Chocolate Egg

My sister-in-law recently introduced me to what has got to be one of the yummiest "healthy" desserts ever.

Mix 1 egg with 1-2 T. cocoa powder and 2 T. agave nectar. Whisk it up until the cocoa dissolves. Then microwave for 30-60 seconds. (Watch it closely because you don't want to overcook it. It's done when it just starts to puff up.) You could also add a few chocolate chips or chopped nuts. Put a dollop of lite whip cream or ice cream on top and enjoy. It tastes like a flourless chocolate cake.

I found the Agave in the health food section of my grocery store near the organic honey and flour.

Map My Run

I had to pass along a cool website that my sister, Abbi told me about. At www.mapmyrun.com you can plot your routes on very detailed maps. Once the routes are recorded, you can look up the distance, elevation, and terrain. You can also search for routes that other people have mapped. In the past I've tried to drive my running routes to estimate how far I run, but now I have a pretty accurate summary. And I'm excited to try out some of the routes other people run.

High Maintenance

See this baby? I love her to pieces. But, oh my goodness, can she try my patience. She is a screamer. And has a temper. And likes to hit people in the face.

But one look at that smile and those chubby little legs and I melt. I mean, really. Who could resist?

Summer Yarn Club

This summer my girls and their friends have been a little obsessed with making things out of yarn. They finger weave and weave on cardboard looms. McKenna has tried to learn to knit and has practiced her crocheting.

Yesterday our next-door-neighbors were having a garage sale and the girls decided to try and sell some of their yarn creations. They made beautiful posters and set out their display.

Unfortunately business wasn't too good. But they were happily occupied for an entire Saturday, so I considered the entire venture a grand success.

There was a [young] woman...

I have had SEVEN little girls at my house all week, and while it's been a lot of fun I've about reached my limit. I'm definitely ready to spank them all soundly and send them to bed.

Big News!

Favorite Fonts

I have a lot of fonts. But like channels on the TV, I seem to use the sames ones again and again. Here are my favorites:
What fonts do you use?

Perfect World

Yesterday after reading my post David went to our CD collection and put on the song "Perfect World" by Peter Cetera. The words were truly perfect.

Little White House in a little old town

Stuck in the middle of nowhere

Stars shine bright when the sun goes down

It's a perfect world as long as you're there

Count my blessings and say my prayers

Love waking up in the morning

Sunlight shining upon your hair and you're lying next to me

It's where I want to be

Blue sky over fields of green

I'm as happy as I've ever been

One thing makes it all so clear

it's a perfect world as long as you're there.

Touch of Gray

My blog typically serves as a pair of rose-colored glasses. I'm able to frame my life into pretty pictures and happy thoughts. But as the song says*, "Every silver lining has a touch of gray." And I have to admit that today I'm feeling a little gray.

Ever since the economic collapse we have struggled financially. David is a builder and general contractor, and even though he works 60-70 hour weeks, all of his revenues have gone into keeping his business afloat. And despite being tremendously blessed, I am tired of feeling stressed every time I buy a loaf of bread. I want to go to the store and buy stuff (without feeling guilty every time I get something not absolutely essential). I want to go out to a real restaurant. I want to keep Summer in pre-school and to be able to pay for my kids' piano lessons. I want to feel safe and secure and not stress about whether or not we're going to be able to pay our bills. Really, I want to live a happy, easy, stress-free life. And thankfully I know that's not exactly what I signed up for. The silver lining throughout every trial is that God is aware. With Him, "I will get by."*

*(A pat on the back and bragging rights to anyone that knows what song I'm talking about.)

Happi(mess)

I don't handle messes well. I'm somewhat lazy and really dislike doing the same chores over and over and over. And when things in my house are out of control I sometimes get a little out of control. But for some reason this mess made me happy. Maybe because it enabled me to spend some quiet, uninterrupted time reading; or maybe because it was proof that my girls are best friends and really do enjoy playing together; or maybe because it brought back memories of care-free childhood. But whatever the reason, it was a good, happy mess. (That my girls promptly cleaned up when playtime was over.)

For Grandpa

I recently discovered this picture saved in My Pictures file. It's titled "Emily and Grandpa." Dad, I thought you'd like to see it. And it's an opportunity to brag a little about my sweet and artistic Emily. She's pretty good, right? :)

$1.59

On Saturday night David and I went out on a hot date. First, we drove to the cemetery near our house and walked around. It's a really cool, old cemetery with gravestones dating back to the 1850's. Then we went to the park. It was pretty much deserted, so we pretended it was our own personal playground. We played on the swings and the slide; we climbed the play structures and raced across the chain bridge. And we found a dark spot to kiss a little. Then we went to Sonic and got a watermelon slush to share. We took it up to the movie theater parking lot where we parked and looked out over the city beneath us and just talked. Then we went home. Totally in love. A million dollars couldn't have bought a better time together. And we spent just $1.59.

