Gwynnie Crocker

Christmas clean-up

2011-12-27T09:58:00.000-08:00

My house is a mess. I mean - it's not cluttered. It's a disaster. My kitchen is stacked with more food than we can eat. Furniture from upstairs is now downstairs and vice-versa. My kids rooms are packed with loot and my room... I'm not even going to go there. And the troubling thing is that I have no idea where the influx of stuff is supposed to end up! There IS no escape route for this kind of disaster! So I am sitting here, on the couch, with my coffee and book (and laptop). I am trying to at least get some chapters under my belt or to really watch and cherish my son playing with his new toys so that even if the house isn't clean at the end of the day, something was accomplished. But honestly... I keep daydreaming about my sister. Everytime I look at our Christmas tree I can hear her voice instructing me as she did in 1991 how to hang ornaments properly on our tree. "Don't forget to put some in the back... and you have to sperad them out. Always put the handmade ones in the front. Don't clutter them all in one place..." which I did and still do. She is everywhere at Christmas time. She is in the music. The cookies. The late-night-christmas-eve-toy-assembly. I miss her. I see my loved ones missing her. But above and below all the hurt, there is Joy.

Christmas isn't about some baby that was born way long ago. For me, a recurring theme about Christmas that has been running through my brain is the fact that when Jesus was born... God knew what was coming. I heard a Christmas sermon this year in which it was pointed out that God's great birth announcement went to the Shepherds and the irony that Shepherd's, considering their profession and specialty, were always the first to know about the birth of a sacrificial lamb. It was the same when Jesus was born. The Angel's rejoiced and filled the sky with their praises. It was a big deal, as it is for any first-time Dad when their baby arrives. But among the shouts of joy, there was an undercurrent of grief at what was coming. the sacrificial lamb was revealed to the Shepherd's, wether they knew it or not. And every time God looked at that sweet baby boy, every time he cooed and laughed, along with the awe, joy, love, pride God felt for his son... there was also the pang of knowing. I can't imagine what it must be like to look at your own child and know that hell will soon be upon him. A great injustice and evil in this world is that some parents do know this - parents of children with fatal illnesses or wounds. It's wrong. But even more baffling to me is the fact that God CHOSE this road. Every time his heart seared with pain for what he knew awaited Jesus, he thought about me.... and considered me worth it. He considered us all worth it. Wether you accept him or not, you were created by him. He knows you. Your face ran through his mind during those 33 years of waiting and anguishing. When he could have called the whole thing off and scooped up his boy as we would with our children, he chose not to. He chose us instead. Even when Jesus cried for his father to "take this cup"... God chose me. You.

I know my sister loved the Lord. I know that her joy came from him. When Decemer 26th rolled around, I got down with the after-Christmas-blues, but not Jenny. For her, Christmas symbolized the beginning of something. Not the end. The building up of Christmas season is fun, but the substance of our worship has just started. He is here. God came to us to save us in the form of a baby who grew into a man. God showed his love for us through a mysterious and beautiful transaction, in which he used his own son as the currency. Wow. I may be grieved for lost loved ones during the holidays, but no amount of grief can ever cloud the wonder and awesome joy at what God has done. Who he is. As I look around my home at the aftermath of our Christmas, for the first time, it isn't in disappointment that it's over. It just started. I wish Jenny was here so we could share this together, but honestly... she got it. I got it. We'll have our moment to share our wonder and amazement at the graces of God... but right now it's my moment to share with people around me. So to you I say Merry Christmas and may God's peace be with you now and the whole year through.

