14 Days of God's Love

 Valentine's Day is quickly approaching and we want to shower you in LOVE.  Whether you celebrate with a spouse, friends, children, or furry companions, the human heart desires love.  One man gave the ultimate sacrifice for us out of pure love.  Jesus desires to be our one true love that no other can replace. 
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For the next 14 days, we will explore "LOVE" and what God's word says about it.  Now, we won't leave out the chocolate, flowers, cards, and what nots...we've got some of that in works as well.  Our hope is that when Valentine's Day comes and goes (yes, it will be Feb.15 before we know it) we will all have a desire to "love" every other day of the year, not just February 14.
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Make sure you've joined our blog and/or Facebook Page to stay in tune!

To get your feelings in the groove, go ahead and head on over to a blog called The Girl Creative for a FREE Love printable.  Print that cute little thing out, frame it and set it on your nightstand, or in your entryway, or maybe on your mantel.  Corinthians is a great definition for what God meant love to be defined as.  Having this somewhere you can see it will remind you what love is and why we can celebrate love 365 days a year.  May even encourage the rest of the gang in your house. 
isn't it lovely?
CLICK HERE TO GO TO BLOG, scroll down below pictures and click on PDF or JPG.  (whichever your computer is set up for...it will tell you when you click) Then print with your printer or send to your favorite photo printing service. 
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14 Days of God's Love - Get Ready

We are launching a series of posts called "14 Days of God's Love" for the 14 days in February leading up to Valentine's Day.  Each day, tune in for an encouraging word about God's Love for us and what we are to do with that Love.  In order to be ready, I highly suggest you make your favorite batch of cookies, muffins, coffee cake, whatever you enjoy with your morning brew or afternoon tea.  Hide them away in your 'secret place' so that you can pull them out each day when you sit down to enjoy the day's post. 

I'll be enjoying the posts in the afternoons, so a sweet snack is in order for me! Here is my Favorite Choclate Chip Cookie recipe.  I spent many hours in the kitchen, tweaking this one, so feel special that I am sharing it! 

 

Start with the oats. Oats + Blender = Oat Flour

Sweet , soft oat flour. Makes me feel good about eating cookies.
We all need some fiber don't we?

Add other flour, baking soda & powder, and salt. Blend.

Cream butter and sugars together. This is where the good for you ends.
But your family will love you...and that makes it all OK.

Again, blender comes in handy. The pouring spout on the blender makes the flour slide in nice and smooth. No poofs of flour powder everywhere! Just remember to turn the mixer on low as the flour goes in.

My Cookie scoop. I spray my scoop with non stick spray several times throughout the scooping process. When the dough begins to stick, I wipe out the scoop and spray with non stick cooking spray...and scoop again.

I also spray my pan each time I take baked cookies off and add new scoops.

My cookie mounds. Must remind myself every time, the more cookie dough I eat now, the less cookies we have to eat later. Yes, I know I know...raw eggs, could end badly. I just can't resist cookie dough! YUM!

Bake at 375 for approx. 12 min. Some days my oven does this in 12 min. Some days its 13 min. The key is to look for the "just turning brown" stage. The peaks and edges of the cookies will be golden brown, but not the entire cookie. Bake any longer, and your cookies will be hard.

Hot, gooey cookies, fresh from the oven. You must resist the temptation to eat now. They still have 5 min of baking to do as they rest. Trust me...I've done it. Their gooey. Let them do their thing. It's good for them, and you learn patience.



Chocolate Chip Cookies with Oat Flour
Printable Recipe Here

This makes anywhere from 2 - 3 dozen cookies...depending on size of your scoops!

2 ½ cups oats (old fashion)
2 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
2 cups chocolate chips
2 cups chopped walnuts (optional)
non stick cooking spray


Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Blend oats in blender or food processor until powdered. (You now have oat flour.)
Add white flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Pulse blender few times to mix.

In bowl of mixer, cream butter. Add both sugars and mix well. Add eggs and vanilla, mix well. Set mixer to low speed, and slowly add flour mixture. Pick up mixer speed to medium and mix until combined well. Add chocolate chips and walnuts. Mix well.

Spray cookie sheets with non stick spray. Spray cookie scoop with spray. Scoop dough into mounds on sprayed cookie sheet. Bake at 375 for 12 min. (more or less depending on oven and cookie mound size) When cookies are just turning golden, remove from oven. Allow to rest on pan for 5 minutes then move to cooling rack.

Free Printable for Women of Joy

Several have asked for a printable of the Jeremiah 17:7-8 graphic... so I re-worked the recent one and made it printable by you.  Once you download the file, you can print in any size,( 8x10 looks the best)!  Then you can frame it and have some fantastic FREE art for your wall, desk, nightstand....

If you don't want to use up the ink in your printer, or just don't trust your printer to do the graphic justice, I recommend uploading to a photo print site.  Target, Walmart, CVS are instant print and pick up options.  You can also use Arts Cow and have the print mailed to you.  I love Arts Cow and the many products they have available to have my pics printed on.  And better yet, when you sign up through this link you will get TONS (I must repeat myself) & TONS of free items, all  you pay is shipping on your free items.  I have taken advantage of the freebies and produced magnets and buttons and banners and of course all size prints. 

Click HERE to download your FREE Print!
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Click HERE to join ARTS COW

Often, we find ourselves leaning on and trusting in people and things more than we trust in our Lord.

When we really need to put our big girl panties on, rise up, and be the women of God we're suppose to be!....

Misty will tell us more about Trusting God in the next Women of Joy meeting.
When:  Tuesday, Jan 10 @ 6PM
@ Beachside Fellowship Church
Panama City Beach, FL

See you there....

Rise and Shine Women of Joy

It's a new year!  Many of us have made our New Year's Resolutions...lose weight, spend less money, spend more time with family.  What have your resolved to do as far as your Faith goes?  Your Walk? Your service? 

This year, let's challenge each other and hold one another accountable to being made radiant with the Glory of God.

Isaiah 60 tells us to arise and shine, for the light has come and the Glory of the Lord rises upon us.  Darkness shall cover the earth, but the Lord shall arise upon us and His glory will be seen on us.  Nations shall come to the light, and kings to the brightness of our rising. 

In 2012, WOMEN OF JOY will SHINE or be enlightened, illuminated so that the world can see our light and come to know the source of such a light like that of the sun rising on a dark world.   

We've started this blog in an effort to stay in constant contact with you, encouraging you, leading you, blessing you.  Bookmark this site for easy reference.  If you haven't joined the Women of Joy @ Beachside Fellowship Facebook page, please Like us there!  As the year progresses we will have guest posts, member posts, Letters from our Pastors and more.  The goal here is to see a multitude of victorious lives arise and shine, stepping into the blessings God has for each of us.