Baking: Pumpkin Spice Donut Holes

A messy kitchen is a happy kitchen, and this kitchen is overjoyed!

I made pumpkin spice muffins from the recipe below that I found on Pinterest. The hubby and I both totally loved them! I posted the recipe below. The only difference I did is that I cooked them in a normal muffin pan and had to bake them for more like 15min... I just cooked them till a tooth pick came back clean. Don't they just look delicious?

Let me know if you try the recipe.  :)

Recipe: Baked Pumpkin Spice Donut Holes

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 20 minutes

Yield: 36 donut holes

Serving Size: 2 donut holes 

For the donuts:

• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoons nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon allspice
• 1/8 teaspoons ground cloves
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup canned plain pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling)
• 1/2 cup low-fat milk

 For the Coating:

• 1 stick of unsalted butter, melted
• 2/3 cup granulated sugar
• 2 tablespoons cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Generously grease a 24-cup mini muffin tin with nonstick spray.

In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice and cloves. In a separate large bowl, combine the oil, brown sugar, egg, vanilla, pumpkin and milk until smooth. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir until just combined. Be careful not to overmix the batter. 

Divide the batter evenly among the muffin cups. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until passes the toothpick test.

Remove the muffins from the oven and allow to cool for 2 minutes, or until just cool enough to handle. With the melted butter in one bowl and the sugar and cinnamon combined in another, dip each muffin into the butter then roll in the cinnamon sugar to coat. Serve immediately.

Source: The Craving Chronicles

*For a lower sugar version, mix two packets of splenda with one table one table spoon of cinnamon (this is for the COATING).

While I'm Waiting - John Waller

Lyrics to While I'm Waiting :
I'm waiting
I'm waiting on You, Lord
And I am hopeful
I'm waiting on You, Lord
Though it is painful
But patiently, I will wait

I will move ahead, bold and confident
  Takingevery step in obedience
While I'm waiting
I will serve You
While I'm waiting
I will worship
While I'm waiting
I will not faint
I'll be running the race
Even while I wait

I'm waiting
I'm waiting on You, Lord
And I am peaceful
I'm waiting on You, Lord
Though it's not easy
But faithfully, I will wait
Yes, I will wait
I will serve You while I'm waiting
I will worship while I'm waiting
I will serve You while I'm waiting
I will worship while I'm waiting
I will serve you while I'm waiting

Spring Wednesday Hodgepodge 3/21

 

1. The first day of spring is here...do you enjoy working in the yard? Weeding, raking, mowing, planting-your favorite springtime garden chore? How about your least favorite? 

I love planting my own garden... I did it a little too early this year and a cold front came through and killed all the baby plants so I have to start all over again. :( I hate mowing! 

These guys I started last year and finally have peppers now. :D

2. What puts a spring in your step? 

Right now I am excited because my in laws are coming for a visit. We live so far away from everyone and no one has come to visit since we married so its exciting! 

3. Describe a time when you had to spring into action?

I couldnt resist putting this comic here... The chickens are "Springing" into action. LOL!

Right now I am springing into action, trying to get everything unpacked and decorated before my in-laws come for a visit. At least now I have a deadline, so I am motivated to deal with everything.

4. We're having carrots for dinner...would you prefer yours raw or cooked?

Either way! I especially love them in the crock pot with a roast. 

5. Do you take the shampoos and other sundries from your hotel room when its time to check out?

Yes I do. They are free why not? 

6. What's the most enjoyable team or club you've belonged to and what was it that made it so?

I was part of a synchronized swimming team when I was young. I loved the coach and swimming. 

This is a very old picture of me. I am the one on the right next to the girl in blue.

7. Is cloning a sign of progress?

I am undecided on this question.

8. Insert your own random thought here.

Does anybody out there know how hard it is to loose weight? I have changed by diet to a more healthy one and workout four days a week  and I didn't loose anything this week. I am hoping that is because of building muscle.

Hear it on Sunday, Use it on Monday: Obedience to God 3/19

I learned/was reminded of quite a bunch yesterday... In Sunday school we learned about obedience to God's commands and in church we learned about Jonah and how God works all things to good and controls all things. I am going write my reflections from Sunday School.

Obedience to God

1. God  desires obedience over sacrifice. 

1 Samuel 15:22 "And Samuel said,“Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to listen than the fat of rams."

Psalm 119:4 "You have commanded your precepts to be kept diligently."

God wants us to obey him rather than to do something else. He desires our obedience to Him and what He has commanded. An example in real life: a mom tells her son John to go mow the lawn. Instead, John cleans the porch and paints the fence and then brings his mom an iced lemonade. Did he obey? Will his mom be happy with him? NO!  

