ICE CREAM!

Why did I just find out about the Blue Goose???? I've lived here for 6 years and I had no clue. The BEST BEST BEST vanilla soft serve that I have ever tasted. Check it out in Magrath.

More Mommy Stuff

 I want to share a few inspiring quotes from my Mother's Day reading.

"God sent women to earth with some qualities in extra capacity. In speaking to young women, President Faust observed that femininity “is the divine adornment of humanity. It finds expression in your … capacity to love, your spirituality, delicacy, radiance, sensitivity, creativity, charm, graciousness, gentleness, dignity, and quiet strength. It is manifest differently in each girl or woman, but each … possesses it. Femininity is part of your inner beauty.”

When you observe kind and gentle mothers in action, you see women of great strength. Their families can feel a spirit of love and respect and safety when they are near her as she seeks the companionship of the Holy Ghost and the guidance of His Spirit. They are blessed by her wisdom and good judgment. The husbands and children, whose lives they bless, will contribute to the stability of societies all over this world. Grateful daughters of God learn truths from their mothers and grandmothers and aunts. They teach their daughters the joyful art of creating a home. They seek fine educations for their children and have a thirst for knowledge themselves. They help their children develop skills that they can use in serving others. They know that the way they have chosen is not the easy way, but they know it is absolutely worth their finest efforts.

They understand what Elder Neal A. Maxwell meant when he said: “When the real history of mankind is fully disclosed, will it feature the echoes of gunfire or the shaping sound of lullabies? The great armistices made by military men or the peacemaking of women in homes and in neighborhoods? Will what happened in cradles and kitchens prove to be more controlling than what happened in congresses?” 4

Mommies.

Mother's Day always catches me off guard. I guess I just have my own mom and Gail on my mind and forget that it applies to me to :0)

This year might have been my best Mother's Day yet. The kids were so cute about everything. Can you see at the bottom of Jane's folded snowflake that she cut out the letters M-O-M. How cool is that! I think I got enough drawings and homemade jewelry to last me until next Mother's Day :0) Timmy put together the sweetest little treats for me and made a splendid salmon dinner and and the kids took care of breakfast in bed. 

A Fragment By Theo Marzials

Stanza 1 and 3

And then it seem'd I was a bird

That dipt along the silent street.

In that strange midnight nothing stir'd,

And all was moonlight, still and sweet.

And lower yet by flower-set still,

And close against her window-bars

And still the moonlight flowed, and still,

The still dew lit the jessamine stars

Fairmont Hot Springs: Our Warmth Comes Naturally

Charlie prides himself on his bowling skills. He wins every year.

 We had to put all four kids in one bed because we only rented a one bedroom. I promise this is not how we left them when we put them to bed...

 Scarlet is my new camera hijacker.

 We made millions of pompoms with our new pompom makers. Even Jacob could do it.

 More on that later.

 Baking clay is our new thing.

Toadstools, hamburgers, cupcakes, bananas, fishy crackers, watermelon, donuts...

We went swimming every day. 

The climbing wall was the highlight this year. This place was way chill so the kids just strapped in and started climbing all over the place.

 Later they hooked the kids on to this rope hanging from the roof so it was a giant swing. They would have swung back and forth all day if we let them.

 Jane and Charlie are hooked on together.

 Tim makes some killer guacamole these days. He made it a few times for us this trip.

On the way back we saw this. At first we just thought it was a dog on the side of the highway but we turned around just in case and if was a baby cub. We see bears everywhere!

Elizabeth

I started thinking about why my mom is cool and I realized I could go on and on forever! 

For as long as I can remember my mom has never said goodbye to me without a hug and an I love you. Seriously, like every 14 seconds of my entire life. That's got to be good for a kids well being. 

She was one of those moms that hated when summer vacation was over and always

 wanted her kids home.

She is a fierce defender of her kids. She was always, automatically on our side no matter what the circumstance.

She's the craziest night owl ever! When I was a kid, I would get up for school and she would still be awake!!

She loves to learn new things. That is why she knows everything. I've never called her with a question and not got the answer I needed. 

She looks half her age.

She learned to speak Farsi fluently so that she could communicate with my dads family.

She knows the stock market like the back of her hand and is good at it.

She gets way in to politics and has educated political opinions (hence the Bill O'Reilly fame).

She is a beautiful gardener.

She's peculiarly optimistic. 

She laughs. a lot. loud. 

She is the one in her family that is constantly trying to keep everyone connected.

She is a flawless sewer.

She can pick paint colors and design a house like a professional.

She forgives people instantly.

She's an artist.

She loves to travel and explore new places and leaves no stone unturned. She's been to the Caspian sea, Tokyo, Persepolis, Germany, Hawaii, Mexico, New York, California... all in one year.

She always wants to try out a new, obscure restaurant.

She's on the brink of cutting edge technology.

She calls and talks to my kids on the phone for literally hours.

She gets into whatever we are into- she went sailing with Eli, she went to a Brett Favre game with Jared in Minnesota and you might even say that she loves Etsy as much as I do now.

 She's a water baby. She lives for snorkeling and she'll play in the ocean for hours.

She is purely honest at all times.

She's my favorite Momma.

Famous

My mom's email was read on The O'Reilly Factor  last night. She loves Bill O'Reilly. Bucket list, check. Good job Momma!

More Chicky Chick Chick Stuff

The Town of Cardston has started a town discussion for the backyard hens issue. If you are a Cardstonian please make a comment:

Currently residents of Cardston are not permitted to keep chickens. There are some members of the community who would like to keep a few hens (no rooster). The town council is currently considering it, but they need to hear from some more people! Even if you don't want to keep chickens yourself, saying that you don't mind if someone has chickens in town would be great! Or, if you think chickens are bad news, let them know why! Thanks!!!

