Homemade Cinnamon Rolls

My family loves when I'm home and feeling "domesticated". Today, I thought I'd try my hand at making homemade cinnnamon rolls. They turned out really good, much better than my last attempt which tasted good but didn't rise. These were flaky and big, just the way we like them! It was pretty easy overall.

Ingredients for Rolls:
1 1/4 oz active dry yeast
1 cup warm milk
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup margarine, melted
1 tsp salt
2 eggs
4 cups all-purpose flour

Ingredients for filling:
1 cup brown sugar
1 tbsp cinnamon
1/3 cup margarine

Ingredients for Icing:
8 tbsp margarine
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/4 cup cream cheese
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/8 tsp salt

Instructions:
Dissolve the yeast in the warm milk in a large bowl, Add the sugar, margarine, salt, eggs and flour. Mix well.
Knead the dough into a large bowl, about 8 minutes on a lightly floured surface. Put in a bowl, cover and let rise for 1 hour, or until doubled in size.

After one hour, roll the dough on a lightly floured surface until it is about 21 inches long by 16 inches wide, about 1/4 inch thick. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

For the filling, combine the brown sugar, cinnamon, and margarine together. Spread evenly over the dough.

Carefully, roll the dough from the long side. Cut the dough into 1 1/2 inch slices and place evenly spaced on a lightly greased baking pan. Bake for 10 minutes or until browned on top.

While the rolls are baking, mix the cream cheese, powdered sugar, vanilla, salt, and melted margarine until creamy. Once rolls are done, spread icing on rolls... ENJOY!

Six pack craft caddy

This was so easy it took about two minutes to make! I used the patterned duck tape and covered a six pack box. I made sure to reinforce the bottom with a couple of layers, just to make it a little more sturdy. This is great for paintbrushes and little things.

God has a sense of humor!

Anyone who knows me knows that I have a tendancy to stress out over little things at times in my life. I can help other people deal with big issues in my counseling job and keep my cool, but in my life, the details get to me...

Take Christmas for instance. I think I have done a fairly good job keeping things simple this year. We haven't overdone presents, decorations are minimal, though I'd love to be one of those Martha Stewart moms. But I do really want things to be nice and memorable for my family. But it seems that God has a sense of humor some times. I went and bought the boys new clothes for the several Christmas parties we have this week as well as haircuts, so they look nice in pictures. I just want us to look "put together" sometimes, even if I don't feel like we are.

Getting ready for church this morning, Samuel was playing with a pair of little school scissors, you know, the kind that will barely cut paper. He disappears for a few minutes and then comes in the room with a guilty look on his face... and a gaping bald spot on the top of his head. Oh my, God has a sense of humor.

So now, our pictures won't necessarily be "perfect." But despite being a little upset, okay, I was mad, I know that we will look back at it and laugh. It will remind me that I'm not in charge, He is. And sometimes we just have to sit back and laugh a little.

Visiting Santa

"I've been a good boy... "

Today I took Samuel to see Santa. He woke up this morning asking if it was time yet... at 5:00 a.m.!!! Of course he was a little nervous when it was his turn to talk to the jolly old elf, but he did great! On his wishlist... 1. Air soft guns 2. a superhero and 3. air soft guns... Gotta love living with boys!

Next on the agenda today was making cookies. Every year when the weather gets cooler, I get in the baking mood even more than usual. I love to bake. I'm not a great cook, but pretty good in the dessert department if I do say so myself.. I think in another life, I must have been a pastry chef. Okay, wishful thinking, but I  really do like to make my little one's (and big one) excited when the oven timer goes off!

Making Christmas Traditions with Your Kids

In our house, we try to emphasize the traditions and birth of Christ as the main reasons for Christmas. Our kids do not do without presents for sure, but the traditions we have grown up with always seem to hold much more importance than the things we get. Here a a few ideas to build traditions with your kids.

