What day is it?

That's right. It's March 30, and we woke up to snow this morning! It's not that common to have snow here in the winter, maybe 2 or 3 times, let alone this late in the season!! Our poor daffodils' heads were drooping, but by the time we came home from church it had all melted, and the only evidence of a snow storm was a half-melted snowman at the neighbors'.

So much for getting a head start on the garden!

While I was out snapping a few photos this morning, Seth was creating his own natural disaster with the plastic wrap. He's figured out how to get the roll out of the box, and before long he found himself in the middle of about 10 feet of crinkly, clear plastic that stuck to his hands, shoes and itself.

Today was his first day in Nursery at church since he turned 18 months last week. He was more ready to go than dad was ready to let him go. He was happy playing and snacking with the other kids, and was sufficiently worn out so that he didn't even make it home before crashing for his nap.

I didn't post Easter photos last week, so here are a few. We went to a fun Easter egg hunt and party on Saturday at the park up the street. Luckily the weather held out for a nice day.

Much to Matt's disapproval, this is a must to share. We borrowed these ears from Seth's friend Sophia, and my quick finger on the camera trigger caught this on film during the entire 2 seconds he allowed them to be on his head.

He loves to go down the slide! This was one of the few times he went down feet first. Our little dare devil likes to dive head first. Oh to be young and fearless again!

Dancing Queen!

Yes, that's me! While looking through our photos the other night, I came across this one of when I was a dance troupe called the "Gold Dees". We had practice every week and mostly performed for University of Utah basketball games and dance competitions. I silently mouthed "step-ball-change, step-ball-change" as the song "Celebration" by Kool and the Gang rang through the speakers (it was, after all, 1979). My hair is straight as a board, so to get just the right amount of curly loftiness, Mom would roll up my damp hair in permanent rods, and I wore them to school with a scarf on my head to make it less conspicuous. ???? I only remember a few moments of teasing at school, but boy did they feel silly when I came to school the next day with cute curls, although by then they had been slept on and considerably flatter than the night before at my big performance. It was the one and only time in my life that I've been able to do the splits. At the ripe age of 7, I retired from dancing when we moved to Wyoming. Oh, what could have been...

In other random news at our house, here are a few of photos of Seth. Whenever there's a break in the clouds, we take a walk up the street to the park. He's all boy! He's fearless on the playground equipment, going down the slides head first!

We put Matt's Christmas present from Seth (backpack) to good use on a rare March sunny day walking at the blueberry slough in Bellevue.

We had a play date with some friends, and Seth loved Ava's little rocking chair.

"Thanks, Ava, for letting me play on your rocking chair!"

This one's for Aunt Terilyn in Georgia. This onesie was a gift from her when they went to Charleston, SC. Thanks, Auntie...can't wait to see you soon!

Seth's learning to eat with utensils. Most of the time he turns the spoon upside down before it gets to his mouth, hence he chooses the latter option of "eat it or wear it." Thank goodness for big bibs with a pocket to catch it all!

OK that's all my braggin' for now. Last photo is a diaper cake I made for a coworker on his last day in our office before embarking on the journey to be a stay-at-home dad to his three kiddos, the youngest being a 6-week old girl. Good luck, Troy!

I see love in your future...

I made these cute little felt fortune cookies for Valentine's Day. I tried another version that was more involved with sewing, but I didn't have time to put them together, so this is a simple pattern courtesy of Martha. I think they'd be cute for other holidays in other colors too!


I was a bit vexed by Valentine's Day this year. I signed up to bring cookies to Seth's daycare Valentine's party. He doesn't usually attend on Thursdays, but we went together for the afternoon. I was so excited to make homemade sugar cookies that I only make at Valentine's Day! This year I thought to use my little heart cookie cutter so little hands would easily grasp little cookies, and I made them like Oreos with pink icing sandwiched between 2 little hearts so the icing wouldn't get everywhere.



Oh goody! I'm so excited! So I get there, and unbeknownst to me, the kiddos aren't allowed to have homemade treats! Apparently, this is common knowledge to everyone who has kids in school. My excitement turned to disappointment. Where is the logic in feeding the kids sodium-, fat-, and preservative-filled, store-bought crackers and cookies (you know those super-soft, shortening-laden sugar cookies with the frosting that coats the roof of your mouth) rather than my lovingly-made, home-baked goodness??!! I suppose on some small level, part of me can see the reason for the policy around food safety, and at least I was able to share my goodies with the staff. I have to remind myself, too, that these little ones are between 1 and 2 years old...they can't tell the difference between a goldfish cracker and a Cheezit! At any rate, Seth had a good time with his friends at "school."


Lastly, we found a cute little Valentine bear for Seth on our front porch yesterday morning, no doubt courtesy of his surrogate "Renton Grandparents." Seth likes to cuddle with people but not so much with stuffed animals, a blankie, or the like. However, I saw him this morning giving loves to his new little friend. After I snapped this photo, he promptly proceeded to poke Mr. Bear in the eyes before tossing him aside and heading for the kitchen utensil drawer. He's all boy!

February is Quilting Month!

One of my very favorite sites Sew, Mama, Sew! has deemed February Quilting Month. I visit the site every day and check the blog for new posts about the quilt of the day, history lessons and techniques. I was inspired to complete my oldest UFO (Un-Finished Object), and here it is!

I don't even remember what the pattern is called...I started it way back when Mom had the quilt shop. Of course, I see all the little imperfections, but overall I'm happy with it, and it sure feels good to finish it! I love working on new & challenging projects, but I've promised myself that I will finish my basket of UFOs before I start anything new!

Orton Look-alike Meter

MyHeritage: Family tree - Genealogy - Celebrity - Collage - Morph

True Color

You're brown, a credible, stable color that's reminiscent of fine wood, rich leather, and wistful melancholy. Most likely, you're a logical, practical person ruled more by your head than your heart. With your inquisitive mind and insatiable curiosity, you're probably a great problem solver. And you always gather all of the facts before coming to a timely, informed decision. Easily intrigued, you're constantly finding new ways to challenge your mind, whether it's by reading the newspaper, playing a trivia game, or composing a piece of music. Brown is an impartial, neutral color, which means you tend to see the difference between fact and opinion easily and are open to many points of view. Trustworthy and steady, you really are a brown at heart.

So I partially agree with this ultra-scientific analysis :-). I don't think I'm always "ruled more by your head than your heart" since I tend to lean more sentimental sometimes. Maybe that's what "wistful melancholy" means, although I would have perhaps chosen different words since generally I'm a happy, content person. I do love the color brown, though, since it's in my autumn palette. Scrabble, anyone?

What color are you?

Hinckley Tribute courtesy of BYU

Here is a link to a collection of photos remembering President Gordon B. Hinckley and his experiences with BYU over the years. Make sure the sound is turned on so that you can hear his words that are a narrative to the images of our beloved prophet.

BYU President Hinckley Tribute

Hearing him say, "Do not settle for mediocrity. You can do better than that...seek for the sunlight, and be happy" helps me want to "do a little better."