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Simply Photography Series

Wednesday, May 14, 2014

I’m thrilled to introduce a brand new series coming to the blog tomorrow titled: Simply Photography! I invite you to join me, along with my incredible guests, as we step back and explore the basics of photography and the real reasons behind WHY we take photos. I hope this series will encourage you to have fun with photography, inspire you to find the magic in everyday moments and to feel confident in wherever you’re at in your own photography journey!

Welcome the incredibly talented Lacey Meyers as we kick things off tomorrow and watch for more inspiring Simply Photography installations coming every other Wednesday throughout 2014!

May 2014 Visiting Teaching Printables

Monday, May 12, 2014

I can’t believe we’re already almost midway through May! I’ve got another set of FREE Visiting Teaching printables for you based on one of my favourite talks from April’s General Conference. I loved President Thomas S. Monson’s talk titled “Love – the Essence of the Gospel” and I’ve created a set of cards using some of my favourite quotes and scriptures that he shared. You’ll find the links to download the different sized quote cards below. Enjoy!

“We cannot truly love God if we do not love our fellow travelers on this mortal journey.”

– President Thomas S. Monson

“There are many attributes which are manifestations of love, such as kindness, patience, selflessness, understanding, and forgiveness. In all our associations, these and other such attributes will help make evident the love in our hearts. Usually our love will be shown in our day-to-day interactions one with another. All important will be our ability to recognize someone’s need and then to respond.”

-President Thomas S. Monson

“Charity is the pure love of Christ, and it endureth forever and whoso is found possessed of it at the last day, it shall be well with him.”

– Moroni 7:47

“As we arise each morning, let us determine to respond with love and kindness to whatever might come our way.”

– President Thomas S. Monson

“I have wept in the night
For the shortness of sight
That to somebody’s need made me blind;
But I never have yet
Felt a tinge of regret
For being a little too kind.“
– Unknown

You can download the May 2014 Visiting Teaching Printables here in the size of your choice — > simply on the size you’d like, then click to download. You can also download a printable PDF version of all the quote cards here.

If you’re a quote collector like I am, you can find the February 2014 Visiting Teaching printable here, the March 2014 Visiting Teaching printables here and the April 2014 Visiting Teaching Printables here.

I link up here.

Simple things Sunday – Science Camp

Sunday, May 11, 2014

This past week I had the chance to attend Science Camp with my oldest daughter. It was a trip we’d been looking forward to since the beginning of the school year and it didn’t disappoint! It was a lot of fun. I’ll admit, I’m pretty exhausted, but it was well worth it! I loved seeing my girl in her element, watching her interact with her friends and seeing her learn and grow over the course of the 3-day camp. Emily has her own little private blog and she’s been busily adding photos and journaling about her experiences! I can still remember my days at girls camp when I was her same age! I know she’ll always remember this and I’m so glad I got to share the experience with her!

What simple moments are you celebrating this week?

-Share your photos with us on Instagram, Twitter, G+, even Pinterest by using the hashtag #SimpleThingsSunday. Stacy on Instagram // Rebecca on Instagram

–Post your photos on the Simple as That Facebook wall anytime! I‘d love to see what’s going on in your world!

-You can also link up here on the blog each weekend starting Saturday nights at 10pm CST!

What is Simple things Sunday?

This weekly photo share is all about taking time to photograph the everyday details that make your life unique, beautiful, and special. We gather here each Sunday to share our photos, to enjoy the beauty found in the ordinary and to be reminded of just how important the simple things truly are. Read all about STS here.

Simply Delicious Lemon Squares

Tuesday, May 6, 2014

These lemon squares are a tried and true family favourite! My Grannie found this recipe on the back of an Eaglebrand Sweetened Condensed milk can many years ago and has been making them for our family ever since. I love seeing my kids enjoy these delicious squares the same way I did a child!

5.0 from 1 reviews

Simply Delicious Lemon Squares

Prep time

30 mins

Total time

30 mins

Author: Rebecca Cooper

Recipe type: Dessert

Serves: 9-16

Ingredients

1 can eaglebrand milk
12 graham crackers
½ cup lemon juice {fresh/bottled or mixed}
1 tsp grated lemon rind
1 cup lemon icing

Instructions

Blend condensed milk, lemon juice and lemon rind until thick.
Layer bottom of a 9 X 9 inch pan with graham crackers.
Pour a layer of milk mixture over top.
Continue layering milk mixture and graham crackers.
Top with lemon icing. Refrigerate.

The ingredient list for these squares is as basic as it looks! I typically have the graham crackers and sweetened condensed milk on hand, so if I need a quick dessert to take to a church activity or other get together I can make them easily. You can substitute the fresh squeezed lemon juice for bottled lemon juice if you’re in a pinch.

