I'm a bit of a broken record, but...

There are a whole lotta things I love in life, 

but few rival the amazing man I married,

the munchkins I squish daily,

and Logan Canyon in the Fall.

I know I just went on about said canyon only a few weeks ago, but I just can't HELP myself!

Besides, around here we have to soak up these glorious autumn days in a hurry before the snow sets in.

Anyway, behold the beauties of Second Dam. . .

This is a beaver chew- evidence of local beavers- 

it was quite the exciting discovery for Thing 1 & Thing 2!

At one point of our walk Reese wanted a leaf, and when Ry bent down to snatch one she piped up with,

"No, no no Dad!  I want one of those!"  

Of course she was pointing to the very top of the tallest tree around.

Don't fret, dearest, we'll be back again soon!

Just Peachy

Last Saturday we had a party.

It involved pounds of sugar

more bottles than could fit on my table and counters

and several awesome ladies who showed 150 pounds of peaches exactly who was boss.

Behold the Canning party!

Aren't these Brigham City Beauties just gorgeous?

Sigh.

We had a nice spread of sweet and savory treats to munch on while we worked, and among them were these delightful Peach Scones based off of this recipe by Alpineberry.

Yum!

It took a few days of mooning over these lovely ladies like a love-sick teenager before I could bring myself to tuck them away in the cupboard.

Confession time.  

More than a few times since then I've opened that same cupboard 

only to stare and smile before getting back to whatever it was I was doing.

Don't look at me like that-

it's a canning thing.

Pretty Pretty Pretty!

Reese has been singing Cinderella songs for weeks now, so I just couldn't help 

channelling a little inner Gus-gus there.  

Anyhoo. . .

Are you ready for something gorgeous?

I mean really lovely?

Well, behold the pics from the 

(now mandatory annual) 'Sister Photo Shoot' from our family reunion!  

Since the lightbulb idea only came after several families had already headed home, there are just a few of us pictured, but thanks to my amazing sister's stellar talent as well as the break-neck driving skills she used getting us to that perfect spot before all the 'golden light' disappeared, 

they came out BEAUTIFULLY!

Not to mention, we had so much fun and laughed so hard through the entire thing 

that it is now one of my favorite memories ever!

 I'm thoroughly looking forward to next year's shoot with my fabulous sisters / fellow fashionistas!

I Heart Chickens

It's day two of chicken and kitty sitting for a friend, and I am so completely in love with everything to be seen on her little 'farm'- but especially her chickens!  I'll introduce them in a minute, but first, here's a little ambiance for you . . . 

This is Miss Cheepypants.

With a name like that, how could I not make her my instant favorite?!

And here she is with a few of her friends, Helga, Gretchen, and Red Riding Hood.
 Just hanging out in the coop, 

away from the other chickens who aren't quite as cool as they are.

Today, I want a farm,

and I sorta want Miss Cheepypants. . .  but that would be stealing and wrong, 

and bad friend behavior.

So for now I'll settle for visiting again tomorrow, and maybe we'll bring a picnic basket this time

filled with cookies made with brown speckled eggs.

Storm a'brewin'

Last night Ryan and I went out on a real, live DATE to see a production of Shakespeare's The Tempest by the Actors from the London Stage on campus. 

It. Was. Phenomenal.

Background- the only  production I'd seen of this particular play was my own back in middle school (I played Sebastian, by the way), and as you can imagine the caliber was. . . er, lower.   Make that, much lower.  I had never counted The Tempest as one of my favorites, but these actors were seriously AMAZING, and it's climbed up near the top.  They did the entire thing with only five actors and no set but a small piece of stage and a few props.  Their talent blew us away; it was incredibly moving and then, in the next moment, made us weep with laughter.  

I absolutely LOVE that I married a man who will revel with me in my love (obsession?) for Shakespeare and all things literary.  That's when you know you're with "the right one"- when you can both be unabashed nerds together.  By evening's end, we were giddy with plans to attend the Shakespeare festival, the Globe theater in London, and even become actors ourselves.

