Just a little idea...

We have about eight birthdays this month, and countless birthday parties to attend too.  I am trying to make gifts this month to save a little money.  This is what I came up with:

I made the apron with some fabric that I had laying around.  I add a cake or brownie mix, a little recipe and WA-LA;  a baking kit.

I love gifts like this.  I really like consumable presents, and then I don't have to find a home for it in the midst of my already too cluttered house.

The aprons were easy.  It took me about 2 hours to make 5.  There are many patterns out there.  I made mine up.  Just a simple square of fabric with a few pleats and a long tube for the tie.  I made a simple pocket with a monogram.  I used my zig zag stitch for that.  Then I used bias-tape to outline the pocket.  SIMPLE SIMPLE.

I hope our friends will enjoy a day in the kitchen making a goodie.

OH HAPPY DAY!!

My New Life

I hope you've had an opportunity to watch this video. I love Stephanie's example of faith and love. She truly is an example to me. While the pain I face during my recovery from the massive tumors that used to fill my neck and chest, it is nothing like hers. I still have bad days and probably always will. Even with the limitations I face, I am grateful for the opportunity to still be around to be a mother to my children. I too am grateful for My New Life. I am grateful to have such an example as Stephanie and I feel for her. Going through so much as a young mother is challenging! I've always struggled with my self-esteem but I came to know from my suffering that I was not my cancer, I was not what I looked like or what I could do. At times I didn't even have the strength to hold my new born son even with the support of a boppy pillow. But I learned through a confirmation from the Lord that I was a daughter of God. And this past week I received another little life line for my self esteem. I am a mother, I am a part of Heavenly Father's plan of Happiness. And then at my husband's great aunt's funeral the preacher (she was presbyterian) said that her life was a manifestation of Christ's love for her family and friends. We as mothers, daughters, friends - are we living so that we are a manifestation of Christ's love for others. And so I march on, knowing that Heavenly Father needs me and you in His great plan of Happiness...

Have you heard?

I received this from my Mother-In-Law

Take a look at #4 -and I checked - there are almost as many dislikes (over 4,000) as there are likes. Let us work together, put your shoulder to the wheel, etc! Make a small but positive difference.

Dear friends,

On May 3, 2010 (perhaps as part of your Family Home Evening program) if all reachable members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints--and any non members interested-- would follow the link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CkKblIMfmjI and watch the YouTube video of Jeffrey R. Holland bearing testimony of the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon, we could potentially achieve promoting that video to the YouTube homepage, based on volume of views.

TIPS ON HOW TO ACHIEVE THIS:

1 increased views - multiples views by one viewer count
2 comments - the more comments, the more valuable Youtube sees your video. Comments almost carry as much weight as views.
3 favorites - everyone needs to "favorite" the video.
4 thumbs up - **please take special care to do this as a group of individuals have banned together to "thumbs down" and this can negatively affect the popularity of the video.
5 subscriptions - daily subscriptions have a major impact on popularity. This also has longterm impact on the future videos coming to the channel because they will get emails from Youtube letting them know when MormonMessages posts new stuff.
6 reshare - post the video as a link on your profiles bearing testimony, and also make comments after friends' link so that it shows up in the news feeds, post to blogs and twitter. The more activity surrounding the video the more attention it will receive.

The repercussions of this could be great. YouTube reports:

YouTube Stats (US)
(comScore MediaMetrix April 2009)

"The YouTube Homepage is the highest-profile placement on the site... eleven million unique visitors a day in the US [and] 89.7 Million unique monthly visitors."

The exposure that the Book of Mormon could receive in one day is astronomical. Please keep in mind though, while it is ideal that this video be promoted to the homepage, it is the spirit felt from the message wherein the success lies.

As a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints blessed with the knowledge contained in the Book of Mormon I seek to share with the world what I know to be true; what I know to bring happiness and hope in the times of travail; what I know to be the word of God.

For this challenge May 3 is calculated anytime in the 24 hour time period between 12 am to 11:59:59 pm Eastern Standard Time (for those participating from different time zones), but viewing before and after the event is helpful as well. Please invite both member and non-member alike to feel of the Spirit this message carries, mark your calendars and gather round in your families, wards and stakes and join me, May 3.

All my best,

Erin Jakob

Being a Spectator

Last week I surprised my husband with a date to see The 5 Browns in concert.  They were amazing.  Good entertainers and fabulous pianists.  Concerts like this are always so bittersweet for me - I love to go, I love to hear, but it's a little painful to think about how mediocre my playing has become.  I feel like I'm good enough to know that I'm not really that good after all.  That kind of hurts.  And it makes me squirm just a bit to think that I've chosen the path of the spectator.

