If Only There Were Such A Thing as SmelliBLOG

My friend Colleen gave me her homemade wheat bread recipe and I just made it. If you could just SMELL how good it smells - fresh and hot out of the oven.

I just ate the heel of one of the loaves, and mmmmmmmm! Is there anything better than fresh homemade bread? Thanks Colleen!

It Feels Good To Give...

Yesterday for work 16 of us had the opportunity to go to the St. Vincent DePaul Dining Facility down town ("The Soup Kitchen") to help prepare food for the homeless.

It was an awesome experience, and a humbling one. One of the workers there was homeless himself. He and his wife both work there. They live in a 12' x 24' tent. He was joking with us about how quickly he can clean up his house because it's so small. He had very few teeth, messy hair, and ragged clothes on the outside; and a huge heart on the inside. We affectionately referred to him as "Cap'n Jack." He was helping us move from job to job. We did everything from cutting up vegetables to skinning remnants of onions from restaurants and other suppliers, sorting through bunches of bananas to pick out the ones that were the least soft and brown, and sorting through boxes of breads, pastries, and pies.

While we were outside (in the snow) going through the scraps of onion skins to salvage whatever good onion pieces were left inside, our hands were freezing -- I got to the point where I couldn't feel my fingers. And right there on the other side of the fence (outside the property of The Soup Kitchen) were a whole bunch of homeless people trying to stay warm waiting for a bite of food. It was definitely a lesson in appreciation for the simple things - heat, food, clothes.

I'm going to try to set up a time to take Rylan. It would be a good thing for him to see, too. It felt great to help!

Spiritual Strength from The Sterling Singers

Cindy Allen and I went to listen to the Sterling Singers on Sunday night. They were doing a choirside. They do these only once a quarter - but they are always amazing. We used to both sing with this choir, and since we were both altos we got to sit together. We sang for three or four years and loved every moment, but due to circumstances changing in both of our lives, we decided we needed to quit. (Who knows? Maybe some day I will re-join.)

There are about 350 active singers in this choir - it is massive. Rehearsals were so much fun. Kelly DeHaan is the conductor and he has such a wonderful way of making you want to do your very best - he has a great sense of humor, but he knew how to keep us in line and to really focus too. He is the West Jordan High School choir director, the Music Director at Hale Center Theater, and he is involved in countless other activities ALL the time.

During the choirsides, the music is all about Christ and the Atonement. Kelly bears his testimony between musical numbers, and sings his solo of "Consider the Lilies."

The choir also sings in sacrament meetings across the valley once each month. I never get tired of hearing the songs.

This was a pic I snapped while they were rehearsing before the choirside...

Young Women!

Today I was sustained as a new Beehive Advisor in Young Women. It has been quite a few years since I was in the Young Women but I don't think it will take me long to get back in the swing of things... I'm a little nervous but I'm excited too. I absolutely love the beehives - they are my favorite age group.

https://www.lds.org/youth/theme/2013?lang=eng

Mommy Daughter Date!

We had another Mommy Daughter Date today. We always love massages, so we had to begin with that. We went to Body Harmony again in Sandy and they gave us a great deal. Then we went to the new Longhorn Steakhouse for lunch. We had nummy Caesar salads and soup or sandwiches, and Leslie treated us to a couple of appetizers. We were sufficiently stuffed, thank you very much.

Then we took Mom to show her what a Gordman's store was all about since we both like them so much - we had lots of fun roaming up and down the aisles looking at clothes, purses, home decorations, and gardening things.

Mom thought she'd pick up this little frock for church tomorrow.

We had forgotten to take our picture at lunch so we asked a lady wandering around the store to take our picture together wearing the most hideous sunglasses we could find, and her (teenage) daughter promptly walked away (obviously embarrassed by the whole situation). We were particularly enamored with the dangly things that hung right down the middle of our noses. That is fashion, Baby!

I snapped some pics of a few of my favorite things I saw:

PROM!

Today's the big day!

Rylan and Tyler Booth just left to pick up their dates (Liz and Kim) for the "day date" part of Prom. (We never used to have a day date - you wouldn't believe what they do these days. Thankfully our boys have been very wise in their choices of activities and meals.) They are going to Trafalga to ride go-carts, play miniature golf, and whatever else they can do. The weather outside is beautiful! The sun is shining and they can be indoors or outdoors so they lucked out.

A Couple of Excited Guys

Rylan's Date, Liz

Tyler and Kim

  

Later that day...

The guys got home from Prom - Part 1. They had a great time playing laser tag and mini golf, then they went to Subway to pick up lunch for their picnic at the park.

When Ry got home he asked me if I would play H-O-R-S-E with him; I did. I lost. Sorely. But I tried!

Then it was time to get ready for Prom - Part 2. I was so excited to see what he looked like in his tux and he looked awesome!

