Mystery Package

Dallin is one lucky boy to have his Ma-Key and Poppa. The other day Dallin was telling me he wanted a Yellow Transformer and I told Him that we are not buying him any more toys. So, his response was "I will call my Ma-key and she will get one for me" What a Kid :) He was right, his Ma-Key and Poppa love to SPOIL there grand kids! Thank You! He has loved it!

Sweet February Twenty-Nine!--
This is our grace-year, as I live
Quick, now! this foolish heart of mine;
Seize thy prerogative!
-Walter DE LA Mare

I finished my Sole-ful Slippers

Penny liked wearing her slippers!

"CUTE, CUTE"

I love rick rack and you could have a lot of fun with different colorful patterns!

Happy 'soon to be' Leap Day from the Rocha's

Leap Day 2008 - It only happens every 4 years, so it's the perfect reason to celebrate!

My favorite part about the candy wrapper above is 'Total fat: Who cares? You've got 4 years to work it off'!

Leap Day Activities:

Scatter multi-colored squirt frogs around the room. You can also go to a local party store or toy store and get plush or inflatable frogs to hide around the house. Make this into a find the frog hunt for the kids. They can keep the frogs they find, or trade them in for other small prizes.

Another idea is to bring blank cards (maybe green?!) and ask guests to write where they would like to be in 4 years when Leap Day 2012 arrives. You can save these cards and mail them to your friends at the beginning of 2012 or have your guests seal them in envelopes and bring them home. Just make sure to write "DO NOT OPEN UNTIL LEAP DAY 2012" on the front of the cards!

Above ideas found at party411.com

Here is a Great / Easy soup recipe to make for a group of family or friends

Taco Soup: Brown 1 lb hamburger & diced onion together. Add taco seasoning packet. Then add 1 can of kidney beans, 1 can diced tomatoes, 1 can kernel corn (all these with their juices). Add one (15 oz.) can of tomato sauce. Simmer together. Serve with sour cream, grated cheese, tortilla chips, lettuce and tomato on top of soup. This recipe is from my sister J.J ;)

DOUBLE, TRIPLE, make a large pot it is M'm M'm GOOD!

Enjoy good food, play games and have a hoppin' good time!

We are going to plan a fun trip for 2012 and start saving $ tomorrow :)

I have never acknowledged Leap year before but hey why not make it a special day! So, in 2012 on February 29th we will have something to look forward to, we will be flying to . . .? I will keep you posted on what we plan :)

Make Leap Year's extra day something special you will REMEMBER four years from now!

I would like to brag about my MOM :)

My Mom is now an official Bus Driver! She has been working hard the past three months taking classes, tests, learning new skills . . . She has passed everything with soaring scores. I had no idea how rigorous it is to become a bus driver, it is not an easy task!!! My Mom has taken the challenge and has done a great job.

I am proud of you MOM :)

She has already had some fun stories to tell! One little kid came up to her and the first thing he asked was "Are you a Grandma?" "Can I sit next to you?" She will be the kind of bus driver every kid will remember. The kids will look forward to seeing her smile everyday in the morning! She will have a positive influence on the children's lives and we all know we need a lot more of that these days.

Way to Be MOM :)

Tonight for FHE we went up to Lake Lowell (we live only 3 miles east of the lake) and enjoyed a beautiful sunset!

Good Morning!

What is something you love to DO? In the book Simple Abundance she encourages you to discover your creative side 'An Artist Is Someone Who Creates'. She encourages you to find new insights to what you love, do and hope for.

"Every day we're given chances to embrace the new. It could be serving focaccia at dinner tonight instead of garlic bread. It could be choosing a pair of floral socks that make our feet want to dance, instead of the plain pair we automatically reach for. Psychologist Susan Jeffers suggests we "take a risk a day --- one small or bold stroke that makes you feel great once you have done it.." Start thinking of yourself as an artist and your life as a work-in-progress. Works-in-progress are never perfect. But changes can be made to the rough draft during rewrites. Another color can be added to the canvas. Art evolves. So does life. Art is never stagnant. Neither is life. The beautiful, authentic life you are creating for yourself and those you love is your art. It's the highest art. " Since you are like no other being ever created since the beginning of time, you are incomparable." writer Brenda Ueland reminds you. Hold that thought.
Every choice, every day, you are creating a unique work of art. Something only you can do. Something beautiful and ephemeral. The reason you were born was to leave your own indelible mark on your personal world. Each time you experience the new, you become receptive to inspiration. '

I have found that when you experiment with new things you start to discover what makes you unique, you feel content with what you love and with what brings a smile to your face. :)

So, I had fun this past week going on some creative excursions! Browsing in a Craft Store, library, the Mall . . . It is fun finding new things that catch your eye. I enjoyed doing some things out of the ordinary.

