Complete Faith

Today my friend Jen taught our Relief Society lesson. She did a beautiful job with all of it, but my favorite part was when she talked about this scripture. I learned a lot from her.

1 Nephi 18:24 And it came to pass that we did begin to till the earth, and we began to plant seeds; yea, we did put all our seeds into the earth, which we had brought from the land of Jerusalem. And it came to pass that they did grow exceedingly; wherefore, we were blessed in abundance.

There were no backup seeds and no backup plan. So, if you read the story of the travels and trials of Nephi's family, then you know that when they planted all of their seeds in the ground, in the place they had been directed to by the Lord, holding nothing back for another year or another place, they had put ALL of their faith in the Lord for which they... "were blessed in abundance." Inspiring to say the least.

Peter Pan at BYU...

On the right... is my cousin Jillian practicing her flying for her performance as Wendy Darling in BYU's production of Peter Pan. Go! It runs just one more week until Jan. 29th. Everyone over the age of 2 is welcome and it is pure sugar for the little ones. They just love it!

Carl Heinrich Bloch...

I can't wait to see this exhibit. This is my favorite painting, Christ in the Garden of Gethsemane.

See more HERE...

The Secret of Kells...

Brilliant and wonderful. I can't wait to watch it again. Don't miss this one. Read about The Book of Kells HERE...

Chicago Peace Rose Postcards....

All the flowers of all the tomorrows are found in the seeds of today... ~Indian Proverb
This postcard will also be available at very reasonable cost for teacher appreciation gifts.
They come in a package of 10. And, for teacher appreciation, I will add a cello bag, pen and ribbon. $4 for 1 set $3.50 for multiple sets.
LOVe BoXEs SHoP...

Grilled Chicken & Asparagus Pasta...

I made this for dinner tonight. Delish. I love capers and next time I will add a few to the sauce. Yum.

Teacher Appreciation Postcards...

Education is an ornament in prosperity and a refuge in adversity. ~Aristotle

This postcard will be available at very reasonable cost for teacher appreciation gifts.

In order to get them as shown in the bottom photo, you will have to message me the number you would like.

They come in a package of 10. And, for teacher appreciation, I will add a cello bag, pen and ribbon. $4 for 1 set $3.50 for multiple sets.

LOVe BoXEs SHoP...

Gourmandise...

Flourless-chocolate-cake-chocolate-ganache covered-chocolate-heaven. Yep.
Gourmandise: a favorite little French Bistro with a neighborly, friendly atmosphere
250 South 300 East, Salt Lake City, UT 84111(801) 328-3330
Tip: Open late (until 11) for after the Symphony!

Marvelous Marinara...

This recipe was a little involved for me, since my idea of marinara is opening a jar and warming it. However, after tasting this, it didn't seem as involved after all. I'm anxious to give it another try next week. I got the basic recipe from the Lion House Lite Cookbook, but I tweaked it a lot and I'm going to tweak some more. This is what I'm going to do next time:

2 T EVO
4 cloves garlic
1 1/2 C chopped zucchini steamed
3 carrots chopped steamed
1 med. green bell pepper
1 2 1/4 oz can sliced ripe olives, drained
1/2 C hot water
2 tsp. beef bouillon granules
5 fresh white mushrooms
1 14 1/2 oz can stewed tomatoes, undrained
2 8 oz cans tomato sauce
1 6 oz can tomato paste
1 heaping T brown sugar
1 tsp basil
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp dried parsley flakes
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/8 tsp cinnamon
1 squeeze lemon
1/3 C chopped onion
1/2 C chopped celery


Heat oil in a large saucepan; add celery & onion until onion is translucent. In a blender, toss steamed carrots and zucchini, olives, green pepper, garlic, mushrooms and stewed tomatoes. Blend until pureed. Pour whole deal in sauce pot with onions & celery. Add the other tomato products and spices. Dissolve bouillon in hot water and add to sauce. Bring it to a boil then cover simmer and stir occasionally for 1 hour. Pour over pasta and serve. (Save some to make lasagna later in the week :)

Goodbye Mr. Chips (the musical)...

OK, the music is pretty sorry. C (resident music critic) was miserable every time they opened their mouths to sing. It happens that something can seem pretty great when you're 12. (little c liked it!) Still, I love O'Toole's Mr. Chips. Who doesn't love an inspiring teacher show? Truly, a good teacher gives a gift beyond price. I wish I'd learned the classics from a Mr. Chips!

Anyway, the battle of the Mr. Chips is on... Next the 1939 Mr. Chips. We'll see how good he really is... stay tuned.

