Crazy sale!

If you are looking for formal wear for your children, you've just got to look at Gaga's website. They are a rental/retail store that has tons of kids stuff for unbelievable prices! Are you looking for a tuxedo for your little boy -- just $27! A full tuxedo! I can't even buy a regular Sunday church outfit for that!

They also have hundreds of girls dresses for about $20-$30 -- and you could even get a range of sizes for matching girl outfits.

Amazing!

End of an Era

I married Jared almost ten years ago -- now before you go jumping to conclusions, we're still very happily married. During most of those years, he was in school while I stayed home with Maddie. We really struggled to make ends meet. So, I picked up various odd jobs -- helping at an ultrasound office, working trade shows, teaching piano, teaching quilting, babysitting, and on and on.

Two very important ventures were: First, I tried a purse company with my good friend Lindsay called "Darli". We had a great time and sewed hundreds of purses and things to sell at in-home parties. Second, I started a vinyl sign company. But, I never actually tried to promote it. I got so busy doing all the other things it just got pushed to the side. I've had the website up for years and years, mostly just functioning as my email address.

Why the end of an era you say? Well, I shut down the Paint It Perfect website today. I'm sad to see it go, but I was just not doing enough to justify keeping it just to use as an email address. So, my new email address is darcykpatch at gmail dot com for those of you who get bounced emails. I'll be sending out a broadcast in a week or so to announce the change.

For want of a couch

Funny thing though, because we don't have a couch in the basement, I've been creating a few things to sell so that I can buy us a new couch. I desperately want to be able to lay down and watch tv and relax. Right now, all we have is a chair. It's not that comfortable, and doesn't allow for any snuggling at all. But, my want is your good fortune, seriously! I've made some of the cutest things!

I found a website that will let me sell them straight to you in an easy format for both of us. I'll be posting the link where you can buy them next week. To wet your appetite, here's a few things that will be available:






Watch for the email with dozens of adorable things!

Fond memories

It may not come as a surprise, but I associate wonderful food with wonderful memories. Most family traditions that I cherish revolve around food -- sugar cookies on Valentine's Day, Ham and yummy potatoes for Easter, BBQ anything for the 4th of July, Turkey with homemade rolls for Thanksgiving and bread sticks for Christmas Eve. (My dad makes the most unbelievable bread sticks!)

But it also extends to happy family memories outside of the holidays. I remember food from various vacations like the Chocolate Moose from the Anaheim Marriott, the strawberry pie from Marie Calendars on Maui, hamburgers from Fat Boys on Maui, fajitas from Houston, Chocolate Raspberry cake from Truffles in Jacksonville, and on and on and on.

A few years ago, a friend explained that his mom only made blueberry muffins on for General Conference weekend. (General Conference is when Mormons don't have regular Sunday meetings, but instead watch 8-10 hours of special programs on TV or cable so that we can listen to the church leaders from Salt Lake give talks.) Since hearing about the idea, I've been making cinnamon rolls almost every conference. YUM! It's actually become a sensory memory for me now.

But, I've come across a few recipes on a blog that I'm now haunting, and I plan to spice up the menu a bit. It will be a mix of old and new together. This is what we'll be eating:

Saturday Morning: Apple Cake

Saturday Night: Wild Rice Soup & Challah

Sunday Morning: Cinnamon Rolls

Sunday Night: Challah French Toast

YUM! If you're out and about and want to stop in, we'll share with you! If you're not local, I've shared my recipe's below. The recipe's from the blog are linked above.

A note on the soup -- this is a hearty soup -- we make a big batch and freeze lots so that we can have it whenever the mood strikes.

