Easter Traditions

I just LOVE Easter! Do you?

In the week leading up to Easter, I wanted to find a new cupcake recipe. Not just any recipe. It needed to exceed all expectations. So I embarked on a search for "The Sweet Tooth Fairy copycat cupcake recipes." I love The Sweet Tooth Fairy http://www.thesweettoothfairy.com/menu/ and I love the story behind the success of this business, which I first read about in the BYU alumni magazine a few years back. Included in the article was a recipe for "Black and White Chocolate Cupcakes" with the most divine white chocolate frosting I've ever allowed into my mouth (and onto my hips, I might add). Check out the article and the recipe here: http://magazine.byu.edu/article/the-sweet-tooth-solution/

Anyway, with the thought of those delicious cupcakes in mind, I searched for a copycat recipe for another variety of cupcakes from The Sweet Tooth Fairy. This is what I found: http://www.blessthismessplease.com/2014/07/sweet-tooth-fairys-vaniella-squared-cupcake-copycat-recipe.html

I quadrupled the recipe and made enough of these amazing babies for half our neighborhood, no joke.

 My kiddos helped me frost them and we made these cute little toothpick labels and placed them on some not-so-fancy plates paper plates (because that's what I had on hand). Then we delivered them to people as an Easter gift, along with a message. I love Easter! It's a joyful celebration of the resurrection of our Savior, Jesus Christ. 

Easter Cupcakes!

We have some other fun family traditions on Easter...

Homemade cinnamon rolls!

I use this great recipe from my favorite go-to recipe girl, Jamie.

http://jamiecooksitup.net/2011/10/cinnamon-rolls-with-maple-frosting/

Except, I usually make the divine "white chocolate frosting" from The Sweet Tooth Fairy (mentioned above with a link) because I prefer the tangy sweetness of cream cheese over maple.

Did I mention the house smells AMAZING on Easter morning???

Just looking at this photo makes my mouth water. They are that good.

Here is another fun tradition at our house on Easter morning (or thereabouts): 

Egg dying!

Each year, while we are doing this, we recall with a giggle the year our youngest child was two or three years old. When I told him we were going to "dye Easter eggs" he replied, with great concern: "Why do we want to kill them?" :)

And of course, it wouldn't be Easter without the annual backyard... 

Easter egg hunt!

Some years, if the weather doesn't cooperate, we have it inside the house. This year, however, it was sunny and fairly warm out. We had a fun, but quick, egg hunt for the two youngest kids.

 My husband caught me hiding eggs in my pj's and teddy bear robe (I'll tell you the story behind the teddy bear robe someday).

But the best tradition of all on Easter Sunday is...

 Going to church as a family!

I love attending church to worship and to be reminded of the wonderful blessings of the gospel of Jesus Christ. 

We go to church to sing hymns of praise, to study the scriptures and learn together with our brothers and sisters in the ward family, to pray, and most importantly, to partake of the Sacrament to help us remember Jesus, to remind us of what He did for all mankind, and to renew our covenants with God to follow Him by trying to live good lives and help others.

After church, it is required (by me) to put the camera on the tripod and snap some family photos in our Easter clothes.

Happy Easter!

#Hallelujah #HeLives #BecauseOfHim

My New "Baby"

We brought home a new Yamaha mid-size grand piano last week!

It was a little scary getting it here. I could hardly stand to watch!

It took four men to move it in.

We were giddy with excitement! Tiffani was the first one to play the piano after it was all settled into our living room. It has a clear, beautiful tone and is a delight to play! 

Our family feels very blessed to have this new addition.

As a music teacher, it was sure fun for me to see my piano students' excitement when they each came for their lessons this week. I propped up the lid so they could look over the edge and watch the amazing workings of the hammers and strings as I played the piano for them. All my students wanted to know where the "old" piano went. We moved our upright piano to the big room upstairs. It holds a very special place in my heart because it was my first piano, and I inherited it from my Grandma Ila Child when she passed away 18 years ago. I think of her every time I play it. Tiffani will start teaching piano lessons Grandma Ila's piano this summer, and it will become her piano someday.

