Buckwheat Flour

Natalie and Robert both have the rest of the week off from work.  Today we started painting the baby's room.  Nats is due the first part of August and with the Arizona heat on it's way, her placenta previa, and me in town it was time to get it done now.

Robert and Christine emptied the spare bedroom/office/catch-all room.  Natalie, John and I went over to Home Depot to get paint, a new blind for the window, and all the necessary little things for painting.

She chose a really pretty neutral color and is taking inspiration from a Pottery Barn Kids nursery, accenting everything in whites, silvers/grays, and pinks.

The paint color is Buckwheat Flour by Martha Stewart.  The trim is a beautiful fresh, creamy white called Talc.  Between Martha and Pottery Barn she can't go wrong!  She left the ceiling white and it is a nice contrast with the tan paint and trim.  It makes the ceiling seem higher and the room cooler that way.

The family crew came to help.  Craig took the closet doors off and set up sawhorses in the living room for he and Robert to paint those.  I puttied up the holes, cut in the corners and ceiling and around the closet interior.  Lisa and Natalie taped everything off and started rolling the walls.  Then Lisa and Robert switched and she went down to finish the closet doors and he came up to roll.  Christine was on John duty.  Opa came and put the handles on the drawers in the kitchen.  He taught Robert how to do the knobs for the cupboards a few months ago.  The kitchen looks so nice with it's 'jewelry'.

I completely failed at taking before and after photos.  Suffice it to say, it was a night and day difference.  The people who lived in the house before them used that room for who knows what.  There were staples in the walls everywhere and nails and nail holes in the places the staples weren't. The window blind was bent and broken and missing some slats.

We will finish up tomorrow.  The walls need another coat and we will knock out the trim.  I learned about different textures on drywall today.  A common one for Arizona homes is called Orange Peel.  It is hard to paint and get in all those little spots.  Plus this room had never been painted after the builders flat paint and it soaked up the new paint like a sponge.

Natalie made chicken picatta for dinner.  She is really turning into a good cook.

I am sore.

A Target We Will Go

Spring break means many things.  Among them, shopping is high on the list for a teenage girl.  So that is what we did this afternoon.

After John's nap, my mom and I picked up Christine and John and headed for Target.  When you have our age groups--70's, 50's, teenager, and toddler--we quickly figured out it was best to divide and conquer.  Christine got a new swim suit, make up, and some new tops.  I picked up the new Adele CD and one of Whitney Houston's best hits for the drive home.  (We had exhausted our listening of Taylor Swift, Les Mis, and a random Christmas CD on the drive out.) 

We got John some new summer pajamas and a new pair of Crocs.  I gave him a choice of the blue or black pair.  I was going for the black because last year he had blue.  He saw a pair of neon green ones and wanted those.  I explained that they weren't part of the decision.  He is completely into everything green and blue these days because of the Arizona green and blue regular and recycle trash cans.  He knows what they are, what day they go out, and when they are full or empty!  Oma and Opa indulge him daily in his new-found trash love.  He has to empty every basket in the house multiple times even if they only have a couple of items in them.  Outside he and Opa go to the large containers where Opa opens the lid and John stands on his tip-toes to turn the basket over. Consistent with his trash can colors, he finally chose the blue Crocs.

At the fitting rooms we saw a girl with a bag of popcorn.  John started singing Popcorn Popping on the Apricot Tree.  When Christine was done, we went to the food counter and got a couple of bags.  He loved it.  I learned later that it was his first popcorn.  I failed to get a picture of Christine and John in their matching platypus tshirts from Phineas and Ferb.

My dad was at a doctor appointment.  He hasn't been feeling too chipper lately.  He wanted to go alone, which is out of character for him.  Some of his bloodwork has come back questionable, so his visit today was to follow up on that with a specialist.  It is some sort of auto-immune disorder perhaps in the Lupus family.  They ran more tests today.

A Little Revenge Is Sweet

Okay.

I've outed myself.

I like this television show.

It's a guilty pleasure.

Tonight's event summed everything up so far this season and has us ready for the new episodes.

We met at Lisa's for make-your-own sub sandwiches and seafood salad.

Then settled in for a Revenge 'party'.

Reminds me of the 80's with Dallas and Dynasty.

Remember those?