In a way, my spectator-ness comes from how I define my role of wife/mom - we are building our family on traditional roles; Joseph's career provides the income and my career is my family.  It means we move where Joseph's job is, it means I spend the majority of my time taking care of other people's messes and problems and needs.  A lot of the work I do is invisible (the clothes magically get folded!  the dinner is magically placed on the table!)  And a lot of the work is instantly undone (the clothes are dirty on the floor again!  the children want THREE meals a day, AND snacks inbetween!)   

I don't think it's a coincidence that I came upon this quote from President Hinckley again last week.  It's pretty applicable here -- I think my real problem is not that my bachelor's degree in music is being 'wasted' or that the burden/blessing of being mom is that I am the invisible center of my child's universe.  I think my real problem is that I need to quit whining and be grateful. :)

"Anyone who imagines that bliss is normal is going to waste a lot of time running around shouting that he's been robbed.  The fact is that most putts don't drop, most beef is tough, most children grow up to be just people, most successful marriages require a high degree of mutual toleration, most jobs are more often dull than otherwise.  Life is like an old time rail journey... delays, sidetracks, smoke, dust, cinders, and jolts, interspersed only occasionally by beautiful vistas, and thrilling bursts of speed.

The trick is to thank the Lord for letting you have the ride."

Thank God the spectator can still enjoy the view!

DIY Apothecary Jars

Over at Living With Lindsay, she just had her 2nd annual $5 craft challenge. Make a craft for $5 or less. There are tons more you can look at, but this was what I came up with: From the Dollar Tree I got a candle stick holder, and a candle holder, and with a little E-6000 glue already on hand made these Apothecary Jars. Great for decorating any time of the year! They were $2 each, but I was having fun and got a little carried away! Fast, Easy, and Cheap. Hope you have a wonderful Easter.

Broiled Tilapia Parmesan

This is one of our family favorites! It is so yummy and so fast! We like Tilapia because it's not as "fishy" of a taste. Hope you enjoy!   Broiled Tilapia Parmesan                                                          allrecipes.com

Rated: Prep Time: 5 Minutes Cook Time: 10 Minutes Ready In: 15 Minutes Servings: 8

"Flavorful recipe for this farm raised fish that is easy and done in minutes! The fish is broiled with a creamy cheese coating for an impressive flavor and texture."

Ingredients:

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese 1/4 cup butter, softened 3 tablespoons mayonnaise 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice 1/4 teaspoon dried basil

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper 1/8 teaspoon onion powder 1/8 teaspoon celery salt 2 pounds tilapia fillets

Directions:

1.	Preheat your oven's broiler. Grease a broiling pan or line pan with aluminum foil.
2.	In a small bowl, mix together the Parmesan cheese, butter, mayonnaise and lemon juice. Season with dried basil, pepper, onion powder and celery salt. Mix well and set aside.
3.	Arrange fillets in a single layer on the prepared pan. Broil a few inches from the heat for 2 to 3 minutes. Flip the fillets over and broil for a couple more minutes. Remove the fillets from the oven and cover them with the Parmesan cheese mixture on the top side. Broil for 2 more minutes or until the topping is browned and fish flakes easily with a fork. Be careful not to over cook the fish.

make a list...

***** EDITED:  I made my version of the daily docket in microsoft publisher.  It was just a little easier for me to manipulate for this particular project.  If you have publisher and want to customize your own docket, I'd be happy to email you the editable (is that a word?) publisher files.  Shoot me your email address in the comments or to taralynnsmail@gmail.com and I'll send 'em over.  Sometimes reinventing the wheel is good - sometimes, it's just a pain in the neck!!!  :) *****

Are you a list person??  I am crazy (CRAZY crazy) about lists.  There are few things in life that give me more satisfaction than crossing items off my list.  In fact, I'll even list things for the day that I've already finished, just so I can cross it off (kind of pathetic, but boy is it satisfying!). 
Anyway, I was getting sick of the many cute little notebooks full of partially completed lists, the post-its on my computer and wall, the generic planner that didn't really fit my needs and needed every new paper hole punched 6 times.  So I decided to just make my own.  I did flylady's thing when my oldest was a baby, and had a grand time shining my sink, but it didn't quite fit me anymore.  Then I saw SimpleMom's Daily Docket, and I loved it.  But, for it to work, I needed to change a few things. 
It needed to be small -- I wasn't going to carry around a 2 inch binder along with the other 5 million things in my diaper bag/purse/prepared-for-anything tote.   And I wanted it to be cute.  Silly, but if it's cute, I really do have better odds of using it. :) 

