Banana Pancakes with Fresh Peach Sauce

Banana Pancakes

We always have one or two extra bananas at the house which don't get eaten before they start to turn brown. I've used them for banana bread mostly. Here is a great banana pancake recipe to use them in as well:

1 C. flour
1 T. sugar
2 t. baking powder
1/4 t. salt
1 egg, beaten
1 C. milk
2 T. vegetable oil
one or two mashed bananas

Mix dry ingredients together and wet ingredients together seperately, then add the dry to the wet and mix.

Pour onto a griddle in small amounts and cook until light brown on the bottom. Flip and cook the other side till golden. Butter and serve with fresh peach sauce (recipe to follow).





Fresh Peach Sauce

We also love peaches in the fall, and we like to buy a whole boxful. We can't use them all in time, so I peel and slice the remainder and freeze them for use in the winter. We use them for peach cobbler, smoothies, etc. I found a great recipe to make fresh peach sauce also, perfect for pancakes. I use my frozen peaches and it turns out delicious. Here's the recipe:

1/2 C. water
3 T. sugar
2 T. cornstarch
1 dash ground nutmeg
1 C. sliced, peeled fresh peaches (can use frozen, just cook a while longer)
1/8 t. almond extract

In a saucepan bring water, sugar, cornstarch, and nutmeg to a boil; boil for one minute. Add peaches. Bring to a boil; boil another 2-3 minutes (longer if using frozen peaches). Remove from heat; stir in extract. Serve warm.



Happy Eating!!

Gratitude

In line with Thanksgiving, Brandon and I were asked to give talks in our Murray ward this past Sunday on the topic of gratitude. So, I thought it would be appropriate to share my talk as a blog post to help us prepare for Thanksgiving tomorrow. :) Here you go:

In President Monson's talk "An Attitude of Gratitude", he quotes a popular song from the 1940s,

Accentuate the positive;
Eliminate the negative.
Latch on to the affirmative;
Don’t mess with Mr. In-between.

He said,

"This is a wonderful time to be living here on earth. Our opportunities are limitless. While there are some things wrong in the world today, there are many things right, such as teachers who teach, ministers who minister, marriages that make it, parents who sacrifice, and friends who help.

We can lift ourselves, and others as well, when we refuse to remain in the realm of negative thought and cultivate within our hearts an attitude of gratitude. If ingratitude be numbered among the serious sins, then gratitude takes its place among the noblest of virtues."

So, as I was preparing this talk I realized, we can be grateful for a lot of things in life, but there are some things that we have been given as our very greatest blessings, and those are the things that will bring us the greatest joy.

President Kimball said,

"Let us remember that our Heavenly Father has given us the greatest of all gifts.

'And, if ye keep my commandments and endure to the end you shall have eternal life, which gift is the greatest of all the gifts of God.' ” (D&C 14:7.)

President Monson said, "I express my profound thanks to a loving Heavenly Father who gives to you, to me, and to all who sincerely seek, the knowledge that death is not the end, that His Son—even our Savior Jesus Christ—died that we might live. Temples of the Lord dot the lands of many countries. Sacred covenants are made. Celestial glory awaits the obedient. Families can be together forever."

Of the Savior, President Monson said,

"Let us follow Him. Let us emulate His example. Let us obey His word. By so doing, we give to Him the divine gift of gratitude."

D&C 78:19 says,

“And he who receiveth all things with thankfulness shall be made glorious; and the things of this earth shall be added unto him, even an hundred fold, yea, more.”

We should be grateful for what is right now, it is molding us into the people we will become. We are being molded moment by moment. Enjoy the process as it unfolds and be grateful for it.

In hindsight, I know I am grateful for times in my life that have been difficult because of the growth and learning that have come as a result, and of course I am grateful for the happy times too, but we do need both. Both types of experiences contribute to our overall happiness, and especially during difficult times we tend to draw closer to our Savior than we otherwise would, if things were always easy.



President Monson quoted the ancient Roman philosopher Horace who admonished, "Whatever hour God has blessed you with, take it with grateful hand, nor postpone your joys from year to year, so that in whatever place you have been, you may say that you have lived happily."

That reminds me that, our very life is a gift from God. Do we feel entitled to that gift or do we feel grateful for it? After all, of what have we to boast? We certainly cannot repay God for all the blessings he so lovingly bestows upon us, we are forever in his debt.

Are we givers of gratitude or are we givers of complaints?
Do we appreciate these, our greatest gifts, or do we neglect or even reject them, as we go endlessly searching for our happiness elsewhere?



President Faust said,

"A grateful heart is a beginning of greatness. It is an expression of humility. It is a foundation for the development of such virtues as prayer, faith, courage, contentment, happiness, love, and well-being.

