We're still in Minnesota, soaking up every minute of family time. Last night we were flipping through the channels and my dad announced with his tv guide in hand, "this is a hallmark movie called, A Dog named Christmas. Stay tuned for the sequel 'A Cat named Easter.'"
Perfect Paul Harrington humor.
I am off this morning to The Great Cookie Swap. I can't wait!
the perfect thanksgiving plate.
Going clockwise you'll find creamed corn, my-favorite-ever-sweet-potatoes-and-marshmellow-lisa-I-love-you-fluff, my mom's amazing cranberry and apple jello, stuffing with gravy and my personal ham. I don't really care for turkey, and Kyle and Lisa are SO GOOD to always make me some special ham.Actually, great story: one of my first Easter's in the family, Kyle pulled me aside and said, "Hey, we know you don't like ham, so we made a turkey just for you." It honestly was the most thoughtful, welcoming, we-love-you gesture. And then I had to kindly say, "Oh, shoot, I actually like ham. It's the other way around...it's the turkey I'm not so crazy about" The polite side of me thought I should just go with it, but the thinking side of me realized that if I didn't speak up in that moment I would be eating Easter turkey forever. Regardless, the lengths of making an entire extra meat for me on the holidays speaks VOLUMES of how well cared for I am in my married-into family.
black friday
It's true, that last post about cell phones was written on Monday and set to post on Friday, because I knew I wouldn't be posting that day. I knew this, because my mom and grandma and I had big plans of sewing.
Unfortunately, in order to sew, we needed to go to JoAnn Fabrics. On Black Friday. In the morning. Yikes. So mom and I set went together and it was an experience to remember. And mostly, just to remember never to go again. On Black Friday. In the morning.
We got there and found our fabric and then found the line to get our fabric cut. There were 25 carts in front of us, most of which looked like this:
...take a moment to notice how small that cart is compared to this woman's fabric! Before I took this picture I asked the driver of the cart for permission to photograph her loot. She looked at me sort of funny and I said, "I just don't know how I can explain this experience to my husband without pictures!" She and her line-waiting buddies all laughed and we bonded in our JoAnn-Togetherness.
It was an adventure, and in a cool we're-all-in-this-together sort of way, it was fun. We made friends with the people in our lines, asking everyone around us what projects they were going to make with all of their fabric. And after an hour-and-a-half of standing in lines, we were able to come home and start sewing. Yes! Did you know?!! Over the last two weeks I have learned how to sew!!! More on that later...
the bummer about cell phones...
And then remember how when you answered you had no idea who was on the other end? And how no matter who was on the phone you were socially obligated to have some sort of conversation? When I would pick up at our house growing up, the person on the other end might have been a friend of my mom's or a person from church looking for my dad. It might have been a friend of my brother's or it might have been my grandma. Regardless, some sort of small talk followed after picking up the phone.
I miss that. In the day of cell phones and caller id, there is never really a moment when you just answer your phone and don't know who it is. Even if it says, "Unknown caller" we know that obviously that person's number is not in our phone already, so we might as well screen that call and see if they leave a message.
But I think we're missing out. Because in those small talk conversations with my mom's friends or the woman at church who was calling to see if Dad could come to the hospital, conversation was shared and my community grew just a little bit bigger.
tips and tricks with rory groves.
I had high hopes of writing a traditional 'things I'm thankful for' post. But truly, it all boils down to my husband, cat and family, good health, my God who keeps teaching me, my imagination, a love for creating, my stunning drive to work each day, a job that keeps me engaged and interested, friends who know me well, food in my fridge, a roof over my head, a church I love...
Actually, now that I started writing that list it's pretty hard to boil down. But I'll leave it at that and may have to add more later.
What I wanted to share with you today is a bit of computer help from my husband. Rory's life has centered around computers. He wrote his first code when he was like 8, making his own games and stuff. His mom once gave me a chalkboard with a wooden bear on the front and I thought it was an interesting gift to pass on until she showed me the back of the chalkboard. Rory had written code on the back for a game he was working on, and the handwriting was clearly that of a younger kid. She had saved it because it was so very Rory.
Marrying a man who is not afraid of computers was a really good move on my part. I once had trouble finding a 12 page paper I was working on for seminary. I was sure it was gone forever and told him so in a mess of sobs and tears, announcing, "I am going to go and lay in the fetal position on our bed while you find my paper." And sure enough, he found the paper, and I was so grateful that I had married a computer genius.
