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.

Do you know what a Pogo is?

  This past week, we had a school group from Canada come to the maze, and we had the hot food concessions open for them to eat lunch.
    I was taking orders, and I'm pretty sure all these K-3rd graders thought I was the most uneducated American they've ever met! Several kids asked for a Pogo, and I was just like . . . "We don't sell Pogo's . . ." And this whole time I'm thinking . . . "WHAT is a Pogo?!?!?"

   One of the kids came up and ordered Nachos and a Pogo . . . well, I misheard him, and thought he was saying, he wanted Nachos, and his NAME was Pogo. So, I wrote his name on the order slip, and charged him for the Nachos. When the order was ready, J. took my order slip and called for "Pogo". We got a few looks for hanging out the window yelling "Pogo!" while holding a nachos, but the right boy got his order, and a few minutes later, he came back asking for his Pogo. I told him, "I'm sorry, we don't have any Pogos," and explained that I'd just charged him for the nachos. The kid got a hotdog instead.
   When he left, we finally got a break, and I grabbed my phone and typed in, "What is a Canadian Pogo?"

   Do any of you know what a Pogo is?

Well, according to my phone, Pogo, is what the Canadians call a corn dog! We had a good laugh at our ignorance, and learned something new. If you knew what a Pogo was before reading this, congratulations! You can laugh at my ignorance! :) If not, now you know, and you don't have to act dumb if someone asks for a Pogo! :) :)

Corn Maze Season

The leaves are turning and we've had frost, so fall is officially in full swing, and so is the corn maze. It's our 11th year of the maze and it's fun to see how things change each year. I have an odd assortment of random fall and maze pictures to share in no particular order . . .

This year, with Hosanna gone, I'm in charge of the concessions. It's been a lot of fun having a larger food area this year so we have an expanded menu!

And since the gift shop had to close this year, I've had a few people ask about my books . . . and YES, they are still available! :)

I love this picture of my nephew playing carpet ball!

And with the expanded food, I've needed full time help!

If you come to the maze on a busy day, like this past Saturday, you might run into our Pumpkin Princess, who goes around and gives out candied pumpkins!

Back to fall decor, every fall, we get out all the family hunting trophies to get us in the mood for hunting season. 

This year, the escape room, has three different levels, each level is ten minutes, and it goes along with out logging theme.

I love this shelf! I don't care what time of year it is, the decor on this shelf is usually always my favorite.

And with all the great help at the maze, we get some excitement!

And a lot of hard work done!

On another note, you may remember that last September, I started a read through the Bible chronologically in a year program, and just finished that this morning! I'll probably take a few days to read through a few places again, and then I'd like to start another scheduled program. What do you do for your devotions? Do you have a system of reading through the Bible?

Decorated for Fall!

Corn Maze Update

So, I've been super busy with the corn maze and everything, and didn't get time to put together the maze post that I was planning for this week, but things are going well!
   I was looking back at the posts I did during the corn maze last year, and re-read this article . . . it's something to remember! http://priscillakrahn.blogspot.com/2018/10/flying-in-cloud.html