Royal Icing

I promised that I would post my go to royal icing recipe. I have used several recipes and this is the best one I have found. A few helpful hints...

 Don't skip sifting the powdered sugar, sifting the powdered sugar gives a smooth texture to the icing. Also note that decorating with royal icing is a process because piping the outline of the cookie with icing must harden before you can flood the cookie with icing, which takes a little bit of time.  I usually pipe all of my cookies first, then go back and flood them with thinner icing.  Royal icing is still one of my favorite ways to decorate sugar cookies.  

Here is also a link to a great sugar cookie recipe.  This cookie holds its shape which is great when you are decorating with royal icing. Enjoy decorating!

Hit that Note

Tomorrow is our primary program at church.  I am one of the choristers in primary and I LOVE the opportunity to teach children about our Savior Jesus Christ through song.  It's not easy.  Some weeks it can be a struggle to come up with a new way to teach music but thankfully there are so many talented people who have great ideas who can help inspire ideas for me.  Last Sunday, as we practiced our program I felt the Spirit so strongly and wanted to reward them for their hard work.  So, I came up with this idea...

I decided to make sugar cookies in the shape of a music note and this thought came to my mind...

"Way to Hit Those Notes!"

I found the cookie cutter on Amazon in the shape of a music note and then placed the cookies in little 4x6 in. party bags.  I made a little print out with my thought (you can download the PDF here).  I decided to ice the cookies with royal icing which is a bit of a process but the frosting hardens nicely and its less messy than a buttercream icing but both are delicious and would work.  I kept the icing white and just used black sprinkles instead of tinting the frosting black.  

The music in primary is beautiful and a powerful way children learn and remember gospel truths.  I'm so proud of our primary kids and the hard work they have given this year to learn the songs. Hopefully this helps them feel my love and appreciation for all their effort this year.

Truth from Nana Ruth

This past weekend I went up to Swiss Days with a friend of mine.  I can't believe it's been five years since this wonderful lady came into my life.

Five years ago, I remember I walked out of church and introduced myself to Ruth. She had just relocated from Georgia to be near her kids and she lived a couple of streets over from me.  We instantly clicked and our friendship grew. Soon she became "Nana Ruth" and adopted us like we were her own.  She's taught my daughters art classes, piano lessons and given her time to be part of our lives.  That is just how Ruth is, so loving and giving.

Since then we have both moved to opposite sides of the valley and don't get to see each other as often.  We text, call and reach out on birthdays, holidays and on occasion plan fun outings like a visit to Midway to enjoy Swiss Days.  I look forward to it every year.  I enjoy traveling to that small town and seeing all the fun vendors, eating delicious food that isn't very healthy and saying farewell to summer.  Swiss Days is always over Labor Day weekend and this year I wanted to take Ruth with me.

We left early so that we could enjoy as much time as possible before I had to return to pick my kids up from school.   The sun was beautiful, the sky was clear and we ventured up Provo canyon in Shon's little convertible sipping on cokes and breathing in the crisp mountain air.  

During our drive up the canyon we chatted about life and I soaked in Nana Ruth's wisdom.  We talked about what brings happiness and how to stay balanced.  Then she shared this with me:  

I know I've heard that thought before, probably in a conference talk but when she said those words it hit me hard.  "You can NEVER get enough of what you don't need."  It is easy to lose sight of what is most important when we chase the things that we DO NOT need.  This made me look inside myself and think about where I give my attention. The things that we don't need will never fulfill.  That is why we always want more and can never fully be satisfied.

Then Ruth gave her tips to a happy life:  
Do the following

1.  Scripture study...even if it's just a verse.  Connect daily with His word.

2.  Pray... really talk to God

3. Listen and follow the prophet

4.  Get Botox when needed....

I laughed so hard when she told me tip number 4, but she was dead serious.  I have never tried Botox but maybe I need to...

-watercolor of Y mount-

(One of my finds at Swiss Days)

The best thing about Ruth is that she makes friends everywhere she goes.  When we sat down for lunch she struck up a conversation with the ladies across the table from us and we all laughed at her witty jokes.  Later I left to use the restroom and when I returned she was in the middle of a group of ladies who were chanting, "we love Ruthie."  I echo their words...we love Ruthie. 

This lady is one in a million and I feel blessed that God planted her in my life.

So this week I am going to focus on this little truth from Ruth:

"You can Never get enough of what you Don't Need"

Happy Labor Day!

