My next book...

It is hard to move on from the Twilight series that is so fresh in my mind. But life must go on! So on to the next book, I feel lost without one or two with a bookmark in them. My sister gave this one to me for my birthday. This book is set during the Civil War period and is based on a true story. This book has a great website with all kinds of fun stuff.

Another great book...

Steve got this book for me for my birthday. It sat on my bedside table for a few months as I read through the pile of books. I don't know why I waited so long. I started reading it out loud to Steve while we drove to Seattle for the 4th of July. I had a hard time reading because I would get choked up. The inside cover it says:

My name will mean nothing to you, but my story is a retelling of the greatest story ever told and should mean everything to everyone. If you interpret my words as fiction and fiction only, you will miss out on truths that are both historical and spiritual. Search the scriptures. There you will find evidence of my existence recorded in ancient sacred writ, overlooked for millennia. My story comes forth now because now is the promised day when satanic doubt spreads like black ink, threatening to blot out His very name, to reduce Him to nothing more than a teacher, to erase the eternal truths He taught and lived. That cannot happen. Jesus was who He said He was. I know because I was there in the shadows of His holy footsteps. His miracles were real. I know because I am one of those miracles.

You can read the first chapter here on the Deseret Book website. I absolutely loved this book. This is one I will read again. This author does an awesome job of telling what we know from the scriptures of the Savior's life and filling in the gaps with a few fictional characters that are true to the times and customs. It really brought this time period to life for me and made me think and feel more of what the Savior's life means to me.

Yum....

Last Saturday I tried another great recipe, Philly Cheesesteaks, from Sara & Kate's cooking blog, Our Best Bites . They were awesome! Steve likes spicy so I stepped it up a notch into the spicy category by using cheddar jalapeno rolls from Walmart! Highly recommended! I bought enough meat and rolls for 4 sandwiches, two for now and two for later. The kids love corn dogs so that's what they got! Everyone was happy.

I also tried the Lime-Cilantro with Pineapple Rice recipe they have and it too was so good! The kids were all drooling from the smell as I was preparing the rice. They have not had much fresh cilantro and so they were a little picky about that, but loved the pineapple. We will make this again, the cilantro will grow on them with more exposure! (sounds like a disease)

Breaking Dawn...

I went out on Saturday morning to find the last installment in the Twilight series, Breaking Dawn. I went to Walmart figuring they should have plenty, wrong! They were sold out within minutes after the midnight release the night before. So I called down to Hastings and they had 18 copies out of 200 from the midnight release party they had. I was so worried I was going to have to chase around town trying to find one. I was so glad to get my copy and to start reading. I was just going to read one chapter Saturday morning and 150 pages later I came up for air. Just couldn't stop. I would have read non-stop but I am a mother with 6 kids that need me no matter how good the book is. I finally finished on Wednesday morning. I would try to hide away but they keep finding me (in the bathroom)!

I loved the book! I read the first three books the first few weeks after Emily was born. The story just sticks with me after I read. I have to remind myself that these people are not real, just fictional characters. I love reading because it all becomes so real to me, like I could drive somewhere and see these people.

I hope the movie won't be disappointing. They have chosen exactly who I have seen in my head. Not necessarily the specific actors, just what they looked like in my head anyway. I can't wait until December.

I rarely read books a second time. The stories really stick with me and so it bores me to read them a second time. However, this series I just might!

Uh oh.....get the licorice!

Emily is on the move now. She squirms to get down and play with her toys and she can do the army crawl at lightening speed! Especially when she sees something that she wants! Well the licorce bucket was on the floor at my sisters house and Emily saw this as prime opportunity for her to score a treat! She threw one piece down and helped herself to a new one only once. We decided to put a bib on her and let her enjoy!

Grease Monkey

Steve has done a few repairs to my van recently and he needed some extra help. Katie was willing and in the right place when Steve needed some small hands to help under the van. She slid right under the car and was a great help to Steve. Of course I had to run and get my camera! Can't lose any photo opportunity! She's so cute!

The Twin Falls Temple - Part II

Steve had to work, so he is absent from our photos! But not our hearts! I sent him photos instantly from my cell phone. I wish I would have had Steve's camera too, my little digital just can't do it all justice! I would have loved to get the view looking north from the Temple, it is beautiful. This is just a beautiful Temple, as all Temples are.

Twin Falls Temple

Yesterday we packed up the kids and headed to Twin Falls to attend the open house for the new Temple. We had all been sick over the weekend and I wasn't sure that we were going to go until the last minute. It was quite the struggle to get everyone in church clothes, gather kids from their friends and be sure I was presentable too. My sister got lunches ready, we loaded up two cars and away we went. It was a beautiful day for the drive and the visit.

When you get there you wait in the chapel until it is your time for the tour and they do a short video presentation in another room on the history of Temples and the history of the Twin Falls area. Then you proceed to the Temple. This Temple is just beautiful! There is so much natural light that feeds into the Celestial room through the stained glass windows,it is breathtaking! They used the Syringa, the state flower, as a motif in the glass and other designs around the Temple. The fountain on the west side is a double fountain representing Twin Falls. The artwork in the ordinance rooms reflects the local geography as well. I am glad we took the kids to see this new Temple. It is just beautiful. They have all been inside either the Boise and/or the Seattle Temples when they were sealed to us. But they were all so young they don't really remember anything but what they have seen in their scrapbooks. I am hoping that the good feelings they felt yesterday will stick with them and help them want to return.

Caramel Apples...mmmmm!

I can hardly wait for the fair to come! One of the treats I only get at the fair is the caramel apple, sliced, with the warm caramel sauce poured over it! This is one of my all-time favorites! In one of my feeds I get through my Google Reader I saw this tutorial for a miniature Carmel Apple. Now I know it is not rocket science to make caramel apples but this is a fun twist. I just didn't think about doing it on a small scale using a melon scooper to make apple balls to dip into the sauce. Check out this tutorial. My kids are going to love this! I think this might be our next Family Night refreshment!

Food....

Tonight my menu plan had listed the Overnight Waffles and Cinnamon Syrup. I quadrupled the waffle batter hoping that it was a smart move not having made the recipe before. It turned out great! I am glad I made such a big batch of the batter, it will keep for a few days in the fridge. I will cook up all of the batter and freeze the waffles for the kids to make toaster waffles. The syrup was really great too! I had just made some homemade butter and so this was a great meal! Will keep that recipe for sure.
For someone who doesn't like cooking a whole lot I am really enjoying Kate & Sara's great blog that I mentioned in an earlier post and have in my sidebar. I have also found a few others that I have mentioned recently too. But here is a new one, Betty Crocker.com I love to get more ideas! The less thinking up new ideas on my own the better for the whole family! I have subscribed to their Dinners Made Easy Newsletter. It has been fun to see all the great ideas. Who knew that NOT ALL Betty Crocker comes from a package?

This week's newsletter had some dinners and desserts for 300 calories and some great looking chicken! I will be adding some of these to my upcoming menus! There are some great tools on this site as well. You can have a recipe box to save favorites you come across and you can add the ingredients of each recipe to a shopping list too, all at the click of a button!

No I don't work for Betty Crocker! But I think this is a great find! I'm hungry now!