Kaylea Hutson's Blog, page 21

Pinterest: Cake Batter Cookies

A couple of weeks ago, my friend Laura and I tried yet another "Pinterest experiment" - and tried making Cake Batter Cookies.

The recipe I found on Pinterest reminded me of cookies my friend Cydni made while we were in Seminary.

That recipe just took Cool Whip, a cake mix, an egg and powdered sugar. (I'll save it for another post). But I can say this.....

Yum. Those were favorites in the doom.

So when I saw this recipe, I decided it was too good to pass up on a lazy Saturday afternoon.

It's a pretty simple concoction. It just called for a cake mix, eggs, butter and vanilla.



Step 1) Cream the butter, eggs and vanilla together.



Step 2) Add the cake mix.



Step 3) Mix until everything is blended well.


This recipe called for putting the batter in the fridge until chilled - so you could roll it out and make cut out cookies.

Laura and I decided to make cookie balls using the cookie scoop. So that let us make "uniform" sugar style cookies.



Step 4) We finished the cookies by icing them and topping them with sprinkles. The cookies kind of turned out like the "icebox" iced sugar cookies you can purchase at the "big box store." We used a container of store-bought icing and the enclosed sprinkles.


The original post had several other variations for cake mix cookies - including one with a red velvet twist - that I want to try.

Cake Mix Cookies
Ingredients
1 Box Cake Mix (we used Funfetti)
2 Eggs
1 stick of Butter
1 tsp. Vanilla

Instructions
Mix ingredients together.
Chill batter for two hours.
Roll out on a lightly floured surface.
Cut with cookie cutters as desired.
Bake at 350 degrees for 12 to 15 minutes, on a lightly greased or lined cookie sheet.
Cool and then decorate as desired.

Source: View the original post here.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Praying In Color

Earlier this year, I was introduced to Praying In Color by Sybil MacBeth at a children's ministry conference.

It's a really cool way to create a visual prayer.
(You can read my original post here: http://www.myscrappylife.com

Anyway, today, I sat in a waiting room, waiting for news about a friend.

Waiting is not my spiritual gift.

I have a hard time focusing. Being quiet. Just being present.

I ended up using a new app on my iPad - Sketchbook Express


It gave me a way to do an e-version of Praying of Color.

Here are the prayers I made, while my friend was in her heart procedure. I've "edited" her name out of a couple, for privacy reasons.

I'll be honest. I'm not an artist. But I found this was an amazing way to be in continual prayer for my friend.


I kinda imagined the healing prayers of friends surrounding my friend's heart as I sketched this.


I did this one in black and white. I think subconsciously, I was drawing the doctors working on her heart - finding the problems and zapping them.


No, those aren't feet - I was thinking about God holding my friend's heart in his hands, kind of like a shepherd holds a baby sheep. I think this one is my favorite one.


I kinda thought of God's healing rain, pouring down on her during surgery.


One last prayer. The doctor came in to give us a report as I finished this one.

I think this app has opened up another form of prayer - because it's one I can do anywhere, as long as the iPad is charged.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Blog Tour: Love's Reckoning (Review)

Eden is trapped. 

She wants to follow her dreams - and the ideas of a better life, serving God and children. But her father has other plans. One of his daughters will marry his apprentice.

She struggles with this decision. What is her destiny - to fall in love, or to serve God. How does she move past the choices handed to her (some by virtue of family history, others by the actions of others)?

A mix of post-Revolutionary history provides the setting for Laura Frantz's newest work - Love's Reckoning, and the first book in the Ballantyne Legacy. I'll be honest. This book surprised me.

This is the third book I've read, written by Frantz. In her earlier books, I said they weren't necessarily on my "re-read" pile, but were enough to keep me reading her new releases.

This book may land on my "read again" pile. It definitely merits a second read - as a way to unpack some of the nuances found within the dialogue.

I found the storyline surprising - there were a few twists and turns, that well, kept me guessing the until thee end..

This was more than a boy meets girl and falls in love story. Through her words, Frantz has crafted a story that shows how the "legacy" of choices (good and bad) can literally shape a family - and impact generations of individuals.

While the book isn't all "rainbows and ponies" (aka - it's not all happy at times), it is a good, solid historical novel. I think fans of period fiction will find it a good read.

