I asked my sweet friend Natasha to submit a recipe for my blog and I am super excited about this one. Pretzels are one of my favorite snacks and add some chocolate to it and mmm đ
I had to add the fun name for this treat that they use at home. She wasnât sure if I would want to use it but I loved it. So here yâall go ZEBRA NIPPLE TREATS
Easy pretzel bites! Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place mini pretzels on the sheet and top each one with a Hersheyâs Hugs drop. Put in the oven just long enough to slightly melt the chocolate drop. Top each drop with a red or green M&M. Allow to stand at room temp until chocolate is set! Store in an airtight container. Enjoy and share with friends and family!
To try more recipes from Natasha, click on the links below.
Hey yâall I absolutely love this lady and this recipe sounds like it will be loved just as much.
Michelle Farley is a Texan, writer, military advocate, photographer, pie baker, wild rag maker and a Jesus lover. I have not had the honor to meet her in person YETâŚone day I hope to make that happen.
Please take a few minutes and head over to her website and look around and learn more about her and her beautiful Wild Rags.
Since June 27th when my best friend was in a horrible freak accident, I have had a hell of a year. I thought I had lost myself totally again and would not bounce back this time.
At the time of her accident I already felt like I was barely hanging on to my faith, hope and love. I for sure felt like my joy was very low! Then when she left us July 1st there was nothing left but anger and grief.
When I came back to Oklahoma in 2017 the life I had was very different than the one I came back here to have. I kept holding on to the things of the past. The platforms I had and purpose I felt I had before my seperation and divorce was lost in the transition.
I stepped completely out of âministryâ a couple of years ago and eventually found myself struggling to even go to church and forcing myself to go. I sure havenât been consistent with when I have gone. I have lots of reasons on this but most are probably excuses. When Covid shutdown happened is when I really lost that main connection.
Covid pandemic exposed so much in this world and in even my own heart. I found anger and disappointment in humanity was a major part of my spiraling đ down the wrong emotional path.
In 2013 or even before that, I had started a journey of promoting and encouraging other businesses and ministries. Part of what I did was book a couple of Christian country artist, had a blog, did interviews, podcast and even had a radio show. So when I came back here that entire life was entangled with my divorce and pain. I would try and try to make it still work and it didnât ever go anywhere.
It wasnât until I lost Maver that I realized I had already spent the last 6 years living in a continuous state of grief. I read a post that said we donât just grieve the ones we loose but we grieve the dreams and what would have been in the future with them. I was still grieving the loss of my dreams. Not really the person I left but all that was connected to that life.
Yes I did stop doing ministry and even really walking in the things I did before but I was living even though I felt like I wasnât living the best life I knew I could be living.
I believe 100% that having my family close by and having all of my farm animals in my small backyard farm is whatâs kept me wanting to even be here at all to try to live with a purpose again.
A talk with my daughter about my old blog and website is what opened my eyes to realize I still have as much purpose, passion and vision as I always have. IT JUST LOOKS DIFFERENT!
One of my life long friends has been on a journey of finding her place and where God wants her again. I have been with her this weekend in OKC to help get her moved. She is moving back to Tulsa and going to Victory church which is my all time favorite church. So I will have a place to go stay with some and attend this place to fill up with hope, love and joy. I have my small home church group local as well. Itâs important to have a place to remind you that God is Hope, Love and Joy!
After talking to my daughter and creating a new blog, website and social media platform, I have been having so much fun, especially this weekend. I had so much fun and knew that I was going to be okay. I felt alive again. I talked to vendors and the Farmers Market and networked.
I love it that I can help promote and encourage others in a totally different area of life and still bring them hope, love and joy.
I love learning about growing my backyard farm Cross G Backyard Farms and excited about what the future with this will bring.
I would love to even set up a farmers market at my place this spring and bring others together to share their business and dreams. So many ideas again. So many possibilities!!!
I know this was a long post but I wanted to share whatâs been happening in my heart and life in hopes it will encourage you.
I love learning what other families holiday traditions are and especially their recipes they make for their holiday meals with.
Today I am featuring another bloggers Holiday recipes. I posted on Instagram and asked for people to submit their recipes to be featured and Ms Anna Dabill sent me a message and asked if she could submit her recipes and links. I was very excited and canât wait to try some of these myself.
CLICK ON THE SMALLER PHOTO INSIDE THE đŚ ABOVE TO TAKE YOU TO THIS AMAZING RECIPE
Now who was drooling while looking at those photos and reading her blog and recipes? Okay letâs look at this next one! I wanted a hot cup of coffee to drink from just looking at the photos. I canât wait to make these and sit down with friends and have a cup of coffee and sweet friendship time.
Five weeks ago today, my life was altered forever. Tuesday June 27th, started out like any other day. I had a slow work day for some reason and I was feeling extra tired so I was just hanging around the house. My phone rang at 11:22 am and I had also missed a text that said âwhat ya doin my friendâ.
I answered the call and it was my best friend of 30 years. She was headed to Walmart and wanted to know what I was doing. Well all she had to say to me was Walmart and I was busy lol. I hate going to Walmart so I wasnât about to be like oh yeah Iâll go with you. She knew the answer before she called but she had to try. She asked me about running an errand for her and then decided she had it covered. I knew that I would go on and clean the house I had scheduled and when I got back I would get my daily afternoon text saying what ya doin now? Then I would debate going over to the farm or chatting on the phone instead. This was a daily thing for years now.
