Dirty Dishes

This is what my kitchen counter looked like at 8:00am. It never really improved the entire day. I took this photo to remember the chaos, but order flew out the window and chaos has ruled king today. My mother never went to bed with dirty dishes in the sink or on the counter. When it was my night to do the dishes I would often ask if I could wait until morning when I wasn't so tired. No she said, you will feel worse waking up to a mess. I'm not quite as militant as my mother in this regard...I wish I was. She's right. Clean counters and a clean sink help clear the mind and allow mornings to take on a newly awakened freedom. Here's hoping for a more organized tomorrow!

Lunch Lady

I realize that neither one of these girls looks very sick in this picture, but they were both home from school yesterday due to sore throats and runny noses. After laying on the couch and feeling the effects of boredom Clara organized a game of "school". She was the teacher and Lilly was the diligent student. They asked if I could take care of the "lunch room". I put on my hair-net and got to work. When they came in the kitchen for lunch they were surprised to find lunch set out "cafeteria style" complete with cooked peas, mac n' cheese & fruit cups. Had I known it would be such a thrill for them I would have done this years ago. Lilly said, "this is the neatest lunch day ever!" Clara invited her prized pupil to eat in the "Teachers Lounge" with her. Such simple pleasures...I have to admit that being the "Lunch Lady" was pretty dang fun!

Just the Facts M'am

Thought I'd try a little blog meme today.
This one covers Just the Facts M'am:

Random Fact about Moi #1:
I hate arguing.

Random Fact about Moi #2:
I used to want to be a Broadway star.

Random Fact about Moi #3:
I have given birth 4 times.

Random Fact about Moi #4:
I never thought I would learn a foreign language.

Random Fact about Moi #5:
I like fresh flowers.

Random Fact about Moi #6:
My favorite fruit is fresh raspberries (peaches, watermelon, strawberries…how can I possible pick just one?!).

Random Fact about Moi #7:
I can't stand heights.

Random Fact about Moi #8:
I'm loyal to my faith, family and friends.

Grandma's Garden

Our church (LDS/Mormon) has a commercial ad that sometimes pops up on the t.v.. It says, "Family. Isn't it about time?!" The point is that time is important and how we choose to spend that time with our family members means a lot. Saturday my brother and two sisters along with their spouses, children and grandchildren met at my mom's (Grandma's) to clean the yard and get ready for spring and summer. Mom fell two weeks ago. She broke her shoulder and has many complications right now. When my niece Emily called to organize the project I jumped at the chance. It was terrific to work alongside family. We had fun and we worked hard. I think my Dad was smiling down from heaven just looking at all of his posterity sweeping, raking and caring for the gardens that he loved for so many years.

Yippee It's Finally SPRING!

Friday March 20th - The Official First Day of SPRING! I worked in my front flower beds for two glorious hours.
"It was one of those March days when the sun shines hot and the wind blows cold: when it is summer in the light, and winter in the shade." ~Charles Dickens

St. Paddy's Day

St. Patrick's Day was was GREEN from beginning to end. The night before Clara set up an elaborate Leprechan trap, but those sneaky leprechans found their way in and out...they made a LOT of mischief in our house. Milk turned green. Toilet water green. Chairs tipped over. Sparkly green stuff strewn from here to there. Our resident leprechan Paddy O'Malley even left Green soda's, green potato chips, green rolls and chocolate golden nuggets for our enjoyment.


After school Lilly and her gang marched around the circle chanting, "We believe in Leprechans!"
Just as we were about to sit down for dinner Chris & Xander showed up at our door to play us some Irish jigs and music. This father and son duo are amazing & we loved listening to them perform many fun songs. Even though we aren't Irish we sure love having fun celebrating this day.

Thanksgiving in March

I hosted a big family dinner Sunday with all of Taylor's siblings and their children. We wanted to honor Grammie & Grandpa with a traditional Thanksgiving dinner. It felt like they never left when we were all gathered together visiting, laughing and eating together. I love family dinners. I love having my favorite people sitting around the same table sharing a meal & conversation. We went around the table and had each person share a memory or feeling about Grammie & Grandpa. It was touching to listen to so many different perspectives and to hear each grandchild express their love & admiration. It's really awesome to be a part of this big fun family!

Road Trip!

