the 10 minute tie + a few simple easter projects

I am not at all a fan of how commercialized holidays are.....from the aisles of the store to blogland itself--it's a little out of control, don't you think? We keep it very simple around here.....so simple that I just realized today that it is only a few days until Easter, and maybe I should find something Easter-y for my kids to wear to church Easter Sunday.

Enter the 10-minute tie.

My boy loves to wear ties--he feels so big, and when I can whip them up in a few minutes--he can wear them all he wants.

There are lots of really cute tie tutorials and patterns floating around the www right now, which is awesome if you sew, cut straight, and are good at following patterns.....but I terrible at all of those things.

So this one is easy because you start out with an old tie--like one of your husband's old ties that he hasn't worn in years, yet still has hanging in his closet for some reason. We've also found some great vintage ties at the thrift store with some really fun patterns for little boys--it's fun to see what you can find.

What you need:

old tie (we are using one of Robby's old ties today.....it is EIGHT years old!)

scissors

needle

thread

adorable boy who loves to wear ties

1. Tie the tie onto your boy to figure out how long you will want the finished product to be.

2. Cut across.

3. Fold the ends of the tie up in the back to form a point. You may have to do a little more trimming here--all ties are different--some are 100% fabric, and some have liners inside that you may have to reach in and trim a bit. Either way--super easy.

4. Sew the ends up, being carful no to take the needle through the front layer of the tie.

Does it look awesome in the back?? NO! I told you I am not a seamstress. But was it a cheap/free tie, and no one will ever see the back? oh yes.

5. Place tie on boy.

6. Feel really good about yourself.

that's that.

We've been adding tulips and daffodils around the house, as well as fancy schmancy maple blossoms. What are maple blossoms you ask? Why, they are the branches cut of our maple tree while they are blossoming into leaves. I love them because not only do they add lots of color, a honey-ish smell, and general "springyness" to the room, they also continue to transform even after they are cut--so it's a good way to teach your kids about how leaves are born, if you are nerdy like me.

and a few things we pulled out from last year....

Super easy Easter baskets we made (tutorial here)

And this pompom garland that I hung up again (tutorial from last year here)

And just to keep the real reason of Easter in mind.....

happy day!

chocolate and coconut milk cake + my dorky debut

A few months ago I posted a recipe for chocolate cake made with coconut milk, and to my surprise was contacted by KSL Studio 5 (our local morning show) to make the cake on air.

gulp.

Yesterday was the big day and I had so much fun! I loved seeing behind the scenes of a tv show--how everything works and how tv magic is made.

Chocolate and Coconut Milk Cake

2 ounces semisweet chocolate

3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

3/4 cup boiling water

6 TBS butter, melted

1 1/2 cups sugar

2 large eggs

1 cup coconut milk

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

toasted coconut (for topping, optional)

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Line bottom of 9" pan with round of parchment paper, butter paper, and sides of pan.

Finely chop chocolate and in a bowl combine with hot water and cocoa powder. Let mixture stand, stirring occasionally, until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth.

In a bowl add flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. In another large bowl with an electric mixer beat butter and sugar until combined. Add eggs (adding one at a time) until thickened slightly and light colored (about 3 minutes). Slowly add coconut milk, and melted chocolate mixture, beating until combined well. Add flour mixture and beat on medium speed until just combined.

Pour batter into pan, and bake in middle of oven until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, 25-30 minutes.

Cool cake completely before frosting.

Chocolate Coconut Buttercream

3/4 cup butter

2/3 cup cocoa powder

3 cups powdered sugar

1/2c-3/4 cup coconut milk,

1/2 tsp - 1tsp pure coconut extract

Beat butter, cocoa, powdered sugar, and coconut extract, and add coconut milk a little at a time until you reach a consistency you like.

Top with coconut flakes (I like unsweetened because the frosting is so sweet), and toast it for a few minutes at 450° if you like.

enjoy!

....and here is the segment from yesterday:

note: I am kind of a dork

note: I need a hair net

note: I had so many emails yesterday asking about my nail color--haha it's OPI "Hot & Spicy"

Video Courtesy of KSL.com

strawberry leather

Strawberry Leather

(see apricot here)

this is the easiest "recipe" I could ever share. 

1. Purchase strawberries.

2. Feel sorry for yourself that you no longer live in California, minutes from a strawberry stand, where you are convinced sells the world's best strawberries.

