A little paradise of her own creating

CTR cookies

2012-02-06T06:57:00.000-08:00

One of my Primary kids got baptised yesterday and I just had to give this tutorial a try. Making your own CTR shaped cookie cutter was easier than I thought. When you have a husband with a toolbox at hand. :D Thanks honey!

Teabag advent calendar

2011-11-11T02:18:00.001-08:00

Ever since I was a little girl I had an advent calendar to count the days until Christmas. Last year I made this one for the women in church. (Boy, did I need to hear Elder Uchtdorf's talk...haha)

The advent calendar has an inspirational quote or scripture on it that you can ponder while enjoying your cup of tea. A great gift for your visiting teaching sisters!

This is what you need:

- 24 tea bags (or 25, depending when you celebrate Christmas)
- an empty (tea) box
- paper
- glue, tape or staples

Design your own teabags on the computer or cut wrapping paper, scrapbook paper or whatever you can come up with to make a little teabag. If you'd like to have mine leave me a message and I will e-mail it to you (in's in Dutch though, but you can write your text - it's a Word file)

Design your teabags.

They should be slightly bigger than the teabag itself.

Cut and hold in half.

I used tape to close the sides. You could also glue or staple them. Put your teabag inside.

Take your teabox. Many already have an opening to take the bags out. If they don't - cut an opening like this.

Put all teabag envelopes inside. Take a pretty Christmas card and cut the same opening in the bottom of the card and glue it to the box. You can also use old Christmas cards. It's a great way to recycle them.

All done! It's that easy and cheap!

Moments That Matter Most

2011-06-29T11:14:00.000-07:00

The waiting place

2011-06-29T10:49:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite books is "All the places you go" by Dr. Seuss. This is one of my favorite pages. It makes me laugh everytime I read it because people can be so silly. (this includes me!)

People think when they wait for their children to be older, a bigger house, a higher income, a smaller clothing size and whatever they dream of, they will be happier. But then many times you waste time waiting for what will not happen. It is good to aim high, don't get me wrong, but enjoy the journey and be happy with where and who you are NOW. Today will happen only once.

Elder Uchtdorf's talk on things that matter most was fabulous and I love the Mormon Message they made from it. (see message above)

Planner

2011-06-18T10:36:00.000-07:00

Ever since my mission I cannot live without a planner. I just like to have things organized. Meals, memorable moments, me-goals, everything! This one helped me a great deal and it's so cute too. And for free! Couldn't be any better.

General Conference

2011-04-04T00:18:00.000-07:00

Wow! What a spiritual feast it has been! In our church we get to listen to our prophet and apostles twice a year in a special conference. They share the most inspiring messages.

I've been busy with preparations for the kids in church and my own kids for weeks now. Thanks to Sugardoodle.net and Scriptures4kids they had some great activity books to keep them busy during sessions. I also made some bags with snacks and activities in them and each bag had the face of an apostle attached to it. Whenever an apostle spoke they got the pick the bag with his face on it. Laneah couldn't wait for Elder Bednar to speak because she saw the candy lipstick in the Bednar bag. This is their tent to sit in and listen to President Monson.

This is how my husband taught the kids about King Benjamin and listening to our prophets. Haha...he's still a kid himself.

Eliam loved all the "families" in their tents.

Laneah also colored some easter eggs, Eliam liked the eating part better.

He did not get why his sister was drawing on eggs. Funny little guy.

We had our favorite food for breakfast, lunch and dinner and went for walks inbetween sessions to keep the parents calm and the kids sane. :)

I felt all the work paid off when Eliam came downstairs in the morning, ran to the Computer and said "Monson, Monson!"and in the evening when he went to bed he blew kisses to President Monson on the screen and said "Bye Monson!"

I love our prophet dearly and will do my best to follow him and teach my kids to do so as well. What a great Conference it was. Satan must hate post-Conference Mondays when everybody has renewed spiritual energy and desire to do better and gained stronger testimonies.

Favorite car play mat

2011-03-22T13:42:00.001-07:00

I've tried several car play mats lately, but this one's got to be my favorite. I made it for Xandro's first birthday. I love how you can add different photos so they can drive to grandma, church, favorite grocery store, hospital, temple or whatever they love to go to.

