The Small and Mighty

I have a blue ceramic pot that I leave out all winter. Every year the ants come marchin', not two by two, but hundred by hundred! Although they are agravating, they are also amazing. This year I turned over the pot to let the dirt out. You could see all the ant tunnels. It was soooo fascinating! I left the empty pot upside down. The next day I came to check on things and move the pot, and what did I find? The ants had already moved over an inch of dirt to rebuild their home in their pot!
These guys are examples of how to live. Their home was completely destroyed, and what do they do? No pouting for them...they just get to work and fix things. You can't see them well in the photo, but they are all working together and busy as can be. I think there are many lessons in that.

Get Creative - Make a Crepe

Bonjour Everyone! With the coming of spring, I know everyone's thoughts turn to french food. What? Not yours you say? Hmm. Well, hopefully this post will steer you in that direction. One of my family's favorite meals is crepes. I don't know why I don't cook them more often. (Actually, Paul does the actual cooking of the crepes. He's quite talented.) Crepes are so versatile. You can put anything on them; make them to suit even the pickiest nibbler; and dinner and dessert come from the same batter. So simple. My photos are perhaps not the most tempting, but if anything, it will give you courage to do better.

Here is a delicious crepe batter recipe. I made it combining several others to form just the right combination. You can half, double, or whatever the ingredients to suit your needs. It does help to have a flat, 10 inch frying pan, or a crepe pan or maker, but a normal small pan should do. We're just so la-de-dah we have it all.

For savory filling: we use chopped chicken, crumbled bacon, or here's something easy - cut up lunchmeat. We top it with anything from cheese, tomatoes, lettuce, onions, avacados, mustard, flavored vinegars, you name it.

For dessert: any fruit combination - bananas, berries, mangos, peaches; melted chocolate; powdered sugar; whip cream; sundae toppings...Yummalicious!! Thank goodness I'm making them tomorrow, because I've got the munchies now. Enjoy the recipe and don't be scared to try it...Go for it!

Basic Crepes

3 cups flour

6 Tbsp. sugar (more if only making sweet crepes)

2 1/2 cups milk (if you don't have cream, just use 3 cups milk)

1/2 cup cream
3/4 tsp. salt

1/2 cup melted butter (not margarine)

8 eggs

In a large bowl, whisk together dry ingredients. In a separate bowl, whisk eggs and add the rest of the wet ingredients. Whisk together. Slowly pour wet mixture over dry ingredients, stirring as you pour. On low speed, blend together until smooth. If you have the time, let the thin batter sit for an hour or more. If not, oh well. It will work anyway. Waiting is just the fancy-dancy way to do it. Pour a small amount of batter on a heated pan (medium-high) and quickly spread on pan, usually just tilting the pan around works great, but you can use a crepe spreader or a spatula. Cook for a minute and flip/turn over. Cook for another 1-2 minutes. The first one or two are usually our test crepes and often look quite alien. They are good to munch on while we make the rest. This can take a little practice, but don't get discouraged. After 5 or 6, you'll be a pro and you can show off for family and friends at reunions and house warming parties, or even PTA meetings.

This recipe makes about 16 crepes, depending on how many "test" runs you have to do.

Drum Roll Please

It's the time you all have waited for...the winner of the Target Gift card for a movie. And the winner is...Number 1 (April 16, 2009 7:27pm), VJBlair, who is my cousin. Hurray! And remember, if you didn't win this time, stay tuned...there will be another drawing next month, because I'm such a sweetie and get such a kick out of doing this. I love all the comments, and some of the movies listed are now on my "to see" list. And don't forget to check out Enchanted April if you haven't seen it; it's a must see.

Spoiled at Stephanie's

I mentioned earlier that I visited my sister Stephanie and her husband Dave in Columbus, Ohio. I had a wonderful time. I never had to cook, or clean, and was able to relax. The best part was talking with Stephanie for hours, and seeing my brother Brent in Michigan on a whirlwind trip. I thought I'd share a few photos.

We saw a fine arts display on OSU campus and then I got a tour. It is a beautiful campus; a lot of old architecture, which I love.

They took me to a restaurant in the German Village, named Thurmans. It has been featured on the cable program "Man vs. Food". Here is a photo of Dave tackling the Thurman burger, which is insane! Several hamburger patties, loads of cheese, mushrooms, onions, and layers of ham, and bunches of other stuff crammed in. Steph and I were less brave and spilt a delicious chicken sandwich. It certainly was
fun to watch Dave eat his crazy burger.

Another great place they took me to was La Chatelaine, a french bakery/bistro. The macaroons were divine! I ate at sooo many yummy places, it's hard to come home and have to cook again. We had burritos tonight. A real thrill. Yes, I was spoiled.