Fried Chicken and Potato Chips (scarf, that is!)

I slept really hard last night.  I woke up in the very same position I fell asleep in.  It felt so good.

I spent most of today with my mom and dad.  We just puttered around the house and visited.  My mom and I watched some Martha Stewart, Mad Hungry, and Paula Deen.  She crocheted her pot holders and dish cloths and I worked on the scarf I began knitting in Utah.  We talked and talked.

Late afternoon I went to Natalie and Robert's.  Chris had stayed with John while they were at work.  He woke up from his nap when I got there.  We played for a while and then met everyone at Lisa's for a fried chicken dinner.  Christine and I have been craving chicken.  Poor Adrianne.  She can't even think about chicken, let alone see it, smell it, or eat it without getting sick since she's been pregnant.  So we rarely have chicken and we are missing it.  It was a great dinner. Linda and David came to eat too.  We all had a cozy time. 

Honey Glazed Carrots

This is the recipe Mike and Adrianne used for the carrot side dish we enjoyed on Easter.  I could have eaten the entire platter.  They used the small, whole carrots with the tops cut off just like in the picture below.  The dish is fast and sure to please.

Photo and recipe courtesy of Sunny Anderson.

Honey-Glazed Carrots

Ingredients

• Salt
• 1 pound carrots
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley

Directions

In a medium saucepan, bring water to a boil. Add salt and then carrots and cook until tender, 5 to 6 minutes, or more if needed. Just don't make them mushy.  Drain the carrots and add back to pan with butter, honey and lemon juice. Cook until a glaze coats the carrots, 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and garnish with parsley.

** you can also use the small baby carrots.

Daily Q

No Daily Q's while I'm gone this week.  I'll be lucky to post.  In fact I'll probably post once I get home and back date them.

HAPPY SPRING BREAK!

Spring Trip To Arizona

Christine and I left this morning for Arizona.  It is her spring break and she wants to spend it with her sister.

I just closed my eyes to all left-over Easter and drove away.  Ah, it will just be there when I get back and this time I'm okay with it.

We had a nice drive.  I like to think of it in two stages:  to Blythe and beyond.  Once you get to Blythe, the rest is not too bad.  That part of the desert is kind of attractive.  And with all the Arizona growth, it's not too long before the different cities start dotting the drive.  In the Denali we can make it on one tank of gas.  In the Sequoia, I can get all the way to Buckeye and then need to fill up.  Buckeye has grown a lot and we've found a good spot to make a stop.

John was still taking his nap when we got to my parents house.  He warmed up to Chris and I when he woke up and wanted his 'Cwistine'.  He calls me Gramma Cindy and it is the cutest thing ever when he says it over and over.  He begins every sentence with it.

Oma served up some leftovers for dinner and Christine went to stay at Natalie and Robert's.  I'm staying here at my mom and dad's. The spring weather is so nice in Arizona.  They predict it to warm up the next couple of days and then get stormy by the weekend.

Today is Duff's birthday.  I've never not spent it with him since before we were married.  It feels funny.  The kids rallied and made him one of his favorite dinners and Meredith made the birthday cake--Carrot this year.  A big departure from Angel Food which is his usual.  Christine and I had FHE at Nats and Robs and we called "Papa Duff" and sang Happy Birthday to him.  John knows all the words.  I laid down with John and read him a bedtime story.  Then we all had family prayer.  On my way back to my parents I stopped at Lisa's and we watched DWTStars.

Daily Q

Question:  What is your favorite sport?  Why?

Answer:  This has evolved over the years.  I didn't grow up in a big sports family.  My dad and brother watched holiday football games and the big things like championship series of various sports, and my brother ran track in high school.  So my exposure was occasional.  In my family, there was no watching tv during meals. Then I got married.  I didn't understand at the time that the family I married into was an over the top sports family.  They played them, they watched them, they followed them, they attended them, they lived them.  They would move the television to the kitchen in order to watch the sporting event if need be.  Long before the days of dvr. I thought it was the strangest thing ever. Haha!  And the AM radio.  Can sports stations please get an FM band!  It was get into them or be left behind because there was no way my hubby was eliminating them.  It was in his DNA.