So if you just can't stop yourself from making lists, here are a few of my planner files -- my monthly checklist and my version of simplemom's daily docket.  The file is 4 pages long, but it's for two-sided printing, so you'll print pg. 2 on the back of pg. 1, and pg. 4 on the back of pg. 3 (clear as mud?).  I like that it's little, I like that I can just print it off at home, punch it with my adjustable 3-hole punch, and slap it in my 'planner' - a half-size binder purchased at a office supplies chain store.  I've got a ward directory in there (I just printed it with the paper turned landscape & adjusted the margins so I could trim off the extra), a calendar, a list of birthdays and goals.  I also keep a basic budget outline, shopping lists and a list of items I keep on hand in the pantry/freezer/fridge to make shopping easier.  There's a little pad of paper in the back for (what else?!) more lists!  I made a fabric sleeve/cover for the binder because that makes me happy.  :)

I've used this for a little over a year now, and I really like it.  It changes a little over time as my needs change - I shared the files with my sister, and she made it better.  :)  How do YOU organize your lists?

Baby Bonnet Tutorial

My friend Malauna marches to the beat of her own drummer. I first met her not long after she had broken up with the guy that several of my roommates were secretly in love with. We all thought she was crazy. (She later married him! :)

Anyway, she happens to be very talented, and when she decided she wanted a bonnet for her soon-to-be-born new baby, well, she just sat down and made one.

Then, when I asked her how, she posted a great tutorial on how to make these sweet baby bonnets. How great a friend is that?!

 

I can't wait to try it!

 

Click here to see her post. Don't forget to thank her! :)

An Idea... or two.

I needed  a new one...

Something to keep my kids motivated to use manners, and play outside... to not watch so much television and beg to play on the computer

and then...

I stumbled on this:

V and Co. Idea

Here is my spin on it:

Token can be earned, spent, and lost.  How?

How to earn tokens:

1 shoes put away

1 coats hung up

1 back pack, lunch pack, papers put away

1 dishes cleared after meals without asking

1 folder brought home

1 hairbows put away, or not lost at the end of the day

1 using a napkin at the dinner table

1 using your manner words

1 (isaac) telling us that you need a diaper change

1 cleaning up your crumbs after snacks

1 staying at the table to eat your snacks

1 listening the first time

1 setting your clothes out for the next day

1 following instructions

1 being kind to your siblings

1 washing your hands after you eat

1 bringing in belongings from the car

1 if mom or dad don’t clean up after ourselves and you catch it and have to do it for us

1 mom or dad speaking unkindly to you when it is not an appropriate thing to get upset about

2 listening and sitting reverently during fhe

2 (stella) taking your dance bag to dance

2 homework done before play time

2 eating all of your food without complaining

3 being reverent during sacrament meeting

3 morning routine done without asking

3 evening routine done without asking

3 extra jobs without complaining

3 good behavior at a store

5 ½ hour playtime outside

5 ½ hour art project

5 ½ hour reading

5 ½ hour quiet time

5 100% spelling test

5 a good report from school

15 (jex) finishing a chapter book

How to Lose Tokens:

1 leave your shoes out

1 socks on the floor

1 coat laying on the floor

1 pajamas not put away

1 clothes laying on the floor

1 making messes at the dinner table

1 arguing

1 wiping your fingers on furniture

1 bothering parents while on the phone

1 not listening

1 not clearing your plate

1 leaving belongings in the car

1 fighting with your sibling

1 anything left laying around that I have to pick up

2 not bringing your folder home from school

2 losing a hair bow

2 tattling

2 getting in to things that you are not supposed to

3 complaining or gagging at the dinner table

3 poor behavior at church

3 poor behavior at a store

10 if I have to clean up your room or playroom at the end of the day

How to spend tokens:

1 package of fruit snacks

2 cookie, or treat(bedtime snacks will be given on special occasions)

2 ½ educational computer time (approved by parent)

2 ½ hour educational television program (approved by parent)

3 popcorn

3 extra story at bedtime(must be paid by all listeners)

5 ½ hour computer time, television, or a full movie

(family movies are free, but designated by parents)

5 extra 15 minutes at bedtime

100 $10 to spend on something you would like

Disclaimers:

Fruit and yogurt and crackers do not cost anything

Mom and dad have the right to add to this list at anytime

Tokens can be handed out randomly for special things and good behavior

You must ask mom and dad before putting tokens in your jar.