On a scale of one to five, I give it a solid four. Frantz is a skilled author. The book ends on a note that definitely left me wanting more.  


More About The Book
(From The Publisher)
On a bitter December day in 1784, Silas Ballantyne arrives at the door of blacksmith Liege Lee in York County, Pennsylvania. 

Silas is determined to finish his apprenticeship quickly and move west. But because he is a fast worker and a superb craftsman, Liege endeavors to keep him in York by appealing to an old tradition: the apprentice shall marry one of his master's beautiful daughters.

Eden is as gentle and fresh as Elspeth is high-spirited and cunning. But are they truly who they appear to be? In a house laced with secrets, each sister seeks to secure her future. Which one will claim Silas's heart--and will he agree to Liege's arrangement?

In this sweeping family saga, one man's choices in love and work, in friends and enemies, set the stage for generations to come. This is the Ballantyne Legacy.

More About The Author
Laura Frantz is a lover of history, is the author of The Frontiersman's Daughter, Courting Morrow Little, and The Colonel's Lady, and currently lives in the misty woods of Washington with her husband and two sons.

Online Resources
Read and excerpt here.
Find it on Amazon
My review of Courting Morrow Little
My review of The Colonel's Lady

Note: As a freelance journalist, I was provided a copy of this book by Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group. This review was not influenced by a free book - just in case you (or the FTC) were worried about this detail.

August photos in review

it took a little bit of work tonight, but I caught up my Project 365 - and noted the photos for August.

It's amazing to see the similar themes pop up, from week to week.....guess it just shows/reminds me of things that make me tick.

Hum...

What photos did you capture in August?
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Blog Tour: Dying To Read (Review)

The tagline and the initial description for "Dying To Read" caught my eye.

"All she wanted was a paycheck. What she got was a murder."

I thought. Cool. It's a book that might be a "clean" Stephanie Plumb-like novel.

A fun to read, novel about a young woman who decides to work for her uncle as a PI.

While I like Stephanie Plumb's premise (a female bounty hunter), I wanted a, ok cleaner version to recommend to some of the younger (teen) readers who cross my path.

I thought Dying to Read, the new series by Lorena McCourtney might do the trick.

I was slightly disappointed.

Here's what I like: McCourtney is a good writer - in that she can craft a story that has an interesting premise. I mean, a book club full of mystery readers and a dead body, on the surface again, it caught my attention.

Unfortunately, it didn't keep my attention.

To use a fishing analogy, I was "hooked" on the bait (description and premise), but the novel failed to "reel" me in. (I just didn't stay interested - in fact I didn't finish it.)

Without realizing it at the start, this is the second novel I've read by McCourtney. I stumbled across one of her earlier works - the first book in the Ivy Malone series. Another good series, that also failed to "hook" me into a) wanting to finish the book and b) leave me wanting more.

I hate giving less than "glowing" reviews, but in an effort to keep things honest. Here's what I think.

If you are looking for a fun (albeit slow paced), light and easy to read novel, then McCourtney's writing style just might trip your trigger. If you are wanting something more "Stephanie Plumb-like" you can probably find it elsewhere. (In fact, the PJ Sugar novels by Susan May Warren come to mind.)

On my scale of one to five, I give this novel a two. Not my favorite read, but one that I could pass along to fellow  mystery readers without qualms - to at least give a try.

More About The Book

All she wanted was a paycheck. What she got was a murder.

Cate Kinkaid's life is . . . well, frankly it's floundering. Her social life, her career, her haircut--they're all a mess. Unemployed, she jumps at the chance to work for her PI uncle, even though she has no experience and no instincts. After all, she is just dabbling in the world of private investigating until she can find a "real" job.

All she has to do for her first assignment is determine that a particular woman lives at a particular address. Simple, right? But when she reaches the dark Victorian house, she runs into an hungry horde of gray-haired mystery readers and a dead body. This routine PI job is turning out to be anything but simple. Is Cate in over her head?

More About The Author
Lorena McCourtney is the award-winning author of dozens of novels, including Invisible (which won the Daphne du Maurier Award from Romance Writers of America), In Plain Sight, On the Run, and Stranded. She resides in Oregon.

Online Resources
Buy it at Amazon
Check out the online excerpt
Download the reading group guide


Note: As a freelance journalist, I was provided a copy of this book by Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group. This review was not influenced by a free book - just in case you (or the FTC) were worried about this detail.

