Kaylea Hutson's Blog, page 56

Quotable Tuesday....a few Quotes of the Day

I love quotes. They can make you stop and ponder life in new ways.

Here's two of my favorites, one is a "reminder" (I first heard it in that "classic" movie, the Princess Diaries).....

"Nobody can make you feel inferior without your permission." - Eleanor Roosevelt

Wow....it reminds me of my mom's favorite saying "he who angers you, controls you." A bit self explanatory.... I'll need to unpack this thought later.

The other quote, comes Suzanne Fisher Woods, a writing friend who uses her family background with the Amish community to write authentic fiction and non-fiction books.

"Faith is like a boomerang: begin using what you have and it comes back to you in greater measure." - Amish proverb

I hope that's the case, because frankly, sometimes it seems like the world is really big, and my faith is really small.

Here are a few other quotes that jumped out
at me in the last few days...enjoy...
"There can be no joy in living without joy in work."— St. Thomas Aquinas

"Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever." - Mahatma Gandhi

"Not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted." - Albert Einstein

"If you don't like something, change it. If you can't change it, change your attitude. Don't complain." - Maya Angelou

"Even a mistake may turn out to be the one thing necessary to a worthwhile achievement." - Henry Ford

"There are two ways to spread happiness; either be the light who shines it or be the mirror who reflects it." - Edith Wharton

Blog Tour: An Unlikely Blessing (Review)

An Unlikely Blessing is a heartfelt story about a new pastor and life-long city dweller Alex Armstrong, who reluctantly accepts his first assignment, a two-point parish in the wilds of North Dakota. 

Hilltop Township, a farming community, blooms from the prairie like a wild pink rose—lovely and prickly all at once, much like the people who live there.

Unlikely.

Alex quickly finds that this lovely place is in quiet peril. Farmers are struggling to make ends meet: Jonas Owens, a faithful member of Hilltop parish, is on the brink of losing the farm. Alex believes that part of why God called him to Hilltop was to help turn things around, and steps in with ideas for saving the Owens' land. But can even God's minister help save this rural community?

There are a lot of firsts for the new single pastor....including the remarkable excitement of being a single guy among the unmarried women in the community. And, well, if you could die of hot dish overdose, Alex would be a dead man. 

Whether performing weddings, counseling his flock, or herding cattle by snowmobile, Alex soon discovers that his new church home has as much to teach him as he will teach them. Day by day, he falls more in love with the people of Hilltop Church. People may leave Hilltop, but Hilltop never leaves them.

What I Thought
I liked this story. It's simple and sweet. Someone has compared this to Jan Karon's Mitford series. I could totally see that - except the pastor is (from appearances) a protestant, second-career, single guy.

Working in a church, I can totally see some "real life" things in this first novel. I can also see some "stereotypes" of church life - including the abundance of casseroles on a single pastor.

I will say the cast of characters is quite colorful - and well, you do see a variety of people like this in a local church. Baer has captured the feel of a small church - including the "rifts" that tend to develop between people.

On a scale of one to five, with five being the highest, I give it at least a three. In all, this book is kinda like chicken soup - no big surprises, but very comforting. I'm interested to see where Judy Baer takes this series. If it's like the Mitford series, it will only get better from here.

More About The Author
Judy Baer is the author of over seventy-five books for adults and teens.

She has won the Romance Writer of America Bronze Medallion and has been a RITA finalist twice.

She lives in Elk River, Minnesota with her husband. Follow the Hilltop characters on Baer's blog and find out more about her and her books at http://www.judykbaer.com.

Online Resources
Read the first chapter of An Unlikely Blessing online here
Follow Judy K. Baer's Blog here
Buy An Unlikely Blessing here @ Amazon.com
Follow the Blog Tour @ Litfuse here!

It's A Contest
Prolific author of more than 75 novels, Baer, is launching her new Guideposts series, Forever Hilltop, with a KINDLE giveaway! The first book in the series, An Unlikely Blessing is available now wherever fine books are sold.

Read the reviews here.

