Cinnamon Roll Caramel Waffles

Do you all have a Pinterest Account? If you do, follow Only the Manager (me) if you'd like. I'm finding I really enjoy peeking in on Pinterest more than I thought I would. There are such cool ideas there!

It's funny, really. Pinterest uses modern technology and concepts that would not have ever crossed my mind before. Yet, the more I see on it, the more I long for simpler days. I want to try every cool Do It Yourself project I see! And the recipes... there are some really wonderful ideas! I think maybe I could even be a reasonably good cook if I just had the time to try out some of those delicious recipes. I'm also finding lots and lots of crocheting ideas that I wish to do. If only I had more time!

This week-end, though, I did try out one of the simpler recipes I saw on Pinterest. I made cinnamon rolls on our little waffle maker.  I'm not kidding! It was tasty AND easy...just my kind of recipe. It was so delightful I decided I needed to share the joy with my readers.

To start I bought a tube of pre-made cinnamon rolls. I sprayed my waffle iron with an oil spray and heated it up. I chose caramel rolls but any would be yummy.

I separated the rolls and plopped two of them on the iron.

I closed the lid and cooked them just as if they were regular waffles.

When I opened it up again, it looked like this...

When I added the caramel that came in the tube, it looked like this...

You want a bite, don't you?

Now, the thing is, I make really good cinnamon rolls the old fashioned way. Someday I will share that recipe as well. This way, however, is pretty wonderful when you are in a hurry and not feeding too many people at once. It tastes even better than it looks!

The Beauty of Simplicity

 The Beauty of Simplicity 
                          (by Telecast)

It's the beauty of simplicity
that brings me down to my knees
I'll praise You for eternity
and Lord I love You
Because You
You first loved me
It's the beauty of simplicity
that fills me with eternity
I've tasted Your divinity
and Lord I love You
Because You
You first loved me

Chorus:
And all God's people say:
We, we love You
we love You Lord
we love You
And we, we love You
we love you Lord
we love You
We love You

It's the beauty of simplicity
that brings me down to my knees
I'll praise You for eternity
and Lord I love You
Because You
You first loved me

Bridge:
You gave Yourself away
just that I could stay
You took my place in death
and rose that I could say
That You are Holy
and You alone deserve my praise

(CLICK ON TITLE TO HEAR SONG)

Wyoming Wind Gives Clues

I do believe I've mentioned how our yard catches everything the wind blows around our neighborhood. Our street is long and our house is situated where the road bends. Add to that the fact that THE WIND IS ALWAYS BLOWING IN WYOMING and the result is, our yard is kind of a collection area. Remember when I told you we bagged up over 60 bags of leaves this Fall? Most people in the neighborhood just had a few bags sitting on the curb the day the city collected them. It was a bit embarrassing, really.

Do you remember the week we found a crutch in our front yard? Could the wind be strong enough to do that? The answer is YES! The gusts that week were up to 90 mph!

This week we received boxes in our yard.  They were empty. Either someone told everybody that we were going to do the cardboard recycling for everyone or the Wyoming Wind has been leaving treats for us once again. Apparently someone in our neighborhood got a new table.  

Someone else must have received a new red wagon, maybe for Christmas?

The weirdest thing I found in our yard remains a bit mysterious.  I thought I had already written a post about this but when I looked for it this morning I couldn't find it. So, sorry if I am repeating myself. 

Some time back I found this driver's license.

It just suddenly appeared in my flowers one day. It is pretty old as it was to expire in 2007. It was a provisional license as the young lady was underage at the time. She would now be 26 years old.  The weirdest part was that it is a California license. Why would that show up in our yard years later?

Sisters

Our granddaughter, Elise,  is 6 months old now. She is delighted to get more involved in play with her big sister, Cordelia. Cordelia is also thrilled that Elise can do a bit more with her now. She has been planning all the fun they can have together!

The other day Cordelia wanted me to tell her a story about three little girls. She wanted the little girls to be named Cordelia, Sadie (Cordy's best friend) and Elise. I thought it was sweet that she included Elise.

