*Monday Memos*

*MONDAY MEMOS*

   

 (If pictures are too small, click to enlarge) 
Weekly recap of my rather crazy, insane, but fun and rewarding life!

dear spring, our daffodils are in full bloom right now.  Year's ago Dave and the boys planted them for me in our backyard going up our hill because of the story I loved called The Daffodil Principle.  It has been a great reminder to me each spring when they blossom.  I love to look out my window and see the ray of sunshine coming from their gorgeous yellow hues.  I posted the full story here.

Daffodils are such a cheery and happy flower.

Mr. Cat enjoys them as much as I do...

Spring is such a glorious time of year.  It's as if the world is in bloom with hope and joy.

dear monday run, I found several love notes today (heart rocks). 

dear roll demo, I was so excited to go to Ayako's home today as she taught me and another friend how to make her amazing rolls.  They seriously taste better than Maddox rolls and that is saying a lot!  One of my goals in life was to be known as a great bread maker.  It has taken me several years and many failed attempts, but today I can make a killer white bread or wheat bread thanks to my friends taking the time to demonstrate and teach me.  I now have the same goal with roll making.  I can make good rolls, but I want to make the kind that leave your mouth watering for more.  Ayako is such an amazing woman and was so kind to take the time to have us over to show us how she does it.  I have learned when it comes to baking bread or rolls, you can have a recipe, but until you watch an expert actually make them, you won't get it right.  They always have little things they do that end up making a big difference that is never in the recipe.  It was a lot of fun learning this art.  I am so excited to try them out on my own at home! 

A few pictures of the process.

Cute Ayako
The finished product:

 Don't they look YUMMY!!!  Let me tell you, they were!  I took some of Dave's homemade jam and oh my, talk about tasting a bit of heaven.  Seriously, is there anything that tastes better than hot homemade rolls?  I'm not sure even chocolate can compete with that!  (Did I just say that?) 

Time well spent!  Mmmm.....

 

Here is the recipe for these delish rolls:

Ayako's Rolls

7 3/4 - 8 cups Baker's flour (Golden Loaf Baker's)

1/2 cup powdered milk

1/3 cup sugar

1 Tbl salt

1 1/2- 2 Tbl SAF instant yeast

2 1/2 cups hot water

2 eggs, beaten

1/2 cup oil

1. Put some water in shallow pan (pie plate) and  put it on lower rack in the oven.  Turn oven on 300°.
2. Mix all the dry ingredients including yeast.
3. Add water and mix.
4. Add eggs and mix.
5. Pour oil into the bottom of the container, and mix well.
6. Turn off oven. Knead the dough for 10-15 minutes.  The dough will be sticky, but should come off clean from the bottom when kneading is done. (Transfer dough into a plastic bowl if used a metal one).
7. Spray the top of dough (or use the oil left in the cup you used), cover the bowl (or put a lid on loosely if you use an ice cream bucket - I just cover with a warm wet dish towel) and put it in the warm oven (you might need a cookie sheet on top of the pie pan with water), and let the dough rise until double (about 30 min).  If it rises before you are ready, you can punch it down and it will rise again.
8. Put some flour on counter.  Push the dough down.  Divide it into halves.
9. Roll each half into a large circle 1/2 thick. (12-14" diameter).  Using a pizza cutter, divide the circle into fourths, eighths, and then sixteenths.  Roll each piece from large end to the center into crescents, or can roll them into balls.  Put them (16) on a sprayed cookie sheet.  Put in oven for 5 min (or until next half is ready to be put in).  Check the time.  (You should start baking 20 minutes from the time you start raising it.)
10. Repeat for the other half.
11. Take the second half out of the oven.  Turn it to 400°.
12. Start baking when the dough has raised for 20 min. total. Bake on middle rack for 10-12 min or until top and bottom turn golden brown.
13. Take them out of oven and with a stick of butter spread it on the tops.  Transfer to a cooling rack.  Cool completely before storing.  Or use paper towel if warm.
14. Enjoy!

*If you want to bake them sooner you can fold the sides in and put all 32 on a cookie sheet (if formed in a ball).

***Can be made into cinnamon rolls as well. For raspberry rolls use Maddox raspberry pie topping for the inside.  May need to thicken a bit w/cornstarch on stove first.

dear speedwork, I decided I better start back with some speedwork this week.  Ugh.  Not my favorite thing to do, but I know it produces results and makes me faster and so I sucked it up and did it.  Well, kind of.  I headed to the track and right as I was getting ready to do my first Yasso 800, my phone shut off.  Died.  Dead.  Gave up the ghost.  I record my speed on my phone timer and so I had no way to know how fast I was going.  I do believe it was a huge blessing in disguise.  I fear that if I knew what my time was for my first time back, I might be so discouraged, "I" would have gave up the ghost. Or at least gave up.  So, I have no idea what my time was and I am glad!

