Five Facts for Friday

Sheesh! I just go schlepping through life and all of a sudden it's Friday again! There's always stuff rattling around in my brain but somehow it never arrives here!  I'm thinkin' I kinda like this Friday facts thingie because it forces me to sit down and just DO IT! So without further ado.....

1.   I've discovered the SECRET to getting things DONE!! Really!  And I'm not going to charge you $29.99 in four easy payments to tell you this secret!   The secret is:

STAY HOME.

Yep, that's pretty much it. I realize that for many people, staying home is not an option, but for those of us who are stay-at-home moms/homemakers, we have more flexibility. The weeks I am able to stay closer to home, I am able to accomplish so much more! You know, the things that are on your list that are "someday" to-do. There seem to be weeks that I'm constantly out running around, doing the necessary tasks of life, but I REALLY wish I could be more organized so that I could get those things done in one or two days outside rather than every morning or afternoon having to jump in the car to get an errand done.......For instance today I was planning on sticking around because I've been out so much and dang it, there's some have-to-do stuff that has already popped up....and it's not even 8:00 am yet!!  So here's to taking my own advice......

2.  The heat has arrived.  !#^*&@!!  So now I begin my annual whine-fest.  Last month I was in Utah and took an early morning walk. 

For the past week it has been over 100 degrees, closer to 104-105 degrees, and my body just can't take it. I was so exhausted Saturday after being outside and running around nearly all day that it has taken me days to recuperate. Uggggggggggg.  I took this photo recently on an early morning walk at home......

Whine, whine, whine. Compare and contrast. Yea, I know in January it looks a lot different, but this is my whining time......

3.   In the garden news, I'm sad to report that the tomatoes are sick AGAIN!.

 This is not a super great photo, but I think they have curly top virus.  We went to a local garden center a couple of weeks ago, and I learned from the experts there about all the stuff I was doing wrong. Meh... I have decided that we are going to concentrate on the soil and redo our watering system before the next fall season and let the chips fall where they may.....or maybe tomatoes???

All is not lost in the garden tho...It looks like I may finally get a bumper crop of cucumbers (which ironically is one of my least favorite veggies) I grow them for TL. The picture is super blurry but that is a pickling cucumber!  Hello pickles!

4.  Mother's Day was awesome!! All of my blood children took me to lunch on Saturday and it was so much fun.  Someone took a photo but I pretty much refuse to put it on my blog because it looked like I weighed 200 pounds.  If you are friends with one of my kids on facebook, you've probably already seen the dreadfulness.   We also had a great party in the branch...(we ALWAYS have great parties!) Mother's Day is a big tradition and this year the men did it up nicely for us. We had a really nice dinner and a beautiful program with piano music.  Here's a few photos of some of the mommas with their kiddos.

 5.   This is the first year that I've not had a child participating in all the end-of-year craziness. It feels kind of weird.  Last year my baby graduated from high school so we are moving into a different phase of life. The other day I realized that my nest will probably be empty within the next year and it felt kind of weird. I've had kids at home for 35 years.  It's going to take some time to adjust to that fact. So in lieu of my own kids, I can run around and watch the grands on their big day....

Here's one of the littles on her pre-school graduation day. There's another one next week but I have to miss it because TL and I are going out of town. (I'll do my five facts in Monterrey, California next Friday! Whoo hoo)  There is a kindergarten graduation the week after we come home so yay-I'll be able to watch that!

There you have it-my five facts!

Five Things for Friday

1.  I'm SO glad God gave me last week, because this week has been INSANE! I had a weirdish virus that attacked my right tonsil and I pretty much decided to LISTEN to my body and go to bed.....er....well....as close to resting in bed as possible. After our birthday celebration, I crashed.  This week has been crazy busy with church stuff and other delightful occupations......

2. I'm super proud of my baby girl. She has really grown up. She comes home after work and tells us of her exciting adventures. If you remember correctly, she works at a local hospital transporting patients. The other day she told me that there was a crazy naked guy hopped up on drugs running down the hall towards her and the security guys yelled at her to STOP HIM! She knew a short cut to get to him and she actually tackled him and held him down until the big guys got there. The security guys said, Dang, girl!  She has begun a new relationship with a very nice young man and I think she is so very brave, strong and super smart! 

