Homemaking Honeys

Mango Chicken Salad with Lime Cilantro Dressing

2012-02-03T16:51:00.001-08:00

I thought I would share with you one of my favorite salad recipes. This salad is pretty and tastes delish!! If you have any awesome salad recipes you want to share back my family would thank you. It's like summer here in Dallas and I'm pretty certain that means this summer we will only be eating salads :)

Ingredients

4 cups torn romaine lettuce
3 cups cut-up cooked chicken
1 can (15 oz) Progresso® black beans, drained, rinsed
1 1/2 cups chopped tomatoes
2 ripe medium mangoes, seed removed, peeled and chopped
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup lime juice
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
2 tablespoons sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon, if desired
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
Red pepper sauce, if desired

Directions

In 3-quart glass trifle bowl, layer lettuce, chicken, black beans, tomatoes and mangoes.
In jar with tight-fitting lid, shake dressing ingredients. Drizzle over salad; serve immediately. Or, cover and refrigerate salad and dressing separately up to 4 hours; drizzle salad with dressing just before serving.

Valentines Day Swag

2012-01-06T07:25:00.001-08:00

So we have arrived in TX. We love it here. And I have now found a totally awesome crafting buddy! Yay for me ;)

The other day we ran to Joann's and brainstormed in the isles to try and come up with a really cute valentines day swag. Something not to red or pink but totally cute!

Here is what we did.

You need:

Burlap
Felt
2 pieces of card stock. We got the kind you can sand. Yeah totally awesome stuff!
1 piece of scrapbook paper

We cut the burlap into 8 squares 4" wide and 5 1/2" tall. Then we folded a 1" flap and sewed them over this is where you will pull your string through to hang it.

Next we cute a heart in the felt. We used a cookie cutter to gage the size. We used the outside of the cutter for a bigger heart made of felt, the inside of the cookie cuter for a heart made out of card and then just cut a smaller heart out of scrapbooking paper.

We then, using our sewing machines, sewed the hearts together and into the burlap. Way Cute!!!

Last I just strung them together and hung it on the mantle. So cute. Not to red or to pink but just enough to know that it is Valentines.

What do you think? Cute?

England through the eyes of an American - Going Home

2011-10-23T00:01:00.000-07:00

Today is my last full day here in the UK. I am filled with Happiness and Sadness at the same time. How is it possible for two completely different feelings to occupy my thoughts and my heart at one time.

I have for the past 9 years waited for the opportunity to move back to what has been and always will be my home. But now that it is happening I have come to realise how much this is my home too. I have had so many wonderful experiences here. My children were all born here in the wonderful NHS system. I have made some very dear friends here who have showed love and compassion to me in times when I needed it most. Who have always been there and in most cases acted as substitute family to me. My dear in laws are here whom I love so much and who have always taken me in as one of their own and loved me the same as their own daughter or sister. Over the past 9 years this has become my home. I pulled out my journal from when I moved here the other day and was reading about how scared I was. And now 9 years later I have the same feelings about going back to the USA.

I love this country. I love all the quirky bits, all the beautiful and not so beautiful bits, I love the people, the little houses (most houses are little), the shopping, I love everything about it. There will always be a very special place in my heart for everything British. I will continue to carry on all the British Traditions so that my children will always remember this wonderful place and know that this was their home once too.

To my dear family and friend I love you. Thank you for the memories, for caring about me, for helping me when I needed it, for being a listening ear or a shoulder to cry on. For all the laughter, for the smiles and for the memories. May God be with you and bless each of you until we meet again.

To all my family and friends and future friends in the USA, I cant wait to make the same memories with each of you. I love you and I am so excited for the future and to see what it holds.

May God bless each and every one of you.

This is likely to be my last post for a few weeks now until I can get set up in Texas. Until then all my love.

England through the eyes of an American - Some of My Favorite Places

2011-10-22T00:01:00.000-07:00

Over the past nine years we have been able to visit some amazing places. Most the time when people think of England they think of London. In fact rarely do people think of any other places. Almost like the only place in England is London. Though I do love London and have been many times, there are some other places which I love just as much. I am struggling to find loads of pictures from all the places I have visited over here so I will share with you what I have found in the 10 minutes which I have had to find pictures between packing, throwing memories away and taking care of my three beautiful children. I hope you enjoy this little tour of some of my memories.

Me and two of my babies outside the Houses of Parliament with Big Ben in the back ground. London is beautiful.

This is me at Brough Castle. Brough is in the North East of the country. In County Durham. We have been to Durham on several occasions because my husbands mum and dad live near there. Durham is one of my favorite traditional Old Cities. With the Cathedral and the castle side by side. Cobble stone roads, tiny little streets and just absolutely beautiful.
This is Dudley Castle. We went here over this past Summer. It is a stunning castle in the middle of the country, we live in the midlands now, So much history at this castle. This castle was built in the early 700's AD. As you walk through there are signs telling you what each room is or what it used to be. It is awesome. I would definitely recommend it to anyone looking for things to do. Around the grounds is a Zoo too so it is a lovely family day out.
Lichfield Cathedral. We have spent many hours taking visitors to Lichfield and the Cathedral is a must see when people visit. It is beautiful. One thing I love about this cathedral is that it has three spires. I am a Mormon and as such I believe that the Godhead are three individuals. Most religions see them as the godhead or as one. But on this cathedral each spire signifies each individual member of the Godhead. Which I actually think is really cool. I also love that this was first built in 669. When I walk through the cathedral I try to imagine all those who have been in that building. It is amazing to me.
This might be an odd one to some but on this day we were at the Trentenham Gardens and the Monkey forest. We love it here. The monkeys run wild and come up to you. It is so cool to watch them interact with the people. My children especially just love it here.
Stonehenge is another place we really enjoyed visiting. When we got there I was so surprised at how small the stones actually are. But the history which surrounds these stones is amazing. It is in the middle of no where but it is so worth seeing if you are in that part of the world.

Last picture I could find quickly was of Myself, my daughter and my mom the one and only time she was able to visit. We are in York which I have to say is by far my favorite city. I like York actually better than I like London. It is so beautiful there with so much history. And I think it is such a gem because most of the tourists tend to spend their time in London. Not many travel all the way to the North of the country to see somewhere like York. The cathedral there is Amazing and walking down the shambles is like nothing you can explain. The homes were built so badly that they have started to lean over and the only thing keeping them up is other homes or buildings leaning into them. I love York.

There are so many other places I have been blessed to have the opportunity to visit. I hope that if you ever get a chance to visit this beautiful land that you don't spend your whole trip in London. Though there is lots to see and do there there is so much beauty outside of London.

England Through the eyes of an American - School

2011-10-21T00:01:00.001-07:00

One of the things I am worried about moving back for it school for my children. Here in the UK children start reception, kind of equivalent to Kindergarten, at age 4. For the year before that they go to 1 year of half days in Nursery school. After Reception at age 5 they are in Year 1 age 6 year 2 age 7 year 3. My daughter is 7 and in the equivalent of 3rd grade. Where back in the US she would be in 2nd, we will be having her tested to see what grade they are going to put her in when we get there. Plus the children go to High school at the age of 11 here and finish school for good at the age of 16. Yep, that's different.

Here are a few of the things I love about Primary school in the UK

There is no separation between church and state like there is in the US. So the children have something called RE (religious education) where they learn about different religions. At the Christmas plays it is actually about the nativity and at some point you will have a Joseph, Mary and baby Jesus.
They have after school clubs for children as young as 5 years old. Last year my daughter had French Club on a Tuesday, Craft Club on a Wednesday and Keep fit club on a Thursday.
The classes at the schools are small and typically you don't have more than 1 or 2 classes of each grade. My daughter has been in 3 schools here in England the school she is at now has 1 1/2 classes of year year and this is the biggest school she has ever been to.
School Uniforms. I never have to worry about what the children are going to wear to school and I know exactly how much their clothes are going to cost at the beginning of each school year.
Christmas, Spring and Summer Fair. Three times a year the schools we have been in have a family fun day. There are little carnival rides, Carnival games, and loads of other activities where the families go to and just have a great time. All the money goes back into the schools so that the children can do wonderful things like go to the space museum or whatever other outings they decide.
Summer break is only 6 weeks long. Over here school is kind of like a year round schedule. The children go for 6 weeks and then have what we call half term where they break up for 1 week. Then 6 weeks later the term end. The first end of Term is Christmas so they have two weeks off for that. The second is Easter and they have two weeks off then and last term is end of July and they are off for 6 weeks then. I think the 6 weeks is just long enough because they don't get to bored. I love having my children home with me. I'm one of those weird moms so the fact that we have so much time together during the school year makes me one happy mommy.

I hope you've enjoyed my description of the school system here. I hope it wasn't to boring :)

England through the eyes of an American - Chocolate

2011-10-20T00:01:00.000-07:00

This evening we got a knock at the door. When we opened it there was a great big bag of Cadburys chocolate with a lovely little note from some secret friend. And as I was eating a little bar of heaven, I mean chocolate, I thought oh man I am so going to miss Cadbury's chocolate. I know what you are thinking they have Cadbury's in the USA. But Cadbury's in the USA is made by Hersheys and it is not nice. Seriously once you try real European Chocolate you will never go back. I'm so afraid of missing it that I actually have packed 13.22 pounds of chocolate. Also I have looked up where my local British store is so that as soon as I run out I don't have to start having withdraws.

Have any of you ever had British chocolate? If so what do you think? Can you tell a difference. What is your favorite Chocolate bar?

England through the eyes of an American - Breakfast

2011-10-19T00:01:00.000-07:00

When I was back home I used to love going out to breakfast. There are so many breakfast options in the US. Here in England you are not so lucky. There are no pancakes (except at McDonald's) No waffles, no french toast with maple syrup, no country fried steak I could go on and on.

If you are going to have breakfast out somewhere they have loads of cereal options or a Traditional English Breakfast. This consists of Bacon, Sausage, Fried Egg (And you don't get a choice of how you want your egg cooked, Its always runny) cooked tomato, cooked mushroom, baked beans, hash brown and toast. I was always OK with the Bacon, Sausage, Egg, Hash brown and Toast. But the first time I have a fried tomato, mushrooms and baked beans for breakfast I was a bit surprised. But I'll tell you what these British really know how to make fried tomatoes and Baked Beans. Man alive the baked beans here are so good we eat them at all times of the day (I'm bringing 12 cans of Baked Beans with me in our move)

In short they may not have your traditional American Breakfast, but the British Fry up is Very good!

England through the eyes of an American -A Fork and a Knife

2011-10-18T00:01:00.000-07:00

Back home in the USA they have so many finger foods. I'm sure you can imagine my surprise the first time I went to Pizza Hut and everyone was using a Fork and a Knife to cut and eat their pizza. I was even more surprised the first time I saw someone eat a hamburger with a fork and knife. This is very common here in England. You ALWAYS have a fork and a knife with your meals and everyone knows how to use both. Even the small children.

I now love it and cant imagine not using a fork and a knife for all my main meals (not cereal of course). It is very rare that we don't use both a fork and a knife to eat our food. And I now feel very improper if I am not using both.

England through the eyes of an American - Public Transport

2011-10-17T00:01:00.000-07:00

When I was living back home I could hardly bear the idea of walking anywhere and in the small town I came from we had no kind of Public Transport. Everyone ad a car even if it was an old clunker at least you had one. Last time I was home I needed to "nip" (another very British word) out to the shops. There is a corner petrol station just 1/2 a mile from my moms house. I expressed how I was going to walk up to the shop and you should have seen the surprise on my mom and sisters faces. It was kind of like what? How dare you! Walking is what teenagers do before they get their driving license or if they get in trouble. Its a punishment.

Things in England are so very different. We have quiet a few modes of Transportation.

Lets start with the Bus:

The buses in England are so regular. You can get almost anywhere on a bus. Our car broke at the beginning of June and at first I thought Oh. My. Word. What am I going to do. But I sorted out the bus timetables and have been going anywhere I need to on the bus when I can.

Buses are pretty cheap. I can get a Local Day Saver which allows me to travel anywhere in my county all day for only £3.80. Not to bad huh!

Next The Train:

If you need for any reason to go on a long journey there is always the option of the train. It is very reasonable if you look on places like Thetrainline.co.uk I can normally get a single (One Way) to London for about £9.00 of course I am not allowed to travel during peak times which are weekdays between 6 am and 10 am and then again from 3:30 pm and 6:30pm. During those times I can expect to pay well over £120 round trip. But it is very reasonable the other times.

The Tube or Underground in London or the Metro in Manchester (AKA Subway):

This is again another cheap form of transportation normally we add this onto our train ticket. In fact often you can get an bus/tube/train ticket for really reasonable. These run all day at very regular intervals.

Taxi:

There are Taxis everywhere here. No not the typical yellow cabs you see in towns like NY just normal cars which are now taxis or hackney cabs. They are a good way to get somewhere quick or if you have a lot of things to take with you. Taxis can get expensive but again at times are worth it.

The last form of transportation is not a form of any kind it is merely walking or bike riding. It always amazed me when I first got here how many people walk. You can see someone walking on most streets almost all the time. Not having a car for the past 4 months I have really grown to love walking everywhere. I have been having to take the children to school and back 3 times a day and it is 2 miles each way. But not once have I felt embarrassed about walking in fact there are probably more children who walk to school than who don't. Plus if there is one thing you should know about me its that I love to look people in the eye and smile or say hello. And this has been so much fun while walking to and from school. Never mind the fantastic exercise I have been getting.

So there you go if you ever decide to come and visit you now know the most common modes of transportation here in England.

England through the eyes of an American - Petrol & Deisel = Gas

2011-10-16T08:02:00.000-07:00

Over the past few months so many of my American friends and Family have been complaining about the ever increasing fuel prices. To them I laugh. Here are our Fuel prices:

There are a few things to notice in the pictures. First we don't have unleaded or leaded gas we just have petrol, which is unleaded, and Diesel.

May I first point out to you that the prices are per litre. There are approximately 4 liters to a US gallon. Which means straight away I pay for my diesel car £5.43 per gallon. Next you have to convert this amount to Dollars £1 = $1.62 so that means for a single gallon of diesel I would way $8.80. Yep I think we win on paying the most. Over the summer when the exchange rate was higher it was even worse.

In the British defense I will say you can go a long way on a little fuel. Our car was 11 gallon take and it would last us a week or two easy. Happy Driving!!

England through the eyes of an American - Accents

2011-10-15T00:01:00.000-07:00

To the average American people from the UK have two accents English (England) and Scottish. I too fell into the trap of thinking that all British people sounded pretty much the same. I mean how could they sound different the whole country is the same size as most states.

In the USA I never really noticed to much of a difference in regional accent. I basically heard 3 or 4 different accents. The West coast, Midwest, Deep South and the East Coast Mostly North East coast.

In England that is completely different. Not only are the accents based on the region you come from but they also use different words. For example based upon where you live if you want a sandwich you would ask for a sarnie, a barm, a butty, a sandwich, or a bap it just depends on where you live.

The accent also changes from one region to the next. In order to help you out on your next visit to the UK as to what to expect from where I thought I would share this regional accent map. Hope it helps :) It is so fun to listen to the difference!

