Valentine's Day

With Valentine’s Day this week, I have been thinking about that special day and how to celebrate it.  I wasn’t sure how or when it started, but I remembered hearing something about someone named Valentine.  So, I did what I like to do when I don’t know or remember something.  I do a Google search.  I found out a little bit about the origin of Valentine’s Day.

In 270 A.D., the Roman emperor Claudius II didn’t want the men to marry during the time of war, thinking that unmarried men would be better warriors.  Bishop Valentine went against these orders and performed secret weddings.  This went on until his execution on Feb. 14^th.    So, Valentine’s Day is really a celebration of love and marriage.

I heard the other day that Valentine’s Day should be called “Single Awareness Day,” since so many unmarried people struggle with a day that celebrates the one thing that is elusive to them.  I am sure that there are many people out there who do not enjoy Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day is another day that is a sad day for some, especially for those women who would like to be mothers but have not had the opportunity.

To me, Valentine’s Day is a day to make heart sugar cookies, decorate my home with lots of hearts, and eat chocolate.  When my kids were little, I loved to do special foods for holidays. Sometimes I would make pink biscuits or pancakes for breakfast on Valentine’s Day. We often had red gelatin hearts for dinner, red punch to drink, and heart shaped desserts.  I would try to remember to put a little something special in their school lunches, such as a note or card to say “I love you”.  I also remember making heart necklaces or hair bows for the girls to wear on Valentine’s Day.  I think that holidays are a great excuse to do a few out of the ordinary things.  I hope that is something that my girls remember about their growing up years.

I can’t do much for those people out there who are lonely and sad on Valentine’s Day, but I hope that maybe I can do a little something for someone.  A note of affection or appreciation, a plate of cookies left at their door, a quick text or email to a friend, etc.  Maybe I can help someone feel remembered and loved on the day that we celebrate love.  We all want to feel loved, even if we don’t have much romance in our lives.  I hope you have a wonderful Valentine’s Day, that you feel loved, and that you can help someone else feel loved.  XOXO

~Gayle

Valentine Word Block - Hugs

I love to make word blocks.  They are quick, easy, and most of the time turn out to be nice decorations.  Since Valentine's Day is coming quickly (& I needed something for the other side of my entry table) this is what I decided on.  

All you need is a cut 2x4 - I just went out into the garage and found a scrap that looked like it was the right size.

Paint the wood any color.

Add scrapbook paper to the front if you want - I love this textured paper I found at Michaels last year! Sand the edges of the paper for a distressed look.

For the words I found the awesome font here.  Cut it out of vinyl & apply.

I cut a strip of my glitter netting and tied it around the outside. 

I can think of a few other valentine words, so I'll have to make some more!

Left Handed

I am a left-hander.  I can’t remember much about learning to write or any challenges of being a lefty as a little child.  I do remember my mom complaining about my second grade teacher being inconsistent about her judgments on my hand writing.  I recall Mom saying things like “I wish she would make up her mind.  She wants Gayle to write a certain way, then is critical when she does it that way.  Then next time she will praise the same writing that she complained about last time.”  I am just lucky that she didn’t try to make me use my right hand, as so many teachers did in years past. The next problem I remember was the kids in 3^rd and 4^th grade trying to give me left-handed scissors.  Back then, scissors were made to be used with only the left or the right hand, not like the scissors now that can be used by either hand.  “What is the problem with a left-hander being given left-handed scissors?” you may ask.  I guess I was a problem, as I learned to use scissors with my right hand, like all the right-handers.  I am not sure how that happened, and I never remembered to ask my mom about that when she was still around to ask. 

My next left-handed challenge that I remember was trying to learn to crochet.  In my church class for girls we were to learn to embroider one year, knit one year, and crochet one year.  My mom was a very good crocheter, but she was right handed.  We finally decided that if I sat straight across from her and followed what she was doing, I would be doing it with my left hand and I was able to crochet, just barely.  The 3 dimension rose doily I did was loose and floppy.  Why in the world did I do something that complicated, when a dishcloth would have been so much easier to do and would probably have turned out much better?  Again, I don’t remember and didn’t ever ask my mom about that. 

As I learned to do cursive, my handwriting became a hodge podge of printing, cursive and slop.  According to my mom, that was due to that second grade teacher I had.  When I used pencil, I smeared the writing due to my little finger dragging across the letters I had just formed.  When I learned to use a pen, the slow drying ink smeared even worse than the pencil.  Let’s just say that my school papers were usually a mess.  I had a callous on my little finger all the way through my school years.  Thank goodness that I was able to use a typewriter (yes, back then we had a manual typewriter) for my college classes.  No more ink smears on homework. 

I don’t find that being left-handed is much of a problem now that I am an adult.  My husband and I have figured how to sit at a restaurant so we don’t bump elbows when we eat.  I have a left-handed daughter and so far, one left-handed grandson.  Sometimes I find it tricky to follow a crochet pattern (yes, I still crochet, but am much better than when I was 10), but other than that, it is not as much a problem as it used to be.  I am grateful that I didn’t grow up when left-handers were considered to be wicked and evil.  The word ‘left’ in many languages means crooked, weak, broken, or sinister.  I like to think that left-handers are in their right mind.  When  Left Handers’ Day rolls around on August 13^th, think of me.

