day 23 - a video

Okay, this is really short, so watch closely. It is worth it.....seriously Scott and I watch this over and over and just LAUGH!!!!

If Gracie looks small it is because this is from March of 2010.

cancelled?

Lily brought this envelope to us this morning saying it had just been delivered...

Here is what the letter inside said...

And the enclosed picture....

Apparently Lily doesn't want us to go on our cruise.

Another funny story about our impending cruise; Adam said this to me yesterday, "Mom, I bet you and Dad will go fishing on your cruise because it is a boat." That makes sense right...people go fishing when they are on boats!

Regardless of how my children may feel about our upcoming rendezvous, Scott and I are totally excited!!!!

day 22 - a fave joke

Ask anyone in my family and they will inform you that I should avoid trying to tell jokes. I am not good at it and I always mess them up. Unfortunately Lily has inherited this sad quality. Someday she too will learn to just give up....

Because of this I really don't have a favorite joke. But I do have a favorite comic. The Far Side is hilarious and this one in particular always makes me laugh (maybe because my dad plays the accordion and we would all get good chuckle whenever he would bust it out)...

day 21 - a favorite recipe

This one is easy! My favorite recipe has got to be my mom's cinnamon rolls. I have tried so many other cinnamon rolls and I always come away disappointed. I probably shouldn't, but I make these almost once a month. They are big and fluffy, yet a little chewy and moist. Really they are like a party in your mouth! But I am learning that yeast dough takes practice for some people - so if you try to make these and they don't turn out amazing then try again and I bet they will be better. I have been making them since I was basically able to hold a wooden spoon...that is like 30+ years of practice right there...

Here is the recipe:

3 cups warm milk

2 T. yeast

1/2 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup sugar

2 tsp. salt

2 eggs

4 cups

Mix everything together. Add 5 more cups of flour. Knead for about 8 minutes (I never knead them this long...I am too impatient). Cover the dough and let it rise for 2 hours. Punch it down, cut dough in half, roll out one half, brush with 1/4 cup melted butter, and sprinkle generously with cinnamon sugar; about 1/3 cup (recipe follows). Roll and cut into about 12-16 rolls. Place rolls on a cookie sheet that has been prepared with about 1/4 melted butter and sprinkled with about 1/4 cup of brown sugar (this is a very important part of the process -- that sugar and butter kind of caramelizes on the bottom of the cookie sheet and gives a wonderful flavor to the bottom of the roll). Repeat the process for the second half or shape it into cinnamon raisin bread (which is what I do if I don't want too many cinnamon rolls around). Let the rolls rise for 1 hour. Bake at 400 degrees for 12-15 minutes. Frost with a simple powdered sugar frosting.

Cinnamon Sugar (note: this makes enough for about 3 batches of cinnamon rolls; the recipe above is one batch):

1 1/4 cup brown sugar

2 1/2 cups sugar

1/2 cup + 2 T. cinnamon

Powdered Sugar Frosting (you can look up an official one, but I never do):

I just put about 1 cup powdered sugar in a bowl. Add about 1 T. milk and 1/2 T. vanilla. Mix and add wet or dry ingredients as needed until the consistency is about like honey. Sometimes I put food coloring in it and make colored cinnamon rolls. The kids think that is pretty awesome!

One last note: Sometimes I add chopped pecans to them as well....it is super yummy with nuts.

After, afterthought: Read Michelle's comment in the comment section below. I forgot to add this tip and it is important and very accurate (Michelle is my sister and has also been making these since birth).

day 20 - a hobby of mine

This is a hard one. I kind of feel like my hobby is raising kids, but only out of necessity...

I have thought about this the last few days and I have decided that my non-kid hobby is

FOOD.

I love to eat great food and I love to make great food. I especially love to bake. I like good, old-fashioned baking; like completely from scratch (short-cut recipes and semi-homemade stuff doesn't appeal to me at all and I think they taste processed).

I also love good wholesome food. Things that are fresh and simple. For example last night we sauteed some zucchini and yellow squash in a little coconut oil and sprinkled it with some salt and pepper and it was DELICIOUS (of course we didn't just have that. We ate it with grilled salmon and seasoned penne which was also fab)!!!!!! I could go on and on about food; cooking it, baking it, preparing it, how to serve it, what to eat with what, what to avoid, health issues, benefits of, etc. etc...but that would be a really long blog post. In short

MY MOST IMPASSIONED HOBBY IS FOOD (and my kids).

