School Again!

Tomorrow I start school again! I am so excited to finally be back in school again. I am going to be going to the University of Phoenix online to get my elementary education degree. This worked out so well because with Josh only having a year left and not really knowing where we are going after, this can go wherever we are! I will be done in two years! I had kind of given up on school because every time I tried something would fall through. Then I was really thinking about it and praying about it and I just got this random e-mail in my junk mail and I opened it (which I NEVER do). I read about it and put in my name and number for more information. The next day they called me and it just all fell into place! It's amazing how the Lord works and answers prayers! I never thought I would miss school and actually WANT to go back but I do. Ha ha I will have to re read this later on when I am stressing out and hating life! I am just really excited to have something to do again! Oh and also I have an interview at a bank tomorrow! Finally an interview...I have been looking for a job FOREVER!! Pray for me that I get it! :)

Mom & Chelsi Visit!!

This last weekend my Mom and Chelsi were able to come out and stay. We had so much fun!! They flew in late Thursday night. On Friday we went to Hershey, Pennsylvania to Hershey Chocolate World! That is of course not before we stopped at the famous Lewisburg Freeze! The BEST ice cream and waffle cones in the WORLD!! Hershey was so fun. They have a ride thats free that takes you through and shows you how they make chocolate. They also had a place where you could create your own candy bar wrappers and stuff. They took a picture of me and put it on a big 

candy bar. It was pretty cool! I got it for Josh. On the way back we got stuck in traffic and I had to go to the bathroom REALLY bad so we pulled off the first exit we could find and I am surprised we are still alive. I didn't even notice where we were until after I went to the bathroom but we were definitely in the GHETTO! All the windows were boarded up everywhere and there was trash all over the roads and allies. It was scary but really funny!

On Saturday we were planning on going to NYC but we ended up not going. So instead we went to lunch and got pedicures and had a fun girls day!

On Sunday we just went to church and went for a walk down to the Susquehanna. Monday we got up and went to lunch before heading back to Phili to take them to the airport. It was a great trip and I am so glad they were able to come and spend some time. I am so blessed to have such awesome friends and family!! Thank you Mom and Chelsi I love you guys!

A Perfect Day in Palmyra!

Yesterday Josh and I were able to go to Palmyra all day. It's Josh's Spring Break so we were able to take the day off of doing homework. We drove there in the morning and went to the 11:00 session. It is the most beautiful drive on the way up. We drive right by the Fingerlakes in New York. The houses are right on the lake. I have never seen anything like it. They literally have garages on the water and pull their boats right up into it. It is so cool! After the session we were able to go to the Sacred Grove, the Smith Log Home, the Frame Home, and the Hill Cumorah. We had both been there before but it was so different this time. The spirit was so strong at all of those places. And it was such a different experience being in the temple that is like right in the Sacred Grove where God and Jesus Christ appeared. Also when we went to the Sacred Grove it was kind of a cold day so no one else was there. We went in and sat on a bench and we were the only two people there! It was so powerful. Last time we went to the Grove it was in the Summer so it was very green. This time it was just sticks, no leaves or anything. When we were talking to the missionaries there about it they were telling us about how this is how it looked when Joseph Smith went into the grove. It was early Spring so there probably wasn't a lot of leaves, if any, on the trees. They said if anything maybe buds on the trees. I had never

thought of it that way. Whenever I think of the First Vision I always picture green, full trees. So it was a different way to look at it. Each time I go there the spirit testifies of the truthfulness of the gospel and Joseph Smith. It was so much stronger this time and its amazing how you can feel the spirit so strong in a field of trees. It was such a great day! I am so glad we have the opportunity to live out here so close to all of these awesome church history sites and visit them often!

The first picture is the temple. Next is the ACTUAL BRICKS that Joseph Smith hid the plates under when a mob was coming! The one with the fireplace is the fireplace the Joseph leaned against after the First Vision. The next ones are the sacred grove. The monument is the Hill Cumorah. The one with Josh and the beds is where Angel Moroni appeared to Joseph. Its also where him and his 5 brothers slept. That's right 6 boys in those two tiny beds! I couldn't believe it!

We had such a great time! The church is true!! That's all I have to say about that!!! :)

Bread Making!

My latest goal is to make our own bread every week! There is this lady in our ward that does it and she makes the BEST bread ever! It is also so much healthier than anything you can get in the store. She had me over the other day and taught me how to make it and it was so easy and healthy. We made 4 loaves of bread and then we made 3 pizza's for dinner that night. She said she also uses the extra dough for pancakes and scones! She grinds all her wheat to make the flour so I learned how to do that. I need to use my wheat in my food storage so I figure this will be a great way. I wanted to share the recipe because seriously it is so easy and yummy!!!

Whole Wheat Bread

3/4 C. Olive Oil

3/4 C. Honey

5 C. HOT water

2 T yeast

Combine all those ingredients and let sit for about 5-10 minutes until it gets puffy.

Add:

6 C. flour

2 T salt

Mix for 2-3 minutes until it is about the consistency of a cake batter.

Add:

6 C. more flour

Mix about 1 minutes or until it is about the consistency of a cookie batter.

Add 1 C. more flour as needed until the dough naturally pulls away from the sides of the bowl. Or until it is at the consistency you want it. We just needed one cup. I think it depends on the humidity and stuff also though.

Take out the dough and knead it a little and roll it into loaves. Grease the bread pans and place it in them. You can let it rise naturally for about an hour or turn the oven on to 250 and after it is preheated turn it off and put the bread in the oven. It should rise within 10-15 minutes. It should double itself.

Bake at 350 for 30 minutes! 

It makes 6 loaves of bread. You can also half it it you want. An easy way to remember the recipe is to always add as much oil as honey and as much yeast as salt. It is a very forgiving recipe. If it is too thick add water, too thin add more flour!

For Pizza just roll it out into the pizza shape you want it and add the sauce and cheese and bake at 425 for 15 minutes!

I really think it is so important to know how to make our own bread and things like it because you never know what will happen in your life! It is so much healthier and cheap might I add! You can freeze the loaves and just always be prepared for anything!