What a week.

It's been a month since I blogged... I admit, it's been a sluggish month.

And to add to my sluggish month, it's been an even sluggier week. Yes, "sluggier". The news makes me want to sit in my pj's all day and eat Snickers. I don't even like Snickers, but I'm eating one right now. That's how much I don't like the news this week. (Except, of course, for the "helpers" we've seen in Boston. Isn't it inspiring?).

But hopefully things will pick up here in the next few weeks.

Until then, happy things:
1. The weather lately. Slow down, rising temperatures.
2. A new calling: back in Young Women's... let's do this.
3. I always think June's age is "the best age", but it only keeps getting better. I love a two-year-old June. LOVE.
4. Tiny strawberries in our garden. I still can't believe that seeds, sun, soil, and water make strawberries. It's incredible.
5. The West Wing on Netflix.
6. New Superman trailer. And this video of Patton Oswalt's Star Wars Filibuster.(Thanks Andrea). 
7. This recipe for Baked Ziti. Probably the best pasta I've ever made. Tip: add even more Ricotta Cheese.
8. My brother-in-law Michael (June calls him "Bike") was down the last week to work on the temple (He's putting in the stained glass windows). William was able to work with him too. The windows are GORGEOUS.
9. My favorite purse broke, and the same day, my mom donated one of her purses to me. Mom, you are an answer to my prayers. Thank you for being so stylish.
10. Last week, we went to the Desert Botanical Gardens. As a native Arizonan, I'm ashamed to say I'd never been. I love the desert in the spring... and the butterfly exhibit itself was completely worth it. Look:

Twenty-Thirteen

I'm trying not to feel too overwhelmed with my resolutions this year. There's so much I want to do and accomplish. Lists make me nervous, especially those days I feel unmotivated... but here goes nothing.

This year, the focus is HOME. It's hard not to focus on this in the first place, since I'm a stay-at-home mom anyway. Nevertheless, I know there is so much good in our home, but so much that can change and be better. I need to be the one to step it up.

·I want to make my home more organized and less cluttered.
·I want to be happy with how it looks, and not focus too much on what I wish I could change about it.
·I want to make our side yard useful (playing, gardening).
·I want to be in the kitchen more, trying new recipes, and making more wholesome lunches (homemade lunches do not happen as often as I'd like).
·I want to make more homemade desserts, and eat less candy
·I want homemade pizza to be a weekly meal.
·I want to play more music and turn off the TV.
·I want to read more to myself and to June.
·I want to develop a better morning and bedtime routines, at least for the weekdays. I can already tell June thrives on routines.

There's so much more, but I need to stop myself because I feel my nerves tightening. I'm really looking forward to a great year.

P.S. We partied with the Porters on New Year's Eve, and of course it didn't disappoint. In fact, I suspect that's why I was sick all of New Year's Day. I guess the best parties take everything out of you. Anyway, while I was wallowing in "sicky self-pity", I received this video documenting the party, and of course my gloomy demeanor turned to udder delight. June and I watched this video all morning:
NEW YEARS EVE from David Nuttall on Vimeo.

June was so happy to see a dance floor that night... You better believe I plan on having one at her birthday party in March.

I guess June likes talking on the phone.

June has been all kinds of wonderful lately. I keep thinking, "this is the best age", and then it just gets better and better.

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Planning: my handmade Christmas. This is the first Christmas that I'm going to try to make most of my gifts (we'll see).  I've got about ten decorations and presents to make just in the next few weeks.
Also planning: our annual Christmas Song. I feel like we just got done writing this one... I guess this year flew by.
Eating: Homemade Blackberry Ice Cream. These Ice Cream recipes are blowing my mind (and my diet).
Hoping: to win these Christmas Cards (It's definitely a long shot).  But if not, I'm trying to design our own. It's kind of fun designing, but kind of (extremely, horrifyingly) difficult.
YEARNING: for Thanksgiving. Even though it seems like I'm already planning all things Christmas, my favorite holiday hands down is Turkey Day. (I'm crossing my fingers for a deep fried turkey.)

Routine

I'm trying really hard to be a morning person.

William can attest that I don't like mornings one bit. He's energetic, singing a tune and motivated to do a chore. I'm the complete opposite... grumpy, groggy, and dragging my feet. I save my chores for after lunch. 

