Carolyn Roehm..

Carolyn Roehm's pretty favor boxes. She makes the quilted ones we used for our party as well. See them here.. on her site.

Flowers & Favors..

Alicia's shower was so fun I'll show you ... these turned into
... these..
My mom made these.. chocolates in lovely Carolyn Roehm paper quilted boxes.
My sister to a photo of an arrangment like this to our local flourist and he made this lovely spring arrangement for our party.
We all brought flowers and put them everywhere. I didn't take too many photos though. I should have taken photos of our cookie table. My sister-in-law Brynn has promised that she will share her marvelous lemon bar recipe.. with lovely white chocolate.. We had Marta's Spinach Quiche

SIMPLY SPINACH QUICHE

10 oz. pkg. Frozen Spinach (let thaw in fridge for a day)

5 Eggs, beaten well

8 oz. carton small curd Cottage Cheese

2 cups grated combination Cheddar and Monterey Jack Cheeses

1/8 cup dried or chopped Onion

1/8 tsp. Salt

1/8 tsp. freshly ground Black Pepper

9 inch deep dish unbaked pie shell (in the frozen foods aisle)

Preheat oven to 375°. Drain thawed spinach in colander, pressing with paper towels to remove all liquid. In large bowl of mixer, combine eggs, cottage cheese, spinach, 2 cups grated cheese, onion, salt, and pepper. Beat to blend and pour into unbaked pie shell. (At this point, quiche can be refrigerated overnight.) Bake 50-60 minutes. Let sit 5-10 minutes before cutting. Cut into wedges and serve warm.Yield: 6-8 servings.

Thank you Marta! I've used this recipe about 4 times already. :)

We had a really lovely time. So many of our favorite ladies came. c and her cousin were so wonderful to help greeting the guests and they looked so cute in their spring colors.

My sister Christine's home looked so pretty and she had her new yellow room finished just in time.. Why, why did I not take more pictures. Well.. it was so fun. Thank you everyone for coming! We had a wonderful time!

SLC Restaurants...

I get in a restaurant rut sometimes. I asked my very organized friend Jenneece for a list of a few new places to try. Some of these places are old favorites, but most of them I haven't yet tried. Since many of you live in the greater SLC area.. or show up here occasionally... I thought I would share. Bon Appetit!

Cannellas-Italian, Best known for their lunch salad with sausage-never been yet
Tiberon-Located in Sandy area, American food, never been yet, comes highly recommended
Tuscany-Italian/American food, pricey but great atmosphere especially in the summer
Epic-sister restaurant of Tiberon, located in Holiday area, really good food
Al Fornos-Italian, great brochette, moderately priced
Faustina's-Italian, good food, priced well
258-Ogden-
Luganos-Italian, everyone that has gone here said it is great
Rivers-American
Bayou-Southern
Lemon Grass-Thai/Asian, heard great things about it for dinner
Tin Angel-
Café Trio-Lunch, heard great things about it for lunch
Stoneground-Italian, good food, very relaxed atmosphere and good prices
Tres Hombres

To this list.. I'll add a few of my tried and true favorites..

The Dodo
Hires Big H
Market Street Grill
The Garden
The Lion House Cafe
The Red Iguana
The Rio Grand Cafe
The Avenues Bakery
Les Madeleines - just treats
Ruth's Diner
Mrs. Backer's Pasty Shop
Bakers De Normandie
Z Tejas

What are your favorites?

Beans, Beans the musical fruit..

We love beans at our house. But, we don't love sore tummys or toots. Did you know that if you add 1 tsp. of mustard powder to these beans when you are heating them up (even in the microwave) that you'll have happy toot-free kiddos. It also works well in egg dishes.

Forsythia and Snow in the Morning Light...

Sometimes I don't mind insomnia. Do you sleep well? I often don't. I'm a bundle of crazy that we won't discuss here. I guess some people can work stuff out in their dreams, but I have to paint to work things out.

At 3A.M., I left my bed to paint.. and I made something, which I'll show you later.

I listened to the BBC reporting from and about Basra. Tragic. Some of those people are innocents who have been through so much already.

The situation in the world made me think about ways that my family can conserve, be more self-sufficient and less wasteful. I think we need to be.

I thought a lot about what kind of parent I am. I meant to be a perfect mother by now, but I still haven't got that down. I need to work on some things. I wonder if I'm teaching my daughter the right things, the things she needs to know. Are we are too busy? I want my daughters to grow up to be an accomplished and confident young lady, but am I pushing her to do too much? Am I really listening to her? Does she have my full attention? Is she happy? Does she know how dearly she is loved?

Sometimes I have to think these things out in the night.

I think that I will go about my day now.. and continue pondering some of these things while I finish up some big projects today.. but I will leave you with this... I think it's beautiful.

"Nothing that is worth doing can be achieved in our lifetime; therefore we must be saved by hope. Nothing which is true or beautiful or good makes complete sense in any immediate context of history; therefore we must be saved by faith; Nothing we do however virtuous, can be accomplished alone; therefore, we must be saved by love."

