Change your boring cake mix into the best cake ever!

I tell my husband I really need to stop watching cooking shows…especially ones like cupcake wars…because shows like that make it look SO easy to just whip up something yummy!  I have *uh-hem* experimented in the kitchen a lot and it’s not always a great outcome.  However, once in a while things turn out simply amazing!

This will work for any cake mix—chocolate, vanilla…you can experiment (wink) and see what you can come up with. 

This is the particular combo I used for my hubby’s Birthday cake last Sunday:

1 Betty Crocker French Vanilla Cake Mix
4 eggs
1/2 Cup water
1/2 Cup vegetable oil
1 cup vanilla yogurt, sour cream or a combo of both (i used 1/4 sour cream the rest vanilla yogurt)
1 box (3 oz.) vanilla instant pudding

Mix it all together with a hand mixer and blend on low for 1 minute.  Scrap down the sides and then beat on medium for 2-3 minutes until it is thick and well combined.  Bake at 350 for 45-50 minutes (for a 9x13" pan) until a toothpick comes out clean in the center.

This makes a LOT of cake batter, so plan accordingly.  I went super lazy this year and just did a 9x13 for hubby’s cake.  It was a low-key birthday day, so it was fine.  In the past when I’ve done this, I’ve used my two 8” round pans but then still had a lot batter left so I did some cupcakes too.  Another version of this is using a chocolate cake mix and chocolate pudding…it is also amazingly yummy. 

THE BEST PART:  This is a great base for add-ins!!  I concocted the most a-mazing cupcakes with this recipe!  I made this batter and then added coconut and pecans!  SO SO GOOD!!  I’ve also done this as a base and then added in cinnamon, shredded carrots and walnuts or pecans for a really good carrot cake cupcake!! LOVED IT.  Think of all the different cake mix + add in combos you could make!  It’s so fun!

I felt like I could have been on the show Cupcake Wars that day!

Hubby didn’t want anything added in this time, but you really could add in whatever extras you want to make super yummy cakes and cupcakes. 

And then I made THE BEST EVER frosting I’ve made yet!  I am a really big frosting snob and I was IN LOVE WITH THIS RECIPE!! This recipe is from Savory Sweet Life and I will being using it for the rest of my life because I think it has just the right amount of all the ingredients!

1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks or 1/2 pound), softened (but not melted) 
3-4 cups confectioners (powdered) sugar, SIFTED (I never sift, though, maybe I would for a fancier cake)
1/4 teaspoon table salt
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
up to 4 tablespoons milk or heavy cream (I used milk)

Beat butter for a few minutes with a mixer with the paddle attachment on medium speed. Add 3 cups of powdered sugar and turn your mixer on the lowest speed (so the sugar doesn’t blow everywhere) until the sugar has been incorporated with the butter. Increase mixer speed to medium and add vanilla extract, salt, and 2 tablespoons of milk/cream and beat for 3 minutes. If your frosting needs a more stiff consistency, add remaining sugar. If your frosting needs to be thinned out, add remaining milk 1 tablespoons at a time. (I added the last cup of sugar and not the rest of the milk; then frosted the whole cake that way). 

I frosted the whole cake in white and then added orange to the leftover frosting and decorated it. 

I went all out on the decorating this year ;)

my hubby is also loving his picture up here ;)

You better pin this, because you are going to want to remember this amazing cake recipe ;)

Let me know in the comments if you end up making an amazing combo!! I’d love to try it!

Have an awesome weekend!!

Sam is 4 Months Old

That’s a 1/3 of the way through his first year!

Since the last time I updated, Sam has learned a new trick!  He can roll over!  He started rolling on May 8th—he rolled from back to tummy six times that day!  Then he really wasn’t interested in doing his trick for a few days, but now I can’t get him to stop!  I’ve had to roll up a blanket to stick in his crib to keep him from rolling over at night because he gets stuck.  He forgets that he used to know how to roll from tummy to back. 

Rolling has been really good for getting rid of his Torticollis, however.  He rolls to the side where his weaker neck muscle is, so he has been strengthening it with is rolling!  

Speaking of Torticollis, I never did write about that.  Sam has Torticollis (you can read about what that is here).  I noticed right before his 2 month well check-up that he only turned his head to his left….ALL the time.  So I tried talking to him to get him to turn to look at me the other way and he wouldn’t.  So then I tried to force his head to his right and it was really tight and he hated me turning his head.  When I mentioned this to his pediatrician he told me it was called Torticollis and Sam’s case was bad enough to need a visit to a physical therapist.  Sam and I have been going to Physical Therapy with Mary at a Primary Children’s office in Sandy since then.  At our evaluation appointment I learned all about what Sam should and shouldn’t be doing, a whole bunch of stretches and exercises to do with him at home, and a bunch of ways to hold him and stretch him without him realizing that’s what I am doing for the times he doesn’t want to do his PT. We went for 4 weeks every week and then took a two week break and then went back…which was last week.  At that appointment Mary said that Sam’s been improving just the way they would like and expect for his age.  He’d also had a slight flat spot, but it’s pretty much gone now (and it wasn’t too noticeable anyway, but that is a major problem with Torticollis babies)  We don’t have to go back for a month and when we do it may be for the last time.  He has a lot less of a head tilt then he did when we started, but it’s still there and we’re working on that.  And he also still looks to his left a lot—but I’m thinking that’s mostly because he is used to doing that because he can fully turn his head the other way now with a gentle reminder and something interesting to look at ;)  Like I said before, the rolling he does and a TON of tummy time that he’s been getting since we started this whole thing has helped improve and reverse this condition…so Go Baby Sam, Go!