Actually, now that I started writing that list it's pretty hard to boil down. But I'll leave it at that and may have to add more later.
What I wanted to share with you today is a bit of computer help from my husband. Rory's life has centered around computers. He wrote his first code when he was like 8, making his own games and stuff. His mom once gave me a chalkboard with a wooden bear on the front and I thought it was an interesting gift to pass on until she showed me the back of the chalkboard. Rory had written code on the back for a game he was working on, and the handwriting was clearly that of a younger kid. She had saved it because it was so very Rory.
Marrying a man who is not afraid of computers was a really good move on my part. I once had trouble finding a 12 page paper I was working on for seminary. I was sure it was gone forever and told him so in a mess of sobs and tears, announcing, "I am going to go and lay in the fetal position on our bed while you find my paper." And sure enough, he found the paper, and I was so grateful that I had married a computer genius.
So there have been little tips and tricks that Rory has mentioned lately that when he tells me I say, "does everyone know that?!!" And after discussing with my sister, maybe some other people know these tricks, but Annika and I didn't, so I think it's worth passing along.
I hope these Tips and Tricks become like a series of posts and that together we all become a bit more computer savvy.
RG Tip #1: When typing in a web address, you don't need to type www or .com Simply by typing in the heart of the address, like, amazon and hitting CONTROL and ENTER, the www and .com will magically appear.
RG Tip #2: Every time you go to order something online, or go to join a group that makes you enter in ALL OF YOUR INFORMATION for the umpeeth time you have to enter your state, typically by using a drop down menu. Sometimes these can be hard to maneuver depending on what state you live in. But not with Rory's tip #2. Once you get to the drop down, don't mess with your mouse, just hit the first letter of the state you live in until it comes up. Example: If you live in Minnesota, you just hit the letter 'M' five times. If you live in Nebraska, you hit the 'N' one time.
How handy are those tips?!! THE WORLD SHOULD KNOW!!!
brown paper packages tied up with string
...these are a few of my favorite things...
1. My all-time-favorite-gift-to-give is The Jesus Storybook Bible. I don't care if you are six or ninety-six, this is the Bible for you. The subtitle of this Bible is, "Every story whispers his name" and as you read each Old Testament story, the last paragraph points to Jesus. And as you read each New Testament story, the last paragraph points back to the prophesy fulfilled, the promise made true. It has solid theology, beautiful pictures and inspired writing. 
2. When I was little I played for hours on end with my whiteboard and whiteboard markers. I gave this gift to my niece, Josie, a few years ago for her birthday and now each year I just get her new markers at Target. Because there is nothing like juicy whiteboard markers.
3. I became a believer in the power of aromatherapy when I found Mrs. Meyer's
Anyone have any favorite gifts to give to add to the list? Leave me a comment! I'm in need of more ideas since my family and friends have been saturated in the gifts listed above!
I have a few staples that I tend to give for gifts. And I thought it would be fun to share my old faithful's in case you have someone on your list for whom these gift ideas might be perfect.
1. My all-time-favorite-gift-to-give is The Jesus Storybook Bible. I don't care if you are six or ninety-six, this is the Bible for you. The subtitle of this Bible is, "Every story whispers his name" and as you read each Old Testament story, the last paragraph points to Jesus. And as you read each New Testament story, the last paragraph points back to the prophesy fulfilled, the promise made true. It has solid theology, beautiful pictures and inspired writing. 2. When I was little I played for hours on end with my whiteboard and whiteboard markers. I gave this gift to my niece, Josie, a few years ago for her birthday and now each year I just get her new markers at Target. Because there is nothing like juicy whiteboard markers. 3. I became a believer in the power of aromatherapy when I found Mrs. Meyer's Clean Day Dish Soap (Gardenia Scent). Honest to goodness, doing the dishes became more enjoyable. And that is saying a lot. I gave this as a gift to my sistah's for their birthday and we all look back at that season with our Gardenia dish soap as the happiest of dish washing. Unfortunately the Gardenia scent is hard to find in stores, so you have to order it online...which is a deterrent for me. But at $3.99 I may just order a bunch in bulk for future gifts. You may find it odd to give dish soap, but just wait until you smell it.
