You Make a Difference ~ Sunday Inspiration
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You Make a Difference ~ Sunday Inspiration

ByMariel

Hey ladies, if you haven’t seen this video yet, it’s a good one. Every morning, at the start of homeschool, the kids and I have a little devotional. We either read scriptures, watch a scripture or inspirational video, or memorize a scripture. The other day, we watched this one. I had no idea what it was about, but I ended up fighting back tears the whole time. I could totally relate! Sometimes it’s hard to not have much time for yourself. Sometimes it feels like you’re not making progress from day to day. Sometimes you wonder if you’re making any difference at all. Such are the thoughts that seem to come with motherhood.

gift ideas for 6 year old girl

Gift Ideas for 6 Year Old Girl

ByMariel

Isn’t it so crazy how fast our kids grow up?!? It seems like a month ago that I was sharing gift ideas for my 5 year old Isabelle… now, all of the sudden, she’s 6! Aghhh!! Nuts. Speaking of nuts…this girl is awesome! She had an Amazon wish list with nearly 200 things on it! Ha! Gave me plenty of ideas for putting together this post. And, you can rest assured that these items are 6 year old girl approved. 🙂

Kindness Begins With Me

Kindness Begins With Me

ByMariel

Happy Sunday, my friends! I’ve been meaning to do better with my inspirational posts for Sunday. So, here’s my attempt. Hopefully, I can be a little more consistent. Today’s thought is all about kindness. We could all incorporate a little more kindness in our lives, right? Come be inspired, share the love, and get your free printable!

Whatchamacallit Chewy Cereal Bars
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Whatchamacallit Cereal Bars ~ Knock-Off

ByMariel

Dudes. We’re in trouble. These babies are addicting. My kids came home from cooking class with plates full of these. After taking just one bite, we headed straight to the neighbors to give away an entire plate. The last thing I needed was to scarf 3 plates of Whatchamacallit Cereal Bars, 2 was enough. So, I think most of us have tried peanut butter bars, as well as caramel bars… Whatchamacallit combines the two, and you have to try them!

I have a special place in my heart for the actual Whatchamacallit candy bars. When I was little, my family went to Hershey World. While touring the factory, an employee pulled me and a few siblings aside and asked if we would be part of a special experiment…

Fried Mozzarella Sticks
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Fried Mozzarella Sticks ~ Cooking with Kids!

ByMariel

So, this fun little cooking school, Spoon and Spatula, opened up near my house and my girls just finished their first ‘camp’ there… pizza camp! Each day of the week, the classes revolved around pizza. The first day was bubble pizza, then fruit pizza, calazones, pizza wontons, and fried mozzarella sticks.

The girls have been anxious to make some of their newly-learned recipes for the family. So, this past Sunday, I did my own little cooking class with the kids. They taught me how to make their Fried Mozzarella Sticks from the Spoon and Spatula class, and I taught them how to make homemade marinara for spaghetti, Jana’s Awesome Breadsticks, and Cherries and Cream Dessert Squares. Mmmm! It was a ‘free day’ (from the diet) to remember.

Gift Ideas 8 Year Old Girl

Gift Ideas 8 Year Old Girl

ByMariel

Something special is happening on Saturday. Audrey’s getting baptized! It was so fun to snag some pictures of her in her pretty white dress and talk to her about the big day. She even got to get her ears pierced on her 8th birthday, so turning 8 is a pretty big deal around here.

So, with gift buying freshly on my mind, it’s time to share some gift ideas with you… because maybe YOU need some gift ideas for 8 year old girls. These ideas come from Audrey, herself AND some OSSS Facebook fans, mother’s of 8 year old girls. Here we go!

Cherries and Cream Dessert Squares ~ So simple and delicious!
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Cherries and Cream Dessert Squares ~ No Bake!

ByMariel

I’ve been on a real cherry-kick lately! Mmmm…. I love how bold, flavorful, and summery they are. You know what else I love? An easy dessert. And, THIS recipe for Cherries and Cream Dessert Squares is exactly that. I’ve been trying to condense my cookbook cupboard. It’s totally overflowing and the shelves are about to fall. It’s hard to get rid of any cookbooks without skimming through each one for potential great recipes. I had this honkin Pillsbury cookbook, taking up more than it’s fair share of space. And, luckily I found this little gem and several more in there, before I let it go. I changed the amounts on several things to suit me. Like, I love an extra thick graham cracker crust, so… more crust. My cherries weren’t spreading across the whole pan, so more cherries. My bag of marshmallows overflowed into the bowl, so extra marshmallows. Things like that, but all good things! Oh, and the cherry on top? These things require no baking. Suh-weet!

