Making or BreakingTraditions and Conference Rolls

Do you have traditions?  Of course, we all have some special activities we do for holidays like Christmas or Thanksgiving, but do you have unique little twists to every day living?

My mom used to do a funny little thing when we had a guest spend the night.  We'd put our shoes outside of the bedroom door and in the morning we found little gifts in our shoes put there by 'little elves'.  Or, my girls and I sometimes do April Fools pranks, small or big, that still surprise everyone, because we tend to forget that day is actually coming up.

One other tradition we have in our house is watching General Conference twice a year.  Our local church is cancelled, however we watch church on tv broadcast from Salt Lake City (wait for it) for 8 hours over the weekend!  It's a church marathon.  There's an optional 2 more hours to watch for the men.  It's something we look forward to and anticipate every six months.  My kids anticipate Conference Rolls also.  These rolls are basically a trumped up monkey bread recipe.  I've probably made these rolls for around 20 years. Thus a hard fast tradition!  

But, today, oh Today, I broke with tradition.  Sometimes you know when to quit a tradition, or change it a bit.  With only 2 kids at home we don't need a huge batch of Conference Rolls anymore, plus they take some fore-thought.  Not that Conference Rolls are hard to make- it's basically a dump recipe, but you do it the night before (on occasion this tired mom would forget and have to wake up in the wee hours to try and pull something together so as not to hear groaning in the morning). So- angels singing- I found this recipe.  It's basically cinnamon rolls in a cake pan that takes 5 min. to swirl together and 30 min. in the oven.  

 Cinnamon Roll Cake
adapted from  Life as a Lofthouse 


Cake:
3 c. flour
1/4 tsp.salt
1 c. sugar
4 tsp. baking powder
1 1/2 c. sour cream or plain yogurt or milk
2 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
1/2 c. butter flavored shortening, melted or real butter

Topping:
1 c. real no salt butter, softened
1 c. brown sugar
2 Tbsp. flour
1 Tbsp. cinnamon

Mix everything together except for the butter. Slowly stir in the melted butter and pour into a greased 9x13 pan. For the topping, mix all the ingredients together until well combined. Drop evenly over the batter and swirl with a knife. Bake at 350 for 28-32 minutes.

Glaze:
2 c. powdered sugar
5 Tbsp. milk
1 tsp. vanilla

While warm drizzle the glaze over the cake

A new tradition is born!

Happy 17th Birthday Gigi

photo by SMW

This girl is sweet and 17 today.  Look at her cuteness!  I'm so proud of her and all the good that she does.

New Year's Day

This is a New Year's picture for you!  I don't claim to be a good photographer, because I am not.  But this was what I saw on my walk today and it made me happy!!

What also made me happy were the friends we had for lunch and the good times with my kids playing games.  We laughed so hard.  Here is to a fantastic 2014!

In harmony,

Leslie

Elf on the Shelf

simplymusicwise.blogspot.com

This is Boss Moss's Elf on the Shelf from the 1960's when he grew up.  My children and I claim that it is 'scary'.  Hence, we've never displayed it before.  You may thing that is scroogish- but if you were to walk through your house at 2 a.m. and see that face, what would you do?  I would probably scream!

If you've seen the popular book Elf on the Shelf, it can be a fun tradition.  This version even includes a skirt if you want to make your elf a 'she'!  Very appropriate for a house full of girls!

Now, if you are an elf-lover, you might get an elf costume to use on those special occasions- like a white elephant party at your mother-in-law's house.

Do you have an elf on the shelf tradition?  My mom always had us put our shoes by our door and put oranges in them in the morning.  She called it the good fairy, but we were never fooled.

A home in Space- Legacy

photo credit

As a kid, I was entranced with space.  I actually told everyone I wanted to be an astronaut.  That is knee-slapping hilarious, because I soon found out that science wasn't my strong hold and I'm more of a history/language kind of gal.  So much for dreaming.  That doesn't keep me from loving everything space though.  When we lived back East, we spent most of our weekends at the Air and Space Museum.  Sometimes, I wish my kids could have that experience.  I have very fond memories of that place and all that I learned.

