More magic

 On Monday evening, Emma and I went to Thanksgiving Point to see the gardens and the new Tree of Life sculpture.  Adam had received two free tickets that expired Tuesday.

The weather was absolutely perfect.  There were lots and lots of tulips and daffodils, but not a lot of crowds because it isn't the official tulip festival yet.  I loved it.  It was great to be in such a pretty place with my girl. 

There were several floral sculptures.  This one was by Monet's Pond, according to the sign.  Emma said it was his sister Claudia, who, while lesser known, was also an accomplished painter.  Trust Emma to provide a narrative, whether she makes it up or not.

The Tree of Life was interesting.  It was sort of an impressionistic view of it.  Joseph and Hyrum, Captain Moroni and some random colonial looking guy were there.  It all worked.  There were also several different depictions of Christ.  I think my favorite was this baptism one.

Emma and I were thinking this tree would be really pretty at night because there were lights in all the branches.

We wended our way back to the entrance and kept telling each other over and over what a beautiful evening it was.

Emma wanted to buy me dinner, so we ate at Spitz.  Daughters.  Believe the hype.  I love being with her.

Magic

 Yesterday during read aloud time, which is the last part of the day, I started reading The Mouse and the Motorcycle to my class.  They keep wanting the next Humphrey book, and I like those, but I told them it was my turn to pick and I went straight to my Beverly Cleary shelf.

I had about two sentences of the first chapter to go when the bell rang.  "Teacher!" they gasped.  "Why didn't you tell us?!?" and "You need to put the digital clock back!"

(I took away the digital clock to force them to use the analog clock.)

The boy whose job it is this week, sprinted from the room to go get the lunch cart (where the home lunch bags are).  They scrambled to stack their chairs and find their backpacks, scolding me the whole time.  A girl started running around in tight circles.  She repeated, "The lunch cart. The lunch cart."

I told her he already went to get it and would be back soon.

Their absolute panicked pandemonium was kind of comical.

But none of us had known or cared what time it was when I was reading.

Because Beverly Cleary is magical.

Weekend

 When I was a kid, sometimes I'd feel a let down after Christmas, but then I'd remember New Year's!  It wasn't over.

That's how I felt Friday when we were driving home from Nevada.  I was a little sad the week was drawing to a close, but then I remembered General Conference!  It wasn't over.

General Conference is such a happy time!

We packed up our house in Nevada on Friday.  It always takes way longer than we think it will.  Details, details.  We stopped by Marianne's for a pillow for her and stopped by my parents' to say good-bye and return the bleach bottle we had borrowed.

Some animal was burrowing around the foundation of our house and we put bleach on rags and stuffed them inside the holes to encourage the friends to live elsewhere. (I think all the animals around there are more bugged by me than I am by them...they live there year round and I am just an occasional interloper.)

We listened to more of the podcast we've been listening to about teaching reading.  I have feelings about it so I have to pause and discuss occasionally.

We took some stuff to Marianne in Orem, where she is visiting with her new grandchild.  I can't tell you all the heart eyes I feel about that!

At home, we unloaded the car and I took a 30 minute nap and we headed back to Salt Lake.  We had tickets at the Eccles for Life of Pi.  

We picked up Emma and met up with Emma's friend Bridget at a Greek restaurant.  After dinner, we went to the Eccles and enjoyed the show very much.  People are amazing.

I was tired when we got home, but not nearly as tired as I would have been without that nap!  It saved the day.

Mark had stayed the night Friday night and Emma came over Saturday morning.  Conference weekend feels like a holiday and I love it.

I worked on some paint by number canvases, while Emma put together a puzzle next to me. 

Between sessions, Adam had to meet with someone in our ward, so Emma and Mark and I went to lunch and Winco.  We divided up the grocery list and from the time we left our car to returning to the parking lot was 20 minutes.  It would have been even faster if I hadn't chosen the worst possible line.

We got home the same time as Adam and just in time for the afternoon session of conference.  I enjoyed hearing from our leaders, just like I always do.  I felt the Spirit and felt encouraged.  

Emma wanted to have silent reading time afterwards.  Silent reading time used to be sacred time around here!  I'm glad she is still a fan.

I tried to get Mark to join us and if you think I can peer pressure him into anything, you don't understand our relationship at all.  He said he may join later.

I read awhile and started feeling drowsy.  On my way upstairs, I told Emma that I was going to go take a nap.  I said, "You're the gatekeeper.  Don't let anyone wake me up."

She said, "What if I fall asleep?"

I said, "I will still hold you responsible."

No one woke me up and when I emerged from my nap, I thought that either they had fallen asleep or we had a carbon monoxide leak. 

(I found Adam in the basement, alert and answering email and texts, so no leak.)

There were three pillows right there, but I guess he wasn't interested...

I love how Horace is watching over her as she sleeps.

I decided to water the plants and when I was pulling my root treatment (for Felicia, my fiddle leaf fig:  she's a diva) out from under the sink, I realized something was leaking. 

Adam inspected and said, "OK, I'll have to replace the disposal."

So we lost the use of the sink and the dishwasher and subsequently, my desire to make dinner.  Emma picked up some mail on the counter and said, "Well, two meals for $9.99 at Arby's.  That's two of us sorted."

After the last session of conference, we decided to go to The Smoked Taco instead because it is delicious and almost entirely gluten free and Emma had never gone.  Then Emma went home--she was going to stay, but decided not to--and the rest of us went to Home Depot for a disposal.

Adam has installed those things before and it is always a tremendous pain.  He had Mark help him and they were amazingly fast.  

