Tiny Engineer {Not the Train Kind}

This Marbleworks set is one of Little Boy's favorite toys at his grandma's house. He needs a little help putting it together, but after that, he'll play with it for a loooong time.


Little Boy's always been very much into gadgets and fiddly things...which is a trait he DEFINITELY gets from his father. Stuff like this is just not my thing. As noted in this post.

Anyway, Isaac always says that if he could do college over again, he'd major in some kind of engineering. He loves tinkering with things...anything, really. I have a feeling that Little Boy's going to be the same way.

Recipe: Fudgy Frosting

{This...is clearly not my cupcake. And it has nothing to do, really, with the following recipe. Click here for the photo source and more pictures of cute cupcakes.}

This is the best frosting I have ever eaten {again, this has nothing to do with the cupcake up there}. I put it on my birthday cupcakes this week. And thanks to this frosting, my birthday turned out to be delicious.

A quick note: yes, making frosting takes a bit more time than using frosting from the store. And a bit more effort. But not much more. Homemade frosting is also better for you than the stuff at the store--it's still junk food, but at least you can pronounce all the ingredients in it. Anyway, on to the recipe.

Fudgy Frosting
adapted from a recipe in my mom's Pillsbury cookbook

1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup cocoa powder (heaping, if you like dark chocolate. Which I do. And it really makes this frosting yummy)
3 cups powdered sugar
1/4 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla

Melt butter in a saucepan on the stove. Add the cocoa powder, and heat it until it barely starts to boil. Remove from heat, and pour into a large bowl. Let it cool for a minute or two. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix it all together. Add more milk if you like it a little runnier.

And try to restrain yourself from eating it all straight out of the bowl. Which I would have done, if my cupcakes hadn't looked so naked.

What Would You Do If You Had a Slug on Your Pants?

Really, what would you do if you found a slug on your pants? Scream? Brush the slug off? Keep it and name it?



Well, here's what you would do if you were Little Boy:



You'd sit and wait patiently while your mom and grandma took pictures of you. Pictures of you with a slug on your pants.

Yeah. We're all kinda weird.

It Hasn't Even Been Two Weeks Yet!

If you've read my blog for awhile, you know that I have a bad habit of not posting pictures until at least two weeks after the fact. I'd like to point out right now that Easter was only nine days ago, and I'm already posting. Wooo!

Anyway, Easter is my favorite holiday. And this Easter didn't disappoint.


We played Easter-y games. (Printable Build-A-Bunny game from Homeschool Creations)


And dyed eggs. I saw a cool tip online about putting an egg inside a wire whisk for little kids, instead of using a spoon. More control, less mess.


We went a little crazy with the rubber bands.


And we made Easter-y treats. Unfortunately, these came out looking more like raw ground beef than like Rice Krispy eggs, but they were still tasty.


And we "hid" eggs. A three-year-old can have trouble finding an Easter egg that's in plain sight. Pretty funny, actually.


And, of course, we watched General Conference. Nothing makes Easter better than General Conference falling on the same weekend.

So that's my late early Easter recap. Maybe from now on I'll be better about posting in a timely manner. 

Or...probably not.

{image source}


"It is the parents who can give children the kind of love and security which can come from no other source. A child who understands who he is, and who has the kind of home where he feels wanted and loved, has no need to go wandering off to try to find his identity and to search for a happiness he will not find outside the so-called 'establishment.' "The happiest people I know are those whose life-style centers around the home. Work is very important, and success in one's profession or business is also essential to happiness, but remember what we say so often: 'No other success can compensate for failure in the home.' " 


-N. Eldon Tanner

Ever Been Inside an LDS Temple? Here's Your Chance.

We'll be going here tomorrow:

 
{as you can see, we've already visited the outside. ha.}

...for the Vancouver LDS Temple Open House. It's free, and it's open to the public through April 24th (excluding Sundays). More information on the open house can be found here.

Easter Decision (Re-Posted from Last Easter)

I was going to post a different picture and quote for Easter this year, but I couldn't find any that I liked better than this. So, a re-post.

"When Mary came to the tomb, she found the stone rolled away and the tomb empty. She ran to the disciples crying, 'They have taken away the Lord…and we know not where they have laid him (John 20:2).' Peter and John immediately ran to the tomb. "What did they think as they ran? Were they simply curious to see for themselves? Did they fear, like Mary, that their enemies had stolen the body? Or did they remember His promise, 'Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up?' "The decision that faced Peter and John that Sunday morning is the same decision that faces each one of us today. Will we doubt? Will we hope? Or will we know that He lives? I know that He lives." Art and text by Liz Lemon Swindle