Mr. Bones came for lunch

Here little birdies...

Yesterday was an absolutely perfect fall day. While eating lunch outside Adele asked, after I commented on all the birds singing, "Why do they do that?....Just to make us happy?" After lunch we made some birdhouses to keep them around.

Take a closer look at Adele's smile...

She's missing FIVE teeth in there!

Pumpkin Cornmeal Doughnuts...and pancakes

A few of you requested the pumpkin doughnuts we made so here it is...enjoy!

PUMPKIN CORNMEAL DOUGHNUTS


2 3/4 c. all-purpose flour, plus more for work surface
4 t. baking powder
1/4 t. table salt
1 t. ground cinnamon
3/4 t. ground allspice
1 T. minced orange zest

1 cup fine cornmeal

3 large eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 c. granulated sugar
1/2 c sweetened condensed milk
1 c. pumpkin puree
4 T. unsalted butter, melted
8 c. vegetable oil for frying
1/4 confectioners' sugar


1. Sift flour, baking powder, salt, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, and allspice together into a large bowl. Add orange zest and cornmeal; mix until combined. Set aside.
2. In an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the eggs and 1/4 cup granulated sugar until the mixture is pale yellow, about 5 minutes. Add condensed milk, and beat well. Add the pumpkin and melted butter, and beat until combined. Add the reserved flour mixture, and mix until the dough holds together. Cover the dough with plastic wrap, and refrigerate overnight.
3. Heat the vegetable oil in a large deep pan over medium heat until a deep-frying thermometer reads 365 degrees.
4. While oil is heating, roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface to about 1/3 inch thick. Using a 3-inch doughnut cutter, cut out doughnuts, and set aside. Re-roll scraps of dough, and continue to cut out more doughnuts. Mix together remaining 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon and 1/4 cup sugar in a small bowl, and set aside.
5. Add 4 doughnuts to hot oil; fry until golden brown, about 1 1/2 minutes. Turn doughnuts over; fry until golden brown, about 1 minute more. Transfer doughnuts to several layers of paper towels to drain. Repeat until all doughnuts have been fried.
6. Roll half the ward doughnuts, one at a time, in cinnamon sugar to coat. Dust remaining doughnuts with confectioner’s sugar. Serve warm.


NOTE: Try just one doughnut at first to make sure your oil is the right temp, otherwise you may burn 4 good doughnuts!


Another thing the kids loved...

...a stack of pumpkin pancakes

The Flu has payed us a visit

The flu bug snuck its way into our house and layed all of us, but Geoff, flat this past week. We've been hanging very low and have been moving very slow around here. Geoff has held strong, and has been caring for all of us like a true champion. So, other than homemade broth and large quantities of herbal medicines we haven't been up to much around here.

The good news...we're on the upswing.

Able's Pumpkin Party

A really great couple at church, the Ables, host an annual Pumpkin Party and we were so grateful to be invited! They live on 11 beautifully manicured acres, and have a barn that hosts most church activities and classes, as well as weddings and family gatherings. They had put pumpkins at every corner of the yard, and each child could pick any one and make it a jack-o-lantern.

Adele's big choice

The girls took a hay ride to the Lollipop Tree

They had horse rides...

and face painting, too

Sutter's Mill

We took a field trip to Sutter's Mill this past week. Unfortunately we arrived just as they were shutting down the 3-day display of tents, displays and activities, but we still had a quick look around.

It was at this mill in 1849 that "something shiny" was spotted at the bottom of the river.

We met a fellow who looks for gold using a little sucking machine. Adele is holding one of his nuggets worth about $35,000. He had other pieces, too.

We took a little horse carriage ride, looked through trading posts, saw a whole section about the Mormons from the Mormon Battalion who helped settle the area, and here Ceci is learning to make a rope.

A work in progress...

Well, after I wrote that last post that made our little Z School seem like a place of harmony and focus, things took a little down turn and I began to wonder if the Z didn't stand for ZOO! With seemingly constant irregularity because of dentist appointments (Adele is on her fourth with three teeth pulled, two crowns, and three cavities -does she have that many teeth?!- and one more appointment to go, and Ceci just had her second with one crown and 4 cavities...they DO brush their teeth, I promise!) and eye appointments (Adele, crushed by her mortal "problems", has a stronger eye prescription, and follow-up eye therapy starting next week, Tennie and Geoff have new reading glasses, and Ceci can put off reading glasses another year or two), we all get off to a rocky start and my Time Timer loses its power. Yesterday I had had enough, and when the girls didn't focus I told them that if they weren't going to be educated at school than I had better teach them to WORK since they would have to earn their living somehow (yes, not exactly a moment of motherly love). I made them scrub toilets and cupboards and railing spindles, sweep floors, vacuum, organize toys, and empty trash until 2:30 (the time school would be over). Geoff thought it might be a good idea for me to take the afternoon off so he took over and I locked myself in my room. I sat there wondering how these lousy days could ever amount to educated, well-adjusted kids, let alone a Zion-like family! Then two incidences that happened this week came into my mind. The first was when I announced "Job for Sale!" Tennie immediately yelled, "ME! I'll do it!" Then Adele, who was next to Tennie, realizing she had forgotten to fold the laundry, slouched in disappointment. She tries so hard to be exact. Tennie noticed Adele's reaction and said, "Never mind. I don't want the job." I told her Adele would have to pay someone and if she didn't do it than I would. She said, "No thanks, mom." She didn't want to be the one taking money from Adele. It was a display of pure loyalty. (Let me mention here that Tennie consistently gives her money away to help others buy things. Adele always likes to have a $10 cushion and if she is going to buy something that will leave her with only $9 Tennie will give her a $1 so she can keep her comfortable savings.) The second happened one morning when Tennie had forgotten to empty the dishwasher, a job required to be completed before school begins. Tennie was on time and ready at devotional, and proud of it. I said that anyone who had finished their jobs was welcome to begin with us. She recalled her job and ran out crying that she was going to miss the beginning of school. Adele and Ceci, who had completed their jobs, ran to help Tennie clean out the dishwasher (their least favorite job) so she could return quickly. So there were Geoff and I singing a hymn together, saying a family prayer together, and beginning our recitation of the 12th Article of Faith when the girls joined us. It made enforcing a natural consequence seem silly when the girls were all on the same team in the kitchen. The old saying, "Rome wasn't built in a day" applies to the girl's education, the creation of Zion in our home, the perfecting of ourselves, and on an on. A patient and loving God doesn't look how today went, or even this week or month. It is an accumulation of our efforts. He looks on the diligent and weak efforts, the day in day out struggle to do what is right, and the deep desires of our hearts, even when the darker, nastier parts of ourselves come out for a little sunshine. Even with the fighting, whining, "wigging out", distracted attention, and forgetfulness (not to mention what Geoff and the girls have to work on... :)) there will be progress just by the fact that I was willing to wake up and give it a good shot again today. At least, it keeps me setting my alarm clock in the mornings....