Luckily, June is a morning person. She LOVES to wake up. I swear her favorite meal of the day is breakfast (with the exception of dessert, of course). I think I'd be a morning person, too, if I knew that I could take a morning nap.

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Listening to: The new Shins album. I love it. Also, this Mr. Rogers Remix song. (Thanks Daphne.)

Eating: Homemade Dunkaroos. It's just melted chocolate chips and graham crackers. (Remember Dunkaroos?! They were really gross, actually.) 

Planning: An afternoon at the splash pad, healthy dinners, and a Father's Day project for Activity Days.

Watching: John-John on Sesame Street. Remember John-John? Cutest kid on that show. June loves him too. 

About to start reading: The Daughter of Smoke and Bone... I heard good things. 

Plans

Like most kids in Arizona, June is sporting her summer uniform:

Plans for this weekend:
1. Organize my iPhoto library. It's to a point where a message pops up every time I want to import photos... apparently, I've got waaaaay to many photos.
2. Enjoy watching William work on the yard in the confines of my air-conditioned kitchen... maybe step outside to bring him some lemonade.
3. Lug our big cabinet upstairs so I can finally organize our hallway closet.
4. Date night, which may include eating Lo Lo's.
5. Walk more with June... she is SO CLOSE.


Happy Friday!

Eat and swim and eat and more eating

One thing I need (REALLY REALLY NEED) is something to look forward to. Sometimes I'll have spells where I'm not feeling the most happy about things, and I quickly realize that I need to plan something to be excited about.

I'm feeling pretty content after making our 'Summer To Do' List.

I realized much of our list is food-related (grilling, pies, breads, Postino's, etc.). William wants to try an open mic night, which makes me incredibly nervous. But I may even be more nervous to clean our garage, simply because there might be attack-ready spiders lurking in the depths therein. 

I saw this, and I've obsessed over several chalkboard art all over the webs, so I styled it after those. I loved doing this. Just like Debfreckles says,  "I want (need) to be creative more often... I realized that being creative makes me happy and I am going to try and do it more." 

P.S. I'm definitely looking forward to this the most:

Plans

I usually get tuckered out around 3pm on a daily basis. I've been working on a list of things I can do when I get tired in the afternoon. A lot of it involves going outside... I need to re-think my options since it's about to hit 100+ degree weather. June is the most hyper at this time too, so I really need to get creative.


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Listening to: The Shins on Pandora Radio because I still haven't bought their new album. What I've heard from it sounds really good.
Watching: waaaay too many cooking shows, especially the competitive type.
Excited: for Mother's Day. I need a day.
Searching: for the perfect camera bag. I need one that doubles as a purse, because I'm tired of carrying so many bags. And I'd prefer if it didn't actually look like a camera bag.
Anxiously: learning Pixelmator. It's hard. Really really hard. I just spent 2 1/2 hours learning and experimenting with only 6 functions. And there's plenty more. I should really take a class.

Whole Love

For my mom's birthday, we went to the hole in the rock in Papago Park.

As a native Arizonan, I am ashamed to say that I've never been.

As a non-athlete, the hike to the top was no sweat.

As a fan of eating, I didn't bring enough snacks.

It's worth going at least once.

Sun flared!!:

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Ate: A Grilled Sausage Wood Fired Pizza from Liberty Market. It was probably the best things I've eaten in a very long time.

Listening to: The Best of George Harrison... 'cause he's my favorite.

Proud: of my William. Our backyard is (slowly) coming along, but we just finished laying the pavers. Next is the sprinkler system. I can't wait for the finished product.

Also proud: of my June. It's funny how quickly they go from not crawling to crawling, and destroying everything within reach.

Reading: this blog post from my cousin, Katie. It is SO WORTH reading. Her writing is perfect.

Chopped.

I love preparing salad for dinner. I can prepare it earlier in the day, and all I need is a cutting board and knife.

I made this one.

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Listening to: Raconteurs, Consolers of the Lonely. My favorite favorite favorite song is 'Many Shades of Black'. Thank you, David, for the album.

Eating: Chocolate Coconut Cream Cheesecake from Cheesecake Factory. Two words: Macaroon crust.

Reading: The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Perilous Journey. I still read 5th grade novels.

Need: this print, this bag, and I need to try this recipe.

So Happy: my favorite magazine of all time is printing another issue. April 17th.

