This just in...

High School Musical 3 starts filming at East High (mere minutes away) this Saturday. Although it is a closed set, you can be sure my girls will be begging for some drive by's to see if we can catch a glimpse of Zach and Vanessa. Oh to be a tween again!

-amr

Love a Great Sale

A great sale is going on at Hanna Anderson. These little babies are only $8. Go check out more sale items here.

-amr

Notice something missing?

Gone are the days of training wheels - and he did it even faster than Ella! First push and he was off. "They" (whoever they are) say that if your child rides a scooter first, the balance is already accomplished by the time they start on the two-wheeler. I believe it. What a big boy!

-amr

Church today

Max gave a prayer and the girls sang a song in church today. They did amazing. I was so proud to see my three little cuties sitting on the front row looking so sweet and so excited to participate. I feel so blessed to get to call these little people my own.

-amr

Check

I am an organizer. When I was growing up, my mom used to send me to my room to clean it and it would take me ALL day long because the entire room - down to every drawer, every corner, under the bed, and every shelf in the closet was included in the clean. Truth be known, organizing a drawer gives me great thrill. It is a personal trait that is a little quirky, but I've learned to embrace - although it makes me a bit neurotic at times. That being said, some projects are still completely overwhelming and thus procrastinated. Which leads me to my "Project of the Month". Today I completed a project so big it was dubbed a "Project of the Month" in my New Years Resolutions: Organizing the piles and piles of my kids clothes that are too small into bins to be stored in the garage. Funny enough, with Bryce's help, the project took less than an hour. Hooray! Wish I had taken some before and after pictures to share.

-amr

Spotted

Cath Kidston stationary at Barnes and Noble in Fort Union - who knew?

-amr

The Only Good Thing about Kal being Gone

A perfectly made bed two days in a row...can you tell we all miss her terribly?

-amr

The Best Stainless Steel Cleaner is...

How much do we love Martha? She answered that ever puzzling question - what is the best product to clean stainless steel? She said don't spend the money on stainless steel cleaners because they're too oily. Just use good old Windex original - start from the top to the bottom going sideways - then top to bottom vertically. Martha solves another one!

-amr

I Heard it Through the Grapevine

shhhhh...Thursday morning at 9:00 a.m. starts a puddle jumpers warehouse sale...the usual location. These babies, in all shapes, sizes, and colors, are known to be as low as $5.

-amr

And they're off...

I just sent off Bryce and Kalli to the airport...tomorrow is national "Take our Daughters to Work Day" and Kalli is thrilled to be going to San Francisco with her dad to experience a day (or two) in the life of a bay area venture capitalist. She had such a fun time packing a notebook and pencil (for notetaking), a cell phone (to look professional), lipgloss (to look grown-up) and her gameboy (in case she gets bored during a meeting :) I can't wait to follow their journey in pictures as I'm sure Bryce will document it all with his iPhone. If you want to follow along, check out his flickr stream.

Update 9:33 a.m MTN time : Anyone who knows Kalli knows that she is smart as a whip and a voracious reader. She called as soon as they landed and said, "Mom, I should have brought another book for the trip. I finished Nancy Drew on the plane." Let me mention that she started it on the plane as well...Looks like they're going to need to sneak in a trip to Barnes and Noble today.

-amr

Happy Earth Day

* Graphic from Unruly Things

Like many, our family has been inspired by the "green movement" and have made many small changes to show more respect and love to our Mother Earth. We are lucky to have a wonderful recycling program in SLC, so we have always done that - but here are just a few things we've added:

*Reusable shopping bags (thank you Trader Joes)
*Engines off! (Idling 10 minutes less per day can keep 550 pounds of CO2 out of the air per year)
*Avoiding over-packaged items
*Earth friendly cleaning products (Mrs. Meyers and Method are non-toxic, biodegradable, and phosphate free)
*Reusable water bottles (the glass Voss ones are our favorite)
*Using less paper napkins (think about the stack you grab at a restaurant) If we all use one less napkin per day we could save one billion pounds of paper waste going to the landfill each year.
*No printing receipts at the ATM (If everyone left their receipts in the machine, it would save a roll of paper more than 2 billion feet long—enough to circle the equator more than 15 times)

Happy Earth Day!

