Cake and Cake Wrecks

Sometimes you try really hard to do something meaningful. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. This didn't.

This was our Valentine's dessert on Saturday. I didn't want to take the time to find my good buttercream icing recipe so I tried this one instead. The kids (except Stauney) hated it and cut the icing off (Logan just found some undecorated ones and had one of those instead).

I also saw a cute picture of some chocolate dipped fortune cookies on top of cupcakes, so I bought some chocolate melts for that purpose, but never got around to buying the cookies. I did have these marshmallow Peeps though and combined the two ideas! Yes, I know - they're not cute. We all really liked them though in a weird let's-take-a-bad-food-and-make-it-unhealthier sort of way. You know, like deep-fried Twinkies! So overall, the dessert was not a huge success like last year's fabulous Molten Chocolate Cakes. I'm okay with that and willing to post it on my blog anyway.

I have definitely learned in life that sometimes the mistakes are way more interesting than the masterpieces. So to prove my point, you have to take a little side-trip to a hilarious blog I came across called CAKE WRECKS. I have been laughing so hard I've been crying while reading it tonight. Just be sure to come back for the cake recipe below (which did turn out) that has been in our family for as long as I've been eating chocolate cake. Which, judging by the gray hairs I've (sadly) been discovering lately, has been a pretty long time.

WILMA'S BEST CHOCOLATE CAKE

2 cups sugar
3 heaping Tbsp. shortening
2 eggs
1 cup milk mixed with 1 Tbsp. vinegar
3 cups flour
6 Tbsp. cocoa
2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. vanilla
1 cup boiling water

I have no directions on my recipe (which is the way my Mom usually gives them to me) other than bake at 375 degrees for 30-35 min.
Just mix it all together using your current cake-making skills.

My Mom got this recipe from a lady in our Ward growing up named Wilma ? Mom, if you can figure out how to post a comment then you can let us know her last name. All I know about her is that she made good cake.

I also have another favorite chocolate cake recipe that uses boiling water. I got it from an American lady named Nina Smith in our Ward in Japan. (She also introduced me to Japanese recycle shops - and I've got to post about that sometime). It's late so I won't post that recipe now, but I'll add it later (since most of you that read my blog already have Wilma's recipe). I told my Mom once that I thought it was better than Wilma's. She tried a bite and told me it's not. I think sentimental recipes always taste the best.

Now, I just have to figure out what to do with the 4 cups of discusting frosting left over in my fridge. Stauney won't let me throw it out because she loves it and wants to eat it all on graham crackers! I think that by Saturday I will be justified in saying it's not safe to store it for longer than a week.

Now if you haven't gone to Cake Wrecks yet, you have to go. I know I have some photos that would probably go on there if I made them public. But at least I'm not a professional.

The Bucket Hat

With all of the frequent snow storms we have been having, I have been spending a lot of time outside either shoveling or snow-blowing.

Here are my problems with that:

1. The coat that I wear for this purpose doesn't have a hood.
2. I have naturally curly hair. Lots of it. When it gets wet, even if I've straightened it, it goes back to curly.
3. I HATE knit hats. They are usually too tight and just really look dorky on me.

I was browsing blogs one night last week and I found this cute hat pattern on the Purl Bee blog. Here's the link to John's Favorite Bucket Hat. It didn't look tight, and the pattern looked easy, so I decided to give it a try.

The yarn they recommended was out of my price range, but I really liked this yarn that I found at Michael's that is 25% wool and SO soft and only $5/skein. I thought 1 skein would be enough, but I ran out with 1 row left, so I had to go get another. The pattern was really easy to follow and nothing hard in it. All you need to know are chain, single-crochet, slip stitch and how to count. I worked on it on-and-off one day while picking up kids, but I think from start to finish it took me about 2 hours. Now that I've done one I think I could do another in 1 hour.

Although I made this hat for myself, Logan made a much cuter model.

I think I got a bit reserved with the yarn when I started running out of my first skein near the end, so my stitches may have been tighter than they should be, it doesn't flare out as much as the one in the instructions.

I love my new hat. I even wear it around the house sometimes when I'm cold because it warms me right up. My family also loves my new hat because they have all asked me to make them one too.

Hershey's Nugget Boxes

I start browsing on one blog and link to another, then another, and so on until I forget where I started. There is so much creativity out there it just amazes me and I get lost in it - usually much too late at night. So I'm not sure what blog I heard about Nugget boxes on, but after seeing how cute they were Stauney and I decided to make them for teachers for Valentine's Day.

We found the patterns on a Split Coast Stampers thread. This lady has made all sizes of them from 3 up to, I think 24. If you look through the gallery on this site you can see pictures of tons of them in various sizes and styles. If you want to watch a video of how to assemble a 1/3 box you can go to this blog Chic n' Scratch. This is a WONDERFUL blog full of so many cute things!

