Sorry guys, no time to update in my BUSY life. :)

I've been spending a lot of time catching up with old friends, playing with recipes, and also making more crafts. I finally finished my letter L to hang up in my room!


I used an antique book that was falling apart -- had no cover, etc. and ripped up the pages.

In other news, my cousin Tiffany has moved into my mom's house. It's been interesting... but we've been looking for the ideal paint color for the walls. Haven't found it yet! Oh but I took some pictures of her as well as of Luke and Eli, Jan's grandkids.

Luke

Tiffany

Eli

Babysitting Takes A Toll...

So this week, I babysat. and babysat. and babysat. and when I was tired of babysitting, I babysat some more. And it's funny because really, I only babysat for about 20 hours. But man, kids are hard! I love taking care of kids, and there are those moments where you just realize how wonderful and perfect and innocent and sweet they are - for instance, one of the little boys said, "Linda, I love your beautiful face. It's just BEAUTIFUL." He's four! And not to mention, I live for those cuddles and hugs and kisses and compliments and cute words. But then there are those other moments, like when a kid has diarrhea and he's screaming and you just changed his diaper for the 10th time and you have no idea how to make him feel better and you want to cry because there is nothing you can do. Or those moments where the kids make you feel bad - I put one of the boys in time-out and he said, "You're evil! You're breaking my heart! I don't deserve this!" - Same four year old, by the way. Babysitting makes me nervous because I feel like it is pretend parenting -- and sometimes, you just don't feel adequate. I get scared, like -- would I ever be a good mom? I don't know. I hope so.

Summer Squash

One of my favorite summer vegetables is yellow squash. Delectable, sweet, a little crunchy... yum. My mom's boyfriend, George, has a friend at work who farms summer squash, and surprise surprise, we got a ton of it for free! So I decided to try out this recipe from the fat-free vegan kitchen! It's super simple - you slice some squash (I used three small yellow squash), slice some onion (I used half of a large vidalia onion), and spray a baking sheet with fat free cooking spray. Preheat the oven to 425, and put all the squash on the baking sheet. Sprinkle the onions on top, and if you want, lightly garnish with salt, pepper, and garlic. Then pop it in the oven for 15 minutes. Take it out, flip the squash, and cook for another 15 minutes. Presto! Delicious yellow squash in 30 minutes. I love this recipe because it's easy, tasty, and filling, not to mention only 77 calories per serving. I ate it with a small salad -- I just tossed romaine lettuce, chopped cucumbers, ranch dressing (hey -- this is the south), and a sprinkle of cheese, but I imagine it would be a great side dish to some grilled chicken. Yum.

North Carolina's Very Own Domestic Goddess

I am in the wonderful (and humid, and very hot) state of North Carolina! It was a long drive, but so worth it. Liisa Mecham's friend Jennifer was kind enough to give me a ride to Moab, where Liisa and her family live. Four days, 5 kids, 1 Liisa, 1 Linda, 5 million cheez-its/fruit snacks, 2 family visits, 2 hotel stays, 500 side-of-the-road bathroom stops (poor Alex and his teeny bladder) and 2000 sweaty miles, I was home. So far I've been bouncing back and forth between my mom's house and Jan's house, visiting friends, watching movies, and the past few days -- crafting! My best friend Rachel and I went to Michael's Craft Store today. I picked up $40 worth of craft supplies!! Dang. But alas, I am content. I am a domestic goddess. I taught myself how to embroider. I taught myself how to decoupage. I taught myself how to sew buttons. I even taught myself how to do French knots. I rule.

i have also been playing around with smoothie recipes! yum.

Au revoir!

This week, my first year at BYU draws to a close...

As of this week, I have been in Provo, UT for an entire year. Isn't it crazy how quickly time passes? I have finals this week... Today, Monday, I have to go take a physiology exam. Then tomorrow I study study study, and Wednesday, I take my physiology and intro to public health finals. Thursday, at 8 a.m. I get picked up by Liisa Mecham's friend Jennifer, who is driving me to Moab. And from Moab, we begin the long haul to North Carolina! Can't wait, can't wait, can't wait!

Nothing is Happening

Not much is really going on, but I just dropped by ye olde blog to say that I am headed home to NC in ELEVEN days!!!!!!! I can't wait! I talked to my siblings on the phone the other day and I was ready to hitchhike across the US just to see them again. I'm pretty sure my brother Hunter is the cutest small human being on the entire Earth, and my sister Katie is the sweetest/funniest. I enjoy my siblings so much that I feel like I probably shouldn't even have my own small human beings in the future, because these ones are fine, even though eventually they'll be big human beings. Hunter picked up the phone and said, "LINDA. Did you miss me?" and I laughed and said of course and he said " YEAH, well I haven't seen you in many days. A LONG TIME. MANY DAYS, LINDA." It was so cute I could've cried. He then told me he hated school, had no friends, and that he was too busy to talk to me anymore but that he loved me very much and that he was excited to see me soon. Most. precious. human. being. on. earth. Katie's favorite thing to do on the phone with me is brag about her good grades/test scores. She's a little smarty and I can't believe she's gonna be in 6th grade next year! Anyways my point is I have the best most precious cutest siblings ever and I love them!

OLDIE PICTURES:Katie and I, circa 2007 or maybe 2006

Hunter and I, also circa 2007 or 2006

ANYWAYS my point is they are perfect and I love them and also, NC here I come!