where I'm spending the whole summer

About a month and a half ago I won a giveaway from Madera Co Wood Designs.  My dear friend Belen's fantastic South African boyfriend has a unique new business.  He makes gorgeous furniture out of wooden palettes.  His pieces are custom stained how ever you'd like to perfection.

While trying to choose what we would like I came across a picture of a wood palette swing and sent it to him to see what he thought about it.  Within a matter of minutes he was writing back with excitement and loved the idea of that project.  He drew up a sketch of how he would improve upon that design and was so eager to get it done and make it beautiful.  I was so impressed with his excitement and dedication to his work.  In 10 days from start to finish I had a beautiful new work of art to use in my yard.

The original idea was just a palette swing but he came up with the idea of doubling it as use for a hanging table.  He stained a dark 'm' on the top in a typewriter font.   I just fell in love with it when I saw it and I couldn't wait to get it up. 

Evaleigh loved it too.  She was swinging standing up, sitting down, on her back, on her belly, and all sorts of ways.  She laid down for a rest on it and said, "Mama, I love my new swing."

I can't wait to use this new piece all summer and well in to fall! 

Go 'like' him on his Facebook Page to keep up with his work and for future news, giveaways, and posts!

You can contact him for custom pieces at: Africanidea@gmail.com

bucket list

Last Thursday while at the Songs of Water concert I was so moved by the music that I started thinking about what I wanted to do with my life.  There are two things I am certain I want to do and that is to stay close to The Lord and close to my family no matter what.  Other than that these are a few things that I'd love to spend the time in my life doing.  Bucket lists are a pretty personal thing but here is mine for the sake of posterity maybe finding it one day or an older version of myself looking back to see what I actually ended up doing.

Take a calligraphy class

Learn to play cello

Learn how to make a really delicious cheese from scratch

Take a floral design class

Start a Childrenhelp Georgia chapter

Become respit certified for foster kids

Compete in the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions before I'm too old, just to hear what they have to say.

Travel to Greece

Travel to Israel

Travel to Italy 

Go to all of the LDS temples in the world.  28 down only 114 to go if they quit building them ;)

Spend two weeks in Nauvoo one summer as a family cast in the pageant

Write and record a gospel album with my husband

Go to every John Mayer, James Taylor, and Avett Brothers concert I can.

Read everything I can about the gospel of Jesus Christ

Learn to speak German Spanish Hebrew and Italian

Travel to the Sacred Grove

Perform opera and broadway again after all of the kids get in to school

Start a music school

Start a summer music camp for kids

Lactation consultant

Doula

Work with children in other countries

Start/fund an orphan home in another country

Go back to school for a masters degree in voice or vocal ped

Adopt a child/children

Serve a mission with John when we are old and gray

After showing John this list he said, "Well that's doable."  Glad I'll get to check a few of these off my list with him by my side.

the mark

Before I met John I was in the process of trying to put my mission papers in, for the second time (that's a story for another day).  I was also contemplating a masters program or trying to do some vocal studies overseas and pursuing an operatic career.  I had spent years and years of study in classical singing.  I had performed in countless operas and opera scenes, concerts, and recitals.  I performed in Atlanta, Boston, LA and Miami.  I even had the chance to sing on NPR when I was younger.  In my heart i'd like to think I was headed for something great.  I loved to sing, I was good at it, and it did something for my soul that nothing else could.

Getting married and starting a family was the last thing on my mind, I simply wasn't interested in it at that point in time.  I knew it would eventually happen for me but I wanted to go out in to the world and make my mark somehow.  

Then John Murphy came along and blindsided me and showed me all of the things I never knew I wanted and needed.  We got married, had a lot of fun, and a year later we found out we were pregnant with Evaleigh.  A year after she was born Avett was on his way.  

I've never once looked back at this life I was given. This life full of failed naptimes, temper tantrums, unexplainable diaper situations, crying, irrational requests, unwillingness to share, hurt feelings and eternal messes. It's also a life full of watching little people discover something for the first time and feeling pride for them in that moment.  A life of reaching out to hold Johns hand in the car when both of our babies are finally asleep on a journey home, and in that moment when I see him smiling back at me there is a sense of it all being right in our world.  A life of being beaten up and crawled all over just the moment I've laid down on the floor for a moments rest only to burst in to laughter because Evie is giving me raspberries on my belly and Avett is pulling incessantly at my hair.  

The three people who have made me a wife and mother have filled all of the inches I have inside of my heart right now. 