England through the eyes of an American - Shopping Trolley Coin Lock

2011-10-13T00:01:00.000-07:00

A word to the wise. If you want to go shopping in the grocery store and plan on getting a lot of stuff, make sure you have a £ coin. If you don't you wont be able to get a Shopping Trolley as we call them here because almost all trolleys have Trolley Locks on them and cost £1 to use it. Don't worry you can have it back at the end of your shopping as long as you return the trolley to its rightful place :)

England through the eyes of an American - Market Day

2011-10-11T00:01:00.000-07:00

I love the market. I never experienced anything like this when I was back home. That doesn't say that it doesn't exist. Its just saying that it didn't exist in any of the places I lived or that I was to young to appreciate them if they did :)

In the town where I live market day is every Tuesday and Saturday. I often take the children to school and head straight to the market to walk around for a couple of hours, which is what I did today. I thought I would take you on a tour of the Market in my lovely town of Tamworth which is about 12 miles outside of Birmingham.

Here is what I see when I first approach the market. Loads of market stalls. They line the streets and are full of in expensive market goodness :)

Here are a few more stalls at the back of our market. If you click on the picture you can see how diverse the market is. At the front is a fresh produce. Next to that they were selling gardening plants. Back a bit further is handbags in one stall, clothing in one and cushions in another. Any one fancy some fruit? Any bowl £1.00

Ahhh yes all that fresh baked bread goodness. The British LOVE their bread. There are so many different types of bread. Man I am so going to miss this. Oh and by the way ITS CHEAP!! A loaf of bread will set you back 85p for the really nice stuff. Which is only $1.30 Yummy!

A trip to the market wouldn't be a trip to the market without the Butcher shouting out his wonderful prices on the loud speaker. "Hey you, there in the green top you need some sausages don't you? Awe come one fresh lovely British Pork Sausages 6 for £1.50 bargain" Yep that is the lovely butcher.
And the newsagents as we call them here. They sell all the magazines and newspapers available in the UK.

There are loads of sweets stalls. This one is one of our favorites because they sell yummy cakes along with loads of yummy sweets.
When the children come with me to the market this is the first place we have to go... DONUTS!! We get 6 donuts for £1.50 and they are delicious. He makes then right there in front of you. Oh man Krispy Kreme has nothing on the market donut man!
When I first moved here I loved walking to the market at the end of the day when the produce stalls were about to close. There would be 2 or 3 men trying to sell off everything because they knew it wouldn't be fresh come next market do so they would be shouting "BANANA'S GET YOUR BANANA'S 1 HAND 50p" or "MUSHROOMS, WHOLE BOX OF MUSHROOMS £1.00" Once I bought a whole box of mushrooms and then when I got home thought what am I going to do with these now?

Clothing is so cheap in the market. There are probably about 15 stalls in our market of just clothing. They sell everything from trousers, tops, skirts, socks and underwear even Lingerie.

Another one of my favorite things in the market is all the performers. There is always someone playing an instrument or a mime doing a performance. Sometimes there are animals from various charities. The children LOVE putting money in their pots.

A trip to the market is never complete for me without a visit to our charity shops. I never like charity shops until I moved here and I am certain that is because I am now a bit older and can appreciate all the crafty and lovely goodness a charity shop has to offer. It is so true when they say one mans junk is another mans treasure.

Well I hope that you enjoyed my trip to town today. I loved it and I am sad that I only have two more weeks to visit. I am going to have to make sure to make the most of the market over the next two weeks.

England through the eyes of an American - Food Shopping in England!

2011-10-09T00:01:00.000-07:00

I know most of you are expecting Alisha, but she's asked me to re-post an entry I did on my own blog about shopping in England. I guess since I am an American living in England - I see things while shopping the same way Alisha does - either that or she didn't want to make a fool of herself taking pictures at the local grocery store like I did (lol).

Shall we begin the tour?

So here we go on a tour of my local shop (beware – lots of pictures, oh and sorry about the occasional finger in the picture – I was trying to be discreet):

When you first walk in – there are shelves of fresh sandwiches.

Here is customer services/tobacco counter.

They shops here have TONS of magazine options, pretty much if you are interested in it, they’ll have it – oh and this is just one section – there is a whole other wall full.

The “pound shop”.

The stairs go up to the Café, where weary shoppers can get a cup of tea or some generally overcooked, overpriced food.

The Pharmacy – did you know they sell codeine and antibiotics over the counter here?

Clothes section – right across from the veggies.

Courgettes (zucchini), Aubergines (eggplants), and TONS of brussel sprouts.

Takeaway food and the Delicatessen.

The butcher and the fishmonger.

Care for some jellied eels, no seriously??

Even the bacon is different!!

The Reduced to Clear section where you can find some real treasures or just real rubbish.

The English love their lamb.

Yummmmm bakery – they bake most of the things in the store – while dieting I just stay away.

“American Style” hotdogs – being American, I don’t think I’ve see hot dogs in America in a tin with brine – but maybe I’m wrong – at any rate, I don’t eat hot dogs from a tin, no matter how many American flags they have on them.

Baked Beans section – the English sure do love their baked beans.

In America they have a section of ethnic Mexican food, here in England there ethnic section is for the Eastern Europeans, mostly written in Polish.

** I must stop here and tell a short story. About at this point in the store a woman walked up to me and Chris and said, “EXCUSE me, its against the law to take pictures in the store. Would you delete them please?” (typing cannot express the rudeness that she said it). I quickly said, “Ummmm yes…” and put the camera (phone in my pocket). Chris then said, “It isn't against the law! Who says its against the law???” I don’t think she was expecting anyone to argue with her and started to mutter, “it is against the law…” while turning up the isle. I don’t know what her problem was, I didn’t even take a picture of her (although now I wish I had). So we waited until she was out of sight and continued taking pictures… silly woman.

The tour continues:

TONS of alcohol. Now, maybe it is just my sheltered upbringing but here in England, that much at the grocery store seems a bit excessive.

Squash – here in England it isn't a veggie, it is a concentrated fruit drink.

Tea – my camera lens wasn’t wide enough to get in all the options – they love their tea!

The tills, or checkouts.

Crisps – These are just some of them but I LOVE the names: Quavers, Skips, Wotsits, Nik-Naks, Discos, Twiglets – sounds like a different language.

The ceiling – if you look up there you would be forgiven for thinking you are in a warehouse.

Kitchen roll and toilet roll (paper towels and toilet paper).

The milk here is shaped differently too (by milk, obviously milk cartons lol). I think it is so it can fit in the tiny fridges a bit better.

Here are some puddings, and by puddings I mean desserts.

On diet – must resist.

Now that I live in England, I often bypass things that as a visitor, might find interesting – like this post box. Down in London people take pictures of these to show family when they get home from their vacation – here I walk past it every day. Are there post boxes (mailboxes) in American grocery stores? I forget.

These are where they shallow trolleys go – trolleys in England aren't a mode of transportation, but a cart. And in England the wheels on said trolleys aren't fixed straight ahead, but turn all the way around. This causes problems for me because they are hard to control, but Chris hates the trolleys in America – he finds them hard to steer. I guess it is just what you’re used to!

Crossings to help us safely return to our car.

In the car park there are various way to recycle pretty much anything you own – clothes, books, glass, etc..

We’ve reached the end our of our tour. Are you still there or did you give up past the first 100 pictures?? If you want to get a close up of the pictures just click on them.

Thank you.... have a nice day... please come again... ta... cheers....

England through the eyes of an American - Kissing

2011-10-07T00:01:00.000-07:00

When I was growing up I remember being in High School and from time to time giving a friend, a good friend a hug. But it wasn't an every day thing and we certainly never kissed each other on the cheek. So I am sure you can imagine my surprise and embarrassment the first time someone here, whom I had only just met, kissed my cheek. I wasn't sure what to do really. But now 9 years on I am worried about when I go home and go to hug or kiss someone. It is second nature to me now.

In England kissing is normal. You see someone you know in the shops you kiss and hug them, you go to someones house, you kiss and hug them. Your friend gives your child a biscuit you tell them "That was so nice of Emma, give her a kiss and a cuddle." A kiss and a cuddle is everything. Men kiss and give cuddles to the women. Women kiss and cuddle other men and women. It is normal. Where in the states you might give a handshake here we kiss and cuddle (BTW Cuddle = Hug). You know what... I LOVE IT!! What on earth will I do in Texas when a kiss and a cuddle is not acceptable? Well at least not to people you only just meet.

How do you feel about the whole Kiss and Cuddle culture? Am I wrong about it not being this way in the states? Have things changed in the last 9 years which make it more acceptable?

England through the eyes of an American - Language Barrier

2011-10-05T00:01:00.000-07:00

When I first arrived in the UK never did I think that I would have a hard time understanding the language. After all we all speak English, don't we? Of course we do but the words we use in the USA are not always the same as the words used here in the UK.

For Example:

The other day we were watching an American children's program and someone said they were going to the restroom in a grocery store. My 7 year old got so excited that in the states they have actual restrooms in stores. She was envisioning a place to rest with nice soft couches, TVs maybe a few toys. I then had to explain to her that the restroom is the same as the Toilet or the Loo here. You should have seen the look on her face.

I thought I would share with you a list of words which are different.

English word - American word

Biscuits - Cookies
Headmaster - Principal
Spanner - Wrench
Courgette - Zucchini
Wardrobe - Closet
Lorry - Truck
Toilet / Loo / WC - Bathroom / Restroom
Flat - Apartment
Trousers - Pants
Pants / Knickers - Underwear
Queue - Line
Lift - Elevator
Rubber - Eraser
Chips - Fries
Crisps - Potato Chips
Holiday - Vacation
Boot - Trunk
Bonnet - Hood
Petrol - Gas
Shop - Store
Ring - Call
Jumper - Sweater
Nappy - Diaper
Dummy - Pacifier
Plaster - Band aid
Jelly - Jello
Garden - Yard
Pram / Push chair - Stroller
Torch - Flashlight
Trainers - Tennis shoes
Lounge - Living Room
Candy Floss - Cotton Candy
Primary School - Elementary School
Rubbish - Trash
Bin - Trash Can
Snogging - Making out
Car Park - Parking Lot
Motorway - Freeway
Slip Road - Freeway on or off ramp
Indicator - Blinker
Lolly pop Lady - Crossing Guard
Zebra Crossing - Crosswalk
Pudding - Dessert
Mobile Phone - Cell Phone
Engaged - Busy (IE. the phone was engaged)
Hire something - Rent something
Hoover - Vacuum
Revise - Study
Trolley - Shopping Cart

Can anyone else think of anymore?

England through the eyes of an American - Holidays

2011-10-03T00:01:00.000-07:00

After 9 years Im not really sure where to start. I have been trying to decide what to share with you first. I thought I would share with you some of my favorite Holiday Traditions here in the UK.

Of course we have standard "Bank Holidays" here. But some of the things celebrated are not actual holidays. So Im going to share a mix of my favorite "Official" Holidays and "Unofficial" Holidays.

One of my first favorites is...... Drum Roll Please..... St. George's Day! St. George is the patriot saint of England. Most will have heard of him as the man who slayed the dragon. St. Georges Day is big deal here. In our town they make it a fantastic family day. We always go to the park where there are loads of 12th Century activities on. Our favorite is the Jousting and Sword flighting. They set up a big arena and have different knights joust each other. The Grand Finale being the Bad Knight against Saint George.

Easter - Of course we all celebrate Easter for the same reason, the Resurection of the Savior Jesus Christ, but the traditions are not the same. In the USA you have the Easter Bunny. In England there is no such bunny. Instead we buy HUGE Chocolate Eggs and give them to each other and our children. My children normally end up with about 10 - 15 of these eggs. Everyone is off work on the friday before Easter (Good Friday) and the Monday following Easter (Easter Monday). There are always family fun activities going on in the local parks but no people dressed up like scary Easter Bunnys. ;)

Halloween - Halloween is only really just taking off. Halloween isnt the fun loving holiday it is in the USA. When the children knock on your door and say Trick or Treat they actually mean it and if you dont give them some kind of treat then they will egg or flower your house. Last year our local grocery store refused to sell Eggs or flour to anyone under the age of 18 in the two weeks before Halloween. Many of the older generation see Halloween as celebrating evil spirits and ghost. Since having children I have always taken my children Trick or Treating and it has only been the past couple of years that people have really begun to realise that it can be just for fun with no harm intended. I would imagine that in the next 10 years the bad stigma which has always been around Halloween in England will dissapear and it will become the fun loved holiday that is shared by so many across the pond :)

Bon Fire Night - The 5th of November is Guy Fawlks night, AKA Bon Fire Night. When I first moved here and heard about this I couldnt believe that people here would celebrate a time when a man tried to set the houses of parliment on fire and as punishment was burnt at the stake. I was shocked at my first Bon Fire when they have a stuffed man on top of the Bon Fire and were burning him as a reminder of it. But I have grown to LOVE the traditions which come with this holiday. This is celebrated on the 5th of November so it is starting to get cold out. We always start with a nice hot dinner, chilli or a hotpot (known as stew in the USA) then we bundle up in warm clothes and head to our local Fireworks and Bon Fire Show. We Drink Hot Chocolate and eat Cany Apples, not covered in Caramel but rather in a hard candy shell or choclate covered with nuts or sprinkles. The kids wear glowing jewlery and we buy some kind of lighted toys from the local vendors. There are loads of people around, loud music and of course the Bon Fire and then finally after waiting an hour or so the fireworks start. They are done to traditional music songs like Jerusalem or Land of Hope and Glory and last about 20 minutes. I love this tradition and even as I write this my heart strings are being pulled and I am realising just how much I will miss this tradition.

Rememberance Day - Rememberance Day is similar to Memorial Day, but we dont have time off work. For weeks in the run up to Rememberance Day people wear plastic or paper Red Poppies. Rememberance Day is on the 11th of November. At 11 am there is 2 minutes of silence where ever you are you stop and for two minutes reflect on and remember those who lost their lives for the freedoms which we enjoy so much. Then the following sunday in church again at 11 we have two minutes of silence and everyone stands to show respect. It is a lovely way to remember those who have passed on before us and have paved the way for us. For the comforts and the Freedoms we enjoy.

Christmas - I LOVE CHRISTMAS! I LOVE the British traditions for Christmas. Christmas Crackers, Tins of Chocolates, Selection Boxes, Advent Calanders, School Christmas Fairs, School Christmas Plays and more food than you than you can "shake a stick at".

Boxing Day - The day after Christmas is known as Boxing Day. Originally an 'Alms Box' was placed in every church on Christmas Day, into which worshippers placed a gift for the poor of the parish. These boxes were always opened the day after Christmas, which is why that day became know as Boxing Day. Now we celebrate it watching Football (AKA Soccer) and eating as much as you possibly can. Mostly buffet food or left overs.

Where are you from and what are some of your favorite holiday traditions?

Your Going Where? And Doing What?

2011-10-01T23:05:00.000-07:00

I cant believe that it has been almost a month since I posted anything on here. I must apologise and explain. As most of you will know I have been living in England for the past 9 years. Back in December my husband and I decided that we have enjoyed our journey here in England but that it was time to move back to the USA. Something that we had intended to do since we moved here 9 years ago. So we applied for his visa, he is British. He received his visa in August and since then things have been manic. In fact before he received his visa we were slowly clearing things out.

Well here we are the 1st of October and I am happy to announce we will be moving to Dallas Texas on the 24th of this month. Things are very crazy here as we have decided to sell everything we own and relocate with nothing but 4 suitcases, our lugage allowance.

