for citrus season

We inherited lots of mature citrus trees in our backyard, and citrus season is almost here! Hooray! Just a couple more weeks until we have freshly squeezed orange juice in our fridge and orange slices with dinner every night. When we bought our house, I didn't realize what a blessing those trees would be. I am thankful for them (and for the original homeowners who planted them almost 40 years ago!).

for bike rides

Elliot stayed up too late last night and was having a hard time this afternoon. So we fixed his bike (it needed a new tube) and went on a bike ride together. The weather was perfect, and one on one time was just what we both needed. He gets really chatty when we go on bike rides, and I am thankful for the nice visit we had together.

for our neighborhood

Our neighborhood had our annual chili cook off tonight at the elementary school, and I had such a fun time that I forgot to take a picture of it, so I am inserting this one of my boys walking out of our church building (which happens to be in our neighborhood) instead.

I am thankful for our neighborhood! It is filled with good, hard working people who genuinely love and care for each other. When Mike and I moved to Arizona almost 12 years ago, we felt really drawn to this area, and I am so glad. It has been the best place for us to raise our children, and I look forward to spending many more years here.

happy weekend

It's still too hot out, but my friend, Jill, and I went hiking this week anyway. Is it beautiful here? I don't know. Ask me again when it's not 97 degrees outside. We had a good hike, despite the heat. I like hiking with Jill because she is fun to talk to, but also because she keeps us moving at a fast pace. Sometimes I'm jogging to catch up to her and it feels really good.

We are heading in to our October break this weekend. I can't think of anything better than a week off of school right now! My kids have been working so hard, but they are beat and we all need to catch up on some sleep.

Do you quilt? When Mike and I were in Boston last week, I went quilt fabric shopping with my sister-in-law and her mom. They are highly experienced quilters and I was hoping some of their talent would rub off on me. I bought a little fabric and have been piecing some squares this week, but I must not be precise enough because they are turning out a little wonky. I'll keep at it, and read up on it a little bit, but I'll gladly take any advice you have to give!

One of my favorite quotes from the conference talks I listened to on my runs this week was from Elder Joni L. Koch's talk, Apart, but Still One. He said, "We have no right to portray anybody, including from our Church circle, as a badly finished product! Rather, our words about our fellow beings should reflect our belief in Jesus Christ and His Atonement and that, in Him and through Him, we can always change for the better!" Working on that ...

I hope you have a happy weekend.

happy weekend

I think I've forgotten how to blog, and I'm ok with that.

We rearranged our family room yesterday. Our tv was broken (thanks to an errant magna tile), so we took it down and moved everything around. Lest you think we are virtuously going without a tv from now on, we picked up a new (bigger) one at Costco last night. Rearranging furniture is near the top of my list of favorite home improvements and I keep walking down to the basement just to see the new set up again.

This morning felt a little bit like Christmas, as our nighttime low finally dipped down to the 70s. Hot afternoons are much more bearable when I can open my windows at night. We are heading in to the best six months in Arizona and I can't wait.

I made these pumpkin muffins to celebrate.

Have a happy weekend!

happy weekend

Yesterday we had a whopper of a monsoon. It is so amazing to have the temperature drop 30 degrees in a few minutes as the rain (and hail) start pouring out of the sky. It's just about the only time you see kids playing in the street in the summer. It is a welcome change, even with the humidity it brings.

I told myself this week that I didn't have to do anything. That I was just going to enjoy our last week of summer and relax. I did do a lot of that, but I also got busy cleaning out cupboards and junk drawers and my entire sewing room. I'm not sure what came over me. It was the most energy I've had all summer. Maybe because I gave myself permission to relax? Who knows, but I sure love walking by my sewing room and seeing it spic and span.

I'm teaching the Young Women on Sunday. The lesson is on why family is important. I don't usually look forward to my turn to teach, but I am excited to get into this topic with them. This whole month is full of really great lesson topics, actually. I am grateful to belong to a church that believes in and teaches these things to our youth.

