Friday, February 25, 2011

Our Best Bites Crepes= YUM!


I found another cool website! www.ourbestbites.com
2 Mormon wife/mom's started this website. They live at opposite ends of the country, and have managed to become extremely successful by working together on this blog. They just released their cookbook:
           "Our Best Bites.
Mormon Mom's in the Kitchen"
I have been browsing their blog for a couple days now. They were aired on KSL Studio 5. Today I tried their crepes. And let me tell you, YUM!
To view the crepe recipe I made this morning, click HERE 
As I stood in the kitchen this morning whipping up these delightful little things, my mind kept turning to the story that was told behind these crepes. I kept imagining the girl's father cooking these crepes, or "thin cakes" as they called them, for his anxiously awaiting children every Saturday morning. I think it was a wonderful tradition (read about it by clicking on the link to the recipe above). Traditions are so important. I just love hearing a good story behind something. I couldn't help but have a grin on my face as I whirled around the fragrantly smelled kitchen this morning while making these little blissful pieces of Heaven.
Beware, this site is addicting. And beware if you make these crepes; I bet you can't eat just one. They are ridiculously delicious. I ate like 5 this morning, literally, no jokes. They are super addicting.
Until today I have been making some yummy chocolate crepes that are delicious as well. Click HERE for that recipe. Having a chocolate craving? These chocolate crepes will take care of that sweet tooth in a healthy way.
I have never made a crepe before until this past month. They are super easy. If I can do it, anyone can do it. For real.
I calculated the Points Plus Values of these crepes I made today for those of you following the weight watchers plan. I made them with 1/4 cup of mix each. It made 10 servings.
The Points+ is: 3 per crepe, and it is worth every last bite. The 3 points+ is only calculations for the crepe itself, so you will have to add points for the syrup if you so choose to add it. Syrup is extremely high in cals and points, so if you want to keep it healthy, the crepes would be delicious with fat-free cool whip in the middle. 2 Tbsp. of fat free cool whip is 0 Points+. So there you go, you can enjoy a crepe with cool whip, and sprinkled with a little bit of powdered sugar for only 3 points+ values. Not too shabby!
Omit the butter and use butter spray to coat the pan, or don't exceed  3 Tbsp. light butter per batch to keep the points+ at 3.
                                  Enjoy! :)
Update:
I made these again this morning.  This time I made them with the homemade Buttermilk Carmel Syrup. I took a picture of it, and posted it above. I put fat-free cool whip in the middle, sprinkled with powdered sugar, and topped them with this mouth watering syrup. And oh my lucky stars, it was amazing. To get the Buttermilk Carmel Syrup recipe, click HERE 
Once you put it in the fridge it hardens a little, so pop it in the microwave and it will be good as new. This syrup would also be great to make carmel popcorn, or carmel candy apples. Yes, it is that good, and has a thicker density. It would be great for making treats for the holidays, or just a frienldy treat for neighbors, family, and friends.
Weight Watchers Points Plus Values are below:
Servings per batch: 9   
Serving size: 1/4 Cup
Points+ = 7

Wednesday, February 23, 2011

Facts

Some interesting, and not so interesting, facts about me:

I love to think. Sometimes too much, and when that happens, I hate to think. I ponder........ ALOT........anywhere from how the snow falls, to the way the wind blows the trees, and the way the sun peeks over the mountain to show it's beautiful lining before it comes full force, or the way the sun sparkles off the water. When I notice the simple things in life, I think of how it relates to us and our lives. For example: When the wind blows, and it's shaking that little bare twig hanging down from the leafless tree, I think about how that twig is like us in a way. Sometimes we feel broken and that the storm is too strong to hang on, and sometimes to the outside eye it may seem as if we are helpless and about to fall, but no matter how hard the storm blows, we can keep hanging on through every storm. The one who seems the most like falling is sometimes the one who surprises us all. So, the next morning when the wind is calm, and the little twig is still hanging there, but the biggest branch on the tree is on the ground, it makes me realize that greatness lies in all, and that anything is possible so long as we keep holding on. Not just when the world is calm, but especially when the storm comes rolling in, and the wind is at it's hardest.

I use too many exclamation marks.

I got 97% on my English placement test for college. (That is the test you initially take to see which courses are applicable and suitable for your educational skills) However, I got like 35% or 40% on my Math.

I love to talk..... all the time..... just ask my Husband

I love to smell every piece of fresh laundry that I'm folding

I love to play. I used to be the Mom that sat on the sidelines under the shade of a tree while I observed my kids playing at the park. Since Ben came along, I have found a new joy in joining in the play almost everywhere. (Well not the McDonald's play place. This is just because I can't fit in the dang thing ;) ) If they had adult play places, Ben and I would so be there. Ben is always playing, whether we be at a park or at home in the living room. He loves to get up and play with the kids basically everywhere. This is one of the many things I love about him.

