Cupcake Sophistication

I, like many of you I'm sure, have noticed the resurgence of an age-old confection...the Cupcake (that was my best Alton Brown impersonation!) Anyway, I've noticed that cupcakes were once looked down upon as too much work for just a bite-sized morsel of sweet goodness, but now it has become a chic business empire to say the least (OK, a bit more Alton...)

Since we live in such a small town, we generally go to Orem (about 25 min away) to see movies, shop or to eat out. I have noticed several times a cute little shop by the theater we usually go to that has been calling my name for several months now.

It's called "Cupcake Chic". I love their definition of what a cupcake really is: "A Stylish Individual Cake with Good Taste". Cupcake sophistication has arrived!

I finally ventured in and the sweet aromas of pure decadence permeated the air putting me into a deliciously euphoric state. It was almost too much! These precious little gems of goodness were each calling my name and the torturous task of "choosing" became almost impossible. I was completely thrown back to my childhood where one of my biggest dilemmas was my lack of ability to "decide" so my mother usually made such decisions for me...but my mother was no where to be found and I had to make a choice. Here is the list I had to choose from...it was almost impossible, but after several heart-wrenching minutes of having to eliminate possible candidates, I ended up buying 4 regular sized cupcakes and 2 mini's for my 2 *Littles* who were with me. The flavors I bought were: Dark Chocolate w/Buttercream Frosting, Red Velvet w/Cream Cheese Frosting, Cinnamon Sugar w/Buttercream Frosting & Pumpkin w/Cream Cheese Frosting. (I got the girls Vanilla w/Strawberry Frosting.)

OK, they were good, but for $2.50 per cupcake, they weren't great. I will say that hands down, the Pumpkin was the best. I knew I could do better so I came home and created a recipe that ended up being SO GOOD!! These are incredibly moist...

If you're interested, here's the recipe:

Pumpkin Cupcakes

3 Sticks Butter, softened
1 C. packed Brown Sugar (I used my very own homemade!!)
1 1/2 C. Sugar
4 Eggs
1 Can Pumpkin (29 oz)
3 C. Flour
2 Tbs. Cinnamon
1 tsp. Ground Cloves
1 tsp. Ginger
1/4 tsp. Salt
1 1/2 tsp.Baking Powder
1 tsp. Baking Soda

Just mix it all up and fill cups 3/4 full... Bake @ 350 degrees for 20-22 min.

Then I made a Cream Cheese Frosting:

2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup butter, softened
2 cups sifted confectioners' sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

(My frosting came out a little soft...personally, I would keep the Cream Cheese firm). I made these with one of my *Littles* and she frosted them...Aren't they beautiful?? Not too bad for a 3 year old;)

Mine didn't turn out as visually pleasing as the ones in the specialty store, but they were definitely better. So my friends, the lesson I learned from this delectable experience? Who cares what they look like...Cupcakes are not just for kids anymore...

Homemade Brown Sugar

Have you ever looked at the ingredients on your Brown Sugar bag/box? I never have until yesterday. It may surprise you to see that it simply says "Sugar, Molasses".

I saw that and thought to myself, "I can do this". I mean really, how hard can that be? So I started my internet quest on how to make this delicious confection and found a most simple recipe. Here it is:

1 C. Sugar (use more sugar to taste)
1T. Molasses (If you want Dark Brown Sugar, add 2 T. of Molasses)

That's it! Just put the sugar in a bowl and drizzle the molasses over the sugar. I used a fork in mixing the two together because you do need to be sure to get all of the little clumps blended.

 I did mix for about 3-5 minutes, but how easy is that? And guess what...it tastes great!!

So now when you're in a pinch and need that one last ingredient but don't want to have to run to the store, Voila! You can make your own!!

I don't know why that thrilled me...it just did...Enjoy!



Simple Prayers

My precious *Little* Alakina, is now 4 years old. She has been saying her prayers by herself for almost a year now and each and every time I hear one I can't help but giggle.

