LDS Church's Elder Russell Nelson, and wife Wendy Watson Nelson robbed in Mozambique

Elder Russell M. Nelson of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints' Quorum of the Twelve and his wife, Wendy, were among church leaders robbed by armed assailants Friday evening in the Mozambique Maputo Mission home.
On a church assignment in Mozambique, Elder and Sister Nelson were having dinner with Elder William W. Parmley of the Quorums of the Seventy and the church's Africa Southeast Presidency and his wife, Shanna Lee, and with mission President Blair J. Packard and his wife, Precinda, said LDS Church spokesman Scott Trotter.
"We don't have complete information yet, but we understand Sister Packard's arm was broken," said Trotter. "In addition, she and others suffered some superficial injuries, mainly cuts and bruises."
Elder and Sister Nelson will continue their assignment over the weekend as planned, he added.
Local authorities are investigating the matter.
The LDS Church was legally recognized in Mozambique, a southeastern Africa nation, in 1996, with the first branch created in the capital city of Maputo. Missionaries arrived in 1999.
The Mozambique Maputo Mission was created on Jan. 1, 2005, the church's 339th mission.

The most heavenly graham crackers ever!

I found a recipe on the Smitten Kitchen site and have fell in love.  I dare to try it and not love them.  I have actually resorted to hiding them from my kidlets.  (of course i made a batch of oven smores! pictures will follow once i can get the marshmallows off my fingers)

Pictures of my favorite household 'chore'

Puppies are chewing on my computer chair!

Scrapbook Page of the week

A brag book for Ez.

Enjoy!

Stats page

HOMEMADE SIDEWALK CHALKS

It is SO easy to make homemade sidewalk chalk! You need 1 cup of plaster of paris, 1 cup of water, and powdered tempera paint.


Mix the ingredients together.

Pour the mixture into a mold. We used our silicone icecube molds and some chocolate molds I had laying around the house.
Make sure you choose molds that will lay flat or you will have a bit of a mess.

Let your chalk dry for at least 24 hours, pop it out of the mold, and have fun!!!

A B C D E F...about ME ME ME!

Grabbed this from themomjen.com and thought it looked like fun.

A
• Are you available? Nope
• What is your age? 27 but for about 2 months I thought i was 28
• What annoys you? Stupid people.  I can tolerate unintelligent people (cause I am not so smrt) but ignorant and socially dumb people make me want to slap something.

B
• Do you know anyone named Billy? only a Bill the tattooed wonder
• When is your birthday? Jan 4
• Who is your best friend? I have a bunch of close friends but I have moved too much to have a true best friend as an adult

C
• What's your favorite candy? Chocolate covered cashews

• Crush? I still have a one on my Jake
• When was the last time you cried? At the end of Marley and Me 2 nights ago

D
• Do you daydream? All the time, today it was about winning 74 million and all the chocolate i could buy!
• What's your favorite kind of dog? The invisible kind. The kind that doesn't live at my house.  but seriously it is the Jack the Stafford kind.  No matter how many dogs we have or get (6 at present) Jack will always be my fav
• What day of the week is it? Monday evening

E
• How do you like your eggs? many ways.  over medium or eggs benedict or soft boiled.
• Have you ever been in the emergency room? yes with Jake and Rebecca on seperate occations...each time made me question public health care.
• Ever pet an elephant? no but that would be fun

F
• Do you use fly swatters? Yes, I even caught one mid-air in my hand the other day.
• Have you ever used a foghorn? Yes at a football game
• Is there a fan in your room? Yes, my hubby's a fan of mine.

G
• Do you chew gum? not really,  when I was about 14 I saw myself chewing it and I didn't like what I saw so I don't do that anymore

• Do you like gummy candies? Oh Yes please!  
• Do you like gory movies? NO!

H
• How are you? Fabulous of course!
• What's your height?. stumpy
• What color is your hair? Brown right now...I actually found my first grey today!

I
• What's your favorite ice cream? You mean i have to have only one?!
• Have you ever ice skated? Yes, I live in Canada for pete's sake!
• Ever been in an igloo? No, but I did try to convince my 4th grade class in Minnesota that back in Canada I lived in one.

J
• What's your favorite Jelly Bean? Cherry
• Have you ever heard a really hilarious joke? Yes and i peed a little
• Do you wear jewelry? Wedding rings all the time, earrings and necklaces hardly change.