After my speedwork, I ran around the high school parking lot in search of pennies.   Since it was spring break, there were no cars and I could scan the entire empty lot.  I scored big time!  12 pennies!

I took these photos while running of the sun rays.  You can see the temple if you look really close.

dear rs meeting, this month we had a Restaurant Knock Off night and I made Lion House Banana Bread Muffins..  The almond glaze makes them so tasty! Everyone brought a sample of a knock off recipe for the taster's table and then four others did demo's on their recipes.  

Demos by Daisy, Nancy, Shannon and Molly, and Pauline.

I was also in charge of the Family Support Center humanitarian project and we got a lot of donations!  The other pictures are of some of the things the others brought. The center one is of Pauline's strawberry salad (YUM!) and then a couple of me and Holly.  She is so cute and came and sat on my lap!  There is nothing nicer than having someone so excited to see you!  She always yells, "Jodi!"  Then comes and gives me a big hug.  I love that girl to pieces.  Everyone does and she loves everyone in return! I'm so glad she still wants to be in my SS class even though she is technically supposed to go to the adult one.  I want to keep her in there always.

Here's my copycat recipe:

Lion House Banana Bread Muffins with Almond Glaze

1/2 cup margarine or butter

1 cup sugar

2 eggs

1 cup mashed bananas (4 ripe bananas)

1/4 cup milk

1 tsp lemon juice

2 cups flour

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup chopped nuts (optional)

Cream margarine (or butter) and sugar. Add eggs and beat. Add bananas, milk, and lemon juice. Sift dry ingredients and add. Stir in nuts (if using them).

If making muffins:

Bake in greased muffin tins (or use baking cups) at 350 degrees for about 20-22 minutes.

If making bread loaves:

Bake in well-greased bread loaf pan for 1 hour at 350 degrees F. Makes 2 loaves.

Glaze with mixture of milk and powdered sugar (to desired consistency) and 1/2 tsp almond flavoring. Glaze muffins/bread while still hot.

dear midweek long run, Robin had to do her long run on Wednesday this week and invited me to go.  We ended up with almost 12 miles.  We ran around town and Perry.  It felt so good to get that over with!  We only stopped three times for potty breaks.  That is pretty good for Robin. haha But today, I also had to stop.  It paid to run again!  I ended up with 53 cents. Woohoo!  lol  Robin also found a bunch.  We did fight over a penny we both saw at the same time.  I let her have it though. The sacrifices I make in the name of friendship.  hah 

Check out those pansies!  (The flowers, not us!)

dear taylor quick stop in for lunch, Dave and I had planned on heading to Logan on Wednesday because he was off until 5:30 (call schedule) but then Taylor text me informing me he was going to be working in Pleasant View on Wednesday and that he and his roomies were coming to our house to spend the night on Tuesday so our plans changed.  They left here at 6 a.m. on Wednesday morning to work and then he text me around 1:30 saying they were going to stop back and wondered if I could make them lunch on their way back.  They didn't have a lot of time because they all had labs they had to get to. I threw together taco salads and Dave made some Rice-A-Roni.  I also made some chocolate chip cookies.  I made the dough on Sunday and so it was quick to hurry and bake some.  I can't believe I forgot to take a picture of them!  It would have been a good one too because they were so dirty from working all day in the sun and dirt.  Dang!  But here is a picture of the cookies!  LOL

And yet ANOTHER recipe!  I think it's time I started a separate recipe blog!

 These really are good!

Yummy Oatmeal Cookies

• 1 cup shortening
• 1 cup butter (room temperature)
• 1 cup sugar
• 3 cups brown sugar
• 4 eggs
• 2 tsp. vanilla
• 12 oz. chocolate chips
• 3 cups flour
• 2 tsp. salt
• 2 tsp. baking soda
• 6 cups minute oats

Directions:

1.     Cream shortening, butter and sugars. Blend in eggs and vanilla.

2.     Sift flour, salt and soda.

3.     Fold into creamed mixture along with the oats, chocolate chips.

4.     Place on greased cookie sheet by teaspoon. 

5.     Bake at 350 degrees for 8-9 minutes or golden brown.

dear croissant load, my sister in law stopped by this week with a box full of frozen multi grain croissants and asked if we would like them.  Of course!  A friend of theirs was giving out boxes of them (I think a semi crashed and they had to hurry and find them homes!).  We were happy to take them in.  153 total!  We weren't sure if they would be good because wheat croissants don't sound that good, but WOW they were seriously better than regular croissants.