First thing you’ll do is squeeze the lemons. You’ll need 3-4 lemons, depending on how large they are, to get 1/2 cup of lemon juice. As mentioned, you can also use bottled lemon juice. In a bowl, blend the lemon juice and sweetened condensed milk together. Grate 1 tsp of lemon rind into the mixture.

Line the bottom of a 9×9 inch pan with graham crackers. I like to cut off the corners so the crackers can rest closer to the edges of the pan. Next layer 1/2 of the milk and lemon juice mixture on top of the graham crackers. Follow that with another layer of graham crackers. Pour the remaining milk mixture on top of the graham crackers, spread it out and top with graham crackers.

Finish off the squares with a layer of lemon icing on top of the final layer of graham crackers. You could use store-bought icing or here is our favourite lemon icing recipe:

Lemon Icing:

1/2 cup butter

3-4 tsp milk

3 cups confectioners sugar

1/2 tsp lemon extract or lemon juice

2-3 drops of yellow food colouring

Cream butter and icing sugar, mix in 3-4 tsp milk depending on the consistency you want. Gradually beat in lemon extract or lemon juice to taste. Add a few drops of yellow food coloring and mix well.

Once the squares are finished, refrigerate them. They’re best served after sitting for a few hours, when the graham crackers have softened. I hope you enjoy these simple and delicious squares as much as our family does! They’re the perfect blend of sweet and tart and are such an easy dessert to throw together in a hurry. Double the recipe and take it to a Summer picnic, it’s great for a crowd!

For more simple recipes for you and your family to enjoy check out:

Lemon Pie Squares

Easy Chicken and Stuffing Casserole

Pizza Buns for School Lunches

Butter Tart Slices

Applesauce Muffins

I link up here.

Mother’s Day Journaling + Filler Cards

Monday, May 5, 2014

It’s May 5th and that means it’s time for another freebie on the fifth! My friends Crystal Wilkerson and Kristina Proffit and I are excited to sharing this free set of Mother’s Day themed journaling and filler cards with you this month! You’ll find details for downloading the cards below. Just in case you missed any of our other freebies, check out our St. Patrick’s Day set and our Easter/Spring set and watch for more of these fun collaborations coming the 5th of every month!

Each of us contributed three cards so make sure you stop by all of our blogs to download the entire set! Click the DOWNLOAD HERE button below to be taken to the free download for my three cards then visit Crystal and Kristina’s blogs to download the rest! All cards are available in JPG and PDF format! Crystal’s Blog // Kristina’s Blog

I hope you enjoy this fun freebie!! We love creating these cute little kits and sure appreciate you taking the time to share them on Pinterest, Facebook and Twitter!

Show us your projects using Freebies on the Fifth Cards:

If you complete a project using some of our #FreebiesOnTheFifth cards we’d LOVE to see! Share them on any one of our Facebook pages (Kristina on FB, Crystal on FB, Simple as That on FB), comment on this blog post with a link to your project or share with us on instagram using hashtag #FreebiesOnTheFifth. We’d love the chance to feature your beautiful creations on Pinterest or any of our other social media outlets!

If you’re in search of more Mother’s Day inspiration, stop by my Mother’s Day Pinterest board where I’ve been pinning all kinds of fun stuff!

Follow Rebecca – Simple as That Blog’s board Mother’s day on Pinterest.

I’m linking up with I Heart Nap Time, Lil’ Luna, Somewhat Simple, Tatertots & Jello and Today’s Creative Blog for Link Party Palooza!

Simple things Sunday – Sisters

Sunday, May 4, 2014

While the boys were away at father and sons camp this weekend, these kiddos and I had some fun girl time together. We cooled off by the pool and watched Frozen (for the umpteenth time) complete with popcorn and slurpees — and plenty of singing! We didn’t do anything special, but I couldn’t think of a better group of girls I’d rather hang out and do nothing special with! As blessed as I feel to have these girls in my life, I hope they realize just how blessed they are have each other!

Our Paths may change as life goes along but our bond as sisters remains ever strong – anonymous

What simple moments are you celebrating this week?

What is Simple things Sunday?

Babysitting Kit Printables

Thursday, May 1, 2014

I have the privilege of working with a fun group of 9-11 year old girls in our church, including my 11 (almost 12) year old daughter Emily and I feel so blessed to be her leader right now. Every other Wednesday we get together for what’s called Activity Days. We play games, learn new skills, do crafts and just have a lot of fun together! It is such a pleasure to watch these girls grow in the gospel and to help them accomplish the goals they’re working on to earn their Faith in God award.

While brainstorming ideas for upcoming activities one day, most of the girls in our group of 13, expressed interest in learning more about babysitting. These girls are quickly approaching babysitting age and are all quite excited about the possibility of starting to babysit for their friends and family!

We got to work planning a few activities that centred around babysitting. We spread things out over two weeks where we did a little crash babysitting course with the girls, put together babysitting kits and decorated tote bags to keep their kits in.

I recruited my talented friend Crystal Wilkerson to help me with this activity and together we came up with a number of printables to create a simple babysitting kit.