But there is a truism associated with all types of human strength: Use it or lose it. When not used, muscles weaken, skills deteriorate, and faith disappears."

President Thomas S. Monson stated: "Think to thank. In these three words is the finest capsule course for a happy marriage, a formula for enduring friendship, and a pattern for personal happiness."

President Monson also said, "Despite the changes which come into our lives and with gratitude in our hearts, may we fill our days—as much as we can—with those things which matter most. May we cherish those we hold dear and express our love to them in word and in deed."

So, I've actually been thinking a lot about these things in my life for quite a while now, and it leads me to the following question,

Do we fully appreciate our greatest blessings, or are we putting the majority of our focus on less important things instead, or sometimes even on the very least important things, without even realizing it?

If so, I really feel that we are taking our focus away from the source of our greatest joy.



I also feel that the extent to which our lives show our gratitude for our greatest blessings, is the same extent to which we will find joy and peace in our lives.

I wonder if decreasing and sometimes even eliminating some of the less important things from our lives, would enable us to more fully realize and appreciate our greatest blessings.

Steven E. Snow said,

"An old proverb states, 'The greater wealth is contentment with a little.'"

He also said,

"Gratitude may be increased by constantly reflecting on our blessings and giving thanks for them in our daily prayers."



President Monson said, "Our realization of what is most important in life goes hand in hand with gratitude for our blessings."

I feel that through being able to comprehend our greatest blessings, we allow them to increase. Gratitude attracts more reasons to be grateful, and the more we enjoy what we have been blessed with, the happier we will be.

I also believe the opposite is true. Ingratitude breeds more of the same, and along with that, misery and discontentment.

If our lives are not a testament to our gratitude for our greatest blessings, above all else, then what do our lives say about what we treasure the most, and does that make us happy?



Gene R. Cook said,

"True gratitude is the ability to humbly see, feel, and even receive love. Gratitude is a form of returning love to God. Recognize His hand, tell Him so, express your love to Him."



I love this quote by a well-known author, Melody Beattie, she wrote:

"Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos into order, confusion into clarity.... It turns problems into gifts, failures into success, the unexpected into perfect timing, and mistakes into important events. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today and creates a vision for tomorrow."



Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!!

Women at the Well

O.K., so I guess journaling isn't all I've been up to lately...

I also sang this song for a young women program about a week ago, and when I came home that night, Brandon helped me make a recording of myself singing it in Garageband. I get extremely nervous singing in front of an audience, and my sound quality really reflects it. However, a recording is easier, because I don't have the audience to contend with to make me all nervous at the same time. :) Enjoy!

Women at the Well - sung by Jen by refinnejp

Journaling

So I'm currently in the process of typing up my old journals into Google Docs, and I've written a lot, ever since I was eleven years old to be exact. Hence, no time for blogging, sorry. We've also moved, and are currently in the process of preparing to relocate to Costa Rica...

As I've been reading through my journal entries, I've found that they are none too exciting for the most part, and the funny ones are even more rare.

However, I did run across one tonight that may be worth sharing, so I thought I should share it, in an effort to update my blog (for those of you who are still faithfully waiting in anticipation). Afterall, like I said, my journal tends to be a bit boring, and it might be a while before another entertaining entry comes along. Here goes,

November 25, 1999

"It was so funny yesterday when we were walking to the museum [Prado] because I almost catapulted myself over a pole. At each corner they have about four small poles that come up from the sidewalk. They are spaced apart so that people have to walk in between them, as they walk onto the sidewalk from the street. Well, I wasn't really paying attention, but I was looking straight ahead, and the poles only come up to about a little above my knee. Anyways, I didn't see it, and I had my skirt on. So, my skirt closed in tight around the pole, and the force almost catapulted me over the pole onto my head. I looked so completely ridiculous as I was trying to find my balance, and at the same time trying to figure out what in the world was going on. I don't know, but I think it's kind of scary for a person as unobservant as I am to walk around downtown Madrid..."

[I'm afraid to say, the whole "quiet dignity" rule (for missionaries) took quite a flying leap at this point, as those of us who witnessed this unfortunate event couldn't control our hysterical laughter for quite some time afterward... as I remember it was only myself, my companion, and one elder who saw what happened. The other missionaries in our group thought we were just being unnecessarily loud and obnoxious. Who could blame them I guess...]



I've also noticed I tend to give myself lots of pep talks and advice throughout my journals. Whether or not it's good advice is still debatable. For example,

"Get over it! Yes, upsetting things will happen, but guess what? Life still goes on whether you're dealing well with it or not."

I do like this one however,

"Live to love and love to live."

