2022
  

Soft Sour Cream Cookies

Soft Sour Cream Cookies... yep, the secret to those soft sugar cookies you can get in store bakeries is sour cream!  Did you know this?  

Well I'm about to share the recipe, so you can give it a try yourself! ;)  Aren't these snowflake cookies adorable?

I originally shared this post on the blog a few years ago, but I thought it was time to bring these sour cream sugar cookies to the forefront again. Just yesterday, the girls were requesting that we make some for Christmas. :)


I'm using Gay Lea's Premium Sour Cream (which is their thickest, richest sour cream made with 3 simple ingredients.  It's amazing with chips (if you're like me ;) or to use to make a flavoured dip, and it's awesome in baking!  This sour cream is only available in Ontario and only in the 425ml size.

Now, let me share this recipe with you!

Decorative Thanksgiving Blocks (Craft With Your Kids!)

For Thanksgiving several years ago, my kids & I made these easy decorative "Give Thanks" Thanksgiving Blocks together. It was a gem of a project & I still use the blocks every year! We originally did this for a sponsored post with products we found at Michaels Arts and Crafts Stores.

Give Thanks Decorative Thanksgiving Blocks by www.RaisingMemories.com #shop

It was such a fun project to do together and I wanted to share it again this year so you could give it a try if you'd like. It was from way back in 2013, so re-posting seemed in order! :)

DIY Spider Pops Video Tutorial

Do your kids have Halloween Parties at school and need to bring a snack or treat?
DIY Spider Pops are a really cute treat you can make with your kids that they'll love to hand out to friends at a party, or on Halloween! 

(This is coming at you from a previous year, but it's too good not to share again this year!)

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Katrina woke up sick on Thanksgiving morning so she (& Ken) missed our extended family Thanksgiving dinner. She stayed home from school yesterday to finish recovering even though she was feeling a lot better than she was on Monday. We decided to break up the relaxing on the couch & watching My Little Pony routine with a little Fall crafting.


We gathered our supplies and grabbed some tootsie pops to make these cute (and super simple) Halloween themed treats.

How to Have a Great Staycation

Shortly after we moved to Utah, I was on FOX 13’s lifestyle T.V. show, The PLACE, discussing tips for how to have a great Staycation!

As we're down to about a month of summer, I thought I'd share those tips here again, along with a few links to resources on the blog that will give you some more specific or detailed ideas and inspiration for planning your own Staycation!

Ideas for Family Staycations


Happy Staycation planning!

Here's the video first, and then I'll outline all of my tips (not all of them were in the video)



How to Have a Great Staycation


Top Notch Lobster Fishing Excursion (Prince Edward Island)

If you're planning a trip to P.E.I., you'll want to know about the Top Notch Lobster Fishing Tour because it was one of our favourite experiences!

~*~


Without a doubt, if you ask Ken what his favourite experience of our entire Eastern Canada road trip was, he'll tell you about our lobster fishing tour! It's definitely up there in my top moments, too. This was SUCH a memorable, educational, delicious, and fun experience!

Top Notch Lobster Fishing Tour


Meaningful Mothering - Making Moments Matter

Some of the best memories of my family while I was growing up are of times when we were having fun together

I have distinct memories of doing unusual fun things with my parents like going to a fair where my dad walked through a fun house, pausing every time he came to a window to make crazy faces at us (we were watching from outside). Once when my dad was out of town for the night, my mom moved all of the furniture out of the kitchen and got the skipping ropes so she & I and my sisters could play Double Dutch! That night we also made cookie dough and ate it before cooking it. I won't forget that day!

Those kinds of special memories are a big part of strengthening our relationships with our children.


I taught a workshop with two other women at a Women's conference on Meaningful Mothering (in 2013) and shared some of my notes and thoughts from it here:

Things to do in Cavendish PEI (Our P.E.I. Vacation)

This post shares some great things to do in Cavendish PEI.  We went on a P.E.I. vacation with our kids in 2017- it was an awesome trip across Eastern Canada, from Ontario to Prince Edward Island. 