• Bake cookies for a neighbor or homebound person and let your kids deliver them.
• "Adopt" a grandparent at a nearby nursing center. Buy them things such as slippers, robes, hygiene products, books or crossword puzzles.
• Make a birthday cake for Jesus. Sing the "happy birthday" song and blow out candles on Christmas day.
• Attend a Christmas Eve service at church. Unbelievable and moving experience.
• Read the nativity story to your children. Children never tire of hearing of Christ's birth in a manger.
• Make homemade ornaments and decorations to hang on the tree. Get creative! use things such as pinecones, paper, dried citrus slices and edible art!

• SLOW DOWN! Christmas is a very busy time, stop and enjoy the wonder your children are experiencing and remember the true reason for Christmas... JESUS.

Burnout

It is difficult balancing life and work, as all working moms know. When I was younger, I was very career minded. I worked hard, long hours to satisfy my own competitive drive to be a better employee and attempt to save the world. As I have gotten older, my focus has changed. I want to spend time with my kids and husband. It is difficult to balance the career I have built for myself and the life I want. There are days, like today, I would give up all of the career just for more time at home. I don't think most men understand this.  My husband has made many sacrifices for the family, giving up promotions and better jobs, but he loves his job and looks forward to it every day. Lately, I just want to stay with my babies.

Our Journey to Debt Free Living Part 4... Setbacks

Every journey has some setbacks now and then. On our journey to being totally debt free, this month has had our fair share of them. We have learned some lessons and been reminded of others we have already learned but drifted away from. First, I went to an out of town conferences that, of course, cost more than it should have. Second, my car broke down, costing over $500 to fix... Third, Christmas... enough said.

Here are the lessons that w have been reminded of this month.

1. Emergency fund... needless to say, this is an area we have difficulty with. We always have an emergency as soon as we get our fund, thus we have about $12 in our emergency fund most of the time.. We have GOT to do better at this.
2. Plan ahead. Again, I did poorly at planning for unexpected expenses and saving money for Christmas. I always have good intentions. Maybe next year I will be better prepared for Christmas.
3. Robbing Peter to pay Paul... this has been a common occurrence in our household and it needs to stop. Because of our unexpected expenses, we are now slightly behind on other bills, causing more stress.

This has been a tough month financially. I expect after Christmas, we will be able to get caught up due to my husband getting extra work during the holidays. Again, my goal it to become debt free. It is a journey for sure, and not an easy one. I know we will get there and hopefully we will do better in the near future with overcoming obstacles.

Thankfulness

This time of year we all take inventory for all of the blessings in our lives that we are thankful for. I am no different. I get to come home every day to the two brightest, wonderful children I know and my best friend, my husband.

I am thankful for my Levi. He is kind and honest. He cares what people think about him and he strives to make others happy. He has the prettiest eyes and freckles, though he would hate that I mention either. He is an easy child, though at times emotional and a little dramatic. He loves the outdoors and his momma. I am  blessed.

I am thankful for my Samuel. He is funny and charming, as well as a little mischievous. He brightens a room by walking in it. He enjoys watching Looney Tunes and snuggling with his momma. He likes to help me cook and loves to aggravate his big brother. He has a huge personality and never stops talking, which isn't always a great thing. I am blessed.

I am thankful for John. He keeps me grounded and truly is my other half. He makes me strong when I am weak. He reminds me I am making a difference when I am ready to quit. He makes me get off my tail and do my best when I am ready to give up. He keeps me laughing when I feel like crying. And he reminds me to have fun in life.  He is funny, honest and the most genuine person I have ever met. I am blessed.

I hope we all take time to thank God for what we have and to remember that there are so many who are without.  My children and husband are my blessings and I thank God for them every day.

There's no place like home....