I am looking forward to many generations of musicians enjoying this new "baby" of  ours.

Years ago, I was inspired by an address given by Henry B. Eyring: Remember, Remember 
https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2007/10/o-remember-remember?lang=eng  Here is one of my favorite quotes from this address by President Eyring: "Tonight and tomorrow, you might pray and ponder, asking the questions: Did God send a message that was just for me? Did I see His hand in my life or the lives of my children?

Life is so busy.

But in the midst of the "busy-ness" of life, it's good for me to carve out time to remember.

I try to do this every day. Because each and every day has precious moments for me to capture.

Sometimes it's taking a few moments recording my insights in my journal before I fall asleep at night.

Sometimes it's in snapping a picture with my phone when I see a precious moment transpiring before me.

And sometimes it's sharing the moments I remember with my family at the dinner table.

I see the hand of God in my life daily in many different ways... sometimes I see His love in a beautiful sunset... other times it's in the eyes of one of my children...or in the exhilarating feeling I get when I am running in the desert, on the farm, or along the beach...I see evidence of God's goodness in beautiful, inspired music...often I feel the love of God when I am pondering a passage of scripture, or when I am listening to a talk by one of His living prophets. I see the hand of God in the goodness all around me...in people who allow His love to work through them... I saw it today simply in the friendly wave and smile of my dear neighbor through her front window as I walked up my sidewalk after seeing my 4th grader off to school at the bus stop...I felt God's love this morning as I knelt in prayer with my husband before he left for work...I am blessed to have a husband who lets God's love shine through him in the way he guides and provides for our family...in the way he makes me laugh...in the way he talks to me... in the way he looks at me...in the way he has faithfully stood by my side throughout 20+ years of marriage. 

What message did God send to you today? How did you see His hand in your life? How did you feel His love?

Missionary son #2

Elder Bowers and Elder Santos

A view of Lake Michigan. Todd is serving in Kenosha, Wisconsin

My missionary son

My oldest son, Tyler, is serving as a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He is in the Baguio Mission, and is currently in Candon.

I love hearing from Tyler each Sunday evening via email (Monday morning for him, because of the 14 hour time difference).

It is such a wonderful thing to see my son choosing to serve the Lord. 

Tiffani's 14th Birthday

 We had a special Sunday evening Birthday dinner celebration for Tiffani the week prior to her 14th Birthday with some of our extended family who live close by. 

The menu: Fettucine Alfredo, homemade breadsticks, salads, and chocolate peanut butter pie for dessert.

Surprise!!! 

Tiffani's friends all arrived at our house before she did. 

When she got home from school, she found a big surprise waiting for her.

 I had a spa-themed party for Tiffani with six of her closest friends. This is the cake I made. I had some help from my friend, Michelle, who has made fondant cakes. This was my first one ever. I'm totally sold on fondant cakes now! It was so much fun!!

 Some of the decor at the party

Tiffani with her awesome friends

Painting nails

Spa foot baths

 A little "Just Dance!" at the end of the spa party

Happy Birthday Tiffani! I love you so much, and am truly blessed to be your Mom.

Two things that make me happy: Teenagers and Shoes

We recently hosted a "Just Dance!" party at our house for our 17-year-old and his friends.

 I love having a houseful of happy, noisy teenagers! 

I also love seeing all their shoes by our front door. 

Happy New Year!

Happy 2015 from Tiffani and Trent!

Breakfast

For almost a year now, I have been working up to this... having BREAKFAST together as a family each morning.  Not just any old breakfast, but a hot, homemade breakfast. The thought was first planted in my mind by my friend Jen, who does this. "Wow! That's amazing. And it would never work for our family," was what I said when I found out she cooks a hot breakfast for her family every morning. I had become the queen of cold cereal breakfast. No planning or preparation went into our weekday morning meals. It was each person fending for himself or herself -- choosing from the boxes in the pantry of processed, overly-sugared, expensive store-bought cereal.

