MARSHMALLOW FONDANT CAKE DECORATING

For mutual this week, the older girls in our youth group got together to decorate miniature cakes. I've never used fondant before, so it was fun to learn about. It was easy too! Marshmallows, powdered sugar, and Crisco. 

Megan Plaisted was awesome enough to host the event. It blew my mind she actually has a fondant cricut! Am I the only one who didn't know such a thing existed? 




The only problem was, it was too pretty to eat afterward. I admired it for 3-4 days before working up the nerve to cut into it. The edible glitter was my favorite. I finally justified ruining my masterpiece by pulling out the ol' camera to document it first. 

If it didn't involve eating an exorbitant amount of sugar (very little self control here when it comes to sugar), cake decorating is a hobby I could totally get into. 

SLOTH LOVE

Source: hautemamasfaves.tumblr.com via Holly on Pinterest

I saw this on Yahoo awhile ago and have been saving it for a special day to share. Today is that day, you lucky blogger friends, you! I hope you leave a little happier now then when you arrived. 

The first time I saw it, I laughed like CRAZY. Then I immediately watched it again and laughed just as hard. 

Apparently, Kristen Bell has a serious sloth obsession...and  some serious emotional issues too. Mix them together and you get something you just have to see for yourself to believe. 

Just click the image to watch.

MARCHING ON

Sup? 

My current free time is spent as a regular house paintin' gangsta. I was horrified recently to find my first patch of gray hairs as I was getting ready for work. Seriously? Already?!

Then I noticed those gray hairs of mine looked suspiciously similar to Sherwin William's pussywillow gray... 

.

Hence the bandanna. No gray hairs for me, thank you.

Hello handsome husband of mine. 

Andrew's boss took him snowboarding under sunny skies. I bet you can't find where the gap was between his goggles and his beanie. I made fun of the resulting sunburn all week. And it was a lot brighter in person.




Andrew returned from the mountain with a fever and chills. He was out of commission for several days afterward. 

My hard workin' man can't stand being home all day alone doing nothing. I got home on day 2 to find he had found packed away Easter accessories and lined them up in the living room. After questioning him, he responded simply: 

"I decorated."

We sat in awkward silence for a moment before he said with utter sincerity: 

"Rachel, if I have to stay home for another day, I'll die." 

He was so serious, I had to laugh.




I feel kind of bad for Winter this year. All efforts to really get going just...fell flat.  I never even had a chance to get sick and tired of snow and wind and below freezing temperatures. Instead, it felt like one really long spring. 

Global warming is the bomb.

My excitement for spring may have been dampened, but nothing can ruin the joy of longer days with  more hours of sunlight. When the alarm goes off, it doesn't feel like I'm getting up in the middle of night, no headlights are needed to get to work, and I actually have some day left when I get home in the evening. Glory Alleluia! 

CHECKERBOARD TILE

Source: houzz.com via Rachel on Pinterest

The plan was ceramic tile in the laundry room and both bathrooms with wood floors or carpet everywhere else. I wanted a checkerboard pattern in the laundry and nice neutrally tile in the bathrooms. 

It was a safe, reasonable plan I was comfortable with. 

Source: houzz.com via Leslie on Pinterest

That is...until Andrew messed with it. 

Source: beatricebanks.blogspot.com via Rachel on Pinterest

So this is what happened. 

I was busy at work when Andrew called to ask if I wanted this black and white in both bathrooms too. A friend could pick up some SUPER cheap black and white ceramic tiles for us down in Utah, but I had to decide now.  

Source: houzz.com via Rachel on Pinterest

I was distracted, I was in a hurry, my mind was muddled from an entire day's worth of teacher inservice meetings...and I made a snap judgement. Andrew liked the idea and so I went with it. 

I blame him. ;)

Source: southernliving.com via Katherine on Pinterest

After they were paid for, I lay in bed late one night when my eyes popped open.  

What had I done? 

Three rooms with checkerboard floors? Major overkill! Sure it was cheap, but what if we alienate potential buyers in the future, because it's too retro or trendy? 

The image of all that black and white tile haunted me until I fell into a fitful sleep.   

Source: s173.photobucket.com via Julie on Pinterest

 

Then, my cousin (unknowingly) posted the very next day about her own black and white floor and how she would never do it again. 

Apparently they are hard to keep clean? Fabulous. Another strike against our decision! Ahhh!

No hard feelings, Debbie. Of course :)

Source: images.search.yahoo.com via Rachel on Pinterest

But there just aren't other options at this point...unless we spend more money. So now, I seek comfort by scouring the Internet for reassurances that we can make it look awesome enough to be worth it.  

