A Little of This and That

It's been harder than I thought it would be to keep up on my blog.  I think I need to make better use of my time.  Sorry iPad Boggle.  You're going to have to take a backseat!

I've been working hard in my garden this spring, and I didn't think I was going to have time to do much of anything out there this year.  Miraculously enough, though, I've been able to get some things done.  It's a simple garden this year.  I haven't planted the huge variety that I've tried past years. My biggest goal, aside from actually getting produce from it, is to seriously knock back the field bindweed that has infested everything from flowerbeds and my grass and garden to cracks in the pavement.

I finally got into my beehive to check my bees yesterday and they are going gangbusters. I put a queen excluder, honey super, and a migratory lid on to give them a little more ventilation with the high heat we are experiencing this week.  I propped the lid up with a twig, but that means I have to watch the hive carefully for robbing.  

And here is a quick sum-up of what we've done as a family:

Made donuts.  They were delicious and I swear I put on five pounds that day.

My parents and I found my great-great-grandfather's home that he built in 1902.  He was a building contractor and made many of his own bricks, likely including these:

Several different construction time periods are in this photo.

We also found the house where my great-grandfather Dan courted my great-grandmother Idalah, although the house has been extensively remodeled and added onto since she lived there:

We took a little jaunt up Diamond Fork Canyon (a branch off Spanish Fork Canyon) for a weenie and s'mores roast:

One of the biggest time-takers for the past few weeks has been our children participating in the cultural celebration of our new temple in Payson.  There were great things to participating, but we still aren't sure there were enough of those to outweigh the negatives, unfortunately.

13,000 youth filled the east stands of the BYU football stadium. 

Bronwyn as a line leader in her dance

The grand finale.  Our stake YW were in dark orange and our stake YM were in dark purple.

 We hosted three wonderful Korean students in our home all through their high school years.  One of them, Sam, came back to visit us after six years of law school and law firm work and to introduce us to his lovely fiancee Sophie.  We loved getting to see them both.

I took Bronwyn and Liam with me to the International Peace Gardens in Salt Lake City.  The weather was perfect and we mostly had the gardens to ourselves.

The Chinese gardens.  Can you tell a girl lion from a boy lion?

The Mexico garden!

The Wales garden.  Nothing to see except the Welsh flag and this huge lyre.  They should have at least planted daffodils.

We have some dear friends who live up the canyon near us and Jill keeps a stunning mountain garden.  She invited us to come enjoy it this past weekend.  With the weeks of rain we got in May this year she said her flowers have never looked more beautiful.

I love iris and I've never seen this red color before.

Sunset peeking through the delicate iris petals.

Evan among the lupine.  There were so many colors!

Bronwyn in the lupine.

Liam in the lupine!

I took a turn too.  Not my favorite picture of myself, really.  Maybe it's time for another haircut?

Our family minus Owen.  I really need to remember to take our popsicle picture Owens with us when we go places...

NOW you are mostly caught up.  I want to do more of a blog post about the cultural celebration.  The opening of a new LDS temple is a huge event in many ways and all of us in the Payson temple district are so glad the pre-opening hype is all over and we can just go serve there now.  I have other posts I would like to do too.  Crossing my fingers that I can make better use of my time moving forward...