Fast Easy Bread

Let me introduce you to my friend Lindsey. I've know her since the day she was born and I think she is amazing! She is the creator of Fast Easy Bread and she has perfected bread making, in all its wonderful goodness! She has discovered the secret ingredients to make perfect bread (including wheat bread), rolls, braids, pizza crust and more in about 60 minutes from beginning to delicious end! No lie, she is good at what she does and she has even started her own online company to market her special ingredients for making perfect, no-fail bread in a Kitchen Aid mixer, Bosch mixer or by hand. Anyone can succeed using Lindsey's methods and know how. Here she is whipping up a batch of crescent rolls, Smore-braided bread and monkey bread in 60 minutes (with some help from her brother Corbin - which just goes to show that even men like getting involved and making their own creations.)
Check out her web site HERE and her blog HERE for additional information and visuals.

And the best news of all??? This amazing young mother of four girls is in our town for a few weeks from Texas. She is even going on TV in Texas when she gets back to do a demonstration of her bread making methods. She has consented to do a bread making demonstration in my home on Thursday, August 4 from 7:00-9:00 pm. You are all invited to come! You won't want to miss this. Seriously, it will change your baking life. Just email me and let me know if you are interested in attending and I'll give you the address if you don't have it already.

The best part is: in this crazy economy you can make this simple and tasty food that everyone will love and it only cost .79 cents a loaf. You heard right .79 cents people! are you serious......a loaf of bread is like $3.20 and homemade cinnamon rolls....$6 or $7. Now add in a couple of ingredients and a tiny amount of time....you can be a rockstar in your home! Stuff crust pizza pepperoni is less than $4.50!

7-11-11

Progress report to keep me motivated.
11 in 11

1. visit 11 temples this year and do the the temple work for at least 22 of our departed ancestors - COMPLETE

• 1. Provo, Utah temple-10 sealings for couples and sons
• 2. Provo, Utah temple - 5 initiatory
• 3. Albuquerque, New Mexico temple - 5 initiatory
• 4. Mesa, Arizona temple - 1 endowment
• 5. Laie, Hawaii temple - 1 endowment
• 6. St. George, Utah temple - 1 endowment
• 7. Provo, Utah temple - 8 sealings for couples, 4 sons (Rick), 3 daughters
• 8. San Diego temple - 1 sealing for couples, 3 daughters
• 9. Provo, Utah temple - 14 baptisms for women, 14 confirmations
• 10. Provo, Utah temple - 3 sealings for couples, five sons (Rick), five daughters
• 11. Provo, Utah temple - 1 endowment

2. lose 11 pounds

• 2 down, 9 to go
  

3. read 11 books

• 1. The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks
• 2. Heidi (a childhood favorite - loved reading it again)
• 3. Same Kind of Different as Me
• 4. The Forgotten Garden
• 5. Jane Eyre
• 6. The Book Thief
  

4. organize & label 11 of our family photo books

• completed 4 books, starting in 1976 through 1982
  

5. visit 11 elderly people

• 1. G.G. 2. G.D.E. 3. M. Y. 4. L. B. 5. V. B. R. 6. D. F. 7. A. E. 8. U. R. 8. A. L. 9. U. V. 10. L. C.
  

6. sew 11 items and give them away

• 1 skirt for Skippy, 1 blanket for Skippy, 1 skirt of Lauren, 1 skirt for Ellie, 1 skirt for Ada, 1 apron for Skippy, 1 skirt for Skippy

7. go with Rick to visit 11 new places

• 1. drove around Utah Lake for the first time
• 2. North shore Oahu, Hawaii - including Waimea, Haleiwa & Sunset beach
  
• 3. Hike to Diamond head, Hawaii
• 4. West shore Oahu, Hawaii - including Waianae, Maili & Ko Olina bay
• 5. Legoland, California
• 6. PETCO stadium, San Diego California
  

8. send birthday cards to 11 people I don't normally send to

• 1. A. K. 2. A. K. 3. D. A. 4. D. R. 5. D. S. 6. G. G. 7. T. S. 8. D. G. 9. M. J.
  

