A+ for Funny

I was looking over my daughter's 3rd grade homework last night. The instructions had her use a list of vocabulary words to complete sentences.

Here is the vocabulary list: certain, chores, culture, resources, tutor, uniforms

She filled in all the sentences quite nicely. At the bottom of the page was this prompt:

Write a joke using one of the vocabulary words.

Her joke: Why do some teachers stink?

Answer: Because they're a tutor.

Loved it. Loved it. Loved it.

The "I" Tag...

TAG from Kimi

i am- an optimist, mother, wife, daughter, sister, friend, gardener, tennis-player, homemaker, cook, reader, thinker, blogger, easy-going, thankful, hopeful, happy.

i think- that doubles tennis is underrated, that the presidential election will be close, that there should be harsher punishments for crimes against women and children, and that I shouldn't take too long filling this out, because I have a lot to do today.

i know- I am loved. I am a child of God. I am blessed. I have been given a chance here during my lifetime to love, laugh, grow, serve, and do my best.

i want-to teach my kids to enjoy life, to be good and to do their best. To make my husband know I appreciate and adore him. To better my tennis game. To have someone else make dinner tonight.

i have- a cowlick, short fingernails, a pink shirt on, a great family, a wicked forehand at times, amazing friends, and a goal to eat better.

i dislike- gossip, when my kids are hurting, strawberry shortcake & child abuse

i fear- losing family, the world my children live in, & snakes

i feel- content, too full from cookies, lazy, & thankful for life, health & loved ones

i hear- Alison Krauss' beautiful singing and Gracie telling me about a toy she wants at Toys R Us.

i smell- chocolate chip cookies that my dear visiting teacher & friend brought me today.

i crave- time with my husband, my chores to be finished, & to see my sister and brother...they live too far away!

i cry- when I read the newspaper, when I say hurtful things to my husband, when innocent people are victims of evil people, when my friends and family hurt, and when I chop onions.

i usually- am thankful and happy.

i search- for things my husband and kids lose. Why is it I am usually the only one who can find things?

i wonder- what heaven is like, what people are thinking when they don't outwardly show it, and why most people love strawberry shortcake?

i regret- not making more of an effort to show my love to my sweet Grandpa the last time I saw him. I also regret the few times I had a prime opportunity to share my beliefs about the gospel, and remained silent.

i love- my husband, my husband, my husband. My dear children. My parents. Kris, Mike, Craig. Their families. My friends. My home, my flowers, kind-hearted and sincere people, laughing, sunshine, the gospel, my Heavenly Father & Jesus, babies, the smell of pine, grapefruit & mint, taking pictures....too much to list.

i care- exactly, I care.

i always- need to have a clean home, tuck my kids in at night, sing to songs I hear, am working on bettering my tennis game.

i worry- about my children and the world surrounding them, I am not doing all the things I should be doing, and about my friends & family when they are going through hard times.

i am not- a whiner, a shopper, tall

i remember- faces (not so good with names), the first time my heart broke

i believe- every child deserves love, direction and discipline from their parents & in a Heavenly Father that knows and loves me. Oh, and I think I believe in UFO's!

i sing- a lot. I have always wanted a better voice, but I still love to sing. Almost every night at bedtime, I sing "The Sandman" to my son, "Do Re Mi" to Monkey D, "A Child's Prayer" for Monkey C, and sadly Monkey A has grown out of lullabies, but it used to be "My Favorite Things" for her.

i don't always- floss like I should, sorry T.

i argue- as little as possible. I do not like contention and my whole family will tell you I like PEACE. I probably argue most with my 13 yr old, only because she is a TEEN.

i write- on my blog, in my head, in my journal, notes to myself, lists for my day, cards to friends, and little notes for my kids.

i win- at tennis during league play and in Boggle against Trev.

i lose- at Blurt with Trev, at Scrabble with Trev, and golfing with anyone.

i wish- I could be less shy, more selfless, & that the world was a kinder place in general. I also wish I could live closer to my siblings, and that I could talk to my Grandpa again, and sometimes I wish I could have one more child.

i can usually be found- on the tennis court, at home doing household stuff, running kids around in the car, in my garden.

i am scared- of snakes, and of not planting all those seeds of goodness in my kids that I so want them to have.

i need- to get off the computer, finish laundry, make cookies for the kids' lunches, and go get hay from my friend for hayrides this weekend.

i forget- dates of all the activities that go on in my family! That's why I have to have my Palm, and 3 calendars!!!

i am happy- as often as I let myself be. When my husband laughs, when my kids hug me, when I'm with friends, when I feel healthy, when I am serving and thinking of others more than myself.

How do you feel today?
Play along if you would like. I tag all of you!

Green Smoothies!

