Answers

I love how the Lord uses us to help others find answers to their own trials and problems.

Yesterday while I was playing around on the computer, I came across some useful information. It wasn't planned and I wasn't looking for that particular information. But I was glad that I found it and knew that it would be a good thing to know how to do.
Today Daniel and I went to the temple with some friends from our ward. In our travels and conversations, we ended up talking about this information. Turns out that it was information that one of my friends really needed to know and would really be a benefit to her and her family. I had no idea that she was looking for this information, or even how much she would appreciate me passing the information on to her. I just spent the last few minutes helping her find this information over the phone.

She made the comment that the Lord had led me to that information so that I could share it with her. I think she must be right. Why else would I happen upon it while doing something completely unrelated? Yes, that information will benefit me and my family as well, but it wasn't a really pressing matter for our family. I suppose what I am saying is that I am glad that the Lord could use me in such a simple way.

I know my Heavenly Father loves me, because he helps me know how to help my friends, even in unexpected ways.

Too close for comfort

I came home this morning from dropping off Tansley at pre-school and running a few errands to the smell of melting plastic. You know, like the smell that you get when you accidentally put a plastic bowl on a hot element. There was nothing on the stove and all the elements were off. I followed my nose down the stairs to the basement. I remembered that in the middle of the night Tansley had come and told me that the light in the bathroom downstairs was burnt out, but in the morning she told me it was working again. So I started my search in there, immediately I knew I must be in the right place. The light was on, but very dim. I turned the light off and went to take the cover off, but it was hot to the touch, not a good sign. I grabbed a towel and then loosened the screws and took off the cover, and the smell of melting plastic was even stronger. I unscrewed the bulb and could see the blackened ring. Again, not a good sign. I called Daniel at work to let him know what was going on, and he suggested that I make sure that the kids don't turn the switch on at all, so I put a piece of tape over the light switch.  When Daniel got home and took the ceiling fan down(don't ask my why there is a ceiling fan in the bathroom, it was there when we moved in and we have meant to replace it, but just haven't yet got around to it...we will now), this is what we found.

One of the wires was melted right through, and a good part of the plastic ring was reduced to ash. Sickening and scary. I was only gone for an hour this morning...any longer and I could have come back to nothing. Thankfully, somebody was looking out for us today.

I know my Heavenly Father loves me, because, today, my house didn't burn down.

Italian Wedding Soup

About a week ago I was wandering aimlessly through our local grocery store trying to think of something to make for supper. Something different. Something simple. Something tasty. AND something that I new my kids would eat.

A can of Campbell's Italian Wedding soup caught my eye. I stopped for a moment, picked up the can and thought. The only time I have had Italian wedding soup is at Eastside Mario's, and I loved it but I wasn't sure if my kids would like it. So I decided that I would have the soup and I would just make some boring soup for them. I paused and put the can of soup back on the shelf. I had a better idea. It was only noon, so I had plenty of time to go home and use my beloved google to find a recipe to make my own home made Italian wedding soup and time to come back to the grocery store to pick up what ever ingredients I didn't have at home. Before leaving the store, I bought some sausage and alphabet noodles(they were the cheapest and smallest noodles) because the picture on the can showed noodles and little meatballs, and I knew I had neither of those at home.

I headed home made lunch for the girls and promptly set out to find a recipe. I was surprised at how simple the recipes were. And that they actually sounded like something my girls would eat. I found this one and this one along with many others. And then I found this more complicated one that I would love to try sometime, but for that night I was looking for simple.

Using these recipes I ended up amending them as follows

Mandy's Italian wedding soup

8 cups chicken broth
2 cups finely shredded spinach
1 cup chopped carrots
1 cup small noodles (like alphabets or orzo)
10 breakfast sausages(because they are faster than making your own, but one day I'll make my own)
fresh grated Parmesan cheese

Remove casing form sausages, break each sausage into about 5 or 6 pieces and shape into meatballs. Fry in pan, when almost cooked all the way through, remove from pan and drain on paper towel. Bring chicken broth to a boil. Add spinach, carrots, noodles and meatballs. Return to a boil and boil for about 10 minutes or until noodles are at desired doneness. Dish into bowls and top with fresh Parmesan cheese. Enjoy the yumminess!

Keep in mind that they only thing that I actually measured here was the chicken broth, which I started out with 6 cups, but then added about another two after I had added everything else.

My girls loved this! So I decided to make it again this week. To go along with it I made some tuna salad. Sliced some croissants half way through, filled with the tuna and some cheddar cheese and baked them in the oven for an unknown amount of time(just enough time to melt the cheese and to make the outside of the croissant crispy). These too were a hit.

