To impress upon Vivi the importance of holding my hand when crossing the street or while walking through parking lots, I’ve warned her that, if she strays from my side,  she’ll get “squished like a bug” by the cars and will then go to live with Heavenly Father.

Today, Vivi wanted to know about her grandmas–where they live, what their names are, etc.  One of her grandmas (Grandma Diana) lives in UT and the other (Grandma Janna) in GA, I explained.  She then asked about my grandmas, both of whom have passed away.  I told her that they were living with Heavenly Father, to which she quickly and astutely asked “DID THEY GET SQUISHED LIKE A BUG!?!”

I bet Grandma Clara and Grandma Fern had a good laugh on the other side of the veil.

I’ve debated whether to write this post, thinking that it falls into the realm of TMI (too much info).  But I’m nothing if not blatantly honest . . .so here goes!

I recently wrote about the gourmet cupcakes that my friend made for me.  Well, let me tell you, they were fabulous.  All four of them.  

Day 1–Ate mine.

Day 2–Ate BT’s because . . . he’s not a big fan of chocolate.  Why waste culinary perfection on the ungrateful.

Day 3–Ate Ariana’s because . . . she had strep throat. Everyone knows that chocolate makes strep throat WORSE! (Don’t tell Ariana otherwise).

Day 3 1/2–Ate Vivi’s because . . . it looked so lonely sitting on the plate by itself. In fact, I could hear the poor little guy crying out to me in his sweet voice, begging me to put him out of his misery. 

Day 4–Left a message for my friend, asking for the recipe because the cupcakes were now all gone, and I was mourning their absence.

Day 5–Went to the store and bought

Day 6–Because I hadn’t heard back from my friend, and because it had been a full 48-hours since I’d had an oreo cupcake, I attempted to recreate the chocolate masterpiece after scouring the www searching for a frosting recipe.  The resulting goodies were edible but not nearly as good as the original.

Day 7–Ran into my friend at church and got the REAL recipe. Went home and whipped up another batch of frosting using her instructions for the remaining cupcakes.  DIVINE!  I sent home plates of cupcakes with friends so that I wouldn’t be tempted to sneak downstairs for a midnight snack.

Day 8–Wishing that I hadn’t given away ALL of the cupcakes, I ate frosting for breakfast.  Nothing else.  Just frosting.  It’s THAT good.

Day 9–Found this darling pan at Williams-Sonoma.  Reminded me of my new obsession. Like all the other darling pans I’ve acquired from Williams-Sonoma, I may never get around to using it, but it is CUTE, isn’t it.

Basically, you put 1/2 a brownie mix in the one side of the pan, 1/2 a brownie mix in the other side of the pan and bake.  Spread softened ice cream on the bottom half and freeze.  Put the top on and return to freezer until firm.  YUM!

I guess it’s a good thing I’m a nursing mother who burns calories like a marathon runner or I’d be in big trouble. (Pun intended).

UPDATE: Recipe for the Oreo frosting has been posted here. A word of caution: don’t blame me if you, too, develop a world-class sweet tooth after you make this stuff.

Ding dong went the door bell, but before I could restore my modesty (having just fed the baby for the 100th time today) and answer the door, my secret friend had already departed, leaving behind a yummy plate of goodies.

But it’s no secret to me that this dear friend has so much more than cupcakes on her proverbial plate right now. She has a close friend in the hospital who just received a bleak prognosis. She struggles with her own severe health problems. She has four busy, busy children to care for. And that’s just for starters. Yet, true to her charitable nature, she somehow found the time and energy to whip up a batch of gourmet cupcakes for me. 

Thank you, my dear friend–not just for the delicious dessert but for your sweet example of love and service. Tonight, after a long day of feeling not so good about myself, I will go to bed feeling loved.

Following a single adult fireside that BT spoke at last night, Vivi spied the brownies that were being served as refreshments.  I reminded Vivi that we had warm apple crisp at home waiting for us.  I tried to get her to visualize the delectable homemade dessert, topped with smooth vanilla bean ice cream.  I warned her that if she chose the dry, crumbly brownie, she would not be able to have her self-proclaimed favorite treat when she got home.  

Undissuaded was she, so Guppy fetched Vivi a brownie, and we all sat back and waited for the golden teaching moment that would inevitably present itself.

Sure enough.  Upon polishing off the brownie, Vivi promptly changed her mind and decided that she wanted apple crisp.  She begged.  She pleaded.  She cried.  She went to bed knowing that when she had settled on what she wanted at the moment, she sacrified what she wanted most.

