And that's the truth.

- "Mama, sometimes I wish I could do Art all day."

- "I know. Me too, Monkey."

Also: Art supplies are expensive.

Raindrop Melody Maker

You should try this.
Raindrop Melody Maker
It's relaxing and lovely. Anicka and I played with it for at least an hour this morning, trying out different methods, different patterns, with and without the metronome. We both loved it. Even Ryker sat quietly on my lap for a few minutes and listened. And a few minutes of stillness from Ryker is something to take note of.
Found via How About Orange

Families are Forever

A year ago my great grandparents both passed away. How lucky am I, to have had great grandparents well into my twenties? How lucky are my children, to have met their great great grandparents? Pretty lucky. Especially when I consider my husband, who never really knew any of his grandparents. Every time I think about them, these are the thoughts that come to me. They were both wonderful people: Grandma with her books of poetry and her crazy stories, Grandpa with his gruff demeanor and his soft, kind eyes. He was a veteran, a former marine. If you said 'Hey, Grandpa, I love you' you were likely to get a 'Yep' in response... But look at this photograph and tell me that you don't see love there:

And this is the only photograph of Grandma that I have in my possession:


I like to think of her in happier times, before she had grown this weak and frail, when she was still spunky and bright... but this is still a lovely photograph. Ryker, not even a whole day old, and his Great Great Grandmother, just a month away from 85.

Anyway. As I said, they both passed away last spring, only a few weeks apart. And just this weekend their headstone was finally put in place. The family gathered together to see it. We had a picnic at the park, and then drove over to the cemetery.
It was lovely. A dark, beautiful granite. "I chose this one because it's the strongest granite that they had," says my grandfather. You can tell that he's proud of it, glad that there's something beautiful to mark the spot where his parents rest. Though, if I know G.Grandma, she's not really resting. Maybe she's dancing. Or crocheting up a storm. I wonder if you can crochet on the other side?

Kite Festival

We never even got the kite out of the box. The bounce houses were just too much fun.





And, of course, the train.

The Best Part

is the cookie dough.
Seriously. My favorite part of making cookies is licking the beaters afterward. Anicka agrees.

Also: Did you know that (if you are vegan, or afraid of salmonella, or out of eggs, or trying to add some nutrition to your chocolate chip cookies) you can substitute the eggs in your baked goods with milled flax seed?
1 tablespoon of ground flax + 3 tablespoons of water = 1 egg
And there's your random factoid of the day. Flax. It's good for you. Try it.

Fresh Flowers...

... make bad days better.

Why My Weekend was Amazing:

1. Saturday Afternoon: Las Vegas temple session


The Vegas temple is beautiful. It's a little oasis of peace and tranquility in the middle of a busy, tumultuous city.


2. Saturday Evening: MUSE!


Muse is one of my very favorite bands, and to see them perform live was beyond anything I could have imagined. You can see more pictures and a few videos on my Facebook page, if you're interested. Silversun Pickups also performed that evening, and I like their music, but they were nothing compared to Muse.


3. Sunday Morning: President Eyring presiding over our sacrament meeting in Leeds


The man didn't say a word, but his presence alone is powerful. We probably sat about 12 feet away from him.


4. Sunday Evening: Eric and Jesse both had their Eagle Court of Honor


I am so proud of my two little brothers. They are both strong, intelligent young men and such an inspiration to me. (Sorry, Jesse, but I don't have a picture of you with short hair!)

Easter Sunday

Things that are making me happy today:

-Easter Egg Hunt at Grandma and Grandpa's house (458 eggs to find!):
Ryker really isn't so chubby that he's busting out of his clothes, it only looks that way because of the wicked wind that was blowing out in Leeds.


-Mangoes!:

-Easter Crafts with Anicka:

-A Beautiful Easter bouquet from Adam:

-A Pretty Bowl Full of Fresh Fruit:

- Church in my Pajamas!
(imagine that there's a picture of something General Conference related right here. I'm too lazy to look for one.)
Our Easter weekend was wonderful, not counting the awful coughs that my children came down with unexpectedly. I hope that you all had wonderful weekends, as well.