K
• Do you know Karate? Wax on Wax off
• Have you ever flown a kite? Duh.
• Do you think kangaroos are cute? Not really

L
• Are you laidback? It depends on the topic.  The Laundry=yes  quality of food in my house=no
• Lions or Tigers? ???
• Do you like black licorice? NO and I hate it when Jake eats it and kisses me...i'm shuttering a bit just thinking about it.

M
• Favorite movie as a kid? Goonies
• Ever shopped at Moosejaw? NOPE
• Favorite store at the mall? Freak!  I live in Drumheller...what mall!


N
• Do you have a nickname? I have had many.  and everyone involved have been threatened if they dare repeat one!
• Whats your favorite number? 4
• Do you prefer night or day? night cause my kidlets are asleep and i can get something done without the 'mommy look at me' or 'mommmmm she's touching me!'

O
• What's your one wish? To be happy
• Are you an only child? No,  I have 4 sibs.  
• Do you like the color orange? not really.  It makes me think of high school.

P
• What are you most paranoid about? Jake dying at work
• Piercings? Ears.
• Do you know anyone named Penelope? Nope.

Q
• Are you quick to judge people? Yes, but i change my mind quickly.
• Do you like Quaker Oats? Yes we have it 3-4 times a week
• Know anyone that makes quilts? 3 grandmas
• Do you think you're always right? Yes and the world really needs to take notice

R
• Do you watch reality TV? Love it!
• Best Rock Band of all time? I don't really like Rock.

S
• Do you prefer sun or rain? Sun
• Do you like snow? NO! I think we should all live in San Deigo.
• What's your favorite season? End of Summer and Early Fall

T
• time is it? 10:07pm
• What time did you wake up? 5:30am, 8amish, 12pm for good...the girls were watching a movie in my room and i was nursing Ez while i dozed

U
• Can you ride a unicycle? Do I look like a circus sideshow act?
• Do you know anyone with a unibrow? BWAHAHAHA!!! Yes!
• Uncles do you have? 8, 6 are living

V
• What’s the worst vegetable? All veges are the worst when overcooked.
• Did you ever watch Veggie Tales? Yes, with my kidlets
• Ever considered being vegan? NO!  I love cow!

W
• What's your worst habit? Biting my nails, pulling my grey hair out with tweezers, I can go on..
• Do you like water rides? no, I don't like getting wet in anything other that my swimming suit, and since i haven't been in one of those in 2 years...
• Ever been inside a windmill?

X
• Have you ever had an x-ray? I don't think so.
• Ever used a Xerox machine? I love copying stuff.  I don't know why but it makes me happy.

Y
• Do you like the color yellow? I could do without it.
• What year were you born? 1982
• Do you yell when you're angry? no I cry

Z
• Do you believe in the zodiac? sometimes. usually when I'm hormonal
• What's your zodiac sign? I'm a Capricorn
• What do you think of when you hear the word Zero? mint chocolate

Lost at IKEA

Today we had a bit of an adventure.  We went in to Calgary to scope out the kitchen's at IKEA.  I found what I wanted quite quickly and for the first time in my life I didn't choose the most expensive option possible.  It is well known that IKEA is just a maze that has pretty things that you can buy in it.  Well my Ray Ray decided that yesterday would be the day to run off and hide.  I found her within seconds but while I was stalking her Jake and Bex continued on through the maze.  Jake sent Bex back to tell me to hurry up.  I acknowledged her and she went be to where she thought her daddy was but he wasn't so she went to find me.  I had moved to chase Ray Ray down another section.  WELL!  that sent my sensitive Bex into panic mode.  I caught up to Jake and asked him where Bex was.   HOLY CRAP! (that was the look on his face)  So we both turned around to look for her.  After 2 min of not breathing we found her with an employee of the Maze and she ran at her daddy and gave him a hug that would take your breath away.  Of course this sleep deprived and emotional mommy started to tear up.

I just realized!

I feel so bad!...I told myself that I would post everyday.  Well as you can see I have failed in that quite well.  But back on the wagon I go.

Today we had the best day!  We had a 'puppy party' day as my Bex would call it.  We are breeders of Staffordshire Bull Terriers and currently we have a litter of the little devils.   So when our pups are about 5 weeks old ( just about the phase where I want to start pulling my hair out) we invite the puppy parents over to meet their new family member.

Today we also had a puppy photo shoot with a wonderful couple who volunteered to take picture of our pups and a few of the adults for us.  Thanks Emily and Tyler!  I can't wait to post the results.  