Reinhold Niebuhr

Love and Pink Bunnies...

There is a pink bunny in:

The LOVe BoXEs ShOP

now... whew.. I'm still not finished with the baby bunnies.. but I'm getting close.. maybe tomorrow.

When you get to know me better.. you know that I love a little sarcasm.. Can't help it. I was raised in a family that all had secret dreams of a starring role on the McLaughlin Group

and being witty and funny with a bit of a bite.. has been a quality to be admired.

I am trying to get away from that a bit and not to be cutting.. but I still find stuff like this hilarious!

When asked, "Do you think all any of us really want, deep down, is to be loved?"

Garrison Keillor responded:

"No, we want to be rich, to be admired, to eat like a horse and be skinny as a snake. To have small children ask for our autographs, to be on terrific medications that make us calm and witty and sexy. To sing Irving Berlin and Gershwin and Porter at the Oak Room and be described in the Times as 'luminous.' But in the absence of all that, it's enough to be loved."

That nails it right? Who doesn't want to be luminous?

500 Cupcakes...

I got this fun book from my friend Jenneece for Christmas. It's so fun to look through! The other day I found a recipe that I am going to make soon.. maybe tonight if I can find the basil pesto.

Step one... Make any cornbread muffin.

Step 2... Make some frosting by combining 1/2 C basil pesto

& 1 1/2 C cream cheese softened

Step 3... Top with a cherry tomato

Very fun!

... and after that.. there are 499 more to try...

Brown Rice...

If it's true that you are what you eat.. then I am made out of Diet Coke and Candy and maybe some Salsa (that's the healthy part).. yep. Not so good. But, I have a few favorite healthy things and this is one that I love! And, HOORAY! Costco is now carrying this absolutely awesome rice in bulk so that I can have it in my storage. I really believe that you've got to put stuff you like in your storage and pantry.. or it never gets used.

I've made a couple of mistakes that way, which if you do.. you can make a complete save by donating the stuff you don't love to your local food bank. Maybe it's someone's favorite? You never know.


I told C that this was a major shopping triumph. He didn't really smile as big as I'd hoped or give me a medal or anything so I told him he wasn't excited enough about it.. He said in true Eeyore fashion, "I'm excited on the inside." Hmmm. :)

The Scarlet and the Black...

We watched this movie over the weekend. For some reason C and I had all Nazi movies lined up in the que for Easter weekend. Nice.

Anyway, even though this was a made for TV movie.. it has some incredible performances by Gregory Peck and Christopher Plummer... simply amazing.

"The character of General Max Helm was based entirely on the real life of SS-Obergruppenführer Karl Wolff, who served in 1944 as the Supreme SS and Police Leader of Italy. The film was unable to use Wolff's real name, since the SS General was still living in 1981; he died in 1984." Wikipedia

Don't miss this one if you haven't seen it.. or revist it if it's been a few years.

Easter Goop...

I can't help myself. And, I can't take it down until May... then, I'll have to think of some other goopy stuff to put up.

Are you reaching your potential?

Visit one of my favorite blogs, BlackEiffel, and watch this.

And.. One more cute on Etsy...

Postcards are one of my favorite things. I adore them. Who doesn't like to get a postcard. I have wanted to have one made for about 2 years. Finally, finally I was able to find a printer who could make what I wanted. So, here they are!

They are in

ThE LOvE BoXeS SHoP

already in packs of 5 and 10...

Whew.... :)

Circe is the winner!!!

More Fun Etsy Things...

The Rosehip Shop opened to fanfare yesterday. Congratulations to Beata who makes these lovely dolls! This one is mine. If you hurry over.. there are a few left.

Also, Jordan is back in business this morning. The Flood Street Shop has that wonderful red twine and big, big red balloons.

These are few of my favorite things!!

I have been looking for cute pot holders...

Why didn't I check Etsy first?

I purchased these yesterday from this Etsy shop. There were so many cute sets, I had a difficult time choosing.

Did you guys want to see the new baby bunnies?

You did! Oh good.. here they are... :)

The top one is in

ThE LoVE BoXEs SHoP

already..

but I can make some of the ones with the plain sides available if you need them.. :)

Crocus...

Look what I found on my walk yesterday! Lovely. There were bunches of these everywhere.

It was another crazy day yesterday. I hope that today will be much more calm.

I have about 40 boxes that need to be painted post haste.. and my house looks like a hurricane had a party in here. c's school report is finally finished! Hooray! I hope it goes well for her today.

Google Reader...

I have been using Google reader lately. Wow. What a time saver. If you are trying to keep up with a number of blogs. Google reader lets me know when one of you has posted something new and then I can stop by for a visit. I've loved it.

Bouquet of Daisies...