Enjoy as you read about an astronaut Mom in space!  This is incredible to me.  Not sure if I could stomach leaving my kids that long.  But, what an experience!  Have you done anything this far-reaching?  Or rather far-reaching for you?

Look who is Sweet 16 today!

Happy Sweet 16 Gigi !

This girl is 16 today.  I remember a looong time ago thinking about when all my kids would be various ages like 20, 18, 16 and so on.  And now it's happening!  Yikes!  Stop time thief!  This girl can't leave me- she has such wit, and she tries really hard to eat healthy, and she loves animals, and she's great at school, and she brings happiness to our house, and I can go on.

Just know that I love you, Gigi!

In harmony,

Your Mother

Seattle Staycation

Reagan at the Seattle Library Red Room



If you live near Seattle, you've done the usual- Pike's Place Market, Space Needle and Science Center, the Woodland Zoo, the Aquarium, the underground tour, the duck tour...all the usual spots.  But, what do you do when you've done those ad-infinity-um and you need to freshen up the downtown tour? Of course, you ask your teen and older kids to decide where THEY want to go.

This is what we came up with on a day in Seattle: (we did this before Reagan left)
1.  The Arboretum.  This is a really cool, even romantic place (Evan and I went here a lot when we were dating).  For our family, it was exciting because we saw HUGE yachts, the rowing team pass by TWICE (more bang for our buck!), a sea plane take off, and the cutest ducks.  The scenary is out of this world gorgeous even for Washington.  The canoe rental is just $9.
* since this is right next to Husky Stadium we got to peek through the fence and watch the tryouts for the Husky football team.  Very impressive muscle action and running going on that day!

2. The Columbia Tower.  It has over 76 floors, which you can go up almost to the top.  This is the tallest building west of the Mississippi (spell that fast, can ya?) and the views are amazing.  As an added bonus, there are people from all over the world enjoying the 360 view up there.  We ended up talking to a couple from Switzerland for about 30 min.  We traded business cards.  Hey, maybe we can couch surf next time we are climbing the Matterhorn?! By the way, this was waaay cheaper than the teeny Space Needle and much cooler views.

3. Seattle Library.  This was #1 on the teen/adult child list.  I'd never given this building a second glance before, but it's only 2 blocks away from the Columbia Tower and it looks like a glass book (that's what the architect says, anyway). The bottom floor has cool wooden floors that are embossed with the alphabet in different languages.  So designer, linguistic chic! Free to enter.

Gigi waiting for the Ferris Wheel

 







4.  Next, stop was the Ferris Wheel on the Pier.  The line was NOT long, which I was worried about.  However, while you are waiting in line, you can worry about your Visa bill to ride this giant circle (it was pricey for my family!)  It was super cool though because you hang out over the water and get cool views and plenty of time inside the glass room you are in with your friends and loved ones to make plenty of jokes.  It was a one-time experience for me.  However, it might be really cool at night. I personally enjoyed the Columbia Tower more.

 

Eden, Gigi, Reagan, and Pierce near the sculpture garden

 



5.  The Pier- we've walked the Pier many times, but it seems to be getting dirtier and attracting more drugs out in the open.  That might be our last visit to that part of time.  But, we did walk all the way to the north end to our last destination, which was CLOSED!  Yes, the Olympic Sculpture garden was closed for a fancy private party and there was security waving us away very enthusiastically.  We did get a peak at a few sculptures and I want to go back to see it for sure.  This place is free.

6.  We chose to eat at Dick's Hamburgers, but not one close to downtown because of traffic.  Once we headed out of town and got to the famous burger joint, it was HOT outside.  The family got the usual and I just wanted something cool- but I did have 2 french fries and a sip of someone's shake.

That was our family staycation close to home.  What do you do when you are having a day close to home?