2. Gods law is Holy, righteous and good.

Romans 7:12 So the law is holy, and the commandment is holy and righteous and good.

God's law is holy righteous and good, we should not just forget about it because we are now saved from sin, on the contrary, we should seek to obey all he has commanded. That should be our desire.  

3. His law reveals our sin. 

Romans 7:7-11 "What then shall we say? That the law is sin? By no means! Yet if it had not been for the law, I would not have known sin. For I would not have known what it is to covet if the law had not said, “You shall not covet.”  But sin, seizing an opportunity through the commandment, produced in me all kinds of covetousness. For apart from the law, sin lies dead.  I was once alive apart from the law, but when the commandment came, sin came alive and I died.  The very commandment that promised life proved to be death to me. For sin, seizing an opportunity through the commandment, deceived me and through it killed me."

1 John 3:4 " Everyone who makes a practice of sinning also practices lawlessness; sin is lawlessness."

God's law reveals what sin is. Makes us acknowledge what we have done wrong, that we are truly sinners. 

4. We can only obey Gods law through the help of the Holy Spirit. 

Ezekiel 37:24  "I will take you from the nations and gather you from all the countries and bring you into your own land.  I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses, and from all your idols I will cleanse you.  And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.   And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules.^"

God gives Christians His spirit so that we can obey his commands; without it, we cannot obey. 

5. Part of obeying God's law is to train other Christians to obey Gods law as well. 

Matthew 28:18-20 "And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.  Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,  teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age. "

Psalm 78:5-7 "He established a testimony in Jacob and appointed a law in Israel, which he commanded our fathers to teach to their children, that the next generation might know them, the children yet unborn, and arise and tell them to their children, so that they should set their hope in God and not forget the works of God, but keep his commandments;"

Matthew 5:17-20 "Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.  For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished. Therefore whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.  For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven." 
  
"teaching them to obey all I have commanded"- This is so important. We as Christians are supposed to be witnesses to others. We are called to disciple others and to teach them ALL God has commanded, not only to teach them what He has commanded but, to OBEY ALL.   
 

6. Obeying God's law does not mean we pressure non Christians to do what we feel convicted to do/ beat them over the head with it; because they do NOT have the Holy Spirit to help them. (How can we expect them to do, what we cannot do on our own?)

Ezekiel 37:24  "I will take you from the nations and gather you from all the countries and bring you into your own land.  I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses, and from all your idols I will cleanse you.  And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.   And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules.^"


Romans 7:14-25 "For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am of the flesh, sold under sin.  For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate.  Now if I do what I do not want, I agree with the law, that it is good.  So now it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me.  For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out.   For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. So I find it to be a law that when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand. For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being,  but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members.  Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?  Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin."


The Holy Spirit is what enables us to obey Gods word.. How  then can we then expect unbelievers without the Holy Spirit  to obey God's words?

7. Obeying God's law does not save one, justify them or make them righteous.

Romans 4:3 "For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness.”

Romans 10:4 " For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes."

Ephesians 2:8  "For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God,"

Romans 3:28 " For we hold that one is justified by faith apart from works of the law."

Salvation, Justification and Righteousness, all come through FAITH in Jesus Christ. 

 Based upon the above what should we be doing?

We should be ourselves seeking to obey Gods words AND we should be teaching other beleivers to obey Gods word.

Good News and Bad News

Good news first... Not so good news later.. LOL!

Good news: I lost 4 pounds in a week. My exercising/dieting is paying off. I was so excited yesterday when the scale said I had lost 4 pounds.. only 46 more to loose. Other good news I survived yesterday... A day when I had a HUGE test, a quiz and a paper due...

Bad News: you know that test I was worried about??? Well I made a 70% on it.... Most of you are now thinking... that's passing..... But I am really striving for all A's this semester. If I can pull it off I will get the highest honors (other than the one for 4.0) when I graduate. I wanted at least a B on it. So, its bad news to me!!!

Other Bad News includes the fact that my hubby's Dr. had him fill out the info for the medical board. The medical board, whenever they ask for the paper work, will then decide to either retrain my hubby or kick him out of the air force... This greatly worries me, as IDK what we would do at that point. We would have to move back to FL but Idk about jobs or any of that... Lets just say.. its going to get crazy if they decide to kick him out before the end of the year...

