Cinnamon Twists

I have made these yummy little treats for several people and tried to explain the process to them but it is kind of hard to explain.  The funny thing is I was actually given the recipe by my sister Jana.  She sent me the picture of the recipe because she too had taken them to people and had been asked for it so many times that she finally took a picture and kept it in her phone to share with anyone who asks.

1. Mix the flour, water, oil, sugar and yeast. You will get a lumpy mixture that you will leave on the counter for 10 minutes until you get something that resembles the substance below. (I made a double batch when I took these pictures so yours will be smaller.)

 2. Pour the above mixture into a mixing bowl and add the remaining ingredients until you get a dough that looks something like this. (You can mix this by hand it is not hard- I have done it.)

 3. Dump on to a floured surface and need until a ball forms.  Let stand for 10 minutes.

(You can ask one of your kids to pose with the dough during this time if you would like.)

 4. Divide the dough in half or even thirds. I used half of the dough to make twists and the other half I made into rolls for dinner. 

 5. Roll the dough into a large rectangle.  I should have cut this rectangle in half the long way (that would be horizontal in this picture) so that I had shorter twists in the end. 

 6. For this size batch I used a cube of softened butter and mixed in sugar and cinnamon to make a . spread. You do not want it melted, but a spreadable consistency.  You will spread it on half of the rectangle. (You would do half of each half if I had cut my rectangle to begin with.)

 7. Now, fold the top half over the spread and make a sandwich.

 8. Use a pizza cutter to cut strips appoximately 1 inch wide. 

 9. As you pick each strip up to place on a greased cookie sheet, you will twist the ends in opposite directions to form a twist. This is easier to do with shorter strips. 

 10. Let them rise for 20 minutes. During which time you can form your rolls into balls or you can make more cinnamon twists whichever. 

 11. Ready to go in the oven. (I had to put one roll on the pan of twists.)

 12. They have baked and probably could have used 1 less minute or so but they will still be delicious. 

 13. Make your favorite frosting (I use 1 cube butter or a little more, about 1 lb or powdered sugar, a teaspoon or so of vanilla and a couple of tablespoons of milk.) It is entirely up to you but it is nice if you frost them while they are still a bit warm because the frosting melts down into them. 

There you have it! I think they are as good as cinnamon rolls but not as much work. Maybe I will call them lazy cinnamon rolls and continue to make, eat, and share them! 

Utah for Joseph and Dad

We will pretend that these pictures did not end up in reverse order. 

We decided a few years ago that when each of our children turned 12 we wanted to take them to Utah to attend a session of General Conference. Well we have achieved that stage of life and made that trip with Joseph (well, Peter went with him while I stayed home with the other kids).

Priesthood session tickets were what we ended up with . We had 5 so Joseph, Peter, my dad, Peter's =-dad and Ben (Peter's brother) all went. They were on the main floor and in the center= great seats!

 This is from Friday night, at the BYU football game with my parents and some cousins and uncles.  The game started a bit late and this is when Joseph could not stay awake any longer and fell asleep. 

 Friday during the day, they tried to go hiking but there was rain and some lightning and so they went to Peter' s favorite Peruvian restaurant, La Carreta, for lunch. Peter even was able to get his favorite dish, ceviche. 

And Friday morning, they started the day out with Joseph's first trip to the temple. He did baptisms at the Payson Temple and he did names that Peter and I found with a little help from Peter's mom. 

I think they both had a great time and we definitely want to make this a tradition for all of our kids. 1 down, 4 more to go. 

As for those of us left back at home, we went swimming Friday afternoon and had dinner at Cane's (chicken fingers- delicious).  Saturday we rode our bikes to the donut shop and then to the church to help clean but it was done by the time we got there. We did our housework and then settled in for conference. The kids were really good the whole time and I feel like I was able to catch 90% of the talks. I definitely felt uplifted, edified, inspired, loved, and encouraged. I was sad to see it end but I look forward to reading and re- reading the talks; may they be written on my heart. 

A Deacon

 On Sunday, Sept 27, 2015, Joseph Rabner was ordained to the office of a Deacon in the Aaronic priesthood by his father, Peter Rabner. 

It was a very special day and I wanted to make sure we marked it with a picture. 

 Joseph is already doing things that are amazing and require great courage! 

I know that he will always honor his priesthood and use it to serve Heavenly Father and his children. 

Jon was our photographer- hence the outtakes. 

It is hard for me to believe that in just 2 short years this boy will be a deacon too. My boys are growing way to big too fast! 

Joseph is 12!

I can not believe he is 12!

And as you can see, I am pretty sure he has passed me up in the height category.

 He wanted famous pancakes for breakfast.

