Cookies and Christ

Jodi’s surgeon was confident he could help her. 
The path to get there was outlined-
Brain surgery was scheduled in Denver, Colorado.
Plans and accommodations were contrived.

There were more unknowns than not as to what to expect. 
Simply put—
We needed a miracle. 
But we had needed one for some time…
God was in control now, as ever.  We managed the logistics-  
Details were lined up to receive the pleadings of our hearts and prayers we had uttered for so long. 

Would THIS be the answer…?
Only time would tell. 

I left the Arizona property on the market in great hands with a top-notch realtor and flew to Utah ahead of meeting Bry and Jodi in Colorado. 
I checked the boxes of tasks there in Utah and delighted in time with the grandkids.

I scheduled a lunch date with my four-year-old granddaughter. She was getting older, more independent, and more amazing in her strength and fortitude. 
We left Chick-fil-A after a delightful lunch date. My granddaughter was chattering about all the things circling in her mind.
I giggled to myself as she shared the random comings and goings of her preschool class. As we stepped into the parking lot from the curb of the sidewalk. I quietly interrupted her with a “ Hands, Hands, Fingers, Thumbs…”   She clutched my hand. She knew the routine and the expectation. I wanted to freeze time. 
She wouldn’t always want to clasp my hand. She was growing up right before my eyes and stretching autonomy by the day. 

I gave her small hand a gentle squeeze as she continued her one-way conversation. 
I simply took it all in—
Every little random thought she shared…

We came back to the house. It was an atypically nice day in March and so we headed to the backyard. 
She explained to me the rules of the “game”.  The turf was hot lava. We obviously couldn’t touch it. So I placed patio furniture every which way so she could hop from piece to piece to get from the patio to the trampoline. 
I quickly came to understand the trampoline was actually an ice rink…
(Of course.)
She showed me her routine complete with jumps and twirls. 
With her imagination — we could be anywhere— doing anything….
It was freeing…
This is exactly what happiness looks and feels like…
I wanted to imprint the feeling and experience in my mind.

As I engaged with her in imaginative play—
There was stillness in my mind. 
There were no concerns about the dangers and possible complications of surgery. 
No stress—
No anxiety—
No fear—
Just joy…
The “joy in your posterity” as promised by God. 

It was available only upon quieting the noise of the unknown and focusing completely and wholly on the beauty of the now…
That’s God’s way. 
We get to choose what we take on…
What we allow to block His light and love.
Or-
We get to choose to open our hearts and minds to it. 
We get to choose what we silence…
What we hold onto…
And what we let go of. 

I was seeing exactly the work it took to get “there”.  I was grateful for a granddaughter teaching me how to find joy on a random day in March ahead of a potentially life-changing scenario awaiting me a few zip codes away. 

I lingered as long as I could and then caught a flight to Colorado. 

-JC

Frosted Sugar Cookies

¾ cup soft butter
3 tablespoons sour cream
¼ cup vegetable oil
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup powdered sugar
2 eggs
¼ teaspoon coconut extract (optional)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 ½ cups flour
¾ teaspoon baking powder
¾ teaspoon baking soda
¾  teaspoon salt

Cream butter, sour cream, oil, and sugars with an electric mixer on medium-high for 2 minutes or until fluffy. Hand stir in eggs and extracts; don’t overmix. Add dry ingredients all at once and mix until fully incorporated. Scoop out approximately 24 balls of dough. Gently roll and slightly flatten dough balls. Chill for 3 hours.
Place on a greased or parchment paper lined aluminum cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 11+ min. Let cool completely. Pipe swirls with Buttercream Frosting.
Let set. Share!

Buttercream Frosting
1 cup soft butter
3 ½ cups powdered sugar
2 tablespoons heavy cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon coconut extract (optional)
Pinch of salt
Food coloring (optional)

Mix together butter and powdered sugar. Stir in cream, extracts, salt, and food coloring. Continue mixing on medium-high speed for 3 minutes. Spoon into gallon size freezer strength Ziploc until ready to use. 

I found a lounger in the shade.
It was a quiet day at the community pool with outside temperatures soaring past 108 degrees.
The palm trees surrounding the bougie resort-style pool slapped quietly in the desert breezes. The air was hot and dry—
Just like I like it…

And again-
The thoughts circled me—
That a year ago—
I could have never imagined that “THIS” is where I’d be…

I felt immense peace and gratitude. I can’t even begin to imagine the degree of the details that God had woven through the years of my son and his warrior wife. 
But truly—
They had each been prepared for this journey well before they met. 

