Rolls & Cake

I have finally found a roll recipe that I like and is easy! It tastes fairly similar to Shirley's Rolls (a great little bakery in Provo, UT). I got the recipe from a church cookbook (Bonneville 1st Ward). Anyhow, here it is:

Dinner Rolls
1 1/3 cups warm water
1/4 cup sugar
2 T instant yeast
1 tsp salt (although I think it could use more but I don't know what that would do to the recipe)
2 eggs
4+ cups of flour (all purpose or bread flour, or you can sub in some whole wheat flour to make it more healthy. Luke says it tastes too healthy with the wheat!)

Mix water, sugar, and yeast and let sit for about 5 minutes. Mix in salt, eggs, and 3 cups of flour. Continue adding flour until it is smooth and dough pulls away from the sides of the mixer (but still sticks just a little bit to the bottom). Remove mixer attachment and let rise in mixer bowl covered for 30 minutes. Knead with a little more flour and shape and let rise for 30 more minutes. Bake at 350 for 15 minutes.


I found this cake recipe in a little cookbook that Maga gave to Patricia who was going to donate it but I stole it! Its from the Junior League of Albuquerque, NM. It is a nice little moist cake with a german chocolate type frosting.

Patio Oatmeal Cake
1 1/2 cups boiling water
1 cup quick-cooking oats
1 stick margarine/butter
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanille
1 1/3 cup flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon

Icing:
1 stick margarine/butter
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup evaporated milk
1 cup coconut, shredded
1 cup chopped nuts (I didn't have any and it turned out fine)
1 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 350. Pour boiling water over oats, margarine, and sugar. Let stand 20 minutes. Stir in eggs and vanilla. Then stir in flour, baking soda, salt, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Stir only to blend - do not beat. Pour into a greased 9x13 pan. Bake for 35 minutes (but check after 25-30 it may be done).

While the cake is baking, melt margarine in a small pot and add remaining icing ingredients and stir well. Spread icing over warm cake and put under broiler to brown (watch it closely!) for a few minutes.

Beverly Hills Chihuahua

So, at the Tuesday movie last week and this week they showed a preview for a new Disney movie which will probably be pretty lame, but the trailer is pretty silly and funny. Watch the clip and then continue reading below!



After our movie I take the kids to Walmart. They start acting pretty crazy and the next thing you know John is saying Chihuahua constantly (in the funny catchy way of the movie). I don't even know who started it, though I'm guessing Ruthanne. So, she just keeps egging him on to keep saying it. Well, today he starts saying that he is Chihuahua. So, now when you ask him what his name he says Chihuahua instead of Nohnny. And if you call him John he says, "No, Chihuahua." I wonder when this phase will end?

Funny John

Well, John can finally say his name (except it sounds kind of like Nohn). Ruthanne likes to call him Johnny. So, the other day I asked him what he likes to be called, John or Johnny. He told me Nohnny. So now whenever you ask him his name he says Nohnny.

Another funny from John. We made cookies Sunday and he had a couple. The next day I sent most of them off with Luke to work so we wouldn't eat them (well me mainly). The kids each had one at snack time. Well, last night before John was going to bed he was asking for a snack and he wanted a cookie. I said they were all gone. John said, "Mommy eat them all." I guess he saw me eating one when they had their snack and in his mind I was the one who ate all the cookies!

Tagged

If you have your own blog, post your answers there, if you don't and you want to participate (yeah, right!) then you can post your answers in the comments!

Two names you go by:
Mom
Mommy
(according to John my name is NOT mama, but the above two are frequently used!)

Two things you are wearing right now:
Watch
Shorts

Two things you want very badly at the moment:
To lose 10 more pounds
To go to Disney World sometime soon

Two people who will fill this out:
Frances?
Amanda

Two things you did last night:
Made cookies
Watched a movie

Two things you ate yesterday:
Cookies
Pizza

The Last Two people you talked to:
Missionaries
Luke

Two things you are doing today (or did):
Ride bikes (the kids not me, I push John)
Read books (the kids like the Magic Treehouse series)

Two longest car rides:
Warner Robins, Georgia to Utah (Christmas 2000)
Brunswick, GA to Vanderbuilt in TN

Two favorite beverages:
Cherry Coke
Dr. Pepper
(I hardly drink either one though)

Pioneer Day Celebration

So, we celebrated Pioneer Day Saturday at the church with a parade, pioneer games, and a chili cook-off! We ate chili outside in 90 degree heat! I guess the pioneers probably ate lots of soups and stews so I guess it was somewhat authentic! Here are the kids on the handcart getting ready for the parade.


The parking lot parade with some homemade wagons.


Here is the line-up before the three-legged race. Luckily Ruthanne was not injured during the race, nor did she injure her partner! Ruthanne wore the bonnet and apron I made when I went on a pioneer trek for youth conference while we lived in Utah.


They also had a stick pull and Ruthanne wanted so badly to participate. Here she is against a 9 year old girl!