Well, Oliver will be happy to know that because of the rain yesterday, the grass was too soggy to mow this morning. He had no idea I was going to wake him up early to work on it. We'll have to do that tomorrow, I guess. :) We need to get back in to the habit of waking up early, anyway. 5:00 wake up calls are coming soon!

Have a happy weekend.

happy weekend

It turns out that the Fourth of July is a good day to drive home from Utah. The roads are mostly empty and there are really great fireworks displays dotting the sky as you descend into the valley. We pulled into our driveway just in time to light a few sparklers and send everyone to bed.

We were away for two weeks, which felt like a good long time, but we were ready to come home. We are homebodies through and through and even though Sundance, Utah is my favorite place in the world to visit, home is my favorite place to be. I spent the rest of the week getting back into the swing of things and reminding myself that I don't need to drink Dr Pepper everyday.

The kids missed our cats while we were gone. I surprised myself by really missing my bike! None of us missed the heat, but summer time in Arizona is what it is. And strangely enough, 100 degrees at midnight feels like home.

More photos of our trip to come. . . Have a great weekend!

a habit shift

We spent yesterday cleaning out our garage and shed. Why we chose to do that when it was 107 degrees outside, I don't know. But when the urge to purge hits, you have to follow through. That's what I've learned, anyway.

Our goal was to make room in the garage for our bikes. Because all of a sudden it feels like we have a million bikes!

Another thing I love about Mike is that when he decides to do something, HE DOES IT. An example: We have decided that if possible, we will ride our bikes instead of driving our car. Luckily we live where it is very flat (it's not called Mesa for nothing), and most of our life happens within a very small radius of our home. This is something I happily support. But Mike didn't stop there. No, he went above and beyond, like he always does, and found us electric bikes!

Oh man, they are a major game changer. Once you start pedaling, the little electric motor kicks in to assist. Every bike ride becomes a leisurely bike ride, even though you are zooming down the road. (Since our children don't have electric bikes, we kept our old bikes for family bike rides. Thus, the million bikes now crowding our garage.) The electric bikes make his commute to work and school, date night, and trips to the store so much more fun.

Sometimes it is hard to shift our habits. It takes effort to think about jumping on my bike to run an errand instead of jumping in the car. It takes some planning, too. That quick trip to the store might not happen, but maybe that's ok? Maybe it can wait. And sometimes habit shifts require going against the norm a little bit. My gut tells me that this shift is a good one, odd as it may seem to others. I've noticed that when I get home from a trip on my bike, I am happy. There is something light and peaceful and quiet about it. I am glad that Mike pushed it, and that it fits into our life easily.

(We got Juiced bikes and love them.)

happy weekend

That beautiful new dishwasher right there represents true love. Here's why: Our old dishwasher broke a few months ago, and I have been hand washing our dishes ever since (#firstworldproblems, I know). But because he loves me, Mike took our tax return (the first we've gotten in years!) and bought a new one. Be still my heart! I am trying to retrain myself so that instead of scrubbing all of the dishes in the sink before putting them in the dishwasher like I have always done, I just scrape the food off and put them in unrinsed, as per the dishwasher's instructions. So far so good. We've been living in our house long enough now where we might have to start fixing and replacing things, I guess. I like that settled, long-term feeling.

Our activities are starting to wind down, and it feels great. Slower, less busy days are on the horizon. Mike only has a few days left of his first year of MBA school, and he is definitely due for a break, or in the very least, a nice, long nap. He has worked so hard! But before that happens we have one more baseball game, a few more volleyball matches, two really big choir concerts, and Mike has a few more finals to take.

It's not too hot here yet, so we'll be outside this weekend, trying to get our yard in order before summer hits.

What do you have planned?

happy (conference!) weekend

A couple of weeks ago, we hiked the Treasure Loop Trail in the Lost Dutchman State Park. We loved it. The trail was only about 2.5 miles long, not too difficult for Elliot's 6 year old legs, and it was SO pretty. It was totally worth the $7 entry fee, and we can't wait to go back to the park to try the other hikes. We've lived in view of the Superstition Mountains for 11 years, and for 11 years I have admired them from afar, but this was the first time I'd ever been up close, which is so silly because they are only about 30 minutes away.

