The Family Scientista

Cream Puffs

2012-01-22T11:23:00.001-05:00

These little cream puffs are amazing. A friend made them for a get together a few weeks ago and she left us with a plate of them. I could NOT stop eating them. They were light, fluffy and incredibly creamy.

When she gave me the recipe I was surprised how easy they were to make, which made me super excited. I decided to experiment with food coloring and adding almond flavoring to my batch. They were perfect!!

Cream Puffs
original recipe HERE

Ingredients

2 (3.5 ounce) packages instant vanilla pudding mix (or whatever flavor of pudding you want)
2 cups heavy cream
1 cup milk
1/2 cup butter
1 cup water
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup all-purpose flour
4 eggs

Directions

Mix together vanilla instant pudding mix, cream and milk. Cover and refrigerate to set.
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).
In a large pot, bring water and butter to a rolling boil. Stir in flour and salt until the mixture forms a ball. Transfer the dough to a large mixing bowl. Using a wooden spoon or stand mixer, beat in the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each. Drop by tablespoonfuls onto an ungreased baking sheet.
Bake for 20 to 25 minutes in the preheated oven, until golden brown. Centers should be dry.
When the shells are cool, either split and fill them with the pudding mixture, or use a pastry bag to pipe the pudding into the shells.

Homemade Playdough

2012-01-17T15:03:00.002-05:00

We are having a snow day here in Oregon. It's actually just a 2 hr delay, but our hill is terrible right now. We've been watching cars and trucks slide down the hill and struggle to get up it all morning., so we opted to stay safe at home today.

So, with all the kids home we pulled out our homemade playdough recipe and got to work. This is one of my kids favorite things to make, probably because I let them each choose their own color. It's more fun that way.

This is a very simple recipe, hardly costs a thing and is totally safe for your little ones to play with, especially if they decide to "taste" it. This is a recipe that we've been making for years.

Homemade Playdough
1 cup flour
1 cup water
1/2 cup salt
1 TB cooking oil
1 tsp cream of tarter *
Food coloring

Put all ingredients in a saucepan. Cook over low-med heat until a soft ball forms. Use a rubber spatula to scrape dough from bottom and sides of pan as it heats. It only takes 1-3 minutes for the ball to form. Turn off heat and dump ball out on countertop. Knead the ball for about 30 seconds (careful, it's hot) and then you're ready to play!

Store in an airtight container and it will keep for about 2 weeks.

*If you don't have cream of tarter you can leave it out or substitute baking powder. However, the playdough will probably only last about 2-3 days before it gets sticky.

Favorite Things Birthday Banner!

2012-01-15T10:00:00.002-05:00

Today is my husband's birthday and our cute little kids really wanted to decorate his birthday cake with all of his favorite things (Blazers, Tim Tebow, Boise State Football etc. . .). However, he doesn't really like cake and will be having pie for his birthday so I directed them to make a banner instead.

So they got to work finding and printing out pictures all of his favorite sports teams and hobbies. Our 8, 6, and 4 year olds all cut out the pictures and then stapled them to a ribbon and hung it on the mantle.

I wish I would have taken a picture of them in the creating process cutting, determining an order and taking turns stapling. They were so excited and things even got a little tense as they were trying to make it perfect for their Papi. They couldn't wait to show off their master piece!

I envisioned making it a pendant banner with cardstock and then glueing the pictures on top, but I really wanted the kids to do this on their own. I think it turned out so great and it was a perfect way to celebrate Cole and his favorite things!

I think we might make this 'Favorite Things Banner' a new tradition in our family! Your birthday is about YOU, right?!

How to Keep Cilantro Fresh

2012-01-14T20:44:00.000-05:00

My husband and I really like to use fresh cilantro. It can liven up a plain salad, give a kick to a bean burrito and add a splash of color to a variety of dishes.

However, cilantro can get limp and gross in a hurry. A few years ago I came across this little tip to keep your cilantro perky, fresh and ready to use.

Simple cut off the bottom 1-2 inches of the cilantro bunch, put it in a shallow cup of water and stick it in the fridge. Simple as that and it keeps your cilantro fresh for a really long time!

Blog Swap with Crafting and Creativity!

2012-01-13T07:15:00.007-05:00

Please welcome Crafting and Creativity . . . she's sure got some cute ideas. Take a look!

I'm happy to be here at The Family Scientista today!