(step 2 is optional)

3. Wash berries

4. Hull and half berries.

5. "measure". You don't need to measure at all--I just did this for he purpose of telling you how much I used (about 5 cups). But use however many you have. 

5 cups of strawberries = about a pan and a half of fruit leather.

6. Cook on low heat for about 15 minutes. Give them a few good mashes so the juices come out. 

Add a bit of honey (few TBS) if you're not using those amazing strawberry-stand berries.

7. Puree.

8. Pour and spread onto a parchment lined baking sheet.

9. Put in the oven at 150° for 6-8 hours, until leather peels away easily from parchment.

10. Using kitchen scissors, cut into rectangles, and roll them up. (you can even leave them on the parchment and roll them) 

11. Or just eat them right away.

enjoy!

over the weekend.....

....flowers were admired, smelled, cut, and dispersed around the house

....grass was rolled on, sat on, read on, mowed, cartwheeled on, and handstanded on.

....lettuce, beet, and radish sprouts did what they do best.....more sprouting

....my legs carried me up 1800 feet. they are still crying. 

....as are Charly's (at least she has 4 to spread out the work)

....some Five Guys Burgers and Fries were devoured (see #4)

....as was icecream

....there was a date with my favorite Lauren

....the sidewalk was walked on barefooted, drawn on, and hop-scotched on

....knees were skinned, bruised, and grass stained (all in good fun)

....cheeks were kissed with sun

....bed times were thrown out and sleepy heads slept in

question of the day:
what does the Easter Bunny bring to your house?
last year he brought us tiny pots off jelly beans and seeds to plant.
you?

this very minute....

.....it is bright and sunshiny.

.....my lettuce seeds are sprouting (hooray!)

.....I have strawberries in my kitchen.

.....I hear a lawnmower.

.....I also hear Schuyler Fisk singing. From my ipod, not in my house.

.....I'm excited for a long afternoon run in the sun.

.....there is a fly buzzing my head (I didn't say these were all pleasant things).

.....I'm craving pizza.....or sushi (it's way too early for either).

.....I'm calling it weekend. riiiiiiiiight now.

what about you?

happy weekend!

a lesson learned

summer 2010. just because.

Over lunch today, we talked.

The boy and I.

Out of the blue he asked (very seriously),

when we could go to the North Pole.

I laughed. 

"WHY??? It's so cold!"

"But we wouldn't stay there forever, 

I just want to see it."

"Well bud......there's not really a lot to see at the North Pole. 

Not very many people go there--it's hard to get there and it would take a long time."

"I knew you would say it would take a long time! 

So I thought we would just have to take a rocket ship, and then we could get there fast."

In his beautiful little mind, there was no reason not to take a family trip to the North Pole.

Why not?

It was a corner of the Earth that he wanted to explore,

and there was no excuse good enough to keep him from doing it. 

And how lucky am I that he wanted me there too. 

I wanted to freeze that thought, so I could jump in to it at any given moment. 

Just like they jump into Burt's chalk drawings in Mary Poppins.

I wanted to be little, with no limits, fears, budgets or excuses.

No reasons not to do things--just a list of things to do.

In one tiny conversation over lunch,

my little boy taught me a wonderful lesson.

I have too many reasons, fears, and excuses filling up my adult mind.

Maybe he can go to the North Pole someday--who am I to say he can't.

Maybe I have more to see and do than I ever thought possible. 

I can't wait to find out. 

After we talked about the North Pole--

what we would see and eat (it was decided that we would eat cookies from Santa's house),

I asked him if he had a second place that he would really like to visit. 

"San Diego.

orrrrrr..........

Venus."

why not.

attack of the snack

....an apple a day...

Let's talk about snacks. 

I am a big fan. Especially when I'm training for something I am aaaaaaallllways hungry. 

And of course, children are hungry all hours of the day.

For me, pre-baby snacking was never really something I put thought into--I was usually too busy to find something to eat, or I just ate whatever I could quickly find. 

But when you are a new mom, with a new baby, that soon turns in to a wee person who needs snacks all day, it's easy to look to the center aisles of the grocery store for anything labeled "snack". Packaged perfectly in portions for pint sized little hands. (sometimes I cannot resist a little alliteration in my life). You are bombarded with coupons and advertisements for snacks, and since their packagages boast something about kids, or toddlers, or fortified with something amazing for your growing child, you quickly grab it off the shelf.

