Individual Brownie Trifles

About a month ago, my husband and I invited our neighbors on each side of us over for dinner.  I think the Reluctant Entertainer should be proud of me!  :)  We had been at a Dave Ramsey seminar all day til 3pm.  Then home to put together a quick but nice supper and spiff up the house.  We've only lived here a year, and this is the first time that these two neighbor couples had even met!  I'm so happy it could happen at our house!

So, one of the couples enjoyed our little casual dinner party so much, that they then initiated having all of us over to their house for dinner! Tonight is the night that we are going to their house along with the other couple!

I offered to bring something, and Carrie asked me to bring dessert.  Here's a true confession...we live about 15 minutes from shopping, and with gas at $3.99 a gallon I decided to make something for which I already had the ingredients.  And that's when I decided on Individual Brownie Trifles!  Putting these ingredients all in one large trifle bowl looks STUNNING and causes ooohs and ahhhhs.  However, it doesn't scoop up very nicely and look very pretty in the serving dishes.  So I thought that putting them in parfait glasses (purchased for a song at my Goodwill a couple of years ago...love them!) would make it nice for our hostess to serve, and give everyone their own little pretty dessert.

Here's how you make them.  Bake a brownie mix for a 9x13 pan.  I like the Aldi's brand.  After they cool, cut them into 1 inch cubes.

Then stir up 2 kinds of instant pudding.  I used chocolate and the other one is cheesecake.  But vanilla would have been great too.

In the dishes, layer a cube of brownie (if it's in a parfait dish), then a ladle of the light colored pudding.  Next, place 3-4 or so more cubes of brownie, and then drench it in a ladle of the chocolate pudding.  Lastly, 'ice' the top with cool whip and...

garnish with chocolate curls or chocolate chunks.

With very little time or trouble, my desserts are on this tray now, waiting in my fridge.  How easy and fun to walk next door with these at 6pm tonight.  :)  Here's a little hint:  Trifle tastes even better when it has sat in the fridge for hours or overnight.  I have leftovers of all these ingredients, and plan to make more of these tomorrow for our Mother's Day picnic on Sunday.  Yay!

I hope you are inspired to give these a try.  Tasty.  Pretty.  Easy.  Blessings to you!!  
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and Not Just A Housewife

Book Review: Desiring God, Revised Edition by John Piper

I so enjoyed this book.  I've never read anything by John Piper, so this was a treat.  I had to read it slowly so that I could truly understand and think through what he said.

The basic idea that I took away from Desiring God, is that we give Him glory by enjoying Him.  Just as I feel honored and loved when my adult children enjoy me and my presence, so God is honored and loved when I enjoy Him. 

He is everything that I truly crave in life:  perfection, beauty, order, joy, love, and peace.  All of the things I long for in my earthly life and heart are found in perfection in Him alone.

I will be rereading portions of this book through the months so that I can be often reminded of where my joy truly lies.

Announcing my Very Own Little Etsy Shop!

Here she is Ladies and Gentlemen!  She is called Perfect Darlings and will feature vintage and handmade items for the home, garden, and children. Her beginnings are humble as I work at this in between home schooling and house wifing.  But I am very excited for this new outlet of creative crafting.  My shop features things that I love:  things for children to play with and wear, vintage items for the home, and FREE SHIPPING!!!  Please visit and let me know what you think.  New stock will be added shortly!  Thank you dear friends!

 Donna

http://www.etsy.com/shop/perfectdarlings

A Gift to Mail in a Card

When mailing a birthday card to a friend, I really like to include some kind of small, flat gift.  Something that will make the card more fun to open...a little surprise!

So when sending my Aunt a b-day card, I decided to fashion a magnet to send for her kitchen.  She loves sunflowers, so that was my inspiration.  I used  my Cricut to cut out flower shapes in sunflower colors, making each one alittle bigger than the one before.  I then glued them, one upon another, turning them each time so that the petals of the flower underneath would show through.  A little layered button embellishment was a fun way to make it look finished.  I cut a piece of a flat advertisement  magnet (the kind you receive in the mail from realtors, etc.) and glued it to the back. 

