Pear Bread

This was the yummiest bread!  Very very moist and delicious!

I found the recipe online and made it one day for my kids' after school snack.  It calls for fresh pears, but I actually just used my own canned pears and we loved it!

Here's what you need...

2 pears - peeled, cored and shredded (I just cut up canned pears)
1 pear - peeled, cored and mashed

1 egg, lightly beaten
1 egg white, lightly beaten
2 tablespoons water
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup white sugar (I always reduce my sugar by 1/3...especially when it also calls for pudding mix)
1 1/2 cups flour (I always use whole wheat)
1/4 cup instant vanilla pudding mix
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt


Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Lightly grease a 5x9 inch loaf pan or 2-3 small loaf pans.

In a bowl, mix the shredded pears, mashed pear, egg, egg white, water, and vanilla. In a separate bowl, mix the flour, sugar, pudding mix, cinnamon, baking soda, salt, and baking powder. Stir the pear mixture into the flour mixture just until moistened. Transfer to the prepared loaf pan.

Bake 1 hour (for large loaf) or 30-35 minutes for small loaf.  I used my mini-loaf pan and I think I cooked them for about 17-22 minutes. 

These were delicious straight out of the oven with a little smear of butter!  Melt-in-your-mouth good!

How to fix that pesky Duvet!!

I have never owned a duvet before, but all my friends seem to have them and seem to like them.  So when I bought my first one for my daughter's room, I was a little disappointed.  I hated it!

It slid around everywhere and never looked good on the bed.  The duvet itself always bunched up inside of the cover and it seemed like so much work every morning to get it made.  My daughter would normally make her own bed, except when she leaves for school my son is still asleep in it! So the chore always fell to me.

Then one day, I was talking to my sister while I made the bed and I grumbled to her and she said, "I know how to fix that!"  Her mother in law is an amazing seamstress and chef and you can count on her to know ALL the tips and tricks for anything related to the kitchen or sewing.  (For instance...if you wrap a cut onion in foil it keeps it from making your whole fridge smell like onion!)

So my sister told me her little tidbit of wisdom...   Sew loops onto the corners of the duvet and ties on the inside corners of the cover.  Genius!!

I did it the next day and it has worked like a charm!!  I had just cut the hem off of a sheet that I was using for a quilt and it was the perfect free thing to use for these ties.

 I simply cut a few short pieces like this.  You could use any fabric like this or even bias tape from the store.

Sew a small piece on the corner of the duvet itself, like this...

Then sew ties in the inside corners  of the duvet cover.

You can just do the four corners or you can do like I did and also sew one tie/loop pair in the middle of the top, bottom, and each side.  So I ended up with a total of 8.  One in each corner and one in the center of each side.

Then simply start with the opposite end that your duvet cover closes. Tie each corner to the matching loop as you insert the duvet into the cover.

Place it on your bed and just ENJOY how it STAYS PUT now!!

Paneled Fireplace Wall

I recently had a friend come from Oklahoma for a week-long visit.  It was WONDERFUL and relaxing and my kids got used to seeing us drive away in the car and come back much later with shopping bags and carry-out containers. ; )  What a treat!

This is my dear friend, Alisa.

We have previously visited each other in the Fall, but back in January, on a complete whim, I went onto Southwest and looked up ticket prices and then emailed the itinerary to her.  She couldn't resist!! Once her flight was booked, I thought...Oh crap!  I am in the middle of my project season.  What was I thinking??  So we hurried and painted bedrooms and I fixed broken tiles at the entry way and re-tiled the kitchen wall where the microwave had been before.  And I tried (and failed) to get my girls' two twin quilts done. 

 (They are still not done....oh well.)

She even offered to tie the quilts with me while we were sitting around visiting, 

but I told her I had a different project in mind.

I have been drooling over some fireplace pictures on Pinterest for a while.  I loved their clean lines and the crisp beautiful white and the interest of all the lines of the wood.

Like these...

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Funny thing...my husband saw this picture and he said...We've seen that before!  And it turns out he was right.  This fireplace was done by Steve Tiek of Tiek Built Homes.  My brother is married to his sister (I actually went to Steve's wedding reception to be able to see my bother and his family ; )  and about a year and a half ago, my sister in law let me know that he was having an Open House up in SLC.  And we went and LOVED it...and my husband remembered that this was the house.  If I ever win the lottery, I am hiring Steve to build me a Craftsman bungalow with a shed dormer on the second story.   A girl can dream, right?

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This one is an amazing remodel of a really gross looking fireplace in an older home.  You should click on it just to see the before and after!!

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This one is also a remodel that knocks your socks off.  So inspiring to see what can be done to freshen up old homes.

Years ago, when we moved in, I tiled around our gas fireplace and built a mantel out of MDF boards. This is basically what it has looked like for the last 6 or 7 years....  And once I saw these other crisp white ones, I thought mine was a little blah.  ; )

We started out by taking down all my decorations and painting the wall white.  I did this just on the off chance that the wall might show through a bit.  I wanted it to be crisp white like the boards.

