I found this recipe a few months ago from Your Homebased Mom.  The first time I made these rolls was for our Thanksgiving dinner and several times since then.  I like that these rolls are homemade, fairly quick, and easy to make since I often don’t have time to spend several hours in the kitchen making dinner for my family.  These rolls are a little denser than most dinner rolls but that is due to the shorter rising time.  If you are looking for a tasty dinner roll option that you can make in less time try this recipe!

30 Minute Dinner Rolls

• 1 cup plus 2 tablespoon Warm Water
• 1/3 cup Oil
• 2 tablespoon Yeast
• 1/4 cup Sugar
• 1 teaspoon Salt
• 1 Egg
• 3 1/2 cups Flour

Grease an 9×13 pyrex dish.  Heat oven to 400 degrees.  Mix the water, oil, yeast and sugar together then allow it to rest for 15 minutes.  With your dough hook, mix in the salt, egg, and flour.  Knead with hook until the dough is soft and smooth. (takes only a couple of minutes).  Form dough into 12 balls and allow to rest for 10 minutes.  Bake for 10 minutes at 400 degrees or until golden brown.

Mother’s Day cards – can you guess who gave me which card?!

There are so many joys and rewards to being a Mom.  As I reflect on the recent Mother’s Day I am once again reminded of the many blessings I have in my life.  It took my husband and I several years before we had children so when I look back it on those days it reminds me of the precious gifts we have been given as well as the big responsibility of raising our girls.

Cards from Karlie and Brina with for Mother’s Day with pressed flowers

Not every day is easy nor does parenting always go perfectly for me.  Somehow raising children has a way of “highlighting” the areas in my life that I need to work on.  Several times over the past few months I have noticed more and more how my kids reflect my attitude, actions, and words.  I have had to apologize to my kids for overreacting, saying something hurtful, or just being in a grumpy mood.  Thankfully through all the successes as well as the failures my girls still love me and want to spend time with me.

Mother’s Day cards from Karlie & Brina

More than a week before Mother’s Day the girls announced that they were going to our neighbors garage sale to “shop” for a Mother’s Day gift so off they went with their little purses and money to the neighbors house.  The girls and their cousin came back with bags in their hands and smiles on their faces.  They were very excited to find treasures for Mother’s Day and they picked out some pretty cool stuff too.  Brina got me a “Mom” necklace, pens, and lipstick and holder.  Karlie got me a candle holder with candles, a mirror, and a “Mom” bracelet.  The best part is that they picked it all out themselves and they put so much thought into their gifts.

Adorable note from my sweet Karlie

I was spoiled because both girls gave me 3 Mother’s Day cards too.  Just reading their sweet cards brought tears to my eyes.  They have grown up so much…..its hard to believe that only a few years ago they were tiny preemie babies and now they are shopping, writing their own cards, and so much more.  God has richly blessed me with Brina and Karlie.  I love them dearly and pray that I have wisdom from above to be the best Mom I can be for my girls.

Note and picture from my beautiful Brina

Jake is so good to me everyday but he always surprises me around Holidays.  He made all the meals the entire weekend (it was a wonderful break).  Jake is an amazing cook so I was really spoiled over Mother’s Day weekend.  His cards always bring tears to my eyes.  This year I got a brand new…..office chair from my man for Mother’s Day.  Even though I don’t ever remember mentioning anything about my office chair he noticed that it was getting near its end.  It has been nice having a comfy chair to work in this week!  Thank you Handsome for your thoughtfulness, kindness, and love.

Mother’s Day drawing and note from my beautiful Karlie

The best part of the weekend was spending extra time with my family.  It was the first weekend in a long time that it was just us hanging out together.  We went on adventures, played games, read books, worked around the house, spent some time with friends, laughed, and just enjoyed our time as a family.  I am thankful for the many memories and our moments together are a truly amazing gift.

Cute note in the card from my sweet Brina

Jake & I in front of the Charminar – Hyderabad, India

We are actually standing on a small divider between two streets, thankfully it wasn’t during rush hour!  Charminar is known as the Emerald City in Hyderabad.  The Charminar was a beautiful building  made of granite and marble.