When she first started saying them on her own, she would begin each one by saying: "Jesus...to the flag..." It was so precious and innocent that after our giggles, we worked with her to begin her prayers by addressing the Lord as "Heavenly Father" and tried to help her omit the "to the flag" part. Now she begins her prayer with, "Heavenly Father ...to the flag..." and what's even cuter is that when she tries to help her little sister say her prayers, she instructs her to say the same thing!

Oh well, maybe we need to think more of our flag when we pray...after all, our country can always use the prayers!

The Sweetest Unconditional Love

A couple of days ago I went with Aja and 2 of her children to run some errands. As we were getting ready to leave, she fussed at her kids and even kind of "lost it" a bit...not a big deal, just typical frazzled mom kind of stuff. She made little Stella cry but quickly scooped her up in her arms and expressed great love, even remorse for snapping at her the way she did.

We left and she had to make a stop somewhere and run in to make a payment, I stayed in the car with my *Littles*. There was music playing softly in the car and Stella was singing along. Suddenly she saw her mommy walking back towards the car and she said to me in the sweetest little voice,"There's my sweet mommy!"

I was so touched at the way she said that! She had COMPLETELY forgiven and forgotten that just a few moments earlier, her mommy had snapped at her and made her sad...she expressed so much unconditional love and it melted my heart.

In that instant, an innocent 3 year old reminded me of the importance of moving forward and not dwelling on the past. She loves her mother and that, in and of itself, transcended anything else. It was a precious moment in time.

Why is it that we hold on? Why do we let pride and ego dominate our feelings thus ultimately causing us more grief in the long run? Anger and bitterness simply hurt US. I love the quote, "Anger is like swallowing poison and waiting for the other person to die." I have seen people destroy their own happiness by holding on and allowing their anger to turn to hate. It's tragic and so unnecessary.

I have really come to understand, through my *Littles*, why we have been told to "become as a little child". A precious 3 year old taught me one of the sweetest lessons through her perfect actions. I will always be thankful to her for that gentle reminder.

The Gift of Gratitude

I love this time of year, specifically this month of November where the attitude of gratitude seems to permeate the air. On Facebook, I have noticed that many of my friends post something they are thankful for each day as some sort of an homage to Thanksgiving. I read their posts and it reminds me of all that I have.

This is a wonderful time to be on earth! It's true that there is much wrong in the world, but there is also a lot that is good and much that we should all be thankful for. I immediately think of my parents who have had a 60 year marriage...no small fete. They have worked hard, loved each other, forgiven each other over and over and have loved their 4 kids. They set a great example for me and constantly inspire me to be better.

I see my sweet neighbor lady who lost her beloved a few years ago, take in her daughter, granddaughter and great grandchildren because the ravaged economy has left them without a place to live. In her "golden years", she is making sacrifices to help out, giving up her peaceful and tranquil existence for a life of certain chaos and confusion. But she does it because she loves her family.

I have friends who care about me...really care about my well-being and that of my daughter who lives by me. They pray for us and check on us often. I watch one of my *Littles* go to school everyday and see how her teacher has prepared a meaningful lesson for those precious pre-schoolers each time. She tries to really teach them the basics of reading, writing and arithmatic, but more importantly, she tries to teach them to become responsible citizens by learning simple manners and showing random acts of kindness.

The list goes on and on and on...

I love this quote... "When you walk with gratitude, you do not walk with arrogance and conceit and egotism, you walk with a spirit of Thanksgiving that is becoming to you and will bless your lives..." ~Gordon B. Hinckley

This has really inspired me to stop and reflect on the many, many things that I have to be grateful for. As my husband and I have experienced a major change in our life the past 6 months, in fact a complete 180 degree turn from where we thought we would be, I can't help but be grateful for all that has transpired! Has it been easy? Absolutely NOT! In fact, it has been one of the most difficult challenges in my life...but I am SO incredibly thankful that I gone through, and more importantly, survived this experience. We, as a couple, have become even closer, more humble and incredibly thankful for all of the tender mercies handed down to us from a loving God who has constantly watched over and protected us. My relationship with my Heavenly Father has become more intimate and precious. That, in and of itself, has made it all worth it.

