I put this one together for my mom as a Birthday Gift. My mom is 50 today by the way, Happy Birthday Mom!

I remember when my mom turned 30 and I thought she was soooooooooo old. Now I am just one year, actually just over seven months, shy of being 30. I don't feel old, though I am sure to my kids I am. I have to laugh. But even funnier still is how perspective changes and even my mom seems young now.

Anyway, back to the frame. I found the free printable online. You too can find it here.

I really want to frame it as a gift for each of the ladies I Visit Teach  My problem is that I love the frame I sent my mom, and I can't find anything I love as much. But I think it would go great along with the recent conference talk by President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, which I loved.

Of Things That Matter Most

"Elder Dallin H. Oaks, in a recent general conference, taught, “We have to forego some good things in order to choose others that are better or best because they develop faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and strengthen our families."

The search for the best things inevitably leads to the foundational principles of the gospel of Jesus Christ—the simple and beautiful truths revealed to us by a caring, eternal, and all-knowing Father in Heaven. These core doctrines and principles, though simple enough for a child to understand, provide the answers to the most complex questions of life.

There is a beauty and clarity that comes from simplicity that we sometimes do not appreciate in our thirst for intricate solutions.

For example, it wasn’t long after astronauts and cosmonauts orbited the earth that they realized ballpoint pens would not work in space. And so some very smart people went to work solving the problem. It took thousands of hours and millions of dollars, but in the end, they developed a pen that could write anywhere, in any temperature, and on nearly any surface. But how did the astronauts and cosmonauts get along until the problem was solved? They simply used a pencil.

Leonardo da Vinci is quoted as saying that “simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.”  When we look at the foundational principles of the plan of happiness, the plan of salvation, we can recognize and appreciate in its plainness and simplicity the elegance and beauty of our Heavenly Father’s wisdom. Then, turning our ways to His ways is the beginning of our wisdom."

Reading Like A Rock Star

I swear I didn't read this much in first grade. Am I just forgetting? I remember reading Dick and Jane in like the 2nd grade maybe?  JC had a bunch of site words in kindergarten; first grade has only proven to pick up the pace.

JC continues to impress me at how well he retains most site words, but of course there are always a few tricky ones.  We try to make the chore more fun by making as many games out of it as possible.  One favorite game is to write all the words out in chalk.  Then to improve on this idea, making it even more fun we took turns throwing rocks, bark, whatever we could find, on a word.  Then whatever word it landed on JC had to read.

JC was reading last night with his "Rock Star" glasses.  I don't know how he could see anything!

He was more than happy to show off the book he just got that afternoon from the school bookfair.

Teacher Appreciation Door Decor

How I decorated the door of JC's teachers for Teacher Appreciation Week. It was much cuter in person!

Lady Bug Cup Cake

Super cute cupcake we got from the Carnival/Auction the youth of our ward put on. I still want to know who made this cupcake. All the ladybug is made of is a red Dot candy with gel frosting spots. Love it!

Funny Cake

Yesterday was the Blue and Gold Banquet. For center pieces my friend Karla and I had ask all our boys to collect 100 of something {it's the 100th year of scouting} and find a creative way of displaying it for the table. Karla and I decided we would make giant cupcakes to display our 100.

I decided to do 100 mini marshmallows. Actually I thought about doing Teddy Grahams but that's a lot of little bears. I felt that a S'mores theme was appropriate with scouting though. So I made a yellow cake with crushed graham crackers, mixed in some mini chocolate chips. Then between the top and bottom layer I filled it with marshmallow cream and chocolate frosting.

Finally came the really fun part —decorating! So I proceeded by covering the bottom layer (or the cupcake cup) with chocolate frosting and mini Hershey bars. Then came the top. I covered this in marshmallow cream, then tried to swirl in chocolate frosting over that. Finally I place on my 100 mini marshmallows, the Teddy Grahams, and chocolate chips.

I thought it looked pretty cute. So I got my camera to take a picture to send to the hubs who is out of town (and also thought I was crazy when I told him what I had planned for my cupcake.)

After I took the picture I noticed something. The top had more white than I remembered. As if I had forgot to decorate a good chunk of the top. Then upon better inspection I realized all the toppings, starting with the chocolate were sliding off the marshmallow cream. I wasn't sure what to do. I guess I could have pulled everything off and tried to redecorate the thing. But that seemed time consuming and MESSY! So instead I stuck in in the freezer hoping to freeze the toppings in place. And it worked!

So after almost forgetting it as the boys and I rush out the door. I get it in my car and get it to the B&G in one piece. I get it placed on the table and purposely face the sliding place to the back of the room to "hide" it. Then my boys and I sit down at the same table. My friend Karla, her husband and boys soon show up. They sit at the table too. We laugh about my cake and then the dinner starts.

Dinner was entertaining. I keep looking at the cake and since it's no longer in the freezer its started up again with the sliding. It was like watching a train wreck in sloooooooooow motion. Little by little it's sliding, until plop a chunk falls off. So we feed it to the kids, then another clump, and another. By the time we have finished our dinner, honestly the whole back half was gone. I should have taken a picture of this but I was just so darn embarrassed over the thing!

So my long story has a point. They say scouting delivers many skills and life lessons to the boys. Let me tell you it's not just the boys. My life lesson I've learned from scouting is that sticky as marshmallow cream is, it does NOT make a good adhesive for frosting. Who knew?  So if you feel like making your own giant s'mores cupcake, use frosting.  :)

Your welcome for sharing this valuable lesson with you. Now you don't have to learn this one the hard way.