9. watch 11 old movies that I love but haven't seen for awhile

• 1. Dances with Wolves
• 2. First Knight
• 3. Mama Mia
• 4. Groundhog Day
• 5. A River Runs Through It
• 6. October Sky
• 7. The Little Princess with Shirley Temple
  

10. make 11 new recipes

• 1. Lentil soup (won't be making this again - it wasn't a hit with the husband)
• 2. Ziti Primavera
• 3. Cinnamon rolls (new recipe)
• 4. Easter Dessert
• 5. oriental chicken in the crock pot
• 6. Grilled chicken southwestern salad (from Jordan)
  

11. invite 11 groups of people over for dinner - COMPLETE

• 1. Lacey & friends, Pat & Vern
• 2. Valentine dinner with the Mark & Colleen, Trent & Kelley
• 3. Cleofon group of women for luncheon
• 4. Ryan, Jill and Corbin C.
• 5. Dave's friends from college - Erick & Sam, Bryan & Kelly, Danny & Danielle, Kyle & Kayla
• 6. Cousin Margaret & family
• 7. Niece Syd & Adam, Danny & Danielle, Romney, Jesse
• 8. Ryan & Jill, Corbin & Loni (BBQ outside)
• 9. Denise, Lacey & family
• 10. Adam and Crissa
• 11. Lindsey R. and her four darling daughters, Corbin
• 12. 4th of July BBQ - 70 family and friends
  

A remedy for what ails you

Yesterday in our youth group meeting (Young Women) we had such a good lesson. It was entitled "Overcoming Opposition." Here are some thoughts from the lesson. I thought they were such a good reminder of what we can actually do when we're feeling down. Everyone has trials, disappointments, setbacks, opposition, sorrow and pain at some point in their lives. It's what we DO and how we REACT when those hard times come that determine how well we cope with hardship. President Ezra Taft Benson described twelve ways in which we can overcome sorrow, disappointment, and depression (see Conference Report, Oct. 1974, pp. 90–94; or Ensign, Nov. 1974, pp. 65–67).

"And he shall go forth, suffering pains and afflictions and temptations of every kind; and this that the word might be fulfilled which saith he will take upon him the pains and the sicknesses of his people" (Alma 7:11).

1. Repentance: “Sin creates disharmony with God and is depressing to the spirit. … Every law kept brings a particular blessing. Every law broken brings a particular blight. Those who are heavy laden with despair should come unto the Lord, for his yoke is easy and his burden is light.”
2. Prayer: “Prayer in the hour of need is a great boon. From simple trials to our Gethsemanes, prayer can put us in touch with God, our greatest source of comfort and counsel.”
3. Service: “To lose yourself in righteous service to others can lift your sights and get your mind off personal problems, or at least put them in proper focus. ‘When you find yourselves a little gloomy,’ said President Lorenzo Snow, ‘look around you and find somebody that is in a worse plight than yourself; go to him and find out what the trouble is, and then try to remove it with the wisdom which the Lord bestows upon you; and the first thing you know, your gloom is gone, you feel light, the Spirit of the Lord is upon you, and everything seems illuminated.’ (Conference Report, 6 Apr. 1899, pp. 2–3.)”
4. Work: “Work is our blessing, not our doom. … We should work at taking care of the spiritual, mental, social, and physical needs of ourselves and those whom we are charged to help. In the church of Jesus Christ there is plenty of work to do to move forward the kingdom of God. Every member a missionary, family genealogy and temple work, home evenings, receiving a Church assignment and magnifying it are but a few of our required labors.”
5. Health: “The condition of the physical body can affect the spirit. That’s why the Lord gave us the Word of Wisdom. He also said that we should retire to our beds early and arise early.” We should eat nutritious meals, get proper rest and exercise, and use wholesome recreation to provide a change of pace and lift the spirit.
6. Reading: “Many a man in his hour of trial has turned to the Book of Mormon and been enlightened, enlivened, and comforted. “The psalms of the Old Testament have a special food for the soul of one in distress. … The words of the prophets, particularly the living president of the Church, are crucial reading and can give direction and comfort in an hour when one is down.”
7. Blessing: “In a particularly stressful time, or in the anticipation of a critical event, one can seek for a blessing under the hands of the priesthood. … The sacrament will ‘bless … the souls’ (D&C 20:77, 79) of all those who worthily partake of it.”
8. Fasting: “Periodic fasting can help clear up the mind and strengthen the body and the spirit. … To make a fast most fruitful, it should be coupled with prayer and meditation; … and it’s a blessing if one can ponder on the scriptures and the reason for the fast.”
9. Friends: “The fellowship of true friends who can hear you out, share your joys, help carry your burdens, and correctly counsel you is priceless. …“Ideally, your family ought to be your closest friends. Most important, we should seek to become the friend of our Father in heaven and our brother Jesus the Christ.”
10. Music: “Inspiring music may fill the soul with heavenly thoughts, move one to righteous action, or speak peace to the soul. … Elder Boyd K. Packer has wisely suggested memorizing some of the inspiring songs of Zion … [to help] crowd out debilitating, depressive thoughts.”
11. Endurance: “There are times when you simply have to righteously hang on and outlast the devil until his depressive spirit leaves you. “… While you are going through your trial, you can recall your past victories and count the blessings that you do have with a sure hope of greater ones to follow if you are faithful.”
12. Goals: “Every accountable child of God needs to set goals, short- and long-range goals. A man who is pressing forward to accomplish worthy goals can soon put despondency under his feet, and once a goal is accomplished, others can be set up.”