Mike and I are about to hop on a plane to Salt Lake City. We'll be attending his mission reunion tonight (Canada Calgary). It should be fun! We'll be back home tomorrow, and hopefully we won't miss too much of General Conference while we're traveling.

Because it's General Conference weekend! My most favorite weekend! General Conference always leaves me with answers to my questions and with the feeling that everything is going to be ok. It's just the boost I need every six months. If you have a few minutes to spare, tune in! I'd love to hear what you think about it.

If you want to know why mormons love General Conference (and a little bit about the beginnings of our church), this is a great article about why we believe that God still speaks through prophets today.

Have a happy weekend!

happy weekend

I went downstairs to make the kids' beds yesterday morning (as I do every morning) and found Elliot's bed already made! What a kid. He won the prize for favorite yesterday for sure. Cleaning is totally the way to my heart.

This week I pulled out a dress pattern I've had (and have never used) since high school. It's been a long time since I've sewn something for myself, and I had such a good time working on it. The funny thing about sewing clothing is that you are making a decision based on a picture. Then you spend lots and lots of hours constructing something that you might not even like once it's finished! Ha! Good thing I like the dress I just spent all week making. I've made lots of things in the past that I ended up not liking, and that's no fun.

Don't forget about Women's Conference tomorrow! You can see how to watch it here. It's always such a nice, uplifting meeting. I look forward to watching it with my girls.

Is it snowing at your house? We had a little dip in the temperature here, which feels like our last hurrah before the heat comes. I'll take 70 and breezy over 94 in March any day.

Have a happy weekend!

happy weekend

I've been giving wisteria updates on my instagram feed this week. Just when I don't think it can get any more beautiful, I wake up the next morning to more leaves and fuller flowers. When we drive away from our house, I make everyone stop and admire it with me. Oh, I love it! I look forward to it all year long.

This is our last day of spring break. We have had the best week. We have mostly stuck close to home, which suits us all so well. I had to run a few errands yesterday and nearly had to drag Stella and Elliot along. They would have been more than happy to stay in the basement, but they needed some sunlight on their skin. The mornings have been cool and the evenings just right for a jump on the trampoline or a walk around the block. This morning we took advantage of our last day off to go on another hike. Even Mike came along. Seeing my whole family together made my heart grow a few sizes. I'll be sad to send them back to school on Monday.

We keep putting off the yard work, but tomorrow we are going to have to buckle down and get it done. We have lemons to pick and new flowers to plant and the lawn to mow. I'm excited to use the new hose I bought yesterday (it's kink free and won't leak!). It's the little things. :)

I saw this quick little video on Facebook and wanted to share it here. It has such a happy message:

Have a great weekend!

hiking the hieroglyphic trail

One of my goals for this spring break was to take my kids hiking. There are so many hikes nearby and this is the perfect time of year to try them. First on our list was the Hieroglyphic Trail in Gold Canyon, about 40 minutes away from us. It is a gentle sloping trail, about 3 miles long, there and back. It wasn't too difficult for Elliot, my six year old, but he was definitely worn out by the end of it. There were lots of pretty vistas and the whole area seemed so green (relatively speaking, of course). The best part is that at the top of the trail are ancient petroglyphs covering the rocks.

They were pretty amazing. There was also a small waterfall and a little trickling stream, with lots of large boulders to climb. It was really fun and the cool shade was really refreshing. My kids didn't want to leave.

Every once in a while (usually when I am standing next to a ginormous saguaro cactus like this one) I remember that we really live in the desert here. I am learning to appreciate it!

happy weekend

My friend and I took advantage of our terrific weather and hiked Camelback Mountain yesterday. I am not really a hiker, but I love hiking Camelback. It is steep and difficult and it just feels really good to climb those boulders all the way to the top. During Spring Break I want to try some of the hikes Kayla listed on her blog with my kids. I know there are a lot of beautiful things to see in this desert, and we're going to find them.