Over time, I think I can say that college football is my favorite sport.  I think I prefer collegiate sports to professional, but I enjoy those too.  My least favorite to watch would be tennis and golf. And boxing.  Just can't watch anything to do with boxing or wwf wrestling.  I completely love anything Olympics.  I'm excited for the London games this summer.

Happy Easter 2012

Wonderful day for us.

Church was uplifting.  We sang, bore testimony, and reflected on The Savior.

Good times, food, and family.

 Our pretty table.

Lately, I'm into a very eclectic setting.  I like to mix things together.  I used different linens and ceramic ware with fine china and crystal.

 Peter Rabbit and Jemima Puddleduck.

I'm in love with the classic tale of Peter Rabbit.

Guess what I learned?  Pottery Barn has really good sales on their holiday items the week before said holiday.  I got two sets of these characters and garlands.  The garlands originally were $16, and I got them for $3.50!!  I couldn't have made them for that.  They got here in time to decorate, but I'm thinking in the future I'll just order and put them away for the next year.  Another plus:  free shipping.

 This darling duck piece was a gift from my sis-in-law, Julie, many, many years ago. She made it.  I love to put rolls in it, and think of her when I do.

 The tulips are gorgeous.

Loved them in the silver pitcher, and I didn't even polish it.  I just left it kind of rustic and it looked vintage.

 Ainsley and Uncle Shaun catching an afternoon nap.

We sat for a long time around the table and visitied.

Patti, Richard, and Tyler joined us for dinner today.

Our Menu:

Ham, Cheesy Potatoes, Rolls, Butter, Jam--Us

Fresh Green Beans with Shallots and Garlic, Honey and Lemon Glazed Carrots--Mike and Adrianne

Spinach Strawberry Salad with Candied Pecans--Josh and Meredith

Martinelli's, Turkey Breast, Lemon Meringue Pie--Patti and Richard

Pound Cake with Strawberries and Whipped Cream--Us

Daily Q

Question:  What foreign country would you most like to visit for a week?  Why?  Who would you take with you?

Answer:  I can't narrow it down to one.  But any of these would do:  France, Ireland, Italy, England.  The why:  I'd like to soak in the culture, food, and famous sites.  Who would I take:  that's an easy one!  My hubby, Duff.

Check, please!

Check.  Cheesy potatoes made.
Check.  Pound cake done.
Check.  Got a cute pair of earrings for Christine.
Check.  Got ink for the computer.
Check.  Picked up the frame Natalie needed.
Check.  Showered and went to the Stake Baptism.
We had 5 children baptized this evening.  If I'm honest, I look forward to these, but at that moment in the mid-afternoon on a Saturday when it's time to change clothes and go it takes a bit to switch 'gears'. I leave around 3:15 and get home about 7pm.  There is a LOT to do to put on a baptism.  As soon as I arrive though and our board begins the preparations and the font is filling there is no other place I'd rather be.  The atmosphere and feeling is not something I'm able to describe.  I am usually the lobby greeter.  We have music playing softly, the tables are draped and set in white and all things baptism.  I take their pictures and develop them in our staging room off of the foyer.  I get them mounted and framed and set on a small easel in front of their name and guest book sign in.  What I love and is so new each time is their faces.  Their countenance.  I love meeting and greeting each of them and sending them down the hall to Julia to get their white clothing.  She directs them to their next station, and so on.  Sitting on the stand used to make me very nervous.  Now I look out at the candidates and their family and friends and a peaceful feeling comes over me.  It is like heaven is smiling down and all is right with the world.  Kind of like time has stopped ever so briefly inside while the hustle and bustle right outside us on Santa Margarita Parkway keeps moving at it's fast pace.  When it is all over and cleaned up and the building secure, I like to drive home slowly and savor those last few hours.

Check.  Stopped at the Courtyard.  Leigh and Kenney hosted an open house with the In-N-Out truck for everyone.  I met the whole family there and we got some burgers and had a good time visiting with friends and neighbors.

Daily Q

Question:  What gift would you like on your next birthday?  Why?

Answer:  A new laptop or a new camera.  So I can have my own things on the computer and know right where they are and not have settings changed, etc.  The camera:  so I can learn how to take better pictures that are more clear and pretty.  Hopefully that means they won't be blurry.  Haha.  I need to practice a steadier hand.