Charminar – Hyderabad, India

Charminar was built in 1591 during the rule of Sulltan Muhammad Quli Autb Shah.  It was built to celebrate the elimination of a plague from the city.  Historians say that he prayed at this very spot for the plague to come to an end and promised to build a “masjid” mosque to remember this prayer.  While building the Charminar Quli prayed “Oh Allah, bestow unto this city peace and prosperity. Let millions of men of all castes, creeds and religions make it their abode, like fish in the water.” *

View from one side of Charminar

Looking out from Charminar towards a large temple in the center of Hyderabad, India

Looking down to the sidewalk below from the top of Charminar

Standing at the top of Charminar and looking across at the people on the other side.  The various designs and architecture were pretty amazing!

The older part of Hyderabad that you can see from the top of Charminar

Jake and I at the top of Charminar. 

It is quite funny the unintentional scene we make walking through the streets, markets, and historical places because many people had never met anyone from “The United States of America!” and they were intent on watching what we did and the really brave ones talked with us.  I had to laugh looking at this picture afterward and seeing all the people standing behind us “posing” for the picture too!   It was a neat experience meeting and talking with so many people on our journeys.

Our Driver was a great tour guide through this part of our trip.

This was the only location he would not let us go into alone.  He came with us and we were very grateful!  They people at the ticket counter would not allow us to pay for his ticket because it was not “appropriate”.  He was an awesome driver, cheerful, knowledgeable, and it was neat to get to know him.  We got to see the village where he lived and found out that he and his wife had their first kid, a little girl, this past November 2011.

One of the locals wanted us to put together our hands like we are holding the carving on the wall.  Always an adventure!

It was so neat looking out over the city of Hyderabad

Looking at Charminar from the street

According to the local historians it has been said that one of the Charminar towers (or marinets) fell after being struck by lightening.  It was repaired immediately and since then no major reconstruction has been done on the Charminar.

Charminar – Hyderabad, India

Charminar is built on four corners of the square with a tower (also called “minarets) in each of the four corners.  Each side of Charminar opens to the plaza and you can see local vendors selling goods, food, and many items on the street.  Every tower (minaret) is four stories high with approximate total height of 159 feet.

*Quote & Information Credit

The “Travel and Vacation” series is an insight into our trips together as a family and ways we relax.  Life is short and we were thrilled to have the opportunity to build memories with family and explore of of the most amazing places during our time away.  Explore with a good attitude, look for fun, and it will be an awesome trip jammed packed with positive memories.  It is refreshing having some time away from the regular routine.  Make it a once in a lifetime opportunity to meet new people and learn.  You just might see or try something new that takes your breath away!

This was a really neat room, it had the various weapons that had been used on display

I am continuing my pictures from our trip to the Chowmahalla Palace in Hyderabad, India.  Jake and I packed in several amazing events, learned a lot of great history, and toured the city of Hyderabad.  This one one of the neat places we were able to see that day.   In the picture above you can see a wall of weapons.  It was pretty fascinating to see the various weapons on display.  Many of them were made by hand and were used by royalty or famous people in India.  They had two huge rooms from floor to ceiling with displays.

More weapons….ouch!

Jake had to explain to me what these seat / basket looking items were

I cannot remember the official name for these….yes there is one, but these are the chairs royalty would set on when riding on an elephant.

Garments and hats worn by royalty

It’s hard to tell from this picture but the royalty wore a lot of gold in their clothing.  They would weave threads of gold throughout the pieces making them sparkle in the sun.  I have noticed that the people in this area really do like brightly colored and gold items, they wear a lot of “bling-bling”.

Nizam’s Rolls Royce Silver Ghost Throne Car

It was a beautiful canary yellow car (only driven 356 miles)!

Story behind the Rolls Royce Silver Ghost Car

Pretty cool car.  They had someone in the display hand washing it when we were there.  It is a fun and cheerful colorful, it would be cool to go for a spin in it!

Royal stables with a bunch of old carriages

Pretty flowers in the courtyard at the palace

Bright and beautiful flower at the Chowmahalla Palace, one of my favorites in India!

