Fastest bread or buns ever!

This recipe was originally a hamburger bun recipe- but I have found it to be a great dinner roll recipe and with a little extra flour- a good bread recipe too.  This is not a bread recipe to show off your amazing bread baking skills- but an awesome one when dinner is on in an hour and you are out of bread.  Gotta love speed!
**to turn into a bread recipe, just add a little flour at a time until a nice feeling bread dough forms.  Let rise about 15 min before placing in oven.  Bake only 12-15min.

Hamburger Buns

2 T yeast

1 c + 2 T warm water

1/3 c veg. oil

¼ c sugar

1 egg

1 tsp salt

3- 3 ½ c flour

In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Add oil and sugar; let stand for 5 minutes. Add the egg, salt and enough flour to form soft dough.

Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 3-5 minutes. Do not let rise. Divide into 12 pieces; shape each into a ball. Place 3 in. apart on greased baking sheets.

Cover and let rest for 10 minutes. Bake at 425° for 8-12 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from pans to wire racks to cool. Yield: 1 dozen.

Gifts with a goal

We have tried to bring more purpose and devotion to our holidays and celebrations by focusing on quality over quantity- and gifts that facilitate growth instead of idle entertainment.
It is a challenge to thoughtfullycome up with a meaningful gift that doesn't feed the toy horde and uniquely fits each child's interest- to encourage and develop it.  In trying to brainstorm with my sister some ideas, I started to compile a list and thought I would record it here for future reference and in the hopes it might be helpful to you.  Age appropriate of course.
We give three gifts on Christmas that correspond with the gifts of the magi: gold, frankincense and myrrh.  Their myrrh gift is something for their bodies (scarf, pajamas, necktie, etc), the gold gift is something to develop their interests (in place of a glitzy toy), and the frankincense is something of a spiritual nature (scriptures, scripture markers, a copy of our testimony, cd of recorded inspiring stories, CTR ring, etc).

 

Above all, we hope to emphasize and celebrate with purpose the meaning of the special day- whether it be Christ's birth, a family member's birthday, or another holiday.  It's somewhat hard at first to drastically minimize the amount of gifts you give and you might need to ground yourself from shopping the week preceding Christmas (the buying fever seizes me each year that time) but the rewards will come over time as you see your child make plans with, use, and value the wise gifts that enrich his/her heart and mind.
      ....as a quick side note, we do fill up a stocking with consumable gifts like oranges, pretzels, nuts, toothbrush, socks, new shoelace, chocolate, and a candycane.

• whittling knife, wood, & designs (citrus reamer, wood kitchen spoon, play car, whale, etc)
• carving set
• the best toys (wood blocks, hankerchiefs, etc instead of that toy horde)
• a model kit (pinewood derby car or raingutter regatta from scout shop)
• a rag doll and a couple changes of clothes
• a new dress with matching doll dress
• timeless book(s) with a handwritten note inside
• a cookbook for you to cook together from
• a cut out pattern you could sew together and child could wear (cute apron, warm hat, etc)
• sewing basket & list of clothes to mend with parent plus a couple simple useful patterns
• a gift certificate to go do something child is excited about and a bookmark to remember the event by
• a worthy music CD- or a compilation made by you
• a flower press & collecting book
• modeling clay (not playdough)
• a family board game
• puppet theatre (paint a white sheet, cut a hole out for the stage, and put a tension rod through the seam to hang in hall/door when using)
• some homemade crayon shapes (use candy molds to make beautiful melted multi-colored crayons)
• a pillow, blanket, or stuffed animal from cast off favorite clothes
• paper doll outlines printed on cardstock for her to color & cut out
• some indoor herbs or plants- especially kinds they can use to cook with you
• a personal calendar with family pictures
• some birdseed ball kits for child to make & hang outside a window
• an original poem for child, framed
• rechargeable batteries & recharger- we had a child PINE for this gift!
• quality art materials (drawing pad, numbered pencils, colored pencils, brushes, paints, canvas, etc)
• knitting needles or crochet hooks with yarn & pattern
• an outdoor seasonal toy (wagon, kickball, sled, baseball, glove & bat, frisbee, etc)
• tackle box to go fishing with Dad & own fishing rod following year
• kite kit
• simple tool box & plans to make something with parent (birdhouse, cutting board, shed/ box for outside toys, bookshelf, etc)  OR a list of things to fix around house with parent!
• canning jars and berries to make special jam preserves with parent
• bee hive & bee keeping class/book- with certificate to purchase bees once ready
• microscope & recording notebook
• telescope & recording notebook
• papermaking kit
• basketball hoop (used ones often on Craigslist)

 

....I hope to keep adding to this list and invite you to share ideas for me to add!!

Cocoa Time!

We were all out of our hot cocoa and it didn't seem to matter much until just recently.  With the weather starting to shift to more cold & crisp evenings, I have found myself craving some hot cocoa.  But the Swiss Miss stuff just didn't make the grade.  It tasted like a watered down version of the great stuff we purchase from the LDS church cannery.
Then a couple days ago, my SUPER AWESOME friend, Kelli gave me some to take home (THANK YOU!!!) and my evenings have been a lovely cuddle up on the couch with a great book and e*n*j*o*y kind of experience.

Sweet chocolate!

Why I love flour sack towels

In trying to become more 'green' lately, I have been trying to find ways to use more natural and re-useable tools instead of one-time use, disposable and plastic products.
I have found one of my most versatile and sensible tools in the flour sack towel.