-amr

Felt with The Heart...

Just one of my post-edited picture from Aly's wedding...I'm not usually one for a lot of text, but I thought this was sort of ethereal...the amazing Aaron Delesie, who's photographs are so classic and thoughtful, inspired my edit on this one. Oh, if only I had more time I would do more and more and more...

-amr

Tip of the Day

Thought I would pass along some words of wisdom from the wisest woman I know: "You only have 10 days to buy 41 cent stamps, so stop and buy 100 forever stamps and that will save you a penny or two." - Shirley Smiley

-amr

U7 Firebirds

Had to post one cute shot from Saturdays game - notice Ella subtly posing to make sure we see those sassy pink soccer cleats.

-amr

Current Crush

Did anyone see these last week on Martha? Oh, I was so excited for the tutorial on how to make them because at any boutique I've been to they are super spendy. My girls would just love to play around in these (Kalli may be a little old at 10, but I know she would throw it on with a pair of these and work it girl!) Unfortunately the tutorial was way beyond my sewing abilities so I'm only hoping for someone to feel sorry for me and offer up their services...
*wink wink*

-amr

p.s. If you don't want to make them, my favorite ready-to-wear ones can be found here.

Unplug 'n Play Week

Starting tomorrow, our school is participating in Unplug 'n Play Week. Kids are encouraged to unplug from their video games, TVs, and computers and do something active. They get to fill out a chart and receive rewards depending on their level of participation. I am excited to get my family to participate. Our main focus is going to be on the television (we're lucky the kids aren't interested in video games yet!) So my hope this week is for less Spongebob and more Monopoly after homework and lessons are done! Wish us luck!

-amr

Jammin

I feel like dancing in the moonlight tonight since it is 68 degrees right now at 10:02 p.m. and tomorrow the forecast is calling for snow. Seriously Utah, can we just have spring now?

-amr

...and Minerva

*Love Story by Minerva Teichert

And speaking of great things going on at the "Y", the Minerva Teichert: Pageants in Paint exhibition is in its last month at the BYU Museum of Art. My mom and my sister have both been and said it wonderful. I've got to carve some time and get there...if you want more information, click here.

-amr

Esperanza

I am absolutely ecstatic about an upcoming play at the Pardoe Theatre on the BYU campus. "Esperanza Rising," by Pam Munoz Ryan is one of my all-time favorite books and is going to be in production at BYU from May 28-June 14. It is such a poignant story that really touched me in such a personal way when I read it so many years ago. Esperanza leaves familial strife and her natal Mexico behind and heads to California for a new beginning. I have never seen it adapted as a play and you can be sure I'll be taking Kalli and Ella for a wonderful girls night out. For more information, click here.

-amr

Cuisine Quest

* Image via Salt Lake Tribune

I am so excited about yesterday's cuisine quest in the Salt Lake Tribune. They gave the recipe for Paradise Bakery's sugar cookie. It is a frostingless (is that a word?) supple cookie that is somewhere in between a sugar cookie and shortbread. I can't wait to try it out this weekend. I already went and purchased the cake flour yesterday - it comes in a box so it's a little tricky to find. I'm providing the link to the recipe here for anyone who wants it.

-amr

p.s. How is it that those newspaper editors can let cake "flower" slip by in the title - that kills me.

Red Butte Gardens with the First Grade

Last Thursday (I can't believe its been a week already!) I went along with the first graders to Red Butte Gardens, a favorite spot among Salt Lakers for some pure and natural satisfaction. I had a great time accompanying my sweet Ella and her classmates on a one mile hike while we learned about the various plants and animals that occupy the gardens. Now, if we can just get that snow to stop flying and those plants to peek their heads out of the ground again...

-amr

Etsy Love

I la la love packaging supplies - strange I know, but to me it really is all about the outside and what's on the inside is quite secondary. That being said, I can't get enough of dandeedesigns on Esty. Tell me these aren't so sweet.

-amr

Here we go again...

