Valentines Shcmalentines

I saw this recipe awhile ago on Our Best Bites, which incidentally, is a pretty awesome web site for recipes, in case you're looking, and I thought I could swing that for Valentine's Day breakfast.  Because really, what says "love and friendship" better than chocolate waffles and whipped cream?

Here they are, eagerly awaiting their yummy breakfast.  And from the looks of it, Everett's channeling his Latin ancestors.  Look at that chest!  Aye caramba!

My terrible attempt to show you that yes, I did in fact make these from scratch. 

Voila!  Kind of a let down, appearance-wise, huh?  But let me assure you, they were scarfed up by the munchkins.

They seriously couldn't wait.  Immediately after this picture was snapped they went into full devour mode, as evidenced below.

Juliana's devour face

Everett's devour face

And Giselle's devour/get that camera out of my face look.  If that nasty mug doesn't scream, "I love chocolate waffles!" then I don't know what does.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Stretching Other Rusty Muscles

My bachelor's degree is in Print Journalism.  I remember way back in third grade becoming a "Published Author" and thinking it was one of the neatest things ever.  I've always enjoyed writing and I freely admit that there are plenty of people who are waaaaay better at it than I am.  But I enjoy it and most of the time, I feel like I have a good "voice" and write in a logical, sensical manner.

Once upon a time, I did some freelance writing, and I was even the assistant editor at a magazine here in Atlanta.  But since having children, I've let that talent lie dormant.  Not buried, exactly.  But to say I haven't done much with it would be fairly accurate.

Fortunately, I have plenty of people who seem to want me to succeed in writing.  Yesterday at church the woman in charge of Public Affairs for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the Southeast came up to me and asked me for my help.  I was happy to write this for her, but more importantly, I forgot how much fun I have writing!

I already linked to it on Facebook, but I wanted it here as well.  Here's the link: http://www.atlmormontemple.org/local-man-in-charge-of-rededication?utm_source=AtlMormonTemple&utm_medium=facebook&utm_campaign=Rededication
and here's the text:

The announcement by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints of the rededication of the Atlanta Georgia Temple has created quite the buzz among the over 76,000 members of the Church living in and around Atlanta. The announcement has also created a beehive of activity among those in charge of orchestrating the logistics, the publicity, the cultural celebration and all the other details a temple rededication encompasses.

Elder Giddens, a member of the Seventy, is the local man in charge of the rededication of the Atlanta LDS Temple

The Atlanta Georgia Temple was first announced by President Spencer W. Kimball on 2 April 1980. The groundbreaking and site dedication was 7 March 1981 with the official dedication on 1 June 1983.  To bring the building up to code, the entire inside of the temple was renovated and will be open to the public for viewing April 9 through April 23.

The local man assigned to oversee the temple rededication is no stranger to being busy.  Elder M. Keith Giddens, of Acworth, was called in April of 2010 as a member of one of the leadership councils of the Church termed a “Seventy.” He has been assigned by the First Presidency of the LDS Church to spearhead all the rededication activities.

In what usually takes nine months to coordinate, Elder Giddens and those working with him have been given about a third of the time.  “When I received the appointment I was humbled and overwhelmed. Even now as I look at the checklist of the many things that need to be done I try to keep in mind that a prophet of God will come to Atlanta to rededicate a house of the Lord,” says Elder Giddens. “That’s how I keep it all in perspective and recognize the blessing and privilege that is mine to be a part of such a remarkable event.”

Elder Giddens, who is working with the Temple Department and the Public Affairs Department of the LDS Church, has assembled a group of local people to help with the coordination efforts. “I started by selecting a team that is competent and has great capacity,” he says. “Everyone is excited and anxious as they feel the significance of what they have been called to do.”

The changes inside the temple are cause for excitement as well. “The temple is absolutely stunning,” Elder Giddens says. “The craftsmanship and furnishings are fitting for the house of the Lord. The attention to detail is remarkable.”  Elder Giddens says that excitement and anxiousness are apparent as he talks and meets with members in the Atlanta area.  “Everywhere I go the members are excited to once again have a temple in our midst.”

