Garden update

"Bread feeds the body, indeed, but flowers feed also the soul."

 - The Koran

Thankful Thursday

Of the many blessings I have, I am thankful for:

• Getting a heartfelt, "thank you for dinner, it's delicious" 
• The entire day at home with the T.V. off because we are having too much fun doing other things
• Chalkboard paint
• A thankful heart
• Electric palm sander
• The crickets chirping outside my window right now
• My swamp cooler not breaking down once this summer (knock on wood) I was on the roof every couple weeks fixing it last year
• Coming home to the laundry done & dishes put away (thanks Rusty)
• A good job
• Comfy pajamas & a good book

This is what weekends are for

I got off work early on Friday, it's was a great way to kick off the weekend! The kids have been at their Dad's for the last few weeks so I was really looking forward to having my babies home and having a full weekend off work to spend it with them.

Friday night was a delicious home cooked meal of Swedish meatballs, red skinned mashed potatoes, gravy and green beans followed by board games around the dinner table for hours.

Jackson is in the middle of the downpour

Saturday was spent at the pool, and was so much fun! I packed up a picnic lunch and we went to the Kearns Oquirrh Park Fitness Center, not too far from our house. They have 4 outdoor pools and 2 indoor pools. We've been to some fun pools but this one takes the cake. There was two different playgrounds with water slides, levers and cranks to control buckets, nozzles and water cannons. A giant 1,000 gallon bucket that dumps over and completely drenches anyone close by. One of the pools had an obstacle course! There was also a big area outside with waterfalls and all sorts of fountains to play in. One of the outdoor pools was dedicated just to diving boards, high dives and diving platforms.  The indoor pool had a super fast water slide, whirlpool and fun water feature.

We bought an underwater camera and I cannot wait to get the pictures developed!

 Ashleigh's best friend, Kylee and her mom, Tiffany joined us at the pool. I had only planned on staying 2-3 hours but we had a blast all afternoon, and before we knew it, it's was 8 PM.

The highlight of the day was Jackson's first time on the diving board! He loved it, he even tried diving off the board. After a few times on the diving board, he wanted to try the high dive! I think I was more hesitant than he was; he climbed up the ladder and jumped off the board like he had done it a hundred time before! Jackson got in line over and and over again; I'm proud of him, I was terrified the first time I jumped off the high dive as a little girl.

After swimming, Ashleigh and Jackson both got to rent a movie and had a friend come over for a sleepover. We cooked burgers and hot dogs for dinner. I'm always happy see Jackson and his friends play board games, basketball,  and make up games using their imaginations, rather than just playing Xbox or Wii.

I made waffles for breakfast Sunday morning when the sleeping giants finally awoke from their late night.  Jackson had a birthday party later that afternoon for his best friend from Karate class. Ashleigh & Kylee walked up to the school and met a bunch of friends before walking back here to hang out for a bit. Rusty and I got some more yard work done including scraping the peeling paint off the trim around the windows and giving it a fresh coat.

It was the perfect combination of fun, relaxation and productivity.

When the house is sleeping

I've been awake for about an hour. The whole house is still sleeping. There is something so calming about it; everyone peacefully sleeping before the hustle and bustle of the weekend starts.


I opened the windows, and a gentle breeze moves the curtains as if they are dancing, there's an occasional bird chirping, but no neighborhood children playing outside yet, no sounds of traffic, it is so relaxing.


Sitting in the family room, working on a design project, I stopped for a moment to take everything in. This is my favorite room of the house;  big picture windows looking out to the back yard where it's lined with fruit trees, the 'art gallery', a wall filled with art work from my kids and family pictures, the green palm in the corner that's breathing life into the room, I love this room.


A home has different feelings through out the day, I don't think I could pick a favorite, although this tranquil, undisturbed feeling is quite nice.

Hopper Express

This little grasshopper, hopped himself onto the hood of my car while I was getting gas this afternoon. He stayed there as I pulled out of the parking lot, drove down the street, and got on the freeway.

The entire time I was thinking about a cute little movie the kids and I watched a while ago called, Bee Movie.

There's a couple funny scenes about bugs smashed up against the windshield of some vehicles, not because they are dead but because they are hitching a ride somewhere. It made me chuckle.




Towards the end of this movie trailer, it shows a little part of the windshield scene.

Thankful Thursday

Of the many blessings I have, I am thankful for:

• Not getting caught outside in the hail storm this afternoon
• Great sales on school supplies (even got pens & boxes of crayola markers totally free)
• Having this weekend off work & my babies being home to share it with
• A great book to read
• The amazing massage therapist they brought in at work
• Documentaries
• A good cup of coffee
• Looking at the surface of the moon with my brother's amazing telescope tonight
• The new trax line opening right down the street from our house
• Sneaking in an afternoon nap

Unplug

     "God has no blackberry, but is my favorite contact. 

He does not have Facebook, but is my best friend.

He does not have twitter, but I still follow Him. 

And even without internet, I am always in contact with Him!"

I saw this tonight and wanted to share; I thought it was clever. I love that the writer used terms from social networking, and funny that I read it on Facebook.