My Desert Solace!

Today I am grateful for two things:  Cooking and Walking.  When I say cooking, I mean that I am grateful that I know how to cook.  I have been cooking since I was just a young girl, and I have always loved it.  I have many people to thank for this including:  My mom, my grandmother, and my home economics teacher Becky Low.  My favorite thing to cook is Christmas candy.  Every year I make a lot of candy.  I like to make carmels, almond joys, carmel suckers, turtles, and pecan brittle. Today I spent most of the day making six batches of pecan brittle.  It is my grandmother's recipe and she taught me how to make it.  I remember standing with her next to the stove and watching her stirring all the ingredients in cast iron pan.  She told me that when it turns the color of a brown paper bag then it is ready to pour over the pecans.  I thought of her as I melted the butter, stirred in the sugar, water and light corn syrup, and watched it bubble until sure enough it was the color of a brown paper bag.  I also used a cast iron pan to cook it, and then I stored the brittle in an ice cream bucket just like she did.  I was so close to my grandma Gillins, and I really miss her.  It turned out delicious just like hers!  Thanks Grandma!

Pecan Brittle... Yummy!

The second thing I am grateful for today was being able to go for a walk in such a beautiful place. Today it was definitely my desert solace.  There is nothing better than a brisk walk just before sundown to work the stress out of my mind and body.  I try to go just about everyday, and today was exceptionally beautiful!  It was also a much needed walk.  The holidays are wonderful - it is my favorite time of the year, but at times the stress of it all sets in and I need some alone time to unwind. I even jogged part of the time because I had a pie in the oven and I didn't want it to overcook.  Even jogging felt great today.  The temperature was perfect, and the landscape breathtaking!  Thank you Heavenly Father for this beautiful world that you have given to us to enjoy!

That is Pine Valley Mountain in the distance.

My Trail....

Just me and the red dirt!

The sun was just starting to go down as I turned around and headed for home.

Good-bye Stress!

My Ponderize Verse for Today:

1 Nephi 19:9

And the world, because of their iniquity, shall judge him to be a thing of naught; wherefore they scourge him, and he suffereth it; and they smite him, and he suffereth it.  Yea, they spit upon him, and he suffereth it, because of his loving kindness and his long-suffering towards the children of men.