As you can see, I'm experimenting with bears lately...

This one is in ThE SHoP

this morning...

Bar Keepers Friend...

I'm not keeping bar around here, but it gets messy enough that you'd think I was. I have been using this on my porcelain kitchen sink for awhile and been pleased with the results. Today I used it to clean the hard water off the chrome in the bathroom.. amazing. I wish that I had read the label and tried it sooner.

American Flag Box...

This is one of my favorite boxes and after some absence, there are 2 mediums (and I think there are also 2 large ones) back in

ThE SHoP today...

P.S. In the interest of full disclosure... Bernard DeVoto who wrote the quote in the box (When America was created, the stars must have danced in the sky...) was a conservationist from Ogden Utah and a friend of Wallace Stegner, a favorite author of mine. This quote was also used in a speech given by Vice President Dick Cheney... so that's about as politically neutral as you can get around here.. right!?!

Swim Season...

Last year we found that we waited too long to get our Land's End suit and didn't get the one we wanted... so this year we were determined to pick out little c's suit early, but Land's End did have our favorite this year.. We were delighted to see these pretty bright colors over at L.L. Bean. I think suit separates are one of the greatest things for kids and this little swim top will completely avoid the terrible shoulder burns poor c gets almost every time we swim outside. I don't care what the label says.. sunscreen must wash off.

Two Stages...

It probably not weird to you... but to me it's very new to be in two stages at once. I have one daughter who loves Your Personal Penguin and Hippos Go Berserk and another who's into Charles Dickens, Nancy Drew and Twilight (now I'll have to read it too and I don't like vampires..)

I think one of the best things my parents did for me was to introduce me to great books. My mom still loves children's books and she was always really good at finding wonderful picture books that captured the imagination. Some of the best art in the world is found in children's picture books. My dad used to read us poetry all the time... Kipling and Dickinson especially and we loved horse books so he read us all of those. He had the best voice for it. My parents are both really well read and they read really fast and get through more than twice the number of books I can, but I do love books and I still love to be read to. C is reading us The Hobbit.

It amazes me how early babies become interested in books.. before toys and TV if someone will read to them and how if they are not read to in early childhood how difficult it is to have a book capture their interest. I will never forget the most beautiful little foster daughter who came to stay with our neighbors. We all fell in love with her, but one of the many things that made me sad about her life was that she had not been read to before foster care and a book could not hold her attention.

I suppose people feel strongly about many things that I have never experienced. I always think that climbing mountains would be life changing and exhilarating. I'm sure a person could become addicted to it. A friend once suggested that I try snow-shoeing and I think I just might do that next winter. Something about walking on snow just sounds great. But to me, books are the greatest adventure. It's good to have a couple going at the same time. It's a great adventure to watch a new person embrace reading and to watch a good reader discover great books and so I am loving the opportunity to be in two stages at once.

Llama, Llama...

Have you read these books? Hilarious.. Poor little Llama has to go shopping with Mama... he's so mad! I love this one and Llama, Llama Red Pajama. If you haven't seen these.. check them out. :)

Oh Christmas Bear...

New to the SHoP

Chocolate Peanut Butter Oatmeal Bars...

2 c. flour
2 c. quick oatmeal
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
1 c. butter
1 c. sugar
1 c. packed brown sugar
2 eggs
2/3 c. peanut butter
1/2 c. milk
1 tsp. vanilla
1 (6 oz.) pkg. chocolate chips

Stir together flour, salt and baking soda. In large bowl, cream butter, sugar and brown sugar. Add peanut butter. Mix well. Add eggs, milk and vanilla. Mix in flour and oatmeal. Stir in chocolate chips. Spread in large greased pan. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 20-30 minutes or until golden brown.
Cool, cut into bars. Let cool completely before removing bars from pan.
(I recommend making these in a 9X13 pan ... baking for about 25 min and making them the day ahead... because they are crazy delish.. the next day! )

Market Bags New Etsy Shop...

Beth is now selling her marvelous bags on Etsy and they are better than ever with stronger handles etc... check them HERE.

Polar Bears...

A mother's love is peace... ~Erich Fromm

A new box in the SHoP

Giveaway Monday Feb. 23rd...

This box will be part of a giveaway tomorrow..

Click over to Mormon Mommy Blogs and enter the contest. :)

Mom's Brilliant & My Sisters...

Fairy Cakes...
...& Flowers

... & more Flowers

... & more Flowers

... even hanging from the light fixtures...

we love to hang things from the light fixtures...

Things Good Mothers Know...

What a lovely book! I was so excited for this new book of Alexandra's to come out. It was very timely for me and guess what ... I'm mentioned in the book! I was so excited to recognize me in there. I feel immortal!

