Have You Seen My Garden Lately?

The sunflowers are blooming! And I'm sure they wouldn't have done nearly as well if I'd planted them on purpose. True, we haven't gotten too many beans. Or peppers. Or broccoli. But hey! We have the coolest sunflowers in town!











There is even a volunteer morning glory growing up one of my volunteer sunflowers!











Don't I have the coolest garden you've ever seen? But actually the term "garden" was abandoned quite a while ago at our house. It is now referred to as "Mom's sunflower jungle."

Why it's a good thing

I've been encouraging my children to be positive about their chores lately so I thought I'd follow my own advice.
Here are the top ten reasons why it's a good thing that my dryer is dead and I have to hang all our laundry on a makeshift clothesline.

1. It keeps me humble.

2. I get lots of fresh air. (And all the sneezing and itchy eyes that come from all that fresh air? That just helps with the humility thing.)

3. Hanging out all of our socks one by one gives me time to reflect.


4. I talk to my neighbors more. (Like when they come out and say, "You're still doing laundry? At this time of night?)

5. The sun really does help to make whites whiter. (Unless, of course, children with dirty hands are playing in the yard. Then they're.... not whiter.)

6. I'm saving money on my power bill. (Actually, it was higher this month. But I still have hope for next month's.)

7. Having sheets hanging on the line really does create a sweet homey kind of picture.

8. I am much more appreciative of a nice sunny day. (It's a real bummer if you need something washed on a rainy day.)

9. I am much more appreciative of my swamp cooler. (After being out in the hot sun for hours hanging up one hundred little tiny outfits.)

10. I am much more appreciative of rainy days. (Sorry, I can't do laundry today. It's raining!)

Eleven Years

Saturday was our eleventh anniversary! We spent almost the entire day with my family. We went through the temple with Mike, which was cool because we got to visit the sealing room where we were married. And then went to dinner with everyone and had lots of fun. That was our anniversary. (I did also get a dozen roses, so there was a little romance in there somewhere.)
Chelsea marked her fifth by telling the story of how they met, but as I've thought about our eleven years together, I've remembered our vehicles.
I know, it's so romantic.
When we were married, I had Jim (short for James), a trusty old Plymouth Caravelle. Because of his lazy teenage owner, I'm afraid people rarely saw what color he was really supposed to be. But that's ok, because underneath all that dirt... He was still brown!
Jef had Bessie, a B2000 Sundowner. She was a sweet little pickup truck that went with us through many engagement adventures. She somehow survived it all, but I think died of a broken heart because Jef had another woman in his life after all that time they'd spent together.
Jim died in a cloud of smoke somewhere between here and Cedar City, and Bessie died a slow death, finally resting for the last time in Monroe.
Then we got Ali. A sporty little black Acura. The sunroof wouldn't ever work quite right, and it took three people to pull a pregnant lady out of it, but it served us well until the number of carseats our family required finally outgrew the backseat.
Then on to Homema (Ho-may-muh). Homema when originally purchased was a green Dodge Caravan with wood panelling on the sides. 277,000 miles later she is now blue, red, maroon, and green. But she's still kicking! I think Jef is really really hoping that she'll make it to 300,000. Just so he can say she did.
Somewhere in here, I should mention the Color Country Cleaning van. During Jef's time as a carpet cleaner, it was how I gave directions to our house. Just look for the great big van... But the poor thing died suddenly when the tree in front of our house was blown over in a wind storm. Blown over right onto the carpet cleaning van. We got on the front page for that one! And that ended Jef's career in carpet cleaning.
Our next vehicle never really got a proper name. Jef tried to name it Winney, but it never really stuck. Poor thing has just been called "The White Van," and I'm sure it feels bad about its painfully generic name. But the lack of power windows lowered its value in my eyes, and I wasn't ever quite thrilled with it. Maybe that's why it never got a name.
And now we have Max the Suburban. Max has the ability to carry nine people in seatbelts, plus several paragliding kites. This makes him invaluable. His air conditioning actually works, and he has those power windows that I never appreciated before The White Van. His one failing, however, is a big one. He's a gas hog. Of course he is. You can't expect him to do all those amazing things on nothing, can you? But unfortunately he ends up parked much of the time because we just can't afford his big appetite.
Our family vehicles have steadily increased in size through the years, and I don't see how we could get any bigger without making the jump to a 12 or 15 passenger van. But I'm hoping that this is the top of the graph, and from here we'll start to get smaller again. On the other hand, if the price of gas doesn't go way down, this may be the end of the story. We'll just be riding our bikes for the next eleven years. Haven't named those, yet. Maybe we'd better start.

