Ooey Gooey Chocolate Butter Cookies

I was over at my neighbors house on Friday. We were drinking delicious coffee and letting the kiddos play. It was lovely. She served me some delicious Ooey Gooey Butter Cookies that she made using a yellow cake mix. But, she said any kind of cake mix works. We were going to a friends house that night so I thought these would be a great treat to take along. Being the amazing neighbor she is she even gave me a few of the ingredients that I didn't have on hand so I wouldn't have to run to the store. These are super easy to make and yummy. Our kids especially loved these. 

Recipe: Ooey Gooey Butter Cookies

Ingredients:

1 box cake mix (I used chocolate for these but am told you can use anything, my neighbor said pineapple cake mix is absolutely divine in these)

1/2 cup butter, softened

1 package cream cheese, softened

1 egg

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Mix all ingredients together

Roll into small balls and roll in powdered sugar

Place on baking sheet and bake for 8 minutes

I made mine a little bigger so my baking time ended up being about 13 minutes.

InstaFriday

I thought this idea was just too cute to not join in! You post all of your cell phone pics for the week. Since we all know that I am retro and don't have a smart phone (or am totally jealous of everyone that has one and just trying to make myself sound better) I use my iPod music player and pretend to be cool. So, here are my Instagram (my name is KatieRamsey if you want to follow me there!) pics of this week.

Date night in with the hubby included Amis pizza and Breaking Dawn Part 1

 I am loving my new study Bible and my quiet times using my one year Bible reading plan have been great this week. I am not loving Numbers but getting to read Mark afterwards totally makes it all worth it.

 I got a new iron. Someone gave me a really hard time when she visited for not having one. So, now I guess I am supposed to make sure my husband's work shirts are ironed. Who knew being a wife would be so hard? ;)

 Scout likes to help me monitor bath time.

 And I need all the help I can get. Do you see what I have to deal with? Hehe.

 The kids and I made a little trip to Trader Joe's this week. I love that place and think St. Charles county needs one.

 Later that day I enjoyed a yummy tea I picked up at T.J.s. It is very yum.

 Scout looking thoughtful. I wonder what a dog thinks about?

 I captioned this on Facebook with "It is hard to be 1" Yep, I caught the little mister mid-tantrum.

 French toast for lunch. Why not?

 The hubs leading family worship. What can I say? I married a rock star.

 My new BFF Hannah. I got to hold and snuggle her last night at just an hour old. Let me just say, we bonded and I am in love.

I hope everyone has a great weekend!

The Most Important Meal of the Day

is supposedly breakfast. And while I totally understand this one thing is true: I DO NOT LIKE TO EAT BREAKFAST in the morning. I am perfectly happy with a big cup of coffee with a tad too much creamer. If it were up to me I would sip coffee all morning long and real food would not touch my lips until lunch time. But, I know this isn't good for me and I know my lack of breakfast is affecting my weight loss. I don't mind eating cereal or things like that for breakfast but then I am hungry within like an hour and that kind of defeats the purpose! So, I am trying to think of some good for me breakfasts that actually sound appealing...

Yesterday morning I enjoyed this deliciousness.

A toasted English muffin with almond butter and strawberries and a tiny bit of agave nectar on top. Two thumbs up for sure.

The only other breakfast I have found so far that I consistently like in the morning are smoothies. Do you have any favorite breakfasts?

Clean and Tidy

I saw a question posted the other day- if you could have a housekeeper, chef, or nanny which would you choose.? For me, hands down, it would be housekeeper. While I love a clean house I do not love cleaning my house.

I was talking to a very dear friend yesterday and she mentioned how one of my older blog posts really impacted how she keeps her house tidy (talk about making my day!). After we got off the phone I realized I had kind of gotten in a rut and forgotten my own advice! Lately I feel like my house is either clean (bathrooms and floors scrubbed, windows wiped down, etc.) OR tidy (everything picked up and put away). But very rarely, okay never, BOTH.

So, I am going to ask you guys! How do you keep your house clean AND tidy and how do you find the balance? I will do a post next week on what I learn from all of you homemaking rock stars out there!


I linked up at Homemaker's Challenge and these other awesome blogs-

On heaviness and not going back...

My blog posts have been a little heavy lately. Mostly because, I feel a little heavy lately. I finished reading Radical this afternoon. It was probably one of the most challenging books I have ever read. Challenging, awesome, terrifying- I can't decide which word fits best. I told some girlfriends this morning after reading the book... "it kind of makes me want to just pick up a People magazine". I mean, you can't read a book like that and not want to do something... well... radical. So, a part of me, can't handle it and just wants to shut down. Go back to the way things were and forget about what Jesus is calling us to and go back to living the me-centered life I have always felt so comfortable with. I kind of liked buying what American Christianity has been selling me. I liked believing that my faith was all about me. But, it is like when you are little and learn that Santa isn't real. You close your eyes that next Christmas Eve and want to believe that you will hear Santa on the roof, but you know you won't. I want to look around at everything I own and think about how happy God must be with me because he has blessed me so much with material possessions. But I can't. You can't go back...

