FIVE SENSE FRIDAY

TASTING

Today I hosted a "Ladies Who Lunch"

potluck at my house.

These were some of the yummies served.

Not so pretty anymore, but still very yummy.

JEANNES FRUIT TRIFLE

Layer-

fresh cut pineapple
strawberries

blueberries (I used blackberries)

green grapes

Whip for 2 minutes the following-

3/4 cup milk

1 3oz. pkg banana pudding

3/4 cup sour cream

1/2 can crushed pineapple

Pour mixture over fruit.

HOLLY'S FIESTA CHEESE RING

Mix the following and form into a ring-

Fancy shredded cheese

Best Foods Mayonnaise

chopped Cilantro

small can of diced green chilies

put Raspberry Jam in the center

serve with club crackers

SMELLING-

Melaleuca's Soy Cinnamon Vanilla candle

FEELING-

Cleans sheets and blankets on my lumpy bumpy bed.

There's nothing like jumping in a cozy bed

after an exhausting day of housewifery.

SEEING-

A clean kitchen....very rare occurence.

HEARING-

Hotel Costes 8

Today I did my part to stimulate the economy.

To make this possible,

Papa Bear watched the Leprechaun,

( We are now going to refer to my strapping husband,

by the term my kids affectionately named him,

"Papa Bear".

He is not comfortable with the term "the hunk"

as it sounds similiar to "the hulk".

That's okay, we're flexible in blogland.)

Landon stayed home to replay

important scenes from Lord of the Rings

with his "action figures",

poor Frodo,

and Oliver insisted on accompanying Addy and I

on our city tour to find a store

that supplied silly putty.

We finally accomplished our mission by ending up at

Walmart after visiting two different Dollar Stores with no luck.

I should have known the mecca of all shopping

would have the coveted prize.

Addison was thrilled to get two pieces in glitter gold,

and a neon yellow and pink, both only 88 cents, SCORE!

Then,

we picked up chili from Wendy's,

breadsticks from Little Caesars,

and arrived home with pride in our hearts,

for we knew our monetary contributions would

indubedetly stop a recession from rolling on.

God Bless America,

and Walmart,

and Wendys,

and Little Caesars,

and Dollar Stores.

image from Threadbared

To be loyal to the readers that I can count on one hand,

I have decided to do a new thing

called...

BLAST FROM THE PAST.

*****

On days where I have too much to do,

(like today where I'm dealing with a toddler who has pooping issues,

and is calling me from downstairs on the toilet

where I have banished him until he "goes")

or when the creative well has run dry,

I will just post something I've written in the past.

*****

For some family members,

who make up most of my readers,

this will be deja vu, try to just deal with it,

I love you all the same.

*****

For the rest of you,

all two of you,

it will be like magic!

Thoughtful tidbits created in the past,

for your enjoyment in the present,

that you can forget you read in the future.

Wow, that wasn't as deep as it sounded in my head.

************************************************

**BLAST FROM THE PAST**

TOP TEN

circa March 14 2007

*************

A GOOD DELI SANDWICH-

the perfect balance of soft oven baked bread,

thinly sliced "ungoogely" meat,

fresh crunchy veggies like lettuce and cucumber,

red juicy tomatoes, firm yet creamy avocadoe,

something sour like pickles or banana peppers,

soft pungent cheese, tangy mustard with a hint of mayo and vinegar,

and to top it off, a sprinkling of salt and freshly ground pepper.

Mmmmmmmmmmm,

let the salivation commence!

************

SMELLS OF THE EARTH-

the smell of asphalt after a fresh rain,

the wift of an exotic flower, or newly cutgrass.

Anything smelling of life is better than the deadness of winter-

except recess kid sweat,

or husband four-wheeling smell for that matter.

Spring....bring it on!

************

SEQUINS-

there is something about a childs

unsightely spandex dance costume

that is made all better by the trimmings of sparkly,

mesmerizing sequins-oh the possibilities!

***********

THIS QUOTE-

"Here's to the crazy ones, the misfits,

the rebels, the trouble makers,

the round pegs in the square holes...

the ones who see things differently --

they're not fond of rules...

You can quote them, disagree with them,

glorify or vilify them, but the only thing you can't do

is ignore them because they change things...

they push the human race forward,

and while some may see them as the crazy ones,

we see genius, because the ones who are crazy enough

to think that they can change the world,

are the ones who do."