Let me tell you a secret. Kids don't need any kind of special "kid" snacks.....they can eat the same thing YOU are eating. Really! For the most part anything labeled with the word "snack" in the store is probably not that good for you, your child, your great aunt, or anyone else you may be feeding.

So rather than wasting your money, and filling your body with packages loaded with "fortified" (note: I have an upcoming post planned on why the word fortified drives me crazy, and misleading package labels) empty calories, 

here are a few of our favorite snacks.

fruit. easy as that. this time of year there are new choices coming into season every few weeks! Grab something new and try it out for a healthy snack.

vegetables. plant a small garden to get your kids excited about eating their veggies 

(check out this post, as well as all the comments, for ideas on how to get your kids to try new things)

hummus + veggies/crackers/pita chips

peanut butter + banana

pb+apple

pb+carrots

pb+celery

nuttella + .........anything

cheese and crackers (this is a favorite of ours, and the possible combinations are endless!)

"trail mix" (whatever nuts+dried fruit you have on hand + a few chocolate chips) here we have almonds+dried cranberries+chocolate chips

almonds

dried fruit

our homemade larabars (here and here)

yogurt.
smoothie.

homemade popcorn (the EASIEST) snack you could make. Buy some popcorn kernels and follow the instructions on the label. I'll blog it next time we have it, but it's super easy to figure out, promise.

And when you're running around and need snacks on the go:

-string cheese

-I love a lot of Annie's products (the bunny crackers are our favorite)

-Barbara's products

-Odwalla Bars

-fruit leather (we get a big box at Costco....I'm unsure of the brand right now but they are tasty and have no added sugar)

Here's a quick dish that can be eaten as a snack, an easy side dish, or.....both. It is so simple and tasty, and there are excactly 1000 different ways to do it.

Roasted Broccoli

Toss broccoli pieces with a few drizzles of olive oil until coated, and sprinkle with a bit of salt.

Spread onto a baking sheet, and roast at 450° for 30-45 minutes.

Add a few squeezes of lemon and enjoy.

other options:

-mince a garlic clove or two and toss with the broccoli

-add crushed red chili flakes

-add cauliflower to the mix

-toss with your favorite italian dressing or vinaigrette

-top with parmesan cheese

yum.

If you're are reading this saying "but my kids only like fruit snacks", let me say this.

Just don't buy them.

If I handed my kids a box of fruit snacks right now, I would bet you a bazillion dollars that they would eat the entire box. They would--what kid doesn't like fruit snacks? So I just don't buy them. Between school and friends' houses, I'm certain they will not be fruit snack deprived.

Instead we buy different kinds of dried fruit (dried mangos, cherries, blueberries, apricots.....anything. Bulk sections are great!), that they think is a huge treat. Yes most have added sugar, but this is a much better option than fruit snacks. Because really, what are those?

Maybe your kids love Gogurt. 

Just buy real yogurt--plain or vanilla, and let them choose what fruit to mix in. This cuts the sugar way down (especially if you use plain yogurt), and real fruit beats out artificial fruit flavoring any day.

So let's play a little game. I will try my best to help you out if you have something you or your kids love, but want to switch out for a better, healthier option--I'll tell you what I would switch it out with.....I'll leave my suggestions in the comments.

Your challenge this week is to try a new snack--make something easy like popcorn or trailmix, or swap out one of your favorites for a better option.

And I would love to hear YOUR favorite snacks!

happy snacking.

to whom it may concern,

Dear Spring, are you, or aren't you? Stop confusing me. Spring rain, I get it. Spring snow, maybe--as long as it melts quickly. But all day long snow storms? No. That is not the spring I know and love. Please get yourself together or we are through, and I will fill my daydreams with thoughts of my summer love.

Dear Children, I am sorry that sometimes when daddy is gone I don't feel like cooking. I know that

peanut butter toast + banana + steamed broccoli + a piece of cheese is kind of a funny dinner.

Dear Icecream Man, it's 50°. If your $5 icecream bars out of your creepy van don't tempt me when it's 90°, I certainly won't be buying one today.

Dear 100s of Seeds that I'm afraid I killed....I am SORRY! Please don't be angry, and promise me you'll sprout soon. I had no idea it was going to snow soooooooo much. I know you can survive light frosts, but please don't die on me. oh please.

Dear My Children's Pants/Shirts/Shoes/Socks, why do you always end up on the table/counter?