My biggest take away so far

Yesterday I shared the books I have been reading lately. My heart has been busy working overtime with what I think is the biggest take away I have had so far from reading these three books...

God does not bless us for our own glory... but for His.

This has been huge for me. For a long time I have been so thankful for the abundant blessings God has given to me and my family. We have three beautiful and healthy children, Nick has a well paying, stable job. We have 2 payed for cars, and a house that is much bigger than what we need. We are blessed. And I have always been so thankful for that. But, I am realizing that I have been so thankful that God has been blessing me and it ends there. But, although God loves me, he doesn't bless me just for me. He blesses me so that I can be a blessing to others and so that I can bring Him glory.

And I have been failing at this miserably. I have been feeling pretty good about myself for giving tithes and offerings. I have patted myself on the back as I wrote out a check for that 10%... or given a little extra to a good cause. But, I have not been striving to be a blessing with all that I have and to bring God glory in everything that I do.

I have compartmentalized my life into two seperate boxes. I have the life I live for God in one neat little box where I take someone a meal, write a check to a good cause, serve at church, write an encouraging letter to a friend... And then I have another box (and a much bigger one) where I want to save money to buy a really nice minivan, where I dream about fancy vacations, where I try really hard to fit in and be just like everyone else around me, and where I worry about what I want above all else. And I live a double life.

I am not okay with living this way. I don't think it is wrong for me to save to replace our vehicles... but am I considering how I can bring most glory to God in this area? Have I really considered how I can use my home that is so much more than we really need to bless others (aside from having my Christian friends over that I really enjoy over for parties and get togethers)?

I want to seek to glorify God in every area of my life. And I want to use every blessing that God has given me to bless others. I have no idea what this looks like or what forms this can take. I do know that it starts with a lot of prayer and asking God to reveal a whole lot of selfishness that is inside of me. I am nervous, but knowing what I know, I can't keep living the way that I am.

In Kisses from Katie, Katie Davis says often that God "wrecked her life" and I am starting to see what she means by that. Once we learn Truth we can't even enjoy living for ourselves anymore. We feel uncomfortable living a comfortable faith.

And sadly, the people whose lives seem radical to many of us Christians biblically are not radical at all. They are just doing what the Bible says. So, I can't help but wonder if the Christians who I most look up to who are living a "radical" life are not really that radical, what does that make my very comfortable, mainstream life?

My reading list lately

I have been a little reading machine lately. In the last week I have read two books and am now in the middle of one. It all started when a few Bible verses, all with similar themes started coming up in my quiet times and in other ways. Verses like Matthew 34-46, and Ephesians 2:10, and James 2:14-26. These verses and ones like them just kept coming up and I felt God really speaking to me about my faith. 
A few books had been recommeded to me and they all seemed to be close to the issues God was working on in my heart so I started reading, hungry to hear about how other people were living out their faith in Jesus. All while knowing verses like Romans 11:6 are true, "But if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works; otherwise grace would no longer be grace."
I read

this book and

and this one. And I am currently in the middle of

this one.
It has been awesome. I have been so challenged in my faith and have had to really take a hard look at why I believe what I believe. There were several times (in each book) where I have found myself disagreeing with a point and what comes to mind is something a pastor or religious leader has said and then actually going to the Bible to see what is says about the issue and finding that I have been believing some things that just aren't Biblical. It has been eye opening and overwhelming all at the same time.
Have you guys read any of these books? What did you think? I think I have a lot more thinking to do!

Mommy

"Mommy." She said it and I knew. She was mine. I was captivated. Because Mommy is forever.


It's such a powerful name. Mommy means "I trust you." Mommy means "You will protect me." Mommy is for shouting when you need someone dependable and for laughing with when you are excited; Mommy is for crying on and cuddling with when you are sad or giggling and hiding behind when you are embarassed. Mommy is the fixer of boo-boos and the mender of broken hearts. Mommy is a comfort place, a safe place. Mommy means you are mine and I am yours and we are family.


excerpt from Kisses from Katie by Katie Davis.

Thanking God for His amazing grace today in allowing me to be mommy to three amazing kids and praying that I  stop taking the blessing of my children for granted.

My very own Valentine

Valentine's Day always takes a back seat in this house to my birthday! However, I couldn't let today go by without giving a shout out to my very own Valentine... the hubs.