In celebration of the release of An Unlikely Blessing, Baer is giving away a KINDLE prize package worth more than $175.
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One lucky winner will receive:
Brand New KINDLE with Wi-FiA $25 gift certificate to Amazon.com
To enter just click on one the icons below and then tell your friends! Winner will be announced on Monday, Feb. 21 on Baer's blog, http://www.judykbaer.com/wordpress

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For more information please visit the Litfuse website, www.litfusegroup.com and click {HERE}!
Note: 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. 

Project 365: January @ A Glance

It's new, it's a challenge and well, it may seem a bit overwhelming at times but I'm trying something new - using mainly my iPhone (or pocket camera) to take a photo each day.
I'm trying this for several reasions:1) It's making me do something everyday, to stop and capture the everyday moments of my life.
2) It's making me scrap again - while I've created stuff for the blogs and websites I manage, I haven't created a "page" just for me. I'm taking baby steps back to creating layouts just for me.
3) I'm working through my need to capture "perfect" pictures for memories. Sure there's a time and place for "photojournalism" style pics - which I love to take - but there's also something to be said about capturing the spontaneity of life. This is forcing me to get out of my box and capture life.
4) It's also something new. In the past I've tried to just do one photo per week, but then I would stop because nothing seemed "big" enough to create a layout. This makes me stop each day to take a picture. 
I'm using these photos to create a layout per week, that includes journaling, to not only capture the moments with photos but also with words.
I'm catching up with January....here's Weeks 3, 4 and 5  

Credits:2011 - 01 January At A Glance (Project 365: 2011)Template - Project 365: 2011 by Biograffiti, Oscraps.comFont: CK Ali's Writing
Paper & elements: 52:2011 - wk 4 - Vicki Stegall, Oscraps.com

2011 - Project 365 - week 3
Paper & small word art - 52 2011 - wk 3 - Sue Cummings
Templates - by Me
Fonts: CK KOTM1 & Champagne & Limousine

2011 - Project 365 - week 4
Paper & Small word art - 52 2011 - wk 4 - Vicki Stegall
Templates - by Me
Fonts: CK KOTM1 & Champagne & Limousine

2011 - Project 365 - week 5
paper and graphics - 52 2011 - wk 5 - sue cummings
Templates - by Me
Fonts: CK KOTM1 & Champagne & Limousine

Note: As a member of the cheery-o team at Oscraps.com, I was provided much of this for free. My use of these products were not influenced by the gift - I would have bought them anyway - just in case you (or the FTC) were worried about this detail. 

Adventures in Cooking: Oreo Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookies

Oreos + Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough
= Yummy (huge) cookies
Ok, here's the deal. I can't take credit for baking this cookie - Maribeth Reisbeck made them after I shared the original link - www.beckybakes.net via a Facebook post.
I wanted to try them, but didn't have a chance to bake them first....something about I don't know WORK (lol) that got in the way of playing....
So with that said...everyone's asked....The cookies are good. They are VERY rich. 
At the most you'll probably want to eat one with a glass of milk or water. I ate half of a cookie and then several hours later, ate the other half of another cookie. (I tried to be good).
They aren't the "best and greatest" cookie - or as my cousin likes to day they aren't "all that and a bag of chips" - (you probably won't sell your soul to have one)....but they are really good.

I can totally see making these as a special treat for a party or even for an office bribe (I mean treat). 
I think it would be fun to experiment with the types of cookies you "stuffed" in the chocolate chip cookie dough. One of my friends tried it today with Nutter Butter cookies. She said that was a successful match of cookie dough and cookie. I could also see making them stuffed with Girl Scout Thin Mint Cookies. (Hum... a box is coming later this month).
But in general, if cabin fever has set in, and you are looking for something sweet to make the time go by a bit faster, these are probably the cookie for you. I'll bet kidlets would even have fun smooshing the dough around the cookie - especially if they got to sample the dough.
You could probably even substitute your favorite chocolate chip cookie dough recipe for this one - just make enough to make two dozen really big cookies (basically 48 "regular" size cookies that are wrapped around 24 Oreos).. 
Read the original post/recipe
@ www.beckybakes.net by clicking here.
Oreo Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookies

2 sticks (1 C.) softened butter
3/4 C. packed light brown sugar
1 C. granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 T. pure vanilla
3 1/2 C. flour
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
10 oz bag chocolate chips
1 pkg. Oreo cookies

1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2) Cream butter and sugars together with a mixer until well combined.  Beat in eggs and vanilla.