-Steve Jobs

***************

THE SOUND OF COWBELLS,

CASTANETS, AND BONGOS-

any song including one of these elements

is sure to get your heart fluttering with rhythmic palpatations.

Examples-

Bongos- Young Folks by Peter Bjorn and John,

you have to wait until the the chorus to hear them,

but the whistling is totally worth it!

Cowbell- none other than Don't Fear the Reaper

by The Blue Oyster Cult.

Castanets- Little Darlin' by The Diamonds,

an oldie, but good for washing the car to.

************

KISSING SOFT CHUBBY CHEEKS-

of a two year old

after they get out of the tub.

(I'm such a mom)

***********

DRIVING WITH THE WINDOWS DOWN-

on an old dirt road

past an abandoned house

with stunning architectural elements

like great single pane windows,

rotting wood, chippy paint moldings,

disheveled rusty metal in the yard, creepiness lurking inside,

and black ravens flying overhead.

I can just see the doll head missing one eye lying on the kitchen floor,

or the stash of a million dollars

hidden in the loose brick of the fireplace.

(We were dropping off a load at the dump

the other day and I asked Chris if he would be embarassed

if I got out and started looking for stuff...

I have no shame.)

***************

PLUMP FROZEN GRAPES-

better than any popsicle,

just try to stop at 10.

The feel of the cold skin popping between your teeth

followed by juicy grape goodness is bliss.

*************

WWW.THREADBARED.COM

I have been known to laugh out loud at this website.

You must go back through the archives to see and read

the precious gems. Sure to bring a smile to your face,

definitely my kind of humor.

***********

THE ART OF SANNA ANNUKKA-

first discovered her Nordic style on the cover

of the Keane album. Very clean, colorful, and imaginative.

I wish she would do a mural in my house.

I'm such a stealer because I copied this picture from my sisters blog,

but I couldn't resist because it is so darn cute!

We want to

CONGRATULATE DEVIN

on his GRADUATION from

BYU IDAHO!!!

ATTA WAY COWBOY!!!

All your hard work has paid off!

We'll miss you guys when you leave us all in the dust

to live in sunny California!

No fair!

WE LOVE YOU!!

FIVE SENSE FRIDAY

**********************************************************

TASTING--

LEMON YOGURT PIE.....

but I need a debate settled.

Chris insists that you just put it in the fridge to chill,

and I insist that yogurt pie is always eaten frozen.

What is your opinion?

**********

Nana's Yogurt Pie Recipe-

mix together...

2 lemon yoplait yogurts

1 container cool-whip

juice and zest from 1 small lemon

pour into a graham cracker crust

let set 2-3 hours

***********

SMELLING--
LOVELY PERFUME

Sarah Jessica Parker

FEELING--

TIRED, ITCHY, STUFFY, WHEEZY, SNEEZY

(GRUMPY & BASHFUL)

My allergies are worse than ever for some reason-

even the caffeine and allergy pills aren't improving matters.

A shocking development is my switch from Diet Coke to Diet Pepsi.

SEEING--

DESIGN WITHIN REACH CATALOG

HEARING--

EMILIE SIMON

she pulls flowers out of her arm,

so if the sight of this makes you uneasy, don't watch.

It's not creepy, just a little different,

but trust me, it's worth it.

(discovered through Cassandra Barney on youtube)

Desert & Dame de Lotus

I'm supposed to be cleaning my house right now.

But while I'm on a little lunch break,

I found a new wonderific blog

and found this post from Country Living

about a old renovated school house.

This is a dream of mine.

Everytime we pass an old building

whether its a fire station, church, or school,

I tell Chris how much I'd love to make our home in it.

He thinks I'm a bit crazy, but someday it will happen.

Until then,

I will look adoringly at other peoples projects

and dream on.

go check out

http://www.urbangraceinteriors.typepad.com/

pictures from Country Living via urban grace interiors

"RACHEL DACHEL"

engagement photo of Rachel and Devin taken by moi

******************************************************

Every family has a movie star.

Rachel is ours.

She always looks perfectly fabulous....

has great hair,

great makeup,

a great smile,

a killer body,

grace, style, and poise.

******************************************

But unlike most movie stars,

Rachel has a heart of gold.

She is also the peace-maker in our family.

She is soft spoken,

never raises her voice,

is kind to everyone,

and has limitless talents.

It has been so fun to see her blossom into an amazing and patient mama.

