Boy Style

I saw this winter hat and love it! There are so many cutesy, princess, frilly things for little girls...and there are hardly any fun, cute things for boys! I totally love this, I think it would be so fun for my little babe to wear this at wintertime to keep his little ears and head warm! You can find it here, but man I wish I could make one myself!

Inspiration

*Photo from Little Birdie Secrets
I was at the library yesterday and this little girl had the most darling hair clips in her hair! They were crocheted flowers, very simple, yet so darling. It made me want to start making some right away, even though I don't have a little girl...and I don't know that it would work in my hair because they are small. I've wanted to start an etsy shop and make things to sell, but I've never been sure what to sell because there are so many things that would be fun...anyway, it made me want to start an etsy shop with little girls hair things. :) It reminded me of this tutorial from Little Birdie Secrets, (I love this website! So many great craft ideas!) and then today they posted another great tutorial showing how to crochet these darling hearts! I fell for these little hearts right away, and just need a reason to whip some up... maybe I could hang them on the wall? Or make a garland?

Get to Yes

Some days I feel like a total failure and I really need all the help I can get as a parent. On those days, I love to check out this amazing resource full of parenting tips for children of all ages. Dr. Paul was a Bishop in my church when I was a BYU student and I have always really respected him. I really like this post on being more positive in what we say to our children and trying to get to yes instead of always automatically saying no. It lasts about 10 minutes to listen, but I think it is worth it! This is definitely something I need to work on!

Toddler Time

I am not very creative when it comes to playing with a toddler all day long, so I really liked the ideas listed here and here and they have even more links with ideas to encourage language development, fine motor skills, etc, etc... Thanks parents.com! I really love how they are simple things, some of which I try to do anyway...and then there are things I hadn't thought of at all. I'm glad to know that I'm not too far off at least! :)

Good Reads

I have been wanting to read A Tale of Two Cities for a long time and I finally did it! I really loved this book. Even though I already knew the basic story, I was so caught up in the 'mystery' parts of the book and wanted to know how the characters stories all connected in the end. It was so heartbreaking to read of Sydney Carton, and so striking the difference between good and evil. I highly recommend it.



The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society is a book that I just heard of randomly when someone mentioned how much they liked it on facebook. I'm always on the lookout for a good book, so I put it on hold at the library and really knew nothing about it when I started reading. It is composed all of letters and notes which I wasn't too sure about at first and was a little bit confused about too--not knowing who the different characters were yet and who was writing to whom. But I loved this book! It tells about what life was like during the German occupation of the English Channel Islands during WWII. Although there are very sad parts, I thought it was very touching and had a sweet, happy ending. Once I got into this book, I didn't want to put it down, it was a very quick read.

Addicted

For my little munchkin's birthday I made a "happy birthday" banner...and well, it was so much fun I decided to do another one for Valentine's day...and while I was at the fabric store I found some great "harvest" fabric on sale for 60% off and so come November I get to do another one... :)
I was inspired by the banner here...sorry you have to scroll down to find it, a little more than half way. I was slightly appalled though, at the thought of cutting up actual music. I am also not a scrapbooker or paper crafter and so I didn't have any of the supplies needed for that one so I turned it into a fabric banner instead. I did find fabric that had a music pattern but then I saw the one pictured and liked it better.
I used this heart template for the big hearts and a 2" cookie cutter for the smaller hearts. Then for the letters, I enlarged the font Bookman Old Style to 320. Use wonder under or your favorite fabric adhesive and attach the letters to the hearts. Originally I was going to sew all the hearts with a 1/4" seam allowance, but then I decided it would be easier and probably look better if I just used wonder under again to fuse both sides of the hearts together and then edge-stitched each one, attaching to the... tie. I don't know what to call that, I'm too tired right now. :) I kind of like the frayed look and I'm not too worried about it fraying away since the wonder under is there, and it's not going to be washed or worn or anything stressful to the fabric. :) Anyway, I'm pretty happy with it! If I were to do it again, I would probably make the "tie" a different color from the hearts so they would stand out more, but I like it anyway. :)

I Do

Breakfast Time

I found this recipe at The Homemaking Helper and it looks really good...but I'm not totally convinced, because I hate bread pudding or anything soggy...but I think I'm gonna have to give it a try at least once!

French Toast Casserole

Ingredients
1 loaf French bread
8 eggs
1 cup milk
2 cups cream
Pinch salt
2 Tbsp sugar
¼ tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp nutmeg
1 tsp vanilla

Directions
Slice and layer French bread in 9x13 pan. Mix all other ingredients in bowl. Pour between slices. Cover and put in fridge over night

Topping Ingredients
1 cup brown sugar
2 Tbsp corn syrup
½ tsp nutmeg
½ tsp cinnamon
1 cup butter (room temp)
1 c pecans or walnuts, chopped

Directions
Combine all ingredients. Take pan out of fridge and drop the topping on top of the French toast. Spread evenly. Bake uncovered 35 to 45 minutes in 350 oven.