The Mindset List - a few surprises

Do you know about the Mindset List, created each year by Beloit College?

It's really interesting, because each year, since 1998, the school has released the "Beloit College Mindset List" to provide a list of touchstones that shape the culture of the college students.

It shows how quickly "outdated" our cultural references can become. For the entering class of 2016, I'll admit, it shows a few surprises. (Well, at least they were things that took me by surprise.....here are a few selections.

Like.....
--They have always lived in cyberspace, addicted to a new generation of “electronic narcotics.”

Um, considering I just had supper with two friends, and we couldn't go the full meal without someone checking their phone, Facebook or email, why should college freshman be any different.

--The Biblical sources of terms such as “Forbidden Fruit,” “The writing on the wall,” “Good Samaritan,” and “The Promised Land” are unknown to most of them.

Really. This makes me think, as a children's minister. The Good Samaritan surprises and saddens me.....

--Having grown up with MP3s and iPods, they never listen to music on the car radio and really have no use for radio at all.

Well, except for those who want the Disney channel on the mission trip (a younger set) - but this shouldn't surprise anyone.

--Their folks have never gazed with pride on a new set of bound encyclopedias on the bookshelf.

Wow... I still remember sitting at the kitchen table writing a report using the encyclopedias that my parents had. Considering Google and Wikipedia, this shouldn't surprise any of us.

--Exposed bra straps have always been a fashion statement, not a wardrobe malfunction to be corrected quietly by well-meaning friends.

I still struggle with this one..... but it's the truth.

--A significant percentage of them will enter college already displaying some hearing loss.

Considering the iPods and how "plugged in" this generation is - this shouldn't surprise us...it's just a wee bit sad.

--They have lived in an era of instant stardom and self-proclaimed celebrities, famous for being famous.

Paris Hilton anyone?

--There have always been blue M&Ms, but no tan ones.’

I had to ask a friend tonight when did they get rid of the tan ones? File this under oblivious.

--Probably the most tribal generation in history, they despise being separated from contact with their similar-aged friends.

Absolutely. I see this in all of the students I work with....college age and down.

--Before they purchase an assigned textbook, they will investigate whether it is available for rent or purchase as an e-book.

Wow.... things have changed since my college or even seminary days. But what happens if the electronic device crashed.... does that work the same as "the dog ate my homework?"

--Mr. Burns has replaced J.R.Ewing as the most shot-at man on American television.

This just made me laugh.

--They watch television everywhere but on a television.

Yep. Yep. Yep.

--Point-and-shoot cameras are soooooo last millennium.

Hum..... said the girl with three (or four) cameras (iPhone, pocket point and shoot, big Cannon - and even the iPad) now.....

--Despite being preferred urban gathering places, two-thirds of the independent bookstores in the United States have closed for good during their lifetimes.

Just sad.

Copyright© 2012 Beloit College
Mindset List is a registered trademark
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Epic Pinterest Fail: Glow In The Dark Mountain Dew

I should have known better.

If it seems too good to be true, it probably is.....But I really wanted it to work.

Glow in the Dark Mountain Dew.

Come on, be honest, take a look at this picture.


It makes you want to try making it.

If it had worked, it would have been a WAY cool alternative to a camp fire, this weekend at the Bible Boot Camp. - A burn ban is keeping us from having a "real" camp fire.

We (my partner in crime, Laura and I) tried it tonight.

According to the Pin, it takes three simple ingredients.


It said you needed to leave 1/4 of a bottle of Mountain Dew in the bottle - we put it into a smaller bottle for the "test."


Next you add a bit of baking soda - which really does make the Mountain Dew "bubble up."


Then it calls for adding three cap-fulls of hydrogen peroxide. At this point, according to the video, the bottle should be glowing.


Obviously, it didn't work.
Duh right.

Another pinner said they added some glow in the dark paint to the mixture - and it reacted like the original picture.

Obviously, the person who made the original post/video wanted to see how far the fake post would go. Judging by the pins, it has spread amazingly fast. A modern day Urban Legend in the works.