We still have no answers as to what exactly is wrong with his back.. Nothing is wrong according to the Dr.s He sees the Ruematologist on the 10th of next month... If that Dr. cant do anything he will then be sent to a spine specialist and if he doesn't work out then to a chiropractor... After that... there is nothing more to be done... :/ We have already been to the neurologist, and pain management. He is still in a lot of pain!! Yesterday he came home for lunch and just laid on the couch... :(

Anyway, theres the short update.. I have to write a paper today.. so I am done with posting for today anyway...
Have a great Tuesday!!!

Ang

Complaining about classes

*Warning, I am aggravated with a class right now, so this writing might not be nice. *

OK, so I am in this class called Curriculum for Teaching Students with Exceptionalities right? So when you think of that name what do you think of? Well, to me it means learning about curriculum for teaching students with disabilities. So far in the class all I have learned about is how to look at students assessments and decide what to do with that student next. I guess yes, it does have something to do with curriculum because I am writing how i will teach the student... But most of what I am writing are instructional strategies such as pairing the student with a buddy or spending extra time tutoring that student in some area. Either way... to me, that's no curriculum... I thought curriculum was what you used to teach the students.. like the books, lesson plans etc. Not different strategies for solving student problems. I mean I know that is part of it... but... that's all we have done and the semester is almost over. I am scared I wont know what to do when I enter the real classroom for student teaching... Ugh... 

Also this class has a test on Monday that I am stressed about. Yes, I said my classes are easy this semester.. but this class is the hardest of them. I made a 75% on the last test which I am not happy about... the test on Monday covers 150pgs worth of a huge text book. If you took anatomy and physiology in college you may know what I mean by a huge text book... Its not one the size of a normal reading book at all... On top of that there is another book that is the size of a normal reading book that we have been reading for this class and I have no idea how much of that book will be assessed on this test... Oh, and don't forget all of the online readings...

I wish this teacher would give us a little more hints about what we are expected to know... a study guide would be great! But I guess thats too much to ask.... 

Anyway, as you can tell I am a little stressed. I am going back to reading/studying for that test...

Ang 

The Same God by Newsong

Sometimes, its hard to remember that God is there. He has it all under control! He knows whats best for us! Even though we may go though things, He planned it and is there with us through all of it! He will NEVER leave us! He's the same God, yesterday, today and forever!  Isn't that great to know???

Hebrews 13:5

"Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”

Romans 8:28

"And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. "

Malachi 3:6

“For I the LORD do not change; therefore you, O children of Jacob, are not consumed."

Loosing Weight/Working out

Ok, so you may not know this, but I am over weight. I have been trying to loose this extra fat for over a year.. But I get distracted, eat bad food, don't work out etc.. So I have gained what I lost last year back. :( Anyway, on Saturday I started working out again. I am so sore right now! I have been fast walking/jogging each day for 40min. Yes, I know some of you may be able to jog for two or three hours with no problem. I however can only handle jogging for 10min at a time and even that is very hard for me. I am trying to get to the point where i can jog the whole 40min but who knows if that will happen anytime soon.

I plan to also start back at Pilates in a couple of weeks (I am trying to get a little more used to the current schedule before I jump into that painful class(yes it is painful. its a muscle toning class. You are supposed to be hurting afterwards lo!)) For now, the only Zumba I am doing is on the Wii. My car is currently broken so I have no way to get to the Zumba class.

Anyway, my weight loss goal is 50pounds. I need to loose this to be healthier. I currently have borderline high blood pressure. I have already limited my sodium intake and have begun the cardio workouts to help my heart. Now hopefully those workouts will help me loose weight. I am weighing myself every Monday to see if I have lost anything. Hopefully come Monday, I can say I lost a pound. But who knows... I am really trying. I want to take better care of myself and to become healthy.

Anyway (have you noticed I love to use that word?).... I think I am going to get off of here and focus on some homework. :)
Have a great day!!!
Ang

1Corinthians 6:19-20 

"Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own,  for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body."

Wednesday Hodgpodge 3/7/12

1. Did March come in like a lion or was it something less ferocious in your neck of the woods?

March came in WAY too fast. This year seems to be flying by which is a good and yet bad thing. I graduate in Dec so I am excited that my last year of school is going by fast… But at the same time it’s going by way to fast.Oh and next week is spring break for me, so that will be a nice break from school.... Maybe I will be able to finally get our new house unpacked and looking nice for company.

2. Speaking of lions, which one's your film favorite...The Cowardly Lion (Wizard of Oz), Mufasa (The Lion King), Elsa (Born Free), or Alex (Madagascar)? You may notice I left Aslan off the list. Including him would have made this question way too easy for many of you.