Dining Room

2011-12-21T11:44:00.000-08:00

Guys - God provides! I mean, not just the food/shelter/clothing stuff, but the fun stuff too! As we are preparing our hearts, wallets and home for Christmas (the gifts going out and making room for the ones coming in) we realized that we can no longer fit our Dining set! Reason: "santa" is bringing Logan a custom retro-inspired Kitchen set. In pistachio green!! Built by a good (and crazy talented) friend of ours. Available here > . OK - dining set... It's a beautiful mahogany set that is in great condition and that I just reupholstered a few months ago, in the haze of massive second-trimester energy spurts! I love it! But with the new addition, it just wont work. So I called up a friend (actually, more like a heart-sister, but I'll go into that later) who just recently moved into a big beautiful house in Church Hill. Hoping that they had a need for some furniture set to fit into their awesome new abode, I suggested a trade. Actually... what I suggested was that we give them the set, in exchange for their table (I had no idea they'd send their chairs too!) and we would sell that table on craigslist and use the $$$ for a new table. Well... I LOVE their table! It's compact, comes with 2 extension leaves, and the style is so totally mid-century mod, I can't help but love it! So here's my question: What to do with it? Paint? Not paint? Re-upholster? Colors? Shall we try that painted chair with the contrast dipped-leg effect? I am sooo ready for some suggestions!

Seriously - I can't believe it. Here I thought we were blessing loved ones with our treasure, and it turns out they blessed us! How very gracious God is... he delights my soul in the large-scale and unfathomable mysteries of salvation, and then delights my heart with little blessings like this. Lord, thank you for your grace. For your mercies. For seeing me, knowing me, understanding me, and loving me still. When the big-ticket questions and issues of life and faith seem to suffocate me, you blessed me on a superficial level... because you created me to be a multi-layered person. And you love me on Each. And. Every. Layer.

So: As for the dining room re-do, here's what I'm thinking... painting the ceiling white, reupholstering the chairs with a textured oatmeal-colored fabric, painting chairs white and dipping the feet in pistachio green, mustard yellow and orange (like pictured above), and POSSIBLY making chevron-print cushions for the chairs in corresponding colors. Maybe taking down the painting and adding more dishes?? Your thoughts, please!

Jesse Tree

2011-12-20T14:59:00.000-08:00

So apparently the Wise Men that sought Jesus after his birth were not really the "Three Kings" that I thought they were. It is more likely that if I had to find comparable modern-day people, they would be the astrologers for The National Inquirer. Not exactly reputable among respectable folk... least of all the Jews. Wow. And yet these men, along with a handful of shepherds (and please take a minute to realized how much the job of shepherding must have SUCKED and how looked-down upon they must have been) were whom God chose to be the recipients of his first-born sons birth announcement. Not royalty. Not educated. Not respected. Not pious. But the lowly. The ridiculous. The people you just don't take seriously. Man. The more I get to know jesus, the more crazy this all seems. The more radical and insane his upside-down kingdom becomes. The more and more lovely he becomes to me. That the king of heaven, the creator of the world, the one who formed mountains and valleys, the ocean and trees with his fingertips, came into our world poor. Helpless. Dependent on two inexperienced teenagers and the object of scandal and scorn. In a barn!! With... animals! And when they laid him down in a manger of hay... it was... hay! That stuff is not soft. And it has bugs!

So this year, in an effort to introduce Logan to the meaning of Christmas in a fun way, we are doing a Jesse Tree! It comes from Isaiah 11... "1 A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit. 2 The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him- the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and of might, the Spirit of the knowledge and fear of the lord- " We are loving it! I have never been successful at getting myself to sit down daily with Logan to do any sort of activity, so this is kind of a breakthrough!! disclaimer: We do actually sit down every day and read stories etc... it's just the element of routinely sitting and focusing on a specific activity that I fall short in. In fact, today is day twenty and we have only missed 3 days! Two because I forgot and one (today) because he was sent to bed early after a looooong evening of screaming, stomping, roaring and time-outs. 3 out of 20... that's pretty good! And he loves it! So the jist of a Jesse Tree is that every day you go through a devotional that illustrates another way in which Jesus birth was foretold through the scriptures. It really emphasizes the element of longing for Jesus as we prepare to celebrate his birth. It reveals the Joy of Christmas in a whole new way! If you have never tried a Jesse Tree before, I highly recommend it! Children or not - it's fun and meaningful. OK - I'm off to indulge in old Christmas movies and gift-wrapping!

