Satoshi

Every year in October we have had a japanese student come and live with us for a week. It is one of the highlights of our year. The kids really look forward to it every year. Satoshi was so nice and respectful and gracious. He actually could speak better English than our previous Japanese student which was so wonderful to be able to somewhat communicate rather than playing charades. I am always amazed at their proper manners, something my family needs a lot of work on, and trust. I am sure it is scary to come to a strange country and live with a strange family and be at their mercy, eating their food, having to speak a different language, doing their activities. He was so willing to do anything with us and trusting us completely. Usually it is a week of non-stop going but this year we didn't do as much and it seemed more enjoyable and less exhausting.

What we did (this is more for me to remember than for all you readers):

Halloween party

Kids learned how to make origami

Bowling

Horseback riding with scouts

BYU game

Sunday dinner with sisters and their Japanese student

Eating at JCW (note the picture above, he couldn't believe the size of the hamburgers in America)

Walmart (we spend hours and hours there...they loved it!)

Closing ceremony

Japanese sushi (we didn't want to take him to someplace he can experience in Japan but he wanted to go so Paul took him at 9pm the last night. He said is was "very delicious")

As I reflected about this experience something that made an impression on me is that even though we didn't speak the same language we did communicate. We communicated with our actions. What did he think of our family? Our rituals? Saying prayers before meals? Going to church? Reading our scriptures as a family? I wondered if he felt peace and calm in our home amid the chaos of children. Did he feel the Holy Ghost? Did we plant a seed for him? (it is illegal to preach to him because he is underage but we could do our normal routine) Brad mentioned that it would be cool for him to go on a mission to Japan and preach the gospel to our students. Actions do speak louder than words. We may say we believe but do our actions show that we believe. Is there any doubt in other's minds that I am not ashamed to belong to the Church of Jesus Christ? That I take it seriously and take the opportunity to bear my testimony and live the gospel fully. One of my most favorite quotes is from David O Mckay: "What you sincerely in your heart think of Christ, will determine what you are and will largely determine what your acts will be."

On the way to the closing ceremony, Satoshi said he is sad and we asked Why? Because he will miss our family and loves us. We love you too Satoshi and miss you. The morning he left (very early, mind you) he went into each of the kids bedroom and told them Goodbye. It was a very sweet moment.

Bread recipe

By popular demand (okay, request of 2 people), I am putting the recipe for homemade bread on my blog. I have a Kitchenaid so you can double it if you have something bigger (ex Bosch)

3 c whole wheat flour (freshly grounded, within a months time)

1/3 c vital wheat gluten

1 1/4 T instant yeast (I use SAF yeast)

2 1/2 c very warm tap water

Mix all four ingredients and mix for a minute. Cover and let rest for 10 minutes (this is called sponging)

1 T salt

1/3 c oil

1/3 c honey or 1/2 c sugar (honey is better!)

1 1/4 T bottled lemon juice

Add the next 4 ingredients. Mix for a minute.

2-2/12 c WHITE (bread) flour (you can use wheat but we like the taste of both flours)

Add flour 1 cup at a time, mixing between each cup. Add enough flour so the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl. Mix for about 6-10 minutes. This should make a soft dough that when you touch it, it springs back and dough is not left on your finger.

Preheat oven to lukewarm. Put dough onto oiled counter top and divide and shape into loaves and place in bread pans. I usually spray my bread pans with pam so it comes out easier. Put dough in the lukewarm oven and let it rise. Once the dough reaches the top of the pan, turn oven to 350 degrees. Do not remove the bread. Bake for 30 minutes (start timing when you turn the oven to 350 degrees). This recipe makes 2 loaves. Enjoy! Yummy!

Feeling prepared=priceless

This year we had a plentiful garden so I have used many items to can to store for later. Here's the breakdown:

14 qt bottles of pressure cooked chicken (it is so moist and tender!)

5 pint bottles of tomato sauce

2 qt bottles of marinara sauce

4 pint bottles of marinara sauce

12 qt bottles of sweet and sour sauce (so delicious with chicken nuggets!)

5 pint bottles of sweet and sour sauce

15 pint bottles of stewed tomatoes

8 qt bottles of apple pie filling

5 gallon freezer bags of apple pie filling

12 qt bottles of sliced apples

11 qt bottles of applesauce

22 qt bottles of peaches

10 quarts of grape juice

Halloween

I HATE Halloween. Okay hate is too hard of a word. Nope, can't think of anything else but hate. This year was actually less stressful and less busy than most, I think because it fell on a Saturday and I could do all the school parades and parties the day before. I bought their costumes months in advance (on sale, of course) which elimated half of the stress associated with Halloween. Now it's what to do with all that candy. Did anyone see that Family Circus comic in the Sunday paper? I totally feel that way as my kids are asking for candy first thing in the morning, just wait until AFTER breakfast. Plus, I will probably gain weight from all the candy that I eat because I don't want them to eat it but don't want to throw away.

We went to a pumpkin weigh-in and saw HUGE pumpkins. The biggest pumpkin weighed in over 1000 lbs.

All of these pumpkins were grown in our garden (and the corn stalks, didn't get much corn but love the stalks for decoration).

Breadmaker in the house

Okay so I may not be the breadwinner of the house, but I am the breadmaker of the house! You may think I am bragging but I am not. I have finally mastered the making of bread (after years of failures, even rock hard rolls!). The key is freshly grounded wheat. I have a great recipe. It is soft and delicious and the kids love it! I think I will have another slice now.