Brad Wilcox Comes to Richmond!

I was the program chairman again for the BYUMS Gala at the downtown Marriott again this year.We brought in Brad Wilcox ( and his daughter Whitney) to speak. He spoke to the BYUMS and also to a tri-stake youth conference here. He was awesome, as always. Kids and adults love him alike. He has been a friend for a long time and stayed with us for several days. I had arranged for him to have a car and go to Williamsburg and Charlottesville to see historical sights. They loved it all and wished they could have had more time. Then Lindsay Lansing Ricks ( who grew up in Richmond), came to get him to take him up to DC to speak to her stake. He was her mission president in Chili. They flew home from there.

The second picture is of Amy Fischer and I. We serve on the BYUMS board together. I just love her. She has been in charge of our scholarship program for the past 3 years and does a fabulous job.

It was a great week and we had a wonderful time. Brad is an amazing guy and does so much good in the world. We are excited that he is coming back for " Time Out for Women" in the fall. We loved Whitney too... she is a really neat girl.

I Love These Cakes

{rose cake tutorial}

Brown paper Pacjkages said : At a little birthday gathering last night, my friend showed

up with THE most beautiful cake.

It was covered with stunning pink roses, and I fell in love with it.

I love to make layer cakes, and do quite often. I usually just do the swirly-type-frosting look, because I don't really know what else to do, lol. My friend was kind enough to share the tutorial link with me, and I went to check it out right away.

I am Baker shares this fabulously easy rose cake tutorial, and I can't wait to try it. Seriously {love}.

Regan turns 8!

We got to go to Arizona for Reagan's birthday and baptism. It took us 24 hours to get there by plane..had to spend the night in New York...but we eventually made it...in time. Reagan had her grandparents and some great grandparents from both sides of the family there. It was a special time for all of us. Hopefully I will get some of those pictures soon to add.

Reagan is a sweet , kind girl who loves to read and swim in her pool. She is so delightful to be around. And so nice to her siblings. We love her so much and are so proud of her.

This is what her mom had to say about her: "Reagan just celebrated her 8th birthday. She has been looking forward to this birthday more than usual. Being 8 years old means she doesn't have to sit in a booster seat anymore. She is has been taller than most 8 year olds for a while, but we had to stick to the rule. The best thing about being 8 is, now she is old enough to be baptized. We are so proud of Reagan for praying and reading her scriptures and making the decision to be baptized. Its a big deal! She was baptized by Jordan. She had a ton of support. Grandpa Greg and Grandma Suzie came from Virginia. Grammy and Papa came from Utah and brought Great Grandma and Grandpa Grider. Great Grandpa and Grandma Romans and Marc and Maryanne Mason came. Plus friends from the ward. The Andrews family, the Kiene family, her primary teachers, her friends Grace and Olivia and a few more people. It was a special day. I forgot to mention a very important detail. Reagan's best friend here is Mesa was also baptized yesterday. We are so glad Ray and Abby are friends and that they could share this experience."

Fun Ideas for Summer

Ice Cream Scoop on a Stick

Make multiples of these scoops-on-a-stick and you won't have to spoon ice cream, one serving at a time, in the middle of a party. Using a small (1 1/2-inch) ice cream scoop, dole out balls onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. Insert a craft spoon into each, and place in the freezer. Chill until hardened. Roll scoops in sprinkles, toasted coconut, or crushed nuts or candies, and store them in the freezer on a freshly lined baking sheet.

Pre-Buttered Corn

Serve corn on the cob already buttered so guests can dig right in. Bring water to a boil in a stockpot (don't add any salt; it toughens kernels), and drop in six to eight ears. Return to a boil, then cook two to four minutes for crisp-tender corn. When ears are just about done, slice eight tablespoons of unsalted butter, and drop them into the cooking water; stir to melt. The butter will float, and each ear will get an even coating as you remove it from the pot with tongs.

Origami Napkin Rings

Playful patterned cuffs spiff up paper napkins and make it a breeze for guests to grab their flatware at a barbecue buffet.

Tools and Materials

5 1/8-inch square origami paper

Double-sided tape

1. Cut origami paper into thirds.

2. Wrap strips around bundles of flatware. Secure in back with double-sided tape.

Flash Freeze

Here's a great way to chill beverages in time for an impromptu backyard barbecue. Place wine or other bottles in a bucket; add a layer of ice, followed by a layer of salt (coarse or table); repeat until you almost reach the top. Fill the bucket with cold water to just below the ice line. The water in the ice bucket will be colder than normal, chilling the libations in less than 10 minutes. We'll drink to that!

Flowerpot Servers

Match the informality of a summer buffet with rustic serving dishes fashioned from clay flowerpots and saucers. Use brand-new terra-cotta, and wipe it with a damp cloth (doing the same for cleanup). Line flowerpots with tea towels to hold bread, buns, or biscuits; for saucers, use napkins or clean nontoxic leaves, and place cheeses or spreads on top. Firm and semifirm cheeses such as cheddar, chevre, and blue are good choices for outdoor entertaining -- they will keep a few hours and won't become runny in the sun.