5. Nothing can beat mod podge and sponge brushes. Every age can mod podge and the projects of creativity that can come from this stuff are endless. I recently saw kitchen cupboards that were covered in ripped scrapbook paper via modpodge. They were stunning and perfect for the creative workspace I saw them in. (You can get mod podge and sponge brushes at Michael's or any craft supply store.)
6. I've always been a huge fan of punch balloons. No matter what amazing present you pair a punch ballo0n with, the punch balloon always gets the attention and played with first. Cheap, delightful and easy to find in the party supply aisle.
7. I am throwing the Ron Popeil Food Dehydrator on my list, not because I have ever given one away. Nor because I have even ever received one. But it is on my list because I asked for a Ron Popeil Food Dehydrator for seven years in a row of my life for christmas and for my birthday. I had the infomercial memorized and was sure my life would be complete if only I could make my own banana chips, beef jerky and fruit roll ups. I still think it would make a lovely gift, and therefore made this top ten list.
8. Table Topic cards. I love these things and the conversations they spark. There are all sorts of topics from travel to girls night to family to date night. Rory and I have the travel cards in our jeep and whip them out when road trips get long.
9. Along the lines of modpodge, I think giving art supplies to kids or crafty types is another super thoughtful and imaginative gift.
10. My mother-in-law has kept a 10 year journal for as long as Rory can remember. There are only four lines for each day, and just the noteworthy things get written down. The first year it is like any other journal, but because all ten years of the same date are on the same page, this journal gets better and better each year. Simply by opening to November 23, I can see what we were up to last year at this time, and the year before that etc... It's a very simple memory keeping technique and makes for some great story sharing. My bff, Heidi, uses hers as her kids' baby books, writing down notable moments or funny things they say. Perfect and simple.
Anyone have any favorite gifts to give to add to the list? Leave me a comment! I'm in need of more ideas since my family and friends have been saturated in the gifts listed above!
The Forest Room
My cousin Jeremiah is married to Sarah, the lovely author of The Forest Room blog. I have yet to meet her, which seems crazy-strange, because I seriously feel like I know her quite well. All because of her blog. My grandma Bredberg was just out to Kentucky to visit the family out there and she posted some stunning pictures of their time together. (The picture above was taken from her blog) I just thought I'd point you in that direction, because all of her pictures and stories and lovely. And if you scroll down past the post about our grandma, you'll see a post she recently wrote about making her own cheeses. I had actually never even considered making your own cheese, but now I'm intrigued.
Again, I haven't ever met Sarah, but based on her blog, I think she is the most peaceful mother of four I have yet to meet (or have not met...) She writes about her joys and challenges in home schooling and includes magnificent photography of the learning happening in their home. When I read her blog and wish I could be in her house each day as they learn because her lessons always combine the subject at hand with some grand exploration through food, art, costumes and writing. She is one creative and imaginative teacher, and to me, there is nothing greater than to see another person's creativity and imagination embodied in their daily work. Enjoy this blog!
Sugar and Spice.
I have been baking today. I love baking. I was baking cookies. I LOVE cookies. I was baking sugar and spice cookies filled with good things like molasses, ginger, cinnamon and nutmeg. Our house smells divine.
My sistah, Lisa, throws a cookie swap every year. It is larger than life. Last year, I realized that the date she had picked for the cookie swap we were supposed to be at Disney World. And honest-to-goodness, I changed our flight. We did Disney in a half day, because I didn't want to miss the cookie swap. When I realized this conflict, there were tears followed by a very confused husband, "so what you're trying to say is that you would rather go to Lisa's cookie thing, more than Disney World?!!" "yes, Rory, (sniff sniff) I am saying exactly that..."
My first year at the cookie swap I brought peanut butter buckeyes, sort of cheating because they are a no bake, and being that everyone must bring TWELVE DOZEN cookies, I ended up feeling badly that I didn't actually bake like everyone else. However, when year two rolled around, I again took the easy way out and made my mom's apricot-coconut balls. Another no bake. I love these babies, but they're hit or miss, depending on if others like apricot, coconut and dark chocolate. (if you like those three things though, you'll flip over these things...)
Last year I made oatmeal cranberry cookies and this year, I made these sugar-ginger deals. They smell and taste fantastic. And the best part? The dough isn't actually that delicious, so this is like the first time in my life that I made cookies and don't have a tummy ache from eating so much dough. It seriously is a perk! But the cookies, once they are baked, are my absolute favorite. A classic, Christmas cookie.