This list hangs on our laundry room door.  We can refer to it at anytime.

Isaac carried around this little container of tokens all day. He even made his own bed to earn tokens.  He told me tonight, "I give you tokens, and watch a "OOBIE?"(that's a movie.)  By Golly I think he is getting it.

I bought 3 hundred poker chips for their tokens, and these easy non-breakable containers.

It has already helped with the nagging in our home.

Need one more idea?

Here is another idea that we continue to do:

Super Kid (the idea came from here)

Here is my poster to remind me whose turn it is.

It hangs on the fridge and I change it out each week.  Their name is attached with a magnet.

Just tonight, I was trying to decided what easy microwaveable "mom of the year" meal to make the kids; chicken nuggets or corn dogs.

Stella wanted nuggets

Isaac and Jex wanted corn dogs. 

I was only making one thing, because each of these are so time consuming.  he he  

Isaac is super kid so corn dogs won.  It really does settle a lot of battles.

Thanks Michelle for this great idea, and Vanessa for helping me be less of a nag.

 

Memory Keeping

Recording our Memories is such an important commandment.  We have been asked to keep records since the beginning of time.

Our family has a new fun way to record our memories. 

We have 4 children, but only one that can read and write.  This is our way to record our history.

Here is what we are doing:

I found this cute little file box.  I put an index card in there for every day of the year.

Each night at dinner time, we write something on our card.

ie: January 24th:  Today we blessed Tessa.

Then next year on January 24th, we will read the card and add to it.

If we miss an evening, we do it at breakfast or lunch for the previous day.

This is so simple, but a great way to record the everyday happenings.

It also teaches our children the importance of record keeping.

Patience and Waiting...

My friend Mandee, asked me to make this for her for an adoption academy workshop last weekend.  She and I have been friends since the mission field, where we were companions twice.  I asked her if I could share this now that it's over.  I made it for their binder covers.  I've loved this tree and always wanted to photograph it. And when my friend told me her vision and the quote, I knew right where to find the perfect tree and take the photo. I've helped her twice make digital scrapbook pages when she was working on adopting and she has since been blessed with 2 little red heads whose birth moms live across the states from each other.  Her example of faith and patience is astounding to me.  So feel free to print it off and put it somewhere if you'd like.  Another friend emailed me last night to say she'd done just that after finding out last week she had serious fertility issues. For me, I think about this quote and it fits with my struggle for good health. The resurrection will be so wonderful.  And I wonder who else this might help.  What's your story?

How to help little ones contribute to their home and family:

Well, there are a lot of ways. I just wanted to share one.

The ModEco chore chart

I thought it was really cute. It's a pdf and you can type in the information you want to add. That means you get to decide what chores you want to and if you want to start your week on Monday or Sunday. I stuck the two that I made into an 8.5x11 frame (diploma frame) and I use a dry erase marker to update the dates and check off chores. For now they are excited about it.

The fall and rising again

This Thanksgiving gave me a lot to think about. My sister lost a friend over the holiday, and his story is so familiar - until the end. He served an LDS mission, met his wife at BYU. After graduation they headed off to Medical school and had a baby. Now in his second year of medical school, they went back to Utah to celebrate Thanksgiving with family and surprise his parents with news of a pregnancy. He went spelunking in Nutty Putty caves with a few friends and brothers. He got stuck in a tight spot -- he knew what he was doing, he'd been caving before. But he died.

I don't know John and Emily Jones personally. But the familiarity of his story makes my heart ache. I've even been in those caves with my own brother.

Elder Jeffrey R. Holland has written of tragedies in the midst of celebrations. He recalls how Joseph and Mary took the baby Jesus to the temple to pay their offering of redemption - two turtledoves. There in the temple, old Simeon met the infant Messiah and said, "Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word: For mine eyes have seen thy salvation, which thou hast prepared before the face of all people; A Light to lighten the Gentiles, and the Glory of thy people Israel.... Behold, this child is set for the fall and rising again of many in Israel." (Luke 2:29-34)

Elder Holland explains, "You can't separate Bethlehem from Gethsemane or the hasty flight into Egypt from the slow journey to the summit of Calvary. It's of one piece. It is a single plan. It considers 'the fall and rising again of many in Israel,' but always in that order. Christmas is joyful not because it is a season or decade or lifetime without pain and privation, but precisely because life does hold those moments for us. And that baby [God's] own beloved and Only Begotten Son in the flesh, born 'away in a manger, [with] no crib for his bed,' makes all the difference in the world, all the difference in time and eternity, all the difference everywhere, worlds without number, a lot father than [our] eyes can see."

