Post Vacation Fun Week

We've been MIA because Ben and I went on VACATION!!!!!!!!!!!!

More on that later...

Meanwhile I've been a step behind catching up with life, but we've had a couple adventures.

Cody had his baptism preview. I can't believe it's coming so soon...almost 8.

GREAT TO BE 8!

We love having Disneyland close by, because friends love going and we love seeing friends!

The Burbidge's came and we saw them and Tasha and Rob for a bit at the beach.

We love these guys. Wish Ben could have been there. (after taking off a week of work it really wasn't in the cards :( )

The kids all played SO well together...wish we lived closer!!

Mackayla's preschool had a field trip to Trader Joe's. They are awesome. Took them on a tour, told them to pick anything in the store that they wanted to take home and when one smart little boy said he loved cupcakes the manager grabbed some off the shelves and gave them all one:) Needless to say, it was a hit.

Fam Faves Day 6 - Birthday Cake (Fondant Recipe)

The kids love the idea of creating a birthday cake and decorations just as much as I think I do.

I think pinterest has maybe blown everything out of proportion, but it's still fun to plan little parties.

I'm pretty sure we won't be doing friend parties or intricate cakes every year, but when we do, this is the BEST, EASIEST way to make fondant (instead of buying a tiny gross-tasting little lump at the store).

Marshmallow Fondant

1/4 c. butter

16 oz. marshmallows

4 Tbs. water

1 tsp. vanilla

2 lbs. powdered sugar

Microwave marshmallows until melted

Stir in marshmallows, water, and vanilla.

Add powdered sugar 1/2 cup at a time until desired consistency.

Sprinkle powdered sugar on the counter and use it like you would flour to knead the fondant like bread dough. 

Add food coloring, then more powdered sugar if you need.

The best part - It tastes good!

I wouldn't just eat it plain like the kids do, but I'll eat some on the cake.

My friend Haley from WSU taught me this recipe for fondant. I'm really unskilled in the world of cake decorating, and even I can do it.

Let's be honest, she did all the cool parts on this cake:

I don't have enough patience to make an actual pretty cake

but I like making fondant! In my head these had clean lines...

 This one turned out beautiful because I made the fondant and cut out all the shapes and then my sisters decorated it!!

No fondant was involved with this but it was the funnest cake we ever did - and more my style since it was supposed to be  a "rugged" and "messy" volcano

and it exploded!

My mom always tries to convince me to buy a cake and finally I decided it was a good idea

and actually the kids LOVED it.

SO. That's a good route too!

They each got their own tiny ice cream cone from baskin robbins on this cake.

Happy Cake Eating!

Family Favorites to be continued in a week...

Fam Faves Day 5 - Crosland Family Rock

For Christmas, everyone in the Crosland Family chooses their favorite song for a CD

that Carly makes.

It has ended up being our most played cd throughout the year!

1. Mercy River - Reason for the World

2. Jeff: Martina McBride - I'm Gonna Love You Through It

3. Bonnie: Kristin Chenoweth and Idina Menzel - For Good

4. Ben: Eli Young Band - Dust

5. Carrie: Florida Georgia Line - Dirt

6. Cody: Tegan and Sara - Everything is Awesome

7. Macey and Mackayla: Carly Rae Jepson - Call Me Maybe

8. Amy: Kristin Chenoweth & Idina Menzel - Defying Gravity

9. Luke: The Highwaymen-Live Forever

10. Blake: Mouse in my Toolbox

11. Callie: Idina Menzel - Let It Go

12. Logan: Israel Kamakawiwo'ole - Somewhere Over the Rainbow

13. Tyler: Jake Owen - Anywhere with You

14. Carly: One Republic - Love Runs Out

15. Lucy: Taylor Swift - Shake It Off

16. Clara: Elizabeth Mitchell - Twinkle Twinkle Little Star

17. Kevin: Florida George Line - Cruise

18. Jessi: MKTO - Classic

19. Stefan: The Script - Hall of Fame

Stefan and Jessi always turn out to be our favorite songs, so maybe you guys should just always send us your playlists :)

Ben chose "Dust" and I chose "Dirt." Classy huh ;)

We also chose a "Family Song" that we actually just mean for our little family but some way or another it ended up being the entire family song :) - sorry everyone, hopefully no one hates that song!

I really like the message of the song I chose even though it's not one of those I would play over and over and over.  I think for some reason I stopped listening to that kind of music once I had kids, (not that it's terrible) but I still like it!

Fam Faves Day 4 - Wet Brush

Macey has gotten infinitely better in the last year about me doing her hair, but for a while there I thought we would eternally fight about brushing hair.

I don't have a sensitive head so that probably doesn't help her.

I had heard about this amazing brush from maskcara

but thought I was happy with our current brush.

Then I tried it out at my sister in law's house

and knew I had to have one.

Really, it's an essential hair brush.

Fam Faves Day 3 - Eating Places

This day is for Sweet Mackayla

who has been asking for a while if we're going anywhere for dinner

and I just recently put together that her Love of going to eat at "eating places" is

Restaurants.

Which for our family is awesome because, well, we go out occasionally.

That's what makes her questions so cute.

Technically that makes us NOT an authority on restaurants in the area, but since we only go with highly recommended restaurants from others...maybe this is a pretty good list after all.

In general, I'd rather try something unique over a chain restaurant, but that's just me,

going out is always nice...no cooking or cleaning!

Stack's - Mission Viejo (close to us, rated #1 restaurant in the area by TripAdvisor, take it for what it's worth, kinda like a Denny's but better! We sat on the small sunny porch on a perfect day.)

Rider's Club Cafe - San Clemente (mom and pop, Best Burgers EVER - fresh, EVERYTHING homemade even the pickles.)

South of Nick's - San Clemente (classy, delicious, and with it being Mexican food it's always a winner) I also hear Nick's is good - it's American:)

BJ's Restaurant - Newport Beach, Rancho Santa Margarita, Laguna Beach (Great pizza! and if you go you have to get a pizookie (...so I hear:))

El Maguey's - San Juan Capistrano (I've never been, but Ben loves it and they go there all the time for work meetings.)

California Pizza Kitchen - it's a chain, but it is a good one.

 Cheesecake Factory, Cinnamon Productions, Jalapenos, El Adobe, Sarducci's, Diho Siam

This isn't a complete list of everywhere we've gone, but almost;)

The kids would say McDonald's but I just can't do it anymore. Only on long drives when their tricky invention of nasty playlands lure us there!

Fam Faves Day 2 - Lego Control

This post is inspired by one of Cody's favorite things:

LEGOS!!

And, they are so fun for him...and even the girls

but they have SWARMED and taken over our LIVES!

Enter this contraption:

There are even pockets for favorite pieces, instruction booklets, or "guys" or "weapons."

This is a small contained amount of legos for picture purposes only-not reality. Which is way, way more chaotic.

But when they're done playing all the chaos can quickly be cinched up with the drawstring and hung in a dark corner. 

This was sewn by my incredibly talented aunt. I'm sure she would make more:)!!