DIY Dry Laundry Soap

Happy Monday!  I finally had a weekend halfway off to catch up on some much needed house work and to run some errands. My home had been so neglected…but it’s ok! I’ve never been so ok with my house being such a mess. It’s a mess because I’ve been so busy…being busy is good! It means that I am living a life! Don’t get me wrong, I still wish I had a couple of little minions to help with laundry!  😉

Speaking of laundry, I hate it. I hate washing it. I hate drying it. I hate folding it. I hate it. I don’t know how me, my husband and my 5 year old can accumulate so much dirty laundry within a week. I. Don’t. Get. It.  I’ll tell you what else I hate…I hate buying laundry soap. I’m pretty sure most laundry soap we buy is 95% water. It’s way too expensive and if you buy the cheap stuff your clothes suffers the consequences. SMH!

About a year ago, I decided to start making my own laundry soap. I started making liquid soap and that worked out ok. I could make lots of soap at a time and I saved lots of money. I just didn’t like the texture of the soap. So I eventually perfected my own dry detergent. It makes about 25 cups of laundry which equals about 200 loads of laundry. Shocking huh!   The secret is that it is super concentrated and only takes 2 tablespoons of the mix per load. The worst part of making this detergent is believing that 2 tablespoons is enough for 1 whole load…but it is! 🙂

I wish I could tell you who I got this recipe from but the truth is that I’ve tweaked it so much that I wouldn’t know who to give credit to.  This is super easy to make and can save you hundreds of dollars a year! YES…I said HUNDREDS!

This is the recipe that works for me and my family. I bought all my supplies at Wal-mart:

Cast of characters: Oxi Clean – $7, Zote bar soap – $ 0.97, Fels-Naptha bar soap – $0.97, Super Washing Soda – $3.24, Borax – $3, Baking Soda – $2.24 and a container to store your soap in – $5. Optional: Downy Unstopables -$6.

1. You want to begin by grating 1/2 of the Fels-Naptha bar with the smallest sized grater you have.

Side Note: Fels-Naptha: The soap comes packaged in paper similar to bar body soap and is most often found in the laundry section of a supermarket or grocery store. It is intended for the pre-treatment of stains by rubbing the dampened product on a soiled area prior to laundering. The manufacturer claims it to be most effective in removing chocolate, baby formula, perspiration, and make-up. The brown soap is particularly effective in removing the sap of poison ivy, where it has touched the skin but not yet inflamed the area.

2. Do the same to 1/2 of the Zote bar.  When you are done grating both bars put both into a food processor and process for about a minute. The idea is to get the soap as powdery as possible. I do this just because if you leave it in ramen noodle form (lol…that’s a joke) it tends to separate from the rest of the mixture easily. So if you have a food processor…put it to use! If you don’t…it’s ok! 🙂

Side note: Zote: It’s gentle on delicates and baby clothes, gets out tough stains and brightens whites. But that’s just the beginning. Zote may be the world’s most versatile household soap – use it for laundry, bathing, dishes, and it even helps keep the bugs away!

3. Put your powder concoction aside and pull out the Borax, baking soda, washing soda and Oxi Clean. You are going to pour two heaping cups of Borax and washing soda into your storage container. Then pour the entire tub of Oxi Clean and the entire box of baking soda into the container.

Side Note: Why Baking Soda? – It is less alkaline than soap and much less alkaline than other cleaning  products such as chlorine bleach. This makes it excellent for use as a cleaning  product, as the skin can stand prolonged contact with that.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/4963244

4. Next you will add the Zote and Fels-Naptha mixture to the storage container.

5. This next part is optional. I am a freak about my clothes smelling really good so I add a bottle of Downy Unstopables to my mix. I’ve tried using other “crystals” but I have found that a little bit of Downy Unstopables goes a long way. You don’t have to add anything. The zote and Fels already help the detergent smell fresh…but if you want too…go ahead! 🙂

6. This is what your mixture will look like. The next step is to shake it like a salt shaker….but MAKE SURE THE LID IS SECURE. Don’t get too crazy. Lol.

and voila! This is what your finished detergent will look like. You will have to shake it between every couple of uses. It only take two tablespoons per load to get your clothes clean and smelling good! Like I said from the beginning…that is the hardest part…believing that your clothes is actually going to get clean with such a small amount of detergent. Have faith…it does get clean!  🙂

After you are done making your detergent you can put the rest of the soap bars in a plastic baggie and store them for the next batch!

