December 25, 2024

Valentines Day Cookies – By Request

February 10, 2014 by

Y’know, the way to a man’s heart is through his tummy!  😉 Or so the saying goes!  Actually I checked out a few survey’s and survey says: yes! One survey from Tango led off saying, “We were thrilled to discover that almost 80% of people felt preparing a meal for someone is a significant act of love!”

So as I was making a menu for the next week, I asked my husband what he would like for a special meal on Valentine’s Day… I was surprised as to his answer since I was sure he would say ‘lasagna!’  or ‘eggplant parmigiana!’ or perhaps some meat-y, manly steak dish!   No, he was much less concerned about the entrée  than about dessert.  His response?  Cookies!  I began offering suggestions but this is what he wants— Italian Almond Cookies.  This would be my significant act of love!  Happy  ♥ s Day, Robert!    

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Here on our At Home w/ GCH blog, Monday’s are always focused on healthy but oh-so-yummy! recipes.   Today’s recipe makes a delicious, slightly decadent sweet which still fits into this category!  This recipe has no oil or butter, uses gluten-free almond flour which is high in protein, and can be made very successfully using alternative, unrefined sugars.

Ingredients:
2+1/2 cups almond flourIMG_1563
1+1/4 cups superfine sugar
3 room temperature egg whites
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon almond extract
extra sugar for dusting

Directions:

  • Preheat oven to 300.  Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
  • Blend together the almond flour and sugar for 30 seconds in a food processor.  Add both extracts, and pulse 5 or 6 times to blend.  Add the egg whites ONE at a time, and continue to process the mixture ‘til the dough is nice and smooth.
  • Using a small cookie scoop, place teaspoons of the dough onto the lined cookie sheets, approximately 1″ apart.  (These cookies do not spread.)  Sprinkle the tops of the cookies with the extra sugar.
  • Bake for 20-24 minutes for chewy cookies; 24-30 minutes for a slightly crispy cookie.  Remove to a cooling rack.  Easily stored in your favorite cookie jar!

♥  ♥  ♥  ♥  ♥

God loves you!  ♥  (Don’t ever forget that!)

♥  coleen

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Love Letters from God ~ I am Yours and You are Mine

February 9, 2013 by

 

My story is made up of many love letters written from my heart to God’s heart, and from His to mine.  I open up to Him with a pen in my hand and a journal in my lap.  The Lord speaks to me through my writings and I am beyond excited to share with you bits and pieces of different letters I have from God.  I share parts of my story so that God’s love, power, grace, forgiveness, and His perfectness may be showcased.  As you read I pray the Lord grabs hold of your heart and fills you with hope!

Song of Songs 6:3

I am my lover’s and my lover is mine; he browses among the lilies

Dear Lord,

This year another Valentine’s Day will come and go and yet again I do not have a handsome man to be mine.  This will be the 24th year in a row I will not go to a fancy dinner, receive a box of chocolates, or get the chance to smell pretty flowers from a man who loves me.  Can I be honest with You, God…why?  I cry at the thought of feeling so alone.  What is it that is wrong with me that no man has ever wanted to be mine?  Am I not skinny enough, sweet enough, kind enough, social enough, anything enough?  Am I not all the right things at all the right times that a man sees as I’m driving in my car…working hard at work…staying fit at the gym…trying to find my way through the grocery store…worshiping YOU at church?  I sit here sometimes and just wonder what exactly it is that has kept me from being able to have a man call me his and for him to be mine too.  I remember that awful day that awful man told me I am his but he will never be mine.  Lord, I am scared I will never meet a man who will want to be mine.  Am I deserving of such a blessing?  Have I ruined my chances, what is it Lord, please help me.  All I know is I do not want to spend another day let alone another Valentine’s day feeling so alone.

 

Love Letters from God

Oh Precious Love of Mine,

I know that you know that you are not alone.  I am with you always holding you by your right hand.  Can you do Me a favor and please get rid of the lies that you are storing in your heart?  There is not one moment of any day that I am not with you actively seeking you to grow even closer to you.  I do not want you to feel alone; I want you to feel the love I have for you always.  It breaks My heart that you cry at the thought of not having anyone to be yours.  Am I not enough for you?  The truth is I am more than enough for you.  I know the desires of your heart; after all I am the One that has placed them there.  Trust Me that I have handpicked a man for you to be yours.  One who will want to pursue you with everything he has because he has learned from Me that is what you do when you love someone.  I love you and I am pursuing you daily, moment by moment even!  You have the luxury of being pursued and loved by Me every day of your life not just the single days.  These single days are here to spend loving time with Me.  Please take advantage of this Valentine’s Day.  I promise one day there will be a man who asks you to be his, but in that moment please never forget that I, too, am asking you to be Mine—this Valentine’s Day and every day in between for the rest of your life!

Yours always, God

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The One my heart has been longing for,

It is true over and over again—You truly are the Lover of my soul!  You are what I have been longing for.  You are what takes away this awful lonely feeling I do not want to feel.  Why is it so easy for me to forget that You are my heart’s only true satisfaction?  Anyone can bring me chocolates and anyone can buy me flowers, but no one can give me the priceless gift that You have already given me!  Your sacrifice and love for me is more than enough to fulfill all of my heart’s desires.  I will never forget the day I read in the Song of Songs that You are mine and I am Yours!  Words that were once used to hurt me, You used to mend my broken heart.  Valentine’s Day is not a day for single women to feel anger or bitterness towards all of the happy couples out there.  This Valentine’s Day I will choose to pursue You and be thankful that You are pursuing me too!  This is the day I will choose to not whine about what I do not have but accept and be thankful for what I have in You!  My most disliked day of the year will surely be my most liked day of the year as I spend every waking moment with You!  With a Valentine’s Day like that, I pray for Valentine’s Day every day!

