Young Ladies' Christmas Party!

We had a wonderful time at the single girls' Christmas party! Our time included decorating gingerbread houses, singing, a gift exchange, fellowship, games, and a Christmas movie. It was so fun being with this group of young ladies! It was such a blessing being able to host it this year!

I'd never actually made a gingerbread house without a kit . . . so I was kinda skeptical that I could actually make them stay together. But they worked, and it was a LOT of fun!

Merry Christmas!

A Few Pictures From My Trip

  I realize that I haven't posted in over a week. Again. It's happened a few too many times this year, but this year has been . . . a lot different. Anyways, I just returned home from a road trip to Kentucky and Ohio.
     Miriam and I were judges at the National Bible Bee Competition held at the Ark Encounter in Kentucky, and since we were so close to Ohio, we got to spend some time with Hosanna!
   I didn't get many pictures, but here's what I got.

For a girl from a very rural area, these cities take my breath away. This was the view from one of our hotel windows, and at night, it was all lit up and reflecting on the Ohio river. It was SO beautiful!!! But after driving on their roads, I'm more than happy to be returned to the country!

And the view out my other window.

The hotel we were staying at was attached to the convention center where the preliminary testing for the Bible Bee Competition took place. This gazebo is actually inside the hotel lobby.

It was fun to see the Christmas decorations everywhere! 

This is the view of the lobby and gazebo from the 11th floor where we were staying.

We took Dad and Mom to the Air Force Museum one day, and while we really had to run through it and didn't have much time, it was awesome to see again! If you're ever in Dayton, Ohio, plan a day or two to see this place!

This is one of the presidential Air Force One planes.

And we got to spend a little bit of time with Hosanna!!!!

I'm super glad I got to work with Miriam during the competition. It made it so much more fun.

And the awesome group we got to judge with! As mostly alumni of the Bible Bee Competition, it was a lot of fun to compare stories, and share memories.

The finals, were held at the Ark Encounter Convention Center, so we got to see the Ark!! I'd never been, and it was TOTALLY worth the time! If you're ever in Kentucky, be sure to hit the Ark Encounter, and the Creation Museum, they were both really awesome! I really appreciated how they took something that many make fun of, like the Ark, and show how it was completely possible. The Bible is always right!

And on the way home, we stopped at a Steak and Shake. I'd never been to one, so it was a fun experience. I got the Eggnog shake, and while I'm not usually a huge fan of Eggnog, it was very good and put me in a Christmas mood. :)

Book In Progress

  So, it's been almost a year since The Fudged Up Murder was released, and for those of you who follow my books, you're probably expecting a book in the next few weeks. Well, I hate to disappoint, but this is going to be the first time that I've gone over a year in publishing a book since my first book was published when I was 17. But don't worry! I am working on something . . .
     
        I'm not quite ready to release the cover and title of my book-in-progress, but I'm ready to give some information.It's my first historical fiction, and was originally set in Jamestown in the 1640s, but after many re-writes and plot changes, it covers a lot more than just Jamestown, although it is still set in the 1640s.
   I actually wrote this book before I wrote the Ty Carson series, but I just wasn't totally happy with it. It was originally written as a trilogy, and I put them on back burner to work on Ty Carson, and then The Fudged Up Murder. Off and on, over the last few years I've worked on it, but it wasn't until about a year ago that I combined the three books into one. And that's when I started to work with it more. I'm super excited about this one! The historical aspect has been challenging for me, but I've learned a lot through the process, and am hoping to do more historical at some point in the future.
    When is it going to be published? My goal, is to have it published by March 1st, but right now, it's a tentative goal. And now . . . for a synopsis of my book in progress . . .

A father’s debt . . .
    A brother’s failure . . . 
        And the wrong sister . . .

Lord DeWillt already had everything. Everything but his name. And he’s back for that. On the run, and fighting painful memories, James Wakefield doesn’t know where to turn. Is it possible that freedom can offer peace?
     George Wakefield knows the life of cultured England, but in the wilderness of the Americas, finding answers to DeWillt’s pursuit seems impossible.
       Can years of deceit and pain bring the Wakefield brothers together? Or will it just distance them more? Can they find freedom in Christ while captives? Can God’s freedom shine in even the darkest of nights?
Can two brothers be united after years of betrayal?