This batch cost me $23.42 to make….with supplies left over. If I have done my math right…which it’s possible that I didn’t…that’s about $0.11 per load! (I hate math as much as I hate laundry!)

I hope this helps your family cut back on spending money on water based detergents and I hope you love it as much as I do! Oh…and before I forget! The way I tested this detergent was by washing my stinky kitchen rag (after a good day of cleaning and degreasing) with a load of towels. I used the 2 tablespoons and when the load was done I was proud to say that my kitchen rag was clean as a whistle! Try it!

Have a great week lovelies and be blessed! – Moni ❤

March Ipsy Glambag: #DestinationBeauty

Hi my lovely beauties!  It has been a whole month since I’ve posted something! Life has been insanely busy….but oh so blessed! I have so many good things to share…but I’ll save that for another post! 😉 I have been slacking when it comes to my Ipsy glam bag posts. If you don’t know what Ipsy is here is a quick rundown:

Each month, subscribers will receive a beautiful Glam Bag with deluxe samples and full-sized beauty products based on the quiz you answer.

I’ve been an Ipsy subscriber since August 2013 and I am so impressed with this service. I love being able to try new products…some I love and some I don’t. The best part is that it is only $10 a month. If I happen to not love something, I don’t feel bad about it! Hehe!

This is what I got this month: Bare Minerals Marvelous Moxie Lipstick in Get Ready, Nicole by OPI in the color Roughles, Be a Bombshell Bora Bora eyeshadow quad, Pixi Beauty Flawless Beauty Primer and Benefit High Beam highlighter.

Below is a review and swatches on each product:

Benefit High Beam – $26 – I have been looking for a highlighter for a while; however, it was not something that I wanted to spend a lot of money on….I’m cheap like that. Lol. I was able to redeem my Ipsy points for this full size product. I’m sorry I don’t have any pictures it on my face but trust me…it’s great!  I provides a subtle pink shimmer. It’s gorgeous!   I will most definitely purchase again when I run out.

Pixi Beauty Flawless Beauty Primer– $9 – I’ve never big big on face primers. I mean if I have them I will wear them but I’m not going to spend money on them…because I’m cheap remember. 😉 I really did like this though. I just wish it had a more mattifying effect. 

Be a Bombshell Bora Bora– $16 – I have really enjoyed getting Be a Bombshell products. Ipsy has made me a fan! This quad is super pigmented. I haven’t created a look with it yet so I hope I remain impressed!  🙂

Nicole by OPI in the color Roughles- $9 (I’m guessing)- I loved the color of this polish but it’s textured. I have a thing about textures….I don’t really like it on my nails. It is a pretty color though!

Bare Minerals Marvelous Moxie Lipstick in Get Ready- $18 for a full size- This was my favorite product from this months glam bag!  I have been on some sort of a lipstick kick lately and this one is just amazing. They color payoff is great and it is so smooth and silky.  I’m cheap…that I am; however, I might just dish out the $18 for this lipstick!