The patterns do not print out full-size. So be aware that you are using them just to read the measurements off of. We did the Short 6 pieces box.

I decided to use my digital scrapbook stuff to make it easier, quicker, and cuter. This is how I printed off the wrappers to wrap around the Nuggets. You make each wrapper 1"x3" and print them on a regular paper, not cardsotck. Then I used the same papers and printed them on full sheets of cardstock to make the boxes and the sleeves to go around them. You could get 3 boxes this size from one 8 1/2"x11" piece of paper, and another for the 3 sleeves.
Stauney and I had a lot of fun designing these and I think they turned out a lot cuter than if we would have just wrapped plain pattern paper around them. I get almost all of my digi-scrap stuff free. There are many sites out there for free downloads. I have been signed up on Scrap Girls daily newsletter for years and they give you a freebie daily (two a day during Dec.), so that's probably where I got these papers and embellishments. I usually use Photoshop with my digital stuff, but for something simple like this I just used Microsoft Publisher to design the wrappers.

This photo shows them all finished. The gold wrapper Nuggets have almonds in them, the silver are plain, and the top middle one is the back of one of the pink boxes. Noah's teacher is a man, so he gets the red/black ones. You can also fit 1 small Kit Kat in the place of 3 nuggets. I also saw some really cute longer boxes, like a 1x6 with a full-sized candy bar in them.

I finished them off by adding a contrasting band of paper around the middle to keep it from opening in transportation and then hooking the tag on top of the band. They were pretty quick and simple to make once I got the hang of it. We are now planning boxes for other seasons. Be sure to check out the blogs I mentioned above for tons of more ideas for dressing up candy.

Now the only problem is they are too cute to eat! Noah's teacher probably won't have a problem with that though. He is a man after all.

I'm not afraid to admit it...

...I am a bargain shopper. I get a rush when find a great deal, and I found some that I have to share. Not all are done yet, so I'll post them later.

Last week I was reading my new favorite blog, Just A Girl, and found some very inspirational ideas. So after a trip to D.I. and one of my other favorites, Hobby Lobby, (oh, and Robert's too) I came home with the stuff I needed to copy two of her ideas:

Here's the link to her BE MINE? project where I got this idea.

My D.I. is just overflowing with old wooden cutouts from everyone's past projects. Here are the ones I found. I paid $1.00 for the little one and $2.00 for the big one. Seems a little steep for a bargain hunter like me, but if I waited to cut them out myself I would never get it done, so it was worth it.
I stripped the stuff off them, sanded them with my handy-dandy sander (that I love too) and re-applied new paint to the little heart (kind of a peachy-pink that I mixed). I liked the color I got after I sanded the big heart, so I left it.
Next, I traced some scrapbook paper a little bigger than the hearts and glued it on with Aleen's Tacky Glue. Then after it was good and dry I sanded the edges again with my sander to antique them. Then I applied 3 coats of Mod Podge over the paper, re-attached the wires when they were dry and - tada!

Aren't they cute? I only bought 2 pieces of paper for them. The stripes are the reverse side of the bigger flower paper. I tried putting a tag on the bigger heart, but I couldn't stand to cover up any of the paper that I love, so I just added the little bow.

The second idea I copied was from the I Found Something! idea.
So while I was at Hobby Lobby I was browsing the clearance section and found these candle stands for 60% off. I got both of them for $13.00. I was so excited because I needed something taller to put next to the clock on the basement fireplace mantle. I then looked at the prices of candles and wasn't happy (even with them 50% off). I was going to check Tai Pan later for candles, but then went to D.I. and found these candles for $2.00 each! I just wanted red ones and wasn't really picky about the smell or look of them because I knew I was going to wrap most of them with paper. But they were in perfect shape, still wrapped in plastic and even a smell I liked.

I couldn't find any black/white toile scrapbook paper to match my curtains, but I liked this pattern that I had in my digi-scrapbook files, so I printed it out. The ribbon is little b/w checks. I should have taken a close-up, sorry. The greatest part about this idea is that I can change the paper and ribbons anytime I want to.

You'll have to check out Just a Girl for more great ideas. I already have been inspired to do more, and check back later to see what else I found on this productive shopping trip (don't you love those!). As soon as the weather warms up a bit I will be back to work in my garage with my sander!

A New Year to Celebrate

Yeah, I know I'm behind. But now that I'm up and running with this blog again, I am determined to get caught up.

On New Year's Eve, our friends the Gravens, came over to hang out with us. Nothing fancy, we just ate, played on the Wii, and watched the kids play games. Leonard had to work :( but kept calling regularly, so we felt like he was part of the party. We had a fun night especially since we don't see them very often.