Other things Sam has been doing more of…

Eating, sucking, and gnawing on his hands…constantly!

He also sucks his thumb when he sleeps now! SO cute

Sleeping better during the day, and sometimes during the night.  We are trying to get night time sleeping under control but he’s still sporadic…some nights sleeping 4-6 hours at time and other nights waking up every 2 hours.  I can’t seem to figure out why that is.

He coos in a way that sounds like he’s talking back to you.

He blows bubbles and goes  Bubbbb & phewww all the time (those are words I made up…I can’t think of a better way to explain the sound!)

He drools A LOT now…I’m guessing he’ll get teeth pretty early like Luke did (at about 7 mo)

He is now interested in playing with Toys.  He loves the Lion Face Crinkle Taggy that I made for him. 

Interacting with Luke!  Luke can get him to smile and laugh! It totally melts my heart!

Sam can sometimes hold his own bottle!  Speaking of bottles…he totally prefers bottles to nursing, but we aren’t giving up on nursing yet! 

the “Swimmer” move.  He kicks and kicks his legs and “floats” on his tummy.

Sam is really really good at going from this:

to this:

in no time flat.

He tries to get the animals (in this case dinosaurs) on the blanket.  It’s funny when he grabs at it and gets nothing but his own hands!

He can sit in the stroller without falling over too much.  He likes this because there’s more to see.  We have to take a lot of walks on his fussy days because he calms down when he’s outside.

He really likes watching the animals go around and around in his swing

He’s overall a pretty good baby, and his cuteness makes up for the fussiness and sleeping difficulties we have to put up with sometimes!

Pinterest Test Lab: Cleaning the Shower Floor

I totally didn’t mean to announce my new series and then not mention it again for weeks…oops.  Time got away from me!  But that doesn’t mean I haven’t been busy testing and doing the projects I’ve pinned!  I also want to say that I would love to make this into a linky party where all of you can share things you’ve tested or done from pins on Pinterest!  So I’m thinking next week I will share some more ideas and then at the end of the week you can share yours!  I will make a grab button that you can include on your test lab posts just like I have done above and then join my party!

********************

Now I’m going to share my dirty little secret…no judging!

We’ve lived in our house for going on 4 years in August.  And the bottom of my shower has been impossible to get clean in all that time!  There’s been a ring of dirt that I couldn’t get off no matter what product I used or how much I scrubbed and scrubbed…and scrubbed…and scrubbed…I’d pretty much given up hope.

THEN one day I came across {this} pin, Marissa, from Finely Ground, gave me just the solution I’d been searching for!  She tested lots of natural remedies and found the answer…

20 Mule Team Borax.

I took a picture of the bottom of my shower after scrubbing half of it with this awesome stuff:

It was amazing!

Now, I will say I still had to scrub…a lot.  But nothing else I’ve ever scrubbed with even made the slightest difference.  Now it’s totally clean and {almost} like new!  So nice to finally get rid of that ring of dirt!

Borax is really cheap {found in the laundry aisle} and can be used for dozens of cleaning duties!   So go get some and start cleaning something!

Scenes from the week

Grandpa taking over bedtime stories duty**********************

Typical scene after Daddy gets home from work! Sadly this is what it looks like about 90% of the time at 6pm.  What a good Daddy/Hubby :) He puts up with so much!

**********************

Our Pajama Walk!  Also known as a really good way to get Luke to put on PJs when he otherwise would put up a huge fight!! It was a perfectly warm, cloudy evening (and no summer bugs yet!)…perfect for our Pajama Walk around the blockPS. Isn’t Sam so adorable sitting {propped} up like a big boy?

**********************

Luke found a new fun cubby…daddy’s closet shelves!

**********************

A bit of a crazy week, but so glad to find some joy in the simple things!

Sam’s Nursery: A Work in Progress

We finally painted Sam’s bedroom! 

You will probably laugh at me when you see these before and after pictures...because it almost looks like we didn’t paint at all! 

We painted the room a lighter neutral than it already was…so it’s not a huge change!  This before picture does not portray the level of hatred I have for the color it used to be.  To me, the neutral tan that our home was painted when we moved in looked dingy and definitely had shade of pink and mauve in it that drives me crazy.  I’m slowly eradicating it from every inch of my house.