Everyone Loves A Good Movie

One of my favorite movies is coming out on DVD May 5th!! "Enchanted April"...no violence, action packed car chases...just clever dialog, friendship, and a good feeling at the end. And the scenery is breath-taking! To celebrate I'm doing another giveaway. I know, I know, I'm amazingly generous, spontaneous, and plain fabulous, but what can I say. Any hoo, leave a comment about one or two of your favorite movies and you'll be entered to win a $10.00 gift certificate to Target to put toward your favorite movie. I'll choose the winner Friday the 24th after 9am. Good luck and happy viewing.

I Met Lord Byron on a Plane

I had the priviledge of flying to Ohio to see my sister Stephanie. We had a fabulous time eating out at delicious restaurants, shopping at ooo-la-la stores, and talking, talking, talking! One thing I love about flying is getting to meet fascinating people. First I met a man is his 50's named Ralph. He is a retired investor who doesn't have a "home", but travels where the wind takes him instead. He gets to meet many people and see amazing places. Later, I met Max who is a manager for a mine in Denver. He was going to see his grandkids for Easter. We had a lovely conversation, and as we left, he told some folks that I was the Ambassador of Salt Lake City...I'm quite partial to the title.
I also met "Lord Byron", aka Byron Wade. I mentioned that one of my favorite people is Mother Teresa because we share a name; He said that when he was young he studied Lord Byron because he shared his name. He is a freelance graphic designer, who is also a semi-professional photographer. He has been to many places around the world. Two of his favorites is an island off of Australia and Greece. (Don't even get me started on how envious I am.) His work is creative and beautiful. You can see some of his photos at his website:

http://wellbeyondphotography.photoworkshop.com/
And Byron, if you are reading this, you are "mad, bad, and dangerous to know". ☺

Hope of Easter

I wanted to pause today to give gratitude for all the life that comes with Easter. All the color that comes in spring is such a lift to me, especially after a long winter. I yearn for flowers and new growth. I have always felt connected to the earth, especially this time of year.
There is a greater Life to celebrate today, and that is the life of our Savior. I am so humbled by His love and have deep gratitude for His atonement that allows me to have new life, through resurrection and repentance. I have had a lot of let downs in my life and I know I have let many people down. But Heavenly Father and Christ have never let me down, and I am so thankful today for them.

Work, Glorious Work

-One of the church talks was about the importance of hard work. It got me thinking. I realized that I truly love work! It's not that I actually thrive on housework, or adore spreading manure in my garden, but I get such satisfaction seeing what I can accomplish with some effort and tenacity. Hard work is rewarding physically too. What a blessing to have a body that can lift things, move and endure labor. My mom has MS. She told me one day when I was feeling frazzled, "It can be tiresome to be busy and have too much to do. But having nothing to do is worse." The more I think on that, the more blessed I feel to do what I do every day.
-I also started thinking of the many projects I've done and things I've learned through hard work. If I had known how much time and effort it was going to take to make my rock mosaic, I might not have attempted it. Thank goodness I had no idea, because I love that mosaic, and learned so much doing it. The summit is more rewarding after the climb.

-Working hard together also creates great friendships and binds people and families together. I remember many times when I needed to talk with my dad and he would say, "Come help me weed the grapes and we'll talk." The closeness I felt to him as I shared my worries and thoughts while working alongside him is a great treasure to me.

-I often think of how I want my life to be when it comes to a close and I look back on the days I spent here on this wonderful earth. I don't want it to be: Every day was a breeze and things always went smoothly for me. I never had a struggle and I did very little, but took it easy. Rather, I would prefer this scenario: Look at all I've accomplished and experienced! And because of hard work and God's constant help, look at all I've overcome! Life was an adventure and I worked and served to the fullest! I have labored to make my little corner of the world clean and beautiful. I have literally survived tornados, valcanos, illness, deaths of loved ones, and so much more. It was challenging but I did it, and it was so worth it.

-I'm trying to create the same appreciation and value for work in my children. Life is more joyful when we can find joy in every aspect of it. Here's to hard work!

I've Fallen In Love with "Falling in Love"

If you've seen the AT&T commercial, you've heard this song. I loved it the minute I heard it. My best friend, Paul, searched out the title and bought the song for me: "Falling in Love At a Coffee Shop" by Landon Pigg. It's very ethereal and romantic. I've had it on repeat for 6 or 7 times and still haven't tired of it. I could fall asleep to it and dream beautiful, colorful dreams. I think I'll go snuggle with my sweetie, and hold him close.