Can you take me to North Carolina?

We're in the midst of packing for our family reunion. Chloe is super-excited. She's never been on vacation before. And while she has no clue what exactly is going on, she knows it's going to be good. Every two and a half minutes she asks me, "Can you take me to North Carolina now?" Poor kid. Waiting is torture.

Running Buddy

When we first got Knightley one of the things I looked forward to was taking him with me jogging. But as a puppy he was AWFUL on a leash. He would not walk. He'd sit his little butt down and would not move. We tried to train him with treats, and he did a little better. But there was no way I would ever take him with me running. And I just kind of gave up on the idea.... until yesterday. We went three miles and he did great! I think we're going to be a good team.

New Last-day-of-School Tradition

Yesterday was the last day of school! My girls came home with backpacks full of paper and old workbooks that we usually just dump into the recycle bin. But some of our friends shared a tradition that we decided to copy-- burn all the old papers and then have s'mores.

The girls had a blast watching their papers burn.



And of course the s'mores were a hit.





Now we're ready for summer!!

What I'm working on today...

I go through phases. Sometimes I get super-motivated to sew dresses, sometimes I want to organize everything in my house, sometimes I just want to knit or crochet. Right now I'm in a quilt phase. And I'm enjoying it. The pattern I'm using for the one above is one I got in the mail. Since I have a (very) limited amount of space to store my fabric I figured I better use up what I have so I can get some more. :) Most of the fabrics are the same from my tablecloth quilt, but it's fun how they look different. I still have lots of more sewing to do, so I better get back at it before I get tired of quilting and want to do something else.

Tablecloth Quilt

A while back I made THIS quilt for a friend and liked it so much I decided to make one just like it for us to keep. I initially planned on displaying it folded on our quilt chest, but as I was sewing it together at my kitchen table I realized how cool it would look as a tablecloth. And I am thrilled with the result. Probably not the most economical tablecloth I could have chosen considering I had it professionally quilted, but it makes me so happy. Sometimes splurges are okay, right?

Mothers Day Poem

This morning I was sorting through the papers on my desk and found a poem McKenna wrote, but never gave me, for Mother's Day. I thought it was pretty sweet.

We sisters love our mother.

We wouldn't survive with any other!

She means a lot to this family of girls,

Even when we aren't always perfect pearls.

She does more than we could ever count.

And it just makes us nearly sprout!!

We love you, Mom. You love us, too.

Even though you have to change Chloe's poo.

It's nice to be appreciated. :)

I want a gardener

For the past couple summers I have kind of ignored my yard. But this year I got all motivated and decided that I was going to maintain everything the way my Mom & Grandma would. No weeds for me!! So I've been outside a lot working in the beds, tidying things up. It's been frustrating because we have a big yard and it's way more work than I feel like I can do alone. But I've been trying. And my efforts have been rewarded with a big fat case of POISON OAK. I know what poison ivy looks like and avoid it, but apparently I need a lesson on how to identify other poisonous weeds. I am broken out in a rash on my arms, neck, hands, and face. Joyful. So now I'm thinking that maybe I was right in ignoring my yard. It's dangerous to my health.

Green "Roses"

When I've looked at lettuce in the grocery store, I have never thought of it as beautiful. But seeing it growing in my garden I am amazed at how gorgeous it is! I think it looks like a big, green, frilly rose.

Green Leaf:

Romaine:

Grandma's Recipe Box

When Elaine came to visit, she brought with her my Grandma Pyne's recipe box. The recipes are written in my Grandma's handwriting and are an absolute treasure. I spent some time looking through them this morning and it brought tears to my eyes thinking about how I was holding a tangible reminder of my Grandma and the countless hours she spent in the kitchen cooking for her family. My Grandma is one of my heros and was one of my very best friends. I miss her so much. There are so many things I wish I could talk to her about and to learn from her. I want to be like her in so many ways. So, having this keepsake means more than I can describe. I am excited to go through it with my sisters and to start trying her recipes. Thank you so much for sharing this treasure with us, Elaine!!

Recipes for Aunt Elaine

We just had the most wonderful visit from my Aunt Elaine and Uncle Morris. I enjoyed every minute of our time together. They are some of the coolest people you will ever meet. It was hard to let them go. (Emily & Summer cried and cried when we had to say goodbye.)

On Sunday we gathered with my sisters and their families for dinner and we had the best time talking, laughing and eating. I promised Elaine that I would give her the recipes for what I made that night, and figured that since I'd be typing them up anyway I'd go ahead and post them here. So, here you go Aunt Elaine. We miss you already!!!

Mesquite Chicken Salad
Layer: lettuce (romaine), black beans, corn (I like to used thawed frozen corn), diced tomato, diced green pepper, avocado, red onion, grated cheese, and grilled chicken.
Top with: BBQ sauce, ranch dressing, lime, and tortilla chips.

Chunky Artichoke Salsa
1 (6.5 oz.) jar marinated artichoke hearts, chopped
1 cup chopped black olives
2 T. chopped red onion
3 plum tomatoes, chopped
1 clove minced garlic
2 T. fresh basil leaves, snipped
salt & pepper to taste

Mix everything together and serve with tortilla chips.

(I tripled this recipe on Sunday and we did not have a drop left-over.)

Southern Lights Salsa & Stomp

Here is the footage of our young women doing the salsa dance at the temple celebration. They look awesome. (McKenna is in the same row as the really dark haired girl in the blue shirt.)



And here are the boys from our stake doing the stomp. They were the only dance in the entire program to receive a standing ovation. The young man doing the tumbling in front is my nephew, Spencer. That makes me cool. :)