{recipe} 4th of July Tarts

It has been so hot lately, a cool dessert is just what we need for the upcoming holiday!



These tarts are very simple and kid-friendly.

Mixed Berry Tarts:
1 pkg frozen puff pastry, thawed (not phyllo dough).
1 8 oz pkg cream cheese, room temp
1/2 cup sugar
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp vanilla
fresh berries
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1) Lay out the puff pastry and cut into circles using a large cookie cutter. Place on a cookie sheet and jab each circle with a fork (holes are needed to prevent puffing). Brush each circle with melted butter and bake at 350 until golden brown. Let cool.

2) Mix cream cheese, sugar, lemon juice, and vanilla in a bowl until well blended. Spread onto pastry circles. Let the kids decorate with berries!


*I love this recipe because it is so versatile! Peanut butter can be substituted for the cream cheese, and apples for the berries. Or mix in cool whip for a lighter version. GREAT kid-loving snack!


Enjoy the holiday with lots of sweetness!

{devotion} Why didn't I listen?

"O my goodness. You have to see this picture."  My voice rang in my ears just as I heard a soft warning in my head.  

     Meagan, stop what you’re saying. That person is My child too. Who are you to talk badly about her?

I wish with all my heart I could say I listened to His warning.

 Instead....  

"Can you believe she would do that? I would never...."

 

     Meagan, didn't you just teach your Sunday school girls about gossip? 

                                                     credit 

Ephesians 4:29

Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.

 After I stopped talking and actually listened, I felt like such a hypocrite. I tell my sweet youth group one thing, and do the complete opposite.

 How often do we hear His warning and continue to do "what is right in our own eyes?" The tendency to ignore is so, so easy.

I run Ephesians 4:29 through my head all day. I try and fight my tongue.

I know I will fail, but with His grace, I will keep trying.

The Lament

“No, thank you. I’m not hungry,” she insisted. Even though it was her favorite chocolate chip pretzel cookie, she had to refuse. AN had told her to. “I’m not hungry,” the lie she told everyone, was almost second nature now. After three years of AN controlling her life, it was almost as if she and AN were one. She had no more thoughts of hope or escape. Having relinquished control years ago, she was in AN’s hands now.

Image Credit  

AN had not always haunted her, however. Four years ago, anyone asked to describe Lisa would have started with “beautiful.” Curly, dark, mahogany-colored hair hung long down her back. Impossibly long eyelashes guarded her hazel eyes. With high cheekbones and a defiant chin, she turned many heads. Known for her vibrant personality, Lisa won the hearts of all she was with. Popular and sweet, she was the average seventeen-year-old trying her best to enjoy life. But AN changed all of that.


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Read the rest here as I guest post at New Life Steward.