Wild Rice Soup
By Darcy Patch
INGREDIENTS:
1 large Onion
2 Carrots
3 Celery Stalks
½ cup Butter
2/3 cups Flour
6 cups Water
2 TBSP McCormick chicken base (or 4 Bullion Cubes)
2 pkgs Rice-A-Roni Long Grain and Wild Rice
5 Chicken breasts (cooked and cubed)
2 cups Half and Half
½ Tsp. Salt
½ Tsp. Pepper
DIRECTIONS:
Chop vegetables and place in large soup pot. Melt butter and sauté vegetables until tender.
Add flour and stir until vegetables are coated. Slowly add water and stir vigorously until flour dissolves. Prepare Rice-A-Roni as directed on box, then add to the soup.
Add the remaining ingredients and simmer on low until well blended, usually about 1 hour.

Cinnamon Rolls
By Darcy Patch

INGREDIENTS:

1 pkg active dry yeast
¾ cup warm water
4 cups flour
¼ cup sugar
1 ½ tsp salt
½ cup milk, scalded
¼ cup butter
1 egg

DIRECTIONS:

Dissolve yeast in ¼ cup warm water. Add 2 cups flour, sugar, salt, milk, butter egg and remaining water; beat on medium for 2 minutes. Stir in enough remaining flour to form a soft dough. Knead until smooth -- until about 6-8 minutes. Place in greased bowl, turning once to grease top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled.

Roll out, brush with butter, spread cinnamon and brown sugar over the dough until covered. Roll. Cut slices and place in greased pan. Let rise until doubled again.

Bake at 350 for 15 minutes.

Top with Cream Cheese Frosting:

Cream Cheese Frosting

INGREDIENTS:

1 pkg Cream cheese at room temperature
1 stick butter at room temperature
3 - 4 cups Powdered sugar
2 TBSP Vanilla

DIRECTIONS:

Mix cream cheese and butter thoroughly.

Add confectioners sugar a bit at a time and blend as you add it. Add the vanilla.

Blend the frosting until smooth and fluffy.

Here's Caramel sauce for topping the apple cake if you so choose:

Caramel sauce
INGREDIENTS:

½ Cup brown sugar
½ Cup white sugar
½ cup cream
1 Tbl flour
1/2 Cup butter
1 tsp vanilla

DIRECTIONS:

Bring to a boil all together except for vanilla. Boil for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Take off of heat and add vanilla. Stir. Serve warm.

I hope you go all make something yummy this weekend!

Determined Daughter

When I watched the Olympics in August, I was constantly impressed by the determination of the athletes. I wondered what makes them work so hard day in and day out.

Since thinking that, I've been watching Maddie and recognizing her determination to accomplish something once she decides it's important.


Last year, she had a giant blister on her thumb. I asked her what it was, and she didn't know. It took all day to figure out that she'd gotten it because she was practicing snapping so much she'd given herself a blister -- bigger than the size of a nickel -- on the pad of her thumb. She can snap louder than anybody now!


Two weeks ago, she came home with giant blisters in her palms. Again, I asked her what they were from. She told me it was from learning to do the monkey bars at kindergarten. They were hard and she had to practice to be able to do all of them. Now, she tells me she can do all of them, so her blisters are going away.


As you probably know from previous posts, Maddie has been learning to ride her bike this month. She's gone from not being able to ride at all the morning of Labor Day, to looking like a pro today. She's all over the neighborhood and even learning how to do tricks. Every day when she comes home from school, it's the first thing she wants to do. It's hard to convince her to come in once it's dark.


I think she's just amazing. She's worked so hard to go from frustrated to excellent. I'm not sure I have the innate determination she has. I really wonder where her determination will take her. I simply have no idea. I'm just along for the ride!


Here's a picture of her on Labor Day during her frustration:

Here she is on the very tiny bike (that was the trick for finally getting it):

Here's all her bruises from falling down while learning. It's really hard to see, but her shins were completely black and blue from crashing. We beg her to wear knee pads so that she doesn't get all skinned up.

Maddie's Prayer Rock

At church a week or two ago, the kids learned about saying their prayers. The teacher taught them that they could get a rock, and paint it to make a prayer rock.

