Nie Nie Day

Have you checked out the auctions?
More importantly, have you put in your bids?

lots of great stuff
where to find other great stuff

Happy bidding!

You know you're fat when

your bracelet disappears into your wrist crease.

Family has been on my mind.

With all of the tragedy that we've seen in the lives of our friends in the last year or so, it has been my knowledge of eternal families that has brought me the most peace. We have truly mourned with our friends, and knowing that our relationships can continue beyond the grave has stopped my tears and calmed my worries and allowed me to carry on. It is a glorious promise from a very loving Heavenly Father.

Well, I don't know about you, but I love a good project. Taking inspiration from a family tree kit I saw a while ago, I have come up with this:


A 5 generation tree that socks a graphic punch. I am going to hang it in my hall. I love that I will walk by it a million times a day and see the names of people who are part of me forever.

Do you like it? Well, I will be auctioning off a similar kit on my sister's blog this Thursday, NieNie day, to raise money for our friends.

I feel so lucky to know Stephanie, to have been in her home, and to have felt her immense spirit and love of life. She is indeed a special person and my prayers continue to be with her and her darling family.

Balloons for Nie

Get well dear Nie!

My Mom

Jooj, my mom, and my dad with teeny Stella on her blessing day

Today is my mom's birthday.
I thank my Father in Heaven everyday for my mom.

Whenever I am frustrated with my kids, I think about how I never heard my mom raise her voice. Ever. And then I try harder to be more patient and calm.

Whenever Oliver is bored, I think about how much my mom read to us when we were little. And then Oliver and I sit on the couch and read the time away.

Whenever Stella is tired, I think about how my mom sang and rocked us to sleep. And then I remember that Stella will only be a baby for a minute, so I rock her and sing to her and love her to sleep.

I learned from the best.

Happy birthday, Mom.

Right now at our house

Egg Dish of the Week

(This is not a picture of my frittata.)

We typically have some sort of egg dish for dinner once a week. We like egg burritos, poached eggs on toast, huevos rancheros (like this), or just scrambled. Tonight I made my first frittata and boy was it delicious. Here is the recipe (from allrecipes.com):

American Frittata

• 4 potatoes, peeled and cubed
• 1/2 onions, sliced
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 8 eggs, beaten
• 3/4 cup cubed ham
• salt and pepper to taste
• 3/4 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
  

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add potatoes and cook until tender but still firm, about 5 minutes. Drain and set aside to cool. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. In a cast iron skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add onions and cook slowly, stirring occasionally, until onions are soft.
3. Stir in eggs, drained potatoes, ham, salt and pepper. Cook until eggs are firm on the bottom, about 5 minutes. Top frittata with shredded cheese and place in preheated oven until cheese is melted and eggs are completely firm, about 10 minutes.

Let's see, I used medium red potatoes and forgot to peel them. I found 4 to be too many, so I probably used 2 1/2 to 3. I had some asparagus that was about to go bad, so I chopped it into bite sized pieces and added it with the onions. I don't have a cast iron skillet, unfortunately, so I cooked my things on the stove in a regular skillet and then transferred it to a glass pie plate before putting it in the oven. It worked out ok, but a cast iron skillet would have been more convenient. I topped my frittata with cheese and chopped tomatoes. It was really yummy and I will definitely make it again.

Disclaimer: my kids didn't really eat it.

Is it fall yet?

Because I really want to wear a sweater

and go for an evening family walk
and leave my windows open.

Some things just have to be documented.

Like how cute Stella's legs look in these pants.

I have always been a big fan of black bean burgers.

The problem is that no one else in my little family will eat them. (Mike thinks they are too squishy and the kids, well, I don't think they like the way they look, to be honest.) But that doesn't stop me from whipping up a batch every once in a while for my own enjoyment.

I have tried several recipes. My most recent attempt was a derivative of my three favorite recipes, but alas, I am no chef, and it didn't turn out so well.

So, here is the recipe I use most often {from How it all Vegan, via cjane (who is keeping us all up to date on the progress of her sister and our friend, Stephanie), via design mom long ago}:

Spicy Black Bean Burgers
1/2 cup flour
1 small onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1 small hot pepper, minced
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 medium red pepper, diced
2 cups black beans, rinsed and mashed
1/2 cup corn niblets
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1/4 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp chili powder
2 tbsp fresh parsley

Set flour aside for coating. Saute onion, garlic, oregano, and hot pepper in oil until onions are translucent. Add peppers and saute for another 2 minutes, until pepper is tender. In a large bowl, mash the beans with a fork. Stir in the vegetables, corn, bread crumbs, cumin, salt, chili powder, and parsley. Mix well. Divide and shape into patties. Coat in flour. Cook on a lightly oiled frying pan on medium high for about 5-10 minutes, or until brown.

