Why I'm awesome Wednesday

*Hi!  I'm here.  I've decided to take it easy blog-wise for the rest of the summer.  I'll post here and there, but with so much going on and a big trip home to prepare for, I'm not going to add "blog" to my list of things to stress about.  So...don't give up on me.  I'll get back into a regular groove once I'm back from my trip.  Three for Thursday will also be back in the fall...prepare yourselves!*

I can anticipate when a kid in church is going to make a break for it and try to escape.  I can catch the kid as they take their first steps to run.

I make a really good meatloaf.

I can type really fast and I can use that skill to provide for my family.

I have 11 toenails.

I'll be back

Friends:

I am going to take a break from blogging this week, but I will be back next week.

Thanks for understanding.

Happy Birthday, Mister!

My husband.  He's awesome.  He is a student and works really, really hard.  I'm so proud of him and soooooo in love with him.

He had a birthday recently and I really wanted to give him something special.  I want him to always know how much I love him.  I am trying to decorate our bedroom with the theme of love, so my idea was to make something to hang on the wall in our room.

First, I took an 11 x 13 canvas and painted it with an ecru paint.

See, I put a white paper next to it so you could see the difference in color.  =)

Next, I pulled out my trusty Cricut and cut out the word "forever" from a strip of contact paper.

Once the base coat of paint had dried, I peeled off the back of the paper and stuck the word (now something of a reverse stencil) on the canvas.

Then I painted the canvas in graduated blues.  I tried to just let my creativity flow when it came to painting the canvas.  I didn't really have anything planned, but I like how it turned out.  

Once the blues had dried, I peeled up the contact paper.  Then I forgot to take a picture of the end result.  (Seriously, I set the picture up and then walked away to help my kids with something.  I completely forgot what I was doing!  sorry.)

But, I did get a picture of the end result.  

For the "I love you" I watered down some glue, colored it with a smidge of yellow paint, and dipped yarn in that.  I spelled out the letters with the yarn (which was actually much messier than I anticipated!).  I sprayed the whole thing with a sealant to finish it up.

Here's the end product:

In between all the drying times, I put together a set of 12 dates, one for each month.  

Each is presented with a little poem (kind of), a title to give him some sort of clue as to what we'll be doing, and a list of supplies for me.  All he has to do is pick a day each month and we have a date all set up.

Because he is so busy, all of these dates are stay-at-home dates, but I'm really excited about them.  I'll definitely be sharing our plans with you!

Next was his "cake."

To say he is a lover of Oreos is a gross understatement.  The man can eat a package of Oreos in about 20 minutes!  It's a sight to see.  

I had seen this idea on Pinterest (let me know if you want an invite, I've got 4 or 5 I can send out) and I knew it would be perfect for him.  

The original uses about 20 packages of Oreos, I only used 3, so mine isn't as impressive...

...but it served its purpose just the same!

O was careful to add her own "cakes" to the top, because she loves her Daddy.

It was a good day.  Isn't he handsome?

I love you, Mister!

I'm linking this project up to these parties.

How to host a fruit fly party

Do you have a problem with fruit flies in the summer?

I do.  They are all over and they drive me ca-ra-zy!

I can't remember where I first saw the idea (I'm thinking it was on The Idea Room somewhere, but I couldn't for the life of me find it).  Get an old jar (cleaned out), put some fruit in it, and roll a piece of paper into a funnel. (I'm sure you could use a real funnel too.  I'll have to try that.)  Place the paper in the jar and watch the flies come flocking to the party!  For some reason, they can get in, but not out.  Silly bugs.

That doesn't sound too hard, right?  So, I decided to try.

Then, Mister came home and was super impressed with the idea, but wanted to experiment with it a bit.  I had an apple in mine, he used a banana and some canned fruit.  He also used a shorter tube.

We set out both jars in the same place to see who threw the best fruit fly party.

It's kind of hard to see in this picture (because they are so itty bitty!) but there are hundreds of flies in this jar.

My jar has maybe 20 flies in it.  

Now we know.  They like bananas (they rot faster) and fruit cocktail and the shorter the journey to the party, the better.  Also, we've learned that it can be productive to let the husband build on our ideas.  =)

P.S.  I read recently that it works to put plastic wrap on top of the jar, secured with a rubber band, with holes poked in the plastic wrap.  Maybe we'll try both and see who wins that party.