I've watched Rachel grow up from a quiet and coy little girl

into a sweet and sassy mom who always keeps her cool.

***************************************

Rachel....

cooks and bakes delicious food,

sews everything from aprons to quilts to Christmas stockings,

decorates with classy modern style,

runs miles without breaking a sweat,

supports her husband through work and school,

and chases her toddler while wearing stilettos...

who does that?

At the end of the day when all her accomplishments are shining

she still stays humble and unassuming.

Rachel and her son Crew

**********************************************************

Before she was married and lived with us for a while

I remember going out with her and being in awe at her gift of turning heads.

We affectionately called her Britney, or Shakira, or Beyonce,

or any other celebrity diva's name.

As stunning as she may be,

a Diva she is not.

Rachel cares for others and nurtures with a listening ear.

I'm glad she has the responsibility of family movie star

because I just couldn't live up to the expectations,

it's a hard job,

and Rachel is the lady for it.

******************************************

I LOVE YOU RACHEL!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY- last Sunday

I was with you so I'm excused from being late:)

Rachels birthday dinner at Outback with the girls

FIVE SENSE FRIDAY

TASTING

Confetti salsa with Lime chips

(Green, red, orange and yellow Peppers,

one can Black Beans rinsed, thawed frozen Corn,

Cilantro, Tomatoes, Avocadoes,
Good Seasons Zesty Italian packet made with Balsamic Vinegar)

SMELLING
Lollia, Inspire

FEELING
Kisses on Leprechaun Chubby Cheeks

SEEING
Art of Maggie Taylor

http://www.maggietaylor.com/

HEARING

Flight of the Conchords (thank you Berta)

Splish Splash!

Give-Away Results!!

Thank you for leaving your comments!
It was fun to hear what you’re all listening to.
Here is the PLAYLIST I compiled from your music.
This is quite a mix, a little something for everyone.

Zippadee Doo Dah, Mickey Mouse (Cheri)
No Ceiling, Eddie Veder (Nadia)
The Phantom of the Opera, Michael Crawford (Jennifer)
Pinch Me, Barenaked Ladies (Karly)
Umbrella, Rihanna (Rachel)
Kryptonite, 3 Doors Down (Charisa)
Moondance, Van Morrison (Lawdy)
Four Leaf Clover, Badly Drawn Boy (Danielle)
Honky Tonk Badonkadonk , Trace Adkins (Megan)
Drop It Like It’s Hot, Snoop Dogg (Audrey)
Makeda, Les Nubians (Jairus)
Pillars Of The Earth, Ken Follett (Cali)
We’re All In This Together, High School Musical (Kary)
Brand New Colony, Postal Service (me)

Now, to announce the winner….

with a little help from my large nostril jedi...

its....LAWDY!
Congratulations!
Email me your address and I’ll send this off.

sbschofield@yahoo.com
Watch later in the month for another give-away!!

P e a c e O u t .

HEAR YE! HEAR YE!

(give-away*give-away*give-away)

In a perfect world
I would have announced "the shop" opening weeks ago.
However,
despite life being unpredictable,
and my health, fatigue, and 100 children being what they are,
I’m sure some of you have noticed me slowly adding things

over there--------------->

Now I would like to officially announce my Etsy Shop.

There you will find handmade

BIBS

STAINED GLASS CHARMS

MOSAICS

GOODIES

And anything else I decide to stay up late making
while eating candy and drinking caffeine.

If there is something you want,
But don’t see,
Let me know and I’d be happy to do a special order for you.

**********************************************

NOW FOR MORE EXCITEMENT……
In celebration of this endeavor,
I am giving away a Spring Fling of Goodies like the one listed,
Only it will include a stained glass charm and a bib too.
Leave a comment stating the c.d. currently in you car,
and Friday morning,

I will randomly choose from the comments
A WINNER!

This is going to be TOTALLY TUBULAR!!!
Don’t forget to comment!
Love you all!!!!

I had a moment yesterday.

But first,

I need to share a background story to set the stage.

*********************************

The Hunk thinks I look hot when I "three barrel" my hair.

For those of you who have lived on another planet

and don't know what that means,

a three barrel is like a curling iron that makes your hair wavy,

sort of like a crimper but not so 80's.

I had always borrowed my sisters irons,

but about five years ago Chris gave me one for Valentines.

