find joy in the journey

raspberries!

12 pounds of raspberries =

10 cups of freezer jam

gallon size bag of frozen berries (smoooothies)

pitcher of raspberry lemonade in the fridge

big bowl of fresh raspberries to enjoy

small bowl of mushy, juicy raspberries to drizzle over cheesecake tonight

raspberry milkshakes for FHE

raspberries in my Special K for breakfast

and a bowl for Scott to share with the lady co-workers today

The kids LOVE berry picking!  I can't believe we've lived here this long and never gone before.  This will definitely become a yearly tradition.

The raspberry patch was right next to the flower garden, so I had some fun playing with the manual focus on my camera.

otherwise known as HOOVER

Conner has recently acquired the nickname of "Hoover" in our family.  Although, the personality traits and actions that are the basis for this name have been prevalent for a number of years.

This kid likes to eat.  and eat.  and eat.

Once he cleans his lunch or dinner plate he is scoping out Payton & Anna's, ready to pounce as soon as they say they are finished.  When everyone leaves the table he goes from plate to plate eating the leftovers.  Now I should clarify: not all the leftovers, just the things he loves.

And he doesn't just eat.  He devours his food.  He inhales it.  And in the aftermath his face, hands, t-shirt, chair, and the floor are a total and complete mess.

{sigh}

And I won't even go into the time he took a girl's sandwich at school lunch when she wasn't looking and ate it because he was still hungry.

Or when he swiped a handful of leftover macaroni & cheese from a baby high chair while at piano lessons.  !!!

Or how he routinely cleans up crumbs from under the kitchen table by eating them!

This should be a warning to all -- if Conner is in your home, lock up your food!

Now, I do feed the kid.  Breakfast, lunch, dinner, and 2 snacks usually.  He gets all the food he needs, although his super skinny body would lead you to believe otherwise (good metabolism). We're trying to teach him about impulse control, slowing down when he eats, listening when his belly tells him he's full, and for pete's sake, to not make such a mess when he eats.

But he just loves to eat. 

And someday he'll be a teenager, who loves to eat.  

yikes.

camping essentials

beautiful scenery

{a simple comment about how it reminds me of Twilight unraveled a series of events that nearly led to water torture.  i.e. my head under a spigot of cold water.}

sticks

and lots of open space for the kids to run freely.

food

and we were fed well!  Dutch oven BBQ ribs, scalloped potatoes, peach cobbler & ice cream, s'mores, and a bacon & pancake breakfast.

campfire

and everyone gathered round it.

And when you have the opportunity to burn something really cool -- like worn out, torn pajama bottoms -- that's always a plus.

messy hair

friends to run around with

and to look totally CUTE with!

We threw rocks in the creek, explored trails, made s'mores, busted out the portable toilet for Anna potty emergencies, sat around the campfire until midnight, enjoyed dutch oven culinary delights, sat back while 10 kids ran around and played to their hearts' content, and had such a good time we just might have to do it again.

for today: june 22nd

Outside my window . . . the neighbors' gorgeous hanging flower baskets.

I am thinking . . . I might just go find a quiet spot to read.

 

I am thankful for . . . a pretty quiet afternoon, clean bathrooms, completed laundry, and my husband home.

 

From the kitchen . . . marinating steaks for dinner and a fresh batch of pink cupcakes are cooling on the counter.  We'll be frosting them pink tonight for National Pink Day tomorrow.

 

I am wearing . . .khaki gaucho capris, twilight blue shade shirt, grey 3/4 sleeve varsity cardigan

 

I am creating . . . nothing at the moment.  But I have a couple projects sitting on my desk (baby books, flower barrettes, an apron) waiting for me to have the time.

 

I am going . . . to see a dermatologist this summer (any referrals?), and get a tetanus booster (5 years late - last one was in '94), and hopefully find some relief to my jaw problems (yes, I already wear a nightguard, every night)

 

I am reading . . . City of Bones (book 1 in The Mortal Instruments series)

 

I am hearing . . . the boys play Star Wars Legos on the Wii downstairs.

