Moments to Live By

Soak It Up

2010-10-10T15:35:00.000-07:00

Well, miracle of miracles, we found the camera (or rather someone else found it and put it in thier desk for safe keeping until they could find the owner). Then, of course it took a few weeks to find the camera battery charger and by then we were in the process of taking two trips to two different states, having my mom visit from far far away, and trying to organize a move to a different house. For a while I began to forget about blogging. In fact, I began to forget about taking pictures all together or writing in a journal or anything of the sort. We have been living and doing but I haven't been keeping a record of the day to day. And then I got a little reminder the other day that jolted me back into being best friends with my camera and my journal. I read a blog, a beautiful family blog owned by someone I have never met but I now feel that I know.

If you want to read thier journey then first you must get out a box of tissues, and then you must prepare for all the feelings of joy and sorrow and cherishing your family to rush through your mind and heart. Click here to read more about them. This little family had a toddler the same age as my youngest. A beautiful bright little girl whose name was Preslee. And, due to a tragic accident Preslee fell in the canal and drowned. She fought for her life and her family prayed and stayed at her side and eventually Preslee left this world. She was their only child. She was the center of their world. Losing her changed everything about day to day life. Her mother has posted many inspirational words on her blog as she works her way through this trial but the one that struck me this week was her advice. She related that someone recently had asked her if she had to do it again knowing what the outcome would be (losing her daughter) would she have done anything differently?

I stopped for a minute and asked myself that question "If I were to lose these beautiful incredible kids of mine tomorrow what would I wish I had done differently while I had them?".....and her answer was the same as mine.....soak up all the little stuff. Take lots of pictures of everyday, write in your journal about your life with them, get out the video camera to capture the cute way that they talk, love every little everyday minute of it. So, this weekend I tried to do just that. My kids had popsicle and dirt on their faces. They had stickers stuck all over their clothes. They weren't wearing shoes. I took their pictures. I want to remember how those messy little faces looked at the end of the day and how their hair looked when the woke up in the morning. I want to be able to replay those moments when we found something amazing in the backyard (like a dragonfly) or when they cracked up laughing or when they dug holes in the backyard.

I want more than beautifully posed portraits. I want everyday life captured in word and image. So, here it is, my weekend fully soaked up:

When I walked out into my backyard on Friday night I found my son digging a hole. He looked like this:

And a few minutes later he had picked a flower and was standing at my side with his dirty little ragamuffin face and too long sleeves saying "here mama I got a flower for you!" His little eyes sparkled. How could someone be so messy and so pure at the same time :)

Half an hour later my oldest discovered an insect wing laying on the ground. It was possible to her that it was a fairy wing...even likely that it was. ( we later confirmed that it was not :) The kids gathered around and oohed and ahhed. They caried the wing cradled in a leaf to keep it safe. They found a dragonfly lying lifeless on the ground and decided to adopt it and keep it in their little backyard museum of sorts. They were completely and totally in awe at the beauty of this world and I admired them for their appreciation of God's creations. And I loved them for their wide eyed wonder.

Saturday morning we woke up to discover that our pathetic garden had actually grown a cucumber. We planted this sorry garden six months ago and have never removed the unproductive cucumber plant. I shouted up the stairs to tell the kids and they came running in a frenzy to see this miracle cucumber. They were so happy that their hard work had actually produced something....and they posed with our lone cucumber with pride.

Saturday we worked all day to clean the house. They whined and they flopped on the floor. They asked me one hundred and fifty three times how much longer they would have to work and one hundred fifty three times I told them we would work until we were done. And when were done they were happy with their clean rooms. We went to the park and played a highly modified version of baseball using shoes and baby wipes for bases. When it was dark we stopped for icecream and then they were off to bed.

This morning my girls woke me up. They were in their jammies with a tray of oatmeal and milk in their hands. They had snuck downstairs, prepared mom and dad breakfast in bed, and surprised us. My toddler sat next to me on the bed and ate my whole bowl of oatmeal and drank all my milk...smiling all the while. Then she told me she loved me so it was OK that she ate my breakfast.

And now here I sit. Glad that I took some pictures. Glad that I soaked it up. Glad to write it down and promising to not dissapear for so long in the future. Life gets busy but I'll try not to forget to soak it up. Don't let it pass by. Because taking walks and playing ball together and working in the yard and enjoying the moment is what it's all about.

NOW GO SOAK IT UP!

I'll be back :)

Vintage Moments

2010-09-17T08:15:00.000-07:00

Well folks, it has become apparent that it may be a few weeks until I have a new camera. So, we're digging into the archives for some vintage moments. If you know me well you may have already seen some of the vintage stuff. But, for the rest of you we're taking a walk down memory lane to look at some of my favorite moments and ideas over the past few years. Enjoy and please forgive they terrible photography....I have to use what's on the hard drive ;)

Food Foolery

2010-09-17T08:11:00.000-07:00

A few years ago I got the sudden and uncontrollable urge to celebrate April Fool's Day. It took a little preparation but it ended up being oh so worth it to see the look on my kids' faces when the realized they had been "fooled". They were BEGGING me to play more tricks on them. Of course, you can't play a trick on some one when they know it's coming. So, the foolery stopped there. But, looking at these pictures has me itching to play some tricks again. And, I'm thinking that it doesn't need to be April Fools day at all....nope, I think I could blindside them on a random Tuesday and it would be even better. :)

Here's how our last day of tricks went down:

When the kids came to the breakfast table they found bowls already full of Cheerios. We had rigged the bowls by putting drops of food coloring in them before we poured in the cereal. So, when they poured the milk into their bowls it was green! Then we did the same thing with their glasses of milk. We held the bottom of the cups so that they couldn't see the food coloring and they watched in amazement as the white milk turned green when it was poured into the cup....."Whoa!" is all they could say :) Then they commented on how good the colored milk tastes (I guess presentation is REALLY important to a kids' taste buds) That's yellow MILK he has.