I hope you'll all read this one.. it's truly a love letter to mothers which recognizes our individuality and our humanity. It encourages each mother to use her unique talents to reach for excellence and take her children with her on the journey.

"No one on earth is in a better position to be a shining example to her child, instilling spiritual and intellectual insights, than a mother. A mother should be an ideal example to her child of what the good life looks like close up. A mother's moral excellence, her sense of decency and honor, her intellectual and spiritual commitment to what is true, beautiful, and good, are more powerful influences on a child than mere knowledge and information." (pg. 188 of Good Things Mothers Know).

The Tie Bar...

I have to say that I have a very good looking husband and I love to buy him handsome things to wear. My mom called the other day and told me about a place where my dapper dressing uncle likes to buy his ties. I was so impressed with the choices and colors that I ordered something right away and it didn't break the bank... most of the ties on the site are only $15 and so if you have a handsome husband who has to dress sharp for work everyday... you might check this out. My order has arrived and the silk woven tie that I purchased is simply stunning.

Did I mention that most of the ties come hard to find tall sizes.... yep!

see The Tie Bar... HERE

Favorite Etsy Seller number 1...

I love Etsy. You can often find a seller who produces the most beautiful work and has the most original products. I've decided that every once in a while I need to feature a seller that I find who does just that truly impeccable, incredible and original work here on the blog. Cassandra Norton is just such a person. Her Fussy Couture shop is fun and original. I have purchased quite a few of her items and they are made with perfect attention to detail and come in a darling package. Neiman Marcus would be lucky to carry these items. Visit Fussy Couture HERE...

Favorite Etsy Seller 2...

The Daily Pincushion sells the loveliest pincushion anyone has ever seen. I love to stop by Cathy's shop.. she is very prolific and there is always another lovely pincushion beautifully photographed to admire. See Cathy's shop here.

Favorite Etsy Seller 3...

Simbiosis is such a fun shop. All the items are very reasonably priced and the pieces are sewn just so. Most of them are made from very fun Japanese import prints... darling. See Julia's shop HERE!

Kipper My Love part 2...

If you know me at all, you know I'm a big fan of this guy! I am hoping he will have as positive an influence on l as he was for c. I have already ordered up a few more DVDs for our collection, but this will always be my favorite I think... Two years ago I wrote the following, which I still firmly believe...

I love Kipper. What a lovely little dog he is. I am one of those people who feels strongly that media very much influences the behavior of children. I am often disturbed when I see that some children are learning their etiquette from Bart Simpson rather than their parents. I believe in the Eliza Doolittle concept; you are a princess when you behave like one.
This is why I give Kipper videos as baby gifts these days and for birthdays through age 6. Kipper is a prince because he behaves like one. Exposure to Kipper is a wonderful influence on a small child. If your child takes to watching Kipper like mine did, you might find them speaking with a bit of an English accent... but it sounds just lovely especially when they are using words like "please" and "thank-you."

Kipper now has his own site HERE...

Treasury...

My art work is featured in this beautiful Etsy treasury. See it quick... it expires tomorrow!

Pink Panther Classic Cartoons...

C rented this for c and she can't get enough of it. They just don't make 'em like they used to.

Camelot...

I love this production of Camelot. Richard Harris plays a near perfect Arthur I think. Anyway, I rented this so that little c could see it the other day. It's been a long time since I'd seen it and although I remembered the story well, I had forgotten how sad this is too see. Anyway, it is the perfect morality play and illustrates well how the breakdown of the family equals the destruction of society. It made for an interesting discussion with c... she's a smarty.

Bath Salts...

This is a calorie free treat and a great gift for Valentines day, but a recipe that I don't want to forget anyway.. so I'm posting it here and you can enjoy it as well if you like. You can use a beautiful bottle that used to hold fancy dressing or another food item or you can purchase something new. There are lots of cute plastic bottles available at craft stores, but I like the idea of recycling something lovely that would otherwise get tossed.

3/4 cup Epsom salt
1/2 cup baking soda
1 1/2 cups coarse sea salt
10 drops of essential oils
2-3 drops of vegetable food coloring

Mix it all up. You'll need a large funnel to transfer the salts from a bowl (I suggest lining the bowl w/ a large plastic bag, or using a 1 gallon zip lock to make these in just so your next choc. cake doesn't taste like flowers...)

Becky's Sugar Cookies...

These are my favorites.. the Valentine cookies my mom made for us growing up.. they are the best!

1 cup butter
2 eggs
1 cup sour cream
2 cups sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. soda
1/2 tsp. salt
4 tsp. baking powder
5 1/2 cups flour

Directions...
Chill thoroughly before rolling out. Bake @ 375 degrees for 8 min.