3) In a separate bowl mix the flour, salt and baking soda.  Slowly add to wet ingredients along with chocolate chips until just combined.

4) Using a cookie scoop take one scoop of cookie dough and place on top of an Oreo Cookie.  Take another scoop of dough and place on bottom of Oreo cookie.  Seal edges together by pressing and cupping in hand until Oreo cookie is enclosed with dough.

5) Place onto a parchment or silpat lined baking sheet and bake cookies 9-13 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool for 5 minutes before transferring to cooling rack.

Makes about 2 dozen VERY LARGE cookies.

Blog Tour: Stars Collide (Review)

Kat Jennings and Scott Murphy don't just play two people who are secretly in love on a television sitcom--they are actually head over heels for each other in real life. 

When the lines between reality and TV land blur, they hope they can keep their relationship under wraps. 

But when Kat's grandmother, an eccentric star from Hollywood's golden age, mistakes their on-screen wedding proposal for the real deal, things begin to spiral out of control. 

Will their secret be front-page news in the tabloids? And can their budding romance survive the onslaught of paparazzi, wedding preparations, and misinformed family members?

What I Thought
I'm not sure if it's the subject or the author's writing style, but this book is "comfortable" - kind of like a nice pair of slippers.

It's not deep, and it's not extensive - but it's a fun, easy read that has a bit of old-fashioned romance, set in the midst of Hollywood.

I enjoyed reading it. I'll admit, at times, the storyline was well, a bit predictable. But let's face it, sometimes you just want to read something light and fun, even if you can probably guess at times, what's going to happen.

Light, fun and a bit eccentric at times, Stars Collide will give you a good book to grab to sit by the pool (or in my case, wrapped up in a blanket on a cold snowy day).

On a scale of one to five, with five being the highest, I give this book a solid three. It's the first book in Thompson's new Backstage Pass series, and if the rest are this much fun, they will be definitely worth checking out. 

More About The Author
Janice Thompson is a seasoned romance author and screenwriter. An expert at pulling the humor from the situations we get ourselves into, Thompson affords an inside look at TV land, drawing on her experiences as a screenwriter.

She is the author of the Weddings by Bella series and lives in Texas.

You can read more about Thompson by visiting her website: http://www.janiceathompson.com/

Online Resources
Read an online excerpt of Stars Collide
Grab a reading group guide to Stars Collide
Buy Stars Collide @ Amazon.com

Read my previous reviews
of Thompson's books here:
Swinging On A Star (Review)
It Had To Be You (Review)

Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group, offers practical books that bring the Christian faith to everyday life.  They publish resources from a variety of well-known brands and authors, including their partnership with MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) and Hungry Planet. For more information, visit www.RevellBooks.com.

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.

Welcoming A New Designer to the Oscraps Family

Welcome Traci Murphy to Oscraps!She's been at the "Big O" for several weeks....but we (the cheery-o team) wanted to celebrate the fact that Traci Murphy a.k.a. Traci Murphy Designs has decided to make Oscraps her "new" home!

More About Traci
Traci Murphy, also known as Traci Murphy Designs
Is a fun-loving, social butterfly, totally disorganized, spur of the moment, take on the world mom of three kids who make me totally crazy happy and wife to the complete opposite, which is what keeps me grounded!

Want to know more? Visit the Oscraps blog to get the 411 on Traci! http://bit.ly/TraciMurphy-OBlog;
You can also find her at her store: http://bit.ly/TraciMurphy-store;
Welcome her to the team: http://bit.ly/TraciMurphy-welcome; and
See some of her designs In action: http://bit.ly/TraciMurphy-gallery.

