NYC

My best friend Lauren ( laurensmelley.com ), lives in the West Village of lower Manhattan and works for a premium denim company. Recently, my South African "family" made the 31 hour flight over to visit the Big City and this past weekend, I had the opportunity to visit them and stay with Lauren! I had no idea I would be seeing my sweet friends so soon and in such a fun city. It would be impossible not to fall in love with the charming West Village and all the many quaint cafe's and shops. I can't wait to visit again when it's warmer! Here's a few photos from our adventures. 

Murray's Cheese Shop

Lauren, me, & Cath

The Meatball Shop

Buvette
The most amazing breakfast cafe in the city (food pictured below)

The Russian Tea Room

Carriage ride in Central Park with Mandy and Cath

Pies and Thighs in Brooklyn

A fall Saturday

Pumpkin pie cupcakes

Don't let the name of these fool you -- they aren't your ordinary cupcakes. These mini cakes have the same ooey, gooey center as a slice of the famous pumpkin pie. The flour and sugar in the mix form a crust around the center so you get the same texture as a piece of pie. Plus, the top becomes concave while cooling, forming a perfect spot for a dollop of whipped topping!

Yields: 12 cupcakes 

Ingredients:

• 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
• 1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin puree
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon almond extract
• 3/4 cup skim milk
• Whipped topping and cinnamon for garnish

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line cupcake wrappers in a muffin pan and coat wrappers with cooking spray.
2. In a medium bowl, mix together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and pumpkin pie spice.
3. In a larger bowl, combine pumpkin puree, sugar, brown sugar, eggs, almond and milk until fully combined. Add in dry ingredients and mix until no streaks of flour remain and batter is smooth. (Batter will be runny).
4. Fill liners about 3/4 of the way full and bake for 15-20 minutes, or until cupcakes are brown. Once cooled, add a dollop of whipped topping into the concave center and sprinkle with cinnamon!

Credit to: She Knows

A precious gift

Awakened.

http://www.katiedaisyart.blogspot.com/

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create.

I'm completely obsessed with Katie Daisy and her beautiful designs. She has a great selection of her work on Etsy.

gotta have.

I love these Kindle covers by Kate Spade. Which do I want though?

two things.

This past weekend we took the guys, Anele and Mdu, to the Drakensburg Mountains for a team retreat. Because we arrived late Friday night, we had no idea the beauty that surrounded us. It was a breathtaking surprise when I awakened to see wild horses grazing on the vast green hillside right off of our veranda. We spent the majority of Saturday hiking around and exploring, what seemed to be untouched land. And the rest of our time, we played Phase 10. I had no idea how much fun that game is...I'm definitely addicted now.
I love the peace you get from being in nature, removed from civilization.

The Grain Game

In other news...Lauren's cousin, Neesha, and a group of Americans have been traveling around the world, sharing the Gospel to children through games and activities. They've just been to South Africa and are headed to Kenya and India next. It was my privileged to join them one day to see how the Lord is using them. I'll let you check out the website learn more about it, but I must say, I was just amazed by their strategy in making the Gospel relevant for kids. I thought they would probably just play games that I've seen countless times in VBS, but their ideas are new and extremely creative! Chip, the developer, is brilliant! He has such a heart for the word of God and it's so evident in his presentations. I can't wait to see where the Lord takes Grain Game!

I hope you are having a great day! It's almost the weekend!!