Hot Chocolate Floats

I'd never heard of a hot chocolate float until this past week, but after experimenting with them, I think I've found a new favorite!

Basically, it's just hot chocolate with ice cream, so as you're drinking, you get a hot and cold mix and it's AMAZING!!!!

Hot Drinks!

So, I ran across this post from two years ago, and it's still true! I still love making coffee drinks. I tried the Maple latte this year, and a Snicker Mocha. Soon, I'm going to start experimenting with eggnog . . . Do you like eggnog? If so, what is your favorite type/flavor/recipe?

Wednesday, November 15, 2017

Four Fall Lattes!

When I'm stressed out, and under a lot of pressure, I can act kind of weird. . .  I know that some of you are probably thinking right now, 'She must ALWAYS bu under a lot of pressure and stress, cause she's always weird!' and you're probably right. For me, when I have a list of deadlines, and feel like crawling into a hole and hiding for a year, the best way to relax, is to make something in the kitchen. Of course, we have to be careful with the 'things' we go to when we're stressed. The only thing that can really help us, is spending time with Jesus, and HE should be the one we go to. Not books, not food, not movies, not people, we should go to Jesus. That being said, sometimes, I have the greatest conversations with Him while I'm working in the kitchen. Making something for other people's enjoyment helps me take my mind off of me, and focus on Christ, and serving others. This fall has been an especially crazy time for me, and since I hadn't been able to bake or experiment in the kitchen all summer, I've taken full advantage of this fall in the kitchen!

My latest 'creations' have been fall flavored lattes!

You've already seen the pictures of the Pumpkin Spice Latte.

But then there was the Apple Cider Latte. This one was good when it was fresh and still hot, but as it cooled slightly, the apple cider curdled the milk a little. Of course, it was still good, (I mean it had coffee in it!) but of the ones I've made, this one was definitely my least favorite. I didn't use any one recipe for a lot of the lattes. I kind of merged a few recipes and threw in my own twists, but this one had apple cider, milk, coffee, brown sugar, and vanilla. It didn't taste the greatest to start with, so we added some cinnamon and caramel and that did the trick!

The Caramel Latte was one of my favorites. You can't go wrong with caramel, milk and coffee! I also added a bit of vanilla and brown sugar. Then we topped it with whipped cream and more caramel.

This is my attempt at a Turtle Mocha Latte. Although it doesn't look the nicest, it tasted great! Not quite like one you'd get in a coffee shop, but close. I'll have to try making this one again and see if I can get it any closer to the taste I was looking for.

Basically, most of the recipes are 1 cup of strong coffee, to 2 cups of milk, then you add whatever flavor you're trying to get, and sugar to taste.

What is your favorite latte/coffee drink? I'm hoping to try making a few more, and I'd love some ideas! Till next time, this is Priscilla J. Krahn, reminding you to stay thankful in EVERYTHING, and enjoy the small moments of life.

Photo inspired by The Fudged Up Murder

So, if you've read The Fudged Up Murder, you probably don't look at fudge the same way! In fact . . . you might even get the urge to pose for a picture! :) :) :)

(Photo used with permission)

The Dog Fight Within

  An old Indian Chief had two dogs. A large grey one, and a large white one. Every week, he'd hold a dog fight, and tell people which dog would win. People came from all around to watch and see if he was right, and every week, he was right. Whichever dog he predicted would win, it won.
    One day, after watching these fights for many months, an old preacher approached the chief and begged to be told how the chief did it. "Every week, you're right! Yet they are the same dogs. How do you know which one will win?"
    The chief responded. "It's easy. Whichever dog I feed that week, is the one that wins."
    The preacher was amazed at the simplicity of the chief's knowledge, but also with it's spiritual significance. "Do you know why you can't seem to win the battle of following Christ?" he asked.
   The chief shrugged. "I don't know why. I fight, but never seem to win."
   "It's because, my friend, you're feeding the wrong dog." The preacher pointed at the dogs. "You have two dogs inside of you. One is the old man full of anger, greed, self-pity, guilt, resentment, lies, and sin. The other, is the new man God wants you to be. With love, joy, peace, longsuffering,gentleness, goodness, faith and truth. If you feed the old man, the flesh will win, but if you feed yourself on the things of God, the spirit will win. Whichever dog you feed, will win."
 

