Ooooo Red Velvet in a Cookie?

Valentine's Day is just around the corner and I found these awesome Red Velvet Cookies at Bakerella! My husband Jack loves Red Velvet Cake and his Nana Bette made it from scratch. (I never could get that down).  But these look manageable.  Yes! I need to make these and invite lots of people over to help eat them or give them away to friends.

Red Velvet Sandwich Cookies

They are sweet and red and a perfect little treat to give on the 14th. And even better, they are super-easy!

All you need is

1 Box red velvet cake mix*
1/2 Cup butter, softened to room temperature
2 Eggs

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Mix ingredients until combined.
• Drop spoonfuls of cookie batter onto baking sheet about two inches apart.
• Bake for 10-12 minutes.
• Cool.

Cream Cheese Filling

1/2 Cup butter, softened to room temperature
1 8 oz. Package cream cheese, softened to room temperature
1 1lb. Box of confectioner’s sugar
1 tsp Vanilla

• In a mixer, cream butter, cream cheese and vanilla.
• Gradually add sugar and mix until smooth.

Makes about 24 cookies or 12 cookie sandwiches

* Any cake mix should work.

Recipe amended slightly from this one at allhomemadecookies.com

Tip: For consistent size cookies, use a 1.5 inch small ice cream scooper when placing batter on the baking sheet.

The finished cookie size will be about 3 inches wide.

To assemble, spoon a small amount of frosting on the flat side of one cookie. Take another cookie and press together until frosting is flush with the edge.

And ENJOY, of course!

(I'd love to know if anyone makes these! )

Five Ballgames, a Black Eye and a Birthday!

I had no idea that making a frequent post on a blog would be so hard, but with the past week we have had, it has left little time. 

Lyndsay, our youngest and a senior in high school, played five basketball games in a seven day period.  Then throw into that an 18th birthday party for her...whew!...means we have been busy!  (And yes she had a nice shiner for her birthday party, courtesy of one of those basketball games!)

(That's Lyndsay in the front on the far right!)

I can't believe our baby is 18! It seems like it was yesterday she was a  toddler running around trying to be like her sister and making us laugh constantly! She still makes us laugh, but she has grown into her own person and most would agree she and her sister are really not much alike!

(Lyndsay (L) and Lauren (R))

I am so proud of her and on her 18th birthday I thank God for walking with her these last 18 years.  She is funny and has taught us to laugh at ourselves (me might as well because she is going to)...she is a true friend and will defend her friends to the end...she loves God and has taught us that giving your heart to God should be simple and joyful and selfless.  She has taught us that when you have a passion (like basketball) you should give it everything you have---even in times when no one notices your effort, your bruised body or blackeyes! She has taught us that life is too short for matching socks!



Our Lyndsay is beautiful, free spirited, funny, stubborn, loyal, smart, determined, perseverent and sweet! We can't believe we are here but...Happy 18th Birthday Lyndsay!



At Lyndsay's Birthday Party

Yep that would be our Lyndsay in the purple dress in the middle...hands held high!



A Mom's Prayer Matters

"A mother’s prayers mark her family with faith and trust in God. Her overflow of mercy and  grace is a reminder that Jesus is the ‘author and finisher’ of the family’s faith. The fruit from her prayers personify Christ’s character,and hell clamors at the calm requests from a mom who trusts God. They pray for their children to obey and worship the Lord, and for their husbands to fear God, hate sin and love people. 

A mom’s prayer matters."

Boyd Baily, Wisdom Hunters – May 4, 2009

I have always heard that being a mother of boys is so much easier than being a mother of girls.  Being the mother of two daughters, I really can't answer that, but I am pretty sure that most moms have the same worries and fears for their children. 

 I am so blessed to be the mother of two beautiful daughters and they have been wonderful to raise, but that doesn't mean it has always been easy.  

Most days I  have just felt ill-equipped for the job. 

(Now I understand why my poor mother sent so many prayers up for me! 

Thank goodness she did!)

 As they have gotten older, now 18 and 20 years old, I find myself lifting them up in prayer even more.  I have friends whose children are still in the elementary and middle school age range who say they can't wait until their kids are out of that "stage".  I tell them that when their kids get bigger it really doesn't get easier...the problems just get bigger too.  Our kids, especially girls I think, are faced with so many issues in today's world.  And I have come to realize that I can't fix their problems for them like I could when they were little.  

So I spend each day in prayer for them.  Afterall, HE is the one who has them in HIS hands.  He knows the plans HE has for them.  

I found this wonderful blog with an awesome post on 

praying for your daughter from head to toe.

I wanted to share it with you.  (and to you brave mothers of boys...I know you will love this too!) Click on each day of the week to take you to the devotion for that day.

Sunday – Her Mind, 1 Peter 1:13, 2 Corinthians 10:5

Tuesday – Her Ears, Isaiah 30:21

Wednesday – Her Mouth, Psalm 19:14

Thursday – Her Heart, Joshua 22:5

Friday – Her Hands, 1 Thessalonians 4:11

Saturday – Her Feet, Romans 10:15, Ephesians 6:15

"Pray for her.  Pray with her.  Pray over her every chance you get. And know, without a doubt that your prayers do mark her with faith and trust in God!"~Stacey@ Mod Squad

Thank you Stacey at Mod Squad for this wonderful daily reminder to pray for our children!

Beginning with Blessings

I am so thankful for the many blessings that God has given me...blessings I do not deserve.  I want to always remember, even in our crazy, busy chaotic lives to always be grateful.  God has walked with us through my husband Jack's diagnosis of leukemia when we were 30 years old with two small children.  He has seen us through a difficult birth of our first daughter, and many times of uncertainty in our lives.  But He has also seen us through the joys of watching our children grow into beautiful young women, of blessing us with our home, our jobs, our families...


I saw this Blessing Board at Less Than Perfect Life of Bliss and it struck a chord! What a great idea to put your blessings in front of you daily to remind you what you are grateful for! I HAVE to make one of these! Check out the Less than Perfect Life of Bliss link above to get step by step instructions on how to make your own! This will be my first gratitude project of the year! Thank you "Less Than Perfect Life of Bliss" for the inspiration!

Following the blogger!

I would love to have you follow the grateful girl blog so that we can share ideas and get to know one another.  If you don't know how to follow this blog or any of the other wonderful blogs online it's simple.

You need a Google account....it's free!  Click Here to go to Google to sign up for your free account.

Now go here to see all of the different ways you can follow this blog or others. Look for the follow grateful girl link on the right side of the page!

I hope to see you as a follower soon!  I'd be grateful! :)

2011...a year of gratitude

It's a new year and this is my first post of my first blog! I am so excited that you have stopped by to take a peek at this little ol' blog.  In my neck of the woods, blogs are kinda a new thing!  I am not sure if I will ever have followers without actually showing folks how to "follow me"! lol! But that's okay...I had to figure that out myself too! So if you are stopping by and you are a blogging pro...and you feel a kinship...I hope you'll follow my blog. I'd love to learn from you and share with you too!

I have been so inspired by the blogs that I have been following.  I have found women of such creativity, strength, grace and beauty.  You are stay-at-home moms, working moms, retired moms, grandmas...but somehow I have found at least one way that I connect with you by reading your blogs. I hope you will find something here to connect with too.  I do believe it is a way of encouraging, sharing, inspiring and growing with one another. I have to admit I am kind of excited! 

So here I go! If never get one follower I believe it is going to be a journaling experience for me! A place to chronicle our lives.  I hope I can look back in a year and find that I succeeded in being a grateful girl.