Bonjour!

Bonjour!
I’m a 52 year old mother of five amazing daughters and wife to a caring, sensitive AND sexy husband. I adore my family. I’m dedicated to my faith. I enjoy a good laugh. I'm nostalgic and love to reminisce. "Remember" is my favorite word in the English language. I love life! I’m passionate about music, food and {dreams of} traveling the world. I wanna be a castle and waterfall chaser. I’m fascinated with anything European. {PARIS! Hello!} I love celebrating anything and everything! I love to read, especially a good biography, mystery, Regency Era Romance or Historical fiction novel. I love thoughtful gift giving. To me the gift wrap is almost as important as the gift itself. I have a bit of an obsession with gift boxes and gift bags. As well as old world maps & globes, apothecary bottles and jars! I love being creative…bolts of ribbon, coordinating scrapbook papers, producing a table scape, or planning dΓ©cor for a themed party puts a smile on my face. I love the details! I’m a freak for anything theme oriented. I enjoy event planning, but oddly enough do not like to host or entertain. I enjoy fashion, but have to really be in the mood to clothes shop. I love purses and funky costume jewelry. Especially big rings! I’d rather wear wedges or heels any day than flats. I enjoy decorating and searching for the perfect decorative pillow or picture. However, you’ll never see me frequent high-end stores. I'm more of a Ross, TJ Maxx, Tuesday Morning kind of gal. My favorite decor style is an old world rustic Italian chateau/Spanish Villa look with a hint of bohemian! OR a vintage shabby chic French country cottage/English cobblestone farmhouse. My #1 cookie-Molasses! Autumn is my favorite season. I’d go through childbirth a million times. I enjoy biking with my man, Pilates, and power walking. You’ll never find me in a gym working out. I love movies, whether watching them in the theatre or cuddled up on the couch with my family. I enjoy a good chick flick or real life drama! I'm a sucker for movies on the Hallmark & Great American Family Channel. I have a tender heart for the elderly. I adore Disneyland. I enjoy being in the canyon on a summer or fall evening at dusk. I love my friends. While I have some extroverted characteristics. I’m a self proclaimed introvert. I’m generally quiet, calm, reserved and pretty darn private. Why in the heck do I blog? It’s a creative way to record family history. I enjoy photography. I really don’t like to write, although I write in my journal often. My journals, patriarchal blessing, scriptures, quote book, and beloved Christmas tree filled with ornaments of family memories are among my prized possessions. I love the beach. I enjoy WWII history. I love a clean, orderly house, but ours usually looks lived in. ;) PBS Masterpiece is my friend. I adore Jane Austen films. They transport me to another time and place. If I had to choose another time period in which to live, early 19th Century England would be my pick. "Sense and Sensibility" is my all time favorite movie. My 3 favorite TV series are...BBC's Larkrise to Candleford, the 1950's Spanish Drama "Velvet," and the travel/food show "Somebody Feed Phil." My biggest pet peeve is people who blow their noses in public. So gross! {Take it to the bathroom people.} I’d go on a wine tasting vacation if it wasn’t against my religion. I’ve always wanted to adopt a baby from a foreign country. I’m an avid BYU football fan. I'm a Educational Support Professional. I tutor elementary kids in phonemic awareness, phonics, reading, fluency and comprehension. I love our campfires at Scofield Lake. I have a 'thing' for fairy gardens, Gallic French roosters, fresh flowers in a vase, pretty bowls & plates, yummy smelling candles & soap. I love summer rainstorms and warm baths. I'm a scripture podcast fanatic. I'm also a fan of several Fox News shows; Hannity and Dave Ramsey Talk Radio. I very much miss Rush Limbaugh! I hate when my kids have homework. I'd rather clean 20 toilets than give a talk or prayer in church. I have quite a collection of Madame Alexander Dolls, children's books, Disney pins, and quotes. My favorite quote is "Don't underestimate me. I know more than I say, think more than I speak & notice more than you realize." True True LOL! I always prefer sitting in a back row versus the front. {I'm sort of a seat snob..yikes} I also have high expectations for my lemonade, salsa, and french fries too. HA! I work well behind the scenes. I love a good Dateline, 20/20 or 48 Hour Mystery. I’m a night owl. I'd rather be cold than hot. I love to budget our finances! I enjoy being a chauffeur to my children. I'm not a huge fan of social media. I don't snap, pin or tweet. All I want for Christmas every year is a ticket to the Tabernacle Choir Christmas Concert. It's my FAVORITE. I’m an Anglophile…a royal watcher who loves anything English! Especially tea parties! I would like to serve a church mission to England with Jaren someday. I'm queen of paper towel, used kitchen dishrags and sponges kinda make me squirm. You’ll rarely find me out of the house not ready for the day, except when driving the kids to school on the days I don't work. I feel naked without lipstick or lip gloss. Mismatched socks, chipped fingernail polish, chapped lips and brownie crumbs on the floor drive me nuts! I like to organize and BE organized..but not saying I always am. ;) I enjoy hiking to waterfalls, ATV’ing with my family and snowshoeing with the hubs. Although I enjoy collecting recipes and occasionally watch cooking shows... (Sandra Lee Semi-Homemade, Paula Deen, Jamie Oliver, and the Pioneer Woman are my favorites) I’d rather not cook. Eating out is so much more fun. I'm a foodie. I live to EAT! LOL Trying new foods and restaurants is a favorite past-time, and believe it or not so is intermittent fasting. I'm not good at a lot of things... but gosh, if you need help with a themed celebration or someone to enjoy good food with, I'm your girl. I love the joy of anticipation and the celebration of holidays. Family traditions are important to me. I'm a memory preserver. I'm a pathological picture taker ;) a visual storyteller, and a lover of happy lists!

