Vanilla Cherry Lemonade Cupcakes

I was planning to make some orange cram pop cupcakes today from a recipe someone had given me at work but found I was out of the necessary orange gelatin and cheesecake pudding mix and so decided to improvise and came up with these yummy treats instead.

Vanilla Cherry Lemonade Cupcakes

1 pkg French vanilla cake mix

1 small pkg cherry lemonade Jello mix

1 small box French vanilla pudding mix

1 1/4 cups lemonade

4 eggs

1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce

1 teaspoon vanilla

Mix all ingredients together well and spoon into 24 greased or lined muffin cups. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the centers of the cupcakes comes out clean. Cool slightly in the pans then remove to cool completely. Store in airtight container.

These are delicious as is or topped with a swirl of whipped cream. (If you top them with whipped cream ahead of serving time, you will need to store them in the refrigerator).

What Kind of Glue are You?

A couple of weeks ago as part of his sermon, our pastor said that the mother is the glue that holds the home together. Later, my husband said that he felt that was true, that I am the glue in our home. I began to wonder, what kind of glue am I?

There are many types of glue and some are definitely better than others. There’s the watery school glue that gives way at the first sign of humidity or change in temperature. There’s super glue that once fixed to something dries with no hope of flexibility or change in position. There’s the fun to use, but terribly messy rubber cement that gives all around it a headache due to the fumes it emits. Then there’s the really good tacky glue that’s good for holding all kinds of projects from fabric to paper and the hot glue used in glue guns that is also adaptable for all kinds of uses.

What kind of glue am I in our home? I must admit too often I am one of the lesser varieties that gives way under pressure or one of the toxic kinds that gives headaches to those around due to wild emotions and mood swings. My goal is to be good glue; the kind of glue that is useful for holding things together in all sorts of circumstances. I want to be the kind of glue that can be relied on to hold fast no matter what is going on around my family, a consistent sort of glue with no unpleasant surprises.

The truth is that on my own, I cannot be good glue. Holding things together in our home is impossible when I try to do it on my own strength. I am learning that my Heavenly Father loves and values moms and is able to fix the things I mess up and to help me to be the sort of good glue my family needs. I am learning that it is only when I take the time to first spend time with my Father that I have the staying power to be the wife and mother that my guys need me to be. Therefore, I am trying to daily spend time with God through prayer and Bible reading before I try to spend time with my family. With God’s help, I am finding that it is possible to be made into the good and useful glue for my family that I long to be.

Review of My So Called life as a Proverbs 31Wife

I have long been fascinated by the Proverbs 31 woman and have bought and read many books about her off and on over the past 10 years. I aspire to be a Proverbs 31 woman and get excited about trying and then put all my books away and ignore her for awhile because I usually feel any attempts on my part to be this sort of woman can be marked epic fail. My So Called Life as a Proverbs 31 Wife by Sara Horn is different than most of the other books I’ve read on this topic. The author writes with honesty and humor and as one who is still trying to figure out how to best live as a godly wife and mother rather than as someone who has it all together. I also appreciate that she writes from the perspective of a working mom since many of the other books I have about Christian womanhood are written by and for stay-at-home moms. Since I am a working mom, it is a relief to read that it is still possible to live out the calling in Proverbs 31.

The book is subtitled A One-Year Experiment… and its Surprising Results. That is an accurate description of the content to be found in this book. Horn spent one year studying the attributes of the Proverbs 31 woman and trying to live them out as a modern Christian woman. She writes of experiencing job uncertainty, the frustrations of trying to keep a home clean, cooking and crafting experiments, and learning to be the calm temperature center of her home. Her personal examples are refreshing and honest and she writes with plenty of humor and grace.

The book concludes with a ten day challenge to complete, putting into practice the ideas presented in the book. There are also recipes to enjoy.

I highly recommend this book. It is a quick and easy read, perfect for the busy wife and mom, It is also full of challenge and encouragement. I bought this book for myself over a year ago and remembered enjoying it then. I recently re-read it and enjoyed it just as much the second time around. It is a great resource for group or personal study.

Coconut Oil – So Many Uses

I bought my first jar of coconut oil about a year ago after reading multiple posts on Pinterest about its many great uses. Since then, I have discovered that coconut oil really is quite versatile and amazing stuff. Here are some of the things I have been using it for:

– Frizz cream – I keep a small plastic container with about 1/2 cup of coconut oil in my bathroom cabinet to smooth on my wet hair after my nightly shower. This works as well as any commercial frizz creams that I have used. I have learned though to go easy as a little goes a long way. I use just a tiny amount each time and 1/2 cup of oil lasts for a few months. I have also used a tiny bit of coconut oil on dry hair as I style it in the morning to tame frizzies.

– Cooking – I melt coconut oil to use for frying foods. It works well, is healthier than vegetable or canola oils, and smokes less than olive oil. Since coconut oil is solid at room temperature it is also a good substitute for shortening in baked goods.

– Moisturizer – I sometimes use coconut oil in place of lotion for dry skin. It’s especially good on rough places like knees and elbows. I don’t use this on my face because I’m afraid it would be too greasy, but a little on dry legs and arms works well.

There are many, many other uses for this wonderful stuff. I have pinned a recipe for homemade coconut oil shampoo that I would like to try soon. I’d also like to try some of the other uses for it that I have seen listed on Pinterest and other blogs. What do you use coconut oil for?