Two Days of Bliss

Lance starts summer classes this Tuesday, and in order to get all moved into his new apartment, he left today for Waco. Sad. BUT, we did get to hang out all day Tuesday and Wednesday! Here are some of the highlights- starting Wednesday and working backwards :)

Wednesday night, after having lunch with his wonderful Grandma Clark and (successfully) searching for Lance's new dresser at Ikea, we went to color me mine and painted a "you are special" plate and some way cute salt and pepper shakers- these pictures were taken after we painted them, but before they were glazed... so the colors will be more vibrant than the pictures show, but I think everything turned out so super duper cute!

Lance's salt and pepper shakers are so darling all inversely painted!

I think my plate turned out pretty cute too! The idea is to use this plate for dinner, treats, etc. whenever someone has had a hard week or has done something awesome- I'm so excited to use it in my family now, and for my kiddos in the future!

Our messy table!

Here we are with our masterpieces! We both LOVE Color Me Mine!

Tuesday Night was my half-birthday celebration-- my halfie was really on Saturday, but since it was Memorial day weekend, I couldn't take off work, so we celebrated Tuesday! Lance took me to the Dallas aquarium, and then we met up with our friends Drew and Ashley to watch the Yankees get pummeled by the Rangers! (Still working backwards) here are some pictures from that day!
We had awesome seats right behind the bull-pen. It was so cool to see the pitchers up close!

This sign made me smile all night! In case you can't tell, it's a needle with the word A-FRAUD written on it. hahaha. It still makes me laugh!

Only in Texas... This guy was pretty entertaining to watch!

Tuesday Morning, after making breakfast together, we headed to downtown Dallas for the aquarium... I have wanted to go for such a long time, and we finally went! It was such an awesome place- I highly reccomend it :)

Behind it was the waterfall, and below us were a bunch of sea turtles and manitees and really really big fish. Awesome to see them all up close! It was really humid inside, so we both left with our hair looking lovely...

Here is one of the super cute manitees, trying to eat a root off the tree. Isn't he just darling!?

I love being able to spend time with Lance. Since he lives about two and a half hours away from me most of the time, every minute we spend together is precious-- even if it's a comfortably quiet ride home, or sitting on the couch watching some TV, or taking a walk and talking. I love this boy, and I feel so lucky we were able to spend so much time together these last two weeks!

There is Beauty All Around...

Another marvelous week has passed. Already it is nearing the end of May, and I'm finding myself asking---Where has the first half of 2009 gone?!

It was a good week- here are the highlights:

1. The weather today is so beautiful. 75 degrees. Not a cloud in the sky on this bright and sunny day. Love it :)
2. Lance got home from Baylor. We went on a date to Chili's and then to the Angelika theatre to see Sunshine Cleaning. Good food. Good movie. AMAZING Company! Nick also got home this week from CA/his uncle's wedding in New Orleans. We went shopping before I had to be at work, all the while listening to the summertime CD he made me!
3. Ashley, Spencer, and Sophie arrived Thursday to get Spencer all moved into the apartment in Richardson where he'll be staying while he has his summer internship in Dallas. I've had so much fun playing with their daughter, Sophie-- I see architecture in her future-- She has become quite the Lego-tower-builder/Linkin' Logs-house-constructor! Sophie and Buddy have become best friends these last couple of days... Even if she does boss him around!
4. I got to stay with Grace and Linus Saturday till this morning while their parents were out of town. I have been watching them for the last six years- They're such a wonderful family, and we always have the best time together! Last night we watched "Bedtime Stories" with Lance and Nick after spending some time in the pool. It was a fun night staying in!
5. I started my dolly on Friday- you know, the one I bought the pattern for at the beginning of May... Ashley came to my rescue when she saw me cutting the pattern apart because she helped me realize the pattern doesn't have to be cut flawlessly on its own. It's perfectly acceptable to pin the jaggedly-cut pattern to the fabric and cut the pieces out nicely as you cut the cloth to the shapes it needs to be. What a wonderful tip!

I've been really grateful this last week for my family. And the gospel. And the blessings we can receive if we always keep the temple in sight. I love all that I have and all that I am--

I am truly blessed.