It was that good.

So, if you're ever in a vicinity to see this INCREDIBLE company, do it.  You'll love every minute.

Yay for dating and nerdiness and standing ovations so well-earned.

Favorite Things: Broccoli Slaw & 'Forget-me-nots'

Hello all!

Look at me- following through on a goal!  Hooray!  Ok, week two of favorite things includes food for tummy- and the soul! lol!

The first is this little beauty of a product right here-

Broccoli slaw.  It's awesome!  I'm not much of a coleslaw person, in fact I usually avoid the pungent little tub at fried-chicken-and-side picnics, but this particular mix is just stellar.  Maybe because

1- I know it's SO much better for you, and
2- I have used it in a myriad of ways--  none of them being a traditional slaw.  :)

We mix it into cooked ground turkey with a can of tomatoes and a little BBQ sauce for a way better version of Sloppy Joes, add it to stir fry for more veggie power, chop it fine and stir it into homemade meatballs or meatloaf for more flavor and vitamins, and it makes an excellent veggie omelette.  Awesome.  If you haven't tried it yet, then grab a pen and put it on your grocery list.  I usually find it by the bagged salad in the produce section.

Now for the 'soul food'.  :)

My other  favorite thing is the General Relief Society Broadcast.  I LOVE hearing from these amazing, inspired women twice a year.  Each of them gave wonderful talks about charity, appreciating our blessings and potential, and encouraged us to recognize and use our power for good.  One of my favorite talks was by President Dieter F. Uchtdorf of the first Presidency.  It is a wonderful talk for and about women, and how to find joy in the little things that are happening now.  It's a perfect reminder for me on a Monday to focus on what's important and remember why I do all that I do.  Prepare to laugh and be uplifted!  Listen to it here, or watch it here- Enjoy!

Favorite things. . .

I've been meaning for weeks to share a few  fabulous sites with everyone, and am finally here to do it.   The first is a fantastic site dedicated to planning, organizing and accumulating home food storage and was created by none other than my insanely-organized and brilliant sister, Meg.

My Food Storage Cookbook is seriously awesome!  She's included tons of delicious  recipes (please, please, please try the Chicken Cacciatore w/ Herbed Polenta- it rocked my world!), step-by-step instructions and how-to's on everything you need to know to plan easy-peasy pantry meals, a 3-month, or 1-year of food storage.  Not to mention some great links to all things foodstorage.  It's amazing, and if you're feeling overwhelmed by this particular brand of project (let's face it, who isn't?), you should definitely check it out.  Sign up for Daily Digests while your there to find out what's cooking each day!

The second is My Oatmeal Kisses, the creation of my very good friend who worked for five years as a Kindergarten teacher and now shares an endless list of fun activities to do with toddlers and young children.  I LOVE this site!  It's perfect for preschool ideas (she even includes the schedule and links she and a few friends use for their own preschool), or if you're just looking for fun, , educational, and cheap  things to do with your kids.  Check.  It. Out.  You'll notice the cute little button down the sidebar of our blog;  click it, and prepare to feel like you're five again- it's that much fun!

The last is Pinterest.  Oh my gosh!  I'm a total junkie who, to be perfectly honest, is just a tad freaked out that someone I've never met read my mind like that, and actually created a website to organize the chaos of my brain.  LOVE!


Well, those are my favorite things this week.  We'll see how I do at keeping this little 'weekly sharing time' going, but in the meantime, I hope you enjoy these AWESOME sites!

Lovin'

The time has come once again for me to rant and rave about things that I love so much they simply can't be contained anymore.

The first has got to be Garage Sales and Thrift Stores. SO. MUCH. LOVE. We happened to be out driving last night and caught a woman setting up early for a yard sale she was having today and what was she putting out but a fabulous wooden hat stand for only $3! To understand how extremely cool this was you have to know that we were talking only the day before about how great it would be to find a cool hatstand for our living room. Seriously.

