Pride

So I know they say that pride is a bad thing, and that we should avoid it - but some things you just can't help but be proud of. Now this may sound silly, but I am very proud of myself because this weekend I wrote my very first song - beginning to end - then I went into GarageBand and added a track to it - then recorded myself singing along to the track - then exported it to my iTunes - then made use of my iMovie with all its magic tricks - then I posted it on here. Ya'll make think I'm a fool for doing this, but this not only shows off my song that in all honesty I'm pretty proud of, but it also shows off my tech savvy-ness and it totally shows my wife-skills - hence I'm putting it on this blog. 

Wife Skill #1 - I can make magic things happen on a computer.

Wife Skill #2 - In the first shot you will see a blue/grey wall with black stripes - yep, I painted that blue/grey wall and those black stripes - used a lazer to make them straight and used painters tape to section them off. I know how to use some power tools.

Wife Skill #3 - In the second shot you will see a quilt behind me - yep, made that sucker!

Wife Skill #4 - Check out those LIPS! Great for kissing. (Ignore the lipstick that may or may not be on my 2 front teeth - I noticed it on my final go through and I wasn't going to re-video everything - deal with it.)

I'm a goof - and I know it.

Happy Homemaking!

-Jaron

Banana Nut Bread

Growing up I always thought banana was actually spelled bannana, good thing Gwen Stefani came out with that song that really spells it out for you - you know the one - "the sh*t is bananas - b-a-n-a-n-a-s..." I'm not really sure why the sh*t is banans, but apparently it is. On the upside thou I now know how to correctly spell banana. Thank you Gwen.

Anyway, we had some VERY ripe bananas sitting on our counter, so it was definitely time for me to learn how to make banana bread. Yum!

Obviously we like this recipe

1 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or margarine

2 eggs, unbeaten

1 1/2 cups mashed banana (3 or 4)

1 TBsp lemon juice

2 cups sifted all-purpose flour

3 tsps baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup chopped nuts

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Cream sugar with butter. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in bananas and lemon juice. Sift flour with baking powder and salt in a separate container; add ad mix quickly. Stir in nuts. Bake in greased loaf pan for about an hour; or until done when tested (when you can poke it with a tooth pick and the toothpick comes out clean). Cool on rack. 

Happy Homemaking!

-Jaron

Arizona!

So my sister moved to Chicago a few months ago, but didn't want to forget her Arizona roots, so she asked me to sew a version of the Arizona flag on the back of one of her sweatshirts, with a few requested variations. It took me forever to get around to it, but when I did, I'm so glad that I did! It turned out so fantastic. I loved it and even more importantly, SHE loved it.

 I loved being able to just kind of improv it. It wasn't perfectly spaced or anything, but in a way, that kind of made it perfect. Thanks sis for helping me explore more of my creativity.

Happy Homemaking!
-Jaron

Grandma's Cinnamon Bread

Here is some delicious cinnamon bread I made tonight. I don't usually make bread, but when I was asked to choose a recipe and make some for a Relief Society activity, I knew immediately I had to make this one! It brings back memories of my childhood when my grandma used to make it a lot, and since we lived next door I smelled, and ate, it a lot. 

I think she would have been proud of my batch tonight.

11-13 cups unsifted bread flour

6 Tbsp. sugar

4 tsp. salt

2Tbsp. yeast

3 cups water

1 cup milk

6 Tbsp. margarine

melted butter (wait to melt until called for)

cinnamon sugar

In a large bowl thoroughly mix 4 cups flour, sugar, salt, and undissolved yeast.

Combine water, milk, and margarine in a saucepan. Heat over ow heat until liquids are warm, not hot. (Margarine does not need to melt.) Gradually add to dry ingredients and beat well. Add 1 1/2 cups flour, or enough flour to make a thick batter. Beat well. stir in enough additional flour to make a soft dough and until dough cleans sides of bowl. Place in greased bowl, turning to grease top. Cover; let rise in warm place, free from draft, until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour. 

Punch dough down; turn out onto lightly floured board. Divide dough into 4 loafs shape. Roll out each loaf into rectangle. Spread with melted butter, sugar and cinnamon. Roll into loaf shape. Placed in greased loaf plans. Cover; let rise in warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.

Bake at 350 degrees about 25-30 minutes, or until done. Remove from pans immediately and cool on wire racks. Butter tops of loaves.

Happy Homemaking!

-Jaron

Welcome to My World

I needed a place to share with the world what I like to do in my free time (and even in my time that I should be doing other things, like homework). It makes me happy and every time I complete a project I feel like maybe one day I really could be a wife and take care of a family. I hope you enjoy the recipes and patterns that are found here.

Happy Homemaking.
-Jaron