Let Him Eat Cake

Last week was Eliot's first birthday and we had a huge celebration. Everything went off without a hitch, but I think the best part was watching Eliot enjoy his cake.

A chocolate eclair cake is about the best thing in the world for someone who is new to solid foods. It's made with vanilla pudding, cool whip, graham crackers and chocolate frosting. All the chocolate eclair goodness while still being easy to eat. Eliot certainly seemed to approve.

Total Cost: $10 for all the ingredients. Happy birthday Mister Mister!

Do You Know What Today Is?

You're right!

Merry Christmas

"For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord."

Luke 2:11

Advent Conspiracy

This video was shown today during the Advent prayer service at school. The message is great, and the cause is worthy. Please click here to watch.

Total Cost: $0 to to talk, read, play or sing. (That's a savings of 450,000,000,000!)

1 New Message

To: Reader's of my blog
From: RissieGrace
Subject: Cute Movie

Hi all,
I've been at school late every night this week grading papers. While I work, I watch shows on hulu, and I found this Christmas themed one tonight.
Very funny. Had to share. Hope you can enjoy it too!
Merry Christmas Season!
xxoo,
Rissie

http://www.hulu.com/watch/113712/disney-prep-and-landing-prep-and-landing

Total Cost: $0 to break the silence while I check in homework.

Well Said

I found this cartoon by Rick McKee on msnbc.com this morning, and I thought the message was particularly good ... especially in light of the topic of this blog. :)

The Count Down Begins

Today is December 1st, and children all over the United States are pulling out advent calendars like the one above. It’s a fun tradition that often makes the wait for Christmas even longer.

As for me, I don’t have an advent calendar, but I do have an advent activity list. My goal is to do each of the things on this list before Christmas.

1. Put up a Christmas Tree
2. Attend a Handel’s Messiah Sing-Along with Nora
3. Put up a ribbon sash for Christmas cards
4. Go ice skating
5. Hang a stocking for St. Nick’s day (December 5)
6. Go to the First Presidency Christmas Devotional
7. Watch “It’s a Wonderful Life” with friends
8. Make a wreath-like-thing for my front door
9. Give hand made gifts to neighbors
10. Drive and/or walk around to see neighborhood lights
11. Make gingerbread cookies with red hots
12. Watch “A Christmas Story” with my parents
13. Make and give out pepparkakor on Saint Lucy’s day (December 13)
14. Go to a Christmas concert
15. Send out Christmas cards
16. Have hot chocolate with homemade marshmallows
17. Tell family stories around the fireplace
18. Help out with dinner at St. Ben’s
19. Go caroling
20. See a nativity display
21. Go out and look at the stars on the longest night of the year (December 21)
22. Read the Christmas story out of the Luke 2
23. Make wheat berry pancakes for the Schows
24. Call the people I love and let them know (that I love them)

"This Christmas, mend a quarrel. Seek out a forgotten friend. Dismiss suspicion and replace it with trust. Write a letter. Give a soft answer. Encourage youth. Manifest your loyalty in word and deed. Keep a promise. Forgo a grudge. Forgive an enemy. Apologize. Try to understand. Examine your demands on others. Think first of someone else. Be kind. Be gentle. Laugh a little more. Express your gratitude. Welcome a stranger. Gladden the heart of a child. Take pleasure in the beauty and wonder of the earth. Speak your love and then speak it again." – Howard W. Hunter

Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving ... wherever you are!

Rissie Grace is Thankful For …

Thanksgiving is tomorrow and I’m spending it with my family. The various responsibilities have been doled out, and we’re each doing something that we are fairly good at. Nora is making the deviled eggs and the twice baked sweet potatoes potatoes. Mother is baking the pies and fixing the stuffing. Daddy is mashing the potatoes. Spencer is opening the can of cranberry sauce. As for me, I’m responsible for the turkey, the brussel sprouts AND setting the table.