Mufasa I guess from Lion King… Although, yes you are right. Aslan would have totally won! 

3. What's your favorite spot from which to view the sunrise or sunset?

The beach in FL. I currently live in AZ so I really miss the beach. The hubby and I went to Cocoa Beach for our honeymoon. I love the pic we took together at sunset.

4. To what extent is knowledge power and to what extent is truth power? What's the difference?

The truth is power because Jesus is the truth. Knowledge can be power if others do not contain the knowledge and you do. You may become in charge due to knowing more than one other person. 

5. What's something peculiar you've seen recently?

My cat went outside today and was rolling on the concrete. Don’t ask me why. LOL! 

6. Bottled water...your thoughts?

I like bottled water and I do recycle the bottles. However, I do find it easier to have my own bottle.  

7. What's your strongest sense?

I guess visual. 

8. Insert your own random thought here.

 Not sure what to write... I am really tired of allergies though. Yesterday we had another dust storm so I am all stuffed up and have a headache. :(

Trouble Posting and Other Random Stuff

I seem to have trouble actually getting on here to post.. I come up with ideas for the day.... I even open blogger, then something distracts me. So I have decided to force myself to blog in April. I joined the A to Z blogging challenge. It begins April first and every day I will be posting about a topic related to the letter of the day. This will be tough for me. But I know I can do it.... Below I posted the banner for the A to Z challenge. If you want to join click on it and it will bring you to the website. :)




So, I realized since we moved that we have too much stuff. I mean when we moved, I got rid of a trunk load of stuff that was extra and that we didn't need. But somehow, After moving from an apartment half the size of this house, I am having trouble coming up with places for things. I am very tempted at this moment to just tote all the boxes of stuff i don't know what to do with to the trashcan. I mean, if i don't know what to do with it, shouldn't i just get rid of it?

Another note, school this semester is seeming super easy. I am not used to this. I mean I have a 100 in all but one class and a 95% in that class. (So terrible right?). It just seems like its super easy. Maybe it’s just because I am almost finished. But I was told the last few classes would be the hardest... Well, whoever said that (I can’t remember right now) was wrong. These classes are super easy. My classmate and I are like wow! EASY semester.

Maybe it’s just God is giving me a needed break. It’s easier to focus on Him and my husband since school isn't driving me so crazy. I actually kept up with my devotions this past week and my husband has been doing a devotion with me each night before bed this week. This is something that I have longed for... But had not happened since we got married and then all of the sudden we started working through the book of Ephesians together. We have the couple’s devotional bible as well so we have been reading the short devotions having to do with the chapter we read in Ephesians. I am currently working my way through the book called "The Power of a Praying Wife" by Stormie Omartian. The first chapter really hit me. It’s all about praying for his wife and how I need to change and let God change me. I can't change Mikel, only God can and He might not change him the way I want him to. But He knows what's best.
  

This Sunday, one of our pastors taught in Sunday school how Christians are actually priests. We were chosen by God to praise and worship Him. That is our sole purpose; To be priests unto God. I mean really think about that. Have you read in the Old Testament about what the role of the priests were? They were the ones who were supposed to be set apart unto God alone. They served Him in the temple. They were the ones who were allowed to enter into the temple and bring sacrifices to God. No others could. No others had that connection with God. 

Well now, the temple is the body of Christ. We worship God or satan every day by what we do. We were called to be servants, priests, set apart for our God. I mean think about that, and the way you live your life. Are you living your life as worship and praise to the most high God? Are you bringing glory and honor to His name by the things you do? Are you spending time with Him? Does your life show that you are set apart from the world unto God alone? Does your thinking show that you are set apart? Does your life show that God is number one? Are the sacrifices to bring to God acceptable to Him?

A few verses to think on:

1 Peter 2:1-12

So put away all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander. 2 Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation—3 if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good.

4 As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, 5 you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 6 For it stands in Scripture:

“Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone,

a cornerstone chosen and precious,

and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.”

7 So the honor is for you who believe, but for those who do not believe,

“The stone that the builders rejected

has become the cornerstone,”

8 and

“A stone of stumbling,

and a rock of offense.”

They stumble because they disobey the word, as they were destined to do.

9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. 10 Once you were not a people, but now you are God's people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

11 Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles it abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul. 12 Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation.

Joshua 24:15

And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the LORD, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.”

 If you are a Christian, you are also a priest. That is something that is special, that God has given to us. The honor to be a priest to Him. We are sinners, we do not do what God wants us to do. But he choose us to serve Him as priest and to bring sacrifices acceptable to Him. This is a privilege not to be taken lightly. 

Ang