Even if I am the middle-child
:)

My Perfectly Perky Perspective of Last Weeks Events

This last week was a whirlwind of family togetherness- It was awesome, and I loved it! Here are only five of the many good things that happened last week:

1. I learned from my Tick-Tock Grandma how to make strawberry freezer jam, I learned from my Papa-Bama Grandma how to make bread, and I have been enjoying the taste of my newly-found skills!
2. I bought a vogue doll pattern and a way cute apron pattern! I told Audrey I would make her her first dolly... and with all my friends who are getting married this summer, I certainly have my work cut out for me as far as the aprons go! I'll be getting busy on these two projects soon!
3. When I got to work on Saturday, the first thing my manager said to me was, "Oh, thank goodness you're here!" They needed another server there who actually knew what she was doing-- and that server was me! It is such a good feeling to know I am appreciated and a valued employee! :)
4. We had a lovely Mother's day, and I was delighted to be able to spend it with my momma, my two grandmommas, and the newest member of the momma's club- my sister! We had a delicious shrimp/corn/potato boil, and garnished our dinner with the watermelon we bought at the farmer's market!
5. Cami and Kevin finally announced they would be starting a family blog. Not an un-blog. Not an email with weekly updates. But a real live blog! It will be set to private, but if you want to know about the happenings in the Jensen family from someone besides Auntie Chelsea, have them add you to their list of blog readers!

"For today and it's blessings, I owe the world an attitude of gratitude!" -Anonymous

“Good bread is the most fundamentally satisfying of all foods; and good bread with fresh butter, the greatest of feasts.”

James Beard immortalized those words about bread, and I wholeheartedly agree. However, I would like to make one small addendum-

“Good bread is the most fundamentally satisfying of all foods;
and good bread with fresh homemade jam, the greatest of feasts.”

That's right... On Thursday we implored the genius of my Grandma Jones to teach us LeSueur girls the tricks behind making homemade, whole wheat bread. A time-consuming feat, fresh bread just out of the oven is is totally worth the effort!

Here, Mom and Grandma are beginning the process of mixing the ingredients.

My mom remembers Grandma, from her childhood, standing on a stool to kneed the bread- true to form, she asked for a stool and really got rough with that dough! This is an especially good pastime if you have anger issues you need to work through!

Little Miss Audrey was so amused by watching Grandma at work... She couldn't take her eyes off of Grandma J!

My mama, putting the bread into the oven-- ever so carefully so as to not let it fall!

Three loaves, topped with oatmeal and barley, soundly baking in the oven.

Look at those beautiful loaves!

Here's my daddy, enjoying the fruits (literally) of our labor! Dinner was bread and jam :)


For your viewing pleasure, here's some advice and a story about baking bread:

Thanks, Grandma Jones, for teaching us all about the fine art of baking bread-- Another successful mother-in-zion lesson for the journals (or blogs)!

A Springtime Outing With A Sweet Ending...

Looking a lot like the Blueman Group, we all piled into the Suburban Monday afternoon to take a trip down to one of my favorite places ever-- the Dallas Farmer's Market! We went with the intent of buying strawberries to make my Grandma LeSueur's famous freezer jam, but of course, we left with a few more things than just strawberries! :)

All in all, we accumulated the 16 pounds of strawberries we set out to get, two mangoes, six tomatoes, two baskets of baby red potatoes, 16 ears of sweet corn, a watermelon, a white hydrangea plant, a betterboy tomato plant, and a partridge in a pear tree. We all love the farmer's market!

The Red Barn is like the costco of the farmer's market. This is where we go whenever we want something fresh, and a lot of it. LOVE this place!

This is the man who sold us our strawberries!

Mom with her tomato plant... I can't wait 'till we have some homegrown tomatoes to eat!

Look at how yummy everything looks! I love fresh fruits and veggies!

This was Daddy's inaugural trip to the farmer's market... We were SO excited he was there, but when he moved the car from the food section to the flower section, he decided he would stay in the car. What a party-pooper!

Mom with the hydrangeas... These are her favorite flowers! Mine too!