It's been a big year for the University of Utah sports teams. When Taylor and his brother Greg heard about Utah's big win Friday night they immediately started planning for a Saturday morning road trip to Las Vegas. Utah played for the WAC championship Saturday afternoon. Can you believe that they made it in time? Greg, Thomas, Taylor, Spencer, Nila & Corrie drove straight from SLC to Vegas with only a 10 minute stop along the way. They were 2 minutes late for the game, but it was so worth it when Utah won in the last seconds of the game. Nothing like a lot of spontaniety to keep life moving! Go UTES!

Grammie & Grandpa Return

Late on Friday the 13th Grammie & Grandpa Randall returned home from their 18 month mission to Hamburg Germany. Almost all of their 20 grandchildren were present at the airport along with all of their kids and some brothers and sisters. It was thrilling to see them again. Grammie instantly had her little brood of chicks following her around the airport. I don't think I know of two more beloved grandparents in the world. We are so happy that we could share them with the people of Hamburg, but we are really happy to have them home again with us!

What Happened Today?

Sometimes at the end of a busy day I wonder "what exactly happened today?". Today was especially busy. Lots of surprises, lots of running around & lots of memory loss. I was so caught up in visiting a niece who had her tonsils taken out that I completely forgot about Lilly's violin lesson...how am I going to explain that to her teacher? The surprises and business of the day were definitely worth remembering.

When I returned home after mega errands I found a bouquet of flowers sitting on the counter. I asked where they came from and Lilly said they were delivered. After reading the card I told her they were to me from dad. She wanted to know how I figured that out. Because the card said, "love, Taylor". Lilly responded..."how do you know they're not from some other Taylor?!" Believe me I KNOW and I LOVE getting surprises like that for no good reason at all.
I also forgot that I had committed to make a dessert for a relief-society party tonight. I remembered this at 4pm. This tasty almond cream layer cake worked beautifully. The theme for our enrichment meeting was taken from this talk about creation and compassion. It was an inspiring evening. After our discussions tonight I feel compelled to "create" something of beauty & helpfulness. President Uchtdorf's message says, "The bounds of creativity extend far beyond the limits of a canvas or a sheet of paper and do not require a brush, a pen , or the keys of a piano. Creation means bringing into existence something that did not exist before-colorful gardens, harmonious homes, family memories, flowing laughter." It's so easy to feel discouraged, yet so much more rewarding to reach out and try and make the load easier to bear. Tomorrow I'm committed to try a little harder on this.
Our biggest and most special surprise of the day was Aunt Kim's unexpected visit. She lives in Mississippi and no one knew she was coming (including herself - until 2 hours before her plane took off!). We thought she would be missing the much anticipated arrival of Grammie & Grandpa returning from Germany tomorrow night. Kim's husband worked it out so she could be here for their grand entry and welcome home party. We are all thrilled to have her here and to enjoy her never ending spunk & enthusiasm.

Guiding little feet

A new member of our extended family arrived last Thursday. Adison is absolutely precious. The kids are thrilled to have another cousin. Lilly held her with all the tenderness and adoration a five year old can give. She commented to me on the way home that it would be wonderful if a baby like that could come to live in our family. I agree. Unfortunately I don't foresee that probability. Those years of little children underfoot and in diapers slipped away so quickly. I remember them being exhausting (so little sleep) and exhilerating (just looking at a little body and mind growing and changing daily thrills me) at the same time. I know my baby is still only 5 1/2 years old and my oldest is just a mere 14 1/2 years old. These are daily reminders to me that life is rolling. Regardless of the challenges each day poses I hope I am doing my best to be positive, give encouragement & guide those growing feet in the direction of a happy and contented life.

Draper Temple

We went to the new LDS Draper Temple open house today. It was beautiful. Simple. Reverent. Peaceful. Lovely. A House of God. In the temple we make promises to God to obey His commandments and through our faith, we expect Him to keep the promises He has made to us: to forgive our sins and welcome us back into His presence one day. I look forward to returning after it is dedicated.

