Spring Already

We finally got our garden in, and none of the starts have died yet. The little onions are actually still standing straight up! Hooray! Hopefully we will be seeing little sproutlings from our seeds in the next week or so.
I am grateful today to live in a community where so many people do what they say they will do. Of course, it's not perfect, but all around me are people who serve my kids and serve me just because they've volunteered to do so. So many teachers and leaders who go the extra mile. I am grateful for people who talk to my kids, who really listen to them and help to boost their confidence. Because of these people, my children feel that much more valued. I'm so grateful for these examples of people who fulfill duties instead of shirk and disappoint.
I have moaned about the "safety" here--that it isn't real and won't prepare my kids for what they may find as they venture out into the world. But I've rethought things, and I'm so grateful that my kids will have an idea of how things can be. I don't know the purposes for my being here; it's been painful to be separated from my family and the beauty of my home state. Nature here is less inspiring to me, which has been kind of sad. But I have often felt that one of many reasons I could be here is to provide my children with the incubator they need for their futures. I hope they will follow the good examples they see around them, and learn to serve in their future communities, wards, vocations, and respective families. I know Troy and I will not be their only role models, and as they mature, those outside our family may have louder voices than ours. For this reason I am grateful to have so many loud voices which are building, uplifting, and light-bringing.

No-fail Chocolate Chip Cookies

How can Chocolate Chip Cookies fail, anyway? They have for me--too flat, too crunchy, too much butter (yes, that IS possible!) I got this recipe from my great friend Shona. I think they're a winner.

2 sticks butter
1 c. firmly packed brown sugar, overflowing
1/2 c. granulated sugar, overflowing
Blend together until smooth, then add:
2 eggs
1 1/2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. vanilla
Blend together. Add:
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
3 1/2 - 4 c. flour (add one cup at a time until consistency is right)
Stir in:
1 - 12 oz. pkg. of any kind of chips you like (we do 1/2 milk chocolate and 1/2 butterscotch). Add nuts if you like as well.
Preheat oven to 375; preheat the cookie sheets as well. Place cookies in 2" rounded balls on preheated cookie sheet. Return to oven and bake for 9 minutes. Let cool for a few minutes on the cookie sheet before transferring to wire rack to cool.