Memory Lane

What is it about old pictures that make us feel so happy?

I am grateful that John's mom has kept wonderful scrapbooks

of the family. I have been enjoying them so much!

So this is more for me than anyone else, but I've been

reminded of several things by looking over these images:

a. children grow up so fast!

b. I dwell on present trials too much

c. things really do work out- just like Pres. Hinckley said!

d. I have some really beautiful children

Baby Allison- who else would have those big blue eyes?

Baby Rebecca, getting checked out by Grandpa Ryan

Becca's orange nose shows in this one! She loved her veggies!

FaMiLy ClOwN

We completed Tommy's placemat of Valentine cards, and I wanted to take a picture. A harder task than I imagined! Check out this clown. All I wanted him to do was hold the placemat up, keep his eyes open and smile! He had other plans in mind.....

This was the closest one to what his mother wanted to see...
thanks for making us laugh Tommy!

French Bread Pizza Surprise

A very tasty dinner! I wanted to share the recipe with you.

First mix up some French bread:

1/2 c. warm water 2 pkg. yeast- Combine and set aside to dissolve.

2 c. hot water 1/2 c. oil 3 T. sugar 1 T. salt 6 cups flour

Combine hot water, sugar, salt, oil, and 3 c. flour. Beat well, add yeast mixture and the remaining 3 c. of flour. Mix well and let dough rise for 1 hour in a pam-sprayed bowl. (I turn on the oven to the lowest setting, turn the oven off, and cover the bowl I mixed the dough in and set it in the warm oven.)

This is the dough doubled after an hour.

Divide the dough in half, roll into rectangles, and add toppings. (Left pizza has pepperoni and mozzarella, right pizza has chicken and colby jack- obviously a lot more creativity may be added to this step!)

Fold sides and ends over the toppings. This is the bottom of the loaf of bread.

Flip over onto baking sheet, rearrange the shape as necessary, score with a knife if desired.

Cover both loaves and let raise for 30 minutes.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. I bake both at the same time as shown, then switch places and turn around after the first 15 minutes. Those with convection ovens don't need to do the switcheroo!

Finished product! Slice and serve. Dip in desired sauce. (Pizza, marinara, alfredo, etc.- I'm cheap, so I drained some moisture out of some spaghetti sauce by placing it in a dishcloth laid over a bowl- the same way I drain the mock mozzarella cheese)

Thanks to N.W. for introducing me to this tasty dinner!

I didn't think I could make it until I tried- funny, a lot of things work that way.....

In case you need a crafty project for the long weekend....

Preserve all those Valentine cards!

I thought that this was a cute little project that they did at Becca's class valentine's party.

A placemat made from valentine cards and contact paper. Easy and fun!

Kicked it!

This is really quick, but I just wanted to report that Tommy's speech teacher at school says she detects NO Apraxia of Speech in him at all! Phew! After a year of hard work and sometimes heart wrenching therapy sessions, he is officially a talker! This really makes my heart warm... are we out of the woods yet? No, not hardly. He still has some disabilities (that are yet to be determined) that still have made it difficult to understand certain concepts, plus he's still catching up socially after not being able to talk to peers for the first 4 years of his life. The little sweetie! He's made so much progress this year..... we're hoping for another awesome year to come!

We are so proud of you, Tommy! We love you!

25 Random Things

This is an easy post, because I was tagged on Facebook (my latest obsession)- I love copy and paste! You're tagged to write 25 random things on your blog! It's easier than it sounds.
1. Jen Nelson
2. Laura
3. Marianne
4. Carrie
5. Shauna
6. Anyone else that so desires....

