I've had a hankering for some cookies lately.

    Not the low-carb kinds that taste like a cake-ie instead of a cook-ie.  ☺

    I tried a peanut butter cookie recipe that was raved about on the internet, but the texture was all wrong:  eggy, cakey.  Not what I was looking for.

    So.  I blame Trim Healthy Mama for all of this, because before using THM, I didn't really adapt recipes.  I might add an ingredient or leave an ingredient out once in a while, but mixmaster I was not.

    Until now.  Now, it's almost an everyday occurrence, to tweak recipes to make them work for my personal tastebuds, which sometimes can be fussy.

    Here's my version of a delicious, peanut butter cookie that actually has the texture of a real cookie.

    Yummy goodness!  I know you're gonna enJOY this recipe!

• 2 cups almond flour
  
• 1/2 cup coconut flour
• 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1/3 cup erythritol or Truvia, plus additional
  
• 4 eggs
• 2 Tbsp. butter, softened
• 6 Tbsp. sugar-free vanilla syrup (DaVinci or Torani)
• 1 cup no-sugar, natural peanut butter
• 1 cup cream cheese
• Optional:  Polaner Sugar-Free Raspberry Preserves
• Optional:  3/4 cup sugar-free chocolate chips or chunked up no-sugar Skinny Chocolate or Lily's Chocolate bars
  
• Optional:  2 Tbsp. cocoa powder (reduce almond flour by 1 Tbsp.)

    Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper, or use a Silpat baking sheet on top of cookie sheets.

    Combine all ingredients in medium-to-large sized bowl by hand, or with hand mixer. 

    Place heaping tablespoonfuls of dough onto the parchment paper or Silpat baking sheet.  Place two additional tablespoons of erythritol or Truvia into a small dish.  With a glass or cup, flatten tablespoons of dough with oiled bottom of glass dipped in erythritol/Truvia. 

    Bake for 8 minutes; rotate cookie trays and bake for an additional 4-10 minutes until golden brown on edges.  Let cool on cookie sheets; remove and store in sealed container.

    Want to make jelly thumbprints or peanut-butter-chocolate, or peanut butter chocolate chip cookies?  Just use the optional ingredients as desired to change up the recipe for yourself!

    Makes approximately 24 cookies (1 cookie per serving):  11.9 grams fat and 2.4 net grams of carbs. 

    Have you seen my Visual Shopping Guide for Trim Healthy Mama/Low-Carb shopping?  It's been helpful to many people so far.  Check it out!

    This recipe for Low-Carb Peanut Butter Cookies has been shared as a part of Trim Healthy Tuesdays!  Find more fun and helpful THM tips and recipes at Gwen's Nest!

    If you have a sweet tooth, don’t read this book!! 

    If you don’t like to laugh, don’t read this book. 

    If you don’t like reading about people problems and personalities, don’t read this book. 
    Otherwise, The Icing on the Cake is quite a fabulous way to spend several hours of enjoyment.  ☺

    Scarlet Lindsey is a young woman who lives on Galvaston Island, off the coast of Texas, and has just opened up a new bakery in a popular area of her town. 

    Her somewhat elderly Aunt Wilhelmina (called “Willy” behind her back) has funded this project and is determined to keep her finger on all aspects of the venture. 

    Scarlet has many doubts about her own abilities, other than her baking, but has always admired her heroine, Lucy—as in “I Love Lucy”—and often thinks back to how Lucy would get herself out of the messes she has created.  Scarlet’s life is complicated by the fact that she has many friends and admirers and tends to never say no to requests.  For instance, she is deeply involved in helping the teens in her church (of which her father is pastor) raise funds for a third-world country trip; being maid-of-honor in her very best friend’s upcoming wedding and in fact, will be making the wedding cake for that occasion as well; she is deeply empathetic with the plight of at least one youngster who lives a very rugged life within her city; she is passionate about her bakery and making a success of it. 

    Scarlet has a very capable helper in her bakery: Kenny, a wonderful problem-solver in her many escapades.  However, an accident sidelines him for a while, and in steps Armando, the brother of a special friend.  Oh, did I mention, there is just a little bit of romance within this story? 

    All  the characters in this novel have background issues which influence what and how they are living and making decisions.  They are “normal” people who have been greatly affected by “little” things that happened in their childhood or by unthinking people saying things that should never have come out of their mouths.  Scarlet is quite sensitive to some of her issues and sometimes overcompensates for what she feels are weaknesses in her own life.  She is also a great listener and is able to help others overcome their own issues. 

    Each chapter in this book has a small quote at the beginning; one which this reader appreciated said:  “Vegetables are a must on a diet.  I suggest carrot cake, zucchini bread, and pumpkin pie.”  It is a challenge to overcome the thought that one must get to the kitchen and whip up a batch of cream cheese frosting after finishing the book.  Lots of good laughs throughout, but also great recognition of the grace of God in our lives; He is our Companion, our Healer, our Partner in all we do.  I know you'll enjoy The Icing on the Cake!

    Joann Fabrics & Crafts has now opened up this next school year's sign-up process to receive a teacher/homeschool discount card for everything in their store!  Yeah for frugal living and helping you save a little bit of money with each purchase during this next school year!

