Homemade Coffee Creamer

My new go-to place for all things crafty and frugal is Pinterest. A little while back I came across a recipe for homemade coffee creamer and fell in love. Immediately I knew it was the prefect gift for my sweet, coffee-fanatic friend, Emily.








This is the blog where the recipe originated, but I'll re-type it here for your convenience. :)

14 oz milk
14 oz sweetened condensed milk (the large can)
2 tsp vanilla
1 quart mason jar

Combine all the ingredients in the mason jar and shake vigorously. You're done!

Here are a few benefits of this recipe:

-You know EXACTLY what's in it! No artificial chemicals or ingredients you can't pronounce.

-It's convenient to pour straight from the mason jar-- no mess!

-It's cheaper!

-Even if you are not a coffee drinker, this recipe is perfect if you have company that does drink coffee. When the leave, just send the jar home with them!

-You can make different flavors! I plan to try hazelnut and peppermint. :)

Enjoy!

Christmas: Day 9

Merry Christmas!! Today, I am thankful for a wonderful Savior who came to earth to die for the sins of men. Without Him there would be absolutely no hope in this world, but what a comfort to know that He loves so much that He was willing to live a lowly life so that I can live victoriously. What a Savior!

Christmas: Day 8

Today I am thankful for Amazing Grace. The grace that is given at the time of salvation continues every day of our Christian life. The Lord is so faithful to give us what we don't deserve. This week, especially, I am so humbled by the generosity shown our family. The Lord had used so many people to be a blessing and we are so grateful for the Grace He has shown.

This year (and every other time, too) I can give the Lord my attitude... and boy, do I need to!! No matter the situation, I want to have an attitude pleasing to the Lord. It sure is hard sometimes. Often we feel justified to have a bad attitude... that we have a ugly to be upset or angry at the circumstances. We war against our flesh constantly, and a consistently good attitude is a struggle for me. BUT His Amazing Grace is sufficient for me, and His strength is made perfect in my weakness so He can be glorified.

Christmas: Day 7

Today (actually yesterday) I am thankful for the Mother that the Lord has given me. I love to reminisce of childhood Christmases, especially all of the traditions we established growing up. My most favorite of all is the tradition of making treats and delivering them to friends and family on Christmas Eve and looking at Christmas lights on the way. We've made this tradition our own with our children and I hope it will be a dear part of their Christmases, too. My mom was so patient with all four of us... homeschooling us, raising us, refereeing us, and all of those "mom" duties. I constantly refer to her example as I strive to raise my children for the Lord.

This Christmas I am focusing on giving the Lord my Mind. Thinking of a gift the Lord has given me and then something I can give to him has really focused my Mind during this busy time. Even if I don't get it posted here each day, I am constantly thinking of it throughout the day. I pray that this will continue throughout the year, as well.

The last two days have been filled with baking for our Christmas goodie boxes. This year's contents are:

Martha Washingtons (if you're family, you'll understand completely).
Pumpkin cookies (Mamaw's recipe)
Chocolate Chip Cookies ( Mom's award-winning recipe)
Divinity
Peppermint Bark
Peanut Butter Fudge (Mom's recipe, but can anyone really make it like mom?)

Best Upholstery Cleaner Ever

When we moved to Maine last year my in-laws gave us their tan suede couch. Since then, my children have been less than friendly to it. I've cleaned it multiple times with variable success. Finally it got to the point that no matter how much I scrubbed, it would not come clean. So out came the couch cover.

Then a few weeks ago, my son somehow came across a red Sharpie marker and drew all over the arm of the couch while I was on the phone. I was mortified and immediately turned to my best friend in these situations: Google. The best suggestion seemed to be rubbing alcohol and a wet cloth. By the time I finished scrubbing the arm looked brand-new!

So I finally took the time to do the whole couch yesterday, and it looks 100% better! (It works best if you put it in a spray bottle.) Forget all those expensive upholstery cleaners with all the chemicals... just grab a bottle of rubbing alcohol for $1 and start scrubbing!

Christmas: Day 6

Today I am thank the Lord for giving Truth. In a day when there is so much evil and corruptness in the world, what a reassurance to know that there is a right and true way to live. God's Word is the only source of absolute Truth available. The more we study it, the more we understand Truth.

