Vanilla Crepes

I've always had this vague idea of crepes being a horrible imitation of pancakes. The first time that I had one was years ago at Ihop, where all of us sisters were working, and I distinctly remember how much I disliked it. Well my tastes have certainly changed since then because I love them now. I love homemade crepes at least.. I'm still not overly impressed with Ihop's crepes. I make them all the time for the myself and the kids. The other day I was looking for a different recipe than the one that I had been using and I found one on Allrecipes called Vanilla Crepes. Adding a little vanilla may not seem like a big deal but it made a HUGE difference. The boys couldn't get enough of them even after the second morning in a row.

• 1 1/2 cups milk
• 3 egg yolks
• 2 tablespoons vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 5 tablespoons melted butter

Directions

1. In a large bowl, mix together the milk, egg yolks and vanilla. Stir in the flour, sugar, salt and melted butter until well blended.
2. Heat a crepe pan over medium heat until hot. Coat with vegetable oil or cooking spray. Pour about 1/4 cup of batter into the pan and tip to spread the batter to the edges. When bubbles form on the top and the edges are dry, flip over and cook until lightly browned on the other side and edges are golden. Repeat with remaining batter.
3. Fill crepes with your favorite fruit, cream, caramel or even ice cream or cheese to serve

I usually make a cream cheese filling and put strawberries on top, but with these I just used butter and sprinkled cinnamon and sugar on top. They are without a doubt the best crepes I have ever had!!

Rhiannon was supposed to be eating

her cereal but Mac had other ideas for

her breakfast.

He snuck her these when I wasn't looking.

I've said before that I am looking for a place of my own. Well that perfect place has yet to be found, but in the meantime I'm preparing all the perfect decorations for it. These are a few of my favorites. Most of them came from Pier 1 since that is just about the only place to get nice things in Anchorage. I can honestly say that almost everything that I have gotten so far has either been on sale or very inexpensive so I haven't been wasting money that I should have been saving.

I love over sized things so I was thrilled when I found these buttons.

Christine and I have become slightly obsessed with the new bird decorations that are out.

This pitcher I found at a thrift store for five dollars.

Have I mentioned before that I LOVE red??!

I think I have six vases like these. I may have gone a little overboard.

I have been searching for a set of dishes that I like, but was having trouble finding some that were similar to what I had envisioned. That is until last week at Pier 1. Big surprise right?

The large chocolate plates were on sale for $1.48 and all the others were 25% off!! It was too good to pass up.

Luke just could not understand why the table was set, but we weren't eating.

Also, did you see the mini bird salt and pepper shakers? Christine and I both have a set.

I am so excited about all of these. Now if I could just find the right place of my own to keep them. Hopefully it's in Anchorage so that I don't have to ship all this stuff out.

More Updates to the the Boys Room

I don't know why it takes me forever to get anything done. Maybe 3 kids, church, full time job, house work, grocery shopping, cooking, baking, laundry and oh, did I mention 3 kids with the oldest only 2 1/2. They may not be valid excuses but nevertheless those are my excuses.


So, all that aside, I have been working on the boys room FOREVER. Last week I finally got the curtains completed and painted a frame around  a couple of pictures that I got ages ago.


First lets talk about the curtains. It took me forever to find some fabric that I like, no surprise there. To my friends that sew please skip to the end of the post to see the frame I painted. I am ashamed (not really, because it was so much easier) to say that I used stichwitchery to make the curtains. I double the lining of the curtains, because I wanted it to be a little darker in their room. All in the hopes of the boys sleeping longer now that it's getting light outside. I'll let you know how that works out. To make it even easier on myself, I used the clip rings. I am very pleased with the out come. The boys love them too. They hide behind them. Mac loves to close and open them. Of course, I made sure that the curtain rod was screwed into the studs.

Now onto the frame. I got the idea from the last Pottery Barn Kids catalog. So I measured out the rectangle then painted the wide strip with chocolate chalkboard paint so it would match the chalkboards and then used the same dark blue color that I used to paint the bed. I love it because it's so different. Not something you would usually see in a bedroom.

I've had the pictures haning in their room since last fall. I bought them from one of the shops on Etsy.com. I tried to find the link but I can't remember who it was. The boys love looking at them.

I still have a couple more things that I want to do in their room. Finding the time to accomplish all the ideas I have floating in my head is the hardest part. I was able to get two small projects completed this weekend. I'll be posting those in the next day or two.

Hope everyone has a great Monday.

Christine

I Have Swimming Pools on my mind......

Spring is in full swing here in Georgia which means that the pool season is in full sw

ing...everyone wants their pool to be ready

for those HOT days that are just around the corner. My husband and I love this time of the year for just that reason....s

o, I thought I would share a little about what we do. ATP POOLS & SPAS, is the biggest daily challenge that we have, but, it is also one of the most fulfilling....not just because it is our source of income but because of what it stands for...a life that we are building for ourselves

and the children God has blessed us with. A life where we can set goals

and know that we as a family make it happen for the enrichment of our own lives. We are privileged to live the "American Dream" not the dream of unending wealth, but the dream of working hard and being rewarded for it through the knowledge that we did it ourselves, with the

Grace of God as our source of strength...it is a tough life at times with great challenges but it is what we do with those challenges that define who we are and what we are capable of accomplishing.........Well, as our Pastor would say, that was all free.....For all my sisters who still have snow on the ground, enjoy these pictures of the south and the pools in it!

This is our very first pool in Brunswick, and it is still my favorite just because of the Blood, Sweat & Tears that it took to get it in the ground (yes, I literally shed a few tears over this pool and my husband..alot of blood & sweat) this was the start of ATP Pools & Spas in 2007...

I love this picture of Grant and Claira in 2009

Here is that pool upon completion......magnificent!

And, here are Grant & Claira the last day of 2010, which was the first pool of this new season.....

Not only has our business grown since 2007, but so has our family...here are Grant & Will in that same pool

Here is that pool upon completion....without a doubt the neighbors are jealous!

A true SHOW STOPPER...Yes, we can build you one for a minimal fee.....

This is just a drop in the bucket of the work that has been done by ATP, and if you would like to see more and read more about us check out our brand new website here....we have been truly blessed in more ways than we deserve......I hope you have enjoyed these beautiful pools as much as "we" (ok, so I didn't physically help but he couldn't have done it without me!) have enjoyed building them! Long live the American Dream!

Rhiannon