Raspberries

This is my second harvest of the summer. And I think I will get one more. I've made friends with a couple older women in my ward and they are happy to share with me. They also gave me a huge pile of beet greens last month and a zucchini today!
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fried ice cream

i have many things i've intended to blog about, but today i did something that got me on the computer right away - no more blogging procrastination.  i made fried ice cream.  sort of.  for some reason i've been subscribing to a blog about raw foods.  it gives a menu for a day (including recipes) to show you how you can eat raw foods for under 10 dollars a day.  10 dollars is still a lot in my world and the servings are all a bit small, but it's fun to see how foods can go together in new ways.  well, today i tried one of the recipes!  it's for fried ice cream.  but since this is a raw foods blog, there's actually no cooking involved.  since raw foods people are all about organic type ingredients i'll admit i cheated.  i'm not that gung ho.  i had three bananas in my freezer so i took it as a sign that i could do it.  since i didn't have "cacao" and wasn't totally sure what that was, i just took a couple hand fulls of chocolate chips.  i threw in a bit of salt and ground it to death in my four cup cuisinart food processor i got for my wedding.  it was pretty runny so i threw the whole mess in an empty ice cube tray to let it "set up."  after an hour or two i mixed up 3 tablespoons of ground flax, 1 tablespoon of sweetened coconut flakes (since that's what i have in the freezer), a dash or two of cinnamon and a bit of a dash of cayenne powder.  i mixed it together in a bowl.  then i took my banana mixture cubes and took two at a time, mushing them together in my hands to make a big ball.  then i rolled the ball in the flax mixture and stuck it on a plate.  i did a couple cubes by themselves (making smaller balls) but decided i may not have enough flax mixture for that, plus that would have taken longer and i was afraid of my banana stuff melting - it was already getting soft.  i didn't bother drizzling anything over the top of them, i just ate them straight.  well, i only ate the two small cubes so far, but i don't plan to drizzle anything over the other guys.  i'm hoping bret doesn't care for them.  they sure are good though!  i figure anything made out of chocolate chips and bananas can't be all that bad.

Decorating

So yesterday I tried some visual home improvement besides the usual cupboard organization. This was my favorite.
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treats

i hate to say this, but i eat treats. i have a basket where i put any candy passed my way (christmas usually brings some) and gum i can't help but buy. i'm a bit of a new gum flavor lover. anyway, this basket comes in handy - just a bit too high to always be in my face, but when i need a treat i know where to find it. maybe some day i'll put healthy treats in there for a kid or something, but for now, i just like to eat stuff out of it. my favorite is the bag of cashews. the good husband also likes them. i've been tempted to get rid of the basket all together. i tell myself it's part of decluttering and saving myself some calories. what do you all think?

experiments

so i've been experimenting with making my own yogurt.  i love yogurt and i love being frugal and i love knowing what ingredients are in my food.  not that i always follow those rules (the frugal and ingredient knowing) but it makes me happy when i do it.  so i've read a lot about making your own yogurt.  i've tried it.  in fact, i've tried it three times.  all were successful, but last night's was the best.  the first time i tried it i used a hot pad and number 10 can to insulate and warm it (can't find the site i used for direction).  i failed to realize my heating pad would go off periodically, though, and it took longer than i'd intended.  also that technique only made one quart.  last week i made it using the crock pot.  that technique may have been my worst, but there were a few factors that played into its failure.  i shouldn't say failure, it just wasn't ideal. anyway, last night i tried the cooler technique.  this was the most successful, but it was also the longest i've cultured it - pretty much 12 hours.  last night's was a double success because i made plain yogurt and greek style.  the greek one was just a starter i got when smith's was doubling coupons so basically i got a cup of yoplait greek yogurt for free.  i'd tried greek before with the crock pot, but my store bought cup of yogurt was near expiration and i think i cooled the milk too much. i didn't use a thermometer.  i liked last night's technique because it incorporated a thermometer.  by the way, i always just use powdered milk since i have a lot of it on hand.

at this very moment i have my plain yogurt mixed with some failed strawberry freezer jam in my cuisinart ice cream maker.  hooray for ice cream treats whenever i want!  i'm excited to see how the frozen yogurt turns out.  there's plenty of sugar in there from my failed jam, though, to make it decently unhealthy in case you were concerned.  and no, there's no story in the failed jam.  just that it's come in very handy for mixing into our breakfast oatmeal along with a banana or two.  i think i may fail at jam more often - no guilt about using it up.

Bag

Look! I did it! I'm exhausted. I felted an old sweater I got from my broinlaw and then I read lots of diy type blogs and I started cutting. Two broken needles later... Or was it three? Not to mention some blood. At least I'm done. I have a new church bag for my new church calling.
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Vacation week

The good husband had a vacation last week.  We kept ourselves busy.  It began with a quick trip to Arches - that we totally loved!

We ate well on our trip.  This is a tin foil dinner.  We had an excellent camp site as well, right next to the Colorado River.

Here's Bret standing in front of our favorite formations - the Three Gossips, or as we kept saying, the Three Sisters.

Here we are admiring the Delicate Arch - which is in front of us - not showing in the picture.  It was a bit windy. 