Around 3pm my brother text me and said âwhat are you doing?â I said âcurrently sitting on my butt on the couchâ. He replied with âat your houseâ. My brother, his fiancĂŠ and I have a garden together so I thought he was saying he was at my house. I figured he was ready to pick green beans. I looked outside and didnât see him, I thought well I will go out and get started while he gets here.
I walked outside and headed to the garden that hot day and as feeling whiny cause I was tired. As I stepped towards the garden something inside me said âsomething isnât right, that text is gonna be a bad thingâ. I turned around and nervously went to pilfering in my vehicle while waiting to see what direction he drove in from. I told myself if he comes from his house and in the Ranger it is ok but if he comes from the other way and in his truck this is bad.
In just a few minutes I saw him coming in his truck and my heart started sinking. I knew he was bringing me bad news. See my brother is a local firefighter and knows before most whatâs happened in the community.
My brother pulled up and in a tone that verified my fear, he says âCassie where is Dawni?â Dawni is my daughter so my heart started beating so fast. I said âI guess at home. Why?â He started to proceed to tell me I needed to stay calm. I then didnât stay calm at all. I begin almost yelling and cussing at him to start talking and talk fast. My head was going so fast. I thought wow why would he come to tell me if it was my deployed son, heâs too calm for it to be my parents or sister, he asked where Dawni is so itâs not her. Are my grandkids with her?, where is Josh(her husband)?
My brother said âCassie itâs Maver. Thereâs been an accident and a tree fell on her car and sheâs been life flightedâ. What? My head started spinning and there was nothing in me at all that was calm.
The reason he had asked where my daughter was is he had been up working all night and day. He wanted to have someone drive me safely to the hospital. My daughter didnât hear her phone so he said âyou stay right here. I mean it donât you get in that car and leave here. I am going to get Megan and Andi and I will be back to get youâ.
I made a call to another firefighter friend. I saidâ I know you know and you need to start talking. I want to know the truthâ. He didnât give me any details either. They were doing their jobs by not giving details. They was also both protecting me.
They came and picked me up and drove me to the hospital. All of our heads were spinning. This was such a freak accident that the spinning still continues. A couple of hours after I thought my brother and them had left, he text and they had gotten me a coffee. I was wondering why he who had no sleep was still there when I thought they went home. My brother knew in his mind and heart that I was facing a very dark time ahead of me. He talked to me about no matter what I have to stay calm and not react to anything that gets said or happens.
The next 4 days were a roller coaster of ups and downs. Hope then no hope. I only left the hospital when I absolutely had to for work. Saturday July 1st my best friend took her last breath and went to be with Jesus. I was angry, sad, numb, and actually went into shock.
Sunday morning after staying in a hotel that my brother and Megan put me up in, I left and headed home. I called my daughter and was having a discussion about plans for the evening. I hung up and then we talked again in a few minutes. Apparently when on the first call, I slipped into a discussion I thought I was having with my best friend. Sunday was always the same discussion if we wasnât at camp. We would discuss the plans for the evening. I would always ask her if we was having a cookout and was we having a bonfire. When my daughter said âmom I thought you wanted a bonfire and to grill out.â I was like what?
I can not tell you how confused I felt when we begin to go back and forth on me having this discussion about bonfires and grilling. I insisted I never said such a thing. I did though!! When I got home and realized it was Sunday, I totally freaked out. What is wrong with me was screaming in my head. Did I have a stroke because my BP was out of control by this point. Monday after hours of out of control BP I ended up in the urgent care. I was diagnosed with shock and anxiety.
Grief is so weird. Grief can effect your health, mental status and your spirit. I was a mess for days. There are days I start out thinking okay I am feeling okay and this is going to be a good day. Before that day is over I have found myself in a state of overwhelming grief.
Last night I was at my work, where I clean an office and I did something embarrassing. Well it wouldnât have been had no one been in there. Unfortunately there was a lady left in her office and I had no idea. When I realized and they had left, I reached for my phone to do what I would have always done. You guessed it⌠call my bff! Suddenly the air sucked out of the room and I gasped for air.
Maver and I went in on a swap meet spot with my parents. Now my mom has set up since the accident but I have not. Here in a few days I will face my first swap with out her. Part of me says nope I am not doing it. The other part of me who canât get into my garage from all the swap meet items says YES YOU ARE GOING! There will be many many first with out her through this next year.
I also know in my grief that if I am feeling this bad, this means her husband, kids, grandkid, and parents feel it even more deeply. This makes the grief more intense to see others also hurting. One thing for sure is we are in it together and we can help each other through it.
Grief has its cycles and there is no order in which they cycle. I am pretty sure Iâve experienced all feelings at the same time on somedays. Denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance are the cycles. The bargaining ended at that hospital on July 1st. The other cycles have been a roller coaster ride. I have God, family and friends that are helping me get through this season and for that I am so grateful.
If you have found yourself in a season of grief, itâs very important to have a great support system. There are support groups even on social media if you donât have a local support system.
My friend hated having her photo taken. She took this one with me just for me. I knew it was a sacrificial act of love.
I hope my story helps you and you know your not alone in your season of grief.
