art and crafts

Everyday we try to have "craft time"... it's been a little crazy during the Holiday season because there is so much to do-- snowflakes, ornaments, Christmas cards, (not to mention all the GOODIES we have to make!) Well today, SOMEHOW, our arts and crafts got completely out of control! It was an Insane painting party= a complete mess. But here is our finished product.. Homemade transformers. (definitely not MY idea.)
This morning, I was trying to organize the boys closets... switching out their summer clothes for sweaters and pants (it was so sad...) As I was putting away the warm clothes, my boys found creative ways to use the empty boxes. Soon they were asking if we could make them into real cars so they could properly "transform".. (I guess the transformer website didn't satisfy.) Anyway, we decided to get out the paints and get to work.. it wasn't an easy task. (If I were you, I would NOT try this at home.) After a couple of hours of painting and gluing, they ALL needed a bath.. and I needed a nap! The boys were super excited about them, but we shall see how long that excitement lasts...
They each made their own license plates.. Luke is BumbleBee and Ben is Optimus Prime. Ben was creative and made a Nevada license plate for the back of the car. Now, if only these pictures could show the SOUND EFFECTS they were making as they transformed. Boys will be boys!

December 4, 1997

Ten years ago today, I was involved in a fatal car accident. I was a senior in high school and went on a date to see the lights at Temple Square. As we were leaving my neighborhood (literally a block away from my home) a man ran in front of our car. I was in the passenger seat, buckling in my seat belt when the windshield caved in. The man had just gotten off the bus stop and was crossing the dark street when we hit him. He was conscious when the ambulance arrived, but he died at the hospital due to internal bleeding. I am sure his wife, children and grandchildren are thinking about him today.

This morning, as I was reading the Conference Ensign, I came across an address from Elder Claudio R. M. Costa that seemed to hit home. Elder Costa talk is entitled Don't Leave for Tomorrow What You Can Do Today In it, he reads a poem by Norma Cornett Marek, entitled "Tomorrow Never Comes"

If I knew this would be the last time I would watch you sleep,
I would hug you tighter. I would plead with the Lord to protect you.
If I knew this would be the last time I saw you walk out the door,
I would hug and kiss you and call you back to hug and kiss you one more time.

If I knew this would be the last time I would hear your voice in prayer,
I would record every gesture, every look, every smile, every one of your words,
So that I could listen to it later, day after day.

If I knew this would be the last time,
I would spend an extra minute or two to tell you, "I love you," instead of assuming you already knew it.

If I knew this would be our last time, our last moment,
I would be by your side, spending the day with you instead of thinking,
"Well, I'm sure other opportunities will come, so I can let this day go by."

Of course there will be a day to revise things,
And we would have a second chance to do things right.
Oh, of course there will be another day for us to say, "I love you."
And certainly there will be another chance to tell each other, "Can I help with anything?"
But in my case, there isn't one!
I don't have you here with me, and today is the last day we have—our farewell.
Therefore I would like to say how much I love you,
And I hope you never forget it.

Tomorrow is not promised to anyone, young or old.
Today might be your last chance to hold tight to the hand of the one you love and show all you feel.

If you are waiting for tomorrow, why not do it today?
Because if tomorrow never comes, you certainly will regret for the rest of your life

Not having spent some extra time for a smile, a conversation, a hug, a kiss,
Because you were too busy to give that person what ended up being their last wish.

Then hug tight today the one you love, your friends, your family, and whisper in their ears how much you love them and want them close to you.
Use your time to say,
"I'm sorry,"
"Please,"
"Forgive me,"
"Thank you,"
Or even,
"That was nothing,"
"It's all right,"

Because if tomorrow never comes, you will not have to regret today.
The past doesn't come back, and the future might not come!

Today, I am going to tell my loved ones how much I care,
hold my children a little tighter...
and make sure that my sweet husband knows he is MY #1.

my favorite

I am so in love with this kid. Seriously, I cannot get enough of him.
He is silly, sweet, charismatic and oh so funny!

I know people dread the terrible two's but it's my favorite!
(and brand new, floppy newborns... and when they are learning to smile.. okay, I love babies.)
Zack's 2nd birthday is just around the corner and he is pure entertainment at our house.
What would we do without him? Probably turn on the tv or go to a circus or something.
He is busy and seems to be making messes every time I turn around, but I wouldn't trade him for anything!