When my son, Bry, was two…
I was hosting a church youth group at our home while my husband was away on a business trip. 
The boys (2 and 4) were both in the next room as I led the girls through their evening activity. 
At one point—
Bry came around the corner from the kitchen…
He was soaked in red juice. 
He held up two tiny red stained socks and in toddler tone and slight jibberish said –
“My socks are wet…” 
The group of girls giggled as I excused myself and led Bry back to the kitchen. I rounded the same corner from where he had just come—
The refrigerator doors were wide open. My toddler had somehow secured the pitcher of juice from the top shelf by methods no mom wants to imagine.  It was now sitting on the floor having been partially spilled. 
I asked him if he needed a drink. 
His bright blue eyes lit up as he nodded “yes”. 
He was an independent problem solver from a very young age. I had to learn to let him test the limits of what I thought he should or could do. I learned to get out of his way and watch him explore the world in ways I couldn’t necessarily see it…

His wife, Jodi, has had her own preparations for her own faith-filled journey to get to the threshold of this latest chapter in their story as a family. 
Years of questions, frustrations, and unsolved lists of symptoms have dotted her path. 
Bry tirelessly worked to research the problem and answer the question of whom to find to help Jodi return to better health. Jodi worked to keep fighting…
Lots of prayers…
Lots of details….
Lots of first this— then that’s…
Lots of God making more out of the small things than any of us can on our own…

And then-
A specialist was found—
Medical records were submitted as an application—
An appointment was scheduled with an unfortunate hefty period of wait—
Miracles were prayed for…

Then-
A surgeon reviewed Jodi’s scans—
He acknowledged the severity and degree of complication—
But simply asked her—
“How you’re living—
It’s not sustainable, is it…?
I can help you.”

And so marked the beginning a of a new miraculous chapter—
And I’ve been privileged to tag along for the ride. 
I’ve seen what God can do…
…After more than a decade of seemingly unanswered prayers…

-JC

Signature Fudge Brownies 

1 cup melted butter
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 cup dark cocoa powder
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup dark brown sugar
4 eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 cup of flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 ¼ cups chopped chocolate pieces

Mix together melted butter, oil and dark cocoa powder. Stir in sugars and eggs, and vanilla extract. Beat with an electric mixer until smooth and shiny. Stir in flour, salt and chocolate pieces. Stir until combined.
Spray a 9” x 13” pan with baking spray. Spoon brownie batter into pan and spread out evenly. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.
Let cool completely. Frost with Fudge Frosting. Garnish as desired.
Let set. Share!

Fudge Frosting
Melt together in the microwave-
A 14 oz. can of sweetened condensed milk
1 ½ cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
Dash of salt

Stir until smooth.
Stir in-
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ cup (Hershey’s) chocolate syrup

The neighborhood games of hide and seek when I was a kid were epic. 
Most evenings of the summer we’d play games with the neighborhood kids and hide and seek was a favorite. There were few fences. Neighbors’ properties blended from one to another creating endless physical boundaries to roam, run, and play. 
Each evening, the parameters would be set-
Deciding whose lawns were in bounds or out. And then a little rhyme determined first to seek and the game was in motion. 

My common hiding spot was lying beneath the leaves of the potato plants in our backyard garden. Being undersized had its advantages as I laid still between the rows of maturing plants. 
I was near the central “base” and could hear what was happening with the game. 
The only opportunity cost-
That it was a bit itchy. 😉

I could hear counting….
Then “Ready or not, here I come!”
Then silence as the person “it” began to run across several connecting properties looking for someone to tag. As soon as they ran passed my fortress of leaves, 
I would check to see if anyone else was running to base so as to not divulge my hiding spot. 
When the path was clear, I’d run to claim freedom of not getting tagged. 
I usually got there first. 

The fun-filled images of playing this game have circled back lately as I ask myself-
“Why does my discipleship matter?”

My answer begins with the tagline from our childhood game, but I envision it as though the Savior is saying-
“Ready or not, here I come.”
We’ve been promised of His return in scriptures from ancient and modern-day prophets. 

A few years ago I was on a (less formal) airline flight. The flight attendant was diligent in presenting the safety briefing. At the end, in the seemingly same rehearsed dialogue, he added-
“And these safety procedures apply to those paying attention as well as to those who are not.”
A few quips of laughter scattered the plane- likely from the few who were still listening to him at the end of the safety briefing. 

The invitations to prepare for Christ’s returning are the same- 
Call them warnings, prophecies, or encouragement to action. 
Christ is returning-
To those paying attention and to those who are not. 
He is coming again to earth-
“Ready or not…”

So I’m asking myself “What do I need to do to better prepare…?”

The answer includes discipleship with greater effort. 
To seek the one-
To see the one-
And then to commit to-
Be the one-
Who loves as He did. 

I know I’ve been a bit lazy. I’ve been hiding as though there are potato leaves giving me coverage from being seen and asked to help. 
And where does that leave me?
Mostly lonely with a hint of lazy. 