Book Alert

Our friends bought us Little Pea. The words fresh, and amusing come to mind. When I really like a book then I like to see what else the author has written. Thats how I found Little Hoot (and a bunch of other great children's books) which we super duperly enjoyed.

Bunnies Round 2

We picked up two of these guys tonight. Its a Lion/Lop variety. So cute that even I wanted to hold them!

The final votes for names aren't in yet but as of tonight we named them, 

Beaver and Genius.

                                  

 "The Noon of Love"

By J.A. Blaikie

Westward each nightfall

When white lies the dew,

Where the stream makes a bright fall

Of moon-rays for you,

While the night wind goes sighing

Over crag, over hollow,

Like a ghostly replying

To the snow owl's crying,

I the white waters follow,

With lips still sweet from sweet lips kist,

Like a spirit i pass

O'er the gleaming grass

Into the moon and the mist.

Wildly Beautiful

Even in just this texted picture you can see that baby Isabelle is the loveliest baby. She is the calmest, sweetest, darlingest baby. Her parents must be magical. I LOVE her.

Sweet And Low

   by Lord Alfred Tennyson   

Sweet and low, sweet and low,

Wind of the western sea,

Low, low, breathe and blow,

Wind of the western sea!

Over the rolling waters go,

Come from the dying moon, and blow,

Blow him again to me;

While my little one, while my pretty one, sleeps.

Sleep and rest, sleep and rest,

Father will come to thee soon;

Rest, rest, on mother's breast,

Father will come to thee soon;

Father will come to his babe in the best,

Silver sails all out of the west,

Under the silver moon:

Sleep, my little one, sleep, my pretty one, sleep.

        

WOWEEEE

Dreamy. I bet these people have ducks running around outside. So jealous.

Wisconsin. 1810.5 pound pumpkin.

Poetry in May

Never the Time and the Place

by Robert Browning
(1812-1889)

Never the time and the place

And the loved one all together!

This path--how soft to pace!

This May -- what magic weather!

Where is the loved one's face?

In a dream that loved one's face meets mine,

But the house is narrow, the place is bleak

Where, outside, rain and wind combine

With a furtive ear, if I strive to speak,

With a hostile eye at my flushing cheek,

With a malice that marks each word, each sign!

O enemy sly and serpentine,

Uncoil thee from the waking man!

Do I hold the Past

Thus firm and fast

Yet doubt if the Future hold I can?

This path so soft to pace shall lead

Thro' the magic of May to herself indeed!

Or narrow if needs the house must be,

Outside are the storms and strangers: we

Oh, close, safe, warm sleep I and she, --

I and she!

Fashionista

With a cardigan people, with a cardigan. 

 A white cardigan for this one.

A chocolate one for this one.

Fill Your Soul Here

This paragraph spoke to me today. The rest of the talk can be found here its good good stuff.

"The truth is, those who diligently seek to learn of Christ eventually will come to know Him. They will personally receive a divine portrait of the Master, although it most often comes in the form of a puzzle—one piece at a time. Each individual piece may not be easily recognizable by itself; it may not be clear how it relates to the whole. Each piece helps us to see the big picture a little more clearly. Eventually, after enough pieces have been put together, we recognize the grand beauty of it all. Then, looking back on our experience, we see that the Savior had indeed come to be with us—not all at once but quietly, gently, almost unnoticed.


Often, the answer to our prayer does not come while we’re on our knees but while we’re on our feet serving the Lord and serving those around us. Selfless acts of service and consecration refine our spirits, remove the scales from our spiritual eyes, and open the windows of heaven. By becoming the answer to someone’s prayer, we often find the answer to our own.

This can be our experience if we move forward with faith and do not wait too long on the road to Damascus."

Eggs and Teeth

So it turns out I can get pretty fancy in the kitchen... well at least pretty fancy for Rice Krispie treats. I made these bird nests for the kids the day their friends Zach and Parley came to visit. We were thrilled to have C & Al coming to our house.That morning, I overheard the kids debating who's cheeks are squishier, Parley's or Scarlet's.

This is Parley chill'in in the chest. He's the BEST baby ever and the kids are right, his cheeks are definitely squishy.

Al finished dental school the weekend they visited so I made him this shirt in celebration. I did it the freezer paper stenciling way.  Probably the weirdest graduation gift ever.

.

Pipe Cleaners Everywhere

You can do anything with pipe cleaners. Even write out the whole alphabet and hang them on a clothes line. Jacob did a wonderful job of this at our "cation house".

Speedy Art

Tim had one of his students come to our house to show us her cool talent. She plays MJ's song Beat It while painting this picture in under 5 minutes. The coolest part is that she paints it upside down! I guess its called "speed art".

Springtime Welcome

Daffodils By William Wordsworth

I wandered lonely as a cloud That floats on high o'er vales and hills, When all at once I saw a crowd, A host, of golden daffodils; Beside the lake, beneath the trees, Fluttering and dancing in the breeze. Continuous as the stars that shine And twinkle on the milky way, They stretched in never-ending line Along the margin of a bay: Ten thousand saw I at a glance, Tossing their heads in sprightly dance. The waves beside them danced; but they Out-did the sparkling waves in glee: A poet could not but be gay, In such a jocund company: I gazed--and gazed--but little thought What wealth the show to me had brought: For oft, when on my couch I lie In vacant or in pensive mood, They flash upon that inward eye Which is the bliss of solitude; And then my heart with pleasure fills, And dances with the daffodils.

Bread Will Bring Us Together

Charlie has been working on learning Pachebels this whole year. 

I am so glad they get to spend the day together.

Sometimes they like to talk about life... while eating No-Knead Bread. 

Thank you Cammy for the recipe. 

Jane has been keeping us supplied with fresh bread every morning for a week.