Grandma and Grandpa are here!

The kids have been counting down the days for the arrival of Grandma and Grandpa Rudisill... February 28th at around 10:00am they would arrive at our house. 25 hours after boarding the plane in Charlotte, North Carolina, having issues with their visas, flight delays in Houston, running through airport in L.A. and just making their connection as the gate was closing... they made it to Sydney around 8:00am. They were finally here! But their luggage was still in the states and will not arrive until tomorrow afternoon. Luckily they packed a change of clothes.

My kids were anxiously waiting by the phone for Scott to call and say that he was on his way home with Grandma and Grandpa. After the call, Kaylea, Claudia, and Samuel ran downstairs and watched the road for 20 minutes while Daniel was in the "lookout tower" aka balcony.

We are so glad to have them for the next 18 days and to really sight see and be the tourists in Sydney.

While we headed off to chruch... mom and dad went for a stroll down to Coogee Beach to try to stay awake. 10 more hours before they were allowed to sleep.

The Big Dig

The Goal:

To dig until you hit water.

After all that digging... They found water!

Teachers Package

Friday afternoon we received a package from the states and of course we all couldn't wait to tear into the box. The suspense was killing us. But once inside we realized that Mrs. Putman, Mrs. Sensney, and Mrs. Brown sent valentines day cards, letters from the class, and candy too. How thoughtful... even Samuel had a bag with his name on it. The kids couldn't stop talking about the letters that their friends wrote to them. My kids had the best teachers at Lookout Mountain and we miss them so much!

Thanks so much! We love and miss you all too!

?+?+?= fun

Ice Cream + Valentine's Day Movie + Great Girls = Lots of Laughs!

Kaylea's Cooking Class

Cooking 101

Kaylea's first day in cooking class and she did an incredible job!

Caramel Sticky Rolls
3 1/2 to 4 cups all purpose flour

1/3 cup sugar

1 tsp salt

2 packages regular or quick active dry yeast

(4 1/2 teaspoons)

1 cup very warm milk

1/4 cup butter or stick margarine, softened

1 large egg

1. Mix 2 cups of the flour, the sugar, salt and yeast in large bowl. Add warm milk, 1/4 cup butter and the egg. Beat 1 minute, scraping bowl frequently. Stir in enough remaining flour to make dough easy to handle.

2. Place dough on lightly floured surface. Knead about 5 minutes or until dough is smooth and springy. Place dough in large bowl greased with shortening, turning dough to grease all sides. Cover bowl loosely with plastic wrap and let rise in warm place about 1 hour 30 minutes or until double. Dough is ready if indentation remains when touched.

3. Make Caramel Topping. Pour into ungreased rectangular pan, 13x9x2 inches. Sprinkle with pecan halves. Make filling.

Caramel Topping

1 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 cup butter or stick margarine, softened

1/4 cup corn syrup

Heat brown sugar and butter to boiling in 2 quart saucepan, stirring constantly; remove from heat. Stir in corn syrup.

4. Gently push fist into dough to deflate. Flatten dough with hands or rolling pin into 15x10 inch rectangle on lightly floured surface. Spread with 2 tablespoons butter: sprinkle with filling. Roll rectangle up tightly, beginning at 15 inch side. Pinch edge of dough into roll to seal. Stretch and shape until even. Cut roll into fifteen 1 inch slices with dental floss or a sharp serrated knife. Place slightly apart in pan. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rise in warm place about 30 minutes or until double.

Filling

1/2 cup chopped pecans or raisins

1/4 cup granulated or packed brown sugar

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Mix all ingredients

5. Heat oven to 350 6. Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until golden brown. Let stand 2 to 3 minutes; immediately turn upside down onto heatproof tray or serving plate. Let stand 1 minutes so caramel can drizzle over rolls; remove pan. Serve warm.

Ummm... Delicious!

Feeding Frenzy