It’s caramel apple makin’ time!

Tonight was awesome!! Gabby and I decided to have the most amazing adventure ever. Ok, not really…I am sure that there have been greater adventures in the past  and will be more incredible adventures in the future but…for tonight, it was an amazing adventure. We decided to make caramel apples. Remember the last time I made caramel apples…it turned out horribly looking but tasted simply divine. I have wanted to try again but was kinda nervous of how they would turn out. Gabby took a class a few months ago on caramel apple making and I took a class two years ago…so with the knowledge that she had and the lack of knowledge that I had, we decided to attempt. 

While the caramel was melting, we chopped up Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, crushed Oreos and Butterfingers, created a cinnamon sugar mixture and melted the chocolate.  Now,  it was time to cover the apples with delicious caramel.  Gabby was awesome at sharing her step by step knowledge on how to create the most delicious looking caramel apples.  Then, we dipped them into chocolate and covered them with delicious goodness.  

Caramel apples covered in chocolate & Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups!

Delicious looking ones with coconut, Oreo's & Butterfingers! 

Now it is time to package them all up!

Now…they are patiently waiting to be delivered!!

IAw…what a great adventure.  I had so much fun playing with Gabby!  Making caramel apples wasn’t as stressful as I thought it was going to be!  It was so much fun.  If I say so myself, I think that these delicious caramel apples are amazing masterpieces.  I think that we should go into the caramel apple making business.  Just kidding! 

Have a delicious day!

~Michelle

 

I think it is a gift!

I haven’t been to church in awhile.  Let me rephrase that,  I haven’t been to my ward in awhile.  My calling keeps me visiting other wards and it has been a lot of fun, but  there is something when it comes to attending your own ward.  I am not sure how to describe it…maybe a sense of belonging somewhere.  Almost every ward that I have visited in the past few months have been extremely welcoming.  But there is something about the ward that you belong to…some type of security. 

Well, yesterday, I was able to attend my ward and that is where the adventure begins.  I was seated in the front row of the back part of the chapel.  Did that make sense?  To the left of me was my roommate and to the right of me was our little greeter old-ish type of guy standing in the doorway.  He is always welcoming when you enter the chapel.  You know those old-ish type of people that are always kind and sweet.  Anyway, the organist finished the prelude music and a member of our bishopric began the meeting.  He was making the announcements of who was going to say the opening prayer and such things as that.  All of sudden, out of the corner of my eye, I could see the greeter raise his hand.  Ok…I thought that it was a bit strange that he was raising his hand…I turned to look at him.   He wasn’t raising his hand.  He was staggering.  I jumped up and  grabbed him as all of the programs went flying across the floor.  I looked at the color of his face and there was no color.  He was going down.  I gently with all of my might guided him downward.  Ok…this guy is tall and when it is dead weight…he was heavy.  One of the guys in the congregation jumped up and grabbed him on the other side. 

OK…this is all happening while the announcements are being made.  Then, all of a sudden, I hear…”We will now pause.”  I am thinking…why are we pausing.  But, then I realized that they were stopping the meeting for a moment and that the “pause” was not for us.  The pause was for the Bishop to come down to the episode that is going on.

We got him down to his knees and by this time a few other guys were there to help lift him back up on the bench.  A nurse from our ward runs up and starts accessing the situation and then, they move him out into the hallway.  We close the doors.  The ambulance comes and they take him to the hospital. 

Back to the pulpit, the meeting begins.  My roommate is freaking out and I am just as calm as can be.

Now that I reflect back on what happened…I never did feel a sense of panic.  I was fine through the whole situation.  I think it is odd that everything felt like it was in slow motion but I remained calm throughout the whole adventure.  I realized that it is a gift  from our Heavenly Father that I can remain calm throughout a scary situation.  Is it a gift?  I think so.  Of course, it isn’t one that comes in colorful packages but one that is built from within.

I think back at scary moments in my life and I HAVE remained calm.  The after moment is when I start to panic but during the whole ordeal…I am fine.  I am grateful for this gift.    I am truly grateful for it.

~Michelle

What is REALLY important?

I love the holiday season and it is FINALLY here.  I have so much to do because I have not even begun.  As I was jotting a list of things that I need to accomplish to get ready for this season, I received an email from Shauna Belt Edwards.

I put down my list of things to do, snuggled up in my chair and watched the video that she sent.  The true meaning of Christmas doesn’t have any thing to do with the many things on my to do list.  So…for right now, I want to share with you something that touched my heart…

I am grateful to be reminded of what REALLY is important!

~Michelle

It is all about the paper!

I am pretty particular about certain things during the holidays.  Of course, this is not of any importance to anyone else but it is important to me.  I have to have my decorations hung a certain way and my tree has to be decorated how I want it decorated.  I would say that these things are my mother’s fault.  My mom goes all out when it comes to the holidays but she decorates how she want to decorate.  She cannot have anyone’s help because she ends up redoing it or adjusting it to her liking.  I am just like her…I do the same thing.  I either redo it or adjust it a tad bit…for my liking. 