I'm Sarah; I blog over at Crafting and Creativity...

I'm a 20-something mother of 2. My son is 4 and my daughter will be 2 in the spring.

I am lucky that I am able to stay home with them!

I like making pretty things- things for our home, things for my daughter's hair, and the odd sewing project.

Here are a few of my fave projects...

DIY Jewelry Holder-

this was made using a cabinet door & I used wrapping paper for the back!

Framed Easter Egg Art-

How to make t-shirt pom pom flowers-

How to make these Easy Fabric Flowers-

I also love doing fun parties for my kids' birthdays!

My daughter's 1st birthday- Black, White, and Pink theme-

My son's 4th birthday- Cars theme-

I hope to see you over at Crafting and Creativity soon!

Daisha, thanks for having me! :)

Mom's Chicken Enchiladas

2012-01-10T04:20:00.001-05:00

This is my mom's chicken enchilada recipe, one that we've been loving for decades. There's nothing fancy about it, but I think that's what makes it so great. It's creamy chicken goodness and our whole family loves it!

Chicken Enchiladas

Makes about 12 to 15 enchiladas.

2 cups cooked chicken - chopped

2 cups sour cream

1 can cream of chicken soup

2 cups grated jack cheese

2 cups grated cheddar cheese

7 oz can chopped green chilies

2 TB chopped onions (dry is great too)

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

12-15 flour tortillas

grated cheese to sprinkle on top

Combine all ingredients. Spoon a small amount onto the center of the tortilla and roll up. Place in baking pans. Sprinkle extra cheese on top.

Bake at 350 for 20 minutes. Uncover and bake for an additional 10 minutes.

Hello Pinterest!!

2012-01-07T16:20:00.000-05:00

I avoided it for as long as I could, Pinterest that is. I knew another social network would suck up more of my time each day (I'm not always great at managing my time), but I caved.

I asked to be invited and yesterday when I got the email to make my account I did it. As soon as I got started and saw everything that people posted on their boards my heart starting racing, but in a totally anxiety filled way. Talk about sensory overload!

Scrolling down the page my eyes and mind couldn't keep up fast enough with the decadent desserts, beautiful bouquets of flowers, the kid crafty foods, diy dressers, yarn wreaths and plethora of other great projects and recipes to tackle. But after a few minutes (and several deep breaths) I knew I was going to be ok.

Um, hello? No longer am I scrolling through long lists of bookmarked pages (even if semi-organized) to find the recipe I want (rather frustrating). Now I click onto my 'Favorite Foods' or 'Recipes to Try' board and I'm greeted with lovely pictures and links to food I can make! So simple and I LOVE it.

I vow not to let Pinterest take over my life, but to let it help me organize my life and all the food, crafty and homemaking endeavors I'm aiming to try. After all, that's just what this Family Scientista blog is all about . . . homemaking experiments from my family lab!!

*Welcome to anyone new to my site. I'm so glad you stopped by! Take a few moments and look around. I'm just creeping back into blog land and will have my 'pages' at the top updated as soon as possible.

In the mean time please stay in touch by becoming my newest Follower (top right) or following me on Pinterest!

Happy Weekend Everyone!! I hope it's a great one!

What's For Dinner? A Few Ideas For You!

2012-01-04T17:48:00.002-05:00

Eating . . . it's just a part of everyday, one that I quite like actually!! But with eating comes the cooking, which I know many don't enjoy. I love to cook (on most days) but it's so easy to get in a rut and cook your family the same things over and over. Not a bad thing, but certainly not exciting either.

If you are in need of a few ideas for meals to feed your family here are a few of our favorites . . . kid friendly too! Click on the bold title to get to the recipe post.

Pulled Pork Sandwiches . . . it's in the crock-pot right now :) Yum! Really good with a toasted bun too!

Funny Face Mini Pizza . . . made these last night with the kids. I got my sauce from the local grocery store (WINCO). It was the stuff they use on the fresh pizza's they make there and it was only $1.11 for a little package of it - delish!

Turkey BLT's . . . one of my own creations, inspired by my favorite sandwich shop in college.

Homemade Chicken Nuggets . . . real chicken and baked! Yummy and nutritious!

Carribean Jerk Chicken . . . my mouth is watering just thinking about it. I'm going to be making this one asap!

Hungry yet?!

Want to Get in Shape? Fitness Goals

2012-01-03T14:23:00.002-05:00

Running my first leg (out of 3) in the
Hood to Coast relay this past August. It was so stinking hot out!

