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Sunday, March 31, 2013

Easter Eggs

 We had a little egg hunt in the backyard after church.
It was fast and furious. It took me several nights to fill all of the eggs and I spent quite a bit of time hiding them all in the yard.m Somehow the kids managed to find all of them in less than 10 minutes.
They hurried inside and dumped the eggs all over the table.
 Zackary had a great time egg-hunting this year.
He was only interested in the toys he found and left the candy.
 Zoey just liked shaking her eggs. (She had a lot of help from her daddy during the hunt!)
 This is Max's happy face.
He found eggs full of Trash Pack toys and that made him smile.

Easter dinner is cooking away. The house smells lovely!
I am looking forward to dessert later.
Trifle with strawberries and flourless bittersweet brownies!

Happy Easter!


Friday, March 29, 2013

Flowers

 Ty sent me flowers today.
He sent them with a little note and it made my world a very happy place :)

I love him.

Thoughts on Good Friday


I woke up extra early today because I wanted some time to myself. I wanted to stare at the mountains and the sky and think about the significance of this day. I thought about my Savior and my Heavenly Father. I thought about how Jesus Christ gave ALL. I thought about how the Lord is still blessing and enriching and giving to me daily. Sometimes I am overwhelmed by how much I am loved and blessed.
I am trying very hard to share that love with my children and my husband. I am trying to be the best I can be. 

I am thankful for this day and for my Eternal Savior, Jesus Christ. 


This is my favorite picture of the Savior. We have it in our home. When Max was teeny he thought the little boy in the picture was him! Now Zackary thinks the same thing :)
Thursday, March 28, 2013

This and That


1. I went to a Maxi Skirt party hosted by one of my friends last night. I bought a skirt for myself, one for Mia and one for my mom. Then I came home and ate ice cream for dinner, because I was being so very wild.

2. I love buying the Pound-Plus chocolate bars from Trader Joe's and chopping them up for recipes. I usually end up with a huge mess all over my kitchen counters and floors that takes forever to clean up. I stumbled across a great tip that advised using parchment paper under the chocolate to catch the mess. Best idea ever!

3.  Max spent the night at my parent's mountain house on Tuesday night. He came home around noon and we spent the afternoon at a birthday party in the desert. We got home just after 5 and quickly packed Max up to spend the night at Ian's house. This boy leads a crazy life!


4. Speaking of Max....and Mia...I opened the newest issue of the Friend Magazine yesterday and found THIS!
Mia thought it was pretty awesome :)

5. I have been thinking a lot today about Easter. Tomorrow is Good Friday. How wonderful to have a Savior. This life would be too much on our own. Heavenly Father knew we needed help and he sent us His Son! Easter is a special and wonderful time.

6. On another sort of Easter related note....What is your favorite Easter candy???
Ty and I LOVE reeses pieces
I think cadbury creme eggs are pretty much the grossest things ever.


Happy Thursday!

Tuesday, March 26, 2013

A Spring Break Day

 
Day 2 of spring break week has been great!
 
 We went to the library and everyone got to pick out a pile of books and a movie to watch. Zackary chose the original "Land Before Time", Mia picked "The Last Unicorn", and Max decided on the first "Diary of a Whimpy Kid".
I love their choices. Zackary is all about cars and dinosaurs right now.  Mia is our pony/unicorn girl, and Max of course has been busy reading and then watching all of his favorite books turned movies.
At home we enjoyed perfect weather for bike riding and trampoline jumping.

In other news:
Zoey got a big girl toothbrush!
She has been at the sink all afternoon practicing.
 It is pretty adorable!

Ty is home today, so of course he is spending a little quality time with Zackary.....
 Nothing says male bonding like a little warfare!

I made Peanut Butter Monster Cookies.
They are full of oats, chocolate chips, peanut butter chips, and reeses pieces.
I used THIS recipe for the cookies. In place of the all purpose flour I used 1/2 cup of ground flax seed and 1/2 cup of almond flour.

I love enjoying a day off with the family at home. It is so much fun just to play all day :)

So glad we have the rest of the week to enjoy!
 


Monday, March 25, 2013

Easter prep and things


This morning Ty got to be home a little later than usual. He came downstairs and told me that he could take the kids to school before he went to work. I told him that might be a bad idea because it is Spring Break!