Above Average Reader

I found this on Sara's blog, (who found it on Erin's) and just had to see how I compared.

The Big Read reckons that the average adult has only read 6 of the top 100 books they’ve printed.

1) Look at the list and bold those you have read.
2) Italicize those you intend to read.
3) Place an asterisk (*) by those you’ve not read, but have seen a movie or stage performance of.
4) 2 dashes (--) means you have started it but never finished it for whatever reason
5) a ?? means you have never heard of it before

1. The Lord of the Rings, JRR Tolkien*
2. Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen
3. His Dark Materials, Philip Pullman ??
4. The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, Douglas Adams
5. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, JK Rowling
6. To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee
7. Winnie the Pooh, AA Milne
8. Nineteen Eighty-Four, George Orwell
9. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, CS Lewis
10. Jane Eyre, Charlotte Brontë
11. Catch-22, Joseph Heller --
12. Wuthering Heights, Emily Brontë --
13. Birdsong, Sebastian Faulks ??
14. Rebecca, Daphne du Maurier
15. The Catcher in the Rye, JD Salinger
16. The Wind in the Willows, Kenneth Grahame
17. Great Expectations, Charles Dickens
18. Little Women, Louisa May Alcott *
19. Captain Corelli’s Mandolin, Louis de Bernieres ??
20. War and Peace, Leo Tolstoy
21. Gone with the Wind, Margaret Mitchell *
22. Harry Potter And The Philosopher’s Stone, JK Rowling
23. Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets, JK Rowling
24. Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban, JK Rowling
25. The Hobbit, JRR Tolkien
26. Tess Of The D’Urbervilles, Thomas Hardy
27. Middlemarch, George Eliot ??
28. A Prayer For Owen Meany, John Irving ??
29. The Grapes Of Wrath, John Steinbeck
30. Alice’s Adventures In Wonderland, Lewis Carroll
31. The Story Of Tracy Beaker, Jacqueline Wilson ??
32. One Hundred Years Of Solitude, Gabriel García Márquez ??
33. The Pillars Of The Earth, Ken Follett ??
34. David Copperfield, Charles Dickens
35. Charlie And The Chocolate Factory, Roald Dahl
36. Treasure Island, Robert Louis Stevenson
37. A Town Like Alice, Nevil Shute ??
38. Persuasion, Jane Austen
39. Dune, Frank Herbert
40. Emma, Jane Austen *
41. Anne Of Green Gables, LM Montgomery
42. Watership Down, Richard Adams
43. The Great Gatsby, F Scott Fitzgerald
44. The Count Of Monte Cristo, Alexandre Dumas
45. Brideshead Revisited, Evelyn Waugh ??
46. Animal Farm, George Orwell
47. A Christmas Carol, Charles Dickens
48. Far From The Madding Crowd, Thomas Hardy ??
49. Goodnight Mister Tom, Michelle Magorian ??
50. The Shell Seekers, Rosamunde Pilcher ??
51. The Secret Garden, Frances Hodgson Burnett
52. of Mice And Men, John Steinbeck
53. The Stand, Stephen King ??
54. Anna Karenina, Leo Tolstoy ??
55. A Suitable Boy, Vikram Seth ??
56. The BFG, Roald Dahl
57. Swallows And Amazons, Arthur Ransome ??
58. Black Beauty, Anna Sewell
59. Artemis Fowl, Eoin Colfer
60. Crime And Punishment, Fyodor Dostoyevsky
61. Noughts And Crosses, Malorie Blackman ??
62. Memoirs Of A Geisha, Arthur Golden
63. A Tale Of Two Cities, Charles Dickens
64. The Thorn Birds, Colleen McCollough ??
65. Mort, Terry Pratchett ??
66. The Magic Faraway Tree, Enid Blyton ??
67. The Magus, John Fowles ??
68. Good Omens, Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman ??
69. Guards! Guards!, Terry Pratchett ??
70. Lord Of The Flies, William Golding
71. Perfume, Patrick Süskind ??
72. The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists, Robert Tressell ??
73. Night Watch, Terry Pratchett ??
74. Matilda, Roald Dahl
75. Bridget Jones’s Diary, Helen Fielding
76. The Secret History, Donna Tartt ??
77. The Woman In White, Wilkie Collins ??
78. Ulysses, James Joyce ??
79. Bleak House, Charles Dickens ??
80. Double Act, Jacqueline Wilson ??
81. The Twits, Roald Dahl
82. I Capture The Castle, Dodie Smith ??
83. Holes, Louis Sachar
84. Gormenghast, Mervyn Peake ??
85. The God Of Small Things, Arundhati Roy ??
86. Vicky Angel, Jacqueline Wilson ??
87. Brave New World, Aldous Huxley
88. Cold Comfort Farm, Stella Gibbons ??
89. Magician, Raymond E Feist ??
90. On The Road, Jack Kerouac ??
91. The Godfather, Mario Puzo
92. The Clan Of The Cave Bear, Jean M Auel
93. The Colour Of Magic, Terry Pratchett ??
94. The Alchemist, Paulo Coelho ??
95. Katherine, Anya Seton ??
96. Kane And Abel, Jeffrey Archer ??
97. Love In The Time Of Cholera, Gabriel García Márquez ??
98. Girls In Love, Jacqueline Wilson ??
99. The Princess Diaries, Meg Cabot *
100. Midnight’s Children, Salman Rushdie ??