The final word
I should have paid attention to the post on Snopes. They also tried it, and decided the person who started this "rumor" some how slipped glow paint or glow in the dark sticks into the bottle - while the YouTube video was angled in a different direction.
You can read the Snopes Report here.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Blog Tour: Live To Give (Review)

Austin Gutwein is an inspiring person.

Not only has the 18 year old written several books, but he has created a non-profit ministry called "Hoops for Hope" the largest free throw marathon organization in the world.

At least 40,000 people in more than 25 countries have raised at least $2.5 million to build schools, medical clinics, dorms for orphanages and the only computer lab in Zambia.

In his newest book, Live To Give, Gutwein challenges teens to find a way to make a difference - regardless of their age or talent.

I found this book to be an easy read. Using a friendly writing style, Gutwein has found a way to explore developing a lifestyle of giving.

Each chapter has personal antidotes, along with inspiration, as well as a series of questions - all designed to help students explore the benefits and joy of giving.

I think this is a book I could give to the teens in my life, in order to challenge them - and to encourage them to have a missional outlook. Honestly, I think this book could be used either as a personal study (it's really easy to read), or even in a small group setting - the questions at the end of the book could provide a great jumping off point for discussion.

More About This Book
Want to do something for God but don’t know what? Want to help others but don’t know who? Want to know what it is you’re really good at doing? Your gifts may feel small and insignificant. But God can use them to work a miracle!

Inspired by the biblical story of the feeding of the 5,000, "Live to Give" delivers a message of hope that we all have something to give. Written in the down-to-earth, candid voice of the gifted young man who as a kid founded a relief ministry that has saved and improved countless lives in Africa, "Live to Give" is the message that every teen needs to hear: You are more special than you know, and you can do big things.

Jesus proved that no gift is too small when He used five loaves and two fish to feed a crowd of thousands. And if no gift is too small, too ordinary, or too random, there is no limit to what the youth of today can accomplish!

A teenage philanthropist who has built a high school, two medical clinics, and a dormitory in Africa—all before the age of 16—Austin Gutwein shares how to take what may seem like the simplest of talents, gifts, and interests and use them for something Jesus can use to move mountains.

More About The Author
As founder of Hoops of Hope, Austin started what is now known as the worlds largest Free-Throw marathon. Austin's Hoops of Hope has raised more than $2.5M to help orphan children in Africa. Austin also serves as Co-Chair of Arizona Governor Jan Brewer's Youth Council. As a highly sought after speaker, Austin has spoken and shared his heart in venues around the world. In 2009, Austin was selected into the Caring Hall of Fame as one of the top 10 most caring Americans.

Austin's first book, "Take Your Best Shot" shared stories that captured readers hearts and won a Moonbeam Award. For information on booking Austin or general inquiries, please visit austingutwein.com.

Online Resources
Buy this book: http://ow.ly/cMKFm
Follow the tour: http://litfusegroup.com/blogtours/13528976/livetogive 
Download the first three chapters here: https://www.facebook.com/
Like him on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/austingutwein
Follow his tweets on Twitter: https://twitter.com/AustinGutwein 

Watch the latest video at video.foxnews.com

It's A Contest
"Get and Give" Campaign!
Win a Kindle Fire from @AustinGutwein and have $250 donated to the Charity of your choice!

Austin's new book Live to Give is about "Letting God Turn Your Talents into Miracles"! Celebrate with him by entering his "Get and Give" Campaign - you could win a Kindle Fire for yourself AND Litfuse will donate $250 to the charity of your choice!

See what people are saying about Live to Give.


One winner will receive:A Brand New Kindle Fire with Wi-FiFive copies of Live to Give by Austin Gutwein$250 donated on the winner’s behalf to the charity of their choice Hurry, the giveaway ends on 8/25/12. The winner will be announced on 8/27/12 on the Live to Give Landing Page!

Just click one of the icons below to enter. Tell your friends about Austin's giveaway on FACEBOOK or TWITTER and increase your chances of winning.


As a freelance journalist, I was provided a copy of this book by Litfuse Publicity Group. This review was not influenced by a free book - just in case you (or the FTC) were worried about this detail.

Weekend Humor: The Ants Are Boss....

Wonder if these ants were related to the fire antsthat hang out at Camp Tanako....lol.

Blog Tour: The Haven (Review)

Sadie Lapp has a protective nature - and that nature is about to be tested, as she arrives home from a trip to Ohio with an unexpected "package."