Fifteen and Counting

Today Shon and I celebrate our 15th wedding anniversary. Well, actually, we were apart for most of the day due to Shon traveling in North Carolina but this weekend we will have a little trip away to celebrate.

I loved our wedding day.  It was a beautiful summer day and the weather was perfect.  I remember driving to the temple together and feeling excited that I was going to marry the man I loved but I mostly remember the calm reassuring feeling that what we were doing was right.  

I remember seeing all of our friends and family there and thinking of all the people who had helped to get me to that point in my life.  It was a day I will always be grateful for and remember.

Life hasn't always been easy and Shon and I are certainly different.  When we were dating there was a time when we had a disagreement and I was quite frustrated with him.  I remember Shon saying that we were created for each other because we are different and we need each other's strengths to progress to become our best selves.  His words spoke truth to my heart and that was a real turning point in our relationship.  I knew soon after then that he was the one for me.  I am grateful for his strengths and perspective to help me see things in a different light.

Back to School...and so it begins

Today was the first day of school for my girls.  I admit that I got a little teary eyed as I pulled into my driveway this morning with just my husband.  The feelings were bitter sweet for me.  I miss having my girls home with me and I miss watching them learn....BUT I know that they are where they need to be, and that is comforting and reassuring and good for everyone.

Last night we had a little back to school celebration dinner.  Ever since we home schooled, I've tried to get them excited for a new year of learning by having a special dinner the night before school begins.  An appreciation for learning and growth is a life long skill that I'm trying to teach to my children and it never stops.  Just recently I noticed that a lot of people also do a back to school feast and create a theme for their family for the year.  This was just the thing that our family needed and as I began to brainstorm a family theme the popular phrase: "HAVE COURAGE AND BE KIND" came to my mind.  I was a little apprehensive to use a line from a Disney movie as our theme...because I wanted it to have more of a spiritual message so I began to search the scriptures regarding courage and being kind.  Last week early one morning during my scripture study I came across the scripture in Ephesians 4:32

"And be ye KIND one to another, tender-hearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you."

When I read these words I couldn't think of a better scripture for my girls to remember for the school year.  We have had some struggles in our home with being kind to one another, having a tender heart toward others and forgiving each other when we make mistakes.  Over the past few years I have come to feel that the most important work I should be focusing on right now is what I'm doing to help my girls grow.  I know that the work I do elsewhere will never compare to the time and effort I put toward teaching and guiding my little people to become the best people they can become.  So, I decided to build our back to school dinner around this theme.

The menu consisted of a favorite food from each member of our family.  It wasn't the most glamorous meal however when I presented it, everyone felt loved and represented at the table.  Here was our menu:

Shon- Nachos
Avery- Risotto
Taylor- Broccoli soup
Addison- Deviled eggs (with bacon on top)
Emily- Salad and Sticky Toffee Pudding

After dinner we wrote down our goals for this new school year on special wish paper and went outside and lit the papers one by one and watched them fly into the sky.  It felt almost like a prayer soaring up into the heavens.  It was magical.  Then we celebrated with my love for all things British and popped open British Poppers or "Crackers" which contains a joke or a fortune inside.  Avery's popper was the perfect joke because it referenced the eclipse that would happen on their first day of school:

We had so much fun writing our wishes and celebrating with poppers but the most important event took place right after, our fathers blessings.  As a child I remember sitting in my living room on Sandy Hills Drive with my 5 siblings and each of us one by one taking a turn to sit in a chair and my father placed his hands on my head and gave a blessing of guidance and council for the school year.  There was a sense of peace and calmness that came over me each year when I received my blessing.  It gave me the courage to do hard things and to make good choices.  I knew once we had our children this was something that I wanted to continue to do with my family.  I have noticed that they now desire to receive a blessing from their dad as well.  It was the perfect end to our night before our first day of a new school year.  They were ready.

This morning was great as they all got themselves ready just in time to snap a picture before we left for school.  I noticed how much easier it was this year compared to last year because they had grown so much over the last 12 months.  My girls are maturing and becoming more independent which is SO wonderful to see but hard for me to let go because they are not so little anymore.

Shon and I walked each of them to their classrooms.  I stood outside the door peeking in to make sure they found their seat and I took the obligatory picture of them waving good-bye.  My oldest Avery, who is in 6th grade walked right in and said, "bye mom, you don't need to walk me inside." When I tried to take her picture, she wouldn't look at me.  I of course took the picture anyway! This moment for Avery was huge.  Out of my three children, Avery has had the most difficult time adjusting from being at home to being in a traditional classroom.  Avery has always been shy and reserved.  She is timid and doesn't feel comfortable being in the spotlight.  It was comforting to see her courage as she walked into the classroom with a new teacher, new and old friends and a new school year ahead.  She was brave, more confident and I am so proud of the person she's become.