I have to make sure that nothing is in front of the heat vents before I go to bed at night. I'm awfully terrified of a fire occurring if something is left in front of the heat vent. I seriously know that nothing left in front of the heat vent will catch fire. However, it's just a weird quirk that I have to do. If I don't, I will lay in bed and think about it constantly. I do have OCD..... and it shines out in areas such as these.

I love early mornings when the sun is shining, the birds are chirping, and the fresh breeze is flowing through an open window or door.

I love food. Way too much.

I have found a new love for hiking. Ben brought this to my attention the first time he took me hiking. I had to literally drag my butt up that mountain. I hated it...... at first, until we reached our amazing destination. Then I had a rush go through me like never before. It was so peaceful, and breathtaking. I could feel the spirit so strong up there. I sat up there on the side of that mountain, looking at God's amazingly beautiful creations. I could hear nothing but the sound of the stream, and the breeze blowing by. It put me in a cheery spirit to be blessed enough to enjoy God's gifts to us. Fellow hikers are so friendly. It's like everyone just has the weight of the world off their shoulders, and it is so peaceful. A few weeks after my first hike, Ben took me up to the Squaw Peak overlook to watch the fireworks from above from the Stadium of Fire (I know some of you have heard me blog about the hike a couple of times). It took me awhile to get up there. I had to stop and take tons of breaks on the way up. A couple times I stopped, sat in the dirt, and started balling. I said that I couldn't make it. That I was too weak. That it was just stupid that people would want to hike up there. Through the patients and kind words of Ben, and the paced hike up there, I made it. It is one of the greatest accomplishments I have made. To some people it may be an easy hike, but to me, it was hard. I LOVED being up there, and enjoying the breathtaking view with the love of my life. There are no words to express the joy of this. I know that some people say that the hike to they "Y" on the mountain is hard, so I guess I don't feel so weak saying this was a hard hike because the squaw peak hike is like 3 times further than the distance to the "Y".

When I was a little girl, probably around 8 or so, I had learned about repentance. And..... My big sister had a box of hostess cupcakes in a box in her room. I snuck one cupcake; after I went and ate it, I prayed to Heavenly Father asking for forgiveness for me stealing my sisters cupcake. Almost immediately after the prayer, I took another one. This pattern went on for about another 5 cupcakes. I guess I thought because I was "repenting" than it would be okay because Heavenly Father would forgive me, and in the end, that's all that matters. :)

My family is everything to me. There is nothing I wouldn't do for them. I love my family beyond words.

(Did you notice I didn't use ANY exclamation marks)
Oh, and as I just typed the word "exclamation" above, this is what immediately popped in to my head:
The little white perfume bottle that I had when I was a kid. It was white with a black exclamation mark on it. It was a perfume my parents had given me as a gift. It was my favorite. It is called exclamation. Do any of you remember that perfume? YuM!

Thursday, February 17, 2011

Happy Birthday, Courtney! Love, Mommy!

3 years ago today an angel was brought into this world. Thank you Courtney for choosing me to be your Mommy! You are such a blessing and a joy in my life! I absolutely could NOT imagine my life without you and your brightness that you bring in to my life. You are such a sweet girl with so much love. You look up to your siblings, and love them so much. You are the best little sister ever! You have taught me so much about life. I believe that you have taught me more about life than I have taught you. You think you're a big girl, but you will ALWAYS be my baby girl. I love you so much.
Happy 3rd Birthday Baby Girl!
I LOVE YOU!!!!!

We had a very simple day. We just had a little party with just us. It was very nice. Grandma stopped by on her way to school. We were glad to have her here.


You were born at 10:00 AM. You came in to this world weighing a whopping 8 lbs. 14 oz. and were 20 1/2 inches long.

Courtney and Mommy (Can I go back to this moment? So Precious)


Breathtaking

We started off this morning with a balloon surprise, and let her open her first gift; the pink costume she is wearing

Courtney's Birthday Cake


Sneaking a little taste of the icing (I love her hair in this picture. It is getting so long)

Examining it on her finger 


This is Courtney's new smile. I love it!

Blowing out the candles

Here is a slice of the best chocolate cake everrrr! It has ewie gewie chocolate chips to melt in your mouth with every single bite. Also, I put some delish raspberry filling in the middle.  Can I just say YUM!

Messy face :)

Homemade macaroni and cheese for dinner

Opening the last of the presents


My son was so grumpy here. He had to turn off his Nintendo game to watch his sister open her presents. He's so darn picked on ;)

Just playin'

Courtney rockin' out with her new Dora microphone

Happy Birthday Gorgeous! You are such a joy!