I've read 28,
Intend to read 3,
Seen 5 in movie form,
Started 2 that I never finished,
and I'm afraid I've never heard of 46 of them. (Ouch. But at least that's less than half.)
Is there a category for books you've heard of, but don't plan on reading?
Because that would be 16.

Hmm, I think Sara won. But at least I'm above the national average!

First Day of School

My kids are so big! And it happened so fast! I know everyone says that, but seriously...
Weren't they just barely my little tiny kids? Sigh
Today began 2nd grade for Emily, 3rd grade for Ben, and 5th grade for Robyn.
That just rocks my world.
But they don't seem to mind. They were super excited and seemed to have a great time today. And I have to admit that my day was sure a lot easier (and quieter) with only three kids to keep track of. So I guess I'll survive. Maybe.

My Man in a Kilt

Jef has spent every night at rehearsals for the last month, and several times a week the month before that to get ready for Brigadoon. I had remembered it being quite a dark play. (Don't ask me why.) But this production was really fun. The costumes were over the top, and the whole thing was just really well done. Jef played the dad of the kid who's getting married. (What's his name?) And also a drunk in the bar. For some reason he really got a kick out of playing the drunk and took a lot of pride in what a great job he did. And it's true, he did do a great job, but... Well, it was a little disconcerting to see my husband drunk, is all.
But hey, he looks great in a kilt (Aren't they supposed to be a little shorter?)
And that's the important part.

I love the Olympics

MICHAEL PHELPS ROCKS!!!!
Seriously, what else can I say?
And Sara already said it so well that I don't think I'll even try.
Hopefully the neighbors understand why all the screaming from the Anderson house.
Eight medals?
Who does that?
Holy cow, that was awesome.

Proof at Last

For years I have been wondering why it takes us so long to get ready to go anywhere.
Why do I have to get up at 7:00am to get us ready for 1:00pm church?
How does everyone else do it so much faster?

Well, now I have proof. Recorded on film.
It's not just me.

This is a Boot Race, part of the Little Cowboy Rodeo.
The object is to run to the end of the field,
find your shoes,
put them on,
and run back.

