Home Away From Home

We had our annual Morgan Campout this past weekend! LOVED every minute of it, standing barefoot in the snow that was still on the ground and running off, raging river to listen to and relax by and fish in, even had a spectacular thunderstorm our last night there. But, the temps were perfect, not too hot, not too cold. We had plenty of wood for some great, rip roarin' fires, good food, great company and crisp, fresh mountain air. I couldn't have asked for a better weekend! What'd you do?

The Lazy Days Of Summer

I took this picture yesterday evening as I was weeding my flower garden.  All I have to say is I LOVE SUMMER.

  HAPPY WEEKEND!

I thought I'd share this music video with y'all.  I absolutely LOVE this song.  This is Utah's own, Carmen Rasmusen, who ranked 6th on the 2nd season of American Idol!  Enjoy.

Poor, Poor Little Jenna

It had been a while since I'd made a DI run, but I happened to be there to find some little play props for my sons classroom play one night, when I decided I should go see if there was anything worth buying and taking home in the furniture dept.  I came across this poor little dresser that had been abused and scratched by a little girl named Jenna.  I guess she wanted everyone to know that that dresser was hers.  She even inscribed cute little hearts all over it that, I'm guessing, a brother, didn't like and scratched out.  Needless to say, I saw so much potential in this beautiful little thing, and knew that it would make the perfect TV stand that my sister has been looking for and hoping to find for MONTHS.  And wouldn't ya know....her birthday was that very next day!!!!

I was in such a hurry to get 'er done, that I almost forgot to take a before picture.  I already had LOTS of wood filler on the big, major scratches and had started to take the old hardware off, when I remembered to take the picture.  Why didn't I think to take a picture of Jenna's name and all the hearts?  Oh well.  At least you get the idea.  She was in pretty bad shape.

BUT, I sanded 'er down, gave 'er sponge bath and painted 'er all nice and pretty.  Isn't she absolutely ADORABLE??!?!!!  Sorry Jenna (and Jenna's mom)  you just didn't know what you were giving away, and now she's mine!  Well, Lisa's.  And you can't have 'er back.

I just love the new accessories I picked out for her.  They make such a HUGE difference, don't they?  LOVE Hobby Lobby for new hardware.

Then, with the help of my little sister, I delivered it to my sister's house while she was at work.  I wish I could have stayed to see the look on her face when she walked through the door, but, alas, I'm a busy woman and had prior commitments to fulfill. 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, Lisa!!!  You're the BEST big sister EVER!  I love you dearly and cherish all the time we get to spend together!  And to Heather, my little sister, who helped me carry that sucker up the stairs, a BIG, HUGE THANK YOU!!  You are the BEST little sister, EVER!!!  I ditto everything I said to Lisa to you, too!!!!  I am so blessed to have such great friends in my sisters.  I love them both so much and don't know what I'd do without them.  You know we must be pretty close to show up to an event all wearing the very same shirt, just different colors!  ;)  That happens waaay more often than you think it would.  It's kinda freaky!!!  And just for the record for all of you who are wondering why I'm so blond and they're not.....well, I don't know, but they were as blond as me once upon a time!!!!  I guess as they got older, they got darker, like our mom, and I stayed blond, like our dad. 

L to R:  Lisa, Me, Heather

MaJaw'sOnTheGround

I was so anxious to see who Tracy chose to be the winner of this month's nature photo contest this evening and was completely floored when I saw MY own pictures pop up on her page!!!  I can't argue that I live in a very beautiful part of America!  She hit that nail right on the head.  I'm so flippin' excited!  I did get an honorable mention from a previous linky party, but I got THE BLUE RIBBON this time!!  THANKS from the heart of my bottom, Tracy!  Uh....er.....I mean the bottom of my heart.  I feel like I did when I won the second grade spelling bee!!!!  =)

Purple Mountains Majesty

I want to share a couple of pictures with y'all.  One from last night as Meister sat outside with the boys, moon-gazing with the telescope:

and one of the rising sun, filtering through my front window, as I was sitting in the office reading the news this morning:

It's a well known fact that I am often overwhelmed by the beauty that surrounds me.  Mostly while I'm outdoors, but obviously, like this morning, as I look out my window.  I've always said that I feel closest to my maker when I'm outside.  Whether I'm gardening in my yard:

Or taking a leisurely Sunday walk with my kids through the gully in our neighborhood:

I LOVE the nature that surrounds me!

Our very favorite place, in all of Utah, is Albion Basin, just a short 20 minute drive up Little Cottonwood Canyon.  We go camping there a lot.  Allow me to show you why:

Plain and simple, the wildflowers (which are at their peak of beauty mid to late July) and mountains are BREATHTAKING!!  It's hard not to be at one with nature and Heavenly Father while you're there.  It's so calm and serene.  You can scarcely take it all in.

This is the view of the Salt Lake Valley from the top of the canyon.  We are completely surrounded by beautiful, majestic mountains that have so much to offer in the way of FUN!!  Including the BEST SNOW ON EARTH in the winter time!

Camping is an all time favorite family outing.  Can you blame us?  Not only do we get to be surrounded by the beauty and sounds of nature, we can enjoy a nap in the hammock in all our filth!

Or......um......on a....ROCK?  Whatever!

Oh to be a kid and have the ability to sleep soundly any ole hard place you want!

Have oodles and gobs of fun with all of your cousins....

(This is a traditional picture we take EVERY year!)

