Cold Days Fly By

by Jewel

Last Monday after the bus trip, we woke to a very cold, gray, snowy day.

Tuesday, since all the smoke alarms were up, we started the fire.

Gracie came over for supper too, and then Echo brought Kiowa and Flint over since Levi was at a meeting. I don’t think Brandi knows what’s happening in this picture

Wednesday we had quite a crowd. With Jenna and Echo for lunch, and the usual Sauders and Ben, there were a LOT of little kids. Cason has a crush on Ella and always begs to hold her, much to her dismay

What an adorable pair of little boots!

This is what we woke up to on Thursday. Plenty enough snow to go four-wheeling, which Sarah, Josh, and I did. It was a lot of fun, until the four-wheeler ran out of gas and there wasn’t any more in the shed.

Josh and his snowman.

Friday we had a few Baers until 4:00. Ella didn’t go down very well, so Mom just held her in her arms for a long time. Eventually Mom laid her on the floor.

Hot chocolate for us means hot tea for Mom.

Henry and Ella were wrestling on the couch. It was so cute.

Friday night we were invited to Jesse and Lucy’s for supper, and so we went. We had brought some toys for Kiowa, and I got to hold Flint a bunch.

Sunday night we went to Grandpa and Grandma Kaiser’s. There was quite a crowd.

Nashville

by Sarah

Last weekend we went with the choir on a bus trip to Nashville, Tennessee. Uncle Mike and Aunt Joyce went, since Mike was driving. We left at 8:00 Saturday morning and drove all day, with only a few stops to eat, and then arrived at our hotel at about 4:00. While everyone was getting checked into the hotel, Grace stayed outside and watched all the luggage. Several people had brought blankets, and it was pretty cold out, so she just settled down for the wait.

Then we went to a Community Center in Kingston Springs (near Nashville) and had pizza for supper, and the choir sang a few songs.

Tori got to hold cute little baby Olivia for a while.

After the choir sang for awhile, then Mike, Jake, Ben, Dave, Dean, and several others got out instruments and jammed out. It was fun to listen to.

One of the girls from Nashville had a cello that Jake thought he'd try out. Right now he’s actually using it as a bass instead of using a bow like your supposed to.

Some folks sang along, some folks talked, and some folks listened.

Sunday we went to the Nashville church, and the church has a courtyard beside it that is blocked in by a rock wall. Over the noon hour, Ben thought he’d try to climb it while still in his church clothes. I don't know whether or not he made it all the way up. The rest of the noon hour was spent playing “Sharks and Minnows”. I just watched, but most of the others played, including a bunch of the older kids like Jake and Grace. It was fun just to watch except it was really cold.

On the way home, Jewel, Josh, Nora, and I read books, played some card games, wrote poems, played an all-bus trivia game that A. Joyce brought, and watched some stuff on Dad’s ipad. We stopped for supper at a town that I don't know the name of. People split and ate where they wanted. We ate at Subway, and then loaded back onto the bus to settle down till we got home. Some people were singing up front but in the back we didn’t.

We got back to the church parking lot, which is where we had all met, at about 8:30 or so. After helping clean up the bus a little bit, we headed home. So in conclusion, it was a great trip, and we made a lot of good memories.

Cinnabraid

aka Grandma Kaiser’s Cinnamon Rolls

Ingredients:

1 stick butter

2 cups milk

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup warm water

2 tablespoons yeast

2 eggs

7-8 cups flour

Directions:

Scald first four ingredients and cool about an hour.  After an hour, dissolve yeast in water. Add to cooled milk mixture. Add eggs and flour. (May use dough hooks on electric mixer.) Mix for 5-6 minutes. Let rise until double, about an hour. Divide dough into fourths. Shape each fourth separately. Bake at 350d.

To shape into Cinnabraid:

On a well-greased countertop or table, roll dough into 9x13 inch rectangle. Lightly mark into “uneven” thirds lengthwise (make middle “third” slightly bigger than outside two). In the middle third, spread softened butter, sugar, and cinnamon. On outside thirds, cut horizontal slices about 1 inch apart. Starting at end farthest from you, fold cut slices towards center of dough, alternating sides and tucking last slice under opposite side. Transfer braid to greased jelly roll pan. Let rise 20-30 minutes. Bake for 15-20 minutes.

