Media Fast

Our family is going on a Media Fast for the week in preparation for General Conference, so I won't be posting or reading blogs. Have a great week!!

The Party Continues

The family gathered together yesterday to celebrate Bella's 12th birthday (which is actually today).

Randy did some of his best grilled-cheese creations and we had chips and salsa and a scrumptious spinach salad (I love bacon in a salad).

My plate of goodness!

The adults talked around the table while the girls all played outside (oh how we love it when the weather is warm enough for them to do that) and the boys played on the computer.

By 7:00 we called the kids back in so we could sing to Bella and have her blow out the candles on her birthday trifle.

I loved her arm pump upon successfully blowing them out!

Olivia was sporting the one-eyed look thanks to a case of pink eye! So help me...

 

Here's a look at the creative play going on in the front yard as my dad made his escape (notice his car out front ready to make a hasty departure!).

We pressed on with a game of Quiddler, which Randy ended up winning. It must have been his night because he also got a phone call with a job offer!! It's a job close to home and the one he wanted, so woohoo!!

**Do you love bacon in salad?

Ever done an arm-pump after blowing out the candles?

Ever had to wear an eye patch?**

Five for Friday

1. On Monday my mom came over after school to teach Whitney how to sew a drawstring bag. They had started it at her house a little while ago but Whitney was super anxious to finish it.

2. Landon actually joined me to read in the cozy...the peanut butter M&Ms I had with me may have helped seal the deal.

3. Whitney started soccer practice on Wednesday. Her schedule looked like this...

3:35--I picked her up from school
Home for a quick snack
4:00--Activity Days
4:45--Randy picked her up to go to art class
5:00--Art class
6:00--I picked her up to go to soccer (which started at 5:30)
6:15-6:30--Soccer practice
6:45--Pick up pizza for dinner

And it's important to me NOT to overschedule her...Activity Days used to be on Monday but they changed it and soccer practice just started on that day...what am I supposed to do? Aargh!

4. I did some texting during the time I was waiting for Whitney. It was a nice option since I forgot (what the?!) my book!

5. I came home yesterday to some good mail from Jane! After reading about my Wookie-like eyebrows she sent me the wax she used to maintain a nice brow. I hope I've got the skills to make use this, I'm excited!

6. Last night was the 5th grade's "Traveling Show" (it used to travel). I can't believe it's been 3 years since we watched Landon perform in it! Whitney had a speaking part and totally nailed it. It was a very patriotic show that had my mom and I in tears.

Our self-portrait after the show.

**How was your week?

Don't you hate overscheduled days?**

March Bookclub

We've really been slacking in the self-portrait department so I insisted we take one before we ate dinner.

Amy hosted and had the table nicely set.

 We were celebrating both Collette and Michelle's 41st birthdays!

Amy made steak and potatoes, Jenn brought salad, I brought bread and Jana brought dessert...the birthday girls had the night off.

We fill out Amy's dining room perfectly!

It cracks me up that we all hunker down in lounge chairs and blankets in Amy's theater room.

Our assignment for the month was to read Chapter 1 of this book I gave them all for Christmas. There are tons of thought-provoking questions we read and answered on our own. I must admit I thought it would turn into a sort of group-therapy night but it didn't. I would be happy to discuss these chapters for months to come, but next month we're mixing things up with Before I Go To Sleep.

We gave Collette a $100 gift card to the mall.

We gave Michelle a $100 giftcard to Amazon.

Collette recently excavated this old quote journal we made for her about 10 years ago!

Jana actually made 2 desserts because she felt like she'd slacked in months past and wanted to redeem herself!

 Collette kept checking the score of the BYU tournament game and was oh so happy they won!

12 on the 12th--March Edition

I'm posting this a week late, but it's the first time in year that Michelle didn't have to make my grid for me!! I finally got Randy to sit down at the computer to figure out how to do this with Photoshop Elements (thank you Liz). Hooray!