Then they should put it on their pillow when they make their bed in the morning so that when they lay down at night, they'll bonk their heads and remember to pray. Then the teacher said to put the rock on the floor so that they stepped on it in the morning to remind them again.

Maddie was very fired up to paint her rock. She worked on it during the afternoon(I took a nap). She did want one thing clarified though, "Mom, if I use the rock, do I really have to bang my head on it, or can I just remember to say my prayers?"

John's hair cut

Back in February, Connie our family hairdresser gave John his "first" haircut. It was really just so that we could say she'd cut his hair first. She didn't take off much, just enough to get cute pictures of my mom and Connie.

His hair was getting so bad we just had to cut it this weekend. Look at how scruffy the ends were getting:

It was so funny, he just kept waving his head back and forth in front of the mirror. I'd try to hold his head still while Jared used the clippers. John was happy, no fussing, he just really wanted to see what was happening.

Here is the astonishing amount of hair -- it was really quite a pile!

It's a little hard to see, but his face was just covered in hair. After a bath to clean it all off, the happy conclusion -- a baby boy with his snuggly and his bottle. All is well in the world.

Trip to the Peabody

We had a lot of fun at the Peabody Muesum. It was great. They have very big dinosaurs, lots of things to do and see. We did end up looking at all kinds of things. Then we went to IKEA for lunch -- it was a mad house -- then Trader Joes and Costco. What a marathon day!

Maddie's First Day of School

OK, this is a month late, I'm really sorry about being so slow. We've been out of space on our hard drive for months. I finally cleared enough off so that I could download all the pictures from my camera. Please pretend you're excited for events that passed many days ago :)

The family waiting at the bus stop.

All the kids from our neighborhood that ride the bus with Maddie.

Maddie with her teacher Mrs. Fudge on orientation day(the day before school).

Maddie's First Day of Soccer

Maddie started soccer Saturday, Sept. 20th. She just loves it. Her coach is really good with kids. My favorite part was how she knew every kid there. She could say almost every name, even though she didn't know a soul when school started. I'm really proud of her for stepping out and trying to get to know all the kids around her. They all know who she is and shout, "Maddie!" in greeting. What fun!

New Pages

I promise, someday I'll come back to all our current activites and goings on and post all of our adventures, but I worked on these pages today, and had great fun with brushes -- I used a brush to make the fish on the background and the boat in the foregroung. My friend Amanda taught me how to make my own brushes. Here's her steps:

1. Find an image you like, a boat or flower for example


2. Make sure the image size is smaller that 2500 px if not adjust it.


3. Then under "edit" find "define brush".


4. You will then find your brush at the bottom of the list of your currently opened brushes


5. If want to save it for good, choose "save brushes" on the brushes tab and make a separate folder for your brushes.

So, this boat is my first brush! Yipee!

Free Museum Day

This Saturday is free museum day with the help of a coupon from the Smithsonian Magazine. Most of the area museums are participating in CT, NY, MA and even UT and FL for all our other family and friends. Click here to get your admission free for you and your family!

Have fun! Let me know what you go to see. We're going to the Yale Peabody Natural History Museum in New Haven. Dinosaurs. Science. Evolution. IKEA. :)

Exploring brushes...

Today I wanted to learn how to use the brushes tool in Photoshop Elements. I've never played with it before. I'm totally in love with brushes! It's so fun -- you can take a brush, and make the image any color you want, cut it out of any paper you want or mutate it like the cookie cutter tool. I know many of you are way ahead of me on this, but it's fun! Some brushes start out boring, like straight lines, but the ones downloadable have fish, bubbles, stars, hearts, all kinds of things!

I found a great website that has bunches of free brushes. The sponsor has a list of free ones, and then people have contributed at the bottom of the page as well. Enjoy 'em! Here's the website:

In case you're curious about my latest pages, here's a few samples:



I think I'm getting better at this the more I learn.

John Walks!

Yeah! John walked today for everyone to see -- you included. I'm so proud of him. This was the best one yet, five or six steps. I know that it's a bit premature to call him a 'walker' but he's definately walking.