Next, I tricked both my husband and my daughter by putting a raisin in the end of their tubes of toothpaste. It truly looked like a bug had crawled in and gotten stuck. Try it, it's sure to get an "EEEEWWW!"

Lunch was full of tricky food too. Cheetos (I opened the bag, filled it with baby carrots, and then resealed it) My kids did not find this nearly as amusing as I did and insisted on knowing what had happened to the REAL Cheetos.

We also had grilled cheese sandwiches (AKA: slices of pound cake toasted in the toaster and then spread with orange frosting)

I thought this looked so authentic and apparently it was so convincing to the kids that they hardly noticed the taste because after school I asked my daughter if she like the grilled cheese and she said "Yeah, it was so good" and I asked her if it tasted like cake and she she said (thoughtfully) "......Yeah, it DID taste like cake!" Apparently she had been so distracted by the Cheetos that it had never really sunk in about the cake :)

The finale of the evening was our FOOD FOOLERY DINNER. Can you tell which foods are a trick?...They all are!!!

CHICKEN NUGGETS:

Nutter Butter cookies coated in peanut butter and then rolled in crushed cornflakes.

ORANGE DRINK:

Orange JELLO set up in clear cups. My son was totally baffled by this and kept tipping his cup higher and higher to get some to come out. Finally he announced "My drink is STUCK in my CUP!"

PEAS:

Green apple Laffy Taffy rolled into tiny little balls. Yes, it took some time but my kids were totally surprised and asked for Laffy Taffy peas for a year afterwards.

CUPCAKES:

Meatloaf cupcakes with colored mashed potato frosting.We found this much more funny than my kids did. I would reccomend having some real cupcakes on hand to soften the blow and to use as an incentive to finish the dinner cupcakes ;)

And, my kids even pulled a few little tricks on me. See this piece of bread?....they covered it in drops of food coloring and them told me our bread had some weird mold on it....

It's just too much fun being a parent sometimes.

My Camera....Oh How I Miss You

2010-09-10T15:48:00.000-07:00

If there's one thing in my little blogging world that I depend on it's my camera. Because, let's be honest, you don't want a whole bunch of posts with no pictures now do you? I am often guilty of just skimming through blogs and enjoying the pictures without paying much attention to the text at all. My camera was not the best thing in the world but at least it provided a visual....until this week. My wonderful, dear, sweet and incredibly forgetful husband seems to have misplaced it...at work....only it's not where he thinks he left it anymore. And, at this point it seems unlikely that it will show up.

Not to worry, I handle these things in stride now. We have lost many items over the years and I have many countless trips to deliver keys when he can't find them or even bring gas when he forgot to fill up and ran out on the freeway. He is highly educated and wonderful....just very forgetful :)

So, here I sit. No pictures whatsoever and a question on my mind....will he be buying me a new camera? And, what kind of camera will it be. Dare I dream of a ...gulp....NICE camera?! Time will tell. Until then I happily accept any camera suggestions and respectfully take a few days off to find some way to put pictures back on this blog.

The Gift of Family

2010-09-07T07:04:00.000-07:00

My third child was born in December. It had been a somewhat challenging pregnancy for me and as a result we entered the Christmas season with no purchased gifts, no holiday preparations done, nothing ready at all. I was worried. But I had a strong feeling in my heart that this little bundle was all the gift that was needed, and that things that could be made or bought were not the things that held the most value. I wanted to remember that thought. I wanted to hold on to the knowledge that wordly gifts pale in comparison to the miracle of life and family. So, my mom and I made a little gift box and tag and had my baby's picture taken in it in the living room as a permanent reminder that our family, and more specifically, our children are a gift from our Heavenly Father.

As I read through the Family Proclamation this month I thought about this picture and about what I have that really matters. I thought about the glorious gift of family and I read this line....

"We affirm the sanctity of human life and it's importance in God's eternal plan....."Children are an heritage of the Lord (Psalms 127:3)

and "Family is central to the Creator's plan for the eternal destiny of his children"

My family is one of the best gifts that I have ever been given, they are a part of the Creator's plan for me, they are His blessing to me. So, today I will recommit to recognizing my children, my parents, and my spouse and all of our other family members as a gift too great to be purchased and too precious to not appreciate.

How have your children or your family been a gift in your life?

Baptism Day

2010-09-06T22:00:00.000-07:00

My niece was baptised this weekend. It wasn't long ago that my oldest was baptised and I remember how important that day was for us and how much we wanted her to feel the specialness of that event in her life. I searched all over online to find little ways to make it just right. And, we came up with a few things that made the day extra special. For my nieces baptism we did some of the same things. So, since this is the second time this year I've had the chance to be a part of an important baptism day I wanted to share with you some of my favorite baptism day ideas.

For starters, I wanted a pretty dessert that was white. I looked at all kinds of complicated recipes for candy, etc. and then decided that we would go for simple. We filled three glass canisters with popcorn, mini powdered donuts, and white individually wrapped Lifesavers mints.
We also made a few trays of mini cupcakes (we used white cake mix and white cream cheese frosting) The cupcakes were topped with white sparkle sugar or coconut flakes. I thought it looked so pretty and the kids loved the buffet style dessert. I think this would also be great for a blessing day.

Next, for my daughter's baptism her grandma presented her with a several items that would remind her of the significance of her baptism day and the gift of the Holy Ghost. She has treasured those little items and takes them out to look at them often. So, she wanted to present her cousin with some of the same special items. Here is what she gave her on the morning of her baptism:

THE COMFORTER

We made a little no sew white fleece blanket and tied it around the edges. I found some pretty ribbon and attached a note that said:

"The Holy Ghost can wrap you in warmth in give you comfort."

The blanket/comforter wouldn't fit into the little white bucket that we got but the rest of these items were inside the baptism container:

VOICE OF WARNING (whistle)

A whistle can signal that someone is in danger or needs help. Like this whistle, the Holy Ghost can warn you of dangerous paths or situations. Heeding the warnings of the Spirit can keep you safe and happy.

HEART

The heart is a reminder of how much Jesus loves you.

LIGHT

Let the Spirit light your path.

