Brownie Bites

A dear co-worker and friend celebrated a birthday last week.  The sad part about that is that her birthday was actually over two weeks ago; we just had not had a chance to get together and celebrate until last week... which is just plain sad! 

But, we were finally able to break away from work for a bit on Friday, and end the week with a little birthday celebration!  And in my book, no birthday celebration is complete without some kind of sweet birthday treat. 

For this occasion, I chose these brownie bites.  Factors leading to my decision were as follows:
1)  The ease of the brownie bite making method  (: 
2)  The speed of the brownie bite making process
3)  The durability of the brownie bite (aka:  You can save them for a long time after you make them)
5)  The cuteness of the brownie bite
4)  The taste of the completed brownie bite... It tastes awesome whether you have it an hour after you make it or a week after you make it! 

To make these, you will need:
1 boxed brownie mix, and the ingredients called for per the back of the box
1 package of candy coating, the flavor of your choosing (I chose white chocolate.) 

-Bake the brownies as the package directs. 
-Then, after they cool for a bit, crumble the brownie up in a bowl.... Just kind of mush the brownie up.  -At this point, I put the bowl of mushed brownie in the refrigerator to help it cool. 
-Once it has firmed up a bit, form the brownies into balls.  I make mine pretty small, so that there is plenty of white chocolate coating per bite of brownie.
-After the balls are formed, I put the lollipop sticks in them, and used the sticks as a handle for dipping.
-Melt the candy coating using the heating method on the back of the package (usually the package instructs you to heat the coating for one minute, stir, and then continue heating in 15 second intervals until the coating is completely melted)
-When the coating is melted, dip the brownie bites into the coating, one bite at a time. 
-Let the brownie bites harden completely. 
-I think they are best when served chilled, and so I store them in the refrigerator.  If I have LOTS of them, I put a few in the refrigerator, and store the rest in a sealed container in the freezer.  

The advantage of brownie bites versus cake balls is that brownie balls are MUCH easier and faster to make.  That being said, I have to admit that I like the taste and texture of cake balls better.  They may be worth the bit of extra time and effort.  Cake balls are moister, and sweeter!  So they still trump brownie bites in my book.  But these are definitely worth a shot! 

Eat

As you may know, I have been in house mode lately.  Particularly with Andrew being gone, the house has given me something to focus my mind and energies on (though I need to be switching these thoughts and efforts toward things like SCHOOL very soon... as in... should have done that yesterday, soon).

After finding this lovely idea, along with step-by-step instructions, thanks to the beautiful blogger at Sugar and Charm, I could not help but try making the letters myself.  And it was SO easy!

Here is her version of the concept:

And here is mine (my photo is sorely lacking in comparison to hers, so please be gracious!)  

I am pleased with the way they turned out!

Just for fun, here is more lovely inspiration you will find over at Sugar and Charm...

Infused sugar with quick "how to" instructions.

 Beautiful photos that get your creative juices flowing.

Sweet recipes like this one!

And this one (I am a sucker for peanut butter frosting!)

Miracle

I truly love my job.  Well, as with most other jobs I guess, I love it most of the time.  That being said, my job has me a bit disillusioned... particularly this week. 

Until I actually started working in the field as a social worker, I guess I thought that all human beings had a natural desire inside of them to grow, to change, and to become the best versions of themselves possible.  I thought that people who lacked this internal drive were the minority, the exception.  Now, I have realized that it is really the other way around.  Most of us are okay with maintaining an equilibrium; we are okay with, and we prefer,  the status quot.  We are okay with getting by, and not doing much more than just that. 

I left work today (Friday) totally brokenhearted.  And now, two hours later, I have moved past feeling brokenhearted to feeling absolutely, emotionally depleted.  Beyond brokenhearted... just exhausted. 

