Australia: Day One!

 We went to Australia!  Our friend K wanted to take a trip after her deployment, and we eagerly volunteered to accompany her.  We confined our visit to the city of Cairns (pronounced "Kenz" by the locals) in northern Queensland state.

It is an ideal place to visit from Guam.  Same time zone, only a four hour direct flight.  We talked to a nice man from Melbourne who said it took him longer to get to Cairns than us!  Tropical paradise-ish like Guam- but so much better!  I can't say enough about how beautiful the weather was for the week we were there.  Warm in the day, but no trace of the muggy oppressiveness that is constantly on our little island.  And the nights!  Fresh and just on the perfect side of cool.

 Now, I've never really planned international travel before, so not really knowing what I was doing, I booked this package thing from this site. 

We arrived at midnight on Sunday night, and were taken directly to our hostel.  (More on that later...)

 Monday was our day on the Great Barrier Reef.

 

The marina at Cairns.

 The boat photographer ("Righty-O," and "No Worries"- I love Aussie vocabulary!)

 Filling out diving forms on the boat.  B and K went diving.  I am most definitely NOT a diver, so I enjoyed snorkeling.

 Fitzroy Island.  Someday I would love to spend a week just here.

 B and I while the boat let passengers on and off at Fitzroy.

 And K.  Notice how lovely and not red I am in these two pictures...  After the boat left Fitzroy Island, I decided to chance sea sickness (I've never been on a boat before, and was told to stay indoors in the middle to avoid getting queasy) and get some fresh air up on the bow.  I LOVED it!  I loved the boat bouncing in the waves, and having the wind in my face.  However... I got totally toasted from standing out there for two hours.  It takes two hours to get to the reef in Australia!  Isn't that crazy?  In Guam you just walk off the beach and it's right there.

 A note about these next pictures:  We had some issues with our GoPro, and it spent our Australia vacation in a box somewhere between Guam, California, Utah, and Guam.  (Gotta love shipping to our little kind-of-America-but-not-quite island...)  So I bought some cheapo film underwater cameras, and yeah, you get what you pay for.  These photos do no justice to the colors of this reef.  It was BEAUTIFUL!  I thought the fish were just as nice here in Guam, but the coral was definitely more colorful on the GBR.  B said he thought the diving better in Guam. 

 That's me.  They made us wear wetsuits, because the water was "cold".  I mean, it's no Jackson Lake in the Tetons by any stretch, but compared to the warm bath temp of Guam water, I was ok with having a wet suit...

 B and I. 

 Lots of tunnels and canyons in the reefs.

B, upside down...

This picture (above) makes me so sad...  That group of fish was posing in a bright ray of sunlight, and they sparkled blue and yellow and turquoise, and were just the prettiest thing I've ever seen.  I thought this photo was going up on my wall forever, but no...  Curse you Guam post office for not accepting my camera!!!

 Just kicking around in the Great Barrier Reef...

 That's our boat.  Interesting.  I did get extremely sick, and came so close to throwing up, but only each of the two times I got out of the water and in to the boat.  Going up those few stairs just did me in for some reason. 
We enjoyed our long ride back to Cairns, I had a nice long talk with a man from Melbourne.  Almost without exception, I found the Australian people we met to be the most friendly, easy-going people.  It was great!  (The exception, sadly, was in church, where no one seemed very friendly.)

 When we got back to Cairns, we walked all around town (looking for, shall we say, different accommodations...)

 This is the Esplanade Lagoon.  The Esplanade is a lovely park and walk that goes for miles along the water front.  The girls would have loved this pool, and there is also the hugest playground I've ever seen, called Muddy's Playground. 

 More Aussie vocab...

 While we were walking, we couldn't help but hear an enormous racket.  Turns out it came from these fruit bats!  Flying foxes, they're called here.  Roosting in these huge mango trees.  It was cool.

 I really liked how these palms looked in the Esplanade lights...

 The lagoon at night, and K playing with a gun.

We watched an incredible moonrise over the mountains, and then, since our hostel room was the only place available in the city (although we looked absolutely everywhere else- Australia was on their spring break...) we went to Woolworths and got B some ear plugs and went back to our room!

Better-Than-a-Candy-Bar Bars...