In General Conference, Oct 2010, Pres. Thomas S. Monson said: "We can lift ourselves and others as well if we refuse to remain in the realm of negative thought and cultivate within our hearts an attitude of gratitude. If ingratitude be numbered among the serious sins, then gratitude takes its place among the noblest of virtues. Someone has said that 'gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all others.'"

Gratitude is indeed a gift! It frees us up to be more productive and to share ourselves with others.

So to all of my Facebook friends, I extend a huge and heartfelt "Thank You" for expressing your gratitude each day this month. It lifts me and compels me to focus on all that I have and not worry about all that I think I don't have! As Brad and I are now turning yet another corner and our future is looking very bright I pray that I will always have the spirit of gratitude with me. God bless us all...

Modern Technology

I am so amazed at all of the progress that has taken place in my lifetime. It seems like I was born as a Flintstone and now live as a Jetson!

Never in my wildest dreams did I ever think I would be able to communicate all around the world with a little machine that sat on my lap! I can't imagine my life without a microwave...and cell phones...?? I have lived 54 years and am so thankful to have grown up when I did.

As a child, we had 1 T.V.in the house, it was Black & White with only 3 stations...when we did get a colored T.V. everything looked like a cartoon, but we didn't care, it was in Living Color! It was a real treat to watch "The Wizard of Oz" which was shown ONCE a year; same with "The Sound of Music", "Mary Poppins" and, well just about any other movie...and Saturday mornings were my favorite for watching cartoons because we had no Cartoon Network or Disney Channel.

Then at midnight, this is what came on the screen and stayed there with a really annoying sound until about 6:00 or 7:00 AM...

 
My hubs tells a story of how he and his daughter were "fighting" over the T.V. remote several years ago. He said, "Natalie, when I was a kid we had to get up, walk over to the T.V. and turn the dial"...she looked at him with a very puzzled look and asked, "What's a DIAL?" My how times have changed!


I remember the old dial phones and when we FINALLY got a "push button" phone, we thought we were the coolest! There were 4 kids in our household and when the phone rang, we all raced to answer it because we had no idea who was on the other line. After all, if we missed the call, there was no voice mail and for a long time, no message machines..do you remember "busy signals"? I rarely hear them anymore. And if we needed anything, we dialed "0" and asked the operator...(do they still have operators?)

and if you had a pink "Princess" phone, you were pretty priviledged!

I remember taking a quarter, walking with my friend ALONE to the store about 1 mile away and coming home with a bag full of Penny Candy...and that was a treat. We had no 7/11's or other convenient type stores. We bought candy cigarettes and thought we were so cool when we pretended to smoke them (if you blew when they were in your mouth, a powder came out and it looked like smoke!)

And this is how we dried our hair:

and then we slept on these:

And they hurt!

We listened to music in the living room on REALLY BIG discs...AND, we had no headphones so whatever we listened to, everyone in the house heard! We had to be careful because vinyl records got scratched easily and if we wanted to create a "playlist", we stacked disc upon disc and set it to "auto". They came in 2 sizes; 33 1/3 (we called them LP's or Albums) and 45's....Actually, there were still 78's around when I was really small, but generally they were a thing of the past. (Walkman's came in my adult life...)

All right, you get the point...

I am always amazed at how much we take for granted the modern conveniences we all enjoy. I am guilty as charged! But I do remember the sweet times of my youth. The times when we woke up, went outside and played HARD until it was dark...we played childhood games, Hide-and-Go-Seek, Mother May I, Red Rover, and on and on and on...we had so much fun and none of it was in front of the Television! We played with our toys and used our imaginations all the time...it was a sweet time and I'm so thankful to have lived in that era. I watch my *Littles* and they want to play outside, but they have to have an adult with them at all times. It makes me sad.

