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       Okay, first I have to tell you that I forgot to take some really good pics of these cupcakes before taking them to the baby shower that we threw for my extra daughter Charly.  These were the practice ones.  Do you see the liners in the back that are blue with polka dots?  Those are the ones I used.  

      Charly and her husband are not finding out the gender of their baby until she gives birth, so we wanted a very neutral theme for her shower.  Charly loved the Rubber Duck idea, so I looked on Pinterest of course and found this idea from Sweets & Treats.  I hadn't heard of their company before this, but I fell in love with theirs large variety of sprinkle mixes and their cupcake liners keep such bright color after baking in them! I definitely recommend checking them out.  They have some great items on their sale page as well! You know I love sprinkles and I can definitely use some new ones when Hot Cocoa Bomb Season begins! 
     To decorate the cupcakes, I simply used a large circle piping tip to dot on frosting to look like bubbles.  I enhanced the bubble look with large and small round candy sprinkles.  Finally, I popped these rubber duckies on top!  They were the perfect size for the top of the cupcakes.  These rubber ducky cupcakes were definitely a hit and a centerpiece at the party.  I love when treats are easy to make and pack a big punch! 
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     I wrote this post in 2018 after my granddaughter was born.  Now she is almost 4 and there have been 2 more grandchildren born.  Unfortunately, those 2 grandchildren were only able to be with us on this earth for a very short time.  While they were here, I fell deeply in love with them, as I have each of my grandchildren.  Being separated from them for a time has been so difficult and watching my daughter and her family mourn their loss makes it even harder.   Thankfully, because of the hope we have in Jesus Christ, we know that our family is eternal and that He can heal our hearts and that we will one day all be together again.  As a grandmother, I look so forward to having ​​all of my grandchildren around me and on my lap once again.  I love them all so much and I miss them when we are apart.  Here is the post expressing some of the things that I adore about being a grandma.  At the end, I will add photos of numbers 11 and 12, Elodie and Henry.

     I mentioned on a post earlier this week that I became a grandmother for the 10th time!  That is her right there, beautiful little Amelia!  Since the 9th of September is Grandparent's Day, I thought today's Friday Faves should have a special twist in honor of that and that I will share what I love about being a grandmother.  If you are a grandmother, be sure to share what you love about it in the comments below.  I also got some great ideas from some other grandmas I know!  As you read, I will show you photos of my beautiful grandchildren! 

     My family is my treasure and these grandchildren are so precious to me.  My husband and I are so blessed with this family of ours!  Be sure to tell the grandparents in your life what a blessing they are to you and enjoy those grandchildren of your own!  They get big so fast!  

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Recently my son had a friend who chose to get baptized. In our church children can choose to get baptized starting at 8 years old. I was wondering what would be a good gift to get him that an 8 year old buy would like but also be a reminder of what a special event his baptism was and what it will mean for the rest of his life. 

In our beliefs after you're baptized your sins are all washed away and you are made to be clean and whole again. And then after you are baptized the gift of the Holy Ghost is conferred upon you to be with you always. If you'd like to read more about how we view baptism and the Gift of the Holy Ghost you can check it here.

In searching around the internet for a gift I saw this quote from Elder James E. Faust 

And it made me think a compass would be a great gift for an 8 year old along with this quote. So I went to Etsy and lo and behold I'm not the only one with this thought because there are other compass baptism gifts. Here's some I liked!

But ultimately I decided I wanted a more antique looking compass that was more like a pocket watch style. So I bought this brass compass from Ilgar Leather. It comes with a chain and a leather holder for the compass. You can get the compass engraved which would have been a great option with this quote, but I had already made these circle labels with the quote in it that can be printed as stickers too!

I think it turned out great and the recipient was very happy with it. It turned out the quote when I cut it out fit perfectly in the lid of the compass. I also printed a bigger one that fits in the pouch with the compass as well.
I have created a pdf of the quote that you can print and give for your baptism gifts to those you love who choose to be baptized. Just click below to download it. There are 16 on the page so perfect to save for other baptisms in the future.

And if you like that download be sure to subscribe to our newsletter to get even more free downloads!

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      What is a seafood lover to do with today's prices in the grocery store?  Purchasing salmon for my salmon addiction has always been a splurge, but now I am finding myself saving up in order to pay the huge price and still be able to purchase the basics.  
       Fortunately, and surprisingly, I can usually find a pretty good sale on shrimp.  Some weeks, the sale will be on large shrimp, others, on medium.  Salad shrimp or small shrimp are usually pretty affordable compared to other seafood in the supermarket.  Since I adore shrimp, I find myself purchasing it more often to put into our menu rotation. 
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Benefits of Eating Shrimp

     The great thing about eating shrimp is that it is very good for you!  It contains vitamin B12 and other things like niacin and zinc.  It is high in anti-oxidants that fight inflammation, wrinkles and sun damage. Shrimp is also good for thyroid function. Of course, you shouldn't overdo it with shrimp, they are fairly high in cholesterol and sodium, and of course, some people are allergic to shellfish, which is very sad for them. 
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     All of that being said, shrimp is great to have on hand because it cooks up quickly and that makes it easy to create a delicious dish in no time at all! I was browsing through our posts and realized that we have a bunch of wonderful shrimp recipes that will add so much variety to your lunch, dinner and even snacking menu! Here are our best shrimp recipes.  Click on the photo to go to the recipe.

     Having shrimp in a home cooked meal always makes it seem special to me.  When I can do it in a budget friendly way, that is even better!  Do you have any shrimp recipes that you love?  I would love to hear about them in the comments!  
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