Pregnant people sometimes have cravings. This week I've wanted chocolate. I didn't eat chocolate my entire life until after I had my first child. I just didn't like it. Somehow, my taste buds changed. Every once in awhile now, I think I can't live without it or something. I have this recipe that I keep looking at thinking, "yum". I still haven't made it...maybe after we get moved next week...I guess my chocolate cravings will have to wait.
Here it is...
Molten Chocolate Cakes
4 squares Baker's Semi-Sweet Chocolate
1/2 cup butter
1 cup powdered sugar
2 eggs
2 egg yolks
6 Tbsp. flour
1/2 cup thawed COOL WHIP Whipped Topping
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Butter four (3/4 cup) custard cups or souffle dishes. Place on baking sheet.
Microwave chocolate and butter in large microwaveable bowl on HIGH 1 min or until butter is melted. Stir with wire whisk until chocolate is completely melted. Stir in sugar until well blended. Blend in eggs and egg yolks with wire whisk. Stir in flour. Divide batter between prepared custard cups.
Bake 13 to 14 min. or until sides are firm but centers are soft. Let stand 1 min. Carefully run small knife around cakes to loosen. Invert cakes onto dessert dishes. Serve immediately, topped with whipped topping.
In case you are wondering...I got this recipe HERE. The picture looks so yummy!
Let me know if you try it and it works out!
Friday, February 22, 2008
Thursday, February 21, 2008
Prayer
As a mother, I feel that one of my greatest responsibilities, privileges, and gifts I can give to my children is praying for them. I know that God wants us to seek and to ask according to His will. He has given us an open door. What a sweet blessing I can bestow on my children, lifting them continually up in prayer. One thing I have found helpful in lifting up my children in prayer is lists. I have a list in my bible and one on the fridge. It is a visible reminder of me to pray throughout the day. The lists contains things that I desire for my children that are bathed in scripture. I think I got one list from Focus on the Family. I'd reference that one but it is packed and ready to move in one week! I'll give a few examples off a list called Scriptural Blessings to Pray for Your Children by Brian Smith. I've personalized the prayers but the ideas came from that list. Here is where you can find prayer cards if you want to have something formal www.praymag.com . I don't always pray with a list but I do like them because they help me stay focused and purposeful.
Assurance of Salvation (Jn 3:16, 1 Jn 5:13) I pray that my children can know the Lord Jesus and be assured of their eternal inheritance through Him
Intimacy with God (Ps 27:8, 34:8, 42:1-2) I pray that my children draw near to God
Repentance (1 Jn 1:5-9) I pray my children see their sinfulness and need for a Savior
Friendships (Prov 27:5-6, 1 Cor 15:33) I pray that my children make wise choices in friends and know what it is to be and to have a true friend
Protection (Jn 17:15, 1 Cor 10:13, 2 Thess. 3:3) I pray for my children's health and physical safety as well as their spiritual health and safety.
Wisdom (Prov. 3:13, Jas. 1:5, Col. 1:9) I pray that my children can know God's will and grow in wisdom and knowledge.
This is not a complete list; there are so many aspects to pray about when we are praying for our children. If you have children, take time today to lift them up. If you don't have children, are there children you know that you could lift up? Nieces, nephews, friends' children, students, neighbors, the unborn...
I encourage you all to join me today in prayer for our little ones.
Assurance of Salvation (Jn 3:16, 1 Jn 5:13) I pray that my children can know the Lord Jesus and be assured of their eternal inheritance through Him
Intimacy with God (Ps 27:8, 34:8, 42:1-2) I pray that my children draw near to God
Repentance (1 Jn 1:5-9) I pray my children see their sinfulness and need for a Savior
Friendships (Prov 27:5-6, 1 Cor 15:33) I pray that my children make wise choices in friends and know what it is to be and to have a true friend
Protection (Jn 17:15, 1 Cor 10:13, 2 Thess. 3:3) I pray for my children's health and physical safety as well as their spiritual health and safety.
Wisdom (Prov. 3:13, Jas. 1:5, Col. 1:9) I pray that my children can know God's will and grow in wisdom and knowledge.
This is not a complete list; there are so many aspects to pray about when we are praying for our children. If you have children, take time today to lift them up. If you don't have children, are there children you know that you could lift up? Nieces, nephews, friends' children, students, neighbors, the unborn...
I encourage you all to join me today in prayer for our little ones.
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
On a Journey
I've posted before about DEBT and said I'd comment sometime on our own personal journey...
I've always thought finances are a difficult area. Money isn't something you can get away from. It's involved with everything we do. How we deal with our finances is important. Not just so we can be "well off", but because God has entrusted it to us and we are accountable to Him for what we do with it. With that said, I'd like to share some of our personal experiences with finances and the journey we've been on this far.
