Worship Wednesday + Spring Fling

I am excited to announce another LARGE link up that I am participating in! You may have noticed the Spring Fling button on my side bar a few days ago, so here are the details!


On April 2nd, come back here (or to any of the SEVEN particpating blogs) to link up your Spring related posts. There aren't really any rules, you don't even have to follow our blogs to link up (but I mean, why wouldn't you? We are way cool.). What can you link up? DIY's, home decor, beauty, fashion, recipes, giveaways, shop items, whatev. What's even cooler?  There is a huge giveaway that will go live the day of the link up. HUGE.


Here are the other blogs who are participating:

Pineapple Lily

Behind the Scenes

Digging Deeper

Classy in KC

Brittney's Orrdinary Life

Pish Posh Couture

Grab the button and share the news!



<center><a href="http://www.feedingmytemple.com/2012/03/worship-wednesday-spring-fling.html"0" src="http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e334/allyelaine/springfling200x200.jpg"/></a></center>    Now, it's time for Worship Wednesday with Meredith!


Hey Feeding My Temple Readers! I'm so excited to be guest posting today on Allison's blog! We have so many things in common, it's been so fun to get to know her a little bit!


Usually on Wednesdays I do "Work it Wednesday" over on my blog, where I talk about staying healthy and active. I also post exercise videos with different workouts you can do at home. However, today I'm taking a break and switching gears to Worship Wednesday.


I grew up an active member of the LDS, or Mormon, church. However, I've decided to take a new path and explore things that provide me peace and joy, which I feel are at the heart of any form of worship. Through a lot of introspection and experimentation, I've discovered that things that bring me back to center and provide me with peace are not necessarily the normal things.


I love yoga. I try to practice it at least once a week, if not more. I find that by pushing myself to do something out of the norm and different, helps me to understand my own personal boundaries and just how much I really can accomplish if I decide to do it.


Just this last week, my husband took me on a small, yet steep, hike. It was well outside my comfort zone, but I knew the view at the top would be lovely, as well as the company. I pushed myself. I climbed the side of that mountain and I reached the top. We walked around a little bit and explored a path that was actually up there. It was so peaceful to overlook the valley and look down on what I had just climbed up. I felt accomplished. I felt at peace. That brought me back to center.

So, on this here Worship Wednesday, I ask, what brings you back to center that may be out of the norm? If you're not quite sure, I challenge you to explore yourself and look to find something that is outside your comfort zone, but brings you peace.

Guest Post {Raising Dieter}

Please welcome Shay from Raising Dieter! I absolutely love her guest post! Christmas activities that are family friendly!





1. Go and see Christmas lights or a Nativity.
This is fun activity for all ages! Most cities have lights so bundle up and stay warm (unless your in the South of course.)


2. Read a Christmas story.
Whether your reading chapters from Luke, The Christmas Jars, A Christmas Carol, or Peef the Christmas Bear (my favorite children's Christmas story.) It is always so nice to turn of the electronics and simply listen to a great story!


3. Play games.
Who doesn't like to play games? My son loves it when we play Yahtzee. Settlers of Catan is a favorite for me and Kimball right now. There are so many fun games to play. We have a tradition where we get a game every Christmas Eve. This year it is going to be Quirkle.

4. Make some treats.
The kitchen is always a place to involve the whole family. My husband has been asking me to make cookies for a while (I have put it off until now.) This is my favorite recipe of sugar cookies. They are always soft.

Directions

1 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 egg
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup butter
3 1/4 cups flour
1 tsp soda
1/2 tsp salt

-Cream butter and sugar together. Then add vanilla, egg, and sour cream. Continue to mix until smooth.
-Add soda, salt, and half of the flour. Stir into above mixture and then slowly stir in remaining flour.
-Roll dough to 1/4 inch thickness.
-Place on buttered cookie sheet (I use a stone) and bake for 8-10 minutes at 375° (My first couple of batches take around 12 minutes on the stone).

Cream Cheese Frosting

1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup butter, melted
4 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla

-Cream the softened cream cheese: blend with butter.
-Add powdered sugar and vanilla and beat well.

I hope your enjoy your holidays! This is such a special time of year! Come by and visit me at Raising Dieter!  :) Shay

Guest Post {Southern Lovely}

Well hello there! I'm Lindsay, and I blog over at Southern Lovely. Being a busy mom of three, crafting is sometimes hard to come by. I love a good DIY, painting or sewing project. I usually do my best work after the kids have gone to bed. :)

  Today I am going to share a fun craft that my little 5 year old helped me out with.