*Image via hgtv.com

I find myself to be a person that lives my life in phases - in and out of things so quickly that sometimes even I can't keep up with myself. I haven't watched HGTV for years, but lately I've been tuning in at 9:30 or 10:00 p.m. before bed to see what house is worth what or who has curb appeal and who doesn't. I am finding a direct correlation between my personal house projects and HGTV. If I'm smack in the middle of a project (currently our garage, front porch, and exterior re-design), I find myself wanting to tune in just to see others living through the same torment of seemingly endless decisions. (Thank goodness for an architect with good taste and a genuine love for our historic neighborhood.) So here's to another spring full of home improvement projects. May it pass by me quickly and painlessly and may it someday come to an end.

-amr

First Pitch

No school today and the kids were up late last night refining their presentation of a business plan to present to their dad. First thing this morning they had their first ever pitch meeting. They want to open "The Apple Cafe" this summer on 10 different occasions and serve baked goods and specialty drinks. They wanted an initial investment of $100 to get their business off the ground, but they settled for $22. I had to get a picture of their first entrepreneurial meeting because they took it so seriously and they were very dedicated to making a good first impression. They had a briefcase full of "slides", notes, and pictures and even wore suit coats (although they settled on a sweater vest for Max). It seems as if we're breeding entrepreneurs...look out world.

-amr

Baby Benjamin

My dear friend Amanda had a beautiful little boy two weeks ago and she let me come over and take a few shots for practice...here was a favorite.

-amr

And they lived happily ever after...

*photo credit to M Olsen photography

Happy Wedding day to Alyx and Derek...I was having so much fun playing paparazzi today that my battery pack died and with my charger still sunning itself in Palm Springs, I am unable to share any shots. Hopefully, I'll get to that later. Regardless, it was a wonderful day for this newlywed couple and I wish them countless years of bliss.

-amr

A Rediscovered Favorite

Last night some lovely friends brought dinner over for a "girls night in" and I rediscovered an old favorite: Pei Wei's Asian Salad Rolls. They are so light and tasty and such a perfect spring/summer dinner. Here's a perfect description of them : "Cut into three wide pieces, they are wrapped in rice paper and stuffed with vermicelli noodles, shredded chicken, lettuce, carrots, mint and peanuts. The flavors mingle lightly with every crunchy bite and the texture is crisply pleasant with the snap of a slaw. On the side for dipping are peanut and sweet chili sauces." The food was delicious and the conversation scrumptuous - makes for one tasty evening.

-amr

Pack it Up

With summer travel plans nearing on the horizon, I have been on the hunt for a great set of luggage for the fam. After shopping around several stores and websites, I've decided on this rolling duffle in various sizes from L.L. Bean. (Real Simple rated it their favorite.) We've had a duffle from Lands End for several years now and have just loved because we can fit at least 3 kids worth of clothes in it! But with all of our hands full of children these days, we really need the rolling option to ease things up a bit. I've ordered 2 large and one extra large in this nice dark plum color. Here's hoping I've made a good decision.

-amr

Skate Dog

Bryce and I went to a skate park in California so he could slide some rails and I could practice my action photography. I thought this one turned out pretty cool because I exposed for the background instead of the foreground. If I had done it perfectly, he would just be just a shape without any detail, but hey - I'm not that good yet! Still practicing...

-amr

Tip of the Day

* Image via Martha

Bryce has the chance to eat with a lot of foodies in his travels, so he's learned a bit about reading menus and ordering the best options. One tip that he lives by is to never order fish (or sushi) on Monday. Especially if you live inland like we do. Fish obviously has to be shipped into a place like Utah and is rarely shipped in fresh on Mondays because of the preceding weekend; therefore, the fish you're getting is most likely either frozen or leftover from last week's supplies. Seems logical doesn't it? Just thought I'd share...