Last time the girls were at our house Mike was showing Cordelia how to ride in a boat (box) around the kitchen floor.  Cordy quickly requested that her sister ride along. Finally, Elise is big enough to be included in such play! My photos did not turn out that great but they do give you a sense of the bond of love these little sisters already share.

 I love how Cordy locked her hands around Elise to keep her safe.

I also grabbed my phone and took a few photos of the two of them on one of their first rides together in a shopping cart.  

Cordy is generous with the kisses and I think Elise was trying to reciprocate.

Elise's kissing style is a bit underdeveloped (and wet)...but sweet.

I love these little girls...you probably didn't know that, did you?

The Two Iones

We did not randomly choose to visit Arizona.  We all met there so that we could not only see Ben and Sara but so that we could see Mike's Mom, Carol.  She cheerfully hosted our whole family. We were really grateful to all have the chance to gather there.  I know it would be appropriate to send her a thank-you card but it is a new age and I am bad at sending cards. So, thank-you, Carol! We appreciate you!

Carol's middle name is Ione.  I probably shouldn't tell you that as she once told me she wasn't crazy about her middle name. However, I think she likes her middle name now, because she shares it with her beautiful baby great-granddaughter, Elise Ione.

It was fun to see the The Two Iones together for a few days.

I see a resemblance between these two pretty Iones.

Except Carol doesn't drool.

The Day Sara Made it Snow

Will Someone Please Turn UP the Heat?

I am COLD! What a rude shock it was to return from Arizona to temperatures dipping below zero degrees.  Add Wyoming wind to that and... well, there just isn't enough hot chocolate!

I don't know where all of my readers are from but I know some are from the North and some are from the South, many others are from other countries. I'm wondering what kind of weather you are all experiencing at this time.  Comments, anyone?

For now, I think I'll relive some more of the warmth from last week...

Cordelia and Grandpa...it does not get any sweeter than that.

Doesn't that look nice? 

I don't know why they look so serious but when I look at this photograph I am 

happy remembering that I got to go out to lunch with just my two sons that day... a rare event!

I love my daughter-in-law. 

She has a happy spirit and

a tinkly laugh.

It was perfect weather as we hiked, enjoying time by a river.

I think these guys look kind of silly wearing little helmets but they entertained me.

Arizona knows how to do some spectacular sunsets.

All Together

It didn't last long enough, but for a time Mike and I had all three of our adult children, both of our children-in-law (that's a term, isn't it?) and our two granddaughters all together in one place. It was wonderful. One of my favorite Arizona memories from this trip will be the day we all went for a walk enjoying some desert nature.

Ben and Sara came were there from North Carolina.

It was so great to get to spend time with them.

Cordelia was pretty happy to see Uncle Ben.

Can you see the adoration in her face?

Elise was happy to have Sara tote her around because Sara knew the trick. It looks awkward but Elise wants to be held facing outward so she can see where she is going.

We were walking around a Riparian Reserve so the bird-watching was fabulous.

I think this is a Blue Heron. Am I right? I love his beard!

I wonder if others in this reserve thought Maria and Eric were some sort of celebrities. Don't they look like a movie-star family?

 

Oh yes, I got time with the little girls as well.

I just felt so happy that day!

This guy was one of the locals.

Mike is standing on his tippy toes to be as tall as Sam.  

Pitiful really.

We made friends with some geese (groupies) who kept following us.

Ben showed Cordelia what to do with this perfect tree.

Arizona has its own beauty.

While I looked at this group of people I thought back to Mike and me at 15 years old, meeting in our little high school. I don't think I was capable then of imagining the joy of looking together at our children and grandchildren. I am so grateful for these moments, happy to share them with Mike.

I love my people!

Beautiful

...by Mercy Me

I hope that song plays over in your head today...and I hope you believe it.

Sunny Arizona

I am blogging from my phone in sunny Arizona! It is snowing and cold at home so I am feeling pretty lucky! What a great time we have had! All of our children and grandchildren were here at my mother-in-law's home. When I get home to download onto my computer I will have more photos, but here are a few from my phone... Mike and Sam and all the others have already flown home and I will soon follow. I can't wait to tell you more about it all but right now I am going to just enjoy the moment.

