art. f o r m s

There is really no better way to relax in conscious-subconscious than to engage oneself in artistic creativity. Often, I find that I am most at peace when I'm creating. Trying to make this a habit really isn't hard, as long as you've got materials and five minutes of spare time. Kids do this all the time--doodling, snipping, gluing, building, collecting--and I think that it is from the halls of their imaginations that a lot of true learning sprouts. Generally, do children have stress? Do they struggle to Find the Time? True, the realm of responsibility hasn't fully been shed on them, but perhaps we could take a page from their book and engage in creative "play" between work breaks or loads of laundry. I wonder what it would do for each individual. Let's just say that it has done wonders for me this week.

Switching It Up Again

Well, because our family likes to move much, we've decided to do it again.

We have lived here with my parents for almost three months now and I'm so grateful to them and sad to leave. They have been so generous in letting us figure out our future while living on their turf that I have to say, who could ask for more? Really, we have such a supportive family and we feel very blessed. The girls are going to hate it when reality sets in again and they have to go with me to run errands and I am probably going to complain at the daily chores I'll be bearing on my own again; however, I'm looking forward to being a responsible adult again.

It actually looks as if it was serendipitous that Juan just happened to meander on over to the KSL classified section that one night to take a peek at homes for rent in the area we had our eye on. A home well within our price range was being rented just a block from the school we wanted to get our children into. We took a look at the house and decided that it would do just fine for us until we decided to buy. We'll be moving on the 2nd of February, so our days in Salem are coming to an end. It's quite bittersweet, actually, because while we are excited for another new adventure we've grown to love a lot of things about this small town.

We have told Siena that, once again, she will be switching schools. This is soooooo not fun to do to your child. Period. I absolutely hate that she has had to go through all of these changes so quickly, but she is just so optimistic that I'm reminded that I should be too. We are just making friends in lots of places, right?

On a separate note, the girls have started a few new activities. They are enrolled in a Community Ed Gymnastics class and are still excited about it after three weeks. Score! Siena has also been taking piano lessons for a couple of months. We have seen her really excel in this and I think it was just what she needed. I love Love LOVE teaching her! The next thing we need to do is get Qiana started on some kind of regimen like Siena; hers has worked wonders for her. The first thing Siena does when she gets home from school is review her homework and backpack contents. Then, after lunch, she starts working on her daily checklist: empty clean dishwasher utensils, read out loud for 15 minutes, write in her journal (which I'm ever so glad I'm making her do,) and practice the piano. She is becoming more responsible, literate, understandable, and focused because of those 4 things, respectively. It's amazing what a little more structure can do!

The Ez has just gotten over a month-long battle with virus after virus. We all have, for that matter. Thank heaven! His bottom two teeth budded a lot earlier than the girls so I am still getting used to how to feed a baby solids. He seems to have hit a growth spurt, so the little guy is eating constantly. We will see if he ends up a beanstalk or a lil' squirt when he's older. My bet is the beanstalk.

I want to write something new about Qiana, believe me, I do. However, she is just the same little teasing cutie pie she has always been. Her temper is still volatile at times, but for the most part she has mellowed. Yay! She is still Ez's number one fan and Grandpa's teasing prodigy. She calls me Grandma sometimes (a humorous hazard of living with her actual grandma) but I don't mind because that means they have a good relationship.

Juan is working at Payson Family Dental, Mountain Ridge Dental, and in the Platinum Dental group. Things are definitely looking bright for our future here in Utah, the land where everyone says it is impossible to successfully practice dentistry. To that, we are saying, "Ha! We'll show you." (Fingers are still crossed, though, in case I ever have to retract that statement.). :)

It's going to be a good year for the Chavez Family, mark my words.

Pics: Ez shopping with me at Stokes, Qiana making Ezra and the rest of us laugh until we cried, making Grandma Peg's Ginger Cookies, reading bedtime stories, the hired help peeling shrimp, ...and doing such a lovely job, matching guapos, and the perfect back porch view.

This is BIG: Flour-based frosting

I love to bake.  I love butter.  I love sugar.  I am a glutton when it comes to cake, cupcakes, pies, breads, cinnamon rolls and pastries.  Luckily, I don't find time enough to bake like I would without los bebes or I would probably be about 400 lbs. heavier.  Basically, I am a could-a would-a baker.

Really, all of that ^^^^ was a bunch of gibberish so I could really get to the point of this post without looking too eager to introduce my latest discovery: flour-based buttercream frosting.

"What?! You mean there is a frosting out there that is free of confectioner's sugar?"

Yes. Yes there is, my friend.

And maybe a lot of people out there know about this already, but I sure didn't.  All it took was a little Google searching and my world was ROCKED.  Mind you, it takes a bit more effort than normal buttercream, but I can assure you that it is worth it.  The result is a light and fluffy frosting with a smooth finish, almost like a whipped cream frosting.  The best part is that it doesn't crust-up after sitting for a little bit like most confectioner's sugar-based frostings.  There are 5 basic ingredients I can almost guarantee you have lying around your refrigerator and pantry: flour, milk, vanilla, butter and granulated sugar.  AND... it's easy peasy lemon-squeezy from start to finish.

The BEST Whipped Frosting 

(taken from Andie @ CanYouStayForDinner; adapted from Missy Dew on TastyKitchen)

1 cup milk

5 tablespoons flour

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 cup butter, at room temperature

1 1/4 cups granulated sugar (not powdered sugar)

In a medium saucepan, whisk one cup of milk with 5 tablespoons of flour. Heat over medium until the mixture begins to sputter, whisking constantly. Continue to stir as the mixture thickens. You will know it’s done when it reaches the consistency of thick cake batter, after about 7 minutes of heating and whisking. Stir in 2 teaspoons vanilla extract* and set aside to cool COMPLETELY.

Now, in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, or using a hand held mixer, beat 2 sticks of softened butter (1 cup) with 1 1/4 cups of granulated sugar until light, fluffy, and white in color, about 3 solid minutes of beating on medium-high speed. You want the sugar to be totally incorporated into the butter.

Be sure that the milk/flour mixture has completely cooled, and add it to the butter/sugar mixture. Beat all ingredients for about 1 minute on high speed, scraping down the bowl halfway, until they are smooth and well blended. The frosting should be as light and fluffy as whipped cream.**

*I added a little cinnamon to mine for fun, but you could exchange any extract with vanilla to switch it up.  I want to try almond and cherry extracts in the frosting for a chocolate cake next.

**The longer you whip the butter and sugar, the fluffier and whiter it will be.  Also, it will be a lot smoother with no grittiness if you make sure everything is room temperature.  If you find that the texture is still grainy after adding the flour and milk mixture, keep whipping.  It will smooth out, I promise.