Although it’s a fast-paced schedule to keep, Elder Giddens knows everything will fall into place.  “When I was called as a mission president at age 41 President Thomas S. Monson told me that ‘when you are on the Lord’s errand you are entitled to Lord’s help’ and ‘he whom the Lord calls the Lord qualifies’.”

Elder Giddens is familiar with being called on the Lord’s errand.  He’s served twice as a bishop, twice as a stake president and presided over the New Jersey Cherry Hill Mission from 1998-2001.  He says that the most important thing he learned was the need to reach out to those in need.  “We are all in different phases of our lives with struggles and challenges and can use a kind word and a helping hand. My job was to try in some measure to lead them to the Savior s

Look Ma, No Hands!

So this is what happens when you have an 8 month old who pretty much refuses to be spoon fed.  Lots of mess and a mini-Nilla stuck to the side of her head.  Good to know.

Ugh.  This was really nasty.

I'll have to dig up pictures of Everett as a baby because the resemblance between him and Miss Giselle here is uncanny.

Wow, it's rough stretching my blogging muscles.  I feel like a novice all over again. Speaking of stretching my muscles, I've been Zumba-ing my little heart out lately.  And as much as I loathe to admit that I like, nay, enjoy even, group exercise, I must admit - I love it!  Believe me, that has been a hard pill to swallow.  Will's been trying to get me to go to group exercise classes for YEARS and I've always given him the same excuses, "I'm embarrassed", "I'm not coordinated enough", "Other people will be looking at me b/c I won't know what I'm doing", "I'm not in good enough shape", etc.  Well I'm here to tell you - ALL THOSE EXCUSES WERE BUNK!  None of them hold water.  Sure I'm not the best, sure, I get confused at the moves sometimes, but I have such a fun time doing it that I don't even care.  It's a great day when I get to go to Zumba and luckily, I get to/make myself go at least three times a week.  It's especially nice because even if the kids come with me to the gym, I simply check them into the childcare and off I go - it's awesome to get some alone time and it's even better since I'm a great date!

Ahhhh- It's good to be back!

A New Beginning?

I've been thinking about dusting the cobwebs off this site and rejoining the blogging community. I wonder if anyone would notice...

In other news, did you know the Fab Four are now the Fab Five? It's funny how much things can change in a year and a half since our last post.

The End of an Era

Anyone who's spent more than 10 minutes with me over the past three years has probably heard me mention or reference blogging in some way. I've loved blogging! I've always been one to champion its virtues (it's easy, it's fun, a great way to stay connected, practically like a journal, etc) and downplay its vices (stalkers, people stealing your family pictures, strangers knowing what you're up to, time consuming, etc). When I started blogging in January of 2006 (I know, THAT long ago), I forsaw myself keeping a blog for the rest of children's growing up years. That isn't the case anymore.

As evidenced by my lack of regular posts this year, I've been thinking/debating for awhile now about blogging and what precisely I'm accomplishing by doing it. As an outgoing, gregarious person, when I began blogging I was all about the comments, ie, attention. I tried to be funny and witty so as to garner the most comments possible. Over time, although the comments were great, they began to matter to me less and less.

I don't know if it's because I'm hitting 30 later this year and with age if I'm turning into a more private person, but I find that I'm no longer as interested in sharing my family's life with the World Wide Web. I've had a Site Meter on my blog from almost the very beginning and it's been enlightening to see where visitors were coming from. I can confidently say I've had blog visitors from almost every state and around 25-30 countries. It hasn't bothered me to have the virtual company. So it isn't so much an issue of, "There are crazy psychos out there who could find me and my family and do us harm" or even "I don't want everyone and their dog to know my business," although that does play into it a little (Read this blog to see what I mean about the crazies: http://www.extraordinarymommy.com/blog/are-you-kidding-me/stolen-picture/)

It's more about me. I find myself wasting A LOT of time blogging. Typing blogs, reading blogs, trying to find people's blogs, or blog surfing for fun. After reading this talk by Elder Bednar: "Things As They Really Are"( http://lds.org/library/display/0,4945,538-1-4830-1,00.html) and doing some introspection, I've simply come to the conclusion that it's time I step away from family blogging and pursue other, hopefully more worthwhile (for me) activities.

Thanks to all the readers and commenters I've had over the years. More often than not, the comments were better and funnier than my posts. And not to worry, you can still find me at other places on the Internet (read: Facebook, Goodreads, Shelfari, email, etc.). I may be quitting blogging, but there's no way I could stay completely out of touch!

In the immortal words of Ah-nald, "Hasta la vista, baby."

My GWTW Challenge

I have a confession to make: I’ve never read “Gone With the Wind.”

There, it’s out.  I’m coming clean.  For most people, the fact that they’ve never read Gone With the Wind is no biggie.  But for me, born and raised in the South, in Atlanta no less, with both the Gone With the Wind museum AND the Margaret Mitchell house not even 30 minutes from my front door, and with the Blue Willow Inn about an hour away (where Margaret Mitchell is said to have visited on numerous occasions and one of the inspirations for Tara), it’s a borderline travesty.

I have seen the movie.  And I liked it.  But as is the case with most movie adaptations, I’ve heard the book is better.  It’s just one of those books I’ve never gotten around to reading.   And that would probably still be the case if it weren’t for a particularly persistent friend who went as far as to mail me my very own paperback copy of this novel last summer.  I promised her then that I would read it, but as we were dealing with a lot of rather stressful things, I readily admit I kept thinking, “I can't think about this now. I'll go crazy if I do. I'll think about it tomorrow.”  Sadly, there have been quite a few tomorrows since Heidi first mailed me the book and I still have yet to read it.  How fickle is woman!  Well, no more!

So it is with much eagerness that I attempt to tackle “Gone With the Wind” during the month of August.  Upon punishment of being referred to as a weakling to all of Facebook, and as God as my witness, I will read in it’s entirety, “Gone With the Wind” before the month of August is complete.  If that’s not a binding promise, well then frankly my dear, I don’t give a damn.

Back From a Break With a Break

I had grandiose plans of coming back from my blogging hiatus with a bang. Unfortunately, I was thinking more along the lines of a literary bang, whereas the Fates seemed to take a much more literal interpretation. Instead of wowing you all with witty banter clever remarks about all that we’ve been up to over the past six weeks, I am updating you instead about what we’ve been up to over the past three days.

I give you, Exhibit #1: Everett’s left tibia (that’s the big bone in your lower leg)

If you look closely, you’ll see that nice little crack right in the middle of the shin. This kind of thing can happen when kids jump on a trampoline. Of course, you yourself probably jumped on a trampoline every day as a kid and you, nor anyone who ever jumped on your trampoline, ever had a sprain, let along a break. But let’s not forget that Everett is no ordinary kid. Everett is lucky enough (and I’m not being facetious here) to have some of Will’s DNA coursing through his veins. Will’s DNA is some awesome stuff, but as most of our faithful readers know, Will’s DNA means Everett has a propensity toward pain and/or unfortunate/crazy accidents. Surely, you remember the blowtorch incident from earlier this year? So while for ordinary kids jumping on a trampoline is no biggie, for Everett it means a day and a half of sitting here:

Being bored to tears watching TV because you can’t seem to put any weight on your left leg. And then getting to go here:

So the doctor can tell him what Mom and Dad already knew: Everett would need a cast. For three weeks. And then a brace. For two. There goes August!

But Everett was a trooper and was excited to a get his blue Band-Aid. He was still, happy and very cooperative the entire time his leg was getting cast.

It seemed only fitting that Will was able to meet us at the doctor’s office to offer his emotional and physical support during Everett’s time of need. After all, Will’s a tad familiar with all things having to do with blue casts on a left leg.

Everett and Dad: August 2009

Everett and Dad: August 2007

Big News for The Yellow Rose

As my mom is the owner of The Yellow Rose, a modest dress shop for formal and bridal gowns, I thought she could use a little plug for some big news: She’s now a distributor in Atlanta for Shabby Apple dresses!  For the complete good news, check out The Yellow Rose blog here: http://theyellowrosebridal.blogspot.com/2009/06/shabby-apple-now-available-at-yellow.html

I’ve been aware of Shabby Apple for a couple of years now.  I can’t remember when or where I first heard about it, but I do remember when I went to their Web site and looked around.  I was impressed!  The dresses were cute!  They were stylish!  They had sleeves!  It was amazing.  And the price?  Not half bad.  Sure, they’re more than a $20 clearance dress from Old Navy or Target, but guess what?  Once you buy a Shabby Apple dress, all you have to do is put it on and you look fabulous.  None of this trying to find something to go over it or under it.  No buying leggings or something worse to help the hemline down a few inches.  Just wear it and go.  What a concept!

Another reason I’m a Shabby Apple fan is because I actually know Emily, one of the owners.  Emily and I were at BYU at the same time.  She and I were also in the same major (Broadcast Journalism) and even had an abysmal Statistics class together, where I’m positive she earned a far better grade than I did (Have I ever mentioned that math is really not my thing?).  Anyway, Emily was one of those girls who walked into a room and everyone noticed.  She was (and still is) quite beautiful, both inside and out.  In addition, she had such a fun sense of fashion.  This is not to say that Emily was always dressed to the nines, because she wasn’t.  But she always looked good, like she had some kind of sixth sense for what went with what.  The girl just knew how to put an outfit together. I know a few women like that and I’m always impressed by their fashion choices. 

So when I saw that Emily was part of the brainchild of Shabby Apple, I knew it was going to be a good thing.  And it is.  My mom got her first shipment already and it’s been thrilling to see the dresses up close.  They are beautifully made and simply well-crafted.  I can’t wait for more shipments to come!

Shabby Apple is based in Utah, but it’s online only, there is no store front.  What an AWESOME opportunity for those of you in the Atlanta area to be able to physically come to The Yellow Rose and actually try on Shabby Apple dresses.   As my mom said on her blog, “There is nothing shabby about a Shabby Apple dress!”  Amen to that!

Welcome to the Lazy Days of Summer

My parents got a hammock for their backyard.  Everett and Juliana didn’t waste a second in staking their claim.  Fortunately for everyone else their attention span lasts all of two minutes, so shortly after these pictures were taken, the hammock was free and clear, available for someone else. Long-time readers will recognize the return of one of Everett’s favorite toys – the tongs!  I wonder when he’ll grow out of wanting to play with kitchen utensils?

Something about summertime, backyards and hammocks begs for a glass of homemade lemonade and a little friendly conversation.  There are some of you I haven’t see in far too long!  How about this:  Anyone willing to swing by for a visit will be guaranteed a ice cold glass made especially for them.  That HAS to be tempting, right?  Right?

Popsicle Delight

I am very aware that I’m speaking as a completely biased mom and aunt, but these cousins are just plain cute.

Hurray for summer!  Hurray for popsicles!  Hurray for cute girly girls!

All Fun and Games

Whenever I neglect to update regularly I’m stuck with one of two things: 1) Lots of blog-worthy pictures or 2) Lots of blog-worthy thoughts. It just so happens that today is your lucky day since I have oodles of both. I hope no one has anywhere to go, because this is gearing up to be a blog among blogs. Here we go!

There are lots of great parks in our county and three or four good ones within about three miles of the house. Needless to say, we manage to hit up a playground a few times a week. These two pictures are from early May when Juliana braved the bouncy bridge for the very first time. Despite her death grip on the bars and her rather grumpy face, she actually got a big kick out of the bridge and liked jumping up and down on it. I love how big brother is making sure to bounce extra hard and fast so as NOT to upset little sister at all. What kindness! We should all be so lucky.

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Behold! The masterpiece that is the finished 1,000 piece Thomas Kinkade puzzle. This puzzle was a toughie for a couple of reasons. First of all, it may be difficult to tell from the picture, but the sky pieces and the water pieces were almost interchangeable. VERY similar colors. Same goes from the grass and the trees. So basically once we finished the barn and the fence (and a bit of the bridge), all the other pieces looked like they could go almost anywhere. Second of all, with two little ones underfoot (three, if you count Lydia), there were always an abundance of tiny hands willing to grab pieces and drop them on the floor. It was a team effort though, so kudos go out to all the puzzlers. Glad everyone helped, but I have to admit, I was especially glad I was the one who put together the final pieces. I love puzzles!

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I was in Wal-Mart a couple of weeks ago and saw “Clueless” in the $5 bin. Seriously, only five dollars for what is possibly the greatest movie of my high school years. I was excited to watch it again and honestly, it was even better than I remembered it. So many good lines! As I watched it now, as an ever-rapidly approaching 30 year-old, I got to thinking that there’s probably a few references that the younger crowd just wouldn’t get.

Like this one: “Searching for a boy in high school is as useless as searching for meaning in a Pauly Shore movie.”

Do kids today even KNOW who Pauly Shore is/was? Probably not. And I think we can all agree, that’s their loss. Anyone who’s ever seen “Son-in-Law” knows what I’m talking about. That movie is Pauly Shore at his comedic prime.

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Whenever my dad does yard work, he often has an eager helper in Everett. On this particular day, Everett wouldn’t rest until HE could help the old man push the lawnmower.

That’s right Son, learn to love yard work now. I foresee many, many more years of grass cutting in your future.

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We bought Everett a Spider-Man baseball hat a few weeks ago. And surprisingly enough, he loves to wear it. So much so that when I was enthusiastically trying to get his attention for this picture I got this:

And then this:

In which one do you think I annoyed him more?

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As I was blog surfing a couple of months ago I came across my friend, Christianne’s, sister’s blog (did you catch that?). Her sister (I’m drawing a blank on her name – is it Kari?) was talking about a book called “Secrets of the Millionaire Mind” by T. Harv Eker. The way she described it seemed pretty interesting, so off to the public library I went. I was only on page two or three before I started telling everyone about it. It is an AMAZING book. It delves into one’s mindset about money and how to re-write your personal financial blueprint to maximum earning capability. Run, don’t walk, to your nearest library or bookstore and get your hands on a copy of this book. You will not be disappointed.

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Will’s cousin, Taylor, got married last Saturday. It was a sweet wedding and we are just so thrilled for the happy couple. I did a pretty poor job of capturing any photos, but I did manage to snap this gem. The lovely Laura with her brother and new sister-in-law, Kelly. Congrats again guys!

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Sometimes when I look through the pictures on our camera I find great shots like this one:

Awesome.

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Yes, my friends, I do live in the South. Born and raised, as was Will. Therefore, it’s only fitting for our children to be grits lovers. Grits, for those not in the know, are made from corn and, if seasoned correctly, are delicious. Grits are not meant to be sweet. They ain’t no Cream of Wheat or oatmeal nonsense. Grits need salt and butter to be delicious and judging from Juliana’s and Everett’s faces – that’s what they are.

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And finally, I was in prime Fun Mom mode last week and took the kids to some of their favorite stomping grounds. We started off at what Everett affectionately calls “The Choo-choo Shop” aka Barnes & Noble. In the children’s section of Barnes & Noble there is a Thomas the Train table, complete with 10-15 trains and lots of tracks. Everett (and Juliana, surprisingly) loves to go there and play around. It’s great for them and it’s a sweet deal for me since it gives me a chance to brush up on my celebrity gossip with such great reads as People, US Weekly and Entertainment Weekly. At this particular Barnes & Noble location there’s a cool fountain in the same shopping complex. Everett was in hog heaven trying to touch the water with a stick. And in a weather anomaly for May, in Georgia no less, it was quite breezy. I would even venture to say cool. In May! In Georgia!

