Yummy Rolls

My friend/neighbor Shannon, made these rolls for my baby shower for Claire and I never ended up having any, but my mother in law remembered them and had me make them for Shelley's baby shower yesterday. They pull apart in layers and are a little different than the usual. I was running behind but with Shannon's help (thanks your a lifesaver) we got them done and they turned out great. Here is the recipe...

Pull Apart No Knead Yeast Rolls

Stir with fork until liquified:

1 tsp sugar

2 pkgs dry yeast

2 cups lukewarm water

Mix in a large bowl:

2 cups lukewarm water

1/2 cup sugar

2 Tblsp oil

1 Tblsp salt

Add:

yeast mixture

2 well beaten eggs

With electric mixer: Mix in 4 cups of flour. With fork work in 2 more cups of flour (should not be too dry but be able to hold together when you put it on the counter). Cover until you need it.

1 1/2 hours before serving:

Melt butter in small bowl (about 2 sticks).

Working half of the dough at a time, work in (really it's kneading) enough flour so that the dough is not sticky. Roll out dough (thicker than sugar cookies but thinner than biscuits). Cut large circles with biscuit cutter or a drinking glass. Dip 1/2 of the circle of dough into the melted butter. Fold in half and place in rows, slit side up, in oblong cake pan. Makes one 11x13 pan and a little extra.

Let rise one hour in warm kitchen, out of drafts (I covered and let rise outside and was done in about 45 min. in this heat!).

Bake @ 400-425, 15 minutes or until golden brown.

Heavy Thoughts

As I sit here an think about how our mornings go as I send the kids off to school and into the world, I am thinking about the world today and how the divide between the righteous and the world and how it is becoming greater. How my kids have to grow up in this world where their morals, ideals and beliefs are challenged on a daily basis, most of the time very subtly. How making the right choices will make them the minority. How even many in the gospel are blurring the lines between the righteous and worldly ways. It makes me cry and feel inadequate as a parent and as an individual. It reminds me that I need to be better in everything, but especially preparing my kids to be able to withstand Satan's influences.

Some quotes from the beloved Gordon B. Hinkley....

"I do not advocate a retreat from society. On the contrary, we have a responsibility and a challenge to take our places in the world of business, science, government, medicine, education, and every other worthwhile and constructive vocation. We have an obligation to train our hands and minds to excel in the work of the world for the blessing of all mankind. In so doing we must work with others. But this does not require a surrender of standards."

"Unless the world alters the course of its present trends (and that is not likely); and if, on the other hand, we continue to follow the teachings of the prophets, we shall increasingly become a peculiar and distinctive people of whom the world will take note. For instance, as the integrity of the family crumbles under worldly pressures, our position on the sanctity of the family will become more obvious and even more peculiar in contrast, if we have the faith to maintain that position."

Another simple quote that comes to mind is...."Just because everyone else is doing it, it doesn't make it right".

Just some introspection.

What's for dinner?

Ok has this ever happened to you?....Since Scott is going to be out all night playing soccer figured I would make this boxed dinner I have had for a while...quick....easy and he won't be here to complain about it and the kids have no other choice. It is a cheesy ham hash brown thing.
Ya, it tastes like it looks. In the mean time all of the kids went away to play, even Tate and I started feeling migrainey (I made that word up) and processed orange cheese is a trigger for me so I decided to pass on that and go for this instead....

Still quick and easy and even low cal and low fat. Score!

Random Pictures

I found some pictures on my camera from a budding photographer in our house (I suspect Macey). This is 2 of the 5 since they all looked about the same.I took these ones of Claire eating spaghetti because she kept leaving a noodle hanging out of her mouth, but I am not sure who took the picture of her sitting on the stove (?what, why was she on the stove?).

Hiding Places

The other day when we were cleaning out this cupboard it was empty and Tate was having fun hiding in it. Today he wanted to do it again except there was stuff in there and he got stuck so of course I had to snap a picture before I helped him out. I am surprised he has not been stuck in one of those toy machines!

Sleepy Heads

I don't know if it is just recovering from the lack fo sleep the whole weekend or what, but all we have been doing is sleeping all day (everyone except Macey and Emmy anyways). Scott's asleep becuase he had to work all night.....I fell back asleep on the couch while Tate was watching his morning cartoons......then Tate fell back asleep at about 10:00 and is still sleeping (1:00)...Claire woke up at about 10:00 (she took a late nap yesterday and was up until about 11:00 last night) and went back down for a nap at 11:00 and is still sleeping. Crazy. I am sitting here eating lunch in a totally quiet house. Hopefully we can all sleep and get on a reasonable schedule tonight! I think I here Claire waking up so it won't last much longer!

Labor Day 2008

Labor Day 2008 was spent up at the Williamson cabin. My brother in law's family and their friends were there as well. The kids all got along great! Macey and Emmy always seem to play better with the boys than the girls so there was no problem that all of the kids were boys.

Scott got a special surpsrise for the kids and they enjoyed it all weekend. This is Macey after a ride, thus the helmet hair.

This is me getting it unstuck as Macey snaps numerous pictures of it. One of the days we were there we packed a lunch and took the long drive up to the fire tower where there is the most awesome views. I don't know why we always pick the windiest days to climb up this metal tower, but it is still neat, even though I am fearing my life the whole time. Right by the tower there are tons and tons of ladybugs and the kids love it. They are just piled in every crevice of the cacti and several bushes it is amazing. Everything is so green and beautiful with tons of growth. It rained every single night and the days were cool and cloudy, but no rain so we could get out and enjoy the wilderness. Emmy (well Scott) caught a baby frog and then released it soon after. Emmy thought it was "nodding" and communicating with her since she was the one that found it. Claire was climbing on anything she could. Here she was sitting on Tate's suitcase. See her two front teeth that are just now popping through. I didn't have my camera out too much (I mean how many cabin pictures do we really need?) I was too busy relaxing and enjoying myself, make-up free and nowhere to go so I did not end up with any pics of Scott or Tate, but they had fun riding the four wheelers & building fires.

Some other things we enjoyed...tin foil dinners, homemade pizza, Andes mint brownies, puzzles, movies, Wii, solitaire (which I could never win), Hullabaloo, chatting, napping, berry picking-YUM!