Here’s a better picture that shows the dingy color our house came in:

I plan on painting this hallway the same pretty blue as the loft…I just haven’t gotten to it yet.  Maybe someday we can get rid of those awful boob lights too!

This is what Sam’s room looks like right now:

See? Not a huge change.  But it’s lighter and brighter and a better backdrop for the colors I have planned for this room. 

Since Sam is now sleeping here, it makes it a little tricky to get some things done {like take these pictures}.  But I’ve already started on some projects and can’t wait to get things going in here!  I’ve already started compiling artwork and sewing a cute pennant banner…so more on those soon!

Mother's Day

My hubby was fantastic yesterday!

He bought me lots of pretty flowers.
He took care of Sam and Luke...a lot.

He cooked me a yummy dinner that included grilling salmon on a cedar plank...yum!
He washed all the dishes that were sitting there from the previous week, and he cleaned up after dinner and did all those dishes too!

The day was a little hectic at times, but still enjoyable. 

My parents are in town and we went to church early that morning.  Luke went up with all the Primary kids to sing for all the moms for the first time.  There were two taller girls standing in front of him, but I could see him peeking his cute little head above their shoulders.  I couldn't tell if he was actually singing, but I could tell he was at least smiling!
After Church we went back home for a brunch with my sister and her family.  It was perfectly yummy and Luke enjoyed playing with cousins (as always!) 
Everyone left and we had the afternoon to ourselves to go for a family walk, have our special dinner and then just relax.  I was able to sneak in a quick nap in the afternoon (thank you, baby Sam!). Then my parents came back and more siblings came over for the rest of the night!  
We won't talk about how blogger auto saved the wrong version of a draft I was working on for yesterday.  (hence the late posting of it today).  Because other than that, it was a pretty darn good Mother's Day and I appreciated all the effort my hubby put into making it a special day for me. 

Hoping all of you had a great Mother's Day as well!

I am a Mom

I am a mom.

Sometimes the world will look down on that title.

"What do you do?"
"I'm a mom"
"oh, that's nice"

I used to try and make it more impressive--like telling them all the things I do besides being just a mom.  "I like to dabble with graphic design" or "I like to blog" I would say.  I would try to tell them things that would keep them interested in talking to me in the conversation.  If I told them I was just a mom and that I stayed home with my kids, the conversation would quickly turn elsewhere.  That was frustrating for me since I like to be part of the conversation, too. 

For a long time I wanted to be more than just a mom.

I worked on making my blog better.  I worked on trying to sell things at boutiques and craft fairs.  I tried to freelance a little in the graphic design world.  Even got some small design jobs that I got paid for.  Mostly, I tried to come up with ideas to be fun and interesting to other people...and then blog about it so my blog would be cool too.   

And then I had Sam.

Now I struggle to do all the things I'd become an expert at.  I struggle to get all my errands done in a week, let alone one day.  I struggle to get the laundry done, the dishes done, the house kept picked up.  I struggle to remember the simplest things.  I can get off the phone and completely forget about something I was supposed to do right when I hung up!  I feel like I was losing my mind!!  It took me over a month to finish a wreath for my front door that I used to be able to get done in a day.  I feel like an Olympic gold medalist when I can get dinner ready by 6:30 or both the kids in bed by 8:00! The only thing I seem to get accomplished some days is getting Sam to take a good nap and actually taking a shower.

I still want to be cool, and interesting, and have a really fun blog for my friends to read.  But I worry about every post that I put up that is just more pictures of Sam...more pictures of my kids!  I worry that I would lose readers if I am not posting at least one new project a week.  I don't want to be someone that just posts about my kids and outings to the aquarium all the time.  I feel like I have more to offer than that.

Then one late late night, I realized that this is what my life just happens to be right now.

I am a mother.
and that is enough.

{source}

It is enough to try and be the best mom I can be for my kids.
They take up all my time now, and that is okay!
They need me...a lot!  And that is okay.
It may take me a whole month to do a project.  And that is okay.
I can put up nothing but pictures of my kids on my blog and that is okay.  They are my life right now. 

If Luke needs me to stop folding laundry to read him a book, then I will leave a pile of laundry on the couch to do just that.  He will only be with me for a few short years before I turn him over to the elementary schools during the day.  I know that I will miss having him around when that time comes.  I will miss finding toys in funny places and having him as my little buddy in the shopping cart at stores. 

If I need to spend thirty minutes rocking Sam in a dark room to get him to settle down for a nap, then I will do just that.  I will appreciate the quickly fleeting moments of peace with a snugly baby because I know that they will be gone all too soon.

I love this talk, but especially this quote because it reminds me of what is important right now in my life and as a mom:

 If you are still in the process of raising children, be aware that the tiny fingerprints that show up on almost every newly cleaned surface, the toys scattered about the house, the piles and piles of laundry to be tackled will disappear all too soon and that you will—to your surprise—miss them profoundly.   ~President Thomas S. Monson; Finding Joy in the Journey

Right now,
I am a mother.
Right now
I need to be a mother.

There will be time for everything else later.