Since I was not covering up any brick like some of the projects I had seen, I used the method that The House of Smith's used on their Wood Planked Wall.

I used the exact same material as they did.  A 4X8 sheet of Utility Hardboard from Lowe's cut into boards.  I had them cut at 5 1/2".  It is very important that the top board is level since all the other boards will be set off of that one.  I used two nickels to space the boards perfectly apart.  This is where it came in very handy to have a friend standing by.  She could hold the board and the nickel while I hammered in the nail. I did not use a nail gun, just my trusty old hammer and some finishing nails. 

 I used a nail set to sink them all.  Then I used this amazing product...

(I have seen this at Lowe's and Walmart...but NOT Home Depot)

I desperately wish I knew about this product when I did my board and batten in the Living Room!  Some of those nail holes still drive me crazy! ; )

I covered all the holes with the spackling...let it dry...and then lightly sanded them all.  We did this on a Saturday, starting at about 10 am and by early afternoon this is what it looked like....  It went up so quickly.  It was so fun to do something that was quick and easy!

I then did a quick priming job over these bare boards.  Once they were dry, we cut the boards to "frame" it all and nailed them into place.  (and totally forgot to take pictures! oops...)     

I then painted it all with the same white that I had used on the mantel.
(My favorite paint for woodwork, trim, furniture, dressers, etc. is ProClassic from Sherwin Williams.)

Here's what it looked like once we were done...

While it all dried, we made dinner for the family, played some games, put them all to bed and then went to work on a super fun Valentine's pennant banner (Alisa's idea!).

And this is what it looked like at 1 o'clock in the morning when we finished the banner...

We both stepped away and squealed (it was one o'clock in the morning.)  But we were so excited how it had been so quickly transformed!  I cannot wait to decorate for each season now.  It will be so fun to have this backdrop to set off decorations!

We got these little candle holders at IKEA and I absolutely love the shadows that they cast.

Alisa brought me this cute vinyl and I found this perfect  plate at Pier One on one of our many shopping outings.

I am just so tickled to have this project done.  Normally, I will see a project idea and it will often take years for me to get to it.  But I love that this one was something I had just decided I wanted to try and we just went and did it.  It cost about $25 total!!  And took one day. 

 I wish every project could be so easy!

I LOVE my new fireplace wall and it is fun that every time I look at it I will be reminded of this wonderful visit with my friend!   I have enjoyed the cute Valentine's decor all month but now my kids keep trying to convince me every single day that it is time to change it over to St. Patrick's Day, but only because they want to eat the jelly beans in the glass candlestick. 

 (The candlestick only stays full because I put packaging tape over the top so there is no sneaking! I learned my lesson after last year's magically disappearing jelly beans! )

Now off to Pinterest to search out some cue St. Patrick's decor....

A New Phase of Life...

My baby went to kindergarten yesterday.  I went out with friends to a celebration lunch!  ; )  I did not cry or feel sad at all.  I feel very excited for him, actually.  He is ready to be there...to learn and to socialize.  He was getting a little bored at home.  (That is totally my fault...I am just not very fun!)

But one thing has given me a little pause lately... this is my last year with any time at home with a young child and my last year of having all of my children in my home.  (Even as I type the words, I CANNOT believe they are true!)

My oldest has started her senior year.  I swear that just a couple years ago, she was three and dancing around my family room in her purple tutu! (I know that sounds cliche...but just you wait--that is exactly how it feels!) There is a very good chance that she will go to the same college that my husband and I did (BYU) and it just doesn't seem like 18 years since we were there ourselves!

Just a couple days ago, there was a perfect article for me on my FAVORITE mom blog:  The Power of Moms.  It was titled: Before They Fly.  It made me face the reality of it all: We have just a few precious months left to all be together.  To create memories that will bind my children to each other.

And with the crazy schedule of my Senior daughter--4 AP classes, Seminary Council, Choir President, teaching piano, and working at a local deli--those moments are becoming harder and harder to find.

But I am ready to seize those moments when they do come.  And I will probably need to re-read that article every month just to remember that all those moments and memories really are more important than a perfectly clean and organized home, or actually getting the kids in bed ON TIME.  Because, let's be honest, I struggle with that balance. Oh, do I struggle.  : )

Some Recent Reading...

I have recently found a new website that I have been really enjoying.  It is JUST what I need right now.  I am in a period of re-adjustment, you could say.  Just realizing that the years are speeding by and I want to make sure I maintain my focus on the things that matter most!

It is called  The Power of Moms.

I LOVE the title of the latest post...Your Children Want YOU.   So True.

And I am very interested in the post about Hilary Rosen's interesting comments about Mrs. Romney.  But haven't had time to sit down and read it yet.

I especially loved this post:  Is Mommy too Busy?

This part particularly stabbed me right in the heart ; ):

I had a realization a while back. I am not really mothering. I am so focused on my “lists” and moving onto the next thing that I am missing many of the moments that really matter. I have been so involved in the good things that I am failing to take time for the best things. These moments, right now, are the critical moments in my life!