French Toast Recipe

First, to those who have emailed asking for copies of the Conference packets I will email those out tomorrow.

And second,  your not going to like me unless you live in UT or in the vicinity of Yuma, AZ.  The Overnight French Toast Recipe comes from Kneaders Bakery and Cafe which has locations in the above mentioned places.  You use their Chunky Cinnamon Bread to make it.  And it is "what makes it".  You could try it with a similar type bread from another bakery, but I don't know how it would turn out.  The bread from Kneaders is a dense bread (fluffy wonder bread isn't going to cut it) with cinnamon swirled throughout and then a white icing/glaze on top and also throughout the bread.  

Here is the recipe:

1 Loaf Kneaders Chunky Cinnamon Bread cut into 8 slices

6-7 eggs

2 1/2 cups milk

 1 Tbsp brown sugar

3/4 tsp salt

1 Tbsp vanilla

2 Tbsp butter

Butter a glass 9x13 pan.  Place slices flat in pan.  Mix all remaining ingredients, reserving the butter and pour over the bread.  Cut butter into pieces and dot over the tops.  Refrigerate overnight.  Bake 45-50 min at 350.  

Emily's notes:  First off, I can't fit it all in a 9x13, I end up using a 9x13 plus an 8x8.  Also, I like it best when I refrigerate it overnight and then turn the pieces of bread over and let them sit an hour before you bake it in the morning so both sides really soak up the egg mixture.  It is great with maple syrup or with strawberries and whip cream!

submitted by Emily (delightfuldistraction.blogspot.com) email: delightfuldistraction@gmail.com

Kids General Conference Baskets

This is a post from a while back on my personal blog that I thought was appropriate to share since for those who read this and are members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (learn more at www.mormon.org) it's almost time for Conference again. I love General Conference. I look forward to it and so do my kids, and I really love that. I know that the reason it's such an enjoyable and uplifting experience for all of us is that we are prepared. It wasn't always that way, but it is now. Here is a link to some ways to make Conference memorable for your family, we love the "tents" toward the temple idea and use it every time, the kids insist.

Another great help I received last Conference was a booklet of Conference related activities, coloring pages, and games for kids that a friend forwarded to me. I updated it the best I could for this time and plan on using it again. I am not kidding when I tell you that my 4 and 6 year old sat in the family room with us and listened to almost all 8 hours of Conference. (email me if you want a copy at delightfuldistraction@gmail.com, I already sent it to a bunch of you yesterday).

A few Conferences ago I started a little tradition of doing something fun for the families of the women I visit teach to help them enjoy Conference weekend. The first time I made sticky buns for all of them and dropped them off the night before so they could bake them fresh in the morning. Last time I made the baskets pictured above for their kids. They included an activity booklet for each child, pencils and crayons, and some apples and toffee apple dip. This weekend I plan on delivering "Overnight French Toast" with strawberries and whip cream to them on Saturday night. They can put it in their fridge and bake it Sunday morning to enjoy. I have not been a faithful Visiting Teacher lately and need to do better so hopefully this will start me off on the right foot!

TOFFEE DIP FOR APPLES

1 (8oz) cream cheese, softened
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 (8oz) bag Heath toffee bits

Mix all ingredients together and serve with sliced apples or refrigerate till ready to serve. Makes about 3 cups.

So, here's my little nudge to you to be prepared so that you really can feast upon the words of Christ. It makes all the difference!

P.S. I'd love to hear any other Conference related activities/ideas your family enjoys.

submitted by Emily (delightfuldistraction.blogspot.com) email: delightfuldistraction@gmail.com

Visiting Teaching Brunch

A few weeks ago I hosted a brunch at my house for the girls I Visit Teach (a program from my church, to learn more visit www.mormon.org). It was so much fun and I think would be a fun "gift idea" to do for any group of gals you love for the holidays. Below I will cut and paste from my personal blog what I did for mine, it was pretty simple since I'm at the end of being pregnant with #4. I've heard of lots of other fun ideas for this and next time I think it would be fun to send out invitations and have something for them to take home (a plant, handmade gift, etc).

