How was your Halloween?

Since it was Friday, we started off our day with a field trip to Wheeler Farm. It was a beautiful day, a beautiful location, and I fell in love with the trees that reminded me of the autumn I miss so much from home. We went with some dear friends, and that was fun as well.




Isn't this tree fabulous?! I'd love to relocate it to my backyard!






Then we stopped by Andrew's work to say hello, check out his cool costume (I still can't believe everyone at work actually convinced him to dress up!), and of course, pick up a few treats for the road.

Cousins came to trick or treat with us! Hooray! We ate soup and homemade bread hot out of the oven (gotta put that peach jam to good use!). And a bit of candy too! It was a fun day, and now...winter can begin. Welcome Christmas time! (I've not forgotten about Thanksgiving, it's just that Christmas is so much work, and so much fun, that it really must be started immediately after Halloween. One month is not long enough for Christmas!)

Peach Picking Paradise

A friend of the bishop of my sister and her husband (how's that for close?) offered his remaining peaches from his orchard for free picking, and we accepted! We decided to make it a Family Home Evening activity the last day of September. Unfortunately, Andrew had to work late every night that week, but it was fun to spend time with Amy & Nathan. The kids wrote about what we did during school, so I'll let them tell you about it in their own words.

BEAR

One day I went peach picking with Aunt Amy and Uncle Nathan. When I got so many peaches, my bag started to rip a hole in it and so I went, got another bag, and found a bigger bag, then I started to play a game. I would run and get a peach, then when my little bag was full, I would put it in my big bag, then when my big bag was full, I would put it in another big bag, then start all over again. It was fun! Then a lot of mosquitoes came and it looked like a big cloud of mosquitoes, and they were REALLY annoying! It was fun to go peach picking, although I hated the mosquitoes. It was fun because it was my first time going peach picking. OK, I'm done.

CHIEF

We picked peaches and we also climbed trees while we picked. I saw a really good looking peach and that tree had really good branches for climbing, so I jumped up and got it and then I put it in my bag. They tasted so good, and one that Nathan picked off the tree for me was the juiciest one I've ever had in my whole life! And a hole got in my bag, and then two peaches fell out and raced down the hill. Then Tyler got two more rotten peaches and raced those down the driving hill. Lots and tons and tons of mosquitoes bit me. They're so annoying! I love, love peaches and it was a great adventure! And I loved eating peaches off of the trees. And I'm glad I went with my aunt and uncle.

BELLE










I started a bite and then I gave it to Nathan and Nathan said it looked good and I thought it was juicy and my favorite in the whole world. I want to jump up and get a peach. And then do jumping jacks. I want a grapefruit. I want to write a book.

THE END.


We had so much fun picking the peaches, that I didn't really stop to think I'd have to DO SOMETHING with them. We filled this counter completely three times at least, which basically means we had hundreds of peaches. So I spent the next week pretending I was a self-reliant, expert homemaker.

I tried my hand at canning, which I have done before, but never alone. I think it goes much better when you do it with someone who happens to know what they are doing! My poor aunt got several phone calls over the week with questions like: "So, when you want to can peaches, first you peel and cut them, right? Then what?" My dad happened to be in town, and he gave me several tips as well. I'm still impressed Dad. I didn't know he could can. Guess that's a side effect of being married to my mom. I also found this site very helpful.

Esther and I made jam...lots and lots of jam.

And then when I got tired of pretending, I froze everything else.

All in all, it was fun (I can say that now that my kitchen isn't completely covered in all things peach!). I'm especially grateful to Amy & Nathan, their bishop, and the unknown friend who offered the free peaches in the first place. And of course to everyone who helped me along in my quest to keep all those peaches from going to waste. We sure are enjoying them!

A Letter

Dear Email Inbox,

I have owed you an apology for quite a while now, but you have been neglected in this as well.

I'm Sorry.

I know all those emails sitting there in your inbox for months and months must be so sad and lonely. They came to me so excited to share their news, and although I quickly and eagerly read most of them, I felt too overwhelmed and tired after reading to actually respond. "That's okay", they thought. "Not everyone responds right away. She'll reply tomorrow." But tomorrow came and went, and still, no reply. "Well, she did have quite a busy day today. She actually never even had a chance to come near the computer. I'm sure she'll write those responses tomorrow, and we can be on our way to a new inbox soon!" Another tomorrow came and went, and another, and another...