What is the story behind what Sadie arrives home with? How does it impact her relationships with her friends and family?

Enter into the picture school teacher Gideon Smucker, who is in love with Sadie - but her choice impacts his life in an unexpected way.

Sadie's unexpected friendship with Will Stoltz, a college student who ends up working on the family farm, is also full of twists and turns.

Who will Sadie fall in love with? How will her decision - made at the beginning of the book - impact her life?

With The Haven, Suzanne Woods Fisher has crafted an unexpected (gee I'm using that word a lot) Amish novel - filled with the angst of a girl stuck between two men - Gideon and Will.

The story is surprising with its twists and turns. It's a nice companion to the first novel in the series, The Keeper.

In all, I really enjoyed The Haven (and have already passed The Keeper on to a friend). Fisher's books have an air of authenticity and are well written.They are enjoyable and full of family and faith. 

On the scale of one to five, I give this series a solid three and a half. I can't wait to see what book three - The Lesson - highlights when it's released in 2013.


More About The Book
(From The Publisher)
When Sadie Lapp steps off the bus in Stoney Ridge after being in Ohio for the winter, she is faced with a decision–one that goes against her very essence. Yet it’s the only way she can think of to protect a loved one.

Schoolteacher Gideon Smucker has been crazy about Sadie since boyhood. But his response to her surprising decision undermines his own reputation–and his relationship with Sadie.

College student Will Stoltz is spending the spring at the Lapp farm as a guard for a pair of nesting Peregrine Falcons–courtesy of the Lancaster County Game Warden. Will needs to get his life back on track, but his growing friendship with Sadie threatens his plans.

The lives of these three individuals intertwine, and then unravel as unexpected twists create ripples through the town of Stoney Ridge . . . and through Sadie’s heart.

Once again, bestselling author Suzanne Woods Fisher intrigues and delights with a story that explores the bonds of friendship, family, and true love. Readers will enjoy every surprise in Sadie’s story as they search for the truth hidden within these pages.

More About The Author
Suzanne Woods Fisher’s interest in the Amish began with her grandfather, W.D. Benedict, who was raised Plain. Suzanne has a great admiration for the Plain people and believes they provide wonderful examples to the world. In both her fiction and non-fiction books, she has an underlying theme: You don’t have to “go Amish” to incorporate many of their principles–simplicity, living with less, appreciating nature, forgiving others more readily– into your life.

When Suzanne isn’t writing or bragging to her friends about her first new grandbaby (!), she is raising puppies for Guide Dogs for the Blind.

To Suzanne’s way of thinking, you just can’t take life too seriously when a puppy is tearing through your house with someone’s underwear in its mouth. Suzanne can be found on-line at: www.suzannewoodsfisher.com.

Online ResourcesRead my review of The Keeper (book one, with an interview with the author!)Follow the Haven book tour!
Buy the Haven online
Read an excerpt of the Haven online
It's A Contest! Win a Kindle Fire or Nook Color from @SuzanneWFisher in "The Haven" Giveaway! RSVP for Live Video Chat on 8/30!
Celebrate the newest book in the Stoney Ridge Seasons series with Suzanne by entering her 4 eReader Giveaway and Facebook Party and RSVPing for the Live Video Chat on 8/30! 
See what folks are saying about The Haven!

Four grand prize winners will receive:A Brand new Kindle Fire or Nook Color $25 Amazon.com or Barnes & Noble.com Gift certificate 
Enter today by clicking one of the icons below. But hurry, the giveaway ends on August 29th. Winner will be announced at Suzanne's Live Author Chat Party on 8/30 . Suzanne will be hosting an author chat (party will start on Facebook AND then be Live from her website) and giving away books, gift certificates and several Burt's Bees® Nourishing Radiance Kits!!
So grab your copy of The Haven and join Suzanne on the evening of the August 30th for a fun chat (both on Facebook and via Live Video), trivia contest and lots of giveaways. 

Don't miss a moment of the RSVP today. Tell your friends via FACEBOOK or TWITTER and increase your chances of winning. Hope to see you on the 30th!
As a freelance journalist, I was provided a copy of this book by Litfuse Publicity Group. This review was not influenced by a free book - just in case you (or the FTC) were worried about this detail.