Absence Makes The Heart Grow Fonder

Hey There!

You may have heard the saying “Absence makes the heart grow fonder,” which means that time away from someone or something makes you miss its presence. In the midst of these hard times with COVID-19 and shutdowns across the world, I want to encourage you to focus on the good things before quarantine. Think of all the fun activities, time with friends and family, and other enjoyments that make you happy. I don’t mean to make you dwell on them and discourage you, but to show you all the benefits and importance of them. 

In this unexpected and uncharted season of life, I’ve had a lot of time to do some thinking. Reflecting on the past, on my relationships and friendships, on my inward self, and most importantly God’s promises. Through all this thinking, there have been times of sadness and missing what was before the shutdowns – but there have also been times of peace and relaxation due to not going anywhere, which surprised me. I guess what I’m trying to say is: quarantine doesn’t have to be bad if you don’t make it. Focusing on creative ways to stay busy has led me to try some hobbies that I haven’t touched in a while, and to test some new things. I’ve learned the importance of resting when I feel my body needs it, and the importance of staying active and being physical. 

Through these times I have come to understand and root myself in God’s truths, and I am constantly being reminded of Romans 8:28:

“And we know that all things work together for good, to those that love God.”

I know that this quarantine happened for a reason. We can’t appreciate what we don’t have, but we can learn to appreciate what we do have. I think this tough situation is a blessing in disguise: time away from our family, friends, and activities can teach us the importance of them. It can also teach us the importance of friendships, and show us how strong our relationships are. Looking back on all the things that are cancelled can be disappointing, but when the world is reset back to normal, we are all going to appreciate what we have a whole lot more. After all, absence makes the heart grow fonder. ❤

 

Chick & Co.

Living the Sweet Life

God’s Salvation

What does salvation really mean?

Salvation is being saved. It means that you don’t have to worry about living life perfectly, because God has covered ALL of your sins! Isn’t that incredible? If you see Jesus as your Savior, then you know what freedom really means. It means more than just being able to mess up, it means that you have someone always watching out for you, someone you can always talk to, and someone that will always love and forgive you. Sometimes we get caught up in this mortal life of social media, fashion, social anxiety, and much more. We can easily forget God’s Grace and Salvation – and just because we are forgiven of our sins doesn’t mean that we can just do whatever we want, we still have to do the right thing. When we get distracted – stop reading the Bible, getting focused on social media – we just have to regroup and remember what God has called us to do:

“And he said unto them, ‘Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.'” Matthew 4:19

“And He said to them, ‘Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.'” Mark 16:15

We have been put on this earth to tell the wonderful story of God’s Grace and Love. Here are some of the lyrics to Live Like You’re Loved by Hawk Nelson:

“So go ahead and live like you’re loved: it’s ok to act like you’ve been set free, His love has made you more than enough, so go ahead and be who He made you to be, and live like you’re loved!”

If you haven’t accepted Jesus Christ as your Savior, you can pray this prayer and become a follower of Him!

“Dear Jesus,

I recognize that you have died for my sins, and want to live for you, Father! I love you and ask to be forgiven of my sins and be saved! Thank you for your sacrifice, LORD! I thank and praise you!

In Jesus’ name I pray,

Amen.”

 

 

© Chick & Co.

Chick & Co.

Living the Sweet Life

The Redeemer Poem

Come to me, and I will grant you rest,

For I see you are weary.

Come to me, and I will provide,

For I see you are are needy.

For I am the Redeemer, You are the Redeemed,

I am the Savior, You are the Freed.

Come to me, and I will restore you,

For I see you are drained.

Come to me, and I will comfort you,

For I see you are stressed.

For I am the Redeemer, You are the Redeemed,

I am the Savior, You are the Freed.

Come to me with burdens,

And I will lighten you,

Come to me with struggles,

and I will guide you:

For I am the Redeemer, You are the Redeemed,

I am the Savior, You are the Freed.

 

© Chick & Co.

Chick & Co.

Living the Sweet Life

 

Chick’s 5 Topper Sandwich

Hey There! 🙂

When I make a sandwich, I like to add as many things to it as possible. 😉 This time, I made the PERFECT sandwich! 😛

 INGREDIENTS:

• 1 Roll
• Mayo
• 1/2 of an Avocado, sliced
• 1 slice Roasted Red Bell Pepper
• 2 Pieces of Roast Beef
• 1-2 Pieces of Muenster Cheese
• Sweet Relish

GO:

1. Open Roll. Spread Mayo on both top and bottom pieces of the roll, with more on the top.
2. Place both slices of Roast Beef on the bottom half, and the Muenster Cheese on the top half.
3. Carefully place the Avocado Slices on top of the cheese.
4. Place a spoonful of the Sweet Relish on top of the Roast Beef, then the Red Bell Pepper slice on top of the relish.
5. Carefully close up your sandwich and enjoy! 🙂

 

© Chick & Co.

Chick & Co.