By now I think those poor emails have given up hope. They are never going to want to come back to my inbox again (assuming they ever get out!).

Don't give up on me yet, dear inbox. I have now cut my inbox list from 3 pages down to 1. That's progress! Some of you emails have already been sent off to a happier, quicker to respond home. The rest of you are still waiting, I know, but I think there is hope for you too. Until then, enjoy the peace and quiet. That's a luxury for some of us, you know!

Sincerely,
the email inbox responder

Code Nutrition DNA Based Vitamins

Okay, so, there's not much going on this week as far as posting activity, so I thought I'd do a quick cross-post and plug my other blog where I'm trying to drop pounds.

Tonight I wrote a post about Code Nutrition, a Utah-based company that makes custom vitamins for your unique DNA.

Pretty cool stuff. Check our my post or check out the Code Nutrition website.

Where to Begin?

I think part of my problem with blogging is that I can never quite decide where to begin when I want to post something new. There are always many more things to write about then I have time for, and so somehow I always feel behind. That leads me to put it off a little longer, which, I know, simply complicates the problem. I was going to say something about how our blog is somewhat of a 'feast or famine'...sometimes there's a lot, other times not so much. But I looked back over our posts and realized, there never really is much of a feast around here...just more famine. So...sorry about that. I hesitate to promise that will change, because I really don't think it will. BUT...we have done a LOT of fun things over the last few months that I do want to mention, so maybe there will be a good streak of pictures around here. Then again, maybe not.

I have come to one conclusion though that should help with my infrequent updates. I know that most blogs have this thing where they talk about Halloween activities in October, and summer fun at the pool in August...predictable things like that. I have decided that we'll do something a little more creative around here. ;) On our blog, we won't hold ourselves to such social norms. Just because we're more than halfway through October doesn't mean I can't still post about that awesome family reunion we had back in July. I like to call it...TIME TRAVELOG (because doesn't anything that has to do with a blog need to end in "OG"?). Yes, come here and you can warm yourself with some great summer memories even though Christmas may be over. You can enjoy the Christmas spirit in July. (just planning ahead here)

Well, after all this talking about all the things I'm going to finally write about, maybe I should actually start writing them. I've already tired myself out just writing about how I'm going to write something. I'm really not much good at this whole thing!

FLORIDA

For the last year Andrew and I have been planning to take a trip somewhere warm without kids.

Before I go on and on about how amazing it was, maybe I should just remind everyone how much I LOVE MY KIDS. Just in case you start to forget when I get all excited talking about how great it was to be away for a little while. Again, I REALLY, REALLY, REALLY LOVE MY KIDS!

Okay, having said that, we did have an AMAZING time! It ended up working out that we went with some good friends of ours to Florida for a week in September. Some of you might remember that Florida had several hurricane scares around this time. We were getting a little nervous in August that we might not be able to go. Miraculously, there were three hurricane warnings for the area we were in before we left, and three new hurricane warnings for the same place after we left, but the week we were there we had PERFECT weather. I mean, before we left, I was just hoping we wouldn't be evacuated. I wasn't going to complain if it rained the entire time. It was still a week away with my husband, right? So to have gorgeous weather was really more than I could have hoped for.

We hung out at the beach, at the pool, slept in, ate dinner at any old time we wanted, went out and didn't worry about what time we came home, read in total silence, read and rested ON THE PLANE...need I say more? It was heavenly. (Of course, the real 'heavenly' will definitely include our children, but I really think there will still be plenty of this, because it was amazing.) In case you can't tell, I REALLY recommend that every couple do what it takes to get away alone together once in a while. This is only the second time we've managed this since we've had kids, but we definitely plan to do it again. I know it's not easy. It takes planning, it takes effort, it usually takes saving some money for a while beforehand. I was a basket-case the night before we left because, much to my dismay, ALL of my kids were sick. There's nothing to make you feel guilty like taking off on a vacation while leaving three coughing children behind. But even that potential disaster worked out amazingly well. I promise it's worth whatever effort it takes to have some time alone with your love. And if it does take a lot of time and effort to plan a trip away together, guess what, the planning is almost as fun as actually going. (not quite, but it still gives you something to look forward on those days when you just can't seem to make anything go right!) We've also been working harder lately to make sure we have a weekly date, which is a nice way to keep things happy during those years between trips! :) I'll be posting more later about my favorite adventure while we were there.

Finally, I just want to give another HUMONGOUS (and GINORMOUS for Amy) THANK YOU to my awesome family, especially Amy, for jumping into full-blown parenthood for a week so we could go. And a thank you to my kids, who, if no one is lying to us, were really great while we were gone. There's nothing we'd rather come home to than you! Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!

My New Retirement Plan

One of the most amazing things we did on our trip to Florida...come to think of it, it's pretty high up there as one of the most amazing things I've done in my life...was to go on a dolphin boat tour with Captain Mark and First Mate Terresa. Totally worth every penny we spent. Even those of us who are not madly in love with dolphins would agree.

I know I've briefly mentioned before my slight obsession with dolphins. Some of you may have heard how I've thought several times that if I ever went back to school, I'd probably have to major in Marine Biology so I could work with dolphins. But now I have an even better plan. Maybe in several years, Captain Mark and Terresa will be ready to take a break from their job, and Andrew and I can take over. We can buy a boat and just drive it around all day with really fun people, looking for dolphins who know us and recognize our boat, and who like us enough to swim up in the wake of the boat and just play...day after day after day. Sometimes we'll take a break to go find some really cool shells and eat some yummy fish tacos, but mostly we'll just play with those dolphins. Did you know that dolphins (at least these) love Bob Marley? They swim away from the Beach Boys, but when Bob Marley is on, they come on over. Did you know that when dolphins are happy or excited, their tummy turns pink? They are attracted to bright colors and to a rhythmic beat, which Terresa accomplished by waving a colored bandanna and banging on the side of the boat to the beat of the music.

This explains a bit more why the dolphins came to play with us (besides us being so cool and all!):

Bow Riding

Most species of dolphins are attracted to the pressure wave created by moving boats. This common behavior is often seen with dolphins riding on the bow wave or stern wave of a boat. It is believed that this behavior is undertaken by the animals for pure enjoyment or a free ride, much like body surfing in humans.

The pictures and videos won't really come close to explaining how cool it was, I was too busy being THRILLED to really worry about what direction the camera was facing, but they'll give you an idea anyway. And you might want to turn your volume down. It's mostly just an embarrassing display of me yelling "Oh My Gosh!" over and over again. Really doesn't add much to your viewing enjoyment. In the second video you might be able to tell that the dolphins were close enough to actually splash my face (after that happens, there's not really much left, so you can just skip the end of the video clip).

See the pink underside of the dolphin?

Guilt-free Blogging

I don't know about you, but sometimes I feel a little guilty when spending time blogging. There is just SO much to do in life, and I haven't been able to come to the conclusion that blogging, as much as I enjoy it, is the best way to spend that time. Well, I came across something this morning that made me feel a little better about the time I have spent in this endeavor. Blogging really can be a way to record your family history, scrapbook your children's lives, leave something behind for posterity...that's all worthwhile, right?

So check out Scrapbook Blogger.

I have no idea how easy or difficult this option is, or how well it works. Obviously it's a new company and I am sure they still have some things to work out. But the prices seem very reasonable to me, and there is a blog that allows users to ask any questions they have, which seems like a great help. If anyone has heard of it before, please speak up. I'd also love to hear about other options for saving your blog-work (don't you just love all the words you can make up with the made up word blog?!). Karin...I'm thinking of you specifically, I know you've done some research in this area, so please share!

Still doesn't excuse all the time I want to spend reading other people's blogs, but that's something to work on another day! :) (ALTHOUGH...I did find out about scrapbook blogger from another blog!)

Have a great weekend! And just because I haven't seen or said this in so long, and I've been reminiscing about my youth since my post about Sarah, TGIF! Wow, that just made me feel like I was in junior high again!

Mothers With Style

She hardly needs an introduction from me.


Sarah Jane has been featured in hundreds of places already: she was recently highlighted in an article in Utah Valley Magazine (pg. 36-37) ; her art is selling through Lilipinso, a children's art company in France (pg 10-11) ; she was a featured seller on the Etsy homepage; she had an article written about her in Design This Design That magazine; she just barely won a huge contest at Startup Princess...you get the idea. (and she only opened her shop up one short year ago!)