I wanted to share these fun printables with you so that if you have a daughter, grand-daughter or niece or if you’re in Activity Days yourself, you can put together your own babysitting kits quickly and easily! Download the printables listed below here on my blog and watch for more printables to add to the kit coming to Crystal’s site next week!

Babysitting Kit Printables include:

How to be a Great Babysitter Tips

Safety Tips While Babysitting

Important Information Forms

Fun Games to Play While Babysitting

Ideas for What to Add to Your Babysitting Kit

Memory Match Game

Babysitting Kit Folder Labels

Wording used with permission from LDS Activity Days Ideas Blog.

I link up here.

Lemon Pie Squares

Tuesday, April 29, 2014

I’ll be the first to admit that I have a tiny bit of a lemon obsession. Over the next few weeks I have some favourite family recipes to share with you that all involve – you guessed it, lemon! Let’s start things off with a super simple dessert recipe. These squares offer the delicious taste of Lemon Pie, without the fuss!

Lemon Pie Squares

Prep time

1 hour

Total time

1 hour

Author: Rebecca Cooper

Recipe type: Dessert

Serves: 12-15

Ingredients

2 envelopes lemon pie filling
3 cups of graham cracker crumbs
12 tbsp melted butter
2 tbsp sugar
Whipped cream to top

Instructions

Prepare pie filling according to directions. Let cool in fridge.
Mix graham cracker crumbs with sugar and melted butter.
Press into greased 9" X 13" inch pan.
Pour filling onto crust.
Top with cool whip or whipping cream and sprinkle with graham crumbs.
Serve chilled.

If you’re heading to a Spring get together or planning a Summer picnic, these Lemon Pie squares are quick and easy and are perfect for a crowd! They’ve been a favourite of mine for years and I hope you enjoy them too!

If you love all things lemon too, check out this Mini Lemon Tarts recipe shared by The Casual Craftlete last week! Don’t they look delicious!?

Simple things Sunday | Fossil Creek, AZ

Sunday, April 27, 2014

Last weekend we visited one of our favourite spots in Northern Arizona – Fossil Creek. It’s so beautiful and the short mile and a 1/2 walk to the Falls from the parking lot is perfect for the whole family. We went with friends and Randal’s brother’s family and had such a great day splashing in the water, jumping off the Falls and picnicking out in nature.

Outdoor Family Adventures at Fossil Creek, Arizona. #SimplethingsSunday

Fossil Creek is best visited in during the week as it can get pretty busy on weekends. We know this first hand, as we’ve made the 2 1/2 hour drive twice, only to be turned away because it had reached maximum capacity on the weekend. Also worth noting, is that there are two different ways to access Fossil Creek. The first is 10 miles East of Campe Verde, the other route is via the town of Strawberry. We’ve hiked in both ways and I highly recommend going through Campe Verde if you’re hiking as a family. The alternative route (through Strawberry) involves a 8 mile roundtrip hike. When you go through Camp Verde, you travel down a gravel back country road to a large parking lot and from the parking lot to the Falls it’s an easy 1 1/2 mile hike along the river.

We’ve been talking about going back to Fossil Creek ever since our first visit. The kids always have a blast jumping off the waterfall with their Dad – definitely not my cup of tea. Here’s a couple video snippets of Carson our 9 year old jumping off the falls and our 6 year old Addie jumping. There’s a lower ledge that they can jump off that’s not quite as high for them. They’re still braver than I am to jump from there! I’m perfectly happy snapping photos of our outdoor adventures while they have fun!

What simple moments are you celebrating this week?

-Share your photos with us on Instagram, Twitter, G+, even Pinterest by using the hashtag #SimpleThingsSunday.

–Post your photos on the Simple as That Facebook wall anytime! I‘d love to see what’s going on in your world!

-You can also link up here on the blog each weekend starting Saturday nights at 10pm CST!

What is Simple things Sunday?

Mini Lemon Tarts

Thursday, April 24, 2014

Today I’m so excited to welcome Katie from The Casual Craftlete! She’s sharing this delightful recipe for mini lemon tarts with us and they couldn’t be more perfect for Spring!

They would be great at a garden or tea party!

Mini Lemon Tarts with fresh blueberries and whipped cream

I just love making recipes from scratch. Not only do I love made from scratch, but I love fresh ingredients and this recipe is exactly that. I used fresh lemons and blueberries. The smell is so amazing. I also made fresh whipped cream for topping the mini tarts. Don’t think that made from scratch has to take all day. This recipe is very easy to make!

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Follow Katie on Facebook | Instagram | Pinterest | Twitter

I can’t wait to try my hand at these, they sound delicious! Thank you for this lovely recipe Katie! For more food ideas and crafty inspiration, stop by Katie’s blog The Casual Craftlete. Here are just a few of the fabulous projects you’ll see while you’re there! Linked up here.