Author: Launi

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Nature’s Bounty

One of the most amazing things—for me–about summer,  is that around just about every corner, we are blessed with fruit and vegetable stands. So on the off chance that the gardens don’t do so well, we can always run down the street and grab a bushel of tomatoes to can…or pears, or peaches, or apples. This one is about a block away from our house.

But if you want a slightly different experience, you pack up the kids and head on over to the local Farmer’s Market. This one at our Thanksgiving Point often has more things than produce–but it’s always an adventure. Jewelry, wood work, furniture and even clothing were all over the place–mixed in with the fruits and veggies.

The little gal chose a hand carved wooden spoon for her treasure.

I was drawn to the peaches, apples and real, live local honey butter. Yum is just not a big enough word.

We gobbled up a loaf of banana bread from this gal and then went back for more. I tried to pretend we weren’t the same people who had just been there…I thought maybe a foreign accent would help…but she totally caught on. So we bought two more loaves.

Hey, they were small, ok?

While we nibbled on the banana bread the sky started looking a bit strange…

and dark…

and rainy…

and cold.

As it started pelting down, we hightailed it to the car asap with our bounty so we didn’t get soaked. I mean seriously, who wants to drive all the way home in sopping wet, sticky clothes? Nobody–that’s who!

Ummm…wait.

Oh, never mind.

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Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies

Marvelous twist on a classic favorite.

Tell the truth–you know that positively everything is genetically enhanced when chocolate is involved. I read it somewhere–therefore, it is of course true. You will also be pleased to know that this sweet little cookie was approved by the State Childcare Program as a good snack choice for daycare children because it has so darn much oatmeal in it. So you can breathe easy while you snarf these down…they’re good for you…heh, heh.

Have them for breakfast with a glass of milk.

Call it oatmeal.

Heh.

 

 

Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies

Ingredients:

2-1/2 cups butter

1-1/2 cups packed brown sugar

1cup sugar

2 eggs

3 tsp. vanilla extract

2-1/2 cups flour

1/2 cup cocoa

2 tsp. baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

6 cups oats

12 oz. chocolate chips (optional…ok, not really)

Heat oven to 375*. In a mixer bowl, beat butter and sugars until fluffy. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Combine the flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt. Stir in chocolate chips. Drop by tablespoons on ungreased baking sheets. Bake 10 minutes. Cool slightly and remove from pan.

Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies
 
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:
Ingredients
  • 2-1/2 cups butter
  • 1-1/2 cups packed brown sugar
  • 1cup sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 3 tsp. vanilla extract
  • 2-1/2 cups flour
  • ½ cup cocoa
  • 2 tsp. baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 6 cups oats
  • 12 oz. chocolate chips (optional...ok, not really)
Instructions
  1. Heat oven to 375*. In a mixer bowl, beat butter and sugars until fluffy. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Combine the flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt. Stir in chocolate chips. Drop by tablespoons on ungreased baking sheets. Bake 10 minutes. Cool slightly and remove from pan.

 

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Soma Cube Solution

As promised–here is just one of the solutions to yesterday’s Soma Puzzle. Don’t you just love things that are good for your brain? Of course you do…

Remember there are 7 different sets of blocks that go together to make a square cube.

Begin with this one.

Second move.

Third.

Forth.

Fifth.

Sixth.

Seventh and final.


I flipped it upside down so that you could see the bottom side. If you get terribly stumped just click here you’ll find all the solutions you need to feel like a smarty pants…

or a cheater. ha.

—————–

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Soma Cube Tutorial

Have anyone at your place that loves a challenge? Here’s a fun little puzzle–called a Soma Cube that’s SIMPLE to make and not all that easy to solve. Luckily there are over 200 ways to form these blocks into a square cube, so it just may not ever go together the same way twice!

I’m thinking–perfect gift for all the wise guys in your world…think Christmas.

First step: Grab some unpainted wooden blocks–any size, you’ll need 27 of them. I used 1 inch, but you could go even smaller…or bigger.

Using wood glue– or regular white glue–start sticking your blocks together. I’ll show you the combinations below.

Be sure to wipe off any glue that squishes out–and work really hard to keep the squares even with each other.

There are seven groups of blocks that make up the puzzle. Are you ready?

#1

#2

#3

#4

#5

#6

#7

You are positively welcome to leave your blocks their lovely natural wood color. It makes putting the puzzle together a bit more challenging, but if that’s your goal–then by all means leave them.

Otherwise, paint each set a different color and allow to dry completely.

Cover each set of blocks with a coat of Mod Podge and again, let them dry completely.

Check back tomorrow and I’ll show you how to solve the puzzle…

one of the ways.

 

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{Direction}

Photo by Jillian

“All around us we see a growing desire for spiritual direction the world over as a result of increasing natural and human-caused disasters. This yearning for spiritual guidance is a consequence of our being children of a divine Heavenly Father. It is understandable that when we face difficulty we turn to our Creator for help. Our loving Heavenly Father knew that deteriorating world conditions, severe personal challenges, and disasters would lead His children to seek His spiritual nourishment. The challenge is how to properly find it.”

Richard G. Scott

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