You can also find her here on
Facebook: http://on.fb.me/TraciMurphyDesigns;
Twitter: http://bit.ly/TraciMurphy23_Twitter and her
Blog: http://bit.ly/TraciMurphyblog.

It's A Contest! 
To celebrate opening her new store, Traci has a contest you can enter this week!

It's a Gallery Crawl:
Love Traci's designs? Ready to try a new designer? Well keep reading for a chance to win a $20 gifty code to Traci's store.

Visit Traci's designer gallery - http://bit.ly/TraciMurphy-gallery. For every layout you leave a comment on, in the gallery, you'll receive one entry (one per layout) into the drawing for the $20 gifty code to Traci's store.

Deadline: All comments must be left by 10 p.m. CST Wednesday, Feb. 9, 2011. The prize will be awarded using Random.org by Sunday, Feb. 13. We'll post the winner in Traci's welcome thread.

The gallery crawl 411:
1.) Grab a spot in this thread: http://bit.ly/TraciMurphy-welcome

2.) Go to the Traci Murphy's Designer Gallery - http://bit.ly/TraciMurphy-gallery - and start leaving comments on layouts!

3.) After every comment - copy the link to that layout and paste it back in this thread - http://bit.ly/TraciMurphy-welcome - by editing your original post! Each post should hold approximately 100 links before you need to create a new post to continue your list. Please do not create a new post for each link.

We only ask one thing..... Please do not copy & paste or leave one word comments (beautiful....gorgeous...lovely). We want to make sure that the members are receiving genuine comments and love Thanks for understanding!

Sample post - your entry will look like this:
Kaytebug's entries
1) http://ozone.oscraps.com/gallery/sho...t-web&cat=1271
2) http://ozone.oscraps.com/gallery/sho...-seek&cat=1271

Bonus - Bonus - Bonus
Earn a bonus entry into the random drawing for each blog you comment on, part of the blog blitz announcement. (One entry per blog).

Blog Tour:
Start your "crawl" through the blogs - here - http://bit.ly/TraciMurphy-OBlog. You'll be able to find a list of all the participating blogs, as well as a Q&A with Traci Murphy!

Adventures in Cooking: Homemade vanilla pudding

It's no secret, I don't cook much - I mainly fix convenience foods or easy to make recipes.

It's not that I don't like to cook, but somehow, I've gotten out of the "habit" of cooking.

Sometimes, reading a recipe is like, well, how it was when I started learning Greek in seminary - literally a foreign language.

So, yesterday, as I looked (unsuccessfully) for another treat, I realized, surprise surprise, I had all of the ingredients necessary to make homemade vanilla pudding.

So, on the second day of the great "blizzard of 2011" I decided to fix pudding for my evening dessert.

While I found this recipe in my grandma's "The Microwave Guide & Cookbook," I made (gasp) using my stove. How very retro of me right?

It starts with 3/4 C. of sugar, 2 T. of cornstarch
and 1/4 tsp. of salt.
Add  in 2 C. of milk. 
Mix until smooth, clear and thickened. Here's a clue - stir it constantly, because well,
it will scorch on the bottom of the pan.

 Next, prepare 2 egg yolks, slightly beaten OR 1 egg, well beaten.
When the pudding mixture is hot, (and smooth, clear and thick),
add a little bit of the hot mixture to the egg before
putting the egg into the pudding.

Note: you do this, I believe, so the egg doesn't cook 
as it hits the pudding and turn into egg drop soup like eggs!.

Cook it until it's smooth and thick.
Note: Remember, to keep whisking,
because well, it turns a bit brown if you let it scorch.

Then remove from heat and
add 2 T. of butter and 1 tsp. of vanilla.

Pour into four bowls and serve.
There ya go.How to make homemade vanilla pudding in six easy steps.
With a few modifications, you can make it chocolate - with more sugar and unsweetened chocolate; or butterscotch with brown sugar and additional butter.
It was a fun way to end a long, yet productive day.
Now I just need to (re)learn how to make something more healthy!

Snowmageddon? snOMG? How 'bout just a lot of snow!