COMPASS

When you need direction in life the Holy Ghost can help you find your way.

At the last minute I thought of putting a little bottle of Nestle Pure Life bottled water with a little saying about being baptised and being washed clean in the water and then trying to live a Pure Life. I included the bottle of water but didn't quite get the tag made.

I tried to get a picture of the kids opening it together but my camera is not so stellar and the pictures didn't turn out. But, they gathered around and read the tags and explained what they meant. I hope that my niece will treasure it like my own little girl does. Her day was just as special and perfect. The baptism itself was what made the day so significant, of course, but the little extras made it even more memorable.

Morning Muffins

2010-09-02T03:00:00.000-07:00

We've made a new commitment around here to having morning scripture study. It's been a great experience in many ways and it's unifying our family. But, our kids (ok, and their parents...) still aren't quite used to getting up at the earlier time in order to read as a family. Most mornings my four year is rolled up in a blanket snoozing through the verses and my eight year old looks a little glazed over for the first ten minutes. So, in an effort to help everyone wake up and feel a little more chipper yesterday morning I decided to make morning muffins and have them ready for scripture study.

I got this recipe from my mother-in-law and my husband remembers having them growing up. My own kids request them for their birthday breakfasts and they are always ALL gone within minutes of coming out of the oven. But, what's not to love... they are full of fresh granny smith apples and topped with cinnamon sugar which, when baked, becomes a slighty crunchy and cinnamony sweet muffin top. My baby ate three muffin tops and no muffin bottoms for breakfast because the tops are just plain the best.

They are made from scratch which sound like a project but it's really not much harder than using a premade mix. So, here they are: MORNING MUFFINS. They smelled so very good this morning.

Here's what you'll need:

1 egg

3/4 cup milk

1/2 cup oil

2 cups flour

1/3 cup sugar

1 T baking powder

1 tsp salt

1 to 2 Granny Smith apples

Cinnamon Sugar mixture: 2 T sugar for every 1 tsp cinnamon

Mix egg, milk, and oil. Stir in all other ingredients at once.

Then shred about one and a half apples with your grater and stir them into the mixture. Then go ahead and add a spoon full or so of that cinnamon sugar mixture to sweeten it up...however much you like ;)

Fill muffin cups 3/4 full and then, the best part, sprinkle the tops with cinnamon sugar.

Bake 20 minutes at 400 degrees.

Enjoy the smiles from the messy haired pajama laden children stumbling down the stairs and into the kitchen when they smell that irresistable smell.

No one looked groggy during scriptures this morning. There were lots of crumbs and a little talking with their mouths full...but they were all bright eyed and awake...PROGRESS!

Everyday Lovin: What He Needed Today

2010-09-01T06:52:00.000-07:00

I had a plan for my everyday lovin' challenge this week...and I was excited about it. I planned to get up early this morning and make homemade Morning Muffins (my husband and my kids are VERY happy people when they wake up to warm muffins) And, to be honest, it is rare that I serve anything but instant oatmeal or cold cereal for breakfast. And to be even more honest most of the time I often don't get the breakfast served at all before my husband leaves for work. So, I thought this would be a nice surprise to show that I was thinking of my hubby and wanted him to have a a good start to the day.

But, as luck would have it he must have eaten something bad yesterday and he spent several hours throwing up in the night (I know, not pleasant, but it's part of the story) I woke up early as planned and made the muffins. The smell of apple cinnamony goodness filled the house...mmmmm.

But when I walked into the living room I saw my guy laying on the couch looking completely worn out and miserable. He said that he was still going to work and was starting to feel better but still didn't think he could stomach much food. He took a few little nibbles of a muffin and then decided it wasn't going to work for him.

So, I had to stop and think for a minute. The point of this challenge that I gave myself was to learn to love my husband more and do more of the little things that matter. But, today, muffins were not the little thing that he needed. Today he needed something else....soda and saltine crackers. But, we didn't have any. Then it occured to me that really loving someone is not just about planning projects to do for them. It's about being there to help them with whatever it is that they need today. It's loving them in ways that you hadn't planned. So, at six something in the morning I climbed into the car and drove to the nearest gas station to get some Sprite and saltine crackers.

I gave him one bottle of soda and then left some saltines and another bottle in his car with a note telling him that I love him and hope he feels better. It was almost nothing, really, and yet I knew that I loved him like he needed to be loved this morning. And that felt good. I'm still learning. But for today the challenge is to love your husband in whatever way he needs you to. Love him by making a nice dinner at the end of a hard day. Love him by telling him how great he is when he's discouraged or just choose to be patient when you could be irritated. Love him by leaving him a surprise....OR, if he has food poisoning....leave him some saltines and soda :)

Don't worry, my children ate all the muffins in five minutes so they didn't go to waste. But since those muffins really do make the morning, tomorrow's post.will be all about....MORNING MUFFINS :)

Now it's your turn. Tell us what you did or plan to do to show a little extra love this week.

Lunchbox Food Faces (facemats)

2010-08-30T03:00:00.000-07:00

I got inspired this weekend. Lunchbox inspired. It all started with a link to the blog At Second Street where I found an awesome tutorial on how to make Food Face Plates. She even made them look like family members...awesome. Then, the next night I played the game

Guess Who Mix N' Mash with my kids. It's a game of creating silly faces with different game pieces and my kids LOVED it!

By Sunday we were ready to combine to two ideas into a lunchtime sensation :) Since you can't send full size plates in a lunch box I decided to make these printable placemat-like face templates. I think I'll call them FACEMATS :) All you do is print them out, laminate them, and you're ready to go. If they ever wear out you can just print some more. We made our face patterns in four styles: old lady, animal, alien, and man.

CLICK HERE TO PRINT GRANDMA FACEMAT

CLICK HERE TO PRINT ANIMAL FACEMAT

CLICK HERE TO PRINT ALIEN FACEMAT

CLICK HERE TO PRINT MAN FACEMAT

Next, we got out our face making feast. (Yes, we ate this for dinner last night...I get a little excited about things sometimes and can't wait until lunch the next day to try it out.)

