Graduation

We had a graduation reception at a local park.

Dashel Robin with Uncle Robin

They had the graduates stand if they had done certain things like internships, speak an additional language, visit the creamery, etc.

Waiting for his name to be read

Matt getting hooded

Matt has applied to 40+ jobs in 24 states! We are excited to see where we end up.

Rhetorically,
Rebekah

Dear Dash: Fifteen Months

Dear Dash,

Your new favorite fruit is apples. You love for me to peel them and give them to you whole. You feel so grown up that you can have a whole apple in your hands to munch on (even if you only eat 1/4 of it).

You love your strollers! 
Whether it's pushing them, riding in them, or inspecting their wheels.

We enjoyed spending time with great-granddaddy and other family members on Aunt Angela's birthday!

Baby Mullet...We gave you your fourth electric clipper haircut after this. And there were no tears!
We had a veggie tales video going to distract you, and dad fed you a steady stream of chex.
Also, I turned on the clippers beforehand and let you touch them. I rubbed your head while they were on so you would get used to your head being touched. 

Your obsession with dogs continues. You love them all, large or small.

I almost forgot to put you in green on St. Patrick's day!
Thank goodness I remembered so no one would pinch your rosy cheeks...

Your favorite stuffed animal is Mr. Monkey. Had we known this was going to be your favorite, we probably would have been more creative with his name. You love to sleep with him and carry him around.
Also, this is your Easter suit. Unfortunately no one could enjoy seeing it since we stayed home from church because you had [another] cold.
It seems like every time I do these monthly posts you're sick. 
Here's hoping cold season is finally over!

Rhetorically,
Rebekah

Date night

For our stay at home date night tonight, we wanted to do something different besides watching a movie or playing a two person board/card game. So we branched out and did origami star wars characters yoda and darth vader (see tutorials here and here).

We also decided to write a board book. Dash has been reading the Les Petits Fairytales series, where they rewrite a fairytale using only one word per page. So we tried the same concept, only this time we decided to rewrite "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe" with only one word per page. Below are storyboards of what the book would look like, and these are the words we chose:

Hide and Seek, Wardrobe, Narnia

Mr. Tumnus, Friend, White Witch, Promise, Beavers, Sneaky

Betrayal, Escape, Flowers, Aslan, Exchange

Sacrifice, Alive, Rescue

Celebration

Rhetorically,

Rebekah

Dear Dash: Fourteen Months

Dear Dash,

We've been to lots of parks this month!
You aren't a fan of the playground, but you love walking around,

and looking at ducks and dogs. 

You are still obsessed with phones. Especially looking at pictures.

We celebrated the lunar new year at a Korean restaurant.
In Korea, you add an extra year to your life when the new year hits,
so you would technically be 2 years old.

We also visited several museums this month-
you loved touching the fossils at the dinosaur museum.

And you loved the displays at the Bean Museum of Natural History

Dad sprained his ankle so you have been helping him with exercises.

You got a cold and ear infection this last week.
So you spent a lot of time sleeping. 

You decided not to eat when you were sick.
It was no fun.

We sure love you!

Rhetorically,

Rebekah

Lessons Learned from Food Storage February

This bread rose so much it hit the top rack!

1. Food storage meals usually take longer to prepare. We've been eating dinner an hour later than usual this month. 
2. I'm not a big fan of cream of chicken soup or cream of mushroom soup. We will not be restocking those items. 
3. Progresso soups should definitely be in our food storage. It's an easy lunch for me, so I go through at least one a week. 
4. I am now very confident in my bread making abilities. I like baking way more than cooking. Also, I can bake in the evenings when Dash is sleeping and Matt is working, so that keeps me busy.
5. We've eaten less meat overall, but more cheese. Or maybe that's just because Dash likes to snack on cheese...

It's been an adventure this month! I don't think we'll repeat any of the 'food storage' recipes we tried for dinners, but we will be having cinnamon rolls and homemade bread again.

Rhetorically,
Rebekah

Fixer Upper

So I've been binge watching Fixer Upper on Netflix. One thing I really like about the show is how it make the "american dream" of home ownership possible, even for a family with a $100,000 budget. Granted, it's in Texas and house prices are different in every state, but still I can dream, right?

The part I love most is seeing how the house is transformed not only through construction but interior design. Since that is something I can control more in our rental apartment, I thought I'd post the latest pic from my ongoing wreath project:

Rhetorically,
Rebekah

Food Storage Cinnamon Rolls

I made cinnamon rolls three weeks in a row and I think my recipe is ready to share! The food storage items I used were: dry milk, crisco, yeast, sugar, salt, and flour. This recipe is a combination of several recipes, with instructions taken primarily from this site.

Dough:

1c milk (1 c water + 1/3 c nonfat dry milk)

1/4 c crisco
2T yeast
1 egg

1/4 c white sugar

1t salt

3 1/2c flour

Filling:

1 1/2 T cinnamon (I used the pampered chef cinnamon plus blend)

2T butter

2/3c brown sugar

Frosting:
4 oz cream cheese (nonfat)
1/4 cup butter
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 c powdered sugar


Preparation:
Combine milk and crisco in a glass measuring cup. Microwave on high in 20 second increments (where you stop to stir) until crisco melts and mixture is hot. Let stand (stirring occasionally to release heat and keep crisco combined) until liquid becomes lukewarm. Add yeast and let set for 5-10 minutes. Combine dry ingredients in a separate bowl. Add egg to wet ingredients. Mix all ingredients together until dough is no longer sticky. Knead for 7-10 min and let set for about 20 min in a covered bowl.

Roll out dough into a rectangle. Spread on butter using table knife. Combine cinnamon and brown sugar and sprinkle mixture evenly over butter, leaving a 1/2 inch border. Starting at one long side, roll dough into log. With seam side down, cut dough crosswise with knife into 16-18 equal slices. Spray two 9 inch pie pans with nonstick spray. Place rolls in pans and cover with plastic wrap. Let dough rise about 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 375F. Bake rolls until golden, about 15 min. Meanwhile make cream cheese frosting by beating softened cream cheese and butter together. Add vanilla and then powdered sugar, 1/2 c at a time. After rolls have cooled, top with frosting and enjoy!

Rhetorically,
Rebekah