Back to School Feast 2014

Every year our Back to School Feast is a little less grand than I imagined it.  It's such a busy time, getting the kids outfitted for school, planning our annual Labor Day camping trip, etc.  This year, on top of that, I was planning a humanitarian project (more on that soon) and preparing for a triathlon!  So the poster with the theme didn't happen and I didn't end up getting great photos of the decor.  OH WELL.  The good news is that this year my children were darling and grateful at the feast, which was a huge improvement on last year!

I decided on a gold and silver theme so I cut crowns out of a paper towel roll and spray painted them gold, recycled paper placemats I'd recently dotted gold for a baby shower (more on that soon!), and used a bunch of silver and gold lanterns for the centerpiece.  Done and done.

  

For the menu the kids begged for their Sunday fave: pot roast, mashed potatoes and gravy, and green beans.  Vanilla ice cream for dessert.

Our theme for the year is Come What May, and Love It, which I took from this favorite talk.  It's a good one for all of us, and Taylor and I plan on expanding on various principles related to it throughout the year during Family Home Evening lessons.

I try to make the gifts every year both fun and practical.  I'm just going to go ahead and toot my own horn and say that this year, I nailed it.

Blaine and Roger got alarm clocks--Lego Yoda for B and Emmet for Rog.  Obviously they think they are the coolest clocks ever and they are creating exactly the results I was hoping for.  This morning I heard Yoda start beeping, then a few minutes later Blaine appeared in my room, completely dressed and ready, with time to spare for playing with legos before breakfast.  AMAZEBALLS.   (Anyone familiar with Blaine's struggles and tardy record last year can second that amazeballs.)

Carter got a lunchbox.  OK listen, they don't even eat lunch at Memory Lane Preschool, but this kid is 3 going on 10.  HE WANTS TO BE A BIG BOY LIKE HIS BROTHERS!  Here's what I die about: Carter's expressive face.  Also, he's already used his lunchbox like 42 times, so...worth it.

This is such a fun tradition.  I love how it sets a standard and makes a big deal out of going back to school.  I love the unity and excitement.  And I know it will only be a few years until my kids think I'm lame and won't want to wear paper crowns anymore, so I'm going to live it up while I can.

Provo Food

Here's something fun for all you Utahns.  My brother-in-law, Ian, who loves food almost as much as he loves his wife, started a food blog dedicated to guiding you to the best eateries in Provo and Utah Valley.  It's such a great resource and you can count on Ian to give you the real scoop!

A few examples...

Here's the photo that made me want to come for yet another Provo visit this year.

Here's the one that made me want to cry that we didn't stop for a molcajete last month.  (This place is so good-- if you haven't been there get in your car right now and get thee hence!)

And here's the one that made me think: That looks like happiness in a bite.

It's always fun to try a new restaurant, but such a disappointment when it doesn't deliver.  That's what I love about Ian's blog.  I trust his opinion on good food.  Check it out, bookmark it, put it in your reader.  And prepare to drool.

Again: provofoods.com

xo
anne

Learning from my mother and the kind of home I want

{Recent activity in my mother's home--making food animals with the boys (my mom is so cute) and
blackberry jam with Mom and Jessie}

Well gosh, thanks for your comments last time. It's good to know there's someone here. Like I said, it feels good just to journal here, but I have to say, it feels even better to feel like I'm connecting with people. As I anticipated, that's what I miss most about Bloom. Connecting with people and telling my story. So I'm glad I can still do that here. Thanks for your encouragement.

I've been thinking a lot about life and beauty and mothering and what matters. I told you last time I have given up a lot of design-y blogs because they make me want too much and distract me. That's not to say I don't care how my home looks or want to go shopping next weekend. It's all about balance I guess. And focus. I want my children to have a beautiful life but I don't want the materialism of it all to consume me. Does that make sense?

It's like this:
Yesterday I left the boys playing at my mom's house while I ran a couple of miles. As I was coming back up the hill to my parents' property, I smiled as I passed my mom's colorful flower mound at the front of their garden, took in the corn, the beans, the cantaloupe vines, the gourds, the pumpkins, the tomatoes, and more. My favorite curvy row in the garden is Mom's State Fair Zinnias--all sorts of huge, bold colors. I came in her house and looked around at her collection of dishes in her glass-front cabinet and the family pictures above her desk. As I gulped down a drink of water I looked at the jars of my brother's honey on the window ledge--light, dark, and darker. My favorite is the one with the honeycomb in it--pioneer honey.

My mother's home isn't extravagant, but it is beautiful. It has always been rich with color and comfort and home grown goodness. She likes to decorate, but it doesn't break the bank. Nor does it look like it was over-designed. (Nor has the teal 1988 furniture been replaced.) It looks like real people live there. There are always fresh flowers in the house--almost always from her yard. There is almost always a project going in the kitchen--mince meat pies, blackberry jam, chicken soup, oatmeal crunchies...

I love the home I grew up in. And that's what I'm trying to create for my children. A soft place to land. A place where beautiful and delicious things grow. A place that's tidy and happy and peaceful and fun. In my ideal world it would have a prettier light fixture in the dining area and hardwood floors in the living room, but I'm learning not to obsess over those things. (Hallelujah.)

loves,
anne

p.s. Sour cream chocolate frosting recipe? You got it, next time. Also, we've been enjoying every blackberry application there is--jam, pie, milkshakes, and cobbler. Ahhh...blackberries. I love thee, Oregon. Blackberry cobbler recipe HERE.