Those two components might win a round of hide and seek-
But they won’t lead me to being ready to meet my Savior again knowing I’ve done all I can to help prepare the world for His return. 

So today is a recommit-
To try a little harder to be a little better. 
Better in my discipleship-
Better in my love for my brothers and sisters-
Better in study, effort, and commitment. 

I want to be ready and rejoice when I hear the Savior proclaim-
“Here I come…”

“Here I am…”

-JC

Banana Cake Bars

Nilla Wafer Crumble
Crush 11oz. of Nilla Wafers. Mix with 6 Tablespoons melted butter and ½ teaspoon salt. Reserve ⅔ cup mixture. Spread the rest evenly into the bottom of a 9”x13” baking pan. 
Bake the reserved ⅔ cup wafer mixture at 350 degrees for 8 minutes to make a baked crumble.

Make the Banana Cake batter:
½ cup soft butter
1 ½ cups granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 cup sour cream
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
3 medium ripe bananas, smashed

Cream butter with sugar on medium-high mixer for 2 minutes. Stir in eggs, sour cream and vanilla.  Add dry ingredients all at once and mix until well combined.  Stir in mashed bananas.
Spoon Banana Cake batter over Nilla Wafer crust. Bake at 350 degrees for 45+ minutes or until done.  Let cool completely. Frost with Cream Cheese Frosting. Sprinkle with baked Nilla Wafer Crumble.
Let set. Share!

Cream Cheese Frosting
8 ounces softened cream cheese
½  cup soft butter
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 Tablespoons whipping cream
3 cups powdered sugar
Dash of salt

Mix cream cheese and butter until smooth. Stir in cinnamon. Add vanilla extract, whipping cream, powdered sugar, and salt. Mix until fluffy. 

I’ve found a new hill to climb in Arizona. The remodeling work of my project is done so I’ve got a lotta extra time on my hands. 

Walking is fine. 
But climbing is symbolic. 
It hits differently. 

Sometimes I listen to an audible book or country music’s latest hits as I navigate the dusty and rocky trail. But always-
I talk with God. 
Somedays, I feel peace about my course forward in the waiting. On other days, I feel the energy towards the steps of work God wants me to do.
Any effort to better understand God is a bit of a stretch, a bit of a climb- where discomfort is left behind and my faith, like my breath, needs steadying. 

As a junior in high school, my PE teacher, Ms. Ritter, was strict but kind.  She was small in stature, however, we all learned quickly always to respect her and never underestimate her.
On the first day of class, we walked into the gym and saw a rope hanging from the ceiling. 
I had volleyball practice in the same gym the day before and there was no rope. 
Somehow-
Someone got a big tall something and hung that awful rope. 

Ms Ritter had a stopwatch in one hand and a clipboard in the other. She told us she would time each of us as we climbed up the rope, hit the flag at the top, and maneuvered back down. 
A few guys were called to go first. 
They did okay. 
Then she called my name. 
I looked at her. She nodded as if to say “You can do it.” 
I borrowed her belief in me and grabbed the rope. 
I moved my bottom hand over my top and nothing happened. 
My body wouldn’t and couldn’t ascend the rope. I held on as long as possible and tried again to climb the rope. 

Nothing. 
Absolutely nothing. 
I just couldn’t do it. 

Sometimes I feel like my ability to climb hypothetical mountains in life mirrors my ability to climb that rope in PE. 
Sometimes no matter how much I want to borrow a belief that things will get better-
They don’t seem to. 

As I’ve stood back, looking in the rearview mirror of certain circumstances, I can see more clearly. 
When God asks me, or any of us, to traverse a path, He never says it will be easy-
But I’ve learned that journeying alone is a choice. 

I’ve been blessed over the past few years as I’ve watched my kids navigate the seemingly impossible hard – that they are not alone. 
I’ve come to learn that we exist in the midst of angels. 
When we face the hardest of hard, when all of our strength to climb gets us nowhere-
We are not alone. 
I am absolutely certain that we have not been left alone to climb. 

The day the rope hung in my high school gym- only one kid made it to the top. Ms Ritter assured us our progress would not be recorded as any letter grade affecting our GPA.  She just wanted to see our effort. 

I know God grades me the same way. He doesn’t need me to reach a certain destination. He needs me to lean into my belief in Him and give Him effort. 
God needs me to know that angels are here. We are in the midst of them. 
We are not alone. 
We are not left alone as we climb. 

God still asks us to climb. 
On the days we can’t move-
When all of our efforts are exhausted-
We are never alone. 