He loves Santa and constantly says, "Ho, Ho, Ho!" in a deep voice,
but sometimes he's mistaken and says "Boo, Ha! Ha!" which is hilarious
He knows it makes us laugh, so he's constantly switching it up.

We cannot take this child out in public without having someone (usually of another race)
comment on how cute he is.. I think it's cause he's super fair and WHITE!
He also knows exactly what will make people smile-- and he's such a ham.
He loves to blow kisses to sweet old ladies or say, "Hi, I Zack." to the cash registrar.
He is as white as a marshmallow and just as sweet too!

This week he's said, "Mom, I go poo-poo." (He often tells me after he goes, which isn't very helpful.)
But yesterday, he's told me before! We rushed him to the bathroom and had a celebration when he went in the toilet!
I cannot believe it. Now, I highly doubt he will be potty-trained any time soon
because my other two could read before they were trained (It seemed to TAKE FOREVER for them to learn..)
But we are still partying over Zack's little "accomplishments." Isn't it crazy how we can get so excited over poo?

Anyway, I love this little boy! Who would have guessed I would have been so happy for boy #3..
(because we all know I cried at the ultrasound... I SO wanted a girl!)
But we're so glad you insisted on coming to our family, Zack-Zack!

Bread Bowls

Ingredients:
2 packages of active dry yeast-
2 1/4 cups warm water
1 Tablespoon sugar

1/4 cup shortening
2 eggs
1/2 cup sugar
2 tsp salt
3 cups whole wheat flour*
3 1/2- 4 cups all purpose flour*

*I rarely use this recipe with BOTH white and wheat flour mixed. I like my bread 100% whole wheat and my husband is unhealthy and likes it totally white. So I usually do two batches.... you can do whatever you like. If you have bread flour, omit the salt.

Directions:
Combine first three ingredients in a bowl and let sit for 5-10 minutes. You can buy the yeast in little packets in the baking isle at any store. If you don't have it in small packets (like me... I use a big container), 1 package = 2 1/4 teaspoons of yeast. The warm water needs to be 110 degrees... to me that means, leave the warm water running for a while and add it before it gets super hot. After you leave the yeast soaking for a few minutes, it will start bubbling... that means it's active and ready to mix with the other ingredients....

If you have a mixer-- bosche or kitchen aid-- you're lucky. (Make sure to use your bread attachment it's long and skinny :) Add the shortening, eggs, sugar, salt and 3 or so cups of flour to the yeast mixture and start stirring. Add a cup of flour at a time until the dough starts coming off the side of the bowl. When it's no longer sticky, it has enough flour.

Spread a little flour on a clean counter and knead the dough for a little while.. it should be smooth and elasticy. If you have a mixer, you don't need to knead it by hand. If you don't have a mixer, and don't know how to knead... you pretty much just fold the dough and smash it until it seems smooth. Keep folding towards you and smash it away. This is not easy explaining on a blog, but oh well...

After the kneading is done, grease a large bowl with a little shortening and place the dough in the bowl and turn it so it's all coated with shortening. When it rises, this will keep the dough soft. Leave the dough in the bowl in a warm place for about an hour (until it doubles in size) It usually helps to put a towel over the bowl.

After the dough has risen for an hour, punch it down.. and knead it again. Whether or not you have a machine, you should knead by hand-- for about a minute or so. Then divide it into about six sections.. (depending on how big you want your bread bowls to be.. they will end up double the size of the dough.) Roll the pieces into circles and place on a greased pan or cookie sheet and leave them to rise for an hour again. These can be loaves of bread or small rolls.. shape them into whatever you want.

After the second time rising, they are ready to bake. Bake them at 375 Degrees for 11-15 minutes (until they are a golden brown on top.) When you take them out of the oven, brush them with a little melted butter- and viola.

**If you don't want to bake them all at once, you can freeze the dough before they rise a second time. They freeze well. When I freeze the dough, I take it out about 3 hours before dinner and let it thaw/rise until it's time to bake. This recipe makes 4 dozen small rolls... or 6 bread bowls.

NOW I know it seems complicated and messy, but it's really not hard. This entire post makes it seem a lot more difficult than it really is. Just try it! You can also use this recipe for Cinnamon rolls.. those directions will be posted another time.

I have got to put my kids in the bath-- and down for bed! Let me know if you have any questions!

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