Despite the kiddos in the back, we snatched that and an like-new oscillating fan ($7) up and stuffed them into our car. And of course they fit because we're getting really good at fitting all sorts of odd things into our car- probably because both Ryan and I are SO stubborn the item being stuffed doesn't dare protest.

Anyway, the conquest inspired me. All day I've been reading a multitude of blogs like this one and this one about refinishing furniture, reupholstering chairs and couches and the like and I've made a decision: I'm going to jump in and become one of those crazy decorators with a plan, a wild glint in their eye, and a gorgeously eclectic home. Most of this is all coming to the surface as a result of us moving in less than a week (yeah, that kinda snuck up on me), and finding an apartment with an avocado kitchen. I say that and I'm sure most of you are thinking 'ew, the Sixties!', but I've gotta tell you I'm in love with it.

Don't get me wrong, I don't think it would have a place in the kitchen of my dreams, but I am such a fan of character and vintage that I can't help but love it. Plus, it reminds me a little of my grandma's house where we made many a lemon meringue pie or yellow cake with fluffy coconut frosting with delicious results.

I'm excited for the DIY summer I'm concocting in my head and plan to photograph and document it for posterity. . . or whoever might be reading. :)

Alright, one more thing I have to shout from the rooftops has been one of my all-time favorites as I've been nurturing my first successful container garden ever. That would be Freecycle.

I'm sure this fabulous site isn't a secret to most of you reading this (in fact I'm fairly certain I've chatted with the majority of you about it's wonders), but I'm putting my praise out there nonetheless. If you haven't checked this out, then what in the world are you waiting for?! Click on that link up there (but be sure to do the 'right click open in a new tab' thing so you can keep reading this!), find your area, and CHECK IT OUT. Ok, putting away the bossy pants now.

So would you like to know what I've found on Freecycle in just the last month? Would you?! Well, here's the awesome list of plant starts that are thriving on my porch. . .

Oregano

Sage

Chives

Chocolate Mint

Tarragon

Bachelor Buttons

and

Goldenrod

My garden is a beautiful thing to behold which makes me oh-so-happy! And the only things I've had to purchase myself are the potting soil and containers- isn't that awesome?!

That's all. Just a few more 'favorite things' I had to share. Spread the love people!!!

"Happiness is. . . "

According to Charlie Brown, it's a warm puppy, which I happen to absolutely agree with.

But in the mean time,

here are a few things that make me happy-

My garden:

Look- it's actually growing! Hooray!!!

The steal I found at DI last week :

"Granny" suitcases (as Ryan dubbed them) for Reese's dress-ups-

could we possibly love that polka dot interior ANY more?!

And this cookbook:

I have loved every Giada recipe I've ever tried, and now, after borrowing the book from my mother a few weeks ago, I'm cooking my way through this little gem. Everything we've tried so far has been awesome!

The Turkey Meatloaf w/ Feta and Sundried Tomato is our official favorite meatloaf EVER,

and that's saying something because since it happens to be one of Ryan's favorite meals, we've tried out a lot of recipes.

also have to recommend the Pea Pesto Crostini- delish!

Can't wait to try the rest of the lineup!

Mmm. So happy.

Teeny, Tie-ny

One of the projects I've had on the docket for a while now has been to make a few ties for little Sam to sport at church using this tutorial. Well, I finally did it and found myself wondering why I didn't do it earlier- Fun, easy, and SO fast! 'Oh my gosh, Ryan, look how CUTE these are!' was probably shrieked a dozen times. And that's saying something considering my er, lack of skill/enthusiasm for sewing sometimes. 'Sewing with fury' is pretty much my style, and if I can't get it done in a few afternoons or less, I tend to loose steam and give up. Just ask Melese about her wedding quilt. Oi.

(Mese, I PROMISE you will be able to use the quilt before you're fiftieth!)

Anyway, let's focus on the victory here: the ties were so easy that I finished them in just under an hour. Huzzah!

These particular ties have a special significance; they belonged to Ryan's Grandpa, one of the men Sam was named after, who passed away last November. I think they turned out really well. How is it that anything small is automatically EXTRA adorable?

