Kid Swap

You know that show wifeswap. I'm thinking of starting one called kidswap.

I'm really trying to work on Gratitude with Noah. This morning I said "you've got to list 5 things you're grateful for in your prayer this morning" Here's a portion of the prayer.

"I'm really grateful for these very comfortable pants,

they aren't at all like the other pants that I have to wear that are really uncomfortable and hard to button..."

Sigh! Sometimes I feel like mothering is an exercise in futility.

Cali

Saturday evening our dear cat Cali passed away. She is the one on the right. She was shy and reclusive and Emil Michael's favorite. She had been getting weaker and we knew that she didn't have long. We decided to give her the weekend and if she was still here after that we'd take her in to the vet. We felt that it would be the most comforting for her to go here at home surrounded by people who loved her. We buried her in the back yard. All the kids are taking it well.

Recently we have been having to deal with insurance companies and that has been a trial. Currently we are in the middle of our medical insurance company suing our auto insurance company over the charges resulting from Kai's accident. It's depressing to have to be dealing with this 9 months later. Thankfully we don't expect to have to be responsible for any of the charges however it's emotionally draining. Because of this Emil and I spent the night at my friend Tina's beach cottage this past Friday. It was nice to escape, even if it was just for the night.

Emil leaves on his hiking trip tomorrow. It will be good for him to get out in the woods for a while. It helps him clear his mind and gain perspective. They are expecting snow 2-3 nights. You couldn't get me camping in that for anything! At least he's going to be out there with 3 other guys so he won't be alone. He's taking Blaze. She's got her own hiking booties and a fleece sweater. She also has her own pack that she has to carry her food and water in. She loves hiking with him. She'll have a blast. She'll probably keep him warm at night too!

Finding my Inner Crafty Girl

So after taking a big ole break from sewing I decided get back in the saddle and make a cute yoga bag and mat. Ever the one to be thrifty I took some fabric my brother, James, brought me from India ( I think it was India). It was perfect. I had been holding on to it forever because I couldn't find the right project to use it on. Here it is!

This is actually a secondary mat to fit underneath the sticky mat that I couldn't make myself because it's an off year for my rubber plant trees. ;). Just Joking!!! Anyway, so it's a mat but then you roll it up and it has ties and a strap and it doubles as a bag.

I did a second bag too since I was on a roll. I just love the blue print fabric. I'm not crazy about the ribbon strap. I may change it.

The kids have off the next two days for teacher workdays on top of MLK today so they are delighted. Noah and his friend, Russell, went hiking with Emil and Blaze today and then went to the Manteo Aquarium with Russell's family. Emil Michael is sick with a cold and has spent most the day gaming and writing and Kirstin went with me to yoga class and then filed some of her many pictures. Emil's out running errands in VA. My project for tomorrow is to do some PTA stuff and then organize my scrapbook/sewing room and finish some projects. Quite ambitious! I will report later.....

Oh I did a conference calendar with quotes for the year. Today's quote is,

"I have learned that the three most loving words are "I love you", and the four most caring words for those we love are "We can't afford it."

Elder Robert D. Hales

Yoga

So with all the time we have on our hands now I decided to pick up Yoga. Actually a friend was going to check out a class at the extension center and asked me to join her. I figured I might enjoy it more than the chiropractor I was going to and it might help my achy hip. I'm a relatively active person. I stay in shape. How hard could it be?

As the first class began they talked to us about the 5 Hamsata (beliefs). The first is to commit yourself to non-violence.

Sure, I thought, I'm a peaceful person. Then she went on to say we should practice non-violence on ourselves first. Well, I thought, that's strange, why would I be violent towards myself? How do you act violently towards yourself? I had been trying to kick the chocolate habit. Could this be my possible loophole for giving up chocolate? I do love chocolate. I guess I could term it violent to totally deprive myself from something I love so much....

I had to pull myself back to the class. Then she explained whenever we try to force our bodies into poses that are painful and totally impossible for someone with bones we could consider that violence. Ahhh, the lightbulb turned on. Later when I got home I received a catalogue from some company in CA that sells yoga clothing and I understood better. This was my favorite pose in the catalogue.

It's called the Scorpion. Isn't it the coolest? I don't expect to get there in this life time. At least not since I still have bones. So far the best part of yoga has been teasing my workout partner Shelly, about being non-violent each and every day. Well that's not totally true. It did feel stinking good after I finished my workout. Tomorrow I go to the second class. Here's a stance I actually did do on day 1.

This is tree stance. I did it and was only a little bit wobbly. Plus I didn't have blond hair but otherwise we could have been twins. For real!

Have a great day and remember to practice Non-violence!

Released

On Sunday Emil was released as our Branch President. We've known for a few weeks that this would be the case and so it was with quite a teary Sabbath. Emil was Bishop for 2 years in Elizabeth City before he served as Branch President here in Currituck for the past 3. Typically Bishops are called for 5 years. It wasn't unexpected and with Emil's classes demanding more of his time it was nice to have that reprieve.

We have both felt so very blessed for him to have served in his calling and have felt that the experience has changed our family and blessed it in ways that we could have never realized 5 years ago. We are excited to have him sit with our family again for the first time in 5 years and are looking forward to having him all to ourselves for a little while. Happy New Year!