Yes, those are venus fly traps. He was so excited to see them and for his new Treasure Hunters book. And, he wanted to go build a train track this morning. Oh my precious boy!

Joseph, 

We love you! You are hardworking, happy, loving, kind, helpful, active, willing to try new things and do hard things. You try so hard to overcome the challenges you face. You have become a strong and brave young man. We are so proud of the work and effort you are putting into school, Scouts, and taekwondo. Your example to your younger brother and sisters is so valuable to us. Thank you for your life and smile, it brightens our days! We know we ask a lot and expect a lot from you but you rise the challenge every time and make us so proud. I know you will honor your priesthood and serve your Heavenly Father faithfully! We pray you will continue on the path you are on and receive all of the many great blessings that are in store for you!

Love,

Mom and Dad

My Favorite People

Okay, it  may be weird to call yourself one of your favorite people but if you are wearing an eye patch then it is a lot more reasonable. 

 

 Lily was given this patch at her meet the teacher event and we have had a good time with it. 

 Samantha wanted to ride a bike like the big kids. This bike was perfect for her but she did not really grasp the riding thing and the best moment was when she got off and picked the bike up and was trying and mostly succeeding in carrying it. 

 This man is amazing. I have to brag about him for a minute. 

A continuous prayer for us is that his company will have enough or more work. There main source of work for Peter is related to storms like hurricanes and hailstorms. Well, there has been a shortage of hurricanes (don't get me wrong we do not want people to suffer but the promise of steady work would be really nice).  Anyhow, Wednesday he had a call from a potential new client.  They are from a firm based in Atlanta doing a bunch of work in Nebraska where there was apparently a very large hailstorm not too long ago.  Peter told them he would be willing to get licensed for Nebraska but could not help but ask how they got his name.  It turns out that on another case a couple of years ago, Peter was the opposing engineer to this firm.  But, they were so impressed with the honest and truthful nature of his report that they decided they would add his name to their database for future use. I have never been so proud of my honest man. He has found that there are many firms that are willing to make their reports say what the client would like it to say to help their case but Peter has never felt right about that.  We have been blessed with a work environment where he could always be honest and have outstanding integrity without any pressure to compromise. This new client could prove to be an unexpected answer to our prayers (we really thought we were praying for a hurricane in a not so direct way). There are blessings for doing what is right. 

 And my life would not be complete without these three big kids. 

They seem to grow more each day and I wish I could slow time down. 

I also wish that I felt more prepared to be their mother through these coming years. 

I do know that prayer and all of the patience and love I can muster will see us through. 

Summer is on its way out  and we have thoroughly enjoyed it. 

Things I have failed to post until now...

I have pictures from Meet the Teacher which was nearly 1 month ago. 

 Arabella and Mrs. Camp

 Jon and Mrs. Kincaid

 First day of School

Jon 4th, Arabella 1st

Joseph 6th

 Lily meeting her teachers. Above Mrs. Rasco (her son was in Arabella's class at CCDC and we think they are a great family!)

 Mrs. Hammond was Arabella's teacher and we are so happy to have her again. 

 Dad made Peruvian food and it was delicious!

Lily and her first day of preschool! And little Samantha in the doorway, she has wondered why she is stuck with boring me for most of the day 3 days a week. 

Mount Rushmore

This is a picture of our faithful car. It was it's first major trip and first trip to Utah (I am sure there will be several more).

 Jon was the first to see Mount Rushmore as we were driving up to it. 

 It really is amazing!

 What a good looking family with 2 random boys on the side. 

 My sweet kids with four great men in the background. 

 Just seeing how Samantha's face would like up there next to Honest Abe.

 Did I mention that it was the first Saturday of the 75th Sturgis Motorcycle Rally?

There were motorcycles everywhere!

 

 We saw a whole lot of corn fields during our journeys. 

It has its own kind of beauty that I actually enjoyed. 

 This is the World's Largest ball of Twine (in a year that I can not quite remember now).

 You can be cruising through endless cornfields with the thought of traffic as far from your mind as the moon when your daughter might say, "I need to go to the bathroom." 

You think no problem there is a town about 4 miles ahead and then with 3 miles left to go you find dead stand still traffic in the middle of Nebraska all thanks to the county fair.

 Below are a few more pictures from Mount Rushmore. 

Sometimes your just need to stop for ice cream and change the baby who has soaked through her diaper and clothes. You will be crazy enough to give this newly changed baby an ice cream. But then when you see smiles like these, you don't care how messy it is going to get. 

 This last photo was taken at the stoplight near our house.

Those are some happy kids to be getting out of the care soon and to be home at last!

We had so much fun with our families and we are already looking forward to the next chance(s) we have to see all of you!