Flower Pot Treats

Today is my eldest son's 10th birthday. 10. That means he was born 10 years ago and is now in fourth grade. There's nothing like your baby boy entering double digits to make you feel old. So - in my attempt to keep him my little boy, I made the world's best treats for him to share at school (you can quote me on the worlds best part, but it's possible that I'm biased).

Because they got so many wonderful comments from kids, teachers, family and other random people who saw them, I wanted to share the recipe here on my blog so that you can make your child the world's best treats too. :)

Disclaimer: They are the worlds best in taste, not nutrition. 

So without further ado, the recipe for Flower Pot Treats:

Ingredients:
1 cup butter
16 oz of cream cheese
1 cup confectioners sugar
4 3.5 oz packages of instant chocolate pudding
7 cups of milk
1 16 oz container of whipped topping
2 packages of Oreo cookies
2 bags of gummy worms
2 bags of gummy slugs
28 flowers for decoration (I used flower rings from the King Sooper's bakery - they charged me $1.25 for 25 rings)

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, cream the first 3 ingredients together (butter, cream cheese, and confectioners sugar). 
2. Add in the pudding mix and milk, mixing well (it should start to set up on its own). 
3. Stir in the whipped topping.
4. In your food processor (or a large ziplock bag with a hammer) crush the first package of Oreo cookies to make them look like dirt.
5. Set out 28 6-9 oz cups (or just use a 9 x 13 casserole dish if you don't need individual servings) and place a spoonful of the Oreo crumbs in the bottom of each.
6. On top of the Oreo crumbs (A.K.A. dirt), place one gummy worm in each cup.
7. Next, fill the cups 1/2 way full of the pudding mixture (or mud), drop two slugs into each cup and drape a gummy worm up the side and over the edge and then distribute the remainder of the pudding equally between all of the cups. (Note: if you're making these in advance, you can cover and refrigerate them at this point and finish making them an hour or two before serving.)
8. Crush the remaining package of Oreo cookies and sprinkle on top of the pudding in each cup.
9. Top each "flower pot" with two slugs and and a flower.

Voila. You have the best treats ever. Go ahead, give yourself a pat on the back, you're a great mom! :)

(I bought extra gummys to use on top of the cake for home and tie it all together)

Book Review: Over the Edge

It's my mom's birthday today! Happy birthday, Mom!


I've been devouring fiction books recently, and I was totally excited when I heard about the opportunity to review Mary Connealy's book, "Over the Edge." It's the third book in her Kincaid Brides series, but the first book of hers that I have ever read. Before I get onto my review, I'll give you a quick breakdown of the book:

Is it possible to sell one's soul to the devil without remembering, or even being aware? Seth Kincaid believes so, and that's probably why he's forgotten that he was married to the beautiful Callie Kincaid. What's their story and will his spit-fire wife ever be able to forgive him for abandoning her? You'd have to read the book to find out.


As I said, this is the first of Mary Connealy's books that I've read, so maybe it would have been better to read the others first as this is the third in this series, but to me it came across to me as crazy, crazy and more crazy. Crazy people being mad at other crazy people for being crazy... kind of crazy in my opinion. It was still a quick read, and it was pretty easy to get into - it was just pretty crazy. There might have been a few sane people tucked away in the beginning pages, but none of them stuck around. Like I said, it probably makes more sense to those who read the previous books and knew the characters better. I might even see if I can find any of the previous books in the series at the library to read, but I wouldn't spend any money on them.
 
As mentioned above, I received this book free in exchange for an honest review from Litfuse Publicity. You can read what other bloggers thought of this book by visiting their tour page for "Over the Edge" at the following link: http://litfusegroup.com/blogtours/13525530/overtheedge 


About the Author:


Mary Connealy writes fun and lively "romantic comedy with cowboys" for the inspirational market. She is the author of the successful Lassoed in Texas, Montana Marriages, and Sophie's Daughters series, and her novel Calico Canyon was nominated for a Christy Award. She lives on a ranch in eastern Nebraska with her husband, Ivan, and has four grown daughters.


Visit her on her Web site maryconnealy.com

Celebrate with Mary by entering to win a Nook Color with GlowLight!

One winner will receive:

• A Nook Color with GlowLight
• The entire set of Mary Connealy's The Kincaid Brides series

Enter today by clicking one of the icons below. But hurry, the giveaway ends on August 28th. Winner will be announced at the "Over the Edge" Author Chat Facebook Party on 8/29. Meet Mary, get a sneak peek of her next book, try your hand at a trivia contest, and more. There will also be gift certificates, books and a Book Club Prize Pack to be won (10 copies for your book club or small group.)!

So grab your copy of Over the Edge and join Mary on the evening of the August 29th for a chance to connect with her and make some new friends. (If you haven't read the book - don't let that stop you from coming!)

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 29th!

The Genealogy of Christ

In other words, it is not the natural children who are God’s children, but it is the children of the promise who are regarded as Abraham’s offspring. 

~ Romans 9:8

I have always wanted to do a Bible study about the ancestors of Jesus. While I've never really been into ancestry, the Bible places a huge emphasis on it, so I thought it would be worth while. Well, this morning I finally got the chance to start. And after pouring over my Bible for an hour, I finally gave up for the day somewhere in the book of Samuel looking for the offspring of David. 

But as I sat there looking at it all and wondering why it was so important, I remembered the above verse from Romans. You see, the natural line of Jesus' ancestry ended with Him (despite what the DaVinci Code would lead us to believe). But the verse in Romans gives us hope. It's no longer the natural that matters, but the promise that we received from Christ. Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— John 1:12

We are the children that God raised up for Abraham (Matt. 3:9). I'll probably still finish my study as it has always amazed me how God could use the worst of sinners to accomplish His will, and that no matter how much His ancestors screwed up or sinned, Jesus was still perfect. But I'll do it knowing that they are my ancestors as well. For I am a child of the promise, and I'm very thankful for that.

I'm linking up with Thankful Thursday this week 

which is being hosted by Iris from Grace Alone