I don't like spicy things, so I leave out all of the peppers. I also don't like cumin, so I leave that out as well. (Am I boring, or what?) I like to add about 1/2 cup cheese to the mixture, and instead of using 2 cups of beans, I just use 2 cans. I serve them with homemade salsa and avocados on whole wheat buns. I love them. I just wish everyone else did, too. Do you have a good black bean burger recipe? Please share if you do. I am still on the look out for the best.

In other news, doesn't Mabel look sweet? Thanks for the dress, Ali.
She put it on immediately.
You can get your own here.

I read Nie Nie.

As I'm sure you know, our favorite blogger, Stephanie, needs our prayers. She and her adoring husband, Christian, were in a private plane crash this weekend. Please join with me and many many others as our thoughts and prayers are with their sweet little family.

Once again, it is my faith in my Savior, Jesus Christ, and His gospel that bring me peace in the midst of heartache. I hope you can feel that peace, too.

Intentional Sweat

pictured: my sweaty-ness, also the spot where I had a mole removed last week
(don't worry, it's not cancerous.)
not pictured: Stella's soon-to-be 4 teeth
(who does she think she is? a 14 month old? sheesh)

Remember when I tried to walk Mabel to school last year?
Well, it was a disaster.

This year she and Oliver start at 8:30 am, so we've started walking again.
(even though it's still a million degrees outside.)

I hate being sweaty.
I spend my summers trying to avoid sweat.
(that's really hard here in the desert.)

But I've realized that an intentional sweat is so much more refreshing than an accidental one. I'm actually enjoying our morning walks.
(even though I'm fluorescent pink by the time we get home.)

huzzah!

It's the first day of school.

And here are the pictures to prove it.

front

back

Technically, Oliver doesn't need a backpack for preschool, but I wasn't going to argue with him about it. Mabel is going on 4 years of only wearing predominantly pink dresses. I hope this phase never ends.

Sigh.
I miss them already.

I guess Oliver inherited some of my genes afterall.

See what he's wearing?
He loves his "soft pants".

Have a good weekend and don't forget to watch the Olympics tonight!

A thing of beauty.

An early birthday present came in the mail today.
I love it.
Thanks, Les.

Now, what should I bake for it?

I need an intervention.

I am officially addicted to lounge wear
and I don't know what to do.

How is it that I share DNA with these two ultra stylish girls
and I can't seem to put an outfit together to save my life?

Here's the thing:
It is a million degrees outside where I live.
I spend most of my time on the floor with Miss Stella.
I still haven't lost the baby weight.
(It's only been 9 months, guy, give me a break.)
I don't like to shop.
Spending money on clothes is painful for me.

When I was in Sundance last week, my mom offered to buy me a dress.
She gave me several catalogs to choose from.
Although I found quite a few darling dresses,
I just couldn't do it.
I can't explain it.
It's a sickness.

Aak! I am the frumpy mom who can't get out of her lounge wear rut!


Help.

Time to break out the BabyLegs.

Someone's knees were getting red.


Get your own BabyLegs here.

Fini

To conclude this lovely series of vacation recaps, here are the last of my favorite pictures.
Thanks for reading.

having fun on the train

more lushness

stella and lincoln lounging on the patio

most of the cousins
(I love that Mabel and Emma are holding hands and that Parker has his arm around Jack.
I love cousin love.)

something was apparently reeeaally funny.
(And apparently Leslie and I laugh exactly the same way.)

Lincoln is so funny.

Oliver and Jack

Stella, looking pretty for church

Triangle Conference

Triangle Conference 2008

There is a little room in my parents' house called the triangle room.
It is filled with carpeted cubbies and different levels that are perfect for climbing and playing with cousins.

Every morning, after breakfast, Pa would call a Triangle Conference.
The kids would pile into the teeny room to discuss the day's itinerary, share concerns, and introduce their "guys".

I loved sitting in the family room and listening to the giggles that came from those conferences.
It might have been my favorite part of our trip.

At a friends' house. . .

This is the house. Isn't it incredible?

We went swimming.

Seriously, that body.

Then we went fishing.

Look! It's me and Mike!

Thank you D* Family!

On the train to Heber and back. . .

In my parents' backyard. . .

picking wildflowers

going for walks

feeding some hungry horses

generally basking in the cool mountain air

It was lush.

We're home

and boy did we have fun.

Oliver enjoying his chocolate shake in the Sundance Deli

Stay tuned for more of those vacation recaps that are so interesting.
But first I need to organize the bajillion pictures we took.