Living the Sweet Life

Peanut Butter & Jelly Cupcakes

Hi There! ❤

Whenever I watch baking competition shows, the contestants almost always fill the inside of their cupcakes with something interesting. I’ve never done that before. And so, feeling very ambitious one day, I decided to try it. That’s when I made these delicious PB&J cupcakes. I made Simple Vanilla Cupcakes, filled the inside with some tart jelly, and made peanut butter frosting for the top. 😛

Due to family allergies, I made these cupcakes Gluten Free. Also, one of my family members can’t have peanut butter, due to an extremely severe allergy. My family found out about a peanut butter substitute, called Wowbutter. I used this instead for the icing, and it worked perfectly, as if there wasn’t even a difference. ❤ This is DEFINITELY one of my favorite Frosting Recipes.

My family said that they tasted very good, but that they needed more jelly inside. Now I know what to do in the future! 😉 I am so happy with how these cupcakes turned out. 🙂

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© Chick & Co.

Chick & Co.

Living the Sweet Life

Chocolate Cherry Cake with Cream cheese Icing

Hey there! 🙂

My Mom’s birthday is Christmas Eve! So, I asked her what kind of cake she would like: she said a chocolate and cherry cake with cream cheese icing. I used my Favorite Chocolate Cake Recipe, and my Favorite Cream Cheese Icing Recipe happens to be included in the pumpkin cupcake recipe I made previously. Simply omit the cinnamon and you’re good to go! 😉 It is positively delicious!

I used cherry pie filling in between the two cake layers. It worked pretty well, just make sure you also do a layer of icing under the cherries, or the top layer will slide all over the place. 🙂

I made this cake Gluten Free, and it worked wonderfully. The chocolate really masks the GF flavor. 😉 This cake was absolutely delicious! I am also proud of how the decorations turned out. 😉 I am super happy with how this cake turned out! ❤

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© Chick & Co.

Chick & Co.

Living the Sweet Life

Captain America Shield Cheesecake

Hi there! 😉

My older Sister’s birthday came recently, and so I made her birthday cake! She requested that I make a cheesecake. Her favorite Marvel superhero is Captain America, so my Dad came up with the brilliant idea to decorate the cake like Captain America’s shield! 😀 With a little help from my Mom, this red, white, and blue cake was made.

I found an Out-Of-This-World Cheesecake Recipe. Everyone raved about how good it was, which was good because it was a large cake! 😉 This cake is super delicious and creamy, and the crust was tasty as well. For the decorating, I used cherry and blueberry pie filling, plus some icing. I knew I would easily get tired if I made the whole cake, made icing, and decorated all of it, so we found some icing in a whipped cream can at the store, and it tasted delicious! 😉 I am already planning to make this incredible cheesecake again very soon! ❤

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© Chick & Co.

Chick & Co.

Living the Sweet Life

The Senior Center

Hey There! 🙂

My Choir’s Madrigal group (including me) recently went to a local Senior Center to sing our songs to them for a treat! It was super fun, and helped to make some sweet memories. 

I uploaded the videos of us singing our songs on my YouTube channel, so check it out! 😛

Here is a photo of me with PearlyPinkRoses before we headed to the Senior Center! 😀

a Fun Time with PearlyPinkRoses!

The Madrigals
Singing
Silent Night 

© Chick & Co.

Chick & Co.

Living the Sweet Life

Triple Chocolate Cupcakes

Hey There! 😀

I love chocolate. It’s hard not to! 😛 I have taken a little break from baking, and wanted to make something DELICIOUS! I also wanted to try making chocolate icing, because I’ve never done that before. Ta-da! Triple Chocolate Cupcakes sounded like a plan to me! 😀

I used this Chocolate Chip Cupcake Recipe for the first time, and let me say: it is YUMMY! It has a nice consistency — it was a moist, thick, and delicious cake. The recipe said it would make 12 cupcakes, but I got 18 out of it…

Even though the recipe for the cupcakes had a chocolate cream cheese icing recipe already in it, it looked a little too complicated at the moment.  I let my Dad taste the Chocolate Icing right after I made it, and he said it was “the best icing I’ve ever had!” ❤ Clearly, not much more needs to be said. 😉

I made these Gluten-Free — like everything else I make — and they certainly did NOT taste GF. I’ve found that a strong flavor (like chocolate) can really disguise the taste of Gluten-Free flour. All-in-all, these cupcakes were AMAZING! ❤

 

© Chick & Co.

Chick & Co.

Living the Sweet Life

 

Happiness Poem

Each time a friend says hello,

every time a sibling grins,

that’s when happiness starts to glow.

When sunshine gleams,

or rain falls down,

happiness ignites bright daydreams.

When leaves start changing,

and days go by,

happiness brings joy to your heartstrings.

Happiness does not come with fortune,

though it may last a little while,

true joy comes with God the Father’s only Son.

When Christ plants happiness in your heart,

it’s hard not to be kind to others;

and to fear the LORD is to be quite smart.

 

© Chick & Co.

Chick & Co.

Living the Sweet Life