Table for Eight

Our girls (and me) at the General Women's Meeting Saturday (Salt Lake City). This past Saturday we were able to go to the LDS Conference Center for the semi-annual General Women's Conference for our church.  It was a really neat thing to attend in person. As I sat there among tens of thousands of women (ages 8-up), I looked down the row at our daughters and felt truly thankful. And for a second, life was just perfect.

Happiest Donuts Evah (c) Lauren Conrad, 2014 Yes, I'm still on my health and wellness program ...  but that doesn't mean I can't have a donut every once in a while. It's like I told Dave the other day, "I don't mind cutting back on bread or sweets ... but I am tellin' you: I don't want to live in a world that doesn't include bread and sweets." And I meant it. So today I wanted to share this recipe for baked funfetti donuts. They look so happy--and if you're going to have a donut, you may as well make it a little healthy by baking it vs. frying it. Right? I mean let's be a little rational here. Baked Funfetti Donuts by Sally's Baking Addiction Source:  http://sallysbakingaddiction.com/2014/01/12/baked-funfetti-donuts/ Ingredients: DONUTS 1 cup (125g) all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon baking powder 1/4 teaspoon baking soda 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg 1/3 cup (65g) granulated sugar 1/4 cup (60ml) milk* 1/4 c...

Janae's creation: thrift store plates, hardware from Amazon, a special drill bit, and I think a little special glue to secure. For today's post I wanted to share this awesome DYI project my friend Janae completed. (*I think she originally saw it on etsy?) Anyway, my point! Janae came across this cake/dessert stand online one day. And when she looked at the price, she decided they were insanely kinda pricey, so she did some research and figured she could make her own for a pretty affordable price. And that's exactly what she did.  With some help from her kiddos and next door neighbor--who is a jack-of-all-trades, s he found the hardware on Amazon, picked out old plates at thrift stores, and then bought a special drill bit that made it possible to drill through the plates without cracking them. (PS: She bought some extra plates for practice with the drilling part.)  Sidenote: The kids helped pick out the plates and Russ-the-neighbor was tasked with the drill...

Life at the Meehan home. I'm not all fun and games ... but our kids are. I'm teaching a Persuasive Writing course at BYU this semester and  it really has me thinking and analyzing the different issues that impact my life (and my responses to those issues). I'm rethinking conclusions/beliefs and the premises/evidence/assumptions I base those conclusions upon. It's a pretty AWESOME exercise. I love it. And so it only makes sense that today I would read a CNN editorial about whether children should have homework. The overarching theme and research from the editorial suggests "NO." And I have to be honest, as a mom with 6 kids who has homeschooled many of them for a long long time--and currently has ALL of them in traditional school, I have to agree. I just don't get the need for homework. It seriously makes very little sense to me. And I believe the foundation of this research/principle so wholeheartedly that I rarely give my unive...

Janae's family pumpkin--over 110 pounds! This is my friend Janae's pumpkin.  It doesn't have a name, but I felt that it should. So on my walk one day I added eyeballs to it--with hopes that they would give it a name. But no such luck (come on Janae!). Anyway, my point. Each year Janae's family has a competition with their cousins to see who can grow the largest pumpkin. And this year Janae's family pumpkin weighed in at a little over 110lbs.  One-hundred and ten pounds! What in the crap? Now, I haven't heard what the other family members' pumpkins weighed, but I have to tell you, it has been a complete crack-up to see it growing in their front yard. I wanted to share this idea because I think it is SO COOL! And because it SO reflects Janae's (and her family's) attitude toward life. Her family really does make the most of each day. They celebrate holidays--and really, "regular days"--in meaningful ways. Her motto is ...

Today's morning walk with Harriet. (Day 20 of 84). I mentioned this last post, but after Survivor (and Elder Meehan leaving on his mission--first kiddo to grow up and move out), I found myself a little "off." Actually I found myself a lot "off." I didn't work out regularly. I didn't work out sporadically. I didn't even work out quarterly! And what did I do with that extra time? Eat, of course! (Mostly bread. White bread with butter.) Anyway, my point! Somehow by some cosmic blessing  I got the desire and motivation I needed to get back on the horse and return to a healthier state. I think a little of my motivation came from the realization that NONE of my pants fit. I think the rest of my motivation came from the fact that I had high blood pressure the last 4 times I've been to the Dr. (Prior to that I have always had super low blood pressure.) The blood pressure thing was a major motivator for me. More so than the non...

A girl and her shoe. I know, I know.  I said I was going to move my blog from this location to Medium ... b ut it turns out (for now) the conversion isn't as easy as I thought. I probably need to call in a tech person vs. try and figure it out solo. So for now I plan to blog here as usual (more usual!) and possibly move at a later date. So HOW ARE YOU? Me? I'm good. I'm still finding it hard to fit blogging in for some reason. To be honest, sometimes I worry that the blog is so self-centered. I love it for the journal part--to record life and hear about other people's lives (via comments or email). But I think since Survivor I have felt like I should be aware of being too self-focused. If that makes any sense? I guess it's really just this nagging feeling that all of our lives are important, and I don't want others to have the impression that my life is all rainbows and unicorns. (And sometimes that happens when I am choosing what to write about.) ...

The Deseret Housewife

Elder Meehan, his companion, and their zone leader. I have stored my blog on Blogger since I began writing back in 2005. And for the most part, it has been a great tool for me. But I think it's time to stretch myself and change platforms. And that's what I'm working on this week. I don't know how the migration will work. I will most likely keep this blog as-is, remaining on blogger, and just begin writing on the new platform. But I don't know the details. Thank you so much for checking in and sharing life with me and my family.  It is crazy to think about all I have learned as a result of writing regularly and connecting with people via the blog. It's amazing, really. And I am grateful. Have a beautiful day. See you soon! PS: Here's where I'm heading: https://medium.com/the-deseret-housewife Me-n-Harriet this morning.