The Best Chocolate Cookies Ever

 

 

Why would anyone ever say that 1 chocolate chip cookie is enough?  Really, you say!  If it's good, enjoy more.  I have to confidently say NO in this situation.

Let's have an honest conversation about this.  I think in all the 30+ years I've been baking, I've come up with a mere baker's dozen of good cookie batches.  Oh, that's silly- you say.  No, I'm serious.  It's because I didn't know the mechanics of it all, until tonight.

First, it's the last day of school and summer is in session.  That makes for good MOJO.
Second, my senior girl, Reagan, and I were cooking together making calories for ourselves.  That makes for a good, PHAT, time!
Third, I read tips on how to make a perfect chocolate cookie and the author wasn't lying!  She knows her stuff, because we tried it and it's the truth.  There are really secrets about the perfect common cookie in America... like this tip:

"I also notice that when I get just the right amount of flour in the dough, it makes kind of a delicate sticky noise when I stir it. And you can file that under the world’s most obscure baking tips."


 Yep, I've "heard" that sticky noise when I made her recipe- it really is there.  My picture isn't a tell all about the results but, man oh man, they tasted like perfection.  Because this is a great day with my kids, on the cusp of a great summer!

Make up a batch and tell me what you think?  Is it the tips or is it the kids you make them with that make these cookies perfect????   I think it's BOTH!  Enjoy,

In harmony,
Leslie

Memorial Weekend- Thanks to our Vets!

photo by Leslie



If we didn't have Vets we wouldn't have Memorial Weekend.  If we didn't have Vets we wouldn't have freedom to do what we wanted on Memorial Weekend.  If we didn't have men and women willing to be brave for their county, we wouldn't be the greatest nation on earth.  Thank you Vets for your service.

I'm glad that we were able to choose what we wanted to do for fun and play- because we have a right to go where we want, to play how we want, and to be with whom we want.  I chose to be with family!!  And, we chose to DIG!  For clams!

What to do on Saturday night!

photo by Leslie

We talk a lot about music in our house.  Usually someone wants to share a new song, that leads to listening to the song, then it naturally flows to picking up an instrument and trying to play that song.  I love this progression and brain flow that happens because of sharing.

Notice the little ukelele on the couch.  Gigi had her friends over and the first thing they gravitate to is...yes, playing the instruments hanging on the wall.  It's playable art to us and we love it.

My favorite part of this soiree of music is that Eden just graduated from college and has hardly been home in 4 years.  In that time, Gigi has taught herself to play the guitar and now the two sisters can play together.  It is a thing of great JOY for this mom.

What do you do in your house to encourage music?

Teaching kids about money- Legacy

photo credit

It's been on my mind a lot lately- money and can my kids handle this world.  I guess it's because I have adult children heading "out there".  Some people say don't talk about it just show by example- well, in the case of my husband and I, that's what we grew up with- showing by example- and some scenarios were really great and others not so good.

I think we must be think in the head, because it took us a long time to figure out our core money goals.  We've never been deeply in debt or unwise with our money, but we just didn't know how to invest or where.  We felt dumb, plus we didn't want to look dumb by asking anyone (even dumber).

Now that we are well into our midlife- we are doing much better with money.  But, now we want to show our children our mistakes and help them get it better.  I like this article about talking with your children early and actually taking them with you to a financial advisor meeting (wish we had done that!)

Lately, we've had good talks with our adult children and have found out they are doing very well- in fact, we are proud of their 'listening and learning' skills when it comes to finances.  One person that comes to mind of having a huge mentor in her life is Crystal from Moneysavingmom.com.  When you read her story of scrimping and saving, I think MORE power to ya! If that experience wasn't enough, she and her husband bought a house with cash- read that story here.  I wish when we were starting out our marriage we had mentors and goals like that.  But, it's never too late to start and I feel we are at a good place.

We want to be able to leave a legacy for a kids- teach them to be debt free so they can help others. It's really the best way to live.

