Yes...

and we begin again...

I untie my wings and step from the edge, 
away from the future, 
dropping the past, 
and I carry only the moment.                                                                 -Casey Haymes

my boys of summer...

Dost thou love life?  Then do not squander time, for that is the stuff life is made. 

                                                                                                                            -Benjamin Franklin

a long time ago...

When I was 19, I lived in San Diego on the beach, and worked at a little diner near my place.  One of the perks of working there was that we got to eat for free.  As a college student, this was wonderful.  Anyhow, for some reason today I remembered this amazingly ridiculous dessert they use to serve, I googled the name...and there it was!!!  I haven't thought about this dessert or that little diner in over 20 years! It was very affectionately called:

"Better Than Robert Redford"

INGREDIENTS:

***Crust***
1 cup flour
1 cup pecans, chopped
1/2 cup butter, softened
***1st layer***
1 package (8 ounce size) cream cheese, softened
1 cup powdered sugar
1 cup Cool Whip
***2nd layer***
1 small package instant vanilla pudding mix
1 small package instant chocolate pudding mix
2 cups milk
***Topping***
1 cup Cool Whip
2 Hershey chocolate candy bars, grated

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Mix crust ingredients, spread on bottom of an 8x12 baking dish. Bake for 25 minutes. Cool thoroughly.

Mix the ingredients for the 1st layer, and spoon on top of crust. Mix the ingredients for the 2nd layer, and spoon on top of 1st layer. Top with a thin layer of Cool Whip, and garnish with grated candy bar. Refrigerate and cut into squares.

ENJOY!!!

Is it too late to send a Valentine?

Silver Moons and paper chains, faded maps

and shiny things.You're my favorite one-man show,
a million different ways to go.

Will you fly me away?
Take me away with you,
My love.

Painted scenes, I'm up all night. Slaying monsters, flying kites. Speak to me in foreign tongues. Share your secrets one by one.

Will you fly me away?
Take me away with you,
My love.
- Annie Little

A New Year's Wish...

I found this in a magazine when little one was just born. I've kept it somewhere that I could see it ever since. I love it because it is exactly what I have aspired to as a mother (and as a person)...saying yes to life as often as I possibly can each day. I love the part..."yes, I will sing the song, yes, just this once, no three times." What was the hurry again? I think I forgot while I was singing. xo

A Christmas Tradition...

A long, long time ago, when I was about 10 years old, my mom taught me how to make bread. She taught me with my grandmother's recipe:

"For every package of yeast use 2 cups of warm water, two teaspoons of salt, three tablespoons of oil, two tablespoons of sugar, and approx. 4 cups of flour - bake at 350 for 30-40 minutes."

I usually double this recipe - and it will make two loaves. Delicious! This recipe is also the base for the most amazing cinnamon rolls. I make them on Christmas Eve, and then that is our breakfast Christmas morning while we open our presents.

Bread:

1 package of active dry yeast

2 cups of warm water

2 teaspoons of salt

3 tablespoons of oil

2 tablespoons of sugar

4 cups of flour (approx.)

Put warm water in a bowl, add yeast (Fleischmann's "active dry" yeast) and let sit for about 5-10 minutes until yeast expands a little. Then add salt, oil, sugar and stir. You will start adding flour until the dough is ready to knead...then you add a little flour as you knead it on the counter. I usually knead it for a few minutes, then pop it right back in the bowl I mixed in, put a towel over it and let it rise. After it rises, push it down and split it to roll out your rolls. Flatten out a slab of dough (see photo below) and slather with butter, sprinkle with lots of sugar and cinnamon....roll into a long log. Prepare your pan (I use a glass pyrex lasagna pan) with butter and sprinkle it with sugar....cut the cinnamon rolls (maybe 1/2" thick) and put in the pan. Let them rise until doubled and then bake at 350 for 30-40 minutes. Make sure and take them out of the pan and onto a wire rack (with a paper towel under to catch the melted butter) right away....the bottoms will be gooey, but get harder as it cools.