As fast as you can.



(Sorry, you may have to scroll down and pause the music to hear the video.)

County Fair

Oh, wait! There's one more essential part of summer before school starts.
The County Fair!
We were in California on the day we were supposed to submit things for the Home Arts competition, but I had a friend submit these two pictures for us anyway. I got a blue ribbon, and Jef got a red. I was glad that we submitted something because there was a pretty sad turnout this year. Hardly anything on display. So hey people! Get ready now and submit something to your County Fair next year! Help to preserve an American tradition!











On Saturday the kids and I went and spent the day at the fair. We watched a clown show, and Ben got picked out of the crowd to go hold a red ball. When the clown asked for it back, there were TWO red balls!
Immediately following the clowns was the pie eating contest! Ben got second place in the nine and under division, and got five bucks! He spent it all on rides, then went to the root beer guzzling contest, won second again, and got another five bucks to take home. What a strategy!

After the pie eating contest we went to see the guy from Reptile Adventures. That was about the coolest thing ever! He had these HUGE snakes! Pythons, Anacondas, HUGE seven, nine, eleven foot snakes!!! And he would call about five kids up, line them up, and lay the snake across their arms. The kids could barely hold them up, they were so heavy. He also had crazy mean lizards, crocodiles, and turtles (both little mean ones and giant nice ones). It was about the coolest show I've ever seen. And after the show, he had a live Ball Python which he let kids drape around their necks so moms could take pictures. Cannon was the only one of my kids who was brave enough. And look at him! He's grinning!

Then, of course, we had to wrap up the fair by spending exorbitant amounts of money on very short rides like the bounce house and the bumper boats. But what can I say? It's tradition, and I couldn't talk my kids out of it.

Hooray for the County Fair!

California in 14,291 words

What summer would be complete without a trip to California?
We caught a ride with my parents in their 15-passenger CNG-fueled van, and headed out on Saturday evening.
We arrived at Lisa's house at about 4:00am, had a few hours of sleep (all except Wil. He was done sleeping, thanks), and headed to church for Sadie's baby blessing.
It was a very neat blessing, and Shawn did a great job. Sadie, as you can see, was thrilled.

The next day we headed to this awesome spray park. It really was the coolest thing. Everyone got soaking wet, had tons of fun, but it wasn't a pool, so you didn't have to worry about anyone drowning.
But our motto on this trip was "Water, water, more water!"
So we came home and went swimming in Lisa's pool!
The next day we all headed to the L.A. temple, where the Irish family was sealed together for eternity.
It was a very special day, and I feel very blessed that I got to be there with them.

After the temple, everyone was hungry, so Jef found us a Vietnamese Noodle place, and we all had a bowl of Pho. It was very good, but no one appreciated it as much as Jef. He was in heaven.
And, of course, we wouldn't dream of being that close to the ocean, and not going to the beach. So we caught the last hour before sunset, and got our dose of salt water for the year.
I am happy to say that now our summer is complete, and I am now ready for school to start.

If each picture is worth 1000 words, then this has been a summary of our trip to California in 14,291 words. Ha!

Cove Fort Days

On Friday we went to Cove Fort Days. Every year they have a couple of days where all the missionaries dress up as pioneers, and they have all kinds of cool stuff going on. (Including free hot dogs and drinks.)

We rode two kinds of wagons...
and Robyn and Ben got to pull a handcart full of kids.

My kids were just fascinated with the harps they had there.
There was a guy there who had taken a slat out of his beehive and put it in glass so that you could see all the bees crawling around and what they had in each little comb. It was so cool!

I also liked the lady who made flower arrangements out of hair. It was crazy how real the flowers looked, and they were made entirely out of human hair!

But what my kids wanted most was to ride the stagecoach. And just as they got in line, the stagecoach driver took a break. So they told us to go sit in the shade, and we could be the first ones on when he came back.

Two hours later, he came back to his stagecoach, we took a ride, and finally went home.

It was lots of fun, but next year we'll ride the stagecoach first thing.