Saturday, a cousin of mine contacted me on Facebook. I never really knew her very well as we always lived several states away from each other (her dad was my dad's step-brother and her grandmother was married to my grandfather.) I do remember meeting her on several occasions and her grandmother talked about she and her brother and sister all the time. So imagine my surprise when I get a message on Facebook from her! It was wonderful to reconnect with her and her family. It kind of makes me sad that we have spent so many years not knowing each other. She seems like such a lovely lady who has lived a good life. But now we have a second chance to stay in touch...All because of a little machine called a "laptop". Something that I get on every single day and use to keep in touch with the world!

I hope and pray that I never forget the simpler times in life when we had what we thought were the most modern conveniences...and they were, we had enought and it was good! Life was fun, happy and fulfilling. Now we have so much literally at our fingertips...I never want to take what I have for granted...Isn't modern technology a great blessing?

So today I am so very thankful for all of the conveniences of life. I think we tend to take them for granted and forget that there was a time, not so long ago, where none of them existed. What great blessings we all have!

And The Birthdays Continue...

This sweet little boy is 1 year old today!! It seems like just yesterday that we terrified that Aja wouldn't survive this labor. She had to deliver him in an Operating Room with Crash Carts standing by because the pregnancy put too much strain on her heart. No one was allowed in the room during the delivery (except her husband) because of the severity of the situation. She delivered him in less than 30 minutes from the time her labor began and she didn't see him  until much later that day. It was terrifying to say the least. Then the daily vigil began...we watched this precious new little angel fight for his life for 36 days in the hospital. He was a preemie with several life-threatening complications, but fight he did! He's a survivor and he's strong!

Now he is a C.H.U.N.K....he's super active, extremely loud, always happy, the wiggliest baby I have ever seen and absolutely wears me out...and I LOVE it!! It is so refreshing to see him grow into a healthy little boy after his rough start in life.

I adore this child! Everytime I walk into a room he flashes me the BIGGEST smile and when I walk out, he cries (not gonna lie...I love that!) His eyes light up and he melts my heart. He's rough and tough, busy and active and how his tiny little mommy lugs him around, I will never know!

I thank the Lord for this precious child everyday. He's a miracle. He defied all odds before he was even born! He's determined, tenacious, strong and tender. He's a gift from God and he's one of my 5 most precious *Littles*

Happy 1st Birthday, Tage! I LOVE you!!

Halloween

It's no secret that I am not a big fan of Halloween. Never have been, probably never will be. Having said that, I do love seeing my *Littles* get so excited for their big night. All 5 of them dressed up and were so adorable.

Starting from oldest to youngest:

Alakina was "Hannah Montana"...her love for performing just got the best of her!

Anthony was "Iron Man"...(look at that sweet face!)

Stella was "Alice in Wonderland"...she would NOT stand still for a good picture (too much sugar I guess)

Brooklyn was a Giraffe...

(had to show the back of the little giraffe!)

And sweet little Tage was a little "Monkey"...again, he would not let me get a good picture!

And another view...(sorry it's so blurry!)

Over all, each of my *:Littles* had SO much fun. The 3 in Utah got rained out but that didn't dampen their night...the ward did a "Trunk or Treat" that ended up inside the church. It was hectic and chaotic, but the kids loved it and scored way too much candy! They did hit a few houses in the neighborhood and were able to have a bit of a traditional Halloween.

The 2 *Littles* in Idaho ended up going trick-or-treating in their neighborhood with some of their friends and had a great time. It didn't take very long for them to "get with the program" and figure out how to snag the best of the sweets!

We didn't have ANY trick-or-treaters show up at our house except for the 3 most precious kids in Midway (my *Littles*)...and that was OK with me! We called it an early night and watched the World Series!

Now it's over (Whew!) and we're moving on to the next holiday...Thanksgiving! It's a great time of year and I am so happy to take advantage of the opportunity to remember ALL that I am blessed with and so thankful for...

Happy 82nd Birthday, Dad!

This past Saturday was my sweet daddy's 82nd birthday. I must preface this post by saying that I am COMPLETELY shocked that he has lived 82 years!