Or even have a close encounter of the third kind!.  =) 

Never seen a bear though...WHEW!!!! Although we have had moose and deer tromp right through our campsite.

I can see those mountains, that I just gave you a tiny tour of, from my backyard!  Aren't they beautiful?           I took this picture a couple weekends ago during my daughter's 12th birthday party.

I'm linking up to Tracy's Nature Photo Party so all of those outside of Utah can share in the beauty and maybe make plans to visit us!!  You won't be sorry if you do.  =)

What A Tease

Comparatively speaking, today was an absolutely GORGEOUS day!!!  It didn't quite hit 60 degrees, but I don't give a crap!  The sun was SHINING and the sky was BLUE!!!  Can I get a HALLELUJAH?!?!?!!!!  Looky what we got to do today!  I just LOOOOOVE the sound of lawn mowers on the weekends!  I also happen to love the smell of fresh cut grass, despite the fact that I'm very allergic to it.  WHY, then was I lying in it to take this picture?  I don't know, but I had to be quick because the mower was running, and he was coming straight for me!!   Just look at the look on his face.  The little turd didn't even slow down.   He thought he was pretty funny.  =)

I also got to play in the dirt!  I fluffed my flower beds and pulled the first of the weeds this season.  Anyone who knows me, knows how much I love to work in my flower gardens.  I could sit my butt in the dirt and weed all day long and be completely content.  Truth be told, gardening is a spiritual thing for me.  I feel closest to my maker when I'm outside soaking in the beauty that surrounds me.

Although we're slated to get lots of rain in the next week, I'm THRILLED that the temps will hover around 60!  I can deal with the rain if the temps are a smidge warmer than they have been.  And the sun promises to peek through the clouds a day or two.  Can you hear me singing?  HERE COMES THE SUN!!!!  YAAAAY!!!!

What's Your Perspective?

My blog posts have been far and few between lately.  I've been so busy working on 5 things at once that nothings getting finished.  BUT, that is a bout to change, I promise!!

Until then, I wanted to link up to another one of Tracy's parties!  This time, it's all about angle.

So, much like I've done in the past, I'm using pictures that I've taken in the last little while.  I wish that mother nature would take her Prozac in these parts and allow spring to come already.  I'm SO OVER winter!!  Incidentally, this is what my poor tulips are enduring for the time being.  And since I wasn't about to lay down in the snow, because I wasn't appropriately dressed, I just pointed and shot this picture, so it's not the best, but you can see a much better picture right below.  This picture and the one below are taken at ground level, looking up, as it is on a slight hill. 

THIS is what my flower garden will look like in a couple of weeks.  I'm so anxious for the blue sky, warm temps and for these beauties to bloom again!

Since I'm still balking about it feeling like winter, I thought I'd throw in a couple of my favorite pictures from about a month ago.  We have a place in the mountains we love to go tubing/sledding at.  The kids have a ball, as you can see in these fun pictures. 

This one is my youngest son.  I laid down on my stomach so that I would be below him as he came off the jump.  I wanted to catch his air time!  Rather than centering this picture, I composed it so he'd be in the upper corner, not just capturing his launch, but also his landing strip.  I think this definitely adds interest to the picture.

My 11 year old daughter had a heck of a time convincing her younger cousin to go down the steep hill with her.  Although you can't see how big the hill really is, I think their faces tell it all.  If you haven't already, you've got to click on this one and enlarge it to see Kailey's face! She's having fun, yet looks terrified at the same time!

 

My son was busy with his Lego's not too long ago, and was so proud to show my his creation.  I just had to take a picture.  I took this one at ground level.  I offset him a little, making sure to get the bucket of Lego's in the picture as well. 

Here is one of my daughter (in the bottom, right hand corner) and 4 of her neighborhood friends at their dance recital.  I thought with all 5 of them in the same dance class, it would be fun to do a little photo shoot with all of them dressed alike.  I stood above them for this one.

These next two pictures were taken in Moab.  We took our kids from Florida to hike one of the beautiful National Parks in Southern Utah.  We had a great time and can't wait to go back again.  This picture is of  our oldest, who appears to be hanging on for dear life over the edge of a wall.  Obviously, this one is all about illusion.

Although there were some death defying cliffs that had my stomach churning, Chris is really just crouching down on this ledge that Chelsea is sitting on in the picture below.  Isn't the view breathtaking??!?!?!!! 

Oh how I long for summer!  This picture was taken last summer at the pool that my handsome nephew worked at as a life guard.  I really wanted to take his picture, but he wasn't so willing to let me do so, so I had to be sneaky.  I simply held my camera at waist height, so he didn't realize I was taking it, pointed and shot.  Every time I held the camera up to my eye, he'd turn away or cover his face.  I got SO LUCKY with this one and actually got a centered picture!  I also love the sun flare.  It's seems so appropriate for the time of year!

I hope you enjoyed my angled pictures!  I was really wanting to go somewhere and shoot new pictures, but the weather outside is FRIGHTFUL!!!!!  It's just too darn cold.  And with that, I leave you with one last picture of the blossoms on my tree getting ready to pop!  Hopefully I'll be singing in the sun in the next week or so.

Oh!  WAIT!  Just because I can......I want to include this video of Chris.  Not only does he do a great cover of Jack Johnson, I kinda liked his ANGLES in it, too.  =)  Hope you enjoy it!  He played/sang each part seperately and then mixed it together on his laptop.  (Please never mind my messy, soon-to-be-finished basement.)