Little Swedish Clogs

As I was driving the kids to school this morning we listened to ABBA and I was reminded of how much I like them. When I turned 40, I had a sizable party in our backyard.  Where most people like to do something daring like go sky diving when they hit one of the "older" mile stones, I decided that my daring thing was going to be to sing in front of all of the people at my party. I chose an ABBA song, "Thank You For The Music". Every time I hear that song I get thrown back to that moment and it brings a smile to my face. In honor of my Swedish roots and my love for ABBA I am sharing this photo today.

Lighting Project

Jeff and Rod are both in my photography class at MCC.  I knew I wanted to use them as my models for this project.  I love Jeff's white hair and serious look and Rod's strong features. Doesn't Rod look like he could run the country??

The Eagle Has Landed

Simon did his Eagle Project this past Saturday.  We had a great turnout.  Thanks to all of his friends and family who were able to come and help us. For those who don't know much about becoming an Eagle in the scouting program, the Eagle Project is the culminating event  that needs to be accomplished, (along with earning 21 merit badges and advancing in ranks along the way) before you a scout can earn his Eagle. Simon is so close now that he can touch it. Coming up with the right project is half the challenge.  Simon found a project that was a good fit. The Project: Childsplay, a nationally recognized theater organization had a few projects that needed to be done at their school in Tempe...

1.   Install 20 security cameras  

2.  Change the filters in the entire school(I make this sound like a big job because that's the one      that I got to supervise and it wasn't always easy to get the filters out or put them back in again! I admit that I had to punch a couple of filters into submission to get them to fit. Have you ever noticed that most filters only "kind of" fit anyhow?! I don't know why they make filter measurements in whole sizes like 24x18x1 when the openings are clearly 24 1/4 X 17 5/8 X 1 1/2) Multiply that by 25 or so and you can understand why I was constantly breaking out in a sweat during the project...Thanks Devin for being thin enough to fit into the crawl spaces in the attics and doing those filters!)

3.  Repaint some of the purple classroom doors that needed it.

4.  Paint the door sweeps in front of all of the doors to warn people that the door could swing open.  This was probably the biggest job.

A BIG THANK YOU to:  Adam Jacobson (of Childsplay), Simon's family (you know who you are!), Jimbo (Simon's grandpa Nissen), Mormor (Simon's grandma-my mom), Jim Taylor, A.J. Taylor, Kyle Hiatt, Rhett Hiatt, Parker Smith, Dallin Stone, Devin Timothy, Enrique Aguilar, Catherine Morris and Seth Huber for spending the better part of your Saturday with us.  We could  not have done it without you!

Still smiling at the end of the day!

Megan and Wyatt

I have really enjoyed working with Megan and Wyatt.  They are such a great couple and it is not hard to tell that they adore each other. Megan's dress is just beautiful and is a perfect fit. Here are a few shots from their engagement session and just last week of their Bride and Groom. I want to visit the brick wall again. By the time we got to it, we were running out of daylight. I can't wait for their wedding day, which is just around the corner. 

Cross Country City Meet

Adam and Benjamin ran in the Cross Country City Meet yesterday and did well.  They ran out at Red Mountain Park. We have spent many years out at Red Mountain Park watching Jon-Erik run and it brought back a lot of great memories.  I was reminded of how much I love to watch my kids run.  There is something so free and yet grueling about running.  It's just you and the pavement or dirt. Watching a cross country race is different than being able to see a race from beginning to end around a track.  You see the runners at the beginning...then somewhere in the middle and then again as they come around to the finish line.  You can get a real work out as a spectator if you want to run to specific vantage points to catch the runners along the way. It is so much fun! Way to go Ben and Adam and the rest of the Poston team!

Flour Power

During our Fall break a couple of weeks ago, Ben had some friends over for breakfast. They ate banana pancakes, played games and hung out. After they finished playing a flour game, they got creative with the flour. 

Choir Concert at MVHS

Mountain View had a choir concert last week and the night before the concert about 30 members of their largest choir gathered for a rehearsal at our house. We moved the furniture to fit them all in. I felt like we got to have our own personal concert right here in our living room. It's amazing to see the talent that these youth have. I was impressed that so many would take the time to take part in this optional rehearsal. Thank you for such beautiful music.

This is the beautiful new piano that Mountain View was lucky enough to get last year. The selection process was extensive. The Bosendorfer won out over the Steinway and a few others.That's Simon on the left.

The final song of the evening.

HDR Project

These are two favorite photo subjects...The Temple and Joe's Barbershop. I chose them for an HDR (High Dynamic Range) project that we did in class. You can google HDR images on Google image to see more of this type of image.

Star Bright Baby

This was the perfect baby, in the perfect clothes, in the perfect house, facing the perfect direction, for perfect lighting. I could not have asked for better. She was delightful!