Exercise. It's a thing I didn't learn to love (or even like) until I moved 3,000 miles from family and friends and wanted to do something for myself. Now 2.5 years later and three races completed I still really like it!! I'm not lying, I really do.

I find exercise to be exhausting and sometimes more of a mental challenge than a physical one, but it's so rewarding to see results and accomplish goals.

My first fitness goal ever was to run a 8K (5 miles) three months after by 4th baby was born. There is nothing more motivating than trying to lose that baby weight and get back in normal clothes again. So even though I was never a runner or a goal setter ( I really hate setting goals) I actually did it and it was AMAZING. I came running into the finish line with tears in my eyes in absolute disbelief that I actually finished the race and much faster than I expected. Truly a great moment in my life.

So if you are like the majority of people out there and have set a goal to exercise and lose weight in 2012 you can read more about my first race and the baby steps I took to accomplish HERE. Hopefully it will give you a little direction and motivation to get started. I am still very much a rookie in the exercise and running world, but I always like to hear about other's experiences so I though maybe you'd like to hear about mine.

My favorite place to exercise is actually at the gym. I LOVE the treadmill, eliptical machines and lifting weights. I do much better when I am visually distracted while exercising so watching tv or reading a book ( or people watching) while exercising helps me out a lot and I can push myself to go longer.

There is always running outside and listening to an ipod to get you through a workout too (I'm starting to like it more). I find running outside works a whole different set of muscles than a treadmill does so it's good variety for me to do both.

But you know what? I actually haven't run on a treadmill or outside for about 4 months . . . yikes!! I could give a whole slew of excuses, but I won't. I'll just say that I'm making that same New Years resolution as the rest of you . . . to get in shape.

And now for my 2012 Fitness Goals:
Exercise 4 days a weeks - at least 3 days with cardio
Run a 10k (6 miles) in under 9:15 miles (faster than my last 10k).

Simple goals, but they will still challenge me.

No gym membership for me at this time in my life and the mornings are way too dark still for me to run outside so I exercise indoors (or I will be starting to as soon as I finish this post).

Here are my favorite sites for exercise tips/videos and nutrition tips - all things you can do in the comfort of your home. I think you'll really love them as much as I do. They are such great workouts!

Trainer Mamma! She has a great story of losing lots of weight and then becoming a certified personal trainer. She's a great motivator and has such great nutritious recipes, fabulous videos and printable workouts. I really see results when I follow her workouts. She had a baby recently and hasn't really posted anything new lately, but look all through her archives and you will find some really great things!!

Blogilates! Another amazing site. She's extremely healthy in the way she eats, way more so than I will ever be or would ever want to be, but she has some interesting recipes that I think would be worth trying. My favorite part about her site is her videos. She does pilates videos and they are AMAZING!! They are simple, slow movements that they work your body and and leave you shaking (the good kind of 'I know I worked hard' shaking).

**What are your fitness goals for the year and do you have any fitness blogs or websites to recommend? I'm always looking for variety to add to my workouts!!**

Happy Exercising Everyone!!

Our FREE Christmas!

2011-12-29T18:05:00.002-05:00

Free . . . we bought presents for all 5 of our kids and didn't spend any money, none! Here's a peek into how we did it and to give you encouragement in planning for the next Christmas season so you can also have a free Christmas!

1. Set a limit on gifts. We only buy each child three presents. Well, Santa brings one and we buy them two. Keep the gift giving simple my friends. We have always kept Christmas small and intend to as the years go on. There is absolutely no need or reason to spend loads of money on Christmas presents or to have the gifts spewing out from under the tree. Set a limit and stick to it. It's best to do this when your kids are very young and they won't know any different as they grow up and it will obviously save you money.

Not a lot of gifts, right? No one seems too sad about that do they! They all loved their gifts and no one asked for anything more.

2. Plan ahead. Six months ago a friend gave me a bag of very cute dress up clothes. There was about 6-8 outfits in the bag and they were all in great condition. The minute she brought them to my door I hid them away without any of the kids seeing them knowing that I wanted to use them as Christmas gifts. Tessa (4) and Claire (2) were thrilled with them!! We were also given a pocket knife a few weeks ago and saved that as a gift too.

If you get a nice hand-me-down or find a super cheap deal on some toys (have you seen the after Christmas sales?!) hide it away for Christmas, even if it is for several months or even a year. You will save big time!!