Three for Thursday

 (source)

Alright!  I'm enough back in the swing of things that I am joining up with Three for Thursday again.  Evelyn is hosting this week.  And, I'm thrilled to announce that she has asked me, along with Katy over at The House of Estrogen, to co-host!  Yay!  So, watch for the prompt with me next week and play along if you are so inclined!


Three confessions:
1.  I know I need more sleep, but I can't seem to get myself to go to sleep until way too late (it's so late I can't even bring myself to write it!  I will say I haven't been going to sleep until about 2 hours after I finish working at night and I work until 11:30 almost every night).
2.  I'm addicted to the TV show Monk.  I've discovered it on Netflix and can't seem to get enough.  What am I going to watch when I've completed the whole series?
3.  I love to do Pilates...but I also love to eat cookies.  They don't seem to be working together as I would have hoped.


Three things I do to beat the heat:
1.  Turn up the AC.
2.  Stay inside during the hottest part of the day.
3.  Play outside with my girls and the hose.


Three lessons, skills, or new tricks I have learned this past month:
1.  I'm learning how to stop worrying so much about keeping my house super clean and more about keeping my kids happy and myself sane.
2.  Once again in my life, I am learning the importance and power of sincere and earnest prayer.
3.  O is teaching my how to be a princess and that if I spend a few minutes every day making myself feel like a princess it really makes a difference on the whole day.


Three things that motivate me to be a better person:
1.  My girls.
2.  My husband.
3.  The scriptures.


Three things I would do if I wasn’t “Mommy”, married, and burdened with cares:
1.  I would be in as many plays as I could manage.
2.  I would try to get a spot in a choir, maybe some type of show choir or maybe even the Mormon Tabernacle Choir.  That would be amazing!
3.  Travel, travel, travel.


Three people I call first:
1.  My mom.
2.  My sisters.
3.  My husband.


Three things I changed about my parenting after testing them out on my guinea pig child (first child):
1.  Routines are important, but don't need to be absolute.  It's ok to be flexible.
2.  My multitasking skills have increased immensely.  I seem to be getting a lot more done with two than I did with one.
3.  I wasn't very uptight when I first became a mother--at least I didn't think I was--but I am much more relaxed about things now.  Not that I'm perfectly calm and collected now, but it's a skill I'm definitely developing.


Three things that make me cry:
1.  Being tired.
2.  Being angry.
3.  Being happy.  
(I cry a lot.  Can you tell?)


Three things I’m going to accomplish before the summer is over:
1.  I'm making another quiet book/activity book for my girls.  I'm starting today.
2.  I'm going home for a nice vacation.
3.  I'm going to see the last Harry Potter at least twice.


Three pictures:

Speaking of beating the heat, we have a little mat that hooks up to the hose and sprays water.  I had hooked that up for the girls to play with, but when the Mister saw it, he brought out two big sheets of plastic, put the mat at one end and rigged the other end to form a little pool.  We had a perfect slip and slide (on a tiny hill in our front yard) with a pool at the end.  All four of us played for the afternoon and had a blast!

Um, hello big blue eyes and amazing curls!  

O managed to slide into L nearly every time!  L took the fall each time and, characteristic of her, she would just get up and keep walking back up to the top of the slide.  

She's just getting so big and more and more beautiful every day.  

Head over to Hanging by a Silver Lining to link up this week!

P.S.  Have I mentioned that there are prizes involved for linking up?  Hmmm...just a thought!

Why I'm awesome Wednesday

You know, some days (or some weeks, months, years) are just a little rough.  It is easy to get stuck in a slump.  Day in, day out, life gets a little tedious.  I start to feel overwhelmed, and my soul starts to gets weary.  Then things start to happen to my self-esteem.  I begin to doubt myself and what I'm doing as a wife and a mother.

No good.

So, here's what I'm going to do.  I have to remind myself why I'm awesome.  Maybe once a week, maybe less, maybe more.  Who knows.

Today, I'm awesome because once I start cleaning...really cleaning...I do it quickly and efficiently.  I can do it with two toddlers helping me!  I clean, disinfect, vacuum, and make lunch while singing and dancing a little, keeping my kids happy, and all within 2 hours leaving time for my projects.

What makes you awesome?

Easy Breadsticks or Easy Cinnamon Twists

I love, love, love this recipe.  It really is easy and it's fairly quick, as far as bread goes.  And, finally, I think I have it just about right.  At least, right enough to share.

So...here we go...