Here's what used for food and face parts:

Ritz crackers

Cheese cut into traingles

Raisins

Carrot slices

Grapes (cut into halves)

Broccoli florets (fresh)

Mandarin Oranges

Pineapple Tidbits

Popcorn

It only took five minutes to get the food ready and we didn't even use plates...just laminated FACEMATS. And then the fun began. I'll be totally honest, even my husband and I were having a pretty fabulous time making faces and playing with our food. Here's a few of our creations just before we gobbled them down:

The best part is, I can make this into a super simple school lunch (baggies with crackers, raisins, carrots, etc.) and slip a FACEMAT into the lunchbox and it's instant fun. Send a baby wipe in the lunchbox and they can just wipe it off when they are done if needed.

Everyone was happy with dinner...which is not always the case....like when we eat regular dinner. So, go ahead and print some out. Use em' at home or in a lunch box. I am a fan of playing with your food.

Celebrate the Family

2010-08-29T09:05:00.000-07:00

I know that you love your family. Because that's why you're here. You want to make happy memories with them and build a stronger family just like I do. It's what we all want. But, sometimes we are distracted by life in general and we forget the basic, simple truths that will help us find that strong and happy family. But in September we are going to refocus and remember what matters most!

September marks the fifteenth anniversary of The Family Proclamation to the World. It's a one page reminder of all that is important and sacred about family. And I'm joining up with some other bloggers to
celebrate the family and the great truths found in this document with Family Home Evening Lessons, Activities, and more that will strengthen and unify families. Check out this blog and this blog who are hosting the events.

Want to join me? Because I need your help!

One of the challenges that has been issued in this celebration is to find a way to share the joy of the truths of the Proclamation. I need your help because I have a little vision of something beautiful. I want to pair my favorite parts of the Family Proclamation with pictures and music...a slide show of sorts. An image of the happiness that we can achieve when we found our family life on truth and love. I also want your ideas on how your strengthen your family ....share your family traditions, the ways you show love for each other.

It really doesn't matter what faith you are or where you live or what your family is like. I want to see your favorite pictures, your happy moments. I want to hear your successes! Then I want to put them all together as a montage that can be shared with all of us.... and that you can share with others! I will also share some of your thoughts in my posts in September. These are the basic truths that I want to represent:

Now, start thinking. What are your favorite pictures that you have of your family? Do you have a cute picture of your kids hugging?....that would show love or forgiveness beautifully! Do you have a picture of your family working in the garden or building something or playing at the lake....that could show work or wholesome recreation. Any photo that you have that shows happiness in family life with your children or your spouse....PLEASE SEND IT MY WAY! (Of course you have to have the copyright on the pictures )
Have a really fabulous photo? You can also head on over to Jocelyn's blog and enter your photo in her Family Proclamation photo contest and maybe win a prize!

OK, recap. I need your help to make some beautiful stuff to celebrate family. Here's what you can do:

1. Send me and e-mail with a photo that shows some happiness that your family has had that might represent some of the truths I listed above (wholesome recreation, love, faith compassion, etc.)

2. Send me and e-mail that tells me about successes you have had in your family as you have tried to apply these principles...fun traditions you have, ways that you show love for each other, etc.

You are fantastic women and I want to see and hear all about the joy you find in your families....come on, you know you have at least one great photo or story that you can share....send me and e-mail. You'll be famous...OK, maybe not famous...but you WILL get to share the joy of family with others :) The finished product will be posted in a few weeks.

momentstoliveby@gmail.com

OK, here's a few of my favorites to get to started:

Imagination City

2010-08-27T03:00:00.000-07:00

Every once in a while I can see that my kids would really love to do a project. And, not just a little project. Something that totally engages them, something open ended and creative...something that that will cause thier mom to stop what she is doing and enter their world for a while. A few days ago I could see it my sons eyes. My four year old had asked me to play with him multiple times and I kept responding with "sure, right after I finish this..." or "just let mama clean up these dishes first and then..." I could see that he was needing some serious mom time.

So, I stopped, looked him in the eyes, and said the thing that I knew would make him happy.... "Do you want to build a paper city with me?" His little eyes lit up because he knew what that meant. It meant that we were embarking on an imagination project together that was serious business. We've done this before so I knew I was devoting a good little part of the afternoon to this "paper city" but that was the point. We both needed it. So what is a paper city? It's whatever you want it to be. It's imagination at it's finest. It starts with a pile of paper, some sharpies, crayons, scissors, and tape.

Then, we ask the question "so what do you want in your city?"

This time my son started out with fish. He wanted a fish pond in his city. He drew some fish and then I cut them out for him.

Soon we were creating skyscrapers from posterboard and a zoo for tiny paper animals.

We folded the bottom part of the paper to make a little ledge so that we could tape the pictures down and they would stand upright.

He was creating storylines and we kept on drawing and cutting and taping. When my daughter arrived home from school she jumped right in and made some houses and a school.

We even constructed this bus with teeny tiny people in it.

Then, when my husband walked in from his run he sat down on the floor and drew a football field and a stadium...and a golf course (the dream city :) We were on our way to making a two headed man (don't ask me...I just cut the stuff out) and some other people who lived in the city but eventually it was time for dinner and homework.

I felt happy looking at our little city as I made dinner. It was a little momento of an afternoon well spent. I had talked and listened and laughed with my kids and that good lookin' imaginary city was a symbol of our time together. And after all the kids were in bed I heard little footsteps coming back down the stairs. Then I saw a messy haired child poke his head around the corner and say "Mom....don't throw away that paper city OK?" I smiled and agreed (I usually end up keeping them for a few days to a week until the novelty wears off) Then, in a few months we will be ready to create a new, and totally original Imagination City. What a great day.

Try it out. It's quite a relaxing way to spend some one on one time with your kids.

Homemade Cupcakes?