So here's the recipe. The cookie swap isn't until next Monday, so the cookies are safe in freezer bags for a week until I get them out to package them up beautifully for an event that tops Disney World. And I LOVE Disney World.
Sugar and Spice Cookies
3/4 c. butter
1 c. sugar
1 egg
1/4 c. molasses
(beat above together)
Dry Ingredients (mix together and add to butter mixture)
2 cups flour
2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
3/4 tsp cloves
3/4 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp nutmeg
Preheat over to 350. Form into 1 inch balls and roll in sugar. Place two inces apart on baking sheet. Bake for 7-8 minutes for a chewy cookie. Makes four dozen. Enjoy!
Christmas Craft Night
We had a fantastic turn out for our first Christmas Craft Night on Friday night. The hope of this evening was for women to come and make classy gifts to give to teachers, babysitters or coworkers. We had 30 ladies come, and had a really great time. I had the room set up with six different stations and the ladies moved around the room as they pleased. We had great food, great childcare and Bing Crosby singing us into the season.
Our craft stations included: Christmas Cocoa cones, Fabric covered magnets and tacks, Scrabble Tile Necklaces, Gift Tags and pretty gift wrapping, and Bath bomb cupcakes. Click on any of those titles for the link to the tutorials, where I found all of these fabulous ideas!
I hired a few camp counselors and co-worker's kids to be our babysitters for the evening. They were awesome. When I went to check on them I found the crew having a snack in their fort. Love that.The evening was not without a few glitches, however. I was in charge of welcoming ladies, helping with the bath bombs and helping with the cupcake frosting. And honestly, I probably should have delegated the frosting or bath bombs. One batch of frosting was so thin it ran off the cupcakes entirely. Another batch of frosting misfired, when all of their ingredients were added together at the same time. Turns out, this is how you make marzipan! The putty was incredible and we actually played with it for a while because it was just that cool. At that point, I realized I needed to hang out at the frosting table and made sure everything was put in exactly as the directions specified. And then it turned out great every time.
We had a Healthy Breakfast Potluck at our last staff meeting. This actually was sort of a tricky challenge...bacon and waffles and egg bake don't really fit in at a "healthy" breakfast. So I thought for a while and remembered this recipe I had written down somewhere while we were on our road trip last year. I thought this was the perfect opportunity to try it out. My review: they didn't turn out anything like the actual Starbucks granola bars that I love. But they turned into their own special granola bars and I will make them again and again. I think part of the difference between the kind they sell and the kind I made was that I used smart balance peanut butter (trying to make them extra healthy for our Healthy Breakfast) and it changed the flavor a bit, but they were FABULOUS and Rory loved them and so did the Carol Joy Holling staff. Enjoy!
Makes 48 servings (for real!)
Chewy, nutty good to go bars.
Chewy, nutty good to go bars.
Ingredients
2/3 cup sunflower seeds
1/3 cup walnuts
1/3 cup sesame seeds
1/3 cup almonds
2/3 cup raisins
1/2 cup wheat germ
1/2 cup wheat bran
1/4 cup flax seed
2 cups oatmeal
2 cups peanut butter
1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup corn syrup
1/4 cup brown sugar
2/3 cup sunflower seeds
1/3 cup walnuts
1/3 cup sesame seeds
1/3 cup almonds
2/3 cup raisins
1/2 cup wheat germ
1/2 cup wheat bran
1/4 cup flax seed
2 cups oatmeal
2 cups peanut butter
1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup corn syrup
1/4 cup brown sugar
Directions:
Combine dry goods.
Melt butter, corn syrup and sugar over medium heat till near boiling.
Combine everything including peanut butter.
Set oven 350. Spray pan. Spread in pan.
Bake for 30 minutes (mine were done after 15-20 minutes) or till outside begins to brown.
Combine dry goods.
Melt butter, corn syrup and sugar over medium heat till near boiling.
Combine everything including peanut butter.
Set oven 350. Spray pan. Spread in pan.
Bake for 30 minutes (mine were done after 15-20 minutes) or till outside begins to brown.