Read Me

2011-11-15T21:08:00.000-08:00

What's the deal with blogs? I mean... people write them so others can read. Right?! Than why is it so embarassing to read the blog of an aquaintance? If it's a friend, you are morally obligated to read their blogs. To casually referece their content in coversation. To comment on wether or not you agree that this french seam is a more appropriate hem for a Christmas Tree skirt than a normal hem. That's a given. And to read a total strangers blog is even better! Follow, don't follow. Comment, don't comment. Like it, don't like it. You are basically an unknown ghost, free to come and go undetected, observe at will, steal the occasional DIY project idea, and go. Bliss! But seriously y'all (oh em gee... I just said y'all. Richmond has left it's mark) the second I realized that a blog I have been reading occasionally for awhile now is written by someone I actually know, but not well at all.... it's the ultimate humiliation. I don't get it. I seriously feel like I've been caught staring at another girls butt. My face is red, my palms are clammy, my heart is racing and I just can't. Get. Off. This. Page. Fast. Enough. Damn..... i didn't mean to turn off the whole browser. I just wanted to go back to facebook! You get the idea. What is it we're (I'm) afraid of? Am I afraid she'll somehow discover that I've been spying on her, with her go-go-gadget reader detector? Why is this so embarrassing? ITS A BLOG! SO- to anybody to happens to find themselves reading this (which is doubtful. Aaaaah, sweet relief); take your time. Enjoy what I have to say or Don't. Comment, or don't. Look at my photos and feel free to this they are lame or totally mind-blowingly-awesome (much more likely ;) I will never know you were here. I do not, in fact, own one of these fancy go-go-gadget reader detectors. I do not know of anyone specifically who does. But I am willing to bet that if anyone did... it would be her.

Vegetables, Ugh. I mean, aaaaaaah.

2011-01-12T09:32:00.000-08:00

My son is now 28 months old and (hopefully) like every other toddler, outright refuses to eat any sort of vegetable. We have tried the steamed baby carrots with dip, but he used the carrots and spoons and only ate the dip. We tried to add them to his pizza as "special toppings" - but the boy loves his cheese pizza and won't be fooled to eat any other variety. Even when hidden in quesadillas, Logan can detect and reject Mother Nature's goodies. I would like to blame my husband, who is extremely picky when it comes to the veggies he will consume (no fennel, cauliflower, squash of any kind, wilted leaves, onions, mushrooms, any kind of pepper or most root vegetables), I'm afraid I can't (even though now I am a fan of almost everything grown on trees or in the dirt) - I can remember vividly a time when I too rejected my mother's (materfully prepared) cuisine for the very same reasons.

The only solution to our problem has turned out to be Jessica Seinfeld's book "Deceptively Delicious"... available at her (yum-mazing)website: http://www.doitdelicious.com/recipes... I was shocked. I had no idea rich people cooked their own food! The but the woman is good. really good. Yesterday I made her Applesauce Muffins with carrot puree and they were quite possibly the best muffins I have ever had. Her recipes are simple, the ingredients easy to find, and the repertoire of food is perfect - delightful and nutritionally beneficial to everyone in the house. I thought while in food mode, I would post my own favorite recipe here today: Spaghetti with Meatballs and Marinara. I started making this when my husband and I first got married and it has been one of the few constant dishs we prepare regularly that is healthy, satisfying and most importantly... our toddler LOVES it! Hope you enjoy. BTW: I make extra marinara to freeze and use later on, so you may choose to cut the sauce reipe in half.

Marinara sauce:

-3-4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
-1-2 tsp. anchovy paste (optional)
-2 celery stalks, diced
-2-3 carrots, peeled and grated
-1 medium onion, diced
-2-3 cloves fresh garlic, minced
-1 zucchini, grated
-1 squash, grated
-2/3 cup dry red wine (optional)
-2 tbsp. tomato paste (not optional)
-2 28oz. cans diced tomatoes, partially drained
-1 handful fresh basil leaves, chopped
-salt and pepper to taste (use with caution if cooking with anchovy paste... it's salty already)

Meatballs:

-1.3 lbs. ground turkey, 93% lean
-1 cup whole wheat bread crumbs
-1 egg
-1/2 cup fresh grated parmesean cheese
-1 tbsp fresh rosemary (half if dried)
-1/2 handful fresh chopped parsley (half if dried)
-1 tsp fresh chopped thyme (half if dried)
-1 tsp salt
-1/2 tsp pepper