Sam's roly-poly nakedness helps too. ;)

Any tie will work- think thrift store, some of your husband's hand-me-down ties -

"Maybe it's time to retire the mission tie Babe, and perhaps pass that legacy on to the next generation???"

It would also be SO cute to get a couple new ones and do matching ones for Father's Day, Easter, etc.

That's my plan. I'll be sure to post.

*Also, after seeing all the mothers toting around their sons' clip-on ties last Sunday, the thought occurred that these would be great adjusted for little boys, too- harder to get off than a clip-on, but still no need to actually tie it each week!

Now all I need to find are some infant dress shirt onesies- I've looked all around Logan, but no one seems to carry anything smaller than 18 mo.

Any ideas where to find them?

Calling All Moms!

Thanks to a little family get-together last week, I recently discovered this fabulous blog that has totally inspired me as a mom, and a person and, of course, Reese's full-time playmate. :0)

You simply must check it out- and get ready to feel like a little kid again. Half of his posts had me going, "Ooh! I want to play with that!" It's full of ideas, instructions, and templates for retro, homemade crafts and toys. They are just plain awesome and oh-so-easy to make.

Check it- you and all your little kiddies will love, love, LOVE!

Let's talk Laundry

Every so often I happen upon a product that seriously causes a near heart attack of pleasure because it just works SO well. Usually these are cleaning products- the last one was
Shaklee's Scrubby Stuff aka "Scour Off"

Ryan informed me that for him this wasn't quite as life-changing, having grown up on a steady diet of Shaklee everything, but it was absolute revelation to me! A MUST for anyone who has kids that like to draw on things or wants to clean their oven without all those wretched fumes while keeping their hands and arms intact and hardly having to scrub. Seriously awesome. I keep telling my mother-in-law I should be on a commercial for Shaklee- it's that much enthusiasm.

Anyway, that's not actually the commercial spot I'd like to share with you today. Last night I discovered something that simply ROCKED MY WORLD!

Ok, so how many of you have accidentally washed whites with something colored (those problematic baseball tees, for example, or a stray sock?) and had color bleed all over the white fabric? Me too. And usually what I do is curse myself for being stupid and then I try to wash it again with lots of Shout or OxyClean but eventually give the shirt (or whatever it is) up for dead. And sometimes I cry.

That's what happened yesterday. Last week I found all these adorable little onesies for Sam at a garage sale and one of them, a cute baseball tee had a slight stain on it so I decided to soak a few of the white ones with it in OxyClean along with a few new, white Maternity Shirts. Somehow the fact that this baseball tee had red sleeves didn't really register, or maybe I figured that since it wasn't brand new it was ok. Long story short, I emptied the bucket to find everything streaked with hot pink- and I mean big streaks. Oh Horror- The red had bled everywhere! All the cute onesies, the shirts I loved, even the baseball tee was SO much worse than it started. And it's not like I could just make the pink work- we're having a boy!

That's when I discovered Rit Laundry Treatment, Color Remover (Thank you Google!). Good night nurse- this stuff is A-MAZE-ING! In just one wash, it completely removed ALL pink from everything. I couldn't stop talking about it all night- with everything in exclamation points. :) I SO wish I'd had the presence of mind to snap before and after shots. Ooh, and guess what- only $1.66 a box at your local Wal-Mart! Simply stellar.

Here's the very basics of how it works. When colors bleed it's considered a loose dye. Apparently there is a difference between loose and set dyes- the loose ones can be removed!
Rit Color Remover actually pulls all the loose dye from the fabric and just flushes it away, leaving whites looking amazing! So the trick is not to throw that splotchy clothing in the dryer before treating it, because wet or even air-dried clothing keeps the stain a loose dye, whereas the dryer will set it.


So there you go. Now you know what I know, and isn't it great to share?
That's what I keep telling Reese, but that's another battle for another day. ;)

So here's a question for you-

What is your can't-live-without-it, I'm-a new-woman-since-I-discovered _____ product or household tip?

I'd love to know more of these little miracles!