Of Rain

My freshman year at BYU, roommates who watched CMT all day long and this song combined with the music video convinced me that maybe I really did like country music after all. This is still such a romantic song to me, hope you like it!

Sorry...

...I missed yesterday. So you get two love songs today. :)

I Will Love You

I've been getting pretty excited for Valentine's Day in case you haven't been able to tell! I am going to try and do a Valentine post every day until Valentine's...and pretty sure that I will be posting one of my favorite love songs every day. :) So here's the first one! I thought about this song today and had kind of forgotten about it. I hope you enjoy and don't get sick of all the lovey-dovey stuff I'm going to post! :)

Wheel of Love

I think this looks like a cute Valentine idea, I especially like that you can customize what action picture you put with the phrase...if that doesn't make sense, go look at the directions here.

It's Valentines!

Last year I really wanted to decorate for Valentine's Day but had no money to buy anything. Then I found this great idea from Martha Stewart! I used construction paper that I already had and it was so easy and fun! So I thought I would share this inexpensive, yet cute way to decorate your home even just a little bit for Valentines. be prepared for a whole bunch more ideas! :)

Love This

I love this song. Give it a listen and hopefully it will make you want to dance or at least smile. :)

Conversation Cake

I just saw this on the Wilton website and thought it was so cute for Valentine's Day! Too bad I don't have a heart shaped cake pan...

Cutest Teething Rail

My friend Heather just posted this on facebook and it is so cute I had to share it! I really, really want to make one of these now. So much better than those plastic ones. Find the instructions here.

Homemade

Everything is better homemade right? At least most of the time. :) Well, I am really excited to try this spaghetti sauce recipe! I am pretty picky about spaghetti sauce that you buy at the store, but this would probably save money and taste even better!

Brown 1 lb ground beef- Drain
Add
2 15 oz (or 1 29 oz) cans tomato sauce
1/4 cup dried onions (love these)
3/4 tsp oregano
3/4 tsp. basil
1/4 tsp marjoram
1/2 cup Water
1 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
Bring to a boil and cook for 10 min or until desired temperature

Frog Pockets

I have fallen in love with the Thimbleart website--they have the most adorable quilt patterns! I bought fabric to make this cute quilt and I am so excited about it! I know my baby will have so much fun putting things in the little frog pockets and I will have so much fun making it! :) If you like to quilt, or if you have been wanting to quilt you should visit this website. There are so many cute quilt patterns I want to make, I don't know who I would make them for! I'm sure my little one would be tired of them after 5 or 6 or 7 or...

The Monster of Strawberry Cove

Have you ever seen The Monster of Strawberry Cove?
When I was little, my family watched old movies, and Disney movies...and The Monster of Strawberry Cove is both! I thought of it today and looked online to see if I could find out more about it, and learned that it was part of a TV series called the Wonderful World of Disney but that it is not on DVD or VHS. My Dad recorded it off of the TV and we would watch it all the time. I was disappointed, because I would like to watch it again. Some other old Disney movies we watched were Darby O'Gill and the Little People, Old Yeller, Blackbeard's Ghost, and I could go on. Have you seen any of these movies? Do you like them? What movies did you watch as a kid?

Aveeno Baby

I have mentioned before that I am a member of BzzAgent, and get to try products and review them. This time I was able to try some great Aveeno Baby products! I have already been hooked on the Aveeno Baby Daily Moisture Lotion because my baby use to have really bad excema and this was the only lotion I found that helped. BzzAgent sent me some samples of the Aveeno Baby Essential Moisture Shampoo and Soothing Relief Diaper Rash Cream.
I noticed right away that the shampoo made my babe's hair softer. He also had cradle cap, and I think using the Aveeno Baby shampoo helped with that. It cleared up faster than before and hasn't returned.
The diaper rash cream was also great, it is fragrance free and clears up diaper rash very quickly. It also helps to prevent it as well.
I am not usually brand loyal, but I really love all of the Aveeno Baby products.
To thank you for reading this review, you can head on over to ChatThreads.com and enter this ID # for a chance to win an Amazon.com gift certificate!
ID #: 101 282 158044

Headband Queen

Aren't these headbands gorgeous??? And guess what? Instead of spending a ton of money on these beauties, you can make them yourself! I made some headbands for my sister in law for Christmas, but now I really want to make some more and try these ones! Find the instructions here.

Simple Flowers

I love these ideas from BYU Campus Craft and Floral! So simple, but very beautiful.

Winter Flowers

I really, really love these flower arrangements from BYU Campus Craft and Floral. I always wanted to learn about floral arrangement. Maybe someday I can make beautiful things like this too. Oh I just love flowers! Too bad you can't scratch and sniff the screen.