This is my favorite bouquet to make.. I make it all the time. It costs $4.. $5 if you include the little tin bucket which are available tons of places. I am taking this bouquet to a friend of mine who has just accomplished a major accomplishment! Hooray! Long story.. but anyway she deserves some flowers!

Daisies are my favorite.. Well OK.. it's difficult to choose a favorite flower because I like most of them quite a lot.. but daisies are definitely one of my favorites. And, these daisies with the green centers are my favorite daisies.. I don't know why I always paint them with yellow centers. Hmm.

Daisies are the happiest flower to me. In the language of flowers, they mean innocence and they are common flower and so they kind of remind me of childhood... a playful and innocent happiness. Lovely.

Chaucer called the daisy the "eye of the day". Daisies are perennials and sometimes they volunteer for beauty duty. My brother-in-law once told me that a weed is actually defined as anything that is not planted intentionally. I don't feel that way. I think volunteers are often a miracle of nature.

My favorite tree in our whole neighborhood was planted by heaven. It's lovely in the summer with green leaves and in the autumn when the leaves tumble down. It's beautiful covered with snow and looks magical when frost and fog crystals freeze to it. It is such an amazing shape that even right now "mud time" according to Robert Frost the branches reaching for the sun make me hear the sounds of Stravinsky's Rite of Spring in my head. I know the more violent parts of that ballet are supposed to be something about pagan Russia and oppression and all that.. but when I listen to it... it sounds like the violence of a winter storm.. It sounds like ice and wind and then it sounds like the joy of flowers and blooming and little grass shoots coming through the dirt.

I suppose daisies are common because we see them all the time, but they are a miracle to me. My mom likes to say that beauty has its own value. It truly does. It's hopeful. It has the spark of faith in it.

Flower in the crannied wall,

I pluck you out of the crannies,

I hold you here, root and all, in my hand,

Little flower-- but if I could understand

What you are, root and all, all in all,

I should know what God and man is.

Tennyson

Frilly Pink Dress...

Nammy says this may be the last frilly dress she'll get the girls to wear. They are growing up and getting too sophisticated for all these ruffles. I hope not, but I fear she may be right.
I love to see my sweet c twirling and twirling. I better take lots of snaps of the three cute cousins. They are all three going to be flowers girls at my sister Alicia's wedding. They are sooo excited.

"Well," said Pooh, "what I like best," and then he had to stop and think. Because although eating honey was a very good thing to do, there was a moment just before you began to eat it which was better than when you were, but he didn't know what it was called.

~A.A. Milne

Do you know what I'm dreaming of doing???

Not a dang thing. Not in the long run of course. In the long run I dream of doing a whole slew of things, a bunch of things, tons of new things... but today... I would love to do
NOTHING.. just for a little while. I have been running all day, which why I'm posting this while I wait for the whites to go in the dryer so that we will have clothes tomorrow. Funny, they frown on nudity at our church. You'd think they'd just be glad you showed up, but no. You must show up in clothes. It's a lot of pressure some days. Today being one of those days.
And tomorrow, the Holy Sabbath, is a day of rest. HA!!! I know some of you just nearly peed your pants laughing at that one.. right? right! C always says, "the Sabbath day is a day of rest. You labor six days and on the Sabbath you do all the rest." Get it! Funny huh? I attended a bridal shower this afternoon and listened as some of the ladies told about their day coming up. It was frightening. This is what our day of rest will amount to: Tomorrow we have 3 hours of church, interviews with the bishopric, choir practice, choir performance, taking my brother Josh for his Sunday drive (he needs a break more than anyone) and a stake leadership training meeting.
Sundays are normally as long as a full work day, but some Sundays are a marathon. Even though Saturday is a special day.. the day you get ready for Sunday (feel free to sing a long if ya know the words).. Saturday wasn't special enough.. we never made it to the store. Good thing there's tuna in the food storage or we could starve. We still might though, because unless we get up extra early we might not have time to eat it.

Did I mention that c has a major report due at school and we thought we had two more weeks to do it? c is an A student. She's not going to sleep tonight. She's going to freak out instead which will make the whole doing a fantastic report in 2 days so much more pleasant. Freaking out in the place of sleeping in c's and my favorite nightime pass time.
Back to the laundry... I just noticed that I wouldn't have to go in the buff to church. My jammies are clean. Good night people.. and good luck tomorrow.

*** Author's note: I hope you're laughing. I have to be a bit sarcastic sometimes. Don't mis-interpret this. I love my life and I am a mostly happy person.. It just feels good to belly ache a little sometimes. In addition to the above. The garage broke while I was on my way to pick up my brother. He's very mentally handicapped. I don't think he was happy I was late. He wet in my car on the way to his babysitters. Happily I was mostly prepared for that with a towel and garbage bag.. so I won't have to spend $60 getting the car detailed this week. Hooray. I was late for my stake meeting, but they were very kind about it.. and you know the sun is shining.. and The Easter Hymn Sing was simply sublime and so it's been a good Sabbath after all. Now Monday! Smile people!!! :)