Yours always, Diane

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Questions for Reflection:

  1.  What are you doing this Valentine’s Day?  Are you consumed with fear because you do not have a man on this day?  Are you going to choose to pursue the One pursuing you throughout this day and every day from now on?  Embrace the comfort knowing God is yours and you are His always!
  2. Spend time thanking God for all He HAS DONE and WILL DO for you!  As a lady in waiting, you can use this time to send a lot of thank you’s to God in Heaven for His PAST, PRESENT, and FUTURE blessings!

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If you would like to send a private email to Diane in regards to this blog, please email her at:

Diane@girlfriendscoffeehour.com

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At Home with GCH: Happy Hearts Day Garland

February 6, 2013 by

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Raise your hand, please, if you like to decorate for (as we call it around here) Happy Hearts Day!  Uh-huh…I thought so!  Today I have a cute decoration for you to craft!  I have totally fallen in love with buntings (aka garland or banners)!  They can be made with almost any type of fabric or felt or scrapbook paper or wallpaper or ____!  The list goes on & on!  They can be made teeny-tiny and used as a cake topper; or really long and used for party decorations; or, my favorite, in a medium size and used to hang almost anywhere in your home.  The next time you have 2-3 hours to fritter away, <I know, I know…who does?> run away to Pinterest and you can find oodles and oodles of options, examples, and ideas!

Today, the bunting I’ve made is inexpensive, fairly quick, easily adaptable, and you can totally personalize it!   I needed 16 hearts to write out my chosen wording; if you don’t need as many to “say” your phrase, adjust the quantity of paper. You choose your color scheme…then your coordinating papers…then ribbon to match and maybe some different colored markers. Check it out!

Supplies and Tools

(4) sheets 12″x12″ solid color scrapbook cardstockIMG_0148
(4) sheets 12″x12″ patterned scrapbook paper (coordinating colors)

(1) piece of 8-1/2×11 copy/printer paper
4 yards 1/4″ ribbon
printer labels (I used 2″round; you could use 2×4″)
colored permanent markers (brands like Sharpie or Bic Mark It)
hole punch
scissors
decorative edge scissors (like this)
adhesive tape runner (like this)

Instructions
1.  Cut the piece of copy paper down into a 6″x6″ square.  Fold in ½ (3″x6″) and then draw the outline of one side of a heart using most of the piece of paper.  Cut out along your line.  Unfold  the paper; voila! a heart!  This will be your template.
2.  Cut all 8 sheets of scrapbook paper into 6″x6″ squares (cut in half, and then, in half again).

3.  Using the paper template and a pencil, trace onto each of the heavier-weight squares…16 in all.  Cut out along traced line.  Set aside.

4.  Now take the paper template, fold along the original crease mark, and cut off about ½” all around.  This will reduce the overall size of your template.

5.  Then, using the slightly smaller template and a pencil, trace onto each of the remaining 16 pieces of lighter-weight scrapbook papers.  Use the decorative edge scissors to cut out these hearts.

Almost ready to assemble!

6.  For the labels… Choose what you would like to write on your bunting.  As you can see, I am featuring the words of a section of 1st Corinthians 13.  You could simply put ‘I LOVE YOU!’  You can either write on them by hand (with the permanent markers) OR employ the use of your favorite wordprocessing program.  (That’s what I did!  You can achieve a very finished look with not much effort!  And lots of fun!) Use the directions included with the printer labels.

Almost done!

7.  Now to assemble: fiddle around with your cardstock hearts and paper hearts pairing them up to your satisfaction.

8.  Then, using the adhesive tape runner, slide 3 or 4 lines of ‘tape’ onto the back of the lighter-weight paper hearts and affix to the front of the heavier-weight hearts.  Pretty, hmmm?  Continue until all are put into pairs.

9.  Then attach the labels to the very front of your beautiful hearts.

10.   Now take the hole punch, and punch a hole or two onto each ‘shoulder’ or bump of the hearts.

11.  Lay out the hearts in the proper order to complete your chosen phrase.  Take one end of  the ribbon, and using about 6″ tie off a loop.  This is how you will hang your finished bunting.  Beginning with your FINAL word or letter, hold the non-looped end of the ribbon, and thread the ribbon through the holes punched on each heart, keeping the ribbon along the backside of the heart.  (Try it…as you manipulate the ribbon, you will see how easy this goes.)  When you get all of your hearts threaded onto the ribbon, lay your bunting out on a flat surface and space out the hearts so there is just 1″, or so, of ribbon between each heart.  Finally, tie off a loop at the end using about 6″ of ribbon.

Done! 

Now it is up to you to find the perfect spot to hang your HAPPY HEARTS DAY bunting…and enjoy!

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God loves you!   ♥  (Don’t ever forget that!)

♥  coleen

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If you would like to send a personal message to Coleen concerning this series, you may email her at: Coleen@girlfriendscoffeehour.com

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