                                              Source: housebeautiful.com via Charity on Pinterest

I mean, there are some really pretty rooms out there with this tile. 

Source: goodlifeofdesign.blogspot.com via allaboutvignettes.blogspot.com on Pinterest

If all else fails, I'll just buy lots of area rugs.  

KIDS TALK.

Assignment:
Character description. Who are they? What do they look like? What do they do? And what do they say?  
.
I mentioned once that your child's teacher knows more about you then you might guess. Kid's talk...or in this case...kid's write. One student chose to describe his mother for this assignment. I laughed pretty hard at the image he painted of what his mom does all day...


.
What...you can't read that handwriting? Really?

Fine. Let me translate:

"My mom lie's around a lot, watches TV, and eat's ice cream. She also eat's burritos."


Apparently, I need to teach another lesson on correct apostrophe usage. But besides that, funny right? 
.
What would your kid say that you do all day? Hopefully it's not: 'lay around and eat burritos'. Ha!

LUCKY RAINBOW KID's CRAFT for MARCH

 

My third graders make these lucky leprechaun rainbows every March to celebrate St. Patrick's Day. They are easy and soooo pretty hanging up in a row.

 

Take a paper plate (dollar store find) and cut it in half. On the sides that pop out (the bottom of the plate), paint a stripe for each color of the rainbow in order. Fill in any left over space at the bottom with the final color (purple). 

Make sure you get uncoated paper plates or the paint won't adhere. 

Then set aside. I always divide this project between two days to give the plates time to dry. 

 

I do the prep for this phase beforehand. 

Cut one streamer per color (about 12 inches long). Then, I cut each streamer in half long ways (hot-dog style). Now there are two long, skinny streamers per color. 

 

Now attach each streamer to the blank side of one of the plate halves with glue...right along the straight edge. Line the streamers up with the corresponding rainbow colors. 

It looks messy, but it's okay because no one will be able to see it in the end. 

 

Staple the two paper plates together with the rainbows facing outward. 

 

And finally, enjoy. Hang in the classroom, in a window, or somewhere they can catch a breeze. 

Possible Variations:

Add cotton clouds, glitter, or...I've had students who pasted hand drawn pots of gold to theirs!

Good luck!

AURORA's BAPTISM

My sisters and I.

MITT ROMNEY

Mitt Romney came to Idaho Falls this week. I wanted to go, but it was in the middle of the work day. Hearing all of the buzz about it got me thinking...

I am not very political. And there is a lot I don't understand about national debt and taxes and social security...but I do know I believe in:

1. Traditional family values
2. More money for education with less federal regulation
3. The Death Penalty
4. Eliminating the option to live on welfare for years without accountability
5. Drilling for oil in America starting...yesterday
6. Big army
7. Small government that butts out of people's personal lives 

I am definitely a conservative.

With Mitt Romney--a Mormon, being the republican front-runner in this upcoming election, I am put in a unique situation, being a Mormon myself. I feel a greater responsibility to make an informed decision here. 

Romney's religion seems to generate a lot of media attention. And right or wrong, it may be the deciding factor for some whether they will, or will not, vote for him. 
.
I don't understand the person who would never vote for him in a million years based on his Mormonism alone. This is so closed minded.
.
For example:
"Ahh! Don't vote for him! He's a MoRmON! We don't want a cult member in the White House! His prophet will end up making all of the decisions, and it's a conspiracy to convert the world!"
.
But it would be just as closed minded to vote for him because he is Mormon. 
.
In contrast:
"Hooray! A Mormon in the White House! Any decision he makes in office must be the right decision! It will solve all of the world's problems!"
.
Just because Mitt Romney is a member of the religion I believe and live, does not mean his views on government will match mine. And there is no guarantee he will be an honest, upstanding politician either. Nobody is perfect.

{source}

I don't want to be the kind of person to vote that way...or ever be accused of such. Instead, I will understand each of the candidates' platforms, backgrounds, and track records. So then IF I do end up voting for Mitt Romney, it won't be because he's Mormon, or because he's probably a shoe-in for the Republican candidacy anyway(if he's going to win, I might as well vote for him, right?). It will be because he is the one I can trust to most closely match my personal, political views based on my research.


Well, there you have it. My extremely limited spouting on politics. Take it for what it's worth. I am not campaigning for any certain person, just encouraging you all to be informed. 

                                                  Source: google.com via Rachel on Pinterest

I welcome any comments...even of different opinions. But I am NOT opening it up for vicious attacks on me, my religion, or my political views. Be polite. Please and thank you.