If The Creek Don't Rise: November 2015

Friday, November 27, 2015

Yum Yum Cake!!

Don't you love it when you think you've had every dessert under the sun ....

and along comes a new cake!

People!

What is the point of living if you don't have these earth shattering occurrences every now & again?!

Can I get an amen?!

Alright ... all kidding aside.

{This cake is really great though!}

Trust me on this one.

My mother-n-law (who is an excellent cook btw) shared this old favorite of hers in a church cookbook ...

and her sweet sister made it recently & brought it to our pastor appreciation dinner.

It was there that I first tasted this cake, very aptly named YUM YUM CAKE!

I made this for Thanksgiving & posted a picture of it on FB and immediately had requests for the recipe.

And, of course, I'll gladly share this Yum Yum Cake recipe!

Yum Yum Cake

2 cups sugar
2 cups flour
2 eggs
2 tsp. baking soda
1 20 oz. can crushed pineapple with the juice

Icing:

1 cup sugar
1 stick butter
2 cups coconut
1 cup chopped pecans
2/3 cup evaporated milk

Mix sugar, eggs, & baking soda with electric mixer.
Add in flour & pineapple & mix until just incorporated.
Bake on 350 for 30 minutes in 9x13 pan that's been sprayed with cooking spray.

Icing:
Heat butter & milk.
Boil for 2 minutes, stirring constantly & remove from heat
Add in coconut & pecans.
Pour over cake while it's still hot.

*best when made a day ahead of time
**does not need refrigeration

If you haven't had this cake, do yourself & everyone else you love a favor & make it ...
especially if you are a coconut fan!
It does not disappoint!

Happy Black Friday from me!

Who doesn't love a good party?!
You can find me here linking up with these great blogs.
Monday           Amaze Me Monday Coastal Charm The Dedicated House
   I Should Be Mopping the Floor The Hankful House The Modest Mom
Tuesday    A Delightsome Life    A Bowl Full of Lemons
Titus Tuesday A Stroll Through Life
Wednesday Raising Homemakers       Savvy Southern Style
                      The Thrifty Home   A Wise Woman Builds Her Home
Thursday Between Naps on the Porch    Katherines Corner 3D Lessons for Life
   Hope in Every Season    Lamberts Lately
Friday    Rooted in Thyme The Thrifty Groove   Farm Blog Hop   Flea Market Friday Missional Women
Best of the Nest Anything Blue Friday French Country Cottage The Girl Creative
Sunday Nifty Thrifty Things Simple Saturdays Sew Many Ways

Wednesday, November 25, 2015

Wall of Gratitude + November Fun at FLA

Our goal at Family Life Assembly for the whole month of November was to saturate our hearts

through & through with Thanksgiving & Gratitude!

We are a blessed church, a blessed people, a blessed nation ... to it's all because of the great God we serve.

We want to be the 'one' who returns back to Jesus to say THANK YOU!

From the time James & I became parents almost 21 years ago,

we determined that that we'd do our best to teach our sons the true meaning of each holiday.

Thanksgiving is James' favorite one ... coupled with the fact that it's truly SO much more than just a day to get together and eat turkey, we chose to maximize on this particular holiday.

Having a thankful heart & an attitude of gratitude has weighty benefits,

so it's been a win-win to focus big on the month of November.

Now that we pastor, we wanted to share this mindset with our congregation.

So November is always a fun month at FLA, to say the least.

This year, the star attraction was our WALL OF GRATITUDE!

I had a vision of this wall for a couple of years, but this year, the timing was right!

We have watched this wall fill up each Sunday as our sweet people share what they are thankful for.

And we are doing something special with all the notes next Sunday.

I'll share that with you next week.

Here it is making it's debut on Nov. 1!

Nov. 8

Nov. 15

I'll snap a picture next Sunday before church.

Then we will move to part two with our Wall of Gratitude!

Last Sunday, James and I expressed our gratitude to every family that attends FLA

with our 3rd annual congregation appreciation!

During this service, we take time to give thanks to each individual family

for all that they do to make FLA successful!

Our whole service revolves around that.

There are so many people who serve God selflessly at FLA

& they deserve to know how much we truly appreciate them!

For the past two years, I've baked & given each family sweet treats {pies, breads} just as a

small token to show our appreciation.

This year however, I've been dealing with some physical issues & wasn't sure I had it in me.

So, I decided to order cookies from my sweet daughter-n-law Abigail's home bakery.

I shared with her my idea for a cookie bouquet & she got busy!