And I have a recipe to share!
SPINACH ARTICHOKE DIP
I'm sorry this is already half eaten, but I only make it for parties so I don't eat the entire thing myself. I figured I had better take a photo of it anyway since I may not be making it again for a while. It is SO good! I love this dip. I got the recipe from allrecipes.com.

Hot Artichoke and Spinach Dip II

• 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
• 1/4 cup mayonnaise
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/4 cup grated Romano cheese
• 1 clove garlic, peeled and minced
• 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic salt
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 (14 ounce) can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
• 1/2 cup frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
• 1/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix everything together then gently stir in spinach and artichokes (I usually use a whole pkg. of spinach). I mix in the mozzarella instead of putting it on top because I read in the comments that it makes a crusty cheese shell on top. I couldn't find Romano cheese, so I just added extra mozzarella. I have also used an Italian blend of cheeses before, but I prefer freshly grated cheese over pre-grated because it melts better. Transfer to a baking dish and bake for 25 minutes or until hot and bubbly and slightly browned.

On New Years day we slept in, then packed to head to David's brother Scott and his wife Heidi's house. Noah and Evan went to a sledding birthday party with friends while we got everything cooked and ready to go.

As we showed up at their house, they had old home videos playing on the TV and we got a good laugh over our 1991 wedding, and Brent and Karen's. Wow, what hair we had! Logan made a very wise comment to me the next day. He said, "Adults are always talking about how they wish they could look like they did when they were younger, and as soon as they see themselves, they laugh at how funny they looked." Very true.

Stauney with Grandma Hansen and cousins.

Soon, almost the entire Hansen family had made their way there for the party. Scott and Heidi were brave souls to invite all 41 of the family to sleep over at their house - 34 came! After everyone showed up and some returned from skiing, we had dinner, then a talent show. The kids were asked to do a talent, and the adults were supposed to do highlights of their year. Here's the poem that David and I compiled together (I read the 1st line and he read the 2nd):

We can't believe that now another year's gone by,
Our kids have grown, we've gotten older, boy, how time does fly.

In March David went to Moab on a motorcycle trip,
I came home with cuts and bruises on my legs and arms and hip.

In May Noah and Evan played baseball in their cleats,
They had a lot of fun as long as there were treats.

Then Evan graduated from good old Kiddie Kollege,
He went on trips, had fun and got lots of preschool knowledge.

In July we joined the Hansen's for our annual camping fun,
But we deserve the most cookies since I'm the favorite son. (family joke)

Our thanks to Grandma & Grandpa for watching over our clan,
While we flew off to Hawaii to work upon our tan.

In August all our kids were in the Davis County Fair,
They got belt buckles, ribbons, and lots of money there.

Then September took them to the fair for Utah State,
Their goats looked really awesome and the kids did really great.

Then off to school the kids did go for knowledge there to gain,
They're learning much and doing well, but carpooling's a pain.

Now in band and choir and acting, our kids really do shine,
But with all these performances, Mom and Dad have little time.

Two cows, two goats, four chickens, our little farm does make,
But now the cows are gone, so soon we'll have great steak.

Another year gone by, another year to start,
Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, and now we will depart!

Yeah, I know it's cheesey, but we were the only ones with a poem! I think we raised the bar for next year.

Logan told me he was going to play one of his hard songs on his trumpet. It was nice, but lasted about 30 seconds. He doesn't understand why I was upset. After all the money we pay for piano lessons and trumpet payments, you'd think he could allow me a little more proud mother time than 30 seconds! I barely had time to take this photo. This is the second time he has done this to me, so I told him next time I get to pick the song.

Stauney and Noah played a duet of 'Jolly Old St. Nicolas'. Then Stauney played Fur Elise and Noah played 'Silent Night' while Evan sang to it (no photo, I was helping).

Then after enjoying everyone's talents (except Brian's family who weren't there), we divided everyone up according to where they were going to sleep, and stayed up WAY too late for the second night in a row, talking, laughing and playing games.

Breakfast the next morning was so yummy. We made omlettes in a bag. In case you haven't had them here's the, uh, recipe?

OMLETTES IN A BAG

Break 2 eggs into a sandwich baggie.
Add some mix-ins: peppers, browned sausage, grated cheese, diced ham, olives, onions, salsa, tomatoes, salt and pepper, etc.
Close bag and squish to mix. Let out extra air. Write your name on it with a Sharpie pen and drop into a pot of boiling water. They take about 15 min. to cook completely. Squish to make sure the egg is all set.
They are great, and fun to make.

Then I headed outside to take photos of the kids sledding on the hill next to their house. Here are a few of my favorite photos:

David and Noah on the snowmobile.

Great shot of Kylie in mid-air. She is so fearless, she took more hard landings than most of the big kids.

I love Noah's expression as he flies off his sled.

Taylor's awesome snowboard jump off the ramp that Cory and Parker took so much time creating.