{Click to Enlarge}

1. Michelle texted me in the morning to remind me it was the 12th and I lamented the fact that my  mornings are always the same.
2. I was running late so we didn't get to do our family scripture reading, so this is a shot of them waiting for me in the family room.
3. My desk at work. I had texted Randy to get me a big Coke because it was one of those days. I was also working on a Wordsearch in-between tasks.
4. Landon came in to the office after school to wait for me until it was time to head over to Michelle's house.
5. Our Creative "Friday" self-portrait.
6. Michelle's newly painted orange piano!
7. We worked on our book club assignment Chapter 1 of Change Your Questions, Change Your Life.
8. A page from the book.
9. Randy and I watched a PBS biography of Wallace Stegner.
10. Since I always go to bed first I get our tooth brushes ready (mine has lip stick all over it).
11. I was wasted so Randy mixed up the artisan bread dough for the next day's book club for me.
12. Reading the Visiting Teaching message before going to bed.

**Did you document your 12th?

Are your mornings the same?

Have you seen that biography?**

 

Five for Friday

1. Amie and I hadn't gotten together in months, so last Friday before the family party at my parents' house I went over to her house to hang out for about 50 minutes. We did a speed round catch-up on life (which was way too short) but at least we were able to get together.

But then we were able to get together again on Saturday night (shocker) because Jimmy was out of town and both her kids had plans. Randy and I weren't doing anything so I drove out to her house (Eagle Mountain 2 days in a row!) and we hung out for 2.5 hours. She gave me a Christmas present of the world's softest pillow case (which she made), a darling dish and dangerous treats.

2. We've been enjoying spring weather all week!

So guess who's decided to make an appearance? These beauties opened up yesterday and you can see the purple of some crocus in the background...delightful!

3. Whitney made an elaborate scavenger hunt for us last Sunday while the rest of us were napping and of course ended it with this message (we knew it would end in treat mongering).

4. I used the Amazon gift card my parents gave me for Christmas to get a new shower curtain, rings and shower rod so our bathroom got a mini-makeover this week! It only ended up costing me $1.61.

The packaging on the curtain hooks was a bit bizarre though.

5. Our Relief Society activity this month was a traditional Passover service led by a retired BYU professor (who used to be my landlord back before I got married). It was interesting, but really not my kind of thing, plus church clothes and sitting on a hard chair for 2.5 hours on a Wednesday is just cruel.

**How was your week?

Is it Spring near you?

Where would you like to do a mini-makeover?**

Birthday Alley Gathering

We got together at my parents' house last Friday night to celebrate Amy, Ashley & Adam's birthdays (I also thought we were going to celebrate my dad's in advance, but we didn't).

We ate well.

Laughed hard!

Enjoyed this bit of marketing.

Lived vicariously through Ashley's 6 year old joy.

Documented the evening.

Laughed some more.

Wished Adam well.

Sang.

Ate some more.

Good times.

Weird Saturday

Saturday morning found me shuttling, Landon, Parker and Hunter down to BYU for a Scout Pow Wow. They had the option of working on multiple merit badges, but Landon chose to work on his one  last required merit badge, which meant he would only need to be there for an hour.

 There was some silliness and no-cooperative photo taking going on, but I must document.

It's nice that they have these opportunities!

Whitney and I planned to wander the bookstore for an hour until Landon was done and the museum opened at 10:00 but it turns out the bookstore doesn't open until 10:00 on Saturday either! Dang it. We chose to wander the Fine Arts building to see the student projects hung up in there and then made our way over to the library (which no longer resembles the library I slept...I mean studied in so many years ago).

These posters were hanging up and seemed like a very good idea to me. I wish I'd had a clue of what I was getting into before I got married!

Whitney wasn't keen on me taking photos of her in the library, but I ended up being rather giddy about being surrounded by all those books!

I was rather shocked to see a card catalog and had to laugh at the sign on top of it. Really, what is it for anymore?

I shnockered Landon into going to the art museum. They had this postcard display board at the end of one of the exhibits so patrons could leave comments, so he ended up being happy that he "has something hanging in the art museum!" 

His "piece".

I dragged the kids around the exhibits as long as I could but it was way too hot in there (museums always are) and they just weren't interested (even Miss Artist Whitney!). This photo of them outside of the museum says it all!

JCW's for lunch helped restore their good humor.

Whitney bought this little BYU notebook and pen with her own money.

It turns out that Randy's dad was in town from Chicago for a granddaughter's baptism, so Randy went to that in the morning and spent the day with his dad, sister and her kids. Roger ended up coming to our house ithat evening and got 20 seconds with Landon before I had to take him to a birthday party (we didn't know Roger was coming).

**How was your Saturday?

Do you find museums too warm?**

Comment Window Tidbit: It's 63 degrees and sunny today, spring fever is here!!