Those were the products I got this month. If you haven’t made it a point to become an Ipsy subscriber….you need too! You can subscribe here: Ipsy

These are the most recent products I’ve gotten:

Not a Fan – Part 4

I’m back! So this series should have been done yesterday but I got super sick on Tuesday and didn’t even want to get out of bed. Then, on top of that, we had a minor snow storm come through our area…so I REALLY didn’t want to get out of bed. I am, however, feeling so much better! 🙂

Anyway, you can read my previous Not a Fan posts here. 🙂

Not a Fan is a book written about Kyle Idleman in which he talks about the difference between a fan of Jesus and a follower of Jesus. A lot of us THINK we are followers of Jesus but when it’s laid out in text the reality is that we are only devote fans.  Not a Fan challenges us to re-evaluate our relationship with Jesus. Are we living for Him for ourselves or are we living for Him for HIm? (Say it slowly…it makes sense…I promise!) 🙂

Here is video #4 :

Have I sacrificed to follow Jesus?  I took a look at my life and I up until recently I had not.  It hadn’t “hurt” me to “follow” Jesus. It had always been EASY for me to “follow” Jesus. This was because I was merely a FAN of Jesus. I want to share with you all the first time I realized FOLLOWING Jesus was not easy.

The story begins about a year and a half ago.  After about 4 years of not singing I started to get my feet wet again. Long story short, I ended up singing with a really cool band. I sang with some of the best musicians in Amarillo. We played at a lot of bars around town and did a lot of private parties.  I loved it. I was meeting new people and making a little extra cash at the same time.  It was something that I had wanted for a long time…to be backed up by an awesome band.

Well, when I started letting God back into my life His conviction slowly started growing inside of me.  I knew what God was trying to tell me.  I knew that He wanted me to quit the band.  One Wednesday morning I remember waking up knowing that I had to do it that day.  I kept putting it off. Why? Because I didn’t want to quit. I loved singing…that was all I ever wanted.  I remember on that day one of the guys from the band called and asked me if I wanted to sing that night at a restaurant…it was Wednesday…church Wednesday. Talk about God really putting it out there in front of me.  I had to choose…the band or God.  I felt that God was really testing me. That He really wanted to know if my heart was completely in it…and at that point it was so I quit.

It was really hard for me. I’m ashamed to say I even cried a little.  You see…that band was all I ever wanted for the longest time.  Music is my passion and always has been. It was my escape. It was a way for me to release my creativity. It was a way to express myself.  I knew my parents were going to be a little disappointed because they knew how much I loved singing with the band.  It was really hard.

…but God is so GOOD.  He doesn’t ask you to do these things for him if he didn’t have a BIGGER and BETTER plan. That is the part that we sometimes don’t trust him with as much as we should. That same Wednesday, just a couple of hours after I had quit, my friend asked me if I would sing for her ministry’s service that night.  We had talked about it before but had never really made a decision. Right at that moment I felt God telling me that He had my back. That He knew it was a hard decision for me but that I could still SING. Since then I’ve sang multiple times at church and I’ve absolutely loved it!  Nothing…NOTHING has ever filled me more that singing for God and to be able to help people connect with the Holy Spirit, the way the praise and worship team at church did for me, gives me that much more gratification.

My point is…yes, following Jesus is hard…but He will make it so worth it for you. When you come to Jesus he will give you the desires of your heart.   {Psalm 37:4}

Trust Him friends. His faithfulness is beautiful.  Have a super blessed day! – Moni<3

Not a Fan Part 3

I hope you are all having a blessed day.  Hopefully you guys have been keeping up with the Not a Fan series…you can read them here and here.

I want to remind you that this isn’t really considered a book review. These are just some of the thoughts that the book influenced.  Also, keep in mind that these videos only include a portion of the book.  So read it! 😉

Here is video #3:

So what did I get from this section of the book?  The part that I could really relate to was the story of the girl getting baptized.  I grew up Catholic all my life. I was involved the youth group and even in the worship. When I met my husband, who was Christian, I really enjoyed his church but I couldn’t let go of my Catholic background.  No one was asking me too but I felt like I had to protect my relationship {with my church}. I always felt like I would disappoint my family if I left my Catholic background. As I got closer and closer to God I realized that while I was growing up I had a {relationship} to my church…not to Him.  I’m not saying this is the case for every Catholic but this was my situation and I know that God was calling me to something more.