Moving Grammie & Grandpa

Grammie & Grandpa R. will return this coming Friday from their 18 month mission in Hamburg Germany. While they have been serving the people in Germany a new home has been built for them here in Utah. Their home needed lots of updating so they decided to tear down the old one and start new. Uncle Rus has been in charge of this massive project and he has done an amazing job! The house is completely finished (even new landscaping!). Saturday we moved in all of their belongings. The grandkids were so excited to help. We worried that the magic of their home would be lost because it's not the "old house". No need to worry about that. The spirit of a home is in the people and as we moved in their stuff it felt like this has been their home forever. The grandkids found the box of dress-ups and toys and they got straight to "work" playing. We can't wait for their return and to see their faces when they come home to this lovely new place!

Budding Biologists

I was a parent driver & escort for the 4th grade field trip to the Museum of Natural History. Always an interesting experience to watch the interactions of school children. The attention lovers versus the quiet listeners is a battle for all teachers. At one time in my life I thought I wanted to teach elementary school. I wonder now if I would have had the patience for the dichotomy of personalities...I loved being with Clara. She is definitely a "quiet listener" when it comes to a school setting. These budding biologists explored plant and animal life from Utah landscapes. It was fascinating. Now I'm motivated to take a trip out to the lake to look at "salt grass" and other natural wonders that are so close to our home, yet we hardly ever even notice they are here!

Determined Eyes

Saturday Taylor took Lilly skiing. When they got home she was all smiles as she recounted her adventures from the rope tow to the beginner hill at Alta. Taylor said she has the most "determined eyes" of any child he knows. Never complaining, never crying just focused eyes on reaching her goal to ski down the mountain.

Yesterday Lilly and I played hookie from school and work. We went skiing at Brighton for the day. I wanted to see these "determined eyes" for myself. I wasn't disappointed. Lilly kept pressing me to "try another hill" and to "go a new way". She had "determined" written all over her face. It was completely enjoyable (except for the wind). I think I had better sharpen my own skiing skills because at this point Lilly's going to leave me in the dust so she can ski with her older siblings. I sure hope I can keep up with all of them next year!

Tuesday thoughts

A few thoughts on how time was spent at our house this Tuesday:
1) I got to drive a couple of different carpools and listen to children chatter, laugh & have fun with each other.
2) I visited with a friend who is standing watch by her baby's crib at Primary Children's Hospital. Her 4 month old has been battling RSV for 3 days and he's finally responding to medical attention.
3) I researched and dreamed about the vegetable garden we will plant this spring.
4) I helped Clara & Lilly practice their instruments.
5) I made a big vat of boullanaise sauce for dinner.
6) I played catch with Lilly
7) I went for a walk with my hubby after he got home from work.
8) I ate dinner with all of my family around the table and I listened to them talk about the interesting parts of their day.
9) I listened to Lilly read Dr. Seuss books with her Daddy.
10) I watched Olivia help Clara with her homework.
11) I listened intently to Spencer talk about his soccer tryouts (he ran 2 miles in 13 minutes 20 seconds! WOW!)
12) I heard Lilly say her night-time prayers. "Heavenly Father thank you for this fun day...thank you for my family...help me to not have bad dreams...PRETTY PLEASE help me to NOT HAVE BAD DREAMS...in the name of Jesus Christ Amen."
13) Feeling content. Realizing that the simple moments are the ones that truly bring happiness.

Children's Dance Theater

When we moved back to Utah 9 years ago my sister in law introduced me to the world of modern dance. She insisted that I enroll Olivia in classes at CDT. I've never been a part of the dancing world so I followed blindly. This was one of the better decisions I have ever made. The Virginia Tanner Children's Dance Theater is a wonderful organization that encourages the beauty and innocence of childhood, creativity and movement. This years performance at Capitol Theater celebrated CDT's 60th anniversary. Last week we spent many hours at the theater preparing for the weekend's big event. It was splendid.

Flowers for our darling dancers after Friday evening opening show.
All dancers on stage hours before the big performance. I have never in my life performed on such a stage. I just love going to the rehersals so I can actually go backstage and feel the energy.
Clara is so lucky to have two cousins and a close friend in her dance group. Here they are in the dressing room waiting to be called for costumes and show time.
Olivia and her best friend/cousin showing off their costumes before the program.
After the Friday morning program we ate lunch at the Olive Garden. These girls were hungry after hours of performing and they needed to fuel up for the big evening show.
Each dancer is unique and beautiful in her own way...you can kind of tell just by looking at their "dancing feet"!