I will be honest with you I am so excited to be closer to my family, we will still be a 21 hour drive from my home town of Good Ol St.George Utah but we will be a lot closer. At the same time I am really sad to leave the only home my children have ever known. And the beautiful place I have called home for the past 9 years.

I have been thinking a lot the past few weeks about this move and about how lucky I have been to live in the United Kingdom and to experience the culture and the people this wonderful land has to offer. I started to think about how so many of my wonderful friends and family, of which you all are, may never get to experience this beautiful place. So I have decided over the next few weeks, as I savor my final three weeks here and as I start taking millions of mental picture of things I never want to forget, Im going to write a series of posts all about this wonderful land. The many things I have had the chance to do and experience over the past 9 years. I think Im going to call it England through the eyes of an American.

This place has made such an imprint on my heart. It has been my home my entire adult life. My husbands family are all here, whom I love dearly. I just thought I would share this place that I love so much with all of you. I hope that you will enjoy this series of posts. I also hope I can find the time while preparing to move country to do the series of posts the justice it deserves.

Spiritually Speaking - The Echo

2011-09-04T00:01:00.000-07:00

The Echo

’Twas a sheep not a lamb

That strayed away in the parable Jesus told,

A grown-up sheep that strayed away

From the ninety and nine in the fold.

And why for the sheep should we seek

And earnestly hope and pray?

Because there is danger when sheep go wrong:

They lead the lambs astray.

Lambs will follow the sheep, you know,

Wherever the sheep may stray.

When sheep go wrong,

It won’t take long till the lambs are as wrong as they.

And so with the sheep we earnestly plead

For the sake of the lambs today,

For when the sheep are lost

What a terrible cost

The lambs will have to pay.
- C.C. Miller

Bath Finger Puppets

2011-08-11T00:01:00.000-07:00

As it is the summer school holidays here in England I have been doing loads to try and keep the kids busy and to keep myself sane. This last week we made bath finger puppets. They were fun and easy to make and the kids spent an hour in the bath tub afterwards which means another hour of no fighting and happiness, which makes one mommy very happy.

All you will need is a rubber glove for each child and some permanent markers.

Let the children draw people or faces on each finger. When they have finished cut the fingers off the glove.

Thats it. Five cute bath finger puppets.

The Lord Invites ALL To Come Unto Him

2011-08-07T00:01:00.000-07:00

He did not limit or say “all who are perfect come unto me” or just the rich, or just the poor, or just the healthy, or those without sin, or those who pray the longest, or just the sick. His invitation is to all: “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest,” comfort, peace; “for my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

His plea to all is to love God, love His children, keep His commandments, and believe that Jesus is the Christ, born of God.

- David B Haight

Collision Of Worlds

2011-08-05T00:01:00.000-07:00

Because my husband is British and I am American when we heard this song at the end of Cars 2 it made us both smile. This song is us. In our home I say American words and he and our children all use the British words. Saying that I do use a lot of British words now :) I hope this makes you smile and that your Friday is LOVELY!

Family Home Evening - Charity

2011-08-01T00:01:00.000-07:00

Opening Song: I'm Trying To Be Like Jesus
Opeing Prayer:

Lesson: Mommy

What is Charity?

How can we show charity to others?

Who is Henry B Eyring?

Henry B Eyring Said: “Charity is the pure love of Christ. He lives. As we serve others … , we feel His joy.

Read Cookies For Charlie - Friend July 2011

For our Activity we made Chocolate Chip Cookies (One of our Favorites) and took it to a sister in our ward who has been unwell for a little while. This was a great lesson in Charity for the children.

Spiritually Speaking - Smile

2011-07-31T00:01:00.000-07:00

I hope this picture of two of my three Angels makes you Smile! Alisha x x

Smiling is infectious; you can catch it like the flu. Some smiled at me today, and I started smiling too. -Anonymous

Strawberry Chocolate Nachos

2011-06-28T06:19:00.000-07:00

I came across this recipe yesterday here, and had all the ingredients for thought I'd give my tummy a yum fest.

Ingredients:

Tortillas (6" size work great)
Melted butter
Cinnamon Sugar (caster sugar and cinnamon mixed together for the UK peeps)
Strawberries
Chocolate
1tsp-1tbs Vegetable/Canola oil
Whipped cream (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Melt some butter and brush one side of the tortillas with it. Sprinkle cinnamon sugar liberally over them, then with a pizza cutter cut it up into chip size triangles. Put on a ungreased baking tray for about 10-15 minutes until the ends curl up.

Meanwhile, cut up the strawberry's put them in a bowl with a little sugar sprinkle on them to create a nice syrup. Set aside.

Take the cut up tortillas out of the oven and cool.

When cooled, arrange in a layer on a plate, and sprinkle strawberries on top. Melt your favorite chocolate on top (I used Cadbury's Dairy Milk), if you mix in a little oil, it makes it smoother. Drizzle haphazardly over the top and add some dollops of cream. Enjoy!

Family Home Evening - Preparing for Baptism

2011-06-27T02:59:00.000-07:00

In the next few months my daughter is going to be baptised. So each month I am trying to do a Family Home Evening on preparing her for baptism. Tonight I have decided to talk about what we need to continue to do after baptism to be good members of the church and to help us to gain eternal life.

Im going to start with an empty glass bowl. I am going to explain how is is like us when we are baptised clean and pure. Good member of the church. I am going to ask her what kinds of things she thinks we need to continue to be like this.

Im also going to have ingredients to make cupcakes (Im using the Vanilla Cupcake Recipe found here.) each ingredient will have another principal of the gospel we need to follow in order to make it back to our Father in Heaven.

for Example :

Eggs will have a lable read scriptures
Flour - Go to Church on Sunday
Sugar - Pay full tithe
Vanilla - Pray Always
Milk - Keep Commandments
Butter - Keep Baptism covenants

As we place each ingredient in the bowl we will talk about them and read scriptures about them.

I will explain that if we do all these things then just like at the end of making a delicious recipe we will have something which is sweeter and more desireable than anything we could possibly want. That being eternal life.

Here are the scriptures or stories I will tell for each of the principals:

Attending Sunday Meetings - Im going to ask the children why this is important. Ask if they know what the most important meeting on a Sunday is. Explain why we take the sacrament and the importance of it.

Tithing - Tithing Shoes - Friend Nov. 2007

Prayer:

Keep The Commandments - I thought we would sing the song and talk about the words

Im going to tie in Keeping the commandments with Keeping Baptism covenants.

Fathers Day Tie

2011-06-16T20:53:00.001-07:00

So I went to Deseret Book and was able to get an all white tie for $6.00. Then I put all of my kids hand prints on it with paint that I already had here at the house. The kids LOVED it. I also added their names to it after the picture but I wrote in the names very small so that you couldnt see them too much! I thought it was a great idea and for $6 whala! Fathers day gift done!

CRAFTS

2011-06-16T20:36:00.000-07:00

These are felt pictures that my friend made up. So cheap and easy. You just decide on a picture that you want and start out by cutting your design. Then you use embroidery floss and hand stitch around all of the stencil to make it stick out more. once you are done you will put them in 8X10 frames and it makes such a cute wall hanging. I just have not found the frames yet. When I do I am going to paint them purple to make it all come together better! The flowers are 3d you cut them into 4 edged clover flowers and sew them on really close to one another so that they stick out.

Glow in the dark "DID YOU PRAY" blocks

These are did you pray blocks. They are really easy and so fun. During the day they are nice to look at but when you turn off the lights they glow "DID YOU PRAY?" We are making these up at girls camp this summer. I am so excited to show these to the girls!

Spiritually Speaking - Healing Through The Unreserved Love of God

2011-06-12T00:01:00.000-07:00

“In the many trials of life, when we feel abandoned and when sorrow, sin, disappointment, failure, and weakness make us less than we should ever be, there can come the healing salve of the unreserved love in the grace of God. It is a love that lifts and blesses. It is a love that sustains a new beginning on a higher level and thereby continues from grace to grace.”

–James E. Faust,

Homemade Little Debbies Oatmeal Cream Pies

2011-06-10T00:01:00.000-07:00

Today I was on the phone with a missionary serving in our ward. He was telling me how he had received a care package from his family and that it had his favorite treat from home. Little Debbies Oatmeal Cream Pies. Just the words took me back to my childhood when my mom would get home from the store and we would see the little white box with the blue writting. Of course not forgetting the picture of the little girl, obviously Little Debbie, in her 50's get up sporting one of those pretend cowgirl hats. I remember how the pie, only by name because it was really more like a cookie, would fall apart in my hands and I would have to eat it just a little bit at a time savoring each bite until finally it was gone. And being one of 7 children I had to wait until the next time mom went shopping to have another because there were never enough in the box for each of us to have two, so we only got one. Thinking about it I wonder where the other 5 went each week. Probably the same place all my children treats go now, in mommy and daddy's tummys.

Straight away I decided I needed to indulge my children and my husband in this great American treat so I turned to the internet for advice. A couple button pushes later and thanks to google I had loads of recipes for these little gems. I read through a bunch of these recipes and am now going to share with you the one which seemed to suit me and my brain tastebuds (you know the things which make you salivate when reading a recipe because it sounds so good) I found this recipe on a little blog called The Sweet Touch. So thank you to Lucy over there for posting such a great recipe. If you try these let me know what you think. Im going to have a go tomorrow and take them to the missionaries on sunday and see what they think. Happy Baking!

Homemade Little Debbie Oatmeal Cream Pies

Ingredients

Cookies
1 1/4 cups butter, unsalted, softened
1 cup light brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
3 cups quick oats (the only change I made here was to pulse the oats several times in a food processor so that there were some bigger oats pieces and some finely ground, but I'm sure it would be great either way)

Filling (I am leaving the measurements as listed but I only used about half the recipe so you could easily halve the ingredients and have plenty for filling. A little bit goes a long way!)
1/2 cup butter, unsalted, softened
2 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1-2 tablespoons milk

Preheat oven to 375. Line a baking sheet with a Silpat mat or parchment paper.

In the bowl of a standing mixer, beat the 1 1/4 cup butter with the granulated and brown sugars until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg and 2 teaspoons of vanilla. Set aside.

In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon.

With the mixer on low, add in the flour mixture and then the oats..
Use a small cookie scoop to make uniform sized balls for the cookie sheet. Do not worry about pressing flat as they will spread when they bake. Refrigerate the scooped cookie dough for about 10 minutes.

Bake at 375 for 11 minutes. Remove from oven and leave on cookie sheet for 2 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Makes about 48 individual cookies.

Make the filling by beating the 1/2 cup butter with powdered sugar and up to 2 tablespoons of milk. Transfer to a zip lock type baggie with a corner snipped off.

Assemble the cookies by piping about a teaspoon of filling onto the bottom side of one cookie. I used about a quarter sized dollop and it was the perfect amount of sweetness. Top with another cookie.

*** What was your FAVORITE Treat growing up? ***

Visiting Teaching Message - June 2011

2011-06-02T00:01:00.000-07:00

I thought I would share with you the handout which I have made for my sisters for this month with the Visiting Teaching Message. I love this message. What a great one for all of us. I hope you enjoy this handout and are able to use it!

Spiritually Speaking

2011-05-22T00:01:00.000-07:00

"Don't save something for a special occasion. Every day of your life is a special occasion."

— Thomas S. Monson

Friday Night Treat - Homemade Hot Fudge

2011-05-20T00:01:00.000-07:00

So tonight we had the missionaries over for dinner. It was one of their Birthdays and so I asked what he would like. The answer was Angel Hair pasta and Alfredo sauce and Brownies with ice cream and hot fudge. Well Alfredo and Hot Fudge are not available in England so i learned a long time ago how to make my own. I love Hot Fudge sauce. I tend to make a lot of it and then put it in jars. it doesnt last long so I cant give you a shelf life. Im pretty sure this wont last long in your home either! Enjoy!

My Yummy Hot Fudge Recipe:

1/2 cup butter (Ive always used real butter)
5 Tbsp cocoa powder
1/2 cup sugar
6 oz Evaporated Milk
1/2 tsp Vanilla

Mix the butter, cocoa, sugar and milk all together on high heat stirring constantly until it boils. Reduce heat to medium stiring regularly for an additional 7 - 10 minutes depending on the consistance you want. Remove from heat and add vanilla.

Please not this will be VERY HOT when you take it off the heat. I always let mine cool for about 15 - 20 minutes before serving it. It will also thicken a bit more while it is cooling.

Pour over anything you like, ice cream, brownies, cake, etc. So Delish!

Motherhood: An Eternal Partnership With God

2011-05-08T00:10:00.000-07:00

I saw this during this past week and thought it would be perfect for today seeing as its Mothers Day. Happy Mothers Day to you all!

Holiday Time

2011-04-28T08:15:00.000-07:00

SOrry for the lack of posts this week but my lovely family have all been off school and work due to Easter Break and the Royal Wedding. So I have taken the week off too. I promise to be back next week with some new craft ideas, recipes, FHE ideas and a Spiritual thought! Till then.....

He Lives - Testimonies Of Jesus Christ

2011-04-24T00:01:00.000-07:00

Friday Night Treat - Vanilla Cupcakes with Strawberry Frosting

2011-04-22T00:01:00.000-07:00

Remember I said earlier this week that it was my little man's 4th Birthday? He wanted Strawberry cakes so I threw these together.

They were so delicious. So moist. Just lovely. My husband actually said they are the best cupcakes he had ever had. Whoop Whoop!! Here is the recipe. I hope you enjoy them as much as we do.

Vanilla Cake

Ingredients:

1 Cup unsalted Butter, softened
2 Cups Sugar
4 Large Eggs, room temp
1 1/2 cups Self Rising Flour
1 1/4 Cup Plain Flour
1 Cup Milk
1 teaspoon Vanilla

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350F

In a large bowl, on the medium speed of an electric mixer cream the butter until smooth

Add the sugar gradually and beat until fluffy, about 3 minutes

Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each

Combine the flours and add in four parts, altering with the milk and the vanillia extract, beating well after each addition.

Bake for 20 - 25 minutes or until cake tester insterted into center of cake comes out clean.

Let the cakes cool in the muffin pans for 10 minutes and then cool completely on a wire rack.

Strawberry Buttercream Icing:

1 cup unsalted butter, very soft
8 cups powder (icing, confectioners) sugar
1/2 cup milk
2 teas Strawberry Flavoring
Red Food Coloring

Directions:

Place butter in a large mixing bowl

Add 4 cups of powder sugar and then the milk and flavor

Beat until smooth and creamy

Gradually add the remaining sugar, 1 cup at a time, until icing is the thickness you want.

Add the food coloring last and mix throughly.

Use and store icing at room tempas it will set if chilled, Can store in an airtight container for up to three days!

I sprinkled mine with edible glitter too! Just to add a little more pretty!

LOVELY!

Easter Bunnies

2011-04-20T00:01:00.000-07:00

This Sunday being Easter I am in a rush (as Always) to get something really cute (and simple) to give out to my Visiting Teaching Sisters. As well I've just been called back into the YW presidency in my ward and need something adorable to give to the YW. So I have decided on the Tried and Tested Washcloth Easter Bunny.

