Checking things off my to-do list

A while back I started a to-do list of some unfinished projects I had laying around the house that I wanted to get done before the baby was born.  It's taken a couple months but I'm finally checking some of those things off and finishing some projects.  It feels good to accomplish something tangible and to see the results of just a little time and effort.  Here's a 12x12 Salt Lake Temple picture craft that I bought the photo and board for a while back but wasn't quite sure how to do.  I finally painted the wood black, modge podged the picture on and waited for it to dry for a few days and then finished it with another coat of modge podge to seal it and give it a textured look.  It looks so good up on my mantle!

This was an unfinished wood board that had a metal plate glued on it and 4 pegs for hanging stuff.  I got a couple of these at a 90% off sale at Roberts, so for like $3 each, and I finally found a use for one.  I painted it black like the wood frames above it and put it in the entry way by the front door for Abbie to put her backpack and coat on when she comes home from school.  We put little notes or pictures on the magnet board and it just really goes with the black and white pictures that I already had hanging there. 

I've had mending pile a mile high sitting in the corner of my bedroom for a while and slowly but surely I've been getting those things done.  One of the fun things that I've done is convert a bunch of my old maternity pants from just having a low band to having a stretchy, over the belly, tight, smooth band that is more popular these days and they are way more comfortable and stay up better.  I've changed almost all of my old maternity pants and skirts to have this and it's nice having things that fit better and that I can wear the whole pregnancy through.  I even wore one of my favorite pairs of jeans that had this type of band for most of the time between having Porter and getting pregnant with baby #4 so I'm sure I'll be getting lots of use out of these in the next few years.

This wasn't really on my to-do list but it was a fun project to do with the girls and they loved helping me sort colors and make new crayons.  It was an idea I saw a long time on a blog and it was so easy.  You just peel all your old, broken crayons (that took the most time), sort them into pretty combinations and similar colors in a muffin tin, and melt for about 15 minutes at 350.  Then let them harden overnight (or in the freezer) and pop them out when cool!

 Again, not something that was originally on my to-do list but I thought it was pretty cute and creative.  I'm the primary president in our ward (yeah, I know, not quite what I had in mind when I moved to a new ward and am expecting a fourth child) but anyway, we needed to come up with something for the kids for their birthdays for the year.  I found these cute silicone bracelets that say CTR and Choose the Right on the other side (the primary theme for the year) and then I found these Jolly Rancher "Chews" that were the perfect size for the bracelets to fit onto.  Each kid gets one on their birthday (the bracelets come in 10 different colors) and hopefully they like them. 

Since I'm getting bigger and growing a little baby, I'm hungrier more so I've been cooking and trying new recipes lately.  I found this recipe for cinnamon rolls that are really similar to Cinnabon that were delicious and pretty easy to make.  I've never really liked any of the homemade cinnamon rolls that I've made in the past but these were to die for.  I made a few changes to the recipe after reading some of the reviews but overall it was pretty similar. 

Here's my recipe, enjoy!

Soft, Moist, and Gooey Cinnamon Buns

Prep Time: 15 min
Cook Time: 20 min
Ready in: 3 Hrs 35 min
Servings: 24

Ingredients
1 cup milk
1 egg, beaten
4 Tbsp melted butter
4 Tbsp water
1/2 (3.5 ounce) package instant vanilla pudding mix
4 cups flour
1 Tbsp white sugar
1/2 tsp salt
2 1/4 tsp bread machine yeast

Filling
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 Tbsp ground cinnamon
1/4 cup chopped walnuts (optional)
1/4 cup raisins (optional)

Icing
4 tsp milk
3 cups powdered sugar
1/2 cup butter, softened
2 tsp vanilla extract

Directions
1. In a bread machine pan place the milk, beaten egg, melted butter, water, vanilla pudding mix, flour, sugar, salt, and yeast in the order recommended by the manufacturer.  Select the Dough cycle.

2. When cycle is finished, remove the dough and knead for 3 to 5 minutes.  Roll out to a large rectangle.

3. Mix together the softened butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon.  Spread over dough.  Sprinkle with chopped walnuts and raisins, if desired.  Starting with the widest end, roll the dough into a log.  Pinch to seal seams.  Cut into 1 inch slices and place in a greased 9x13 inch pan.  Place in a draft-free space and allow to rise until doubled (I turned my oven on to 150 degrees until warm and then turned it off and let the rolls rise in it for about 30 min). 

4. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Bake for 15 to 20 minutes.  To make the frosting mix the milk, powdered sugar, softened butter, and vanilla in a small bowl.  Spread over warm cinnamon rolls.