The Sprinkle on Top

Over the past few months I suddenly feel like everyone around me is having babies! Which is great news because babies are the best.   Lots of babies means lots of baby showers. Although it's great to get much needed items like diapers and wipes (which you can never really seem to have enough of) it's also fun to get unique gifts personalized for you and baby. Check out these DIY gifts that no one else will duplicate giving at the next shower you're invited to.  Diaper Friends These type of gifts are fun to make and fun to get. Plus they give the new mom a variety of items (diapers, bibs, bottles, mittens, toys, clothes, blankets, pacifiers, and whatever else you'd like to include).    Burp Cloths A wonderful woman gave me eight darling homemade burp cloths for one of my baby showers. At first, I wasn't sure why I was going to need so many... silly me. We go through them all weekly. It's so handy to be able to throw one in the wash and ...

Anyone who knows me knows that behind my sweet exterior crawls an inner darkness. How else do you explain the novels I've written like " The Harvest ", my love of scary movies, or the countless times I've hidden at the end of a dark hallway crouched like the Grudge girl to welcome Justin home. And you better believe that Evie will find me hiding in her closet scratching on the wooden doors more than once. So it's no surprise that Halloween is one of my absolute favorite holidays. Over the past 5 years Justin and I have slowly collected Halloween decorations - a lot of which are homemade and cost very little. Unfortunately I've had to get rid of a lot of them over the years as we moved 3 different times and certain (sad) decisions had to be made about what got to come along to each new home. But having to start my stores of haunted paraphernalia over again just gives me an excuse to Pinterest new ideas and nerd out making them. Shadow Monsters ...

After 2 months of only attending the Sacrament meeting portion of church, I finally climbed back in the saddle and went back to Primary. And boy did it feel good to be back. The lesson was simple this week with only a brief history to teach, which left us more time to do an activity. The lesson: Joseph Smith writes the Articles of Faith. We followed the manual pretty much to a "T" to get the lesson started off. You can get the manual and their ideas here . After telling the kids of the events that surrounded the writing of the Articles of Faith, we dove into an activity that got the kids out of their seats, make them work for a little treat and it turned into a huge success. This activity was adapted from idea #1 & #2 given in the manual. The activity was to teach the kids that knowing the Articles of Faith can help lead them and others to a testimony of the gospel. To start off I pulled out a dish full of little baggies with some skittles in them. I explain...

So it is official - me and my baby girl are eating dairy free. That means no milk, no yogurt, no delicious cottage cheese. But that also means no whey, no casein, no dairy ingredients in any food of any kind. This is going to be a challenge, but I am looking forward to finally eating cleaner. And my motivation (helping Evie's dairy allergy) is stronger than any motivation I could have for myself. In eating less processed foods, I'm trying to get a bit more creative with the meals I make. This one was a hit with the hubby so I thought I'd share especially because it is super simple. Chicken Stir Fry 3 Chicken Breasts 1/2 bundle of Asparagus (approx. 12-15) 1 green zucchini 1 yellow squash 3 mushrooms Olive oil 1 TBS dried parsley 1 TBS dried oregano 1/4 tsp salt 1/4 tsp pepper 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper 1. Cut your asparagus into bite sized pieces and slice the squash, zucchini and mushrooms. Add to a saute pan with approx. 3 TBS olive oil. Add seasonin...

I've always been into creepy, scary costumes - the more sickening the better to celebrate Halloween with. Many people have come to expect horrifying costumes from me and Justin and we don't like to disappoint. The longer we've been married, however, the simpler are costumes have become and (sadly) the more fun instead of scary. Now that we have a baby girl, she (of course) will be included in all of our costume mania even this year. No matter how intense our costumes have been, we've never purchased costumes. What a waste. Everything we've done has been piecemealed together in order to keep us in our small budget.  Take a look at some creepy (and not so creepy) costumes that have made our Halloweens extra haunted and memorable. Maybe you'll find some inspiration for your own costume this year.  Zipper Face (2011) The "Zipper Face" idea came from Reddit.com in 2011 and almost won me the "Scariest Costume" prize at a Halloween Par...

Another month down and my sweet baby girl is already 2 months old. People told me time would pass quickly. I didn't believe them. Over the past four weeks, my baby girl has learned and grown so much. She's reached milestones I crossed my fingers she would and others that I didn't expect. She is alert and attentive often and, for the most part, I suddenly recognize the difference in her cries. It's been such a fun - and stretching - adventure so far.  And oh the things you've done... You stare at the pages of books when I read to you Of princesses and dragons, of farm animals and those in the zoo. But your favorite book is black and white Of bunnies and bears with touchy-feely fur just as light. You cuddle with the stuffed animals I place in your arms And smile as I sing songs of Old McDonald's farm. Without fail "Phantom of the Opera" quiets your cries, And "I Love to See the Temple" sends you off to good night. You ha...