3.  We've had an ongoing crazy saga with our sectional all week. 

 

I had decided that the old faithful couch needed a redo.  I called an upholstery company that was recommended, and after I picked myself up off the floor at the price of a redo (it was over $4000!), we decided to go shopping and see if we could find a new one cheaper.

We saw this one that was considerably cheaper, but I still wanted to think about it. Before making a final decision, I called another upholstery company. The quote they gave me was less than HALF the original quote for the reupholstering, so this is what my family room looks like now.

This crazy saga was all documented on facebook because I wanted my kids to see the possible new one. They are SUPER attached to the old couch-it's SUPER comfortable-we've all had many a nap on the old faithful......So we wait for it to get redone. I just hope that I picked the right fabric!!!

4.  Finished up another baby quilt for the little guy coming this summer. This one was super easy and super satisfying because I did SUPER well on the binding. Is that enough supers in one sentence?

 Close up of the fabric. His mama loved the old fashioned vehicles on it!

5.  I've been more immersed in the scriptures recently than ever before.  I think I have mentioned this web site, http://www.theredheadedhostess.com/ . I have been using her ideas to study and write and mark in my new scriptures and it's so amazing the spirit that I have felt. I can't emphasize enough the importance of studying, really studying the scriptures EVERY day. I can feel myself changing and growing in ways that I could never have imagined.  PLEASE spend time every day with the word of God.....(and that's a reminder for myself too!)

Until later.....

Veggify!

I haven't posted much recently about our continuing endeavors to cram more fruits and veggies into our lives. TL is on board with me and we are on a course to veggify every meal we eat. In the past month or so I have taken Instagram photos of some yummy breakfasts that we have eaten and thought maybe I would throw these out to inspire others.

This breakfast salad was inspired by many of the Chef Brad shows I've watched. He mixes a cooked whole grain with some fruits and a sweet vinaigrette, topped with some kind of nuts. I cooked some kamut, and mixed it with some fresh pineapple, oranges and bananas. The dressing was also inspired by Chef Brad. I found a fruit-flavored flax oil that is DELISH! Mixed with a little balsamic vinegar and tossed with the fruit. I topped it with raw cashews. I feel SO good when I eat this way for breakfast.

My man loves his eggs. This was inspired by a commercial I saw on TV, I think it was IHOP. I sauteed some red pepper, green onion, mushrooms and spinach and topped it with a fried egg. Hubby man doesn't like cooked spinach, so his doesn't have it. There's usually about a cup of veggies underneath the egg. YUM!

Here's another, a kind of egg hash. This one was inspired by Real Simple Magazine. I can't remember the exact contents, but I know it has sauteed cauliflower. It was surprisingly good and hubby man liked it too. My secret code is, "Is it a keeper?"  If it's a thumbs up, then I will make it again. I have definitely had some thumbs down meals!

Here's another yummy salad that was inspired by my dear Hispanic sisters. It has shredded cabbage, carrots and cilantro.  I toss it with a little rice wine vinegar and salt.  It tastes DELISH with all Mexican food and I've even eaten it with fish tacos or even in a corn tortilla all on its own as a vegetarian taco. 

Of course we still have green smoothies.....drinking a little more of them as the weather heats up.  I would LOVE to get any more ideas on veggifying meals so SPEAK UP if you are reading this and share some good stuff with me!

Celebrating Life

Last night we celebrated the life of one of our sweet grandbabies. He was born a year ago Sunday. What a precious boy he is!!

I get all mushy and sentimental when I see him because he is the SPITTIN' image of his daddy more than 30 years ago........

Crazy, huh?

He was surrounded by a loving family...siblings, aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents. Isn't that what life is all about? 

Although when Chuck E. Cheese showed up, I'm not sure if he thought he was a friend or foe....

 

 Can't wait to get his hands on that yummy "cake."

It brought back memories of someone else when he was a year old.......

Grandma replaced his quilt that got stolen last fall.
(Any good excuse to make a quilt, I say!)

Happy Birthday, sweet boy....!