Sweeping Air

Today it is windy outside. That means that our air is getting swept clean. Anyone who knows me knows that I love cleanliness - it is just a part of who I am, there is no other explanation for it. I love windy days that take away all the murky air and bring us blue skies and the ability to see the Sierra's and the snow on the mountains! If only I had a kite, I would take advantage of this wind! I am grateful for windy, blustery days like today.

Mormon.org

Last month we had the elders over for dinner. Just prior to their leaving they issued us a challenge to add our testimonies to the others that you now find on mormon.org. This is President Monson's challenge to us so that others may learn more about our beliefs from each of us. It is a way of inviting them to listen to what we believe in. I am grateful that I am a Mormon - and that I can leave my testimony, along with many others, for those who don't know or understand what we believe in to learn more.

Trees!

Today we are enjoying warm weather - it is in the 70's! That made us begin thinking about our backyard and the trees we want to plant there. We lost a tree this past October, our camphor tree. :( I loved that tree. So, Pat and I went to the nursery today to take a gander at what they have to offer. We are considering getting 3 birch trees to replace the camphor. Now, that sounds like a LOT but it really isn't. The camphor was supposed to get HUGE, but it didn't. And we planted it with the intention of it providing shade for us during the HOT summer months we experience here. Well, that is not going to happen now! So the guy at the nursery suggested we get 3 birch and we can plant them near one another, but they won't get nearly the size of the camphor and will cover the area of our home that needs shade, desperately! I think we will take him up on it. 

In the meantime, we are enjoying our trees that we do have. And yes, this is a lilac bush, directly beneath this paragraph, but it is about the size of a tree and it's almost in bloom, so you are getting a preview! Lucky you!

Our Lilacs - they smell just as pretty as they look!

 Apple blossoms - not quite out yet, but soon, very soon...

 Peach blossoms are just beginning to show - so pretty! I can't wait!

At any rate, today I am grateful for our trees and trees in general. They just make home even more homey.

guy fieri

rach is out with friends tonight, pat is in the study probably doing indexing or researching something or other... i am in my room on rachel's laptop, well, lying in bed, using rachel's laptop, and watching triple d -- diners, drive-ins and dives on food network. his hair might be a bit weird, but he has the best personality, and knows so much about food and cooking. may sound weird but i am grateful for guy fieri - he just makes me smile. and he knows the awesomeness of disneyland's red wagon corndogs... which makes him even more appealing. =)

Cream Soda

Today my tummy is feeling topsy turvey...not fun. So, I had a can of cream soda - which helps a bit. I am grateful for the soothing effects of cream soda. I am not much for drinking soda, but every once in a while when it is needed I am grateful for it.

Food Storage Blogs

I am grateful for food storage blogs that give me amazing ideas on how to use my food storage! I am starting to get excited about the prospect of using what we already have and making it edible-y enjoyable! Here are the sites I frequent:
http://everydayfoodstorage.net/
and
http://foodstoragemadeeasy.net/

Not only am I grateful for them, at the risk of using a Rachel-ism...I heart them.

Good Reads

I have a few authors that I enjoy tremendously. I am thankful for the hours and hours of enjoyment they have brought to my life. I will begin with the favorites of my youth and proceed from there:
Agatha Christie - love Hercule!
Rosamund Pilcher - decent love/life stories
Mary Higgins Clark - in honor of my mom, who loves mysteries
John Grisham - in honor of my dad, the family attorney
Nancy Atherton - LOVE Aunt Dimity series! Delightful!
Joanne Fluke - a recent discovery of whodunit's with recipes!

Books I love:
Anne of Green Gables series
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society
Fablehaven Series
Percy Jackson Series
To Kill a Mockingbird
The Work and the Glory

Those are my favorites, thus far. I hope you pick up a few and enjoy them also! If any of you have good reads worth recommending let me know! :)

I am grateful for good reads!