 

 

 

 

 After our trip we just hung out at home and took care of lots of chores, like yard work.  We took down three trees with the help of very capable friends, Rachel and Marie.  I wish I had a photo of them working.  The trees were just some measly Aspens so we managed with just a hand saw.  This week is neighborhood trash pickup so all the branches are out on the curb waiting for the city to take them away. 

Well, Bret is back at work and I'm back to the normal life at home.  I made strawberry freezer jam today - or I should say I messed some up.  I didn't read the directions carefully enough and now I fear it won't set up.  Speak up if you really want some strawberry syrup.  I suspect it will make great ice cream - we got a new ice cream maker last week - loving it!

Wedding Gift

Earlier today I bought something at Costco. It had a note in it:

Dear Courtney and Aha
Warm wishes to you both for a wonderful married life
Franklin Johnson Family

Just like that - no punctuation. And it's possible I have the groom's name wrong since the handwriting is a bit hard to read. I smiled, though, thinking how somebody got this gift for their wedding and returned it and here I am paying good money for it for myself. It's a pretty card. It made me reminisce happily on all the wedding gifts I got. It makes me want to write a thank you note.

Change

My goal today is to change out my winter clothes for summer ones. I decided to start with my toes!
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More yard stuff

When I got home from my weekend trip I noticed the daffodils by the driveway were gone. I think it was Thursday afternoon that I was chatting with the neighbor and her little boy and he was picking my grape hyacinths. I told him he could pick them but he could not pick the yellow flowers. I wasn't surprised to see the daffodils gone. I shouldn't have said anything - it was like giving a criminal a list of what you have in your house and then leaving town.

On a brighter note, I just came inside from working in the yard. I FINALLY planted all my seeds. I built a little garden using concrete edgings that used to be around some trees in my yard that I thought looked a bit tacky. They helped create a bit of a raised bed that I then filled with potting soil type stuff. Black Gold is the brand, I think. I bought it at Big Lots a couple months ago - it's a mix of the three types of stuff the square foot gardening people recommend. Then I made some rows and emptied my seed packets. I didn't exactly intend to plant every seed I had, but my hose connection was a bit crazy and water sprayed everywhere, wetting my gloves and all my seed packets. I figured they wouldn't store well being all wet, besides many of my seeds were a couple years old - well, maybe half. Anyway, I've planted beets, lettuce, radishes, marigolds, green onions, carrots, Swiss chard, and green peppers. Then in another patch I've used pretty regularly, I threw down some old potting soil, mixed it in with the base soil, and planted my tomato seeds. I now - they'll probably not produce in time, but at least the seeds are out of my face causing guilt. I've done such things in the past and managed to harvest some food. Oh, in a long open rocky spot I threw down some squash seeds - can't remember the kind - acorn I think. Anyway, I then found three planters that came with my house and have held a variety of plants over the years. I filled them with more potting soil and threw in the following seeds: chives, basil, and cilantro. I really really really hope I can harvest some food. And I really really really hope I remember to water and weed and feed the plants without accidentally taking the plant itself out by mistake. We shall see. I feel a lot better now about spring finally being here. I've ignored it long enough and my life feels a little less cluttered with the seed packets out of my kitchen and soil bags emptied where they belong. Now to figure out what's up with my hose connection. Any outdoor plumbing experts volunteering their services?

Daffodils

This is for my mother. Once she gave me a bag of bulbs that sat in my fridge for a good 6 months or more. I'm pretty sure these are the results.

Cake overflow

This is my second time using this pan. I worry about it sticking when I dump out the cake. Apparently it had other problems - the cake was too big and overflowed onto the bottom of the oven. In the end I'm not too sad because it means I can eat some now without ruining it. I still hope it dumps out okay.
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Shelves

I was supposed to share this photo weeks ago so my family could see mine and bret's "talent" for fhe. On a miserably snowy saturday we went to costco and bought these shelves for our food storage. We managed to put them together with only one purple thumb.
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Sign of spring

Last week I found my winter quilt square on the floor like this. It had unstuck itself from the wall. It should have been changed the first of march. It's now changed.
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wheat grass

Look what I grew! I've wanted to do this for 5 years.
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Produce!

Check out the load of produce I just picked up for a mere 19.50. I was going to make you guess how much it cost but figured that's not as fun as it sounds in blog world. Seriously, though, I don't know where I'm going to put it all. I think I'll go visit the neighbors. Luckily I'm also throwing a small party tonight.

I just finished weighing it all. It came to about 26 pounds - so it averages just over a dollar a pound. Just in case you can't quite tell from the photos, I got a pint of cherry tomatoes, four Asian pears, a head of green leaf lettuce, a bunch of celery, about 8 bananas, a couple crowns of broccoli, around 15 cameo apples, five navel oranges, four pomellos, maybe 10 yams, three little bags of baby carrots, and one butternut squash. I think the variety is what I love best.

Look new stove

Yesterday bret and I spent the entire day and evening shopping for and installing this in the condo. Sorry I don't have a shot of the old one for comparison's sake. Doesn't it just say buy this condo and you'll be happy the rest of your life? Our main competition recently dropped from 5 thousand less than us to 10. And the condo that was 3000 more than us dropped to 500 less. So today - besides installing a new oven and painting tacky gold chrome on the mantel white, we decided to drop our price 2000. The great tax break for new home buyers ends april 15 - here's hoping ours goes by then! Feel free to spread the word to your friends and neighbors. In case you missed it earlier, here's a link to it.

Super bbq tofu pizza

Look what I made for dinner tonight! Bret loved it. On a blog I read this morning the lady gave a recipe for bbq chicken pizza. I figured it would work well with tofu and it did. For fun I added spinach and pine nuts. I love cooking successes. Plus I learned the secret to good crust - cook it on high - 500 degrees.

day of being vegan

so, we're applying for life insurance. that requires a physical for the good husband. being a lover of all things buttery and cheesy we decided he needed to go on a crash diet before the blood draw. he agreed (even suggested) that he would basically live like a vegetarian for the week - okay, only three days he reminded me, but i'm excited about those three days! yesterday morning i took my vegetarian cook book to the gym with me to peruse while using the elliptical. i made up a good list of ingredients and dog eared some recipes. when i got home i cross checked some of them online to see if i could figure out which ones would be most delicious and appeasing to a man used to animal products. finally i settled on three recipes i'm going to try: tofu and veggies in peanut sauce, asian mushroom soup, and lentil and spinach soup. bret loves mushrooms and i think he liked a pad thai dish we once had. while looking over the options allrecipes had i came across bbq tofu - they supposedly are like eating chicken wings but without the bone and veins and gross fatty stuff. since all these recipes were on the internet i decided the vegetarian cookbook is going to the di. anyone want it before i send it off? it's lovely, just not necessary. anyway, i took a walk to the asian market in the afternoon and picked up some firm tofu, a head of cabbage, and green onions (i also got more nori paper since bret's discovered his love for home made sushi and we were running low). back home i made up the bbq tofu strips, sampled them, decided he might like them and put them in the fridge to reheat later for dinner. i also made the tofu peanut stuff. i decided i better get the tofu over with in one night since i didn't think bret would be a big fan of it. turns out - he LOVED the bbq stuff. he also really like the peanut stuff and said we should make it when we have our neighbors over again - the ones that are vegetarian. we had a side salad (which i must admit i allowed him to put ranch dressing on - not much - his only "treat" for the day) and then orange slices for dessert. it was delicious. he loved it so much i got extra hugs and kisses and he couldn't stop commenting on how happy he was. by the way, for lunch i sent him off with a tub of homemade hummus and baguette slices, along with carrot sticks, an apple, and a banana. i figure he might be extra hungry so i gave him extra fruit to fill up on. he said he was satisfied the whole day. i hope this new vegetarian kick can last longer than three days! it might do us both some good. he doesn't weigh himself often, but he did this morning and it was four pounds less than the last time he weighed and that made us both happy. hooray for positive reinforcement!

perfect morning

okay, maybe it wasn't perfect, but for a moment i felt perfectly happy. i'd just completed a few errands and was walking out of the store when i was greeted by the lightest, gentlest snow. i wouldn't have loved it so much except that it wasn't sticking and it felt more like seattle than utah. but the cherry bit that made me smile was the cacophony of birds chirping. it was morning, after all, so i'm sure they were just doing their bit to greet the day, but it sure reminded me of spring and it just made my day. now the day is over. it's dark. i've failed at making bread, and i can't say i got that much done, but it was a saturday - and i enjoyed it. now i'm off to see some documentary about a teenage boys basketball team with plewe - haven't been to the movies in ages - i'm excited!

Happiness reminder

So sometimes, life gets such that you forget how good you have it. Married life is an adjustment - it's a brand new job for me! So is teaching primary, by the way - I should post about that sometime! Anyway, lately i've had a case of woe is me i'm a failure. Anyway, today was one of those days where I rose above the blues. When I got home tonight I saw these flowers (bret gave them to me a week ago saturday) and remembered once again how blessed I am. It's been nice having them. More than once this last week i've had to look at them to remind myself how good life is. I like having little reminders. It reminds me of how when I was a kid and feeling whiny my mother would tell me to count my blessings. P. S. One more blessing today - mother let me take home leftover pot pie I helped her cook this afternoon - dinner is done!

2009 in review

i just read an article about new year's eve and how it used to be about nostalgia and looking back on all the great memories. maybe you knew this already. i've always thought it was a looking forward sort of event. i guess that's what you are supposed to do on new year's day. anyway, my memories of the whole dec 31/jan 1 thing is more of endurance and then feeling tired and regretting how i spent the last night of the year - nothing extra special, nothing memorable really. so, i've decided i want to spend some time looking back. cherishing some memories. i don't have a lot of photos - just bought my first one when i got married - but i think photos are the best way to share the looking back moments. so i'll see what i can do.

so here's a retrospective: i began the new year by sleeping over at bret's parents' place. that was a big step for me into the "this is serious" world. he may not have thought so, but it wasn't easy for me. we had done dinner and played games the night before which was a huge change from the usual "attend the singles dance" plan of years past - but i did miss the safety of routine.

january - the only highlight i can remember is taking a trip to houston for work. we went to check out how high schools there manage to team their teachers and work together on curriculum. it was interesting - not worth the money - but i enjoyed the extra time i took to visit my sister andrea's family. while i was there i got to go with them to help clean the church. mostly i just like one on one time with people and i don't get it often enough with andrea.

february i finally won the fight with weber state and received my bs in english. it was only the first step in a long struggle to become highly qualified. well, maybe not the first - i had to take a whole bunch of ugly classes before that. in other boring news that was the month i refinanced my house for 4.65 - taking advantage of the recession. i hope it pays off - i knew it possibly wouldn't if i got married and we wound up selling my house within two years. i have one more year for it to be "worth it." that was also the month i bought a "family membership" to the planetarium for a me and a bunch of friends. we haven't used it as much as we'd have liked but at least we've gotten our money's worth. i recommend such things. i eventually got bret to join our family to help me use it more often. being february i should at least mention that i had a really good valentine's day for the first time that i can remember. a real boyfriend who got me real presents and made the holiday a really special event.

march was when we had our annual spring equinox snow and bbq event. i DO have a picture of that. as usual, it's a really nice time with good friends. we did a bit of tromping around in the snow and then a lot of sitting with good friends and eating good food. in less than fun news that was the month i got called to be an activities cochair in my ward (or maybe i got called in february). anyway, we got started on planning a passover dinner for everyone - which i have to say wound up being a huge success. but it happened in april. and i have pictures of it. march and april were the big "yearbook is wrapped up" months - huge feeling of accomplishment - but it wasn't totally done because there are lots of little things that still needed taking care of - in particular, planning the distribution. still, it was a huge mile marker at work.

april is also when i had spring break. luckily it happened about the same time as general conference and was when bret needed to take some time off. he was kind enough to take it off when i had a holiday so we could spend time together. he was also kind enough to agree to a road trip to see my sister. we had good long discussions on the road that helped us feel better and closer to being able to get married.

may is always a great month as a school teacher - things wrapping up - summer coming - heaven! the last couple of years, though, i've had a lot of stress and resulting back pain. i'd like to report that 2009 was pain free! at the very start of may i got to go on the annual women of the world trip down to bryce canyon. we took a really long hike that led down into the bottom of the canyon and then back up again. i'm proud to say it's listed as "strenuous." women of the world can do anything - and kristin did it with a blister! it was the fairyland loop for those who want to follow our footsteps.

june brought holiday! and my holiday was booked! first i went to nantucket to visit the good brother. he let me teach a couple classes, really, just lecture them. i shared with them the importance of setting a purpose, in reading, doing chemistry, and living life. it went over well. my favorite part, though, was when i was done and the kids were doing a worksheet and this one boy asked me for advice on writing an essay. when i got back i took the praxis test - the final step in becoming highly qualified (well except for actually applying for the license from the state of utah). i'm proud to say i passed with flying colors and no studying - i knew i was highly qualified! bret had a bit of time off that we used for exploring some cool sites here in utah - like mormon flats and red butte gardens. it was a great week of spending time with him. at the end of the month i got to go to utah state with yearbook kids - a working vacation of sorts. it wasn't as fun this year as the one before, but still a good experience for all of us.

july started with family in town. i missed a lot of my family bonding, though, as i went to aspen grove with bret's family. i got to be the "might as well be my sister-in-law" type of introductions. only a bit awkward. mostly it was tons of fun. i really enjoyed bonding with his family. we played in the pool, we hiked, watched kids fish, we played shuffleboard, we sat and watched people play horseshoes, we played that volleyball game where you hit if off the walls too, we just played a lot! later in the month i went on a road trip with a couple friends from my ward. we drove to the california coast and up through the redwood forest. it was gorgeous! i found lots of places i want to visit again and again.

august was a birthday. i got to celebrate in lava hot springs as i was in charge of a large ward activity up there. bret was really cool and arranged to pick up a birthday cake in a nearby town and we had a surprise celebration with friends who went up early like we did. i hurt my bum somehow (wish i could remember - i think it was from going down a slide) and it limited the amount of fun i had on the trip. plus it was cold and i didn't want to get in the river. we did check out a sort of ghost town nearby that i recommend. fun trip. good times with bret. in the non-busy times of summer i filled my days with reading to the little boy next door. he got some stickers at one point that he needed to share with me. i can't say i was terribly pleased. luckily it was just that one incident.another major thing that happened in august - i finally lived alone. my roommate of 11 years moved out when my other friend bought a house just a block south of me. we spent much of august and september (and she kept working through october and november and still has work to do) making it livable - mostly painting it.


september was the start of school. actually it starts the end of august - but basically september is a good marker. i loved my classes. things went great, but i was getting pretty antsy wondering what lay ahead for bret and me. i let him know too. we did a family (his family) temple sealing event and i was the only non-robinson present. i decided it made me feel special. but bret finally got the message he needed to do some serious thinking.

october usually brings my annual halloween party. i knew bret doesn't enjoy such things and i didn't want to subject him to the pain, but since he hadn't taken any action i decided i'd go ahead and throw the party. by the time the party came around i WAS engaged, but it was too late to cancel. he endured just fine. the party was the usual success but the best part was knowing it was my last one to throw. i love seeing so many good friends having a good time, but i look forward to having smaller more select parties. i think october may also be the month i applied for an english endorsement with the state of utah. baby steps - endless ones it seemed!

november brought my last month of work. i gave my 30 days notice when i got engaged. kids blamed me for "quitting" but i think they are just teenagers who like to give teachers a hard time. there was a group of kids, though, that i sincerely worried about. i'm sure they'll be fine. november was pretty nerve wracking and emotionally straining as i dealt with the transition. the wedding itself was wonderful - perfect in every way - and i haven't had any regrets about leaving my job. i love being a wife! in preparation for the wedding i got the band together to practice a bit - that is the best feeling. i also got a formal proposal - bret took me to the park in centerville where he first peeled me an orange and peeled me another. right before leaving my job i'm happy to say i was awarded my full teaching certificate and labeled "highly qualified." big check mark going on there!

december was pretty much married life. i'm not as organized as i'd like to be. each day i have a long list of things to do and then don't do enough of them. i love cooking meals and have mixed feelings about all the cleaning - but it feels good to have chores done so when bret has time off we can play. our new ward has been a good experience. i got called to teach sunbeams - bret's calling is coming. i've been tapped to fill in on organ as needed. we'll see how that goes! the main organist is leaving in june so i have some time. we've made friends with neighbors and have enjoyed having little get togethers in our home. we've put bret's condo on the market and repainted the whole thing (much to the debt of good friends and family). oh, and christmas was great! we had pie for breakfast and green smoothies for lunch.


well i've gone on way too long! i hope to find some photos to insert and get this posted. good job if you actually read it all. i'm not sure i would have. but for my sake i like to have the year in review. maybe i just should have stuck to photos. :)

Not a jazz fan

Bret and I wanted to go to dinner at tucano's tonight to celebrate his birthday. Let me just tell you - a weekend night during the holidays when a jazz game is going on equals no parking. I froze walking the mile plus from the parking lot to our restaurant.

pie overload

bret and i bought 10 holiday pies at our recent sub for santa ward auction. 10 holiday pies is a lot. considering my family requires a special lemon meringue pie at holiday gatherings, that meant at least 6 pies per family. since we hit my family first, bret's family got the most. luckily they had people willing to keep and help eat the leftover pies. this morning i heard from two friends who said yes to me bringing over pie. right now i have about 2 and a half left that bret and i need to consume or share. i'm having a painting party next week (mon through wed at least) and plan to feed pie to those who come - if there's any left. let me know if you're interested in either painting or eating pie - i'll give you details - i'll hook you up.

i'd just like to note that the lemon pie seemed to be the general favorite at both family gatherings. i'd also like to note that i've had pie for breakfast two days in a row now. at least i made it to the gym today!

just for the record, here is a list of all the pies:
2 pecans
2 banana creams
3 lemon meringues (bret and i made)
1 chocolate walnut
1 cranberry apple - what a cinnamon loaded soupy but delicious mess that turned out to be - complete with caramelized walnuts on top
1 raspberry cherry
1 grasshopper
1 maple custard that definitely needed more maple flavor!
1 blueberry cheesecake

My tree

Last night bret and I hosted a little christmas gathering for friends. That required decorating. In the past, dona was always the decorator in my home. Without her bret and I had to improvise. Neither of us were interested in bothering with a tree - but christmas parties aren't that festive without some token lighted and decorated thing - so we used the plant stand. I think it looks great - sorry the photo is sideways not sure I feel like figuring out how to exactly fix that. So... as for the party... it was a great success! We had about five musical numbers plus an audience sing along to begin and end the program. When it was "over," though, people still wanted to sing. Since jared is just that sort of musically prepared guy, we had a stack of sing along books to use. Brent was good enough to take care of the playing on the piano and I think the musical entertainment lasted another half hour while others felt free to chat and snack. I really meant to pull out the camera to document what might be the start of a holiday tradition - but I forgot. Last year my vision friends and I put it on as a little service/social activity. It was such a hit that while I was away on honeymoon they decided we should do it again. I knew bret really enjoyed it last year so I was rather confident he'd be up for hosting this year. Hooray for a social musical friend and treats loving spouse. And hooray for musical friends who enjoy gathering for good times and good causes. (we collected canned goods for the food bank.) i'd also like to add that my floors are clean and the furniture is back in place but i'm still enjoying the christmas decorations.

Festival of trees

I'm finally done with my volunteer shifts at the f of t. Can't say it's the most fun ever but it was still pretty cool. It's really touching to think of all the people donating time and resources in honor and for the support of primary children's hospital. It was just a bit depressing thinking so much about the pain and suffering of people - I know it's supposed to inspire courage and hope especially during the holiday season but that's where the word bittersweet comes in. Maybe when i'm older or just have more time for reflection i'll be able to feel it more deeply but after two days of being on my feet i'm mostly left thinking of the sad stories. Also maybe the sadness comes from hearing that y first principal who hired me 10+ years ago passed away today from cancer. I'm no fan of cancer in any form.

the latest

okay, well, since i'm now back from the honeymoon and trying to organize my life, i decided i better update my blog - nothing more important of course! okay, maybe the piles of gifts that need thank you cards written - not to mention being put away! hey, at least the laundry is done!

so, bret and i had an absolutely fabulous time in midway at the zermatt - a swiss themed resort. the place was pretty dead except for lunch on thanksgiving and then on friday night going into saturday morning, but still those days were pretty mellow. we felt like we had the place to ourselves. great service - well, one bag of dove chocolates did go missing one day after housekeeping had visited. they play pleasant music on the grounds until at least 10 o'clock at night. it seemed to be always playing which was cool except when it felt a bit twilight zonish. we really enjoyed the town and hiking around and feeding ducks. bret loves to feed ducks. i just like watching. i'm glad we didn't go far - it made going and returning easy. we're back at home and he's back at work and now if i can only get my house back to order all will be well. anyone want to clean my bathroom? let me just say how glad i am i took the time to clean before leaving! that made it very nice to come home to. i'm just overwhelmed by all the gifts.

back to happy thoughts. our wedding day went PERFECTLY! really we both felt like nothing could have made it better. we got to see all our friends and family and we felt like our smiles were permanent. the weather was gorgeous, the noses not too red in the photos, timing of the lunch couldn't have been better, and all the thoughts shared and especially the band's performance were spot on. (when people asked if i was at all anxious about my wedding day all i had to say was that i was nervous about performing with my band - but i did really well!) like i said - i loved it. bret and i wrote in "our" journal reflecting on the day and we could only rave about how nicely everything went. we decided our favorite part of the sealing ceremony was when our sealer reminded us to hold hands and pray together (and with the children) to create an atmosphere of love in our home - so others would know we belong to each other - and so our children would learn about love. okay, so i'm not restating it perfectly, but i think you get the idea. let's see, i think i can find a picture of us on the wedding day - thanks to all my siblings who did good picture taking! did i mention how great all my siblings, etc. were? the wedding party would have never happened and come off so perfectly if it weren't for all the talented family members who pitched in like the wind. i think bret's mother said it was her most enjoyable wedding of all. i know it was mine! :)

Last day being single

I woke up this morning wondering how I should spend my day - the last one being a single woman. It felt like any other saturday. I did chores, finished packing, played with family, went to costco, ate good food, picked up family from the airport. Later tonight I get to see bret for an hour and then I have a sleep over with the women of the world - plewe and kristin. I think we'll make lime squeezies and chat a bit before bed. Sounds like a perfect day to me.

Bean soup

My bathroom smells like bean soup. I've been using my tub as kitchen sink since last saturday my pipes decided to bust a hole. The pipes are better. It'll be nice to use the sink again.

Saying goodbye

This is the view on my way out the door. The only awkward part today was when a kid saw me take this picture - the door one. Oh well - not my problem anymore! My mantra got me through the week and it's finally true. Happy to say I went out strong!

Can you guess what i did yesterday?

That's right - I picked up my dress. If it was easier to put on and didn't require a helper I might try it on over and over again before the big day - but the thing is a hassle. I need to go buy static guard the lady told me. Apparently tuelle is pretty electric!

Better than christmas

Last night at my bridal shower someone commented on how it's better than christmas because besides gifts I also get a husband. Too true! I probably got more gifts than i've ever gotten at christmas. I think my friends know I like to bake - 3 sets of cookie sheets and a bag full of sugar, etc. but what really prmpted me to blog about this time being "better than christmas" is the anticipation I feel for next week. In exactly a week i'll be fixing my hair preparing to go to the temple to be sealed to bret for time and eternity - seriously, finding someone you can trust and want to continue trusting like that, is a miracle. A "better than christmas" miracle!

snow!

i can't say i'm looking forward to it. i can't say i really enjoyed it when it came flying down yesterday. i have yet to remember to wear a scarf when i go out - i'm not ready for the cold! but this morning, i went for a walk to the park. there were some patches of crusty ice bits on the sidewalk, but the sun was shining, and it was glorious! i felt good! i loved the clean air that snow can bring. i loved that it i attended an inspiring stake conference meeting last night and i have another one this afternoon. i loved feeling happy to be alive and happy about the future - snow and all.

more big news!

so... you know how i'm getting married and quitting my job? well some of you may also know the headache pain and suffering i've endured the last few years trying to become a "highly qualified english teacher" (thank you legislators for all the hard work you do that i know has good intentions but really just seems to complicate life for many of us!) - well, anyway, i did it! i got my letter this week from the state office of education that says i have an english endorsement!!!! i can now teach english legally and my school district will no longer be harassed and will no longer pass on that harassment to my principal who will no longer need to bug me each year to do something about that. it's finally done! (i figure it doesn't hurt to have for the future - never know when/if i get to return to teaching - maybe by then i can become a certified math teacher or some other exciting and hoop jumping position.)

in case some of you are trying to remember what suffering i'm talking about remember that shakespeare class? then remember the appeal to weber to give me a degree? oh, and remember the racket that praxis is running in this nation? yeah, those are the horrible hoops i had to pay for and deal with. this letter from the state office is gold i tell you - gold!

for the women in my life

sorry, this isn't going to be any sappy sort of post. it's just that guys won't be able to appreciate it. i don't know about you all, but when i get ready in the morning i don't have a perfectly smooth routine. sometimes i curl my hair sometimes i don't. sometimes i eat breakfast before getting dressed, sometimes i eat it before putting on the makeup but after curling the hair. it always varies. well this morning, when i went to put on my makeup the first thing i put on was my lipstick. oh, you should probably know i'm the sort that wears foundation - which goes on FIRST. oh well. so i was a bit tired and not thinking clearly.

let's see, other news. last night bret and i packed up his stuff and brought about six boxes to my house. he's moving in! yes i know that's normal when you get married, but it's still a little weird. i have a hard enough time finding places to put all MY stuff, now i have to figure out where to put his!

in other news doctor said i need more vitamin d. seems odd to me. i'm a healthy person. i don't need no stinkin' vitamins. but i guesss i do. i guess i spend too much time inside. the good friend plewe did some research for me. basically i need to see more sun light. or take vitamins. i'll be picking up my prescription next week. hope i don't die before then. i'm hoping it helps with the tiredness and achey back.

ps - i'm getting married in less than three weeks! hooray! i just managed to get a sub to cover my last two days of work - double hooray!

registering

last night i dragged bret to target to register. when it was all said and done i think i had a worse time than he did. target seemed to have very few choices. i felt like we registered for things because we "had" to. not very fun. and since we were pressed for time a lot of the decisions didn't take a lot of thought or analysis. i hate "buying" things without more thought. bret hated "buying" things if he didn't feel like we needed them. of course, he's been content to live in a bachelor's pad with hand me downs for years. i guess in some ways i have too. it's hard to shift into responsible adult mode with nice things. it was really easy talking ourselves out of registering for things with the justification that it wasn't needed. after some arm twisting he finally registered for a tennis racket. i own one and if he doesn't have on then i felt like there would never be the chance that we might play. he argued that for how often we tried to play he could just borrow one from his parents - but i figured that took away the spontaneity. in the end i wonder if i really should have pushed. maybe in a few years when we look at the dusty unopened tennis rackets we can laugh at my insistence. anyway, i'm hoping to have more luck and bed bath and beyond - maybe we'll get there tonight after we do dinner with the parents.

can i tell you all how annoying this tight knot in my upper back is? you know, the kind stuck behind the shoulder blade. it won't go away! i think i'll have to visit a massage therapist sooner than later.

The ring

I know it's a bit blurry, and it's not even my real ring (just filler) but it's the same style so I figure I should share. The real one will have yellow diamonds framing the center stone.

engaged!

i don't think there's any one that reads this blog other than mike in texas that doesn't also read all my facebook posts or get regular emails from me. but as a special treat to those who do occasionally check here, i'm posting my engagement photo. what i love best is that we got engaged last wednesdayish and by saturday we had a date, were shopping for a ring and next thing we knew, i bought a new blouse and we were posing for an engagement picture. bret's brother took it (after proper encouragement and pressuring from me). we went to byu campus since i knew they had beautiful leaves. ever since i attended college there i have loved their leaves and had even dreamed of having my engagement photo taken with them. these were different leaves than the ones i used to admire (my "hood" at the y was pretty limited). after about 5 minutes of picture taking it started to rain heavily. that was the end of the photo session, and luckily it was successful!

Old

You know you're getting old when you purchase something specifically for a male and the clerk asks if it's for your husband or son. How does he know it's not for my father or brother? Sigh.

Talent

For fhe on sunday I was in charge of talent. Since bret and I recently painted the ceiling of my new bedroom I decided to share that. It compares in no way to what james and alicia did, but I believe it's important to be pleased with your work, so i'm sharing it. Taking a picture of a ceiling isn't easy. I'm also attaching the view from my bed of the newly painted door. Now I just need to cover the closet doors!

Long week

It's only wednesday of a rather long week. Sigh. But at least i'm attending yoga tonight and then going to the temple with plewe. That actually seems like a great way to spend my evening. The last two evenings i've had parent teacher conferences. I know i'm finally a veteran because I felt zero amount of nervousness. Mostly I was sad I got so little planned during the down time. The first night we had a fire alarm so we got to spend a good five minutes standing around in the cold - it was nice to have the "break." my other stress of the week is halloween. I made the official announcement that i'm throwing a party. That means I have to get serious about nailing down a costume. If you didn't get invited my apologies - drop me a line and i'll see what I can do about that. In the mean time happy halloween! I think I need to watch nightmare before christmas to get in the mood.

Hair cut

Another hair cut another blog post. Too bad this is about as exciting as my life gets. I AM enjoying the new cut, though. I will gladly recommend my stylist - only 25 for a cut - a steal if you ask me. It's been a long time since i've loved a hair cut - didn't have to "fix it" when I got home.
now to figure out what to make for dinner.
P.s. Midterms are due monday - 1/8th of the way through another year. Brand new student today. I think i've had one at least once a week since school started. And here we are in the middle of a research paper.

a butt

That's not a word I use lightly - but it's the only word to describe what I found in my yard last weekend. After having an enjoyable marktoberfest on friday night I decided it was time to mow the lawn on saturday. In the backyard - that's completly fenced in - I found a marlboro butt lying in the grass. Smoked to the end but not squased or mutilated looking, it was just innocently hanging out on my lawn. How did it get there? I hate not knowing. Now I wish i'd taken a picture - you know - for the blog's sake. i'm hurting for good material these days. I blame school. Which is a topic for another post another day. Bed for now.