His angels surround us. 
They watch over us. 
They stand by us, sit with us, and hold us. 
It’s one of the perfect ways God loves us.  I’m grateful for the hard that has allowed me to know this-
To feel this-
And to “see” this…

I would climb any mountain and give all my effort for resolution for my kids’ hardest of hard. 
But this is not the way God works. 
So instead- I lean into God’s promises. I believe in good things to come and In the meantime,  I’m working a bit harder to “see” heaven cheering them on. 
-JC

Reese’s Peanut Butter Cheesecake Brownies

Make a brownie mix (approximately 15+ oz.) as directed and bake in a parchment lined or greased 8” x 8” baking pan for 30+ minutes or until done. Let cool completely. Evenly spread on the Peanut Butter Cheesecake Filling. Top with cut up Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups and drizzles of ¼ cup melted peanut butter and 1.5 oz. of a melted milk chocolate bar. Refrigerate until serving. Share!

Peanut Butter Cheesecake Filling
8 oz. softened cream cheese
¾ cup creamy peanut butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup powdered sugar
Dash of salt
8 oz. thawed Cool Whip (or homemade whipping cream)

Mix cream cheese and peanut butter together until well blended. Stir in vanilla extract. Add powdered sugar and salt and mix on high for 3 minutes. Fold in thawed Cool Whip.

I had spent my day with a delightful daughter-in-law and helping my daughter with her infant while she was at work. 
Later that evening, we were scheduled to gather with all my kids and grands for a couple of hours to host the “Creer Family Stance Socks Games.” 
(Message me if you need details of how to implement this night of fun in your holiday traditions.)

The in-between time was slotted for my 4-year-old granddaughter to come over and help me decorate for Christmas. 
She arrived and went straight upstairs to check on all of the situations she had left the day before in the playroom. 
The stuffed care bears were still tucked into bed.
The Little People house, barn, bus, and airplane had all of the town’s people busy doing their things.
And the small toy horse was standing in its corral just like she had left it all the day before. 

A short time later she was ready to help.  We decorated the Christmas tree with cinnamon sticks, dried oranges, wooden beaded garland, and crocheted snowflakes. 
We then got the box out of a nativity set my mom had gifted me nearly thirty years prior. 
It’s a traditional scene with a stable, Mary, Joseph, baby Jesus, and a few animals. 
What I love about it-
It also includes many other not-so-traditional people who came to visit the baby who laid in a manger as foretold by prophets of old. 
Each figurine comes with a story of who they are and why they wanted to visit the Christ child. 

My grand-daughter set up the scene as I one by one pulled each figurine from the box. 
Upon completion-
We were short one small piece-
Baby Jesus was missing. 

“We need Jesus!” My granddaughter profoundly said. 

I retrieved one from another set and she placed Him in the stable by Mary and Joseph. 
We then transitioned to setting up a few yard ornamental snowmen and penguins. 

She ran off to play upstairs for a few more minutes before our traditional evening activities were set to begin. 
As I was turning off the lights that evening-
I noticed a blank space in the manger. 

Jesus was missing…
Again…

It’s caused me reason to pause and ask myself how present Jesus is in my heart, my life, and my light. 
I’ve spent much time over the past few years letting go of decades of quiet anger, discontent, and discord that had silently hurt relationships with people I love.  The only one who was suffering was me. 
The only one who needed to change was me. 
The only one I could change was me. 
That change came about by better understanding the Atonement of Jesus Christ and better learning how to give Christ my “hard stuff”. 
The truth is-
Jesus was missing from my life-
At least in the completeness that I want Him in it. 
Change came from praying to see myself and others as God sees them and gathering more strength from Christ to fight off the adversary who clearly did not want me to do any of this work. 
I’m truly a different person.  It’s amazing how quickly change came with sustained effort. 
It’s amazing how easy it is now to extend grace.

I could dwell with regrets over years spent not fully embracing my Savior-
Instead, relying on my own strength-
Instead, choosing resentment to rationalize behavior. 

But Christ met me where I was. 
In Him and through Him I find refuge from the “normal” in the world. 
Understanding what He can truly bear for me allows me to let it go-
Let it all go. 

A couple of days after my grand-daughter left I went searching for baby Jesus. 
Turns out-
He’s right where he should be. 
Her understanding is greater than mine. Her eyes to see are not hardened by a faithless view. 

Jesus was (and is) nestled amongst the (Little) people. 
All who choose to hear Him and come into Him-
Those He will help change their hearts. 
None are out of reach. 

Truly-
“We need Jesus!”

-JC

Snickers and Pretzel Caramel Popcorn

15 cups popped popcorn (I use pre-packaged Kettle corn)
4 cups pretzel pieces
1 cup+ Snickers candy bar cut into  pieces 

Caramel Coating:
1 cup butter
½ cup corn syrup
⅔  cup  granulated sugar
⅔  cup packed brown sugar 
¼  teaspoon salt

Combine all ingredients listed above and bring to a boil. 
Immediately remove from heat and add:
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon baking soda

Toss the Caramel Coating with popcorn and pretzels in a large bowl. Gently fold until evenly coated. Pour out onto a large sheet of parchment paper. Dot with Snickers candy bar pieces. 
Let set. Share!

