The Dog Days of Summer

Grant and I spent some quality time in his backyard tonight.

Grant is pure boy . . . and I adore this kid with all of my heart.

He makes me happy.

Oil Painting - At Last

I am finally back into painting . . .

only now I am tackling the dreaded oil paint.

Here is the painting I produced this weekend.

I figure the more I paint the better I will become

so I better start painting a lot.

This is the Great Salt Lake at Sunset.

Please keep in mind I am an AMATEUR!
(Also - it really does look better in real life - I promise.)
One more also -

it will look better if you step a few feet back from your computer.

It is a sort of Monet styled type of painting.

I think. I hope.

Either way - I love the time I spend with my brushes

and my oil paints and my mediums and my palette

. . . and my music.

And two dogs and a bird who sit and watch me.

Independence

Independence, MO was awesome.

Here are a few photos I took of the

Joseph Smith Emma Hale Smith Family Conference.

 New Kansas City Temple at sunset.

Still in construction but still so beautiful.

The Smokin' Guns BBQ wall of award ribbons.

A few of us snuck off the first night around 9:00 pm

and feasted on the best ribs and baked beans 

I have ever tasted in my entire life.

And I have tasted some good ones over the years.

Sorry I don't have pictures of those but we ate them in

a park and it was dark by the time we took our first bites.

Guy voted it best of BBQ on his Diner, Drive-ins, and Dives.

I love Guy. Tanner and I watch his show a lot and 

there he was looking down on us from the wall.

And yest that is his signature on that poster you're looking at.

We took a jaunt to a few tour sites and this is the place

that the first corner stones were laid for the first 

Temple the Saints were going to build in Missouri.

One Stake was having their Pioneer Trek.

The humidity was outrageous and it was about

85 degrees making the heat index around 100 degrees.

I was dying in my t-shirt and capris and as I

looked at those kids and adults in full pioneer garb

I felt like suffocating.

What a bunch of dedicated people.

Across the street and over a hill was where 

my Great-Grandfather Joseph F. Smith

was born one very cold winter night.

This is a picture of the field near by.

Green enough for you? In July I might add.
That is a beautiful tall corn field behind the tree.

Emma's Birthday Cake

I forgot to take a picture until our dear

General Paul had started cutting it.

Then someone yelled, "Did you get a picture of it?"

I grabbed my camera and snapped despite the

Smith and 1804 being completely mutilated.

It was vanilla cake and was delicious.

So was the strawberry cake, and the chocolate cake.

Yeah - I tasted them all. Small bites - okay?

 Chelsea from Australia.

I love this thirteen year old from down under.

She became my friend and buddy,

and I tried to convince her when she grows up

to come to Utah and attend college.

I promised I would cook for her every weekend.

Since she's never tasted my cooking she wouldn't promise.

You can see the Community of Christ's Church spire behind her.

On my way home I took this picture from the plane

of the Mississippi River which is ginormous.

What you will not be able to see in this photo

is all the buildings and roads that are 

still covered with the murky waters.

An incredible but sad scenery to watch from above.

Thank you Smith family for a remarkable and memorable four days.

Fourth of July Boys

My 4th of July Boys

 Cute as bug's ears aren't they?

A New Painting

I painted a new picture and thought I would share it.

It was a gift for a friend who has spent endless hours over the years

sharing her wisdom, humor, compassion, and friendship

in the most pure and extraordinary way.

Happy Belated Birthday Maureen

Lilacs in Kamas

 A few friends of mine took a little jaunt to Kamas

to view the lilacs.

I had no idea how beautifully they blossom
in that small mountain town.

We had lunch at the Gateway Cafe

and wandered the Petersen 3 acre "Estate"

having a marvelous time.

Happy Birthday Troy Boy!

He's not happy about #27!

I lost all my scanned photos when my computer crashed,

but here are a few photos that I love that I found.  

 I love you Troy.

Long Time No See

I have been awol because life in the spring is hectic.

Very hectic.

But I have taken a few choice pictures of

my very favorite photographic subjects.

Grant. Sunsets.

If the sun every comes out I will tear out my

rose bushes and plant raspberry bushes instead.

The rose bushes pretty much died over the cold winter,

so now they are a straggly mess.

Besides, raspberry bushes will actually produce food.

Although technically I could try to learn how to make rosewater.

Here is Grant on a good day . . .

And then a few days later . . .

Grant wasn't in the mood for the Pizza I was trying to feed him.

And last - a sweet reminder that my beloved lake is returning.

The positive side of all of that snow and water we've been hit with this year.

WHOA!!!

I cannot believe how fast time is flying . . .

I did not realize it's been over a week 

since my last blog post.

Here are a few pictures from the past week.

 Matteo, Troy, and Grant

Buddies forever!

Sunday's sunset - the end of winter.

 

What Happens When You Leave A Dachsund Alone?

THIS!

Otherwise known as: My Once Favorite Chair

The culprit is the one who has Annabelle pinned.

Gabbie has become the bane of my existence.

Too bad she has too cute of a face . . .

If I were a true blogger . . .

If I were a true blogger like so many are these days . . .

my posts would go something like this . . .

I have a really really bad sinus infection and 

I had to go on antibiotics which I hate.

