The Countdown is on

My kids have been counting down to Halloween for over a week now. I was so happy to put them to bed tonight and say there are only 3 more days until Halloween! We usually count how many sleeps we have left...



Yesterday Olivia got to wear her costume to ballet. It was good to have a test run and to see how it fit her. She was so excited to put make up on, of course, so I really played it up for her. We put everything on her- my goodness, this girl has lashes for miles! I wish they weren't so blond, so that you could tell how long they are when she doesn't have mascara on. I kept staring at them. She was just beaming and twirling in her outfit and couldn't wait to go to ballet. She is a beautiful Snow Princess if you ask me, but I am biased. This is her class in their costumes. I couldn't get them to look at me no matter what I said. I finally realized they are too busy staring at themselves in the mirror behind me! Little girls are so narcissistic!



I finished Austin's treat bag today. He used to have the ghost bag but he has passed it on to Ashley, who happily accepted, and he asked for Dracula. I didn't know what to do. I found a template for a pumpkin online and just copied it. The chin is pretty sharp but I am not that creative so I just copied what I saw.





I wish the hair didn't get lost on the black background but I didn't think any other color would look dark and spooky enough for Dracula. These bags are so easy- just made of felt. Only take an hour or so to whip them up. I made one for each of my nieces and nephews a few years ago. It was all inspired by Britney. It must have been 2004 b/c Meg was just a baby. I think Landon got a Frankenstein and Tess has a pumpkin, and Bella, Meg, and Whitney have ghosts and a cat too, right?



I actually did most of this on Saturday- in between arguing with Austin and almost cutting off a limb! My goodness he can really test me sometimes. I told him he is lucky I am making him this special bag, given the way he's treating me. I love that child, but when he wants to be obstinate and difficult, he really can be! I think he's sensitive and emotional for a boy and he acts out in this way b/c he doesn't know how to verbalize it. I need to try and teach him better. I can't even remember what started it, but he doesn't listen when I am trying to talk and especially when I am punishing him or chastising him, he just keeps going, "Mom! But Mom! I want to tell you something..." or whatever he can do to distract you from the subject at hand. He also likes to say, "I forgot" when we ask him to do something 10 times before he does it! I finally ended up getting the scriptures out and making him write a verse 5 times. You would have thought I asked him to climb Mount Everest. Only my threats to increase the number of times he wrote the verse forced him into submission. It took him the better part of an hour, I would guess.

Alma 57:21 21 "Yea, and they did obey and observe to perform every word of command with exactness; yea, and even according to their faith it was done unto them; and I did remember the words which they said unto me that their mothers had taught them."

I was trying to stress the part about obeying with exactness. I think he was humbled a little bit and caught a glimpse of what he is doing wrong. He likes to say, "What? What did I do? I don't know..." and then we say, "Ok, do you want to sit in the chair and think about it? You can stay there until you know." Then he suddenly gets some inspiration and says,"No, no, I think I know..." Ah, I love my kids, they're great. To give him credit, he really is a good kid most of the time. And today when he saw his Dracula bag all finished he gave me a big hug and said a very sincere thank you.

Anyway, this week is busy since I am organizing Austin's class Halloween party. I am so glad to be in America this year and celebrate Halloween for real! The first year we were in Australia, 2006, I still tried to do Halloween. We had a party with like 20 friends and cousins. It was crazy. We sort of tried to Trick or Treat, but they just don't do it there. So last year we bought tickets to go to Movie World (like Universal Studios) Halloween Night and the kids dressed up, went on the rides, and enjoyed themselves. Good times. This year, though, we get to do it right. I can't wait to trick or treat and especially to see Ashley experience Halloween for the first time. Here's Olivia on a ride at Movie World last Halloween. She's the one with the ugg boots in the middle. She was some sort of hippie/princess, of her own creation.



I have also had Presidency meeting this week, copies to make for our upcoming Sacrament Program and other Primary business, Olivia's ballet class, volunteering at the school, visiting teaching, etc. I am trying to read Thirteenth Tale again so that I have it fresh in my mind for my Provo bookclub. I was reading the other day and came to something I totally forgot about- I am so bad about remembering details in books. I just skim over things sometimes then later I realize, "Oh, I recommended that book to so and so..." and hope that they aren't offended or whatever. I think it's a great story and I was on the 'edge of my seat' waiting to figure out the mystery and put the pieces together.