A sweet little 5 minute gift was born!  I loved that I could do it quickly with materials I had on hand.  That made my spontaneous idea, doable.  These could be done in beautiful colors for spring and would be lovely party favors, Mother's Day gifts for children to make, or teacher's gifts.  Enjoy!
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Her Eye is on Me

This is our dear little dog, Gracie...part poodle and part Italian Greyhound.  She has been teaching me some life lessons lately.  I love how God takes everyday things, and teaches us about ourselves and Himself.

Gracie was a little rescue dog...she was found abandoned on the streets of Chicago by a P.A.W.S. Dog Rescue organization.  She was so neglected.  Her hair was long and so matted she couldn't turn her neck, nor could she see very well.  We found her on their internet site and went to visit her the next day.  Even after a trim and bath she looked pretty bad, until she got a real grooming!

She's now been a part of our family for nearly 4 years.  And I'm her Mama.  She's bonded herself to me, especially.

Her heart and eyes are always on me.  When I get up and leave the room, her eyes open and she watches me.  If I'm gone for more than a moment, she'll probably pick herself up from her cozy napping spot and come to be where I am.  If I leave the house, she waits by a window and watches for my return.  If I lay on the sofa, she wants to join me for a snuggle.  

And that has made me think about something...this is how I need to be with my Lord and Savior, Jesus.  My eye needs to be on Him.  My mind, on Him.  I need to be watching for where He is at work, and join Him.  I need to listen and watch for what He is doing, and follow Him.

Gracie has a little sin nature...or more accurately, she was abused in her former life.  So she is suspicious, nervous, and easily feels threatened.  Therefore, even though I would NEVER hurt her on purpose and mine are the hands that feed her, pet her, take care of her, and love her, she doesn't even completely trust me.  And if she feels threatened by a sudden movement or me trying to remove a tangle in her hair, she'll snarl at me.  Me!  The one upon whom her very well-being is dependent.  The one who rescued her from abandonment and has given her such a great home!

And so, I also sometimes snarl at my Father.  I trust God completely with my mind.  I absolutely believe and know that He is GOD and He is all-wise and loves me and my  loved ones more than anyone else does.  But in practice,  I get fearful, feel threatened, and sometimes don't act like a grace-filled child of God.  I trust Him completely with my eternity.  But with some of the storms of life, I get fearful.  Like my dog.

As I notice Gracie's devotion to me and to being in my presence, I am going to remind myself to long for God's presence in my hour-by-hour day.  To stay close to Him.  To talk to Him all throughout the day.  And listen to Him through His Spirit and the Bible.  Obeying what He wants me to do and focus on each day.

And when I get frustrated that Gracie sometimes doesn't trust me completely and  doesn't yield to my ministrations, even though I have ONLY her best in mind, I shall remember that I need to trust my Father and what He allows.  Completely.

Simple Table Treasure

This is the story of my beloved Goodwill table.  :)  It was exactly what I was wishing for, a wooden table with a removable glass top.

I brought her home, sanded her a bit, then primed and spray painted her black.

It was so fun to put some travel memorabilia under the glass.

And here she is!  The little dried flower at the bottom is a momento from our 25th anniversary trip to Santa Barbara, CA.  Sweet!  This is linked to Tip Junkie

Simply Delicious Chocolate Surprise Cake

Who doesn't LOVE chocolate cake? And cheesecake too?! Surprise Cake has a bit of both! So easy to make...here's how: Stir up a chocolate cake from any mix, following the package directions.


In a separate bowl, cream together: 8 oz. cream cheese, softened (I used low fat,) 1/2 cup sugar, and 1 egg.


Fill greased cake pans with 2/3 of the cake batter (I used 2 round ones to make 2 one layer cakes...a nice way to have one cake for home, and one to share with a friend). Spoon the cream cheese mixture over the batter in a random way, for a pretty pattern. Then spoon the remainder of the cake batter over the cheese filling. Bake at 350 til the top springs back when poked and a toothpick inserted near the middle comes out clean.


After a bit of cooling and removing from cake pan onto a pretty plate, serve slightly warm with a shake of powdered sugar over the cake and plate. Also great with a dollop of whipped cream. Must refrigerate remaining cake.


This cake was so easy, makes a pretty presentation, and is so so good. Very moist and not sickeningly sweet. Simply delicious! Enjoy.

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