Dear children, please keep your pants on.

Dear  It's Kind of a Funny Story, where did you come from? I had never heard of you until you popped up on the Netflix front page. What an excellent movie you were! Thank you.

Dear Our Giant Tree, I am so excited that you are finally budding, and will soon be bearing leaves to shade us from the scorching summer sun.

Dear Scorching Summer Sun, 

our giant tree is budding, you can come out now.

Dear Handful of Chocolate Chips + Almonds, bless you.

Dear mustard, gold, copper, bronze, baby poo, and cat vomit, you are my favorite colors right now. What is wrong with me?

Dear Boy, thank you for drawing me so accurately, with 1 foot of hair.

exibit A

exhibit B

Dear People who are looking at the houses for sale in our neighborhood, please be awesome people.

Dear people with stinky feet in yoga, why do you always stand by me?

Dear Laundry Room, I'm sorry for constantly throwing things in/on/around you and quickly closing the door. I suppose it's time I put a little more effort in to you.

Dear Friends, I am compiling a list of classic must watch movies.....there are some really big titles I have failed to watch in my lifetime. (Star Wars (gasp!), Steel Magnolia, Citizen Kane, etc, etc).
Please feel free to add your must watch and classic movies to my list if you like.

sincerely yours/your friend/much thanks/lovingly,
sheena.

jedi training party

So. 

You have a six year old (you are old).

He loves Star Wars. 

LOVES Star Wars. 

So of course, he wants a Star Wars birthday party with all his friends. 

What do you do?

You let him plan it!!

This party ended up being really easy to do--easy AND inexpensive--my favorite things. 

Ask your little guy for ideas, and he'll come up with some crazy stuff. Together you can use your imaginations and come up with a simple fun plan.

What you need:

1) a second location. Since our first location was the park, and it was SNOWING!! 

I was SOOOOO thankful we could use our church gym last minute.

2) Rowdy children

3) lightsabers! pool noodles cut in half (I used black and sliver tape on the ends for a "handle", but you don't have to). This way they can beat each other silly and no one will get hurt.

4)A Jedi training course. Balloons, streamers, tables, chairs, slides, swings--any kind of obstacle you can think up!

5) Star Wars Music.....because that makes it official.

note: no need for extra decorations or anything fancy..... boys don't care! don't give yourself the extra work.

After everyone had completed the course, we all lined up for a Darth Vader pinata (found on Amazon).

Star Wars Cupcakes. 

Easiest thing I've ever done (and maybe the ugliest/most disturbing), but I have never seen kids so excited. 

The boy even liked them more than last years R2D2 cake.

I printed out Star Wars character heads onto cardstock, cut them out (creepy I know) and glued them to toothpicks (even creepier.) Did a quick frosting job on the cupcakes, stuck them in and VWALLA! Instant hit. 

Lesson learned: ALWAYS HAVE A CAKE MIX ON HAND. Why oh why did I waste my time making homemade cupcakes for little boys who lick the (mint buttercream) frosting off so they can hurry and go play??? crazy.

Lesson #2 learned: Let dad get in on the action. This was never part of "The Plan" that they boy and I had come up with....he had no idea, and was so surprised!

 Robby called me the day before the party and told me he found a costume to rent... 

He came running into the gym after cake, presents, and lots of lightsaber battles and it was terrifying! I thought he looked so scary--but the boys didn't even think twice. 

They all jumped right up and chased him around the gym.

NOTE: If Darth Vader chooses to make an appearance at your party, may I suggest you have him come let's say, five or so minutes before the party ends. Darth Vader can lay down and pretend to die, but the newly trained Jedi will not care--they will continue to beat him. 

and beat him. 

and beat him. 

He can try to run away, but these are little boys, who never tire. 

Make sure Darth Vader knows what he is getting himself in to.

happy birthday boy.

the end.

goings on....

This week has been crazy. How is it Friday? Is it Friday?

I have a six year old. What?

In case you missed it....I am photographing a cookbook!! It's true! Whitney has recently given birth to a new blog where she will keep you updated here and there about progress, behind the scenes hot juicy gossip, and maybe a photo of me breaking her table.
We are hard at work (mostly her, and I show up from time to time) preparing and shooting gobs of delicious photos for your eyes to devour.
It's fun.

from said cookbook shoot.