2010-08-26T12:46:00.000-07:00

I make these cupcakes...and I call them homemade. And every time someone eats them they groan with delight and ask for the recipe. And I'm honest with them and tell them that I use a cake mix. But it's a darn good cake mix...premium (it says so on the label). But the real trick is not just in the cake mix, it's in the homemade icing. Delicious buttery chocolatey finger licky frosting that takes all of about five minutes to whip up...because that's the kind of homemade I like to do.

And yesterday after lunch my little guy and I were in the mood for something sweet. Yellow cupcakes with homemade chocolate frosting made his eyes twinkle so we decided to make them right then and there. I dumped one full pan of them upside down into the oven when I burned my finger trying to take them out....a tragic loss. But, we did get a dozen and I felt like sharing them with you. And since you can't taste them through this screen, I'll tell you how to make them too.

First, you must buy the absolute best yellow cake mix on the market.

The best, in my opinion, is

Duncan Hines Moist Deluxe Butter Recipe Golden

It says right on the box that it's Amrica's favorite...and there is good reason for that. Everytime I use it someone comments on what good cake it is.

Prepare your cake mix as directed, spoon into cupcake liners. Use two in each muffin cup and the outer liner will be pretty when your done.

Bake your cupcakes. They will come out plain. boring even, but you'll still want to eat one...hold out.

While they are cooling prepare the frosting. Here's what you need:

and here's the recipe:

HOMEMADE CHOCOLATE BUTTERCREAM FROSTING

1/3 Cup butter (softened)

1/3 Cup cocoa

2 Cups powdered sugar

1 1/2 tsp vanilla

2 Tbl. Milk

Make sure that butter is softened first and then beat all the ingredients together with your mixer until it is creamy and smooth.

Then get out your pastry bag. If you don't have one of these you can just pick one up anywhere that sells Wilton products. I use this all the time and it's well worth the few dollars. You will also need a tip with a wide opening. I used a number 199 tip. You can see the basic shape and anything with a wide round mouth and a similar look should work.

Fill your pastry bag with frosting.

Roll up the end and grab your cupcake.

You are going to make one long continuous swirl starting on the outside of the cupcake top.

Go all the way around the outside and then do a circle inside that, and then inside that, until you have a swirly little mountain of pretty icing and then finish it off with a little spike on top. (if you've never used a pastry bag before it might take a little practice, but not much)

And there you have it. Homemade (kind of) and completely irresistable. Look at this thing.

You want to take a bite right now don't you? Here, I'll do it for you.

Wish I could sit down at the table with all of you and give you a glass of milk and one of these right now. But I feel better knowing that all you need is a good cake mix and five minutes to make homemade chocolate buttercream frosting and you'll have your own. And you will be happy. Because cupcakes make people happy. Yum.

Everyday Lovin': Brag About Your Husband

2010-08-25T08:44:00.000-07:00

Last week I began my Everyday Lovin' Challenge. The challenge is pretty simple : do something a little extra every week to show your love for your husband. I'm going for something a little unexpected and fun to make my husband smile and I'll post about it every Wednesday.

My inspiration for this week comes from a story that I heard my husband's grandma Rosalie relate about her marriage. She says that they had been married for many years. They had endured loss and happiness, health and illness. They had lost a child. Her husband has suffered a stroke but had pulled through. Life had not always been easy but they had stuck together. They were at a social event one evening when she overheard someone ask her husband how he and his wife were doing. His response was:

"Oh, Rosalie! She's the best thing that ever happened to me!"

I don't know if he knew she was listening but it didn't matter. The fact was that hearing him brag about her like that was something that touched her so much that she remembered that moment for years to come. Was Rosalie perfect? NO! But her husband gave her the gift of focusing on her virtues.

I think one of the best things we can do to show our love is to show our total admiration for our spouse's strengths. (those good things are, after all, why we married them in the first place right?!)

So, today I will brag about my husband :)

And, when I'm done I want you to brag about yours!

My husband...COOKS

This man makes bread. And he lets the kids help him. He totally loves to try a new recipe or make a beautiful loaf of bread and take it to someone. At one point he was making bread with the kids every Sunday and delivering it to people. They would smile at the door and say "tell your wife thank you!" And he would just nod and smile and never reveal that he is the baker and the one who loves to cook, not me. He made me look quite domestic :)

My husband...FORGIVES

Whatever it is that we disagree about it he is over it an hour later and will never rehash it again. He doesn't hold grudges and he doesn't point out how many times I've made the same mistake. Thank goodness.

My husband...TELLS ME HE LOVES ME

Every day. For thousands of days in row. Not a day goes by that that he doesn't say it. And he tells
me I'm beautiful on a regular basis (but not so often that it doesn't seem genuine)

My husband...GIVES ME FREEDOM

He doesn't tell me what to do or how to do things. He wants me to pursue my dreams and my friendships and my develop my talents. He wants me to be happy and he tries to support me in whatever I'm working on...anything from training for a 10k to doing this blog. He's my cheerleader. (Except I don't know if he wants to be called a cheerleader....maybe a manly fan section)

My husband...

PLAYS WITH THE KIDS, AND THANKS ME FOR DINNER, AND PRAYS WITH ME EVERY NIGHT, AND HAS CUTE LITTLE WRINKLES AND DIMPLES WHEN HE SMILES .....I LOVE HIM.

Now it's your turn. Go ahead, brag about your husband. Tell us what's so great about him. Leave me a comment. Or, even better, do a whole post about him on your blog and then link it with the linky below so we can all read it! Or you could write something nice on Facebook! Whatever you can think of to let people know what you love about him. Or, just do something else to show your husband you love him then let us in on it. A little extra love can go a long way. Remember the quote "In marriage the little things are the big things!" I can't wait to hear from you!

Family Night in a Basket

2010-08-24T08:19:00.000-07:00

Last night after wrestling my younger two children to sit still while my eight year old presented the family home evening lesson that she had worked so hard to prepare I thought to myself "what's a girl to do to get the little ones to sit still and listen...even for five minutes?" And then, after our activity and treat we put the kids to bed and I checked my facebook. And, I found the answer to all my "sit still and listen" woes...laundry baskets. Yes, laundry baskets. Oh, and popcorn. My friend posted this picture last night with this caption:
"FHE- put the kids in their own basket, give them a bowl of popcorn. They don't bug each other and they listen great to the lesson."