We had a hot date to the movies planned

so I three barrelled my hair and was very pleased with the results,

as was he.

We had a quiet, peaceful, blissful moment at the movies

and I was feeling really cute.

As we walked out of the theater

everyone was smiling and looking at me.

"Wow, I must really look hot!"

is what I was thinking.

"People can't stop looking at me,

I've never gotten this kind of attention before,

I must really look fantastic!"

As shocking as it seemed,

because I don't normally turn heads,

the three barrel magic had morphed me into a

sexy mama!

*******************************

As we made our way out the front doors into the parking lot

something caught my eye

on my leg.

I looked down in slow motion,

and there,

stuck to my upper thigh,

was half of a BIT O' HONEY,

wrapper and all.

I must have eaten one half during the movies,

set it in my lap,

and my body heat had melted the remaining

sweetie goodness to my leg

rendering immovable

until I could be HUMBLED

and discover

that the source of the crowd onlooks were not because I was hot,

but because I had half a candybar as an accessory.

******************************

Dude, would you tell someone if they had Bit O' Honey stuck to their leg?

I totally would!

********************************

So yesterday,

I had another "Bit O' Honey" moment.

I had bought some cute sweats from Old Navy

and was very surprised to find that I only needed a size MEDIUM.

Normally I wear a large to extra large,

so again my head started to inflate as I thought my sexiness was coming back.

As I put the outfit on,

suddenly a very large spotlight from the sky

shone on the tag,

and along the top in pretty letters it read

MATERNITY.

I'm not pregnant ya'll.

But no wonder I fit into a medium,

there is an extra pouch the size of Montana to fit my baby into.

*******************

Lesson learned.

DON'T EVER THINK YOU'RE ALL THAT,

because either you're wearing maternity clothes when you're not pregnant,

or candy is stuck to your upper thigh.

Lazy Saturday Afternoon

It's 2pm and we're all still in our pajamas.

Addy made one of our families favorites....

G e r m a n P a n c a k e s

delicious with just syrup, or lemon juice and powdered sugar

You never know what kind of mountain ranges will appear!

German Pancakes

1 cube of marg. or butter

8 eggs, beaten

1 cup flour

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 cup milk

Preheat oven to 450.

Melt butter in 9x12 inch pan.

Mix remaining ingredients well.

Pour in pan of hot butter.

Bake 20-25 minutes.

Enjoy!

FIVE SENSE FRIDAY

TASTING-

Edamame sprinkled with kosher salt

SMELLING-

Caldrea Lavendar Pine Linen Spray

FEELING-

fuzzy yellow chenille fabric for the Leprechauns baby quilt

SEEING-

my first Etsy purchase from The Black Apple

HEARING-

4 Minutes by Madonna and Justin Timberlake,

YO, YO,YO, GET JIGGY!

the hunk is a patient man.
this week i had.....

BOOK CLUB

read- the giver

will read- the screwtape letters

CARD GROUP

I brought 8 water bottle thingies to swap, long live the cheesecake factories cobb salad, and i love you aud!

QUILTING GROUP

two quilt squares completed, thank you Jen!

and tonight,

DINNER GROUP

picture courtesy of flickr- kimberlykv

I don't think I'll ever be allowed out of the house again.

In my defense,

three of these were actually church related events,

all groups formed by my ward,

that happen to fall on the same week.

Thank you honey for letting me spread my wings.

Sara and Belinda, Fourth of July 2005

If I were to spend a day with my MOM on her birthday,

this is what we would do.......

****************************

First I'd pick her up in a Suburban

reminiscent of the one she used

to haul around her eight children in.

On her seat would be waiting....

a bag of chocolate covered cinnamon bears,

a fantastic pair of dangly earrings for her to put on,

a big delicious purse to carry,

with a lipstick in every pretty shade

and a note tucked in the pocket

telling her thank you for all she's done for me.

In the cup holder there would be either

an ice cold Propel or Diet Coke,

and on the radio Earth Wind and Fire would be playing,

oh, and I would chuck her cell phone into the pond

so no one can bug her.

****************************************

Our FIRST stop would be manicures and pedicures

for the hands that tirelessly....

sewed adorable matching outfits that her whiney children

wore to Lagoon, Sea World, and family pictures,

for the hands that tirelessly....

spent hours scratching and rubbing backs of doting kids,

for the hands that tirelessly....

did load after load of dirty laundry,

for the hands that painted, decorated, and cleaned

to make our house a home, and a lovely one at that.