What do you eat for breakfast? I am not a breakfast person. I will eat pancakes or waffles, but honestly those are such a "meal" to me that I would rather have them for dinner. I don't even like cereal, and I find it hard to finish a bowl of oatmeal. Basically I have always struggled to find something to get me started in the morning.

I try to stick to mostly whole foods, and we try to stay away from anything processed. I cook from scratch. Just ask my poor new neighbor who was turned away when she came over asking to borrow a can of soup. It's okay, I was able to give her some sugar and eggs!!

Well, I have this awesome friend who eats way healthier than I do. And now she is on a raw diet and has been for a couple of months. I am not lying when I tell you that my friend GLOWS. Every time I see her I am amazed at how healthy she looks, and there is no other way to describe it...she GLOWS. I am not about to go raw. I love brownies. I love chicken soup. I love spaghetti sauce. But in researching a raw diet to see what I might be able to incorporate into my own, I found these wonderful, amazing little boosts of energy...Green Smoothies! I FOUND MY BREAKFAST!
I'm so excited about them, because now I look forward to eating breakfast each morning. They are yummy AND filled with antioxidents and nutrients. I am getting my greens, and I honestly feel so much better throughout my day. I was dragging about noon, but after having one every morning for a few weeks now, I am hooked.

Okay, here's how it goes. They are about 60% fruit and 40% greens. You add water, and if you need a sweetener, I add a bit of agave nectar, but it doesn't really need a lot.

Want to try them?

Fruits you can use:
kiwis, bananas, pears, mangoes, strawberries, raspberries, pineapple, peaches, nectarines, blueberries, apples, lemons, limes, melon, grapes...whatever you like!!

Greens you can use:
spinach, mixed spring greens, romaine, parsley, kale, celery, mint, chard...whatever you like!!
(I have found spinach to be the least bitter - trust me, you can't taste it in there!)

Optional things to add: agave (sweetener), honey, ginger root, peanut butter, almond butter, oatmeal, flax seed, vanilla, yogurt

I usually make up about 16 oz, and that seems to fill me up very well until lunchtime. You don't have to add this, but I always put about 1/4-1/2 cup of oatmeal (not cooked) in there, and that helps fills me up. When I am playing tennis that morning, I usually will add the peanut or almond butter for that energy boost. I love the nutty flavor in there, but my kids prefer the green smoothies without the nuts.
I always put at least 1 banana in all my smoothies, because it makes for a nice, smooth textured smoothie. Add a couple dashes of salt too, that always enhances the taste of the fruit. Blend for a good minute so you can get it all blended and smooooth.
Oh and you can freeze all this fruit and have it ready to put in your blender in the morning! I just buy a box of baby organic spinach at Costco, and that lasts me a while.

A sample for you:
Peanut butter banana smoothie
1/2 c. oatmeal
3 dashes salt
tsp. ground flax seed
2 bananas (frozen if want)
2 tsp. peanut or almond butter
2 tbsp. plain yogurt
a squeeze of agave
2 handfuls of spinach
water
ice if needed
vanilla (opt)
I have also added a fresh peach to this
Blend for one minute and drink up

Nectarine Smoothie
1/4-1/2 c. oatmeal
2 dashes salt
2 fresh juicy nectarines (can us froz.)
1 c. berries (I like rasp, blue & straw)
1 banana
fresh ginger
2 handfuls spinach
squeeze of agave
water
ice if needed
vanilla

The more you make these, the more you will see how you can experiment and see what you like. My friend loves a pineapple, strawberry, mint, lime, spinach blend. Doesn't that sound good?
Experiment! Have fun! And go make a green smoothie! Right now!
Oh, and don't forget to let your hubby and kids try it!

Oh yea, and for more info, just type in green smoothie and do a search on it. You will find all kinds of recipes on the internet. Yum Yum.

My Haiku

To get into the school spirit, I wrote this Haiku!


First Day

The school bus is near

New shoes, sharp pencils and nerves

Grins on ALL faces

Toolicious!

Here is my sweet sister, Krista. (Kris to me).

She has started a new blog featuring her wicked good recipes. You gotta check out her new site and yummy goodness right away!
Way to go Kris!

Here is a description from her site...

Taste Of Blue Sky
Additive Avoidance Cooking Made Easy: Shopping, cooking, eating, and snacking using the most whole forms of available food products, in simple, delicious ways. It is about avoiding additives, versus complete elimination. Preparing quick meals on a busy schedule calls for convenience. I attempt to combine the health of whole foods cooking with simple preparation. Browse the Additive Avoidance Tips, Pantry Suggestions, Serving Ideas, and over 150 satisfying recipes! Eat and feel better!