It's beginning to look a lot like winter in my neck of the woods. We're in part of the "historical" winter storm that has blanketed much of the Midwest.

Here are a few of the pics I snapped of #snowmageddon or #snOMG (as a friend tweeted) - and the description just made me laugh.

Seriously, there's a lot of snow, lot of ice and lot of problems out there. Made me glad I could work from home today....


And my afternoon experiment.... making a coffee cake recipe I found in grandma's microwave cookbook in the "gasp" oven.......Turned out ok, for a "biscuit" based coffee cake!

Tomorrow's adventure - in between working at home - homemade, cooked vanilla pudding.

New 52: Weeks 1 - 2 Revised

It's taken me several weeks to figure out what I'm going to do with the photos I'm taking each day - using either my iPhone, or pocket camera - to capture "everyday" moments.

It took me a while - surfing the web to see what others are doing - and honestly, a little bit to grow into this idea.

So I've made my own template - using a multitude of ideas, and I plan to use 52:2011 by Vicki Stegall and Sue Cummings at Oscraps.com. I'm mainly using a background paper (so far, a solid) and maybe one or two pieces of word art per week.

I'm keeping it simple. I'm journaling a bit for each photo.

I'm just trying to remember some of the simple moments in my life this year. Honestly, looking at the photos I've taken this month, I'm capturing small things. A few things are "big" but for the most part it's the little things, that are becoming important.

So, here's my "re do" of the first two weeks of my New:52 journey.

Saturday, Jan. 1 to Sunday, Jan. 2, 2011
Monday, Jan. 3 to Sunday, Jan. 9, 2011
Want to see how this all started? Read the original post here!

Blog Tour: Fatal Judgment (Review)

U.S. Marshal Jake Taylor has seen plenty of action during his years in law enforcement. But he'd rather go back to Iraq than face his next assignment: protection detail for federal judge Liz Michaels. 

His feelings toward the coldhearted workaholic haven't warmed in the five years since she drove her husband--and Jake's best friend--to despair . . . and possible suicide.

As the danger mounts and Jake gets to know Liz better, he's forced to revise his opinion of her. And when it becomes clear that an unknown enemy may want her dead, the stakes are raised. 

Because now both her life--and his heart--are in danger.

What I Thought
When this book arrived at the beginning of January. I immediately dove into it. I anticipated, because I devoured Irene Hannon's Heroes of Quantico series, this would be a suspenseful and solid novel.

I was not disappointed.

Focusing on the attempted assassination attempt of a federal judge, Fatal Judgment showcases the men and women who make up the U.S. Marshal Service. It also explores the extremely patriotic (and really scary) political groups which seem to populate much of America - especially Missouri, the setting of the novel.

In fact, in light of the events of the past month in Arizona, this novel is way too realistic. Hannon has created a storyline that makes you think about what you believe. It may cause you examine and question the anger and extremism found in today's political climate.

I really enjoyed this novel created by Hannon. On a scale of 1 to 5, with 5 being the highest, it's definitely a strong 4 to 4.5.

Fatal Judgment is the first book in a new series by Hannon that features three siblings "bound by blood and a passion for judgment." I'm really looking forward to the next book in the series.

About The Author
Irene Hannon is the author of more than 25 novels, including the CBA bestsellers Against All Odds, An Eye for an Eye, and In Harm's Way.

Her books have been honored with the coveted RITA Award from Romance Writers of America, the HOLT Medallion, the Daphne du Maurier award, and the Reviewer's Choice Award from Romantic Times BOOKreviews magazine. She lives in Missouri.

For more information about Hannon and her books, visit her website at www.irenehannon.com.

Online Resources
Read an online excerpt of Fatal Judgment by clicking here.
Download a reading group guide to Fatal Judgment here.
Buy Fatal Judgment at Amazon.com
Read a review of Hannon's last book - In Harm's Way, along with an interview with her, here.

About The Publisher
Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group, offers practical books that bring the Christian faith to everyday life.  They publish resources from a variety of well-known brands and authors, including their partnership with MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) and Hungry Planet. For more information, visit www.RevellBooks.com.

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.