~Gayle

Baby Room Wall Vinyl

This week I am working on taking down all of the cute boy decor in our nursery and putting up girl decor! I am so excited to decorate for our baby girl that will be here soon, but at the same time I am so sad to have to take down all the adorable boy stuff I had up in that room when our little guy was in there. I had it decorated with sail boats and I loved it. Above his crib I had done the words "Let Your Dreams Set Sail" out of vinyl, along with a little sail boat at the beginning and end of the saying. It was such an easy vinyl project and it looked so good above his crib! Once I get the room decorated for a girl I'll post some of those decorations!

~Megan

Fabulous Finds Friday-Cookies!!

I like having the opportunity to share with you great finds on Fridays.  This week I am sharing my new favorite cookie recipe.  YUM! I found the recipe on Pinterest, of course.  I have made them only twice, because I eat too many of them.  Last week I made a double batch, thinking I could freeze some, but they are so good we ate them before I could freeze any.  The recipe is from Sally's Baking Addiction, and I have the link to the recipe here. I like how she goes through and explains why she uses the ingredients she does, how they work to make super soft cookies.  She even adds ideas for variations at the end.  The only change I make is the size.  She forms the chilled dough into balls about 3 tablespoons in size.  I make mine a bit smaller, using about 2 tablespoons of dough. I cooked them the same amount of time as she cooks the larger balls, since that is what is best in my oven. The cookies are great, and I look forward to using this recipe again.  Right now, I think I will see if there is a cookie left that I can eat.

~Gayle

Welcome Valentine Craft

I love to decorate for holidays.  My mom always had fun decorations for each holiday, and the tradition stuck with me.  The best part about decorating for holidays is making decorations.

I saw a really cute welcome sign at a craft store last year.  It was too expensive for me.  I knew I could make my own version for a lot less money.

I started with unfinished wooden hearts (around 30 cents each).  I covered them with textured scrapbook paper.  Then I added glitter foam letters.  I glued them to a wide piece of ribbon and added a bow at the top.

Much cheaper and a lot more fun!  Later my mom & I made one for St. Patricks Day, but those pictures can wait until after Valentines Day.

~Amy

Favorite Cupcake and Frosting Recipe

I love decorating cakes and cupcakes.  I am not a total professional or anything but I have taken multiple cake decorating classes and if I didn't have to make the cake, frosting, etc all the time then I would probably enjoy it even more.  I am usually stopped by time.  Isn't that true for everything we want to spend our time on though?  Anyway, I LOVE a good cupcake that is frosted in great frosting.  I have pinned a ton of recipes that I want to try to see which is best.  I want to share one frosting recipe I found that I use quite often.  I don't do cupcakes too often but when I do, as long as it doesn't matter that the frosting is pink, I do Strawberry Frosting.  Here is the recipe:

Ingredients:
1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
5-6 cups powdered sugar
1/2 cup Red Barn Strawberry jam
red food coloring (enough to make it a pretty pink color)
Place butter and jam in a mixing bowl or an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and cream until well incorporated, about 2 minutes.
Add powdered sugar, one cup at a time, until you reach desired consistency. If frosting gets too thick you can add a little milk to thin it out.

This is from The Red Barn Recipes: http://redbarn-recipes.blogspot.com/2010/06/strawberry-frosting.html

I never use unsalted butter, I never have it so I just use salted.  Maybe it would be even better with the unsalted butter but then I would just eat more!

I love the flavor of this frosting.  I made them for a Scout fundraiser and had a few people stop me to ask about them.  It is so easy to do that I use it all the time and feel like I cheated when I get compliments on it!  Love it!

My favorite cupcake recipe that I have done is great to do if you want to use a box mix but want it a little better.  It is a recipe I saw on a local show called Studio 5.  The lady who showed it uses this recipe when she wants to get a really good color in her cakes or cupcakes.  If you put color in a normal box cake mix, the cake gets fluffy as it bakes and the color loses some of its depth. With this recipe, it is a little more dense but moist and helps that color stay stronger.  I have used it on a cake that I added color to and the color was great.  I usually just leave the cupcakes white but you could do some fun things with color using this recipe.

CREAM CHEESE VANILLA CUPCAKES(Mindi Original)
8 ounces cream cheese (about 1 cup), softened
2 egg whites
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 box white cake mix
1 cup water
1 t. vanilla

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line two 12 count muffin tins with paper liners.
2. In a large bowl combine the cream cheese, egg whites and vegetable oil. Using a hand mixer, beat the ingredients until combined and creamy.
3. Add the cake mix, water and vanilla and mix until smooth, about 3 minutes.
4. Fill the muffin cups to just below the rim and bake until puffed and golden, about 18 to 20 minutes.
5. Remove from the oven, let cool slightly in the tin then transfer the cupcakes to a wire rack.
6. When cook, frost with vanilla butter cream frosting (recipe below) or your favorite frosting.