This is the breakfast she made Trev for Father's Day while we were visiting. Those sausages are homemade as are the "toolicious' pancakes and cocoa. Yes, "toolicious" is a word in our house. All the kids said it when they were little, I think you can figure out which words they combined.
And I'll use it now, because it's the perfect word for such a spread!

Have fun visitng:
Taste of Blue Sky

My Boy.

He was born on a hot summer afternoon. He came fast with only 3 hours of labor and no medication. We have a special connection that started the day he was born.

My heart actually aches a little looking back through these pictures. Maybe it's because he is my only boy, and that cute little cheeky face is now long and lean.

Happy 12th Birthday my sweet boy.
I am SO glad I get to be your mom!!!!

One last get-away.

Every summer we like to fit in a little trip to Leavenworth.
It is a small Bavarian village nestled in the Cascade mountains. Only 3 hours away, we travel to get delicious german sausages and tube the river. This time we fit in some mini-golf too, and of course had a great time! Our last little get-away before school starts next week.
Einfach fantastisch, or simply fantastic!

Monkey D's turn.
Mini-golfing in the heat.
That's my smart-alec girl.
My 3 beautiful monkeys.
The hat shop - always a fun stop.
My water-lovin' hubs in the waterfall.
REFRESHING!!
A few rapids made for some excitement.
Who's this? This dog loved Monkey A & Trev and wanted to be with them on their tubes instead of swimming the river with it's owner.






MB's little rest by the rocks.



Check out the view behind us!
It's a gorgeous place to take a float for the day.

"Plants Sing Soft Songs"

"The kiss of the sun for pardon,
The song of the birds for mirth,
One is nearer God's heart in a garden
Than anywhere else on earth."
~Dorothy Frances Gurney, "Garden Thoughts"


I was out enjoying my garden and snapped a few pictures of the color and produce. Such green, green, green beauty!!!

"There can be no other occupation like gardening in which, if you were to creep up behind someone at their work, you would find them smiling." ~Mirabel Osler
"In my garden there is a large place for sentiment. My garden of flowers is also my garden of thoughts and dreams. The thoughts grow as freely as the flowers, and the dreams are as beautiful." ~Abram L. Urban
I love these zinnias. Pink after pink after pink until...sweet nonconformist orange showed up. Isn't orange just beautiful?

"God made rainy days so gardeners could get the housework done." ~Author Unknown

We planted grapes along the split rail surrounding our patio. We have 4 different seedless varieties, and here are the first to show! They are gorgeous, and oh-so-sweet!!






"Don't wear perfume in the garden - unless you want to be pollinated by bees." ~Anne Raver

I love red geraniums, especially with the creeping jenny and white bacopa. Our builder made this planter box in front of our house for me, instead of the usual slats to guard falling off the porch. We love to sit on that porch.

"Gardening is about enjoying the smell of things growing in the soil, getting dirty without feeling guilty, and generally taking the time to soak up a little peace and serenity." ~Lindley Karstens

I also love the contrast of dusty miller against my black pots in front of the stairs. I found a fat ruffly leaf this year instead of the lacy kind. I hope to find it again next spring!

"I think that if ever a mortal heard the voice of God it would be in a garden at the cool of the day." ~F. Frankfort Moore


I grew watermelons! Isn't this melon the most amazing thing you've ever seen? I think they are absolutely beautiful!


This next quote is from one of my favorite people. I believe one day she will have a most glorious garden...




"Plants sing soft songs" -Monkey D
age 8, lover of foxgloves & hollyhocks

Lovin' Loon Lake!

Summer is time for fun and vacation, so of course that is what we have been up to. Lots of water this year and so many smiles.
Another slideshow for you! This vacation was so, so fun and we enjoyed ourselves so much. We will definitely visit this place again! Enjoy!

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Dworshak...That's where it's at!

We are back from some back-to-back camping trips. We made such GREAT memories!
Here's a taste of the first trip. Enjoy!!
Stay tuned for more pictures from our Montana lake camping trip.

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Summatime

We are loving summer!

Here are a few pictures showing you some of the things we have been up to.

We started our summer break in Cody, Wyoming visiting my sister and her family. "The Cousins" are pictured at top. Actually our kids just say it like one word.."thecousins".

Here are the kids in Yellowstone! And there's Trev and Brandon having a "shoot out" in an old western town, and MD being so cute on my lap.

We spent the 4th of July with friends. Everyone had a great time swimming in Halverson's pool. We had a BBQ and enjoyed the day in the sun, ending it with a fantastic fireworks show in the evening.

And my hubs, Trev and I celebrated our 15 year Anniversary this month. WOW! We've made it this far! Trev picked me up in his Dad's old pick-up. It is the same one he picked me up in for our first date. We went to dinner, and then on a motorcycle ride, just like our first date. (See my March post "Spring is in the Air!" for details on that first date thing...:)

We also went kayaking with our friends the Hickmans and Halversons, and had a great time. I loved it, thanks Trev for such a memorable time!

