September at Lake Powell

A Recipe worth Sharing - Cinnamon Rolls

I love cinnamon rolls and have tried several recipes looking for a great recipe. Of course I found this on http://allrecipes.com/. This one is similar to Cinnabons. It's made with a bread machine to take some of the work out of it and the results are fabulous. Hope you enjoy it as much as we do. CINNAMON ROLLS III

INGREDIENTS:
1/4 cup warm water
1/4 cup butter, melted
1/2 (3.4 ounce) package instant vanilla pudding mix
1 cup warm milk
1 egg, room temperature
1 tablespoon white sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 cups bread flour
1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast
FILLING:
1/4 cup butter, softened
1 cup brown sugar
4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
3/4 cup chopped pecans
FROSTING:
1/2 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup butter, softened
1 cup confectioners' sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 teaspoons milk
DIRECTIONS
In the pan of your bread machine, combine water, melted butter, vanilla pudding, warm milk, egg, 1 tablespoon sugar, salt, bread flour and yeast. Set machine to Dough cycle; press Start.
When Dough cycle has finished, turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and roll into a 17x10 inch rectangle. Spread with softened butter. In a small bowl, stir together brown sugar, cinnamon and pecans. Sprinkle brown sugar mixture over dough.
Roll up dough, beginning with long side. Slice into 16 one inch slices and place in 9x13 buttered pan. Let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 45 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Bake in preheated oven for 15 to 20 minutes. While rolls bake, stir together cream cheese, softened butter, confectioners' sugar, vanilla and milk. Remove rolls from oven and top with frosting.

Elder Zackery Shafer - Off to the MTC

Taking Zack to the MTC

Zack left to the MTC on October 8. I've had a lot of people ask me how we're doing and how it went. Zack has been waiting for this day for just over 4 months and was more than ready to get started. He's going to be a great missionary, but we will miss him so much while he's gone. It's hard to express what I'm feeling. One minute I'm so proud of him and happy that he'll get to have such a great experience and the next I'm so sad that my little boy is all grown up and gone off to start his own life. He'll never be my little boy again and our home already feels different - like something is missing - without him. I'm sad that our relationship will now be forever changed but at the same time I look forward to getting to know the man that he is becoming. My advice to everyone is to cherish each day you have with your children. They really do grow up so fast. Don't wait for tomorrow to spend time with them; make the time now and don't let yourself get so busy with all the mundane day to day things in life that you miss out on what life is really about - our families. Good Luck Zack and Thank You for all the great memories!

I've been Tagged

Amanda from work tagged me a few weeks ago and I'm just getting around to passing this on. I've had too much on my mind with Zack leaving. Anyway, here are some things about me for those who are interested.
3 Names you go by:MOM OR MAMA, HOLLS & HOLLY.
3 Things you are wearing right now: FOREST GREEN SHIRT, BLACK SKIRT, BLACK HEELS.
3 Restaurants I love:COSTA VIDA, PEI WEI & GOOD WOOD ( I ALSO LOVE CHILI'S, PIER 49 PIZZA, TACO AMIGO, PF CHANGS, CALIFORNIA PIZZA KITCHEN & OLIVE GARDEN).
3 Favorite things to do:READING, PLAYING WITH WINSTON & DINNER AND A MOVIE WITH BRAD. (I COULD USE A GOOD BOOK RIGHT NOW).
3 Things I want badly:SPEND MORE TIME WITH WINSTON, TO HAVE IT BE SUMMER FOR 9 MONTHS OF THE YEAR & TO NOT HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT MONEY .
3 Things I did yesterday:WENT TO WORK, PLAYED WITH WINSTON & WORKED ON MY BLOG.
3 Goals:MAINTAIN A POSITIVE ATTITUDE, GO TO PICK UP BOTH BOYS WHEN THEIR MISSIONS ARE OVER & CHERISH EACH DAY.
3 Fears:LOOSING A FAMILY MEMBER OR FRIEND, LOOSING MY JOB & NOT HAVING MONEY TO PAY THE BILLS. (YIKES, I DON'T LIKE TO THINK ABOUT THESE).
3 Things I plan on doing today:WORK, SEND A CARE PACKAGE TO ZACK & WATCH THE BIGGEST LOOSER. (I REALLY GET INTO THIS SHOW).
3 Things I plan on doing tomorrow:WORK, PAY THE BILLS & WRITE TO ZACK. (WOW, TOO MUCH FUN FOR ONE DAY).
3 Favorite Holidays:THANKSGIVING, CHRISTMAS & HALLOWEEN. (I LOVE THE FALL, BUT AFTER JANUARY, I'M READY FOR SUMMER AGAIN).
3 Favorite Beverages:WATER, MILK & DR. PEPPER.
3 Friends to Tag: LAURI WAKEFIELD, ALYSE SHEPARD & JILL HANSEN.

Family Pictures

So with Zack and Bo leaving on their missions, I thought I had better get some family pictures before they're gone. Of course I called my sister Lauri who is the best photographer around to do them. Here are a few sample shots that she sent to me as a preview of the photo shoot. Thank you Lauri, these are great!

Zack's Farewell

Well we've made it past the first part of the whole process of leaving on a mission - the speaking in church part. Zack did a fantastic job (just like I knew he would)! I'm so proud of him. My little boy is all grown up and ready to go out on his own. Where did the time go? Thank you to all who came and to all who sent well wishes. Now I just need to make it through the next two weeks and his departure (too hard to think about right now).

A Great Trip to Lake Powell

I came across this short video we took last year of Winston's first time floating in the water at Lake Powell. He loved it and was so happy. He just started jabbering away. Brad was able to catch this.