Ryan Shupe & The Rubberband

I really love this band. Brook and I went to one of their concerts at Thanksgiving Point for our anniversary a few years ago. They put on an awesome concert! I knew that they were going to perform at the Kenley Amphitheater this summer so I was checking out their website. It is so nice because you can listen to all of the songs on all of their albums with their JUKEBOX. I've been turning it on while I am on the computer. I love their bluegrass/folk/rock/country sound. Check them out on http://www.shupe.net/ and go to the JUKEBOX, then click on ALBUMS to find the one you want. My favorite album is DREAM BIG, but they have a funny song on their new album, LAST MAN STANDING, called CORN DOGS. I really like BANJO BOY, EVEN SUPERMAN, SIMPLIFY and RAIN FALLS DOWN on DREAM BIG. They have a lot of other great songs. For all you mothers, you might like 2 YEAR OLD ATTITUDE on the LIVE album. Here's the BANJO BOY http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e4IUb6qYGkY and DREAM BIG http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xcTDDLavowM music videos. Hope you enjoy!

Happy Flag Day!

Ok, I know most people don't think much about flag day, but ever since Derek was born on June 14th, it's become a little special to us. The flags looked so nice lining the street today (way to go scouts). Auburn has been looking forward to this day for quite a while. She was excited for Derek's birthday and she loves the flag. She made this picture earlier this week and then today she put on her flag shirt and worn her hand me down flag shoes. She looked really cute...sorry no pictures...didn't have the camera with me today. Hopefully she'll wear them again on the 4th.

Ode to Laurie Keller

Laurie Keller, one of my favorite children's book authors

I found this book at the library once while looking for books with audio cassettes. We quickly got hooked. The pictures are so cute, the story is funny, and the little extra comments make the kids (and me) laugh. We bought the book, the game, and the puzzle. I like that they can learn and have fun at the same time.

This is Lauren's newest favorite book. I think it's hilarious! If you've ever taken your kids to Krispy Kreme or eaten a doughnut period, you'll like it. I took the girls to KK the other day so Lauren could buy a doughnut that looked like Arnie.

This is a cute book about manners and the golden rule. My family is in serious need of this book.

This book teaches kids about taking care of their teeth and going to the dentist. Summer - I wondered if it would be helpful for Caleb. Isn't he afraid to go to the dentist?

My kids love for me to read The Scrambled States to them all the time. They never get sick of it. I decided to look up the author and send her an email about how much we loved the book. She emailed me back the next day. I was so surprised to get a response...Lauren thought it was soooo cool. She told us that a sequel was coming out in August. We're excited....well maybe I am more than the girls. I love great kids books with awesome illustrations.

Strawberries, Radishes, & Fabric Oh My!

Mmmmm! Second picking on the strawberries!

This is the first time I tried these long French Breakfast radishes. They're really good! Not quite as hot.

I had to get these for our 4th of July pillowcases. These fabrics were so cute!

I LOVE graphic prints!

OK, flowers too. They were just too pretty to pass up.

Matt & Dad...Like Father Like Son

Matt ordered a kilt from Scotland for his friends wedding. The whole wedding party was decked out in Scottish garb....I wish I could have been there. Mom told Matt about our different Scot/Irish lines and he decided to get the Armstrong tartan. I wish you could see the details...they put the Armstong crest on the sporan and the dagger shaped kilt pin. I know I'm pathetic...I really get into this stuff. Matt and I found this place on the internet and got so excited about all the little custom items you could order. Anyway, the point of this blog was to show you how much Matt looks like my dad. He looks more like my dad than any of the other boys. When I was taking these pictures I had to laugh because I couldn't believe the similarities. Everyone used to say how much he looked like dad, but I couldn't ever see it. The older he gets, the more I can...they even have the same skinny legs. Sorry about the red eyes. I was too lazy to take them out.

Reality TV Junkie

I seem to be hooked on reality tv. Not what you might think though. Here are a few of my favorites...




This couple had twin girls and then they had sextuplets...3 boys, 3 girls. The kids are so cute and the couple crack me up. There is no pretention here. I think they'd act the same whether or not the cameras were there.

The couple are both little people and 1 of their 4 kids is little two. They've got 3 teenagers now and one around 10. Another fun family to watch. They have a huge farm in Oregon and they have all kinds of fun buildings on the property for the kids to hang out at.

