I love Valentine’s Day. A few years ago we (and by we, I mean me) gave up on the traditional romantic/prove how much you love me by getting me a gift/aka: sure-to-fail-expectations holiday and made it a family thing. We have a fancy dinner with sparkling cider, a dressed up table and dessert with the girls. I like to place a pretty little gift on everyone’s plate for this event. Nothing extravagant or expensive, just a little necklace or bracelet for the girls and maybe a bore snake or some ammo for Mike (because he is very romantic like that.) Last year, I made these crackers (as in English Christmas Crackers) to house a few treats and a necklace for the girls. A matchbox car would fit perfectly in there. Whatever you place in them, they will definitely add to the festive spirit of your dinner. You can order snaps for less than $5 to put in them and give them an authentic pop or just keep it simple and still delight little hands.

materials:

toilet paper tube
wrapping or tissue paper
ribbon or string
confetti
some sort of prize or treat
tape
scissors
paper to wrap around tube (if desired)

directions:

1. (Here you need to choose if you want the cracker to break apart-use tissue paper if so, or to be a little more study. In which case, the tube will be solid and the end will pull off-you can use either wrapping paper or tissue paper here.) If making a tube that will break apart, cut the toilet paper tube in half. If you want it solid, you might still want to trim it down (because generally speaking, smaller is cuter…and needs less filling.)

2. Measure just enough wrapping/tissue paper to cover the tube and wrap it around.

3. Tie one end with ribbon or string and place goodies inside. If you are using a snap, secure it into place with minimal tape. Then tie the other end closed.

4. If desired, cut a length of paper to wrap around the tube–this is just decorative. Write the recipients name on it if you like and place it at the table.

Hope you guys have a fun hearts day. What are your fun traditions?

Remember me? Although I do miss my bloggy friends; my house has quite a bit cleaner since I made this resolution. So yay for that. I actually do feel a little more balanced and ready to post a few things. Which is great since Valentine’s is one of my favorite holidays. Not because I am a romantic, but because we just make it a fun day for our whole family. More on that next week. In the meantime, I made these rolls from Craftykin the other night and had to share. They only took about a half hour from bowl to table and were so good. They are a little more dense than the usual yeast roll and have such a nice buttery flavor. (Um, I am sure the brushing with butter half way through baking helped with that; so “be bothered” as she so cutely put it.) They are the perfect go-to “I’d like to have rolls but don’t have a few hours to rise them in” rolls.

quick bread, buns or pizza base

(from Craftykin)

2 ½ C warm water
6 Tbsp sugar
3 Tbsp yeast
2 Tbsp oil
6 C flour (can use white or wholemeal)
2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder

Stir water, yeast, sugar and oil together. Leave for 5 minutes until it becomes frothy on top. Add flour, salt and baking powder. Mix well. Knead. Roll out if making a pizza base or shape for use as buns / bread / loaf. Paint with oil or milk (if you can be bothered). Bake at 200 degrees C for 10-15 minutes.

I think my life has gotten exponentially more crazy with each child. As I think about 2010; it feels like watching it flyby while perched on the edge of a merry-go-round. Not holding onto to the bar. Or the edge. And starting to feel a teeny bit sick. Okay, maybe not quite that bad, but just about. Last year, I made some great goals. This year, I am going to cut out a few things so that I can better keep those goals. (That’s right. I am admitting that I didn’t succeed very well.) This year I will:

Be a more sane mommy, breath and keep my temper in check better, be more understanding of the girls’ perspectives, keep my home in better order, be fun.

Take control of my health/weight/tiredness. I am going to do this with measurable objectives (that you don’t really want/need to hear about).

Scrapbook for the girls.

Send meaningful birthday cards to my family (maybe friends next year??) and thank you notes.

One major clean-out item in doing this is cutting back on blogging. Last night Emily kept begging me to take a picture of her baked potato that she had sculpted into a sundae. I realized that my photo folder is probably half full of pictures of food. I don’t want my kids to think it that you are supposed to take pictures of dinner before you eat it. There are a lot of stellar food blogs out there. I don’t need to post recipes.

I will still post projects and holiday crafts, but I will be posting no more than once a week. I know, no one is crying into their keboards about this; but I needed to put it out there to help motivate me to stick with it. I sure do love to read the many great blogs out there and share on my own, but I need to better focus where I spend my time. I was hit hard by another mom in my Relief Society who said that she is looking for places to cut back so that she can spend her time doing what is really important–teaching her children. She said this season in her life isn’t about her, it is about them. I have been thinking a lot about this and looking for areas that I can work on this week. So far I am noticing a difference.

I have been having some fun too. If you made this far, I will share one of the little projects I did over Christmas –a mobile to hang over Amanda’s crib, I love how it turned out. It is so airy and whimsical. I painted 4 branches and lashed them to form a frame, then strung wire from side to side (about an inch apart). Then used fishing line to string paper and vellum butterflies to the lines.