Aunt Annie
I have a 10 year journal that I have been HORRIBLE at keeping up with, but I'm trying to do it again (just jot down a sentence each day of something memorable.) So I just looked through it and on November 12th I have written under 2006: "Shepherd of the Valley's 25th anniversary celebration at Eastview Highschool. Family went out for pizza after. AUNT ANNIE HAS BEEN HEALED!!! Amazing story we got to hear over pizza. Praise God!"
This is why you keep a 10 year journal. I loved remembering that moment of hearing my Aunt Annie's healing story. My Aunt Annie had chronic fatigue syndrome for over a decade. Much of the time she was unable to be out of bed for more than an hour or two at a time. And then she went to a prayer retreat to pray for missionary work all over the world. And in one of the services, she went forward for prayer and was healed. Absolutely, in that moment, healed.
I wrote an email to Annie after reading this blurb in my journal. I wrote, "Made me so happy to think of that moment of hearing you share that miracle. I remember talking to Rory at length that afternoon about how I need to pray like I believe something will happen. You know how you forget that sometimes? Like prayer is just routine, but without the belief in God's power behind it? I just did a Bible study all about not just believing in God, but absolutely believing God can do what he says he can do. Love that. I think I'll be learning this lesson my whole life long."
And then I just got this email back. Breathe deep as you read this. Aunt Annie is gentle, thoughtful and wise. You'll want to savor every word.
Thanks Becca for the reminder of that amazing time of worship and the quiet, overwhelming knowing that God was reaching out to touch me and heal me. He is such an awesome God and totally faithful to His promises and His people. Good health is a wonderful gift and blessing, best treasured by those who had lost it and now have received it back. Love and Joy, Aunt Annie
This is why you keep a 10 year journal. I loved remembering that moment of hearing my Aunt Annie's healing story. My Aunt Annie had chronic fatigue syndrome for over a decade. Much of the time she was unable to be out of bed for more than an hour or two at a time. And then she went to a prayer retreat to pray for missionary work all over the world. And in one of the services, she went forward for prayer and was healed. Absolutely, in that moment, healed.
I wrote an email to Annie after reading this blurb in my journal. I wrote, "Made me so happy to think of that moment of hearing you share that miracle. I remember talking to Rory at length that afternoon about how I need to pray like I believe something will happen. You know how you forget that sometimes? Like prayer is just routine, but without the belief in God's power behind it? I just did a Bible study all about not just believing in God, but absolutely believing God can do what he says he can do. Love that. I think I'll be learning this lesson my whole life long."
And then I just got this email back. Breathe deep as you read this. Aunt Annie is gentle, thoughtful and wise. You'll want to savor every word.
Thanks Becca for the reminder of that amazing time of worship and the quiet, overwhelming knowing that God was reaching out to touch me and heal me. He is such an awesome God and totally faithful to His promises and His people. Good health is a wonderful gift and blessing, best treasured by those who had lost it and now have received it back. Love and Joy, Aunt Annie
My font in print
I have a great friend from seminary, Jen, who just posted this advent picture on her blog. It's a promo poster for a series of Sunday family service projects she is leading at the church where she is a pastor. I don't know if it gets more exciting than this, but THAT IS MY FONT!!! She downloaded it, and is using it, and at a church somewhere in Tacoma, Washington, my handwriting is posted all over the bulletin boards. I remember making handmade posters all the time in high school for our student council dances, and always thinking it was funny to see my handwriting all over the school, knowing that it was mine, but knowing no one else knew that (or cared!) Basically, seeing Jen's poster is that feeling times ten. People, if you have handwriting that is legible, you've got to try making a font out of it. Just go to http://www.fontcapture.com/ for the step-by-step.Fireflies and Songs
Well everybody, Sara's new CD came out yesterday and it is phenomenal. I know I've raved about it before, and another time after that and I know I just might sound like a broken record. But we got the pre-sale package yesterday (anyone else get this thing?!!) and watched the five music videos, listened to her audio book of the stories behind the songs and listened to the four extended play songs and there is so much good stuff to chew on. She did a remake of Jars of Clay's 'Flood' that is crazy amazing.So, if I just can twist your arm a tinsy bit harder, I think you'll like this record. It's more acoustic and calming than anything else and I just can't get enough.