 

I am hoping . . . I can finalize a lot of my girls camp preparations this week.  That way I can put it away and not stress about it until the last minute.

 

Around the house . . . Anna is watching a movie in the playroom and Scott is keeping her company.  Even though I accomplished my chores today, I feel like to need to go through the house and just pick up in every room.  One of the things I do not like about summer - the debris that seems to be scattered everywhere.  

 

One of my favorite things . . . is Payton.  He is just so stinkin' cute and has the funniest things to say.  In the last week I feel like he has grown up so much.  It is weird.

 

A few plans for the rest of the week . . . swimming, sprinklers, the park, camping

 

A photo to share . . .

{the peonies are just about at the end of their bloom - I have one more on my bush to go.  I love the tight buds, when everything is just beginning to emerge}

 

happy father's day

an interview with your children

What is something dad always says to you?

Conner:  "no"

Payton:  "hi" and "no"

Anna:  he always loves me

What makes dad happy?

C:  when we listen to him

P:  when I clean up my room

A:  I always make him laugh, like this: "bugga, bugga"

What makes dad sad?

C:  not listening to him

P:  when I don't give him any cheese for his birthday

A:  onions

How does your dad make you laugh?

C:  when he does The Thunder

P:  by tickling

A:  when he makes naughty faces, and I laugh

What was your dad like as a child?

C:  didn't like chocolate

P:  he didn't like chocolate

A:  he was just like me

How old is your dad?

C:  33

P:  33

A:  5

How tall is your dad?

C:  10 feet tall

P:  10 feet and 20 hands tall

A:  he is big, just like me

What is his favorite thing to do?

C:  tickle us

P:  World of Warcraft

A:  he likes to play games

What does your dad do when you are not around?

C:  play world of warcraft, which is what I don't like because I want to watch him!

P:  chill on the couch, play world of warcraft

A:  he always does stuff on his 'puter

If your dad becomes famous, what will it be for?

C:  Famous Tickler

P:  doing the bark when mom wasn't around

A:  I don't know

What is your dad really good at?

C:  playing world of warcraft

P:  tickling me.  He, like, almost makes me pee my pants.  I'm serious.

A:  he always plays games

What is your dad not so good at?

C:  making his hot dogs - he makes them burnt

P:  playing London Bridge

A:  he's not very good at playing with us because he always falls down

 

What does your dad do for his job?

C:  he teaches kids when they come to his work.

P:  drink chocolate milk and pop and do world of warcraft

A:  he always goes to work when he's thankful.  Cuz he's pretty and he's my friend.

What is your dad's favorite food?

C:  burnt hot dogs

P:  cheese

A:  broccoli & chicken

If your dad were a cartoon character, who would he be?

C:  Panda in "Skunk"

P:  I don't know

A:  Diego

What do you and your dad do together?

C:  sometimes he takes me golfing.

P:  watch shows

A:  we just hug and cuddle

How are you and your dad the same?

C:  we both like turkey, mayonnaise, and mustard sandwiches

P:  we both have a big toe

A:  we are chickens

How are you and your dad different?

C:  dad likes banana cake and I hate banana cake

P:  we're not big as each other

A:  I am 3 and dad is 4

How do you know your dad loves you?

C:  He just says it.

P:  because he likes to tickle me

A:  cuz he hugs me like a squishy hug

I compiled this interview in a book for Father's Day . . . I have a feeling he's going to be entertained.

Happy Father's Day!

Happy Father's...

By

Book Preview

brown sugar muffins

When I married Scott, part of the package deal was a set of recipe cards handwritten by his mom, that she had given him when going off to college.  Chicken fried steak, Ketchum poporn, crescent rolls, cream of wheat potatoes, finger jell-o, and banana cake to name a few.  I remember staring at the card for brown sugar muffins several times, a bit confused -- is this a breakfast muffin? is it a dessert?  When Scott informed me that it was a dinner muffin and they were fabulous, I made a batch.  And we still make them 1 or 2 times a month.  They are yummy, quick & easy to whip together, and thankfully Conner doesn't like them so there is more for us!  Ha-ha!