Just last Thursday I started jotting down my very first bucket list.   There are a lot of moments in my life where I get overwhelmed with all of the different things that I want to do and be.  But I've figured that the best thing I can do with my life now is raise up good and kind hearted people while loving my husband through it all.

That's sure to leave the mark I so craved before.  

lemon pizza

It's been two weeks since I had the best pizza of my life.  Last night I was craving Pizzeria Limone really bad so I decided instead of trying to figure out a way to get back 2,400 miles away to Utah, I would just have to do something at home as similar as I could.  

Lemon Pizza:

Crust

2 1/4 teaspoon yeast

1/4 cup brown sugar

1 and 1/2 cup warm water

combine in a bowl and let proof for 10 minutes

using dough hook then add

1/2 cup wheat germ

1/2 cup flax seed

2 and 1/2 cups whole wheat flour

2 tablespoons coconut oil

1/2 teaspoon salt

Let it rise in oiled bowl covered for an hour

Punch down, roll out on to corn mealed pizza stone, then add toppings.

For the Toppings:

Drizzle coconut oil on top of rolled out crust

add garlic salt

thinly sliced lemons

blackberries

thinly sliced ham

pineapple

and shredded pepperjack cheese

Top with a light dusting of garlic salt

bake at 450 for 18 minutes

It wasn't an exact replica that's for sure, but it was a delicious close second!

utah

Last week I was able to take a trip to Utah to spend time with my best friend and go to a dear friends wedding.  It was such a well needed vacation for me and I came back feeling so refreshed.  The trip was full of temple trips, hikes, stomach bugs, food trucks, lots of singing and wedding planning, dates with friends, long walks, snuggling and laughing, me and Lisa cooking and going to delicious places to eat.  We had Pizzaria Limone, Ruby Snap Cookies, Cafe Rio, Gourmandise, Trader Joes Cookie Butter and lots of wedding waffles. I just did NOT want to leave.

Avett was the perfect child while I was there.   He was the most smiley and flirty and easy-going child. He made the trip so enjoyable and easy on me. He didn't even cry until the last two days.  Everywhere we went he would fall asleep in the car and when we got there he would crawl around and play without fussing.

Evie, who was with John and my mom the whole time, didn't really miss me until the the last day I was gone.  And to be honest of course I thought about her but being away from her for a week wasn't that hard.  I was sort of dreading it and thought there would be tears from both of us.  But we were at the point where we needed a little break from each other. Being two is hard on the both of us.

I was able to help out with a lot for my friend Ashley's wedding.  We've known each other for 14 years and went to middle school high school and seminary together.  Lisa and I made her wedding cake with succulents on top.  It had homemade strawberry jam in the middle and for our first shot at a wedding cake it turned out pretty darn good (even if it was crooked). I also did Ashley's hair, took the pictures at the temple, planted flowers in the backyard with the reception was going to be, sewed several aprons for the servers, and made a lot of decorations for the reception. It was so much fun to be able to be a part of her special day.

I don't know what it is about Utah that my heart loves so much. Whenever I am out there I feel so happy and peaceful. I just love being around all of the temples and church history sites.  Part of me feels like we may wind up there someday, who knows.  The air feels nice and pure and clean and being surrounded by all of the mountains makes me feel so safe.  When I'm out there I feel so keenly aware of all of the history that took place there and that makes me feel good.

One of my goals for the trip was to hike the "Y" in Provo.  When I lived out there several years ago I wanted to do it but never had the guts. It was a hard hike for me especially with a 20 pound baby on my back. But we made it to the top and the view was amazing and so very worth it.  When we finally got back down to the bottom as I was exclaiming, "we finally made it down! " I tripped and fell down on all fours.  Lisa and I giggled the whole way up and down, it was truly one of the highlights for me.

Another one of my favorite parts of the trip was going to the Salt Lake Temple for the first time. I was able to do an endowment session there. I never get over the peace that I feel when I am inside there.  The whole time I was in there I couldn't stop thinking about how many prophets and apostles had passed through the very rooms that I was walking in. The spirit was so strong and it was a much-needed stop for me.  The whole time my eyes were constantly looking up and around at all of the beautiful paintings inside on the walls.  As I walked from room to room I would touch the walls, I wanted to take in every aspect of being there.  When I'm there all I want to do is be at the temple with my baby and friends.

When it came time to leave I was not ready to go. Coming back home to Evie and John was such a sweet reunion but I definitely left a piece of my heart out there.  I don't know when I'll be back again but I can't wait.