3. Use Swagbucks! Free gift cards for just searching the internet, you just can't beat that kind of a deal. That's FREE money people. I always use my swagbucks for Amazon gift cards as it is the best deal. Don't worry, you can get free shipping quite often on Amazon too.

We used some swagbucks to buy two gifts for Christmas this year. If you saved up your Swagbucks you could pay for your whole Christmas this way. To learn more about Swagbucks and to sign up (it's free) go HERE.

4. Use your credit card rewards. We had $100 in Visa gift cards from our credit card rewards. Again, FREE money for charging and paying off our credit card on time. We used this free money to buys gifts at TJMaxx and Wal-mart. FREE!

(Please note - We NEVER charge anything on our credit card unless we have the money to pay it off right away. I suggest you do the same. We might have a crazy amount of student loans, but have NEVER EVER had consumer debt or paid any interest on a credit card. Only use credit cards if you have the cash to pay it. End of story!)

Want to know some of the things we bought? Basketball shoes, transformers, walkie talkies, candy, purse pets, necklace, scrapbook pack, books, dress up shoes, second hand clothes etc . . .

So there you have it . . . we spent about $120 -ish on gifts for our children for Christmas, but didn't pay a single penny for any of it. That's how we had a FREE Christmas! You can do it too!!

P.S. My husband and I don't really exchange gifts. With always having been students and now just starting our own business we are putting our money towards that. The only present under the tree for us this year was a homemade gift from our daughter and we love it that way!

Do you have a massive amount of toys in your house? Stay tuned for our 10 Toy Rule!! You'll think we are crazy, but you'll love it!!

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-25T22:14:00.000-05:00

Merry Christmas from our family to yours!

The Littlest Jingle Bell: By my Husband

2011-12-21T23:47:00.001-05:00

My husband used to tell our kids this story every year and I convinced him to put it to rhyme and he took it WAAAY over the top. You'll love this classic Christmas Tale that will soon rival Frosty, Rudolph and Elf...

Candy Cane Reindeer

2011-12-20T14:48:00.000-05:00

This little craft brings back so many memories of Christmas as a kid. I used to love making these little guys with my mom and decided it was time to introduce them to my own kids. They loved them and had so much fun picking out different eyeball combinations!!

This is such a quick and easy craft to do with your kids. Just be sure you are the one doing the hot glueing :)

All you need are a few simple things:
* Candy canes
* Brown pipe cleaners (found at walmart)
* Google Eyes
* Red nose (candy, holly berry, etc . . .)
* Hot Glue gun

Cut pipe cleaners in sections - about 4-5 inches for main antlers and about 1-2 inches for smaller forks of the antlers.

Twist the large pipe cleaner around the candy cane to secure and them bend ends up. Take a small piece and wrap it around the larger section to make the forks of the antlers.

Glue on the eyes and nose and you've got a cute little reindeer to share with friends, hang on your tree etc. . . . Have fun!!

Decorate with Green & Blue

2011-12-15T02:00:00.015-05:00

When my husband told me that they painted the walls of his new office blue, green and gray I wasn't quite sure what to think. Now all I can think is about how much I LOVE them! They are bright, fun, and unique.

With the office being brand new Cole (my husband) wanted to keep the office Christmas decorations within the same blue and green office theme. Shopping around I found that it was going to be a lot easier than I thought to decorate with those colors.

Take a look.

A new office means a small budget so I kept things simple this year. I think it turned out classy and beautiful.

Here's what I did:

*Hung glittery snowflakes in the windows and from the decorative beams in the waiting room. They were hung with clear fishing line.

* Filled tall glass cylinders (I'm sure they have another name) with varying colors and size ornaments. Cylinders were purchased at TJMax and Ross.

* Filled sugar jars with candy canes the color of his office and decorated with a ribbon and little glittery sprigs (found at JoAnn).

* Decorated small white trees with ornaments and small glittery sprigs.

Next year I hope to add a large tree and some white wreaths!!

Check out our website at www.LiveGrowSmile.com!! You can also find Cole's own blog HERE.

Apple Cranberry Fruit Salad

2011-12-12T17:00:00.000-05:00

This is a delicious winter fruit salad. It's easy to make, colorful and people will be lining up for a second helping! It could even pass as a dessert with the marshmallows and cool-whip it has in it.

