Waffles, Pot Roast, and Blogging Oh My!

Today was a great day! I got to sleep in, work out, run errands...you know, typical Saturday stuff. A highlight of my day was having my co-workers over for a brunch. We ate great food (homemade whole wheat waffles and buttermilk syrup---recipes included below---my favorite!, blueberry muffins, scrambled eggs, and fresh fruit and fruit juice---yum!), relaxed, and spent time with each other, no students included :) It seemed to be a day of cooking as I got to try out a new recipe for dinner rolls from my sis-in-law Marisa for a dinner later with roommates and a former roommate and her husband. It was so nice to catch up and it made me grateful for such blessings in my life as wonderful friends and family who have influenced me so much for the better. The rolls and pot roast were a success as was the smell in the kitchen. :) It reminded me of home when my mom would make roast in the crock pot on Sundays and we'd come home from church to that deliciousness. Mmmm Mmmm good.

I can't believe tomorrow is the 1st of May! I will have lived here for six years, which seems just crazy to me. I never planned on being here for so long, but often the Lord has other plans (which I am discovering more and more each day :) ), for which I am very grateful. The experiences I have had here have helped me grow so much and learn more about myself as a daughter of God. Having a Father in Heaven who knows me so well to refine me as He has is a great blessing. Not that I would relive some of those experiences, but that I am truly grateful for where they have brought me at this point in my life.

I received my study guide, packing list, and other info for the trip to Israel in June and I can't believe it's actually happening! I'm SO excited. Delta re-routed my flight from Cairo to...drum roll please...Paris! I'm VERY tempted to extend it for a few days so I can go visit people from my mission as well as see a bit of Switzerland. We'll see how I can work it out :) :)

Before I forget, here are the recipes for the waffles and buttermilk syrup:

Waffles (from Better Homes and Gardens)

1 ¾ c wheat flour

3 t baking powder

½ t salt

2 egg yolks

1 ¼ c milk (I add 2-2 ½ cups—batter is too thick otherwise)

½ c oil/shortening/butter

2 egg whites

Sift dry ingredients. Combine egg yolks and milk. Pour into dry ingredients and stir. Stir in butter and any other extras (fruit, PB, etc.). Fold in egg whites. Pour batter into waffle-maker.

**I add in chopped apples, cinnamon, and nutmeg and it's yummy!**

Absolute Best Pancake Syrup

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Absolute-Best-Pancake-Syrup/Detail.aspx

**I don't add corn syrup and use honey instead. I also use at most 1/2 of the sugar (brown) and add nutmeg and almond extract. Delicious!**

Here are a couple of videos from Brian Regan, one of my favorite comedians, to finish off this fantastic Saturday:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LBko_3wT44Q

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G9em-ZCddWk&feature=related

Some favorite student quotes...

As a teacher, I get to spend time with kids all day and, of course, get to hear all the hilarious things they say. I decided I'm going to record some of the things they say here on my blog...enjoy! Here are a few of my favorites so far:
Kindergartner: "Miss Wall, you look like...you look like...you look like YOU!" Now that was unexpected, though very very true.
My co-worker Cathy: "What will you play for us today?" Kindergartner: "Stand, Stand Up for Jesus" Kindergartner #2: "Jesus? I love Jesus" Kindergartner #3: "Me too!"
Co-worker Cathy: "What animal do you think of in the Spring?" 4 yr old student (confidently, I might add): "A Ghost!!!" Uh, all right. The is neither an animal nor do we typically identify it with springtime, but hey, let's go with it ;)
While learning a new song, a kindergartner said: "So the Queen of Hearts made tarts all day, and the Knave of Hearts stole them. I just don't get it. That's weird." Yes, yes it is.
1st grade piano student: "Well, people say that playing with your pinky finger means the sound is higher, but this sound is lower." Me: "I have no idea what you mean, but explain it to me." Student: "Yeah, everybody says that playing with your pinky finger means the sound is high." Me: "Hmmm. What people are those?" Student: "Oh, just everybody." Ah ha. I knew there was something I'd been missing this whole time.
6th grade student: "Miss Wall, how can you be so good at the piano for being so young?" Me: "How young do you think I am?" Student: "You're 18, right?" Oh yes, just keep thinking that, my friend. I'm having my 18th birthday for the 12th time this year ;)
Co-worker Cathy (while learning the notes on Treble Staff): "What was above the grass in the story? What type of flowers were growing there?" 1st grade student: "Assodils!!!" Assodils. It's the "new" flower. ;)
6th grade student (said just after misbehaving in class and me asking him to stop): "You're really pretty, Miss Wall. In fact, you're beautiful." Now this was obviously an attempt to distract me from his misbehaving, and, let's be honest, it worked...well, for about a minute. ;)

Pictures from life's adventures...

These are pics from some adventures I've had in the past several years. Life is good! The first pics are from a cruise I took to the Bahamas this past summer. My friend McKaylee and I went to the Atlantis Resort in Nassau. It was one of the coolest experiences I've had. There were so many interesting things to see and do. Of course, the food on the cruise was incredible and i went snorkeling for the first time. The next couple of pics are from Miami and the Caribbean cruise. We had planned on renting a car when we got to Miami. but when we got there, they didn't have any other cars available except the red mustang. They asked us if that was ok...um, yes, please! Drive around Miami in a red mustang??? Awesome. Such a blast! We also went parasailing in St. Maarten's. It was fantastic!
The pic on the bottom is of Boston from a few years ago over the 4th of July. I made so many attempts at a good jump shot and FINALLY got this one. I look kind of ridiculous with my mouth wide open, but hey, it was fun :) We also went sailing with my brother and watched the fireworks from the harbor. The postcard like photo you see at the top is what we saw the night of the fireworks. Absolutely beautiful!

