easy Easter egg garland

Got the idea and instructions from Kirsty over at Modern Parents Messy Kids.  I was supposed to make this at a girls-night-out next week, but because Ryan has to work (and we're too cheap to get a sitter) I decided to dive right in!

Super fast.  Super easy.  Super inexpensive (paint chips are free, ya know!) and Super fun! (Thanks for the string, dad.  :) )

Inspiration

Please pause the music on my sidebar and enjoy this inspirational video...

**I had the wonderful opportunity to attend a Relief Society Conference in my Stake this morning.  It. Was. Wonderful.  The only bad part was I didn't have my diaper bag, so I didn't have tissues, or a burp cloth, or ANYTHING to wipe my wet and teary face with.  LOL!  I learned a few things about myself, as well as what I can do better to improve my attitude and circumstances, if you will.  This "Mormon Message" was shared in the last class I could attend before slipping home to nurse Kortlen...and I felt like I couldn't hardly breathe both times I watched it...but I didn't want to bawl in the middle of all the women, so I just held it in.  My heart wants to burst.  With gratitude, with comfort, and with love.

I keep watching it over, and over, and over.  Part of what keeps drawing me in is President Ucktdorf's passionate voice, part of it is the beautiful and intense music.  But the most important and inspirational part to me is the meaningful message.  Guess it's just something I need to hear today.  Right now.

"President Dieter F. Uchtdorf invites us to rely on the Spirit and use our divinely inherited ability to create things of substance and beauty. "

Enjoy.



Hopefully my renewed drive to eliminate unnecessary distractions (good-bye Facebook, netflix, questionable movies, computer time and television) will allow me to be closer to the Spirit and I'll be able to be available to listen more closely to guidance and direction.

Hopefully my children will appreciate the new attitude and tone in our home.

Hopefully communication between all individuals in our home will improve.

And hopefully, we'll find the peace and balance we've been taught to invite into and create in our home.

Today before my mom left, she helped me hang a picture of Christ prominently in our living room.  We've never had a picture of Christ hanging where it's the first thing you see.  Thanks, mom!  (And thanks dad, for letting us climb on you on the couch to hang everything else.)  My next 'to-do' is to finish and print a picture of a Temple for our living room, our bedroom, and our boys' room.  I have big ideas...just need the weather to be nicer, and the paycheck to be bigger.

I also re-hung a document our church issued in 1995, called, "The Family:  A Proclamation to the World".  You can read the actual document, and about it, HERE.  It means so much to me and my little family.

Big changes.  Little changes.  Changes, period.  Change is good.  And these changes are for the better.  They're inspired, and maybe you'll find a little inspiration in them to improve your own life, if that's what it needs.  It's what our family needs right now.

_____________________

And yes.  I completely deleted myself from facebook.  Not just my friends this time. The best part?  I don't even feel a tiny bit bad about it.  LOL!  If you don't know how to get a hold of me by now, maybe we're not as close as I thought.  :)  And if you'd like to *be* a close friend, shoot me an email...maybe we can work something out.  In fact, I'm sure we can. 

Gluten-Free Bread Success

finally.

Well, it's not perfect, but it will do.

Bunny Hunt

On our way home from Rexburg, we I decided to stop at the BYU-Idaho Gardens to see if I could snap some fun pictures of the boys.

Before I could even get the stroller and camera out, we found a new friend...

This poor little bunny was hunted down for a good 25 minutes.  The boys, Ryan included, chased this little bunny and made him run and hide and then would scare the poor little thing to death!  He was too fast for these boys, which was lucky for him!

I didn't get the 'shots' I wanted, but here's a few that worked okay...

Do you think everybody could look AT the camera, AT the same time, and SMILE?  Not a chance.

Don't worry.  If you can't get enough of Kortlen's little personality, I assure you, there will be MORE pictures of him on Friday...when he turns 9 months old!!!

{untitled}

I'm usually a pretty happy 'blogger'.  I usually don't cry about my woes on here, though on occasion, I have.

I want to just scream, and scream and scream right now.  I'm feeling defeated on so many levels.

I pictured so much more.  Why can't I be happy with the blessings that I have?  Why can't I love them?  and appreciate them?  and count them without falling apart?

My emotions are all over the place.  One moment I'm so full of gratitude, I could burst; and the next moment I'm gnashing at the bit, exploding and the tiniest infractions!

Why am I feeling like being on my knees and pouring my heart out isn't helping?  Where is this light at the end of the tunnel I keep hearing about, but cannot see?

Sob, sob, boob, boob, "get over it" already, right?

I am a mom.