I made this one with handles so you can fold it up and take it along.

Find the tutorial here.

DIY cleaning solutions

2011-03-22T13:20:00.000-07:00

A while ago I decided not to use harsh chemicals and toxic cleaning solutions from the stores any more. They're so unhealthy when you inhale them and could be a serious danger to your children. Plus they are so bad for the environment. Making your own solutions is so much cheaper too!

I've tried some great recipes. All you need is a simple spray bottle and a few simple ingredients.

White vinegar is a natural deodorizer, absorbing odors instead of covering them up. (and no, your bathroom won't smell like a salad. The aroma disappears when dry.)

It's also a great substitute for fabric softener!

Homemade spray cleaner recipe:

1 cup of water

1 cup of white vinegar

Yes, it's that simple!

Baking Soda is a great deodorizer too. Just add 2 teaspoons baking soda to a spray bottle with water and you can clean pretty much anything with it.

Add a few drop of lemon juice and it smells nice and clean too. Or a few drops of lavender oil or tea tree oil.

And the fun part is my kids can help me clean! They get some water and lemon juice in a spray bottle and can clean along with me! Perfect! No toxic fumes or irritating solutions!
Spring clean away!

Quiet book

2010-12-17T05:52:00.001-08:00

They should have received the quiet book by now in the mail so I'm not spoiling the Christmas surprise (and I assume the kids don't read my blog anyways :D).

This is the latest quiet book that I've made. Every time I'm done I promise myself to never ever make one again. It's so much work. But so worth it.

With this one I tried some new things. Felt! Love it!

I also covered a soft plastic binder with fabric. This is so much sturdier than a fabric cover.

I might make another one...

Lost Doll Story Contest and Giveaway

2010-10-18T03:17:00.000-07:00

This is my entry for the lost doll contest from the most amazing doll-maker I have ever seen.

Trashcan trauma

When I was a little girl I received a huge doll from my great-grandma. It was a very special doll to me. My great-grandma died not too long after this and this doll was a special memory for me.

I took it wherever I went and loved dressing her up. We were the best of friends. Here is a picture of me and my doll.

My mom thought that the doll was hideous and too big. She always tried to talk me into another doll, but I refused. I had always a love for the not-so-perfect-looking things (You should have seen the Christmas trees in the years I got to pick them, not the picture perfect ones, not straigth, not full with green needles and even but they were special to me).

One day I couldn't find my doll and looked everywhere for her. I couldn't find her. I went outside to play with my brother. We would go out and explore the world, the forest and our neighborhood. We also looked in the trashcan of our apartment complex (kids!) and I was petrified when I saw my loving doll in the trashcan!!! My mom thought I would never find out and forget about her. I was so mad and got her out immediately.

My Mom apologized a million times, but I was a pretty upset doll mom and was sure she would never be able to make up for this.

One day my mother learned to make Waldorf dolls. I was the lucky receiver of her first self-made doll. She put all her love in it and gave it to me. I LOVED this doll. I soon realized how soft and fun it is and forgot all about the big plastic doll. The little Waldorf doll is still alive and treasured. It's my little Miss Sunshine:

My daugther Laneah is 3 years old and has a really ugly plastic doll with sound. I find it rather ugly, BUT I will let her keep her doll. The love/bond you can have for a doll is priceless. But I do want to give her a lovingly made Waldorf doll one day too. One that she can cuddle and love and dress up. A doll that will remind her of me and be a special treasure to her for the rest of her life and maybe even for her own baby girl.

This might be my chance...thank you Juliane for this giveaway! I´ll keep my fingers and toes crossed.

Of birthdays and cakes

2010-10-18T02:56:00.000-07:00

Pretty much all of our family birthdays are in August, September and October. Laneah and Eliam turned three and one and we had a lot of fun on their special days.

My mom and I love to make their birthday cakes. We did one from a Debbie Brown book and bought one 3D cake form. It's easier than it looks. It is just playing with food!

Eliam got a big green dragon. I love to play with fondant. You can model anything you dream of. I am personally not too fond of the überübersweetness but it looks great and the cake tasted so good. Birthday boy had a green diaper the day after. :D

Laneah's cake was a toal disaster. I will never do icing again. I'm used to fondant and wanted to try something new, but after we had 16 packs of powedered sugar in the air and in the bowl it just wouldn't turn out good and we decided to do it our way. But she loved it anyway. It was pink and that's all that mattered to her.