So what are your goals for 2011? How are you guys coming with your resolutions so far?

We all want to teach our kids to be grateful and the gift extravaganza of this last week is the perfect opportunity. Head on over to Today’s Mama, where I am sharing some tips for making homemade thank you notes with your kids (no matter what age they are).

Last Thursday we headed over to This Is The Place Heritage Park to rock Christmas old school (thanks to the nice folks at Today’s Mama, who offered us tickets.) I wasn’t sure what to expect or how much my little and often impatient girls would like it (our visit to Temple Square was very brief); but we had a fantastic time. They were dissapointed when the park closed and they couldn’t have one more train ride. (Which they loved even though, as Megan informed us, it wasn’t a real train because it doesn’t run on a track.) Other highlights included meeting Father Christmas and getting an up close look at real reindeer as well as a stroll through Elf Village.

It is fun to walk around the grounds, then slip into one of the houses to warm up and do a period craft or activity. The girls and I learned Georgian/Victorian dances like the Viginia Reel and Pat-a-Cake Polka. I think they would have stayed in this house all night. We loved it.

My favorite part was the live nativity. It was so beautiful. A Wiseman guided us down the path to the stable then we saw the shepheards (who had real sheep and the sweetest little goat that we got to pet). The only thing that would have made it better was if they had told their story. (Maybe that would have gotten old for them though.) All in all, very cool activity. We got there at 7:00 and I really wished that we would have made it there right at 6:00 so we had more time. Their Candlelight Christmas runs until the 30th, I recommend that you go, and go early enough to do lots of the fun stuff.

I also wanted to post about Temple Square. It is dazzling and beyond the millions of fairy lights twinkling fron tree branches, there are dozens of beautiful nativities–which I love. You can’t beat the reverent feeling of gazing over the reflecting pool at a life-size Mary and Joseph or wandering among the large nativity sets from around the world. However, our pictures have mysteriously disappeared. So I guess I will just say go see it. We only stayed for about a half hour (including a painful tantrum in the bathroom of the visitor’s center.) We were pretty stressed by the time we left, but it definitely is worth it and I think it will be more enjoyable once the girls get a bit older. What are your Christmas must-see destinations? Do you still do Christmas up until New Years or are you ready to take down the tree?

I feel like I took quite the little vacation there. But I needed it; now that I am caught up with the real life stuff (um, Christmas anybody??) I am feeling a lot more in control. I think I am ready for the big day; how about you guys? Ho Ho Oh No stress or just tying the bows up at this point? I am glad I still have a couple more gifts up my sleeve though. It has been so much fun to do these giveaways.

I have to say that when I saw this hammer in person I liked it even more. It is so petite and cute (and our lucky winner is getting a blue one with daisies on it-which I think is way cuter than the one on Amazon’s picture). Now I am cursing myself for not ordering one of these for me too! Next Amazon order (and you know it will happen eventually).  So, onto our winner:

#8: Emily Larsen:

I’ve used an x-acto knife for just about anything. I keep one in my purse at all times, and you never know when it might come in handy. It’s great for screws and, of course, cutting things, and you can get the pointy end in the smallest holes and cracks. It’s a little dangerous, though, and I’ve got the scars to prove it. Maybe that cute hammer would fit in my purse too?

I think this was my favorite question. Your comments made me laugh (and usually I can relate). Emily, I am right there with you. My x-acto knives get a lot of love from me.  And actually the hammer will fit in your purse. See:

Granted, my purse is definitely big; but doesn’t it look happy there? Emily, please email me your address so I can get it out to you and stop thinking about keeping it for myself. : D Congrats!

I have to say, I really wanted to pick everyone. But Random.org has spoken and the winner is:

#10 Kristine:

I couldn’t remember so I had to go through photo albums and check. Our last official family (with no extended family) picture…taken by a person who is an actual photographer…was 1999. Even then, it was taken in the Target Photo Studio, probably by some teenager. We have had gracious family, friends and neighbors take pretty decent pics since then, but we haven’t had a “photographer” take our picture in 11 years. Last Christmas we tried to do it ourselves. Not so great…glare off of the fire place, bad…self timer shot…bad. Anyway, I think we are due!

I think she deserves it! 11 years is a long time to go! Although I know she has had some really qualified stand-ins. Congrats Kristine. I will forward your email to Stephanie and she will give you instructions on how to redeem.

You can still enter to win:
pyrex batter bowl
6 in 1 hammer/screwdriver set

This is a fun one! I love to make these for friends; the votives look so beautiful lit up. You can make them simple and sweet or over-the-top intricate and stunning. Either way, just a little tissue paper and a glass candle holder or even 1/2 pint jar will transform into a great gift. So head over to Today’s Mama and make one or three today!