Looking Back - Me

And to wrap up my "looking back" series, this is my class from 1st grade.

Can you tell which one is me?

Looking Back - Mike

Remember this young pastor?  This was taken the day Mike was ordained in June of 1989.

He is likely tired in this photo, but what a great smile! He had just finished seminary, we were in the middle of moving to Harlowton, Montana and he'd had a busy morning visiting with friends and relatives who had attended his ordination ceremony.  It was a very happy day.

Looking Back - Maria

Now this one is charming, don't you think?  Maria was such a fun girl! I loved watching her.

Can you see the creative spirit already sparkling in her eyes? No? Well, admittedly she looks like she was feeling a bit self-conscious, but she was likely also planning her next play or party or parade or tv interview.  That girl was always directing and organizing! She was a delightful little girl and it makes me all warm and happy to think of her childhood as well.

Looking Back - Ben

I'm still looking through my rear-view mirror today.

This picture is Ben and it is a pretty typical vision of his childhood.  He was always doing something.  I'm not sure what this scene was, a boat, a train, a race car?  I don't remember but it captured Ben's spirit for sure. He was all about fun!

I think I probably didn't always stop to enjoy the moment enough at the time, but I am so grateful for these photos to take me back for a longer look.

Looking Back - Sam

I know, it's all about the New Year right now.  However, I was looking through old albums and thought it might be fun to look backward just for a few days.

Anyone know this handsome little boy?  I will give you a hint... he is now about 6'4" tall!  Yep! That's Sam.  Wasn't he cute? I think he was about 5 years old at the time he was on that soccer team. It makes me smile to think of watching his little games.

At the end of that season the coaches asked us parents what to put on the trophies (we all paid for them ourselves). One parent said, "Put 1st place!" So, they did.  It wasn't true; I'm not sure they even won a game.  5 year olds don't always get that whole win/lose thing anyway and they all loved receiving a first place trophy! What a sweet time.

One Thing Remains

by Kristian Stanfill

One Thing Remains

Your love never fails, never gives up

Never runs out on me

Higher than the mountains that I face

Stronger than the power of the grave

Constant in the trial and the change

One thing remains

On and on and on and on it goes

It overwhelms and satisfies my soul

And I never, ever, have to be afraid

One thing remains

Your love never fails, never gives up

Never runs out on me

In death, in life

I'm confident and covered by the power of Your great love

My debt is paid

There's nothing that can separate my heart from Your great love

Les Miserables - Movie Review

Mike and I recently went to see Les Miserables.  I even learned how to pronounce it!

This movie was so very different from "Parental Guidance" in nature, but actually I think both had a lot to say about forgiveness. Les Miserables is a very dark movie, though.  I mean that quite literally.  There are actually only a few scenes shot during a time of sunshine. The following trailer comes early in the movie and it gives you a sense of the hopelessness many of the characters felt.

One thing I really enjoyed was the singing!  It is quite beautiful.   The characters were not singing to a soundtrack; that was obvious. The whole movie felt a bit like watching a major play production, but with really, really good seats.

This trailer will give you an idea of some of the majesty of the film.  I would definitely use the word "gritty" to describe most of the scenes. At first it is difficult to imagine this film has any potential to be uplifting, but it really is in a way. It shows characters who are in the most miserable situations, who have been abused and mistreated. It shows good people resorting to theft and prostitution to survive. I  know, that still doesn't sound very uplifting.

The thing is, at the end of the film you realize you have seen depictions of people who are remarkable in their ability to let go of hatred.  Someone else may get something totally different from this movie, but to me, that was the central theme. And how important is that!? Even in our ordinary lives it is so easy to cling to hatred of those who have hurt us. Yet, that hatred just continues your own pain.

So, yes, I recommend this film.  You need to know that it is very, very long.  Mike said the guy in the seat on the other side of him kept sighing. You need to know that a lot of it is difficult to watch, emotionally wrenching and downright grimy.  You need to be in the right mood for it when you go. Afterward, though, I think it is one that you will be thinking about for awhile.  You'll get your money's worth and love wins out in the end...just as it should.