As we drove home and parked our car, Shon looked at me and was shocked to see the tears in my eyes.  I know it is silly to cry when you send your kids to school; most women celebrate this time of year...but all I could think about is that my time is limited with my girls.  I have 6 years before my oldest will become an adult.  I can't believe how quickly the time rushes by and I find myself trying to hold on to them while encouraging them to grow.  Letting go is a difficult lesson to learn.

After we got home it was soon time for the eclipse.

Wow was it an incredible sight to behold!  As I watched the precise alignment of the sun and moon come together I couldn't help but think that the God of the heavens who is in control of bringing such majestic events together will do the same in our own lives if we have faith and trust him.  My goal this year is to do just that, have more faith and trust in him, have courage and be kind, tender-hearted and forgiving.  I'm certain it's gonna be a great year.

A New Outlook

Last August my husband and I made the decision that it was best to take a break from homeschooling our girls and send them back to school.  I loved homeschooling our girls and I put everything I had into it but we felt that everyone would benefit from taking a break from each other.  I was exhausted and my girls needed space from each other.  I had a feeling that it was time and I listened.  I was prayerful and really weighed all of our options.  I felt peaceful with the decision to take a break and I received the answer that everything would be okay.  I had entered the lottery for two charter schools in our area.  The first charter school we decided to try and a week before school we realized that it wasn't the place for us.  I was shocked at how unorganized and unprepared this school was.  The week before school was to begin, the principal didn't know what time school would start and non of the classrooms had desks and teachers still weren't prepared.  I began to panic and resorted to the fact that we were going to homeschool until we found the right place.  Then that evening I received a call from the other charter school stating that they had a spot for my girls.  I was so thrilled when I arrived at the school and they were organized, prepared and ready for the school year.  I was also excited to find out that this school used the same math curriculum that I had used to teach my girls for the past 3 years.  They also followed a classical education model of teaching which is what we used at home.  I finally knew why I had felt at peace about this decision and knew it would work out.

Since that time eight months ago, I have cried many times after I drop them off at school because I miss my children.  I miss watching them learn and grow.  I miss the chance to be creative.  Last August I closed the school room in our basement and haven't opened the door for eight whole months.  I needed time to let it go, I needed time to develop a new outlook.

This school year we have definitely had our share of ups and downs but for the most part it has been full of growth and progression.  My girls have adjusted to being in a classroom setting again and they are thriving and learning.  This week we have been on spring break and I finally stepped foot into our school room.  I cried as I went through our things and reminisced of the memories we made together.  Homeschool was such a positive experience for our family.  I have realized that as long as I am involved in my girls education, then they will be successful.  I have developed a new outlook and I'm happy with where we are and the direction we are going.

Brioche Sweet Rolls

I LOVE ooey gooey sweet rolls.  My motto is, the stickier, the better!  I have been making a family favorite recipe for years using frozen Rhodes rolls but this past Thanksgiving I thought I would try to find a better dough to use and boy did I find it.  The dough is called Brioche and it is so light and soft the rolls literally melt in your mouth, no joke!

The Brioche dough recipe I use is adapted from one of my favorite baking recipe books called Sarabeth's Bakery. This is where I discovered Brioche.  The beauty of this dough is how light as a feather it is.   There are a few important tips to keep in mind to achieve this texture.

• DO NOT add too much flour during the mixing process.  The dough should hold it's shape after mixing and only stick to the bottom of the bowl once ingredients have been mixed.   
• Don't be too rough while you are shaping the dough, treat it delicately. 
•  Also, another crucial tip is when mixing the dough, use very very soft butter but it must NOT be melted.  This can be done by cutting the butter into tablespoons and letting it stand at room temperature for at least 1 hour before using.  I have a soften butter option on my microwave which I use to speed this process up... which is nice.

As far as the filling and toppings go, you can adjust this recipe to fit what you desire.  My family prefers more of a caramel gooey sweet roll so I use brown sugar, a bit of cinnamon, Jell-O Butterscotch instant dry pudding mix (don't make the pudding) and chopped pecans.  The key to making them gooey is butter.  This sweet roll is a treat, not something that I make every week, so I don't feel so bad using butter to indulge on occasion.  Butter really is what makes this dough and the sweet gooey filling worth it.  I hope you enjoy them as much as we do!

Brioche Sweet Roll Recipe