I'm a mom so I had to take pictures!

How handsome is HE!?

Ry now (age 16) - Ry in 2004 (age 7)

When Tyler and his dad came to pick up Rylan we had to take more pics.
 They both look so handsome!

Back at Tyler's house after the dance we had dessert, and I finally got to meet the girls.
Liz was a good sport - we found out her white prom dress had a zipper malfunction so she ended up having to wear the dress she wore to Sweethearts. She still looked really cute - it was fun to get to know her a little bit!

  

Carrot Cake Cream Cheese Muffins

Oh my -- is there anything that's not made better by adding cream cheese? Ummm - I think not.

We're having our Corned Beef & Cabbage lunch tomorrow at work, and we're supposed to bring a potluck item.

I found this recipe on Pinterest - I had "liked" it because I wanted to try it some time, and now was the perfect time. 

I had to break into one while it was hot - the cream cheese oozed out of the center like molten lava cake. 

Delish!

Wheeeeee-eeeee-eeeee!

Aimee Davis bought some passes from Groupon for two hours of tubing at the Soldier Hollow hill - and since the sun is starting to shine more and more, she thought we had better use them before there was no snow left! It was perfect - the weather was nice enough the boys could get away with wearing their hoodies.

We drove up and got the kids all settled and then Aimee and I found a little Pizzeria on Main Street in Midway and shared a small (very small) pizza and a small (EXTREMELY small) salad - I kid you not, there were like 6 leaves and three cherry tomatoes... and then we shared some ice-cream.

Anyway, back to the tubing... Rylan and Zach and Mallory and Rylee grabbed their tubes and headed up the tow rope. Zach said his tube was lame and he ended up walking down the hill until he traded it in for another one. The rest of the kids said they had a great time. Sorry Zach!

Zach is not the biggest smiler for photos -- in case you didn't notice.

So Rylan tried his best to get him to crack at least a small grin. He pretty much chocked Zach until he couldn't contain the laughter any more. (This is a momentous occasion... is that a hint of a smile?)

They all grabbed their tubes from this tent on the hill and up they went. You can see the tow rope on the left - the kids sit on their tubes and hold on to a loop and it pulls them up. That looked like as much fun to me as going down!

Overall they had a great time. Afterwards we drove home through Provo canyon while the kids watched Finding Nemo. (They were a little hyper so we had to put them in a zone.)

Flowers, Heart, and Family

Part of my arrangement...

Today has been an enjoyable day. Mom invited Leslie and me to join her at the Home and Garden Show at the South Towne Expo Center. She really wanted to look at all the gardening ideas and flowers. She is a Green Thumb - unfortunately it's not hereditary. I can kill a silk plant with both hands tied behind my back.

We wandered around from booth to booth for a little while, but the major motivation to be there was an auction sponsored by the floral shop Every Bloomin' Thing. The owner, Pam, hosted the auction -- along with Necia Degering (host of the channel 4 TV show, "The Daily Dish,") -- while five of the shop's designers stood on a high platform behind her creating beautiful arrangements... everything from simple and classic to very contemporary.

Necia Degering and her daughter, Kathy, Pam, Leslie, and Mom

More of my arrangement...

Leslie and I had planned to visit Gayle Higgins afterwards on our way home so we were keeping our eye out for something cheerful and bright. People were bidding up to $200 and $300 sometimes. Most went for between $40 and $80. Every penny raised was to be donated to Primary Children's Medical Center.

Leslie and I bought a bright cheerful arrangement for Gayle. Mom brought an arrangement for her home, and I bought one for mine. We had a great time. We were there the whole time from 2:30 until 5:30 until the auction ended. They raised over $12,000 for Primary Children's in three hours! The flowers had been donated by the wholesalers, and the designers donated their time and AMAZING talents. They were whipping up those arrangements in minutes. It was so much fun to watch them.

After we dropped mom off at home, we drove to Gayle's to surprise her with her arrangement. It was a beautiful spring assortment - happy and bright. We were so happy to find Barb and Jess there visiting her, and Pete came out too. Leslie and I were in such a goofy mood by then... we started sharing crazy stories from when we were growing up and before we knew it we were all laughing ourselves silly! It was great to see Gayle and spend time with her family for a little while. We had a great time. (I wish I had taken pictures of her flowers... these pictures are all of mine. I loved all the colors.)

Chicken Sour Cream Enchiladas

Rylan went to a party for his basketball team tonight at their coach's house so I decided to make Chicken Sour Cream Enchiladas (Rylan doesn't like them, but I LOVE them so now was my chance!)

They are so rich and tangy and delicious. Mmmmmm.

We LOVE these uncooked tortillas... you throw them on a pan and cook them up in a minute or two, and they are so soft and delicious. The sauce starts with a roux, and then you add sour cream, chicken broth, and diced green chiles. Sooooo delicious!