Launi

January 13, 2010February 9, 2021

The Preparedness Tab

Now I know that the topic of preparedness is not exactly the most interesting and certainly not the most fun topic on earth–but…I feel compelled.

Did you know that this week–our lovely state of Utah has experienced 2 earthquakes–right here in Utah county? One on Sunday night and the next on Monday night. Yeah. Who knew?

In an article on the Ready.gov site, it says:

“You may need to survive on your own after an emergency. This means having your own food, water, and other supplies in sufficient quantity to last for at least three days. Local officials and relief workers will be on the scene after a disaster, but they cannot reach everyone immediately. You could get help in hours, or it might take days. In addition, basic services such as electricity, gas, water, sewage treatment, and telephones may be cut off for days, or even a week or longer.”

With this in mind—the Preparedness tab is the newest addition to our site and feels very important right now. I have big plans for this place–not because I think I know something–but more because there are some great links that we can tap into and share with each other. The info is all around us–we just need to gather and then act. I’ll add more each week or so.

In the meantime, checkout:

Ready.gov

to see what you can do to be more “emergency prepared.”

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Happy Birthday Beckham!

Happy Birthday Lily!

January 12, 2010February 9, 2021

Say Cheese!

Something very peculiar is going on these days.

Whenever we hold up the camera, and say, “Smile!” this is what we get.

Or this.

What the…?

Awww…come on.

I think these babies are on to us and our blogging ways.

It’s getting so that…

to get a really great smile from either of them…

somebody’s got to stand on their head!

Ah, well–as long as it isn’t me….

January 11, 2010February 9, 2021

Buttermilk Doughnuts

It’s just not a particularly fair planet–is it?

I mean, come on.

Haven’t I been doing really well…

resisting every snack…

every treat…

every goodie, for weeks now?

All for the sake…

of the dreaded scale?

Doing quite well, too–thank you very much.

And then, my talented kids…

take an otherwise innocent afternoon…

and pull this.

Chanting, chanting, chanting…

“Nothing tastes as good as being thin feels. Nothing tastes as good as being thin feels. Nothing tastes as good as being thin feels.”

No.

But I bet it’s dang close.

Sheesh.

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Buttermilk Doughnuts

Ingredients

4 eggs
2 cups sugar
1/3 cup butter, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
5-1/2 to 6 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 cups buttermilk
Oil for deep-fat frying
Additional sugar, cinnamon-sugar or confectioners’ sugar, optional

Directions

In a large bowl, beat eggs and sugar until light and lemon-colored. Add butter and vanilla; mix well. Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and nutmeg; add to egg mixture alternately with buttermilk. Cover and refrigerate for 2-3 hours.
On a lightly floured surface, roll dough to 1/2-in. thickness. Cut with a floured 3-in. doughnut cutter.
In an electric skillet or deep-fat fryer, heat oil to 375°. Fry doughnuts, a few at a time, for 1 minute on each side or until golden. Drain on paper towels. Roll in additional sugar if desired. Yield: 4 dozen.

(Recipe from Taste of Home Magazine)

Buttermilk Doughnuts

Ingredients

4 eggs
2 cups sugar
⅓ cup butter, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
5-1/2 to 6 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 cups buttermilk
Oil for deep-fat frying
Additional sugar, cinnamon-sugar or confectioners' sugar, optional

Instructions

In a large bowl, beat eggs and sugar until light and lemon-colored.
Add butter and vanilla; mix well.
Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and nutmeg; add to egg mixture alternately with buttermilk.
Cover and refrigerate for 2-3 hours.
On a lightly floured surface, roll dough to ½-in. thickness.
Cut with a floured 3-in. doughnut cutter.
In an electric skillet or deep-fat fryer, heat oil to 375°.
Fry doughnuts, a few at a time, for 1 minute on each side or until golden.
Drain on paper towels.
Roll in additional sugar if desired.

January 10, 2010February 9, 2021

For Goodness Sake

Every noble impulse, every unselfish expression of love, every brave suffering for the right; every surrender of self to something higher than self; every loyalty to an ideal; every unselfish devotion to principle; every helpfulness to humanity; every act of self-control; every fine courage of the soul, undefeated by pretense or policy, but by being, doing, and living of good for the very good’s sake–that is spirituality.

David O. McKay

January 9, 2010February 9, 2021

My New Love…

Oh, yes. I am in love again. This does happen quite frequently–doesn’t it?

If you have the deep and abiding love of peppermint–like I do, then my wish for you is that you have this lovely experience sometime in your life. Purely, pepperminty hand lotion. Have you ever heard of such a thing? This particular brand is from William Sonoma–I know, I know…just a tad snooty. But oh my goodness! This was just the perfect little touch of luxury that I was needing right about now, you know? Didn’t hurt my feelings at all that it was 50% off either! Might just be a great gift for Valentine’s Day–if you throw the hints the right way.

My little Jillian tucked this surprise in with some other Christmas goodies and let me just say, “Hea-ven!” It smells just like my daddy’s “sugar room” from when I was a kid. He was a chef and made candy and cakes and pulled sugar taffy that always smelled like peppermint. Mmmmmm.

It’s all I can do not to lick my fingers—but even I know that would be unwise. I have no idea if the brand makes a difference or not–but I’m telling you…

If you get the chance to be near Peppermint lotion in this or the next life–take it. Or come over to my house and I’ll share a smidge…just a smidge.

Then you gotta get your own.