Home Improvements

I've been doing a little home improving lately.  John helped me hang this grouping on the kitchen wall.  I still have to find pictures for the collage frame, but I like having a spot to hang the kids art work, and a magnet board for FHE quotes.  More on that shelf with the candle's later.  Oh, and that picture with the house on it says, "A house is built of boards and beams, a home is built with love and dreams."  What a great reminder as I'm fending off spilt milk and ooooh grosses at the dinner table.

I cleaned out the coat closet.  Jeffrey spurred me on by getting in trouble and getting "empty the closet shoe bin" as his job.  One thing I like about this closet is my bag bin on the floor.  We keep 3 bags packed and ready here: the church bag, the diaper bag, and the keep you entertained bag.  It's a good one to take to restaurants or someones athletic event or whatever. 

These cookies GREATLY improved our home, except that they didn't last very long.  Rachel's cookies are my favorites, but I just can't get mine to taste like hers.  These are pretty close...

MIX:

3/4 cup sugar

3/4 cup brown sugar

1 stick butter

1/3 cup butter flavored shortening + 3 tsp water

1 egg

STIR IN:

2 1/4 cups flour

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

TAKE HALF THE DOUGH OUT AND SET ASIDE.  IN THE REMAINING DOUGH ADD:

chocolate chips and heath toffee chips (sold in baking aisle)

Drop by tablespoonfuls on cookie sheets

WITH THE OTHER HALF OF THE DOUGH ADD:

chocolate chips and peanut butter chips.

BAKE at 375 for 8-10 minutes, depending on how big you made them.  I think they are divine!

 

Another foodie improvement.  Kent's (our grocery store) had a great deal on our favorite brand of ice cream!  The sad thing is, there are 3 more in the front freezer.  Need a treat?  Stop on by!

Since I took that first picture of the wall I added a few things.  This is our new Family Home Evening board.  We will move the candles every week to give us each our new assignments.  You might notice that it has a few differences from other FHE boards.  I thought we'd mix things up a bit!  Let me detail this a little...

TESTIMONY:  My kids are not the ones running up every month to bear their testimony in front of the whole congregation, so I wanted to give them a chance to bear it anyway. 

LESSON: Pretty self explanatory!  Mom gets to help the kids prepare their lessons, except for Jack who's old enough to do it on his own (o.k. with a little help from mom!)

TALENT: I read in Family Fun (May 2010, page 44) about a family who had a talent show with their weekly family night.  I didn't want us all to have to do it every week, so we'll hightlight one person a week.  They can choose whatever they want...piano, reading, knowing their shapes and colors, etc.  I think it will be interesting to see what we come up with!

SCRIPTURE: In General Conference Elder Bednar said that some of the best FHE's might come from having everyone bring their scriptures and tell where they are reading, and then talking about it.  We'll sort of do this every week, and hopefully it will be incentive for us all to make progress in our scriptures!
MUSIC: Everyone loves to lead the music!  A while ago I made some FHE singing charts and I hope to add to those, because they've helped!

TREAT: Umm, see that picture of the ice cream up there?  I think we'll have enough treats for the next little while, but who ever is on treat can  help think of what to have and get to serve it to the rest of the family.

One last home improvement was my leaving the guilt of Mother's Day behind and soaking in the glory of it all.  Plus I got all kinds of great gifts!