Favorites Day 5 - Carbs Carbs Carbs

Bread

This one was inevitable.

Here is a step by step:)

Start with Hard White Wheat.

It is sooo good.

I don't think it's quite as healthy as red wheat from what I've read, but waaay healthier than white flour. A perfect medium ground because it tastes exactly like white bread but has wheat nutrition. I used to always use red wheat but I really do like this taste better and my kids LOVE it.

I think the LDS store has the best prices.

 I have a magic mill III, handed down from my mother. Add this much wheat...

 it's grinds to a perfect fine flour and I love it. (I'm going to guess that's 6 cups?)

 Add it to 5 cups of warm water and 2 T. yeast and mix on low speed for 5 minutes.

 Let it sit 15 minutes. It will look like this (minus the sugar I added already)

 Add 3/4-1 c sugar (you choose how sweet, you could even use honey), 1/4-1/2 c fat (butter, oil or shortening), and 2 cups flour. Shortening tastes the best fyi, but obviously isn't the healthiest.

Start mixing. Add 1 T salt and then more flour until the dough looks like this and cleans up the sides of the mixer.

 It should stick to your fingers when you touch it but also easily pull off. Soft but not too soft.

This is how I like it...I'm not a professional.

 I just grab hunks of dough after that and add it to 4 bread pans, flat so they rise evenly and the middles aren't way higher. Cover for an hour or two.

Bake 350 degrees for 20-30 minutes until it's about this color and the middle is cooked through.

Eat a piece every morning, toasted and buttered, with hot chocolate.

 MMMMMMM

White Wheat Bread
6 c (ground) white wheat flour
2 T yeast
5 c warm water
Mix 5 minutes. Let stand 15 minutes.
Add:
1 c sugar
1/4 c oil
2 c white flour
1 T salt
More flour, enough to make soft dough.
Mix until blended well.
Let rise in 4 bread pans.
Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes.

These freeze well too but I usually keep them in the fridge until we eat them.

Favorites Day 4 - gospel

The Gospel and a Ward Family

I love meeting members of our ward and hearing their life stories.

It makes moving to a new place so easy because anywhere we move we know we'll immediately have a 'support group'. Even if we don't need it, it's comforting to know they are there.

In Oklahoma we were invited to dinner the night we moved there. Our bishopric was awesome. Our sweet bishop gave me a heartfelt thanks every single sunday for coming by myself with my three tiny kids. It made me feel appreciated even if that's not a huge deal.

In Oregon within the first week we were invited to a party with a few awesome families in the ward. It was so fun to get to know them. Several of my favorite families had us over for dinner throughout our year there. There are such good people all over the country, and Philomath, Oregon definitely has some of them. And I would want to be there in a natural disaster, they are prepared:).

Here reminds me somewhat of Utah. Many people have family nearby and everyone is friendly if not already established in their circles of friends and family. I still love it and just realize it will be a more gradual full welcome into the ward. It's probably our turn to have people over to our house for dinner now that Ben is around.

I am the primary secretary and I mentioned before that we have sixty (plus more now!) kids two and under! Our ward boundaries are small, just a half mile by a mile...that is a lot of little kids in a tiny area! With our new ward boundaries I got to redo all the rosters and put together all the "lists" for primary. 

And so, one TIP for any secretary in any church calling

I LOOOOOVE GOOGLE DRIVE.

It is AMAZING. 

USE IT.

And be careful who you give editing power to.

Everything that needs changed can be changed, instantly, for everyone.

I love getting to know all the kids; they are good. They have to be strong to live in a world like this.

Don't get me wrong, a ward family is not WHY I love the gospel. That is one of the perks of belonging to this church. 

I Love this gospel because

it's true. 

I love that we are children of our Heavenly Father and we can be with our families forever.

There is a plan.

The Book of Mormon is another testament of Christ.

I'm a Mormon.

I know it. I live it. I love it!

We had a Meet the Teachers activity yesterday. 

Everyone got a name tag and went to their color table with their class to decorate a poster A

 Then they dressed up their new teacher and the teacher got to walk down the "red carpet"/green tape.

It was so fun:)

My Favorite Things Day 3 - better half

Ben

This is our annual New Years' picture! 

 We're terrible at taking pictures together, but we make it a point to take one at least on New Years'!

We remet and first hung out in Provo at a New Years party in 2003

Ten Years ago yesterday Ben proposed!

In 2004

(Two days after this new years picture at the Dunford's/Burbidge's)

Here's our remake of our awesome sparkling cider picture.

Aren't we cool.

 It's hard sometimes using a timer...ha!, we're in our pajamas. 

We actually made it to midnight this year watching Man of Steel. I was so surprised!

I've done this before, but for memories sake:

2006

2007 (missing...and about to pop with Baby #1)

2008

our Logan apt.

2009 several days after macey's birth

at the Purdy's

2010

at the Crosland's

2011

we actually didn't get a picture this year...but this is really close!

We never stayed in Pullman over new years because school was always out!

2012

Oklahoma

Baby #3 below:)

2013

Oregon

2014

California

And now a little secret, now not so secret

I was really worried about Ben being home more now that he doesn't have to work nonstop.

Would he be bored, would I never get anything done, would we get along being together so much.

Weird, cause we love each other, but he's harder to entertain than my kids. I'm just sayin.

BUT I LOVE having Ben around.

He loves being a dad, we love hanging out together, he likes a clean house (aka he picks crap up), and he loves having fun.

That would explain why my blogging has gone downhill so much. Usually I blog after the kids go to bed and my husband is working. But now I'm hanging out with him for the first time in years and it's fun!!!!! 

Phew:)

Definitely one of my favorite things is having Ben around

My favorite things Day 2 - Running

Running Trails

In an area congested with 3 million people I consider it a huge plus to have some hiking/running trails where only a small handful of people are passed along the way.

This trail is hidden about a mile away for our house and goes for more miles than I have run yet!

Some of it is open

(over that hill are thousands of homes, but they are far enough away and hidden from view)

Some is shaded with trees

and I carefully cross the river on stones four times.

Only dipped my feet in on accident once!

But none of it is too close to civilization!

We went on a "hike" there with the kids on Saturday. They loved it! There is a part covered in bamboo-looking trees by the river that they thought was an old hut.

Then, Ben broke his ban from running by running back to the car and picking us up at a cross road. It reminded him why he bikes instead because it hurts his knees~

My Favorite Things Day 1 - Not Even Once Club

I decided this month I would write about a few of my favorite things!

DAY 1

Not Even Once Club

As a gift from my mom for Christmas, we read this for family home evening.

It is so well written and such a cute story teaching kids about making good choices.

It initiated a great conversation for our family and was a great learning tool.

I LOVE this story and so did the kids!

Happy New Year