Imperial Troops in the Library!

 We were at the library on Saturday minding our own business when we were suddenly invaded by imperial troops! So we got some pictures with them to prove it to you. Would you believe that within the last week, I found out that two of my friends didn't know what a storm trooper is or who Bobba Fett is? Shouldn't that be a crime? Star Wars is a very integral part of our American culture. Amber and Sarah, we can still be friends, but I think you should watch Star Wars and educate yourselves in the ways of the force.

"Impressive.  Most impressive."

"Once you start down the dark path, 

forever will it dominate your destiny;

consume you it will."

"Aren't you a little short for storm trooper?"

"Do not underestimate the power of the dark side."

"Help me Obi-Wan Kenobi.  You're my only hope."

"I've got a very bad feeling about this."

Here are some more great 

Star Wars quotes:

(a very incomprehensive list, I know.)

Obi-Wan Kenobi: “Use the Force, Luke.”

Darth Vader: "I find your lack of faith disturbing.”

Princess Leia: “Into the garbage chute, flyboy!”

Han Solo: "Boring conversation anyway. Luke, we’re gonna have company!”

Luke: "You killed my father!"

Darth Vader: "No Luke, I am your father."  

Luke:  "NOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

Han Solo:  "Who's scruffy-lookin'?"

Han Solo: "Don't get excited."
Princess Leia: "Captain, being held by you isn't quite enough to get me excited."
Han Solo: "Sorry sweetheart. I haven't got time for anything else."

everybody: “May the Force be with you.”

And who can deny the wisdom of Yoda:

"Try not; Do or do not . . . there is no try."

"Fear is the path to the dark side. Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering."

"Luminous beings are we, not this crude matter."

"Size matters not. Look at me. Judge me by my size, do you? Hmm? Hmm? And well you should not."

Luke: "I can't believe it." Yoda: "That is why you fail."

"When 900 years you reach, look as good, you will not."

What's your favorite Star Wars Quote?

Did you know . . .

We have been learning some fun facts about Robins 

from a non-fiction book we checked out at the library.  

Dallin suggested checking out non-fiction books because he wanted to learn about deep sea creatures.  I figured learning was a pretty good idea.  So I checked out a book about robins since there are some living in our backyard.  And would you guess I actually learned some stuff?

• Did you know that robins lay about three blue eggs in their nest? Ours laid four, which must imply that our robin is an above-average sort of robin.
• Did you know that baby robins need to be fed every ten minutes during the day?  (and I thought our newborns took a lot of time!)
• Did you know that a mom and dad robin have two families per growing season?  One batch for the spring and one batch for the summer.  

Our robins have recently laid the eggs for their second family, and we were able to crawl up and get a picture of the blue eggs from on top of the tree house.  They look so cool!  

Random Tidbits

I have a camera again! Judging by the number of comments (or lack thereof) I've gotten on my non-picture posts, I think we can safely say it's more fun to blog with pictures. A picture is worth a thousand words, right? So here are a few pictures for ya.

Dallin & Daphne in the tree house.  

It's a little scarey and unsafe, but I guess that's what makes it fun.

Prepare to meet . . .

The Amazing Hayden!

I love this smile!

What a great helper.

Pickin' cherries

It'll be amazing if we get any of the ripe ones ourselves.  

The birds always seem to beat us to the good ones.

Laundry Woes

So, today, I pulled some laundry out of the dryer that was actually warm. It occurred to me that until then, I couldn't tell you the last time I took laundry out of the dryer while it was still warm. Just thought I'd let that be known.   Laundry is my least favorite household chore.  I wish I had Mrs. Weasley's wand, or Mary Poppins magic snapping fingers, or maybe my very own laundry fairy.  

Recipes

Julianne inspired me with her roll recipe post. I thought I'd share a couple of my favorite recipes. So here's one for breakfast and one for dinner. Try them and let me know if you like them.

Waffles

1 3/4 cup flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar
3 eggs
7 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 1/2 cups milk

Preheat the waffle iron. Sift the dry indredients into a medium sized bowl. Separate the eggs, putting the egg whites in smaller bowl. Beat the egg whites until they are stiff. (If you are using an electric mixer, you can beat the egg whites first, then beat the batter without having to wash the beaters. The reverse is not true. If you beat the batter first and you have to wash the beaters before beating the egg whites.) Add the egg yolks, oil and milk all at one time to the dry indredients. Beat until there are no lumps in the batter. Fold the egg whites into the other batter using a spatula or other flat utinsel. Put a full 1/2 cup of batter in your waffle iron to make a 9-inch round waffle. This recipe makes about eight 9 inch waffles. (We have a waffle iron that does two small squares, and it works fine in there too.)

Arthur makes these for mother's day or my birthday, or any other special day, and always serves these with fresh whipped cream and fruit. Sooo good.

Okay, the next one I'm not going to write all the way out. I tried it for the first time earlier this month, and I was so proud of myself for making something that turned out this good. It is an imitation of Cafe Rio Sweet Pork Salad, and it is amazing. You can find it by clicking here. It is a lot of work, but totally worth it!!! The blend of all these different flavors is so great. Try it out the next time you feel like making a really good dinner. (Like if you'll be entertaining the first lady or something. )

No pictures

Well, I have no pictures to post because our camera was stolen a few weeks ago, and we just haven't gotten a new one yet.  But here are some random tidbits for you.

• We went on a family hike in the Sandia Mountains by our house this Saturday.  The kids had a great time climbing rocks and jumping over the little stream.  We hiked about two miles round trip, and Sean made it 3/4's of the way all by himself.  He finally gave up on the way back.  We had a very fun time, and I took lots of pictures in my mind.
• Saturday night, I took Dallin and Daphne to see a production of Aladdin, that my friend Louise Loomis directed.  She has been teaching at Manzano Day School for over 20 years, and she directs a musical each year that all the 4th & 5th graders participate in.  She hooked us up with tickets on the front row!  The costumes were amazing, and I couldn't believe how many kids she involved in it.  When it was over, I asked Dallin what he thought about it, and he said, "I LOVED IT!" with a grin as big as day across his face.   Then he asked, "What grade do I have to be in, to do a show like that?"  Hmmm . . . that got me thinking about public schools vs. private.  
  
• In our garden we have two pear trees and a peach tree.  We also have a bunch of other deciduous trees that are nice, and flowering trees, that I couldn't really identify.  Well yesterday when I was wandering in my garden, I discovered that there are apples growing on one of those flowering trees, and cherries growing on the other one!  It was like Christmas!  Two fruit trees I didn't know I had!
• Happy Mother's Day to all of you mothers out there, and all of you people who have mothers!  I had a great day.  Arthur made me waffles with whipped cream and strawberries.  (He has a really great recipe for these that I should post.  They are delicious.)  As a bonus, we got to speak in our ward for Mother's Day.  JOY!  I actually really enjoyed preparing it, and thinking so much about motherhood and the mothers who have shaped and influenced my life  (Mom, Grammy Stone and Grandma Packard.) It made me feel so grateful to be a mother, and think of so many ways I can be better.  Of course speaking is always nerve-racking. I hate that feeling you get just before you stand up to speak, like your stomach might run away and leave your body in the dust.  So I'm glad that part is over.  But despite speaking in Sacrament, I had a great Mother's Day.