Proud of my Girl

photos by Evan Moss

Tennis season is over, sniff sniff.  It's kind of a joke in Washington- rained out games, re-scheduled games, 3 layers of clothes to play tennis.  Oh, yeah, but Gigi did it this year!  And, she was amazing (in my humble opinion).  We'd only played casually during the summers all these years, and I'm not very good.  She went out there and made 2nd singles her first year.  I'm so proud of her.  Look how cute she is in that skirt!

Family History- leaving a Legacy

photo by L. Moss *

I have been into searching for lost dead family for about 14 years now! It's really not that morbid.  It involves using your computer.  Back in the 'old' days before digitizing- you could order a microfiche of old newspapers or birth records and spend hours looking for 1 name.  Lately things are getting easier at rocket speeds!  There's so many websites to help do your search, and there's an army of geneologists and volunteers out there entering records from castle, church, and government basements never before seen.  It's the making of Indiana Jones excitement!

Recently I came upon 2 articles that have added a boost to my search.  The first article talks about leaving a legacy with your children by talking about your family history- a lot! I can't say they we do it a lot, but we have occasionally.  So, to test if my husband and I had done a good job, we asked our kids if they remembered about several different great grandparent stories from both our sides.  We witnessed a lot of head scratching and only a few "Oh, yeah, I remember that story!"  Clearly we need to regroup on this issue, since the article states it improves your childs' well-being and belonging to a group- I think we'll be spending some dinner time chats on our family history.

I needed some help with organizing the family names I had collected.  I've gone back to about the early 1700's on my side and my husband's side- but my paper work is a mess.  This article had some great websites to visit. When I get a chance I really want to visit Family Village- that sounds like a kick.  Maybe my kids will get into it.

My next idea is to gather any photos, stories, and family trees and put them into a binder.  One night a week, as a family, we'll tell the story of one family member.  Then we'll talk about how our family is connected (sometimes when you go WAY back, the connection of how you are related can get confusing).  Hopefully, if we know enough about that person, hopefully we can connect how we can learn from that relative's life- good or bad.

I'll let you know how our experiment went.  It should be fun!

* this guitar is from 1900. Evan's great-grandmother brought it on the boat from Sweden.  Because of this guitar, Evan learned to love music at a young age.  Another Legacy!

Legacy- graduating from College

Normally I wouldn't think of graduating from college as a legacy, but I started thinking about it closely.  Not everyone graduates from college- some people do fine in life without school.  But it sure helps out these days to have a diploma, high school and college.  So, if both sides of your family haven't gone to college then you graduate from college, then your children start graduating from college... that is the makings of a Legacy.

I'm am proud of the accomplishments of my recent university graduate, Eden.  We attended her general and school of Family Studies ceremonies.  Both of these occasions were stellar- the speakers, the music, the graduates, all the whoops from families of graduates.  The atmosphere was electric.  I teared up a few times.

The best legacy of all is that my daughter appreciates her education and is still working hard to further her education. I remember those days as a teen when I would say "I can't wait until I'm done with school".  Little did I know then that life is school and to appreciate it, learn from it, and roll with the good and bad is much easier than kicking against it all the time.

Congratulations Eden!  You deserve a bright future, my dear!

How I shop



Did you get your Winco coupon in the mail?

I took that puppy straight to Winco.  Since I'll be getting an extra $10 in my budget from this coupon, I got out my want list.

This is what I bought at the bulk section:

-golden raisins
-chopped dates (these will be for recipes, not straight eating)
-sunflower seeds
-carob chips
-brown rice
-cocoa powder **
-oregano (all spices/herbs from Winco are a steal)
-spelt flour
-organic cane sugar
-shredded unsweetened coconut (I usually get this in the fridge section at a health food store, but I
                                                     really needed some)

** Does anyone know where to get a good quality cocoa powder for less than $5 a pound?

All of these prices are better than everywhere else for these items specifically. However, there are some bulk items that I get only at QFC or Whole Foods.  I know, it goes back to that old problem of couponing--- spending all your time going to different stores.  It's all part of the eating clean and staying in the budget game. If you know me well, then you know I only do my shopping when I'm already going to be in that area anyways.  So, I call it multi-tasking, frugal, hop shopping. Ha!