This Christmas, I can give the Lord my Trust. Honestly, this can sometimes be the hardest to give especially when we can't understand what His plan entails. As women, we need security on our lives and that makes it even harder for us to trust without seeing. Thankfully, we know that all things will work together for good if we love the Lord and desire to serve Him. (Romans 8:28)

Christmas: Day 5

Today, plain and simply, I'm thankful that the Lord gave us Snow this week. For years growing up in Texas, I would pray for a White Christmas... the closest we got was a white Easter! So moving to Maine I assumed we'd always have a White Christmas. Last week it rained and melted all the snow! Therefore, I am thankful that the Lord gave us a little snow right before Christmas.

The past few weeks, the Lord has really opened my eyes anew to Study. It's often hard to find time to really dig deep into God's Word, but there are some really amazing truths just waiting to be discovered. This Christmas I am excited to really Study the Bible and see for myself what God has to say.

Christmas: Day 4

So technically it's Tuesday. We just got home from a nice weekend in Augusta visiting family and friends. It was a wonderful weekend of fellowship! So even though I didn't get this post written on Monday, I was still thinking about it and pondering it which is the whole point anyway!

I drove home tonight because my dear husband has to go to work in about 3 hours. I must admit, it was nice to just drive and think for 3 hours while everyone was sleeping. But even with ALL that thinking I still could not come up with a good "I" word for this post.... so I'm going to take a little liberty to describe exactly what's in my heart.

Today I am thankful for the Indescribable joy that only comes from trusting the Lord. He fills our hearts with a joy that can't be explained! I am so thankful for the joy, peace, happiness that He has put in my heart. When we have doubts and fears that plague us we need to remember that it's not from the Lord because He has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, love and a sound mind. (II Timothy 1:7). It does not come naturally. It take faith and knowing that He will take care of us, but when you do trust your heart will spill over with the Indescribable joy of the Lord.

Along the same lines, I can share that Indescribable joy with others so they can know it, too! That is a gift that would be well-pleasing to the Lord this Christmas.

Now, since I had such a hard time coming up with a good "I" word, can you think of any??

Christmas: Day 3

Today I am thankful for the Riches waiting in heaven. All the gold, silver and precious gems in the world pale in comparison with the riches in heaven. God's Word says to lay up treasures in heaven. We do this by serving the Lord and doing good works out of a pure heart. The Lord knows every thought and intention of the heart and He judges our motives. When we perform an action out of a pure heart, we are laying up treasures in heaven.

One day, maybe in the near future, I will get to take all of those Riches that are stored up in heaven and lay them at the Savior's feet. What a sobering, and at the same time, thrilling thought. Sobering because I want to have many Riches to give; thrilling because I will have the chance to give something back to my Savior! May the Lord help us this Christmas, and all year long, to serve him with a pure heart and self-less intentions.

Christmas: Day 2

Today I am thankful for my Heavenly Home that Christ is preparing for me. What a joy it is to know that "this world is not my home, I'm just passing through!" Do you know for sure that He's preparing one for you, too? Romans 8:16 says that our spirit bears witness with His Spirit to give us that assurance that we are the children of God. I'm so thankful that I can look forward to Heaven!

Something that we can give to the Lord this Christmas is our Heart. He wants it more than anything else!! He longs to have our whole-hearted devotion and love, because that's what He has given us! We give the Lord our hearts by trusting Him, serving Him, talking to Him, loving Him, studying and applying His Word, and sharing His love. Have you given Him your heart? It will never be safer than in the Lord's hands.

Christmas: Day 1

These last few days before Christmas can be filled with so many activities: baking, shopping, baking, wrapping presents, baking, traveling. You get the idea...

To keep myself focused on Christ, I will do a post each day until Christmas for each letter of the word "Christmas". I'll list one item that the Lord has given me and one item that I (and you!) can give Him.

Today is "C". The Lord had given me Chad and my Children. I am so thankful for them!! I never could have dreamed that I would be where I am today and that I would have this wonderful family. We laugh together, play together, pray together, and serve the Lord together. Thank you, Lord, for my family!

