A Cinnabon Recipe!

I've never blogged about food before, but last Saturday I tried a new recipe that I think is definitely blog-worthy! To begin with, a little background. My family loves Cinnabon cinnamon rolls. There used to be a Cinnabon at the Vancouver mall, but it closed and now the closest one is at Lloyd Center. Needless to say, we haven't gotten any in a long time! However, the other day a friend told me about this cookbook called Top Secret Recipes, and that there was a recipe for Cinnabons (thanks, Kathy!). Well, I found it online here. It seemed worth a try. I tried to do it just like the recipe said to and the results were amazing! It truly tastes like a Cinnabon cinnamon roll. Some parts of the recipe are a little unusual. For one thing, several ingredients are measured by weight. It also requires kneading the dough and beating the frosting for a really long time, but it's totally worth it. I'm not sure if my family will ever buy Cinnabon again... 

Fall

"So you're finally blogging again! Where have you been??" Well, I've been working on school again. I'm continuing to do (almost) full time studies with Whitefield. I'm getting pretty close to having an AA in Christian Studies--just a few more months to go! I say almost full-time, because I have been busy with other things, as well. A couple weeks ago Christina and I went on what will probably be our last trip for a while, this time to see some very dear friends who live in Oklahoma. We met them over ten years ago, when dad was in the Air Force, and we went to the same church in Germany. It was a very quick trip, but it was wonderful to spend time with them, go to church with them, and just do some catching up (not to mention they served some really delicious meals!--they're talented cooks). 

However, none of that is an excuse for not taking pictures and blogging. I can only say that I got in a rut again. I finally got out of that rut and took some pictures yesterday. The fall colors are so nice right now! It was a misty, wet morning and I found some different things in the yard that caught my attention. 

Texture on the grape leaves

Colorful blueberry leaves

Delicate maple leaves

These hydrangea flowers used to be blue, but through the fall they have transitioned to a  purple-ish/red-ish color

I was taking pictures of this Japanese maple in the front yard when...

...a hummingbird came up to the feeder on the porch! Isn't it cute?