Dance

So tonight I get to chaperone for our school dance. This should be fun and interesting. I think it will definitely bring back memories of the awkwardness that was middle school :) I'm excited, though. Should be fun to see the kids in that light...all dressed up and dancing the night away. Ha. I might even break out a few dance moves myself...but we'll see :) I'm looking forward to the weekend as I get to have co-workers over for brunch tomorrow and then a few friends over for dinner tomorrow night. Here's to dancing through life (name the musical) and uh, the middle school dance... ;)

Just some thoughts...

I have been studying Christlike attributes lately and felt impressed today to listen to the talk by Elder Holland, an apostle in the Church, called "Broken Things to Mend". I am always struck by Elder Holland's talks and the emotion with which he delivers them. Tonight was no different. As I read this talk, though I felt discouraged, I came away with a bit of comfort and renewed faith that the Savior will always be there and that He will lighten our burdens if we go to Him and do as He would do. He has "graven us upon the palms of His hands" (2 Nephi 21:16). What an incredible gift He has given us to repent and become better day by day and to not only repent of our mistakes, but also to help us overcome trials and difficulties in our lives. I know Christ is our Savior and that He loves each one of us with a love that we can't even fathom and because of that love, He sacrificed His own life for us so that we could one day live with our Heavenly Father once more if we live according to His plan. Elder Holland quoted this poem in his talk, written by George Blair, entitled "The Carpenter of Nazareth", and I copied it below:

In Nazareth, the narrow road,

That tires the feet and steals the breath,

Passes the place where once abode

The Carpenter of Nazareth.

And up and down the dusty way

The village folk would often wend;

And on the bench, beside Him, lay

Their broken things for Him to mend.

The maiden with the doll she broke,

The woman with the broken chair,

The man with broken plough, or yoke,

Said, “Can you mend it, Carpenter?”

And each received the thing he sought,

In yoke, or plough, or chair, or doll;

The broken thing which each had brought

Returned again a perfect whole.

So, up the hill the long years through,

With heavy step and wistful eye,

The burdened souls their way pursue,

Uttering each the plaintive cry:

“O Carpenter of Nazareth,

This heart, that’s broken past repair,

This life, that’s shattered nigh to death,

Oh, can You mend them, Carpenter?”

And by His kind and ready hand,

His own sweet life is woven through

Our broken lives, until they stand

A New Creation—“all things new.”

“The shattered [substance] of [the] heart,

Desire, ambition, hope, and faith,

Mould Thou into the perfect part,

O, Carpenter of Nazareth!”

I am grateful for the peace and bit of comfort I received tonight. I am truly blessed!

Listen to this playlist: rwall2011's Playlist

What I believe...

Another New Recipe...

During Spring Break, I decided I would try out a few new recipes I had collected and see how they turned out. Here are a couple that have been delicious...enjoy!

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Big-Soft-Ginger-Cookies/Detail.aspx

These remind me of my dad :)

Here's another great recipe for chicken:

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Baked-Lemon-Chicken-with-Mushroom-Sauce/Detail.aspx

With this one, instead of baking the chicken first, then adding the sauce, I lightly breaded the chicken breasts (eggs and bread crumbs), made the sauce as directed and poured it over the raw chicken breasts, then baked for about an hour or so with foil on top. It was delicious! Served it with mashed potatoes, asparagus, and cheddar herb biscuits (see recipe below).

http://www.melskitchencafe.com/2010/03/cheddar-and-herb-biscuits.html

These biscuits are, hands down, the best I've had. Enjoy!

Chicken Tikka Masala

So I LOVE Indian food. Here is a great recipe for Chicken Tikka Masala that I have made a couple of times (from AllRecipes). It's awesome! I just use 1 t cayenne pepper as otherwise it's too spicy for me. Also, I cook the chicken in a regular saucepan instead of grilling it. There's a great whole grain naan you can get at Safeway or Giant as a side dish as well as quinoa. I just recently discovered quinoa and love it! I boil it in chicken broth instead of water and saute 1/4 of an onion before adding the quinoa and chicken broth to give it a little more flavor. For a vegetable, I do a spinach salad with sliced almonds, craisins, and poppyseed dressing. Delicious!

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Chicken-Tikka-Masala/Detail.aspx

Happy Spring Break!

So today is the last day of Spring Break. I'm enjoying it, but will probably be ready to go back tomorrow (that's the hope anyway ;) ). After we go back, there will only be a little over a month of school left. Crazy! I can't believe it. The year has gone by so quickly. I'm looking forward to summer and going to Israel. It will be such a great opportunity to walk where the Savior walked. Yesterday was a wonderful Easter Sunday and I'm so grateful for my Savior, His resurrection and Atonement. I know He lives and loves me! Here's to a wonderful week!

Cherry Blossom Time!

The cherry blossoms in DC with my friend Hannah! I love this time of year!