dear heart rock, Dave has been finding the best heart rocks for me lately! 

dear no housework day! I LOVE whoever started this holiday! We need this holiday at least once a week!  I hope I notified my Facebook friends before it was too late!  
April 7 is officially National No Housework Day! Today, there shall be no laundry. No dishes. No vacuuming. And no guilt. Be good to yourself today & give it a rest!  (Wish I would've seen this an hour ago LOL....but hopefully you get this before it's too late!!!)

dear lunch with julie, since we haven't been able to get in contact with Mona for quite a while (her phone no longer is in service - long story) Julie and I decided to grab a pizza and go have lunch with her.  When we got there we found out that her daughter took her to live with her a few days ago because she hadn't been eating and was having some confusion.  I feel very bad for her.  She has had some real struggles lately.  So, instead we went and ate at Taco Time and I took the pizza home to Bryce. After lunch, Julie was kind enough to help me deliver the donations I collected from our Relief Society to the Family Support Center.  They were so cute and gave us a cute bouquet of pinwheels to thank us and then asked if they could take our photo for their Facebook page. 

dear saturday's warrior 2016, Dave and I went and saw the new movie.  I wasn't really expecting much because I had heard it was cheesy like the original movie...but that is because it was meant to be cheesy.  I really loved the acting and actors.  They were cast well.  And Kenny Holland who plays Jimmy was amazing.  It just had some low budget sound issues mainly with the lip-syncing, but if you can overlook that, then it is a great movie.  The end got to me (the prodigal son and when Pam dies) and I was a blubbering mess! I heard many (including men) in the audience sniffling as well.  It has a great message... mainly that life isn't all it appears to be but much more than we know and that we had relationships before this earth life that will last forever.  I have always loved the songs and they didn't disappoint other than a few were left out.  I wish it had been set in the current time era instead of the hippie era, but it was fun to see all the old clothing, furniture, appliances, phones, cars, etc. from that time. 

All in all, I would give it two thumbs up because I knew what to expect and I have always loved the story.  The original play in 1977 (?) however, is still my favorite version.  But I will see this again. 

There were a lot of people there we knew (including three stake presidents - lol) as well as Audrey and her clan...  HI AUDREY!  hehe

dear saturday run, my plan was to get in 8-10 miles today but due to time constraints I didn't quite make that goal.  But it was a GORGEOUS day!  Oh, I am so happy I can run without a jacket, gloves, or hat now!  I love running in the spring. Even if it's windy as it was today!  I ran out west.

I got over 4 minutes on my plank today.  Shocked myself since I have been stuck at 3:20 for a couple weeks!

dear mr. cat, "I'll take Church History for $100".  This boy came and plopped on my Sunday School jeopardy poster right when I was trying to make changes to it.  He looked so comfy, that I just let him chill there.  Maybe he was trying to learn about Joseph Smith. 

What?  Do you have a problem with me using this as a blanket?

Ahhhhhhh........

dear fast sunday, I have learned to stay off of Facebook while fasting!  Oh my!  I can NOT believe how many great recipes appear on my newsfeed...and it's torture when you are fasting.  I tried out one of them on Sunday.  So, yes folks, here is even ANOTHER recipe!  This one was really good too....but in all honesty, I am not sure if that's just because it was fast Sunday when pretty much ANYTHING tastes delish or if it really is good.  I'm going with it really is good.  So here ya go.... Try it out!  Yes, I do believe it's time to start a recipe blog! 

Porcupines in a Skillet

• 1 lb. ground beef
• 1 pkg. dry onion soup mix
• 1½ c. hot water
• ¾ c. uncooked rice
• 1 (16 oz) can tomatoes
• 1 c. shredded cheese
• 1 small can mushrooms (optional, I don't normally add these)

Instructions

1. In a large skillet, crumble beef and brown.
2. Drain and stir in onion soup mix, water, tomatoes (optional mushrooms).
3. Add rice and stir.
4. Cover and cook on low heat for 25 minutes or until rice is tender.
5. Sprinkle with cheese, melt and serve.

As we were eating, Dave and I both decided that this was almost like eating the stuffing out of a stuffed pepper.  So we are going to use the leftovers tomorrow and make stuffed peppers.
 