I had predicted that he'd walk by Sept. 15th, so I'm a bit disappointed he's two days late, but I have to say, he's pretty talented nonetheless.

'D' Vent

OK, so forgive me for indulging in a little venting here. I'm so sick of health trouble. This year has been the hardest year health wise for me I've ever faced. For those of you I haven't whined to yet, in the last 18 months, I've had:

• Bone hump and pinched nerves in my neck resulting in the loss of feeling in my arms and fingers
• Gestational Diabetes -- tummy shots, pricking fingers and all
• C-Section surgery(this was worth it for my darling boy)
• Terrible asthma-- loss of 20% of my lung capacity
• Terrible allergies -- UGH!
• Three bone spurs in my feet, resulting in loss of movement and extreme pain. I finally got a cortisone shot this week and I'm doing much better now
• AND.....

The most recent discovery today was that I have a severe vitamin D deficiency. Seriously? Isn't that for third world countries and people with malnutrition, or those who live in Alaska???

Supposedly it is the vitamin D loss that is causing my extreme fatigue and aches. It could even be responsible for my crazy bone formation in my neck and feet. Who knew?

They are telling me though, that apparently once your body has a severe deficiency of vitamin D, no amount of time in the sun will make up for this problem. They've prescribed special vitamins for me to replenish my stores of vitamin D. Normally, a daily supplement has 400 IU of vitamin D. The special vitamins I'll be getting have 50,000 IU. Crazy! Apparently I need to take these for several months before I'll be back to normal levels.

As sick as I am of health problems, I'm so very grateful for medical care. I can't even imagine the state I'd be in if there were not people who work very hard to help me. Both to do the tests to figure out what's wrong, but also to fix the problem when we know what it is. Getting a cortisone shot was the singular most painful experience of my life, but now my foot pain is gone. From absolutely miserable to pain free in minutes. What a miracle in my life that wonderful shot was. It's amazing what the right medicine in the correct spot can do to help!

Thanks medical team -- I love ya all!

Ridin'

Maddie has been working all summer learning to ride a bike. She's had some good friends that have been willing to learn right along side her, and that has helped her progress a lot.

I made the mistake of buying her a bike that was too big for learning. So, we've traded bikes with our good friends so that she could have a smaller one to learn on. It might be a bit too small, but it's given her the confidence to keep trying.

Today after school, she jumped on for a couple of minutes to see if she could just start on her own and get going. I should mention that getting started and stopping have been her greatest challenges. (Sorry she's breaking the helmet rules!)

In addition to starting, her biggest obstacle was her little brother. He kept chasing her all around the driveway, trying to get at the bike. You'll see the end result here:

Capturing the Cackle

John has this spectacularly funny cackle. I've tried for some time to get it on video. We were finally successful tonight. Maddie was jumping off the stairs trying to surprise him while he ate his rice. Sorry he's chewing with his mouth open-- this happened during dinner. We just had to take what we could get.

You just can't help but laugh right along with this little guy...

Aurora's Chicken Pepperoni

You may or may not be familiar with Aurora's Chicken Pepperoni. For me, it's been a dish I've thought a lot about. Why? Some lost family recipe? From my great-grandmother perhaps? Not even close. It's a featured item in the plot of one of my favorite movies, Seems Like Old Times with Goldie Hawn and Chevy Chase. For those of you who haven't seen the movie, please, enjoy!

I've thought a lot about this menu, and I've always wanted to try making it to see what it was like. So, of course, I googled it. But I was very disappointed when I followed this link to the supposed "recipe" for the movie. I'd like to argue that this is not possibly the dish that was served in the movie for the following reasons:

1. It is prepared in a saute pan. Glenda is clearly wielding a 9x13 baking dish


2. It uses cutlets -- there are visible little mountains of chicken in said baking dish in the movie


3. The recipe listed is more of a casserole, not the dish you would serve the governor, not even if it has artichoke hearts


4. If it was a casserole, then why would there be side dishes on the table, aren't casseroles a one dish meal?

So, since I couldn't find what I was looking for online, I invented it in my kitchen tonight. Here is my version of Aurora's Chicken Pepperoni:

• Chicken Breasts, pounded thin
• Pepperoni
• Mozzarella Cheese
• Butter
• Garlic Salt
• Pepper

Spray a 9x13 baking dish with non-stick spray.