Thank you. You smart, smart ,woman. There is now more hope for all family home evening lessons of the future. Think of all the great things you could teach them if they just sit still and stay in the baskets :)

Date Night: Ice Cream Taste Testing

2010-08-24T07:39:00.000-07:00

We have a fun date planned for this weekend that I'm really excited about. But, in the mean time I thought I would share with you a date that my husband came up with a while back. It was cheap, delicious, fun, and the best part....he thought of it all on his own!

Here's how it went down:
While I was putting the kids to bed he made a quick trip to the store and picked out six different mini containers of icecream ($1 each at the grocery store). Once the kids were asleep we embarked on a taste test in which we scored each type of icecream based on flavor, texture, and the "would you want to eat a whole bowl of it?" question.

We gave points for each category but this was so super casual that we just jotted our scores down on a slip of paper. (You could make a scoring sheet but we had a small baby who wasn't sleeping through the night so we were lucky to even stay awake on a date :) It was fun to compare all the different kinds side by side and we ate right out of the containers just because we could. The results: Haagen Daas is much creamier and better than Ben and Jerry's. However, they were all delicious and added up to an incredibly high calorie total that we decided not to think about as long as we don't do this date too often :)

We conducted this taste test by candlelight (dessert +candlelight+ quiet= happiness) and he even provided goblets with water and Martinelli's Sparkling Cider to rinse our palettes between icecream flavors.

It was sweet and easy and fun and I loved him all the more for planning it. Only I'm looking at my waistline right now and wondering if next time we'll have to have a bottled water and celery taste test instead. But, let's be honest, that wouldn't be nearly as fun. Six kinds of icecream now and then never really hurt anyone right?

Raindrops on Roses...

2010-08-23T04:00:00.000-07:00

Have you ever seen the movie The Sound of Music? Because if you haven't then...well then, you've been missing out. When I was a little girl I watched The Sound of Music over and over again at my grandparents house. I watched it so many times, in fact, that to this day I pretty much have the entire three hour movie memorized. So, I've done the only responsible thing that a parent in my situation can do....make my kids watch it and love it repeatedly too. (I bought the collectors edition DVD set a few years ago)

And sometimes when you watch a musical that many times it becomes so much a part of you that you are like a living soundtrack that is programmed to burst into song whenever a corresponding prompt is given. For example, you hear someone say "she's only sixteen" and you have to resist fiercly to prevent yourself from singing "You are sixteen going on seventeen" because oftentimes it wouldn't really be appropriate in the conversation.

But, other times this weird living soundtrack phenomenon works out nicely. Last night was one of those nights. There was quite a thunderstorm raging outside. My husband and I were out on the balcony and our kids came running into our room in their pajamas saying they were scared of the storm....oh come on, you know I couldn't resist. Do you remember that part when the VonTrapp kids run into Maria's room during the thunderstorm and they sing "My Favorite Things" to make them all feel better?

Lucky for me my husband is equally as dorky as I am and he broke into song first. We walked them back to bed and sang a few rounds of:

Raindrops of roses and whiskers on kittens

Bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens

Brown paper packages tied up with string

These are a few of my favorite things...

The kids sang along (because we are training them to think that life is a musical too) and in between verses we all told our favorite things. And as the rain beat down on the house and the thunder boomed outside we all sat together and smiled and laughed in our pajamas. My littlest was tired so she layed her drowsy little head down on my shoulder and listened contently.

And I said that I love to sit on the heating vent on cold winter days.

And the kids said they liked snuggling in the mornings and roasting marshmallows over a fire.

My husband said he loves sliding into a crisp cold bed covered in big blankets.

Making snowmen and riding horses and hearing the kids laugh.....

And on we went until everyone was happily tired. Then we tucked them all back into bed and the storm continued. But they weren't scared anymore. They were thinking of thier favorite things. And it was the perfect unexpected end to the day.

If only our pajamas were as coordinated as the VonTrapp family's were....

Tomorrow I think I'll make them play clothes out of the old drapes... (If you haven't seen the movie you can go ahead and disregard that last comment)

Are You In There?

2010-08-21T06:26:00.000-07:00

Somedays I find myself guilty of not giving my children my full attention. I've caught myself trying to complete a task and nodding (but not listening) to what they are saying to me. I've been guilty of hurrying through things that I should be enjoying with them or being distracted by my computer, my phone, and my to do list. And, sometimes at the end of the day I've found myself lying in bed and wishing I would have loved them a little more, spent a little more time hugging them and laughing with them and teaching them. Do they know how important they are to me? Am I loving and listening to them like I should?

I watched this the other day and it reminded to me to prioritize a little. My e-mail can wait. We don't always have to be in a hurry. I have time to listen and show concern and love....that's why I'm a mom, that's why I'm here. So, as we head into the weekend I'll take this video as my inspiration. I'm going to have a great day with my kids. We have nothing grand planned, but I intend for the day to end with them knowing that I am here and that the are among the most important things in the world as far as I'm concerned. Today I'll give my mind and my heart and not just my presence. Enjoy your weekend and love those little kids :)

And The Winner Is....

2010-08-20T14:58:00.000-07:00

I promised that today I would give away the nursing cover to one lucky mama who left a comment on my "Nursing Cover Anyone?" post. And, here it is.....a number was chosen at random (from random.org) and the number was.....2!

So, comment number two was Erinn!

Congrats Erinn. You are the winner of a brand new nursing cover from Udder Covers! Send me an e-mail at momentstoliveby@gmail.com to claim your prize and let me know where to mail it off to! And to everyone else, I'm looking for more fun mama things to give away so next time YOU may be the lucky winner :)

Bubble Wrap Hop Scotch

2010-08-20T05:30:00.000-07:00

I was browsing some fun blogs the other day when I found this awesome idea on giverslog.com! She has a section on her blog that features fun things you can send in the mail that weigh 13oz. or less. and bubble wrap hopscotch was one of my favorites. This is not only a cool and lightweight package to send in the mail, but it's also just an all around fun thing to with the kids at home. Because, honestly, WHO DOESN'T like bubble wrap?! So, of course, when I went to the store yesterday I had to pick up a roll of bubblewrap and try this out.