Haha I love this picture.  One of my girls in my SS class was taking a picture of what I thought was me, (but it was my Jeopardy board) and so I told her if she was taking one of me, I was going to take one of her too.  It was funny.

And then my dear friend Audrey brought us this ↓ right after we finished dinner!  Oh my!  They looked much too pretty to eat!  (Audrey, [fellow blogger] I want to know how you made them so pretty!)?

Then the Hollingsworth's dropped by to check out our daffodils.  They are the cutest family ever and I just love them to pieces.  Little Mont is walking all over.  He is the happiest little guy. I really wish I would've got a picture of him.  He just makes you happy by looking at him.

Then we headed to a family party and ate even more!  Good thing it was fast Sunday before.  Or not.  Mmmm......

 And here is how Mr. Cat decides to end most days...

Yeah, that should be my lap he is sitting on. 

dear mckay,  I got to chat with him a bit this week.  He wanted a copy of his baby blessing because one of his friends told them about theirs.  Gratefully, I actually had it.  I would write crazy fast when my boys were blessed or ask someone else to do it for me so I would have some of it recorded. I think I have most of his though some of it is only part sentences.  I typed it up and sent it to him.  

dear quotes,

The Daffodil Principle

Year's ago, Dave and the boys planted and planted...AND planted, an extensive amount of daffodil bulbs going up our hill in our backyard because of a story I have loved for years called The Daffodil Principle by Jaroldeen Edwards.  They did it as a surprise for me because of my love for the story.  Now each and every spring as the daffodils begin to sprout and our mountain becomes dotted with magnificent cheery blossoms, I am reminded not only of the story and it's profound message, but of their love for me for taking on such a challenging task.  

What a stunning sight our hillside becomes each spring when they are out in full bloom.  If I ever start to feel overwhelmed with life at this time of the year, I love to look out my window and be instantly reminded of The Daffodil Principle. Just seeing the ray of sunshine coming from their gorgeous yellow hues each day helps me to remember that all the little things I do each day do matter.  And that doing all those little things a bit at a time, here and there, when I can, will someday add up until I eventually reach my goals and dreams all from just taking baby steps along the way.

A couple of last year's pictures...

 Best part is the deer don't like to eat them!  But they do like to trample them and each year we have fewer and fewer blossom.

This is the story that was the inspiration for the whole thing...

The Daffodil Principle

Several times my daughter had telephoned to say, "Mother, you must come see the daffodils before they are over." I wanted to go, but it was a two-hour drive from Laguna to Lake Arrowhead. "I will come next Tuesday, "I promised, a little reluctantly, on her third call.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Next Tuesday dawned cold and rainy. Still, I had promised, and so I drove there. When I finally walked into Carolyn's house and hugged and greeted my grandchildren, I said, "Forget the daffodils, Carolyn! The road is invisible in the clouds and fog, and there is nothing in the world except you and these children that I want to see bad enough to drive another inch!"
My daughter smiled, "We drive in this all the time, Mom."

"Well, you won't get me back on the road until it clears and then I'm heading straight for home!" I said, rather emphatically.

"Gee, Mom, I was hoping you'd take me over to the garage to pick up my car," Carolyn said with a forlorn look in her eyes.

"How far will we have to drive?"


Smiling she answered, "Just a few blocks, I'll drive ... I'm used to this."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
  After several minutes, I had to ask, "Where are we going? This isn't the way to the garage!" "We're going to my garage the long way," Carolyn smiled, "by way of the daffodils." 

"Carolyn," I said sternly, "please turn around." 

"It's all right, Mom, I promise, you will never forgive yourself if you miss this experience."

After about twenty minutes we turned onto a small gravel road and I saw a small church. On the far side of the church I saw a hand-lettered sign ...

We got out of the car and each took a child's hand, and I followed Carolyn down the path. As we turned a corner of the path, and I looked up and gasped.

Before me lay the most glorious sight. It looked as though someone had taken a great vat of gold and poured it down over the mountain peak and slopes. The flowers were planted in majestic, swirling patterns, great ribbons and swaths of deep orange, lemon yellow, salmon pink, saffron, and butter yellow. Each different-colored variety was planted as a group so that it swirled and flowed like its own river with its own unique hue.

Five acres of the most beautiful flowers I had ever seen!
"Who planted all these?" I asked Carolyn.

"It's just one woman," Carolyn answered. "She lives on the property. That's her home." Carolyn pointed to a well-kept A-frame house that looked small and modest in the midst of all that glory.

We walked up to the house we saw a sign... 