Before I go into all the different uses of the flour sack towel, I must first confess that I get a great amount of pleasure just from the simplicity and classic look of the flour sack towel. I love that it is a natural fiber, white (my favorite color- or more accurately lack of color), and that folded in a pile, these towels just appeal to the core minimalist in me. They are a pleasure for me to behold and use.

So now for the list!
-of course-the Perfect kitchen towel- clean up spills, wipe down counters, and dry dishes
Kid clean-up towel- wipe down faces & hands and dry them off w/ the same towel.
Great for rising dough- just dampen and lay over dough bowl. Goodbye saran wrap!
Perfect size for Furoshiki (the art of gift wrapping with cloth)
Perfect size for wrapping up a lunch to go. Place your sandwich on one side of the diagonal and your fruit/ veggies/ treat on the other side, Fold one 'triangle' side of the towel over your food, then fold the other side over your food, wrapping it around your food, fold the tube in half and then tie the ends twice- you now have a handy lunch with the napkin included!
Perfect size for cloth diapering (you just knew I would bring up CD ;)
Works just right for drying off after a shower- who knew you didn't need a large terry towel? Will dry an adult or three kids coming out of a bath- believe me, I know!
Great tie on bib
Wonderful as a burp/ spit up rag
Keeps my hair back for whatever purpose (hair scarf)
Fold in half and sew two sides to make reusable bulk produce bags
Fold to use as a hot pad or trivet
Rubber band over a jar to keep cut herbs fresh
Place in the bottom of a produce drawer instead of a paper towel
Generous sized handkerchief/ hanky
Versatile play accessory (doll blanket, a mountain draped over blocks, a car catapult LOL)

and...
They launder quickly and thoroughly
They dry QUICK- just hang to dry!
When dingy, dampen and lay out in bright sunshine- whola! white again!

I'm sure I can think of more uses for this great and enviromentally good tool!

She has a middle name!

Leah Tivona Combs has a full name now! :)

Tivona (pronounced Tee-voh-na) means one who loves nature and was chosen to symbolize the love Aaron and I share for the art of our inspiring and ever changing Earth who's seasons and beauty constantly amaze and captivate us. Much like our children do! :)

Leah has arrived!

Of course, she has already been in the circle of our family for 9 months now- but we are so happy she has come outside Mama to join our family directly! :) Here are some pictures from Labor:

(yes- that is Aaron studying!)  And just after her birth:

Born on Saturday, April 2nd at 4:05pm. She has a super sweet and relaxed disposition and is a champ nurser already- youch! The kids were all excited to meet her- especially Eden, Ammon, and Hyrum who gathered around her right away and couldn't wait to hold her.

Gideon took up the camera right away and took these great shots of the younger kids cuddling up to her and Jacobwas content to look on in approbation with his grandpa. :)

Eden had a hard time understanding why anyone else would get to hold 'BABY MINE!' and was trying to get her arms around her before she was even unbuckled out of the carseat.

We are in love and having a great resting time THANKS SO much to loving family and friends who are helping and supporting us!!!!! (teary grateful smile).

Most of all, we give our heartfelt thanks to our loving Heavenly Father who has borne us through these past weeks and has blessed us with the convenience of a scheduled birth, our new healthy precious baby Leah, our entire beautiful family, and you- our beloved and dear family and friends!

Not the baby anymore

It seems like Eden has been a baby forever- but in light of a newborn coming home soon I have started looking at her differently lately. Knowing how small a newborn will be and how large she will suddenly look- I can see she really is a little girl now and I already miss her baby stage.

finished re-making my bedside tables!

I am so glad to be done with this project. I don't know why I always have to take on some large project just before the end of my pregnancy- some crazy nesting spin-off maybe?

But I am happy to be done with these! As usual, it turned into a much larger project than I had anticipated. Wish I had before pictures- but these used to be a medium-toned wood with lots of indents, routered edges, carved doors, and bulky ogee trim that went around the bottom.

Now they match our new bedframe- the most modern looking furniture in our house! I prefer the more relaxed, traditional look- country french really, but it sure has a clean look :)

Decorating

I love the neutral & calm colors of the crib bedding which coordinates with our bedroom- but felt the need to add a little pink and splash of color to the blank wall above the crib.

I purchased these frames at the dollor store, dressed them up a tad and made some colorful but still somewhat mild butterflies and background to put in the frames. It was fun- an artistic outlet and I like the results! :)

Baby coming

Here is an update....long overdue...
We are having another baby in April and it's a girl! We are pleased because that means Eden will have to learn to share and the boys will not have as difficult a time watching her get stuff just for 'girls.' This will give us a family of 8- wow! Funny how that sounds large and yet small at the same time. Even more odd is how wierd it seems to people we meet that we have 6 children- so many! they say. It's not common in this day to have more than 2-3 kids. I remind them that it wasn't long ago when it was normal and they usually respond- yes, I was one of six, or, my mother was one of 8...
Another common response is how I must have my 'hands full.' I try to always say that yes, I do, but they are also great helpers. I don't want my kids getting the idea that I always portray them as troublesome to strangers. Well today in the grocery store I was met with that comment and after I said what a help they were, Jacob replies, "yeah, most of the time we are, but sometimes we aren't so much." They laughed and I smiled at Jacob. It's nice how I feel I can relate to him more and more on an adult-level sense of humor.
I'm tired, but one day I will miss all this...