More Tithing Blessings

I know in the past I have blogged about blessings we have received as a result of paying our tithing. I am constantly reminded, though, of how the Lord looks out for us, especially when we our obedient.

Recently we were audited by the IRS. I have always heard of this being done, but never thought it would happen to us. Well low and behold it did. And they found an error. A BIG ERROR. Normally we do our taxes ourselves, but a couple of years ago we took it to a tax service to have it done. Well, the person doing our taxes added a couple to many zeros to our housing taxes paid and we ended up getting almost $2500 more than we should have that year. So the IRS was wanting the money back.

We went and talked with the company and they checked it over and they said "Sorry" and that we were probably going to have to fork out the money. So with Christmas coming up we were a little worried about having to let go of $2500 that we didn't even have.

We called the IRS and talked with them and they were actually pretty nice about the whole thing. They said we could file a petition, but that we would probably still need to pay. We then talked to someone else who said we might not need to pay, but she wasn't sure and to file the petition.

So that was a while ago and we have been waiting for an envelope to come saying we need to pay the money. Well yesterday we got "the" envelope. But it was not what we were expecting. They have dismissed the charges and closed the case!!!! I COULDN'T BELIEVE IT!!!!!

We have been blessed time and time again and here is another experience that has truly strengthened my knowledge of paying tithing and it's ability to bless our lives.

Halloween Fun

Porkchop was a cowboy this year. I found the costume in some stuff my mom gave me the day of our church party. It was totally last minute, but so cute, and he didn't want to take it off.

Babe did not want to have her picture taken. She was having so much fun in her costume but when I asked to take her picture this is what I got.

Honey got totally into it. Both Babe and Honey wanted to be cats which is why they are identical. I didn't really care because it made it SUPER simple for me.

I had to add this picture. Our church had a costume ball and one of the games they played was all the girls had to take off one shoe and put it into the center of the dance floor. Then the boys have to go and pick one shoe and find the girl it belongs to and then dance with her. So Honey took of her shoe and the boy she likes picked her shoe. So this is her dancing with her crush. After the dance she came over to me and said in a super excited and quiet voice, "Mom, Nick picked my shoe and I got to dance with him!" So cute!

My husband and I are not that into Halloween and didn't want to put a lot into it, so Robb went as Facebook. (if you watch The Office then you know where this idea came from)

If you look close, I have a black eye, so I went as a black eyed pea.

And for my super creative efforts I won Most Creative Costume at our friends party we went to for Halloween.

I would first like to thank google for allowing me to search for inexpensive easy costume ideas, and for my wonderful family for supporting me in all I do. And lastly for the Walmart employees for not turning in my husband to the police for spouse abuse. ( I had to go to Walmart to pick something up before the party. I had my costume on and got a lot of concerned looks.)

Mummy Pizzas

Ingredients Needed:
Mini Bagels or English Muffins
String Cheese
Your Favorite Pasta Sauce
Mini Pepperoni or Sliced Olives
Directions:
I made these for the kids today and they loved them. It's super simple for a fun and festive lunch. I took a whole wheat mini bagel and cut it open. I topped it with our favorite pasta sauce. I then shredded string cheese to look like bandages. To finish it off I used mini pepperonis for eyes. You could use sliced olives for the eyes, but my kids like the mini pepperoni. I then popped it into the microwave for 20 seconds and there you have it. Mummy pizzas!!!
*side note-you could pop them in the oven, but my oven was preoccupied with cupcakes (see post below).

Cookie Monster Cupcakes

I made these cupcakes for our church's Halloween party. The cupcake actually tastes like an oreo and the filling tastes amazing! I got the recipe from here.
For cupcakes:
2 1/3 c. all-purpose flour
1 c. unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
12 Tbsp (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 c. firmly packed light brown sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
4 eggs, at room temperature
1 1/2 c. buttermilk, at room temperature
24 oreos, one side twisted off and reserved for frosting

For filling:
2/3 c. whipping cream
1 Tbsp powdered sugar (I just pulsed some granulated sugar in a mini food processor)
1/8 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 c. oreo cookie crumbs, made from reserved oreo sides

For decoration:
1 recipe buttercream, tinted blue
1 small container of blue sugar sprinkles, place in a small bowl for dipping
white candy melts
oreos, halved with sharp knife

Directions:
-Preheat an oven to 350 degrees.
-Place cupcake liners in cupcake pan.
-Place one oreo in each liner, cream side up.
-In a large bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt; set aside.
-In another large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat the butter on medium speed until smooth.
-Gradually add the brown sugar and continue beating until fluffy.
-Beat in the vanilla.
-Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.
-Reduce the speed to low and add the flour mixture in three additions, alternating with the buttermilk and beginning and ending with the flour, beating after each addition.
-Divide the batter between the prepared liners.
-Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cake comes out clean, 19 to 24 minutes.
-Transfer the cupcakes to a wire rack and let cool for 15 minutes.
-Let the cupcakes cake cool completely before filling and frosting.
-Meanwhile, make filling: In the bowl of an electric mixer, whip the cream, sugar and vanilla until stiff.
-Gently fold in the cookie crumbs.
-Scoop the mixture into a piping bag (or gallon sized Ziploc bag), and using a 1M tip, inject filling into each cupcake by sticking the tip into the middle of the cupcake and squeezing a bit.
-Frost the cupcakes with blue buttercream.
-Dip tops into blue sprinkles.
-Use white candy melts for eyes and half oreos for mouths.

Yields 24 cupcakes

Happy Halloween Everyone!