Answers to the questions I know you are asking:50,000 bulbs

One at a time

By one woman

2 hands, 2 feet

And very little brain

Began in 1958

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

There it was ... "The Daffodil Principle"
For me that moment was a life-changing experience. I thought of this woman whom I had never met, who, more than forty years before, had begun - one bulb at a time - to bring her vision of beauty and joy to an obscure mountain top.

Still, this unknown, old woman had forever changed the world in which she lived. She had created something of magnificent beauty, and inspiration.

The principle her daffodil garden taught is one of the greatest principles of celebration: Learning to move toward our goals and desires one step at a time, learning to love the doing, learning to use the accumulation of time.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
When we multiply tiny pieces of time with small increments of daily effort, we too will find we can accomplish magnificent things. We can change the world.

"It makes me sad in a way," I admitted to Carolyn. "What might I have accomplished if I had thought of a wonderful goal thirty-five or forty years ago and had worked away at it 'one bulb at a time' through all those years. Just think what I might have been able to achieve!

My daughter summed up the message of the day in her direct way, "Start tomorrow, Mom," she said, "It's so pointless to think of the lost hours of our yesterdays. The way to make learning a lesson a celebration instead of a cause for regret is to only ask... 

"How can I put this to use today?"

Written by Jaroldeen Asplund Edwards

It truly is amazing that when we do little things over time consistently, they become big things that seemed too overwhelming to accomplish.  

Just ONE bulb thing at a time!

It's such a powerful and profound lesson!  I am grateful I am reminded of it each and every spring when I look out into my backyard.

There is even a book out now...

What metaphorical bulbs are you going to start planting today?

Food 4 Thought Friday

GET YOUR APPETITE ON and PLAY ALONG! Just copy and paste the questions to your blog and PLEASE leave a comment that you played along so others can go and check out your answers. These are so much fun to go back and read later!

*SPECIAL REQUEST:  Please add the link of this post on your Food 4 Thought Friday post so others can find it .  And please be sure and check out the answers of those who left a comment and spread the love!  

Welcome to Beacon of Hope's:

Food 4 Thought Friday!

A little feast without the calories!!

Feel free to play along for some yummy fun! I will post a new one each Thursday night. JOIN IN!!!

Food 4 Thought Friday ~ This week's questions:

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Breakfast ~ What are some books that have influenced you greatly?  How? 

Lunch ~ It's Saturday morning. What's the first thing you do when you wake up? 

Dinner ~ What are your top five favorite smells? 

Midnight Snack ~ If a movie was being made of your life and you could choose the actor/actress to play you, who would you choose and why?

Recipe for the Week ~ (instead of your recipe for life, what is it just for the week?)

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MY ANSWERS
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Breakfast ~ What are some books that have influenced you greatly? How? The scriptures, of course, are the most influential books I have read. The Power of Positive Parenting by Glenn A. Latham literally saved my parenting sanity.  It is the most amazing book.  The Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boom really had an impact on me.  Confessions of an Organized Housewife by Deniece Schofield was very influential.  I Didn't Plan to be a Witch and A Joyful Mother of Children by Linda Eyre were two books I read over and over when I was a young mother and I learned so much from them.  I used to have a bookshelf widget on my blog but it disappeared.  If I could use it for reference this question would have been easier to answer because I have SO MANY books that have greatly influenced me...but I just can't remember them all!

Lunch ~ It's Saturday morning. What's the first thing you do when you wake up? Most Saturdays I get up and go on my long run.  If I don't do that then it's because I have something else that conflicts with it.  In the summer that is usually a race.

Dinner ~ What are your top five favorite smells?   

• Lilacs 
• Movie theater popcorn
• Chocolate chip cookies or homemade bread baking in the oven 
• Rain!
• Newborn babies

Midnight Snack ~ If a movie was being made of your life and you could choose the actor/actress to play you, who would you choose and why? This one was tough!  I'm still not sure, so I decided to go with someone that people have told me I remind them of which is Kelly Ripa.  Maybe you can tell me in the comments who you think.  I think this is a tough question to answer yourself. 

Recipe for the Week ~ (instead of your recipe for life, what is it just for the week?)
 When you feel inspired to help someone less fortunate than you, do it without reservation or overthinking it.  If you can bless someone, then do it.  And bless yourself each and every day by using the good stuff in your life that you tend to save for "special" occasions.  Every day you are alive is a "special" occasion!  Get out those nice dishes, those special lotions, your favorite perfume.  If you love them so much then use them.  Make each a bit more special just by using them.  Let today be the special occasion we are saving them for.  Don't wait for that perfect moment because it is already here. Each and every day is special!  Celebrate it!