17 Miracles

Rick and I went to this movie this afternoon. It was very touching, very well done, very interesting and very moving. I highly recommend it.

Get creative & have some fun

We've had a very busy time these last three or four weeks. In no particular order, here are some fun things we've been doing. Jordan and her girls came to town on the 18th of June. She dropped the girls off and went off to girls camp with her ward in Idaho for five days. I went to girls camp with our ward a few days later and Andy took over as the chief baby sitter...he did a great job. Jake later arrive to attend the wedding of his sister and to stay for a week. Claire and R and baby Skippy arrived on the 29th and stayed til the morning of the 5th. We keep busy and had a great time with everyone over the 4th of July. We missed Dave and Courtney who are in North Carolina while Dave is completing an internship for his MBA.




This crew enjoyed an early morning hike to the "Y" on the mountain. They had planned to hike to the summit of Mt. Timpanogos, but there was still too much snow on it. Maybe next year. They also all ran either the 10K or the 5K before the Provo Grand Parade on the 4th of July. They did great in the race and came home with some prizes.
Some other activities including going to the Provo temple, to BYU campus and the Cougar eat for lunch, to the lovely garden wedding reception of Jake's sister Jen, to Trafalga for some mini-golf, go cart riding and batting cage hitting, to Bridal Veil Falls for a little hike and a picnic, and out to the backyard many times for some swimming, game playing and village ball. It was fun to be together and to fall into bed exhausted every night.

We broke out the red, white and blue fingernail polish and got all the girls ready to celebrate the 4th of July, from fingertips to toenails.

We finally finished assembling the tree bench and enjoyed sitting on it and swinging the girls in their various tree swings. "Swing me Grampy" was heard more than once by the little grand girls. They wanted to swing all the time, even while in their night gowns.
While in Logan to visit the extended family, I got to drive the new toy of my sister Ann and her husband Trace. It was a fun and windy ride up to see Porcupine reservoir.
Andy and five of his friends coached a little league boys baseball team this summer. It took them a ton of time to work with the boys in practices and games. They all learned a lot and had a good season. I was very proud of Andy for being so good to the boys and for learning the ups and downs of coaching and for taking it all in stride. They had a fun season and I think Andy and crew want to do it again next year.
Now that I'm serving with the Laurels (the 16-18 year old girls) in our ward, I made them some graduation from high school cards and treated them to some chocolate. They were a hit!


I went to Logan to visit my Mom and sisters and their families and to attend my sister Lee's 50th surprise birthday party given to her by her daughter and her family. It was fun to be there and to participate with her in the aging process. She was a good sport and we all had a great time. She looks wonderful for a 50 year old.