everything in my life feels so random right now, that a six for sunday misceallany post seems appropriate...
one. while april was organizing my pantry the other day (her specialty), i checked the mail and found this flyer...
since someone was at my house helping me clean, we both found it pretty comical. even better, was that it took about ten shots for april to re-create the face of the horrified woman on the flyer.
two. with all of the projects and spring cleaning going on at my house this week, i decided to finally take down the christmas cards/photos from the front door.
i usually leave them up until at least easter because all those smiling faces make me so happy.
after it was done, the space seemed so naked.
what can i do to my front door to make it a happier space?
three. i figured out how to throw out ethan's pre-school projects guilt free! we hang it up on the fridge for a while, ooo and ahhhh over it to several people, take a photo of him with it, and then toss it! (sneakily of course, not infront of him) it's so freeing!
of course, i have saved a handful of things, but seriously, i wish i would've done this way back when taylor started bringing home the art work twelve or so years ago. he's only fifteen now, is it too late to have him pose with a few of his kindergarten projects?
four. my family came over for dinner tonight and for no real good reason other than taste bud delight, i whipped up these chocolate forest cherry cupcakes. yum.
i piped a little "nest" of frosting to house the tablespoon of cherry pie filling that went on top. it was the best part, next time i'm going to use a little more than i did tonight. i'm definitely going to make them again, they were as yummy as they were pretty. even rich liked them, and that's saying a lot. i know i've said it before, but the wendy paul cupcake book, is so great!
five. this weekend i spent a chunk of time immaculately cleaning my office. it's so satisfying to get everything organized and dust-free, but so disheartening to know that it's such a high-traffic area that it will only stay this way for less than a day.
so here's proof that it does get cleaned occasionally.
six. last week, i woke up way too early, somewhere in the five o'clock hour to take spencer to early morning wrestling practice. i found a certain teenager in her bathroom curling each and every inch of her very long, very straight hair with the triple barrel she got for her birthday.
apparently, this process takes hours and required her to get up long before the sun to get it done in time to catch the bus. and while very cute, especially with the flower, it just reinforced to me, the fact that i am so not a girlie girl.
i much prefer sleep over vanity.
i much prefer sleep over vanity.
i discovered a new favorite thing - cherry limeade, yum-o, thanks for the recommendation ashliegh! now i'm off to paint some kitchen cupboards...busy busy busy.
the kids loved the primary exhibit, there were some really great hands-on activities.
my older boys liked the wall of prophets and were interested in seeing who they were named after, i don't know why i never thought to teach them about these great men before!
the life size moroni was shockingly large, i guess i knew it was big, but wow, it was really fun to see it up close.
i was so taken back by this gorgeous stain glass of the first vision taken from an old church building - why can't we have stuff like this in our church buildings now?
so beautiful, i want to learn how to do this, who knows how who could teach me? we also spent some time at the olympic fountains at the gateway, a big favorite with the kids. ethan was so nervous about the water popping out of the ground, that after the first time it popped in his face, he would only enter the area if holding someone's hand.
drew is such a good buddy to ethan, one time at the playground last year, a bully kid pushed ethan and really scared him. drew jumped right in and shoved the bully back! not that we promote violence, but it was pretty awesome! he is always trying to protect the littler guys.
eventually, ethan was tired enough that only mom would do, so i spent some time out in the fountains myself trying to help ethan "catch" the water when it jumped.
he thought it was pretty hysterical and gave me some of those great, unhibited belly laughs that bring me so much joy! i was so glad jenny had charge of the camera because she got some great shots - thanks jenny. we're grateful to be part of such a big family with so many cousins that everyone has someone to hang with.
one of my favorite things about going is the drive. for about twenty five minutes or so it's nothing but winding rodes through the cache national forrest, nothing but trees and cliffs as far as you can see. it's such beautiful scenery but you feel like you must be far away from anything resembling a beach.
then just when you think the road could go on forever, you round the corner and....
BLAM there's the stunning blue color of the lake, it's surprises me every time and i LOVE it. once you get there you know it's just a short drive down the mountain and you're there. 
i love the small-town feel of garden city, all the stores and restaurants, even the grocery store all feel "local" and sort of old fashioned.
as usual, this was a moms and kids trip, april and i have done it several times sans husbands. we always have a great time gabbing on the trip there and back. and even though she doesn't really love the sand getting into everything (she's a funny girl), she always agrees to come and makes the trip a lot more fun than going it alone. i'm so lucky!
after everyone has a chance to play and splash and cool off for a bit, they always settle into their routine of digging, sculpting and shaping the perfect sandcastle. everyone has a specific area that they're supposed to work on and it's all supervised by, you guessed it, allie the boss.
the moms love the castle digging time because we usually get a few minutes to sit and relax. is there anything better than having your toes in the sand? it's one of my favorite feelings.
it's not however, one of ethan's favorite feelings. he ended spending a lot of time on the blanket jumping from towel to towel to avoid the uneveness of the sand, he was the same in winter with the snow. i did manage to talk him into standing (only with sandals on) in the shallow water on the beach, he loved to let the small waves crash on his legs and feet.
after a long day of hard play and sunshine, we pack it up to head back home. a trip to bear lake wouldn't be complete though without a famous raspberry shake so we always pick these up to make the car ride home a little easier. 