Jana's Amazing Breadsticks
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Jana’s Amazing Breadsticks

ByMariel

I stole this recipe from my contributor, Jana. Okay, so not really. I asked permission. I had read about these amazing breadsticks in her post on the Contributor Blog Hop I did, where we got to know the different contributors here on OSSS. One of the questions I asked was for everyone to share their most requested recipe. (If you haven’t checked out the blog hop, you totally should. Great recipes and fun reads there!) Anyway, Jana’s answer was these breadsticks. Naturally, I had to try them, and they went perfect with the big spaghetti dinner we had last Sunday. The whole family LOVED them. And, I loved that they were so easy to make. You just press the flattened dough into a sheet pan and use a pizza cutter to cut the breadsticks into shape, no rising needed. So fast!

So, thank you to Jana, for letting me share her recipe on ‘Or so she says…’.

How to Never Miss a Day of Scripture Reading
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How to Never Miss a Day Reading Scriptures

ByMariel

Today’s post is all about something that up until last January, was super hard for me… consistent scripture reading. Whether you read The Bible or The Bible AND The Book of Mormon, or whatever else enriches your life, this can work for you.

Okay, so as a member of the Mormon church (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints), we are asked to actively STUDY the scriptures. And despite the fact that when I do, I learn a ton, I evaluate myself for short-comings, I find answers to prayers, and I feel inspired to be a better person… it’s still hard to make it a habit to read the scriptures every day. It’s been hard my whole life. I get too busy, too tired, too lazy, whatever. But, now I got it down, sista. I haven’t missed a day since January 1st and it’s all because of a simple little trick. The best thing ever.

Raspberry White Chocolate Muffins www.orsoshesays.com
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Raspberry White Chocolate Muffins

ByMariel

Alright, so I was thinking ‘summer.’ Then, I was thinking ‘food.’ Then I was thinking ‘nachos… the greasy gas station kind.’ Then I went and changed a diaper, did a load of laundry, and buzzed the heads of two children. Then I remembered what I was supposed to be thinking about… a post for you! Something summer, easy, kid-friendly… how about Raspberry White Chocolate Muffins?? I’ve had this recipe saved in an old Taste of Home magazine for a while now, so who better to share the deliciousness with than you? I looooooove raspberries. Love. And, these were delicious! Perfect for a summer breakfast.

Favorite Books and California Vacation Giveaway!
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15 Favorite Books & California Vacation Giveaway!!

ByMariel

How many times, in your stressful life, have you dreamed about laying out on the beach with a great book? ‘Or so she says…’ to the rescue! So, to further expand on our favorites, all of the OSSS contributors got together to give away their favorite books, perfect for summer reading! The coolest part is, one person will win EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM. That’s right, the whole bundle! That’s 15 books, yo. Oh, but it gets better. Get Away Today, the greatest travel agency ever and ‘Or so she says…’ contributor, offered another winner a 3-night hotel stay in Anaheim or San Diego (winner’s choice) with their choice of two adult theme park tickets… PLUS, they get the 15 book bundle too!

Getting to Know OSSS Contributors ~ Blog Hop!

Getting to Know OSSS Contributors ~ Blog Hop!

ByMariel

Do I have the best contributors, or what?!? As you know, ‘Or so she says…’ is all about great ideas for women, from women. And the women who write (and have written) for this blog are who have made it so fun for the past 5 years. Thank you to all my contributors and guest bloggers! Thank you, thank you, thank you.

So, we have a couple fun things for you, today and next Monday. Today, I wanted to give y’all the chance to get to know these ladies better. And, what better than with a good ole fashioned Q&A Blog Hop! I carefully crafted 10 questions that I wanted them to answer, that would help you get to know more about them and their blogs. Each one of these contributors have been hand-picked by me, and I know you will love all of their blogs. So, please show them some love today, give them all a big high-five, and bounce around to read their interviews, check out some of their favorite things, their blogs, and what makes them tick. And of course, I’ll answer the questions too