It's the perfect salad to take to your holiday dinner!

I think the original recipe is enough for about 10-15 people. I tripled the recipe last week and took it to a church dinner and it fed about 40 people.

Apple Cranberry Fruit Salad
2 cups raw cranberries - chopped (I just did a few pulses on the blender in small amounts)
1/2 cup sugar
2 cups diced apples
1/2 cup walnuts - chopped
1/4 tsp salt
3 cups mini marshmallows
8 oz carton Cool Whip

Combine chopped cranberries and sugar and chill overnight.

After chilling combine all ingredients.

Nativity Wall Hanging

2011-12-06T18:42:00.000-05:00

A few years ago I spotted those glass block with the vinyl nativity on them and fell in love. It was the simplicity of the black silhouette that caught my eye, so elegant in portraying the miraculous birth of our Savior.

I immediately bought 2 sets from Say It On The Wall knowing I wanted one for myself and that the other would be gifted to my mom.

We lived in a tiny apartment at the time and I really didn't have anywhere to put glass blocks so I decided to take a different approach. I framed and hang them on the wall instead. I was very happy with the end result and still am years later.

Here's what I did (with no pictures since it was made several years ago).

* Cut nice white card stock and stuck the vinyl to it.
* Put them in nice, but inexpensive black frames.
* Used large red ribbon in long strip across the back, attaching with large staples (or small nails) and hot glue.
* Made and attached a nice big bow at the to.
* I hung it on the wall with a few small nails making sure they were hidden behind the bow.

Simple, Elegant and all about the true meaning of Christmas . . . Christ.

(Please excuse the fact that the frames are looking a bit beat up. We moved across the country twice since I've made these and obviously I didn't wrap them well enough. Maybe next year they will get a makeover.)

Vinyl can be purchased at Say it on the Wall.

Reindeer

2011-12-05T12:47:00.001-05:00

Another fabulous thrift store find for me was these two paper mache reindeer. I instantly loved them but knew they needed a little work to fit in my silver and red theme I have going on.

Here they are in the garage getting ready to be spray painted. Not too bad . . . just not what I wanted.

After a few coats of paint, a red ribbon and some holly from my yard and I now have two reindeer that I love!

You're probably thinking that there is no way you are going to find these darling reindeer in your thrift store. You might be right, but take a chance and go look and see what you can find . . . maybe you'll find some awesome snowman, santa, sleigh etc. . . that could use a little make-over.

If you really want some reindeer I've hear that some craft stores sell items like this or I did find some online that look almost identical . . . go HERE.

Happy thrifting everyone!

** To see both reindeer and my finished mantle click HERE**

Holly Wreath

2011-12-02T13:42:00.003-05:00

I am more than thrilled with my thrift store wreath make-over!

My trip to the Goodwill recently was a hit. I was in need of a something to put on my mantle and I saw this plain twig wreath and thought I could make-it over and make it pretty. I LOVE the way it turned out and it was so cheap!!

Total spent on this project: $5.00!
Wreath: 2.99 @ Goodwill
Star: 1.00 @ Dollar Tree
Holly: Free - my own back yard (check your local christmas tree farms)
Mirror: Free - hand-me-down from my mom
Spray Paint: 1.00 (for the amount I used)

So hit up your thrift store, dollar store, yard and own garage to see what you have to make-over a wreath of your own! It's really fun and quite simple, plus you'll probably love it so much that you'll just sit and gaze at it with a smile on your face (at least I do).

1: Spray paint the wreath - I chose silver.

2. Cut holly from bush (or use greenery/berry sprigs from craft store).

3. Attach to wreath using wire or hot glue. I used wire since my holly is real and I wanted to be able to remove it after the holidays before I put the wreath in storage.

4. Paint the frame of mirror. My frame was gold, but I wanted white. After few coats of spray paint I wasn't getting a solid color (probably because I didn't sand it before . . . oops). However I really like how the pain kind of crackled!

4. Attach the wreath to the mirror/frame. I used fishing string so it would be invisible. I looped it through the wreath and then glued it to the back of the frame. The wreath was tipping forward so I put a small dab of hot glue at on the mirror and stuck it to it. Worked like a charm.

Loving the completed project!!

Reindeer make-over - Tomorrow!

I linked to Home Stories A to Z.

