of Christians.  This quote happens when Corin is speaking to his brother (who is paralyzed from the neck down) about sitting in the chair and seeing what happens:

 "Hope is better left dead.  Each time it's resurrected, its subsequent death is a little harder to take.  So I've killed it for good.  Or I've tried.  But you and I know, and the whole human race knows, you can't kill hope entirely because there's always one little bubble willing to rise with the slightest encouragement.  And that would happen if I let you put me in that chair.  I would hope once more, I would let it sweep me into your little shop, and I would sit in your ancient artifact and nothing would happen."

I hope you will check out "The Chair"!

Wordless Wednesday- Inspiration

                

 

Today's "Wordless Wednesday" is in honor of Dr. Seuss Day coming up this weekend :-) 

Be Inspired today!

 

 

Low Carb Cherry Almond Scones!

Iiiiiiiiiiit's Made it Monday! again...Are you excited???  Tonight I am going to share one of my recent FAVORITE new recipes...I mean, it's one of those...."hearing the angels singing and the heavens above opening when you take a bite" kind of recipes.

 

They are Low Carb Cherry Almond Scones.  Is your mouth watering yet?  :-)

After eating low carb for a year, I have recently discovered "Swerve".  It was very frustrating being a "baker" and not being able to bake anything traditionally on a low carb diet (nix flour and sugar and good luck finding a delectable cake/brownie/cookie recipe worth the cost and effort).  Swerve has been a life saver!  After a lot of research and a "trial" order, I do have to say that I love the way Swerve "measures" up<-----See what I did there?  hehehe. 

Swerve IS "pricey" and I only use it here and there, but I have found a plethora of "carb friendly" recipes that use Swerve.  I HAVE found that (as the research indicates) sometimes stomach discomfort can occur with swerve.  I have a very sensitive stomach (Splenda sends me running to the bathroom in 10 minutes).  I look for recipes that use 3/4 c of swerve or less.  One recipe that used a full cup DID cause me some stomach upset.  I have kept to my "3/4 or less" rule since then and have had NO TROUBLE.  I haven't been able to try the "confectioners" version of Swerve yet- they have been out of stock for months now, but I am excited to try it for frostings/icings in the future :-)  You can read more about Swerve here: http://www.swervesweetener.com/about-swerve/

For those of you that have asked, the only other sweetener that I cook with is Stevia!  (And I add natural Monk Fruit to my coffee in the mornings!)

Now, on to the scones!!

INGREDIENTS:
- 1 c. Almond Flour (I use Bob's Red Mill)
-2 Tbsp. Coconut Flour (Also, Bob's)
- 1/4 c. Swerve
- 2 tsp. Baking Powder
- "pinch" of salt
- 2 Eggs
- 1 tsp. Vanilla Ext.
- 1 tsp. Almond Ext.
- 1/4 c. (jar) of cherries, chopped
- 1/4 c. chopped almonds


DIRECTIONS:
1.) Preheat your oven to 375.  Line a baking sheet with Parchment Paper.  (I used my Pampered Chef bar stone so I skipped the parchment).
2.) Sift the dry ingredients together in a medium bowl.
3.) Whisk the eggs and extracts together.  Add to Dry ingredients.
4.) Fold in the cherries and almonds.
5.) Drop in 6 "mounds" onto the baking sheet.
6.) Bake for 15-18 minutes.
7.) Cool on a baking rack- do yourself a favor and wait until they are cooled down to enjoy the texture they gain!

It's that easy!!!  These scones come out nicely golden and crisp on the outside and crumbly and soft in the center.  I doubled the recipe with the intentions of freezing most of them for a quick and easy breakfast- they are PERFECT with coffee!  Well, Charles and I LOVED them so much that they didn't stay frozen for long, lol.  I am planning on making a few other versions of these using the base recipe- I LOVE THEM!  I will update this recipe once I try my newest version, which I just bought the ingredients for- Dark Chocolate Macadamia Nut!!