Bacon-Cheddar-Chive Scones

The first scone I had tasted more like a stone and so I stayed away from them for years not knowing that hard and bland wasn't actually the way they were suppose to taste. A couple of years ago a friend made some for a get together and I was delighted to find out they are really very good and rival our american muffins in a good way. Scones are best hot out of the oven which is why I like that you can freeze these and bake up just a couple at your leisure. (I'm tending to trend toward the freezing recipes this year it seems.) This is a great complete breakfast as it has meat in it. You can even serve them as a biscuit type side with soup and salad if you prefer.

Bacon-Cheddar-Chive Scones

2 Cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour (or any kind)

1 tsp. Salt

1 Tbsp. baking powder

2 tsp. sugar

4 Tbsp. cold butter

1 cup very coarsely grated or diced cheddar cheese

1/3 c. snipped fresh chives, or finely dived scallion tops (just the green part)

1 c. bacon (or bacon bits or leftover ham)

3/4 c. + 2 Tbsp. heavy cream or whipping cream

Preheat the oven to 425. Lightly grease a baking sheet or line with parchment.

1. Whisk together the flour, salt, baking powder and sugar.

2. Work the butter into the flour until the mixture is unevenly crumbly.

3. Mix in the cheese, chives, and bacon til evenly distributed.

4. Add 3/4 c. of the cream, stirring to combine. Try squeezing the dough together; if it's crumbly and won't hang together, or if there are crumbs remaining in the bottom of the bowl,

add cream until the dough comes together. Transfer the shaggy dough to a well floured work surface.

5. Pat the dough into a smooth 7" disk about 3/4" thick. Transfer the disk to the prepared baking sheet.

6. Use a knife or pizza cutter to dut the disk into 8 wedges, spreading the wedges apart a bit on the pan. (Freeze at this point if you want to bake them later. Freeze on baking sheets a couple of hours then store in ziplock bags until ready to bake. To bake: remove from bag and place on baking sheet, brush with cream, bake in 425 oven for 35-40 minutes.)

7. If your not freezing then brush the tops with cream and bake for 22-24 minutes or until they are golden brown. Remove them from the oven and enjoy.

Christmas Recipes

If you're all like me you're probably so over the holiday food but I decided to post a recipe or two for the next few days of some of my favorite goodies from 2009.

Marm’s Cinnamon Buns

These top the list. They were by far the best tasting and I really liked that I could freeze them and make them later. I tweeked the recipe a bit and added in some King Authur Flour Cinnamon Filling and the Icing making them the solid winner for the number one spot.

Makes 24 Cinnamon buns

Place the following ingredients in your mixer equipped with dough hook:

1 1/2 c. very warm water

3 Tbsp. powdered milk (finally a recipe you can use powdered milk in!)

2 C. All purpose flour

2 Tbsp. yeast

Mix on a low speed until combined and then add in:

3/4 C. Raw or granulated sugar

2 tsp. Sea salt

3 Eggs

3/4 C. Oil (safflower, corn or canola)

Unbleached all purpose flour will be used in the next step.

Mix briefly and then add, 1 cup at a time, approximately 6 more cups of flour. Add flour carefully as the full 5 cups may not be needed. You want a soft, workable dough. Knead for 5 minutes on a medium speed. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured suftace. Divide into 2 equal parts. Roll each part on the floured surface to a rectangle. Spread with 1/2 cup Cinnamon Filling for each rectangle.

Cinnamon Filling

1 C. Brown Sugar

3 Tbsp. Ground cinnamon

1/3 C. Butter or Margarine Power (another use for that food storage)

(Note: If you have the cinnamon filling with the margarine powder you will have to add some water or oil. Add a Tbsp. at a time to 1 cup of dry cinnamon filling powder until you get a paste that can be spread over the dough. About 4-5 Tbsp. of water)

Roll up tightly, beginning at wide side. Seal well by pinching edges together. Even up roll by stretching slightly where needed. Cut roll unto 1 1/2 inch sections. Place in greased baking pans, you can use 2 9X13 or 8" round cake pans, cut side up, with a small space between rolls. Use wet fingertips to flatten and even out rolls if they are uneven. Let rise until puffy. This should take about 45 minutes to 1 hour.

Note: If you want to bake later you can put them in the fridge tightly covered with saran wrap for up to 16 hours and then bake or freeze them in the freezer for up to 2 months. If you freeze them. Simply take them out the night before you want to bake them and place them in the fridge overnight. Pull out an hour before you want to bake them and let rise a second time in a warm place. Bake as directed.

To bake: Place in 350 oven and bake for 20-25 minutes. Ice while still warm.

Icing

3 oz Cream Cheese

1/4 c. Butter, softened

1 1/2 c. 10X sugar

1/2 tsp. Vanilla

Mix cream cheese and butter first, then add vanilla and 10X sugar. Mix well and place in a ziplock sandwich bag. Clip small hole in the corner of bag and use to pipe over warm cinnamon buns. Looks so impressive! Enjoy!

Tomorrow's post will be Bacon, Cheese and Chive Scones.