I just got back this afternoon from a three day conference out of town. Although it was educational and I enjoyed myself, it is good to be home. It is not very often that I go somewhere, especially overnight without my family. I had great plans of shopping and reading... none of which actually happened. I pretty much stayed at the hotel, called my family, and went to sleep early. It also did not help that I hurt my back and was in quite a bit of pain. I did have my first massage and enjoyed it very much! Guilty pleasures :)

I am now home, in my bed with my baby boy watching Looney Tunes. All is right with the world and I appreciate more than every the chaos that is my life. Even when I think I will enjoy the quiet, I miss my noise. Dorothy had it right... "there's no place like home."

Cinderella

My husband called me a "princess" today... if anyone knows me, this is NOT an accurate description of my personality. Far from it, except maybe when Cinderella was scrubbing toilets and wearing hand me downs, maybe that part is right... The reason he called me this is that I am going to go for a massage this week. I have never done this and have always thought it rather frivolous. However, I am going out of town for a few days to a conference.. this rarely happens... especially ALL ALONE.. I feel like a "big girl" out past curfew for a few days! I am not a social butterfly by any means so there is some level of anxiety about going to an unknown place by myself. I have decided, however, to embrace this. I am going to enjoy my three days of solitude while not in my trainings.. I am going to read a book, take baths, and yes, enjoy my first ever massage. While maybe it isn't exactly the "royal treatment", I am going to take some time to relax and for at least for a couple of days, try to remember the me that existed befor becoming a wife and mother, many many years ago. The "me" that enjoyed reading for hours on end, strolling through antique shops, and caring about myself instead of every one else. In the long run, I know that a few minutes of "me" time will benefit my family as well. It is hard to care for everyone elses needs when you neglect your own. I expect to return refreshed, enlightened, and ready to tackle the holidays with my wonderful family! Cinderella? Maybe not, but even a peasant girl can sometimes want to be treated like a princess.

Handmade paper Christmas Ornaments

I found a great Christmas ornament that my four year old loved making. They also turned out really cute!

First, tear up six sheets of same color construction paper and place in a blender. Add 1 1/2 cups of very warm water to the paper and let set for about five minutes. Pulse for about 30 seconds. Put the goop into a paper towel and squeeze out all of the water.

Place a towel covered by a paper towel onto a plate. I used a 3 inch star shaped cookie cutter. Place the paper pulp into the cookie cutter taking extra care to get it into the points. Use another paper towel and push out any excess water. Carefully remove the cookie cutter and place the star onto a cookie sheet.

Bake at 200 degrees for about 2 hours or until dry.  Once cool, glue on a ribbon to the back for a hanger! Voila!

Super easy and cute ornament idea! I think we will make a bunch for our tree and to give as gifts.

Catch up

I had a horrible case of strep throat this week so much of it was spent in bed. I hate not being physically able to keep up with all the things that are racing in my mind. Now I am behind. There are no groceries in the house, the laundry is piled up and the whole place needs a good scrubbing. I have been trying to stay ahead of the week by preparing freezer meals, creating menu plans and grocery lists. The last few days, that has all been out the window!

I decided to take today off work just to catch up on rest and my household chaos. Still haven't gotten much accomplished yet, though I know I'll get there. It feels good to slow down a little, take a breath, and relax. I have been reading several blogs about setting weekly personal goals for oneself. So, here is my first attempt to do so:

1. Fold all of the laundry and put up.
2. Spend five minutes each night cleaning my bedroom
3. Have no dishes left in the sink before bed each night
4. Read my Bible daily
5. Make Christmas ornaments with Samuel this weekend

I will let you know how it is going in reaching my goals. It may not seem like that big of goals, but small steps will always get you where you need to go.

Our Journey to Debt Free Living... Inexpensive Christmas Ideas

I have to brag a little... this month we have paid off TWO credit cards!!! Small steps to meeting our goal of being DEBT FREE! Small changes in our lifestyle and better decisions are allowing us to put these bad decisions in our past.