My Christmas Mantle

2011-12-01T15:16:00.001-05:00

For the very first time the home we are in has a fireplace and a mantle! Our last house had a fireplace, but no mantle . . . so sad. I was very excited to decorate our mantle for Christmas and while on a very tight budget!!

Besides the stockings (which I made years ago) I didn't really have any decor for a mantle. I took two trips to Goodwill last week to see what I could find and came away very happy and with a few projects to share.

Details for these projects to come this weekend. Be sure to become a follower or check back!

Spinach Artichoke Dip

2011-12-01T10:00:00.010-05:00

Need to take an appetizer to a party this holiday season? Here is the perfect recipe for you. It's simple and flavorful. It's sure to be a crowd pleaser!

Spinach Artichoke Dip

1 - 15oz can artichoke hearts , drained and roughly chopped

½ package (box) frozen chopped spinach, thaw a little in the micro so it softens up

½ package cream cheese, soft

½ cup mayo

½ cups shredded parmesan cheese

1 ½ cups shredded mozzarella cheese

2 cloves of garlic, chopped

1 tsp basil

2 TBS milk

a few dashes salt & pepper

Combine all ingredients with a mixer. Put in 8X8 baking dish and heat at 350 for about 25 minutes until cheese is melted and bubbly. Serve with chips.

Live.Grow.Smile.

2011-11-20T13:26:00.002-05:00

The past 6 months have been very very busy for our family. Here is a quick update.

At the very end of may we had our 5th baby, Alice! Then a short 4 weeks later my husband graduated from his orthodontics Residency (in Virginia) and we moved across the country to Oregon. We drove the 3,000 miles back home and once we arrived in Salem we enjoyed 3 family reunions!

In July work got started on my husband's new office. To most, starting a new business in a floundering economy seems like the craziest thing to do (and it kinda did to us too), but we know it is right for us. We thought, prayed, and fasted about this decision for many many months. We know this is where our family is supposed to be and what we are supposed to do.

So with continued prayer, faith and loads of hard work it happened . . . the office was built and Johnson Family Orthodontics was born! We opened almost 2 months ago.

We are so excited for this new adventure for our family!

Did I ever mention I had braces recently? I actually got them off a few short weeks before the baby was born. I couldn't be happier with the end result. The only thing I'd change about it was that I would have been able to get them when I was a kid instead, but it was so worth getting them as an adult too.

The After and my adorable mom who just got braces!

Before

If you've ever had interest in knowing more about braces I invite you to take a peek at our website www.LiveGrowSmile.com. There is a lot of great information on there and my husband even has his own blog and videos too! How fun is that?!

From the website:

At JFO, we encourage our patients to radiate their true personality through their smile. Whether they are young or young at heart, we want them to grow into themselves while looking at life with the confidence of a stunning smile.

So come as you are. This is a place where comfort is paramount. Let us help you live, grow and smile. This is Johnson Family Orthodontics.

www.LiveGrowSmile.com

P.S. Stick around because now that life is slowing down a bit I think I'm feeling brave enough to start posting a few of the fun projects and recipes our family has been making!

Where I've been . . .

2011-02-16T08:20:00.001-05:00

Hello Friends!

Not sure if anyone has noticed or even cares, but I've not been around for quite some now. For as fun as posting, reading comments, and getting caught up in the fun and hype of having a blog aside from my family journal one it's just not something that fits in my life right now.

You see, I'm pregnant with our 5th child (super excited) and for 6 weeks (Oct-Nov) I was on the couch not hardly even able to take care of myself let alone my family and home. All crafting, cooking, and money saving ceased during that time. Now all is well, but during those 6 weeks I realized that the blogging for fun (or hopeful money making) just wasn't going to to be happening anymore.

My little family is what matters most, not taking pictures of each step of our daily activities, cooking adventures and crafts we make. There are plenty of blogs out there to show you to save money, cook good food, and make cute crafty things and I'm going to let you enjoy their talents and expertise (there are some mighty fine blogs out there)!!

So my friends it has been fun and I'm glad I've archived some of my ideas, but for now (or forever?) this is goodbye! I'm trying to focus on the BEST in my life and letting the better and good things take a backseat - see blog post below for a great article!!

I hope all is well with you and yours and thanks so much for ever taking a chance on me and my blog!

*I'm thinking I will only have this blog open and public for about a month or two more and then I'll make it into a book and close it down.*

Good, Better, Best

2010-11-07T21:44:00.000-05:00

In this busy stage of my life my mind keeps coming back to a talk given a few years ago by Dallin H. Oaks titled Good, Better, Best.