    After you sign up, you'll receive a 20% off coupon in your email, and then after 3-4 weeks, you'll receive your 15% off discount card in the regular mail.

     Here's the link to sign up:

http://www.joann.com/teacherrewardsform/?icn=teacherrewards&ici=TeacherRewardsEnroll

    They won't ask you online to "prove" that you are a homeschooler, but the first time you take your Joann's homeschool/teacher discount card in to the store to be validated, you'll be asked to show something to "prove" that you are a homeschooler. You could use a card or letter from HSLDA to show that you are a member of that group or any homeschool association; you could also show them the letter you receive from your local ESD or school office that you have registered your children for homeschooling.

    If you are a teacher currently working in a school district (private or public), you'll need to show them evidence that you are teaching in that school district. 

    Have there been any other types of documentation you've used to show Joann employees that you are a homeschooler? Let me know!

    Looking for some fun, educational, frugal choices for your family as summer wanes away? 

    I was surprised to learn that these DVDs are currently selling for a great price right now! 

    When my girls were younger, they didn't fully understand Liberty's Kids programs on PBS, although Kelsi did enjoy them.  Brittany was simply too young at the time to figure out what they were about.

    So maybe this seems silly to you, but it made perfect sense to me.  When I saw that the complete series of Liberty's Kids on DVD was priced at under $7, I was thrilled!  That's 40 episodes - woot! 

    We won't be diving back into U.S. history for a couple more years, so this is a fun way to watch the beginnings of our nation and have some fun while watching and learning together with the DVD! 

    Brittany, at age 13, definitely understands what's going on in the DVD now - and while history isn't her favorite educational subject, she'd rather "watch" history instead of "read" history, so it's a win-win for all involved.  We're all enjoying watching this together!

    Don't worry.  I'll "make" her read more about U.S. history when we reach that point in our history studies again.  :)  I'm one of those "mean mommas." 

    My girls loved-loved-loved The Magic School Bus episodes on PBS when they were younger.  I'll admit it:  my children are officially too old for The Magic School Bus anymore, but I still think they are made very well and present a broad exploration of a topic.  A few episodes point back to evolutionary concepts, which may or may not bother you as a parent - just so you are aware of this.

    I don't remember us ever being able to view Where on Earth is Carmen SanDiego, but I do remember having an inexpensive computer game featuring Carmen SanDiego.  It was a bit hit in our home!

    These educational DVDs are priced well for families and libraries.  I don't know how long they will be priced like this, although I do know that the Liberty's Kids DVD has been at lower prices off and on this summer.

    What are your favorite children's educational DVDs?

    When widow Rose Schrock turns her Amish farmhouse into a bed and breakfast, she expects there might be problems. The reaction of her cantankerous mother-in-law for one. Disapproval from the church for another. But what she doesn't expect is that the guests at the Inn at Eagle Hill will spill their problems into her life and into her heart. She also never expects the kind of help and support she gets from Galen King, the quiet and rugged horse trainer next door. Love, Rose discovers, can bloom in the most unexpected ways.

With inspiration from a true story and her signature plot twists, bestselling author Suzanne Woods Fisher invites you back to Stoney Ridge for a fresh story of simple pleasures and strong faith in a complex world.

 
    The Letters is an Amish story, an Amish family with many complicated problems to solve, and an interesting view on their lives as God-fearing people who want to do the right thing but keep running into obstacles.  Young girls (and some men) looking for love and hoping to fulfill their dreams are often thwarted in their goals and have to look at alternatives. 

    Rose Schrock is a widow raising four children (five actually, but the oldest ran away from home and hasn’t yet returned).  Rose was left with some very troubling business problems by her late husband and she has taken it upon herself to make everything right, even if it takes the rest of her life to do so.  She is living with her mother-in-law who is suffering from something affecting her brain and thus, her thinking, and she has become very difficult to live with.  The family is very close, very loyal to one another, and very caring about each other’s burdens.

    Rose decides to make their house into a bed-and-breakfast and with a neighbor’s assistance, accomplishes this in a beautiful way.  Her very first guest, an “Englisher” is a woman who comes to their home with a huge pack of troubles herself.  The bed-and-breakfast soon becomes an oasis for this woman and she, in turn, is able to assist Rose in overcoming some of her own fears.

    There are many twists and turns for this family, with each member of the family facing their problems in special ways.  It is a fun story and brings smiles—and tears—to the reader.  How they eventually work out their problems with the help of God and His people is well worth reading about.  Rose is told by a friend, “Things can get good again,” and her realization of this truth brings much peace to her heart.

    Suzanne Woods Fisher is the bestselling author of the Lancaster County Secrets series and the Stoney Ridge Seasons series, as well as nonfiction books about the Amish, including Amish Peace. She is also the coauthor of an Amish children's series, The Adventures of Lily Lapp. Suzanne is a Christy Award finalist and a Carol Award finalist. She is the host of internet radio show Amish Wisdom and a columnist for Christian Post and Cooking & Such magazines. She lives in California. For more information, please visit www.suzannewoodsfisher.com and connect with her on Twitter @suzannewfisher.

    The Letters is available August 2013 at your favorite bookseller - from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.

    ...and preparing some great food: