I graduated

...no really I did.
It was a week or so ago on the 12th. Just and important update for all you great friends that follow along thanks for all your support!

Chicken Salad and other news.

 I made chicken Salad for dinner which is a favorite of ours! I use a recipe from my Aunt Amy

3 cups cubed or shredded Chicken

1 cup of chopped apples

I cup chopped celery

I cup slivered almonds

Halved or quartered grapes (I use extra-large seed in grapes, when you quarter them you don’t mind the seeds and you get all the extra nutrition found in the seed)

I cup chopped onions

I can Pineapple

Mix together olive oil mayo, and sour cream salt and pepper to taste. Mix with all of the chopped fruits and veggies and serve cold over bread or rolls.

Not only is it easy but its crisp and delicious!

Contact paper- not just for inside silverware drawers. 

I bought some contact paper at dollar tree (Walmart and other places have it too) and i decided to put the contact paper up in the back of my display cabinet (this was about a month ago, I just did take any pictures until yesterday). It is amazing what a $1 worth of contact paper can do! It’s the kind of easy and inexpensive type of project I adore because it can really add a ton of personality and expression to a space.(it also only took about 5 min.) This is in black and white which always feels more bold and modern to me so even though the print is a lot more traditional then I would normally go of this type of project I decided to try it and I love it! A touch of pattern is just what it needed, "Says I". I don't know if I will keep it there or switch it up as the seasons change but that's the great thing about contact paper, its really inexpensive and its removable. 

 As I have said before sometimes setting the table nicely is the biggest pick me up you can have in a day.

The kids helped me, they are at the age where they wan tot help with everything but sometimes they're not really so helpful. I am just enjoying it while I can! 

He Is Risen

I made this very easy craft last week before we left so that we would have a sign to hang up to remind us that chocolate eggs and woven Easter baskets are not what this season is all about. The sign is just painted a solid color and it reads "He Is Risen" .

Here is a very short video

Please watch it and feel free to let some tears fall as you do.

The Valley Full of Sun

Last Wednesday we loaded up and headed to Sun Valley Idaho.

We got back Saturday.

It was beautiful.

And adorable

...It was really quaint and fun and pleasant.

Then we came home, and I was glad,

because I missed home a little,

just a little,

and now...

I miss the room service housekeeping that vacuumed the room for me

and left chocolates on my pillow

and took out the trash

...ya I miss that...

just a little.

:)

**Sigh** 

see you again some day Sun valley

Sun Valley is actually not so much a town but a resort. I had never been to a resort before, wow it was really nice. Everything was beautiful and high end and expensive.

I had a great time, the bathroom was entirely marble, I love marble, the floors counter tops, walls, everything. all of the walls where papered or upholstered-divine! Most of the shops and restaurants where inspired by Austrian decor and architecture. I loved it!

Also the food was ..well expensive, but so good! I had this Chicken Marsala, the mushroom sauce was ... wow so savory, and the hot coco at a near by bakery was so dark and rich. Basically we had a great time

the views where so pretty. I love the crisp feel that mountain air has in the mornings, there is nothing like it. The top part of "the graduate" which is one of the runs was still open so there was snow on some of the mountains still,-snowy mountains are one of my favorite things you know. We walked around and enjoyed the trails a lot it was a great vacation.

Now moving on the the more important details...the kiddos.

E and K had a wonderful time in Sun Valley but K did get sick on the long drive there. It seems that he has the family trait of carsickness. Poor baby. We did our best to clean him up and he certainly got enough comfort to mend his sadness once we got there. We bought him a toy car and let him eat as many apple sauce packets as he wanted while he cuddled with mommy. I was with the kids all day since Mitch had the conference. We really enjoyed the parks and the trails and the general feel of things. We also spent nap time each day in the room where Eli -who did not really nap on the trip, watched Disney channel-something that he does not have at home. I was able to catch up on my journal writing and my reading.

I read the newspapers while I was there and felt like I was catching up on current events.I don't mean to seem negative but catching up on current events was not the happiest part of my days. 

We are so glad we could go and had a great time!

Oh and one of my very favorite things, are you ready, no really this was the topper on the cake, for real! The bell tower rang each hour and half hour, it rang a pretty traditional clock sound and was beautiful but each night at 8 o’clock it rang a song, a beautiful bells ringing subtle rendition of “I could have danced all night” from one of my favorite musicals My Fair Lady. Yep. You heard me, the first night ,Wednesday, that I heard it I literally got teary eyed. It was so pretty and sweet, right at dusk you understand, which makes everything so fairy land-ish.

If you ever get to Sun Valley make sure you are outside at 8 pm to hear the bells sing goodnight to you.

PS. For those of you who wonder (AKA Grandma) our car made it just fine, it gave us only enough trouble for us to drive rather slowly most of the way home but we have to make these allowances as the car is getting up there in miles (and years). 

And yesterday was Easter

Happy Easter Yesterday!

It is such a special time of year to remember the Atonement and resurrection of our Savior Jesus Christ!

We had a great Easter Sunday. My brother Joseph spent the day with us and overall it was very low key. Since we got back into town sat we did not have to many elaborate side dishes but Mitchell made a delicious ham for our dinner. We planned on more fancy salads a cookies but since I was still tired from our trip home the day before we did not get to them which just means that we will spread a few Easter foods and crafts throughout this week.

Here are the kids hunting Easter eggs

We put “Easter bunny foot prints” on the ground as well as a trail of eggs to the Easter baskets.

The kids loved having their uncle over for the Celebration!

My closet.... rearranged.

Focus points

I rearranged my closet… again. This time removing the lower clothing bar on the back wall so that I could move my dresser there.

It was easy to remove the clothes rack.  I just unscrewed the brackets after lifting the wood beam part off and that was it.

It looks a lot better right? Its because of the focus point. Usually the biggest thing in a room becomes the focus point, which in the past would have been the dresser but since this closet is visible from the bedroom and bathroom and because the back wall is the only wall you can see without turning around once you are in the room, it needed to be the “pretty” focal point wall.  Solution moves the Large dresser where it will be appreciated and allow the wall and dresser to stop fighting for the #1 attention getter in the room.

The truth. Or "The rest of the story"

Do you remember the radio program that used to be on i remember it from childhood as a deep voice saying "And that is the rest of the story" ? Well this is motherhood "the rest of the story"

You know those days when the kids are a nightmare (its sounds harsh but you know what I mean) you have no energy they have too much; they are just in the mood to fight with each other and spill things and ruin clothes and toys and your nice white china? Those are the days when nice compassionate people come by and tell you/remind you that you will look back and miss these days when you’re kids are older.

And you like to be reminded that you will miss these days because hey, at least you can tell yourself all about it as you sweep your mashed china off the floor right? At the same time perhaps you kinda wonder if that’s true… Well I have wondered at least. And now I know “the rest of the story” (please read that last part in a dramatic booming voice) .

A few months ago I was out to lunch with my two boys and my grandparents. They were treating us to lunch (it might have been my birthday, or the day before my brother left on his 2 year mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter day Saints)But the reason is not important. It was one of those times when my kids were especially boisterous and difficult to please with food or coloring books (or anything in the diaper bag) and my grandfather said comfortingly  “it’s tough but you will look back and miss these days…” to which my sweet and totally angelic (for real she is pure sugar candy)grandmother responded “really? I DON’T!” . You can imagine my face: Shock *gasp* confusion* I finally got the words “really grandma?” out of my mouth and then she explained. It made total sense she remembers all the food caked onto the high chair and the muddy screaming kids. Back in those days dad did more of the playtime stuff with the kids then house work, so grandpa just remembers piggy back rides and catching bugs in the yard.

SO after the shock subsided and after I consulted with my mother I have the ANSWER , you either don’t miss it or develop selective memory (you only choose to remember the good stuff,… like maybe when the kids are asleep). The End

Before you think I am turning into a pessimist ... don’t worry… I’m not (I know I really had you fooled just now) I love my kids and being a mom.

Here are some watercolor pictures to prove it:

oh and a picture of Mitchell's awesome Lego tree (he made this during conference). 

Have a happy Thursday people!

Yesterday.

I played outside with my kids yesterday and today. Tonight when we played in the sunset;  the shadows of us where cast on the side of the house and I kept thinking of how perfect it all was.

I thought of Peter Pan and Never land and of my boys being little children forever.

Then I realized that someday I will sit down to dinner with my children all grown up and they will be independent and off in their own homes and I will look at them all and think “it was just yesterday that we all played in the yard when my boys where just learning to run”

I am grateful that today, yesterday really was just the day before today, and that the shadows of my little ones are still small.

. (PS if you have never READ Peter Pan by JM Barrie I highly recommend it)

This is us

Whenever it is nice out we love walks. It is just so US even when we were just dating that was the big thing for us we would go on walks. I love the quiet happiness of it, walking (or running) with my kids and husband in this beautiful world God created for us.

I am grateful for all the walks we have together.

The McDonald's playhouse ….Wow it’s about time

  I finally took my kids to Mc Donald’s. Okay well technically Grandma and Grandpa took them and I went too. The kids had a FABULOUS time! It was a huge bunch of fun! My mom got pictures but I don’t have them quite yet so I will upload them next time I see her. Eli was so excited, in his cautious way he slowly figured out the crazy maze of tubes and had a great time. Kayden was just a bundle of excitement; he stayed on the floor play area but loved every bit of it. (He did climb up a few steps into the entry area of the web of mazes but we convinced him the floor level was fun enough!  I know it mind sound crazy but I had really never taken them before and I really had not intention of taking them (its just not my thing, I am too much of a germ a phobia, not to mention that fact that I would be stressed out about it if I was going with just me and my kids). They had a great time Thank you Grandpa and Grandma. The best part (from mom’s perspective) is that my two boys ate a ton! All weekend I was worried because they had not eaten a lot but they really “pigged out” they both had a small milkshake (and ate a lot of it) and quite a few French fries and Eli ate an entire hamburger!

Also the morning was stressful Eli's doctors appointment was okay but there where quite a few concerns with his speech , possibly hearing and a few other things so we have to make a few other doctor trips this month for him. Hopefully all will be well!

A 3 party

SO we did have a party for Eli last Sat for his birthday my grandpa (who has a WAY better camera) came and took pictures so I did not really pick up my camera much. I will put up those pictures when I get a chance. We had grandma and grandpa, and great grandma and grand pa and some cousins! It was so much fun!  We also had a special day on Tuesday his actual birthday. We went to the dollar store with grandma so Eli could pick out some treats and then we got a milkshake on the way home. For his birthday dinner we made potato soup and corn muffins which is one of Eli’s favorites and for dessert I made Cream Puffs since those are THE COOLEST things ever! He wanted to blow out the candles on his cream puff three times, which I thought was appropriate.

Overall I think he was very happy with his birthday experience.