All you do is cut the bubble wrap into squares, use a sharpie to put numbers on each square, and lay it out in hopscotch formation.

We ended up putting a little packing tape on the back of each square so that they wouldn't slide around too much when the kids "hopped" on them.

Then we grabbed a small toy to use as a marker and we were ready to go! My kids LOVED this! They played hopscotch OVER and OVER again and delighted in the popping sounds that filled the room .

And my baby just ran over the top of it over and over again and laughed. There is enough "POP" in one set of these squares for the kids to play quite a few games of hopscotch. One roll of bubble wrap was enough to make about three sets.

Here's some tips:
1. Wear socks. Bare feet can sometimes stick to the bubble wrap a little.
2. A little tape on the back of the squares will make this game go MUCH better!
3. Let the kids help. The loved setting it up, playing the game, taking it apart, the whole thing!

So next time you have a rainy day or just need something fun to do with the kids try this out! Even I wanted to jump on the bubbles and hear them pop. Have fun hopscotching :)

P.S. Check out how cool this is as a gift to send to nieces and nephews or friends in the mail here

Shower Graffiti Love Notes

2010-08-18T16:15:00.000-07:00

I posted earlier that I am challenging myself to do something a little extra each week to show my husband that I love him. Something fairly simple but meaningful. I'm taking this as a fun little adventure.

When we were dating we used to write each other love notes. It was not uncommon for me to come home and find a sweet note left for me on the table or the bed. And, I would do the same for him. But, as the years went by we got busier and nowadays we don't write many love notes. So, to start off my Everyday Lovin' Challenge today I left him love notes in the form of graffiti on the shower walls. :) This truly made my day!

I found these bathtub crayons next to the kid's shampoo and soap at the grocery store.

Crayola Bathtub Crayons

They looked too fun to pass up and let me tell you, they were all that I hoped they would be. I had a great time coloring all over the shower and leaving him little messages like this:

My daughter walked in while I was working on this and she, of course, wanted to add her own touch.

And when my shower grafitti/love note was complete I closed the shower curtain and got rid of all evidence that I had been there.

Hopefully when he hops in the shower tomorrow morning this will bring a smile to his face. I think that any kid would love to be surprised with notes in the shower or tub too! (Maybe I'll graffiti their shower later this week!) Week one of Everyday Lovin' complete:) Now, what to do next week.....hmmmm.

Everyday Lovin' Challenge

2010-08-17T22:17:00.000-07:00

My husband and I have been married for ten years now. When I married this wonderful guy ten years ago I was a wide eyed nineteen year old who, as I look back, had really no concept of what lay ahead of me as we began this journey together. Look at us....blissfully unaware :) They didn't even have digital cameras back then...I had to scan this.

I'm not sure I realized that life would present so many tasks and challenges and unexpected twists and turns. I don't think I fully comprehended that there would come a point in our life when we couldn't do whatever we pleased together all the time. We were free and easy and would take off for road trips with a few hours notice. The rent for our tiny apartment was $300 per month. We went on walks together at 11pm just because we felt like it and our worries were relatively few.

Now we have three little kids. It takes us fourteen hours to pack up for a road trip. Our rent is significantly more and we are pretty tied down to work and school and kids and life in general. Life gets more complicated as you go on it seems. We will never again be without responsibility. We will now always have kids to worry about and dull chores to do on a daily basis. It sounds depressing but stick with me because that's not where I'm headed. :)

I've been thinking lately about how to make sure that our love stays just as beautiful and exciting and fresh as it was ten years ago even though life grows increasingly busy and challenging. Then I read this quote from James E. Faust:

"In the enriching of marriage the big things are the little things"

It's all those little things that keep it alive. It's little surprises and still holding hands. It's a love note, a show of respect or admiration, a wink, a compliment, it's when my husband opens a door for me or brings me flowers. All that little stuff that connects us....the "EVERYDAY LOVIN'" that makes a difference (hence the name). So, I've issued myself a challenge to do more of the little things. Stuff that takes a little extra effort on my part, but collectively makes a BIG difference in the end. Want to join me?

Each week I am challenging myself to do one little extra thing that I wouldn't have otherwise done to show my husband that I love him. I will post what I did here on the blog. I'm going for creative and fun but not too complicated :) And I want to hear what you are doing too! Go out of your way to do something special for your husband this week and then leave a comment on the weekly Everyday Lovin' Challenge posts telling us what you did.

HERE ARE THE RULES:

1. Do something extra that you would not have normally done to show your husband that you love him.

2. Don't expect him to do ANYTHING in return. Just do it to show him that you care.

3. Report back here. You can even blog about what you did and leave us a link if you like.

There it is. Simple. And a little extra love is NEVER WASTED! Will you join me?

Nursing Cover Anyone?

2010-08-17T05:15:00.000-07:00

A while back a friend tipped me off about a coupon for a free nursing cover from Udder Covers. (What a name eh?) I already have a nursing cover (plus, I'm not even nursing a baby right now) but I figured that someone could use it and how could I pass up getting a thirty some dollar awesome baby product for free?! So...you want it? Are you expecting a baby? Could you give this to someone as a gift? Every mama needs one. So, if you want this brand spankin new nursing cover leave me a comment. On Friday a winner will be chosen at random and I will mail it off! Here's the one that I have:

And here's the specs on it (in the company's own words)

Our Porter Udder Cover is marked with our signature Udder Covers™ logo. Its black and white pattern is relaxed yet modern and elegant, perfect for any occasion.

Made of 100% breathable cotton

Stainless steel d-rings allow a fully adjustable neckline

Machine washable

Rigid neckline bows giving you direct eye contact with baby yet our sizing keeps you completely covered while breastfeeding

So, leave me a comment to enter. Winner on Friday!

