Hospital Moving Boxes

In honor of a big move that my family is making to Utah, I thought I would share a great little moving tip. I was once told by my friend Becca that a fabulous way to get moving boxes is to call your local hospital. If you ask, she says they will set them aside for you and actually appreciate you taking them off their hands.

Good to know, eh.

DIY Cake Plate

I was admiring all of the cake plates with yummy desserts on them at a baby shower I recently attended. For some reason I haven't acquired a single one in my married life! At the end of the evening I was still chatting away while decorations were coming down and my friend Jessica started to dismantle her cake plates. I did a double take and asked her what she was doing. She was surprised at my curiosity and thought everyone knew how to make them. A few other girls around chimed in and were just as interested as I was.

Cake Plates can apparently be created with a candle holder, any plate of your choice, and what she called "sticky stuff". I'm still not sure what "sticky stuff" really is called but it is blue and she said it can be purchased at Walmart (she said her mom used to even hang things on her walls with it).

I actually snagged the pic from above at thehappyhousewife.com because I haven't created my own yet. She creates her DIY cake plates by gluing them with a glue gun. You can Click Here to see her step by step instructions. But I must say I like the idea of using "sticky stuff" so that it's not a permanent fix.

Pretty cool!

What's Your Tone?

I've been thinking a lot lately about the everyday "tone" that I use with my family. You know, that special voice you use for your kids or your husband or any family member you live with versus the way you speak to your friends or strangers. I think it all hit home for me when we had our parents stay with us and help out for a few weeks after baby #4 arrived. I noticed that my tone seemed to be much more calm and kind when I knew they were around. Granted, I had been super prego and a little extra grumpy because of it, so perhaps that is why the contrast seemed so apparent (excuses, excuses, I know). 

Since that awakening I've made a real effort to use a warmer tone at home. It helps when I pretend my cell accidentally rang someone and they are listening on the other end (which has happened to me a lot lately).

This will take a lifetime for me to perfect but I think being conscious of it has made a big difference.

Old School Mixing

I've been told that hand mixing my cookies, batters, or whatever it may be will actually give them better texture and make them taste even better. So, I gave it a whirl and it does seem to make a difference. Linda claims that her husband thought her peanut butter chocolate chip cookies were a different recipe when she hand mixed them. She hasn't been back to her Bosch with that recipe since.

Kind of cool to know! I might add that it can also be a pretty good workout. Give it a go and let us know what you think.

Guest Post: Frozen Milk

 

As the mother of two young boys, we go through a lot of milk. I was tired of making multiple trips to the grocery store every week, but our fridge only held two gallons comfortably. A friend of mine recommended buying extra gallons and freezing them in our freezer in the garage. It works like a charm! 

I've found the squarish jugs from Costco work best because they have extra head room that allows for expansion when the milk freezes. Now if I see I'm going to run out of milk, I can just grab an extra gallon out of the freezer the night before I need it. This saves me tons of time and aggravation! 

Brooke, Oregon

Bed Sheet to Beach Blanket

We had an incredibly fun vacation in Newport Beach this year. Seriously, could that place be any more dreamy? While we were setting up our towels and whatnot on the beach I looked over to see my sister Mari laying out one of the hotel sheets for her family to hang out on. What!? How I envied their little cotton island. I was sure to copy her and take a bed linen from then on. It was especially great for my little baby who needed more room than a towel offered.

The Spritz

There we were, in the middle of Amish country, walking in hot and humid weather. Out of nowhere Linda whips out a blue spray bottle and starts asking the whining, overheated and tired children if they want a spray. Sullen faces came to life and hunched over shoulders perked up as they each took turns getting sprayed with this glorious water.

Linda says she always carries one with her when they go on little trips or outings in the summer. I say, bring on the spritz!