For dinner this week, we tried these Little Quinoa Patties and some really great pasta. I'll share the pasta recipe below. We ate the quinoa patties like hamburgers with a side of roasted sweet and regular potatoes.

My friend (and everyone's friend), Ellen, sent me this pasta recipe and I am totally going to add it to our favorites:

Farfalle Alle Erbe e Panna Rosa, from Lisa Ure
1 pound farfalle (bowtie) pasta
4 tablespoons of butter
2 teaspoons of fresh basil, finely chopped
1 teaspoon of fresh rosemary, finely chopped
1 teaspoon of fresh sage, finely chopped (I didn't have sage, so I skipped it.)
1/2 beef bouillon cube (I used a teaspoon of chicken Better Than Bouillon.)
2 pounds fresh ripe plum tomatoes
1 teaspoon of salt
freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup of heavy cream

Peel, seed, and cut the tomatoes into a 1/4 inch dice.

Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the herbs and bouillon and stir with a wooden spoon for one minute or until the bullion has dissolved completely. Don't let the butter burn. Add the tomatoes. Season with salt and pepper and cook for about 5-10 minutes or until the tomatoes have reduced and separated from the butter. Raise the heat to medium-high and pour in the cream. Cook, stirring frequently, until it has reduced by about half. Remove the skillet from the heat and set aside.

While the sauce is cooking, bring 4 quarts of water to a boil in a large pot and cook your pasta al dente. Then drain it and toss it with the sauce.


This weekend Oliver will be off on a scout campout while the rest of us recover from this long, tiresome week. Hopefully there's some good food in there somewhere, too.

Have a happy weekend!

happy weekend

It seems like most of the country is being blanketed by snow right now, but here in Arizona it is 85 degrees! My kids came home from school yesterday with pink, sunburned noses. Ah! I'm not ready for the heat, but I sure love an Arizona spring. Our lilac vine is about to go crazy with blossoms and I can't wait.

I never wanted to be the mom who was constantly in the car, shuttling kids to a million different places, but I was totally that mom this week. Man alive, I'm exhausted! It was my week to drive the carpool to high school plus it seems like I was going back and forth to Oliver's school (about 15 minutes away) a million times. Add in the usual piano lessons and choir practice and mutual and scouts and I'll tell you what, I am ready for the weekend.

Mabel joined the tennis team at school, so our big plans this weekend include buying active wear (please tell me you've seen this video!) and looking at tennis rackets.

Recipes I tried this week: Black Bean and Sweet Potato Burritos (Loved these! I added chicken and avocado.), Turkey and Swiss Sloppy Joes (a surprise hit), and Brazilian Style Black Beans and Rice (My first time successfully cooking dried beans! I used our instant pot. Not as good as my favorite beans from Tucanos, but pretty all right.)

Are your kids passing out valentines? Stella doesn't want to, but Elliot does. Maybe these heart pom pom bookmarks will change Stella's mind?

Have a happy weekend!

happy weekend

It's the time of year when the citrus is ready to be picked and juiced. Yesterday I juiced a few bags of oranges and my house smelled so fresh for the rest of the day. We got so many lemons this year! I used to freeze the juice to make lemonade all year long, but do you know what's in lemonade? Lots and lots of sugar, so I don't make it as often anymore, and now our main use of the lemons is to squeeze them on top of our Sunday morning german pancakes. Must research how to use more lemons (outside of my favorite lemon deserts: warm lemon pudding cake, lemon cake, lemon squares, and lemon poppy seed muffins).

Thanks to your comments, I tried a few new recipes this week. Rollup Blender Pancakes from Mel's Kitchen Cafe were probably the biggest hit (even though they were for breakfast and not dinner). We also tried Mel's 30-Minute Quinoa Enchilada Skillet (Mabel and I loved it), Our Best Bite's Black Bean Soup and Baked Creamy Chicken Taquitos. I would make them all again. Thank you! Oh, and we brought these Healthy Applesauce Oat Muffins to Sunday dinner and they were gone in a flash.