In return, I can give my Children back to the Lord. I can pray that they will wholly submissive to His will, and grow to be faithful followers of Christ.

Ornament Keepsakes

A Christmas tradition that I hold dear in our family is to have a new ornament for each child each Christmas. Up until now we have always purchased them. This year I wanted to something special for our ornaments.

I had several plain ornaments that didn't go on the tree this year. With these, a little paint, a Sharpie marker, some ribbon, and an orange highlighter we made these keepsake ornaments.

Just dip the child's thumb in paint and then in a circular motion on the ornament. If your child's thumb is big enough they can just press it once instead of making a circle. Then just decorate your snowman (or whatever Christmas object you choose) and tie a ribbon and hang it on the tree!

You may want to do it all in paint as it might keep better. I highly recommend plastic ornaments for small children. Especially if you have a little boy who might throw his ornament like a ball, as mine did.

Enjoy!

My New Favorite Blog

A couple of years ago, my dear husband started a blog to encourage and edify believers. Once we moved to Maine and he started working long days with a long commute, the blogging took a back seat to family and ministry.

A few weeks ago he purchased iPhones for our Christmas presents. He loves it and has used it for personal study and keeping up with us when he's away during the week. What a blessing!

Now he's revamped his blog and will be updating on the long commute to and from the job site. Don't worry, he's not driving.

Check out my new favorite blog, So Run That Ye May Obtain, at www.crcolburn.blogspot.com. You'll be encouraged and edified in Lord.

Trent turns Two!

Today is Trenton Scott's birthday... he is a whopping 2 years old! Where does the time go?!?!

We will celebrate as a family this evening with cupcakes, then another party on Saturday with friends, then another party next Friday night with more friends and family! We like to celebrate each birthday for at least a week. :)

Our power went out this morning so the kids have been messier than usual... but they've had fun! They played with blocks, spoons, chairs, then "helped" me prep for Trent's birthday cake and another little boy's birthday cake for Saturday. They loved looking at all the cookie cutters and dipping them in powdered sugar. Messy but fun!!

When I woke this morning to see Chad off to work, I spent a few moments reminiscing of the day he was born. Induced labor with pitocin (which I am not for, but he was very late) and no epidurual (which I am for, but totally understand the necessity for some!). After 7ish hours of contractions my water broke and Trent was born 29 minutes later! At 7 pounds and 3 ounces, he was a healthy baby boy! The very first comment from the doctor? "His hands are HUGE!" To this day, our son has large, chubby hands. A future basketball player? His daddy hopes so!

Trent is a typical boy with a love for all things cars, balls and dirt. We are so thankful that the Lord has blessed our family with him. I can't wait to see how he will grow and learn, but for now I love my snuggly baby boy.

Happy Birthday, Trent!

And the Winner is...

Nicole! We put the names in a cup and drew the winner. Congratulations, Nicole, I hope you enjoy your e-book!

If you'd like to purchase a copy of "Praying Proverbs 31" you can find it here.

Thanks to those who entered and be looking for a new give-away in January!

Give-Away Extended

My husband is so wise. He said to extend my give-away... so I will choose a winner on THURSDAY. So just leave a comment on this post or the previous post to enter. Trust me... it is worth the 10 seconds of your time. I am thoroughly enjoying the daily prayers and focus on praying specifically for Caylyn to grow in virtue.

Give-away!

I am thrilled to announce my first give-away! Currently, I'm reviewing a book called "Praying Proverbs 31" by Tracy Glockle. The book is a day-by-day prayer guide to plead with God that our daughters may grow up virtuously.

I should finish it this weekend so MONDAY will be the big give-away. Leave a comment for your chance to win a FREE download of "Praying Proverbs 31... Prayers for a Daughter's Virtue".

Blessings

***Note: Some of the pictures are abnormally large as this post is from my phone.***

I hope you all have had a wonderful Thanksgiving week! We certainly have...

Bright and early Thanksgiving morning we headed down to Gramma and Grampa Colburns house. What a wonderful and relaxing day we had with them!