Now that travel is more available after the pandemic, I'm sharing this post as it's the perfect time of year to start thinking about planning your own trip! Perhaps seeing what we did will give you some ideas or inspiration for your own trip!  (This post was originally shared on August 28th, 2017)

I've always loved nature. One of the things I love most about L.M. Montgomery's books is her descriptions of the beauty of her surroundings in Prince Edward Island. I always hoped I would be able to see it in person someday. When we arrived at Cavendish Beach, I came over a grassy hill to take in an idyllic view: sandy beach surrounded by red cliffs with blue skies. I had a moment to myself, feeling very alive and like I had "made it" to a place in time that I had spent years thinking of while never being quite sure that I would make it. It was pretty awesome and I'm glad I got to share it with my little family!

PEI Vacation

Cottage Rentals in Eastern Ontario - Loughborough Inn

We weren't looking for cottage rentals in Eastern Ontario at the time. We were looking for a hotel in the heart of downtown Kingston while our family relocated for my husband's job. Instead we found ourselves living north of the city on the shore of Loughborough Lake, surrounded by the peace and beauty of nature in a cottage at Loughborough Inn for the month of August. 

Cottage Rentals in Eastern Ontario

Our booking was quite last minute so there wasn't one, single cottage available for the full duration of our stay which meant that we had the opportunity to stay in a couple of different cottages. Of course, we got pretty familiar with all that Loughborough Inn has to offer its guests, so you can take our experience and the details I'll share into consideration in case you want to plan your own family getaway in Ontario!

How to Raise a Monarch Butterfly

After our little adventure raising butterflies for the first time, I wrote a blog post on how to raise a Monarch butterfly and everything we learned about it. If you assume it would be a task you just don't have time for, I encourage you to read this post! I didn't think I wanted to do it at first, but now that I know how easy it is to do, I'd definitely do it again!

How to Raise a Monarch Butterfly
How to Raise a Monarch Butterfly

It all started when the girls came home from a visit to their grandparents' house. They got their caterpillars while out on a nature walk there. Their grandma helped them to get jars, mesh, and leaves to get them started.

True Meaning of Easter Poem (Easter Symbols)

Years ago, I wrote a "True Meaning of Easter Poem" for a lesson I taught at church, to the Primary children, about Easter. I taught about Easter symbols and shared a True Meaning of Easter poem.

Here's What I Used:

- 12 plastic eggs from a True Meaning of Easter Egg Hunt
- 3 extra plastic eggs
- a candy bunny, egg, and chick for each child
- a pkg. of small ziplock bags
- cardstock

Here's What I Did:

I hid the eggs around the Primary room before the kids got there (including 3 extras, each with a candy egg, chick, or bunny in it)

When it was time for the lesson, we took turns finding eggs. We would open each egg and talk about what the item inside had to do with Easter. When someone found one of the candies, we would talk about how that item represented new life and that is how it relates to the true meaning of Easter.

Easter Poem for Kids


At the end of the lesson time, each child got a little bag with one of each of the 3 candies inside as well as a copy of this poem about the true meaning of Easter:

Poem about Meaning of Easter and Spring Symbols




Ken and I wrote that little Easter poem for children together at 11:30, the night before church! Thankfully, it still made sense to us in the morning ;) haha If you're interested in using the poem, you can save a copy for yourself by left-clicking on the image above (to see it full-sized) and then right-clicking on it and choosing "save image as", to save it to your computer.

Printable Easter Poem


The large one above is 8.5x11".  If you'd like smaller ones for hand outs, you can save the one below (it's 8.5x11" as well, but has 4 of the poems on it)

True Meaning of Easter Poem (Easter Symbols)

I'm curious to know if you have any special ways that you've brought the true meaning of Easter into your Easter celebrations- I'd love for you to share any in the comments of this post!

Hope you're having a lovely Monday!


Find more Easter Printables Here:



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Mother's Day 2022 Gift Guide

I'm excited to announce this Mother's Day 2022 Gift Guide! 

How many times have you been asked what's on your wish list and had no answer prepared? This year, you'll be ready for that question when somebody asks! You might want to save this post for your birthday and other special occasions, too! 

Mother's Day 2022 Gift Guide


There are discounts & giveaways for several of the items in the guide, and I'll be posting videos for several of them throughout this week, so stay tuned on YouTube and Instagram so you don't miss them! 

Now, onto the featured items- I've carefully chosen some special things that I would love to give (or receive) for Mother's Day.  I hope you'll discover something new that you'd like too!

