Another Recital

Banner as she announces her recital piece.

I had intended to put a video of her playing on at this time but he who shall remain nameless took the video camera without my knowledge.  Needless to say, there is no recording of this performance.

A nice bow!

Groovin Lily!

Another generation dances to "Macho Man" on the old record player.

Leah must've been asleep or busy somewhere else.  She missed all the action.

It's All About the Cookies!

I agree with Jonas, "I'm not here for the happiness and the love, I'm here for the food".  Valentine's Day for me is all about sugar cookies.  I love baking , decorating and sharing them with family and friends.

It seems like every year I get a call from one of the girls for the sugar cookie recipe.  I discovered this recipe in my Orangeville cookbook, it is the best one I have found by far.

Best Ever Sugar Cookies

                                                     1 cup butter                         1 tsp salt

                                                     2 cups sugar                        2 tsp baking powder

                                                     2 eggs                                 1 cup sour cream

                                                     2 tsp vanilla                         2 tsp baking soda

                                                     1 tsp lemon extract              6 cups flour

Cream butter and sugar together; add eggs and beat until fluffy.  In a separate small bowl, add baking soda to sour cream; stir well (rises to almost 2 cups).  Add flavorings to creamed mixture. Stir in dry ingredients alternately with sour cream mixture.  Roll out dough using enough flour so dough doesn't stick to surface and rolling pin.  Roll 1/4 inch thick or desired thickness.  Bake at 375 degrees for 8 to 9 minutes.  Don't overbake.  Makes 5 to 6 dozen.                    

Missing Mom

Fourteen years sounds like a long time, it is.  I think of all the change our family has gone through since then and it seems like forever.  I look at Banner now and think, she was just a tiny 1 year old when Mom died.  I'm sad that Banner never got to know her wonderful grandma.  I wonder quite often if I would be different if Mom were still here.  I wonder how different my girls would be. Would Dad and Ben still be here?  I like to think she would be proud of us and how we've stayed close.  I know for a fact that she would adore Hannah, Jonas, Gabriel, Maren, Esme, Leah and Lily just like she adored all of her grandchildren that she knew.  I think she would have loved Rebecca, Andrew, Brooks and Becky and would've welcomed them into her family. She would be so proud of Noah, Whitney, Zack and Leslie for serving missions. Because she is gone, we've had the opportunity to do grandmotherly things for our nieces and nephews. The crocheting, knitting, quilting and just loving the kids is something that we have enjoyed doing in her place but we can never really fill her shoes, she was an amazing woman and I miss her every day.

Gifts!

 Miranda gave me this family tree that I have been wanting for a while.  I haven't filled in the names yet, but I'm looking forward to doing it.

Whitney gave me this picture of the Manti Temple.  She even made the frame(with some help from her Dad).

The quilt, the piano, the family tree, the"prayer" picture, and the picture of the temple(which is on the other wall) make this a happy room for me.

Banner's 15th Birthday!

Banner wanted to play "Restaurant" for her birthday.  She and Miranda got dressed up for the occasion.  Miranda's dress is a little old fashioned (I think she borrowed it from Betsy Ross) but they both looked lovely.

Studying the menu.

A little pricey!

Introducing the "Chef".

They started out with tasty drinks

while Chef made their salads.

Chef's secret recipe homemade croutons.

Happy faces after a delicious lunch.

Now it's Tennyson's turn (too bad she forgot to iron her dress).

A personal note of encouragement.

And now, for the birthday cake.  Banner wanted peanut butter cake with peanut butter frosting.  I thought it needed a little chocolate so I added ganache between the layers and on top.

She easily blew out the 15 candles.

She got clothes from us, a dress from Miranda and Brooks, a pink headband from Lizzy, a symphony bar and book from Dennis and money from her grandparents.  I hope she had a good day.

Two Out of Three!