Saturday, February 12, 2011

Having Faith Through Adversity

Tomorrow is the "big day" that Ben and I give our talks during sacrament meeting. Our topic is Having Faith Through Adversity. This week has been an off week for me. I have often wondered how I can possibly give a talk on this topic. However, I know this is the perfect topic for me to discuss. This topic doesn't need much researching. It's pretty simplistic, and doesn't need much written down. I have underlined a couple quotes from an amazing book I am reading, that I will be reading from tomorrow. The book is called 'Defined by Christ' by Toni Sorensen. I recommend it to anyone. I promise, it is worth the $. I would be more than happy to borrow my copy to anyone who is interested. The rest of the talk will be simply off of inspiration. I told Ben that if I choke, and can't take up my 15 minutes, that he will have to cover where I'm lacking. He is fine with this. He hasn't written a word down for his talk. He has full faith the the Lord will guide his words with what needs to be said. He has so much more faith than I do. I have much to learn from this man. When Ben was out today I asked him to look for another book for me by Toni Sorensen. It's called 'Master'. It's a Novel about Christ. The author of these books has been through some similar things that I have been through. I can relate to her in some ways, especially with her feelings in the book I am currently reading- 'Defined by Christ'. 'Master' is a super looooong book, but I can't wait to finish the book I'm currently reading, and jump in to this new one. I have had a hard time overcoming things in my life, and moving forward on certain issues. Some times I wonder if I ever will (even though deep down I know I will. It will just take tons of time)...... I am still battling this. Ben is trying to help me overcome these issues. I'm thankful to have him be so understanding of me. I am very honest, and up front with him. I think this is one of the reasons we are best friends; because I know I can go to him about ANYTHING, and know he will be there, and not judge me, and do everything in his power to help. He has caught many of my tears this week. I call him my rock, and he truly is. I have no doubt that Satan is trying to shake my faith this week so I won't give this talk. Well it won't happen. His efforts have been extremely draining for me, but they have not been successful.
When my boys were out and about today, they got me a couple heart shaped boxes. One had a few filled chocolates, and the other had a few reeces candy. That put a smile on my face.
Tomorrow should be interesting. We have some family, and one of Ben's friends, coming to listen to us talk. I'm not really nervous which is surprising for me. Well I suppose I better call it a night, and get some zzzzzz's as my church starts at 9 in the AM. 7 will come too quick for me.

Wednesday, February 9, 2011

Goodbye January

January was a fun month. I am not liking this cold weather though. My skin is not liking it either. My hands feel like sandpaper; they are constantly cracked, dry, and bleeding. My poor 2 year old has eczema, so her skin has been awful as well. So, lots of lotion, and medicine for the skin here. I am not anxious for the blazing hot summer, but I am anxious for the spring weather....... the 2 weeks of spring weather that we actually get in Utah ;)
A great accomplish this month: My 2 year old is potty trained. I have always said that I will not have a kid that is 3, and still in diapers. We just barely made it in time. She turns 3 next week. She has been potty trained for a few weeks now. BONUS: She stays dry through the night, too. She is so excited to officially be a "Big Girl" She asks me almost daily, "Am I 3 yet?" It has been over 7 years since I have not had to change diapers. I tried to add up one night approximately how many diapers I have changed over the course of motherhood thus far. I can't remember the number, but it was a butt load.... literally ;)
We hope you are all enjoying this new year.


Courtney put her coat on upside down, lol

All snuggled up watching movies

In his favorite spot.... by the heater

On New Years Day we went to Temple Square to explore, and see all the beautiful lights.







This Temple is so special to me. All the temples are, but this one has a special place in my heart. It will always remain special to me. I thought it would be harder for me to see this temple after everything, but it was such a wonderful experience to go there again.




This photo just makes me laugh. She is all bundled up though. It was about 6 degrees out that night. Extremely cold. We spent most of our time in the visitors center. We saw the Joseph Smith movie, and then when we were brave enough, we went outside to see the beautiful lights. It was a quick stroll.




I was able to meet up with some old friends of mine from Job Corps. We had dinner together at Tucanos. It was so great to see them. I hadn't seen them for 9 years. Wow, time sure does fly.









