Simple Things

It really doesn't take much to make me laugh and today's toy in the Taco Bell kid's meal was one of those times. It's a thumb wrestling "kit", complete with tiny Luchador masks with capes. Genius! I just had to share. Abby is my little actress and gave me her best "competitive thumb wrestling face."

Monday Mingle Questions~4.11.11

Good morning! It's Monday Mingle time. The questions this week are:



1. Did you play an April Fools joke on anyone?

No. I'm way on the "empathetic" side of the personality spectrum to ever play an April Fools joke on someone. I did get a kick out of the Facebook friend that said he and his wife were expecting twins. I added my "congratulations" with about 100 other people...that night he fessed up that it was only an April Fools joke. It was pretty funny--he got us all pretty good. That was last year---this year I just refrained from making any comments on April 1st, just in case ;)

2. Do you have a Kobo, Nook, Kindle etc? Do you read more ebooks or traditional books?

I don't own one of those yet. I think I'd enjoy it. I do love reading and of course it's the traditional hold-in-your-hand books when I do. I haven't made time for reading since I started working full-time. I look forward to it though.

3. If your life was a book, what would the title be?

Ha ha...the first title that comes to mind is "Just Keep Swimming" (probably because I have over a decade of one-liners from kids' movies in my head). It's true though. In the almost 17 years that we've been married there have been some crazy and painful situations that have required a tenacity and a "just keep swimming" attitude. Psalm 3:5-6 sums it up very well. With only the Lord's help, we can forge ahead in His strength and not ours.




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Dutch Baby Recipe--YUM!

Thanks to a high school classmate (Thanks, Tamara!), I learned what a "Dutch Baby" is today. It was a huge hit for our "breakfast for dinner." I just had to pass this on. It was so easy too.

The only thing I changed about this recipe is that I added vanilla for some more flavor. I also used a sifter and covered it with powdered sugar ;)

Enjoy!





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How to Make Delicious Big Dutch Baby Pancakes
By hauglund, eHow User

Friends shared this recipe with our family many years ago and we still enjoy this easy and delicious pancake recipe. Different from most pancakes because it is baked like a cake, rather than on a griddle.

Enjoy for breakfast or brunch with your favorite syrup and/or fruits.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy
Instructions
things you'll need:

1/2 cup butter (1 stick)
6 eggs
1 1/2 cups of milk
1 1/2 cups of flour
9 x 13 cake pan
large mixing bowl

1. Gather ingredients. With oven rack in middle position, set oven temperature to 375 degrees F.

2. Cut butter into several small pieces and spread over bottom of cake pan. Put pan into oven in order to melt the butter. It is not necessary that the oven be completely pre-heated.

3. While butter is melting, combine the eggs, milk and flour thoroughly in the mixing bowl.

4. When butter is just melted, remove cake pan from oven. Immediately pour the egg, milk and flour mixture directly into the melted butter in the pan.

5. Place pan with butter and mixture immediately into the oven. Bake for approximately 25-28 minutes. Pancake will rise very high while baking, usually above the edge of the pan. Remove from oven when pancake has risen and reaches a golden brown.

6. Cut and serve with favorite syrup and/or fruits.

Tips & Warnings:
While the pancake rises very high in the oven, it is normal that it will deflate somewhat once removed from the oven.
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Monday Mingle for 3/28/11

Good morning! What a quick weekend. I have coffee in hand, and it's Monday Mingle time. This week's questions are:

1.What's your favorite song right now?
2. How good are you at using coupons at the grocery store?
3. Do you have a smartphone? What are your top 3 apps/games?

No way! I recorded my first vlog, but am getting an error msg when trying to load....I need to scoot to work, so I have to mess with that later...so.. Here are this weeks answers:

1. Fav song that comes to mind (I love music so it was hard to choose!) was "Just Wanna Say" by Israel Houghton. It's great to listen to in the car with kids. Love it! There's a video on You Tube if you want to check it out.

2. Not great at coupons---need to be better! I love a great deal, but I recently started working full time and haven't been able to carve out the time to clip coupons and plan like I need to.

3. Yes, I do have a smartphone. Love Sneezies (music is so calming--ha ha!). With family out of state and a great friend 2 hours away, it's been fun to have a couple of interactive games like Words Free and We Bowl. It's kind of like hanging out virtually :)

See you next week! Go to http://www.eightymphmom.com/ to join!

Dance Like No One is Watching

Our daughter is new to soccer. She's a bit afraid of the ball (and it didn't help that she got whacked in the face with the ball during last weekend's game...impressive bloody nose followed). As her team practiced before this morning's game, I noticed that her mind wasn't completely on soccer, but boy was she a happy girl. She was definitely dancing like no one was watching. It was beautiful.

The video is taken from too far away (iphone on the sidelines). I wish I could see her face while she danced, but you can definitely see the joy.

Oy with the Paint Cans Already!

We love our new home. It's surrounded by pine trees and wildlife and it's in a community of neighbors who want to know each other. After living in the Dallas area for years, the kids don't know what it's like to freely take the dog for a walk by themselves or jump on their bikes and go to the park. Here they can do all that & it's such freedom for them!

The one bugger about this home is that it has been a rental home for years and there's a lot to clean up around here in the yard etc. Literally dozens and dozens of old paint cans were left in the garage. I counted 62 of them...not counting the 2 or 3 that are cemented to the shelves because the paint leaked at some point. Those guys aren't going anywhere.

The only way to get rid of these paint cans is to air dry the paint that is still in them and haul them to the neighborhood dumpster. We lined them up in the sun last weekend and are hoping our neighbor doesn't mind the sight for awhile. Some of these cans are dated 1999 and are practically full...come on, Sun, do your work.

Simple Pleasures...the art of finding the millions of things to be thankful for...

My boss has a Kuerig coffee maker next to his desk. He also has a collection of flavors to choose from...Italian Blend, French Roast, Chai Latte, English Breakfast etc all displayed on this metal tree. I made my first cup today. It was an Italian Blend day. As I left his office with my fresh cup of coffee, in my favorite mug from my Mom, I rounded the turn in the hallway to my desk that's located right next to my husband's. As I sat down, I soaked up the images of my kids that I keep on my desk....these "simple pleasures" a.k.a "profound blessings" swirled around me.

There have been seasons when it's been much harder to identify those blessings, but looking back, they were there. Thank you, Lord, for surrounding us with your goodness every day. Your blessings are all around us~may our eyes be wide open to see them.