I have run twice this week and so far my knee isn't too bad, it's just not good. I can run about 2 miles, I have discovered, without too much pain. Three miles seems to be my limit. Once I get close to that, I start to hurt and want to stop. I am running lopsided by that point. I am not sure what to do about this. Do I keep running on it and just do what I can? Do I stop altogether to try and heal? Very frustrating, but I am not really devoted, mentally, to figuring it out right now.

Tomorrow I am going to make the following delicious treat. I keep telling myself every day that I need to stop baking and eating so many goodies but it seems that my body and mind are ready for Holiday Mode. Whatever, right?

I love cinnamon rolls and have never even thought to combine the goodness with that of pumpkin (Jill, I know you are gagging right now) until my friend Catherine, from my Provo bookclub, gave me this suggestion. So if you have your own cinnamon roll recipe, just add 1/2-1 cup of pumpkin to the recipe, or use the following:

PUMPKIN CINNAMON ROLLS



1 cup milk (heated approximately 1 minute in microwave)
1/4 cup warm water (110 degrees F.)
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
2 eggs, room temperature and beaten
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup sugar
5 cups bread flour
1 tablespoon vital wheat gluten (optional)*
3 teaspoons instant active dry yeast
Cinnamon Filling (see recipe below)
Butter Frosting (see recipe below)
* The Vital Wheat Gluten helps the sweet bread dough rise better, be more elastic, and easier to roll out

Standup Mixer option: In a large bowl or in the bowl of a 5 quart stand mixer, combine all the ingredients in the order given except the Cinnamon Filling and the Icing. Using a dough hook, mix everything together until a soft dough forms. Turn the dough out onto a lightly oiled surface (I use a nonstick cooking spray), and knead until elastic, approximately 10 minutes. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let rest for 10 minutes.

CINNAMON FILLING

1/2 cup butter, melted or softened
1 cup firmly-packed brown sugar
4 to 5 tablespoons ground cinnamon
3/4 to 1 cup chopped nuts (optional)

Soften the butter; set aside. In a bowl, combine brown sugar and cinnamon; stir in chopped nuts (optional). NOTE: I like to sift the brown sugar and cinnamon together to remove any lumps

Instructions:
1. Butter a 9x13x2-inch baking pan; set aside.
2. After dough has rested, roll and stretch the dough into approximately a 15x24-inch rectangle.
3. Brush the softened butter over the top of the dough with a rubber spatula. Sprinkle Cinnamon Filling over the butter on the prepared dough.
4. Starting with long edge, roll up dough; pinch seams to seal.
NOTE: Rolling the log too tightly will result in cinnamon rolls whose centers pop up above the rest of them as they bake.

With a knife, lightly mark roll into 1 1/2-inch section. Use a sharp knife (I like to use a serrated knife and saw very gently) or slide a 12-inch piece of dental floss or heavy thread underneath. By bringing the ends of the floss up and criss-crossing them at the top of each mark, you can cut through the roll by pulling the strings in opposite directions. Place cut side up in prepared pan, flattening them only slightly. The unbaked cinnamon rolls should not touch each other before rising and baking. Do not pack the unbaked cinnamon rolls together.

Cover and let rise in a warm place for approximately 45 to 60 minutes or until doubled in size (after rising, rolls should be touching each other and the sides of the pan). Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. for regular oven or 325 degrees F. for a convection oven. Bake in a convection oven approximately 15 to 20 minutes until they are a light golden brown. Baked in a regular oven approximately 20 to 25 minutes until they are a light golden brown. Remove from oven and let cool slightly. Frost over the cinnamon rolls while still warm. Best served warm, but room temperature is also great!
Yields 15 cinnamon rolls.

CARAMEL ICING

1/4 cup (4 tbsp.) butter

1/2 cup brown sugar, packed

2 tbsp. milk

1/4 tsp. vanilla

Dash salt

1/2 to 3/4 cup sifted confectioners' sugar.



In small saucepan, heat butter until melted. Stir in brown sugar and milk.
 Cook over medium low heat 1 minute. 

Transfer to small mixer bowl and cool mixture. Stir in vanilla, salt, and confectioners' sugar. Beat with electric mixer until well blended. If necessary, add more confectioners' sugar for desired consistency.

Or BUTTER FROSTING

2 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
1/4 cup butter, room temperature
1 cup powdered (confectioners) sugar
1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon lemon extract or oil (optional)
In a medium bowl, combine cream cheese and butter until creamy. Add powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and lemon extract or oil until well mixed and creamy. Refrigerate frosting until ready to use and then bring to room temperature before spreading.