 Next time I will jot down prices.  Now I need to mess up my kitchen with all this yummy stuff.

In harmony,
Leslie

Roller Skating coupon



I'm already thinking summer, people.  Does that conger up images of kids saying they are bored?  Not here, not when you are thinking ahead. 

So head here for a local deal to get roller skating for 2 and sodas included for only $6.  If you buy the deal let me know, and we'll plan a roller skating 'date'! 

I still can't get over how much roller skating we used to do as a kid.  My mom would drop us off for hours to skate. :)

In harmony,
Leslie

The Concert- success!

 

 

Reagan, and the whole Hey, Gracie band rocked!  They have never sounded better.  I'm so proud of the entire band- thank you guys for your efforts, time, travel, and just 'being' you!

 

John Renouard gave a wonderful, uplifting, and inspiring talk about his organization, his dream and how Wholives.org all started. Here he and Reagan have a moment to thank everyone who supported the evening.

 

Nicci Renouard and I have a moment together.  She and John work so hard to make real change for the people in Africa.  I am so happy to be their friends.

 

The lobby before the event.  People were lined up early.  We had people from Seattle to Bellingham come see the event.

 

We had the Haller Middle School Marimba band and Keynote choir perform.  They rocked it on "Wakawaka"!  I was so tickled with their performances!  Manigua, the latin rock band from Seattle, brought the house down- people got out of their seats to dance!  Above is the last performance by Arlington High School students- a quartet- that sang the beautiful and poignant- "Prayer of the Children".  They brought tears to my eyes.

 

 

Thank you to everyone who was a part of this evening.  We won't forget it!

 

In harmony,

Leslie



Essential Oil blend- Deep Blue



Doterra has some great blends.  At our house, one of our faves is Deep Blue.  My husband has had a pain in his shoulder for a few months.  When he uses Icey Hot, no results, no relief.

Ah, but when I use Deep Blue on his aches- he sighs in relief.  He feels something and its a penetrating warmth that helps the healing process.  My daughters who are into sports also use it for shin splints and sore muscles after work outs.  Great results!

If that's not enough of a testimonial, my mother-in-law has severe arthritis in her back and sciatica.  She came over and couldn't decide if she should sit or stand because of her pain.  She was at that pain threshold of gritting her teeth and heavy breathing.  I gave her 10 drops of Deep Blue to rub on the painful area, then we put an ice pack on her.  Within 30 min. the pain had subsided enough and she was able to relax enough that she had a small nap in her chair.

This stuff is a must at our house- it's earned its place in our family emergency kit.

Try it. You can purchase Deep Blue blend and any other essential oils here.

Everett Herald Newspaper- WhoLives for Water Benefit Concert

photo credit

I really have learned a lesson- call your newspaper and do it often.  They really want to know what is going on in your community.  They are so willing to help and so easy to work with.

This is a well-done article about WhoLives, Reagan's efforts for the benefit, and the many, many other people involved to bring about this fundraiser!  I want to thank them all.

Legacy- one way to do it!

Isn't this the coolest poster for the Wholives.org benefit concert this week.  Our goal is to raise enough money to build a well in Kenya.  That means we need to raise around $10,000, which is very doable.  If everyone that comes give $10-15, we can do it!  If you'd like to donate, but can't come, please consider donating through the website.  All donations are tax free!  Donating is fun, and knowing you are helping those who can't get help anywhere else than from US that have MORE, really makes happiness a reality!  This is what a legacy is all about.... Teaching your children to give more than is required of them.

Another Legacy is to teach your child a skill- listen here to Reagan's original song.  This is a sample of what you'll witness on Friday night!