Well, I guess that's about it for now. Hopefully I'll be back soon. :)

On Nest Building

I came across this poem while I was in high school,
and I absolutely LOVED it.
I thought about it again recently and re-read it.
Now I love it even more.
Enjoy!

On Nest Building

Mud is not bad for nest building.
Mud and sticks
And a fallen feather or two will do
And require no reaching.
I could rest there, with my tiny ones
Sound for the season, at least.

But
If I may fly awhile—
If I may cut through a sunset going out
And a rainbow coming back
Color upon color sealed in my eyes—
If I may have the unboundaried skies
For my study
Clouds, cities, rivers for my rooms—
If I may search the centuries
For melody and meaning—
If I may try for the sun—

I shall come back
Bearing such beauties
Gleaned from God's and the world's very best.
I shall come filled.

And then—
Oh, the nest that I can build!

-Carol Lynn Pearson

Adventures in Water-skiing

To continue in the same style as my last post, we've been having lots more fun in the sun. I guess July is a perfect month for water adventures here in hot, hot Utah. So, we've been taking our opportunities while the sun shines.

Thanks to my Dad and Michelle, we took a little break up at their Bear Lake cabin on Monday. Brandon and I have both water skied before, but not for many, many years. Here are some photos of us daring to take the plunge once again. :)

Notice Brandon's expression of utter concentration,
although he would tell you it's his "I'm gonna die!" expression. :)

Oh well, might as well die happy, right? :)

And this would be my expression of utter concentration, and blooming disbelief that I actually managed to get out of the water.

About now I'm thinking this is pretty fun, and maybe I should shake things up by cutting across the wake a little bit, just to keep things interesting, and to see whether or not I can manage it. :)
Turns out I can!

Here's the pro, Howie, showing us all how it's done. Way to go Howie!!

Marie driving the boat! Thanks Howie. :)

My oh my, what cute boating adventurists. :)

Marie is all smiles for her extra birthday celebration and cake, compliments of her Grandparents. :)

Thanks Grandpa Don & Grandma Michelle & Howie!!!
We LOVE you guys!!!

Marie's 4th Birthday

Happy Birthday Marie!!!

This year, we slid away from our normal birthday party routine for Marie. We decided to go to a new water park in Draper called Cowabunga Bay, on the afternoon of her birthday. I haven't been to a water park in at least eight years, Brandon can't remember the last time he went to one, and the girls had never been to one before.

Cowabunga Bay was perfect for our little family!
(no, this is not a paid advertisement)

They offered:

*free life vests and innertubes

*lots of not-too-scary waterslides
(including a couple tiny ones for extra little guests)

*soft-serve twist ice cream cones with a sunburn
(red raspberry flavored powder sprinkled on top)

*a lazy river to float in

*lots of squirting water and fountains to play in

*nice chairs covered by large umbrellas for shade

*a large 2-3 foot deep (pretty warm) kiddie pool

We all had a lot of fun. Emily and the rest of us were daredevils and enjoyed testing out the waterslides. Marie went on one of the tiny slides with her Daddy, but didn't enjoy the splash in her face at the end. She opted to play in the lazy river, fountains, and kiddie pool after that. However, she had a BLAST, and even got brave enough to float in the water supported solely by her life vest
(a huge and very fun accomplishment for her, as you can see by her ginormous smile).

I've decided they also need to offer free bum pads for bony girls like myself. I got a bit of a sore tailbone from the excursion. Sad, I know...

Justin & Kennedy and Jessica & Pheobe joined us at the water park as well, and it was awesome to have them with us. Pheobe really loves the water, and she very happily showed me how she can swim by flapping her arms and legs in the water, all the while supported by her Mommy of course. :)

We took Marie to Toys-R-Us this year, and decided to let her pick out her own birthday present. It worked out alright in the end, although it was a bit sketchy for a while, since whatever toy happened to be right in front of her at the time was also her very favorite thing in the whole store...at that particular moment. She finally decided on a new Webkinz stuffed animal dog, and a Dora Mermaid bathtub doll.

Marie chose to go to IHOP for her birthday dinner and ordered the Create-a-Face-Pancake. She also got a cool twisty straw, which reminded us of our day at the water park and all those twisty waterslides. Then she got a delicious ice cream sundae with chocolate chips on top for dessert, compliments of IHOP. :)

The girls have also been participating in an edible art class through Granite Peaks Community Education. On the morning of Marie's birthday, they made an edible spider (oreo cookie body, colored licorice legs, and skittle eyes), a beetle (cheese cube body with crunchy Chinese noodle legs and antennae), and a caterpillar (banana slices held together with chocolate frosting stripes, and marshmallow heads). That pretty much also ended up being their lunch for the day. Lucky girls.

WE LOVE YOU MARIE!!