For the feet that stood.....

for hours and hours canning peaches, pears, pickles, and applesauce,

for the feet that stood......

in lines at discount stores for the perfect sale,

for the feet that stood.....

bouncing babies endlessly singing "bye-o bye-o".

for the feet that paced and vacuumed

while she thought and worried over each childs stage in life.

*************************************

THe SECOND stop would be a book store.

There she would find

shelves and shelves of books

written about Everest climbs, Amazon quests,

ultra marathon runners, political harmony,

spiritual awakening, and medical miracles....

she would be able to just touch a book

and by the power of osmosis it would be read,

and the best part,

every author would be there with undivided attention

to answer her countless questions.

But she would have to read me a Dr. Seuss book

just for kicks.

*****************************************

The THIRD stop would be a nap,

under a tree,

in a desserted park,

where no one can burst in

with loud demands

to wake the sweet mother

who hasn't had an uninterrupted nap

in 50 years,

'cause mom's need naps.

******************************************

By now it's time for lunch at Cafe Rio.

She would order a chicken salad, no chips, house dressing,

I would order the shredded beef salad, with chips, double dressing & guac.

We would chat about the funny things my kids have been doing.

I would ask her how to teach them respect and obedience.

She would laugh because I'm still the same.

I would laugh because she has cilantro between her teeth.

*******************************************

The FIFTH stop would be a music store,

freshly stocked with wall to wall cd's

of the most fantabulous workout music

your pea-pickin' heart has ever heard.

and guess what....?

Buy one,

get 20 free!

******************************************

The SIXTH stop would be a Symposium

given by a descendent of C.S. Lewis

and it's catered by BYU,

and their handing out

mint chocolate brownies for us to snack on,

and

Pachabels Canon is playing in the background.

and the caterers just also happen to be in the choir,

and now they're going to sing "Come Thou Fount"

just to her.

************************************

The SEVENTH stop would be to a water park.

She would go down the steepest slide,

and prove to all of us

that she is still young at heart,

gutsy,

and full of new found adventure.

******************************

The FOLLOWING stops would be to

Target

TJMaxx

Taipan Trading

and some obscure boutique that has

the best sugar cookies your mouth has ever savored.

Also,

because we are the one hundredth shopper,

we get a set of free topiaries.

*****************************

After getting some super finds,

eating yummy food that is magically fat & calorie free,

having great conversation,

trying something daring and new,

and laughing till our bellies ache,

we would go home to a sparkling clean house,

snuggle up on the couch with soft blankets,

a bucket of popcorn,

and watch her picks of

Hitchcock, Cary Grant, or A&E's latest installment of Jane Eyre.

*************************************

Wow, what a great day that would be.

That is my wish for you sweet mother,

I hope you know how much you mean to me,

and that I am,

because of you.

i love you

I totally scored at the thrift store yesterday...

3 Currier and Ives prints

big glass crock

3 old childrens books

fabulous vintage print of girl

skirt for Add

golden shoes

cake pedestal

**************************************

Thank you people

who tire of their things

and donate them

so I can snatch them up

and enjoy!

Posting three days in a row, this is a world record!

Today was a typical Sunday.

Chris let me take my weekly nap after church

while he fed the kids quesadillas for lunch.

When I awoke,

the kids had made a "Leprechaun Trap".

notice it says "Welcome Leprechauns" inside and there is a trail of green marshmallows for them to eat on their way in.

I ate left-overs from the salad I made for Gracies baptism yesterday.

Gracie was so cute. Her cousins adore her!

We're so proud of Grace, and we love her kindness and sweet example.

Then I chased the carb overload with a sugar overload and made cookies.

Now, with kids in bed, I'm off to make stuff for the shop.

Good night!

*****************************

"GRACIE'S PASTA"

bow tie pasta

diced artichokes

diced grape tomatoes

cut up spinach

olives

parmesan cheese

toasted pine nuts

diced chicken sauteed in half of dressing

pour remaining dressing over salad

(kraft sun dried tomato dressing)

**************************************************

"SARA'S COOKIES"

2/3 cup shortening

2/3 cup butter

1 cup sugar

1 cup brown sugar

2 eggs

2 tsp. vanilla

3 cups flour

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. baking soda

big mix of chocolate chips (white, milk, semi-sweet)

bake at 375 for 12 minutes