Heartache has hit me pretty hard in the past few weeks.
There’s been a series of events that has caused me to ponder the question-
“What matters most…?”

One of them began just a couple of weeks ago. I was on a phone call with one of my sisters. 
We were worried about Mom-
Her fatigue, cough, and inability to breathe easily. 

Gratefully, her homeopathic doctor encouraged her to get checked out. 
Within 12 hours, my sister was leaving her all-nighter at the hospital, and I was en route. 
My flight landed and I grabbed an Uber as my sister gave me the latest test results and updates. 
Soon, I arrived in mom’s hospital room. 
Mom was sitting up on the edge of the bed. Her hair was cutely brushed and her bright lipstick was perfectly applied. 
She looked like she was ready and wanting to bust outta there as soon as the doctor came in and filed her discharge papers. But- she would have to wait…

Two more sisters had gathered, and two more were en route. 
Two days later, her results were explained to us…
Mom is sick…

She’s always had a heart of gold. People who know her- love her. 
Was it possible that her heart had been so overworked loving and serving God’s children that it was trying to quit too early in life…?

When I was a young kid-
My mom was on the go non-stop all day, every day. 
I only ever saw her sit to study her scriptures. 
Her life was busy with six kids, a husband, neighbors, and a church congregation. 
She loved and served them all. 

Occasionally, we would all be asked to gather and Mom would enlist our help to find something that had been misplaced.
Most of the time it was a set of car keys, someone’s homework, or an elusive single shoe. 
But one day the stakes were a little higher. Our youngest sister, Kimmy, had lost her doll. Kimmy had everyone in our family wrapped around her finger.
For good reason-
She was spunky yet sweet.
Mom looked at me and said-
“Jackie, you are the ‘family finder’-
You can always find anything-
I need you to find Kimmy’s doll.”

Kimmy’s sobs infiltrated throughout the house as she wandered around looking for her doll. 
I looked in all of the places she normally played, with no luck. 
I didn’t want to let Mom down. And I surely wanted to be the hero Kimmy needed. So I took her by the hand and asked her everywhere she had played that day with her doll. 
All of the places and spaces where I had looked were on her list. Then she mentioned she had been outside playing but couldn’t remember where. 

A new space I had been hanging out with my neighbor friend was a large bush on the east side of the house. 
This was an uncommon place to play and I couldn’t imagine Kimmy trying to climb the prickly branches. Yet, I could imagine she thinking she could do anything her older sisters did. 
Sure enough, the doll had been laid down for a nap nestled within the branches of the evergreen bush. 

Decades later, as I sat at the foot of the bed in Mom’s hospital room, I could find nothing but heartache as the doctor delivered the tough news-
Congestive Heart Failure. 

Specialist appointments were scheduled and a few days later, before taking my flight, I talked with Mom. 
Both of us were in disbelief-
I listened as she recounted the decline of her energy over the past few years. Her diagnosis now seemed to group together a list of symptoms that all seemed to be placed into different categories of “not feeling well.”

This story is still being written. 

There are more questions than answers- medically and personally. 
And I wonder-
What is it that God needs me to find within these circumstances?
And thus- what does He need me to do?

Helplessness is part of heartache. We can’t always take our loved ones by the hand and find what’s missing. 
Sometimes we just sit with feelings of love, and loss. 
Sometimes the steps we need to take are hidden from immediate view. 
The heaviness is real-
Many of these feelings seem new to me. 
But they are not new to my Savior. 
He suffered for all the pains, afflictions, and heartaches that any of us would experience. 
Heartache-
Physical and emotional. 

So in my search for what matters most. 
I turn to Christ-
For relief and moments of peace. 
And I’m working to connect with God-
To help me find answers. 
Today, all I know is that I don’t know what’s next. 
But I know God knows- and I’m leaning heavily into trusting that He will guide my thoughts and my steps to find where He is leading me. 

-JC

(Gluten-Free) Monster Brookies

Mix together a GLUTEN-FREE brownie mix (approx. 15 oz.) as directed. Bake in a greased 8”x8” baking pan at 350 degrees for 28 minutes or until done. Remove from the oven and immediately cover brownies with ⅓ cup melted peanut butter. Cover peanut butter layer with flattened (to about ½ inch thick) discs of GLUTEN-FREE Monster Cookie Dough. Dot the top with additional mini M&M’s as desired. Return to the oven and bake for 18 minutes. Let set. Share.

