Looking for something awesome to read?

I am making a goal to do more reading-which means I have to take a little time out for myself.  Besides reading the scriptures, I just started this book, "LIFE EVERLASTING", by Duane S. Crowther.  I am still in the first chapter, but am loving it.  I enjoy reading books about people who have had near-death experiences, and this has some of those, plus principles of the gospel tied in with them.  Right now I am learning about the amazing things our spirits can do and that there are probably more senses than the five senses that we have now.  It is very exciting to me.  If you'd like to check it out, I bought mine on Amazon, and got the latest edition, because there are more chapters in it.  Here is a link:  Life Everlasting.   Enjoy!

Potato Cinnamon Rolls- my favorite!

This is my quick and easier method for my favorite recipe of cinnamon rolls-
to me, they are "just right".

3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup hot mashed potatoes
1 1/2 cups warm water
2 packages yeast
------------------------------------------
mix these ingredients together and let the yeast work for about 10 minutes
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
2 eggs
2 tsp. salt
6 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
-----------------------------------------
Add these ingredients and mix the flour in a cup at a time, knead for about 5 minutes or until you're tired of it:)
Roll dough out on floured counter top, slather with softened butter, sprinkle on a generous amount of brown sugar and then a couple tablespoons of cinnamon.  (Here is the recipe's version, if you're one for measuring):

Filling:
----------------------------------------
1 1/3 cups packed brown sugar
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
2 Tbl. butter or margarine, softened
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Cut in about 1/2 inch slices and place in greased pan.  (I use a large cookie sheet with sides).   Let rise for about 15-20 minutes, while oven is preheating.  Bake at 300 degrees until golden brown (about 20 min?)

While baking, make the frosting-put
---------------------------------------
1/4 cup butter softened-mix, then add
2 Tbl. milk
2 cups powdered sugar
1 Tbl. vanilla
---------------------------------------
in mixer bowl and beat for a couple of minutes, until soft and smooth.  Add more powdered sugar if needed.  Slather on hot cinnamon rolls.   Yummers!

My Country Tis of Thee

It is a disappointment to me that we missed the opportunity to have Mitt Romney for our president.  I think he would have done an amazing job and it would have been so beneficial for our country.  But, the Lord is in control, and His work will go forward.  Here are some quotes I really like that have to do with our country:   (if you have others I can add to the list, please send them)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Men may fail in this country, earthquakes may come, seas may heave beyond their bounds, there may be great drought, disaster, and hardship, but this nation, founded on principles laid down by men whom God raised up, will never fail.
This is the cradle of humanity, where life on this earth began in the Garden of Eden. This is the place of the new Jerusalem. This is the place that the Lord said is favored above all other nations in all the world. This is the place where the Savior will come to His temple. This is the favored land in all the world. Yes, I repeat, men may fail, but this nation won't fail. I have faith in America; you and I must have faith in America, if we understand the teachings of the gospel of Jesus Christ. We are living in a day when we must pay heed to these challenges.
I plead with you NOT to preach pessimism. Preach that this is the greatest country in all the world. This is the favored land. This is the land of our forefathers. It is the nation that will stand despite whatever trials or crises it may yet have to pass through." -Harold B. Lee
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"The future of this world has long been declared; the final outcome between good and evil is already known. There is absolutely no question as to who wins because the victory has already been posted on the scoreboard. The only really strange thing in all this is that we are still down here on the field trying to decide which team's jersey we want to wear." -Elder Jeffrey R. Holland-
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints issued the following statement Tuesday:

We congratulate President Obama on winning a second term as President of the United States.

After a long campaign, this is now a time for Americans to come together. It is a long tradition among Latter-day Saints to pray for our national leaders in our personal prayers and in our congregations. We invite Americans everywhere, whatever their political persuasion, to pray for the President, for his administration and the new Congress as they lead us through difficult and turbulent times. May our national leaders reflect the best in wisdom and judgment as they fulfill the great trust afforded to them by the American people.

We also commend Governor Romney for engaging at the highest level of our democratic process which, by its nature, demands so much of those who offer themselves for public service. We wish him and his family every success in their future endeavors.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"No matter who wins (the election), nearly half of the US will be disappointed while the other half celebrates. May we channel that energy into turning to each other, not on each other. May we realize that we are human beings that ultimately want the same things but may have different ideas as how to get there. We want to be safe, secure, and loved. There are things that no government can truly give us but we can so easily give it to each other. Let us lead our polarized government by showing that we can work with each other, help each other, whether we necessarily agree with each other or not. The government does not determine how we treat our fellow human beings, the government does not determine who we lend a hand to, or share a smile with, or accept the differences of. This is supposed to be a government of the people, by the people, for the people. We are those people so let us show the government what it should be." -Chris Noble

Be sure to vote!

What a pleasure it was to vote for Romney!  Be sure to get out and vote:)

Homemade freezer jam with Alison's Pantry Instant Clear Jel

 Can I just say how much I love having this stuff on hand?  Before I could never make jam without planning ahead, because the pectin is so expensive and I hated buying it.  And then when I did go to buy it, everyone else was already making jam and it would be gone.  So, having this instant clear jel is a lifesaver for me.  I can make jam anytime without it costing a fortune, and I LOVE IT!!!!!!!

 Here is the recipe I use:
4 cups berries
7 Tbl. instant clear jel
1/4 cup lemon juice
sugar to taste (I prefer it to be sweet so it does actually taste like jam)  about twice as much as the berries
BE SURE to mix the clear jel with the sugar before adding to the berries-it reduces clumping problems.  Also, if the berries are thawed (I buy mine frozen for Alison's Pantry) it works much better.  After adding all the ingredients, stir, stir, stir.  I try for at least 3 minutes.  Then put in containers and freeze.

End of the Corn Harvest! Yea!

Brent helping us out on the combine.

 video of corn going into the auger to the truck

 Video of the corn coming out of the truck into the hopper to be rolled.

 The kids love watching it and playing in it.

 Video of Brent shredding what's left of the corn stalks.  Then they rake them into windrows.

 In this picture, they are baling, hauling, and planting with the no-till drill.  Busy day!

 Baling the shredded cornstalks-hard on the baler!

Fall Flowers

Morning Glory

 Cosmos

 dianthus

 rose

 marigold

 gallardia

 zinnia

Snapdragon

 marigold

Halloween

We didn't do so good with the dressing up, but the girls had fun making and decorating sugar cookies.  Jed liked his teeth he got at the trunk or treat.

Jed and Ada had a few things to say this week that made me laugh.  Here are some of them:

Jed:  supposed to be eating his granola and has to sit on the stool until he does:   "But Mom, by stomach isn't hungry, it just feels like playing"

Ada:  got in trouble and is being corrected:  slowly sticks tongue out at various angles to see if I will notice.  When I tell her she is getting vinegar for sticking her tongue out at mom, she says, "I wasn't sticking it out at you, I was sticking it out at the floor"

Jed dropped his frozen strawberries on the floor, and said, "Mom, we should clean this dirty floor, because people eat by it and they might drop their strawberries!"  :)

Sewer troubles-glad it's over!

I figure that people who show up to help when you have sewer problems must be your true friends.  Thank goodness for them, and for Brent, who kept the combine going for Nathan so he could work on this and get it fixed.  Jonathan was also a huge help in getting this fixed.

 So nice to have the hole filled back in and the big piles of dirt out of the driveway so we can use it again.  Not to mention having the privilege of using the washer, dryer, and bathrooms again:)  I think Nathan is amazing to tackle such a big job in his usual "do it yourself" mode.  There were wires to be dug around, a cement patio that got in the way, and just a big pain.  I am very grateful for his hard work.