Stauney and Brooke. In almost every photo I had of Stauney she was screaming like this.

Logan and Evan enjoying the ride. It was actually raining on us for a while, so it was a little warmer than usual January weather. It turned to heavy snow later that night on our way home though.

And now my favorite. Every year for Christmas I give all the Hansen family a CD of all the photos I've taken of family outings for the year. This is sure to be a favorite of the whole family soon.

My SIL Sonja's awesome crash! One of my best action photos ever.

David and Brett donned showshoes and hiked up quite a way onto the mountain that you can see behind him. They had fun, but were very tired after.

Here's a photo David took on their hike looking back toward Scott and Heidi's house. It's such a beautiful place with an amazing view of Ben Lomond peak out their back windows.

They were so gracious to host us all and we had a fabulous time.

Catching Up with Friends

We still haven't forgiven the Simmons family for moving away over 5 years ago. They lived next door to us, and we've known each other since we each only had 2 kids. Scott was David's home-teaching partner, and then his 1st Counselor in the Bishopric. Their kids are all the same gender and ages as our kids, and best friends. Our kids would pretty much decide which Mom's meal they preferred and they ate at each others houses often. We shared plants, tools, movies, food, pools, swingsets, and trampolines. We celebrated many birthdays together, carpooling, sleepovers, barbecues and campouts. We had somewhere to leave our kids when we had to go somewhere (or sometimes just left the baby monitors with each other while a child slept).

It was perfect.

Then Scott got a job transfer and they moved away. It left a big hole in our lives that hasn't been filled since. We've tried to keep in touch, but it's just not the same. Two years ago we went to Disneyland together on vacation and had a blast. But since then we've only seen each other about once a year, so we haven't been doing very good at keeping in touch. So we were determined to get together for the Christmas break.

On December 29th we met Kim and the kids at Discovery Gateway in SLC. We had never been there before. It was so sad at first to see the kids all so shy with each other because they hadn't seen each other very often, but it didn't take long for them to get reacquainted. Kim, David and I stayed with the 4 younger boys while Logan and Tyler, and Stauney and Kierra went off on their own.

This is Evan on the rock wall. This was a great place for the boys.

Ryan (on horse) with Travis and Noah waiting for their turns to pose for me.


We found the 'big boys' building upstairs. They were really good sports for being there -the place was packed with tons of little kids. I do think they found enough to have fun with though. I know they spent a lot of time in the water area after this.

After a while we all retired to the craft room to play with Play-doh while we waited for Scott to get off work.

Then we all headed for the food court to eat. We didn't realize that a Jazz game was going on that night also, so everywhere was packed. We thought we hit the jackpot when we found a big table where all 12 of us could all sit together to eat. Thank you to the guy who pointed out that someone had just thrown up under it. I guess we weren't so lucky, but we managed to maneuver around it.

Then we walked over to Temple Square to see the lights. The kids were cursing me for making them dress so warm. It was a really warm night and Logan carried his coat most of the time. That really was lucky. I don't remember ever seeing the lights on Temple Square before and being warm.

The blue-eyed brunette and the brown-eyed blonde. Kierra and Stauney are both getting so grown-up! They started their friendship at age 4 and their birthdays are just a couple of weeks apart. Even though they don't see each other often, Stauney still calls Kierra her best friend.

All the mirrored lights were beautiful in the reflection pond.



Our families.

The lights were beautiful, as always. While we were listening to the nativity, Evan was on David's shoulders and yelled out very loudly, "Guys, we already know this story!"

I felt very lucky to get this picture of the Christus without any people in it. It was SO crowded there that we didn't stay for the presentation because we could hardly move.

We sat to rest for a while around the paintings area. I had a nice chat with some sister missionaries, one from Canada and one from an island I had never heard of so I don't remember where it was. The second also has three brothers and is the only girl like Stauney and Kierra.

And of course, the beautiful temple. I love the colors that showed on it from the reflection pool.

We hopped on Trax for one stop while we headed back to our cars at the Gateway. It was also the first time we had ridden Trax. The kids loved it so I'm sad it was such a short ride. Just as we got into the car we heard that the Jazz game was ending and saw people start pouring out of Energy Solutions arena. I yelled to David, "Get out of town quick!" We beat the traffic.

It was great to spend time with the Simmons' and we vowed that every two months this year we would take turns meeting at each other's houses where we would leave the kids and the adults would head to dinner. Plus there needs to be a campout in there somewhere. They are great friends and we feel blessed to know them. Travis has started calling us their cousins, and that's how we feel - like family.

Stauney and Kierra were trying to do some serious newscasts, but their brothers weren't helping any. Here's my attempt at posting a video. I was standing at a distant TV screen so they didn't know that I was recording them, that's why there's no sound except for background noise and me laughing.