As difficult as it was to watch sweet Vivi sorrowfully taste the bitter consequence of her choice, I know that one of my most important responsibilities as the mother of three young children is to help them practice their agency in these early years when the consequences are not life altering.

Free agency gives you the right to choose, but it gives you no immunity from the deprivation and sufferings which wrong decisions bring. Once you have set your feet upon the highway of life, the turning is not easy, especially if that highway be filled with heavy traffic and if it be a downward road.

~ Spencer W. Kimball

Upon hearing the weather forecast on the radio this morning, Guppy nearly burst with excitement.

Forecast: A mix of clouds and sun early followed by cloudy skies and isolated storms this afternoon, continuing throughout tomorrow.  High around 70F. Wind SE at 15 to 25 MPH.

Foggy as to her abundance of glee, BT asked why she was so giddy. Guppy brightly replied, “Because SCHOOL IS GOING TO BE CANCELLED TOMORROW!”

“School is NOT going to be cancelled because of a few raindrops and a bit of thunder.”

“Dad, you weren’t listening!  It said that we’re going to have ISOLATED storms!  School is definitely going to be cancelled.”

And then it hit him like a bolt of lightening.  

• What the forecast said–“isolated storms.”
• What Guppy heard–“ice-o-lated storms.”

Sorry to rain on your parade, sweet Ariana.

On Saturday, the girls and a couple of their special friends visited the residents of a local assisted living center to deliver some little Easter baskets that they had crafted and filled.  When Vivi had to give up her last basket to one of the elderly ladies there, she threw herself on the floor and screamed in a fit of rage. The recipient of the gift was unmoved by the tantrum and, standing her ground, refused to give it back. Oh, how I love spunk in both young and old!

Taking a week off from his usual early-morning Sunday schedule, we enjoyed having BT with us.  But even with his help getting the kids ready, I was still a few minutes late to sacrament meeting. Oh, well.

I’d like to say that I did a good job this year of helping my children focus on the true meaning of this sacred holiday, but I fell short. I had grand plans of reviewing “The Greatest Week in History” and helping our family better understand the miraculous events leading up to Easter morn. I had hoped to make the day less about candy and more about Christ. Yet as I sit here and reflect upon my shortcomings, I am bouyed up by the blessings and promises of the Atonement. Tomorrow is fresh with no mistakes, and His infinite sacrifice makes it possible for me to try and try again when I don’t succeed.

Although I don’t pretend to understand everything He did for me in the sacred series of ‘Easter’ events, I am eternally grateful that Christ broke the bands of death, paid the price for my many sins, and provided a way for me to be together forever with those that I love.

Shoulders slouched and head drooping, Ariana shuffled her way into my bedroom this morning to confess her culinary catastrophe.

Lesson Learned: Plastic plates and toaster ovens don’t play nice together.

I am grateful that Ariana is always honest, even when she’s afraid to be.

After a few failed attempts and with the help of my dear genius mother, I laid these eggs last night.

I just love simple, inexpensive projects, and in the end, this one is a keeper!

I got the glass nest/bowl and the green moss from Dollar Tree.  The fabric and ribbon were on sale at Hobby Lobby.  

If you’re interested, I’ve posted the pattern I created and instructions HERE.

My craft room is a veritable PIGS (projects in grocery sacks) sty.

Our “tornado closet” looks like a tornado hit it–it’s full to the brim with tubs of fabric, some of which I inherited from my Grandma Gold. (By hanging on to her stuff, I can blame my craft addiction on genetics).

Just this week, my mom, sister and I made plans to start yet another BOM (Block of the Month, NOT Book of Mormon). 

And I have quietly started up my own little business, Simple-Blessings.Com (or Simple-Blessings.Net)–“lovingly handcrafted jewelry & photo keepsakes.” 

More often than not, I feel guilty that I suffer from ADHD (Attention Deficit Hobby Disorder).  But when I watched this message from Pres. Uchtdorf (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RhLlnq5yY7k), I realized that the desire to CREATE is a divine attribute–definitely not someting to feel bad about.  

Of course, finishing things that I start would be even more DIVINE, but perhaps it’s kind of like creating the earth in seven days.  One “day” doesn’t necessarily mean that it was a single 24-hour period of time as we know it.  And so, the books I have that promise a “Quilt in a Day” may likewise not be reckoned according to earthly time–at least not for me.

All this talk about creating makes me want to go to Hobby Lobby this morning…I’m dying to make darling little fabric easter eggs and bird from a new Fig Tree book that I just got. (Or maybe I should brave the ‘tornado’ and find fabric in my stash).  

If I actually finish something today, I’ll be sure to post it. 🙂