So this is a current experiment: A few weeks ago, I made this dough and shaped it into a cinnabraid and then froze it right away. Stay tuned; I’ll report back after I thaw and bake this. Also stay tuned for pictures and more detailed explanations;  next time I make these I’ll try to remember to take px. It’s kind of hard to explain although it’s VERY fast and easy to do.

To shape into crescent rolls:

Roll dough into circles. Spread with softened butter. Divide into 16 wedges. Roll each wedge, place on greased pan. Let rise 20-30 minutes. Bake 10 minutes.

To shape into cinnamon rolls:

Roll dough into 9x13 rectangle. Spread with softened butter, sugar, and cinnamon. Roll lengthwise, sealing edges.  Cut into 1 inch slices; a string works best (see here for px). Place in greased or buttered pan, cut side down. Let rise 20-30 minutes. Bake 15-20 minutes.

For caramel rolls:

Mix thoroughly: 1/2 cup melted butter

              1 cup brown sugar

              1 cup corn syrup

Pour into two greased 9x13 pans. Place cut cinnamon rolls on mixture. Let rise 20-30 minutes. Bake 15-20 minutes. After baking, place cookie sheet upside down over rolls and flip the entire pan of rolls with its cookie sheet lid, inverting rolls so caramel oozes over rolls.

Frost cinnabraids and rolls with the Best Frosting Ever:

1 cup softened butter

2# powdered sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons vanilla

1/3 cup milk or water

Mix all ingredients. Great on sugar cookies and graham crackers also.

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*I usually double this recipe and share some and freeze some. Doubles great and freezes great.

Days Fly By

by Sarah

Way last Monday, October 30, Jenna and Echo came over for lunch. Ella and Kiowa needed snack so that's what's in their cups.

Josh dug a fire pit in the garden one day.

Tuesday after a Robotics fundraiser at Culvers, we went over to Jesse and Lucy's to hang out for awhile. Right here Dad was illustrating what a stiff-legged walk is.

Wednesday we had Cason and Clay and Ben.

Cason loves helping in the kitchen, so he was pretty pleased when he got to help me make a smoothie.

Mom was very sneaky and took this pic of me. I was eating puppy chow, and I didn't want to get powdered sugar on my shirt, so thus the towel tucked into my shirt.

Clay was so cute in the basement. He actually smiled for the photo, which he usually won’t do.( I actually put on a fancy hat, and then played peekaboo with the brim, and then when he smiled, I’d snap the pic)

Thursday the skies were so pretty.

Friday Mom put up the new photo display of all of our Christmas pics over the years.

Last Sunday Jesse and Lucy were over for supper, and everybody was admiring the pictures.

Then we all went to Grandpa and Grandma Kaiser’s for the evening. Uncle Mark’s and Uncle Mike’s were all there too, so it was pretty fun. Not for sure what's going on here. I think Jacob’s playing on his phone, and they’re all watching him.

Monday, November 5, Kate babysat for some cute little Zimmerman kids. There’s such little cuties!! Abe was so happy!

Eli was goofing off on the trampoline when I got this pic.

Eli and Mya both loved the corn bins. They played in there for quite awhile.

Baby Abe was so happy in the basement.

Tuesday somebody obviously voted.

Wednesday we had Cason, Clay, Jovie, and Ben again. Clay was such a little cheeseball in the basement.

Cason and his puppy chow.

Marbles is one of the favorite games around here.

(And working in the kitchen for certain cute little boys.)

Jovie woke up from her nap a little uncertain about all the people. She cheered up though, once I got out the toys.

Ben was at home studying, and during a break he was playing with Cason and Clay. Clay was so cute just staring and staring at Ben.

Clay just LOVES Ben. Especially when Ben lets him play with the instruments.

Friday we woke up to snow. We knew the forecast had said it was supposed to snow, but nobody around our house puts too much stock into the forecast, so we weren't expecting it.

We babysat three little Baers all morning, and then Echo and Suzanne came for lunch.

 

Reading books with three cute little kiddos.

Aww. Wyatt is getting so grown up!

So over all, it was a great couple weeks of little kiddos.