That Time I Had Ants in My Pants, and Other Obstacles

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Cosmos flowers blooming

 

Spread the Love

 

Dear friends,

“The obstacle is the path.”

Was it Ben Franklin, Confucius or Will Rogers who said it? I’m not sure, but the garden can be a pretty great place to experience this somber truth. 

Perhaps like me, you’ve had a lovely vision of some pretty flowers blooming in a bare patch of ground. You can imagine the beautiful landscape in your mind, and all you have to do is engage in a little cultivating and planting.

You decide to do a simple little project and sow some flower seeds in a modest swath of dirt.

People successfully plant seeds every day! you tell yourself. What could possibly go wrong?

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Fall-Off-the-Bone Barbecued Baby Back Ribs

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  One of my family’s favorite dinner treats is a rack of delectable, meat-falling-off-the-bones, sticky, messy baby back ribs. Fortunately, this BBQ ribs recipe also happens to be incredibly easy. Most of the cooking time occurs in the oven, where the ribs cook nice and slow until they’re rendered tender and juicy. Then they’re brushed … Read more

Brown Butter Toffee Chocolate Chip Cookies

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In the name of research, I felt it was my duty to investigate an outrageous cookie claim made by Bon Appetit magazine. The editors described their Brown Butter Toffee Chocolate Chip Cookies as “insane” and even said the recipe “ruins every other chocolate chip cookie recipe.” For real? If Bon Appetit was to be believed, … Read more

Goodbye, My Telephone

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telephone poles

 

All those telephone poles.

I notice them now as I drive around Denver, pole after pole after pole—soldier straight timbers strung with wires and pigeons, some topped with cell phone towers, and others festooned with garage sale signs and lost pet flyers.

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Hash browns, fluffy bunnies and good books

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Cheesy hash brown casserole

Dear friends,

Here are 7 Good Things I’ve recently discovered:

1. Are you cooking for Easter? My daughter and I are making this Copycat Recipe of Cracker Barrel’s Hash Brown Casserole from Spend With Penny’s. Two other favorite brunch casseroles are Southern Living’s Sausage Hash Brown Breakfast Casserole and The Fresh Cooky’s Mock Eggs Benedict Bake. Yum!

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The Beautiful Gift We Give By Not Comparing

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Sisters

“Comparison is the thief of joy.” ~ Theodore Roosevelt This week I’ve been percolating about what happens when we weigh one person’s attributes against another’s. Every day we see examples of people being compared to others. Media outlets analyze the differences between Venus and Serena Williams’ achievements. Reviewers debate the acting performances of Josh Brolin … Read more

Wisconsin State Fair Cream Puffs and Other Treats

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Wisconsin cream puffs
Wisconsin cream puffs

Dear friends,

Here are 7 Good Things I’ve been exploring recently:

1. I learned from NPR that when attending the Wisconsin State Fair, one must try their signature giant cream puffs. My sister-in-law in Milwaukee confirmed that, indeed, the crispy, fist-sized puffs filled with sweetened whipped cream are legendary. Until we can visit, I’m going to try Shirley’s Copy Cat Wisconsin State Fair Cream Puffs recipe from her delectable Anns-Liee blog.

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