And I'm a chef, a doctor, a librarian, a mediator, a chauffeur, an artist, a photographer, a life coach, a maid, a dry cleaner, a custodian, and a wife. I'm also a teacher, a resume builder, a taxi driver, a dermatologist, a scheduler, a gardener, a dishwasher, a playmate, and so much more.

One thing Ryan didn't know I was qualified in, was a Cardboard Contractor.

Check it out.  I can build gabled windows.  Looks like I'm also a professional roofer.

***The best part about having your daddy in retail jobs, is his ability and desire to obtain and set up giant boxes in PERFECT condition in your living room for you to play in when it's too cold to play outside!!***

I think it's going to be a really fun day!!!

One house down:

Two more to go!

Bunny Buns

Another wonderful day full of love, instruction, and revelation from our church leaders!  I'm loving this Spiritual high that I'm on.  My kids are being good, and (knock on wood) I have stayed away for each session and am soaking it up!

Did you see the "Kitchen Crafts" section in the April Friend?

Tanner and Taylor did, so they showed me the recipe for a fun treat that we decided (last week) to make for Conference; Bunny Buns!

I'll admit, I was excited to try something new and fun, but wow.  These sure where more time consuming than I had bargained for, but they were worth it!!!  I intended them to be for breakfast, but we had them mid-session Sunday morning.

Can you see the bunnies?

I think I'll make them again, and make sure I have ALL ingredients, for Easter Sunday.  We had to fudge a little on what was REALLY in them this go around.

Recipe & Instructions for Bunny Buns:

 (This recipe was first printed in the  Friend in 1980.) 

1 package active dry yeast (I used 2 1/4 tsp instant yeast)
1/4 cup warm water
1 cup milk, warmed not quite to boiling
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup shortening
1 tsp salt
2 eggs, beaten
1/4 orange juice (this is where I used pineapple juice, because I already had a can open, so I just drained some juice off the fruit...next time I'll use orange juice ;)  )
2 Tbsp grated orange peel (didn't have any...but sounded SO good!)
5 1/2 cups of flour, sifted (I didn't sift and it turned out okay.)
Glaze:  2 cups powdered sugar, 1/4 cup hot water, 1 tsp butter (I did something like this...yeah.)

1.  Wash hands with soap and water.
2.  Sprinkle yeast in the warm water and set aside.
3.  In another bowl, blend milk, sugar, shortening, and salt.  Cool until lukewarm, then add eggs, water with yeast, orange juice, and orange peel.  (I found it was easier to use a wire whisk for this...up until the last two cups of flour, obviously.)
4.  Stir in flour a few cups at a time to make a soft dough.  Let stand for 10 minutes.
5.  Knead dough 5-10 minutes on a lightly floured surface until dough is smooth and elastic.  Place it in a lightly greased bowl, turning once to grease surface.  cover bowl with a clean towel and put it in a warm place.  Let dough rise for 2 hours, or until double in size.  (it took about 2 hours!!!) Punch dough down and let stand for 10 minutes.
6.  On a lightly floured surface, roll dough into a rectangle 1/2 inch thick.  Cut dough (using a pizza cutter) into strips 1/2 inch wide and 14 inches long.  roll between hands into rounded snake shapes. (I skipped the rolling.) Cut one strip into pieces 1/2 inch long, and roll into balls.
7.  Place one long piece of dough on a greased cookie sheet.  Place one end of the stip over the other to make a loop; bring the end that is underneath up and cross it over the other end.  Place a ball of dough on top of the bottom loop.
8.  Cover bunnies and let rise in a wamr place for 45-60 minutes, until nearly double in size.  Bake at 357ºF for 12-15 minutes.
9.  For the glaze, stir powdered sugar, water, and butter together.  Frost bunnies with the glaze while they are still warm.

They were a hit!!!  Ryan even ate his.  We're taking the rest of the tray to Grandma & Grandma Poulsen's for Sunday Dinner after Conference.

Here's to new traditions!

Getting out the Wiggles

I throughly enjoyed General Conference today.  Ryan requested today and tomorrow off, and I was well prepared with activities for the kids; including stickers next to those who spoke (thank you Ensign insert), code words (specific words were assigned to specific colors of M&M's, which prompted Tanner and Taylor to listen pretty quietly!), Legos, and naps & Blokus during the afternoon session.

In between the morning and afternoon session, we had a picnic at the park, and got some wiggles out by walking, running, swinging, sliding, and playing!!!

Here's a picture overload, and I promise I won't post a million or even 10 pictures of every park outing...but these were too cute to pass up.  :)  Playing with the camera, getting comfortable with Manual, and falling in love all over again.

Putting shoes back on, that won't stay on.  

Walking home through the dried canal.
Ryan isn't far behind.  

These two are such good buddies.  I hope they will always be the best of friends, helping each other, making each other laugh, and watching out for the other.

My new favorite picture: