apple basket

I bought my french apple basket at a wayside antique shoppe near Haywards Heath when I went to visit Tricia and Dan for Courtney's birth. I loved it from the moment I saw it. The basket just barely fit inside my largest suitcase and I ended up packing my things inside the basket that was inside my suitcase. The basket has been a favorite with all the grandkids. Nowadays it is filled with artifical apples. Shooter and occasionally a guest try to eat one without success.

It is Clarks's turn to figure out the apple basket. Everyday... the minute he is on the loose... he goes straight for the basket. His intentions are clear! He wants an apple.


Today, he got one.

smartmouth

Chezzie was talking at dinner tonight. Brianna THOUGHT she asked her if she was in the smartmouth group at school.





What she ACTUALLY asked her was if she was in the smart math group.


YES SHE IS!

fifth grade

Brianna loves school. Today is the first day and she is ready to go.

remembering Mel Varela

giving and receiving

I had the strongest feelings that I should go to south Florida to give our support to the Varela family. Mel is a friend who has made extraordinary effort to keep in touch with Doug through the years. He has helped him on numerous projects, both in business and for BYU even though he is not a member of our church.

Brianna agreed to come along, and the past two days went something like this for me:

Go to work
Drive 3 1/2 hours to south Florida
Change clothes in the restroom at Nordy's in the Boca Towne Center
Meet Susan and Amanda Current for dinner
Attend the viewing
Drive by our home in Parkland
Spend the night with the Lake's
Attend the funeral
Drive 3/1/2 hours back home
Meet the parents of my students at Back to School Night
Go to ward council

There was nothing in the events of the past two days that was unexpected and I knew that the days would be long and full.

What was unexpected however, was how renewed I felt. I loved visiting the people and places in my past. And even more, I appreciated the conversation that I had with Rolain Lake. It is one of the paradoxes of life that when you think you are giving, you often receive much more than you actually give.

I am so thankful for this experience.

school blessings

It has been the tradition in our family to have "back-to-school" blessings from Doug at the beginning of every school year. Even when I wasn't teaching school, I normally also received a blessing at the same time. They have always been a source of strength and direction for me during the come year.

Today my blessing focused on strength. It was a beautiful blessing and just what I needed to be reminded about at this time in my life.

cleaning the garage

Tanner and Chezzie gave Doug a wonderful Father's Day gift. They said they would organize the garage. Anyone who knows the state of our garage can only begin to appreciate the enormity of the project. Tanner has spent numerous hours out there this summer, and the tractor and a car both fit easily into place now. While working yesterday, he found a box of Melanie's old gymnastic clothes. Evidently "something" else had discovered them first. But what? We can't decide if these cute little guys are baby rats or baby squirrels. Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.

playtime with shooter

When we were looking for a doggy, we said that we wanted one that would be good with children. We ended up at lab rescue with Shooter. He has been very nice to all our babies, which we are grateful for. A few times he has accidently whapped one of the kids with his tail which is not pleasant, but they seem to cope...even better than their parents.

Clark loves Shooter and laughs his big full belly laugh when he is around. Shooter, however, seems quite intimidated by Clark and normally goes someplace to get away from the baby. We watched him cower under the kitchen table while Clark did his push/scoot/crawl over to where he was to continue their playtime together.

You're a good dog, Shooter!

clark at bealls

He sits and enjoys the ride in this extraordinary stroller.






He's getting a little bored with the whole shopping thing and decides to practice his pull-ups.

CLARK!

goodbye laren

Laren Lowder has been the MiaMaid advisor this summer. She is leaving this week on a mission to Bulgaria. We will miss her!

Back row: Missy Wise (Laurel advisor), Ayla Schaffer, Andrea Gronlund (hiding), Tori Peeler, Alaris Lowder.
Front row: Jordan Mathews, Laren Lowder, Melissa Schaffer.

back to school

It's back to school for me today. The place was quite empty as the students don't return until next Thursday. Nevertheless, I was busy all day getting ready. We have ten second grade classrooms this year. Thank goodness for pre-planning.

back-to-school haircuts

Today, Doug, Brianna and I got haircuts. We also talked Mary into a visit to Renate at Robert & Robert. Her hair turned out darling!

friday, july 28--our grandkids

Here she is!
Isabella Katelyn Seguine

WELCOME


Isabella, Courtney, Elliot, Clark, Jonah, Truman and Carter

Getting a picture of our seven grandchildren proves to be a bit tricky, especially since the oldest, Courtney is still only 5. Looking forward to many more opportunities in the future however.

thursday, july 27--happy birthday Dan

It makes me think of the good ol' days

Happy Birthday to you!

You sure grew out of your baby ways

Happy Birthday to you!

Thirty-Second birthday, we wish you many more

Health and wealth and friends by the score!

Cut the cake and let's eat some more

Happy Birthday to you!

wednesday, july 26--our girls

tuesday, july 25--towheads

Towheads...
small, medium and large

Elliot Evans, Clark Nielson, Jonah Seguine

mon, july 24--can we make it? Yes, we can

Chezzie wanted to learn to wallpaper and Tricia gave us permission to take on the kitchen. This was a wallpapering inferno, with cuts, corners and matches. To add to the fun, we had ordered enough wallpaper for a kitchen quite a bit smaller than the Tricia's kitchen. The question was...how many more rolls needed to be ordered? We planned, we saved, we did our mathematical calculations to the best of our ability and finished the job...although there are a couple of places in the kitchen that show that this kitchen was papered with love, rather than by professionals. I think it turned out beautifully!

sunday, july 23--the bathroom critic

After traveling for years with Cherylyn, our family knew that she could always be counted on to spot a nearby restroom. As she got older, she began to rank them from 1 star to 5 stars and the rest of the family would decide how "desperate" they were by the ranking.

Driving this evening on the country roads of North and South Carolina, Cherylyn added a new dimension to her repetoire. We had just turned in to the Firethorne Country Club Estates. In a moment of desperation, she grabbed some baby wipes and hopped out of the car. She returned a few minutes later with a new category, "port-a-john". She gave it 3 stars "because it didn't smell!" However, she was quite disconcerted to be caught on camera.

friday, july 21--interior designing

Tricia and Dan's new house is very beautiful. It was great to see our ideas come to life. We spent the day deciding where to put what. Some items got a remodel for the new house, like this wreath and Tricia, which both looked quite different when we left.

thursday, july 20--road trip

Today, Chezzie, Clark, Brianna and I took a road trip. We now know that it takes eight hours to get from our house to Tricia's new house in North Carolina. Thank you Chezzie for all your driving.

roxanne the skier

The only thing better than skiing yourself, is teaching someone else to ski. And the only thing better than that is when the someone else is your friend. After several attempts, my friend Roxanne skied today. And I might add, she skied with gusto. Up she came, and she circled the lake three times. She was talking the entire time, and I have no idea what she was saying. But I was so happy that I almost cried. I have been happy all day just thinking about it. Roxanne has been over to the house and attempted to ski several times, but she never gave up. I just love that about her. In spite of the fact that there was one less snake in the lake today, it was still nerve wracking thinking about it (meaning, thinking about what other snakes might be in the lake.) Roxanne was wondering if we were stupid or crazy or what? Maybe just fun-loving!

one less snake in the lake

We were down at the lake waterskiing this morning and we saw a snake go by. Luckily, Doug had brought his shovel down with him, so he was standing guard on Birdhouse Pier. A few minutes later, Brianna finished her ski and skied into our cove. Doug started going nutso, so I figured the snake must be back, but then it disappeared again. Chezzie skied. I was getting ready to ski and we saw him, just on the other side of the jet ski. Doug had his shovel poised and ready and the snake was heading his direction. Chezzie walked near to watch. I headed right out of there, right off the dock. All of a sudden, the shovel was speared into the water. "You missed him," I said. But it wasn't true, and snake blood was discoloring the water.
Good job!












About Water Mocassins:
The Cottonmouth or Water Moccasin is an aquatic pit viper without rattles. It occurs commonly in every county in the state. Often when disturbed it draws into a loose coil, cocks its head upwards and opens its mouth wide to reveal the white interior lining, earning it the the name cottonmouth. It does not have to be coiled to strike, but can deliver a bite from almost any position, either in or out of the water. It is an unpredictable snake. Some individuals are calm and sluggish while others may be very aggressive. A water snake, the cottonmouth is found along stream banks, in swamps, margins of lakes and in tree-bordered marshes. It hunts at night for its prey of fish, frogs and other snakes, lizards and small mammals. The poisonous bite of this reptile results in great pain and severe swelling. With immediate and proper medical treatment, the bite is only occasionally fatal to humans. Average adult size is 20-48 inches, and the record is 74.5 inches.

flying time

Today as we were traveling from White Plains, NY to Orlando, FL, we flew over Kittyhawk, North Carolina.



Meanwhile, Chezzie and Brianna felt the sonic boom as the space shuttle returned to Cape Kennedy having completed a 5.3 million mile journey.

Priesthood line of authority

Today it was Doug's opportunity and blessing to ordain Spencer to the office of High Priest. It is special to note that Spencer was named after the prophet, Spencer W. Kimball. He ordained Doug's father and, therefore, now is part of Spencer's line of authority.

Spencer L. Evans was ordained a High Priest July 16, 2006 by Douglas B.Carter, who was ordained High Priest March 1, 1981 by Bruce L. Carter, who was ordained High Priest October 22, 1967 by Spencer W. Kimball, who was ordained an Apostle October 9,1943 by Heber J. Grant, who was ordained an Apostle October 16,1882, by George Q. Cannon, who was ordained an Apostle August 26, 1860 by Brigham Young, who was ordained an Apostle February 14,1935 under the hands of the three witnesses, Oliver Cowdery, David Whitmer, and Martin Harris who were called by revelation to choose the Twelve Apostles and on February 14, 1835 were blessed by the laying on of the hands of Joseph Smith Jr. and his counsellors. Joseph Smith Jr. received the Melchizedek Priesthood in 1829 under the hands of Peter, James and John who were ordained Apostles by the Lord Jesus Christ (John15:16.)

we're back...

When we left Melanie's house in June, we had no idea when we would see each other again. Little did we imagine that a month later, we would be back again at the park where Truby had his birthday party. Swinging on the tire swing and playing whiffle ball on the field. Oh happy day!

everybody loves B

Recently when Doug and I were in New Jersey, Carter brought me a copy of this picture. He pointed to Doug and said, "That's Papa." Yes, that's right. Then he pointed to me and said, "There's Nana." Yes, that's right. Then he pointed to Brianna and said, "That's Bwe anna, where's her?" She's at home, I told him. "Next time, bwing her!"

All our grandkids love their auntie Brianna, and Clark is following in this cousin tradition. His little face lights up if she even so much as walks into a room where he is sitting. Yesterday, I could hear them playing and the two of them were laughing and laughing and laughing. Then I walked into Brianna's room and saw the two of them.
It's always party time when auntie Bweanna is around.

brianna's quiet friend

Brianna loves to talk. She will talk to anyone anytime anywhere. This is a great talent, and it is also a great problem for her on occasion, specifically, the 8.5 hours of school. After numerous conferences with her teacher, I said to Brianna that I wanted to know about the quietest children in the class. She named four girls. I told her to make one them her friend. Brianna was very upset about that because "quiet people are boring." Inspite of her initial reaction to my request, she struck up a friendship with Jessica. It has been two years. And she does not think that Jessica is boring at all. Thank heaven for quiet friends.

showertime

I have a hypothesis:

There is a direct correlation between my shower and family trauma.

I have data:
99 times out of 100, when I get in the shower, someone in my family needs me desperately.

For example:
Truly life-threatening and time sensitive issues like

...I can't find the shoes I want to wear (from Brianna, although we are not going anywhere anytime soon) and
...Will you call this girl that I don't want to talk to (from Cherylyn who has talked to this girl before without anxiety and it is more than likely that she will be available when my shower is over)

must be solved in the exact moment that I am taking a shower.

I have a conclusion:
My shower is somehow linked into the cosmos of negative Carter karma.

BYUTV

The First Presidency announced approval of a Spanish BYUTV channel for Latin America.

sitting with baby

Chezzie and Tanner had a social event with work last night. Clark loves

THE BABYSITTER

thursday night tv

So we had a little results show party tonight. Chezzie invited over a few of her friends. Doug is in Utah and Brianna is spending the night at the beach house with Natalie and I joined the young marrieds. We are all cheering for Benji for a few reasons (a) he has told us that he just returned from a mission to Mexico (b) he is a really good dancer (c) he is funny and very entertaining including when he told us the sad tale of his Dear John. Well, he has easily made it into the top 6 couples so we'll see how he does from here.

the fourth

After all the fun and sun...after the birthday celebrations for chez...after potato salad, apple pie and whatever we are barbequeing...after the big fireworks shows...




I still love doing the sparklers!

cooking for the missionaries

We had the missionaries for dinner tonight. I prepared a recipe from Wolfgang Puck's Website. I had a great sandwich at one of his restaurants when I was with Tricia in North Carolina. So I decided to try and make it myself. I only marinated it one hour instead of overnight, however, it turned out very delicious. BTW I looked it up...it is pronounced either eye--oh--lee or ay--oh--lee













Aioli
Makes about 2 cups
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
1/4 cup chopped basil
Salt
Freshly ground white pepper
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 1/2 - 2 cups mayonnaise
This classic Provençal mayonnaise takes its name from the French word for its key ingredient, garlic. Start with about 1 1/2 cups of good-quality bottled mayonnaise and blend into it pureed garlic, lemon juice, basil, salt, pepper, and Dijon mustard and process to combine. Adjust the seasonings to taste.

Warm Chicken Aioli Sandwiches
Makes 4 sandwiches
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger (or 1/2 tablespoon powdered ginger)
1 tablespoon minced fresh garlic
1/4 cup chopped green onions
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 cup peanut oil or vegetable oil
4 (4-ounce) boneless skinless chicken breast halves
4 good-quality crusty sandwich rolls
4 slices provolone cheese
Romaine lettuce leaves
2 tomatoes, sliced
1 red onion
1. In a mixing bowl, combine the ginger, garlic, green onions, pepper flakes, and oil. Add the chicken breasts and turn to coat them. Cover with plastic wrap and marinate overnight in the refrigerator.2. Preheat the oven to 350°F. 3. Remove the chicken from the marinade and place in a baking dish just large enough to hold them in a single layer. Roast the chicken breasts until cooked through, 15 to 20 minutes. With a sharp knife, cut the chicken crosswise into very thin slices. Set aside and raise the oven temperature to 450°F.4. Slice the rolls horizontally in half and place them on a baking sheet with the top halves cut-side down and the bottom halves cut-side up. Place 1 slice of provolone on the bottom half of each roll. Bake until the cheese is melted and the rolls are lightly toasted, about 3 minutes.5. Distribute the warm chicken slices evenly on top of the melted cheese. Top with romaine lettuce, tomato, and red onions. Spread some of the aioli on the top half of each roll and place the tops on the sandwiches. Cut each sandwich in half and serve immediately.

the messy cook

My family has always been (I think I will say) "smart" enough to tell me that I am a good cook. And I have enjoyed learning to cook to please myself and my family and for social events. Discussing my prowess in the kitchen a couple of years ago, Tricia told me that although I am a very good cook, I am also a very messy cook. She even went so far as to say that if I had a cooking show, it would be called, The Messy Cook. I don't think it occured to me before that time that I was any messier than anyone else. I do know that I loved cooking in Argentina because Martina cleaned up after me. Those were the days!

When I returned home from Montreal, I cooked a big meal and my friend, Mary dropped by after dinner. She took one look at the kitchen and smiled and said, "Yeah, you're back." This was further evidence that I truly am an extraordinarily messy cook. I doubt that will change, but thanks to Tricia, I now have a personalized apron to help keep me clean!

i love america

Getting ready for the fourth of July
inside
and out!