I love this show....The contestants go through a bunch of very difficult tasks to prove if they could have their own Food Network show. I don't know why I love to watch FN so much because I don't really like to cook. I just like to see people doing what they love to do.

This is such a fun show to watch. This guy is crazy and has such an infectious laugh. He opened a cake shop in Baltimore and has his friends working for him. They make some pretty awesome cakes. They've made cakes for the premier of Hairspray and Harry Potter. They make wedding cakes, birthday cakes, bar mitzvah cakes, etc... These guys are very entertaining!

I Need HELP!

OK, I know I have forgotten many things in my life. It is a terrible problem I have. I think someone comes and erases my memory while I was sleep at night. That's my story and I'm sticking to it!

Here's what happened....I got a new calling the first Sunday in May. I didn't get released until yesterday. Things were going pretty well...I enjoyed staying in Primary a little longer. I was told 2 or 3 times that they were going to replace me "Next week". Trust me, I didn't mind at all. It weaned me off gradually. Then, last week a member of the bishopric said they were sure it was going to happen the next Sunday and asked us (our Presidency) to speak. He gave me my topic and all was well. You know where this is going, don't you?

In my defense....I have had a very busy week. I was working for my friend and doing her aunts job too since she went to Disneyland. Then, I helped my mom with 3 gardens plus my own. I had 4 days in a row of Stake responsibilities. We had a ward conference, so we were supposed to meet with the ward leaders on Thursday. Friday we set up for the Mother/Daughter temple day. Saturday we held our M/D temple day. Sunday we were supposed to visit the ward for their ward conference...it was at the same time as our ward. It was great! Sacrament Meeting was really good, I sat and listened, blissfully unaware that our bishop was flashing signals to Brook and starting to really squirm in his seat. I went to 2 hours of Primary and then drove home. It only hit me when I saw our church and pulled into the driveway. OH THE SHOCK, HORROR, AND EMBARRASSMENT!!!!!!!!!!! I was tempted to run and hide in the house, but slunk over to the church to grovel. I was told it was ok. I was told that everything went fine. I was told not to worry about it. AGGGGHHHHHHH! They had one of my counselors that was released a few months ago bear her testimony. Then they had her replacement, which is my replacement now, bear her testimony. My secretary and other counselor spoke along with a musical number. It was all tied up with the bishopric member over Primary sharing a few thoughts. The meeting ended right on time.

If only I had been there, I could have winged it. Now I just have a couple of people that have me on their hit list. When the EQP called Brook after church and I answered, he said, "I really enjoyed your talk today!" I responded with, "Yeah, I spent a lot of time preparing it." Honestly, I didn't even THINK about it after I was asked on Sunday. I had a hard time falling asleep last night. I keep thinking, "Way to go out with a bang!" Why they ask me to fill callings like this, I'll never know. I guess the Lord knows I have a lot to learn. Please tell me something like this has happened to one of you!

The Goose Girl

I just finished reading The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale. It was an awesome book! I loved it! I bought it from Deseret Book when our RS went there for a book talk. I had wanted to read another of Shannon Hale's books ever since I read Austenland, which I loved too. (I know I already told you about it) I was going to read Princess Academy first, since my niece had recommended it, but our RS Pres. said I should start with Goose Girl. I had a hard time getting into it at first because it seemed so wordy and the names were hard to keep straight. Then the book seemed to take off and it was hard to stop. Only my very tired eyes and my duties would pull me away. The girls wanted to play at mom's this afternoon, so I devoured the rest of it. Such a fun book. It seems that I've been reading a lot of young adult fiction lately...I'm really enjoying it. I gotta go. I've got to get to library before they close tonight. There's a sequel to Goose Girl called Enna Burning.

Mel, you've got to check these out. I know that you loved Austenland as much as I did.

**Update - I checked the library website and all of Davis County didn't have Enna. I called Seagull and they didn't carry it, so I drove up to Deseret Book. I got the last copy...the corner was a little bent, but I really wanted to get it that night. Went to check out and decided to use my DB points. I guess I had accumulated more than I thought because it was enough to get my paperback for FREE! I love it when you can get free things! :)

Quotes of the Day

We took the girls to the pool yesterday. As we were driving into the parking lot Lauren said, "I love that fresh pool smell." Then Auburn said, "When I smell it, it makes my heart feel happy." Oh to be a kid again and appreciate the little things.