Start the marinara:

1) in a large saucepan heat the olive oil over medium heat until runny. add anchovy paste and stir vigirously until dissolved. Turn heat up to medium-high and add celery and carrot and cook until soft (about 5 minutes). Add onion and cook until opaque, then add garlic. When veggies are blending well in saucepan and garlic is releasing its aroma, add shredded zucchini and squash. Stir well and cook until all vegetables are soft (about 8 minutes). The mix may seem liquidy - do not cover but allow some liquid to cook off. pour in red wine and use scrape the bottom of pan to deglaze and bring up any caramelized vegetables stuck at the bottom. After allowing alcohol to cook off (about 5 minutes), add tomato paste and mix in well. Pour in tomatoes (the ammount of liquid you drain out of the can of tomatoes depends on how much cooking liquid remains in your saucepan - if the veggies have yeilded a lot of water, you may need to drain tomatoes completley). You dont want to drain the cooking liquid out of your saucepan - it contains lots of nutrients that you dont want to lose. Season sause with salt and pepper to taste and cook uncovered for 30-40 minutes (adding meatballs at this stage). When desired consistancy is reached and meatballs are cooked through, cover and keep warm on low heat until serving (no more than 2 hours). Stir in chopped fresh basil about 10 minutes before serving.

Meatballs:

USE YOUR HANDS!

Add all ingredients to large bowl and mush together with your hands (sounds gross but it's the best way). Line a baking sheet with foil and grease with olive oil. Roll meatball mixture into 1 1/2-2 inch balls and line on baking sheet. Spray meatballs with cooking spray (I prefer olive oil) or lightly drizzle. Bake uncovered at 375' for 15 minutes, or until browned an bubbling. Gently drop meatballs into sauce, trying to get each one fully submerged.

*If sauce has too much texture (or if you are trying to disquise vegetables from picky eaters) use a handblender while sauce is simmering to get a smoother texture.

** If sauce is too watery, you can add a little more tomato paste

***Anchovy Paste: anchovies have gotten a bad rap over the years. But they are delicious! I love adding anchovy paste to dishes because it adds SUCH a depth of flavor and really lends it's tasty qualities to savory foods. I highly recommend trying it. If, however, you are not convinced, just don't use it. When I told my sister-in-law that I use it in cooking, I was met with a horrified look and promised her then and there I wouldn't use it when praparing a meal she would be eating. I have been faithful to that promise :) Also - don't use anchovy paste if you are cooking for vegetarians/vegans. It may seem obvious to you - but I forget that it's an animal product :)

****My son sometimes gets a little red rump from his diapers after eating spaghetti. Marinara sauce is decidedly acidic and if you or your little ones are too having a hard time with the acid, you can always add a little butter, cream or sugar to the marinara to cut the acid and make it easier on the tummy. Add it to your taste - everyone likes it differently. This is a tip I got from my sister-in-law who hails from Milan, Italy - so it's legit!

Lucia

2010-07-03T12:07:00.000-07:00

Next project: 2 year old's birthday present. As it's the end of the month, we are super-strapped for cash. Gift solution? Apron and pieced-together bake set! Hopefully the lovely little Lucia (pronounced the Italian way... Loo-chee-ah) will like it! I was able to use left over fabric samples and picked up the bake set pieces from Michaels. We got a cute little cookie tin, Wilton flower cookie cutter set and mini wooden rolling pin. Happy Birthday, sweet girl!