On March 23, 2013  was when I really let it all go.  I had just started going back to my husband’s church about 3 months before.  On this day they had their monthly EPIC Worship Encounter. Up to this point, I was never able to raise my hands during worship or show any emotion at all because I didn’t grow up doing that in mass.  Well at one point during the worship I just couldn’t take it anymore. I got a big lump in my throat and I started to feel pressure in my chest and I felt like I was going to explode.  I just couldn’t do it anymore…I truly felt God telling me to just let go.  So I did.

Why am I telling you all of this?  This was the moment that I stopped associating myself with a religion but associating myself as a follower of Christ…it wasn’t an easy decision to make. Why? Because my entire family was still Catholic. I didn’t want them to reject me and my decision.  I didn’t want my friends, who knew of my bad habits, to think I was a hypocrite either.  However, on that day in March I decided that I wanted to love Jesus more that anything. I wanted Him to be my one and only. I needed him.  He had been there with arms wide open waiting for me to make the decision to choose him…that day was when I finally chose him.

So what happens when you choose Jesus over everyone and everything else? Not much really. My family supports me and my friends do too. It was kind of ridiculous for me to think otherwise. I’ve never been given a negative reaction to my decision to serve Jesus.  Now, I know that this is not the case for everyone. I know there are families who break up over decisions like this…and in these cases all I can say is that if you are choosing to follow Jesus He will have your back and shed his grace over you so that you may be a light to those around you.

Choosing Jesus is not easy…but it is well worth it.  Reading this story in the Not a Fan gave me comfort in knowing that I am not the only one who struggled with making the decision to follow Jesus and facing possible rejection.

Make sure and check back tomorrow for part 4!

Be blessed – Moni ❤

 

Not a Fan – Part 2

So I’m a horrible blogger. I meant to have this post done earlier in the day but we got a surprise visit today and then went over to a friends to watch the Super Bowl. I am not a fan of either team so I wasn’t too excited. I am; however, kind of sad for the Broncos.

Anyway, in case you don’t know, yesterday I posted part one of the Not a Fan series I am doing for the 2014 Blogger Challenge. You can read a little more there about it here. I talked about how the first section of the book made me realize I was a fan of Jesus most of my life and never really committed myself. This next section will focus on my pursuit of Jesus. So let’s jump right in to video two (please remember you can download the actual book here):

Pursuit [ per-soot ] :
1. the act of pursuing.
2. an effort to secure or attain; quest.
3. any occupation, pastime, or the like, in which a person is engaged regularly or customarily.

Pursuit. Where did that word fit when it came to my relationship with Jesus? Reality was that it didn’t. You really don’t think about these things until they are put flat out in front of you. When the author told us the experience about riding a bike 80 miles to see his girlfriend and comparing it to how we seek Jesus, it made me a little sad.

You see Jesus craves for us to want him. He wants us to choose him…every time. He loves us so much that he lets us choose Him. This is why that word pursuit is so important.

We have to choose to pursue him. Our momma can’t make us do it, our spouse can’t make us do it and our pastors can’t make us do it. It’s a personal decision that comes at a different time in everyone’s life. I remember talking with my Mother-in-law one day and she told me that when she was 8 years old she knew she wanted to pursue Jesus. I am 25 years old and last year was when I decided that I wanted to pursue Jesus. See…different times in everyone’s lives.

Before that decision, I was always in pursuit of the wrong things…money, materialistic things and at one point even “fame”. I don’t know how many times God reveled himself to me and yet I chose a different path that usually ended in heartache and disappointment. That’s what life without Jesus is…heartache and disappointment. Thinking about it now, I don’t know why it took so long for me to let Jesus in.

Anyway, after reading that part of the book, I realized I still had a long way to go…and still do. I can tell you this much…there is nothing like seeking Jesus. Since I’ve really focused on reading the Bible more my life has changed so much. There is a good sense of accountability.

Is all of that making sense? I feel a little bit that this is kind of all over the place. I’m sorry if it seems as if it is.