Miss Sassy Pants is not much of a water fan. She wouldn’t even let me sit her on the ledge of the fountain.

I put this picture up to show how BLONDE Juliana’s hair is. How in the world did I manage to have two blonde-haired children? Genetics is amazing.

And after a fun morning at The Choo-choo Shop and the fun water fountain, we spent the afternoon over at the playground at Stone Mountain Park. I’m glad I have days like that where everything’s fun and the kids behave because it is definitely NOT an every day occurrence.

This was E’s first time reaching out and going down this pole all by himself. I wasn’t sure he was going to be ok, but the boy surprised me. He’s on a big kick of being a “big boy” these days. Because Everett is the big boy and Juliana’s just the baby (this is all according to his three year-old logic). Everett uses the potty because he’s a big boy, but Juliana goes poo poo in her diaper because she’s just a baby. He’s a big boy, that’s why he uses a booster seat. But Juliana’s just a baby that’s why she has to use a carseat. And on and on and on. This rationale is used repeatedly throughout the day. Every day.

So after Everett came down this pole, he jumped to the ground and yelled (for all to hear), “I did it, Mommy. I’m a big boy!” You sure are kid, you sure are.

My Fulfillment of the Summer Recipe Challenge

Something that comes with the blogging territory is the ever ubiquitous tag. I've tagged and been tagged plenty over my last three years of blogging. When I'm tagged I usually try to fulfill whatever has been asked of me pretty quickly. Usually.

Almost a year ago I was tagged by one of my very best pals, Heidi, to post a delicious, easy summer recipe. As I've mentioned before, when Heidi tags, she expects results. Well, I didn't have anything blog-worthy to post at the time, so I let the tag slip away hoping that Heidi wouldn't call me out on it. She didn't, but the guilt I've felt over the past 10 months for not fulfilling this particular tag has at times been overwhelming. Seriously! I just couldn't think of anything really outstanding to post.

Well, no more! I made this salad last week and I foresee it being made on a very regular basis for the rest of the summer. It's from one of my favorite cleavage-showing, Food Network chefs, who is also Italian (and I'll leave it at that. If you've ever spent any amount of time watching The Food Network, you probably have a good idea who it is). It's quick, it's easy, it's so incredibly yummy and it doesn't heat up your entire kitchen during those toasty summer months. Totally scrumptious! Plus, it's even better the next day. Go. Make it. And then come back here and tell me how much you love it too.

Orzo Salad

Ingredients:

4 cups chicken broth
1 1/2 cups orzo
1 (15-ounce) can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
1 1/2 cups red and yellow teardrop tomatoes or grape tomatoes, halved (I used grape tomatoes)
3/4 cup finely chopped red onion
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
1/4 cup chopped fresh mint leaves

About 3/4 cup Red Wine Vinaigrette, recipe follows
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions:
Pour the broth into a heavy large saucepan. Cover the pan and bring the broth to a boil over high heat. Stir in the orzo. Cover partially and cook until the orzo is tender but still firm to the bite, stirring frequently, about 7 minutes.

Drain the orzo through a strainer. Transfer the orzo to a large wide bowl and toss until the orzo cools slightly. Set aside to cool completely.

Toss the orzo with the beans, tomatoes, onion, basil, mint, and enough vinaigrette to coat. Season the salad, to taste, with salt and pepper, and serve at room temperature.

Red Wine Vinaigrette
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons honey
2 teaspoons salt
3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Mix the vinegar, lemon juice, honey, salt, and pepper in a blender. With the machine running, gradually blend in the oil. Season the vinaigrette, to taste, with more salt and pepper, if desired.

Yield: 1 3/4 cups (Like it says up above, only use about 3/4 cup of this on the salad)
This recipe serves six.