I had a blast touring the Chowmahalla Palace in Hyderabad, India.  It was filled with amazing glimpses into the history of India and it’s royalty.  One piece of advice for anyone traveling to this area from USA or overseas, you will probably get stopped a lot, asked questions, pictures taken, and hands shaken.

The “Travel and Vacation” series is an insight into our trips together as a family and ways we relax.  Life is short and we were thrilled to have the opportunity to build memories with family and explore of of the most amazing places during our time away.  Explore with a good attitude, look for fun, and it will be an awesome trip jammed packed with positive memories.  It is refreshing having some time away from the regular routine.  Make it a once in a lifetime opportunity to meet new people and learn.  You just might see or try something new that takes your breath away!

The Save A Lot weekly ad deals are listed below for your convenience.  It is a great time to stock up on some Save A Lot deals.  Sign up for the Smart Shopper Club, by doing so you will get a $5.00 off of $25.00 coupon!

Meats and Seafood

Picnic Pork Roast – $0.88 lb

T-Bone Steaks – $6.99 lb

Johnsonville Brats or Italian Sausage (19 oz) – $3.49
Use $1.00/2 coupon from insert 5/6 Smart Source (Expires 6/15/12)
$2.99 each after coupon

Hickory Springs Sliced Bacon (12 oz) – $2.50

Sugardale Jumbo Dogs (3 pounds) – $2.99

Holten Extra Value Beef Patties (24 oz) – $1.99

Fairgrounds Hot Dogs (12 oz) – $0.79

Fresh Chicken Wings – $1.99 lb

Boneless Center Cut Pork Chops – $1.99 lb

Frozen Pork Spare Ribs – $1.99 lb

Fresh Ground Chuck Beef Patties – $3.49 lb

Family Pack Chicken Drumsticks or Thighs – $0.99 lb

Pick 5 for $19.99 promo on going! Pick any 5 specially marked packages of your favorite cuts or types of meats, vegetables and more.  Here are a few of the specials they have going on with the Pick 5 for $19.99 this week (each item approximately $3.99):

Fridge and Freezer

Coburn Farms Grade A Large Eggs (1 dozen) – $0.88

Hungry Man Dinners (16 oz) – $1.99

Green Giant Vegetables in Sauce (8 – 10 oz) – $1.00

Tree Ripe Lemonade (59 oz) – $1.99

Produce

Vine Ripened Tomatoes – $0.88 lb

Fresh Cucumbers – $0.50

Seedless Whole Watermelon – $3.99

Fresh Corn on the Cob – 3 for $1.00

Parker’s Baking Potatoes (10 pounds) – $3.99

Yellow Onions (3 pounds) – $1.29

Dole Coleslaw Mix (14 oz) – $0.99

Household

Solo Liquid Laundry Detergent (50 oz) – $1.79

Grocery

King Thin Sandwich Bread (20 oz) – $1.79

Tony’s Original Crust Pizza – $1.88

Tony’s Mega Pouches, Pepperoni Pizza or Bacon Breakfast  (6.5 oz) – $0.99

El Monterey’s XXL Burritos (10 oz) – $0.99

 Welch’s Juice Cocktail (64 oz) – $1.99
Use $1.00/1 coupon from insert 2/12 Red Plum (Expires 5/31/12)
Use $0.75/1 coupon from insert 4/29 Red Plum (Expires 6/20/12)
As low as $0.99 each after coupon