I want to end this with a Kim Walker video…one of my favorites. Also please remember that this really isn’t a book review but just thoughts that the book influenced. It’s meant to be short and sweet. :). I hope you become interested enough to read the book yourself. It truly is amazing.

God bless y’all – Moni ❤

Enjoy the video:

Not A Fan Part 1 – #2014bloggerchallenge Topic 3

The 3rd topic for the 2014 Blogger Challenge is to review a book. I’m excited to say that I’m going to be doing this post a little differently than a normal book review. For the next 5 days I’m going to post a video as it pertains to the book I read.

The book I am blogging about is Not a Fan by Kyle Idleman. Please keep in mind that I read this book a couple of months ago…these are the thoughts I remember getting when I read the book. I reread it for this project and it was just as impacting.

Everyday for the next 4 days I will be discussing sections of the book. I will start out with the video and end with my thoughts. Please feel free to get a copy of the book and follow along with me! :).

Things I realized in the first section:

1. I have always been afraid to DTR – I realized this right when I started the book. I had always LIKED Jesus but I liked him without the commitment of living for Him…not good. In other words, I had a convenient relationship with Jesus. I only talked to him when it was convenient for me.

2. I was part of the, “I have a Jesus fish on the back of my car group.” – I don’t know why this one was hard to swallow for me…but it was. It kind of gave me an idea of how the people around me see me. I had the worship song ringtone, I said grace, I knew important scriptures…but was I really protecting my testimony the way I should have been? No.

3. I was not ok with letting my life get turned upside down – I was scared to really trust God with my life. I was scared about what my non Christian friends would think and scared of the sacrifices I was going to have to make. I will say this…any sacrifices I HAVE made seemed huge at the time but don’t even compare to the way Jesus fills my life now.

As you can tell, within the first section of the book my wheels started to turn and I began to really analyze my relationship with Jesus! Tomorrow I will be posting the 2nd video from the Not a Fan series. I hope you get a copy of this life changing book and follow along.

God bless y’all- Moni<3

Skincare – Topic 2 for 2014 Blogger Challenge

Happy Monday lovelies!  I hope you all had a fabulous weekend. I was super busy this weekend; however, I did get a chance to do ALL my laundry!

This topic was a hard one for me. Since I don’t have a very intricate skincare routine, I wasn’t sure what I would write about. So instead of this post coming from my experience with different skin care products, I decided to ask my friends is they would like to share their routines. I received great responses!

Like I said before, I am not very intricate when it comes to my skincare routine. To me skincare is nothing like makeup. There is something about the instant gratification that I get when I buy or put on new makeup that just fills my little heart.  However, recently I’ve come to realize that I really need to focus on an anti-aging routine…because let’s face it…I’m getting old. I haven’t researched products that might benefit me when I’m older yet….but I will! 🙂

My skincare routine today consists of the Neutrogena Pore Refining Exfoliating Cleanser and Neutrogena Pore Refining Toner.  I didn’t realize how bad my pores were up until a couple of months ago.  I started using this cleanser a couple of weeks ago and it has made my pores a lot less noticeable.   An hour before washing with the cleanser, I remove my makeup with Coconut Oil! I love the toner because it isn’t so harsh on my skin.  (Here is an post about the benefits of a toner.) Since I have very oily skin, I wash my face with the cleanser at night and use the toner in the morning. I’m not sure how I came about doing that but I’ve done that for years. If I wash my face with cleanser twice a day I feel that it makes my face that much more oily. So washing once and toning in the morning seems to work for me.

