Thankful Me

Thanks to John, who always surprises me, and for my kids, who follow his lead.  The whistled "happy birthday" refrain coming from the kitchen, along with the wafts of cinnamon French toast, make me smile. Remember, there is still time to enter the giveaway !  Please leave a comment on that page, then click on the rafflecopter "Did it!" tab. 

After realizing how quickly I could turn squares of flannel into baby quilts , I decided to make another one.  This time, however, instead of sewing diagonal lines across each square, I sewed hearts.  (I'm easing into "fancy" quilting!) Also, due to fabric constraints, I made the front and back patterns different.  Front Back I love the cute little owls!       Thanks for two unexpected, unrelated compliments given days ago, which still make me smile.

  My grandma baked professionally, and often when we would go to her house, she would send us home with a bag of bread heels (the restaurant didn't use them) or some of her big, yummy cinnamon rolls.  I wish I could say that this is her recipe, but it's not.  (It was difficult for her to scale down her recipes from industrial-size to family-size.)  However, I always think of her when I make cinnamon rolls.      Cinnamon Rolls     bread dough (enough for 2 loaves) 1/2 c. butter 1-2 c. brown sugar cinnamon 8 oz. cream cheese, softened 1-2 c. powdered sugar vanilla milk   Take the bread dough, and roll it into a large rectangle--about 18 long and 15 inches high.  Melt the butter and brush it generously over the dough (you will have butter left over.)  Put the remaining butter in the bottom of a 9x13 inch pan.  Combine brown sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle it over the buttered bread dou...

I love the message of this video.  It's a good reminder for us to be patient with others and with ourselves.  The atonement of Jesus Christ makes our imperfect lives beautiful. Thanks for the power of the atonement.

OK, so it's 40 plus 6, but who's counting?    My birthday comes next week, and I thought it would be nice to document some of the memories I've had of birthdays past, both mine and others.  Growing up, one of my most memorable birthday parties was the year my guests brought, in lieu of presents, coins to donate to a family whose baby had numerous medical problems.   I'm sure my mom must have suggested the idea to me, but she didn't force it on me.  She helped me learn the joy of giving. My husband and I will forever remember our oldest child's third birthday.  For the week preceding the birthday, we had read the children's book, Now I Am Three , to our son.  The book lists all the fun things a three-year-old child is able to do.  The big day came, and our son smiled constantly, happy to blow out candles and open presents.  That night, after a story and prayers, as I was putting him to bed, he asked me, "When do I get ...

If you think you have entered the giveaway I posted on Tuesday, please make sure you have completed both parts of the entry process.  You need to both leave a comment on Tuesday's post AND fill out the rafflecopter entry.  I apologize for any confusion.  This is the first giveaway I've done, and obviously I need to learn to be more clear.  Thank you for your patience! If you haven't entered yet, there is still time.  Just follow this link . And now, on to today's post: I find the concept of worth fascinating.  What one person deems of no value, another treasures.  Recently, I went to a yard sale.  More descriptively, the "yard" was more of a dumping ground on someone's acreage.  A couple of years ago, I had stumbled across a sale at the same place.   I had been awaiting the time the owners would hold another sale.  It looked like they had at least as much stuff as they did before, but this time, the wares w...

 pomegranates nearing harvest time regenerating artichoke the last hurrah for the roses yellow pear tomato:  overachiever of the garden one of the last watermelons of the year   Thanks for the miracle of garden growth.