Beth Moore
I just completed another Beth Moore Bible Study called Believing God, and oh man, did the Lord use this time to teach me. It was a sweet time of me learning how to trust, taking steps in the right direction and God gently showing me his faithfulness over and over again. The premise of this study is Do you merely believe in God? Or do you Believe God? Each session began with five statements that we had to memorize:
1. God is who he says he is.
2. God can do what he says he can do.
3. I am who God says I am.
4. I can do all things through Christ.
5. God's word is alive and living in me.
I have lots I could share, but actually, I have an idea. Beth has another Bible study available online (you watch the videos online and print the weekly homework into a binder) called Living in the Spirit. I would LOVE to do this study with a group of ladies who are needing their own personal way to recharge. (I know some of you are already in a study at your church. Awesome! But for those of you who would like to connect this way, please do!)
My thought is that we would start the study the second week of January, and do a weekly check in, sharing what God has shown us through studying his word. I did something similar to this with my sisters-in-law, all of us communicating over email. I knew some of the women in the group, and didn't know others. But that wasn't really the point. We were all learning different truths as God revealed them to us, and we were able to share our joys and excitement and the faithful stories of God's movement in our lives with each other. It was a really unique and special community.
Just think about if this might be something you'd want to participate in to kick off the new year. It's a ten week study, with five days of Bible study homework each week (but don't think of it as homework...it's learning and praying and growing in all the best ways!)
And to get a better feel for Beth Moore, check out this link I just found. She is on a morning talk show on Wednesday's and this archives of her Wednesday lessons. She is excitable, very much a Texan, and so passionate that you cannot help but be inspired.
1. God is who he says he is.
2. God can do what he says he can do.
3. I am who God says I am.
4. I can do all things through Christ.
5. God's word is alive and living in me.
I have lots I could share, but actually, I have an idea. Beth has another Bible study available online (you watch the videos online and print the weekly homework into a binder) called Living in the Spirit. I would LOVE to do this study with a group of ladies who are needing their own personal way to recharge. (I know some of you are already in a study at your church. Awesome! But for those of you who would like to connect this way, please do!)
My thought is that we would start the study the second week of January, and do a weekly check in, sharing what God has shown us through studying his word. I did something similar to this with my sisters-in-law, all of us communicating over email. I knew some of the women in the group, and didn't know others. But that wasn't really the point. We were all learning different truths as God revealed them to us, and we were able to share our joys and excitement and the faithful stories of God's movement in our lives with each other. It was a really unique and special community.
Just think about if this might be something you'd want to participate in to kick off the new year. It's a ten week study, with five days of Bible study homework each week (but don't think of it as homework...it's learning and praying and growing in all the best ways!)
And to get a better feel for Beth Moore, check out this link I just found. She is on a morning talk show on Wednesday's and this archives of her Wednesday lessons. She is excitable, very much a Texan, and so passionate that you cannot help but be inspired.
Pretty Gift Wrapping
I enjoyed another day of Women's Christmas Craft night preparation and today I worked on making demonstration pieces for the gift wrapping station. I found this pattern for a paper iris on this site. Pretty easy to make, and lovely on the present.
Fizzy Bath Bombs
A while back I found this awesome tutorial on Little Birdie Secrets. I love this blog...three crafty friends who do cool things together. How fun is that?!! The site is full of inspiring and thoughtful projects to tackle and I have many bookmarked that I want to try. So, anyway, I found this tutorial, and later my co-worker, Casey, and I decided to host a Women's Christmas Craft night at Carol Joy Holling. The hope was to get a bunch of crafty-types in a room for a night of food, creating and childcare done by camp counselors. Genius. So this Friday night we have 20 women coming to make three different projects, one of which is the Fizzy Bath Bomb. Today I did a trial run of this project and basically decided that I have the best job in the world.
First I gathered all of the supplies. This was the hardest part of the entire process. I had to track down five cups of citric acid. And figure out what witch hazel was (it's not a vitamin, so don't waste your time looking in the vitamin section in countless stores across omaha...just head over to your local walgreens and go to their face wash section. who knew?!! not me, obviously.) But once I gathered all of the ingredients it was a pretty simple process. I told Rory that by the time the ladies actually come and do the crafts, it will only take them 10 minutes because the prep work has already been done for hours, and if I were really honest, days. It reminds me of watching someone on a cooking show and they say, "simply toss your chopped vegetables in the pan" and you think to yourself, 'well who chopped those vegetables?!! All recipes would be easy and simple if your ingredients were premeasured and ready to dump into your pot!' Basically, this is what I have done for craft night.