   I'm not sure where the origin of this story is . . . I've heard it in multiple different ways as a sermon illustration, and at campfire services, but every time I hear it, it gets me thinking. So often, we get discouraged, and focused on the pain, despair, and heartache. And we feel like the pain will beat us. But don't let it. Don't feed the old man by allowing it to dwell on wrong things.
   Instead, feed the new man in Christ. Give thanks for everything. Rejoice. Cast your care on Him, Wait on Him, and look to Him. We can't expect to overcome the problems of our flesh, when we feed the desires of stewing, complaining, and hopelessness. It's only when we feed ourselves the truth of God, that the spirit can beat the flesh. The flesh wars against the spirit and the spirit against the flesh and these are contrary the one to the other! But TASTE and see that the Lord IS GOOD!!!!

The menu . . .

 So, you know we sell Pogo's/Corn dogs, but what other kinds of things do we sell in our food area?

Well, that's our menu board! And on the back of it, there's a marker board that we use to jot down notes, quotes, or doodling. :)

And with all the crazy weather we've been having, I've gotten to see some pretty neat rainbows!

A few pics . . .

I used to hate the fall. . . it meant it was getting colder, and winter was coming, and all the crazy busy maze season, and I've never really cared for the fall colors, or pumpkin spice, or anything that has to do with fall . . . but these past few years have made me a lot more nostalgic. 

Now, I'm learning to LOVE the fall! First, it means Christmas is COMING!!!! :) And I've developed a tolerance/appreciation for all the fall things. I've even learned to like a bit of the Pumpkin spice rage. 

Above all, I've learned to like the memories we make in the fall. 

Dad's birthday is in October, and so is his favorite hunting season!! He took some of the grandkids goose/duck hunting for his birthday. I love listening to the kids telling about the things they saw on the hunt, and how excited they get about the smallest things.

The maze is going in full swing, and I'm SO thankful for the help I have in the food area!!!! I couldn't do it without these wonderful people! We miss you, Krystal!!!

I found this in my photo roll on my phone. As fall closes, and winter hits, a lot of people struggle with depression. As the days shorten, we don't feel like being thankful. It's easy to forget that God is good. It's easy to think about ourselves and all of our problems. But don't let the colder weather stop you from focusing on God! He's commanded us to be THANKFUL!! And to Rejoice!! Sometimes, life seems so hard. So bleak. So hopeless. But don't forget that God is still the victor in the valleys. He hasn't lost a battle yet, and if you're losing a battle, perhaps it's because you're doing too much of your own fighting. Let go, and let God take the wheel.

Here's a flashback from around nine years ago!

Before Hosanna left, she planted some flowers, and they're just now blooming! Despite all the freezing weather, and the 8 inches of rain, these flowers are blooming!!

We took some of the kids to the maze the other day (BEFORE all the rain) to water the flowers. Here we are in Paul Bunyan's chair.

And a flashback from camp! It's not every day you get to tie up the camp director! Don't worry, it was part of a game and we let him lose afterwards. :) :)

On another note, I pulled out my laptop after a summer with no writing and editing, and started again. It feels REALLY good to be back on the keyboard. It's been a strange fall for me . . . adjusting to life without my roommate and sister of 22 years . . . all the rain . . . the maze . . . and a large amount of strange events. But through it all, God has been so good. I've been learning just how important it is to choose to glorify God and be thankful. It's far too easy to dwell in the dark valley's of the past, or our mind, or current trials, instead of choosing to lift up our eyes unto the hills from whence cometh our help. But no matter what the struggles are that we face, God commands us to rejoice and to give thanks. The more we focus on our problems, and how we feel, the smaller God seems, and the more we hurt. But when we take our eyes and put them on God, and choose to glorify Him, we realize just how small we really are, and the joy of the Lord can be our strength.

Until next time, this is Priscilla J. Krahn reminding you to choose to do the right thing. Even when it's hard. Especially when it's hard.