So why am I writing about her? Well, this incredibly talented artist (who is focusing her skills on children's vintage art right now), who is also a mother of two darling children, ages 2 and 3, just happens to be one of my very best friends. And even though I can't write an amazing article about her like one of the many that have already been written, I do happen to know a few things about her that all those journalists don't. (sorry Sarah~!)



Like how we've known each other since we were about 8 years old (is that even right Sar? I can't even remember before I knew you!) and had a serious obsession with Disney characters and Chicago (Why don't they make music like that anymore? Classic!) and how she could make the most amazing creations out of gum wrappers. Seriously! Like how she was the very first person I told that I was madly in love with this incredibly hot guy named Andrew, and how she didn't just sit and listen to me swoon, but she found some very productive ways to help my love-sickness--like helping me write his name in marker all over the inside of a pair of jean shorts that we shared (don't worry, she had a few of her own secrets written in there), and drawing me pictures of Andrew & I together, and helping me get my first picture of him by zooming in on just the two of us when we were posing for a picture with a big group of people--you know, just the kind of stuff you need from a girlfriend when you're 15. Like how we roomed together our first year of college when we both learned some important lessons about life, death, and love...but still managed to throw in some serious silliness inbetween all that.





Another thing I happen to know about Sarah Jane is that she's been working for years to develop her gift as an artist, and even at a young age she was getting a lot of recognition for her work, like being asked to attend Interlochen, a prestigious art school, when we were in high school. I consider myself lucky to own a few of her originals from about 15 years ago!





I know it doesn't really seem fair that someone who is such a talented artist could actually possess other gifts, but this woman does. She actually majored in Music Dance Theatre at BYU, because not only can she draw, but she just happens to be an incredible singer, dancer, and performer as well. Many happy memories involve watching her perform in her high school plays where she played the lead role again and again.





What's really amazing is how she's continued to be such a great friend through all the years that followed...college, marriage, babies, LIFE! And how she's still managed to not only hold on to those talents of hers through the crazy times of having two babes in one year, but she's actually strengthened and improved her skills. And now she has her own business, while still managing to be an incredible mother to her two little ones at home and a fabulous wife to her awesome husband.





Sarah Jane has a loving, generous heart. She is fiercely loyal to her family and as kind-hearted as a person can be. She's well worth getting to know, even if she didn't happen to be one of the greatest artists I know. Her blog is filled with humor and inspiration, so go check it out. You won't be sorry. And make sure to visit her shop...it's full of darling things you can't help but fall in love with!


P.S. SERIOUSLY...how did I end up with so many talented friends? I'll never know. More to come...

a simple math lesson

+



+





= (yummy!)

it also =

but it's still worth it!

We like to eat it with

(just throw a loaf of thick, crusty bread in the oven for a few minutes to get nice and hot while you pour some olive oil and freshly ground pepper into a bowl and then dip away Macaroni Grill style!)

Here's the recipe if you're interested. It comes out of one of my all time favorite cookbooks (thanks Christina, you were right, this cookbook is the best!)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Tortellini & Fresh Basil

1 pound ripe tomatoes (seeded & chopped)

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 cup chopped fresh basil

1/4 cup olive oil

3 TB balsamic vinegar

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

2 (9 ounce) packages refrigerated cheese-filled tortellini

1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese

Combine first 7 ingredients in a serving bowl. Cook tortellini according to package directions; drain. Add tortellini to tomato mixture, and toss well. Sprinkle with cheese. Serve warm or chilled. Yield 4 main-dish servings.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A few side notes:

Last time I made it I had some tomatoes from a local farmers market stand as well as a few from the store. I was shocked at how much juicier and more delicious the farmers market ones were! The picture shown above is the recipe tripled. I always at least double it (we love these leftovers!), but if we're having a lot of people over or if I'm making some for someone else, I usually triple it. Fresh basil is much easier to cut when dry, so after rinsing it, I let it dry for several minutes in paper towels before chopping. I absolutely LOVE my garlic press from Pampered Chef and use it all the time, especially for this recipe. I use Buitoni's Three Cheese Tortellini (found in the refrigerated section...usually by cheese, sometimes by dairy & eggs, sometimes by lunch meat) for this recipe. It's not super cheap, but I just bought a bunch the other day on a buy one get one free sale (you can freeze it...although I've haven't tried that yet). It is often cheaper to buy the 20-ounce packages, so I'll buy one of those instead of 2 (9-ounce), and just have a little extra pasta.

PS Sorry it took me so long Karin!