“I had bad skin as a teenager so I have tried almost everything there is to try. I think our skin is always changing…at least mine is. You have to find what works for you. At 24 I’ve found a combo that has been working for the past few years that I just love! I use the Neutrogena Pink
Grapefruit Cleansing Wipes on lazy days. It will remove all of your makeup and still take care of your skin if you are acne prone like I am. On “non-lazy” days I use Philosophy Purity Cleanser. It is amazing! My skin literally feels like a baby’s bottom! The price is a bit scary but it is totally worth it!” – Alisha C. Oklahoma City, OK

“I have struggled with acne since I was in the 7^th grade and still continue to struggle with it at the age of 24. I have been going to the dermatologist for the past 4 months. I have seen a huge difference by just using Dr. Elaine Cook’s skin care products. Her skin care products I use in order are Perfecting Gel Mask, Clear Skin Wash, Balancing Toner, Clear Skin Serum, and then Oil Free Moisturizer. There are two different sets: The Oily or Dry set. I use the set for oily skin. s a lot to put on your face, but once you get into the routine it goes by fast. This set of products last for a very long time. I have used it every single day for 4 months and I still have not even used half the bottles.

Another product I want to share with you all is the Differin (Adapalene) cream. This is a topical medicine used to treat acne. This cream is crazy awesome! I use this cream every night, but you can use it every other night. I only put it on my acne areas. It is a small tube, but it goes along ways.  You only have to put a small amount on your face. This was prescribed to me by my dermatologist but her assistant said that there is a generic version of it. If someone finds outs please let me know. This product is pricey but very well worth it.” –Sandy R. Amarillo, TX 

“I use Yes to Grapefruit Correct & Repair Cream. It’s a facial scrub. It’s awesome because my face dries out so fast! So it kind of leaves an oil to it, if you know what I mean. I can’t use Neutrogena. It makes me break out horribly; However, I do think it cleanses just as well!” – Keili L. Amarillo, Texas

“I am currently on a hunt for a good skin care product.  I do not struggle with blemishes but do care very much so for my aging face.  With that said, I have tried a few which include Arbonne, Mary Kay and the currently popular Rodan & Fields.  As a girl who is not afraid of entering the direct sales work force, I have taken on the opportunity to represent Mary Kay and Rodan & Fields.  I believe in representing products that work for me.  Unfortunately, those didn’t. So I am out of both businesses and I have returned to my faithful Ivory soap.  I have noticed my skin breaks out with just about anything.  Clean & Clear, Neutrogena..you name it.  As I am nearing 30 I would love to find a complete age defying skin care line that works for me.” – Suzie R. Friona, Texas

“The little blue scrubber pops out… its the best!” – Ylaria V. Amarillo, TX

“My daily routine includes me washing my face in the morning when I wake up with my Timewise 3 in 1 cleanser, then I apply my Timewise day solution, and finally I apply my Timewise age-fighting moisturizer. I then apply make makeup. Every night before I go to bed I wash my face with my cleanser again and then I apply my Timewise night solution. This is my daily routine with my Timewise Mary Kay products.” – Yvonne F. Amarillo, TX

“I use Dove when I don’t use Neutrogena Fresh Foaming Cleanser. I use my equate eye makeup remover and it works awesome. I love both products; however, the Neutrogena burns my eyes sometimes. I really don’t know many facial cleansing products but would like to know more about affordable products. Being a mother of 5 children, it’s a little hard on the budget to get expensive products.” – Candie R. Amarillo, TX

“I wash my face with the morning burst face wash in the mornings then apply a moisturizer that helps with dry skin and works as a primer for my foundation. I get pimples around certain times of the month and when I am completely stresses out so I use the Mary Kay “zit zapper” cream to keep them from turning into mountains.” – Katelynn P. Amarillo, TX 

When I found out skincare was the topic for this weeks Blogger Challenge I was kind of disappointed; however, I loved writing this post. I love hearing what other people are using and what works for them. I hope you all enjoyed this post! A big thank you to everyone who contributed to this weeks challenge and please know that I will definitely be doing more posts with friend involvement! 😉

I hope you all have a fantastic week! – Moni<3

 

Cherry Cheesecake Cookies

About a year ago I came across this heavenly recipe. I wish I could accredit the correct source but unfortunately I don’t remember what blog I stole this recipe from; however, I will be honest and say that I found this somewhere on Pinterest.