With Christmas coming up very soon, we are making plans and checking them twice in order to stay on track financially. Here are a few things I am doing to plan for a great, inexpensive Christmas:

• Make a list and check it twice! I have made a list of things my kids have asked for over the last few months and researched prices online for the best deals.
• Limit presents to the most wanted, not everything wanted. My kids ask for things all the time, as most kids do. I limit Christmas to the top five or so presents. I have learned that if they get what they really want, not just the quantity of presents they appreciate it more. Besides, we want our kids to understand that it is Christ's birthday, not theirs.
• Don't buy trendy presents... We are a video game free home. We don't spend lots of money on games or toys that will be out of date or "uncool" within six months. Think traditional.... blocks, board games, sports equipment. I want my kids to be creative, not parked in front of the t.v.
• Handmade presents.. .I love to bake. You know what my extended family members are getting now! I also crochet simple things such as scarves, potholders etc. Simple and useful.
• Books. I buy several slightly used children's books on Amazon for very little to keep for extra presents. We always end up having 2-3 extra kids around for holiday get togethers... this way, they will always get a present too. If I don't give them all away for presents, my kids get them... Win-win situation!

I am so ready for Christmas this year! I can't wait to bake cookies with the boys, read the Christmas story, and decorate the tree. I believe that my kids will remember those things in the future much more than expensive toys. I know I do.

You can never go wrong with nerf guns at our house!

Our Journey to Debt Free Living.. part 2

When my husband and I decided that debt was not going to be the lifestyle we were going to pursue, we made some drastic changes. First of all, we cut up our credit cards. It was sort of empowering and a little scary to do so. We had depended on credit cards for a lot. We had went from spending a little as a convenience to depending on them sometimes for groceries and gas. Now we were required to pay our own way, by cash, or not pay at all.

Here are a few of the things we did to change our money spending habits. I will admit, it hasn't been easy and there have been many times we have not followed it exactly. But I believe in the long run, it has worked and paying off for our future.

1. We got with a credit counseling agency to help us lower our interest and consolidate our payments. This has helped dramatically get our credit cards under control.
2.  Sit down and make up a monthly budget, on paper. We had no idea where our money went before we did this. It helped us greatly see where our money was going to and where we needed to focus our lifestyle changes.
3. Work, work and work some more. God bless my husband. He has worked 2-3 jobs for as long as I have known him. He has spent a lot of time away working 15-18 hour days earning the extra money needed to catch up. For the last couple of months, he has only worked one job now that we are doing a little better. It is nice to have him home!
4. Make some lifestyle changes... eat out a little less and curve impulse buying... I will admit, we haven't been as strict as Dave Ramsey recommends, but it has made a difference.
5. We are more creative.. it doesn't take a lot of money to entertain the kids and it is okay to buy used. I couldn't tell you the last time I bought the kids new clothes... used is just as good.

Again, it hasn't been easy but it has been worth the effort. We have a few more months left of credit card debt and car payments so we are not out of the woods yet. But soon, we'll be there. I'm ready!

Our Journey to Debt Free Living

I remember the days early in our marriage when we would eat out several nights a week, go to movies frequently, and pretty much buy what we wanted. Not enough money? Just charge it. Those seemingly carefree days caught up to us quickly. Now, two kids, fifteen years and a mortgage later, we are still paying for those costly mistakes.
After the birth of our second son four years ago, our church offered Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University. It totally changed our way of thinking about money. We have worked very hard and have had a lot of obstacles but in about a year we will be debt free, except for our home.
We have a goal. When we can afford to live on one income and have significant savings, we want to move to the Seattle area. We lived there in those carefree days when we were first married. We want to return to our first home together, but this time much wiser. This time we will be debt free.
In the next few posts, I am going to be discussing some of the things we have done to trim our budget and earn more. It has not been easy, and we still have a way to go. It has been a long journey  but we're almost there. Please post comments about creative money saving techniques and thrifty living tips so we can share the journey!