So much of America lives in poverty.  So many live lives that are so empty in every way,  and they do not even realize it.  There are children growing up in cycles of addiction, of poverty, of bad choices.  There are children growing up in houses that have meth labs where kitchens should be; palates on a hardwood floor to sleep on instead of beds; men coming in and out of their homes to have private visits with their moms.  Outside of the grace of God, they may never know that there is more; that there is true life that can be experienced.  But outside of a redeeming Savior drawing us to Himself, we are a hopeless people. 

It hurts me to see people living in the hopelessness, and not knowing any better than to accept that hopeless as an inevitable reality.  It hurts me to not be able to speak the love that is MY Savior over them (there are strict ethical guidelines regarding conversations surrounding faith). 

My God transforms.  He heals.  He saves.  I have no choice but to believe that He will somehow draw children of poverty to Him; that He can reach them where they are... no matter where that is.  That is my hope for them.  That is my hope for the people I met today.  That is my hope for each of my clients, no matter their age, no matter the poor choices they have made over the courses of their lifetimes.  That has to be my hope.  And my faith has to be in that hope, and in that Savior.  Otherwise, I cannot continue to do the job that I do. 

Picture from here

Now it's the weekend, Andrew is coming home tonight to be in a wedding tomorrow, and I will not let work, or thoughts about work, seep into my weekend!  :) 

Flower Power

Since Andrew and I now have our own house, I finally get to think about things like... yard work.  Not my cup of tea. 

That being said, I do love flowers!  But I am completely ignorant when it comes to planting and growing things.  We have so much work to do on the inside of the house that the outside has been put on the back-burner; maybe we will pretty up the yard next summer! 

As a means of preparation for next summer, I figured I better do a little research. 

I started with begonias, because a friend told me once that they are nearly impossible to kill.  Apparently, the most important thing to keep in mind when planting begonias is that you should wait until the threat of frost and cold has passed; they like warm weather best.  Smart flowers!  Click here for step-by-step instructions on how to plant begonias!  It seems pretty fool proof, which is just what I need! 

Picture from here

 

 

I LOVE camellias, and I read that they are "easy to plant," and "low-maintenance."  Right up my alley!  An important factor to keep in mind is that camellias should be planted under the shade of a tree, or in an area with filtered sunlight.  And apparently, camellias need to be watered often, but should be not planted in soggy soil.  Click here for step-by-step planting and growing instructions. 

Picture from here

Some of my favorite flowers are hydrangeas.  They bloom in such pretty colors!  According to what I read here, hydrangeas need to be plated in early summer or late fall.  They need plenty of (but not too much) water, and should not be planted under trees.  These flowers seem a bit more complicated than camellias or begonias, which makes me nervous... But it does not make the flowers any less pretty!

Picture from here

I also LOVE poppies and alium.  Poppies remind me of my favorite childhood movie, and alium are just cool!  They look like pretty pom-poms!  Dahlia are also beautiful, and bloom in FABULOUS colors! 

Yippee...!

"Whatever with the past is gone, the best is yet to come!" - Lucy Larcom

Source: lisastorms.typepad.com via Gaby on Pinterest

Happy birthday to me!  (:

Birthday Blessings

I got the coolest birthday card from my grandmother in the mail over the weekend.  It says something along the lines of....

" Handcrafted, accepted, gifted, valued, chosen, loved...
That's who you TRULY are..." 

But, each adjective listed above has a reference to Scripture that goes along with it. 

Handcrafted:  "I praise You because I am fearfully and wonderfully made."  -Psalm 139:14
Accepted:  "Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God." - Romans 15:7
Gifted: "Christ has given each of us special abilities- whatever He wants us to have out of His rich storehouse of gifts." - Ephesians 4:7
Valued: "Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered... you are worth more than many sparrows." - Luke 12:7
Chosen:  "But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God." - 1 Peter 2:9
Loved: "The Lord your God is with you... He will take great delight in you, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing." - Zephaniah 3:17

From, of course... Pinterest

Encouragement for Your Saturday

I loved Watermark, and I still love Christy Nockels, and I LOVE this song!  :) 



I felt compelled to share this today.