Sorry there's no picture, but here's the recipe.

Cream together:  1/2 cup shortening, 1 cup brown sugar

Add:  1 egg

Sift together and add:  2 cups flour, 1 tsp baking soda, 1/2 tsp salt

Mixture will be dry

Add:  1 cup milk  and mix until smooth

Spoon into muffin cups and bake at 400 for 20 minutes. Makes about 16-18 muffins.

first week of summer vacation

Monday

First thing in the morning, as we're gathering in the kitchen to dish out breakfast Conner says: "Good news mom!  You get to have us around all day!"  Hooray for me!  He continued, "But the bad news is, you only have 2 arms and there are 3 kids to take care.  I'll try to take care of myself so you don't have to worry about me."  What a clown.

It was a strawberry picking, freezer jam making, hair cutting day

Tuesday

A quick trip to the orthodontist to check on Conner's teeth.

Swim at the pool.  

Conner's piano recital.  (I would post the video, but I don't have the right cord to connect the camera to my computer)

 

Wednesday

Presidency meeting at the park.

And the boys' dresser fell on top of Anna.  As a mom you get pretty good at distinguishing sounds, which comes in pretty handy.  It enables you to prioritize and decide if you really need to run up the stairs or out into the yard to see what is the matter.  This is good, because otherwise you'd be running around all day checking on every bang, crash, cry, pout, and scream you hear.  That would take a lot of time, and it would be really annoying.  After a few years in this motherhood gig, I'm pretty good at distinguishing these sounds.

When I heard a "crash! crash! boom! thud! crash! scream!  scream!  mom!  mom!" . . . . It didn't take long to get me bolting up the stairs.  Conner and Payton met me at the top of the stairs with tears in their eyes, "the dresser fell on Anna!"  I turned the corner into their room to find this giant dresser on her back.  I propped it up and either she crawled out or I pulled her out (can't remember) and her tears and my cuddling began (I think I was just in shock).  The poor boys were crying and Payton says, "I can't even stop shaking."  I looked her over, she got all her crying out, and from all appearances she was perfectly fine.  Crisis averted.  After some investigating it seems that she had attempted to climb up the dresser.  I think she was shaken up enough that she will not be trying that again.

 

Thursday

Play at the park

Payton's art class - they made paper mache masks

A date: thai food, temple, and Coldstone. 

 

Friday

Adopted almost-3-yo Jaren for the day

Ventured out for a short walk when we saw a break in the clouds, and ended up getting caught in a down pour on the way home.  It was FUN!  Anna was soaked & dripping (the only one without a hood).  Payton didn't think it was so fun so I told him he had to stay outside until he could smile & laugh about it.  He pulled together some acting skills real quick.

 

as for the weekend?

we've got a whole lot of nothing planned.  :)

 

pomp and circumstance

a simple, short & sweet kindergarten graduation ceremony.  Started at 7pm and we were back home at 7:30pm.  But it did not lack the essentials:

• paper caps with yarn tassels
• diploma sword battles 
• lots of camera flashes 
• 25 super cute, happy kids   

And a few extras

• an enthusiastic class reading of "The Duck and The Mean Pig" 
• a show-case of their fall & spring self-portraits
• learning that Mr. A likes to give nicknames 

    

As each kid stood up they were handed a diploma, their self-portrait to proudly display, and Mr. A whispered something for them to repeat to the audience:  "I'm cool!"  "I'm incredible!"  "Hooray!"  followed by much applause.  This was Mr. A's first ever kinder graduation, although he has taught kindergarten for several years.  He says this has been one of his most special classes and he wanted to do something to demonstrate this.  How sweet!  (Especially sweet coming from him.)

