Tomato-palooza

I am a lover of traditions. I always have been. Ever since I was a little girl there were certain things I looked forward to and that I counted on happening every year. Like: my mom making monkey bread every Sunday morning of General Conference, making caramel apples during October General Conference, Buying Girls scout cookies in the spring, the first summer snow cone, going to the state fair and eating all you can for $20.00, Halloween, Canning in the fall, Christmas goodies....hmmm there may be a theme to my "traditions".

In fairness, is there really any tradition that doesn't include food?

One of our favorite traditions is:

TOMATO-PALOOZA.

Every year it is award winning and 2011 didn't disappoint!

Best ever tomato soup with a puff pastry on top

Fried Green tomato's

Broiled mozzarella and herb tomatoes






Tomato cake (not really-a delicious red velvet cake with a tomato garnish-we have yet to find a tomato dessert)




Great friends+Fabulous food+perfect weather=favorite tradition of the whole year!

at long last

The Hall's are back and ready to post (finally)

Here are the pics that I kept telling myself I didn't have the time to download and post


Enjoy!


She did it! Kirst graduated from 6th grade. Can we say Honor Roll?!!!
Woo Hoo!


Jim's incredible Garden
we got lots of salsa and tomato sauce from it.
It is my favorite thing about summer


We took a trip to St George this summer
(I know, I know who goes to St. George in August? The Hall's do. It was educational... I really wanted the kids to have a frame of reference for what hell was really like)

We hiked "The Crack"



Weekend with the Hall cousins-best weekend ever!




Trip to the Dinosaur Museum

Lilly and Soph are BFF's-reading (while I get ready in the morning)

They often end up in bed together

Lilly's fabulous Dora cake for her 4th birthday (yes, way back in may of 2011)

Aunt Caralee made it and Lilly LOVED it!

Pre-school Orientation for Lilly

Her teacher Ms. Monica

Sophia wanted to be in the First Day if school Picture but Lilly refused...

And then she decided it was OK
Anna and Kirsten on the first day of school
Anna 9th grade- Kirsten 7th grade
Prettiest girls ever!





The entrance to our neighborhood at the peak if fall.

So beautiful!

Soph doing time in Nursery

More to come.......

YUM!

Guess who snuck her first bites of bakers chocolate...and liked it?

At least she doesn't eat dirt any more- well mostly.

kirsten-ism

True Story:

We were at the Logan Zoo on Friday ("What? Logan Has a Zoo?" you ask. Yes. Yes they do. Well actually, it's more like domestic animals in cages.)

We were looking at the turtles and Kirsten turns to Jim and says:

"Dad- I just read that the tortoise is the slowest animal in the world?"

PAUSE

"Huh. we always thought it was you."


We are still laughing.

In the opening prayer given in Ward Council on Sunday there was a part of the prayer that really hit me:

"Please help us to have the Savior in mind with all that we do this week".

Those words haunted me all day.

I don't think I have ever made a conscious decision to do just that...with ALL that I do in a week...as a mom.

So that is what I fasted and prayed for on Sunday-asking the Lord for some serious help.

It's Tuesday and if you could have seen the way I just handled the fifty-millionth spill of juice (in one day) on my carpet by my 2 year old you would be certain that either God didn't hear my prayer, or that the Savior really would have gritted his teeth, groaned, and reacted in such a manner as to cause a 2 year old to utter the words "I shorry mommy!"

Oh and Monday wasn't that stellar of a day either.

This is way harder than I thought!

Maybe I should set this goal for when all of my kids are in school...all of them.

xoxo tam

oreos

If she eats them with milk does it constitute a "Healthy Breakfast"?

Just wonderin'

"Oh, I don't read"

A few years ago I met and fell in love with a new friend...Liz.
What drew me to her?
Her sense of humor, brilliance, outspokenness, quirkyness and her honesty.
When I asked her to join the ward book club with me she simply said: "Oh, I don't read books."

I laughed.

She didn't.

I realized she was serious.

I only joined the ward book club because I wanted to feel a part of something.

I'll be honest, after reading my first book I realized that that "something" wasn't for me.

Just this past weekend I was speaking to a friend about my "problem"/ issues with reading or actually finishing books not to mention my complete disinterest in book clubs.

...."Here's the deal, I feel like after all is said and done...if I do have an minute of free time, I can tell you how I don't want to spend it=reading. Reading for me is a task not an indulgence."

However, there is a part of me that wishes I thoroughly enjoyed and looked forward to reading.

I have a pile of "really good books" sitting on the floor all dust covered, by my bed side table waiting to be read at the suggestion of some dear friends.

I have had these books for years.

One I have had for over 12.

SO...this is my official declaration of summer:

I, Tamara Hall solemnly declare that by the end of Summer 2011 I will have read every "really good book" that has been given to me to read.

There are 11 of them

And the majority of them have over 200 pages.

Now, that's a lot of reading.

Here's to hoping I Love and not Loathe when all is said and done

Otherwise I may have start using the "Oh, I don't read books" line and join my friend Liz in her Movie Club.

Wish me luck!