I posted this last year. But hey what the heck why not post something this cute twice? Right? So here it is again. So adorable and perfect for Easter. The only difference is this year I will try to find some White Wash Clothes rather than blue.

Supplies:

washcloth - a large baby washcloth is ideal
rubber band

Instructions:

Lay the washcloth on a table. Roll one corner, diagonally, into the middle. Roll the opposite corner in the same way, so that both rolls meet in the middle.

Fold the rolled washcloth in half.

Hold the two sides together and fold the two ends backwards, over the top. Fasten a rubber band around the front area to form the head. Fluff out the two ends to make bunny ears.

That is it really. If you wanted to you could decorate it with eyes and ribbon. But essentially that is all there is to it. If you have more questions let me know and I will do a tutorial with pictures! So easy, effective and cute!!

Birthday Party Idea - Luigi (Mario Bros)

2011-04-19T00:01:00.000-07:00

This week my handsome prince turns 4. Its hard to believe my little 2 pound baby (he was born at 26 weeks) is going to be 4. When I asked him what kind of Party he wanted for his bday it came as no surprise to me that he wanted a Luigi Party. Not a Mario Party. He is totally a Luigi Fan. So I started to search the net for anything just Luigi. And came up with.... nothing. Most everything is Mario. So straight away I knew this was going to have to be a homemade party!

Step 1: Party Invitations.

This step was really easy and really fun. I love digital Scrapbooking so I knew I could do this no problem. Here is what I came up with:

Simple right! I literally found a picture and tweeked it a bit so that it would fit what I needed.

Step 2: Decorations.
Every Party needs cool decorations so here is what I came up with:

First a Party Banner,

Second Lables for the soda bottles:

Third Party Bags:

Fourth Cupcake Toppers:

(I ran out of time but I did create them just didnt get them on the cakes :( )

Lastly You cant have a party without Party Games.

My ever so creative hubby drew this Luigi for pin the mustache on Luigi:

We also had a pinata and played the British classic Pass the Parcel.

Everyone had a lovely time... or so I think. And when all his little friends let my little man came up to me and said "That was one fantastic Party!!"

Family Home Evening - Easter Story Cookies

2011-04-18T00:01:00.000-07:00

This is an activity / lesson all in one. Enjoy!

I love this and it has become a tradition each Easter in our home. I feel it is a great way to teach little children the true meaning of Easter. Plus in the end they have a yummy cookie on Easter morning!

Easter Story Cookies

To be made the evening before Easter

1cup whole pecans
1tsp vinegar
3 egg whites
pinch salt
1 cup sugar
zipper baggie
wooden spoon
tape
Bible

Preheat oven to 300 degrees (this is important, don't wait till you're half done with the recipe!)

Place pecans in zipper baggie and let children beat them with the wooden spoon to break into small pieces. Explain that after Jesus was arrested, He was Beaten by the Roman soldiers. Read John 19:1-3.

Let each child smell the vinegar. Put 1tsp vinegar into mixing bowl. Explain that when Jesus was thirsty on the cross, He was given vinegar to drink. Read John 19:28-30.

Add egg whites to vinegar. Eggs represent life. Explain that Jesus gave His life to give us life. Read John 10:10-11.

Sprinkle a little salt into each child's hand. Let them taste it and brush the rest into the bowl. Explain that this represents the salty tears shed by Jesus' followers, and the bitterness of our own sin. Read Luke 23:27.

So far, the ingredients are not very appetizing. Add 1 cup sugar.
Explain that the sweetest part of the story is that Jesus died because He loves us. He wants us to know and belong to Him. Read Psalm 34:8 and John 3:16.

Beat with a mixer on high speed for 12 to 15 minutes until stiff peaks are formed. Explain that the color white represents the purity in God's eyes of those whose sins have been cleansed by Jesus. Read Isaiah 1:18 and John 3:1-3.

Fold in broken nuts. Drop by teaspoons onto wax paper covered cookie sheet. Explain that each mound represents the rocky tomb where Jesus' body was laid. Read Matthew 27:57-60.

Put the cookie sheet in the oven, close the door and turn the oven OFF. Give each child a piece of tape and seal the oven door. Explain that Jesus' tomb was sealed. Read Matthew 27:65-66.

GO TO BED! Explain that they may feel sad to leave the cookies in the oven overnight. Jesus' followers were in despair when the tomb was sealed. Read John 16:20 and 22.

On Easter morning, open the oven and give everyone a cookie. Notice the cracked surface and take a bite. The cookies are hollow! On the first Easter, Jesus' followers were amazed to find the tomb open and empty. Read Matthew 28:1-9.

YOU MAY WANT TO ADJUST/ADAPT THIS TO SUIT YOUR OWN BELIEF.

An Apostle's Easter Thoughts on Christ

2011-04-17T00:01:00.000-07:00

Friday Night Treat - French Toast Cupcakes

2011-04-15T00:01:00.000-07:00

One of my friends on Twitter made some French Toast Cupcakes earlier this week and straight away I looked up where I could find a recipe to do the same. They sounded Delish! Well I found loads of recipes, but here is the one that I decided to use. We loved it I hope that you enjoy it as much as we did.

French Toast Cupcakes

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. salt
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
2 eggs, room temperature
1 tsp. maple extract
1/2 cup milk

1. Preheat your oven to 350° degrees. Line muffin tin with baking liners.

2. Combine flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt in a mixing bowl.

3. In a large bowl, whisk together butter, sugar, and eggs until combined. Then add maple extract.

4. Alternate between whisking in flour mixture and milk into your liquid mixture. Make three additions of flour and two of milk. Beat until smooth.

5. Divide batter into prepared pan and bake 20-25 minutes until golden brown and tops spring back when lightly touched.

6. Cool cupcakes for 10 minutes, remove from pan and allow to cool completely before frosting.

Maple Buttercream Frosting

4 tablespoons butter or margarine (room temperature or softened)

1/4 cup maple syrup

3 cups powdered sugar

Cream butter until smooth, add maple syrup, and then gradually add powdered sugar. I think I used 2 and 1/2 cups of powdered sugar. I added small amounts of milk when I felt like it was too thick.

Simple Tips That Make You Look Smarter!

2011-04-13T07:23:00.000-07:00

I saw this on Womens Day today and just had to share it. I seriously love some of these tips!!

Family Home Evening - Being an Example

2011-04-11T00:01:00.000-07:00

Song:
Come Follow Me CS 114

Opening Prayer:

Lesson: Mommy

Start with reading the following Scriptures: John 8:12, Mathew 5:16 And discuss.

Read the Story, My Sister, My Example

Based on a true story

When I was about eight years old, I lived in Jamaica. Jamaica can be very hot. I was so excited one day when my aunt invited me to go with her and my cousin to the house of a friend who had a swimming pool. A cool pool on a sunny day sounded great.

My mother said I could go but that I couldn’t swim since she didn’t know who would be there to watch us. I told her I would just put my feet in the pool to get cool.

When I got to the house, my cousin immediately jumped in the pool. Some of our other friends came over and started to swim too. Everyone kept begging me to come in the pool, and finally I gave in. It was so hot outside, and I thought my mom wouldn’t know because my aunt said she wouldn’t tell her.

I knew my aunt was wrong to keep secrets from my mother, but I played with my friends for a while in the pool anyway. I was so scared the whole time about what would happen if my mother knew I had disobeyed her. When we got home, my hair was a little wet, even though I had tried to keep it out of the water. My mom asked me if I had gone swimming, and I lied. I told her no. I felt really bad about it for a really long time, but I didn’t want to get in trouble.

A few years later, when my sister, Briélan, was seven, she was invited to go to the beach with some friends and their parents. My mom told her the same thing she had told me: go and have fun, but don’t go swimming. When my sister got to the beach, her friends’ parents told her she could go ahead and swim. They wouldn’t tell her mother, so it would be OK.

Even though my sister thought my mom would never know, she told her friends’ parents that she would not go swimming because her mother had asked her not to, and she wanted to be obedient. The grown-ups tried to convince her it was OK, but she still said no because she knew she should do what was right, and they were trying to get her to do something wrong.

My sister’s day at the beach was just as hot as mine at the pool, and she wanted to swim just as badly as I did. But my little sister became my big example when she chose to honor our parents by obeying them.

When my mom told me this story about my sister, I told her how I had lied to her. She was thankful that I finally told her the truth. She was very proud of my little sister, who had chosen to obey her, and so was I.

Talk with your children about being a good example to others. Explain what the blessings can be when you do what is right.

ACTIVITY:

Play the game "Drama or Draw".
To play: divide into two teams, sitting across from each other. Take turns drawing a word strip from the bad and read it silently. Option One~ DRAMA. Act out the activity. Option Two~ DRAW. Draw the activity. The first team to guess wins a point for their team. Play until the wordstrips run out.

Drama or Draw List
Go to church
Drive reckless
Read the scriptures
Rollerblade across your neighbors yard
Spend tithing money
Do the dishes
Swear
Eat healthy foods
Pay extra on parent’s fast offerings
Be nice to everyone
Share a candy bar
Shovel snow for your neighbor
Pay tithing
Share your testimony
Contribute to the missionary fund
Keep your room clean
Gossip
Read to children
Borrow a pair of sunglasses and won’t return them
Be kind to others
Walk the dog
Do homework
Visit the sick
Watching a bad television show
Dress immodestly
Skip School
Study for a hard test
Smoke
Dress modestly

Twas a Sheep Not a Lamb

2011-04-10T00:01:00.000-07:00

Twas a sheep not a lamb that strayed away

In the parable Jesus told,

A grown-up sheep that strayed away

From the ninety and nine in the fold.

And why for the sheep should we seek

And earnestly hope and pray?

Because there is danger when sheep go wrong;

They lead the lambs astray.

Lambs will follow the sheep, you know,

Wherever the sheep may stray.

When sheep go wrong, it won’t take long

Til the lambs are as wrong as they.

And so with the sheep we earnestly plead

For the sake of the lambs today,

For when sheep are lost, what a terrible cost

The lambs will have to pay!

-C. C. Miller

Friday Night Treat - Strawberry Pie

2011-04-08T00:01:00.000-07:00

Strawberries are starting to come into season here and a lot of the stores are selling them for super cheap. So last week I decided to make a strawberry pie. I like to make my own pie crust as well because then I can make a BIG pie. Here is my recipe for the Pastry first and then the Strawberry Pie filling second! Enjoy!

Sweet Pie Crust

2 cup Plain Flour
1 cup Vegetable shortening (here it is cookene or Trex in the US it is called Shortening. When I googles it I foiund out that Copha there is the same thing)
1/4 teas salt
2 teas Sugar
1/2 cup ice water

In a mixing bowl, combine the flour, salt and sugar. Add the shortening and work it through with your hands until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add the water, 1 tablespoon at a time, and work it in with your hands until you have a smooth ball of dough. (I used less than 1/2 cup sometimes. Just use what you need not nesicarrily all of it.) Wrap the dough in plastic and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. Remove the dough from the refrigerator and place it on a lightly floured surface. This recipe will make two pie crusts.

Strawberry Pie Filling:

1 quart fresh strawberries
1 cup white sugar
3 tablespoons cornstarch
3/4 cup water

Arrange half of strawberries in baked pastry shell. Mash remaining berries and combine with sugar in a medium saucepan. Place saucepan over medium heat and bring to a boil, stirring frequently.
In a small bowl, whisk together cornstarch and water. Gradually stir cornstarch mixture into boiling strawberry mixture. Reduce heat and simmer mixture until thickened, about 10 minutes, stirring constantly. Pour mixture over berries in pastry shell. Chill for several hours before serving.

Easter Swag With a Twist

2011-04-06T00:01:00.000-07:00

Remember I said I was working on a few EASTER things? Well here is the first one I have to share with you. I love hanging swags on my Mantle for EVERY holiday. But this EASTER I decided to do something a little different. I have hung individual eggs instead. Here see what I mean?

These were so simple. I just bought two packs of already decorated Easter Eggs (yep I cheated) and I glued letters to them, vinyle letters are pretty much impossible to find here in the UK. Here are a few pictures:

(Whoops how did this cheeky Picture get on here of my angel baby? Oh Well :) Look how big she is getting! Almost 8 months old now!)

Here is what I used....

and Here is what I did. SO SIMPLE!!

I also decided to just tie a bow for inbetween the words. Just to break it up a little. So what do you think? Do you like this little twist or should I stick with the traditional swag? I kind of like this for a change!

Visiting Teaching Message - April 2011

2011-04-05T00:01:00.000-07:00

This months Relief Society Visiting Teaching Message is fantastic, its called The Purpose of Relief Society. And since I could not decide on which quote to use, because they are both so wonderful, I decided to make both of them. I will then prayerfully decide which quote to take to each of my sisters. Also I have made these bigger this month so that they are easier to read. I hope that helps each of you. If you have any questions please let me know or if you need anything further. Thank you for your comments last month. I love getting comments. It makes the work worth while.

Family Home Evening - How Well Did You Listen

2011-04-04T00:01:00.000-07:00

We decided to have a fun and informative Family Home Evening Tonight. We will be coming up with questions from the General Conference Sessions over the past few days and Play Snakes and Ladder with them. If the kids answer the question right then they get to roll the dice and move forward. If they dont get the question right then they dont get to roll the dice. We will also be throwing in simple gospel questions. Here is a Snakes and Ladders board you can print out and some sample General Gospel Questions you could use. Enjoy!

General Knowledge Questions:

How old are you when you get baptised?
Who is the prophet of the church?
How many articles of Faith are there?
Finish this title _____ Book of _______
Who is the Bishop of our ward?
What is the name of our ward?
What gift are you give from Heavenly Father when you are baptised?
Who was the first prophet of the church?
After Jesus died he lay in a tomb and after 3 days he came back to life. What is this called?
How many books of Scriptures are there?
Who was the first prophet to write in the Book of Mormon?
What does the first Article of Faith say?

Spiritually Speaking - The Parable of the Bamboo Tree

2011-04-03T00:01:00.000-07:00

"In everything you do in your family, keep in mind the miracle of the Chinese bamboo tree. After the seed for this amazing tree is planted, you see nothing, absolutely nothing, for four years except for a tiny shoot coming out of a bulb. During those four years, all the growth is underground in a massive, fibrous root structure that spreads deep and wide in the earth. But then in the the fifth year the Chinese bamboo tree grows up to eighty feet!

"Many things in family life are like the Chinese bamboo tree. You work and you invest time and effort, and you do everything you can possibly do to nurture growth, and sometimes you don't see anything for weeks, months, or even years. But if you're patient and keep working and nurturing, that "fifth year" will come, and you will be astonished at the growth and change you see taking place.

"Patience is faith in action. Patience is emotional diligence. It's the willingness to suffer inside so that others can grow. It reveals love. It gives birth to understanding."

From The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Families by Stephen R. Covey (pp. 22-23)

Friday Night Treat - Cookies and Cream Cupcakes

2011-04-01T00:01:00.000-07:00

I was looking for something a little bit different to make the other day and came across a really easy and really nice recipe for Cookies and Cream Cupcakes. They were lovely. Super moist and Super Tasty.

I thought this would make the prefect treat night recipe to share with you all. I hope that you enjoy them as much as my family does!

Ingredients:

1 Cup Butter
1 Cup Caster (Fine) Sugar
2 cups Self Rising Flour
1 tsp Baking Powder
4 eggs
1 tsp Vanilla Essence
10 Oreo Cookies Crushed

Preheat oven to 350°; place 18 baking cups in muffin pans.