Two more days of school to go and he is a first grader!  Ahhh, I can hardly believe it!  I find myself being way more sentimental at the end of kindergarten than I was at the beginning.  Back in September:  Ehhh, send him off to school, no problem!  But now I'm realizing that all those long, quiet afternoons, where I've been used to having him around will soon be coming to an end.  Oh my heart.  I just breathe deep and try to concentrate on creating a fun, memorable summer with lots of mom & kid play time, afternoon cuddles & movies on the couch, and plenty of ice cream.

i've never

• broken a bone or had surgery
• decorated a "theme" cake
• waxed my eyebrows, or any body part for that matter
• mowed a lawn
• operated a BBQ grill
• had my hair professionally colored at a salon
• sent a text message 
• held a calling in the young women's organization (I don't know, does camp craft specialist count?)
• been in a limousine or an ambulance
• been on water-skis or a snowboard
• worn a bikini (I don't think the dressing room of JCPenney at the University Mall with 3 of my roommates, "just to see", counts.)
• watched Heroes or Biggest Loser
• been to Disney World or basically anywhere in the South
• smoked or drank or sipped coffee
• made freezer jam (hopefully that will change next week)
• read a Harry Potter book
• joined a gym or health club
• had my wedding dress cleaned (oops!)
• been to a high school reunion
• knitted or quilted

What have you never done?

{post topic gleaned from Emily Kate}

we have winners!

{sorry - I prepared this post earlier this morning, but due to technical difficulties . . . well, you know how the story goes}

Thanks so much to everyone for playing my little blog-trivia game.  It was fun!  Here are the correct answers:

1.  On the day Anna was born, what other event caused some excitement in our family?

B) Payton broke his collarbone.  See/read about it here.

2.  I surprised Scott with a party for his 30th birthday.  What was the theme?

C) Pirates!  Arggghhh!!

3.  Conner said:  "hey, let's arm wrestle!"  What did he want to arm wrestle for?

A) cake.  Read the story here.

4.  What kept me company while delayed in the airport, on my way to L.A.?

C) Austenland and swedish fish.  Oh the memories.

5.  Name one of the "extra fun holidays" we plan to celebrate this year.

Go to this post for the full list.

And as for the winners?  You'll just have to watch!

500th post - giveaway! from Shannon on Vimeo.

500 blog-worthy moments

This, what you're reading right here, marks the 500th post on this blog!

Seriously?  I've been able to squeeze 500 blog-worthy moments out of our pretty ordinary life in the last (almost) 4 years?  Well, maybe they haven't all been literary masterpieces  . . . . or some of them may have left one scratching their head & wondering, "did you get enough sleep last night, Shannon?" . . . .  or maybe there was one too many Twilight posts . . . .  

I have enjoyed writing, documenting, sharing.  The good, the crafty, the silly.  This is one of my happy places.

So to celebrate . . . . I have a little giveaway planned!  Leave a comment with your answers to the 5 questions below and you could win this nifty vinyl quote for your home.

{approximately 30 inches wide and 5-6 inches tall.  Fits perfectly above a standard door frame}

I have two of these to give away.  One will go to the person who gets the most correct answers.  Or, if we have a tie I'll put those names in a hat and draw one.  Then, everyone who plays along (right or wrong) will be entered to win the second one.  Make sense?

Okay, here are your questions, all taken from my blog archives.

1.  On the day that Anna was born, what other event caused some excitement in our family?

A.  Scott got in a fender bender

B.  Payton broke his collar bone

C.  Conner threw up while visiting me in the hospital

2.  I surprised Scott with a party for his 30th birthday.  What was the theme?

A.  Star Wars

B.  Purple (his favorite color)

C.  Pirates

D.  Golf

3.  Conner said:  "hey, let's arm wrestle."  What did he want to arm wrestle for?

A.  cake

B.  time on the Wii

C.  the last cookie

D.  to get out of cleaning his room

4.  What kept me company while delayed in the airport, on my way to L.A.?

A.  Creating Keepsakes magazine & red vines

B.  My ipod & peanut M&M's

C.  Austenland & swedish fish

5.  Name one of the "extra fun holidays" we plan to celebrate this year.

You have until Monday night to comment.  I will do the drawing on Tuesday.  

Thanks for reading!