Aprons

2010-06-30T15:57:00.000-07:00

The 1950's were liars. Either that, or we in the more modern lifestyle have totally forgotten how to be simple and happy. For example: The "June Cleaver"-type housewife. Happy to stay home and vacuum with the newest hoover, bake cookies with her "Gold Medal" flour, and casually smoke her "Philip Morris" as they were called back then. Keep her husbands slippers warm and his pipe packed, Baked potatoes buttered and Ambrosia salad fresh and chilled. I look at that woman and on one hand I feel sorry for her. It must have stunk having to cater to everyone and always keep up the "put-together" pretense. Today housewives are expected to walk around in sweats and tracksuits (very comfy), put on at least 30 lbs. and never touch a pair of heels again! Back then they wore glamorous, figure flattering (read: constricting and squeezing the scheisse out of her innards) full dresses with sexy, lacy neglige and always heels. Never was a housewife overweight, or if she was, not to worry. They were still into corsets and girdles. And if she was, it was only a testament to her paramount baking skills. We have no idea of what the pressure must have been. But on the other hand - those women ROCKED!! How did they manage to keep up theire appearances so well? Bake regularly, sew their families clothes, go to church every sunday, keep their homes tidy, their hair colored and permed and still have a sense of humor and warm countenence as they aged. At least, this is my perception. Sure, they killed thamselves keeping up the pretense in the '50s. But come the 80's and 90's... "Hello Blanch Deveroux"!! No woman enjoyed life more than her! Anyway - in honor of my, albeit naive and unrealistic, obsession with the 1950's housewives, I have begun making aprons. Not the modern cliche "kiss the cook" type things. But aprons. The kind my duster-wearing grandmother would have worn. Take a look and give me your thoughts!

Occupational Hazard

2010-06-16T19:42:00.000-07:00

I am a housewife. I know it's currently more PC to label myself "Stay At Home Mom", but I prefer Housewife. It's kitsche and I love me some Kitsche. Besides, I am not confined to Mom-ish duties. I also clean, do laundry, garden, exercize, go to bible studies, play-groups, shop, sew and when I have spare time, I like to read. It seems like my life is full to the brim, and for the most part It's the most fulfilled I have ever been! My husband is everything he should be, my son is everything he could be, and I think I'm doing pretty good too! Not to toot my own horn or anything. That said, why is it that I am constantly asking myself "What do you want to do with you life". When am I going to realize that THIS IS MY LIFE!? Is this normal? I am most certainly not disapointed in anything. In fact - things have turned out better than I ever though possible! Which brings me to the following conclusion. I am beating myself up with doubt and fear and guilt and I didn't even know it! The guilt from not knowing exactly what my next move will be after these baby-makin' years are over has been all-consuming. This is ridiculous, I know. God has blessed me with these years at home with my family to be enjoyed and treasured, and I am letting my fears override the joy. I also know that when God wants me to make the next move, he will nudge me in the right direction. This truth makes the following truths so much more interesting and enjoyable. I am not a college graduate. I was a terrible waitress. I gave up piano lessons (although I hold to it that should I have continued, I would have been a world-renowned concert pianist). I am mediocre at best at anything I have ever tried. Nothing has ever floated my boat enough for me to make a life (or a living) on it. That is, until I met tyler, had Logan and we became this family unit. That's it. That's my boat. This is what I want to do with my life. I love that I am finally good at something I love. I am that person who shows up to work everyday and is happy to be there. Only my work day starts at 6 a.m. when Logan wakes up, I go to his crib bleary-eyed, scoop him up and take him back to bed with me, shush him back to sleep for an hour (or 2) until getting up can no longer be avoided. Then I deposit Logan into the living room under the supervision of "Sesame Stret" (they have 30 years experience watching children) go to the kitchen and make pancakes for my boys. Glamourous, huh!?

FRUIT-FILLED MULTIGRAIN PANCAKES WITH STRAWBERRY SYRUP:

Ingredients:
-Trader Joes "Multigrain pancake and baking mix"
-1 Granny Smith apple
-2 bananas (or more if making a large batch), sliced and diced
-1 pint strawberries, de-stemmed and quartered
-real maple syrup
-2 tbsp butter

1. Make pancake batter according to instructions. With a cheese grater, shred apple into batter and mix in well. Cook pancakes according to instructions but before flipping sprinkle tops of pancakes with banana. Put pancakes on plate in oven warmer.

2. Melt butter in small saucepan. add syrup (as much as you will need depending on the ammount of pancakes you made). warm over med-low heat to a simmer. Slowly stir in strawberries. Let simmer for about 5 minutes until syrup is red-color and caramelized.

3. Serve pancakes with Strawberry syrup! Note: Because there is butter in syrup, there's no need to butter pancakes. This way you get the satisfaction of butter with a fraction of it's calories. Also - this has to count for at least 3 servings of fruit! While my son was going through his extremely picky phase, this was the only way I could get fresh fruits into his system. Hey - whatever works!