This is from the blog Mindika Moments:
http://www.mindikamoments.com/2009/09/rainbow-bright.html

Hope you love them as much as we do!

~Andrea

Bookaholic

(Note: I already had this post ready  when I saw that Amy had posted about her love of reading and Goodreads. I considered saving this for another time because of the similarity of the two posts, but changed my mind.  I thought it was so funny that she and I were thinking so much about the same topic. Enjoy, and find a good book to read!)

I am a bookaholic.  I love books, always have.  My parents always said that the only things you take with you from this life are your relationships and your knowledge, and books  are a great source of knowledge. We have  always been  a family of book lovers.  I remember buying books for many birthday and Christmas gifts for my parents,  and I still see certain books that I think that mom or dad would have  liked. I remember learning to read with my mom, who had me read the Sunday comics to her each week when I was learning to read. I still have some of the books that I had as a child that my grandkids are now reading.   

Several years ago I got a job at a local bookstore, which started out just as seasonal help, but turned into a 16 year career.  Needless to say, I spent a lot of my pay for books over the years.  My daughters and their children all like books and I often buy them books as  gifts.  One of my favorite things to do with my grandkids is reading together.  We have some favorites, and it is so fun to cuddle with one or more of the kids with a stack of great books.  I read to our daughters as they were growing up, such favorites as Anne of Green Gables series, Wizard of Oz books, Nancy Drew, and more.  I get excited when I see my daughters reading with their children, and we often share books and book lists.

When we moved a couple of years ago, my husband said he would not move my books again, as there were so many.  I had more boxes of books than anything else (except maybe craft supplies!) I have my books stacked two piles deep (or more) on most of my bookshelves.  But still I buy more. I have a tablet reader that I got for reading eBooks, since they are often less expensive than hard copies.  I have found that convenient, and now I also have a reading app on my phone, which comes in handy when I am waiting at a doctor office, etc. but there is something about a book.  I love touching the pages, smelling the paper, seeing the cover.  Even when I worked at the bookstore, I would sometimes stop at Costco on the way home to see if there was a great price on a book I wanted. I can’t buy as many books now that I don’t work, but I still love to look at the kids’ school book orders, enjoy going to their book fairs, and shop often on Amazon.

I don’t buy every book I want to read. Now I am checking my local libraries more often.  I also listen to audio books, which help me get through my exercise in the morning, cleaning chores, driving, or working on projects.  There are so many books on my “to read” list that I need to employ every method I can to get through them all.  Seems that for every book I read from my list, I add several more onto the list.

I know that there are a lot of books out there that are not worth reading, are poorly written, have inappropriate content, or are just not the kind of book I like.  But I have never had a time in my life that I did not have a list or stack of books waiting for me, and I hope that never changes.

~Gayle

Doll Hair

Last week in my post I talked about my daughter's obsession with 18" dolls. The hair on her dolls have become really knotted and tangled over time, and I have been trying to figure out the best way to get their hair looking nice again. I finally figured out a way!

This is what the hair looked like before:

 And this is what it looked like after:

 This is what did the trick:

Yes, a brush! But it's not just any brush. This brush is made specifically for doll hair. It is a small brush with lots of wire bristles. You can buy them online from American Girl for $8, but I got mine at a local doll shop for $6. I got the dolls hair really wet and brushed and brushed. I also used some spray on the hair that helps get tangles out. It took me an hour or so to get the hair all brushed out, but it looks so much better now! Luckily this doll's hair was the worst of all of her dolls so it took longer to fix than the others. After we got all the tangles out we put it in braid so it will stay looking nice!

~Megan

Fabulous Finds Friday-Goodreads

I love to read!  My Mom & Grandma definately passed on their love of books and reading as I hope to do for my children.  I remember while growing up having reading time with Mom every night.  We read several series together like Wizard of OZ, Anne of Green Gables, Chronicles of Narnia, and more.

I have books everywhere.  Along with 6 bookcases in our house I have them stashed in closets and under beds.  I keep books I am currently reading in any place I may need one.  I have a few by the bed, one on the shelf by the baby's room, one by the TV, on the kitchen counter, one in each the drivers side and passenger side door in our vehicle, in the diaper bag, and now that we have wonderful electronic devices I have a book on my mp3 player, tablet, and on my phone...yes, I sound a little crazy.

A few years ago a friend told me about a website called Goodreads.  You set up an account and profile.  You can track the books you have read, are currently reading, and ones you want to read.  You can review the book, mark the date you finished, etc.  You can also connect with friends.  It can send you updates on what your friends are reading.  This has been a great way for my mom, sisters & I to trade book ideas and keep track of everything we have read & want to read.

If you don't want to set up a profile you can still browse book reviews from other people.  There are recommendations based on genre, age range, authors, and more.   

This has been one of my most used internet sites.  I am so glad we found this Fabulous site!  Hopefully this will inspire you to pick up a good book & enjoy!!

~Amy