Read more at Marthastewart.com: Outdoor Entertaining Ideas and Recipes

Mothers's Day Weekend!

The Friday before Mother's Day, I drove to

Chelsea's ( Raleigh, NC) for a little celebration.

I got there in the afternoon in time for a wonderful program the kids put on with music, jump ropes, singing, etc. They re-wrote the words to " Hello Dolly" and gave me a cute decorated paper with them all typed. Because they were taking me to see the play "Helo Dolly" that night. Chelsea won an essay contest for my ticket. Before wem went, we had a wonderful special dinner of salad, chicken and rice and yummy dessert Coco/Chelsea made. We had a great time at the play.

The next morning Chelsea and I went to the temple and then out for a delicious French lunch at our favorite place, Le Farm . It was her treat to me for Mother's Day. When we got home, Evie had made a darling flower arrangememt all by herself with paper flowers (w/ straws for the stems) with things she loved about her grandma written on them. She even put dirt in the bottom of the jar and a ribbon around it. So amazing and creative for a 5 year old. I used it at one of my YW meetings and will always treasure it. The 3 older kids also drew lots of cool pictures to decorate the house for my arrival. Gigi just smiles at me...that is her wonderful contribution. She is adorable.

I brought Chloe and Evie back for some special grandma time. We had lots of fun and did lots of things. We had pizza and ice cream, and Taco Bell with grandpa, we had company for Sunday dinner( grandpa fixed dinner after church for Linda and I for mother's day), and the girls did a play ( Barbie and the Beanstock). They were very creative with all their props.....made a beanstalk out of a tall wrapping paper tube with Grandma's green scarf covering it. Our company loved it.We also did crafts, painted nails, read stories, played games, watched movies, had waffles, and sewed 3 matchig skirts ( Grandma did Evie's and Gigi's and Coco sewed her own under supervision). We even made up our own pattern. Coco is a really good big sister to Evie....she takes good care of her.

Chelsea, Dana, Felix and Gigi came up on Monday and stayed in a hotel as Dana had business and we were having our "special" time. We met them for dinner Monday night and then Tuesday went to the children's museum before they had to go home. We had a great time and grandma was exhausted by the end of it all. Can't wait to do it again after I rest up. So happy to have some kids sort of close.

Fischer turns 6.

Fischer turned 6 this month. He spent his birthday weekend at the Father-Son Campout.

He got a new bike. We got to talk to him and he sounds more grown-up. We love him and miss him.

Cinco de Mayo: Make this for dinner !

Awesome Beef Taco Casserole

Serves: 6 Cooking Time: 30 min

Ingredients

1 pound extra lean ground beef

1 medium onion, chopped

15 ¹/2 ounces kidney beans

8 ounces tomato sauce

2 teaspoons chili powder

¹/2 teaspoon garlic salt

1 cup tortilla chips, broken

1 cup Cheddar cheese, shredded

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

2. Crumble ground beef into a 10-inch skillet. Add onion.

3. Cook and stir until beef is light brown and onion is tender. Drain.

4. Add kidney beans (un-drained), tomato sauce, chili powder and garlic salt. Heat to boiling.

5. Pour half of the meat mixture into ungreased 1 1/2-quart casserole and top with broken tortilla chips.

6. Pour remaining beef mixture over top and sprinkle with Cheddar cheese.

7. Cover and bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until bubbly.

8. Garnish with chopped green pepper and pimento, if desired.

Our Brand New Car: KIA 5 door Forte

We just bought this car this morning. I think it is the first time we bought a brand new car and from a dealer, no less. We have always bought our cars through Greg's dad.....usually whatever is a good deal. There are many used cars these days and the prices are high. Usually you lose $2500 just driving off the lot when you buy a new car..so we have always been the 2nd owner with low miles..practically new. But this little baby had a rebate, a 10 year warranty and it gets around 35 to 40 mpg ...perfect for our notary business and this expensive gas. We got the titanium color...can't tell if it is this in the picture, but it is pretty. It even has a blue tooth so you can talk hands free and dial by talking. Perfect for me on long trips when I am driving. It will be Greg's most of the time.....but mine when we need to conserve miles on the van. It was hard writing the check......we have never had a car payment so this was a big check to write. We did our research and shopped around , got Grandpa's blessing ( he who knows alot about cars) and hope we did the right thing. Greg's car died last week so we had to make a decision quick....so we did. It is already fun to drive. Too bad we had no kids live at home to come out a see our first brand new car. They will just have to see it on our blog :)

Rocly's ABC song: This little guy is so cute

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z2sCVemIc_g

Easter Day: Look at this cute family.....

Look at this cute family......Jordan and Melissa's. From R to L : Reagan, Ellie, Tess and Maddox.

They had a fun filled weekend of Easter festivities. I love new Easter dresses. I remember when I was little we got new gloves to wear and a hat...sometimes pearls or little white purses. Times have changed a little but not the pearls.....they are timeless. Mostly I love the beautiful smiles of happiness. And Maddog's bow tie. So fun to see my cute grandkids in their Easter finest.