An Oldie but a Goodie :: The Yummiest Ugly Cake on Earth

Originally posted 11/23/11

"I want to make dessert tomorrow!"
Griffin announced after dinner the other day.

He wanted to make a
strawberry cake
with chocolate icing
in the middle
and on top
with white icing
around the edge
and it would
have all of our names written on it.

Easy enough.
So, we did just that.

It turned out to be a hideous cake.
It didn't matter though
because we had so much fun baking it.

I really love playing in the kitchen
with my boys.

They love to measure the ingredients for me.
They fight over dumping all the junk into the bowl.
Oh...and somehow stirring the batter
is the funnest thing ever.

We surprised Daddy after dinner
with the cake.

"Here's a cake for no reason!"
Griffin announced proudly.

Sometimes just wanting to bake
is reason enough to turn on the oven.
Sometimes letting the children
lead in the kitchen is the best reward.

I'm discovering that there is freedom to be found
in making a really ugly cake.

The Stay at Home Mom Chronicles :: Paper Airplanes

My days around here seem to run together.

Ordinary moments unfold around me daily

and I need to stop and relish in them.

One day, my boys will be out living life

and I will miss these everyday experiences.

So, I am taking the time to document

the simple moments that pass between us.

I'm calling this little collection of memories...

Making paper airplanes.

Oh the fun that is to be had when

 Daddy starts folding paper into airplanes. 

The kids beg him to do this

almost all of the time.

They each get soooo excited to have a paper plane in hand.

I love that in this fast paced world 

of video games, iPhones, and technology

that my boys still find pleasure in the simple things in life.

They run outside and toss their planes around for hours.

I literally have to call them in when it gets too dark

outside to even see their flight path.

I will always treasure the memory

of my little ones throwing planes in the front yard.

The Happiness Project :: Week 34

We love to play games as a family
and one of our favorites is Go fish.

  

Playing a game like this
with a 4-year-old is so much fun.

His little hands are too small
to hold his deck of cards
without dropping them
so he has to gather blocks
and create a wall for himself.

It's the cutest thing, ever.

   

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Want to join me in my quest
to scout out happiness for a whole year?
Simply post a photo of something that
makes you wildly happy and tell us all about it.
Then, steal my button and include it in your post.
Don't forget to link up to Mr. Linky.

Throwback Thursday :: The Art of Writing a Letter

Originally posted 10/11/11

Composing a hand written letter.

I read this article recently
about the fact that hardly anyone
writes letters anymore.

I was inspired to scout out some pen pals
and asked my Facebook friends
if anyone wanted to exchange letters.

Nine people said yes.
I was thrilled.

I bought stamps at the grocery store.
It felt so odd yet so familiar.
We usually pay our bills online
so I rarely have the need to buy a book of stamps.

It was kind of exciting.

I even made a special trip to the store
to pick up some new stationary.

I have enjoyed the feeling of putting pen to paper.
It's been so fun to sit down
and see what comes pouring out of me.
I've written a letter a day
for almost a week now.

I still have some letters to write
and I'm actually looking forward to it.
I feel connected in a new way.

There is a simple happiness to be found in
putting up the red flag on my mailbox
as it holds my handwritten letters
to be sent to my long lost friends and acquaintances.

I've discovered an adventurous feeling
that stirs within me
when I shut the mailbox tight
and wish the letters
well on their journey.
I feel like I am
rediscovering a lost art.

The silliness that I woke up to this morning...

 

"Mama, there's an elephant in the house!"

I love my life.

The Happiness Project :: Week 33

I've been enjoying scouting out the signs

that fall is making it's arrival in our neck of the woods.

Like fallen golden leaves

littering our front porch steps.

 

I figured that was a clear message 

that it was time to put a decorative pumpkin

on our dining room table...

 

and for Mr. Pumpkin to make his appearance

on our front door.

 

The children are bringing home

fall inspired art projects from school

and they're hanging on

our fancy refrigerator art gallery.

I just love these early signs

that soon the weather will get colder

and the trees will show us brilliant colors.

  

<div style="text-align: center;"> <br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><a href="http://leighvslaundry.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBDlTpcH4NLUtEmwNL0NN5VLXVeyjV46LKaE_IoC7X_RD8bZ-n_b5j289xzqMLNM1le6o35B_0XOuvMBXJem-9PEiJp-mFplO6No54TEbwKtFqQGo2AXj55bde2DYHTASGWyexlFZehWn_/s1600/happiness2.jpg" /></a></div> <br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br /> <br>

Want to join me in my quest
to scout out happiness for a whole year?
Simply post a photo of something that
makes you wildly happy and tell us all about it.
Then, steal my button and include it in your post.
Don't forget to link up to Mr. Linky.

Throwback Thursday :: The Road to Hana

Originally posted 05/03/12

With our anniversary fast approaching,
I have been reminiscing about our honeymoon.
We went to Maui, it was like a dream.

One day we journeyed on
The Road to Hana,

which is the name given to the 68-mile long
stretch of Hawaii State Highways 36 and 360.

It's an amazing adventure
that takes you past waterfalls, lagoons,
and so many other beautiful landscapes
that Maui has to offer.

The adventure should not be rushed because
once you get to the little town of Hana,
you will only find a sign, a gas station, and a small church.

You see, the magic of the Road to Hana
is the journey, not the destination.

If you rush to get to Hana,
you will miss 

all the beautiful views
scattered along the way. 

After we completed our quest,
I decided to take that experience
as a metaphor for how I lived my life.

Even now, as I've journeyed into motherhood
I have kept that experience close to my heart.

I am on my own "Road to Hana"
but mine involves things like cooking dinner, kissing boo boos,
bathing filthy boys, telling bedtime stories,
the list could go on and on.

These are important strolls that must also be taken slowly.

The joy of being a Mom can be missed if
one were to rush through these tasks.

So I take the time to pause
and enjoy the beautiful moments
that I encounter with my children along the way.



If you have ever been on a walk with a child,
you know that children live by this philosophy inherently.
We stop often to poke sticks into holes
or to throw rocks into the woods.

Very often, we have no destination.