Please note, if you are looking at the pictures and find yourself thinking, "Hmmm, that looks like she used too much!" it's ok.  You can lay your worries aside.  I was doubling the recipe so that I could show the 2 variations on the recipe.


Start the party with 1 Tablespoon of Yeast and 1 Tablespoon of sugar.

I wonder if the sugar knows it is there to be eaten?  Hmmm...

Add to that 1 1/2 cups of warm water.

Let that sit for a few minutes until the bubbles start to form.  That's the party starting!

Add 3 cups of flour (you may need a little more...if it is too sticky, add more) and 1 tsp of salt.  

I misread the recipe (and didn't realize it until this very moment) and threw in 1/2 cup (1 stick) of soft butter to the mix.  Oops!  

But, this batch turned out to be my best yet, so...from now on I'm sticking with that.  You don't have to if you don't want to though.  (I'll put the correct recipe at the bottom of this post, by the way.)

Mix all of that together until it forms a soft dough.  Then, knead it like crazy.  

If you have a stand mixer with a dough hook, then just let the dough hook do its thing.

It should look like this (I took this picture while the dough hook was spinning!  Well, I thought it was exciting.)

If you don't have a stand mixer, then knead it by hand.  That's ok too.  It just takes a little longer. 

I read once, or someone told me once, that dough has been kneaded enough when you can poke two fingers into it and the indents stay.

Like this.

I'm glad no one has to poke me to see if I'm kneaded enough.  

Sorry, friends.  I'm tired and when I'm tired the corny jokes and puns pop out.  It's part of who I am and I've learned to live with it.

Now, this part isn't in the recipe, but I have found that the breadsticks turn out better if they are given more time to rise.  Set the dough to rise for about 15 to 20 minutes, enough that the indents disappear.  I turn my oven on and set the metal bowl on the stove top.  The warm bowl and the warm oven make for good rising.

See?

Pretty.

Now that it has risen, take 1/2 a cup of butter (see, I should have waited and used it here instead of throwing it in the mixer.  But, no regrets...it was a happy mistake) and put it on a cookie sheet.

I always cover my pans with foil...it's easier to clean up.

Put the pan and the butter in a 350 degree oven for 3 to 5 minutes...until it is melted.

Then, take it out and sprinkle a good amount of garlic salt or powder over the melted butter.

Take your dough, punch it down and put it on a floured surface.  Roll it flat (about 1/2 inch thick).  

I have no idea why this rolled out in such a funny shape.  It looks like it has some kind of weird growth.  At least it still tastes good!

Get a pizza cutter (it works waaaaaay better than a knife) and cut the dough into breadstick-size sections.

Now, take each section and stretch it out a little (the dough is super soft and stretchy, so it should do that pretty easily as you pick it up), fold it in half and twist it.  Roll each twist in the butter.

Once you have all the pieces rolled, sprinkle them with Parmesan cheese (if you so choose) and let them rise again for about 10 to 15 minutes.  

Pop them in the oven for 15 to 20 minutes.  Pull them out and enjoy some fantastic, soft, and delicious breadsticks!

Um, don't forget about them like I did, though.  They still taste good, but they aren't as good when they are overcooked.  Word to the wise.

Variation!!!!

If you are more in the mood for cinnamon twists, make the same dough, let it rise the same, and melt the butter on the pan the same.  BUT, don't put garlic powder on the butter.

When you roll out the dough, before you cut it, sprinkle it with cinnamon and sugar.  

Cut it, fold it, and twist it just the same as you did the breadsticks.  Roll them in the butter and bake 'em up.

I didn't forget about these ones!  (I have my priorities straight.)

If you are so inclined, mix some powdered sugar and milk and vanilla together (for the right proportions, check allrecipes.com.  I kind of just wing it.) and drizzle it over the top while they're still warm.

Enjoy!!!!

Easy Breadsticks

1 Tbsp sugar

1 Tbsp yeast

1 1/2 cups warm water

3 cups flour

1 tsp salt

1/2 cup butter, melted. 

Garlic salt or powder

Parmesan cheese

Dissolve sugar and yeast in warm water.  Add flour and salt.  Mix all ingredients together.  Knead for 8 minutes.

Pour melted butter evenly over a cookie sheet.  Sprinkle with garlic salt or powder.  Roll dough out 1/2 inch thick.  Cut into 1/2- to 1-inch thick strips.  Roll strips in butter.  Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.  Let rise 10 to 15 minutes.  Bake at 350 for 20 minutes.

Check my Linky Party page to see where I'm linking up!