My Fam!

My Fam!

The Hubs and I

The Hubs and I

My Girls!

My Girls!

Kyleigh Dawn (28)

Kyleigh Dawn (28)

Emma Abigail (26)

Emma Abigail (26)

Hannah Isabelle (24)

Hannah Isabelle (24)

Brielle Olivia (19)

Brielle Olivia (19)

Kate Evangelene Lyllie (14)

Kate Evangelene Lyllie (14)

Mr. Charles "Bingley" Wentworth III (5 yrs.)

Colonel Edward Fitzwilliam "Darcy", Duke of Westridge (4 yrs.)

My Man!

My Man!

Good Times!

Good Times!

Wedding Day 5*17*22

Lillian "Lilly" Belle

Disney Food Fun! 2019

Disneyland Tips

What I Believe!

Our Missionary

We Bleed Blue! {Except for the Poppi}

My list of favorite movies!

Learn more about Dyslexia!

Music To My Ears!

Thursday, April 25, 2024

What's On My Happy List?

Playing catch up here! πŸ˜‰

Easter at our house!
Our Easter Crack-Off Competition...
Kate was our champ!!!...
the only egg left without a crack....
She got the BIG egg with the moola!
Easter Bunny dump for all 9 of us....
πŸ£πŸŒΈπŸ‡
For Lilly Belle!
We sent the boys on a hunt to find
their boiled egg....
πŸ˜‚
They love eggs more than anything!!!!
*************
In other family news....

The National School Board Convention was 
in New Orleans this year.

I got to tag along with my man...
HAD a fetching good time!!!!
We spent some time sightseeing
 in the French Quarter....

St. Louis Cathedral in Jackson Square
A glimpse of Bourbon Street during
the day...
For our first New Orlean's meal we ate at Oceana.
Crab cakes, shrimp and creamy spinach 
artichoke dip
topped with blackened crawfish
and Kentucky bourbon pecan pie!
Oh my...so delicious!!!
Also in the French Quarter's area 
is this famous coffee and doughnut shop... 
{since 1862!} 
it is right by the Mississippi River...  
they are known for their beignets... 
which I swear are covered with 
half a bag of powdered sugar...
😜
Warning....Do not breathe in as you bite.
Granted I only had about 3 bites...
but to be honest....they were not my fav!
The cafe and the surrounding area 
is splattered with powdered sugar!
Here are our friends trying them 
for the first time....
One of my VERY favorite eats
of the entire trip was a collard green melt
from Turkey and the Wolf. 
Phil, from the food/travel show
"Somebody Feed Phil," 
recommended this eating establishment.
Oh, so glad he did!
Seriously, one of the best sandwiches 
I've ever had!
Jaw dropp'in good!
It was like a Reuben, 
just without the pastrami. 
{I'm still thinking about this sandwich! lol}
Jaren and I were able to tour the 
National WW2 Museum.
Incredible!!!
We both LOVE the history from this time so it
was a fascinating place for us to explore.
This restaurant in the city 
was recommended to us....
It was a dive, but certainly served some 
fabulous home-cooked style food...
The shrimp creole I had was fantastic!
We walked Frenchman Street...
{supposedly to be less dingy 
and dirty than Bourbon St...lol} 
browsed an art show
and came across this band....
Quite entertaining!
One afternoon we rode an old-fashioned trolley 
and went sightseeing 
in the Garden District...
The trees in this park
were soooo so beautiful!...
We were able to go
on a swamp tour 
in the Louisiana Bayou!
Seriously one of the most fun & unique things
I've done in my life...
Our awesome guide, Rocky
took us out searching for alligators!
He calls the alligators his co workers. lol
He feeds them marshmallows!
His rapport with them 
was incredible to watch...
We had a 9 foot alligator named George on
the boat with us...
πŸ˜³πŸ˜…
I was taken back by the beauty...
and of course all the alligators...lol
In wide open areas we were cruis'in...
felt like 100 miles per hour.
I was laughing my head off!
I even got to hold a baby alligator.
So cool!
Here we are walking the streets
of New Orleans on several different nights...
Some streets are a little quieter than others. lol
The city has a restaurant
on almost every corner it seems....
We found an awesome pizza joint where
I had shrimp pizza...{on gf crust even} 
So dang good!
I was able to attend some of the Conference...
The keynote speaker was Ruby Bridges...
Here she is as a kindergartner in 1960...
The first African American
child to attend a whites-only 
elementary school.
The hubs and I snuck away to the 
French Market 
for lunch...
Where we found po boy sandwiches
and gluten free crepes...
....bless!
We went on a cemetery tour that was 
super fascinating!
All the tombs are above ground due
to the city being below sea level...

