life at home

So, it's 10:26 PM. I'm lying in bed about to drift off when I hear the telltale pitter patter of Sarah's little feet across the tile floor. We always know it is Sarah coming by the speed of her patter. I'm not really surprised to hear her coming even though she has been in bed for over an hour and a half.

She comes in to my room with a bright smile on her face and says "Igot sirsis on my fed." Huh? "I got sirsus on my fed". Huh? When I make her repeat herself over an over again to try to decipher what she is saying, she get's more quiet each time until I say, "Sarah, speak up. I can't hear you". Then she yells. "I got circles on my feet!" Oooohhh. Perfectly logical.

I pick her up to examine her "circles". On her toenails? The bottom of her feet? I don't get it. Then I find them. Two identical little puffy circles, one on each big toe. "Ouch, Sarah, those are blisters! "No", she says with a giggle, "they're circles. I go down slide". I ask, "How did you get them? She says "They're really awesome."

Apparently she is really proud of her "circles". But now I'm thinking it might be time to buy her some new shoes.

another organizing project

I like to organize. Or, rather, I like things to be organized. Sometimes the process is a chore. So it took me quite a while to get my office organized, but I finally tackled the project last weekend.

{ before }


{ after }


I got my ribbon and punches nicely organized with this rod and basket system from IKEA. The baskets were too small for my grosgrain spools, however, so I found these racks (meant for CDs) that worked perfectly.


Tom worked on his side of the office too. It looks great but needs a few finishing touches. Maybe I'll show you his side another day...

birthday fun

My family spoiled me on my birthday. Abby greeted me in the morning with present.

In it was an invitation and ticket for a room party she was throwing for me.

And a birthday poem.


And some things she made out of Perler beads. She wanted to make something that I liked so she asked, "Mom, what are some things you like to do?" I listed a few things off. She said "You like to crochet, right?" "Sure, Abby".

So, this is a ball of yarn with a needle. The "C" stands for "Crochet". I was very impressed with her thoughtfulness.

After some yummy Thai food at Pawit, we enjoyed this Red Velvet cake from Nothing Bundt Cakes.


Thanks for making my birthday special!

spring soccer

Abby has started spring soccer again. This is her fourth time playing, and she is playing up a level this time with the First and Second Graders. This is the first time she has played positions with a goalie and referees.


This is Abby's friends Bethany. She is great at tearing up the field.

Sarah leaves the game looking pretty rough from playground dirt and chocolate (from after-game treats meant for the players.)

Abby leaves the game looking fresh. Go figure?!

signs of spring

One of the great things about living in Utah is the climate. The winters are mild, and Spring and Fall are so beautiful. I am a big fan of Spring. People here love to complain about the weather as well as anyone, but having grown up in Montana, I know how good we have it. A couple of weeks ago I was telling Mom how beautiful the blooms were on the plum trees they bought us for our backyard. She said her trees weren't yet showing any signs of life.

I have perennials popping up all over. Among them, these hyacinths. Hopefully soon I'll be planting tomato plants. But as I look out the window today, it is snowing. Ahhh, April.

Grandpa turns 90!

It's high time I posted about the privilege we had last weekend of going to Fort Benton for Grandpa's 90th birthday. What an amazing milestone!

Happy Birthday Grandpa!

It was a long afternoon for Grandpa, but they had a cozy chair set up for him to relax in. It was a memorable moment when Sarah thought it looked like a pretty good spot to curl up too. She asked for her blanket and climbed up onto his lap, looking pretty pleased with herself.

I snapped this photo before she was fast asleep. It reminds me of another photo when Grandpa was a fair bit younger...

Now who could that little girl be?

Many of the tribe of Benjamins were able to come for the occasion, but we missed those who couldn't make it. We enjoyed the trip and a several days afterward with Kerin, Brenna, and Molly.

Abby sure misses her playmate (Molly)! And Sarah misses hers (dog Gracie)!
If you would like to see more photos from the party, click here.

amazing roasted asparagus

This recipe is a winner. I could eat it every night. Try it while asparagus is in season!

Recipe from Cooking Light

Yield

8 servings (serving size: 5 spears)

Ingredients

• 40 asparagus spears, trimmed (about 2 pounds)
• Cooking spray
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 teaspoons low-sodium soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
• Cracked black pepper (optional)
• Grated lemon rind (optional)

Preparation

Preheat oven to 400°.

Arrange asparagus in a single layer on a baking sheet; coat with cooking spray. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake at 400° for 12 minutes or until tender.

Melt butter in a small skillet over medium heat; cook 3 minutes or until lightly browned, shaking pan occasionally. Remove from heat; stir in soy sauce and balsamic vinegar. Drizzle over asparagus, tossing well to coat. Garnish with cracked pepper and rind, if desired.

Nutritional Information

Calories: 45 (60% from fat)

Fat:3g (sat 1.8g,mono 0.9g,poly 0.2g)

Protein: 1.9g

Carbohydrate: 3.9g

Fiber: 1.7g

Cholesterol: 8mg

Iron: 0.7mg

Sodium: 134mg

Calcium: 18mg

musical road

Check this out. What would it be like to do a project like this just for fun?

a few things

First off, this post totally made my day.

Secondly, if you are a blog-reading novice, read this post about using Google Reader and other such aggregators to make your blog reading life easier. You may think this is for you, but really its for me because I want to make it easier for you to follow my blog :).

And finally, I've gotten a few great recipes from other bloggers, so I thought I'd share a few more of my own favorites. These are regulars in our household.

{ Chicken and Rice }
The first meal I'd like to share is a favorite of Abby's.


{ Garlic Chicken and Pasta }
The next meal in my repertoire is very quick and easy.


{ Lasagna }
I highly recommend the Sausage variety.

Remarkably, the recipes for these dishes are all the same:
1. Purchase at Costco
2. Microwave as required.
3. Serve

And finally, a favorite that we try to work into our diet regularly. Have you heard of Wendy's? This meal is very easy because she cooks it for you. I've managed to reduce this recipe to 2 simple steps.
1. Order food at Wendy's
2. Serve

Happy April Fools Day!
(Sadly, this is no fool. These really are regular meals in our household...)