Here are mine:
1. I was a very chubby baby, rolls on arms and legs!
2. I grew up on a dairy farm in Marysvale UT. My chores involved feeding the calves their almost-gallon size bottles and changing by hand the sprinklers in the field with my younger brother.
3. I am the oldest of 6 children, but I am the shortest.
4. I do not have a middle name.
5. I was a cheerleader in the 9th grade, and on the drill team 10th-12th grade. I still tap out cheers and dances on my teeth when I'm trying to go to sleep! Weird- anyone else remember the entire dance to "This Is It" circa 1987?
6. My husband proposed to me on bended knee, ring in hand at the Jordan River Temple grounds after dating for 3 weeks.
7. I taught 5th grade for 2 years and was the P.E. Specialist for a year at an elementary school in Highland. My high school friends laughed when my husband told them I was a "coach."
8. The last PG-13 movie I saw was in 1996, my husband and I both swore them off together.
9. We have lived in 13 homes in our 12 1/2 years of marriage.
10. I served a mission in London and played way too many practical jokes on the Elders.
11. I taught myself to knit in 2005 and became quite addicted for awhile. I made ponchos, dishcloths, slippers, hats, and scarves.
12. I have read the Book of Mormon at least once every year since finishing my mission in 1995.
13. I learned how to make homemade bread (the right way), yogurt, cheese and French bread this last year.
14. My most recent hobby of sorts has been food storage.
15. I don't get sick when pregnant, but I do get RAVENOUS! I can't get enough to eat when I'm pregnant, especially in the 1st trimester.
16. I had gestational diabetes with my 2nd pregnancy.
17. The only TV I watch anymore is BYU TV, KBYU, Jazz games, and TV Land.
18. My husband and I are determined not to have video games in our home. (We'll have to see how that flies as our son gets older.)
19. My favorite church calling is Primary pianist.
20. I love to grow a garden in the spring and summer, my favorite thing are the tomatoes!
21. We did not know the gender of our first two children until they were born.
22. I'm currently tying a quilt for the Humanitarian Center.
23. The book I'm reading right now is 'The Christmas Sweater' by Glenn Beck.
24. My New Year's Resolution for this year is to read all the standard works. (Elder Perry says it can be done by reading 1 chapter from each of the big four every day.)
25. My family is my life!

Truckloads of cookies and some loose ends...

For those of you that have not visited the Draper Temple yet, I highly recommend it! You will love it. The church really knows how to do things right. My mom-in-law works with the lady in charge of the reception area where the tour ends. She spent the better part of a year planning this beautiful place in the Stake Center next to the temple. The part I thought really interesting was that they had cookies for everyone! Yes, everyone- a million plus cookies. When we saw that they would have refreshments for everyone at the end of our tour (it was printed on our ticket), Allison and I were like "Yeah, right! There's no way they would have food for ALL these people!" But they did. They ship the cookies to the temple site- 2 semi-trucks per day! WOW! What an operation.

Also, to tie up the loose end of starting my little preschool. That's obviously a dream that may come to pass at a later date. (I have to admit, it was a bit of a Zeniff moment for me.) Anyhow, I did want to reward all those that helped me think of some cute names for the preschool. I already paid off Jill and Lindsay with bread and jam, Laura yours will be seen soon! I just need a reason to go to Springville! Thanks for your help, girls!

Mock Mozzarella- a very cheesy post

When I told my family that I wanted to learn how to make cheese this year, I think they thought I was a little crazy. Have you seen the price of cheese lately? And, not buying cheese is not an option for me. When John and I first got married, he was like, "What's with all the milk and cheese?" I grew up on a dairy farm, and so milk and cheese and absolute staples. Anyhow, here it is- my first mozzarella cheese ball!


Impressive, huh? I was quite proud of myself. Well, it was sooooo easy, it only took about 10 minutes and only has 4 ingredients, one of which is water. I crumbled it in a lasagna and it was really great! So you may want to mock the mozzarella, or make the mozzarella-here's the recipe if you are interested in the latter.

Mock Mozzarella Cheese

4 c. warm water
1 3/4 c. white vinegar
2/3 c. vegetable oil
3 c. dry milk powder

Blend all ingredients, pour into a hot saucepan and heat to 115 degrees to form curds. There will be a lot of liquid left over. Rinse the curds in warm water, drain and salt to taste. Place in a cheesecloth bag and hang to drain or squeeze out excess liquid. I just use a dishtowel and place over a bowl. Cool and grate or crumble. Use as you would commercial mozzarella cheese. For a firmer texture use only 1/4 to 1/3 c. oil.