What: Brunch (Ham, Mushroom & Spinach Strata, French Breakfast Puffs, Fresh Orange Juice and Fruit Skewers)

When: Last Friday Morning

Where: Emily's House

Who: Emily, Heather, Cassandra, Tina, Kari, and Michelle + the littles that aren't in school yet

Why: Do you really need a why to get together and eat good food with good friends? I don't think so!

submitted by Emily (delightfuldistraction.blogspot.com) email: delightfuldistraction@gmail.com

"BOO" sign

Used scrap wood, painted it black, modge podged the scrapbooking paper on the board, then sand papered, tore additional paper and glued onto the board and added "boo" in buttons with Ribbon at the top to hang

submitted by Mandy

Photo Book Gift

I might be a bit late to post but I wanted to share the gifts that I made for my mom and my mother in law for Mother's day... Photo Books from Shutterfly... they were easy to put together and I watched for a good sale and I'm really happy with how they turned out. I feel like it's a personalized gift and a little different from the gifts they usually receive.

This one is for my Mother in Law... it's her son's (my husband's brother) wedding in Hawaii last summer.

Here is a link to the whole book:

http://community.shutterfly.com/gallery/post/start.sfly?postId=/gallery/1/post/GMGDBg2Zt2DVk0YA6TmZla&v_r=t

submitted by MaryRuth (thefrancks.typepad.com)

We're Back & Nativity Blocks

Hello Everyone!  Sorry I haven't posted in so long.  Being pregnant with #4 has been exhausting!  Anyway, I've had lots of people email hoping for more posts on this blog and just wanted to let you know that I'd love to post more ideas as the holidays are right around the corner.  I also know lots of church groups have Super Saturdays and craft days in the fall and there are plenty of great ideas to be had there as well.  So follow the directions on the sidebar and email your ideas, I'll be happy to post them and we can all enjoy!   I will also try to answer the questions you have emailed me over the past while.

Okay, one really fun item of business to start things off is that a fellow blogger found a site where you can print off the MAMBI clip art that was used to make the Nativity Blocks shared by Hilary last year.  The clip art costs $5 to download and you can find it at pccrafter.com.  The stickers have been discontinued but you can print the clip art on adhesive paper and viola you've got stickers.  So, a big huge thanks to Sanders Family (sorry I don't know your first name) for this awesome find!  

Here is the original post submitted by Hilary:

This is a fun idea for nieces, nephews and even your own kids. I saw this on a message board and asked the girl if I could share.

Paint blocks with a few coats of paint. Then apply the stickers. Ink or sand the edges to distress. Then put a coat of Mod Podge on them to seal in the stickers. Let dry.

This particular set of stickers is by Me & My Big Ideas (MAMBI). They are no longer made, so if you like this set you just have to hope a craft or scrapbook store still carries this line. I've done extensive searches online and they are hard to find! However, there are other brands of Nativity stickers. You could probably even find cute nativity clipart.

Senility

Just before the funeral services, the undertaker came up to the very elderly widow and asked, "How old was your husband?" "98," she replied."Two years older than me" "So you're 96," the undertaker commented.She responded, "Hardly worth going home, is it?Reporters interviewing a 104-year-old woman: "And what do you think is the best thing about being 104?" the reporter asked.She simply replied, "No peer pressure."I've sure gotten old! I've had two bypass surgeries, a hip replacement, new knees, fought prostate cancer and diabetes I'm half blind, can't hear anything quieter than a jet engine, take 40 different medications that make me dizzy, winded, and subject to blackouts.Have bouts with dementia.Have poor circulation; hardly feel my hands and feet anymore.Can't remember if I'm 85 or 92.Have lost all my friends.But, thank God, I still have my driver's license.I feel like my body has gotten totally out of shape, so I got my doctor's permission to join a fitness club and start exercising.I decided to take an aerobics class for seniors.I bent, twisted, gyrated, jumped up and down, and perspired for an hour.But, by the time I got my leotards on, the class was over.An elderly woman decided to prepare her will and told her preacher she had two final requests.First, she wanted to be cremated, and second, she wanted her ashes scattered over Wal-Mart."Wal-Mart?" the preacher exclaimed."Why Wal-Mart?" "Then I'll be sure my daughters visit me twice a week"My memory's not as sharp as it used to be.Also, my memory's not as sharp as it used to be.Know how to prevent sagging? Just eat till the wrinkles fill out.It's scary when you start making the same noises as your coffee maker.These days about half the stuff in my shopping cart says, "For fast relief."THE SENILITY PRAYER : Grant me the senility to forget the people I never liked anyway, the good fortune to run into the ones I do, and the eyesight to tell the difference.