Aren't these just adorable?

I'll share more about them on another post.

Another wonderful display we've learned from was designed by Aleisa.

At the end of October, James taught about Reformation & shared some of the significant historical

events from the time of the Reformation up to current times.

He talked about the 1st settlers coming to America & the importance of the Mayflower Compact.

'In the Name of God, Amen.'

She took that statement & made this beautiful timeline.

We have several homeschooling families, so this was a neat addition to use for this month.

Knowing church history is so important.

She tea-stained the banner paper & burnt the edges to give it this aged look.

We have loved having this display!

Thank you, Aleisa!

Also, I wanted to share a few more pics showing how pretty the church/fellowship center

has looked all month long!

It was decorated for Pastor Appreciation & has been a festive delight for all of us to enjoy each Sunday.

We can't say thank you enough to Tammy for her creativity & generosity!

Once again, she transformed our fellowship center into such a pretty place!

The checked cloth was my absolutely favorite!

These wood servers were the perfect place for delicious desserts to sit!

I wanted to share our month of November with you & hope that you've enjoyed it.

We pray that your Thanksgiving is abundantly blessed & your heart of gratitude continues to grow!

It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, & a stranger into a friend.

Who doesn't love a good party?!
You can find me here linking up with these great blogs.

Monday           Amaze Me Monday Coastal Charm The Dedicated House
   I Should Be Mopping the Floor The Hankful House The Modest Mom
Tuesday    A Delightsome Life    A Bowl Full of Lemons
Titus Tuesday A Stroll Through Life
Wednesday Raising Homemakers       Savvy Southern Style
                      The Thrifty Home   A Wise Woman Builds Her Home
Thursday Between Naps on the Porch    Katherines Corner 3D Lessons for Life
   Hope in Every Season    Lamberts Lately
Friday    Rooted in Thyme The Thrifty Groove   Farm Blog Hop   Flea Market Friday Missional Women
Best of the Nest Anything Blue Friday French Country Cottage The Girl Creative
Sunday Nifty Thrifty Things Simple Saturdays Sew Many Ways

Monday, November 23, 2015

Charlie Brown Party + homemade oatmeal cream pies!

A homemade oatmeal cream pie

(or an amish oatmeal whoopie pie)

(whatever you want to call it is ok by me)

+ a towering stack of other sweets

+ a Peanuts movie ...

and you've got yourself a grown up Charlie Brown party!

It's tradition for our family to watch Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown together.

And it's also tradition for me to make some sweets for the occasion.

This year, I decided to try and duplicate a delectable treat that I had in July

on our anniversary trip to Amish country.

After researching lots of recipes, I decided on a couple & these little lovelies were the outcome!

I wouldn't say that I will stick with this recipe combo 100%, but it was certainly a good start!

These were delicious!

The one that I'm trying to recreate had a bit more of a spice to the cookie

& I think I want a 'less sweet' filling.

Or maybe if I get the cookie spiced just right, the filling will be ok just like it is.

You can guarantee that I'll try again til I get it right.

(And when I do, I'll share the recipe.)

There wasn't a single complaint though ... in fact, just the opposite.

Everyone thought they were amazing!

Every single year, I always make chocolate chip cookies for this special family night.

This year, I decided to use these espresso chips in place of the traditional chocolate chips.

And boy oh boy, it was a yummy substitution!

And for the last sweet treat, I decided on these pumpkin chip blondies!

I followed the recipe on the back of the Tollehouse bag.

They were very soft & tasty.

For our meal, we had a summer sausage & cheese appetizer...

& a big kettle of cheesy potato soup, lots of toppings & fixings, & buttery garlic bread!

And what's a party without some fun grape & orange bottled sodas?!

It's hard for me to resist seasonal paper products.

That's why these straws & little bowls had to come home with me.

To end the night, everyone took home their 'tricks or treats'.

Each little bag had lots of Snickers, Twix, M&Ms,

& an oatmeal cream pie.

(No rocks ;) )

My mom gave me these vintage paper sacks.

She'd had a unopened package of these for maybe 30 years or so!

They were the perfect size for the oatmeal cream pie.

I love, love making a fun evening like this for my kids!

And even though they are grown, they like it just as much as they did when they were small.

And who am I kidding, I get just as much as a kick out of it as anyone!!

(Hard to believe that it's days away from Thanksgiving!

I wanted to go ahead & share this post anyway even though it's a bit late.)

Hope you all have thoroughly enjoyed autumn this year!

It's been perfect weather here & one of the prettiest fall seasons I remember in a while.