I've hardly cooked a thing this week--we've been scavengers around here. A tortilla filled with a little of this and that, and a peanut butter sandwich made in a hurry....that's about it.

I did make this soup (it's freezing again!). This is another one of my dump-what-you-have-in-the-fridge "recipes" but feel free to make it if you dare.

Chicken Tortilla Soup

-onion

-roasted peppers

-garlic

-diced tomatoes

-black beans

-strips of corn tortilla (note: if you add these at the beginning of cooking, they will cook into your soup and give it more of a chili consistancy. If you want them to remain in tact, add them 15 minutes or so before you are ready to serve.)

-a chicken breast or two
-chicken broth

-chipotle flakes

-cumin

-s&p

top with cilantro, avocado, and sour cream.

***

I have found a new love for watching movies with my kids, and I highly recommend it. Don't have kids? Borrow some. It is so fun to see what they find funny--and you'll start to see the world differently too. We've recently watched Tangled, Despicable Me, and Megamind.
See, this rain/hail/snow is good for something.

I'm feasting on the words of Markus Zusak--reading The Book Thief. All books should be written like this--it is a delight to read, and I don't use the word delight very often....I take that word very seriously.....

I signed up for this crazy trail race (only the 1/2, thankfully), and am slightly panicked that I might die. (possible causes of death may include, but are not limited to: exhaustion, starvation, dehydration, falling off a cliff, getting eaten by a bear, freezing to death, overheating, loss of limbs, etc.
Anyone care to join me?

The weekend will be filled with birthday party cupcakes and crazy little boys wielding light sabers.
And then I will take a giant nap.
Because I am exciting like that.


happy weekend!

hootenannies!

This weekend was a favorite. 

On Friday we enjoyed 70° with bike riding and sun kissed noses.....but it quickly turned. 

The winds blew and blew and blew until they blew us back to winter, and heavy wet snow. 

It snowed. And snowed. 

And snowed. 

All day--it was humorous, really--didn't it know it's spring? 

But we spent our time by the fire coloring, playing with legos, and listening to our church leaders speak for our General Conference.

It was perfect. 

We had our favorite breakfast....which I think most people call German Pancakes (are these german pancakes?) but they are called Hootenannies around here, because that is waaay more fun to say!

They are easy and quick to make, and disappear just as fast.

Hootenannies 

(I can't help but feel that word needs an exclamation point)

this recipe feeds my family of 4

9 eggs

1 1/2 cup flour (I used whole wheat pastry flour)

1 1/2 cup milk

1/2 tsp salt

Add ingredients to blender and let-er-rip, until well blended.

In an oven pre-heated to 425°, melt 2TBS butter in a 9x13 pan

When butter covers pan, add mixture and bake for 20 minutes. 

Your hootenannies! will rise up and reach for the top of the oven....so put them on the bottom rack.

You can serve them with anything you like really--they are fantastic with just maple syrup. 

We love them with berries and homemade whipped cream

(whipping cream + a bit of powdered sugar + a few drops of orange extract  + beaters = whip cream)

enjoy!

good morning, six year old

I remember standing in the living room of a teeny tiny yellow house.

It had been raining. 

It was dark. 

And quiet.

It was that time of day that was no longer night, but not yet morning. 

The world slept. 

I held on to your dad tightly, rocking back and forth, sure that I would die any minute. 

Watching the clock, timing contractions, wondering when to go to the hospital. 

Wishing each minute would pass faster, instead of 

sooooo....

....oooo...................

......slowly.

If only time could speed up, and I could hurry you out into the world. 

Finally, you came.

And here you are, this morning.

Six. 

Six years old. 

Six years later. 

We did it.

I love you.

__________ makes me happy

Eating a simple dinner:

-homemade naan

-shredded chicken (baked or slow cooked for a few hours with lemon, olive oil, S&P

-hummus

-greens

-marinated peppers

-sundried tomatoes

-goat cheese

-a favorite vinaigrette or a bit of lemon & olive oil

feeling SUNSHINE!

lying down in the (needs-to-be-mowed) grass and taking a deep breath.

the month of April.

reading.

hyacinth. 

Tom from Parks and Rec. 

finally being able to buy Tangled. I cannot get over how much I love that movie.

when my dreams have music in them (The Weepies Antartica)

Ben Kweller.

A certain little girl insisting that dandelions are "beeaauuutiful flowers, and that they should go in vases all over the house (which they did).

What makes you very happy?

Happy Weekend!