Pound the chicken until about 1/4 inch thick. Lay it on the cutting board. Put 3-5 slices of pepperoni on the chicken. Top with mozarella cheese. Roll up, place with the end down so that you get a nice piece of smooth chicken on top. Repeat for desired number of chicken breasts.

Melt butter. Coat chicken with melted butter. Sprinkle with garlic salt and pepper to taste.Bake at 350 for 25 minutes or until a light golden color starts to appear -- or until internal temperature reaches about 150.

Remove the dish from the oven. Top each chicken breast with about 2 tablespoons of spaghetti sauce. Then top lightly with more cheese. Put it back in the oven for another 10-20 minutes, or until the cheese is to the desired crispiness and the chicken internal temperature measures 165 or more.

Serve atop fettucini noodles with extra sauce on the side.

Loving the ocean

I've always wanted to live by the beach. I apparently started telling my parents that I would live by the ocean when I was about 6-years-old. I don't think I've ever lost that desire. It's one of the reasons Jared and I decided to move to CT. We just wanted to be near the water.

The really sad part is that living by the beach doesn't mean you get to sit and read books and bask in the sun every day. What a bummer!

Having said that, we've really tried to take advantage of our opportunities here and go at least once every week all summer long. But, now that Maddie's in school, it's more of a pain to take John. He's just so curious and so very messy. His favorite thing to do on the beach is eat rocks. Case in point:

But, I think I've come up with an answer. There is a beautiful walkway in the town of Niantic where you can mozy along for about 2 miles. Since they don't put sidewalks anywhere in my town, it's about the safest place to go for a walk with John. I've been putting him in the stroller and walking along the boardwalk. There is nothing like listening to the ocean and smelling the surf. I love the squawking of seagulls and the whoosh of the Acela train as it passes by. John seems to really enjoy the walk as well. It could be his is more of a social experience -- every person passing by has something to say to John. What a bright soul he is.

This walking on the beach is a real boost to the soul! What a beautiful place to be.

More digi scrapbooking

I really love this hobby! My hard drive is so full! My children are looking neglected and my dinner tonight is a little iffy, but I've had a fun afternoon. This picture represents my afternoon. It's all I've accomplished, but I love it.

I think I like this page layout best of all so far -- thanks again Amanda! This was her first template. (Her site is mandagirl.com)

Photobook reward...

Thank you for everyone's input on my new digital scrapbooking hobby!

I really took all your comments to heart and evaluated them as I put this photobook together. This book is my first reward for entering sweepstakes. I won it from the Quaker Book of Life give away. I'm pretty pumped. If you'd like to take a look, click on the link below:

http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=0AYuWTdy2asmTiY

I need to give a big shout out to my friend who made half of the templates that I used in the book. Her blog is mandagirl.com. You can find links to the templates that I used there.

Also, I have to thank Two Peas in a Bucket and Shabby Princess for all of my free digital papers and elements. They have great stuff!

Let me know what you think of the final product.

Reasons to enjoy....

OK, so I'll be the first to admit I wasn't thrilled to be sending my daughter to kindergarten. (And yeah, this post is going to make it up before her first day at school pictures, sorry!)