Blessings to you all~

Who doesn't love a good party?!
You can find me here linking up with these great blogs.

Monday           Amaze Me Monday Coastal Charm The Dedicated House
   I Should Be Mopping the Floor The Hankful House The Modest Mom
Tuesday    A Delightsome Life    A Bowl Full of Lemons
Titus Tuesday A Stroll Through Life
Wednesday Raising Homemakers       Savvy Southern Style
                      The Thrifty Home   A Wise Woman Builds Her Home
Thursday Between Naps on the Porch    Katherines Corner 3D Lessons for Life
   Hope in Every Season    Lamberts Lately
Friday    Rooted in Thyme The Thrifty Groove   Farm Blog Hop   Flea Market Friday Missional Women
Best of the Nest Anything Blue Friday French Country Cottage The Girl Creative
Sunday Nifty Thrifty Things Simple Saturdays Sew Many Ways

Thursday, November 5, 2015

Do What's RIGHT!

Crock Pot Buffalo Chicken Sandwiches

I am a buffalo chicken anything fan!
I love the zesty flavor.
It's spicy but not so much that you can't enjoy it.

And ranch ... what's not to love about ranch.
Pair those things together & you've got yourself a win-win situation!

We have a fellowship meal at our church each Sunday & that's where I had my first
crock pot buffalo chicken sandwich.
Our family thoroughly enjoyed this chicken so I had to get the recipe to make it here at home.
Found out it's ridiculously easy so I had to share here on the blog.
.

Place 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts in the crock pot & toss in the remaining ingredients:
2 Tbsp. butter, 1 packet of dry ranch, & 1 bottle of buffalo sauce (give or take).

Cook on low for 4-6 hours.
The chicken will be completely tender & you can shred it right in the pot with a couple forks.

Pile chicken on a bun & enjoy!
(Got so excited to eat the sandwich that I forgot to snap a pic.)

Easy recipes such as this can quickly make their way to the top of the menu.
And during the colder seasons, this hot sauce will make you all warm inside.
That's a bonus ;)

*You can top with blue cheese crumbles or dressing, shredded lettuce, or cheese.
Or you can even place in a tortilla & it as a wrap.

Ingredients:
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 Tbsp. butter
1 packet dry ranch dressing
1 bottle buffalo hot sauce
8-10 burger buns

Directions:
Place chicken in crock pot.
Place all other ingredients over top of the chicken.
Cook on low for 4-6 hours.
Shred chicken & serve on bun.

Who doesn't love a good party?!
You can find me here linking up with these great blogs.
Monday           Amaze Me Monday Coastal Charm The Dedicated House
   I Should Be Mopping the Floor The Hankful House The Modest Mom
Tuesday    A Delightsome Life    A Bowl Full of Lemons
Titus Tuesday A Stroll Through Life
Wednesday Raising Homemakers       Savvy Southern Style
                      The Thrifty Home   A Wise Woman Builds Her Home
Thursday Between Naps on the Porch    Katherines Corner 3D Lessons for Life
   Hope in Every Season    Lamberts Lately
Friday    Rooted in Thyme The Thrifty Groove   Farm Blog Hop Missional Women
Best of the Nest Anything Blue Friday French Country Cottage The Girl Creative
Sunday Nifty Thrifty Things Simple Saturdays Sew Many Ways

Tuesday, November 3, 2015

Green Door No More!

I doubt I've even told you about my green door.
A prime example of my blogging style.
Good intentions ...

A couple springs ago, I decided that I didn't want a plain Jane white pantry door anymore.
Why have white when you can have color, right?

I investigated and found a paint treatment that I wanted to try & with a few quick coats of paint ...
and some strategically placed smears of Vaseline, I had a pretty cool distressed pantry door!
And what character it added to my kitchen for a couple of years.

But alas, the winds of change often blow around here ... & guess what I decided I wanted again?

You guessed it ... a plain Jane white pantry door ;)
Oh boy.
So I guess, in a sense, my before & after picture are the same ... only separated by a couple of years.

As you can tell from the above pic, my kitchen cabinets have gotten a wonderful face lift too
& I'll show those to you in a few days.
This was just a lil' sneak peek.
We need to change out the doorknob to match the new cabinet hardware, which I am in love with.

(We also painted our living room & installed a hardwood floor, & painted the dining room
back in the spring but I still haven't gotten around to sharing those things.
I'm a pokey puppy.)