 

Favorites Fridays!!

Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens, Bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens
Brown paper packages tied up with strings, These are a few of my favorite things....I could keep going, but you get the point (and my cats are not happy that I interrupted their Friday nap with my singing, apparently!)  :-)  Welcome to FAVORITES FRIDAYS! 

Each Friday I will be sharing something that has made it onto my "Favorites" or "Must Have" or even just "Love this" list.  Some weeks it might be a product or product review, a new website or blog I've found...or even...like today- a collection!  Today I am sharing my newest Etsy Treasury! 

Pantone's "Color of the Year" for 2014 is a gorgeous shade of purple called RADIANT ORCHID.  I am IN LOVE with it!  It's so vibrant and rich! 

Here is my etsy treasury featuring this gorgeous color!   OH, and check out the FIRST item in the treasury---I want one SOOOO badly!  It's functional and features a quote from my FAVORITE movie!  Can you guess what movie it is BEFORE you peek at it????  :-)

Radiant Orchid Etsy Treasury

P.S.- Stay tuned for a GIVEAWAY next week featuring this color!!

Wordless Wednesdays!

Welcome to Wordless Wednesdays!  Every Wednesday I will share something (sometimes fun, sometimes inspirational, etc.) that requires no lengthy blog post explanation.  For this first installment, I decided to go with my favorite quote!  Happy Wednesday! :-D

Made It Mondays! Cocoa Mug Cakes

Welcome to MADE IT MONDAYS!  This is the first installment and I am excited to share a low-carb(ish) craving killer that I L-O-V-E. 

About a year ago, my husband and I switched (very drastically) to a low-carb diet.  We went from bread-eating, sugar-stuffing, pasta-loving,  Dublin Dr. Pepper-addicted Texans to a carb-o-phobic couple.  Yes, it is true that it was due to very pressing health issues that we initially began this journey...But after dropping 30 pounds (although I have admittedly gained some of that back) and feeling better AND having a lot less stomach trouble- we have stuck with it!

It is true that when you have been (an above detailed) carb lover all your life you feel like you are denying yourself every single time you hit a craving....Now, it's different for every person, but if someone tells you that you "won't crave carbs (pastries, breadsticks, macaroni and cheese, and CAKE) if you just cut them out altogether"...They are LYING to you.  LOL. 

Enter this lovely recipe below.  It is PERFECT for when those chocolate cravings hit and all you want to do it cuddle up to a hot fudge sundae topped with chocolate chip cookies.  It is a (healthier) low-carb-ish recipe that is ready in...wait for it....ONE MINUTE in the microwave.  I'm serious- O.N.E.!

I have made lots of different versions of this cake, but here I have given you the "stripped down", original version.

Here is the super-easy recipe.

INGREDIENTS:
*1 Egg
*2 Tbsp. cocoa (I used Hershey's special dark this time around)
*1 Tbsp. Raw Honey
*1/4 tsp. Baking Soda
*1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
*1 or 2 "shakes" of cinnamon

DIRECTIONS:  Are you ready for this??
1.) Mix all of the ingredients altogether.  (I find it easiest with a large whisk)
2.) Spray (or coat with coconut oil) a coffee mug, small glass bowl or 3 larger glass ramekins (as pictured above).  The recipe makes one "personal sized" cake or 3 small cupcakes.
3.) Cook in a microwave for 1 minute.  Watch it bake...seriously...it's fun.  Watch it.

*I often double this recipe for myself and my hubby.  If you bake both at the same time in the microwave, also double the cook time to 2 minutes.