I really like her, I like spending time with her and I don't want her to grow up. But, in the last week, I've discovered several reasons to enjoy this new adventure of ours. They are not limited to, but include:

• Naps. I get a nap!
• The computer to myself
• Listening to talk radio(no censoring necessary)
• Licking the bowl clean by myself
• Cleaning -- yep! I can clean the house!
• Walks -- with John in the stroller, I can go for walks again
• One child shopping -- did I mention he can't ask for anything yet?
• Quiet. Oh, how I love quiet.
• She wants to see us when she comes home! It's not all talk about finding a friend for the afternoon, she wants to be with us. I'm not sure how long this one will last, but I'm enjoying it while I can.
• Tasty dinners -- I am getting ahead on my to do list enough that I'm actually cooking dinner. Good dinner.
• Early bedtimes for kiddies
• Getting up and getting going -- she forces me up and since I have to take her to the bus, I also have to be dressed.
• But, most of all, she's just happy. She loves school and wants to be there. It's so fun to see her learning and growing and yes, even growing up. She was so ready, it's good to see good things happening for her.

You're sure she can read when.....

In Walmart tonight, I was shopping for some Advil. Honest to goodnes truth -- Advil. Three or four feet to my left, Maddie loudly says, "Mom, what does Cherry Flavored Edible Intimate Lubricant mean? It's sugar-free."

I've been tagged....

OK, so I've been tagged. My dear Texan is making me answer these questions. Look below to see who I tag next:

20 years ago!
1. I was 14-years-old in Sandy, Utah
2. I had just finished a 35-mile, 5-day trek at Philmont Scout Ranch
3. I was entering the 9th grade

10 years ago!
1. I had just graduated from BYU in communications
2. I had just met Jared and enjoyed one of the happiest summers of my life.
3. I had just started working at Digital Technology and was headed out on my first travelling assignment. I was still living in Provo, Utah.

5 years ago!
1. It's such a blur! Maddie started walking in August and I felt like I just chased her around all the time.
2. We visited Hershey, PA for the first time.
3. Jared was getting his PhD and I was a stay-at-home mom. We lived in Washington, DC and were busy with adventure Wednesday activities.

3 years ago!
1. Jared was still working on his PhD.
2. We visited Montreal for a science conference and I forced the family drive many hours out of the way to visit Lake Winnapasake because that's where What About Bob? was about(actually filmed in Virginia though) and to visit a fabric store.

1 year ago
1. What a year! I packed up and moved our house while 4 months pregnant . Then we sold our house and moved to CT.
2. Lived in a hotel
3. Got gestational diabetes and had to give myself icky shots to keep 'little' John actually little.

This year so far!
1. The beach, the beach, the beach!
2. Visited Utah for the best three week vacation of our lives!
3. Just enjoyed the peace of living in the country.

Yesterday!
1. Piddled around the house until the Olympics were on, then watched the Olympics of course.
2. Made yet another grocery list I haven't actually been to the store to buy.
3. Did three loads of laundry.


Today!
1. The beach. Oh, how I just love the beach. It's like a playground for the kids. They are so happy there. I just get to talk and enjoy the sound of the water.
2. Got a free chicken sandwich from McDonald's.
3. Plan on sewing a new purse while Jared's at a work dinner party(and will watch more of the Olympics.)

Tomorrow!
1. Going to the Providence, Rhode Island zoo.
2. Picking up a new toy for John that I've requested from a Craig's list posting. I just love getting deals!
3. Hope to actually make it to the grocery store.

Next Year!
1. Make sure John makes it to 2.
2. Keep Maddie loving school.
3. Hopefully go on a 10th anniversary cruise with my husband. Cross your fingers!

Now for the terrible part -- I tag Emily, Alisa and Brookeh.

Sharing My Coupons

OK, so in some ways, I'm tired of getting all the deals to myself. I love knowing that people are getting something for nothing, or getting a good price. So, here's my tips for today:

• $1 off a twisted Frosty at Wendys here -- play the game then you'll see the coupon link
• Free chicken sandwich or chicken biscuit from McDonalds here.

Now go save some money! YAHOOOOO!

P.S. If you sign up for the Wendy's email, they'll send $1 off coupons about every two weeks.

I know I'm obsessing....