A few favorite quotes are:

Consider how we use our time in the choices we make in viewing television, playing video games, surfing the Internet, or reading books or magazines. Of course it is good to view wholesome entertainment or to obtain interesting information. But not everything of that sort is worth the portion of our life we give to obtain it. Some things are better, and others are best.

We have to forego some good things in order to choose others that are better or best because they develop faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and strengthen our families.

So friends, I am trying to be better in establishing and doing the best things in my life and for my little family. At times I must put the good or better things in my life aside and focus on the best, which is them!

The talk is a quick but powerful read that I feel all busy people, parents and mothers can learn from.

If you have 5 minutes take the time and read this talk. You'll be glad you did!

A Quick Birthday Cake

2010-11-01T08:46:00.000-04:00

October was a crazy month in our house. It was an endless 31 days of colds, dr's appointments, expected and unexpected traveling, and a surgery for my husband!

Our daughter had her birthday a week ago and had requested a Dora birthday cake. She had talked about this cake all month and I had great plans to make a fabulous fondant cake of Dora's adorable round face.

But then my grandfather passed away and I decided to travel the 3,000 miles back across the US (by plane of course) to the funeral. The funeral was on my daughter's birthday so we had to celebrate a few days early.

So all fondant plans went out the window and I made a cake from a box and slapped on some store bought frosting (not my favorite - a fab homemade butter cream recipe can be found here).

Then I got to decorating by cutting Dora out of a fruit snacks box and sticking her in the cake along with some fake flowers. To finish out the look I took some green paper and cut it into grass to decorate the bottom of the cake.

She was thrilled with the result and happy to have her Dora cake for her 3rd birthday!

So next time you are in a jam like I was just look in your cupboards and toy box to find your cake topper decorations!

Bringing Books to Life

2010-10-28T13:16:00.002-04:00

We love to read books in our home. We have a few of our own, but most of our large piles are borrowed from the library. My kids love the library and often get hooked on a book or two and don't want to return it.

So we've taken a few of their favorite stories and made them come alive with a craft or activity of some sort. Be creative and let the imaginations soar to get those characters and rhymes to jump off the page and into your home!

Here are some of the ways we've brought our books to life.

Where The Wild Things Are - Maurice Sendak

A few years ago my daughter became obsessed with the children's book Where The Wild Things Are. It is no exaggeration that we read that book more than 10 times a day almost everyday for quite some time. Her love for the book was propelled by the way my husband would read the book with fabulous voices and sound effects each night at bed time.

Soon enough she and my husband had that book memorized in both English and Spanish and full on plays were being acted out. Several years later these night time story tellings and plays are still going on.

One day we decided to make a prop and chose Max's boat.

We used a empty diaper box, paper, wooden skewer, glue, tape and a pen to make the boat.

It was simple, frugal and added a lot of fun to the story telling! I'm thinking it's time to make another one, or two or four!

Disney Stories

Back in college I took a children's literature class. It was such a fun class. We got to read children's books, give book reports, and order from the Scholastic book order forms just like when we where in Elementary school.

One of the books I ordered was a Disney Stories Collection book.

My kids like all the short stories from the book that summarize the Disney movies (many which they've never seen).

This summer in our efforts to keep up on reading and learning the kids chose the story of Aladdin. We decided to make paper bag puppets of some of the main characters.

We used lots of papers, markers and glue. Again, nothing elaborate was done or used but everyone got to help create and bring the characters to life.

When done with the crafting I read the story and they played with the puppet characters.

I Wish That I Had Duck Feet by Dr. Suess

Oh boy! My three oldest kids (7, 4 and 3) have this book nearly memorized! They love, love, love this book and we read it a lot. It's silly, creative, has a good message, and is a classic rhyming tale by Dr. Suess.

This time we got a little messy and did pudding painting (find out more about this HERE) to bring this story to life.

While reading the story to my kids I would stop every few pages and they would a picture in the pudding about what I was reading.

Don't forget to lick your fingers many times throughout this activity. That is what makes it the most fun!

How do you make books come to life in your home?!
Please share. I'd love to implement or even showcase your ideas here on my blog!

Want a book collection of your own at a great price?! They have books for all ages and a huge collection to choose from. Books are my favorite to give and recieve! Check out this book club - it would make a great gift too.