I think my dogs are the most beautiful ever.  (sorry everyone else who has a stafford but it's true!)

Well I can hear my chicklets fighting over something totally trivial so I'd better brake up WWIII before it evolves into a screaming  fit (by me).

Leave the gun...Take the Cannoli

Sicilian Cannoli

True Sicilian cannoli are made using fresh sheep's-milk ricotta. I've substituted a combination of fresh cow's-milk ricotta and

goat cheese. If you don't like goat cheese, use additional ricotta instead.

Yield: Makes about 10 desserts

Active Time: 2 hr

Total Time: 3 hr

INGREDIENTS

For cannoli shells (you can buy these at most Italian grocery stores)

1 cup all-purpose flour plus additional for dusting

3 tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon unsweetened cocoa powder (not Dutch-process)

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon baking soda

1 lb cold lard

2 tablespoons sweet Marsala wine

1 large egg, separated

About 3 cups vegetable oil

For filling

1 lb fresh ricotta (2 cups)

2 oz soft mild goat cheese

1/4 cup confectioners sugar

1 tablespoon minced candied orange peel (optional...Jake likes but I don't)

1/2 teaspoon orange-flower water (also called orange-blossom water)

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1/3 cup shelled unsalted pistachios, chopped

2 oz bittersweet chocolate (not unsweetened), chopped

Special equipment: a pasta maker; a 4- to 4 1/4-inch round cookie cutter; a deep-fat thermometer; 6 (roughly 5 5/8- by 5/8-inch) metal cannoli tubes; 2 heavy-duty oven mitts; a pastry bag fitted with a 3/4-inch plain tip

Garnish: confectioners sugar

PREPARATION

Make dough for shells:

Whisk together flour, sugar, cocoa, cinnamon, salt, and baking soda. Add 2 tablespoons lard and blend in with your fingertips until combined. Add wine and yolk and stir until a dough forms.Turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, 5 to 7 minutes. Form dough into a disk and wrap tightly in plastic wrap, then let stand at room temperature 1 hour.

Make filling while dough stands:

Beat together ricotta, goat cheese, confectioners sugar, orange peel, orange-flower water, and cinnamon in a bowl with an electric mixer at medium speed 1 minute (do not overbeat). Fold in nuts and chocolate until combined and chill.

Make shells:

Set smooth rollers of pasta maker at widest setting. Unwrap dough and cut in half, then lightly flour 1 piece (keep remaining half covered with plastic wrap). Flatten floured dough into an oval and feed through rollers. Turn dial down 2 notches and feed dough through rollers again. Continue to feed dough through rollers, making space between rollers narrower by 2 notches each time, until narrowest setting is used.

Line a baking sheet with plastic wrap. Transfer rolled dough to a lightly floured surface and cut out 4 or 5 rounds with floured cutter. Transfer rounds to baking sheet and keep covered with more plastic wrap. Roll out remaining dough and cut rounds in same manner. Gather scraps and let stand 10 minutes. Roll out scraps and cut in same manner.

Heat remaining lard with 1 1/4 inches oil in a 4-quart heavy pot over moderate heat until it registers 350°F on thermometer.

Meanwhile, lightly oil cannoli tubes. Lightly beat egg white, then brush bottom edge of 1 dough round with egg white. Wrap dough around a tube, overlapping ends (egg-white edge should go on top), then press edges together to seal. Make 5 more shells in same manner (keep remaining rounds covered with plastic).

Fry dough on tubes 1 at a time, turning with metal tongs, until 1 shade darker, about 45 seconds. Wearing oven mitts, clamp end of hot tubes, 1 at a time, with tongs and, holding tube vertically, allow shell to slide off tube onto paper towels, gently shaking tube and wiggling shell as needed to loosen. (If you allow shell to cool it will stick to tube and shatter when you try to remove it.) Transfer shells to paper towels to drain and cool tubes before reusing. Wrap remaining dough around tubes and fry in same manner.

Spoon filling into pastry bag and pipe some into 1 end of a cannoli shell, filling shell halfway, then pipe into other end. Repeat with remaining shells.

Cooks' notes:

•Dough can be made 1 day before frying shells and chilled. Let dough stand at room temperature 1 hour before rolling.

•Shells can be fried 2 days ahead and cooled completely, then kept, layered between paper towels, in an airtight container at room temperature.