I stayed up one night folding the mountains of laundry that kept piling up in the front room. Ben puts the laundry in the washer/dryer, and I fold the laundry, and put away. Well..... he was keeping up on his part, all the while I was slacking on mine. I will not go down in the basement here (if that's what you can even call it) and that is where the washer/dryer is located. So, Ben does it. Thank goodness. Needless to say, I'm a chicken. Want to hear a weird fact about me? I'm still scared of the dark. I'm a great big baby. ;)


I just had to throw this one in here. My 4 year old daughter was convinced that the girl in this photo was me. I'm not quite sure who she is. I just thought it was funny that my daughter was convinced. LOL. Kids.... gotta love em. They are too darn funny. :)

Goodbye January

Tuesday, February 1, 2011

Our soon-to-be new home! :) (Well, kind of)

Super big news here!! We..... are...... building....... a........ HOME!! YAY!! We are super excited!! Our house won't look exactly like this. It will be some-what different.
We will be building in Southern Utah County. I have mixed feelings about the area. It really wasn't my first choice, but certain circumstances lead us that way! I love Springville area, but the more I think about it, the more I think we are going to LOVE it there. It will be nice to be closer to some of my family, and closer to some of Ben's family. Ben's brother and sis in law live in the same town we are building in! So excited to be closer to them! We will be building in a brand new community out there. 600+ homes will be going up in this community. They are set to build a clubhouse with a huge pool, workout room, great room etc. this Summer! They will be making this pool available to the public for like $50-$60 a month. We will get use of it for free. (Well it comes out of our HOA fee money) They will be putting in our yard for us. They will be maintaining the whole yard, so long as it is not fenced. Then what is fenced is our responsibility. They will be doing snow plowing and removal. I never thought I'd buy a house in an HOA area, but the more I think about it, the more I'm going to love not having to do yard work or snow plowing and having access to a pool, workout room, great room, volleyball courts, etc. We will be building right in front of a little park/play area with tons of open grassy areas. We are bulding a hybrid home; It is a mix between 2 homes. We are taking the plan of the upstairs of one home, and the bottom plan of another home, and putting it in to 1 home. It will be about 2,400 sq. feet. It will have 3 levels on it. No, it is not a split level home. The basement will not be finished, just the upper 2 levels will be. It comes with 3 bedrooms 2 1/2 bathrooms. When it is all finished, it will have 5 bedrooms, 3 1/2 baths, 2 living rooms, and a cold storage room for our food storage. They have not built the hybrid yet. We are actually helping a little to finish the plans for it. We are currently trying to decide if we should place the laundry room upstairs or downstairs. If we put the laundry room upstairs we can do like a mud room downstairs with cabinets as lockers for the kids. However, if we put the laundry room downstairs and don't do a mud room, we will do a little loft area upstairs. We are loving the loft area idea. We will probably make it a little play area for the kids while they are young, and then a study area or lounge area for the kids when they are older. It's fun being able to help design this home even though it is in a small way. The changes that we make are going to be the standard plan for anyone who looks in to building the hybrid model. So, we decide whether the permant plan has the laundry upstairs, and mud room downstairs; or if people have the laundry downstairs, and have a loft upstairs. We have an option of putting a separate shower in the master bath, but that cuts into the closet. It's just lots of little things that we are helping design. It's fun going over it all. What is your feedback? Any suggestions on what you would do with the laundry room? What is seen in the pictures comes standard with the home. What we see is what we get. Most model homes have a base price, and the model homes are loaded with upgrades. So, to make the home look like the model home, they actually have to pay tons of upgrade fees, and the home ends up costing more. So, for our home there will be no upgrade fees for the canned lighting, crown molding on the cabinets, higher baseboards, 2 tones paint, ceiling fans, etc. I love the way the kids bathroom is set up. You walk through a door, and see a vanity area. Then through another door is the toilet and tub/shower. It will make it nice to have access to the vanity, and to be able to do the kids hair while someone is using the restroom or showering. Anyway, I don't have pictures of the new home as they haven't built it yet. However, I have pictures of the 2 homes that we are building in to 1 home! Enjoy! We sure are! Ben, the kids, and myself are so excited for this upcoming change! We should be in early to mid May! :)


This is house #1. We are building the upstairs to this home.


Another view of house #1.


This is the master suite


This is the master bath. Through the archway on the right is a HUGE walk-in closet.


This is one of the kids bedrooms. The rooms are actually really big. I'm impressed. You can't see the size of the rooms in these pictures. It is opened quite a bit to the right.

Another room for the kids. I love all the windows in this home. Tons of natural lighting.

This is house #2. We are building this downstairs.

Another view of house #2. I love how the garage on these homes are on the side of the house. It makes the homes look so much bigger.


This is the living room.

This is the kitchen. They are actually widening the dining room a little bit in the hybrid plan.


Another view of the kitchen. I love the desk off to the left. I'm thinking about trying to make this counter in to an island instead of it wrapping around connected. We'll see.

And a little close up of the kitchen. The hybrid design will change a little bit. Originally through that door is the laundry room, and bathroom. They will be opening it up, and just doing a bathroom, and a mud room, or a bathroom, and laundry room more opened up, and it will have a door that leads to the side of the home.
There will be tons of little changes, but these pictures give an idea of what our home will look like.

That's it for now. More to come later! :)

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...