You've Been Egged

Several years ago, I shared a service-oriented family night activity over on Jedi Craft Girl's blog. I've noticed that my "You've Been Egged" printable has been popular lately, so I thought I'd share that family night activity with you here on the blog today!  Jedi Craft Girl is posting the 8th year of her "Walk With Jesus" blog series this year, so be sure to check that out for some great new ideas, too!

Preparation:


You’ll need 12 plastic Eggs & the items needed to create this Easter countdown. You can find a list here as well. – Prepare some small slips of paper and something to write or draw with for each family member. – Have an empty box or bowl ready. – Print the handouts and the “You’ve Been Egged” note.

You've Been Egged
You've Been Egged Printable

You've Been Egged Printable


Download “You’ve Been Egged” note HERE.


Free Printable #Hallelujah Easter Table Settings

Are you hosting or helping out with an Easter meal this month? You're going to love the printables I have for you today!  It's a whole set of Easter table setting printables by Bettijo from Paging Supermom who created the matching printable He Lives Easter Banner!




Click Here to download a copy to print for yourself! :)

Here's what the download includes:

Polka Dot Cake

Here are some helpful tips and tricks for constructing a rainbow polka dot cake, decorated on the outside with the petal cake style.  

In this post, I'll focus on tips & tricks for execution rather than sharing a full recipe. Since you can find recipes for both of these types of cakes online already, I've linked to some recipes at the end of this post. 

For Talia's 8th birthday party, she wanted a polka dot birthday party. I knew that I wanted to make a cake surprise for her with a rainbow polka dot cake. I wasn't sure how I would decorate it on the outside until I came across what is called a petal cake which is the technique I used to frost the exterior- I love the effect!


Rainbow Polka Dot Cake
Rainbow Polka Dot Cake





How to Make a Polka Dot Cake


I used store bought cream cheese frosting for between the layers and a crumb coat (because I was worried that I would run out of the homemade cream cheese frosting that I used for the rainbow part). 

Rainbow Grilled Cheese

A couple years ago, for St. Patrick's Day we made rainbow grilled cheese and I thought it was such a fun idea that could be used any time you want to make lunch more fun!  I had a few people ask how to make it, so I put the instructions here.

Rainbow Grilled Cheese


Rainbow Grilled Cheese Recipe


All you need to create this colourful meal is bread, butter, white cheese, and food colouring.

Start by grating your cheese (we used havarti mixed with mozarella) and separate into four bowls.  This article recommends some of the best cheeses for melting and getting a stringy effect- which is a big bonus for rainbow grilled cheese sandwiches!

Easy Rainbow Cake! (with cake mix & frosting!)

You don't need any fancy baking skills or experience to make an easy rainbow cake using cake mix- the quick and simple version of  the infamous rainbow cake that Kaitlin from Whisk Kid created and blogged about, then shared on the Martha Stewart show!

(This photo is of my version)

easy rainbow layer cake

Love One Another Wall

In the spirit of Valentine's Day, I came up with a project for our family to do that would help us to focus on showing love to others. Originally published in February of 2013, this is great if you're looking for Valentine Family Home Evening Ideas.

Valentine Family Home Evening Ideas - Love One Another Wall

I made a "Love One Another" wall and then introduced it to them during a Family Night. 

Snowman Snowball Toss Game

Here's a simple Snowman Snowball Toss Game that we played at Katrina's Frozen birthday party one year. I'll tell you how to play, what you need, and where to buy fake snowballs if you want to use them!

This game was a definite hit with the party guests- what could be better than indoor snowball games, without the cold?

Indoor Snowball Game

Winter Art Project for Kids

I came across this Winter art project for kids that we did when my girls were toddlers. It's the perfect time of year to give it a try if you're looking for art for winter ideas, especially if your kids are doing virtual school like my province is right now!

This project gets kids playing with tape, paint, and clear paper to make a fun snow globe-like art project. Keep scrolling to see the final result with the overlay!

Art for Winter Painting for Kids

Winter Art Project for Kids with Snow Overlay


For this project, we combined two activities that I saw online at the time (Winter Tree Silhouette from Frugal Family Fun Blog and White-Out Snow Craft from Homeschool Creations).

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