Who doesn't love a good party?!
You can find me here linking up with these great blogs.
Monday           Amaze Me Monday Coastal Charm The Dedicated House
   I Should Be Mopping the Floor The Hankful House The Modest Mom
Tuesday    A Delightsome Life    A Bowl Full of Lemons
Titus Tuesday A Stroll Through Life
Wednesday Raising Homemakers       Savvy Southern Style
                      The Thrifty Home   A Wise Woman Builds Her Home
Thursday Between Naps on the Porch    Katherines Corner 3D Lessons for Life
   Hope in Every Season    Lamberts Lately
Friday    Rooted in Thyme The Thrifty Groove   Farm Blog Hop Missional Women
Best of the Nest Anything Blue Friday French Country Cottage The Girl Creative
Sunday Nifty Thrifty Things Simple Saturdays Sew Many Ways

Pastor Appreciation Service || October 25, 2015

Our congregation manages to completely surprise James & me each year!

I'm not sure how they do ... nor do I know how they top the festivities from the previous year, but they do.

'Over the top' in every sense of the phrase.

The best way to describe whole concept of a Pastor Appreciation service ...

well, to us, it feels like we have pulled up at a gas station

& someone has pumped into our tank until it is overflowing!

Our hearts feel like they can't hold one more sweet thing ...

from the kind words shared, the tributes, the stories, the hugs & handshakes, the dinner, & the gifts.

Our cup truly overflows.

It is from the strength that only comes from the Lord, combined with the love & encouragement

from our precious flock that we fill up our store house for the days, months, & weeks to come.

For another year, we are able to draw from the reserve, cherishing the memories stored up from this day.

We recall the loving words & know that we are being prayed for every step of the way.

There aren't words enough to say thanks.

Here are a few pictures for you to enjoy and share in our day!

(A big thanks to all the ones who took pics & shared them with me!)

(Otherwise, we wouldn't be seeing this blog!)

The special table for James & me was SO pretty!

Tammy, a sweet & talented lady in our church, does an amazing job.

So much attention to detail.

This is drool-worthy, isn't it?!

I wish I had a pic before the serving utensils were in, but there was so much fun & excitement

that it's hard to remember to snap pics!

The hot caramel apple cider was a dessert unto itself!

And the decorated cups made it taste even better ;)

What a beautiful bowl of punch!

This cake was my favorite of the day ... a new one that I'd never had before.

It's called Yum Yum Cake (I think) and the name describes it perfectly.

It has all the components that I LOVE in a cake & I know I'll be making this one during the holidays.

Take a look at all those yummy toppings ... coconut, pecans, & sticky sweet glaze ... Yum Yum!

This salad was another treat ... sometimes one certain thing just hits the spot, ya know?

And could there be a prettier lasagna?

I think not.

And it tasted as good as it looked.

The head of the table looked gorgeous too ... again, from the brilliant mind of Ms. Tammy.

We indeed had an Italian feast ... every pasta dish imaginable,

lots of garlicky breads to choose from, salad, & desserts.

The ladies of FLA (and our sweet family that traveled up to completely surprise us)

can cook like nobodies business!

All the Penningtons went through the line together & enjoyed fellowship during the meal.

It was such a treat to spend time with family that we don't get to see nearly as often as we'd like.

And especially at our church.

FLA is our heartbeat & to have family here on this special day to celebrate that with us ...

there's no way to share how much that means to us.

The support of family is invaluable.

I can hardly look through these pictures still without getting a lump in my throat.

What a joyful day.

I LOVE LOVE this picture of our family!

So, one more BIG THANK YOU to the congregation of FLA.

You'll never know how impacted we were with this specific day.

We will never ever forget your thoughtfulness towards us & we love you all more than we can express.

God bless you abundantly <3

Who doesn't love a good party?!
You can find me here linking up with these great blogs.

Monday           Amaze Me Monday Coastal Charm The Dedicated House
   I Should Be Mopping the Floor The Hankful House The Modest Mom
Tuesday    A Delightsome Life    A Bowl Full of Lemons
Titus Tuesday A Stroll Through Life
Wednesday Raising Homemakers       Savvy Southern Style
                      The Thrifty Home   A Wise Woman Builds Her Home
Thursday Between Naps on the Porch    Katherines Corner 3D Lessons for Life
   Hope in Every Season    Lamberts Lately
Friday    Rooted in Thyme The Thrifty Groove   Farm Blog Hop Missional Women
Best of the Nest Anything Blue Friday French Country Cottage The Girl Creative
Sunday Nifty Thrifty Things Simple Saturdays Sew Many Ways

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