Monster quilt

2010-05-25T11:51:00.001-07:00

I can't wait to make this quilt! Eliam will be the lucky receiver. I was thinking for his first birthday but it's probably going to take me until his second birthday to finish it. :D

Look here for more on the Little Monsters quilt, the cushion and the skilled designer.

Australia has some amazing quilt/fabric designers! One of my other favorites is Melly & me.

Car roll-up mat

2010-05-18T04:16:00.000-07:00

I've made this car roll-up mat to take along to church or other places. All the sudden my little girl loves cars! I am sure I could come up with a cool version of a doll roll-up mat too. Like a roll-up dollhouse...hmm...sewing machine where art thou...

This one was for my nephew Lorenzo. Thanks for being my guinea pig, I will make many many more.

The kids are both asleep, so dishes, here I come.

Karl

2010-05-11T11:40:00.000-07:00

Tonight I heard that Karl Schnibbe passed away. I loved that guy.
He would bring us fresh tomatoes and other special treats while I served as a sister missionary on Temple Square. He would tell us about his experiences in life and what he went through and why he did what he did. He was bold, strong and courageous and I am sure he's happy to meet his dear friends again in heaven.
You can read more about him here:
http://www.deseretnews.com/article/700031380/German-Mormon-Karl-Heinz-Schnibbe-who-resisted-Nazis-with-teenage-friends-dies-in-Salt-Lake-City-at-86.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karl-Heinz_Schnibbe

Simplifying

2010-05-09T13:36:00.000-07:00

"We women have a lot to learn about simplifying our lives. We have to decide what is important and then move along at a pace that is comfortable for us. We have to develop the maturity to stop trying to prove something. We have to learn to be content with what we are."
Marjorie Pay Hinckley

What's your family motto?

2010-05-09T12:24:00.000-07:00

Last fall we were so lucky to attend a fireside by Steven Covey and he talked about his family motto: "Gathering for Zion" The whole family wears blue wristbands with the motto on it and even his grandkids can explain what it means.
I also like his life motto: Life live in crescendo!
Paddy and I still don't have a family motto figured out for our family. It's more difficult than we thought.
What's yours?

Spring jacket

2010-05-09T12:02:00.000-07:00

I made a new jacket for Laneah and at first she hated it. She threw in the corner and said she'd never wear it. Never say never...especially when Mommy spent her precious past-kids-bedtime hours on it to sew it. Now she saw that there's an ice-cream print on it she likes it. Good girl. She'd better.
It's the Tinka-Bella pattern from Farbenmix. Can't wait to make the winter edition. :)

Happy Mother's Day

2010-05-09T11:51:00.000-07:00

For the ones who haven't seen it yet...beautiful, truly beautiful!

Best bread recipe ever

2010-05-01T00:26:00.001-07:00

You've got to try this:

500g spelt flour
1 pack of dry yeast
1 handfull of seeds like pumpkin or sunflower or whatever you like
10g salt
1 teaspoon bread spices
1/2 teaspoon sugar
250 ml buttermilk
250 ml water

First mix all the dry ingredients together and then add the water and buttermilk. Let it all rise in a warm place for 40 minutes and then bake in a bread form for about 40 minutes at 200 Celsius.
Let it cool down and enjoy!

First post

2010-04-25T12:27:00.000-07:00

It's Sunday evening, the kids are asleep and I felt like starting a new blog about my little paradise of my own creating. That quote from Brother Brigham (on the right) has been my theme for quite some time and I hope to get many ideas from you smart and skilled moms out there! I try to make our home a little paradise and I'll be blogging about it here.
I love being a wife and a mother. I never thought it would be that difficult, but that's probably why it's so great.

Today I taught the adult Sunday School class. Quite humbling. Good thing it was only a one time favour. The lesson was on Balaam and his talking donkey. Fabulous story. I found it quite inspiring as a Mother: Balaam/kids begging Hevanely Father/parent, answer is "NO", "NO" is not the wanted answer, so more nagging until they have a "Okay, BUT..." answer and they go off and do something they weren't supposed to. It's always better to stick to Heavenly Father's advise.