The investment of Legos has paid off with that kid.  

After Elder Stevenson's talk about Easter, I found a board and painted a sign.

It is a little crooked, but I only have one way to be.

I loved the weekend.  I love General Conference.  I talked to my parents last evening and my dad asked me if I enjoyed watching.  I said, "Yes."

My mom asked, "Do you ever think anyone says, 'Oh, it was OK...'"

We didn't think so.

Grateful Friday

The sunset last night (photo credit: Adam).

 I am grateful anytime we get to spend time here.  

Yesterday I took a walk with my mom and we gathered rocks that resembled eggs for my next activity day project.  A cat followed along with us and I think it was very confused about what we were up to.

I have a small collection of bricks from the brick house that burned.

A not great quality picture of the house...

Better quality photo, but you can hardly see the house.  I love this picture though.  My grandma peeking around my grandpa's shoulder just delights me.

I have a better picture of the brick house, I just can't find it right now.

I don't know what I plan to do with the (mostly broken) bricks, but I am collecting them all the same.

Yesterday was a time between snow and tall grass that I could find some bricks on the little hill behind the garage.

I over doubled my collection of bricks! (Exciting...when I figure out how to use them.)

I loved that brick house!  And so I love the broken bricks.  The heart wants what the heart wants.

There's an old cook stove on the hill up by where the chicken coop used to be.  I don't know how old it is or anything about it.  I retrieved this door from the ash drawer. 

My mom had us and my uncle Drew over for dinner last night.  She made meatloaf, which I love and my mom's meatloaf is the best meatloaf.  I enjoyed our visit and Drew told us a few stories about his mission and he and my dad told me what they remembered about their grandma.  

I am grateful for family. (And broken bricks.)

Adam and I have enjoyed our time here.  We've worked on a few projects and spent time together and visiting my parents.  A lovely time in the loveliest setting.

A thorn in my side is my family history research.  Matilda Anderson is my great-great grandmother and the details about her life are extremely sketchy.  There is contradictory information on family search with no sources to back any of it up.  I was searching records last night except, I don't know Swedish.  I can make out fanciful cursive in a language I know, but even with google translate, I was lost.  I said to Adam, "Why don't I know Swedish?!?"

He suggested Duo Lingo.

Sorry Matilda.  When I see her someday, I am going to sit her down and have her tell me everything.

We head back to Utah today and I'm looking forward to General Conference.

By the dawn's early light

I just constantly love the view out every window.  

Yesterday Adam cleared the leaves out of the above ditch (that we rebranded as a brook, because it seems prettier).  It makes the water move better and adds the lovely sound of it babbling along.

I painted this end table.

Red.  Was there ever any other choice?

I visited my parents while Adam went to town.  He wanted to get our water tested and of course stop at Home Depot for random things (like a narrow rake to clear leaves out of the ditch/brook).

I embroidered while I was visiting and had a pleasant time.  In the evening, my parents came over for dinner and then we visited and talked about family history.  I showed them some of the things I've learned while poring over memories and they supplemented with their first hand knowledge.

Our biggest accomplishment of the day was that Adam finished reading We Solve Murders to me.  We liked it, just not nearly as much as the other books by the same author.  Also, it was such a great accomplishment to finish because I usually fall asleep after a few pages.  It took us awhile to read.

This morning, after getting an eyeful of the beautiful dawn light, I think it's going to be another good day.

"Spring" break

 This isn't like spring, but this is very much like spring.  

We made it to the Home Place.  Adam emptied the solitary mouse in the trap (our trapper is in Mexico on his own spring break) and vacuumed flies and I wiped off counters and put everything away and made the bed.  We had a little kerfuffle with turning the water on, but then Adam figured it out.  (My dad was on his way over, but I called him off.)

Getting the place winterized and then not is such a process and Adam had forgotten a step.

While we were driving over Pequop, we very nearly talked ourselves into driving to see QE instead of staying in Starr Valley.  When the water wasn't working, I told Adam, "I guess we can go to California...."

I hung the picture I bought myself with my birthday money from my parents.

It is peaceful and lovely here.

In the late afternoon, we went to visit my parents.  I love being able to just stop by for a visit.  We came home and made dinner and after eating, made a little progress on our trip planning.  

This morning, we woke up to more snow.  Spring at elevation.

This is the orchard view out the bathroom window.  That crabapple tree will have blossoms on it eventually, but today is not that day.

Today is my mom's birthday and I had thought we'd take a walk together, but maybe if/when it stops snowing.  My parents are coming over for dinner to celebrate the big day.

It is happy to be here.

Listen, sister

 Yesterday morning I started seeing auras.  This is sometimes a harbinger of a migraine, sometimes not.  I ended up with a headache.  Thankfully it wasn't a full on migraine.

I talked to Braeden in the late morning.  I told him that I had an ambitious to do list and I was trying to struggle through despite my headache. 

He said, "Maybe you should listen to your body.  Maybe your headache is saying, 'Listen, sister, you need to take it easy.'"

I sat in my chair for 30 minutes and read.  It made a difference!  My headache was lessened and I was able to get almost everything done on my list--at least the most important things.

Braeden is pretty smart.  

Mother Nature's April Fool's trick was we woke up to snow this morning.  Spring isn't uniform.  Also today, we're going to Starr Valley.  I'm looking forward to the drive (on the road with Adam is my favorite) and spending time with my parents and a few small projects I have planned.

Mostly, I'm glad to have lots of time with Adam.  It's nice to have little breaks from busy-ness.