The Next Big Thing

This week I was introduced to two new things making advancements in different areas of my life. One is the example of just how great technology can be when it is so readily available. Literally at my fingertips. The other is a practice new to me, but is as old as the great mountains surrounding me.


First, have you heard of Spotify? Wow. It's any music any time that you can actually make your own playlists with (for free) and sync to your ipod and listen offline (for a small fee). You can also add your Itunes music to it once you download. I'm really excited to make my perfect running playlist. Do you remember when YouTube or Facebook was new? Now Spotify is new. I just hope it doesn't go away.





The second advancement (which you will not find quite as exciting) I made this week was visiting a cannery. I purchased 25 pounds of red wheat for $11 and a large can of dried apples for $5. I will go back for beans, rice, and other staples. Different locations provide wet or dry products that you can sign up to can, or show up anytime to pick up certain items that are already canned. The concept is wonderful for making healthier changes for my family's diet while saving money.

All of the workers are volunteers and ever so kind and helpful. They fed my rambunctious boys apple slices while a couple of ladies took the time to educate me on different health food, cost savings, and home storage ideas. I learned how to substitute oil and butter with white bean puree, about powdered honey, and which stores to find the least expensive items. The facilities function to package food for humanitarian aid around the world as well as to help the locals be prepared with home food storage. I kept thinking, this is really how the world should work. 

Now excuse me while I go listen to the latest music and grind some wheat. 

Everyone Gets a Trophy

Except for Charlie. And in our case they were medals, not trophies. Charlie really deserves one though because he has been such a good sport supporting the rest of us in our activities this summer. 

Charlie wasn't very good at staying off the soccer field. He wanted to kick the ball where it belongs- on the field. His small Woody doll has been glued to his hand this last week. He insists that this little doll go everywhere he go: bath, bedtime, church, the zoo, 

etc. . . 

 The Freedom Half Marathon. This is at the start at the top of Emigration Canyon. Such a pretty run and great way to begin the Fourth of July celebrations. The finish line was at the capitol building. We met family at Ruth's Diner for breakfast/lunch after the run. Ruth sounds like she was a bit hard around the edges, but that place sure is great.

 The weather on the Fourth was perfect. I wish it would top out at 80 degrees and be overcast every year! I have also been LOVING the short and refreshing summer rain showers we have been getting lately.

    JR's brother provided a great BBQ, entertainment, and a spectacular firework show.

In other news: These Instagram pics stand as evidence that my iphone is alive! After sitting at the bottom of a kiddie pool for who knows how long, it sat in an air-tight container of rice for a week and now works perfectly (for the old model it is)! 

I hope you are all enjoying backyard BBQs, wearing out your sandals, and eating plenty of popsicles. 

Castle Week

It all began when Emerson thought that the only thing to make life bearably continue was to have a castle for his two toy knights. He begged to go to Grape Grandpa's house to play with his castle and then begged for me to buy one at the store. After explaining that neither of those desires would be immediately met he got really excited about the idea of making one out of a box. After remembering that the brilliant wife of my cousin does educational theme weeks with her kids, I decided to make last week "Castle Week."

The knights were housed in a castle painted by Emerson. When I gave him beds to put inside he informed me that, "Knights can't sleep, only princesses sleep!"

We loaded up on books to read about medieval castles, towns, and knights.

Next Emerson decided he needed his own knight outfit and began gathering supplies around the house. I enhanced the box he put on his head. This costume made for an afternoon of fighting dragons and saving the damsel in distress (mommy) and her "little fluffy dog" (Charlie). During play he whispered, "Take your sandals off, princesses don't wear sandals." The teaching has been mutual.

We watched The Sword in the Stone. It's always interesting to watch movies I haven't seen since I was a child. I didn't remember Merlin's robe flying up a few times to reveal his pink boxers underneath. 

Castle week concluded with a castle dinner. Emers noticed that the meat had bones in it on The Sword in the Stone, so that was a must.

Too bad he doesn't remember this:

Or this:

Or this:

He was actually so loud we were kicked out of this castle.








Maybe next will be dino week, or we can wait and see where the wind blows Emerson's imagination.