When my dad was 52, he suffered a major heart attack and the doctors were amazed that he survived it. Since that fateful day, he has progressively gone downhill with his health and has lived a life full of many sufferings and health problems. My mother, brothers, sister and I were certain that he would never live to see the age of 60 let alone 82!! It has been most difficult to watch him decline, but many great blessings have come to our family through all of these trials.

My dad was a VERY energetic, hard-working A-type personality. I have mentioned before that he worked for Capitol Records in the famous round Capitol Records Tower (you've all seen it, it's destroyed in every disaster movie set in LA!) He has worked with all of the greats. He has many famous friends and relates some of the most interesting stories about these icons in the entertainment industry. But he doesn't brag or name drop because what is really great is that his job was not what defined him.

My dad has always been a Christian, church-going man. He has always had strong moral values, high integrity and unwavering commitment to his Heavenly Father. He has worked very hard to instill that in all of his children and I, for one, have always known that his family was his #1 priority. I remember so many times sitting and just talking with my dad. He always has the best counsel and always shows so much care and concern for what is happening in my life.

I have always been very proud of my daddy. He has a sense of humor that is unmeasured and makes evveryone around him laugh, even in his darkest moments...at the hospital when he broke his back, he had the doctors and nurses in hysterics as he was writhing in pain. I really believe that his ability to see humor in pretty much everything is what has sustained him all of these years.

I adore my father! I love and appreciate him in ways that I may never have seen had he left this earth some 30 years ago. He and my mother have been married 6o years and we have always known that his love for her is beyond reach! He has set a wonderful example of unconditional love, not only for my mother, but for all of us and our children. He's not perfect, but he is a good man and I am honored to be his daughter.

So Saturday, Brad and I drove down to SLC to visit him at his house. He was terribly weak and frail. My mother didn't know what to do for his birthday but decided to order Crab dinners from Red Lobster for each of us because my dad ADORES crab! He will eat it until he's about to bust! Mom and I picked it up and brought it home. He got out of bed and Brad helped him get to the table (he hasn't been out of bed for a few days, so this was huge) and he sat there and ate for almost 45 minutes. I watched as his frail, arthritic hands struggled with cracking open the legs and decided to go to work opening as many as I possibly could. It was a lot of work, but I got all of the meat out and he was in heaven!

The whole experience really showed me how precious "time" is. My dad didn't want (or need) any gifts. He values whatever time he has left and made our day a little brighter with his sweet charm and keen wit. I will always remember this birthday of his. WE were the ones who were given the greatest gift that day...I love you dad and will always treasure each and every memory that I have of you. You are the greatest!!

A Princess Party to Remember

Stella had her birthday party last Thursday. Since she's all about princesses (Cinderella is her favorite for the moment) Aja decided to hire this adorable gal who comes as a Princess. The kids began arriving around 3:00 and Princess Amerah arrived at exactly 3:30. It was perfect! Most of the girls had on princess dresses (Stella HAD to leave her socks and shirt on...silly girl) and the level of squeals and jumping up and down sky rocketed as she walked in the door!

She took over for an hour of the party. She presented Stella with a very nice hard-bound book about "Princess Amerah", read the story to the kids, sang a few songs and even danced with the kids. It was pretty cute and the girls were enamored with the entire experience...the boys?? Well, they were troopers and some participated. A few were pretty reluctant and just sat and listened. At the end of her time there, she presented the girls with foam princess tiaras and the boys with foam pirate hats. Then she handed out stick on foam cut-outs for them to decorate their tiaras/hats with.

Aja's friend, Bonnie, made the cake and cupcakes. They were not only adorable, but they actually tasted really great! Stella got lots of great gifts (mostly of the princess theme) and she was so gracious and thanked everyone.

Stella loved every minute of it! She was in heaven to have a "real" princess come to her house for her birthday party.

After everyone left, the house was a mess, the kids were tired and cranky, but it was well worth every penny spent for a party that these kids girls will always remember!