Here is the pioneer/farmer/cowboy! We just borrowed a cowboy hat and bandana from Grandma and Grandpa and you have an instant pioneer outfit!


For the chili cook-off everyone wins a certificate for "The ______ Chili". I won the award for The Most Modern Chili (the awards were created by the local missionaries). I made Rachel Ray's Pumpkin Black Bean Soup (I called it chili, hey it had beans and some tomatoes in it, that makes up chili right?). It is really good, despite what you all may be thinking. I back off the cayenne and up the curry powder and cumin and add what seems like a lot of salt. Try it sometime, but maybe you should wait until it gets a little cooler out!

Pictures!

Here is a picture showing Ruthanne's new haircut! She does have a bruise on her forehead (she ran into the wall, typical Ruthanne). John, of course, had to join in the picture.


Here is a picture of John from the other night. He had on a tie, he loves to wear them, and princess dress up shoes, to be like his big sister. His chubby little feet and legs look so funny in the little dress up shoes.

Ruthanne's Short Hair!

Well, when I was giving her a haircut today, it just got too short! I'm no good when it gets about shoulder length. I'm thinking that her hair is getting thicker and harder for me (an amateur hair cutter) to do well. So, we are going to the salon after John wakes up from his nap to get it fixed. Good thing is, she does look very cute and grown-up with the short hair, and so far she likes it. I was afraid she was going to take one look in the mirror and start crying because her long hair was gone! So, this will be her very first trip to have a professional cut her hair!

I'll try to add completed pictures later!

Yay for Boobie Day! (aka Movie Day!)

John, despite the fact that he says almost everything fairly clearly, will not say movie. Instead it sounds like boobie or poopie. Of course he now thinks it is funny, so it will probably be a while before he corrects his pronunciation.

But, thank goodness for free movie Tuesday during the summer. Tomorrow we are going to see The Water Horse. No cartoons are available tomorrow, so we will see how everyone does.

Ruthanne's Chest

Frances (Luke's sister) was in town recently and was nice enough to spend all of her free time after her girls went to bed painting a chest for Ruthanne. I bought the chest at Michaels and at first I thought I would paint it (maybe letting Ruthanne help), but then I remembered that Frances is an artist and was coming to town soon. So, I thought I would beg and plead for her to make the chest into one of her masterpiece's (check out the Bentley blog to the right for pictures of the dining table she made for her own family). Luckily for me (and the chest), Frances agreed!

Frances enlisted Ruthanne's help in coming up with ideas for the box, a princess, flowers, castle, the colors that would be used, etc. Ruthanne was watching Frances sketch on the box and saw her draw a bee, Ruthanne said I don't like bees, so Frances changed it to a butterfly! After Frances drew the design, she wood burned it (gives it good texture and dimension), painted the whole thing black, then painted in the colors, then varnished it. So, without further ado, the box!

Top

Front

Side

Back

Side

Thanks Aunt Frances, I know Ruthanne will cherish the box forever!

Memory Lane

My friend Shauna posted this on her blog and I thought it would be fun to do.

MEMORY LANE-This will be fun especially if everyone and I do mean EVERYONE will join in!This is just too fun to pass up.Here are the directions:

1. As a comment on my blog, leave a memory that you and I had together. It doesn't matter if you knew me a little or a lot, anything you remember, good or bad but be nice!!!!!!!

2. Next, re-post these instructions on your blog.

Ruthanne's Birthday!

Ruthanne had a birthday party while some of her cousins were in town. Here are Ruthanne, Lilian, and Rosie with Maga.


Here is Ruthanne in her new apron. John kept saying, "Cook ReRe". I swear she was more excited about it than the picture shows!


Looking at her new princess writing workbook. What little girl doesn't need to know how to write kiss? Oh, and do you see the painted chest in the background? Frances did that for Ruthanne, watch for a post with up close pictures.


And here she is on her new bike! We've had a few falls, even with the training wheels, but she is still willing to get back on!


And here is the best part, the Barbie cake!


All the cousins gathering around to get a closer look, and wanting to put their fingers in that frosting!

I wonder what she wished for?

John's Birthday! (it was in May)

Here are some pictures from John's birthday. We had a little celebration while we were at the River with my parents on Memorial Day weekend. His cake was really a cookie bar thing with Happy Birthday John written on it terribly (darned aerosol icing).


Next was a little party on his actual birthday. This cake was almost just as bad. It was a jello cake with cool whip frosting. I tried writing on it with gel icing, but it bled into the cool whip and looked like bad tie dye. So, I scraped the cool whip off, put on a fresh coat and dug out the aerosol icing, but instead of trying to write I just made a 2 out of the star tip. Other pictures show John's train presents and John with one of his great-grandmothers.

I need to get a new camera cable!

Then I could post pictures of John's birthday and Ruthanne's birthday. I hope to start updating this crazy blog thing more regularly, but we will see!