Up Before the Sun

Today was Kassy's day to make breakfast for seminary.  We were up at 5:00 making icing and rolling out cinnamon rolls. (See recipe below.) We knew, with the snow storm that had already begun the night before, that there was a chance of it being cancelled, but we went ahead and were prepared just in case.

Bella got up with us because there was no way cinnamon rolls could be made in this house without everyone enjoying them. She set to work on a batch just for us. It wasn't long before Bella's batch was rising, Kassy's was baking, I had finished up a quadruple batch of icing (not on purpose, just a result of measurements gone wrong), and a half batch of gluten free were in the works. That would be around the time that the call came in telling us that school had been cancelled and thus seminary as well. I'm hoping they freeze well...

Bella found a spot among the recycling boxes, water bottles, and wheat buckets to wait out the "rising time."

Ready to bake

Kassy made a special batch of G Free just for Ava.

Done! Can you even see them under that mountain of icing? 

Here's our recipe, thanks to my amazing Aunt Pat.


1-1/4 oz package dry yeast (or 3TBS)
1 cup warm milk
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup margarine, softened
1 tsp salt
2 eggs
4 cups flour 

Filling:
1 cup packed brown sugar
2-1/2 TBS cinnamon
1/3 cup margarine, softened


Icing:8 TBS margarine
1-1/2 cups powdered sugar
1/4 cup cream cheese
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/8 tsp salt (I use even less than this)

For the rolls, dissolve the yeast in the warm milk in a large bowl.Add sugar, margarine, eggs, salt and flour; Mix well.  Knead the dough into a large ball, using your hands dusted lightly with flour.  Put back in mixing bowl and let rise in a warm place about 1 hour or until the dough has doubled in size.  

Roll dough out on a lightly floured surface, until it is approx. 21" long by 16" wide.  It should be approx 1/4" thick. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.To make filling, combine the brown sugar and cinnamon in a bowl.Spread the softened margarine over the surface of the dough, then sprinkle with the brown sugar and cinnamon mixture. Working carefully, from the long edge, roll the dough down to the bottom edge. Cut the dough into 1-3/4" slices, and place in a lightly greased baking pan.  Bake for 10 minutes or until light golden brown. (For the big batch I made, it took about 15 minutes.)

While the rolls are baking combine the icing ingredients.  Beat well with electric mixer until fluffy, approx 7-8 minutes.  When the rolls are done, spread generously with icing. 

A New Approach to Storytelling

After being inspired by several different photographers, I set out today to tell a story. There's always plenty going on. I just had to narrow down what to cover today.

So, I joined Kassy and Bella this afternoon in their studio (aka bedroom) where several projects were in full swing. Follow along in the storyboard above as I tell the story and give the full picture.

We have three February birthdays in our house. Bella's famous in our house for her gifts of cards and candy. I suggested she use her knack for Cricut creating to make cards this month. After all, a 10-year-old is on a budget and handmade is so much more personal anyway. She was finishing up the first card when I got upstairs.

Kassy, meanwhile was working on Maya's Mary Janes. She was snagged on a sketchy part of the pattern, and we spent awhile troubleshooting together. Eventually, we deciphered what needed to be done, and she was back on the machine and sewing. For a little while at least. That old pesky tension issue with the bobbin popped up again. Once again we were back to troubleshooting. The threading was good, so we broke out the can of spray air to clear out dust and lint. That did the trick.

Maya woke up from her nap and made her way upstairs to join us. She entertained herself by stealing, or secretly gathering, up her sisters odds and ends to play with. She was very proud of the crochet hook she had gotten ahold of. She was certain that the big girls were unaware of her tricks and seemed pretty pleased with herself.

Bella moved on to her next card, making steady progress.

Maya found a tangled necklace to add to her collection. It kept her engaged for a good bit. Notice how she's sporting Kassy's pin cushion bracelet?

Kassy is a perfectionist. The first shoe was nearing completion, and there were a few things she was not happy about. A little frustration was creeping in. This last photo of her is right before she decided to call it quits for the day and come back tomorrow with a nice fresh mind.

Bella continued to work, piecing together cute little odds and ends to create adorable birthday wishes for her sisters. And, finally, one of her finished products.