Chocolate Chip Cookies

I made cookies last Friday. I have two recipes that I alternate using for Chocolate Chip Cookies. If I'm feeling a little guilty about the cookies, I'll use the one that calls for oats...but on Friday I went with the other one. It's from an old church cook book. I've used it so much the cover is missing and the pages are stained, especially pages 93 and 119. I feel so lucky to have a Bosch mixer AND a convection oven, so making 100 cookies takes me only about 30 minutes. The best part about these cookies was the chips. There was nothing on the bag that would prepare me for the size of the chip. They were so big, I couldn't believe it. They are the best chocolate chips I have ever tasted, and I've tasted plenty. GHIRARDELLI Premium baking chips, 60% cacao bittersweet chocolate. Brian found them at Costco. I like to use a scooper so my cookies are all the same size. That way they bake more evenly. Recipe follows. 

LIKE MRS. FIELD'S COOKIES

1 lb. butter (softened)

1 1/2 c. white sugar

2 c. brown sugar

3 eggs

2 T. vanilla

6 c. flour

1 1/2 tsp. salt & baking soda

4 c. chocolate chips

(I don't do nuts in cookies, so they are not an option for me.)

Mix the sugar, butter, eggs, vanilla. Then add the dry stuff. Then the chocolate chips. Bake at 375. Check after 6 or 7 minutes. I try not to overbake them and then let them sit on the pan for a couple of minutes before removing.

Emma-Lost and Found

I've always loved my neighborhood but last night I learned what kind of heart my neighborhood really has: 

 I was out with the Young Women in our ward (congregation) for softball.  I stopped by home afterwards to pick up some treats to take  over to a couple of grandmas who the YW have "adopted". Emma decided she wanted to come with me, so I took her along. I saw Ben playing on the computer. I guess I thought that because I saw him that he also saw me and saw Emma go with me.  I had Amber and Lorelei with me also. None of us had our cell phones.  We visited a little with each Grandma. We were gone a little longer than we expected, but I had no idea what was  happening at home. At 8:45 p.m. I received a concerned phone call from Sharon, who lives around the corner.  She asked if Emma was with me and was relieved to find out that she was. She informed me that the whole neighborhood had been out looking for her for about an hour. Brian had also finally called the police.  I felt horrible that we had worried so many people. But I was also overwhelmed and touched by everyone's concern and the incredible networking that went on in a short amount of time. As I pulled into the neighborhood, someone that I didn't even know pulled along side me and asked if "they had found the little girl yet". I just want to publicly thank my wonderful neighbors/neighborhood for dropping everything to look for our "missing" little girl.  Emma and I both cried as we pulled into our driveway; relieved that she was safe and overwhelmed by the outpouring of love from all of the good people around us. I hope something like this never happens again, but I know that we are surrounded by people who care if it does.  The world is still a good place filled with lots of good people.    

MVHS Homecoming

Rather than waiting in line at the dance for photos, this group decided to do it before hand. We had a lot of fun at the Mesa Arts Center. Couldn't have asked for better weather!

Abby and the Twins

Last weekend I did a quick little shoot with these cute sisters.  They're the youngest of seven and the last ones left at home.  They wanted to surprise Great-Grandma with a Photo for her birthday.

What great little models!

My Movie List

I've always loved going to the movies, but it is a 2 hour time commitment, so it better be a good movie! I thought I'd compile a list of movies that we've enjoyed over the years. These are movies that stand the test of time for me. Some people don't like foreign films, but I do. I always watch a foreign film in it's original language with subtitles.  I know people shy away from them because they have to read and watch at the same time, but you get into a rhythm and there are so many good stories being told around the world. Is there a movie genre that's called "Slice of Life"?  That would probably be my favorite. I should warn you  that not all of these movies have a happy ending. 

The movie I wanted to spotlight today is, "The Chorus" 

Plot:  A new teacher at a severely administered boys' boarding school works to positively effect the students' lives through music. 

There is a scene in the movie that I can watch over and over and it never loses it's impact for me. It's towards the end of the film.  It is one of those magical moments in a film when all of the elements come together. The movies listed will be linked to a trailer, so you can check them out for yourself. 

Emma turns eight.

This is Emma with her four older brothers when she was about three years old. Doesn't this just epitomize what it might be like to be the only girl in a family? We could not believe it when the doctor told us #5 was going to be a girl. I called him back a week later to ask him if he was sure. Four months later, I found out that he was right.

Emma just turned eight and in our church, eight is the age when a child is baptized, which Emma decided to do this past Saturday. She was lucky to have both of her grandparents and her Uncle James there, along with family and friends who came to be with her on this special day in her life. Thank you to everyone who shared this special day with Emma either by being there or sending your love.

This is Emma at eight.

It pays to have friends

For older brains like mine, it takes a while to be able to digest technical things, like blogging, for instance. People kept telling me how easy it is. One friend volunteered her ten year old daughter to help me. I should've taken her up on it. This might have been my tenth post instead of my first. It has taken me 2 months to be able to just find my blog again. It was lost...but here we are, together again. I am living proof that anyone can do it. Thank you, friends for helping me get started. I dedicate this first post to you, Kristin and Jo.