Breakfast

For almost a year now, I have been working up to this... having BREAKFAST together as a family each morning.  Not just any old breakfast, but a hot, homemade breakfast. The thought was first planted in my mind by my friend Jen, who does this. "Wow! That's amazing. And it would never work for our family," was what I said when I found out she cooks a hot breakfast for her family every morning. I had become the queen of cold cereal breakfast. No planning or preparation went into our weekday morning meals. It was each person fending for himself or herself -- choosing from the boxes in the pantry of processed, overly-sugared, expensive store-bought cereal.

The idea of providing a hot, homemade breakfast for my family kept working its way into my mind over the course of the next several months. I knew it was what I needed to do. I began to think of ways that I could make it work for us. Instead of laying in bed each morning until the last possible minute before my husband and high-schooler rushed out the door, I decided I could sacrifice some sleep and discipline myself to get out of bed earlier. I didn't tell my husband about my long-term goal just yet. He wondered in surprise when I started getting up a couple days of the week before he finished his morning routine, so we could talk and get ready for the day together. At first, I got out of bed just 15 minutes earlier than usual, then 30, then 45 minutes. By this time, almost a whole year had passed since I started planning for this big new goal. I prepped my children for this new routine several weeks prior to the start of the new school year. I told them I wanted our family to have more time together and to start the day off right with family prayer and a yummy breakfast. I told them it would require a degree of sacrifice from each one of us. In order for Dad to leave the house on time to get to work, we would need to all be downstairs by 6:00 a.m.  I was surprised that the response of my children was positive. Each of them said they wanted to do it. Next, I told my husband. He was a little skeptical about it, but he agreed that it would be nice. This part wasn't as hard as I thought it would be. This family of mine is pretty amazing. And they like good food too :).

Finally, I was ready to implement my plan. I successfully dragged myself out of bed when my husband got up at 5:15 a.m!  

For three consecutive days I have been doing this now. WE have been doing this now! ALL of the members of our family have gotten out of bed of their own free will and choice, and reported downstairs for family prayer and breakfast by 6:00 a.m.  I call that a mighty success :).  

I know it has only been THREE days, but now I know we can do it, because the Bowers family CAN DO HARD THINGS!!!

Bowers Family This 'n That

Life is so busy and there is always something exciting happening.

Here are a few snippets of the goings-on in the Bowers household:

Trent, our youngest, is having fun being a Cub Scout. As an assistant Den Leader in his Wolf Den, I have the privilege of helping out with the weekly meetings and monthly Pack Meetings. 

I teach piano lessons to my own children and also to a couple dozen wonderful young musicians. We have recitals a couple of times each year. I love to see the progress of the children I teach.  Music brings me great joy! Our house is always filled with music.

I am continually seeking inspiration for ways to teach the gospel of Jesus Christ in our home, and for unique and meaningful ways to apply those teachings. Read about one way that our family did this:

http://kennewickstakereliefsociety.blogspot.com/2014_03_01_archive.html

The law of the harvest:

I love to be outside, and I've tried hard to pass along that love to my children. There is so much to be learned from caring for our little portion of Heavenly Father's beautiful earth. I especially love the lessons learned from raising a garden -- planning, preparing the soil, planting the seeds, nurturing and caring for the growing plants, and finally -- harvesting and enjoying the fruits and vegetables.  Successful gardening-- like anything worthwhile -- takes patience, diligence, and hard work. 

My sweet daughter is learning to experience the joy of service, kindness, and love. We are so blessed to have wonderful neighbors and friends!

My second son, Todd, learned about diligence and hard work as he trained for track season his Junior year of high school. It was rewarding to see him improve his times and reach his goals. I love to see him run.

My favorite time of the day

I work very hard to safeguard our family dinner hour each evening, otherwise there are a hundred other good things that try to compete with this precious window of opportunity to provide daily nourishment and nurturing of body and spirit for my family.

Following our evening family prayer, we always sit around the table for dinner. We put away phones and all types of media distractions. 

There are a couple of things I do to make sure we gather together around the table for meal time every night:

First, the food is delicious and nutritious.

There are exceptions to this, I will be truthful! Sometimes the food turns out yucky. Sometimes I don't plan ahead very well and have to pull something together very last-minute.  And sometimes, it's probably not nutritious either. But for the most part, I spend quality time planning and preparing meals to make sure my family enjoys what I place before them and expect them to eat :).

Second, it is enjoyable. 

I know this sounds very simple, but it's not always easy. We are a work in progress. But, overall, we all enjoy our time eating together. I try to make it a positive, happy time. When my children grow up and look back on their years at home, I want this to stand out as a wonderful memory for them.

This is our time to focus on each other -- we laugh, we ask questions, we discuss all kinds of issues, current events, and things to plan and look forward to; we give compliments and sometimes counsel; we teach and we testify of Christ and talk about what we did to share His love throughout the day; we discuss our "highlights" -- what we liked best about the day, and sometimes we talk about the things we did that were embarrassing, or made us feel sad or upset or frustrated. Meal time is a safe time for everyone to share.