The next day Trent and I flew to Texas for Mamaw's 80th birthday party. We visited with many family members that I hadn't seen in awhile. The party was wonderful. Aunt DeeDee made axing enchiladas, Aunt Becky organized a funny and heart-warming program, and mom made a beautiful, delicious cake. Everything was perfect to celebrate the 80 years of Mamaw. I am so thankful for her love, her boldness, her generosity, her wisdom, and her godly testimony. She is a shining example of self-less devotion and I am proud to call her my "Mamaw".

We had a wonderful visit with everyone and always wish it were longer. Thank you Papa and Nana for flying us down. We love you!!!

Baby Shower

Last Friday evening we had a baby shower at our church for a lady due early December. It was a lot of fun to plan the decorations, games, favors, cupcakes, etc. Everything came together nicely and the shower went well. I always enjoy getting together with the ladies of the church as it usually involves adult conversation and doesn't involve me saying "no" or "don't hit your sister" or all the other mommy-isms.

Here are a few snapshots of the evening...

We are excited for baby Justine to make her entrance to the world!

Out of the Mouths of Babes

Caylyn has been learning so much in school! She knows 3 verses (still working on the references), and is recognizing more letters and sounds in the alphabet. I absolutely LOVE seeing a child learn!

Yesterday morning as we started school with our pledge, Caylyn jumped to her spot, threw her hand over her heart and proclaimed "I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the republic for which it stands and thou shalt be saved. Romans 3:23!"

Oh, my. I laughed so hard. If you look up Romans 3:23 you'll find that it does not say "and thou shalt be saved". That's in Acts 16:31. Like I said, we're working on the references.

That's all for now...

Have a great day!

Tidbits from the Homefront

Where to start?! Trent and I have been "doctoring" colds for 2 weeks with Caylyn catching it about a week ago. All this sickness left no time for blog updates so here are a few tidbits...

CRAFT FAIR

The craft fair was slightly unsuccessful. :) It was not nearly as well attended as last year and several vendors didn't sell much... but I still had a great time with my friend, Faith!

After the craft fair, Chad took us all to Subway. Here are the kids with "Umpa Tim" as Caylyn calls him.

SICKNESS

As I mentioned earlier, Trent has had an awful cold for awhile now with coughing spells throughout the day and night that would leave him gasping for breath. I finally took him to the doctor last Wednesday. He was diagnosed with "walking pneumonia" and put on an antibiotic and inhaler. The medication seemed to help, but he's having coughing fits again. We go back tomorrow for a check-up and we'll see what the doctor says.

SNOW

Last Sunday brought the first snowstorm for all of Maine, except us! We were predicted to get 6-10" of snow, but when we woke at 5:30 it was just raining... so we went back to sleep. Imagine our surprise when Tim came over around 7 and had several inches of snow on his truck! Evidently living close to a lake prevented us from getting all that snow while just a tenth of a mile away they had several inches!

OCTOBER 31

Our family does not celebrate Halloween, but little Josiah came dressed up as Cat in the Hat so Caylyn and Trent had to "dress up", too! We had a little candy hunt for pumpkin candies placed around the living room. The kids loved it!

Typically, Chad doesn't come home on Monday nights, but last Monday was an exception so we made it a special night! I made a big pot of chili for supper and the kids helped make fall sugar cookies.

TIDBITS

Every evening when we put the kids to bed, they are allowed to look at books for a few minutes before we turn the light off. One night this week, Chad went to their room to turn off the light and this is what he found...

Thursday was one of "THOSE" days were the entire day is spent putting out fires and breaking up squabbles. For instance, I was assisting Caylyn in the bathroom when I hear Josiah say "Trenton is making a mess!" When I peeked out the door this is what I saw...

Here is Trenton sitting on the couch thinking about what he has done. Doesn't he look miserable?!

THE WEEKEND

Our church had a Men's Retreat this weekend. All the men had a great time of fellowship and heard some great preaching from Pastor Paul Anderson. Saturday morning, all the men loaded up on the bus and headed out for a scenic drive. Chad took Trent because, of course, he is a man, too! Trent fell asleep on the way back and Chad put him on the nursery floor when they got back. He slept 2 hours just like this!

Yesterday was a great day in the Lord's house, as always. After the evening service we tried to get a few family photos...

