Interests, hobbies, sports, and signs of spring

No one takes picking out produce more seriously than this kid. He spent more time picking out these bananas than I ever have combined.

 Did you know that stores used to sell candy cigarettes and cigars? Did you know my local grocery store still sells them? Who's buying this?

Erica's hockey season ended with a nearly free Mammoth game at the Delta Center. Henry had a campout so we brought BFF Ellie along.

The whole section is for the city's league so we saw lots of people we knew, including the Picketts that sat right behind us.

The Mammoth lost, just like the game we went to last year. It was really late so it wasn't my favorite night out.  If I get talked into going next year, remind me to bring earmuffs!

See my quilting frame I made with the kids' PVC fort kit? I bought some beach towel clamps from Amazon and here we go. It's taking a really long time to quilt by hand but I feel like Betsy Ross and I know it will be worth it. 

Now I will leave you with a plethora of spring pictures I have taken the last few days while on my walks, at the Provo temple, or in my yard. Enjoy!

Bonus picture: Why have they not torn down the old polygamous house? A bunch of huge houses are being built around it but still it spookily stands.

We are almost to April! Conference and Easter this weekend, Sarah's junior prom, James's piano recital and lots of yardwork in my future. And lots of rain. Please rain!

Easter decorating (I have opinions)

I've been trying to make a better effort at decorating for Easter. It's my second favorite holiday but I don't really decorate for any holiday besides Christmas. I don't find any holiday's decorations esthetically pleasing or my style. Plus it seems dumb so spend money and time on things that spend 11 months of the year in storage.

But I want to make a bigger deal out of Easter and this is one way I'm putting in more effort.

My rules are: no bunnies, no chicks, no cheesy sayings, no crosses, and no cutesy things. That rules out 90% of what passes as Easter decorations in stores and online.  A quick search online for Easter decorations brings up all bunnies. Add the world "religious" and it's all crosses and pocket Jesuses.  I want a Christ-centered, abstract, less on-the-nose but still spring look so think out of the box I must. Here's what I've got so far.

1. Artwork

I have been scouring Etsy for illustrations of Christ's final week. I go to Etsy because I don't like art that everyone else has that they all get from Deseret Book. This is what I have from last year. I bought this frame last week at Hobby Lobby and a lady stopped and asked me what I had planned for it. I explained a I had a watercolor of the last supper printed out and I was going to hang it in my dining room. She put her hand on my arm and said, "Oh that is just wonderful." 

Also from last year. I love how the frame looks like a tomb.

And the addition for this year. Sorry for the glare.

I think I will add a new picture each year until I have all the elements represented.

2. Flowers

I don't love fake flowers but I do love tulips and these ones I found on Amazon look pretty real. Tulips are the first flowers of the season, breaking the winter, the first sign of life. I have tons of tulips coming up in my yard and I'll bring some of those in too in the coming weeks. Vase is from TJMaxx.

I also swapped out the candles (Walmart) for a spring/summer color. Wooden tomb from Amazon.

3. Lamb

Why, why, why are there not lamb figurines for sale? Pagan bunnies galore but no lambs to commemorate the Lamb of God. I had to send Sarah all the way to Africa to bring back this stone carved lamb and she had to search and ask for help in finding it. "A lamb for Jesus!" the Kenyan merchant rejoiced. It stays out all year long. I hope she can find more when she goes back to Kenya this summer. 

4. Eggs

Despite our name, we don't dye eggs; we've been painting wood ones since 2020. Here's the link to the ones I bought last (2.5 inch ones). They've gone up in price so maybe there are better options out there. Six painted and added to the collection every year. We are up to 42 eggs and not all are pictured.

These are the ones we painted this year.

After they are dry, I take spray them with a clear coat.

These nesting eggs I got in Ketchikan, Alaska last summer.

I also have something new planned for Palm Sunday but I'm not sure how it's going to turn out. 

And this garland will go back up on Palm Sunday and we will clip a new felt symbol to it each night during Holy Week.

So there you have it. My interpretation of a bunny-free Easter. Except for peeps and chocolate. Those are okay in bunny form.

Endings

Even though it is the middle of March and 80+ degrees outside, I am having a hard time believing we are done with snow and winter and cold temperatures. It never happened for us so it all feels so weird to see tulips and go without a coat and have kids ask for popsicles. I love spring but without winter it's not so sweet.

Erica found and loved the biggest bananas she has ever seen. She told her whole young women's class about them at church the next day and sent her leader a picture of them when she got home. The best part was she actually ate like 3 of them herself.

Sarah had her swim team awards night. 

She got several awards for just generally being awesome.

I started a quilt and here is the progress. It's for America's 250th birthday! I hope to finish it within the next month or so. I wish I would have started sooner because quilting a large blanket on my lap sounds much too hot now.

At stake conference last weekend we were at a church building we don't often attend and I saw in a classroom these little folding chairs. I had a flashback to my primary days where we had these same wood seat chairs. Nostalgia.

Erica had her last indoor street hockey game of the season. It was a rough game since the ref did not seem to know what he was doing and made some odd calls. Plus a week off and the whole team seemed to have lost their zest for the game or they forgot how to play or something. 

Erica still played hard and had fun so that's what matters. Actually what mattered was the ice cream after the game.

This marks the first time since July that we have not had a child in a sport. Nine months of practices and games! I am so ready for a break.

Erica's primary teachers from last year took her class to the temple. It took a couple of extra months to find an appointment and a time where everyone could go but they finally did it today when there was a half day of school. I love Bro and Sis W so much. They love these kids (and everyone) with all their hearts. They made the kids feel so special and made their final year of primary and "temple prep" their favorite primary year. 

Plus a trip for frozen yogurt. Best day ever. And these girls are so blessed to have Sis W move up with them into young women's.

Feel the Love

I love when Erica plays goalie. She's serious and competent and so good at it. She's the smallest one on the court but you wouldn't know it.

Remember kids:

Plus she's just really cool. 

Justin got to step in and coach one night (I volunteered him) and Erica loved it. I think Justin liked it too. 

Happy Valentine's Day! I have one kid in elementary school and this particular kid does not want to make a Valentine box so he's reusing his box from 1st grade again. And he didn't want to sign his Valentines so he was mystery boy in class. He did let me take his picture but that smile was for the camera only.

Check out this picture Erica took of the sky on the way home from school.

This is the one and only picture I took Friday night. We celebrated with our mostly annual Valentine dinner. We had tacos for dinner (hailing back my and Justin's first Valentines together where we went to a hole in the wall taco shop) and I gave everyone a box of candy and a new book. We will continue this tradition no matter how old my kids get. The only way out of it is if they are on a date. Bonus points if they bring a date to family Valentine dinner.

We had our dinner Friday night because Saturday Sarah had a high school dance. It was girls choice so I don't have a picture of her date.

President's Day! That day the kids played with friends all day but that evening we went out for ice cream to Brooker's Founding Flavors so we could reflect on our country's beginning and eat sugar.

We went to the new Spanish Fork location. I think it was very well done inside to feel like an 18th century tavern (such an expert).

I was getting inspired for my own home. 

A little girl in an elementary class I volunteer in spent all of inside recess making this for me.
 

"Five stars, Mrs. Dye." They do 5 star writing exercises every day so five stars is high praise.

Can you tell that James is snow deprived? He laid there for a while eating and studying the snow. He was even late for school (well still on time but not 30 minutes early like he usually is) so he could play in the snow and it was a good thing he did because it was melted when he got home that afternoon.