Afterthought:

Isn't it kind of amazing that I am not a lot heavier....I can share with you a little secret about that. Here it is: You can still love food and not stuff yourself. There is no rule that says you need to eat until you are sick!

a totally fab day!

We had a great weekend! Lily was baptized by Scott on Saturday. It was the perfect baptism; I think the whole event lasted about 20 minutes tops! Our stake knows how to keep baptisms short and simple. Plus it helped that there was only one other little girl getting baptized.

Here is our baptism girl just before we left. Who says you can only wear white!? We opted for a little color and decided to wear a yellow skirt with her white sweater. Super cute!

Scott and Lily. Doesn't he look like a proud papa! Lily was so excited.

All of us before. We probably should have included all the kids, but let's me honest...like that would happen with my children!

After the baptism back at our house. We had the family over for a little lunch ("little" in the DeLong Family means banquet anywhere else). I may never wear that dress again after looking at this picture!

Sunday morning; ready for church. Davie didn't make it outside for a picture with the other kids.

Just before church yesterday. After we got in car I noticed we had a bit of a yellow theme going. I tried to make Scott turn around so that I could go home and change into my yellow sweater and him into his yellow button-up. It was a no go! Don't the kids look pretty. And really, you can never have a big enough flower in your hair!

We are so proud of Lily for making the decision to be baptized. She thought about it for a long time. If you had asked her last year at this time what her thoughts on baptism were she probably would have told you she wasn't totally thrilled with the idea, so when she told me a couple months ago that she decided to get baptized I was pretty surprised (and happy). I think she really thought it through. We are proud of her and couldn't ask for a better role model for our other three children! Congratulations Lil. What a great day it was.

day 19 - my (daughter's) future wedding

Aren't my girls lucky?! I basically already have one of their weddings planned!

I love these bridesmaid dresses as well as the bridal gown. Obviously they would need some modification for modesty issues -like necklines brought up a bit and sleeves added. But I love the style, fabric, and color. So pretty!

I love the new sleek gowns they have now. And I love the lacy feminine feel of them as well. This is such a pretty dress.

I love how soft and flowy this one is! Just think of it with sleeves that go to just above the elbow. Wouldn't that be lovely! I adore the fabric for the skirt.

I have always been fond of bright, colorful bouquets. Plus I think everything looks better with a little green added. This is just really pretty and feminine...

I had a tent at my reception and I thought it was so perfect. I am afraid that if my girls get married during warmer months then I will insist we have one at theirs as well.

I loved my wedding - I used to tell Scott it was the most fun day and that I would love to do it again sometime. Unfortunately the only way I can do that is through my daughters. I hope they are on board...

I could go on and on about food, which temple I would choose, tuxedo choice, music, etc, etc. But I will spare you all the boring details!

day 18 - my dream house

I found this house in an old house plan magazine that my mom lent me and I just fell in love with it! Of course being a true Boren (my mother's family - they are constantly remodeling) I have already made modifications to it and it doesn't even exist yet. Scott has a nifty program where he was able to recreate it in 3-D with all the changes I want. Someday I hope to build this house on a lovely acre lot with plenty of trees, a garden, and long driveway (away from the noise of the road).

day 17 - my worst habit

Remember my talent...the gift of gab? Well, that is also my worst habit. I don't know how many times during my childhood I heard, "Close your mouth and open your eyes and ears!" (I should note that this wasn't necessarily said to me specifically, more of just something that was said a lot in my house)

Sometimes it is just better to be quiet and I have worked tirelessly for years to curb my constantly moving mouth. I will still come home from social gatherings and moan to Scott about how I talked way too much. So, although it is a great talent of mine it is also a terrible habit! Oh the irony...

day 16 - a favorite food

EASY!!!!!!

I LOVE ICE CREAM SO MUCH! AND THOSE THREE FLAVORS TOGETHER IN THE PICTURE ARE ABOUT AS HEAVENLY AS IT GETS.

THE ONLY THING BETTER WOULD BE A SCOOP OF MINT CHOCOLATE CHIP OVER A BROWNIE (I think have mentioned that before).

day 15 - a celebrity crush...PASS

I have been thinking about this now for about a week and I can honestly tell you that I don't have a celebrity crush. BUT, if I had to choose someone I suppose it would be Hugh Jackman. That man is gorgeous, expressive and kind of looks like my husband...and he can sing!!!!

But seriously, I don't think I would run out and see a movie just because it has him in it...