Photo of the Month

This photo was taken by Darren on June 1st. Whenever there's a storm, the boys like to put the camera on a tri-pod on the deck and take photos of lightning.  Quite an "electrifying" photo D!

Say Hello to Harley!

We have a new addition to our family!! Chris' family got a new Shitzu puppy a few weeks ago. Ashley wanted to name him Bo, but everyone else liked Harley. To make her happy, his full name is Harley Bo Muir. 

Recipes of the month

Corn-Bean Salsa:

1 can shoe-peg corn or frozen petite corn (1 1/3 cups)

1 can black beans

1/2 bunch cilantro, finely chopped

1/4th of a white onion chopped fine

2 large tomatoes, diced

1 avocado, diced (optional)

2 limes, juiced

1 T. red wine vinegar

1/2 T. olive oil

1 tsp. salt (or less)

Drain corn and rinse & drain beans. Combine in bowl with cilantro, onion, tomatoes and avocado. Combine lime juice, vinegar, oil and salt. Shake in a container and pour over vegetables. Chill. Good by itself or with chips or fajitas. 

*Hint of Lime Tostitos are very good with this salsa. 

**Best if eaten the day it's made.

Grilled Pineapple: This is another of our favorite side dishes we have a lot in the summer.

Just cut a fresh pineapple in rings, brush with vegetable oil and BBQ for about 3 minutes per side. Cooking the pineapple brings out the sweetness-it's delicious give it a try!

Grilled onions are also a great side dish and very easy. Just brush with oil & sprinkle with salt & pepper. Cook about 5 minutes per side.

Dance Recital

June 13th Jensyn & Ashley performed at their 2009 Jazz Studio dance recital.

It's hard to get photos of them on the stage dancing in a dark auditorium, but here are a few! My favorite dance was the "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun" routine.  Good job, girls!

 

LAGOON- It's where fun is!!

This year the High-Tech party was held at Lagoon on June 11th. After a BBQ at one of the pavilions, it was time for the rides! Not so fast...we had to wait for the rain, rain, to go away!

As you can tell from the photos, it didn't go away totally, but we had fun even though we were wet...After riding a few rides and then "The Bat" Jensyn barfed, so Grandpa took her home-he wasn't as disappointed as she was, amusement parks aren't his favorite thing anyway!  

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO JACOB!!

Who says that two-year olds are "terrible"?? Jacob turned two on June 19th-he might be two but he's certainly not terrible, he's so good-natured and has the most awesome blue eyes! 

Some of his favorite things are M&M's, bubbles, going 4-wheeling in his dad's Jeep, balls of any kind, jumping on the tramp, and the girls in his life-Mom, Jensyn & Ashley! We celebrated his birthday at the "blue" park on 4th North. After a yummy dinner, he opened his presents, and played on the swings and slides (he thought it was so funny when his grandpa's were swinging with him). When we sang happy birthday to him, he blew out the invisible candle on his cupcake-it was SO cute! 

Happy Birthday Jakey we love you.

Grandpa & Grandma 

PHOTO OF THE MONTH

"Lauren" taken by Brett - Salt Lake City - May 27, 2009

"Lauren" taken by Brett

RECIPE FOR THE MONTH OF MAY

My favorite recipe for the month of May:

Grilled Chicken & Asparagus Pasta

2 chicken breasts cooked and cut into bite-size pieces

1 1/2 pounds asparagus, ends trimmed

1 pound bowtie pasta

1/4 cup butter

1 clove garlic, minced

1/2 cup heavy cream

1/2 cup chicken stock (I use a can of Swanson's)

1 cup parmesan cheese, shredded

1 lemon, juiced and zested

salt & pepper

Cook asparagus until tender-crisp, about 2 minutes. Rinse with cold water, set aside. Cook pasta according to directions. In a large skillet, on low heat combine butter, garlic, cream and chicken stock. Stir in salt to taste, lemon zest and lemon juice. Bring to a boil and simmer for 3 minutes. Reduce heat to low and add chicken, cheese, and drained pasta. Cut cooked asparagus into 2 inch pieces. Add asparagus to the pasta and toss all ingredients together. Turn off heat and let pasta sit to allow the sauce to thicken. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serves 6.

*The chicken can be grilled or boiled, or you can cheat and use a rotisserie chicken from Costco! 

GARDENING

Gardening is one of my favorite hobbies, especially when I have such good helpers!

Jensyn, Ashley and Jacob all wanted to wear gloves because I was wearing them. We managed to find them some and they didn't mind if they were very large and dirty.

My flower beds don't look like the ones at Temple Square........YET!!

ASHLEY'S PRESCHOOL GRADUATION

Ashley "graduated" from Preschool on May 21, 2009. She had a fun time with Miss Sheri learning about dinosaurs, letters, and how to take good care of the earth! Ashley misses the deadline for kindergarten by 25 days, so it'll be another year of preschool for her.......

MOTHER'S DAY

One of my favorite things to do on Mother's Day is go to Temple Square/Joseph Smith Memorial Building grounds and take photos. The flowers were gorgeous this year and it was a beautiful day. Thanks family for making it happen! I'm so grateful to be a mom & grandma-it's all I ever wanted to be.......