And some flowers, too.

My Garden: one obsession of many

I've had three bumper crops this year. First, my strawberries came on with a vengeance. I made jam, pies, shakes and smoothies, and still they kept coming! They're done now, but still spreading, attempting a hostile takeover of the garden as a whole. However, they have some rivals in their garden domination. The second picture is mint. What do I do with so much of it? I grew it so I could have it for this delicious drink my mom always used to make- but now it's out of control. Any mint recipes? I also have lots and lots of squash now, too. Now if you also find yourselves in the position of being over-gourded, contact your local Extension office. The Utah County Extension office in Provo provided me with a whole book of just zucchini recipes!

S-L-A-C-K-E-R

Confession time. I've been slacking like crazy on my blog lately- and I have two main excuses. #1- we just returned from the North Carolina coast from a Watson family reunion (pictures to follow shortly). #2- I went to a luncheon with some friends and all anyone there talked about, the whole time, was the Twilight books! After that, I decided it was ridiculous that I'm the only woman in the world who hasn't read them, so I borrowed them from a friend and read. In short, the house has gone to shambles, the dishes have gone undone, and my assignments have been neglected as I've blitzed the first three books. This is the way I read. I pick it up, and I don't put it down 'till it's done.

So, with this confession on the table, I would like to hear what you guys have to say about the first three books, pending the 4th release- what? This weekend? What have you guys thought of the books? And if you haven't read them, what are your reasons?- because I had a list.

And looking at this picture, I'm like "wait a minute- didn't Edward have blond hair?" Is that just me? And what's with the lipstick?

What the...? Who is that guy?

Here are some pictures for the unbelievers. Around six years ago, Jeff decided to go bald. He was sick of the hair scene, and shaved it off, once and for all. However, now there are many of our friends who have never seen him with hair! So, here he is, the Jeff you never knew.


...and I'm including this one because it's cool.

I Wanna Play, Too!

Alright, it's game time!

A few of my blogging friends have started this game, and it's been so much fun to read theirs, that I thought I would start one, too. All you have to do is leave a message with your best/funniest/most awesome memories of me! And then, you start the same game on your blog, and I respond to yours! It's a way to take a nice stroll down memory lane, and dredge up some embarrassing moments, all at the same time!

And okay, none of the children in this picture are me. It's just such a fabulous picture, I had to use it here. It's my older brother Keith, and my little sisters Kimberly and Gina. If any of these people actually blogged, maybe they could have a say in the usage of their pictures!

4th of July

Carter: "Mom, can I have that lighter and unrestricted access to the fireworks so I can do with them what I may?"
Me: "Ah, no."

We were blessed to celebrate our nation's independence with many family members and friends, and the Cul-de-sac of Fire we do with our neighbors did not disappoint. I love our country and reverence those men and women who fought to make it free.

Happy Fourth!

Tradition, Tradition!

For a few years running, we have a tradition with some of our very good friends, the Laws family. We get up at 6:00 in the morning on the 3rd of July and pull our tired, tired kiddos out of bed to drive down to Provo. Then, as the sun is just rising over the mountains, we can watch the hot air balloon festival, where bunches of hot air balloons rise, then try to float back to hit targets. Then, afterwards, we hit Mimi's Cafe for breakfast. I always get their creamy hot chocolate and honey bran muffin. They also have omelettes that are to die for!