OK. So I've been looking at my pages, over and over and over. I can't decide if I love them or not. It's not usual for me to have so much going on. Or, is it that I don't like my design, or am I being to critical. I'm asking for opinions here. I did a white background version to see if I'd like it better, but now it seems to plain to me. What do you think dear scrapbooking experts???? A or B? I really want to be sure what I am doing before I go and make 40 pages for a book. HELP!

Digital scrapbooking #2

OK, so I had fun this afternoon. I made a very simple template -- kudos to you Amanda, you make it look so easy. I'm not nearly as talented as Amanda is, but I tried. I'm really proud of myself for figuring out how to put a page into the type for the first time. Yeah me! Here's the page that resulted from my attempt:

Digital Scrapbooking

So, I've been dying to learn how to digital scrapbook. I've gotten a glimpse at it, and know I'd like it, but haven't ever had the chance to really get into it. Today I started working from my friend's free templates and really had fun. I'd like to put together a photo book for our Utah trip. Then I have about a thousand other photo books I'd like to put together. If I really get into this, I see a lot of computer time in my future! Here's today's results:

Do you Hulu?

I'm addicted! Jared found this great website with all kinds of tv shows and movies -- oldies and current as well. It's free, and there are thousands of choices. Give it a try: www.hulu.com

Maddie is in love with the A-Team. We've just spent the afternoon watching an episode and eating lunch toghether. It's fun to see her enjoying it so much. She asked if we could watch all of the episodes today. :)

What's your tradition?

So, I realized today that we have an unintentional Sunday tradition. When we get home from church, most of the time, I make breakfast for lunch. This has not actually been planned, just started happening because we like it. In thinking about it, we've been doing it for two or three years now.

We usually have pancakes, french toast, or breakfast sandwiches. Pancakes happen to be my current favorite -- these are the best. You can add blueberries, chocolate chips, really almost anything to this recipe and you'll be happy. Thought I'd share:

Pancakes
King Arthur Flour – adapted by Darcy Patch

2 large eggs

1 1/4 cups milk

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

3 tablespoons melted butter

1 1/2 cups All-Purpose Flour

3/4 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons baking powder

2 tablespoons sugar
Dash Cinnamon
Dash nutmeg

3/4 cup blueberries, (or any fruit or chocolate chips)

1) Beat the eggs, milk, and vanilla until light and foamy, about 3 minutes at high speed of a stand or hand mixer. Stir in the melted butter or oil.

2) Add the flour, salt, baking powder, and sugar, stirring just to combine. A few lumps are OK. Set the batter aside to rest while you're heating your griddle or pan; it'll thicken a bit as it stands.

3) Heat a griddle to 350°F. If you don't have a griddle, heat a large frying pan over medium-low to medium heat. Grease the griddle. When it's hot enough, a drop of water will skitter across the surface, evaporating immediately.

4) Drop the batter by 1/4 cupfuls onto the prepared griddle or pan; a muffin scoop works well here. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon berries atop each pancake.

5) Cook the cakes till they’re golden brown on the bottom, about 2 minutes. Flip them over, and cook till the other side is golden, 2 to 2 1/2 minutes.

6) Serve the pancakes immediately. Or transfer them to a platter, cover, and keep warm in a 200°F oven. Enjoy with butter and maple syrup.

So, what's your Sunday afternoon tradition?

Another day in medical land...

The kids took a bath together today -- just adorable!

We spent all morning going to doctors. One for John, one for my feet. (My feet will OK with the help of their new orthotics -- thanks for asking!)

John still needs to be on breathing treatments. We'll get him checked again in a few days to see the progress. Other than that, we're just as boring as can be. I've been checking out new coupon sites, trying to figure out how to not pay for groceries and household items. Maddie's been watching tv. I'm trying not to think about the mouse in my garage that is still alive despite it's dabbling with the poison. UGH!

Jared's mowing the lawn, and John finally, finally, finally decided to sleep. YEAH FOR SLEEP!