Cloverhill Danish, Apple or Cheese (3 count)  – $1.00

Tony Chachere’s Creole Rice Dinner Mixes – $0.89

Herr’s Cheese Curls (7 – 8 oz) – $1.79

Brim’s Premium Popcorn, Cheese or Butter (14 oz) – $1.88

A1 Steak Sauce (10 oz) – $2.99

Frank’s Original Red Hot Sauce (12 oz) – $1.79

Specialty Baker’s Dessert Shells (5 oz) – $0.99

Jello No Bake Desserts (12- 17 oz) – $2.49

Sundance Fruit Drinks (16 oz) – $0.50

Very Fine Juice Drinks (32 oz) – $1.00

Hawaiian Punch Fruit Drink Mix (makes 12 quarts) – $2.49

Kurtz Mustard (14 oz) – $0.69

Kurtz Ketchup (24 oz) – $0.99

Baumann’s BBQ Sauce (18 oz) – $1.39

Kurtz Sweet Relish (16 oz) – $1.69

Crystal Drinking Water (24 pack) – $2.99

Remember you can use the $5/$25 printable coupon to sweeten these deals!  Plus you can earn up to 5 additional $5 off $25 coupons for sharing the coupon with your friends.  For more information about Save A Lot’s coupon policies go here.  If you find additional deals or savings please let me know and I will add them to the list.

Looking from one side of the palace across the middle fountains to the other side

It was a beautiful palace with a lot of history. Like many of the historical or tourists places to visit in Hyderabad the local price and the tourist price was different. Jake and I had to pay more because we were tourists but we our lines were much faster. Also, another thing that I didn’t realize until after going into various places was that it cost extra to bring in your camera and take pictures.

Chowmalla Palace in Hyderabad, India

The Chowmalla Palace was a place for royalty.  The royalty would entertain guests in this beautiful palace in the heart of Hyderabad.  This was the first of the Asaf Jahi Palaces.  Construction began on the Chowmahalla Palace in 1750 which resided on 45 acres of land, it was a replica of Shah of Iran’s Palace.  When the Nizam dynasty took over they expanded and added even more palaces to the Chowmahalla complex.  The heart of the palace is the Khilwat Mubarak which has a grand ballroom and throne made of marble.  Noblemen and officials were invited to come to the palace for a variety of celebrations with the royal family.

Map of the Chowmahalla Palace – Hyderabad, India

HEH Mukarram Jah Bahadur Asaf Jah VIII and Princess Esra decided to restore the palace with the help of experts.  In 2005 the palace for the first time opened its gates to visitors and guests from around the world.  The palace was given the Award of Merit 2010 by the UNESCO which was the first of time in Hyderabad’s history.   Chowmahalla Palace won the INTACH Heritage Awards in 2002 and 2005 for best maintenance.

In the Chowmahalla Palace courtyards we saw a couple cannons, this one is near the gardens and water fountain.

The cannon had a dragon-lizard like animal on the top and the India royalty crest.  I am not sure how much they actually used the cannon since it was inside the courtyard and more decorative.  It may have been just stored there as a piece of history, but it was cool to look at and much different then other cannons we have seen.

This is where the royalty would host plays, dances in their huge ballroom and had a throne were the king would sit.

This was a beautiful part of the palace full of history.  I really wanted to go up onto the top balconies and look out over the entire palace.  It would be really neat to see what it looked like back when it was active with the royal family and guests.

The Chowmahalla Palace had many buildings and courtyards to explore.

The English Bracket Clock

We walked into the ballroom just a few moments before noon.  There was a room next to the front door and we noticed a large crowd of people sitting on the floor and looking at the clock.  Of course we were curious too!  We soon discovered that the people sitting on the floor were waiting to see what would happen when the clock struck noon, so we waited since it was only a minute away.  When the clock struck noon a little drummer boy came out and tapped a drum 12 times.

Chowmahalla Palace’s ballroom

Beautiful ballroom with high ceilings, marble floors and columns and crystal chandeliers.  It was a pretty impressive room.

Pieces of original stationary from royalty that lived in the Chowmahalla Palace

This shows some of the names and royal crests from the families that lived in the Palace.

Jake & I in one of the royal cloat rooms that displayed garments, furniture, utensils and items from the royality who lived in Chowmahalla Palace

The royal throne in Chowmahalla Palace

The king lounged in his throne in the middle of the ballroom.

Cool chair in the palace

There were rooms in the palace where we could take pictures and other areas where we were not allowed to take pictures.  It was really neat looking at all the furniture, paintings, and cool pieces of history.

Window facing one of the courtyards

In the stairwells they had windows that they could open up which provided a nice breeze through the palace and many had beautiful views overlooking the courtyard.  This is on one of the stairwells that had an open window overlooking a courtyard.  I love how the tree has grown to perfectly match the shape of the window!  A few more pictures of the Chowmahalla Palace will be coming soon.