The idea of providing a hot, homemade breakfast for my family kept working its way into my mind over the course of the next several months. I knew it was what I needed to do. I began to think of ways that I could make it work for us. Instead of laying in bed each morning until the last possible minute before my husband and high-schooler rushed out the door, I decided I could sacrifice some sleep and discipline myself to get out of bed earlier. I didn't tell my husband about my long-term goal just yet. He wondered in surprise when I started getting up a couple days of the week before he finished his morning routine, so we could talk and get ready for the day together. At first, I got out of bed just 15 minutes earlier than usual, then 30, then 45 minutes. By this time, almost a whole year had passed since I started planning for this big new goal. I prepped my children for this new routine several weeks prior to the start of the new school year. I told them I wanted our family to have more time together and to start the day off right with family prayer and a yummy breakfast. I told them it would require a degree of sacrifice from each one of us. In order for Dad to leave the house on time to get to work, we would need to all be downstairs by 6:00 a.m.  I was surprised that the response of my children was positive. Each of them said they wanted to do it. Next, I told my husband. He was a little skeptical about it, but he agreed that it would be nice. This part wasn't as hard as I thought it would be. This family of mine is pretty amazing. And they like good food too :).

Finally, I was ready to implement my plan. I successfully dragged myself out of bed when my husband got up at 5:15 a.m!  

For three consecutive days I have been doing this now. WE have been doing this now! ALL of the members of our family have gotten out of bed of their own free will and choice, and reported downstairs for family prayer and breakfast by 6:00 a.m.  I call that a mighty success :).  

I know it has only been THREE days, but now I know we can do it, because the Bowers family CAN DO HARD THINGS!!!

Bowers Family This 'n That

Life is so busy and there is always something exciting happening.

Here are a few snippets of the goings-on in the Bowers household:

Trent, our youngest, is having fun being a Cub Scout. As an assistant Den Leader in his Wolf Den, I have the privilege of helping out with the weekly meetings and monthly Pack Meetings. 

I teach piano lessons to my own children and also to a couple dozen wonderful young musicians. We have recitals a couple of times each year. I love to see the progress of the children I teach.  Music brings me great joy! Our house is always filled with music.

I am continually seeking inspiration for ways to teach the gospel of Jesus Christ in our home, and for unique and meaningful ways to apply those teachings. Read about one way that our family did this:

http://kennewickstakereliefsociety.blogspot.com/2014_03_01_archive.html

The law of the harvest:

I love to be outside, and I've tried hard to pass along that love to my children. There is so much to be learned from caring for our little portion of Heavenly Father's beautiful earth. I especially love the lessons learned from raising a garden -- planning, preparing the soil, planting the seeds, nurturing and caring for the growing plants, and finally -- harvesting and enjoying the fruits and vegetables.  Successful gardening-- like anything worthwhile -- takes patience, diligence, and hard work. 

My sweet daughter is learning to experience the joy of service, kindness, and love. We are so blessed to have wonderful neighbors and friends!

My second son, Todd, learned about diligence and hard work as he trained for track season his Junior year of high school. It was rewarding to see him improve his times and reach his goals. I love to see him run.

My favorite time of the day

I work very hard to safeguard our family dinner hour each evening, otherwise there are a hundred other good things that try to compete with this precious window of opportunity to provide daily nourishment and nurturing of body and spirit for my family.

Following our evening family prayer, we always sit around the table for dinner. We put away phones and all types of media distractions. 

There are a couple of things I do to make sure we gather together around the table for meal time every night:

First, the food is delicious and nutritious.

There are exceptions to this, I will be truthful! Sometimes the food turns out yucky. Sometimes I don't plan ahead very well and have to pull something together very last-minute.  And sometimes, it's probably not nutritious either. But for the most part, I spend quality time planning and preparing meals to make sure my family enjoys what I place before them and expect them to eat :).

