Table for Eight

Sorry I haven't posted more. To be honest, it's been a really fun/long summer and I just don't have my writing routine down like I usually do. At any rate, it's SUMMER--and you don't want to spend time reading a blog anyway. Tee hee. But I do appreciate you checking in and hope to be back to writing full-time later in the month. 8) ********* Summer 2012 in Utah The sunset last night. Our son Jay took this picture. My new love for root vegetables. It's insane--where have roasted beets been my whole life? Our kiddos. (Zu and Lu, two peas in a lawnchair.)

This summer has been anything but normal. And that's a good thing, really. I mean, after all, who wants to be normal ? And with that small intro, here's a sampling of our  not-so-normal lives this summer: We've been to the movies (to see Brave). (Psst: photo taken just before the "turn cellphones off" warning. Promise.) Our 5 youngest kiddos rescued this little lady from an intersection on Tuesday. She stayed with us overnight--just long enough for the kids to start asking if we could keep her. But guess what? Animal Control found her owner. Woo hoo! We've planted not one, not two, but 29 pumpkins (and named them all). We've gone to a summer church activity (it's a Bike Wash, PS). We've picked vegetables ... from someone else's garden. (We went to a U-Pick garden because somehow we m issed the whole planting season this year.  W ell, not entirely; we do have pumpkins planted.) And f

My thoughts are all over the place today: --The news of the shootings at the movie premiere in Denver. --My insomnia. (Up at 2:38am today.) --The Olympics in London. --Our son's new job with The Color Run. --Big Brother 14. --Short hair or long hair? Blonde or brown? --Our daughter's missing retainer. --etc., etc., etc. What does it all mean? Well, I'm not sure exactly. But here's what I'm thinking: No matter who you are OR what you do, one of the most important qualities we as humans can develop (and hopefully inspire in our children) is bravery . Because truthfully, life requires extreme bravery. It just does. Don't you agree?  And, do you consider yourself to be brave?  If so, tell me about it at dawn_meehan@byu.edu--I'd love to hear from you. ***** PS: I'll be posting a recipe tomorrow in the Recipe of the Week section. Woo hoo! This one's inspired by some pizza I had in Hong Kong this summer. Homemade

See ... you can stuff marshmallows BEFORE you roast them. I know.  It's not like you need to be spending MORE time on the internet.  BUT, I'm telling you every time I go on Pinterest, I learn something that changes my life for the better. For reals. First, it was putting brownie mix on my waffle iron to make a brownie waffle. Then, it was how to do a really cool braid on our daughter's hair. And then THIS: stuffing your marshmallows with chocolate BEFORE you roast them for s'mores! What the what? I swear Pinterest-Time is time well spent.  It's like I am drafting off of other people's life lessons;  I love it! **** Have a beautiful day. You're making s'mores tonight, right? (We are.) PS: Tune-in tomorrow when I'll be talking about how to get the s'mores I ate OFF of my thighs.

(c) Sassafras Cafe, 2012. It's taken me a year to get the recipe (literally).  But here it is:  Chef Simon's  Survivor South Pacific  Ponderosa Caramel Banana Pancakes Ingredients Equal quantities of:  Soft fine dark brown sugar Unsalted Butter Full cream Sliced bananas (say bah-nah-na w/ an Australian accent please) Hot pancakes  Directions 1. Combine butter and sugar together over low heat,  2. Add cream stir with wooden spoon till combined  3. Add sliced bananas. 4. Slowly heat; don't boil. 5. Add to hot pancakes and e njoy ! Me, at Survivor South Pacific's Ponderosa, 2011. (Ponderosa is the location where players stay once they leave the game.)

Youth Conference, 2012. Youth Conference, 2012. Ever since I playing Survivor a year ago, our family has tried to charge through life with one motto in mind: "Why Not?" --Why not learn to do a backhandspring? --Why not run a ragnar race? --Why not climb a wall? --Why not roadtrip with 6 kids ... for 20 hours to see our favorite cousins on a whim? And more .... And as I write today, on the tail of a major blog hiatus, I realize that this one change in philosophy has made an incredible impact on our family. We have learned things-- GROWN --in ways we never would have grown if it weren't for this "can do" spirit or attitude. Now, I'm not saying we have succeeded at all of the things we've tried. Far from it. Sometimes we land flat on our face (literally and figuratively). But most of the time ... And I mean 99.9% of the time, we land in a place that reminds us that life truly is a gift AND that we (as human beings) hav

I'm back home after an incredible summer vacation.  So ...  I'll be back to blogging Monday! Woo hoo!