Homemade Pizza Dough

2010-02-09T15:32:00.000-08:00

Whisk 3 1/2 cups flour and 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt. make a well and add 1 1/3 cups warm water, 1 tablespoon sugar and 1 packet yeast. When foamy, mix in 3 tablespoons olive oil; knead until smooth, 5 minutes. Brush with olive oil, cover in a bowl and let rise until doubled, about 1 hour 30 minutes. Divide into two 1-pound balls. Use 1 per recipe :) Easy Peasy!

nutella pizza

2010-02-09T15:20:00.000-08:00

i got my food network magazine this month at right there on the cover was one of the most beautiful pictures I have ever seen. A large, saucy, herb-y Margarita pizza. Not just the normal kind loaded with processed cheeses and little shavings of fresh tomato. No - this pizza was on a brick-oven roasted crust, with homemade tomato sauce and fresh buffalo mozzarella and fresh cut basil. HEAVENLY!! Needless to say I tore apart the magazine and was delighted to find a little tear-out booklet with 50 pizza recipes! The first one I've tried so far is the following dessert pizza we served our friends Superbowl night. It was delish!!! I have to keep myself from making it every night after dinner to satisfy my meddlesome sweet tooth!

Ingredients:
24 oz pizza dough (I was in a time crunch and used Pillsbury, but I'll include the recipe for homemade)
melted butter for brushing dough
butter for sauteing bananas
3 ripe bananas1 tbsp sugar
splash dark rum (I used 1 tsp. rum flavoring)
nutella or other chocolate-hazelnut spread

Recipe:
Stretch dough into for 6-inch rounds (I skipped his part and just made 1 big pizza which worked fine); brush with melted butter and bake at 400 f. until golden. Saute 3 sliced bananas in butter with sugar; add a splash of rum, then spoon over prepared crusts. Drizzle with nutella and serve warm (with ice cream ;)

The booklet doesn't come with exact measurements, so bear with me. Once you get going you can tell exactly how much you need of everything. Enjoy!

leek soup

2010-02-09T08:55:00.000-08:00

Today is a day for cleansing! After a looooong winter of snow and baking, cookies and coffee cakes and chocolate pizza (I'll do that recipe too :) my body is crying for a return to balance! So here is a recipe I got from the wonderfullest book "French Women Don't Get Fat". This soup is meant to recast your body system, cleanse it of toxins and it even kinds kicks the cravings for caffeine and sweets (for me at least). It's recommended that you eat only this soup for 2-3 days and drink lots of water, but I improvised the system. I eat a small breakfast (toast with jam or an english muffin or some homemade yogurt) with a cup of tea, have nothing but leeks and broth throughout the day and have a sensible meal for dinner (tonight is herb-rubbed tilapia with haricots-vertes and tomato salad with feta). This I will do for 2-3 days - if I had the discipline to do it properly then I would - but I know me and it's better to improvise than to shrug it off altogether!

Ingredients:

2 lbs. organic leeks. (clean well and trim of dark green ends and white roots leaving white and pale green leaves).

recipe:

place cleaned leeks in a large pot and cover with water and cover. Place on a oven over high heat and bring to a boil. Turn heat down to low, remove lid and let simmer uncovered for 20-30 minutes until tender and water is flavored. Drain water but RESERVE it! Drink the "broth" throught the day like a tes. Eat the leeks (reheated or cold - your choice) 1 cup at a time whenever you feel hungry with a drizzle of olive oil and a dash of salt and pepper to taste.

If you are doing the hard-core cleanse/diet - this is ALL you eat for 2 days. Otherwise, eat sparingly at breakfast and dinner and enjoy the springy flavors of leeks! I have grown to love them - and the headstart they give me when I decide to get myself back ontrack on the road to wellness!

Swedish Pancakes (crepes)

2010-02-05T12:51:00.000-08:00

Today we are snowed in. I know this presents much difficulty to most of Richmond's citizens and the surrounding areas - but I love it! Anyway, when it's cold like this, I crave my Grandfather's swedish pancakes, which are IDENTICAL to crepes. For you who would like to try the family recipe, enjoy!