Found: a lipstick shade that I don't mind wearing. It's a good feeling.

Breakfast with June

As soon as June sits in the high chair, there better be food on the tray. So while I'm slicing the bananas or toasting the toast, I put a few Gerber Cheetos on the tray to make her happy. That girl loves her Cheetos in the morning.

She does this funny thing that I want to remember. When an object is elongated, she takes her pointer finger and gently touches the end of it. She does it with all her Cheetos:

See another adorable ritual here.

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Laughing at: these pictures of June and her buddy, Cora, at the playground. June is still not crawling around yet, so she just watches other kids or sadly leans on the playground equipment. Thanks, Holly, for the laugh.

Eating: Thin crust pizza for breakfast. If June can eat Cheetos for breakfast...

Watching: Being Elmo. I may have teared up in a few parts. Why is that little muppet so endearing to me?!

Anticipating: June's birthday party. June's uncles (and maybe her grandma!) are going to be here.

Reading: this talk by Elder Uchdorf. I need to heed his advice about "good sacrifices". I may have stayed up until 12:30am last night putting together some things for June's party (that is still 20 days away).

My downfall.

I'm pretty good about not eating too many sweets in the beginning of the year. Then February 15th hits, and the stores put out all the Easter candy.

I cannot resist Hershey's Candy Coated Milk Chocolate Eggs (see above). William and I are about to polish off our second bag in less than a week.

Oh and I haven't forgotten about Reese's Peanut Butter Eggs. (It's all about the extra peanut butter.)

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Eating: Hershey Eggs (of course) and AMAZING grilled cheese... Wheat Bread + cheddar slices + green chiles + cream cheese. It's delicious and completely healthy.

Smelling: Smith's Rosebud Salve. It's my favorite lip gloss ever.

Searching: for the perfect couch. If anyone knows where to get this one or this one, please let me know.

Found: the perfect alphabet poster.

Listening to: Secret Heart by Feist. Oh I love this song and her guitar skillz.

Weekend

I am so looking forward to this three-day weekend. William and I plan on getting our house spotless, attend several gatherings, and tackle many long-awaited projects.

Who am I kidding... we'll probably sleep in, watch TV, and eat all the leftovers in our fridge.

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Reading: a book that I'm not enjoying much, but I've gotten to a point where I HAVE TO finish it. I don't like it when that happens.

Eating: this dessert. I love it, and I've eaten too much of it this week.

Listening to: Cub Country. Particularly '59 Grand' and 'Could Be the Moon'

Thrilled: to meet Cousin Emily's baby Julie. She is so squeezeable.

Obsessed: with this book and this book. As soon as I get the funds...

Hello, February.

This month means love and Arizona. I can't wait for the celebrations of each.

Today wasn't the most tranquil day. June didn't get a good nap, and she let me know it all day. Going on a walk, eating pears, and watching Elmo helped to calm her down for the most part.

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Listening to: Elliot Smith, especially this song.

Purchased: our plane ticket to Utah... excited, but sad to see Daniel leave on his mission.

Listing: new projects everyday. I want to tackle ones that look like this and this.

Watching: second season of Downton Abbey. I realize I'm one of the last people to ride the Abbey road, but it's worth mentioning.

Reading and Re-reading: this quote. I hope that one day this will apply to me... especially the station wagon part (preferably with wood paneling).

Staple

I feel like I've been lacking in the recipe posts lately. I'd love to try to make at least one new thing each week. The cookbooks I checked out at the library are slightly overwhelming, since we don't always stock fresh herbs or buy fancy cheeses.

I think I've just been too busy with our "staple" meals, which are super easy, require no recipe directions, and always turn out delicious.

Here's what we usually eat: spaghetti, pancakes and eggs, grilled cheese and soup, fried rice and pot stickers, and bean burritos with homemade salsa (plus all the fix-ins)...

I guess they're not the healthiest of meals, but I'm trying to get better at eating more of the veggies than the main course.

Now pass me those chips...

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Listening to: this song by Cookie Monster. Seriously, listen to the lyrics. It's so cute and Cookie Monster singing it is THE BEST.

Decided: to try painting. I need to hang some art in my house, and unfortunately for my house, this is the cheapest way to go.

Absolutely delighted: that this inexpensive pizza oven alternative exists. I don't have to wait for William to build me an actual brick oven. Now to find me the perfect pizza dough recipe...