Yarn Wrapped presents

Here is how you can make some for yourself--

.






2x4's--3 pieces of the same length Yarn--more than one color if you are doing stripes paint for the wood Hot glue Ribbon

 

One tradition that I try to do each year with the kids, is some sort of craft. I knew this would be pretty kid-friendly, so I let my 5 year old have at it.


  To start, simply paint the wood your desired color, let dry, then hot glue them together, standing vertically. My special helper did all the painting, and was very precise at it--she is kind of a perfectionist, I wonder where she gets that from. :)


 





Next is wrapping the yarn around the wood. You can do stripes, or just one color, it's totally up to your preference. I started the yarn at the top by adding hot glue, then I let my daughter wrap it over & over again. It wasn't perfect, but that's okay, it gave it character, and I will always remember that she helped with it!

Then embellish it! We added red berries & ribbon, but I'm sure there are so many other options as well!

So there you go, little presents wrapped perfectly for the holiday--and having a very special helper made it even more memorable! Thanks for letting me stop by! Feel free to check out more ideas over at my place!

Cherry or Apple? Now you don't have to choose!

 If you are here from Pineapple Lily, welcome! She graciously allowed me to guest post over there!

Time for another pie!!

Go here and here if you missed the first two pies! 

I'm a fruit pie kinda gal. Apple pie? All over it. My husband is a huge fan of cherry pie. (Like so much of a fan, my mother in law made him an entire cherry pie to bring home from Thanksgiving.) When I came across the recipe, I knew I had to make it. It is a fun and easy twist on two traditional pies. Technically it is a tart, but hey-who invited the pie police? 

This pie comes together in about 20 minutes, with the most time consuming step consisting of peeling and slicing two apples. Along with a short prep time, this pie will go quick (read: was all gone within 12 hours of baking it). 

Cherry Apple Crumb Tart

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Bake: 400 degrees for 30-35 minutes 

Cool: 15 minutes

Yield: 8 servings

Ingredients

• 1 refrigerated pie crust
• 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/3 cup butter
• 2 large Granny Smith apples
• 3/4 cup canned cherry pie filling (about 1/2 of a 21 oz. can)

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Let pie crust stand at room temperature 15 minutes.

In a medium bowl, combine the flour, brown sugar and cinnamon. Add butter and blend thoroughly using  two forks. Set aside.

Roll out pie crust into a 13-inch circle and place on a baking stone or a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.

Peel, core and cut apples into thin slices. Layer apples evenly over crust leaving a 1-inch border of crust.

Spread 3/4 cup cherry pie filling over the apples. Sprinkle flour mixture over apples and pie filling. Fold the outer edge of the pie crust up over the fruit to form a rim.

Bake 30-35 minutes or until crust is golden brown. Remove from oven and cool slightly. Serve warm.

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Sponsor Spotlight Guest Post {Sincerely, Kylee}

Hi there! I'm Kylee from "Sincerely, Kylee"

I would like to thanks to Allison for letting me write this guest post.

Isn't she and her blog awesome?!

She told me I could write about faith. 

It's interesting to me because my life is sort of a wreck at the moment.

My husband and I are saving up to buy our first home. In the mean time, we are living in his brother's converted garage.

I'm still in school until May of 2012. We both work two jobs.

Needless to say, we are stinkin' busy.

So here are three faith related thoughts to remember.

1) it's not okay for us to forget about our priorities. 

It's so easy to forget about what's important, am I right?!

This is so cliche... I know. But seriously, how easy is it to do... especially around the holidays.

(God first, God Second, Spouse third).

2) When you start valuing YOUR time more than the time of those around you... you have got a problem! 

When I get busy, the first thing I start thinking is, "Ugh, I'm so so busy. Why doesn't everyone know how busy I am?!"

(Case and point in the first paragraph, when I told y'all HOW BUSY I AM!).

The fact of the matter is that if you don't have time for God, stuff starts to suck... real quick.

Am I right?!

3) ...without works is dead. 

I'm so waiting on God's plan to take effect, but seriously, at what point do we meet him in the middle? Live, pray, work, breathe and start being what God has intended us to be.

Well, thanks for letting me ramble and share what's been on my heart lately.

Come by and see me. :) HERE