Combine all the cupcake ingredients, except the cookies, in a big bowl; beat with an electric mixer until smooth and pale, about 2-3 minutes; stir in the cookies.

Spoon batter into cups; bake for 20 minutes; remove pans from oven and cool for 5 minutes; then remove cupcakes and cool on wire rack.

Make the icing: beat powdered sugar, butter, and salt using an electric mixer; spread icing onto cooled cupcakes.

Sprinkle the chopped cookies on top.

Easter Wreath

2011-03-30T00:01:00.000-07:00

This is a great project to do with kids.

Supplies needed:

Approx. 48 regular sized plastic eggs
Easter grass
Pipe cleaner
Coordinating Ribbon
Cardboard ring
Pencil
Hot glue gun
Scissors

First you will need to get your ring cut from a card board box. I made the outside circle approx. 12in. in diameter, and the middle ring 8 in.
Next I alternated colors put a smudge of glue on the cardboard and placed an egg with the big end on the inside. And continued this around the outside edge.For the inside edge I put glue on the card board, and on the egg that the new egg would be touching with the big ends facing each other, and continued all the way around.Now glue the remaining eggs on top of the other eggs and kind of fill in the gaps. Don't worry if there are holes this is where you'll place the grass.
Place some glue in where a hole is and using the butt of the pencil (eraser end) push the grass into the gaps. Continue on until there are no gaps remaining. When finished trim around the outside edge of the grass using the scissors.
Make a hanger with the piper cleaner and glue on the back.
(I am also going to make a bow to put on the top middle, but we had forgot to purchase them.)

Family Home Evening - General Conference

2011-03-28T00:01:00.000-07:00

Opening Song: Follow the Prophet
Opening Prayer:
Lesson: Mommy

As this next weekend in General Conference I have decided that this week for FHE we will put together out General Conference Activity books ready for Conference. I like doing this as a fmaily because the children see the books and always really want to start working on them. Of course I then make them put them away until conference. If you have never used a General Conference Activity book they are fantastic. You can find them here on Sugardoodle.net This is a great time to talk about the prophets and apostles with the children and discuss how important it is and how lovely it is to hear the voice of the prophets.

Spiritually Speaking - Go Often and Carefully to the Scriptures

2011-03-27T00:01:00.000-07:00

“We can and must go often and carefully to the word of God. If we become casual in our study of the scriptures, we will become casual in our prayers.”

-Elder Henry B. Eyring, Ensign, Nov. 2001

Friday Night Treat - Blush Meringues

2011-03-25T00:01:00.000-07:00

I found the recipe whilst looking for things to cook using berries, and when I saw this, I thought it would be great summer / Spring dessert! You have to be fan of meringues, which I am....ENJOY!

20 meringue nests, depending on the size. I used ready made ones

For the filling :-

250g tub of marscapone

284ml carton double cream

1 tbsp icing sugar

Couple of handfuls of fresh or frozen (thawed) mixed berries, lightly crushed

Beat marscapone until smooth, add the double cream and the sugar and whisk again till soft peaks. Very lightly stir in the fruit, so it is rippled through the cream. Sandwich the meringues together with the fruit cream. Eat the day they are made....which won't be a problem, I'm pretty sure!!

Pretty Flower Hairclips

2011-03-23T00:01:00.000-07:00

This afternoon I was in the store about to buy some really cute hair clips for both my baby and my 7 year old when I decided to stop and look at how they were made. Oh. My. Word. I couldnt believe just how easy these things looked to make. I had to hang them back up on the rack because there was no way I was going to spend any amount of money on something I could make here at home. So I came home and while my husband was out at a meeting I decided to Have a go. They were so easy. I thought I would share them with you.

Right so to start with I just got some scraps of fabric. You can get any colors you want and it doesnt have to be a lot.

I then folded the scraps so that I had 8 layers.

Next I traced around the bottom of a small cup a circle and cut the circle out which left me with 8 small circles.

I then folded the circles in half one at a time.....

And then in half again. I did put a little hot glue on this fold to keep it together like this.

Next I hot glued each triangle to a little piece of felt all in a circle. This took 4 of the little triangles.

I then glued the other four on top of the first four over the seams, so as to cover them up.

I then glued a button to the center of the flower.

Next I flipped the flower over....

And hot glued a long rectangle to the back, ONLY THE EDGES. This way I only need one hair clip and can interchange the flowers on that one clip.

That is it! So easy! So Cute! And so CHEAP!! What do you think? Im going to try it with all different types of fabric. Cant wait!

April Fools - 2011

2011-03-22T00:01:00.000-07:00

Well April Fools is just upon us. I thought I would search around trying to find some great pranks, safe pranks, and list them and their links here so that you can prepare now for what you want to do. So get your thinking caps on and if one of these ideas don't "tickle" your fancy and you come up with your own, please do share so we can all enjoy!

Anyone for Meatloaf Cupcakes? This was posted by one of our Honeys last year. An oldie but still a goodie!

Family Fun have this really cute Alien Birth Certificate. I'm not sure about you but I honestly think from time to time that my children are Aliens!

You cant go wrong with a child and a Whoopee Cushion can you? Pretty sure I spent hours with one of these when I was a child. My poor parents! ;)

I know what you are thinking.... Ewwwww. But I'm pretty sure my children would enjoy making this cow pie out of Salt dough. Thanks to the Crayola website for sharing this pooey idea ;)

I'm considering serving these Faked Potatoes for dinner on the 1st. Thank you Family Fun for sharing a great Tutorial and some great ideas!

I love the idea of a backwards party. Plus these little invitations which have to be read in the mirror are such a clever idea! Thank you TLC Family.

What about this Funky Headwear? Crayola is just full of fun ideas. And I'm not sure of many little ones who wouldn't want to make something like this!

How about this Magic Banana from Enchanted Learning. Definitely a winner. I think I will be trying this one for sure. So simple!

I seriously cant wait to make this Magic Milk. So simple and you dont have to turn your whole container of milk a funny color. Thank you Family Fun for the great idea!

This April Fools Can again from TLC looks easy to make and like hours of fun.

She Knows suggest turning the bath tub into a ball pit. Just imagine how excited your little angels will be when they arrive in the bath room with it all full of balls instead of water.

Another classic is to super glue coins to the sidewalk or somewhere the kids will see it. You can do this with the kids even and then hide and watch people try to pick it up. :)

I do LOVE this Gelled Juice from Family Fun. I think I might just make Jello in cups and serve it with their dinner. Loads of Fun!

Family Home Evening - I can be Forgiven

2011-03-21T00:01:00.000-07:00

Opening Song: Help Me Dear Father (CSB Pg 99)
Opening Prayer:
Lesson: Mommy

Object Lesson: Poor some salt on a colored plate, explain to your children that when we leave our Heavenly Father's presence we are pure and clean. Throughout our life sometimes we do things that are not right and can leave specks of dirt on our pure spirit. (start to sprinkle pepper on the salt)

If we say we are truly sorry and ask for forgiveness, those speckles can disappear. (as you are talking to your children about forgiveness, take a plastic spoon and rub it back and forth over the carpet, slowly put it on top of the salt and the pepper speckles will start to stick to the spoon from the static.)

What are some ways we can ask for forgiveness? Is it easy to ask for forgiveness we we know we have done something wrong?

What is the way that each of us can return to live with our Heavenly Father? By repentance.

Bear your testimony to your children, give them examples of how repentance has blessed your life.

Spiritually Speaking - Patience

2011-03-20T00:01:00.000-07:00

“We will have genuine joy and happiness only as we learn patience.”

-Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin, Ensign, May 1987

Friday Night Treat Night

2011-03-18T00:01:00.000-07:00

I LOVE Blueberries, so naturally I would LOVE Blueberry Pie. I thought I would share this AmAzInG Recipe for Blueberry pie. I hope you enjoy it as much as we do!!

Ingredients
2 x 12’/30cm discs of sweet dessert pastry
700g fresh blueberries
4-6 tbsp caster sugar
2½ tbsp cornflour
Zest and juice of 1 large lime
1 medium egg, beaten
Granulated sugar for sprinkling on top of the pie

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 180°C/gas 4.

2. Line the tart case with one disc of pastry.

3. Place the blueberries and cornflour into a bowl and mix really well.

4. Add the sugar and lime juice and mix well again.

5. Pour into the lined tart and moisten the edges of the pastry with a little beaten egg.

6. Top the tart with the second disc and seal the edges well.

7. Cut off any excess pastry and crimp decoratively.

8. Brush with beaten egg and sprinkle with sugar then make three small incisions in the top of the pie.

9. Finally place in the oven and cook for 30-40 minutes until the top of the pie is golden.

10. Remove from the oven and cool before eating.

11. Cut into wedges and serve with lots of ice cream and double cream sweetened with vanilla.

Holiday Journal

2011-03-16T17:00:00.000-07:00

I thought today would be a great day to give you a good idea about a type of journal since it is St. Patrick's Day. How many of you will make your kids yummy green meals, dress them up in green clothes, or have a treasure hunt? Most of our holidays are filled with traditions. Some of these traditions only work for little kids but some you carry on with throughout your life – and even pass along to your children's children.

One great way to remember these special holidays is to just snap a picture. That’s it! It may seem like not a lot of work, but through the years they’ll add up and you’ll be glad you took a few minutes to take that picture.

A few tips:

Make sure you label the pictures – you may think you’ll never forget what year it was, but the more years pass, the more likely you’ll forget. RENAME the file for the computer or if you print out your pictures and don’t want to scrapbook them – write the year on the back with an ACID FREE pen.

It doesn’t have to be a posed picture – it can just be of the kids eating breakfast or the treasure at the end of the hunt… don’t worry about perfection – just capture the moment.

You can save these on your computer forever and ever or you could always print them up – get a cheap sketch pad and put them in that, or scrapbook if you are feeling adventurous (or have the time).

Remember journaling isn't all about writing essays and pages of your thoughts (although that is part) it is about keeping memories, remembering happiness, and celebrating life – especially holidays!

St. Patricks Day Crafts - Week 3

2011-03-15T00:01:00.000-07:00

Hello and welcome to this weeks edition of St. Patricks Day Crafts. Again there is so much great crafty stuff out there. So lets get this party started!! I hope you enjoy these crafts as much as I do!

Mom Vantage has this AdOrAbLe St. Particks Day wreath with pictures of her adorable family. Well done. This is a definite winner!

Tiny Prints have a whole post of adorable St. Patricks Day Hair items. These are so flippin cute. I love these. I might actually run out to the craft store and get a few bits to make these for my little girl.

Catch My Party have created these great printables. I love printables. I love creating them and I love using them. These are really great!

Poca Cosa have these really cute Shamrock Marshmallow Pops. What a great little treat for neighbors, friends, teachers... Well Anyone really!

Domestic Fashionista has these fantastic Felt Shamrocks. I just love these. Plus I was thinking as my 7 year old has been learn how to sew these would be perfect for her to practice on.

Random Thoughts of a Supermom Shows how to make the perfect St Patricks Day Breakfast. I will definitley be making these.

Inspiring Creations has a fantastic tutorial on how to make her Shamrock flower pot. These are so cute. What a fantastic idea!

Lets Go Fly A Kite made these really adorable Leprechauns. Plus these are a great craft to do with the children. I love how she has made a little family of them. So Cute!

No Biggie has made these Brilliant St Patricks Day pins. I love it. Something a little different. Perfect to get that little bit of Green on So you can aviod those little pinches :)

Just drink a Coke. Has a FANTASTIC tutorial on how to make these adorable hair clips. I love these. They are so cute!

Family Home Evening - My Eternal Family

2011-03-14T00:01:00.000-07:00

Opening Song: I have a family here on earth

Opening Prayer:

Lesson: Mommy

Gather Lego's or building blocks, label them with some ways your child can help build an eternal family

service
show love
kind words
learning
help
family prayer
scripture study
church attendance

Adam and Eve established the first family on this earth. Heavenly Father commanded them to have children and to worship Him. As children were born to Adam and Eve, they taught them the gospel. This is Heavenly Father’s plan for families—He has sent us to earth so that we can learn from our parents and, someday, teach our own children.

Elder Richard G. Scott said, “Through the restored gospel we learn there is an ideal family. It is a family composed of a righteous Melchizedek Priesthood bearer with a righteous wife sealed to him and children born in the covenant or sealed to them” (Ensign, May 2001, 7). When families are sealed in the temple and live worthily, they can be eternal families in the celestial kingdom.

Not all of us have been sealed to our families yet, but we can work toward having an eternal family by doing our best. Elder Scott said, “Do the best you can. We cannot say whether that blessing [temple sealing] will be obtained on this side of the veil [in this life] or beyond it, but the Lord will keep His promises. In His infinite wisdom, He will make possible all you qualify in worthiness to receive” (Ensign, May 2001, 7).

We can do our best to have an eternal family by living worthy of temple blessings and loving, serving, and praying for our families.

Activity:
Using the building blocks help your children to create a strong foundation and build a building upon it. As you build this, ask your children what would happen if one of these blocks were missing or taken away. (It would fall over.) The same can be said if we don't do everything we can to build our strong eternal family. If we are not constantly trying, we can't reach our full potential as a family.

Coloring Page

Spiritually Speaking - Small Miracles

2011-03-13T00:10:00.000-08:00

“We do not know the future, but our Father in Heaven does, and He will lead and guide us if we let Him. When we are in tune with the Spirit, we will see many small miracles happen in our lives. I have found that having the ability to see and recognize these small... miracles is based upon my spiritual worthiness, my willingness to be obedient, and my desire to not allow myself to become complacent and caught up in worldly and personal pursuits.”

(Ronald T. Halverson, “Obeying the Whisperings of the Holy Ghost”)

Friday Night Treat Night

2011-03-11T00:01:00.000-08:00

So I thought I would share with you today a recipe I found a couple weeks ago on Family Fun. I love the Family Fun site. It is definitely one of my favorite sites.

Anyway I found this Orange Biscuit recipe which is pretty much like orange rolls. I actually saw this recipe at like 8:30 pm and decided straight away I have to make these. So I did. And then my hubby and I both had 3 each... Ahhh! Naughty, I know but once you make this recipe I challenge you to just eat one! NOT. POSSIBLE!

Anyway here it goes. I hope you enjoy it as much as we did!

Ingredients

GLAZE:
1/2 cup cold butter (1/4 cup for the orange glaze and 1/4 cup for the biscuits)
1/2 cup orange juice (preferably fresh)
1/2 cup sugar
2 tsp. grated orange zest

BISCUITS:
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
3/4 cup milk
1 to 2 tbsp. soft margarine or butter for brushing on the uncooked biscuit dough
1/4 cup cinnamon sugar (mix 1/4 cup sugar with about 2 tsp. cinnamon)

Instructions

Heat the oven to 425 degrees. Grease a 12-muffin tin. (Note: this recipe does not work with muffin liners.)
To make the glaze, combine 1/4 cup of the butter with the orange juice, sugar, and orange zest in a saucepan. Stir over medium heat until the sugar is dissolved and then cook for 2 minutes.
Divide among the muffin cups (the hot syrup should not be handled by a child).
Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium-size bowl. Cut in the remaining 1/4 cup of butter until the mixture resembles coarse cornmeal.
Add the milk, stirring with a fork until the dough forms a ball. Turn it onto a counter, knead it briefly (4 turns or so), and roll it out into a 1/4-inch-thick rectangle, roughly 12 by 8 inches.
Brush with the softened margarine or butter and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar.
Flour your hands and roll up the dough, jelly-roll style, then cut it into twelve 1-inch slices. Place a slice in each glaze-filled muffin tin.
Bake for approximately 18 minutes or until the biscuits are golden brown. Run a knife around each biscuit, then turn them out, glazed side up, onto a cooling rack with a baking sheet or waxed paper below. Makes 12 biscuits.

