We have a guest!

Hey everyone! I'm super excited- we have another guest!!!!!! This time, it's Book Blogger from Life... The Way I See It! Thanks so much for doing this!! And the timing was just fine(;

Hello everyone! When Sophie asked me to guest post on her blog, I was really excited! Just to let you know, I'm not too good at this whole guest post thing, but I'll do my best. :)

This is me.

The horse's name is Pride, but he isn't mine. He's my friend's friend's horse. :)

I'm a cook, a musician, a writer, a read, and a lover of life and God.

I am attempting to write a novel (my second one!!!)....

...when I grow up I'm going to be a musician...

...I am majorly picky about spelling and grammar...

 

...I love, love, love my camera...

...and I love to bake.

Here is one of my favourite recipes, for Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cupcakes! 

Sorry about the pictures. I'm not much of a photographer. 

Here. I'll just get all the pictures over with first, and then you can scroll to the bottom for the recipe.

So, basically what you do, is make chocolate chip cookie dough into balls and freeze it overnight.
Here are mine.

Then you make cupcake batter, and stick the frozen balls into the batter.
Like so...

 Now bake them. Mmm....

Iced and sprinkled with chocolate chips....

The finished product. Doesn't that cookie dough in the middle look scrumptious?

For the cookie dough:
2 sticks softened butter (one stick is 1/4 of a cup)
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
4 tbsp milk
1 tbsp vanilla
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/4 tsp. salt
1 cup mini chocolate chips

For the cupcakes:
3 sticks softened butter
1 1/2 cups light brown sugar, packed
4 large eggs
2 2/3 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1 cup milk
2 tsp. vanilla extract

For the frosting:
3 sticks softened butter
3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
3 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
2 tbsp. milk
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Directions:

To make the cookie dough, combine the butter and sugars in a mixing bowl and cream on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 mins. Beat in milk and vanilla until incorporated and smooth. Beat in the flour and salt until just combined. Stir in the chocolate chips. Using a 1.5 tbsp scoop, shape the dough into balls or tubes. Freeze on a parchment lined baking sheet overnight.

To make the cupcakes, preheat the oven to 350° F. Line two cupcake pans with paper liners (24 total). In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the butter and brown sugar. Beat together on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Mix in the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.

Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. Stir together to blend. Add the dry ingredients to the mixer bowl on low speed, alternating with the milk, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients, mixing each addition just until incorporated. Blend in the vanilla.

Using a 3 tbsp scoop, fill the prepared cupcake liners 2/3 full with the cupcake batter. Place a frozen cookie dough ball on the top center of each cupcake.

Bake at 350 for 16-18 mins.

To make the frosting, combine the butter and brown sugar in a mixing bowl and cream on medium-high speed until light and fluffy. Beat in the powdered sugar until smooth. Beat in the salt, milk, and vanilla extract until smooth and combined.

Frost the cupcakes and sprinkle with mini chocolate chips!

Makes 24 cupcakes.

*   *   * 

Thanks again, Sophie! :-) 

AWESOME! Those cuppy-cakes look super yummy! I might just have to try them... 

And Book Blogger- Great job! Thanks SOOOO MUCH for doing this... I'm glad you did!

Well guys... I guess that's it! Thanks so much for reading!

Apple Spice Cookies!

I made these guys last night... Super yummy!!! 

They weren't ooey-gooey like some cookies are, 

but they were more soft and cakey, making them sort of different. 

I loved them and I think everyone else did as well(:

1 c. AP flour

1/4 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. nutmeg

1/4 tsp. cloves

1/4 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 c. unsalted butter

1/2 c. sugar

1 egg

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 c. unsweetened applesauce 

{I used some delicious homemade stuff my mom made!}

1/2 c. raisins 

{I used craisins as well as some walnuts.}

1. Heat oven to 375ºF

2. Sift flour, salt, and spices together.

3. Cream butter and sugar, add egg and vanilla extract.

4. Stir baking soda into applesauce and combine with creamed mixture.

5. Gradually mix in sifted dry ingredients, stir in nuts and raisins.

6. Drop by tablespoons full 2 or 3 inches apart on a parchment lined cookie sheet. Bake 12 minutes or until done. 

Beauty Tips {Audrey Hepburn Style!}

For attractive lips, speak words of kindness.

For lovely eyes, seek out the good in people.

For a slim figure, share your food with the hungry.

For beautiful hair, let a child run his or her fingers through it once a day.

For poise, walk with the knowledge you'll never walk alone.

People, even more than things, have to be restored, renewed, revived,  reclaimed, and redeemed; Never throw out anybody.

Remember, If you ever need a helping hand, you'll find one at the end of your arm.

As you grow older, you will discover that you have two hands, one for helping yourself, the other for helping others.


The beauty of a woman is not in the clothes she wears, the  figure that she carries, or the way she combs her hair. The beauty of a woman must be seen from in her eyes, because that is the doorway to her heart, the place where love resides.

The beauty of a woman is not in a facial mole, but true beauty in a woman is reflected in her soul. It is the caring that she lovingly gives, the passion that she shows, and the beauty of a woman with passing years only grows!

. 

"I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.

Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well."

Psalm 139:14

I found this on a blog a couple days ago and thought it was super cute...(:

Hope you found it encouraging!

♥

What's new in my life?!...

Well... I just realized I don't post much about me and my life- basically just about crafts, baking, and pictures... Boring, I know, for the people who aren't into that kind of stuff!

So what's new with me? 

Not tons... Since this last week was MEA for all of my public-school friends, I went to the Mall of America on Thursday with one of my besetst friends in the whole wide world, Gracie! And then Thursday night, I had a quizzing party sort of a thing which was fun, but I was super tired from shopping all day... It takes a lot out of ya! (;

Friday, I went on a nature walk and out to lunch at Subway with my friend "Kenz", my family, and my aunt and cousins. It would have been a super awesome opportunity to take pictures, but as I pulled out the camera, I saw that the camera was on low battery. :P
That night, my friend slept over and we watched Tangled {MY FAVORITE MOVIE EVERRRRRRRRR!} and caught up in life! It was super fun! After a long day, we decided to go to bed at like 10:45... Not super late for a sleepover, especially for a Friday night, but we {I} were tired!

Saturday, we had to wake up at about 8 for a raking thing we were doing for church. We probably went to about 5 different houses. We had a lot of people on our "team" so for the smaller yards, we were in and out pretty quick! After raking, we went to lunch at Leann Chin {all you can eat CHINESE FOOD for $5! Yummmm!} and then dropped my friend off at her house. I had a little down time until I babysat 5 {yes 5} kids at 5:15... 

Babysitting was fun! Taking care of 5 kids, on your own, you'd think would get a little hectic, but it wasn't to bad! At bed time, it did get a little crazy, and after like 15 minutes of them being tucked in, the youngest came up and said he was cold. I think I ended up going down there and piling blankets on him and turning on the fireplace 5 times before he actually fell asleep!

They had a new iPad and I watched The Office {MY FAVORITE SHOW!} on Netflix until I heard footsteps... again. This time, he said he couldn't fall asleep! I told him to try again but he said "sleeping is really hard!" So after awhile of talking, I brought him back downstairs, and he FINALLY went to sleep!

... Mission accomplished(; 

I earned a lot of money that night, so yesterday I ordered... TOMS! I'm super excited! Hopefully they'll be here by next week or so. I've wanted them for over a year so I've been waiting long enough! The cool thing about TOMS is that for every pair you buy, they give a pair to a child in need somewhere in the world!

Also, on Wednesday, a couple of girls from my youth group and I are going to lead worship! I'm SUPER EXCITED!!!!!!!! 

Last year, we did it a few times, but we only had a guitar and our voices. This week, we're going to have a keyboard, an electric guitar, and our beautiful voices of course! 

SO that's what's new in my life!

How about you?!

Featured Friend! {Pie News}

Hi everyone! So I was just featured at Baker's Corner a couple days ago, but I was also given the chance to have another friend be featured HERE! I'm super excited! Pie {her screen-name} has been one of my bestest friends since FOREVER! I love her and her blog so much! Thanks so much for doing this Pie!

My blog is a place where I can relay thoughts and my life, my friend's lives, and my family's lives. It is a place where I express myself and tell about the activities I do, the people I love, and the things that make me, me. I started writing this blog because it was the only thing that I could think of to do since I am not allowed to be on twitter, facebook, or pintrist. I have come to love blogging and I think it was, and is, the better choice.

Who am I you might ask. Well, I am Pie. That is who you will know me as.

Here is the link to my blog: http://pie-news.blogspot.com/

Here is my blog button: 

I love to read, play, hang-out with friends, email, blog ☻, watch good movies, hang-out with family, go to ROCK, read the Bible (I am a christian), play outside, etc. I love life and value it. I also love to make these little faces and heart. ☺ ☻ ♥ :) :-) :P :D

One of my favorite Bible verses is: Romans 8:28 - "For ALL things work together for the good of those who love the Lord..."

Love You All,
-Pie ♥
Alright! Well thanks so much for doing this Pie {I keep having to stop myself from saying your real name!}!!When you get a chance, please check out her blog... It's awesome!(:I hope you all enjoyed this! 

Whatdya know? More pictures!

IT'S RANDOM PICTURE TIME!!!!!!

{Me and my friend Amanda at Stillwater's Homecoming game a few weeks ago... 

We got pretty dressed up in

our colors! Go Ponies!}

       {Me and Amanda... Again.}

{Me sipping my latte at a Caribou Up-North.}

{Dutchess!}

{Mikayla, Amanda, and me at a church "barn dance"...}

Pictures Part 1: Dutchess

Today, I decided to get out the camera because I haven't really in awhile... 

The reason I'm splitting it up in parts is because I took A LOT! 

...Some of my dogs {Duke and Dutchess] and some of outside because the sky 

looked so pretty since it's going to storm...

My dogs LOVE when I take pictures of them! When I get the camera out, and they see it,

they stop what they're doing to "pose"! It's so cute!(: 

Well! I hope you enjoy! 

{Next, I'll post some of my other doggy, and then some of the ones I took outside...}

P.S. None of these pictures are edited!

{I love this one! That's her "Baby"... It used to be mine when I was little

but when we got Dutchess, she found it and kept it for herself!}

{My favorite!}