{5-6} MofM - D is for Desserts

I love dessert! Usually anything with chocolate - although I thoroughly enjoy my fruit pies, coconut creams, and sugar cookies.  I especially love flourless chocolate cake topped with dark chocolate ganache and some raspberry sauce. Sounds heavenly doesn't it?  I think the most decadent, elegant and delicious dessert is also simple to make: Chocolate Mousse.  I love it served in a beautiful crystal goblet with chocolate curls or a simple cookie.  Here is a great, fool-proof recipe for it:

ingredients: 

1 cup heavy cream

6 ounces semisweet chocolate (the better the chocolate, the better the final result)

1/3 cup milk

2 egg yolks from large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla (or you could use an extract of your choice but only use 1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon)

1 egg white from a large egg

2 tablespoons sugar

directions:

In a mixing bowl, whip the cup of cream until it holds soft peaks.  Meanwhile, put the chocolate and the milk in a saucepan, and cook over medium heat until the chocolate has melted and the mixture is warm and smooth.  Add the egg yolks and vanilla, and mix with a whisk until incorporated.  The chocolate will thicken slightly.  in another bowl, beat the egg white until firm, then add the sugar all at once and keep beating until firm and smooth. 

Pour the chocolate mixture into the beaten egg white and stir with a whisk just enough to incorporate.  Add the whipped cream, and fold in gently, just until blended.  Pour the mousse into your serving container(s) and cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours.

{5-5} MofM - C is for Chores

I hate them. My house is a mess. Sometimes I am a good housekeeper but most of the time I am not.  For a while I was using the card system that is outlined in the S.H.E. (Sidetracked Home Executive) book.  It worked great the whole time I used it.  In fact, the whole time I was using it my house was so clean it made me nervous to take my shoes off in the wrong place.  I stopped doing it after about a year because it was hard.  I need to remember that I can do hard things.

I do like to iron though.  I'll trade someone who likes to clean bathrooms.

{5-4} MofM - B is for Books

(Happy Birthday Nicole!)

I love to read.  I read all of the time.  I'm not really a discriminate reader - I like everything.  I read my scriptures daily, I read trashy magazines in the Dentist's office, I read romance, mystery, biography, fact, fiction and the backs of the cereal boxes.  I just love to do it.  I almost always have a book I am reading, I take it everywhere - in the car, in the bathroom - I read while I am cooking or watching TV.   I belong to a book club - we are meeting on Thursday - we just read Cold Sassy Tree by Olive Ann Burns.  I loved it.  I recommend it.  It takes place in 1906 in a small town called Cold Sassy, Georgia and the story is told by a fourteen year old boy. I loved his perspective.  I know there is a sequel and I am going to try and get my hands on it.

So far this year we have read The Good Thief by Hannah Tinti -  an odd but interesting story about a young boy who lives a hard life and sees things that you would never want your kid to see (a presumed dead body that comes to life but is covered in worms etc...) but becomes a tender caring boy who just wants a family.  We read A Lantern in Her Hand by Bess Streeter Aldrich in February - a wonderful pioneer story.  I didn't read the March book - The Hound of the Baskervilles by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.  Just couldn't get in to it. Then in April we read The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown.  I had actually read it last year when it first came out. It was so exciting.  One of the great things about that is that one of the ladies from the Book Club went to Washington DC right before we met and she brought pictures of many of the things that Dan Brown talked about in the book.  

Maybe if I can really start blogging again I will be able to post up some reviews of the books we read for the rest of the year.  Maybe.

{5-3} MofM - ABC's of Me - A

Since this is supposed to be the Month of Me - I decided that the easiest way to come up with a post each day of the month would be to use a little getting to know you activity that we have been using in our Relief Society.  It is called the ABC's of Me and it is going to get me through the Next 26 days! That is almost the whole month!!  Feel free to participate in the comments!

A - age: Like I mentioned in the previous post - I had my big birthday last year.  It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be.  I think I will love life in my 40s.  I am hoping to do some really great things in my 40s, take some nice vacations, maybe finally get my house clean, read lots of books, go to the temple at least twice a month and get fit and strong.  In this decade of my life I will see all of my kids graduate from High School, have at least one missionary, maybe a wedding, hopefully a college graduation or two in there.  I can't imagine having a grandbaby but, before I am 50, Devon and Courtney will be 25 and I had them at that age.  Morgan will be 23 and could very well have one too!  I don't like to think about it. 

So I'm going to stop.  

{5-2} MofM- An Update

I haven't blogged in almost a year and I thought I would try and do an update, but this is supposed to be the Month of Me - so, Grandmas you are not getting the goods on the kids.

Last May, Nicole turned 8 and was baptized.  When it was all over I realized that all of my children were accountable for their own actions.  I question whether I have taught them all they need to know to accept the responsibility.  

June - I had my big birthday.  Life in my 40s is good.

July - we vacationed at the cabin - the best vacation of the year.  We all love it so much.  I became much more confident in my riding and even rode Alan's 450. Good times.

August - School started, I had a week or two of peace and then I got a new calling.  I am the Relief Society president in my ward now - and that is why I haven't blogged.  I've got a lot going on.

September until the present is mostly full of me driving the kids to their various activities, lessons and commitments.  I still participate in my weekly dinner exchange, I try and keep my house picked up (it hasn't been CLEAN in months) and most of the rest of the time is spent changing Visiting Teaching assignments, talking to the lovely women of my ward and all of the other stuff that comes with this kind of calling.

Not the best update - but it is what I can do.  I tell myself that a lot lately.  

{5-1} The Challenge - A Month of Me

My friend Julie has issued a challenge to all of her blogging challenged friends.  She has challenged me to write something about myself everyday for the month of May.  May is my favorite month - Mother's Day, anniversary, school is out, Memorial Day Weekend etc...  And this May is going to be particularly busy so this will be a challenge - but I am up to it!  As per usual, I am a day behind!  Now you know a couple of things about me!

I Think I am Going to Start Blogging Again

But I'm not sure.  After a stressed induced bout of dermatagraphism I am trying to chill-ax. Sometimes (but not recently) I would get stressed about the blog, BUT, my skin is fine now and I am missing writing here.  I will try again tomorrow.