My husband and I took a finance class while we were engaged. It taught us good principles that we thought were valuable. We've lived on a budget since we got married. Throughout the years, we've made some wise choices and some unwise choices. All of those have balanced out and we are pretty much in the same place now that we were six years ago. Realizing that we haven't gotten very far, we've recently gotten more focused, set some goals, and are disciplining ourselves to stay the course.
Our FIRST GOAL was to pay off all credit card debt and stop using them. The rule in our family now is that we don't use credit cards. We currently have $0 balances on both our cards and don't plan on that ever changing. Not even for "emergencies". Which leads me to our SECOND GOAL...an emergency fund. We now have an emergency fund that holds over one month living expenses. We've had that in the past but with making cc payments and spending too much, we haven't had it in awhile. In the future we will increase that to 6 months living expenses but we have a step in between that we must tackle first. Our THIRD GOAL and the one we are currently working on is pay off all debt. We owe on an auto loan and my student loans. This year our focus is paying that off. As soon as that is done, we will apply extra payments to the student loans. It is called a debt snowball and gets rid of debt faster when you pay off one debt and apply that monthly payment to another. We are living very frugally this year. Disciplining ourselves to put everything above a need towards that car loan. (I'm telling you all this partly to hold myself accountable!) We sold our extra vehicle today to lesson our monthly expenses so we'll be sharing a car for awhile. I've already enjoyed the freedom these first few months of 2008. I can see the progress we are making and it makes the sacrifices seem small. After we pay off all debt, the FOURTH GOAL will be to increase emergency fund to 6 months living expenses. FIFTH GOAL will be to save for a down payment on a house. Then we will purchase a reasonable home and start the SIXTH GOAL of working to pay off our mortgage early. A lot of these principles we've come across listening to Dave Ramsey on the radio and applying the advice he gives. These are not new principles, just focused steps to take if you really want to be DEBT FREE.
All this with the END GOAL of being able to give more to the Kingdom of God without being a slave to the lender. We want to be free to give however God would have us. We want to know that we have been faithful with what He has entrusted to us. The journey along the way will grow us. It has already. It is definetly teaching me contentment and thankfulness for all that I have been given.
I've always thought finances are a difficult area. Money isn't something you can get away from. It's involved with everything we do. How we deal with our finances is important. Not just so we can be "well off", but because God has entrusted it to us and we are accountable to Him for what we do with it. With that said, I'd like to share some of our personal experiences with finances and the journey we've been on this far.
My husband and I took a finance class while we were engaged. It taught us good principles that we thought were valuable. We've lived on a budget since we got married. Throughout the years, we've made some wise choices and some unwise choices. All of those have balanced out and we are pretty much in the same place now that we were six years ago. Realizing that we haven't gotten very far, we've recently gotten more focused, set some goals, and are disciplining ourselves to stay the course.
Our FIRST GOAL was to pay off all credit card debt and stop using them. The rule in our family now is that we don't use credit cards. We currently have $0 balances on both our cards and don't plan on that ever changing. Not even for "emergencies". Which leads me to our SECOND GOAL...an emergency fund. We now have an emergency fund that holds over one month living expenses. We've had that in the past but with making cc payments and spending too much, we haven't had it in awhile. In the future we will increase that to 6 months living expenses but we have a step in between that we must tackle first. Our THIRD GOAL and the one we are currently working on is pay off all debt. We owe on an auto loan and my student loans. This year our focus is paying that off. As soon as that is done, we will apply extra payments to the student loans. It is called a debt snowball and gets rid of debt faster when you pay off one debt and apply that monthly payment to another. We are living very frugally this year. Disciplining ourselves to put everything above a need towards that car loan. (I'm telling you all this partly to hold myself accountable!) We sold our extra vehicle today to lesson our monthly expenses so we'll be sharing a car for awhile. I've already enjoyed the freedom these first few months of 2008. I can see the progress we are making and it makes the sacrifices seem small. After we pay off all debt, the FOURTH GOAL will be to increase emergency fund to 6 months living expenses. FIFTH GOAL will be to save for a down payment on a house. Then we will purchase a reasonable home and start the SIXTH GOAL of working to pay off our mortgage early. A lot of these principles we've come across listening to Dave Ramsey on the radio and applying the advice he gives. These are not new principles, just focused steps to take if you really want to be DEBT FREE.
All this with the END GOAL of being able to give more to the Kingdom of God without being a slave to the lender. We want to be free to give however God would have us. We want to know that we have been faithful with what He has entrusted to us. The journey along the way will grow us. It has already. It is definetly teaching me contentment and thankfulness for all that I have been given.
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