GLUTEN-FREE Monster Cookie Dough
3 Tablespoons soft butter
½ cup peanut butter
⅓ cup granulated sugar
½ cup packed brown sugar
1 egg
¾ teaspoon vanilla
¼ cup gluten-free flour
1 cup quick oats
⅓ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
¾+ cup any combination of chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, vanilla chips, peanut butter chips and mini M&M’s.

Cream butter, peanut butter, and sugars with an electric mixer on medium high for 1 minute or until fluffy. Hand stir in egg, vanilla; don’t over-mix. Add dry ingredients all at once and mix until fully incorporated. Stir in a combination of chips and mini M&Ms.

Watching the world revolve through the eyes of a four-year-old granddaughter is nothing short of remarkable. 

Optimism, strength, and joy are who she is.
Was she born with this disposition?
Perhaps…
But certainly, she’s being raised by parents who create a place and space for her to grow in the ways God will need her. 

She was recently at my home playing with my sister’s grandson. 
They were headed outside for an adventure I wasn’t gifted with the imaginative eyes to see.
She took two steps out the door and returned telling her playmate-
“Wait! I need my cape!”
Moments later she was back outside with a heroic cape and matching eye mask. 

My niece was with me as we chatted in the kitchen a while later. 
My sons and she also donned capes as toddlers. 
There seemed to be an unseen force of bravery, protection, and assertion that filled my home as nearly thirty years prior-  capes were worn as a costume signaling a series of heroic undertakings. 
The antics included jumping off of furniture- with sounds of whirring and slashing bad guys. 

They had it all figured out as toddlers. 
My granddaughter does too. 

There’s indeed an enemy. 
He’s a bit more ready for a battle than the invisible ones in my backyard. 

Three decades ago-
My home was filled with warriors ready for battle. 
The years have proved to be filled with exactly that. 
Heartache and hardship have dotted the course. The fight has been one of faith- complete with daily choices to lean into it or away from it. 

Choosing not just to do…
But to know…
And then to let that knowledge guide the resulting steps that accumulate and become paths…

The same will be my granddaughter’s story. 

I am seeing now more than ever the power of agency and choice in battling the adversary. 
He’s crafty. 
But absolutely not more powerful than the Savior. 
We already know how that battle ends. God wins. Christ wins. 

We are simply left with the choice of who we battle with –
Who we battle for. 

My superhero cape is worn only in imagination. And it simply begins with a daily study of the word of God. Most days- I measure that in a few quick minutes. But it focuses my day- my mind- my resolve to fight off the adversary and recognize the heroic power through discipleship for Jesus Christ. 
I also recognize that checking in with God through prayer can also be a simple reset for my day. 

Days become months that become years. Heartache and hardship are part of my story too. 
As is peace. 
Peace in Christ. 

-JC

Biscoff Cake Bars

Biscoff Crust:
3 cups crushed Biscoff Cookies (approximately 12 oz.)
10 Tablespoons melted butter
¼ teaspoon salt

Combine all of the ingredients. Reserve and set aside ⅔ cup Biscoff Crust. Press remaining of the mixture into the bottom of a greased 9” x 13” baking pan. 

Make a Biscoff Crumble with the ⅔ cup of Biscoff Crust by spreading it out loosely onto a cookie sheet.  Bake at 350 degrees for 6 minutes.  Let cool until ready to use.

Oatmeal Cake
Cook 1 cup of quick oats with ¾ cup of water in microwave for 90 seconds.
Let cool to lukewarm. Set aside.
Mix together:
1 (approx. 15 oz.) spice cake mix
½ cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
Add in:
½ cup sour cream
½ cup melted butter
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Stir in oatmeal. Mix 2 minutes on medium-high speed, scraping the bowl occasionally. Spread batter over the Biscoff Crust.  Bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes or until done.  Drizzle with ½ cup melted Biscoff cookie butter. Let cool completely. Frost with Biscoff Buttercream Frosting. Garnish with Biscoff Crumble and cookie butter drizzle.

Biscoff Buttercream Frosting
¾ cup soft butter
¾ cup Biscoff Cookie Butter
2 ½ + cups powdered  sugar
¼ teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla
Dash of salt

I was raised in a rodeo town: Sidney, Iowa: Home of the championship rodeo. I’m pretty sure it says such on a sign as you enter the town. 
Each year we would watch the rodeo complete with queen contestants, barrel racing, calf roping and bull riding. 
As a kid, I never had the opportunity to learn to ride horses, despite living in a rodeo town where horse trailers had their own parking lot.
Yet- every August, during rodeo week, I’d watch in amazement as those who did ride as they made their years of efforts and discipline look easy. 