Playing doctor

Yesterday I fell while walking down a steep gravel path and scraped up the entire front of my shin. (It hurt.) When we got home David took care of me with the bandages and supplies we had on hand. He did a very thorough job. Afterwards I felt much better. :)

Fancy Pancakes

David is our resident pancake artist. He does pretty incredible work. :)

Elephant

Ladybug

He also does monograms.

Water baby

Old-fashioned girl

Summer got herself dressed this morning, and this is what she put on. I wish I could dress all my girls in clothes like this every day. Dresses and pinafores make my heart happy.

Cuttin' the grass

My Grandpa P* was a fruit farmer and I have fond childhood memories of seeing him riding through the orchard on his tractor. He loved being out there. I don't have a tractor or an orchard, but I do have a pretty big back yard. And every time I mow it I think of my Grandpa.

There is something soothing and peaceful about riding the lawn mower. The hum of the engine drowns out other distractions; the clean lines of cut grass appear; I get to be alone for a while. And it's absolutely beautiful.

(Elaine: I would love to have a copy of the picture of Grandpa on his tractor. Do you know who I could get that from?)

Humidity and Hormones

When I was a little girl my hair was strait-as-a-pin.

Now, thanks to humidity and hormones it's kind of wavy.

At first I thought it was kind of cool, but now I'm realizing that not-strait hair is much more difficult to manage than strait hair. And I still haven't figured out how to do the messy, beachy curls. Any tips, pointers, or suggestions?

What I've been reading...

The Mysterious Benedict Society is clever, fun, and definitely worth a trip to the juvenile fiction shelves at your local library. Has anyone read the sequels? This book ends so perfectly that I'm a little nervous that the sequels will be a disappointment.

If you're a little late to the Fablehaven bandwagon like I am, do not delay jumping aboard! So far I have read books 1 (Fablehaven), 2 (Rise of the Evening Star), and 3 (Grip of the Shadow Plague) and am waiting not-so-patiently for our library to order book 4 (Secrets of the Dragon Sanctuary). I've also started reading them aloud to my kids and they are totally enchanted.

I also recently read The Nonesuch by Georgette Heyer. It was exactly what I was hoping it would be: a clean, fun, regency romance. You can almost never go wrong with Georgette Heyer.

Goodwill came through

I've been desperately wanting some new Sunday clothes but haven't had the funds to go shopping. Yesterday I decided that enough was enough. I grabbed $20 from our "emergency" reserve and went to Goodwill. This dress is one of the things I found. It makes me feel pretty and cost less than $6. Awesome.

Simple Stripes

A few months ago the Boy Scouts in our ward held a silent auction fundraiser and I offered a custom-made quilt. This is the result.

FRONT

BACK

At first I was kind of at a loss for how to quilt it, but my Mom suggested the horizonal stripes and I love the effect. Simple.

READY TO DELIVER

Alive and Kickin'

It's been a whirlwind of a couple of weeks!! It started with Father's Day, then Abbi & Chad's arrival from Utah. (They are now permanent residents of the great state of Georgia!!) My sisters and I took a fabulous weekend get-away up to Biltmore Estate in Asheville, North Carolina.

Our journey took us through the quaint and beautiful town of Dillsboro where we stopped at the Christmas shop and imagined what life was like a hundred years ago.

We had a week of frantic preparations, and then were blessed by the arrival of Adam and Jessie and my parents for an awesome family reunion.

The festivities started with a day in the North Georgia mountains. We picnicked, hiked, and played in the cool mountain water.

We marked the 4th of July with a festival-like celebration: swimming, games, relay races, wiffle ball, scrumptious food, fireworks, and a patriotic program. (During which I did not take a single picture.) :(

Some of our other fun activities included a day swimming and skiing on the lake, roller-skating, going to see the movie "Night at the Museum," a trip to the Georgia Aquarium, and time splashing in the fountains at Centennial Olympic park. And in the midst of all of our revelry, my ward split and I have had the joy of making sure primary stays staffed and functional. (Stress.)

Usually I experience major post-family-reunion-blues, but I am determined to not let myself sink into that funk. We still have a few more weeks of summer vacation ahead of us and I'm looking forward to making them as memorable as I can.

Stay tuned..... I promise to be a better blogger in the future.