There is one thing that we differ during the holidays.  Mom wraps her presents in all different kinds of wrapping paper.  The tree is usually surrounded by multiple bright colored packages.  Like I said before…we differ on this.  My presents have to be ALL wrapped in the same color and tied with the same color of ribbon.  The presents that surround my tree are all of the same color and tied with the same type of big beautiful bow. 

Anyway, I found the perfect wrapping paper for this year’s Christmas gifts.  I am excited to start wrapping presents to put under the tree.  Hmmm…the problem is…I haven’t started thinking about  my Christmas presents therefore there isn’t any presents to be wrapped. But, at least I know when I finally start my Christmas shopping, I have the PERFECT paper to wrap my gifts in.

~Michelle

Favorite things Friday…my fireplace!

One of my most favorite things is

my fireplace!

One of my most favorite things is my fireplace.  I have struggled with sleeping lately.  This is not news to those who know me very well. I will go through cycles with my sleeping patterns.  Sometimes I fall asleep before midnight and sleep until morning. Aw…those are the sweet nights!  Other times, I fall asleep around one or two and then, find myself awake before my alarm goes of.  This is normal sleeping patterns for me.  But lately, I am not a fan of my sleeping pattern.  I fall asleep shortly before midnight and wake up around 2:30 am.  I try to go back to sleep but apparently by brain and body do not feel the need. 

After trying to fall back asleep, I decide to get up, grab my quilt and head downstairs.  I turn on the fireplace and cuddle up beside it.  Finally, what seems like forever…I drift off to sleep for about an hour or so.  I am grateful for my fireplace that keeps me company in the wee hours of the morning.  We have bonded so well! HA

~Michelle

 

I probably will pass on the Banana Cream Pie!!

This morning, I arrived early at Mom’s to help her with the pre-Thanksgiving dinner cooking.  She left the easy things for me to finish up. HA HA  She knows me so well.  After I made two delicious chocolate pies, I started to make the Banana Cream Pie.  I had finished the first one and it looked so scrumptious.  I was trying to remember when the last time I had tasted a Banana Cream Pie.  It must have been forever ago because I could not remember. The pie looked so inviting and so tempting.  I wanted to taste it but knew that I shouldn’t. 

Guess what? I decided to have just a small taste.  Knowing that I am allergic to bananas, I knew it wouldn’t be that bad…right?  Ok…I must have left my brain at home because it was not a very smart thing to do.   All of a sudden my lips started to tingle.  Then, they went  completely numb. Hmm…bad idea. I kinda had this panic feeling because I was not sure what was going to happen next.  Thank goodness, my lips only stayed completely numb for a few hours. I really have a lot to be grateful for...I really do.  I don’t think that I will ever eat a banana again.  No, it was not worth it.

Happy Thanksgiving!!  I hope your day was filled with fun, family and laughter!

~Michelle

**Several hours later…they are still tingley and the numbness is finally going away. YAHOO!!

promptings

Have you ever had a prompting to call someone but you have no idea why?  Have you ever had a prompting to drop by someone’s home but you have no idea why?  What about sending a note in the mail?  Have you ever had a prompting to do something…anything but you are unsure the reasoning behind it? When you act upon it, you feel kinda…weird or embarrassed.  You are not sure what the other person is thinking…so, you try to muster up some sort of reason why you did what you did.  Instead trying to figure out why, we should just share that you had a prompting to do what you are doing. 

Well, let me share with you a story.  I won’t go into much detail.  This past week was a crazy one for me.  I had so much going on and let’s just say there was a lot of emotions.  I will admit that I was struggling.  I won’t share details…wouldn’t want to bore you or think that I was seeking after sympathy.  Anyway, I was sitting at my desk…just sitting.  Thoughts and more thoughts were going through my head.  I was trying to figure out some things but was unsure of how (or IF)  I wanted to figure them out when my cell phone rang. 

The person on the other end of the phone was responding to a prompting that he/she just experienced.  No, he/she did not solve all my problems…not even close.  Did I share my thoughts with that person? No, I did not.  Basically, I just listened and listened.  One thing that I did recognize was that I needed a friend that cared to know how I was doing.  Could it have been anyone?  Of course, it could have.  I have lots of friends and loving parents.  The point is…he/she received a prompting and then acted upon it. 

How many times in our daily lives do we get a prompting to call, to visit, to write a letter or note to someone and we choose not to?  Why?  I know that there has been many times where I have felt to embarrassed to act.  Well, that night, I decided that I am going to do better.  When I receive a prompting to do something, I will try my hardest to act upon it.  It meant a lot to me when someone acted on a prompting in my behalf. Maybe we cannot solve their problems, maybe we can’t rescue them from their life, or maybe we physically can not do anything for them…but if we act on a prompting, we might be able to make this world a much better place.  What do you think?  I know that I am going to try and be better when receiving promptings. 

~Michelle