I discovered new quotes that I like and wrote them down in a notebook. This month I found a new cologne for my husband, it was fun just taking time to find something new and irresistible ;) I made a pineapple smoothie for the first time. I have realized how much I enjoy receiving letters in the mail and I want to be better about sending letters and packages. I went to a book store ' B. inspired ' and bought cute 50 % off Valentine's books. For a few years I have wanted to buy things after the holidays and be prepared for the following year and I actually did it for the first time. I have already bought 75% off stuff for the kids next year. I rediscovered old childhood songs to teach my kids. Found some fun activities to do with the family. . . and I loved browsing in a craft store, I have a list of projects to do for the next ten years :) I need to pick my favorite ones! I have written all these ideas down and I hope to expound on these new things and be able to DO some creative projects. I want to create beautiful art for my family, some bold and simple stripes on our canvas of life.

I'm Back :)

This past week was eventful :)

• We put new flooring in our house Yahoo! We needed to unplug the computer and put our armoir out in the garage. We are slowly putting our house back in order.
• I stepped on a nail while helping my husband remove the old carpet :( My bad! I don't like shoes, some day I will learn that I need to wear shoes. I actually put some on after I had to pull the nail out of my heel.
• Got a tetanus shot (double frown :( :( )
• My children were teasing me about having a big bum, (yes, you read that correctly) HEE! HEE! I actually had my cell phone in my back pocket of my jeans and I forgot about it and Dallin came up to me and asked me why I have a big bum. Then penny pointed to it and said "bad mommy" "poopie in your pants" O' my dear children!
• Penny is digressing in being potty trained. She went potty in a cup in her bedroom, the cup looked liked the one in her potty chair. She learned how to climb out of her crib. She strips down naked to take a nap. There is never a dull moment with my little girl. She is a Ham! Don't let her sweet looks fool you!
• I had a good week. I love, love our new carpet. I will post more tomorrow :)
• Later alligator

YUMMY :)

Cream Cheese Stuffed Cinna-Bun Pull-Aparts
20 Rhodes Bake and Serve Rolls, thawed
1 lb. light brown sugar
2 sticks butter
Cinnamon & sugar mix (4 Tbsp. Sugar 2 Tsp Cinnamon)
8oz. cream cheese (at room temperature)

Instructions: In a bowl, combine cream cheese with 1/4 cup brown sugar and combine well with spatula. Cover and place in refrigerator. Lightly coat bottom of bundt pan with cooking spray. Melt butter, then add remaining brown sugar and stir well. Bring to a light boil to caramelize then pour 1/3 of the butter/brown sugar mix across bottom of bundt pan. Remove cream cheese mix from refrigerator. Take one roll at a time into your hands and pull outward on sides to increase size slightly. Place approximately 1 Tbsp. of the cream cheese mixture into middle of roll. Fold dough around the mixture, pinch closed, then roll into a tight ball. Evenly place 8 balls across bottom of bundt pan. Sprinkle with 2 Tbsp. of sugar/cinnamon. Pour second 1/3 of the brown sugar/butter mixture over 8 buns. Repeat process with remaining 12 dough balls for second layer. First the dough balls, 2 Tbsp. sugar/cinnamon and finally the remaining butter/brown sugar mix. Let rise for 30 minutes to 1 hour then bake for 45-60 minutes at 350 degrees F. You may need to lay a piece of foil over top of pan after 40-45 minutes if buns start looking well done. Remove from oven then immediately turn over onto large plate. Remove bundt pan. Serve warm or room temperature.

I made these for the Baby shower on Saturday, this recipe is delicious with the cream cheese in the middle! Enjoy :)

Here is a poem from a talk given in 2006 by President Monson 'Treasured Gifts'

A bell is no bell 'till you ring it,
A song is no song 'till you sing it
And love in your heart wasn't
put there to stay -
Love isn't love 'til you give it away

"All that we hold dear, our families, friends, our joy, knowledge, our testimonies, would vanish were it not for our Father and His Son Jesus Christ. The world has witnessed no greater gift, nor has it known more lasting love!"

Some Highlights Of My Week

 

Tomorrow I am hosting a baby shower for a friend. I made some candy bar invitations :)

I had fun decorating some brownie bears for a Birthday, Penny's friend :)

Dallin started swimming lessons :)

We had a sweet-heart breakfast for Valentine's Day, and ending the day with a 'whole lot of love' dinner. Heart shaped pizza's :)

My wonderful Husband gave me chocolate ;) and beautiful flowers :)

The kids had fun taking turns hiding there Valentine's candy. Except, while we were having a treasure hunt Dallin wanted to take a turn to hide the treats and well he got distracted and forgot where he hid the candy :) OOPS :) We found it two hours later!

I also enjoyed making those pillowcases :) I think the couple one would make a fun wedding gift.