Love is Spoken Here

We recently returned from a family reunion for the posterity of my parents, Lynn and Janice Child.  It was held in the mountains near Park City, Utah -- a gorgeous location! We stayed three nights in a big lodge with bunk house and had lots of crazy fun.  It was wonderful to see everyone and to be together for four days, all 37 of us.

Some of the highlights for me included our family photo shoot, which was interrupted by a rainstorm; the delicious meals (each family took a turn cooking for the whole group); spending an afternoon in Park City and experiencing the thrill of the Alpine Slide and the Alpine Coaster; spending a day at Jordanelle State Park; and hearing my Dad's counsel and his humble, gratitude-filled prayer at the end of the reunion.

I feel so blessed to be a part of this eternal family. My parents are truly amazing. They inspire me every day through their example and continual kindness and love to continue to press forward with faith and with joy. I love them so much.

Thank you, Mom and Dad, for everything... and for this amazing opportunity to gather together.

Greg and Jade's Wedding

On April 12, 2014, I had the privilege of attending the marriage ceremony of my nephew, Greg, and his beautiful bride, Jade.  They were married for time and all eternity in the Columbia River Temple.  

And lucky me!  I got to view these two beautiful young people, in love, from behind the lens of my camera. Sooo much fun!  

Greg's parents, siblings, nieces, nephews, Grandmother, and our family -- 

after the wedding on the temple grounds.

My beautiful niece, Shan, and her lovely family.

The groom with his siblings

A reception for the newlyweds was held at the LDS stake center pavilion following the temple ceremony.

 The weather was perfect.  

Food was delicious.  

Music was lovely.  

The love of friends and family was priceless.

Little guys

Grandma Bowers and Greg dancing at the reception

My own cute kiddos and my photo-bombing niece

Irresistible food

Delicious

Congratulations, Greg and Jade!  

May you have an eternity of happiness together.

2013 Shutterfly Photo Book -- Bowers Family Highlights

Click here to view this photo book larger

Shutterfly photo books are the new way to preserve your memories. Create your own today.

Todd's Eagle Court of Honor

Our 2nd son is an Eagle Scout!

There are now officially three Eagle Scouts in our immediate family: my husband, our oldest son, and now our second son.  The Court of Honor was held at the church, and we had lots of support from extended family and friends who have influenced Todd and helped him along his path to Eagle Scout.

My Dad came to support Todd on his special day.

Only about 5 percent of young men who join a Boy Scout troop achieve the rank of Eagle Scout.  I'm so proud of my Eagle Scout! 

To earn the Eagle Scout rank, the highest advancement rank in Scouting, a Boy Scout must fulfill requirements in the areas of leadership, service, and outdoor skills.  Although many options are available to demonstrate proficiency in these areas, a number of specific skills are required to advance through the ranks – Tenderfoot, Second Class, First Class, Star, Life, and Eagle.  To advance, a Boy Scout must pass specific tests that are organized by requirements and merit badges.

The fact that a young man is an Eagle Scout has always carried with it a special significance, not only in Scouting but also as he enters higher education, business or industry, and community service.  The award is a performance-based achievement whose standards have been well-maintained over the years.  

Bowers Family Favorite Homemade Wheat Bread

My Mother-in-law is the ultimate bread-baker. In her lifetime, she has baked an estimated 15,000 loaves of bread. Of these, at least 5,000 loaves have been given away - to friends, neighbors, and family members. In the past ten years alone, she has used up more than 1,200 pounds of wheat to make her delicious bread.

About 5 years ago, my dear, smiling husband gave me a Bosch mixer and a Blendtec grain mill for Mother's Day.

What was he thinking?!? (That was my first thought. I didn't say it out loud. Not to him, at least).

Then my heart softened and I decided it was time for me to learn this fancy skill of bread-baking. Because I like to see my husband smile.

I went to my Mother-in-law and asked for her help. She is an amazing teacher. And she is very, very patient.

Afterward, I took my new-found skills to my own kitchen and tried out my Mother-in-law's recipe. Over time, I tweaked it just a little to make it my own.

I will be honest: This bread is DELICIOUS!

I had no idea how much happier my already-smiling husband would become on the days I bake bread.

He becomes like a giddy school boy. He LOVES it when I bake bread.

And I'm proud to say that even though it took lots of practice, and sometimes I still mess up a batch of bread, MOST weeks I successfully turn out four or five beautiful loaves of homemade bread, which my family devours way too quickly.

It truly is a labor of love.

And I can honestly say it brings me JOY to labor in this way for the ones I love.

So here is my recipe, modified just slightly from the recipe of my lovely Mother-in-Law, Janice Lewis Bowers.