I’ve never, ever been a cookie fan. They are way to much work for me. I like simple quick cake recipes instead! 🙂 These cookies, however, are so amazing that I usually don’t mind doing the work. (Which really isn’t that much work….and that’s probably why I love them so much!)  If you THINK you have the best cookie recipe in the world, you are sadly mistaken.

These cookies have the texture of a cookie but the goodness of a cheesecake!  This recipe made me about 5 dozen cookies; tis the reason I don’t make them often…I tend to eat them all!

Here is what you need:

3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, 2 teaspoons baking powder, 1 teaspoon salt, 2 1/2 sticks butter (20 tablespoons), softened, 2 (8 oz) packages of cream cheese, softened, 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar, 2 large eggs, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract, graham cracker, pecan bits and a can of cherry pie filling.

This time I also used blueberry filling. They were not as tasty as the cherry filling but the point is….use whatever your little heart desires. 🙂

I started by combining the flour, baking soda and salt in a mixing bowl and set it aside.

I then turned to my ginormous mixing bowl (because that’s all I have) and combined the softened cream cheese, butter and sugar.

I then mixed with my trusty $5 mixer that I bought at Dillard’s ages ago for about 3 minutes…or until you see it all mixed pretty well.

When that is all mixed up I then added the eggs and vanilla extract and continued to mix for about a minute.

I slowly started to add the flour mixture to the wet mixture….very slowly…because sometimes I end up with a huge mess of flour!

As you add all of your flour, your mixture should begin to thicken up and look like this. ^

I then covered my ginormous mixing bowl and put it in the fridge for about 30 minutes….or 10 because I’m impatient. The dough is a lot easier to work with if you let it firm up a bit….so you should really leave it for at least 30 minutes. 🙂

While my dough was firming up some, I got out my handy little Ninja chopper and crushed my graham crackers….yes I still have my Christmas tree up. 😉

…then I added a large spoonful of pecans to my crackers. 🙂

Once all that jazz what prepared, I got my workplace ready. I got my fillings and the crackers out and I lined two cookie sheets with PARCHMENT paper….umm…did you guys know that wax paper is not the same as parchment paper???  (Wax paper doesn’t like the oven…FYI!)

I then got my dough out of the fridge and made little two-inch balls and rolled them in my graham cracker pecan mixture.

I rolled out as many as I could put on my cookie sheets which were about 30.

To make room for the filling I used a round teaspoon and pressed each cookie. It’s perfect for these little cookies!

I then went on and put a cherry or a couple of blueberries in each cookie. Make sure and put some of the actual filling in there too….that’s the best part!

I popped them in a 350 degree preheated oven for about 13 minutes. Be careful because these cookies are kind of easy to burn…trust me…I should know. 😉  As long as the bottom of the cookie is a toasty brown you are still good!

When the cookies are done take them out and let them cool for a bit…which I personally think is the hardest part of the recipe. Hehe! Then get to baking your second batch! 🙂

This is my favorite cookie ever! Make sure and share with your neighbors! Be blessed!  – Moni ❤

Cherry Cheesecake Cookies

• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 (8 oz) packages of cream cheese, softened
• 2 1/2 sticks butter, softened
• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 8 whole graham cracker rectangles
• pecan bits
• 1 can cherry pie filling

Instructions: In a  bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt.  Set aside. In another bowl, beat cream cheese, butter and sugar for about 3 minutes.  Add eggs and vanilla and mix until combined.  Reduce mixer speed to low and slowly add flour mixture.  Cover the dough and refrigerate until firm. Preheat oven to 350 and line baking sheets with parchment paper. Roll dough into 2 inch balls, then coat completely in graham cracker crumbs.  Place 2 inches apart on baking sheet.  Using a rounded spoon, create an indentation in the center of each cookie and place a cherry in the center. Bake until cookies are toasted, about 13 minutes. Let them cool for about 10 minutes or so.

Hosea and Gomer – Judah Smith Sermon Jam

I’m glad I came across this today. As I start the New Year, I needed to remind myself that in order for me to live my life, a price was paid. I owe all honor and glory to God for sending his Son to come and pay it all for me.