My top 5 favorite things about Nick Ramsey....
5. He is bald. I love it. I think it is hot.
4. He makes me laugh all the time and is the funniest person I know.
3. He is an amazing dad and strives to be better all the time. He truly has a heart to love and serve our family.
2. He is my best friend. There is no one I would rather hang out with... and I seriously get excited everyday when he calls and says he is on his way home from work.
1. He loves Jesus and truly has a heart to live a life that glorifies God. I am inspired by Nick's attitude towards service and his heart for others.

I love you, Babe! There is no one I would rather live this crazy life with!

My afternoon.

I am spending my afternoon getting a certain little princess ready for her night out on the town. Nails are done and now hair is curled. Her Daddy is taking her to a Daddy/Daughter Valentine's Dance. Is there anything sweeter than that?

Recipe: Baked Monte Cristo Sandwiches

The only thing better than a super easy recipe is a super easy recipe that is delicious... and the kids will eat it! This recipe was a real winner with all 5 of us which sadly, hardly ever happens.

Baked Monte Cristo Sandwiches

Ingredients:

1 package puff pastry (2 sheets)

16 pieces of thinly sliced deli ham

8 pieces of swiss cheese

one egg

optional: powdered sugar and your favorite jam, or if you like savory opt for a good quality mustard

Directions:

Thaw puff pastry sheets for 40 minutes

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F

Cut each sheet of puff pastry into 4

On each square put one piece of swiss cheese and 2 slices of ham

Fold puff pastry into a triangle and seal edges with a fork

Scramble one egg and brush the tops of each puff pastry triangle with a fork

Bake 20 minutes or until golden

This is a great base recipe and you could easily switch out toppings and sauces, types of meat and cheese, etc. The sky is the limit!

Where did January go?

Can y'all believe it is February? I still can't get over it. January has just flown by.

 But, I always welcome February because that is when my birthday is! Yep! I am a Valentine's Baby! And what is even crazier... so is my mom. I was born on her birthday! It was always so fun growing up... for me... she had to spend her birthday at Chuck E. Cheese...

I finally uploaded a bunch of pictures from my iPod touch to my computer (secret: I don't have an iPhone... I don't have a smart phone at all. My thrifty husband refuses to pay for a data plan. But, I can use my iPod for all of the apps so I still look like I am with it.). Do any of you use Instagram? It is my favorite! Here are some of my recent pics:

I hope everyone is having a happy Tuesday!

Children

Sometimes I want to write a post and I just can't get the words out. And then sometimes I realize that someone else has already done it for me! This post totally touched my heart and said so many of the things I had been wrestling with lately... Motherhood is Calling (and Where your Children Rank) by Rachel Jankovic. 

It was an amazing read as I have been wrestling with the fact that definitely as a culture... and even as a Christian culture we do not truly believe that children are a blessing and that motherhood is a high calling. And I have realized that while I love my children intensely I have been believing that children are not a blessing but a job. That motherhood is good... after you have done other things... 

I found this post so affirming because I constantly get comments in the grocery store about "having my hands full" and while people rarely mean anything by it, it does get in your head and make you start to believe it. Everyone has this idea that the perfect family is 2 children. When we had our third I got more negative comments than positive ones. It was so disheartening. And I am almost positive that if we had more a lot of people would be less than supportive. Which, honestly, I think boils down to people not believing what God says about children.

I do not think you have to have 20 children to believe that children are a blessing. But, I do think we need to look at our hearts and motives and search our hearts as Christians and mothers and determine if our beliefs are lined up with what God says.

Psalm 127:3-5 "Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior are the children of one's youth. Blessed is the man who fills his quiver with them! He shall not be put to shame when he speaks with his enemies in the gate."

Bullet Point Friday

• I am so excited that it is Friday! I just love weekends. I am going to a baby shower on Saturday and we were invited by some friends to watch the Super Bowl on Sunday. Now I am just trying to decide what delicious snack to bring for the big game.
• Jack has been waking up a lot in the middle of the night for the past few weeks because he is getting some teeth. I can tell he is feeling better but he is still waking up so last night Nick and I got a little tough and went in to check on him when he cried but never got him out of bed so hopefully we will have all our kids sleeping through the night again soon.
• We have started attending a new church (for a variety of reasons that I won't go into) and we have been beyond blessed. We have been so welcomed in and made to feel like part of the family right off the bat. This church is truly an answer to prayer and while there are no perfect churches we feel right in the middle of the will of God right now and that feels awesome.
• My birthday is in 11 days. I will be 28!
• I started a one year Bible reading plan back in August and am still doing it! This is a HUGE victory for me! 
• I think most people know this but I haven't officially announced it so I guess I will go ahead and say that the Lord willing we are going to be homeschooling next year. I am so excited. Last week I read the book Family Driven Faith (awesome book) and it was great because it really confirmed everything I was feeling.
• We don't have anywhere to be today which is very exciting... and my house really needs me home all day. This place quickly becomes a pit when we are out and about a lot.

Well, that is all I can think of for now! I hope everyone has a blessed weekend!