Pumpkin Bundt Cake with Cinnamon Pecan Glaze

I know.  I know.  Its not Fall.  But why does pumpkin have to be relegated to 3 months out of the year?  Pumpkin is delish!  And when you don't feel like going to the grocery store for baking supplies, but you have a can of pumpkin in the pantry, a pumpkin bundt cake can save the day! 

Great Homeschool Resourses from Zonderkids!

As a homeschooling mommy, I'm always looking books that can enhance our learning experience.  I'm sure all parents can relate - even if you don't homeschool - because we want to give our children book and toys that inspire learning.  That's why I'm SO THRILLED to work with the wonderful folks at Zonderkidz to bring you some wonderful resources!

One subject that is easy to enhance is science.  You can always find books about animals, natural, etc.  The problem is, as a creation-teaching mom, a lot of those products don't jive with what we teach.  Now, don't get me wrong. I don't place my kids in a little bubble.  We discuss the theory of evolution as well.  We need to know about alternate beliefs - if only so we can be prepared to defend our own.  But its wonderful to have resources that I can fully rely on.  Resources that my kids can look through and read without me having to correct misinformation. The "Made By God" series by Zonderkidz fits that description perfectly!!!

"Through A Man's Eyes" Book Review

As a Christian woman, I seek to live my life the way God would have me live it - with grace, humility, and modesty.  I don't always accomplish that, but its my goal.  And one woman who has made it her mission to help women with the difficult task of modesty is Shaunti Feldhahn.  Together with Craig Gross, she's written a wonderful book on the subject, called "Through A Man's Eyes."

"7 Days of Awesome: A Creation Tale" Book Review

I review a LOT of kids books on my blog.  Some I love, some I like, but rarely does a book become an INSTANT classic in our house.  "7 Days of Awesome: A Creation Tale," by Shawn Byous, arrived yesterday afternoon and has already shot up into the instant classic category!

"The Carols of Christmas" Book Review

Is it Christmastime yet? Haha!  I know, I know.  That's crazy, right?  But seriously, I love Christmas. And I love info on the traditions and history behind our Christmas traditions.  So I was more than willing to review "The Carols of Christmas: A Celebration of the Surprising Stories Behind Your Favorite Holiday Songs."

Perfect Peanut Butter Cookies

I've been on a baking jag lately, and I've been really enjoying it!  But I've made a lot of chocolate stuff.  (Check out my recipe for Oreo Truffles.  They're DA BOMB!!!)  So today I decided to make some peanut butter cookies.  I've found several yummy recipes online, but as I usually do, I've tweaked things a bit and here's the recipe I've come up with.  They're soft and chewy, with a little bit of crisp and crunch on the edges.  They're the best part of both cookie worlds.  They're the Perfect Peanut Butter Cookies.

Pedipeds Originals Review

If you read my blog with any regularity, you know how much I LOVE Pediped shoes!  They are great shoes for young, growing feet.  I'll buy inexpensive clothing.  I'll buy from clothing companies I've never heard of before if the clothes are cute.  I'll take the risk.  But I won't risk my children's foot health on cheap shoes!  No way!  Not since I did some research and found out that wearing illfitting shoes can actually change the shape of my little ones' feet and lead to foot problems down the road!  No way!  Its not worth it!  So, my kids only wear a very few shoe brands.  And right at the top of that list?  Pedipeds!

Easter Basket Ideas from Zonderkidz!

Its almost Easter!  Can you believe it???  This year is just FLYING by!  With three little girls, Easter baskets are a must!  I love placing some candy in their baskets, along with a little stuffed animal or toy.  But, most of all, I love giving them books in their Easter baskets!  Especially books that point my little ones to the Reason we celebrate Easter!  With that thought in mind, the wonderful folks at Zonderkidz were kind enough to send me several books to review!

The Legend of the Easter Robin...

Broccoli Cauliflower Salad

You guys, its HARD to get my kids (and my husband) to eat broccoli.  But I've figured out the secret.  Add mayo and sugar!  Haha!  Seriously, this broccoli cauliflower is delish!  And the proof is that the kids AND the hubby devoured it tonight at dinner!

Oreo Truffles - So Many Possibilities!!!

If you've never tasted an Oreo Truffle, you haven't truly lived.  That's right.  I said it.  These things are SERIOUSLY good.  And the best part is that, with this simple, basic recipe, you can make tons of different flavors!  The possibilities are endless!!!

Homemade Vanilla Wafers

If you follow me on Instagram, you know I've been baking up a storm this weekend!   (If you don't follow me on Instagram, you really should!  Check me out @theproverbs31mama !)  One of the recipes that people really seem to want is my Homemade Vanilla Wafers recipe! 

I can't take credit for this recipe.  I found it (through Pinterest) at bakingbites.com.  Now, usually when I find a recipe on Pinterest, I change it up a bit.  Add something, take away something, change measurements.  I like to play.  But this recipe - nope!  I haven't really changed it, except that, I sometimes switch the vanilla extract for lemon extract and make lemon wafers!  And they are DA BOMB! 

But I digress.  Let's get back to the Vanilla Wafers...

Ingredients:
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup light brown sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla extract (or 1 1/2 tsp of lemon extract, if you wanna make lemon wafers)
1 1/3 cups all purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder

Directions:

1.) Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

2.) Cream softened butter, sugar, and brown sugar together.

3.) Add egg and vanilla (or lemon) extract and beat to combine.

4.) Sift flour, salt, and baking powder together and pour into butter mixture; stir to combine. (Dough will be very thick.)

5.) Spoon dough into a pastry bag (fitted with a plain piping tip), or go "old school" like me and spoon dough into a zip top bag.  Snip a little hole in one corner.

6.) Pipe dough onto a parchment-lined cookie sheet.  For mini wafers, you only need a large chocolate chip-sized amount of dough.  For larger cookies, pipe out less than a dime-sized amount. 

7.) The larger the dough, the longer they'll need to bake, so for chocolate chip-sized dough, bake for 8-10 minutes.  For larger cookies (they'll still be slightly smaller than traditional vanilla wafers) bake for 12-15 minutes. You want them to start to get golden around the edges.

8.) Depending on the size of your cookies, this recipe makes between 100-300 cookies!  But don't let that discourage you because it still won't seem like enough!  TRUST ME! 

Enjoy!