Some days we just need to be reminded. – Moni<3

Stephanie’s Chicken Tortilla Soup

So I have this friend; she is beautiful,  smart and a great mommy. Everything that comes out of Stephanie’s kitchen is ridiculously delicious. I’ve been lucky enough to have tried many of her dishes!

For one of our Bluprint Marriages night she made this amazing tortilla soup. I finally asked her for the recipe and tried it this weekend. It was so easy to whip it together! With her permission I decided to share this quick and simple recipe. I think this is something you can add to your winter menu that the whole family would enjoy.

I had never had tortilla soup before BP marriages night. It just never sounded that great to me. I grew up in a very Mexican household and we never made tortilla soup.  It always sounded really Americanized to me…and it kind of is. Either way…it doesn’t matter because it is really delicious!

Here is the main cast of characters:

1 rotisserie chicken, 8 cups of chicken broth, 1 large can of rotel tomatoes,  2 cans of black beans (rinsed and drained), 2 cans of corn, 2 cans of diced green chilies, 1 stick of butter and white rice (this is optional).

You will also need salt, pepper, garlic powder and  2 heaping tablespoons of flour. For the toppings, I used tortilla chips, avocado, cheese and yummy green onions. (Not shown in photo)

The first step in Stephanie’s directions is to melt a stick of butter in a stockpot. Once it is melted add the two spoonfuls of flour and whisk. This will give the soup a little thickness.  Once that is mixed well then add about a teaspoon of salt, garlic and pepper. You can add more later if you wish.

Once all of that is combined, you can add the 8 cups of chicken broth.

Once the flour mixture and chicken broth is thoroughly combined add the cans of drained black beans, cans of corn, rotel and green chilies. Mix and bring it to a boil.

While that is boiling start shredding your chicken. I’m about to say something crazy. Up until recently I always cooked my own chicken for recipes like this…I don’t know why I never thought about using a rotisserie chicken from Sams. One day my friend called me out on it and I was so ashamed that I didn’t already do this!

Add your perfect chicken to the pot and leave it to boil some. I left mine for about an hour but I think 30 minutes will do. Right before I turned off the stove, I added two tablespoons of sour cream and let it melt in.

Then fill a bowl with soup grab your toppings and VIOLA! Stephanie’s original recipe didn’t call for white rice; however, I decided to add some. It would be great with or without it. I cooked it in a separate pot and added it as I served it. I hate soggy rice. Lol.

The best thing about this soup is that it taste so much better the next day. The flavors just melt into each other and create some sort of tortilla soup goodness!

I hope y’all give this recipe a try. I promise you will love it! Have a blessed week! – Moni ❤

Stephanie’s Chicken Tortilla Soup

• Rotisserie Chicken
• 1 Stick of Butter
• 2 Tablespoons of Flour
• 8 Cups of Chicken Broth
• 1 Large can of Rotel
• 2 Cans of Black Beans
• 2 Cans of Corn
• 2 Cans of Diced Green Chiles
• Sour Cream

Toppings

• Tortilla Chips
• Chopped Green Onions
• Mexican Blend Cheese
• Avocados
• Lime
• White Rice

Instructions: Melt a stick of butter in a stockpot. Once it is melted add the two spoonful’s of flour and whisk. This will give the soup a little thickness.  Once that is mixed well then add about a teaspoon of salt, garlic and pepper. You can add more later if you wish. Once all of that is combined, you can add the 8 cups of chicken broth. Once the flour mixture and chicken broth is thoroughly combined add the cans of drained black beans, cans of corn, rotel and green chilies. Mix and bring it to a boil. While that is boiling start shredding your chicken.  Add chicken to the pot and leave it to boil some. I left mine for about an hour but I think 30 minutes will do. Right before I turned off the stove, I added two tablespoons of sour cream and let it melt in.

Then make your rice in a separate pot and fill a bowl with soup, grab your toppings and enjoy your soup!