Eggnog

Today I decided that I like eggnog. It only took about 6 years. :) My first taste of eggnog was December 2003 when my roommate bought some and had me try it. Then I married my husband who loves eggnog and buys it every Christmas. I would try and drink it with him, but I could never fully enjoy it. I had to add milk to lessen the flavor and egginess. Plus just the thought of drinking eggs raw is still a little disgusting to me.
I bought some of the last eggnog at the store last week so I could try a recipe that looked good from my new cookbook. I made the cookies today, and tasted the eggnog...and liked it! Maybe it's the different brand, or maybe my taste for eggnog has finally acquired. :) I'm not sure, but it was really good and now I'm a little sad that I started to like it after Christmas! I have to wait until next Christmas to see if this is for real. But until then at least I can enjoy my Eggnog Cookies! Do you like eggnog or is that a tradition you avoid?

Eggnog Cookies
from the Worldwide Ward Christmas Cookbook

2 1/4 c. flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
1 1/4 c. sugar
3/4 c. butter, softened
1/2 c. eggnog
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 egg yolks
additional nutmeg for sprinkling

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Combine flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Mix well with a whisk and set aside. Cream sugar and butter until a grainy paste forms. Stir in eggnog, vanilla, and egg yolks. Beat at medium speed until smooth. Add flour mixture and beat at low speed until just combined. Drop cookie dough by rounded teaspoonfuls onto ungreased baking sheet, 1 inch apart. Sprinkle lightly with nutmeg. Back 7-9 minutes, or until bottoms turn light brown. Makes 30 cookies.

New Words

Last year we went to the Tabernacle Choir Christmas Concert with Brian Stokes Mitchell and even though this is not a Christmas song, I loved it. It was my favorite of the night. It was so touching to me because I was a pretty new mother at the time. I've been searching for it on the internet ever since and finally someone has put a recording of it on youtube! I really want to learn this song and sing it to my son! Maybe if I can find the music I can sing it for the piano/vocal recital I want to give for my family and friends this year.

P.S. Don't you love his voice?

Find a Hobby Quiz

I just took a quiz supposed to help you find a new hobby and was surprised how well this described me. It didn't work quite as well for my husband who said he thought he was in between three different categories. But it was kind of fun. Here's what it said about me:

CREATIVE

You have a gift for expression. Whether it's writing, drawing, creating objets d'art or making music, you see the world in a unique way and are able to convey that to other people. No doubt you doodle on napkins and meeting notes, are always humming a new tune, have already read the latest fiction releases, and know all the local art galleries' schedules by heart. You might like hobbies like sketching, photography, sculpting, playing an instrument, singing, journaling, scrap-booking or designing clothing.

Although I didn't really need a quiz to tell me I would like these things.
You can take the quiz here. Do you agree with what it says? Did it inspire you to start a new hobby? I'm curious to know how it works for others!

Magic Cookies!

I had wanted to make these to snack on for New Years Eve but we had other treats and so I left it for another day which happened to be today! I was pleasantly surprised at how easy and fast they were to make. Not to mention...delicious!
At first I thought I had done something wrong because it didn't seem like there were enough graham cracker crumbs to cover the bottom of a 9x13 pan...but it worked out. Even though the crust is thinner than in this picture from the website. I don't like nuts so I substituted butterscotch chips for the nuts. You might want to watch the timing with your oven...our oven always seems to need less time than what it asks for. Other than that, I followed the recipe which you can find here. Also note 24 squares of graham crackers equalled 1 1/2 cups crushed! Or 12 rectangles.

Mmm mmm good

This Cauliflower Soup from Pioneer Woman looks so warm and cozy. I would love to eat this on a cold night...which is every night lately. Guess what will be on our dinner menu next shopping trip?

Bare your Sole

When we have a house of our own someday, I would like it to be a shoe-free home. It just makes the carpet so much cleaner and nicer. And I love this darling sign! So cute. I will make one for our house...when we have a house. You can find the instructions here.

Book Lists

I. Love. Reading.
Reading more books is not a goal I have to set for myself. However I would like to read better books. I usually love to read young adult fiction--entertaining and quick. This year I would like to focus more on reading classics and gospel centered books like the one pictured above. The Provo Library has this list of 111 classic books and another list of 100 years of reading. But I know there are books I would like to read that are not on these lists. What are your favorite books? Classics, gospel, just for fun...anything!

Guitar Hero

Before I graduated from BYU, I took two of the easiest classes in the world taught by Larry Green. They were guitar classes and they were so fun! I have let my guitar playing slide since not being in school and so this year I am hoping to remember everything I learned in those classes and start playing the guitar regularly again! I love this CD and would love to own it to help inspire me, but since I don't, at least I can listen to clips from the songs here.