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Enjoying the Moment

“Recognize that the joy of motherhood comes in moments. There will be hard times and frustrating times. But amid the challenges, there are shining moments of joy and satisfaction.

“Author Anna Quindlen reminds us not to rush past the fleeting moments. She said: ‘The biggest mistake I made as a parent is the one that most of us make. . . . I did not live in the moment enough. This is particularly clear now that the moment is gone, captured only in photographs.

There is one picture of my three children sitting in the grass on a quilt in the shadow of the swing set on a summer day, ages six, four, and one. And I wish I could remember what we ate, and what we talked about, and how they sounded, and how they looked when they slept that night. I wish I had not been in such a hurry to get on to the next thing: dinner, bath, book, bed. I wish I had treasured the doing a little more and the getting it done a little less.'”

M. Russell Ballard

 

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Tiny Cookie Valentines

Here’s proof that I really can cook after all…

These little cuties are basically a sugar cookie dough colored pink–and cut into tiny hearts. I poked some of them with a sucker stick for decoration before baking, then sprinkled powdered sugar and granulated sugar on them when they cooled. This makes a ridiculously small batch–so at least double it if you want more than a handful.

Tiny Cookie Valentines

Ingredients

4 Tbsp softened butter

1/4 cup powdered sugar

8 drops red food coloring

2-1/2 tsp milk

1/4 tsp vanilla

3/4 cup flour

Mix butter and sugar together. Add food coloring, vanilla and milk. Stir in flour. Roll out onto floured surface. Cut out tiny heart shapes. Poke tiny holes with a toothpick if you want. Bake at 350 degrees for 6 minutes. Leave on pan until cool. Sprinkle with sugar.

These make wonderful little additions to a Valentine treat bag or surprise for the kids. They’re just so cute!

 

Tiny Cookie Valentines
 
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:
Ingredients
  • 4 Tbsp softened butter
  • ¼ cup powdered sugar
  • 8 drops red food coloring
  • 2-1/2 tsp milk
  • ¼ tsp vanilla
  • ¾ cup flour
Instructions
  1. Mix butter and sugar together. Add food coloring, vanilla and milk. Stir in flour. Roll out onto floured surface. Cut out tiny heart shapes. Poke tiny holes with a toothpick if you want. Bake at 350 degrees for 6 minutes. Leave on pan until cool. Sprinkle with sugar.

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From Puddle to Puddle

We had some big plans for today, April and I. The idea was to tag team watching the babies and baking a busload of Valentine goodies that we could show you for the next couple of days. On the agenda, we had:

Applesauce Cinnamon Dough Hearts

Penuche Fudge (brown sugar fudge)

Chocolate Brown Sugar Chiffon Cake

Sounds pretty great–right? Of course, right. So we dove right in.

For the next four hours, we measured and preheated and greased and floured and kneaded and boiled and separated and baked and whipped and poured and stirred and chilled and frosted and rolled.

But alas…

A puddle appeared. It came in the form of applesauce cinnamon dough that refused to behave like dough. It was almost soppy wet to the touch and yet it crumbled instead of shaping politely into dainty hearts. What the heck? Then April laughed and pointed out that the non-dough-like dough was also a very “unappealing” color. Eww-wah. That did it.

I don’t have another picture–so you’ll have to trust me.

Down the drain went the belligerent, ugly dough.

Then puddle two poured in. We’ll call it the “Penuche Fudge that wished it was.” I’ve always been a sucker for a good brown sugar fudge and vowed years ago to find a good recipe and master it for myself. So when we spotted this recipe in Living magazine I was pretty sure we couldn’t go wrong. It’s Martha Stewart for Pete’s sake. But after about 45 minutes of obeying every order the recipe gave…every one…I swear….we had a really good flavored, terribly gritty, rather awful fudge-if you dare call it that. Oh, I’m not blaming Martha. Obviously, my stars were not aligned properly.

~sigh~

Into a Ziploc bag went the dreadful fudge to be pondered at a later date.

On we go now, to puddle number 3. The Chocolate Brown Sugar Chiffon Cake. Oh, I had my speech all ready to post about how “a cake made from scratch is more trouble, of course–but so worth every separated egg and stiff peak, bla, bla.”  You wouldn’t be sorry that you made the effort.

Yeeeah.

But what turned out to be sadly missing from the recipe was the fact that the cake–as lovely as it is–tastes quite a bit like…dirt.

Kinda funny to tell the truth.

It’s still sitting on a plate just daring people to try a slice. But I warn them before they do. It’s nice to look at, but it’s a slap to the back of the head in the taste bud department.

So the rain came down and washed the posts away.

But, we don’t care.

Because as Scarlett says, “Tomorrow is another day.”

So true…

…and we look dang fine in pink galoshes.

PS–You may have noticed that I haven’t posted any of today’s recipes.

That, my friend, is because I like you.

lyndipictures-008

Happy Birthday my Daney Boy
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For no particular reason…

Here’s the February potholder…I would post a link to the pattern, but the site where I got it is gone. Do you suppose I’ll get arrested if I give it out anyway? That would definitely throw off my groove…

Here’s Lily being a magic baby and floating on air…

Daney boy playing with a blue hi-lighter. Can missionaries carry light sabers? Hmmmm…..

Baby Keni with her new sneaks–exhausted after all that running.

Wise baby Beckham…or is that Yoda?

Who can tell?

ward-campout-2008-9 HAPPY BIRTHDAY Laurie!

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All at the same time…

It’s funny, isn’t it, how no matter how many projects and things get finished–there is always something else to work on. In fact, earlier today I figured that I had 4 different crochet projects in the works–each with their own deadline.

But in doing the real count, it turns out to actually be 7.

Baby Keni’s shawl—in progress

There is one white blessing shawl for my nephew, a pink shawl for baby Keni, three different greenWinkle bags, a Lily sweater and a hoodie for another nephew– all at varying stages of progress. Of course they are each in a different tote bag–with the yarn, the hook, the pattern, the scissors–everything needed to complete it.

Beckham’s Lamb– just finished

Maybe this would drive some people nuts–having so much going on–all at the same time. But it works for me, because I can just grab a bag on my way out the door and POOF! I’m ready to work whenever I find myself just…waiting.

Which moms do a lot.

Nephew Caelin’s Blessing Shawl– in progress

Now, I did try once–long ago, to force myself to stick with one thing until it was finished–before I would let myself move on. But the problem with that was–I could never work on whatever it was in front of whoever it was for. So I’d end up sitting around doing nothing.

Kiss of death to a twitchy chick like me.

Lily’s Lamb– finished

I remember the words to the Primary song, “I have two little hands folded snuggly and tight…” But it must not have sunk in because these hands don’t like to fold snuggly and tight.

I’d go nuts.

So this way works better for me.

By having a bunch of stuff ready to work on, I can grab just the right project no matter where I’m going or who I’ll be with.

This way, it helps to keep all the birthday secrets—secret…

…and my weird twitchy hands from…

you know…

…twitching.

And that’s a good thing.