Caramel Cob...

This photo doesn't really show how cute these are... a marketing misstep... but, they are darling and would be perfect for a summer kids party or part of a fun invite.. See them here.

Made in UTAH! Delish by the way...

Valentines...

Lots of Valentines... in the SHoP...

The Kingfisher...

I thought that I was in for a tender love story... love the second time around type thing when I rented this film. No! This is not a tender story at all. It's dry English sarcasm. Rex Harrison plays the part of a rake who has spent the past 50 years "recovering from his broken heart" by having affair after scandalous affair throughout Europe only to find himself a lonely old bachelor (whose butler is in love with him... yep) and whose old love has recently been widowed... she stops by the house after the funeral to stay the weekend and maybe forever.

I thought most of this was hilarious.. but you have to enjoy your humor on the very dry side to enjoy this... it's not for everyone. And while the subject matter is scandalous.. the rating is really quite tame .. a few bad words and the rest is left to your imagination.

Crocodile by Emily McPhie...

I love this painting by Emily McPhie and the idea behind it.

Naked Mole Rat Gets Dressed...

I love this silly book!

The Moth...

This is not Jane Austen or one of the Bronte sisters, but I liked it. Another one for your Netflix list... Michelle.. this one is for you. :)

Station Jim...

I mostly loved this movie... The ending was a bit off I thought, but it did make sense as it goes along with the old idea that if you place a gun on the mantle in the first act.. it has to go off in the second. Anyway, I liked the characters immensely and thought the production was very well done... except for maybe the makeup on Queen Victoria... yuckers.

Your Gonna Miss This...

You're gonna miss this
You're gonna want this back
You're gonna wish these days
hadn't gone by so fast
These are some good times
So take a good look around
You may not know it now
But you're gonna miss this I used to be a huge fan of country tunes. Yep! But, I guess I just grew up and started listening to news and information instead of music really and then of course lots of books on tape. In high school, I had this pair of pale blue cowgirl boots with fringe on them... Oh they were cute! Then, the other day, I heard this song and started bawling like a baby. I know I'm hormonal, but this is ridiculous. I started thinking about all the really good days.. and there have been many and thought I might wear those boots again if I still had them.

When I was little, my parents were tight, but they did special things for us often and made so many days so fun... a celebration. My mom used to take me shopping in the city, just us sometimes and we would go to the fabric store and buy a piece of ribbon and maybe a little treat somewhere and then we would always pass by the temple and watch the brides come out and talk about how pretty they looked. My dad took all of the children to the park on Saturdays and pushed us in the swings really high.. almost every Saturday after the chores were finished and made us think it was his favorite part of the week.

I once picked raspberries with my Grandpa in his garden. I was really little and he tied a baby food jar around my waist with a leather cord. I was supposed to put the berries I picked into the jar, but almost none of the raspberries made it into my jar.. I ate them... all the raspberries I picked as we went down the row. My grandpa has always been a lot of fun. He ate lots of his too and we just laughed. I would love to have that afternoon again. Don't worry... I won't give you the whole history of my life here.

As I look at my two beautiful girls, there is almost no day that I wouldn't love to have back... maybe I could skip the night we took c to the Insta Care with double pneumonia... too scary. It's not that life has been perfect... there have been hard times and bad days, but there have been so many beautiful days too and I wish that I had recorded every one in a journal, or the perfect scrapbook. I didn't. But, the memories are there, not perfect, but there.

The other night C and I were looking at some photos of little c when she was a baby. C made the comment that I would have to excuse him if he started sobbing. I was just planning to join him. It's not that there are regrets... just a deep sense of gratitude for these little ones that we love so dearly and for all glorious days that are heaven's best gifts... for family and friends and for joy.

I've been so tired of all the bad news lately... It turns out that even in troubled times, there is much to be grateful for. Shine up yer boots.

Baby Nay Frida...

I love the color in this beautiful little outfit inspired by Frida Kahlo...

Yellow Roses...

These yellow rose boxes sold out of the shop a few weeks ago... but they are now back. I finished 4 this morning... one of which is now listed in The SHOP

Inside they read... "Give your hands to serve & your hearts to love... ~Mother Teresa"

Tea Kettle...

The first Christmas we were married, C gave me a larger size of this whistling tea kettle which sounds like a train. It still looks new and it's still one of my favorite Christmas gifts. Now Chantal has come out with some new fun designs like this 3 cup personal tea kettle. I think it's darling!

Baby Bonkie...

This is the most marvelous invention. Every new mom should have one. It keeps little babes from startling awake. Thanks Brynn!