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.