Pretty Flowers...

I love vintagey looking things. I saw some pretty dish towels on Design Mom and found these sheets in the Garage Sale section. I love these colors together. They are a favorite combination.

House 8810

Potato Corn Chowder...

Comfort food for cold nights. This is easy & delicious.
I have a little sea salt at the table,
but you could add salt to the soup if you wished.

2 stalks celery finely chopped
1/3 cup finely chopped onions
1 14.5 oz can low-sodium chicken broth
2 3/4 cup 2% milk
1/8 tsp pepper
4 golden potatoes peeled & cubed
1 can cream-style corn
3/4 grated sharp cheddar cheese
1 squeeze of lemon juice
1 T butter 1 T flour for roux

Saute onion and celery for about 3 min. until tender.
Add chicken broth, milk, roux & pepper. Stir on low until
roux is incorporated. Add potatoes, creamed corn & lemon juice.
Stirring, bring to a boil until soup thickens. Add cheese. Serve
Makes 6 servings.

Tip: I pre-soften potatoes in the microwave using a potato bag... makes it fast.

7 Favorites: A list for Golda...

1. Favorite piece of jewelry or hair accessories ~My silver heart necklace from Mexico here...
2. Most important favorite thing - ~My library of books
3. Favorite Make-up - pink blush
4. Favorite article of clothing - ~Pink Tee Shirts!
5. Favorite drink - ~Diet Coke w/ big lemon wedge and pebble ice
6. Favorite smelly thing - ~Peppermint anything
7. Favorite food - ~Chocolate

I am supposed to pass this a long to 6 people, but I've been so blog lazy that I don't know if I have reader anymore, so if you want to participate, jump in. Let me know so I can visit and read :)

Fairies...

The things I've been painting this week...

peg dolls, doll, little peg people. peggies, wedding cake toppers, cake toppers, cupcake toppers, birthday, decorations, painted, anniversary, available in love boxes shop...

Bye Bye Birdie...

Craig and I had a conversation about making little c culturally literate... at least going backwards where some of this stuff had some talent and staying power. It was fun to show this to the girls tonight. It is a very silly show, but it has lots of pretty clothes in fun colors... and, I love Dick Van Dyke. He is a great talent.

Even More Postcards in ThE SHoP...

$4.00 for Package of 10 Presented as Shown...

find them here...

LoVE BoXES ShoP...

Sunshine Shawl...

I love this shop on Etsy...

This is wearable art! Beautiful!

Aqua & Green Treasury & Others...

Recently... I've loved creating these...
HERE...

Here...

HERE...

HERE...

Here...

American Girl Magazine...

The arrival of this magazine in the mail is a moment of bliss at our house. It is filled with imaginative fun, with projects, recipes and ideas that are age appropriate. One of our favorite sections is where we are introduced to other girls the same age as c across the country. They tell a little bit about themselves, their interests and a typical day. It's a whole new world. Life it is different for every girl and yet the same.

Because I've found other news, blogs and creative instruction online, I have dropped all of our own subscriptions with the exception of Business Week (with which I'm currently not impressed). This is literally the only subscription left. Worthwhile.

Slow Cooker Beef Stew...

Ingredients
2 pounds beef stew meat, cut into 1 inch cubes
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 clove garlic, minced
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 onion, chopped
1 1/2 cups beef broth
3 potatoes, diced
4 carrots, sliced
1 stalk celery, chopped
Directions
Place meat in slow cooker. In a small bowl mix together the flour, salt, and pepper; pour over meat, and stir to coat meat with flour mixture. Stir in the garlic, bay leaf, paprika, Worcestershire sauce, onion, beef broth, potatoes, carrots, and celery.
Cover, and cook on Low setting for 10 to 12 hours, or on High setting for 4 to 6 hours.

This recipes is from Allrecipes... I used it with Corrines more savory suggestions. Which are:
1. Increase flour to 1/3 cup and substitute seasoned salt for regular salt. Put flour mixture into gallon-sized, zippered bag. Shake beef in bag to coat. Sauté coated beef in 1-2 tablespoons olive oil until browned. Add chopped onion to beef to sauté and soften. Transfer to slow cooker.
2. Mix beef broth (I used Swanson's Certified Organic in aseptic carton) with 1 TABLEspoon Worcestershire and ½ cup red wine. Pour into hot skillet to deglaze, then pour over beef and onions in cooker.
3. Add remaining ingredients with these additions: increase garlic to 2 cloves minced, 2 bay leaves; add 1 packet McCormick's Beef Stew Seasoning.