I printed out lots more recipes from those sites to try next week, too. Hurray!

This is the best time of year to be in Arizona, so we are going to do our best to soak it up this weekend. Yard work is on our to-do list, and hopefully we'll actually do it instead of loafing around like we usually do on Saturdays. Ha!

Have a happy one!

winter grass

I spent all morning mowing, edging, raking, and fertilizing our winter lawn. It is a lot of work, but I think it's so pretty, so I don't mind. I am thankful that I have the strength and energy to take care of it, and I am thankful for the beauty it adds to our home. It is soft and bright green and feels so good under my bare feet.

Don't mind the kitty. The only thing on Stella's birthday list this year is another cat, so we are auditioning kittens this week. Shh, don't tell our other cat, Inez.

rain

We woke up to a cool breeze and a ground wet from an early morning rain. I can't tell you what a pleasure it is to have nice weather after so many months of heat. My windows are open and the breeze is blowing through the house, making everything feel fresh and new. I am thankful to live in this desert, despite its difficult summers, for there is no where else I'd rather be. But I am most grateful for the change in season. We are entering into our other season here, the nice one, and it makes me so happy!

happy weekend

I think Elliot really thought he could beat Mike at stick pull the other night during Stella's volleyball practice. He certainly gave it everything he had. Look at that face! Mike surprised us and showed up at Stella's practice. We seriously never see him anymore, he is so busy at school. Honestly, I feel like a single mom most of the time. (I have enormous respect for real single moms. You are strong, capable ladies.) It is hard but it will be worth it, I think.

A list of things I have found upon waking in the last three weeks:
a bat flying around my kitchen
a rat hiding under my kitchen table
a rat under our dresser, being chased by our cat*
and the worst one-- a rat trying to escape out my opened but screened bedroom window, inches from my head.*

*occurred in the middle of the night

Our cat is officially (I mean it this time) fired. It used to drive me nuts that she'd bring dead birds and lizards into the house, but I'd take that over the live animals she's been bringing in lately. I can't even. . . I mean, I'm just glad we found and caught these things before Mike left for the day. Otherwise I'd really have to put my brave face on, and I don't think I could do it.

Have your kids picked out their Halloween costumes yet? We are still trying to decide on a few at our house, but time is running out!

Some recipes I tried and at least half of us liked this week: Ree's Quinoa with Buttery Roasted Vegetables (I doubled the vegetables), Ree's Veggie Tortellini Soup (this came together in like 20 minutes), Cha Cha's White Chicken Chili (minus the jalapeno), and Pumpkin Magic Cake (go heavy on the glaze).

I wish I could say it felt like fall here, but we have another week or so of hot (and I mean hot) weather. And then, then, it will be in the 70s! Happy day.

I hope you have a good weekend full of fall things. We have the school carnival, which is always a good time.

happy weekend

I've had it. I cleaned out my closet yesterday and put all of my summer clothes in storage. I can't even look at them anymore. But I think that worked, because it's only supposed to be 86 today! And our 10 day forecast doesn't predict any temperatures over 100! Maybe fall is here, after all? I'll take what I can get.

So, I'm not a career woman, obviously. Nor did I ever aspire to be, but I still found this post on 15 Career Tips from Smart Women really inspiring. My favorite: "What if joy is my only metric for success?" I've been thinking a lot about that. My life at home is a success if there is joy here, no matter what my life looks like at the moment, and whether or not I ever get recognition for my efforts. My parenting is a success if I feel joy when I am with my children, even if I parent differently than someone else. My running is a success if it brings me joy, even if I never get any faster. Do you get the idea? It doesn't matter what anyone else thinks, or how anyone else is doing things, or if anyone else ever even notices, as long as what I am doing, and how I am doing it, is bringing me joy. I think I've always believed that, but I've never heard it put it such a succinct manner before. I really like it.

Tomorrow night is our church's semi annual Women's Conference. I am excited to watch it with my two girls. It can be viewed at lds.org. I always find uplifting and strengthening messages in this conference, and I am sure this one will be no exception.

Have a happy weekend!