Blogthing QUIZ -My Candy heart says -

A total sweetheart, you always have a lot of love to give out.
Your heart is open to where ever love takes you!

Your ideal Valentine's Day date: a surprise romantic evening that you've planned out

Your flirting style: lots of listening and talking

What turns you off: fighting and conflict

Why you're hot: you're fearless about falling in love

What does your candy heart say?
www.blogthings.com/whatdoesyourcandyheartsayquiz/

I thought this quiz was very fitting for me! I actually have even planned out our Valentine evening tonight. I definitely do not like conflicts! I think my husband would agree that I was fearless about falling in love with him and the first time he gave me a HUG I knew that he was meant for me! ;) AND i am all about life taking me where ever the heart leads!

My Sweet Little Girl

Little Ways to Bring Lots of Smiles

The littlest things are the ones that end up meaning the most!

• On Valentine's Day Read old cards and letters from each other to one another


• Leave love notes for them to find all over the house


• Play footsies


• Hug each other every time you are about to cross paths


• Everytime you walk through a door together, kiss


• Stage a progressive love dinner and serve each course in a different room. We are going to have a chinese dinner with chopsticks ;) Chopsticks will help my husband to not eat so fast!


• Rent a movie that you both agree is hilariously funny. Every time one of you laughs, kiss each other (What do you think Honey? That sounds like fun ;)

My Mission President gave Roland and Me a gift for our wedding and his written advice was: May your lives be filled with each other. Keep Kissing! -President Packer

"Kissing, so they say breeds germs - They kill us by and by. - But tell me honey, do you know - A nicer way to die?" Anon.

Alright, Alright are you tired of all my mushy ideas? This is the only time of the year that I can get away with posting this kind of stuff :) Hee Hee

Can you tell I love finding ideas for Holidays?

I think these pillowcases are adorable! The little girl is even blushing :) I am going to pull out some old white pillow cases today and have some fun with the kids decorating them with fabric markers. I just had an idea to do Dallins with colorful candy hearts with sayings on his. I will post a picture of how they turn out.

Homemade Valentine's Day Treats for Kids

"The quickest way to the heart of your children is through the stomach! Show your little ones you care: Fill their breakfast plates, lunchboxes, and dinner dishes with colorful, tasty Valentine's Day treats.

The "Be-Mine" Breakfast: A heart-shaped pancake feast will get their day off to a sweet start. Surprise your kids or let them join in the fun. Just add a few drops of red food coloring to pancake batter. Make large pancakes on the skillet. Then cut the cooked pancakes into little hearts using a heart-shaped cookie cutter. Finishing touch: Instead of maple syrup, top with powdered sugar or strawberries and whipped cream. (A few years ago my parents made us a V-day breakfast with french toast and they sprinkled powered sugar on top using a heart cookie cutter to shape the sugar, very cute:)

The "Whole Lotta Love" Lunch: Pack a heart-shaped sandwich in your child's lunch box. Strawberry jam with cream cheese on white bread is a good choice. Or if your child loves cold cuts, bologna on white will still meet the Valentine's color criteria. Remove the crust and cut the bread into the shape of a heart with either a knife or a heart-shaped cookie cutter. You can also make a Valentine roll-up. Spread red jelly and cream cheese on a tortilla and roll. Then slice the tortilla into sections.Finishing touch: And don't forget the dessert -- a few Hershey's Kisses are a fun treat!

The "I Dig You" Dinner: Give that meatloaf a makeover! Mold your average meatloaf into a heart shape. Or if you're a perfectionist, pick up a heart-shaped pan at a kitchen supply store. When the meatloaf is cooked, frost it with mashed potatoes. A few drops of red food coloring in the potatoes adds a nice touch. You can top off this meatloaf masterpiece with squeeze-bottle ketchup X's and O's.Dessert anyone? Vanilla ice cream smothered in strawberry sauce or sprinkled with Nestle chocolate morsels (they're shaped like kisses!) is a great way to bring the day to a close."

How was everyone's weekend?

Friday night Rolo and I had a delightful evening of inspiration and entertainment! Our stake Relief Society organized a beautiful evening for all sweethearts. The visiting speakers spoke on Strengthening Relationships, then followed a fancy buffet (the strawberries dipped in chocolate were my favorite and the mini bites of cheesecake :) And the best for last I was able to dance with my sweetheart! We have not been dancing for a long time. I enjoyed every moment of having a fantastic evening with the love of my life!

P.S I am in love with Roland Jay Rocha

"Grow old along with me the best is yet to be"

Valentine's Day is a special day of the year to express your love and appreciation to many people in your life . . .

Tell someone special how "FORTUNATE" you are to have them in your life!

XOXOXOX Kisses 4 U! XOXOXOX Say it with a kiss! XOXOXOX

Hide Hershey's kisses around the house, and tell your sweetie to save the tags for real life redemption!