VERSIONS: The most simple version is pictured here with just whipped cream.  I also LOVE to add some sliced strawberries to the top or a spoonful of peanut butter to the batter.  The most "lavish" recipe is AMAZING.  If you want to go for broke, make my "cheesecake" filling/dip and use a cupcake filling tool to make a "cheesecake cocoa cake"!  (Wait for cake to cool, fill or top with cheesecake dip and refrigerate for about half an hour)

For the CHEESECAKE DIP: Blend together 1 8oz. package of softened cream cheese, 1 tsp. vanilla ext., 1 tsp. almond ext., 3/4 c. whipping cream, 1/2 c. swerve or stevia.  It will make quite a bit.  You can (1) Cut the recipe in half OR if you are like me (2) Save the extra and use it to stuff/dip fresh strawberries!  YUM!

Keep in mind that the alterations will make the carb count differ.  (The "regular" un-doubled recipe has about 20 carbs.  If you are diabetic, yes, that sounds like a lot- keep in mind that a 1/2in thick slice of regular cake has about double that- but honey has shown to have properties that LEVEL the bloodsugar, whereas regular sugar does...not... lol. 

ENJOY your treat and let me know if you tried it and what you thought about it!

Do you forgive me?

Ok, let me begin this post by saying.... I am a terrible blogger- horrible, I know.  I have to apologize now for the fact that I haven't posted anything since October!!!   (cue mournful violin music)

Now, let me attempt to explain just WHY I have been so lax in posting.  The past few months have been C-R-A-Z-Y!  Practically right after I wrote my last post in October my husband and I decided to move.  The house we were moving into needed a LOT of work to make it "livable" before "move time"...which was 6 six weeks.  Yeah, SIX.  We put aside pretty much everything in our lives to patch and repair walls, rip up carpet, lay new flooring, replace doors, paint 7 rooms (different colors) as well as the outside of the house... It made for many late nights and exhausting weekends.  I then faced the enormous task of organizing and packing our home (you would be AMAZED how much stuff just 2 people plus 2 cats can accumulate in 8 years...seriously).  We faced some crazy obstacles in moving because of the condition of the home and the city in which we were moving.....CRAZY is just a general terms and I won't go into all of the details because this blog entry would then turn into a short story....a short (horror) story. 

(violin music swells)

Thanksgiving Day we started moving and of course then we faced unpacking, organizing, etc. etc.!  It was one wild ride!  Of course by this point I was in the midst of holiday boutique/craft show/filling orders mayhem.  At this point a H-U-G-E ice storm hit North Texas where I live.  Craft shows were cancelled, mail pretty much stopped running...it was a MESS.  To compensate for missing out on shows, I had a great big sale on my facebook page then spent every available second pumping out orders until I closed for the holidays.

Then of course, there's Christmas and all the amazing, fun, insane family gatherings, gift wrapping and celebrating that goes along with it!

(end violins)

So, there is the story.  Forgive me?  I hope so!!  Here's a belated Christmas greeting to sooth your pain.

Enter 2014. 

We are already almost 2 weeks into January- Did you set any resolutions this year?  Charles and I don't do "resolutions", we choose to set goals (big ones, then small ones to help us reach those big ones) and this year we have chosen to each keep a "journal" regarding our goals!  (Last year we were never able to sit and do our goals- I am attributing our horribly, rotten, no good, very bad year partially to this)- Just kidding...but seriously...

I chose to make personal goals, business goals and then we set marriage goals as well.  I won't list them all in detail here (the short story would then turn into a novella), but I will say that I focused on my own personal health, weight and stress level, spiritual growth, and made a goal to read more!  One thing that was amazing to us was that we do our goals separately then talked about them together afterwards and our "marriage" goals were EXTREMELY similar.  We really feel like we are on the same wavelength about things we need to change and work toward for 2014- Praise the Lord!  I have also made some business goals that I hope God will help me reach before the end of the year.

As for now, I just uploaded my brand new designs and custom sets for...VALENTINE'S DAY! <3

Check them out- I am really excited about how they turned out!  There are ready to ship block sets as well as 2 brand new customizable designs that are the PERFECT special, one of a kind gift for the one you love this year :-)  I did something a little different this year and chose to do each set in neutral colors and give you the option to add your own colors.  Let me know what you think and message me with your questions and orders!