Visiting Teaching Message - March 2011

2011-03-09T00:01:00.000-08:00

I have decided to post the little hand out that I make for my Visiting Teaching Sisters each month in an attempt to make Visiting Teaching a little bit easier for each of you. Maybe this will inspire some of you to visit your sisters a little more often and those whom you cant visit maybe this will at least give you something to send to them.

Let me know if you find this useful. I love feed back. I always like to know that what I am doing is actually helping someone else. :)

St Patricks Day Craft Ideas - Week 2

2011-03-08T00:01:00.000-08:00

I have found so many adorable things again this week. I wish I could post them all!! In the meantime here are some of the ADORABLE St. Patricks Day crafts (edible and non edible) I have found. If you have anything you would like to share email me at alisha@homemakinghoneys.com

How cute are these St Patty's Pops I found over at Dollhouse Bake Shoppe. Not only adorable but so simple to make! I love these!!

I love rag things, blankets, bags and pillows. This pillow is fantastic! I found this Lucky Gem over at Sew Practical Patterns and More. I love it and it is so simple to make too!

Momtastic has a great Tutorial on how to do a clover potato stamp. What a great craft to do with the children. My two will love doing these.

Naptime Crafter did a tutorial this past week on a St Patricks Day Tee. It is so adorable. I might have to try this idea out!

The Honorable Mention has these really cute paper Clovers to make with children. I think after making them they would look really cute in the window. Plus the kids will really enjoy having a go at these.

Goodbye City, Hello Suburbs has this really cute, really easy and really cheap idea for a cute door hang. So crafty and cute. Love it!

This cutie comes from Simply Crafty. What a cute way to great your guests in the run up to St Patty's Day!

Sassy Sanctuary has this adorable Shammrock Garden. I love this and think you could do this idea for any holiday! I might seriously have to steal this one!

I hope that you enjoy my finds as much as I have enjoyed finding them. Let me know if you find anything you love so I can post it! Until Next Week!! Stay Lucky!

Family Home Evening - Baptism

2011-03-07T00:01:00.000-08:00

Opening Song:Baptism Childrens Song Book Page 100

Opening Prayer:

Lesson Mommy:

Print the letters: B A P T I S M

Use these letters to talk about baptism. For younger children, talk about each letter and let them tape it on the wall. For older children, give them the letter and have them tell all they know about what is written on it, and what it has to do with baptism, for example, "P" - partaking of the sacrament - is what we do to renew our baptismal covenants.

You may want to put them up in a different order, depending on the topic you want to talk about first. You may want to use the "B" first or last though, so you can introduce or conclude with "Baptism".

Ask the children if they know anyone who has been baptised. Talk to the children about your baptism how you felt when you were baptised.

Tell the children that Jesus was baptised. Ask them why they think Jesus was baptised and explain how Jesus had to be baptised to set the example for us. Just like when we are baptised we set the example for others.

Bear your testimony of Baptism to the children and the importance of it.

Spiritually Speaking - Salvation is an Individual Operation

2011-03-06T00:01:00.000-08:00

“No temptation, no pressure, no enticing can overcome us unless we allow such. If we make the wrong choice, we have no one to blame but ourselves. President Brigham Young once expressed this truth by relating it to himself. Said he: “If Brother Brigham shall take a wrong track, and be shut out of the Kingdom of heaven, no person will be to blame but Brother Brigham. I am the only being in heaven, earth, or hell, that can be blamed.” He continued: “This will equally apply to every Latter-day Saint. Salvation is an individual operation.”

Thomas S. Monson, “The Three Rs of Choice”, Ensign, Nov. 2010, 67–70

Chocolate Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Frosting

2011-03-04T00:01:00.000-08:00

Remember when I told you I was totally getting into making cupcakes.... Well that hasn't changed. In fact every day I have to try and hold back from making more cupcakes. I just want to decorate them and make them look pretty. So much so that I would be willing to make cupcakes just to decorate and then throw away. No I've not done this I know it would be a waste of food. But at times it is tempting to feed my terrible addiction at the moment :)

Anyway here is my latest creation.

CHOCOLATE CUPCAKES with PEANUT BUTTER FROSTING

Yep just like a Peanut Butter cup.... Only BETTER!!!

I thought I would share this lovely recipe with each of you. First for the cake. See part of my obsession is to also find the perfect cake recipes. No More Betty Crocker! Well that's the goal anyway. So here is a great little Chocolate Cupcake Recipe I found at Frosted Happy Cupcakes.

Chocolate Cake:

Ingredients:

3 cups of packed brown sugar

1 cup of butter (or margarine), softened

4 eggs

2 tsp vanilla extract

2 2/3 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup baking cocoa

1 Tbsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 1/3 cups sour cream of yogurt

1 1/3 cup boiling water

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a large mixing bowl cream your butter and sugar. Add in your eggs one at a time beating extremely well after each addition. Beat the batter on a high speed until light and quite fluffy. Next, blend in vanilla. In a separate bowl combine flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt.

Now, add your dry ingredients while alternating with the sour cream into the wet ingredients. Mix this on low until combined. Don't over beat. Stir in the boiling water until blended. Pour the batter into prepared cupcake liners. I like to use giant or large size liners. I scoop my batter into each liner with a cookie scoop. I have discovered that 2 scoops of batter in each liner gives you a nearly perfect amount in each cup. I cook mine between 18 and 20 minutes (approximately 10 minutes if making mini cupcakes). Check them after 18 minutes. Insert a toothpick, if it comes out clean the cupcakes are done. Cool in the pan for a few minutes on a cooling rack and then transfer directly to the rack to finish cooling.

Next you need my Peanut Butter Frosting Recipe. I cant give credit to anyone other than my pretty little self for this divine treat. It is kind of a mistake gone right. It worked so well when I first made it that I just had to quickly write down what I did wrong to make it turn out so right :) And here is what I came up with:

Peanut Butter Frosting:

1/2 c unsalted Butter (Room Temp)
1 Cup Peanut Butter
2 Cups Powder (Icing) Sugar
1/4 cup Milk

Beat the butter and Peanut Butter together until nice and fluffy. And half the powder sugar and mix. It will be very lumpy add half the milk and blend well, until smooth. Add the rest of the Powder Sugar and the remaining milk and blend again until smooth. If this is to thick for you then you can add a bit more milk until you get the consistency you want.

It is so delish! Let me know if you try either of these recipes what you think.

A Cure for Journaling Hand Cramps!

2011-03-02T16:00:00.000-08:00

How often have you been writing in your journal, trying to catch up, only to find that one and a half pages on your hand is hurting and cramping – so you say, “I’ll just have a little break.” Suddenly that “little break” turns into 2 days, 2 weeks, 2 months, or in my case - 2+ years!

Some of us prefer typing to writing and guess what – THAT’S OKAY! That is why blogging has become a popular form of journaling – its faster and you don’t get those pesky hand cramps.

Well… I have another solution – an idea for the busy lady who wants to type her journal, but doesn’t want to have a blog or doesn’t want to share too much on a blog – drumroll please….

www.ldsjournal.com

Let me start by saying the following:

* I do not work for ldsjournal, or get paid for letting you in on this awesome website.

* You DO NOT have to be LDS to use this site – its for everyone!

Now, with that out of the way let me tell you some great points about this website that I know first-hand (yes I use it):

* Its free!!!!!!!!!!

* You can save your entries.

* You can eventually make the entries into a book – with or without colours and pictures.

* It has a “journal jar” option, in case you cant think of what to write – along with options of answering questions all about you to create a mini-history.

* If you are interested – there is even a welcome video that tells you more about it.

* Its free!!!!!!!

It really is a great site – if journaling online is something that interests you. I recommended it to the Young Women in my church branch, but think it is great for all ages. Go on, go have a try.

New Blog Design

2011-03-02T05:16:00.000-08:00

Some of you may have noticed that I have a NEW BLOG DESIGN!! What's that you say? You didnt notice ;) Well how could you not? I personally think its BEAUTIFUL!! But I am a little biased. I just wanted to give a shout out to Tiffini Howard from That Blog Place. She is flippin A-Maze-Ing! I mean look at this site. Its so lovely! She did a fantastic job!! Not only has she done a brilliant job on my site but they have done loads of other sites to. If you are looking for a redesign have a look at their website HERE! They have so many fantastic Free Backgrounds. They also do Custom Design, like this one, for those of you who are interested too. Here are a few of my favorite Free Backgrounds from their site:

Lovely huh!! So head on over to their site have a look around and once you find just the perfect background, oh trust me you will, then give your a site a facelift.

St Patricks Day Craft Ideas

2011-03-01T00:01:00.000-08:00

Hello all you lovelies! I know St Patricks Day is Right around the corner. Yep about 15 days away to be honest. Believe it or not Im not making many St Patricks Day crafts this year the only thing I plan on doing is the Salt Dough Shammrock Necklace with the kids other than that Im going to be a St Patricks Day Scrooge and get on with East crafts. But that doesnt mean there arent some fantastic crafty ideas out there in the world of Blogging. So I thought I would just share some of the awesome St Patricks crafts I have found. Im going to do this the next few Tuesdays leading up to St Patricks Day. So If you make something you are really excited about send me a link to alisha@homemakinghoneys.com and I will feature it here next Tuesday! I hope you enjoy my finds!

This Leprechan Block Head is one of the cutest St Patty Crafts Ive seen this year! Its adorable. Thanks Craft Goodies for the great tutorial. If I make anything it will definitely be this!!

FavCrafts.com Have these really fun looking "Lucky Shoes" I dont dare show my daughter this she will be so upset we arent making them :)

Craftzine has these really cute Rainbow Pots. I thought they would be cutier with gold coins rather than good nuggetts. But that is just my very humble opinion!

These Floating Shamrocks at Lacey Dippold Photography are so cute. They make the perfect window decorations!

This little Pot Of Gold from Charlotte's Fancy is adorable and would make the cutiest Visiting Teaching gift!

Leprechaun Kisses make a lovely gift for the neighbors. Have a look at 2 Clever Blog for these cuties and an even cutier poem to attach!

These two little gems, The Lucky Wooden Blocks (Above) and the Clover Wreath (Below) Both came from A lovely little blog called A Little Tipsy.

Family Home Evening - Look, Feel and Help (The Good Samaritian)

2011-02-28T00:01:00.000-08:00

Opening Song: Tell Me The Stories Of Jesus
Opening Prayer:
Lesson: Mommy

Start by reading Mosiah 18:8. What do you think this means?

When Jesus lived on earth, He healed the sick. He fed the hungry and blessed the children. The Savior was often a friend to those who had no other friends. When He looked at others, He used His spiritual eyes and His heart. In this way He could understand how people felt and what they needed. He helped many, many people. He is the best example of someone who looked with His spiritual eyes, felt and understood with His heart, and then helped.

Our prophet is also a good example of someone who looked with his spiritual eyes, felt and understood with his heart, and then helped. President Gordon B. Hinckley was only twenty years old when his mother died. He had younger brothers and sisters at home, and everyone in the family was very sad. Ramona was sixteen and about to graduate from high school. She had no dress for that special occasion, and she thought nobody noticed. But her older brother Gordon saw her need, understood how she felt, and helped. Using some money he had saved for graduate school, he bought her a new dress. His kindness made her feel loved.

Invite the children to think of people who need Good Samaritans today. Discuss with the children how they can be Good Samaritans. Have the children mark this story in their scriptures, and suggest that they share it with their families.

Explain to the children that You can look at others with your spiritual eyes, feel and understand with your heart, and then, after careful thought, give help. When you look at others, try to imagine how you would feel in their situation. Then prayerfully decide what you can do to help and do it. Small, simple acts of kindness are often the most helpful. There are people who need your help everywhere, every day. Each time you look with your spiritual eyes and feel with your heart, you will become more sensitive to others, and when you are kind to someone and help them, you are showing love to Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ.

Activity:

Carefully color the pair of Feeling Glasses, the ear pieces, and the Helping Hands badge, then cut them out.

Attach the ear pieces to the glasses by gluing, taping, or stapling.

You can wear these items to help you remember to look both with your spiritual eyes and with your heart, and to help in some way—or you can hang them on your wall as a reminder

Spiritually Speaking - If You Find Yourself in Such a Situation

2011-02-27T00:10:00.000-08:00

“Mortality is a period of testing, a time to prove ourselves worthy to return to the presence of our Heavenly Father. In order to be tested, we must sometimes face challenges and difficulties. At times there appears to be no light at the tunnel’s end-no dawn to break the night’s darkness. We feel surrounded by the pain of broken hearts, the disappointment of shattered dreams, and the despair of vanished hopes. We join in uttering the biblical plea “Is there no balm in Gilead?” We are inclined to view our own personal misfortunes through the distorted prism of pessimism. We feel abandoned, heartbroken, alone. If you find yourself in such a situation, I plead with you to turn to our Heavenly Father in faith. He will lift you and guide you. He will not always take your afflictions from you, but He will comfort and lead you with love through whatever storm you face.”

Thomas S. Monson, “Looking Back and Moving Forward”, Ensign, May 2008, 87–90

PomPom Shamrock

2011-02-25T00:10:00.001-08:00

Im not sure about you but when I was growing up we would wake up St. Patricks Day morning and think "oh man I need something green". We then rummaged through our wardrobe, which for me consist of not only my closet but my three sisters closets too, only to find nothing green. Lets face it how many green things do many teenage girls have? In our house not many. My mom would always show up just about the time we were accepting the fact it was going to be a day full or pinches with a green clover she had cut out of construction paper and a safety pin. Phew. Thanks to mom we were saved.

Well times have changed and though it is still necisarry to wear green on St Patricks Day. No longer do we have to wear construction paper cut out shamrocks. (I say wear but lets face it we all hid them somewhere on ourselves and only flashed them when someone was about to strike :) ) This year I have made a couple Shamrocks out of PomPoms so that come the morning of the 17th I am ready to protect my children from the pinches of all those enthusiastic pinching fingers. Here is what I have done:

What you will need:

3 - 3/4 inch green pom poms
piece of green craft foam
piece of gold ribbon
craft glue
pin back
scissors
pen or pencil

Instructions:

Glue all three pom-poms together to form a shamrock.
Draw and cut out a the shamrock shape from a piece of green craft foam.
Glue the Green craft foam to the back of the shamrock.
Tie a piece of gold ribbon into a bow, trim ends, and glue to the front of your shamrock.
Glue a pin back to the back of the shamrock.

Heres to not getting pinched this St Patricks Day!

Best Oatmeal EVER!

