My John Hancock

Do you have a signature thing that you do where everyone knows it's made by you and it's requested at nearly every function?

I do.

It's Dinner Rolls.

Sunday dinner with the family. Thanksgiving. Special occasions. Church parties. The good part is that I really like making them. Little balls of yummy goodness, warm and slathered in butter. Well anything would be good slathered in butter but still. I made my signature for the church corn fest last week and decided I should share. I even took pictures. Maybe this will become your John Hancock. I don't mind sharing.

Dinner Rolls

1 1/2 cups milk - warm or scald

1/2 cups sugar or honey

1/2 cups oil or applesauce, it won't affect the end result, just the fat content

2 tsp salt

2 eggs beaten

Place above ingredients in mixer and mix slightly. Sprinkle 2 cups flour on top then add 2 Tbsp yeast on top of flour. Turn on mixer on low just long enough to let yeast get wet. Cover and let sit 3-4 minutes. Then add about 3 cups flour one at a time until dough cleans the sides of the bowl. Dough should be soft and slightly sticky. Mix for about 8-9 minutes. Let rise until double in bulk. Punch down and start forming the balls. They should be about golf ball size.

Grab a piece of dough and tuck the sides around to the bottom to get a nice round top, then roll in both hands to make it ball shape. Place on greased cookie sheet. Leave enough space for the rolls to rise.Cover with plastic wrap.

Let rise till double in bulk again. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Bake for about 11 minutes. Remove from oven and brush tops with shortening. Let cool slightly, add butter, and DIG IN!

I hope you enjoy my 'John Hancock!' I know we do!

How much do I love thee?

We've almost been in the Pacific Northwest for a year now.

Every time I go outside, yes every time,

I'm so amazed at how beautiful it is here.

Let me share a few more pics.

Another pic of the beach at Deception Pass. I love this picture of the kids in the surf. It's actually my wallpaper on my computer.

Lord Hill Park.

This was the first hike of the summer that we went on with some friends. I'll never get over the trees.

Our first time Clamming on Sammish Beach. Sooo fun catching the clams. Not so fun prying them open and figuring out what is edible or not.

Sunset at Lincon Park.

We do see the sun sometimes here. It truly is a gift when we do.

We got to watch the life cycle of the goose in the pond next to our

house. It was so fun to watch the family dynamics of the geese. The dad was so protective of his little flock. Always alert. Always ready to defend. It was amazing how fast the goslings grew. I was sad and grateful at the same time when they finally flew away. They pooped all over our yard and driveway. When we tried to shoo them out of the yard, the neighbors got mad and accused us of traumatizing the geese.I didn't want to eat them, just not have to watch my step when I went out to get in the car.

I think this is the Stillaguamish River. We stopped here to play in the water on a day trip. Too cold for me. Perfect for my family.

Leavenworth, WA A great little Bavarian town with cool shops and great eats. Uli's Pub had the best pretzels I've ever had.

Padilla Bay

Of course they had cool shells there. My niece had to have a picture taken since she couldn't bring the shell home.

We go to pick blueberries,

raspberries, and strawberries. The kids loved it. My youngest, not so much. He really wasn't a stinker about it. I just loved this photo.

This was the Big Four Ice Cave hike. I'm not sure why they call it Big Four. Doesn't it look like Five peaks to you? Either way it was a fun easy hike with breathtaking mountains around us. For some reason the ice flow makes these huge ice caves. I was floored at how much water continually flows from the mountain. Cold and clear.

I'll finish with the Seattle Skyline from the Space Needle.

It was great having my sister here for a few weeks to go exploring and enjoy the summer. I know I did. 120 degrees is just not fun. 70 is more like it.

Oh the places we've been!

Now that summer is pretty much over. It did get into the 70's today and sunny, but back to 60's and rain the rest of the weekend. Plus school is officially started. This week is the first 5 day week. I wanted to post some pictures of amazing places we went this summer.

I've also decided to dabble a bit in increasing my photography skills. So here goes:

I needed a picture of the Seattle Temple. After many attempts and settings, I think this one is the best with the flowers and sunlight across the face of the temple.

This isFranklin Falls. It is east of Seattle. Easy hike, beautiful reward.

Martha Lake Beach park.

My little girl at Waverly Beach.

Then all the boys jumping into the water.

We tried to go Huckleberry picking and ended up on this remote mountain somewhere between Mt Ranier and Mt St Helens. No berrys but a cool log pile.

The beach at Lincoln Park in Seattle.

Undoubtedly our top beach to go to. Well... so far.

A close competitor is DeceptionPass beach. My little guy with his cousin out to chase the waves.

Suncadia Resort

Everything about it was amazing. I so can't wait to go back!

A beautiful church on the way home from the Tulip Fesival in La Conner.

Stanley Park, Vancouver, BC That's almost my birthday. Just off by a year... or so...

The Vancouver BC Temple.

I have many more pics to share, but for tonight, lets start and end with Temples.

Berry Heaven

Berries Berries Berries Yeah!

One of the main draws to coming to the Pacific Northwest was the berries. We just missed the wild raspberry season last summer, but I found a farmnearby that had Strawberries and Raspberries that you could pick yourself. So last week we took the kids out and we went crazy!

We came home with a Haul and I had to make my new favorite jam, thanks to my Sister-in-Law Kim. I thought I'd share the recipe. I promise it will be your new favorite too!

Strawberry (or Raspberry) Pear Jam

8 cups sugar

4 cups pureed pears (fresh is OK but more work. I use canned)

1 package sure jell

1 package strawberry (or raspberries)

1 cup smashed berries (either strawberry or raspberry)

Bring sugar, pears, sure-jell, and jello to a boil. Boil over medium heat for 10 minutes. Take off heat and add smashed berries. (I put on a rubber glove and smooshed them in my hands. Kinda fun!). Ladle into prepared jars, either quart or pint. Attach lids that have been sitting in super hot water to soften the rubber, and rings. Turn jars over and put them on your counter upside down for about 1-2 hours. Turn them right side up and leave them alone for 24 hours.

You're done! Doesn't it look super yummy?!?!

Gifts

Well it's about time.

I haven't had much energy since my surgery.

But I have been dying to get crafting again.

Let me share what I've made lately.

First is a Mother's Day Present/ Birthday present I made for my Mom and my Mother-in-law. I got the chipboard album from here. They're on sale right now for$3.99.

Then I covered the Box top and outside of the accordion album with coordinating paper.

Then I carefully cut papers to cover the pockets on the inside. This was kinda tricky but it turned out cute. Then I had to use photoshop to resize my pictures. Regular 4x6 prints were way too big so I resized them to get two 2x3's on each 4x6 print. Cut them out and add a note and you're done! Oh yeah, of course

Ink Everything!

The latest project was a gift for my little one's teachers. The original idea came from here. I changed a few things but I think it turned out cute. My daughter found the chipboard book at Joanns and I thought it would be perfect for a teacher. I covered it with paper from Me & My Big Ideas.

I covered the edges with Wausau textured paper and inked it to look like an old book. I used good ole' Elmers glue mixed with water and my handy sponge brush to stick the papers down. It's just as effective as Mod Podge and less expensive. Let it completely dry before inking the edges.

Then I made these label tags for each of the colors in Photoshop. It is made to be printed on an 8.5x11 page. I used heavy card stock to print them out on.

I used littlebags and separated out Peanut and regular M&M's. I couldn't find my stapler so I folded over the bag, attached the tag, and punched holes and my son tied the ribbon on each one. I think it turned out cute. Feel free to print your own tags. It would be a great gift for anyone needing a little love.

It was a tight fit, but it's not going to stay in there very long anyway... right?