This week the cold finally started easing up to the point that today we have the windows open and are lying around in shorts.  I got to go for a long bike ride and now have a sunburn on my one hand facing the sun in the outline of the holes in my biking gloves.  The waterfall got dejunked and de-dead fished (my least favorite spring garden project - that thing smells to high heaven!)  And Jeremy loaded up on tools and started on the chicken coop.  I like the chickens but I am going to like them even more when they live outside.  They will be happier too as they are tired of being cooped up.  Spencer did some manly work with Jeremy while I was gone with the others but then Allison spent the rest of the day shadowing her dad.  She went to the Hardware store, brought him sandwiches and lemonade refills, handled the miter saw like a pro and was just a daddy's girl for the day.
Part of Allison's devotion to her Dad Saturday might have stemmed from what he did with her Friday night.  She had a few friends over to eat pizza and go crazy down in the basement.  I am not sure what it involved other that loud music and maniacal laughter periodically!  Then Jeremy took her and a friend to a Vocal Point concert up in Salt Lake City.

Jeremy was there to do photos of the concert so they got to sit on the front.  Allison was in heaven meeting all the members and getting a CD signed.  Last year she watched every episode of The Sing-off and although her heart is truly stuck on Pentatonix she holds Vocal Point as a close second favorite.  And did I mention Jeremy drove up the girls in the convertible?  Allison was on cloud 9 all night.

While they were at Vocal Point Spencer was off camping with the teachers.  I am beyond grateful for the leaders he has.  He came home tired out and fell asleep reading comics a few hours later for which we were ALL grateful for.  He has been busy at school planning an archery booth with some class mates for their upcoming Shakespeare festival.

Tuesday night Spencer and Jeremy went with the priests to start on a project for Taylor's room.  We are padding Taylor's room.  We spent Monday night at Home Depot figuring out all the moulding to go over the foam/fabric on the walls.  Tuesday night they cut all the wood.  Saturday morning they are coming back to staple on the padding and to paint the trim.  I really, really hope my vision and sketches of this project work out!

Today I helped do a primary inservice for our teachers.  I love a talk Summer of the Lambs so I shared my thoughts about the talk and made beanbags for each teacher.  I gave them a list of 50 things to do with a beanbag in the classroom.  It was a bit overkill on the beanbags but I had fun making them and listening to primary training talks over and over.


We have had a rogue kitchen faucet for a few weeks now.  We have had geysers from faucets coming off.  We have had a slow leak/spray into our bottom cabinet from a hole in the faucet below the sink.  So Friday we got our new faucet!  I am excited not to be mopping up the cabinet every day.  We switched the sides our garbage disposal is on, which means we also had to switch what side our garbage can is on.  Still getting used to the switch.

I am excited this week to see my mom and sister-in-law Griselda and attend BYU women's conference.  I had hopes of having a weed free yard before their visit.  I think we will be settling for the controlled jungle look.  This is the time of year though that I love being outside and working in the yard and I keep sneaking out to work for a while in the afternoons.  In August, its a whole different story.

We made strawberry jam this week.  Always makes me feel like summer is really coming when the house smells like strawberries and sugar.  And I have learned that cottage cheese with some jam stirred in is really good.