The “Travel and Vacation” series is an insight into our trips together as a family and ways we relax.  Life is short and we were thrilled to have the opportunity to build memories with family and explore of of the most amazing places during our time away.  Explore with a good attitude, look for fun, and it will be an awesome trip jammed packed with positive memories.  It is refreshing having some time away from the regular routine.  Make it a once in a lifetime opportunity to meet new people and learn.  You just might see or try something new that takes your breath away!

As I was listening to my CD from the Newsboys this song caught my attention.  I am thankful that I don’t have to do everything on my own because I fall so often.   The two phrases that stood out to me were “I believe in something way beyond myself” and “You move me to my knees”.  When you believe in something bigger than yourself it is not surprising that you are moved to your knees.  Here is part of the song I really enjoyed:

There’s so much more than meets the eye

Or what’s going on inside

I believe in something way beyond myself

Like the wind that moves the leaves Lord,

You move me to my knees

Giving into something way beyond myself

I’m giving into something way beyond myself

I am excited to announce that the menu has been altered a little bit this week.  Since the girls already help and love creating goodies with us in the kitchen I have decided to do a trial run and let them be in charge of dinner on Thursday night.  The girls are now seven years old and have been putting together most of their school lunches so I think they should be able to come up with a few fun items to make for family dinner.  I look forward to seeing what the two of them come up with to eat!  I will be in the kitchen to assist and help when called upon but for the most part I want them to do as much as of it as they can on their own.  Here is our menu plan for the upcoming week:

Our Weekly Menu Plan

• Monday (Beef or Pasta Entree):  Lasagna, French Bread
• Tuesday (Seafood or Pork Entree):  Spicy Citrus Glazed Shrimp, Angel Hair Pasta
• Wednesday (Kid’s Night to Cook):  Brina & Karlie’s Night to Cook Dinner
• Thursday (Chicken or Vegetarian Entree):  Special Event – Around The World
• Friday, Saturday, & Sunday:  Leftovers, Family Preference, and Hosting

I have a general pattern I try to follow for my weekly Menu Plan (for example Monday we have a beef or pasta entree, Tuesday a seafood or pork entree and so forth).  It is my goal, at least in the beginning, to have at least the main dish and one side planned.  I will put together the remaining side dishes (veggies / fruits) based on the food items that need to be used up first and compliment the main entree.

Setting a weekly menu plan helps me utilize my time better, thus freeing up extra time to spend with my family.  On the days that I am working longer hours I can prep the meal in advance so it will be easier to pull together once I am home.  As I go through the menu planning process I will try to share some of our favorite family recipes.  If there is a specific recipe you would like please let me know and I will do my best to accommodate (some recipes are a toss together meal and I do not use any set measurements).

As a family of four our life can get busy.  What’s for Dinner is our weekly menu planning series and one of the ways to help keep us organized, on schedule, and within budget.  Our family typically eats 6 to 7  dinner meals at home a week.  We do try to go out to eat at least once a month as a special treat.  Breakfasts are eaten at home before work and school, lunches are eaten at work, school, or home, so dinner is our main meal together as a family.  Dinner is our time to reconnect, share, and enjoy being together after a busy day.  Our weekly menu plan covers Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday only because the weekend (Friday, Saturday, and Sunday) is our time to spend with family and friends.  The weekends tend to be more spontaneous and my husband (who is the better cook) likes pitching in therefore we keep the menu open for variety.  We use up the leftovers throughout the week for our lunches and on the nights that we are busy or can’t cook.

Photo by Liz

Now that I am back into a more normal schedule this week I realized how much catching up I have to do with all the travel and family visiting over the past couple of months.  It is amazing how much stuff gets put on hold during the really busy days but I am thankful for the wonderful opportunities and memories that our family has been able to create over the past few months.  The 2012 year is going by quickly and I have a lot that I want to accomplish in the remaining months so hopefully I get some items tackled this week.