Second, it is enjoyable. 

I know this sounds very simple, but it's not always easy. We are a work in progress. But, overall, we all enjoy our time eating together. I try to make it a positive, happy time. When my children grow up and look back on their years at home, I want this to stand out as a wonderful memory for them.

This is our time to focus on each other -- we laugh, we ask questions, we discuss all kinds of issues, current events, and things to plan and look forward to; we give compliments and sometimes counsel; we teach and we testify of Christ and talk about what we did to share His love throughout the day; we discuss our "highlights" -- what we liked best about the day, and sometimes we talk about the things we did that were embarrassing, or made us feel sad or upset or frustrated. Meal time is a safe time for everyone to share.

Love is Spoken Here

We recently returned from a family reunion for the posterity of my parents, Lynn and Janice Child.  It was held in the mountains near Park City, Utah -- a gorgeous location! We stayed three nights in a big lodge with bunk house and had lots of crazy fun.  It was wonderful to see everyone and to be together for four days, all 37 of us.

Some of the highlights for me included our family photo shoot, which was interrupted by a rainstorm; the delicious meals (each family took a turn cooking for the whole group); spending an afternoon in Park City and experiencing the thrill of the Alpine Slide and the Alpine Coaster; spending a day at Jordanelle State Park; and hearing my Dad's counsel and his humble, gratitude-filled prayer at the end of the reunion.

I feel so blessed to be a part of this eternal family. My parents are truly amazing. They inspire me every day through their example and continual kindness and love to continue to press forward with faith and with joy. I love them so much.

Thank you, Mom and Dad, for everything... and for this amazing opportunity to gather together.

Greg and Jade's Wedding

On April 12, 2014, I had the privilege of attending the marriage ceremony of my nephew, Greg, and his beautiful bride, Jade.  They were married for time and all eternity in the Columbia River Temple.  

And lucky me!  I got to view these two beautiful young people, in love, from behind the lens of my camera. Sooo much fun!  

Greg's parents, siblings, nieces, nephews, Grandmother, and our family -- 

after the wedding on the temple grounds.

My beautiful niece, Shan, and her lovely family.

The groom with his siblings

A reception for the newlyweds was held at the LDS stake center pavilion following the temple ceremony.

 The weather was perfect.  

Food was delicious.  

Music was lovely.  

The love of friends and family was priceless.

Little guys

Grandma Bowers and Greg dancing at the reception

My own cute kiddos and my photo-bombing niece

Irresistible food

Delicious

Congratulations, Greg and Jade!  

May you have an eternity of happiness together.

2013 Shutterfly Photo Book -- Bowers Family Highlights

Click here to view this photo book larger

Shutterfly photo books are the new way to preserve your memories. Create your own today.

Todd's Eagle Court of Honor

Our 2nd son is an Eagle Scout!

There are now officially three Eagle Scouts in our immediate family: my husband, our oldest son, and now our second son.  The Court of Honor was held at the church, and we had lots of support from extended family and friends who have influenced Todd and helped him along his path to Eagle Scout.

My Dad came to support Todd on his special day.

Only about 5 percent of young men who join a Boy Scout troop achieve the rank of Eagle Scout.  I'm so proud of my Eagle Scout! 

To earn the Eagle Scout rank, the highest advancement rank in Scouting, a Boy Scout must fulfill requirements in the areas of leadership, service, and outdoor skills.  Although many options are available to demonstrate proficiency in these areas, a number of specific skills are required to advance through the ranks – Tenderfoot, Second Class, First Class, Star, Life, and Eagle.  To advance, a Boy Scout must pass specific tests that are organized by requirements and merit badges.

The fact that a young man is an Eagle Scout has always carried with it a special significance, not only in Scouting but also as he enters higher education, business or industry, and community service.  The award is a performance-based achievement whose standards have been well-maintained over the years.