Setting the table for thanksgiving is really one of my favorite things. It’s nice to pull out all the plates, silverware, glasses, napkins and candles that never get used at any other time. It’s also fun to make place cards, and tell people where to sit (like we’re at a wedding with 500 people). The place cards shown above are from Martha Stewart (left) and Country Living (right), and they are both very nice, but I like this idea from Blonde Designs. They put a card at each place with the person’s name and a space for them to write what they are thankful for. Even better than that, they have provided a template so you can make your own.

Now, let’s see … what am I thankful for?
· family
· friends
· faith
· job
· books
· car
· peach pie
· ikea
· a hot shower
· magazines
· a blanket right out of the dryer
· hand cream that smells like jasmine
· a laugh that makes my sides hurt
· etc. (this could go on all day)

Total Cost: $0 for a place card that reminds you to be truly thankful.

Anticipation

I love the idea of Thanksgiving. Preparing a delicious meal while watching Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, setting a lovely table, remembering all our blessings, eating slowly (or slower than normal), playing some sort of game, watching some sort of game, doing dishes together and then slipping into unconsciousness after finishing a piece of pecan pie.

It’s gonna be great! What are some of your favorite things to do on Thanksgiving?

Total Cost: $0 to “look-forward-to.”

What I Wore

I was "the sky" for Halloween.

I don't know about you, but I think the resemblance is striking.

Total Cost: $0 to wear what was already in my closet and give it a clever name. (Thanks for the idea Gwen!)

Happy 4th of July

photo found here

The True Spirit of Memorial Day

When I was going to school in Utah, I was always impressed by the number of people who visited the cemeteries on Memorial Day. Every grave was had flowers and/or a flag. In fact, when I was seaching flickr looking for a picture to represent this, I found the one above, which was taking in Heber, UT.) It was really impressive. It reminded me of the reason that we have Memorial Day.

cartoon found here

Happy Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day Mother!

(picture to come)

How To Make a May Day Basket

I have a confession. I have never made or given a May Day basket. For those of you who don’t know, the “May-Day-Basket-Ritual” goes like this: get a basket and fill it with flowers, hang it on a friend’s doorknob, ring the door bell, run. (If you get caught, you’re supposed to get a kiss.) What a charming tradition! It seems like something that I would do faithfully each year – I love anything that involves spring, flowers and gift giving. The problem is, May 1st always sneaks up on me, and then I feel like I don’t have enough time to create something really memorable. But this year I decided things would be different! Even though I forgot it was May Day until this morning, I had to give a May Day basket to at least one person. Turns out, it wasn’t that hard. All I had to do was:

1. Roll

2. Staple
3. Cut

4. Buy flowers

5. Deliver

Pretty easy. Next year I might give out two baskets.

Cost: $7.00 for paper and flowers. Worth every penny.

Happy May Day!

picture found here.

Fat Tuesday / Shrove Tuesday

Mardi Gras. It’s the day before Lent when everybody goes on one last binge before starting the fast. There are floats, feathers and beads … drinking, dancing and singing … reveling, rioting and debauchery.

Not really my scene. Until I heard about …

... Shrove Tuesday. This is a version of Mardi Gras popular in Ireland and the United Kingdom, and it’s celebrated by eating pancakes. In fact, it is often just called Pancake Day. PANCAKE DAY!! Now that’s a holiday that I can get behind. In honor of this auspicious occasion, IHOP is serving free all you can eat pancakes until close. Wa-hoo! So after school, it was dinner time.

My mom and I waited 30 minutes for a table. No problem though. I graded papers while she gabbed with strangers. Soon enough we were seated and got right down to the pancakes – along with a side of bacon, milk and “pure squeezed” orange juice.

The pancakes went quickly. Burp.

On the way out, we ran into Triniti and company who were also out celebrating.

Happy Pancake Day!

Total Cost: $5 for the bacon and beverages.

I ♥ Valentines Day

Black*Eiffel

Actually, I am not really a huge fan of Valentines Day – as far a romance goes. But I do like its creative side. I like the idea of making cards and gifts out of things that are just lying around the house and then giving them away anonymously (of course).

Here are some crafty type ideas I found on line.

Design Mom

So, I picked one of these ideas and made it using stuff I already had around the apartment – I just had to buy glue. So if you get a mysterious Valentine, it might be from me!

Total Cost:

$1 for the glue