"...In this life no one can have real love without eventually dealing with real loss, and we certainly can't rejoice over one's birth and joy of living unless we are prepared to understand and accommodate and accept with some grace the inevitability--including the untimeliness--of difficulty and trouble and death. These are God's gifts to us--birth and life and death and salvation, the whole divine experience in all its richness and complexity." (from Shepherds, Why This Jubilee by Jeffrey R. Holland, pg. 68-76)

How grateful I am for our Savior, Jesus Christ, the Resurrection and the Life. Believing in Him means we can live again and never die. I sing with heart and soul: Joy to the world -- the Lord is come.

The Jones family has established a few ways for those who can to donate to Emily Jones and her children.

If you would like to contribute, donations can be made to:
The John & Emily Jones Memorial Fund (Utah Community Credit Union and Wells Fargo)
The Emily Jones Children Donations (Zions National Bank)
For those of you not able to go to these places, you can donate online here.

Stephanie over at A Daily Scoop is also hosting an auction. She doesn't know the Jones family personally, but wanted to do what she could to help out. There will be daily auctions, and she gives instructions on how to bid (check out the first auction here). If you would like to contribute an item to be auctioned off, you can e-mail her (stephaniewaite@gmail.com).

Things as they really are...

Our Stake President and Bishop asked that they teach on this in Sunday School on the 5th Sunday in November. They simply showed the video, which I thought was very powerful. After seeing it we immediately deleted the one violent game on our iphones. And we are going to print it out and work on other things that come to mind. There will probably be something in here that prompts you to make a simple but necessary change. Just click on this link to see it. Make sure you choose the one that says, Elder Bednar May 2009 and it's titled "Things As They Really Are". Sometimes we just need a clear picture of 'the way' we should go and the promptings of the Spirit to let us know personally that it is the right way. I am grateful we have the opportunity to follow the advice of our Apostles and I know we will be protected if we do.

The Blessings of Home Production and Canning

As I pulled up my potatoes and onions yesterday, this quote kept coming to my mind.

And I felt so strongly about it, I knew I had to share it.

“An almost forgotten means of economic self-reliance is the home production of food. We are too accustomed to going to stores and purchasing what we need. By producing some of our food we reduce, to a great extent, the impact of inflation on our money. More importantly, we learn how to produce our own food and involve all family members in a beneficial project.” Ezra Taft Benson said this in the 70's sometime (Our Community Garden, Ensign June 2009)

Having a garden is new to me. I grew up in a US Army household and we moved often. I started last year. So if I can do this with absolutely no previous experience, then you can do it to. It was a mess because our yard was not in yet and dirt, no, MUD was everywhere as we worked on our sprinkler system. This year has been wonderful by comparison as I've walked across the grass to get to my garden. I grew a whole list of things that were new to me this year. I've learned a lot and asked a lot of questions. I am really grateful for good neighbors who are able to answer those questions. Having had cancer and now having a lot of food allergies it is important to me what goes on my plants because they are going to store it. Of course some of the green beans went to waste because I ended up with pneumonia the end of July beginning of August. I started a compost pile - so I really didn't waste much. I know more about what is going into my body. We eat more veggies because when they are ready, we better be too.

I've gained so much by having my own garden this year. I've had wonderful experiences talking with my children out there and teaching them how to work. I've had great therapy tearing out weeds the week I went in for my first 6 month post cancer treatment check-up.

Anyway, back to the quote. If you think about this - he is so right. Just think about how much an onion costs in the middle of the winter. 1 onion is about $1. And they are about the easiest thing to grow and store. I planted 40 yellow onions and 20 red onions. I'll be planting more next year. Salsa needs a lot of onions. And look at how inexpensive tomatoes are during peak season. Tired of canning tomatoes? Just core them and through them in a freezer bag. puree them later for sauces.

Oh and I learned to can. I canned 2 boxes of peaches and I also canned salsa.

Now I just need to get my garlic planted!

In fact, I better go check the vegetable beef soup that is in the crock pot right now.

"If ye are prepared, ye shall not fear"

I definitely feel more at peace since the time I decided to follow the prophets counsel to have a garden. This is one of those things we can do whether its one 4x4 grow box or 1/2 an acre. Having a garden has blessed my family.