Road Trip Re-Cap

We welcomed July and celebrated our nation's independence with my whole ginormous family at Yellowstone Park. It was no small fete, considering we are two and a half dozen people and some of us hail from Chile!

There is nothing like the grandeur and majesty of the American West, and Yellowstone is the ultimate. It was a week of adventuring and swimming, laughing and snacking, story telling and loving. {For my poor mother I think it was mostly a week of worriedly counting heads, but we all survived!}

I'm a huge advocate for family reunions. It's a ton of work to haul food for 30 for a week two states away. It requires hours of planning and communicating. Sometimes it's pure chaos. But to watch my boys forming relationships with their far-away cousins and laugh my guts out with my siblings I would do just about anything.

{from the top: Rog and Blaine are BEST friends these days, Uncle Brian with the 3 amigos, Blaine adored cousin Bridget (as did I), me + 4 boys at Yellowstone's Grand Canyon, cousies wating for Old Faithful to erupt (totally lived up to the hype!), Seamus the 14-year-old giant (was darling with Rog!) and my twin brother, Steven, Blaine the Science Kid couldn't get enough of the geo thermal landscape}

{Jon works the bedhead (at the breakfast table where 3,476 bowls of lucky charms were consumed--GROSS!), baby Steven and baby Carter, Nana and Carter}

On our last day there were gifts from Chile and North Carolina and a big fat talent show.

And, because I love you, here is a video clip of my sister, Liz and me doing a 'tap-off' for the talent show. It has been a decade plus since we've tapped and it was all we could do to not laugh our heads off. Wow, thanks for the lessons, Dad. Totally worth your money, don't you think? {Liz, can you ever forgive me for posting this?}

Now, try to stop laughing at me while I tell you about the second, more solemn part of my trip. Taylor, the boys, and I cut out of the family festivities early to dash down to Utah for the funeral of our dear friend, Wes. His wife, Lori, has made several appearances here at Bloom, so I thought you'd want to know about her loss. We can't stop crying about it and hurting for Lori and her children. It was a privilege to know Wes. We hope you'll remember the Trumans in your prayers.

xoxoxo
anne

Showering Sara

{engagement photo by Danielle Wilson}

When my sister-in-law Sara got engaged to darling Shane, I jumped at the chance to throw her a shower.

The Decor:

Pom-poms (from an old Martha Stewart for Michael's line), my favorite lovey print, free printable banner from here-- "S and S" = "Sara and Shane" (a little cryptic, I know), and flowers with homemade wire picture holders.

The menu:

Fresh fruit, bread, and salads galore (Caesar salad from Frankly Entertaining, farfalle with pesto and peas from Ina Garten, my SIL, Melissa's famous Greek salad, and my favorite spinach salad). To drink--chilled Kearns nectars and San Pellegrinos (the Limonata is my favorite beverage on the planet!)

The activities:

I'm not a huge fan of shower games, so the main activity I always do is ask the bride questions and see if her answers match those of the groom--which I have pre-recorded and are projected for all to see. (I don't make her chew bubble gum for wrong answers.) The video makes for a fun keepsake for the couple and is a great way for the shower guests to learn more about the groom. (I'll have you know I had to swallow my pride to post this picture because I loathe that printed chair--a classic thrift buy that I purchased fabric to recover, but...)

And of course we had presents--including family heirloom china. So sweet!

For dessert:

Hand-dipped waffle cones (semi-sweet chocolate with coconut, walnuts, or sprinkles) with assorted ice cream, gelato, and sorbet.

To take home:

My mother helped me come up with this simple favor--giant oatmeal chewies and chocolate chip cookies. The twist? It's not for you, it's for your husband. Mom says, "If you come home with a treat for him, he will love showers!" Brilliant.

***all shower images by Stacey Morris

Just in time for fall

I am here to report that we are back at the blue house. Safe, sound, and upchuck (that's what Grandma Tillie would say) free. (Three cheers for Dramamine!) The trip home was a raving success. Here is what we looked like for 12 solid hours.

Rog snuggled with his 'muntees'

Blaine watched oodles of Baby Einstein and Thomas the Train and I praised our DVD player yet again.

Check out Mr. Serious Pants. (Drinking a nasty Red Bull is serious business.) He is a machine. 12 hours, 0nly stopping for peeing and fuel. Way to work it, dear. (Whoa. That is quite a shot of my large nostrils. My apologies.)
We rolled in last night and our house smelled like smoke. (Because of these fires in our valley last week that evacuated several of our near and dears.) Even though I was sad to leave Utah, it feels good to be home. I like my blue house. I like being with my stuff. (How does that saying go? "Home is where the Kitchenaid is?") I like cutting my last few hot pink zinnias and putting them in my green vase and planning all the magic decor that will go up in 2 more days.

This morning was Blaine's first day of our little pre-school co-op. This is the best shot I could get of him. He was too involved in puzzles to say cheese. After pre-school while we had our 2 extra boys for the afternoon, Nana stopped by, toting 5 gallons of milk and juice, eggs, bananas, and English muffins, because 'there were great coupons at Fred Meyer.' I really like my mom. Then Blaine and I made chocolate chippers while Rog napped. We took the cookies to share after dinner at my parents' house. We dined on salad and homemade bread and discussed England, grass-fed beef, and the latest in Newsweek. Then Rog made his best animal sounds for Grandpa. I really like my dad.

It's good to be home after all.

Elder Cropper returns

This was two years ago.
And now.

We pretty much took over the airport.

Arrival.

Ian and his mom.


First time meeting Rog.

Ian and Johnny together again. (They got home one day apart.)

Hurrah for Zion, boys!