I babysat Grant tonight for awhile while Katie 

worked out and there is spaghetti stuck to my floor

which I am too sick to clean which is fine.

I love the evidence that my favorite little boy

was here smiling at me and laughing and eating noodles.

I would also post that despite my complaining earlier this year about
having to endure 15 more months of public school as a parent . . . 

today I learned that my son is so smart that he doesn't have to 

go to High School for another 15 months.

Because of his Crohn's Disease - public school just doesn't work.

Not flexible enough and so it is time for him to move on - a bit early.

He is getting his GED next week despite the fact that 

I signed him up for two months of classes
so  he would be totally prepared.

Today was his first day of prep.

He aced the pretest so they told him to take the
big test next week and be done.

Why would you go to 15 more months of school

to learn stuff you already know?

He starts college in June.

I am almost officially an empty nester.

With spaghetti stuck to my floor and toys in my bedroom

and fingerprints all over my glass patio door and mirrors.

The wonder of motherhood.

To honor Tanner I am posting my favorite school event picture.
(He doesn't read my blog thank goodness - he would hate me if he saw it!)

Congratulations Tanner on your recent accomplishments.

Second Grade field day.
Gotta love this kid.
He is the essence of what I call a free spirit.

And he is one of my very best friends.

HAPPY 17th BIRTHDAY TANNER!

I FORGOT TO POST MY HAPPY BIRTHDAY

TO TANNER!

He turned 17 on Wednesday the 6th.

So in honor of my amazing, patient, smart,

musically gifted, kind, and very funny son . . .

Happy Birthday!

Of course I did remember him on his birthday -
he got Raybans and Headphones.

I just didn't post in his honor.

Unfortunately Tanner does not like having his picture taken -

so here is one of my favorite older pics of him with his long hair.

I do like the short hair immensely.

More Great Salt Lake

After posting the picture of the Great Salt Lake the other day

we got another snow storm which cleared the air and

presented me with the perfect opportunity to photograph

the lake in it's early spring glory.

Snow in April can be annoying - and beautiful all at the same time.

The Great Salt Lake

I had a dear friend ask me tonight if I had a view of the lake.

I told her I did.
I love watching the sunsets and the island and the water
as it slowly disappears through the hot summers.

So I decided to post another one of my favorite

Great Salt Lake pictures.

Thanks Liz P. for reminding me that there is a lake

out there despite the fact that it has been hidden

in too many dark clouds these past few months.

Occasionally it shows itself and the sun reflects upon its waters -

but let's face it - we have had one long winter.

Hence the 6" of snow outside at this moment.

Hopefully this is what I will be looking at 4 months from now -
only with way more water showing:

August 2010

Oatmeal Lemon Bars

Grant helped me make Lemon Bars on Sunday . . .

And now for the recipe:

(Sorry I don't have a picture of the actual bars - 

my camera died and we ate them before it recharged!)

Oatmeal Lemon Bars

1 1/2 cups butter

2 1/2 cups packed brown sugar

4 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

2 Tbsp Lemon Juice

2 cups flour

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp nutmeg

2 cups oatmeal

Mix together and bake @ 350 degrees until center is set.

Do not overcook.

Glaze with the following:
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/3 cup cream
1/4 cup butter softened
Powder sugar - enough to make a soft and spreadable icing.

Frost the bars while still warm.
You can add pecans or walnuts if you like.
Good warm or cold.

Midnight

Sleep.

Something that doesn't come easily for me.

But I absolutely love nighttime.

I love the moon.

I love the stars.

I love the middle of the darkness when all is quiet.
I love hearing a winter storm pounding the world outside.

I love in the summer when the windows are open

and you can hear the chirping of crickets and the wind rustling trees.

Those are the upside of not sleeping.

The upside of actually sleeping is feeling good in the morning.
And dreaming.

I love dreaming good fantastical dreams.

I really do love sleeping.

It just isn't happening.

So that is why I post so often late at night.

Something to do besides read and watch movies.

Even I though love reading and watching movies -

they do get boring after midnight.
So instead I post on my blog.

Here is my favorite night picture taken in Hawaii many moons ago.

Many many many moons ago.

After all these years I still think it is a way cool picture.

I Spy

I spy my cake pan drawer . . .
I spy a bulldozer . . .

I spy a measuring cup . . .

I spy a thermos lid . . .

I spy an ice cream sandwich maker . . .

I spy a plastic cup . . .

I spy something unidentifiable . . .
I spy a white funnel . . .

I spy another ice cream sandwich maker . . .

I do not spy my cake pans.

Hmmm.

Smile

Keep Smiling . . .

We stumble and fall

Soul is scraped

Heart is inflamed

Mind is meshed with doubt

Body aches without hope

The sun hides behind gray and black and blue

And even sometimes blinding yellow

Regrets resound within

Then there is a ripple in the still air

It cannot be seen

It may not be tangible

Yet there is life and it is there to be lived

Keep smiling and in a flutter of time

The air becomes soft

The world opens wide her arms

Hope

Faith

Courage

Known strength that guides

Known love that warms

Known knowledge that endures

Day and night shifts and there is healing

Friendship is as eternal as we are
White as white

And always will be.

~ Emily Kathleen