OR

Have A Big Kiss Treasure Hunt For Your Kids - Do a scavenger hunt around the house with a giant Hershey's Kiss at the end. Send them each on their own hunt and they have to track down several clues before they get to their prize. You can write clues, plus have a clip art picture to help them solve the clue. (Pictures are especially helpful when they don’t know how to read yet.) If the weather is nice, send them outside or to the garage for at least one of their clues. Kids love the hunt and the reward!

HUGS VS KISSES

:) 'Kiss'eltoe :)

7 Days left 'til Valentine's Day

Give a daily dose of affection straight to their heart!

Please, excuse my Potty language :) I need to vent :)

O.K in the last twenty minutes while I was typing the previous post(which is on an extreme opposite topic). My little girl went upstairs and fed our fish Nemo a FULL container of fish food. Poor Nemo, he looked pretty full, and it looked like he was swimming side-ways, is that a bad sign? Can over eating kill a fish? Then, while I was trying to help Nemo, Penny pooped in her panties and smeared it everywhere. I told Penny "That is gross" and all she kept on saying is "WHY" "WHY MOMMY." Then, to top all that off, I was cleaning out her underwear and I need to add a little side note here . . . I DO NOT like to clean out POOPIE underwear! In the past I would just throw the underwear away :) but I have tried to be better and just get over my germaphobia of poop. Well, I was rinsing out the poopie in the toilet like my Mom :) did way back when and while I was flushing the toilet, I accidently dropped the underwear and it was FLUSHED away. GREAT! Is my sewer going to back-up now? I was having a good, productive morning until now :) I need to start to repeat a postive affirmation in my mind. I need germaphobia therapy!

Experience the Sacred in the ordinary

I would like to share with you some thoughts from 'Simple Abundance' :

It's only when we truly know and understand that we have a limited time on earth-and that we have no way of knowing when our time is up-that we will begin to live each day to the fullest, as if it was the only one we had. -Elisabeth Ross ' In Thorton Wilder's play Our Town a deeply poignant scene takes place in a graveyard. (I am currently reading this play) Ghosts comfort the young heroine, who has recently died in childbirth. Emily, still longing for the life she has just left, wishes to revisit one ordinary, "unimportant" day in her life. When she gets her wish, she realizes how much the living take for granted. Eventually her visit is too much for her to bear. "I didn't realize," she confesses mournfully, "all that was going on and we never noticed. . . Good-by, world. Good-by, Grover's Corners. . . Mama and Papa. Good-by to clocks ticking . . . and Mama's sunflowers. And new- ironed dresses and hot baths . . . and sleeping and waking up. Oh, earth, you're too wonderful for anybody to realize you."

On our new path we seek everyday epiphanies---occasions on which we can experience the Sacred in the ordinary --- and come to the awakening, as Emily finally does, that we cannot longer afford to throw away even one "unimportant" day by not noticing the wonder of it all. We have to be willing to discover and then appreciate the authentic moments of happiness available to all of us every day.
As we become curators of our own contentment on the Simple Abundance path, one of the great payoffs is that we start to seek peace and comfort in the joyful simplicities. Little things begin to mean a lot to us. Joyful simplicities nourish body and soul by engaging our senses. They teach us how to live in the present moment. Life comes together when we seek out the Sublime in the ordinary.
We all have days in our lives that are marked by great moments of rejoicing and celebration and there is also a lot of drudgery to most of our days: sheets to be changed, laundry, dishes, garbage to put out . . . To keep our daily round from being all drudgery, we've got to savor the art of the small: discovering diminuitive delights that bring us peace and pleasure.'

These words from Sarah Breathnach have really made me ponder on the joys of our every day lives. I have been putting these thoughts into action and you can truly experience the sacred in the ordinary.

Our kids need lots of love XOXO

Penny will ask for a million kisses before she will let me or daddy leave her room at bedtime. I need to cherish these days that they will let me give them kisses!

P.S Major accomplishment for Penny and me - She is potty trained! Yahoo! Little girls are much easier than boys :) Dallin was soooo stubborn. I learned a good lesson from a friend :) and that is her husband would get mad at the poopie and not the child. That has worked very well for Penny, and it allows me to vent some frustration and not feel bad about it.

Kindness is Contagious

I DID IT!

I jogged 7 miles this morning. I went with my Husband and I would not have been able to do it without him by my side. It felt great having a purpose for my run. It was neat to reflect on the life of our dear prophet. I pondered on the 9 B's. Be grateful, smart, clean, true, humble, prayerful, postive, still and involved. This run will always have a special meaning to me. I can not even begin to express what I have learned today. It will be a day I will remember forever! My heart is full!

"A song may end, but the melody will linger on..."