Here is the tomb of Marie Laveau, 
the "Queen of Voodoo."
It is the 3rd most visited grave 
in the United States...
whooooo knew?
On our last night, the swankiest bowling alley 
I've ever seen was rented out for the use 
of several school boards...
I kinda hate bowling lol
but the food they provided, 
especially the jambalaya,
was YUMMY!
It was fun watching the hubs bowl
against his fellow board members...

I was the official cheerleader 
and picture taker..
cuz like I said, I don't bowl. lol
I was even taking pics of the bathroom...
it was pretty darn cool
in there.
We went from swank to ick real fast as
we decided to check out Bourbon St. "at night" 
for those in our group who hadn't been 
there yet.
This place is CrAzzzzzz-y!
What I found so interesting about this 
city is you'd see filth and garbage 
and run-down buildings on
one street... then a block away you would see
 a hotel and shops that look like this...
πŸ‘€
Our last meal was here....
The gumbo was ?????
....my least favorite thing
I had on the trip for sure...
BUT this SHRIMP....😍
I've had plenty of shrimp in my life and 
this was hands down some of the best
I've ever had. 
Messy as heck to eat...
we even had to wear bibs....
I topped the evening off 
with a yummy praline here at the
oldest candy shop in the city...
It was so nice to spend time with the hubs 
and all these lovely people...
AND.... one of the best things 
about the trip was.... I hardly 
had any flying anxiety.
Yay!!!
ALSO....the ear pain I get when flying
was minimized by these earplugs 
plus using nose spray and taking a decongestant.
{Even tho I didn't have a cold!}
I still had ear issues 
{I've got Eustachian tube dysfunction}
but it was
manageable.
πŸ˜“
***************
In other family news....

The hubs and I celebrated our 
31 wedding anniversary!
We celebrated here!
The girls gave us such a sweet gift!
Speaking of temples....

The new Taylorsville Temple
is gonna be OUR temple. 
I had the opportunity to be an usher
there the Saturday before Easter... 
the day the contractors 
went through to admire their work!
IT IS GORGEOUS.
The sealing room is one of the 
prettiest I've seen. 
😭
Hannah had a little trip to Colorado with
some girlfriends...
They rode the train in Durango.
Kate's General Conference puzzle!
I got to help throw a bridal shower 
for this cute girl in our ward...
Fun time reminiscing at the shower!
****************

In food news...

Here are some keepers from this past month...

Aroon Thai Kitchen!

The ambiance and service were lovely...

Took the kiddos here during Spring Break...
one of our favorite spots in Provo.

Cholo's in Sugarhouse!
The seafood enchilada IS superb!

The gluten-free Bobo from Via!
😍
************
In Lilly Belle news....

I saw this cute thing for 133 days straight,
every day of her life, til I went out of town.

She is getting SO big....5 months old now
and sitting up!
She reminds me so much of Kyleigh and Kate 
when they were babies.
πŸ’•πŸ˜ŒπŸ’•

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