I made these today for the first time, and when I tasted them, I almost ditched the function for which I baked them- just so I could eat the whole pan myself.  But I was good, and didn't...
Here's what you need:

1 c butter
1 chocolate cake mix (I used devil's food)
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 c semi sweet chocolate chips
1 c white chocolate chips
1 package of caramels (my package had 41 caramels)

-Melt the butter in a fair-sized glass bowl.  Add cake mix (with none of the cake ingredients- just the mix) and half the can of sweetened condensed milk.
-Press half of this cake mix stuff into the bottom of a sprayed 9x13" pan.  Bake at 350 for about 10 minutes, or until the center is not runny.
-Melt unwrapped caramels and other half of the can of milk in the microwave. 
-Sprinkle half bag of semi sweet and half bag of white chocolate chips over cake when it gets out of the oven.  Pour caramel mixture over and spread so it's even.  Then drop the remaining chocolate cake mixture over the top.
-Bake for about 20 minutes.

I'm just thinking of all the other evilness you could add to these...  A marshmallow layer?  Heath bars?

Mom's Rolls...

My Mom was a caterer, and her rolls were always in demand...

2 c warm water (hot from the tap, hot enough that you can still touch it, but too hot to wash your hands in...)
1/2 c sugar
3 T oil (I usually use canola or olive)
2 t salt
2 eggs (beaten in separate bowl)
2 T yeast
7 c flour (you can use all white, half wheat, or any other mixture you want)

Mix first six ingredients- move fast!  Have everything ready so you can get the yeast in before the water gets too cold.
Mix in flour with a sturdy wooden spoon.  No need to knead.
Let rise until double, then roll out and use a round cookie cutter, or drop dough with a spoon into a greased pan.  Let rise again, then bake at 375 for 15 minutes.  If you would like, pour melted butter over the unbaked rolls then sprinkle with parmesan cheese.

A Commandment...

I was raised with lots of commandments.  Not just the Main Ten (Exodus 20), or the Big Two (Matthew 22), but I'm a Mormon, right? So we have even extra- like the Word of Wisdom (no drinking alcohol, tea, or coffee; no tobacco; be healthy, etc.)  for example.  Of course not everyone knows about commandments, or if they do know, maybe they choose to not follow them.  But I always assumed that, Christianity being a major world religion, a solid majority of people would have a basic working knowledge of the Ten Commandments and attempt to obey them.  But...  Every year that goes past I become more and more astounded at the overlooking I see of one in particular- Number Four.

Here it is in the version of the Bible I read (King James):
8 Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.

 9 Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work:

 10 But the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates:

 11 For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.

 Here it is from the NIV:

⁸ “Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. ⁹ Six days you shall labor and do all your work, ¹⁰ but the seventh day is a sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns. ¹¹ For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy. 

 The New Living Translation:

8 "Remember to observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. 9 Six days a week are set apart for your daily duties and regular work, 10 but the seventh day is a day of rest dedicated to the LORD your God. On that day no one in your household may do any kind of work. This includes you, your sons and daughters, your male and female servants, your livestock, and any foreigners living among you. 11 For in six days the LORD made the heavens, the earth, the sea, and everything in them; then he rested on the seventh day. That is why the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and set it apart as holy.

The Good News Translation:

8 "Observe the Sabbath and keep it holy. 9 You have six days in which to do your work, 10 but the seventh day is a day of rest dedicated to me. On that day no one is to work - neither you, your children, your slaves, your animals, nor the foreigners who live in your country. 11 In six days I, the Lord, made the earth, the sky, the seas, and everything in them, but on the seventh day I rested. That is why I, the Lord, blessed the Sabbath and made it holy.  

Four different ways of saying it, but it comes down to the same thing.  There are many schools of thought about what is appropriate to do on the Sabbath, but one thing seems certain to me:  you shouldn't work, and you shouldn't do anything that leads others to work!  So why!!??!?!  Why is the bx parking lot packed on Sunday?  Why is Sunday the Commissary's busiest day?  What happened to the common consensus that Sunday was a day different from the others?  I very much value the opportunity to take a rest!  (Not that taking three small children to church and doing my best at whatever church duties I have always makes for the most "restful" of days...)  How different would society be if people focused on their families and their relationship with God on at least one day a week?  

Here are some quotes and scriptures...

“The manner in which we spend the Sabbath is a sign of our inner attitude toward God…  Observance of the Sabbath is an indication of the depth of our conversion.”

- Mark E. Petersen, Ensign May 1975

“The Sabbath is a holy day in which to do worthy and holy things.  Abstinence from work and recreation is important but insufficient.  The Sabbath calls for constructive thoughts and acts, and if one merely lounges about doing nothing on the Sabbath, he is breaking it.  To observe it, one will be on his knees in prayer, preparing lessons, studying the gospel, meditating, visiting the ill and distressed, sleeping, reading wholesome material, and attending all the meetings of that day to which he is expected.  To fail to do these proper things is a transgression on the omission side.”