-amr

Josie Faye

I haven't recently posted a picture of Josie and thought this one turned out mighty cute. Can you tell she is my serious baby? The one most likely to get a grin is her big sister Ella is who is willing to do just about anything for a smile. At nearly 8 months, Josie is wiggling all over the floor (but not crawling or sitting), loving her johnny jump up, and devouring solids twice a day. We absolutely love everything about her - (ok, except for those measly forty minute naps). Max loves when I bring her into his room so she can watch him play on his new Hot Wheels loopty loop. They are quite the little playmates. He just asked today if he could draw a mustache on her...to which I gave him my standard answer, "maybe later." Soon I realized what I partially agreed to. Yikes! So if you see him with marker in hand....

-amr

Spotlight

I have the most talented and creative friends and sadly, they are NOT bloggers. So, I've decided to start sharing their ideas and talents in an occasional spotlight post and hope and pray one day I can convince them to join me in the blogosphere. Today's spotlight is on Natalie who is a chef, baker, jeweler, and soul sister-extraordinaire. What's amazing about Nat is she has 5 kids and makes life look enjoyable, stylish, and easy breezy. For instance, many moms would run to Costco and buy a sheetcake for their child's birthday (guilty as charged) - but not Natalie. Here is her latest masterpiece. Her secret? Using fruit roll-ups as a kid-friendly fondant replacement to give her cakes some exciting color and design. Oh how very Natalie!

-amr

Oh Joy's Orla post

I loved this post from Oh Joy and just had to share - being a fan myself of Orla Kiely. I believe an Orla Kiely bag was my very first current crush on the blog and my la la love for all things Orla is not fading out anytime soon. Can't wait to get my hot little hands on some of this...

-amr

General Conference

Enjoyed a wonderful weekend of General Conference sessions - really loved President Monson's final talk at today's afternoon session. He is going to be a wonderful leader for our church.

-amr

Up to my ears...

My niece's wedding is one week from today...and hooray! I am nearly done with the eight necklaces for her bridal party. Thanks to the Gem Faire, I was able to pick up some gorgeous turquoise blue gems and pearls to coordinate with her wedding colors. I think they are coming along quite nicely, although I am anxious for Natalie (a.k.a. expert jeweler and dear friend) to come help me with some fine tuning. Congratulations Aly! We are so excited for you - and major props to my sister Jana who's idea it was to present necklaces to the bridal party in place of flowers. What a unique and wonderfully personal addition to the wedding. I might have to steal that idea someday down the road...waaaaayyyy down the road.

-amr

Wing it!

How lovely are these drinks? I didn't have one extra second to take actual photos of mine (these are from Martha, of course) - but I did make these sweet little butterfly straws for a recent party. They looked so darling and were a really simple way to carry through a theme. The instructions are here. The fun is always in the details...

-amr

Cozy

I found this yummy robe at Ikea online...it's looking like I may need to squeeze an Ikea run into this month's schedule.

-amr

Carnitas de puerco

Here you go Nat, I hope you like them. We think they are amazing...

4 pounds pork shoulder roast ( I used boneless pork ribs because that's what I had in the freezer and they turned out great.)
2 T. lime juice
1/2 c. orange juice
1/2 c. water
2 T. garlic
1/4 t. cinnamon
1 T. salt
1 T. paprika
1/2 t. black pepper
1/2 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. honey

Preheat oven to 350. Place pork in the pan. Combine all the remaining ingredients and pour over pork. Cover with foil and bake, turning occasionally. Cook for 3 hours. (The pork can also be cooked in a slow cooker on low for 8 hours or high for 4 hours.) Add extra water if necessary to keep from drying up. Shred meat with a fork and serve in a tortilla with your choice of accompaniments: beans, tomatoes, lettuce, guacamole, salsa etc..

The Kura Door

My friend Cami gave me this idea for my post today - she was looking for a gift for a babysitter that refused to accept payment (don't we all wish we had that problem?) and I suggested a spa gift certificate. Going to the spa is such a treat but so hard to justify into the budget - that's why it makes such a great gift and it is something we would never do for ourselves otherwise. Here is the link to one of my favorites in SLC.

-amr

Summer lovin'

I love the idea of spreading this quilt on my front lawn this summer and hanging out with the kids and a crawling Josie under our big shade tree -but I can't hardly swallow hefty $142 price tag for "picnic blanket". Kim, Jana, Jane...any takers on making this for me? :)

-amr