Here is the update on last weeks goals

Family Goals

1. Connect with each family member at least once a day
2. Spend quality time with our Guests
3. Spend quality time with Jake
4. Date Night with Jake – didn’t happen but hope to get it on the calendar soon
5. Participate in a fun kid activity (go to the park, play, or explore)
6. Do a creative craft with the kids

Personal Goals

1. Exercise – walk at least 5 days this week – didn’t get to this but re-started some of my regular routine
2. Finish reading  How We Love Our Kids by Milan & Kay Yerkovich – somehow in all my travels I lost this book (maybe on the plane from India) because I have searched everywhere and cannot find this one….hmmmmm….

Home Management Goals

1. All laundry for the week washed, folded, and put away in one day – we had a lot of laundry from all the house guests, bedding, and from not doing laundry for over a week so it took me 2 days to get it tackled and I still need to remake the guest bed
2. Weekly Dinner Menu & Schedule planned out for the week
3. Spend 30 minutes every day picking up / cleaning the house – probably spent more then 30 each day and still have some work that needs to be done

Business Goals

1. Work on ideas for upcoming blog posts
2. Keep up with the day to day items that need my attention
3. 1o minutes a day Cleaning / Organizing my desk

Ministry Goals

1. Meet a friend or family member for Breakfast or Lunch
2. Take time to talk, listen, and encourage the people I encounter this week
3. Be a blessing to a total stranger this week – let someone go ahead of me in line

Financial Goals

1. Stay on track with budgeted amount for the week

Here are my goals for the upcoming week:

Family Goals

1. Connect with each family member at least once a day
2. Schedule a Date Night with Jake
3. Prep for upcoming Family Trip
4. Schedule a Family Game & Fun Night
5. Read at least one book to the girls every day
6. Listen to the girls read at least one book to me or Jake every day
7. Family Yard Sale

Personal Goals

1. Exercise – walk at least 5 days this week
2. Review my upcoming goals
3. Finish reading  How We Love Our Kids by Milan & Kay Yerkovich (if I cannot find this book after I finish cleaning I will start on my next one)

Home Management Goals

1. All laundry for the week washed, folded, and put away in one day
2. Work on Spring / Deep Cleaning the House
3. Weekly Dinner Menu & Schedule planned out for the week
4. Spend 30 minutes every day picking up / cleaning the house
5. Prepare for our upcoming Yard Sale

Business Goals

1. Work on ideas for upcoming blog posts
2. Keep up with the day to day items that need my attention
3. 1o minutes a day Cleaning / Organizing my desk
4. Work on upcoming speaking engagement

Ministry Goals

1. Meet a friend or family member for Breakfast or Lunch
2. Be a blessing to a total stranger this week
3. Email the updated praises, prayer requests, and schedule to our Community Group

Financial Goals

1. Stay within Budget on Groceries $40 for 4
2. Emergency Fund – save 3 months worth of living expenses
3. Put money aside for upcoming trips
4. Put cash aside for 1 year of Jake’s College Classes

I think it is important to share and encourage each other as we seek to improve our lives and the lives of those around us.  I want to live intentionally not just hope all my dreams and goals come true.  When I focus on small steps of improvement I am able to see results as I get closer to my goals.  Some weeks I get closer to the goals I have in my life and other weeks a take a few steps back (life happens, emergencies occur, people get sick).  Once the goals are written down and shared it provides a guideline for what I aim to accomplish this week.

Why Share My Goals?

• To keep me accountable
• To share a piece of my life with you as I strive to be a better Child of God, Wife, Mom, Friend, Homemaker, Entrepreneur and the many other roles I have each week
• To have my goals consistently written down so I can gauge progress more accurately
• Create healthy habits in my life
• To encourage you to share your goals with me as you continue to grown and learn

How did you do this week on your goals?  Feel free to share or link to your list of weekly goals.

The picture above is one that I created for my own purposes, however, The “SMART” acronym was originally coined 30 years ago by Peter Drucker in his classic work, Management by Results

Found a great quote for this Mother’s Day weekend.  This song was originally written by Frank Loesser and was introduced in the Broadway musical Guys and Dolls.

Photo Credit