Cracking up: at this face and hair--

Love my girl.

June is super proud to be an American, so I made her the above U.S. map out of fabric scraps. (Sorry to leave you out, Alaska and Hawaii.) This was my inspiration. No, I didn't sew each state on the canvas. It's called Mod Podge and it smells icky.

There's something wrong when you wish your bedroom was the nursery. I think it's finally time that I start decorating my own bedroom.

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Listening to: Mumford and Sons. I boarded their train and I dig.

Changed my mind: on paint colors for my bedroom AGAIN. I went from wanting to paint it dark gray to a lighter color when I saw this bedroom and this bedroom. Choosing a paint color is an annoying battle that I fight with myself.

Drinking: Hot chocolate and whipped cream.

Studying every detail of: this trailer. I can't wait.

Elated: that June is loving Sesame Street. I can't wait to get her a Cookie Monster doll.

June's Diaper Change Ritual

There is a porcelain pig that guards June's books on the shelves above the changing table.

I have no idea how this ritual began, but it happens every time I change June's diaper. As I lift her from the table, she consistently reaches for the pig and gently touches its face. After a few seconds, she's done.

It's bizarre, but awesome. Maybe she thinks it's good luck... or maybe she dreams of eating bacon?

P.S. Thank you for the pig, Debbie.

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Listening to: Wilco Station on Pandora. Next Saturday, I'll be just a few feet from Jeff Tweedy. I can't wait.

Eating: this cookie dough. Did you know you are supposed to refrigerate this dough for 24-36 hours before baking these cookies? Now you know. They seriously better be the best chocolate chip cookies ever, New York Times.

Emptying: our wallets, thanks to my '96 Honda Accord. William and I had big plans to finally do our yard, but I needed new tires and some work done on the engine. Curse you, 16-year-old car.

Entranced by: this photographer's blog. I love those Cinemagraph photos. It's just like the photos from Harry Potter.

Reading: "There's a Monster at the End of this Book" to June. I loved this book when I was little. Did you know there's a sequel?

Christmas with the Coombs

Here is the Coombs Family Interpretation of the Nativity Scene:

1. Two angels (one is very upset and the other is pre-occupied with Rapunzel's hair)

2. Chubbs playing a sheep (or some sad-looking camel)

3. A capsized Pirate Ship

4. A 20-pound baby Jesus

5. Four Shepards + one Joseph (although no one seems to know which one is Joseph)

6. Festive shoes

We don't know where Mary is either.

Christmas was wonderful. It always is at my mom's house.

It's time for another nonsensical list of my holiday happenings:

Mi Amigos Chimis and Enchiladas

Toffee. Lots of it.

"Single Ladies" London dancing

Grant dancing

Carson dancing and laughing

Easton playing the piano

Mitch playing the piano

Emerson break dancing ASU style

June refusing to dance

Cherries Jubilee

Santa bag on the doorstep

Excitement as gifts are collected

White Elephant

Bathroom jokes brought to you by the Potty Putter (or whatever it was called)

Christmas Story Lamp

Ron Swanson Pyramid of Greatness

Last Minute Christmas Shopping

Dinner at Sauce

Sacrament Meeting

Mom's Coffee cake & Bacon

Presents

New TV (WEEEEEEEE!!!!)

Watch movies

Flying helicopters

Eating

Eating

Eating

Full Stomachs

Sick

Sleepy

Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night

Like everybody else on this planet, I've been busy the last few days. It seems like for every 3 things I accomplish, I usually add about 10 more things on my to-do list. I really should change my system.

Two things I'm excited for...

#1- My mom always plans an amazing Christmas dinner, which means two things: Plenty of delicious food and plenty of Christmas magic for the kids.

#2- William's family is coming to town next week for Alan and Jenny's Baby Blessing, which means two things: Plenty of delicious food and plenty of laughs.

Life is good in December.

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Reading: this talk. It's a good reminder of priorities during this time of year.

Watching: this trailer and this trailer. 2012 is going to be a good year for movies.

Writing: a list of goals for this next year. Much of it has to do with photography and cooking. And learning how to use watercolor paints. And possibly planting a garden. And organizing every square inch of my house. AND I'm already tired.

Laughing at: June's newfound love for clapping and dancing. OH. MY. GOSH. Just when I think she couldn't get any cuter...