Aren't they adorable?!

Tim has finally moved up to Lee and we are so glad to have him here!

Hope you all have a GREAT week!

Sleep? What's that?

This Saturday is the annual craft fair at our local high school and this means one of two things... less sleep and more coffee (actually I've switched to tea, but that's beside the point.) It's a very exciting time with anticipation of selling my creations, but I may have slightly procrastinated in building a full inventory. Slightly. So for the past week it's been late to bed, early to rise, and less blog posts. :)

BUT to keep you, the reader, satisfied til after Saturday... here are some pics of the most adorable children in the world. At least I think so!

Relaxing Saturday

I cannot BELIEVE that I actually have time to sit down and write a blog post on a Saturday! Absolutely unheard of...

Last night was the annual Harvest Supper at Lee Baptist. What a great turn-out! It was a great time of fellowship with lots of unfamiliar faces that we hope to see in church. :) Caylyn sang her first "solo" which actually turned into a duet with daddy. Our goal is not that she be "cute" but that she be willing to serve the Lord through song and be a blessing to others. Pastor Bickford brought a very encouraging devotional from Psalm 128 titled "How to Harvest a Godly Family". A godly family starts with the fear of the Lord followed by lots of work and training. Godly children don't just happen, they must be turned out and trained. Then shall that man be blessed because he feared the Lord and guided his family. It was a great encouragement, reminder and motivation to me to keep working hard in training and teaching. It's NOT an easy job... but it will be worth it.

But for right now, Chad and the kids are outside splitting and stacking wood, but they are taking it easy and just enjoying their time together. I love that my husband loves to work and has the patience to teach our littles to work, too! I have brownies in the oven, laundry in the washer and am gearing up to peel and slice apples to dehydrate. Yes, indeed, we were given MORE apples this morning!! Our family loves dried apples so most of these will be snacks but a friend told me about making applesauce in the crockpot and I definitely have to try that!

The rest of our day will be full of prepping for church tomorrow, a baby shower (me), crafting (me), resting (exhausted hubby) and just enjoying our day together. We hope that you have a wonderful weekend and enjoy worshipping the Lord tomorrow... we sure will!

This and That

First of all, I've started at least two blog posts and have been interrupted from finishing! So here is a conglomeration under the guise of a specified, individual post.

Last Monday (it was last Monday at the time of the original composition, now it should be "the Monday before last") I pulled out my food dehydrator to make potato chips from a 5 gallon bucket given to us by our neighbors. How's that for a run-on sentence?! loaded it up and flipped the switch. Nothing happened. So I called customer service. After a 5-minute conversation, they were sending me a brand-new dehydrator! Now THAT is what I call service!

Remember all those apples we had? Here's what they turned into...

On Saturday we went down to Augusta so Chad could help his dad put in some windows for a friend. The kids and I spent the day with Gramma and a dear friend. We all had a good time! Sunday was a great day in the Lord's house followed by a coffee date for the hubby and I. :) Thanks to Tim for watching our kidlets!

This week has been the usual chores and "school". We switched curriculums... the ACE was a little advanced and I was adding quite a bit to make it fit the kids. I found this great curriculum for preschoolers. It contains enough activities to teach ABC's and numbers to a child from 2-4 years old! Caylyn absolutely LOVED this activity of putting stickers in each circle. She was quite meticulous about it and would pull a sticker off if it wasn't exactly in the circle.

The curriculum also includes these handy-dandy teaching tools for the days of the week, weather, and seasons. Having a small home, we have to make do for school. Lessons are taught at the kitchen table and these charts are hung on the end of the kitchen counter. Caylyn loves the rainbow and Trent likes the "water" (rain).

After outside play yesterday, I pulled all the kids shoes off and set them on the rug. The sight made me stop in my tracks. What a sight. To think that I've been entrusted with these three little lives (two my own children and one borrowed) to protect them, teach them and train them. What an honor and what a responsibility. I am constantly reflecting on the magnitude of raising godly children in this wicked, corrupt world. We are bombarded by suggestive images, cursing, rock music, and materialism. So for just a moment, I'll look at these little shoes and cherish the innocent little ones who wear them.