-Spencer W. Kimball, Miracle of Forgiveness

“The matter of Sabbath observance remains to this day as one of the great tests which divides the righteous from the worldly and wicked.”

-Bruce R. McConkie, Mormon Doctrine

“We note that in our Christian world in many places we still have business establishments open… on the sacred Sabbath.  We are sure the cure of this lies in ourselves, the buying public.  Certainly the stores and business houses would not remain open if we, the people, failed to purchase from them.  Will you all please reconsider this matter.  Take it to your home evenings and discuss it with your children.  It would be wonderful if every family determined that henceforth no Sabbath purchase would be made.”

-Spencer W. Kimball, Ensign, Nov. 1975

“Too frequently we come to worship and to leave our offerings without attempting to prepare our inner selves to the same degree of perfection that we achieve in our outward dress and grooming.”

-Robert L. Simpson, Conf. Rep. Oct. 1966

“The purpose of the Sabbath is for spiritual uplift, for a renewal of our covenants, for worship, for rest, for prayer.  It is for the purpose of feeding the spirit, that we may keep ourselves unspotted from the world by obeying God’s command.”

-Ezra Taft Benson, God, Family, Country:  Our Three Great Loyalties

Gen. 2:2-3

Ex. 16:29

Ex. 20:8-11

Ex. 31:16-17

Lev. 25:3-7, 20-22

Isa. 56:1-8

Isa. 58:13

Neh. 10:31

Neh. 13:15-22

Matt. 12:8, 10-13

Mark 2:27

Luke 13:11-16

Luke 14:5

Acts 20:7

Rev. 1:10

D&C 59:9-20, 90

D&C 68:29

D&C 98:3

Cinnamon Roll Cake

This is seriously good...  You can make this the night before and leave it raw in the fridge overnight to bake in the morning- a good Christmas Morning treat.

-Grease a large casserole dish, the size larger than a 9x13.  (The recipe is supposed to be for a 9x13, but I figure why not spread it out a bit more so it goes further?)
-For the cake:
3 c flour
1/4 t salt
1 c sugar
4 t baking powder
1 1/2 c milk
2 eggs
2 t vanilla
1/2 c butter, melted
-Mix it all together in a big bowl in order.  Pour it into pan.
-For the topping:
1 c butter, softened
1 c brown sugar
2 T flour
1 T cinnamon
-Mix topping ingredients, drop onto the cake and swirl.
-Bake at 350 degrees for 32 minutes.
-While cake is baking, make the glaze:
2 c powdered sugar
5 T milk
1 t vanilla
-Drizzle on warm cake just from the oven.

Yes...

I think I just found my next birthday cake...

This recipe was voted the best Blogger recipe in 2012 and my friend Marie from the English Kitchen is generous enough to share it with you. I made this yesterda...y and it is insanely good.

Fudge Brownie Pie

3/4 cup flour
1 cup of regular sugar
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
4 ounces butter, melted
2 large free range eggs, beaten
2 teaspoons vanilla
1/2 cup chopped toasted pecans
2 handfuls of mini marshmallows

For the frosting:

2 ounces butter, melted (1/4 cup)
1 ounce cocoa powder, sifted (1/4 cup)
2 ounces evaporated milk (1/4 cup)
1 cup powdered sugar, sifted (8 ounces)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9 inch spring form pan set aside.

Whisk together the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt in a bowl. Beat together the butter, eggs and vanilla. Add to the dry ingredients and mix until smooth. Stir in the toasted nuts. Pour into the prepared pan.

Bake on a middle shelf of the oven for 25 to 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Immediately sprinkle the marshmallows on top and return to the oven for a few minutes to melt the marshmallows. Remove from the oven and carefully spread the chocolate frosting over top.

To make the chocolate frosting mix all ingredients together in a bowl, beating with an electric whisk until smooth and thick. Spread on the hot marshmallows. Let cool completely. Cut into wedges to serve.

Happiest Day of My Life, and Cute Girls...

The playground is finished!  We chose our house here on base because it had a playground in the back yard.  Sadly, it was all fenced off pending repairs.  The housing people assured us that it would be up and running any day.  Almost a year later...  Still.  Very much worth the wait!  The big girls now go play for long periods of time, and I can go sit on a shady bench and watch the little one play too.  It is fantastic!  (I love living on base...)

And some pictures of cute girls...

Miss A- still loving the cowboy boots...

Miss M- getting very good at the scooter...

And Miss R- funny little babe.