2011-02-25T00:10:00.000-08:00

When I was growing up my mom and dad made a hot breakfast pretty much every morning. They would take turns. My mom would do the Pancakes, French Toast and occasionally Scrambled eggs with a bit of ham and Cheese in them. And Dad would make omelets, Cream of Wheat and OATMEAL. Now most normal children squirm at the sight let alone taste of Oatmeal. But, when my dad made oatmeal you RAN to the table. No we didn't walk casually. We dropped everything and literally RAN to the table.

Now that I am an adult I have learned my dads secret to his AMAZING OATMEAL. I now once a week make it for my children. And just like when I was a child they don't casually walk to the table at breakfast they RUN to the table. To be honest as soon as they notice I am making oatmeal both of my children stand in the kitchen with me constantly asking is it done yet? Is it done yet? And then once it is done they cant stand the cooling down time which is when Grandma House's tip comes into play.

I thought I would share with you this Nelson Family Secret, but not for long since I'm posting it here, recipe. Can I just say before I post this that this is a delicious recipe. When you are looking at it keep in mind the the ingredients you use are not fattening (OK maybe the sugar and butter are a little fatty) but it is mostly seasonings which do nothing more than add flavor!

Nelson Family Secret Oatmeal Recipe

Follow the instructions on label for the amount of liquid for the amount of Oatmeal you want. Instead of using all water Use HALF water and HALF milk. We use 1% fat milk in our house and that is what I use in my oatmeal too.

Now the Yummy Parts:

1 - 2 Tbsp butter or Margarine
1 teas Cinnamon
1 teas Vanilla Essence
dash of Salt
Sugar to taste (this is up to you the amount you put in. For my family of 4 I use about 1/4 cup)

Oats

Directions:

Put the Milk and Water mixture in your pot. Add the Butter or Margarine, Cinnamon, Vanilla, Salt and Sugar. Bring to a light boil (if it boils to much it will boil over) Add oats. Cook as directed on package. Dish into bowls and top with a small spoon full of Vanilla Ice Cream (optional). Mmmmm DELICIOUS!! Honestly this is the best oatmeal you will ever eat. Your children will be begging for more and you will want to give it to them because lets face it this is much healthier than all those sugary cereals they love to eat!

Try A Different Perspective

2011-02-24T00:01:00.000-08:00

I feel I must, MUST start this entry by saying this – I AM NOT A PROFESSIONAL. That being said, I sure do take a lot of pictures and even more than that I have done some researching/studying about pictures and how to take them.

This entry we are going to just explore a bit about changing our photography perspective. So many of us will take a wide shot and hope for the best. Luckily, now we have digital cameras so that we know what we took a picture of but, often that doesn’t change how we take pictures.

I am that aunt – that one who always has her camera at the ready for family parties, any kind of road trip, and all sorts of random times of the day. What I am going to do is show you some of my pictures and explain the reasoning and tips behind it.

Sometimes you have to look a bit silly to get that shot. Here I was at the American Cemetery in Cambridge, UK. I laid down on the grass to get the first picture, but didn’t really like the angle so I sat up for the next one – I like it a lot more. When dealing with photography perspectives don’t be afraid to sit down, lie down, or just change your physical perspective.

Here I was at the forest. I wanted to try to capture the surface, the history, of the trees – so I got close – REALLY close and tried to get that perfect zoom. Don’t be afraid of getting REALLY close and giving that a try – looking through the lens at a different perspective than you would normally. The picture of my nephew is another example of getting really close. Newborn babies are good photography practice – they usually don’t mind if you get too close (not recommended with a teenager ).

Think of the light! If you are out for a walk, or traveling or even in the back garden have a look at the light. I said to my niece, “go on, have a walk down that trail all by yourself!” I noticed that the sun was in a perfect place to create the shadows and the glow – so pay attention to your light perspective! The one of Big Ben works with the light as well (or lack of) but also I stood right at the bottom of both objects and took a picture. Yes, maybe I got in some peoples way – but not for too long!

Again, looking at object from a different angle often get you a very nice picture. Sometimes we have to strain our necks – looking straight up – or sometimes we have to incorporate another object, like the tree, to make the picture look a bit more artistic. Look at your surroundings – sometimes adding something more into the picture can be a good thing (plus if you don’t like it – you can always crop it out!)

Don’t be afraid of the settings on your camera. Most of the time even basic digital cameras have settings – explore them – these were both take in the Mirco setting (just turning the dial).

See things in a black and white perspective. Sometimes changing the colour to black and white can make a huge difference.

So there you have it – change your perspective. Even if you are just taking fun pictures of the kids or nature – just try taking the picture in a way you would have never thought of – you’ll be surprised at the results.

So, lovely ladies, you tell me – what are your favourite picture taking perspectives?!?

And The Winner is.......

2011-02-23T13:43:00.001-08:00

I have used Random.org to choose two winners. The first one is Comment number 54 Joyce YAY for Joyce!!

The Second winner is........ Number 3 AimeAnn! Wahooo Well done to both of you.

I will email both of you now and you can get in touch with Janae at Thoughts in Vinyl!

Now that was so much fun!!!

If you would like to sponsor a Giveaway on Homemaking Honeys Please email me. I would love to host one for you!!

And can I just give a MAJOR SHOUT OUT to JANAE at Thoughts in Vinyl for doing this fantastic giveaway for us. She has added some new items to her page in the last couple of days so please go and have a peep at the new items. The prices are so good and I am sure you will have loads of fun making whatever you get from there.

So until next time..... Yes I have another give away lines up soon..... Keep Homemaking!

GIVEAWAY

2011-02-22T10:21:00.000-08:00

Don't forget to enter to win our giveaway for a craft kits Courtesy of Thoughts in Vinyl. Have a look here for more details. Ends tomorrow at NOON Pacific Time.

Family Home Evening - The Spiders and The Still, Small Voice

2011-02-21T00:10:00.000-08:00

Opening Song: The Still Small Voice

Opening Prayer:

Lesson: Mommy

We have decided tonight we are going bowling for our FHE activity. So for the lesson I am just going to read a story from the friend Called The Spider and the Still Small voice. I really like this story because it shows the children that they are never to young to receive promptings from the Holy Ghost. A very important lesson at any age.

One thing that I think is very important to remember about Family Home Evening is that the is nothing saying how long your Family Home Evening has to last. At times when we are short on time I find as long as we sit down together as a family have a song a prayer and then even just read a story from the friend that is better than nothing.

Activity:

BOWLING

Spiritually Speaking - He Lives: Testimonies of Jesus Christ

2011-02-20T00:10:00.000-08:00

Dont Forget......

2011-02-19T10:36:00.000-08:00

TO ENTER OUR GIVE AWAY.....

JUST BELOW

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GIVEAWAY

2011-02-18T00:10:00.001-08:00

Today I thought I would share with you a NEW FANTASTIC site which I recently found. Let me introduce you to:

Thoughts in Vinyl

I love crafting as you well know and I came across this blog the other day and thought whoop whoop! What a Brilliant site!! They have some seriously A-MAZ-ING ideas of things to do with wood and Vinyl. I mean look at this.....

And This....

And this...

PURE BRILLIANCE!!

What I love about this site is not only do they sell vinyl lettering for your home or business, but they sell their craft kits…so you can still enjoy making crafts, but without all the hassle . You just supply your own paint, scrapbook paper and modpodge which lets face it we all already have this stuff on hand.

Another fabulous thing they offer…Craft Group Incentives! If you want to host your own monthly craft group, they will give you 10% back from your monthly sales, and you can earn lots of free crafts too. What a perfect way to gather some friends together, enjoy one another’s company, and make something creative together…and you as the host get to make yours for free! (read more about that here)

GIVEAWAY DETAILS:

Janae at Thoughts in Vinyl has agreed to give away not 1 but 2 unfinished craft kits. Yep 2 of our LUCKY readers will get to each choose 1 unfinished craft kit each!! WAHOOO!!! (Open to Continental US only. Dont worry everyone else Im working on other give aways for EVERYONE!)

Here is what you need to do to get an Entry to this AWESOME GIVEAWAY!!

Manditory for Entry is:
1. Follow This Blog
2. Follow Thoughts in Vinyl

(One Entry for doing both. Dont worry read there's more ways to enter)

Want more than one entry? Here is what you need to do:

Follow and Like Homemaking Honeys on Facebook

Follow Thoughts in Vinyl on Facebook

Follow me (@Alisha) on Twitter

Put this giveaway as your status on either Facebook or Twitter *or both :) * (on twitter remember to @Alisha)

Join Thoughts in Vinyl Mailing list email janae@thoughtsinvinyl.com to join

Have a look at Thoughts in Vinyl and tell me what is your favorite kit

Each of the above will give you one additional entry meaning you could have a total of 7 entries. Thats is a lot of chances to win!
Make sure to leave a different comment for each thing you do!! :) (as if you didnt already know that. Silly Me!)

Each time you complete one of the above please come back here and leave a comment. I will pick 2 winners next Wednesday using Random.org from the comments left on this post.

So Off you go. What are you waiting for?

New Blog Awards

2011-02-16T13:53:00.000-08:00

WOWSIERS!!! Recently we have been awarded 2 new awards. YAY FOR US!! I love getting awards but I find it hard to do all the things they ask for like tell us 20,000,000 things about yourself and find 40,000,000 new blogs to award this to and repost. But someone else took the time to do it and find me so I will take the time and do it for someone else. I mean hey we all like recognition dont we!!

Firstly we received the:

From Jessica at My World Made By Hand. Seriously you NEED to check her site out It Is AWESOME! Seriously why are you still here reading this? You should be checking out her blog!!

Second we received this:

A second award from another BRILLIANT Blogger. Sheesh I am so feeling the love this week!! Aubrie at A Mama B's gave us this award. WAHOOOOO! I love her site too. So much crafty goodness and yummy recipes. If you are still reading this then I am not convincing enough because this is another FANTASTIC site!

Thank you ladies for sharing the love. Now I get to share the love back. I wish I could reaward these lovely ladies with these awards but I will instead attempt to offer them to other beauties... I mean Blogs.

So here are the rules:

1. Thank and link back to the person who awarded you this award.
2. Share 7 things about yourself.
3. Award 15 recently discovered great blogs.
4. Contact these bloggers and tell them about the award.

I have three beautiful children (a girl, a boy, and a girl) but have never been pregnant for longer than 34 weeks. The shortest time is 26 weeks with my little boy. So when people complain to me about being 40 weeks and really uncomfortable I have no idea what they are talking about :)
I live over 6,000 miles away from home and have only been home to visit twice in the past 9 years. Im homesick A LOT!! ;)
I'm married to the most fantastic man in the universe. Sorry ladies but its true!!
My Husband is a Digital Forensic Investigator (he solves crimes on computers, then has to testify in court about what he has found.) and from time to time we have to have Witness Protection outside our home to protect us.
I am falling into the new fad of Cupcaking. Oh. My. Heck. I cant get enough of cupcakes at the moment. All I want to do is bake them and make them look pretty. I dont want to eat them just make them look beautiful.
I am a licensed esthetician.
My best friends next to my husband (of course) are my mom and my sisters. Even though I live far away from home I talk to at least one of them pretty much every day of the week :)

And now for the blogs:

1. ...and Spiritually Speaking (I love being uplifted every day by each of her posts)
2. Frosted Happy Cakes (Did I mention I LOVE CUPCAKES?)
3.Random Acts of Obsession (My sister showed me this one. Its a Friend from HS's sister. Hi Becky! Some way cute stuff on here. Check. Her. Out!!)
4.Occasionally Crafty (I found this one a few weeks back and just cant get enough! BRILL - ANT)
5.Truly Lovely (More Crafty Goodness.)
6.Fabric Bows and More ( I did mention I have 2 Daughters didnt I? I dont think I would be your typical mommy if I didnt want to make them pretty things for their hair.)
7. Delectable Desserts (Have I mentioned I love food? If not well..... I DO!!)
8. Sugar Teachers (I need so much more help before I become nearly as good as these ladies!
9.Creative "Try"als (So much crafty goodness from a new crafter! I love finding New Blogs!!)
10.I Really Should Be Sleeping (Besides the fact that I love her blog. I love the fact that every night while I am crafting I am thinking to myself, I really should be sleeping :)
11. Got Chikin (Her craft and recipe blog is pure brilliance and her Moving Forward With Faith Blog made me cry and want to give her a HUGE Blogging buddy Hug!! Such strength and a testimony of faith!)
12.Thougths in Vinyl (I love Vinyl plus we have a GIVEAWAY from Janae TOMORROW!! Come back and have a look TOMORROW!!)
13. Jean's Crafty Corner (Simply Lovely!)
14. It's Always Craft Time (I couldnt agree more!)
15. Gwenny Penny (So many things to look at I got lost for hours on this blog!)

Phew Now that I have finished I think I need a Diet Pepsi and a Chocolate bar! Yep definitely in need!! Enjoy blog stalking some of my favorite new finds!!

Handmade Puppets

2011-02-16T00:10:00.000-08:00

This week my 7 year old decided it was time for her to learn how to sew. We decided it would be fun for her to learn a few hand sewing stitches so we went to the craft store and bought a few things to make a couple of puppets. Can I just tell you how proud I was of my little girl. When we walked out of the craft store she looked up into my eyes, which isnt a far look up since she is almost as tall as I am :), and said Mummy, in her cute little british accent which I could never pull off being American, You know the craft store is just like a bit of Heaven to me. I think I literally wiped a tear of joy off my cheek as I squeezed her :)

Anyway enough sappy proud mommy moments. We decided to make a moneky puppet this week. Next week its a Zebra. Im going to put step by step instructions here and have to apologise in advance for the lack of pictures. See because I was helping her sew hers and sewing one for my little boy at the same time I didnt really get a chance to take many pictures, but next week when we do the Zebra I will try harder!

Here is what you will need:

Dark brown A4 felt x 4
Cream A4 felt x 1
Light brown A4 felt x 1
Contrasting felt for inner ears and accessories
Embroidery thread
Embroidery needle
Eyes
Scissors

Monkey Puppet Instructions:

Using the template cut out all the required pieces.
Sew the inner ears to the outer ears then sew the tummy onto the body and sew the arms together.
Put the ears in place (as marked) between the face and back pieces of felt. Pin all layers together and then sew using a simple overstitch.
Fold the mouth piece in half and stitch along folded edge with a running stitch. This prevents the mouth opening too wide and getting stuck.
Sew the bottom lip to the body (B to B), then the top lip to the nose (A to A).
Lay the body on top of the back and line up the nose with the face (C to C), overlapping the felt by about 1cm. The body will be longer than the back at the base of the puppet.
Stitch the nose to the face then attach the eyes. You can use buttons, felt shapes, beads or teddy bear eyes. Note: where you place the eyes really alters the character of the puppet.
Start sewing each side of the body together inserting the arms about 5 cm down from the mouth.
Decorate your puppet by making hats, necklaces, glasses or other accessories of your choice.

Doesnt my little moneky just look so happy with his little monkey? ;)

Family Home Evening - Valentines Day

2011-02-14T00:29:00.000-08:00

Well tonight is Valentines. I love making a BIG deal out of every holiday. Seriously! I cant help it. Plus the kids love it too. So tonight for FHE we will be doing what we do every Valentines Day. I make a nice dinner and we have a lovely candle light dinner all of us kids and all. I get our best dishes out, we drink Shloer (like apple Cider, non alcoholic) in wine glasses and eat dinner by candle light. The kids LOVE IT! We even get dressed up. It is so much fun.