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Thanks Evan!!! This was Awesome!

Disney On Ice

If you have a chance to see this show, I highly recommend it!!! It was so cute and a lot of fun! The show features Mickey and Minnie Mouse and the gang, Cars, Ariel, The Lion King, and Tinkerbell. We ended up getting AWESOME seats for only $10. I googled for a promo code and found one!! Here are some pics from the show . . .

The Curtain

Mickey and Minnie in their car . . .

Uh Oh, the car broke down . . .

Here comes Mater to try and fix it . . .

And what would Mater be without the rest on the Cars cast . . .

After Cars, it was Ariels turn . . .

This was the girls favorite part. I have to say that it really was quite beautiful.

Then came the lion king . . .

Amazing sets, right?

To finish things off, the show ended with Tinkerbell. This is part of the set . . .

Tinkerbell was born . . .

Then she became a Tinker . . .

Tinkerbell flying . . .

Tinkerbell and the head fairy herself . . .

The girls had a great time . . .

Honey asked if we could save our tickets and go again tomorrow. I wish it worked that way. I think if this show comes back to our area we will definitely go again though. So much fun!

50% off today and tomorrow at Payless!!!

Go to this link here to get a coupon for 50% off at Payless Shoes. Hurry up though because it's only good for today and tomorrow!

Cute Candy Corn Cookies

These candy corn cookies are easy to make and so cute!!! A simple buttery cookie with a hint of orange makes them taste really good too. Here is the recipe from Land O Lakes . . .

Preparation time: 45 min Baking time: 7 min

Yield: 15 dozen miniature cookies

		1 cup butter, softened
		1 cup sugar
		1 egg
		2 tablespoons orange juice
		2 teaspoons freshly grated orange zest
		1/8 teaspoon salt
		3 cups all-purpose flour
		1/2 teaspoon baking soda
		Orange paste or gel food color
		Yellow paste or gel food color
		1/2 cup sugar for dusting

Line bottom and sides of 9x5-inch loaf pan with waxed paper or plastic food wrap. Set aside.

Combine butter and 1 cup sugar in large bowl; beat at medium speed until creamy. Add egg, orange juice, orange zest and salt. Continue beating until well mixed. Reduce speed to low; add flour and baking soda. Beat until well mixed.

Divide dough into thirds. Press one-third of white dough evenly onto bottom of prepared pan. Place another one-third of dough back into same bowl. Add small amount of orange food color; mix until color is well blended. Press orange dough evenly over white dough in pan. Place remaining one-third of dough into another medium bowl. Add small amount of yellow food color; mix until color is well blended. Press yellow dough evenly over orange dough in pan. Cover with plastic food wrap; refrigerate until firm (at least 2 hours or overnight).

Place 1/2 cup sugar in large bowl; set aside.

Heat oven to 375°F. Invert loaf pan to remove dough. Peel off waxed paper. Place layered dough onto cutting surface. Cut loaf crosswise into 1/4-inch slices using sharp knife, trimming edges to make even, if necessary. Cut each slice into 6 wedges. Place 1-inch apart onto ungreased cookie sheets. Bake for 7 to 10 minutes or until edges are firm and bottoms are very lightly browned. Cool 1 minute; remove from cookie sheets. Immediately place warm cookies in bowl with sugar; roll in sugar to coat. Place cookies onto cooling rack. Cool completely.

Store in loosely covered container.

Pumpkin Playdough

Here are the ingredients needed to make your very own, might I add VERY easy, pumpkin playdough . . .

2 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup salt
3 Tbs. oil
1 Tbs. alum

Pumpkin Pie Spice (as much or as little as you want . . . we used quite a bit)
2 cups boiling water
food coloring

First, let your kids smell the pumpkin pie spice. It smells soooo GOOD!!!

Then, combine all the ingredients except for the boiling water and food coloring. After you have mixed those together, add the boiling water. (I highly recommend leaving this part to an adult)

After you have started to mix in the boiling water, add your food coloring.

Then turn onto a cutting board and knead. It comes together pretty fast. Then let cool for a few minutes and have fun!

What would pumpkin playdough be without halloween cookie cutters?

Painting Pumpkins

Honey does not like to carve pumpkins. She thinks it hurts the pumpkin. I have told her time and time again that it doesn't hurt the pumpkin, but she doesn't care!

And because Babe likes to do everything her big sister does, she goes along with it. At least for now.

As for Porkchop, well he's just happy he's got a paint brush in his hand.

They had a good time and thought it was really funny to wear garbage bags for paint smocks.

I wonder how Honey will take it when she sees us carving up the pumpkins to get the seeds out and then roasting them in the oven to make pumpkin puree. Hmmm....

Homemade Fruit Leather

This recipe is a little time consuming, but SUPER easy. A great alternative to store bought fruit leathers.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 pounds Strawberries

1/2 cup Sugar

Directions:

Puree strawberries with sugar in a blender until smooth, then strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a saucepan.

Bring puree to a boil, then simmer over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until thick enough to mound slightly (about 45 mins - 1 hour).

Preheat oven to 200° F, with the rack in the middle. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper (or spray with non-stick cooking spray). Pour hot puree onto liner and spread thinly (as evenly as possible) into a 15 x 10 inch rectangular pan using a spatula. Dry puree in oven until it feels drier, but is still slightly tacky, about 2 hours.

Cool until completely dry for at least 3 hours (up to 24). Place a sheet of parchment paper over leather then peel off liner and roll up in parchment.