 Ty is working late tonight so we had our Family Home Evening for the week yesterday. I wanted to do a lesson involving a little Easter prep. I talked about sheep and how Jesus is both the Shepherd and The Lamb. I brought up the Easter bunny and suggested we keep our focus on Easter lambs instead. I gave each of the kids a little stuffed lamb and told them to remember the Savior and the Atonement when they see it this week.
 I put a lot of thought into the lesson and I am hoping the kids remember what we talked about. Sometimes it is really hard to tell if anything I say gets through!

 Zoey really likes to be included.
If everyone else is having a great big bowl full of cereal and milk she wants one too.
Even though she still picks out the cereal with her fingers as if it were dry :)

The kids and I made these Breakfast Banana Splits from Bake at 350 for breakfast today.
Instead of almonds I topped them off with graham cracker crumbs. My children will tell you they don't like nuts, but if the nuts are dipped in chocolate they suddenly can't get enough.
We are enjoying the start of our break!
Happy Monday!



Saturday, March 23, 2013

Brownies


I may be currently eating a gluten-free diet, but that doesn't mean I am eating a brownie-free diet :)

I was able to throw the whole recipe (except for the peanut butter topping) together in my blender.
They are pretty amazing and not too bad for you either!

Give them a try even if you aren't eating gluten-free.



Friday, March 22, 2013

Friday Things


1. It's been a week since I began this gluten-free experiment and so far.....I am feeling a lot better. I am missing bread, but as usual I am experimenting in the kitchen. I made two batches of gluten-free cookies and they were both big hits. We will see what this next week brings!

2. This next week....btw.....is SPRING BREAK! I have been looking forward to this time off from school for about a month now :)
I have Easter activities and mini-lessons planned for each day. I am also excited to relax and wear leg warmers.

3. This weekend one of my childhood friends will be blessing her first baby in church. I am so glad that we will get to be a part of it.

4. I am making some desserts for a luncheon after said baby blessing. They will not be gluten-free. I am not sure how to cook/bake without tasting so this should be interesting.

5. I was finally given a new calling at church this past weekend. I will be teaching Relief Society. I am hoping to learn a lot from the sisters in our ward.

6. In a fit of rage Zackary threw Ty's i-pad on the tile floor downstairs and cracked the glass cover.  He needs this t-shirt:


Enjoy your Friday!
Tuesday, March 19, 2013

Cold Mornings

 We are having another chilly day. I thought we were moving right along into summer, but I was wrong!
The kids are back in jeans and long sleeves. Zoey is wrapped up and enjoying Baby Einstein on the i-pad. It is her favorite thing to do :)
I can't blame her. I think it sounds lovely to be cozy warm in a blanket while enjoying your favorite show!

Saturday, March 16, 2013

It's The Weekend!


1. Ty is working this weekend so the kids and I are home enjoying the sunshine.

2. Max read the first FLAT STANLEY book this week and now he wants to read all of the books in the series.
We went to the library this morning, but they were out of the only 2 copies they had. We stopped by Wal-Mart to see if they had the books but they did not :(
I guess I will plan a trip to Barnes and Noble for this evening or Monday. Barnes and Noble is a wonderful happy place and I look forward to having an excuse to go there!

3. It has been suggested that I may have a gluten allergy. I am under instruction to stay away from gluten for 60 days. This is day 2 and I am trying to figure out what I can eat and what I can't. I love bread. This is not an easy thing for me!

4. My kids love donut holes. 
I started buying them for Zoey but soon that was all the bigger kids wanted as well. After our failed attempts at book finding this morning we bought a couple of bags full. They put smiles across little faces :)

5. Tomorrow is St. Patrick's Day and I will be making corned beef and green pesto mashed potatoes. I love that St. Patrick's Day falls on a weekend this year so I don't have to worry about sending the kids to school wearing green!

Have a lovely weekend!

Wednesday, March 13, 2013

Wednesday Things


1. As soon as the weather turns warm I run to open our windows. I love to fill the house full of fresh air. I love making beds with fresh sheets while warm winds gush in. 

Spring is such a lovely time!

2. I had new spring clothes laid out for the kids today. They were very unsure. Max insisted on wearing pants and both Max and Mia thought they would need coats. The next two days are supposed to be 80 degree days and I tried to assure them that it was going to be beautiful and warm.
California raised children are so weird. I know. I am one.

3. I have been on a salmon kick for a few weeks now. Salmon salads, salmon sandwiches, salmon rice bowls....
Yesterday I cooked up a big beef roast. Ty went on and on about how good it was. I think my poor, beef loving man, was in need of some red meat!

4. I made homeade dark chocolate peanut butter cups yesterday just so that today I can make a batch of peanut butter cup cookies.
I am excited :)

5. I spent some time planning our spring break week coming up.
Ty will be working so I wanted to make sure the kids and I would have plenty to do. Our spring break will be the week leading up to Easter so I have several activities/lessons planned that I think will make it a really special and fun time.
Also....I love vacation time!

Happy Wednesday! 

halfway to Friday :)


Sunday, March 10, 2013

Currently


I'm Currently....

Watching:
Downton Abbey.
I know I am a little behind. I plan on finishing season 3 this week. Oh how I adore this show and all of the characters! Watching this series has been such a delight :)

Eating:
Chicago mix popcorn AKA: caramel corn combined with cheddar cheese popcorn. AKA: the best late night snack ever!

Reading:
The kids are in the middle of their read-a-thon at school. Right now we are pretty Dr. Seuss obsessed, but I would love to read something for my own enjoyment soon!

Inspired By:
I find inspiration everywhere nowadays. My friends are amazing women with amazing talents all doing amazing things. I am always inspired to be a little better and do a little more when I am with them!

Excited About: 
2 weeks until Spring Break :)
 Hallelujah!

Saturday, March 9, 2013

Pictures at Prospect Park


 We spent a morning at Prospect Park taking pictures.
It was a beautiful day!
These are some of our favorite shots.











Friday, March 8, 2013

Twin Day


It was Twin Day at the kid's school.

Max and Ian dressed the part.
 Of course Ian is much taller than Max, but we can pretend :)

Mia and Owen(Ian's brother) are in the same kindergarten class so we decided they should be "twins" as well.
 I guess Mia was freezing. Still cute!
It has been such a fun year with so many of our friends going to the same school and some of them even in the same classes!

It makes spirit days much more awesome.

Friday Things



I made some of my favorite Peanut Butter Cup Granola. Instead of ground flax seeds I measured out the same amount of whole flax seeds. I loved the final texture of the granola with the addition of the seeds.

I promised Max cinnamon rolls for tomorrow morning. I am planning on trying out THIS recipe for Overnight Buttermilk Cinnamon Rolls from Averie Cooks.
Don't they look divine?

This outfit is me

Boots, sunglasses, jeans, and a leather jacket.
I just need the scarf and a better purse!

I want to work out in this tank top.

Ty refers to my arms as "noodle arms", because they are small and weak.
I have been pumping serious iron (Well.....3-5 pound weights) in hopes of building up my arm and back strength.
I think this tank would encourage me to push harder!

I just found out that daylight savings time begins this weekend.
Spring ahead is always so much harder than Fall back. Goodbye hour of sleep....I will miss you :(


Have a lovely Friday!

Monday, March 4, 2013

Monday Morning


1. Ty worked all weekend. Today he is helping someone move in. I am tired!

2. Yesterday my parents took Mia for the afternoon. I was shocked at how quiet our house was with just the two boys and Zoey. I do love my little talk-a-holic!

3. I visited with a homeschooling mom today while Zackary was in his speech session. I was very impressed and slightly envious of her situation, but at the same time I think it would be overwhelming to be in charge of every bit of my children's education.

4. I want to make these Chocolate Truffle Cookies
I have been dreaming of the chocolate smell that fills a house when something like this is baking and I think it needs to happen!

5. I got myself dressed this morning in my favorite new jeans and a sparkly sweater. I dropped the kids off at school and came home. I had to change into sweats and a t-shirt so that I could clean the bathrooms. When the bathrooms were clean I changed back into my "public appearance" clothes so that I could take Zack to speech. I completely understand why come people just live in sweats or yoga pants.

Have a delightful Monday!