Teaching music

Kathryn has been wanting to learn to play the piano for about a year now. Daniel wants to be the one to teach her...and really why not? He is certainly talented enough, not to mention that the lessons would be free. The problem is in finding time to arrange these lessons and being dedicated to it.
The other day at while we were visiting my parents house, Kathryn found a piano lesson book and she was trying to teach herself, and not doing to badly at it. That got me thinking that maybe I need to at least have somethings that she can work on by herself when she is feeling so motivated. I decided that the next time I was at my mom's house, I would see what kind of beginners lesson books she still had. However, today she was sitting at the piano trying to plunk out the beginning to twinkle twinkle little star. She finally plunked it out. At that moment I was doing a little google searching(on an unrelated topic), and a light bulb went off in my head. I am musically inclined enough to teach my daughter music theory. I could at least teach her how to read music and to play some really basic piano. All I need is some material to work with, that is where google comes in. I searched "music theory for beginners" and found a few sights to help get us started.
Free music theory work sheets
Making Music fun
Music Fun
When she...and I are ready to start some basic piano playing I found these sights to assist
Free Piano Music
Music for music teachers-Beginner piano music for kids
I decided that I had to take action, I can not deny her the chance to learn what is naturally in her any longer. So I am doing what I can, it isn't really a lot, but it will at least give her something to work with, and maybe give us all a bit of motivation to make time for some regular sit down lessons with dad.

I've always wondered how this was done...

You gotta see what I just came across while checking out somebody's blog who had checked out mine first.

You take this...

...a regular fitted sheet, and you fold it so it looks like this!

Yeah, I know, I didn't think such a thing was even possible! However if you go over to MarthaStewart.com she'll tell you, with pictures and all, how you too can fold a fitted sheet to perfection. I suppose I shouldn't be surprised...Martha knows how to do everything, right? I can't wait to wash some sheets and try this out!

Yummy Breads

Alright, so I may be in a huge craft funk, but I have been having fun the past few days making delicious bread in my bread maker. About two years ago I picked up this free e-book with hundreds of recipes for all kinds of breads and muffins and such. It was terribly organized...and by that I mean that there was no rhyme or reason to how it was put together. Simply hundreds of recipes in all bread varieties thrown together in a pdf file. I spent hours sorting through and separating recipes so that I could more easily find them. I have a file for bread machine recipes, and every once in awhile I'll try a new recipe. It has been a really long time since I have experimented so the other day I figured it was about time. I decided to make some raisin bread using the following recipe

Whole Wheat Apple-Raisin Bread for bread machine

1/4 cup applesauce
1 1/3 cup Whole wheat flour
1 1/3 cup White flour
1 tbsp dry milk
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp margarine
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 cup Water
1 tsp dry yeast
3/4 cup raisins

Makes a 2 lb loaf
Add ingredients(except raisins) according to Bread machine directions. For example, me bread machine directions have you put all wet ingredients in first, followed by the dry ingredients and last of all to put the yeast in a little well you make in the flour. Use the regular bake function, when bread machine beeps to add extra ingredients, add the raisins. If your machine doesn't have this function you may add them with all the other ingredients. When done, enjoy!

This bread was so tasty, the girls just ate it up.
Today I am making this tasty treat, it is one that I have made before and love!

Hawaiian Coconut Bread, for bread machine

1 tsp yeast
3 cups flour
2 tsp salt
1 tbsp sugar
1/4 cup dry milk
1 egg
1/4 cup margarine
3/4 cup coconut, shredded
3/4 cup macadamia nuts, chopped(or almonds)
1/2 cup crushed pineapple, well drained
1/2 cup pineapple juice(from above)
1/4 cup warm water

makes a 2 lb loaf
Add all ingredients(except macadamia nuts) according to bread machine directions. Use regular bake. When bread machine beeps, add nuts.

I can't wait for this one to be done....my mouth is watering. Hope you enjoy! If you are interested in other fun bread machine recipes, I'd be happy to email you a copy of my file, it was a free e-book, and yes I am aloud to share. Just let me know.

The best massage ever

After I took the garbage out this morning, I decided that it was a  good morning to also take the time to shovel the driveway and sidewalk. When I came in, my back was aching so I decided to lay down on my bed for a bit. Tansley came upstairs looking for and asked why I was laying down. I told her that my back was kinda hurting because I had shoveled the walk and that I was just going to lay down for a little bit and then I would get up and we could do something fun. She said OK and left. A little while later she came back into my room and to ask me a question. Then she saw that the electric massager was laying on the floor and she said to me. "Mom, I could massage your sore back. Do you want me too?" I told her how to turn it on and she moved it slowly and lightly all over my back. While I laid there, we just talked, about all kinds of random things. After quite awhile, she asked if that was good. I told her that if her hands were tired that she could be done. So she turned it off and left the room. She was only gone for a minute or two when she came back and said, "mom, was it fun just talking with me while I massaged your back?" I told her that I had enjoyed it very much. She offered to massage my back again. So, once again we just sat and talked. And then she started to find funny places to massage, like the palm of my hand or the bottom of my foot. She would try it on herself first and then say "mom, you have to feel this it is so funny!" When she was all done, I told her how much I had appreciated the massage, that it had really made my back feel a lot better. What a sweet girl!