Grey Morning Pancakes

This morning was a beautiful-beautiful, cool, grey, overcast morning. The kind of morning that makes you want to curl up on a balcony with a light blanket, a good book and a plate of homemade pancakes. Yes, just the right kind of morning for pancakes, I thought.

And, since I am on my 'make everything by scratch' roll, I looked up an old recipe online and ventured to the local grocer. Little did I know what wonders lay before me!

I needed whole grain flour, cage free eggs (be nice to the poor birds!) and bananas to make my recipe complete. Add a bag of Red Mill organic 6 grain oats and some vanilla yogurt and I was out the door, happy as could be.

I got home and danced around my kitchen to various big band melodia swirling up from downstairs as I measured, stirred and poured to the tune of this recipe:

I substituted 1/4 cup of flour for my 6 grain oats, used 1/2 water, 1/2 milk for my waist's sake, and tossed sliced bananas into the batter to be cooked in, and saved a few to be sprinkled on top.

Then came the moment. THE moment. The house, for some unknown reason, only had Mrs. Butterworth's syrup, and, since I didn't want to drown my otherwise fabulously old fashioned and organic johnnycakes with high fructose corn syrup and cellulose gum, I looked toward my vanilla Activia. Eureka!

I used the yogurt as syrup, added more sliced bananas and sprinkled with chopped walnuts. Let me tell you that was quite possibly the best decision I have ever made. I had a Julie and Julia moment when the fork ladened with the precious substance entered my mouth at long last. Mm-mmmm!!! Thank you Lord for this wonderful, wonderful day!

I've Decided to Never Make a Cake from a Box Again.

Along with a few other things.
Like to start blogging again. :) I watched 'Julie and Julia' tonight (whilst happily chomping on zucchini wedges and drinking water out of a champagne glass) and I was thoroughly inspired.

I like being inspired. Sometimes it provides just the zip I need to get myself back on track. Not to say that the film was entirely to credit for my recent back-on-trackiment, because today's events had a good deal to do with that too.
Today I decided to do whatever I wanted. I had the day off (it is Sunday after all) and I needed desperately to displace the melancholy monkey that had somehow adhered itself to my dorsal.

Ignoring my approaching need for new tires, I shopped for clothes. I shopped for shoes. I bought new nail polish and lip gloss - even ate fried and breaded chicken fingers. Anything I wanted, I did. In the meantime, while driving from place to place, I prayed, and sung at the top of my lungs. My oh my the wonders a day like that can work!

On top of collecting several new outfits and 4 pairs of great summer sandals, *and* finding a reinvigorated me, I put things into perspective. And made some big, broad goals. Ahah!

As I was going about my awesome day, I did several things, in the mindset of relaxation, that I realized, if observed on a consistent basis, would most likely lead to my having many more awesome days similar to the one I was currently experiencing. :) Here are the bullet points (in a rather instructive second person):

Have a regimen.
A small one. But keep to a list of things you do every day/weekend/month etc.

Stay engaged.
With life in general - mix it up and never let yourself get bored.
Take a cooking class, ride horses - DO some of the things you've
been wanting to!

Think about how you can make someone else's day better.
Everywhere. All the time.

Splurge.
Little splurges, big splurges, medium splurges. Cause they make you happy :)

Blog.
Express! Document! And indulge in the words you love so much =)

So there they are. The above the list, along with several other abstract notions that are too illusive to be captured and displayed prominently in words, will presently and henceforth be inducted into the medley that is Amanda's life. I will keep you abreast of the progress. :) I also need to think of a secondary subject or issue I wish to write about. A task maybe? An experiment? A particular recording or observing of events? There are so may options...I think I shall sleep on it. Yes, give it a good turn around in the ole subconscious.

'Till tomorrow!

~A~
Ps. water really does taste better out of a champagne glass. :)