So from there it was a pretty straight forward process...mixed the dry ingredients first and then added the oil and coloring. Apparently the citric acid and baking soda are the two things that really make these babies fizz. Again, if you want the actual instructions with step-by-step pictures, click here for great easy to follow directions from Little Birdie Secrets.
Adding the witch hazel was maybe the trickiest part, but it would be hard to screw this up, so I use the word tricky quite loosely. The key is that you don't want to ever saturate your dry ingredients or it will activate the fizz prematurely. So you spray on the witch hazel until the mixture clumps easily in your hand.
Then I packed the mixture into the cupcake cups seen below. The stuff hardens really fast, so I filled them fast. I plan on making mostly cupcakes, but wanted to try the actual "bomb" like you would purchase at LUSH. 
For the cupcakes, I made a lotion frosting to go on top. It actually is a pound of powdered sugar, meringue powder and cream of tartar. I was sort of weirded out about bathing in powdered sugar until I realized that lots of people use sugar scrubs, so it can't be that horrible for you. 
It stiffened up really quickly, so we filled the icing bag fast and decorated our fizzy bath cupcakes. This is my friend, Gina, who showed serious skill in her use of the piping bag. Very impressive, Gina.
They hardened up within two hours. Hard as rocks, actually. I was still curious how they would react in the water, unsure if I had done everything exactly right. So we tested one. I can't explain how thrilled and relieved I was that it worked, because I have been promoting this entire event based on these things, raving about how cool they are when they fizz up, while thinking, "Lord, please let them fizz up!" Not only did it work...but it fizzed like a hottub jet shooting up out of the water. Well, I mean, like the little spits of water that shoot up from a hottub jet. Not really like a gushing fountain. I'm just trying to say the fizz was impressive!
We wrapped them up and are all set for Friday night. If you're in the Omaha area and want to come, drop me a line. We'd love to have you!
Rory's podcast
My husband's company has just launched the newest edition of Weather Defender. They are in the marketing phase of the release and last week Rory was featured on CodeRed podcast. If you don't quite know what Rory does be sure to listen by clicking here.Final shout out for Jessica Sprague!
Once again, if you're looking to learn something new, want to stretch yourself creatively and enjoy gathering stories and memories, BE SURE TO GO OVER TO JessicaSprague and sign up for her FREE Holidays in Hand class.You do not need to have photoshop for this class. And you do not even need to have time within the next week to complete the class. It is self-paced and the materials are yours forever, so if you don't get to the class until January, you'll be fine. It's free, and it's a beautiful introduction to Jessica, a fantastic teacher who has taught me literally everything I know about digital scrapbooking. Registration ends on Monday night at midnight, so jump on board. It's going to be a good time!
(this is a picture of the book we made last year in her free class. It was a lot of material that we printed off to make this fabulous book that has lists and lists of writing prompts, conversation starters and creative topics for scrapbooking. I am guessing the Holidays in Hand class will be similiar, except with a Thanksgiving and Christmas emphasis...)
Rich Mullins
"The Bible is not a book for the faint of heart- it is a book full of all the greed and glory and violence and tenderness and sex and betrayal that befits mankind. It is not the collection of pretty little anecdotes mouthed by pious little church mice- it does not so much nibble at our shoe leather as it cuts to the heart and splits the marrow from the bone. It does not give us answers fitted to our small-minded questions, but truth that goes beyond what we even know to ask." -Rich Mullins
My font is ready for download...
I have a few persistent friends who have been asking that I post my font so they can download it for their own use. This is pretty easy to do. (Well, actually it's easy if you're married to Rory Groves and he helps you put the process into easy step-by-step tasks. Thanks Rory.)- Download file by clicking here: BeccaGrovesFont
- When asked whether to open or save it, save it to your Desktop.
- Then double-click the file "BeccaGrovesFont" on your desktop to open it.
- Click the button on your new window that says, "Extract all files"
(Windows XP Users: Click on File > Extract all) - You should see another folder with the BeccaGrovesFont in it.
Windows Vista users:
Right click BeccaGrovesFont and select "Install".
Windows 2000/XP users must take a few more steps: - Click Start > Control Panel, and double-click the Fonts folder
- Copy "BeccaGrovesFont.ttf" file from the extracted folder (step 4) to the Fonts folder
The next time you open Word or Photoshop, BeccaGrovesFont will be on your list.
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