Ingredients:

1 cup all purpose flour
2 cups milk (I prefer whole - but you can use 2%)
3 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
dash salt
1 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp almond extract (more or less to taste - it's strong) *optional*

Directions:

Whisk all ingredients together in a bowl until well combined, but do not overmix. Small lumps are inevitable. Let batter sit for at least 10 minutes to let gluten settle. Put skillet on stovetop over med-high heat. Melt a pat of REAL BUTTER in pan. When butter sizzles pour a little less than 1/4 cup of batter into pan while simultaneously rocking pan in a circular motion with your hand to create a thin layer of batter over whole bottom of pan. Should be very thin. When pancake is done on first side, flip over (about 30-45 seconds). You need to make these 1 at a time. To serve "Swedish" style: lay pancake out on plate, line with thin layer of butter. add about 1-2 tbsp lingonberries and roll up enchilada style. dust with powdered suger. I also like syrup drizzled over the top, but that's optional. To serve as crepes: lay out pancake on plate, spread nutella over half and fold crepe in half (like a quesadilla). Place in hot pan and let heat up until nutella is melted. Serve with whipped cream, ice cream and fresh berries :)

Mistakes

2010-02-05T08:17:00.000-08:00

I've decided that my theme for today shall be "Embrace Mistakes". This could be a good thig or a bad thing. I imagine for me, as for anyone, this could be a good thing because it's important to accept yourself as you are (wholly imperfect)in order to achieve any kind of contentment. This could also be a bad thing because I am already very prone to insincerity. Not in the sense that I would lie to your face or anything, but I have been charged in the past, rightly so, for not taking things in life serious enough. This light-hearted side of me enjoys, neigh, relishes in my mistakes! To be sure, they are great in number, but what laughter and folly they have brought me in my (relatively) short life! But even for me it is so easy to become frustrated and discouraged when you make mistake after mistake and feel totally helpless knowing that I'm only 27 - I have many more years to put up with this life so I better pace myself! I am clumbsy, careless and forgetful but I am going to make an effort to identify the things about me which will never change, stop trying to change them, and enjoy the fruits they yeild in my life. For example: Whenever I go to the store, I forget something. It is inevitable. I believe this trait is a common one, as I often hear other women complaining of the same thing, however when I forget soemthing, it is almost ALWAYS important. Last week - diapers. As we began our morning routine of breakfast and coffee, cartoons and dancing (yes, our family has a dance party at least 3 times a day) I noticed a sour odor drifting from the direction of our son. As usual, I take the baby to the "change spot", strip him down to his birthday suit, thoroughly wipe away the offenders and..... "Oh sh*t". No diapers. Our solution to this problem? A bath towel, folded and rolled and shoved into our son's play pants. The crotch of his pants were forced down around his knees and his little crack was anything but discreet. He walked like a a penguin, or "Sid the Sloth" from Ice Age. The bulk of his makeshift diaper/pants duo, comical as it was, made even more laughable by the rest of his outfit - a Yoda halloween costume that we utilize as his morning robe. I know that one day my sweet son may resent his loving parents for their fallable solutions to unnecessary problems, but these types of mistakes are what make my life worth living. I want a life filed with tearful laughter! A life without mistakes would be a bland one of calculated risks, expected results and mediocre joy, if that is possible. What joy is there in getting what you expect at all times? I want my joy to be in the beauty of what I do not expect - the unexpected beauty in life's happless messes. They really are a thing of divine wonder - like sunsets and snowflakes (not to get to cheesy, but its true). There is no sensical explaination for unspeakable beauty and even if you found a way to explain it, it would undoubtedly fail to diminish the wonder of the beholder. What thoughtfulness of a God who can turn messes into masterpieces! So as I carry on today with my poorly executed system of "organization" and trying to run this overwhelmingly complex household of 3 (and 1 very special beta fish)I am going to remember my bulky pants-yoda-baby everytime something goes wrong. Though it may be inconvenient to mess up, I'll end up with better stories to tell when I'm old and bed ridden - and those stories are all I'm good for.