Here is a page that I digi scrapped (When I was first learning how and it is obvious!) from our very first Candle Light Valentines Dinner.

I hope that whatever you do for Valentines Day today that it is special.

Your Book of Eternal Possibilities

2011-02-13T00:14:00.000-08:00

"A patriarchal blessing is a revelation to the recipient, even a white line down the middle of the road, to protect, inspire, and motivate activity and righteousness. A patriarchal blessing literally contains chapters from your book of eternal possibilities. I say eternal, for just as life is eternal, so is a patriarchal blessing. What may not come to fulfillment in this life may occur in the next. We do not govern God's timetable. 'For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord.' . . .

"Your patriarchal blessing is yours and yours alone. It may be brief or lengthy, simple or profound. Length and language do not a patriarchal blessing make. It is the Spirit that conveys the true meaning. Your blessing is not to be folded neatly and tucked away. It is not to be framed or published. Rather, it is to be read. It is to be loved. It is to be followed. Your patriarchal blessing will see you through the darkest night. It will guide you through life's dangers. . . . Your patriarchal blessing is to you a personal Liahona to chart your course and guide your way."

(Thomas S. Monson, "Your Patriarchal Blessing: A Liahona of Light," Ensign, Nov. 1986, 66)

Oreo Lollipops

2011-02-11T00:14:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I made Oreo Lollipops for the sisters I Visit Teach. They were so easy to make I thought I would share the how to here.

Things you need:

Oreo cookies
White Chocolate or you can use any chocolate
Sprinkles
Lollipop sticks
Lollipop Bags
Ribbon

Directions:

First break up your chocolate and melt it. The best way to melt chocolate is by getting a big bowl of boiling water. Then get a smaller bowl and put it inside the bowl with boiling water. Place the chocolate in the empty bowl and mix until melted.

Next break your Oreos in Half.

Dip one end of your lollipop stick in the melted chocolate and place it on the creme of your Oreo. Place the top back on the Oreo and let dry for about 30 Minutes.

Once the chocolate inside the Oreo is dry dip the oreo on both sides in the chocolate and place them on foil or wax paper to dry. At this point when they were all dipped I drapped some white chocolate across them and sprinkled them with sprinkles.

Let them dry for at least an hour.

Once they are dry place them in Lollipop bags and tie the bottom with ribbon. Viola Beautiful Lollipops.

Sometimes We Just Need a Reminder…

2011-02-10T00:01:00.000-08:00

I bet you think this entry is going to be about remembering to write in your journal – its not! I think most women who once kept a journal of some sort don’t need a reminder, its always there in the back of our minds whenever something good, bad, (or ugly) happens. Well, don’t worry, I have an idea!

All through growing up my mom kept a calendar. It was always pinned to the wall and EVERYTHING was written on it from appointments to birthdays. When the end of the year came around she would put the old calendar away and pull out the new one (the most exciting part of that was looking at all the new months pictures for the upcoming year). I always wondered why she wouldn’t just throw them away – why save them!?!? Then I got a bit older and a bit wiser and I completely saw the wisdom in this way of “keeping a journal”. I could go back through the calendar and see when my first day of 6th grade was, when she had her first ultrasound for my sister, where my parents went on their anniversary. Do you see what I’m getting at?

Most of us don’t have the time (or the motivation) to write pages and pages of journals – but how many of us have time to jot down a word or two in a calendar? Now, does this have to be your ONLY journal or your way of writing your journal forever? No, I must admit, for me as a woman without children – my calendar would be significantly less full than some of my counterparts with children.

So say you have a new baby, you just cant find the time to wash your hair, yet alone write in a journal and one day that little baby gives you their first smile. Why not jot it down on the calendar and then you can always use it as a “memory jogger” when life slows down a bit (yeah right) or when you can finally make some time just for you.

It might not work for everyone, but if you are struggling to write in your journal this actually might be just the idea you’re looking for.

Book Sling

2011-02-09T00:14:00.001-08:00

So I saw this book sling in a magazine and decided to give it a whirl. Mine is slightly different as I put on pockets on the front, for my son's little treasures, added ties to the side and sewed it rather than using HeatnBond, but it was really easy (and I don't have a clue what I'm doing most of the time!) and it was cheap (under $15 for all the materials). It took under 2 hours.

Click HERE for the full instructions.

Valentines Day Coupons - Free Printables

2011-02-08T00:10:00.000-08:00

Are you looking for a little something to add to your Valentines Day Gift? Do you need one last thing for your 7 Days of Valentines? Well here are a few Valentine Coupons which I created, mostly because one of my 7 Days of Valentines gifts hasnt arrived ***Ahhhh Stress*** Anyway use any of these you want I have also included last years blank ones so you could, if you want, write your own coupon.

Family Home Evening - Loving One Another

2011-02-06T09:32:00.001-08:00

Its February, the month of LOVE so I thought I would start our month off by talking about Loving One Another. I am also adding an Article of Faith bit to our lessons as the children are learning them again this year.

Opening Song: As I Have Loved You
Opening Prayer:

Lesson: Mommy

Reciet / Repeat Article of Faith Number 2

Lesson:

Before your lesson cut out a BIG HEART out of paper.

Show the large red heart to your family and ask…

• What do you think of when you see a heart? (love)
• How can you tell someone loves you?
• How do you think other people feel when you show you love them?

Invite someone to read John 13:34-35

Jesus Christ taught us that it is a commandment to love one another, and
that other people will know that we are His disciples if we love one another. There are many ways that we can show our love to others by helping them.

Case Study 1: You and your father are sitting on the corner waiting for the bus to come. You see an older man hurrying to catch the bus. He has a cane to help him walk, but he can’t move very fast. The bus pulls up and the door opens. As you climb up the steps, you can tell he probably won’t reach the bus in time. What could you do to show love for this man?

Case Study 2: On Sunday morning you are walking to church. You see a young mother with her baby in one arm and some books in the other. What could you do to follow the example of the Savior and show love for this woman?

Explain how one of the best places to show love is at home. What are some things we can do to show love to each other at home?

Activity:

Pass out pipe cleaners and have everyone make a pipe cleaner into a heart. This week challenge them to do something nice for a family member without them knowing and leave the heart when they are done.

Wont Let Go

2011-02-06T00:14:00.000-08:00

Friday morning while I was taking the children to school this song came on in the car. I was listening to the words and was invisioning Jesus Christ saying these words to me, "I will stand by you, I will help you through, when you've done all you can do if you cant cope. I will dry your eyes I will fight your fight, I will hold you tight and I wont let go. So I came straight home and through out the day made a music video to go with it. It did take all day, I mean I am still and most importantly a mom, but I really wanted to do this. So here it is. I hope you enjoy it. I would love your feedback!

No "Ordinary" Cupcake

2011-02-04T00:14:00.000-08:00

I love making cupcakes, lets face it who doesnt like cake? Well If you like me enjoy cupcakes and want a bit of a twist on the average cake then you will love this little idea.

Ingredients:

Devils food cake mix (and ingredients to make)
Ready made Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough
Cake cases
Frosting
Decorations

Directions:

Make the Chocolate Cake Mix according to the box directions.

Prepare your cake pan with the cake cases. Spoon one tablespoon of the mix into the cake cases. Next (now this is the fun part) Put a about a tablespoon of the ready made cookie dough on top of the cake mix.

Then put another spoonful of cake mix on top. Bake your cakes according to the directions on the box.

Let them cool.

Then decorate. Can I just mention here that I love my icing piper (is that what they are called? Who knows. Thats what I call mine :) )They make cupcakes look AmAzInG!

Look how delish these look.

And these guys..... Well they just loved them. That must count for something :)

Journaling and Scrapbooking? No, thanks!

2011-02-02T16:00:00.000-08:00

I cant count how many time after setting up my journals and scrapbooks for a class that I hear the women, almost in unison, say, “No, thanks! Journals and Scrapbooking take too much time, too much money, too much creativity, etc.” I can fully admit that I used to be a “scrapbooking addict” – spending all my single girl money on the latest and greatest things – but that single girl money changed to married woman budgeting and I quickly learned that keeping a record doesn’t have to cost much money or even take much time. Every Thursday I will be giving hints/tips and ideas about how to make it all a bit more enjoyable and a lot more affordable! I’ll add in some photography tips (though I am far from an expert)!

Journals and Scrapbooks don’t need to be the “normal” things that we are used to seeing – bulging binders filled with pictures, stickers, cut outs, etc. or journals filled with pages upon pages of elegant handwriting (although there is nothing wrong with those). Keeping a record can be so much easier – made up of things found in the everyday like calendars, quotes, pictures, family history, newspapers, and so much more. I’ll do some entries on all of these and so much more, trying to make the reaction change from, “No, thanks!” to “Yeah, I have a spare 10 minutes – show me more!!!”

See you next Thursday!!!

7 Days of Valentines

2011-02-02T00:14:00.000-08:00

This week I was talking to one of my sisters after she posted on Facebook that she was getting her 7 days of Valentines ready for next month. I was so intrigued as to what this was that I had to find out what exactly she was talking about. And now that I know I just have to share it with you all, because this is such an adorable idea. I am using a few of her gift ideas here and a few of my own. I hope that they will come in useful to you!

So you start this the week before Valentines. It is very similar to the 12 days of Christmas but with a love twist instead. I know how fun huh!! On the 1st day you give one thing, the 2nd two things, the 3rd.... you get the idea. So here are some of our fun ideas.

Day 1: Make or buy a BIG Kiss. In a card or on a note write this cute little poem:

Kisses Kisses Kisses,
Oh, what should I do?
All I want is just one Kiss,
From a special person like you.

Day Two:I thought I would make some heart cookies and put them on lollipop sticks (I will do a tutorial in the next week or so)

Day Three: I am going to get a small picture of each of my 3 children frame them, for his desk at work, and put in a card something like Thank you for three of the best reasons for living.

Day Four: Make a dinner where each course is one of his favorite foods. In his lunch or suit pocket send him a special invitation to a special candle light dinner. My sister suggested serving dinner in your favorite nighty to add a little bit of extra spark. Ahhhh saucy ;)

Day 5: I am going to make a Candy Bar Poster. Enough Said!

Day 6: Im going to give him half a dozen roses. I will deliver them to the reception at his office with a note that says:

Roses are red; daisies are white;
Valentine, you make every day a delight.

Day 7: Its Valentines Day!! DO SOMETHING VERY SPECIAL.

Another Idea I thought of and will probably substitue in or I might make it 14 days of Valentines If I find enough ideas is to make fortune cookies with cute little messages. I found a brilliant tutorial on how to make them on YouTube here.

I would love to hear your ideas. Because if any of you have better ones then mine I might steal those ideas!! Please Share!

Family Home Evening - Showing Love Through Words

2011-01-31T00:14:00.000-08:00

My Children can alays use a lesson on this topic. I hope it comes of some use to you and your family.

Opening Song: Kindness begins with me
Opening Prayer:

Lesson: Mommy

Heavenly Father has given us many wonderful blessings. We can see and hear and use our hands to work and to help others. One of the special blessings Heavenly Father has given us is our power to speak. We can use words to tell others what we need, to share a funny story or to say prayers. But words are very powerful. What kind of words we choose to use is a very important decision.

Some words we say can make other people feel happy. Some words we say can make other people feel sad. Some words we say can invite the Holy Ghost to be with us and other words can send him away.

I want to tell you a story from the Friend Magazine (January 2010) about a little boy who found out how powerful words can be.

Robbie wiped the sweat from his face. The sun beat down on him as he played ball
with other fourth-grade boys.

Seth threw the ball to Robbie. A boy on the other team lunged for it, but missed. Robbie dove for the ball and caught it before it hit the ground. The other boy called Robbie a mean name.

“Don’t let him get away with saying that, Robbie,” Seth said. Robbie ignored the mean name and took his position. Some of the boys snickered. Robbie couldn’t get the word out of his mind. When his team won the game, he didn’t feel like celebrating with his teammates.

That evening, Robbie told Dad what happened. “Why did he call me that word?” Robbie asked.

“Not everyone believes what we do,” Dad said. “Some people think using
words like that makes them seem cool. Words have a lot of power. They can build
people up or tear them down.”

“Seth told me not to let the boy get away with saying what he did,” Robbie said.

“What did you do?” Dad asked.

Robbie looked down. “I ignored him and kept playing,” Robbie said.

Dad hugged Robbie. “You did the right thing. I’m proud of you.”

Robbie was happy to hear Dad say that. “I guess you’re right,” Robbie said, smiling. “Words do have a lot of power.”

- When Robbie got called a name how did it make him feel?
- How do we make others feel when we call them names?
- What did Robbie do to the boy who called him a name?
- Was that a good decision or a bad decision?
- What will you do if someone ever calls you a mean name?
- How did Robbie's Dad make him feel better using words?

Families are so important. Heavenly Father wants us to always treat our family with love and kindness.

- How will our home feel if we yell at each other and call each other mean names?

- How can we use words to show love for each other?

Activity:

Get a beanbag or small stuffed animal. Have the family sit on the floor in a circle. Starting with a parent, have them say one "happy word" about another member in the circle. This can be a descriptive word that describes that person like sweet, kind, happy, fun, loving, affectionate, smart, musical, etc. Then toss the beanbag to that person. Then it is their turn to choose someone to say a "Happy Word" about and toss the bag to. Continue until every member of the family has had a turn as the tosser and receiver. You can continue as many times as you would like.

Spiritually Speaking - How Familiar

2011-01-30T00:14:00.000-08:00

"Nothing is going to startle us more when we pass through the veil to the other side than to realize how well we know our Father and how familiar His face is to us".

– President Ezra Taft Benson, 'Jesus Christ--Gifts and Expectations', BYU, 10 Dec 1974

Valentines Topiary Tree

2011-01-28T06:16:00.000-08:00

Here is another Valentines Day craft and tutorial I have been working on recently.

Valentines Day Topiary

What you need:

Small Styrofoam Ball
Medium or Large Styrofoam Ball
Wood Dowel
Ribbon about 2 - 3 yards about 1 inch wide
Sequin Pins
Moss
small metal pail

Cut the ribbon into 2 inch strips. Pin one strip on the very top of the Large Styrofoam Ball.

Fold the sides of a piece of ribbob down so that it makes a triangle and pin this to the styrofoam ball. Starting at the top. Continue this step all the way around the styrofoam ball one row at a time. When you pin each row you will be covering the pins which are showing from the previous row.

The ribbon folded into a triangle on the top

A side view of how I was pinning the ribbon to the styrofoam ball
A top view

Another Top View

At the bottom of the styrofoam ball you will pin a ribbon like you did at the top cut a slit in the ribbon before you pin it down. This is where the wooden dowel will go.

Next, I cut the wooden dowel the length I wanted it and painted it. I choose to paint it black. I then set it aside to dry.

I then took the little red pail and put some Hugs and Kisses on it (X's and O's)

Next I hot glued a small styrofoam ball inside the pail.

I then stuck the wooden dowel into the large styrofoam ball through the slit which I had cut previously.

I then stuck the other end of the dowel into the styrofoam ball which was glued into the small pail. I then put the moss on top of the small styrofoam ball.

Lastly I tied a bow around the dowel. And there you have it. Just like magic I was able to transform a styrofoam ball into something beautiful for my mantle over Valentines.