Birthday Love

It was my birthday a few weeks ago.

This is a shot of the family celebration.

Of course all of the kids got a candle in their cupcake.

Saves their spit being all over mine.

The photographer needs some tips of shooting with an I-phone.

If you can believe it, this was actually the best of the bunch.

Ada and Miles colored pictures for my gift.

I told them I would hang them up in my office.

They make a perfect addition to my filing cabinet.

Tim snuck into my office and left flowers and Kisses

Then took me to dinner and a movie on my official birthday.

PF Changs did us right and then some.

The movie turned into a wild goose chase because

I apparently don't know how to read a movie schedule.

After three theaters, we finally made it, only five minutes late.

If you haven't seen The Kings Speech,

Do yourself a favor and run to see it as quickly as possible.

You will not be disappointed.

No Recipe Needed

This has become our go-to dinner. Salmon patties from Costco and "quinoa suprise" . Have you discovered the goodness that is quinoa? If not, do yourself a favor and check it out. It is a grain that is super healthy (think protein), easy to cook, and delicious. I have prepared it several different ways, but my current favorite was inspired by Kathleen at http://www.jeremyandkathleen.blogspot.com/. I roasted asparagus, portabella mushrooms and spinach with a little olive oil and salt and pepper. When the veggies were done, I mixed them with cooked quinoa and added a little soy sauce and rice vinegar for extra flavor. Super simple and absolutely delish!

P.S., You are welcome for the dinner idea. Now what should I make tonight since I think we have to wait at least a week before we can have this meal again.

Parenting Advice From The Non Parent

I read a lot of blogs - my guilty pleasure. One that I consistently follow is CJane, you can find her at http://blog.cjanerun.com/. I don't exactly have my own little darlings, but these thoughts were consistent with a lot of what I have been thinking lately.

From Bryn- We are a family that works. When my children wake up they know we will be working (housework, school work, gardening, etc) and they have a choice, to work along side me or find something to do by themselves. When the work is done we play, but I don't entertain my kids all day.

From Sarah- When life isn't pleasant there are only two things to be done, make a change or change your perspective.

From Sarah (again)- Our children have it good. Really good. Stop worrying whether or not you are giving them enough, especially when you have to get things accomplished not involving their immediate happiness. They are extremely blessed.

From Kathy- If the baby is crying and your kitchen is a mess, let the baby cry and clean the kitchen.

The last one seems a little harsh, but I think she is just making the point that sometimes they will be ok to cry it out and you will be better for getting things done. Don't stone me because I'm not a parent and have never been faced with the dilema. I reserve the right to change any and all opinions at any point in my life.

Osmond Design

I had some bare spots in our living room that I have been slowly trying to fill. I wandered into Osmond Design looking for inspiration and immediately fell in love with this turquoise fleur de lis and knew I wanted it for the top of my piano. I wasn't sure what else to put with it and wandered around the store for awhile then finally asked at the front desk if there was someone who could help - interior design is not my strong point. I was at the Osmond Design in North Orem, but assume their other stores have equally great staff. I described my space to the girl (I can call her that right, she was at least 10 years younger than me) and told her what I liked. She spent time with me trying out different items and really encouraged me to use pieces that spoke to me and leave out everything else. When we had it right, she encouraged me to take a picture of how it was set up so I could recreate the design at home. In honor of the fleur de lis - voila! It's a simple space but I love how it came together.

Seriously, you should pop into Osmond Design, they were really helpful and I thought the prices were super reasonable. Now if I could just get my basement decorated, I might feel like we are officially moved into our house.

Gym Tales

I know, I know, I post a lot of gym stories, but sometimes they are just too great not to share. For reasons that will soon become apparent, there will be no illustrations to these stories. My apologies if you have a vivid imagination.

Exhibit Number 1: My friend Susan and I were getting ready in the locker room. We were in a narrow aisle where she was doing her hair and I was facing her talking. A woman came in, stood right between us and proceeded to get ready to shower. The whole time I kept thinking, surely she will just partially undress and then go to the stall to finish. Not only did she completely disrobe (for the modest at heart), but she bent over and got things out of her bag!!! What happened to women being self-conscious in the locker room? I don't care if you're not covered from head to toe, but seriously, how am I supposed to keep from laughing out loud. I quickly left and held in the laughter until Susan called me as soon as she had left the gym. We laughed for a long time. And to answer the burning question, no, she did not have it to be flaunting it.

Exhibit Number 2:Note to the guy in the sauna who clearly forgot his swimsuit but thought that because his boxer/briefs were baggy, he could fool everyone into thinking it was a swimsuit; we weren't fooled! And we were grossed out!

Exhibit Number 3: And finally...I was getting ready and couldn't help but overhear the conversation in the next aisle between to women about all their ailments and the incredible cure found by one. She talked about the amazing supplements that she and her husband had discovered and how they had "changed her life". By the time the other woman asked about the founder of the company and developer of the supplements, I was a little curious. Imagine my shock when she revealed that he was a veterinarian. She said that because he knew how to diagnose deficiencies in animals, there was a direct correlation with humans so he had this "gift". No disrespect to veterinarians, they are lifesavers with animals, but c'mon, you want me to entrust my lhealth to a former veterinarian turned supplement charlatan???

And that, my friends, is why you should spend more time at the gym. Forget the work out, it's all about the entertainment.

Sunshine on a Rainy Day

It's grey and rainy here so I needed a little sunshine to pick me up.

Oh, the yellow thing in the sky?

It's nice for tanning, but

These boys and happy times in the park are the real sunshine.

Amen Brother Tyler

The other night we were watching American Idol and Steven Tyler was making one of his long winded, very heart felt comments after a performance. Tim turned to me and said "He would be a great testimony bearer". I about fell off the couch laughing. I think what makes it so funny is that it is true, maybe we should start the rumor that Steven Tyler is a mormon. As long as we are talking Idol judges, am I the only one who thinks that it would be fun to have Jennifer Lopez over for dinner? I think she would be so much fun. Even if she wasn't, I could probably still score some great beauty secrets.