Thanks:

1. Opportunity to serve. There's a family in our ward who has a son and daughter in law living in Angola. I guess he works for Exxon and is stationed there. Exxon pays for a container to be shipped from the US to Angola every year for each family. There's another family that is leaving soon, and so offered to donate their container for relief items. The wife in this family works at a medical and orphanage site and came up with a list of basic needed items. They asked our ward to gather what we could. So yesterday I went through my house gathering things to donate. They wanted used clothes, practical shoes and socks (they said its best used because the people get jumped if they have stuff that looks new). I also gathered up sheets and towels which they said the medical center does not provide. I'd recently gone through all of our closets, but when going through them again, knowing that these people need so much- I found plenty to give. It felt so good to know that these things would be going to people who so desperately need them.

2. The web. I'm very grateful for the internet and the way it helps me keep in touch with friends and family. Yesterday I was particularly grateful for the endless amount of information that can be found (and used for good- it can be used for bad as well sometimes). As a mom, I've given up going a day and keeping my clothes clean- they always end up with spit up, drool, food, or runny noses on them- but I was really sad when I found a pair of fairly new pants had pen marks on them. New pants, permanently ruined?! Please no! I quickly looked up ink stains and how to remove them. I rubbed them with alcohol, nail polish remover, and then rubbed some standard stain remover on them. Hooray! The stain is gone.

3. Yummy pizza dough recipe (also found on the internet; allrecipes.com). So I've made this before- but last night Jake was extra impressed for some reason- he thought I'd gone and bought a Papa Murphey's Pizza because "it looks too perfect, and the crust IS perfect!". He knows how to put a smile on my face. The recipe?
7/8 c. warm water
3/4 tsp. salt
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
2 tsp. white sugar
2 tsp. active dry yeast
Throw all of it into a bread machine (I got mine at a thrift store for $5 and it works perfectly) and set on dough setting. When finished spread on pizza pan and top with favorite toppings. Bake approx 15 minutes at 400*F.
One of our favorites (and what I made last night) is a thin spreading of prepared Pesto sauce, chopped marinated artichoke hearts, and chopped sun dried tomatoes then topped with italian blend shredded cheese (all of which are found at Costco). Or if you've got fresh ingredients on hand, another favorite is with a marinara sauce, thin sliced fresh tomatoes, zuchini, and a little diced spinach or basil topped with cheese> Yummy!