One of Those Moments

2010-08-16T07:36:00.000-07:00

Life doesn't seem to grant us perfect moments very often. But, every now and then there is a moment that I just have to stop and absorb because it is so purely blissful and sweet than I want to be able to return to it again and again in my mind.

In my mind I have a little collection of of those moments. I have a little clip of my husband running around the backyard with my daughter on his shoulders giggling with wild abandon. I have an image of my two oldest kids dancing in the kitchen when they were both small. I have the day my husband suprised me at work with flowers to announce that he had been accepted into the graduate program that he had been working so hard for. I don't need a picture to replay these moments, they're permanent in my mind.

Yesterday I had a tiny little moment that gave me those same feelings. It was Sunday and there was quiet music playing in our house. My older two kids had been dressed up and building forts while I did the dishes. When I finished what I was doing I walked into the living room and found this:

Two of my favorite people in the world sharing the rocking chair. My daughter was reading Little House in the Big Woods to her little brother (hence the need to wear the pioneer dress she has on this picture) and as he layed his head on her shoulder his eyes grew heavier and heavier. And soon he was asleep. She continued to read and there was total peace in the room. And for a little moment it didn't matter that sometimes they pester each other and sometimes they can't stand each other. Nope, for that moment it was plain and simple. They are family. They love each other. And they will take care of each other. And I just stood and watched, without being noticed at all.

So, I'll file this away in my mind. I'll need it on days when everything isn't quite so ideal. Because looking forward to the next perfect moment makes it all worth it.

Tell me, do you have some perfect moments that you like to remember again and again?

A Package Of Cheer

2010-08-15T13:19:00.000-07:00

Sometimes we all have hard times. Times when we feel especially challenged, especially weak, or particularly discouraged for one reason or another. My cousin is going through one of those times right now.

I have thought about her so much lately and wondered what I could do to support her even though we live far away from each other. Then, yesterday, I decided to throw together this little "Package of Cheer" for her. Each of the items in this little care package represents some comfort, cheer, or help that she might be needing right now. It was easy to make, packed into a small box, and it's stuff that she can use or eat (treats, socks, etc.) And, although I know that one little care package can nowhere near solve all the challenges that she currently faces, I also know that a little extra love can never hurt. Do you know someone who's having a rough go right now? Maybe someone who is sick, just moved, having trouble with their kids, suffering with an addiction or a relationship problem? This might even be a fun package for a missionary.

You can't solve their problems but maybe you could make their day by sending them a little package of cheer. Here's what's in the package:

SOCKS:

"To help get you on your feet even when it's tough"

GUM:

"To help you STICK to your goals and CHEWS the path will bring you happiness"

HOT COCOA:

"To WARM your soul"

LANTERN:

"To light your way on even the darkest of days"

HUGS AND KISSES:

"Because some days you just need extra hugs and kisses to get through"

LAFFY TAFFY:

"To bring SWEETNESS and LAUGHTER to any situation"

I packaged the items in cellophane bags (from the party and wrapping section at the store). The labels were attached with more of that self sticking laminate (you know I love that stuff). I just put laminate on the front of each label and cut it out leaving a border of sticky laminate around the edge of the label and then stuck it to the bags. You could also print the labels directly on to sticky back label paper (I just didn't have any on hand. Whichever way you choose,

stick the labels on BEFORE you fill the bags so that the labels will go on smooth and pretty.

CLICK HERE TO PRINT THE LABELS FOR THESE BAGS

I included a little note at the top of the package with this poem:

When your spirit starts to sag

Just look inside these little bags.

You'll find things to help you through

To lift, and help, and comfort you.

You are loved!

CLICK HERE FOR THE PRINTABLE PDF OF THIS POEM

Hopefully she will smile and, at least for a little while, feel reassured that she is loved and that she can overcome all that stands before her. Make one for someone you love. Include a handwritten note expressing how much you care. It will probably make your day as well as theirs.

Tic Tac Toe Lunch

2010-08-13T07:39:00.000-07:00

This morning I had planned to make a "Tic Tac Toe" themed lunch for my daughter for school. I was just too tired to put it together last night so I set my alarm to get up a little early and prepare it this morning....only that's not what happened. Somehow when the alarm when off on my trusty cell phone (which I had set to a peaceful and soothing ringtone that is not suited to waking people like me up) I grabbed the phone, turned it off, and went right back to sleep...for like an hour. When I woke up it was apparent that there would be no time for showering but I still managed to throw together a lunch that was somewhat like what I had imagined. You'll have to excuse the hurried pictures. It was some kind of miracle that I took any pictures at all :) So, here it is:

Everything is more fun when it's a game right!? So, I decided to make this lunch into a tic tac toe game. The first step is to make the playing board. Grab a sheet of self sticking laminate (I use this stuff alot) ,or you could use clear contact paper too, and draw a Tic Tac Toe board on it with a Sharpie.

Now, peel off the backing and stick the game board you just made to the inside of the lid of the lunchbox.

Add a dry erase marker and you have a game board/lunch box all in one. It's something fun to do with friends while they are eating and chatting. Because I was in a hurry I scribbled out a note on one of the sandwich bags. It was still cute but would have been cuter if I would have prepared it in advance...so I made one for you so that your kids' lunch can be more fashionable :)

CLICK HERE FOR PRINTABLE TIC TAC TOE LOVE NOTE

Next, I used "X" and "O" cookie cutters to cut the sandwich.

Then I made little O's by scooping out the center of cucumber slices. I also did a mad dash and cut the cheese slices into X's.

And for dessert, what else but TIC TAC's :) Don't you just love themes?

I also had this cute little party favor in my School Lunch Kit so I added it in just cuz it was kinda tic tac toey.

My daughter looked excited as she ran out the door. Hopefully she will find a friend to play TIC TAC TOE with and together they can eat TIC TACS and smile their way through lunch time.

And my son.....well, he was jealous of the cool lunch so he ate this for breakfast.