The Jensen family

The women of the family... Looking great (as per usual)


Today we took those strawberries and mushed them up, added lemon juice, sugar, and pectin, and canned our strawberry freezer jam! This was a great Mother-in-Zion lesson taught to us by none other than domestic goddess, Grandma LeSueur. She has been making freezer jam since the sixties, and one of my favorite memories of visiting her house growing up is the yummy strawberry jam she always had for us to put on our breakfast toast! It's wonderful being able to recreate this childhood memory at will now- I think a new era has dawned in my life!

Preparing.

Mashing.

Boiling.

Canning.

We got fifteen pints and four half-pints out of 10 pounds of strawberries. No. We won't share with you- but feel free to call us for some pointers... we'll defer all questions to one Ms. Audree LeSueur!


Thanks Grandma!

"There is only one happiness in life, to love and be loved."

A day late, here are the happy happenings of this last week:

1. I FINALLY got my room all cleaned up and organized! Even if it was because I get to have a guest in my room for the next week, I'm so happy (and relieved) that it's done and looking great! :)
2. My grandmas (both of them) arrived in Dallas on Saturday for some spring-time fun! They came for Miss Audrey Kate's blessing-- which was yesterday. We got a lot of great pictures, and we have great memories of this special day!
3. The weather was nice enough Sunday morning for Lance to drive up to Dallas from Waco for Audrey's blessing. Despite the crazy thunderstorms we had Saturday night that flooded the lake behind our house, Sunday was really a nice day.
4. Daddy wrote a contract with another LDS family who will be building a home here in our neighborhood in Prosper, Texas! This is really good and really exciting news for Newport Homebuilders! :)
5. My good friend Jordan is home from school and we got to do lunch on Wednesday (my day off). We also did a little bit of light shopping. It was fun catching up-- and as if that wasn't enough, I got to spend that evening cooking dinner and curled up on my dear friend Michelle's couch as we watched Bride Wars! I love that girl!!

Another good week has gone by-- I can't believe it's May already!

A Bonnet, a Blessing, and a Bad Bolting Beagle

Audrey Kate Jensen was given a name and a blessing at Sacrament meeting this morning in the Plano 9th Ward. She wore the blessing gown my Great-Grandma Brown (my mom's mom's mom) crocheted out of fine nylon thread for my mom when she was blessed in October of 1961 in the Lehi 1st ward in Mesa, Arizona. Camille wore the dress when she was blessed in January 1984 in Mesa 21st ward, still in Mesa, Arizona. Today, little Audrey carried on the tradition. Added to the beautiful dress was a darling pink afghan with white ribbon laced through the border made just for her by her Great-Grandma Jones (my mom's mom), and a sheer bonnet made just for her my her Grandma LeSueur (my mom). She looked just like a little angel sent from heaven above! :)

I love that she was so happy today! She only cried a little bit durring her blessing when she spit her binky out onto the floor...

If you look closely, you can see the beautiful stitch on the blanket. My grandma found this pattern when she was in Dallas for Thanksgiving, it took her about three weeks to finish it... She's so talented!
The whole Jensen family-- including the Molly the dog!!

This was everyone involved in the blessing. Audrey is hidden- but you get the idea! Both of my grandmas flew in for the blessing. We're so happy to have them here for a little bit of spring-time fun! Lance woke up at 7:00 this morning just to drive up here from Waco for the blessing. We were really glad he made it :)

Uncle Trevor with the little angel!

Four generations from the Jones line...

Parents and the LeSueur grandparents with baby Audrey

Audrey and Grandma LeSueur. Look at that bonnet- my mom made it at 11:00 last night for the 11:00 blessing this morning. I'm so glad I have such a talented momma to learn from!

Daddy/Daughter :)

I love this picture!

Audrey and her doting parents. They're such a cute little family!

Audrey's first eye-roll caught on camera... She IS her mother's daughter!


In other news, Buddy decided to make his great escape right before we took pictures and he took a five-and-a-half hour romp through the woods. He always knows how to make a day more memorable! After chasing him for about two hours, we finally decided to just let him chase rabbits until he got tired and HOPE he finds his way home... Scratches, thorns, blood, and all-- thank goodness he finally strolled home at 9:00... Dumb dog!

But overall, it was a wonderfuly blessed day :)