Throughout the ages, stories and movies often capture a hero mounted upon a strong horse united in cause to save a kingdom. 
I was reminded of one movie in particular a few weeks ago. 
I was chatting with my new neighbor and her daughters. This is our 8th house in 12 years.
The best part about moving often is meeting new people. I love hearing about their stories and journeys through faith. 

This young teenager has an impressive story. 
We likened her experiences and summed them up into a storyline and hit song from Frozen-
“Into the Unknown”
It was easy for me to show up strong in applauding her story. I told her that “I’ve come to know that ‘into the unknown’ is where all of the opportunities and blessings I don’t even know about exist and therefore the unknown is an amazing place to go…”

And today I think-

“As long as someone else is supposed to go there…”
The unknown is causing me a bit of grief these days. 
My faith in the unknown and all of the blessings is feeling a bit cloudy. 
Not like -I’m going to give up and preach against God type of cloudy…

Just –
-I was hoping for sun but it’s cloudy-
type of cloudy…

There have been seasons where I could jump on a running horse in stride with my unwavering faith-filled courage and charge into the unknown. 

Yes-
I’d be cold and hungry within an hour likely wondering where all of that bravery and neglect for reality came from-
But- I could grab my trident, jump on the horse, and charge! 

Today-
My ability to do so feels more like one of my first times on a horse. 
My husband was raised with horses. But he never rode nor had much interest in them. He would classify the reason as preference- not fear.
After we finished college and moved to Washington near my in-laws, I was eager to learn how to ride.
I envisioned the end result would mimic the natural ability of the rodeo queens that I remembered from childhood.

My father-in-law gave me a few lessons of sorts in his training coral.
I was absolutely NOT a natural rider. But I mechanically worked to loosely grasp the reins, move with the horse versus against it, and use my legs to not only “hold on”, but also guide the horse. 

I was deemed ready to exit the coral and enter the pasture.
Within seconds I was on the ground watching the horse slowly WALK away.
I have no idea what actually happened in the pasture. I asked my husband who was poised to take a picture from his perch on the hay stack if I got bucked off. He failed in his attempt to stop laughing and simply shook his head “No.”

I couldn’t grab my trident and jump on a horse with a heroic pace and charge the unknown…
My horse simply wandered away and I couldn’t even hold onto that…
That’s the energy I’m feeling about going into the unknown lately.

Change is in the air. (When isn’t it?)
I’d love to just be given the timeline and task list.
That’s not how God works. 

So here I am living on repeat. 
I want to follow God’s will…
But I’m lacking the mental energy to hold on.
I don’t feel it to be a crossroads of faith.
Even writing it out- it’s easy to sort through and see clearer skies. 

Perhaps today’s prayer is simply to ask for energy to go and do when I’m called by God to pivot and walk in faith. 
Gratefully, no heroics are needed from me. I can simply rely on the power, confidence, and clarity available to me as I chart a sometimes cloudy, sometimes ‘falling’- path through discipleship. 

-JC

Reese’s Peanut Butter Popcorn

16 oz. Chocolate melting discs
½ cup peanut butter
—
18 cups popped popcorn (I use pre-packaged kettle corn)
16+ mini Reese’s peanut butter cups, cut into pieces. 

Melt chocolate melting discs with peanut butter. Stir until smooth. Toss the chocolate mixture with popcorn in a large bowl. Gently fold until evenly coated. Pour out onto a large sheet of parchment paper. Sprinkle with Reese’s peanut butter cups.
Let set. Share!

I was looking for Dad. 
We had some time “in-between”.

I found him from a level below, staring out into a seemingly vacant ocean. 
Certainly, his thoughts were anything but. 
The last time he was on a ship this size (or larger), he was an officer in the Navy. 
Decades have since passed- nearly his entire adult life. 
And on this particular week- he returned to the ocean and I was blessed to accompany him. 
My youngest sister gifted him and Mom with a cruise and I simply tagged along. 
My parents’ highlights of the week were all about time with a couple of their girls. 

We took a jeep, snorkel, golf cart, and lighthouse tours. We saw multiple countries in just a few days. 
We ate and ate and ate and played card games on repeat. 
We lounged and chatted for endless hours. 
And yet on this particular afternoon, the depth of Dad’s thoughts certainly caused an opportunity for reflection on a life he likely could not have imagined the last time his view was an endless ocean off of the stern of a ship. 

Since his time in the Navy-
He has charted a course of discipleship. 
From my vantage point-
I would describe it as an -unwavering, actively serving, and loving as Christ would- journey. Countless times, he has found the one who needed help when no one else was noticing. He loves fiercely and invites all through quiet examples to do the same. 

I am grateful Dad and Mom both laid a course of discipleship for me to watch.