Oh, and lastly, I just had to throw in this picture of Monkey C and Monkey D for ya.

They are goofy. So goofy.

Happy Summering!

Inspired - Part 2

A few weeks ago, I posted "Inspired".
What are the things in my life that give me encouragement, joy, peace and inspiration? A few weeks ago I shared some of these "constants" as I call them.
Are you ready for more? Here goes.

#4 - What calms me down and gives me peace? Simply...a cup of tea. When I am stressed, or tired, or a little on the "in-need-of-nurturing" side, I make myself a cup. Maybe it is because as I was growing up, my mom would make me tea whenever I was sick and feeling down. It was magic. It always made me feel better. My favorite tea? Stash decaf Vanilla Chai. Ahhhhh.
Heaven in a cup.

#5 - I am a shy person. A lot of people would disagree with that, but if you really know me, you know that this is true. I struggle to put myself out there, but enjoy it when I do. It is work for me. I can tell you without a doubt I would not be "out there" making friends and throwing parties if it wasn't for my best friend. This guy loves people. He is not afraid to go to anyone and start up a conversation. While passing the fishing hole once in my brother's neighborhood on the way to his house, we pulled over to the guy sitting on the grass with pole in hand. Window rolled down, my best friend said in his friendly, interested voice, "Caught any fish today?" This lead to a nice conversation with a sweet old man none of us knew. While chatting with him, my daughter asked from the back of the car..."Mommy? Why does daddy always talk to people he doesn't know?" Trevor has taught me that there is no reason not to say hi to people. Why not look someone in the eye and find out what their interests are, and even invite them over for dinner? There are lots of potential friends out there!
Not only does Trev encourage me to enjoy people, he inspires me to enjoy life. If you know my husband, have read his blog OR mine, you already know he likes to try a little bit of everything. We don't sit still for much, and whether he believes me or not...I do prefer it that way!

#6 - Flowers. Flowers. Flowers. I cannot lie to you. Flowers can bring me to tears. I can walk my garden every single day, looking over the growth or change. It gives me joy. Plain and simple, I am probably happiest around nature.
Though I do not grow hollyhocks, they hold a special place in my heart because they make me think of my childhood, always in my mom's and grandparent's gardens. My mom and hollyhock dolls. Now my girls know how to make them.
There is something about foxgloves that I adore. They are also my daughter's favorite, and she has loved them since she was 2, circling them in my garden catalogs.
Lavender is so hardy and fragrant, I can't help but be proud of it everytime I pass it by.
I dared to plant California poppies in my front rock garden last spring, knowing they spread like crazy. But I took a chance, and I can't regret the shocking bright bursts of orange and red that grow amidst the daylilies, wallflowers, bloodgrass, gaura, red carpet roses and more. I cannot tell you how many people stop their cars in front of our house to ask me what those beautiful flowers are and how they love to look at them.
There are SO many more I won't name, but if it blooms, I pretty much love it (with a few exceptions).
Ah, but roses. I think the roses are dearest to me. Who cannot love them. They do well here. I have a few separate rose gardens, and this year planted probably 10 new varieties to try out. Which ones bring the tears to my eyes? Ha. Well, I am loving these three...

1...VOLUPTUOUS: These beauties glow with bright color. The blooms are humongous, and they smell good. This is a new one to my garden and I am loving it.

2...DOUBLE DELIGHT: I have grown these for a while, and can't get enough of them. I added a few more to my new island. They are beautiful, the bush is nicely formed, and stays healthy, and the smell. Oh the smell. HEAVEN! You want to inhale these babies.

3...ANGEL FACE: I happened upon this one this year. I have always told myself I am not a purple rose person. This rose has changed me. Now I am an angel face purple rose person. :) The petals are ruffly and old fashioned looking and the color is beautiful. They smell so sweet. I was thrilled when showing it to my mom and she told me how she had planted an Angel Face once and loved it. Her father had told her to plant one because he loved them as well. Her father is my dear Grandpa "Hummingbird" whom I adore and miss like crazy. I have always wished I could show him my family and garden, but the sweet part is, I have been lucky enough to feel like he sees it all the time. Maybe he has seen my Angel Face and is smiling sweetly from above because I too, like to garden as he did.

Well, there you go. Sorry this post was so wordy, I guess it's hard for me not to gush about my husband and my roses.
Don't forget to stop and smell the you-know-whats!
Until next time...

Wild Wild West

Just came back from vacation!
We had a blast with my sister and her hubby in Cody! Here are just a few pics to share with ya'all.

(Come on...you can't tell me you haven't always wanted to take pictures like these!)