happy turkey day!

Happy Thanksgiving! today is always such a good day to just sit back, relax and spend time with family. it seems like it takes all the stresses away for just a day. there's nothing better to be thankful for than that!


last night i had spent the night at my friend amber's house. she's home on break from college and we have that special kind of friendship where even though we don't see each other every day, probably won't get a chance to talk everyday, when we see each other it's like we never left. we completely understand each other. we can catch up on months of lost conversation in a matter of minutes because we just get each other without having to say a lot. that's a special kind of friendship and i am so thankful that i have her to share it with, especially today- a day dedicated to showing gratitude, giving thanks. amber is like a sister that god forgot to give me and i am so lucky to have someone like her in my life. she always knows the right thing to say, she knows when to let me make my own mistakes and she knows when its time to tell me to stop and take another look at the situation at hand. it seems that we can be completely free-spirited yet still grounded to what is really important in life and lord knows i love her for that.
so, this thanksgiving i'm thankful for not only amber renee, but all my friends.
because this world is an ugly place not to have a best friend.

not your average pancake

i found a recipe for some 'country crunch pancakes' that sounded so delicious that i had to try it out.
i made them a couple days ago for me and my sister and even the batter smelled yummy. apparently i'm not too skilled when it comes to flipping pancakes but they still turned out super delicious!
heres the recipe:

Country Crunch Pancakes

Batter

• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1/3 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/3 cup quick-cooking oats
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 2 1/4 cups buttermilk
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 2 tablespoons veggie oil
• 1 cup of fruit (blueberries, strawberries) optional

Topping

• 1/2 cup quick-cooking oats
• 1/4 cup chopped slivered almonds (i didn't have any almonds so i left them out, still came out tasting lovely!)
• 1/4 firmly packed brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1. for pancakes, in a large bowl, combine all purpose flour, whole wheat flour, oats, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon
2. Combine the buttermilk, eggs, and oil in a medium bowl and stir into the dry ingredients until just blended. (if using optional fruit, fold into batter)
3. Preheat the oven to 200F
4. For topping, combine the oats, almonds, brown sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl. Sprinkle about a teaspoon of topping for each pancake onto a lightly greased hot griddle. Pour batter by the 1/4 cupfuls over the topping. Immediately sprinkle with another teaspoonful of topping and cook until the top of each pancake has tiny bubbles, about three minutes. Turn the pancakes and cook until the bottoms are golden brown, about 1-1 1/2 minutes longer. Transfer to a plate and keep warm in the oven. Repeat!

ENJOY! :o)

it's a sister thing

Nicole Lynne Veronica. she's my sister, my best friend, my other half. she's the first person i go to for advice, the first person i want to talk to when i have exciting news. lord only knows what i would do or where i would be without her as my big sister. i probably don't tell her that as much as i should, but hey, its a sister thing-- i know she understands.

first time for everything

so, although i have never even written in a diary, let alone kept blog, i figured it was something i was ready to try. what is this blog going to entail you ask? honestly, i have no idea. i suppose that whatever ideas, pictures, videos, words, quotes, songs, art, etc. that are rolling through my head on a given day will somehow get put into a post and hopefully someone else will find them just as entertaining as i do. my first few blogs may be introductory, highlighting the people, places, ideas that have been most important in my life thus far.
enjoy.


this picture never fails to make me smile inside and out, i just can't help it!
[photo: i love peas by ~gnusi]