In the early afternoon of a day at sea, I wondered what Dad was lost in deep thought with. 
As a kid-
We would often watch his slides from his time in Vietnam. 
As I’ve gotten older- I’ve heard more stories- more of the hard ones- of love, leadership, and loss. 
He never complained about his service to his country nor how he was treated upon returning home. 
It was a level of struggle that I will truly never understand. 

And yet-
He turned to God. He found God. My mom introduced him to a path of religion different from just a Sunday service. He chose to embrace it. 

I’m a lucky one-
I know it. 
God put a man in my life as a father to help me understand Him and His Son.

The example of discipleship has always been and continues to be mine to choose to see- and choose to emulate.

-JC

Snickerdoodle Cakesters

Make a batch of Snickerdoodle Cake Cookies:

2 vanilla cake mixes (approx 15 oz. each)
⅔ cup vegetable oil
1¼ cups sour cream
4 eggs

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Mix all ingredients together on medium high for 2 minutes. Scoop out 48  -1¼” balls of dough onto cookie sheets lined with parchment paper. Sprinkle generously with Cinnamon-Sugar Mixture. Bake at 375 degrees for 14-16 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool completely. 
Frost the bottom of ½ of the cookies with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting. Top with remaining cookies.
Let set. Share!

Cinnamon-Sugar Mixture:
6 Tablespoons granulated sugar
3 Tablespoons cinnamon
Dash of salt

Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting
8 ounces softened cream cheese
½  cup soft butter
2 teaspoons cinnamon
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 Tablespoons whipping cream
3 cups powdered sugar
Dash of salt

Mix cream cheese and butter until smooth. Stir in cinnamon. Add vanilla extract, whipping cream, powdered sugar, and salt. Mix until fluffy. 

Another family Dinner for 25 was in the books. The main dish was worse than average-
The side dishes were some of my best work. 
Desserts were a work in progress. 
It’s a lot of work to host- but travels had taken me away the previous two weekends- and I longed to connect with my family. 

I had a nice extended conversation with my sister’s family as they lingered in the front yard after dinner. We caught up about the hard and joys in her life and I walked them to the car as they left. 

My brother-in-law works at the same company as my son. He spoke of a busy upcoming week complete with a long to-do list and the energy required to pound it out. 
“Hopefully my kid isn’t giving you any trouble…” I replied knowing he is fiercely loyal, a top performer, and yet won’t hesitate to push back on upper management if he doesn’t agree with their insight for his team’s success…

My brother-in-law laughed and quipped-
“He’s just like you…” 

I was momentarily shook. 
“This can’t be good. And that wasn’t a compliment.”
Were my flooded thoughts. 

My quick wit responded. The group laughed, and I was left to ponder on the conversation. 

The reference was in regards to my son’s intensity and no-holds-bar attitude and approach toward anything he sees as a goal in the right direction or a challenge in wrong-doing in business. 
However, the phrase has given me much to think about-

If someone were to say “He’s just like you” and my thought was 
“Oh good. ❤️Then he will be happy forever…”

What would I hope for?

Lately, it centers around letting go, daily repenting for not showing up like I wish I would, and forgiveness. 
What a gift – a blessing and an opportunity we have to simply forgive. 

I know it begins with quickly and completely forgiving myself-
For how I’ve not shown up at times and ways I wish I had been stronger. 

But I work to do it- to exercise grace. Thus the way is clear and the force is strong to forgive others. 

Who benefits?
Mostly me. 
It never excuses anyone from wrong-doing… 
That’s God’s work. Not mine. 

But it frees me. 
As I work to let go of the frustration, anger, and hurt, I can note what’s hard…
And yet see clearly why forgiveness is worth the effort.

It’s the number one thing to keep the adversary out of the playground of our relationships. 
Feeling bitter and resentful in our relationships is paralyzing. 

If we stop and think-
Who would I benefit from forgiving?
That’s the key-
It’s for me. 

It makes me think again about how much God loves me. He gave me a commandment that simply helps me have a happier life. 

Take the challenge?
Answer the question?
Who would you benefit from forgiving?

-JC

Biscoff Cookie Butter Krispy Treats

4 Tablespoons butter
12 oz marshmallows
¼ teaspoon salt
7 oz. marshmallow creme
5 cups Rice Krispies
2 cups cups small chunks of Biscoff cookies (18 cookies)

In a large microwave safe bowl, melt butter with marshmallows for 2 minutes.
Stir until smooth. Stir in salt.  Stir in marshmallow creme. Add Rice Krispies and Biscoff pieces.  Stir thoroughly until combined. Gently press ½ of the krispy treats into a 7” x 11” greased baking pan. Drizzle ½ cup melted cookie butter onto the krispy layer.  Carefully add remaining krispy treats and gently press. Drizzle top with ¼ cup melted cookie butter.   Let set. Share!