Recipe: Bowers Family Favorite Wheat Bread

Ingredients:

Dry instant yeast (a scant 3 Tablespoons)

1/2 cup very warm water
3 teaspoons white sugar
5 cups hot tap water
2 Tablespoons salt
2/3 cup Canola cooking oil
2/3 cup honey
9 cups freshly-ground whole wheat flour (from approximately 6 cups of wheat berries -- I use hard white winter wheat purchased from my local health foods store in 25-pound bags)
3 to 4 cups white, unbleached flour

1. Use a wheat grinder to grind up enough wheat berries (about 6 cups) to equal 9 cups of whole wheat flour. If you don't have a wheat grinder, that's okay. You can substitute purchased, whole wheat flour. It works fine in this recipe, it's just not as nutritious as freshly-ground flour.  As mentioned in the ingredients list above, I use hard white wheat. That is my personal preference. My Mother-in-Law uses hard red wheat, which has a richer, grainier flavor; not as mild.

2. While the wheat grinder is grinding your wheat, add a little less than 3 Tablespoons of yeast to 1/2 cup of very warm tap water in a small bowl or liquid measuring cup. Sprinkle with 3 teaspoons of white sugar.

3. Next, pour 5 cups of hot tap water into your mixing bowl. (Sorry, but a KitchenAid mixer just can't handle this big job, unless you want to cut the recipe in half -- then it would be okay).  To make five loaves of bread -- which is what this recipe does, you just gotta have a Bosch mixer -- the BEST, in my opinion :)

 4.  Add 7 cups whole wheat flour to the hot tap water already in the bowl of your mixer. Turn the mixer on and mix until blended, which should take about 30 seconds or so.

5.  Stop the mixer and scrape the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Add 2 Tablespoons salt, 2/3 cup Canola oil, 2/3 cup honey, and another 2 cups of whole wheat flour. Mix until well combined, about a minute.

6.  By this time, the yeast/water/sugar mixture will be frothy and may be approaching the top of your measuring cup or bowl. Add this to the other ingredients already in the mixing bowl. Add 1 cup whole wheat flour and mix until combined.

7. Stop the mixer. Scrape the sides of the bowl with the rubber spatula. Attach the plastic mixing guard to the top of the bowl (otherwise, you will have a mess when you start adding flour). Turn your mixer back on and continue to mix on low speed while slowly adding white flour (3 to 4 cups).

8.  When the dough begins to "clean"/pull away from the sides of the bowl, like the above photo, you know you have added enough flour.  Continue to let the mixer knead the dough for 5 minutes on low speed.

9.  Then turn that baby up to high speed and mix for another 5 minutes. Don't forget to set your timer!

10. Here's how to check to make sure the gluten has done its magic. If you pull up a handful of dough and it separates and becomes "hole-y," it hasn't been kneaded long enough.  If it holds together nicely, it's good to go.  Cover the dough and let it "rest" for about 10 minutes. It's easier to handle if you do this, but it's not a necessary step. Sometimes if I'm in a rush, I skip the "resting."

11. Pull the dough from the mixing bowl and separate it into five equal pieces. I just sort of eyeball it. If one piece looks bigger than another, I pull off some from that piece and plop it onto another one that looks smaller. Not a big deal. Place the dough into loaf pans that have been sprayed with non-stick cooking spray (Don't judge my ugly pans. They say the uglier the pans, the better the bread).

12. This is how I shape the dough into a loaf: I sort of roll it into a log shape and then squeeze the air bubbles out, smooth the top, and tuck the sides under. Then pat it/"spank" it (see below), and smooth it some more then place it seam side down in the pan when it looks pretty.

Note: This is a good time to get any anger or frustration out. haha. Bread dough doesn't care if you pinch it, spank it, or plop it right down with gusto into the pan. I like to tease my kids by telling them, "This one is Trent's bottom!" (spank! spank!) or "Todd, you need a good spanking. This one's for you" (spank!) Bread dough is great for that, I tell ya. I don't ever need to spank my actual kids' bottoms because my bread takes the beating for them. We all get a good laugh out of this very silly, very old joke at our house.

13. Once the bread has been shaped and placed in the pans, it's time to cover it with a clean, lightweight dish cloth and let it rise.

14. When the bread dough has risen to double its original size, like the above photo, carefully transfer it to your pre-heated 350-degree oven.

15. Bake for approximately 25-30 minutes. (You will probably have to experiment a little with your oven to see what time works best).

16. Pull the bread out and spread the top with a little butter, if you like.  After about 5 minutes, remove the bread from the pans and place them on a rack to cool.

Of course, homemade bread is yummiest served warm. We love it sliced and spread with butter and honey.

This bread freezes well. Just make sure it is wrapped well to prevent yucky freezer burn.

My kiddos love homemade bread for their sandwiches every day in their lunches. They prefer this over any other bread. It makes delicious toast in the morning for breakfast too. And it's soooo good for you!

Enjoy!!