Life of a fly

Tonight I had dinner with plewe. About midway through we discovered a fly on the table. I assumed it was dead - feet in the air and all. But plewe saw a leg wiggle. She wanted to save it. I wanted to hide it under a napkin. after enduring my idea for about 10 minutes Plewe won - she scooted it off the table onto the window sill below the table. I didn't mind - out of sight out of mind - but plewe kept thinking about it. She gave him a piece of chip to regain his strength. A bit later she checked on him and tried to readjust the chip so he could grab it. Really - a fly! A half dead fly! When we finally left she couldn't resist checking on him - and who knew - but he was gone! Seriously he wasn't on the floor or anywhere we could see. It was like a fly miracle. Plewe admitted her obsession may be due to some repressed issues related to helplessness. Of all things - a fly! A half dead fly!

New mixer

I finally hit bb&b with my collection of gift cards I got using all my discover card points. Plus 20 percent off and I came home with 400 dollar mixer and only paid 150. Now to decide if I want to keep it or swap with my sister for her bosch. Still pondering that one.

Lunch box love

My good brother loaned me his son's old "bob the builder" lunch box to start the new school year. My harry potter was starting to rip. Bob's been great, but apparently one of my coworkers thought it was time I had a decent upgrade. This morning she handed me this super cute new one filled with lauging cow cheese, crackers, and my beverage of choice - water. I was totally touched by her thoughtfulness but part of me may miss bob.

nod to tracie

i just hit "publish post" and then noticed the good friend tracie had also posted. only last friday we were chatting and commenting on how neglected our blogs have been. funny that we finally both got around to it. i like her stories. i too love living in the city. i too love cooking. i too love friends. hooray for good times in the city! i want to take a cooking class i think.

first week and then some

so, all last week i meant to post something about my first week of school. it didn't happen. i was too busy. let me see what i can come up with.
english classes - all great! i started high energy talking about hopes and purpose. i had them write me a letter about their hopes for the year and for extra credit i said their parents could write me about their hopes. (thanks for the idea julie!) i was surprised by how many of them want to be better writers in terms of grammar and vocabulary. unfortunately that's not the most fun to teach and i don't have much material for such lessons. but i did break down and buy 20 copies of "well-lit sentences" - or some similar book. i found it by my library by chance and really enjoyed it. i will give it a shot - teaching "reading informational text" and grammar at the same time. any suggestions? help? guidance? yikes!
my reading classes were not as positive. somehow i have become a dumping ground for special ed kids whose schedules don't work so they'll just plop them in my classes. what a pain. plus the software we use has a bug and won't be fixed until next week. filler with a bunch of kids who hate school and would rather sleep is a real challenge. it's hard for ME to stay positive and enthusiastic. so far, though, i really do love my kids. i just hate my job. my fellow teachers just cause me stress.
my yearbook/journalism kids are a motley crew. we have super sharp kids and a bunch of "pass the time" sorts in there. i'm going with the attitude that if you give them responsibility they'll rise to the challenge. all fingers crossed!
anyway, one highlight last week was coming across a spider in the hallway. it was coming straight down on my coworker's head as we were complaining. (really one of my goals each day is to not complain.) i took a picture. it's blurry. you wouldn't care.
i've still been happy living alone. i love the space, the peace, the freedom. heaven.
now to look at august's finances and see how i did with my first month on a "budget" - like the official kind.

One more year

I turned older last week. And to celebrate I invited the entire ward to lava hot springs. Well - i'm co in charge of ward activities so the trip wasn't really for my bday. Anyway, bret was very clever and ordered a cake for me that we picked up in soda springs. It was a total surprise which made it all the better. Later at camp we gathered the 15 or so ward members together to celebrate and help us eat it. I think I couldn't have planned a better party.

View of living alone

It's my first night alone. I spent a good portion talking to my mother on the phone. Who else would a girl call when she finds herself utterly alone? Luckily mother wa home! We had a good chat. This alone thing will be good for me. When I got off the phone I looked around and noticed how NOT alone I really am. I have my treasured mobiles - always ready to greet me - one is full of photos of dear friends. On my dresser is a photo of dad - reminding me of a great family legacy I come from - one of courage and hard work. On top of me is a gorgeous quilt my mother gave me for my mother gave me for my birthday. One father helped with even. And pinned to my closet door is a picture of the resurrected christ. I think being alone is totally a matter of perspective.

stuff

Here's the latest status of packing. There's still plenty more to do - thus the empty boxes in front. What worries me is that the rest of the house doesn't appear to be that empty. You know what that means. By the way, if you want to help with the move - the uhaul will be here wednesday at 6. Come one come all - good times!

big changes afoot!

so, my roommate of 11 years is officially moving out tomorrow! we moved into my house together (we'd been roommates earlier in an apartment) about 6 years ago the week of her birthday - i find it coincidental that she moves out the week of my birthday. this year i'm celebrating by cochairing a ward trip to lava hot springs. not my first choice of fun, but good enough. in preparation for living alone i've bought a few things for the house - like an iron and ironing board. funny what you get used to not owning until you actually have to live on your own. this will be my first time EVER to live alone. ever! yes, i'm a bit nervous. i'm not the alone sort. i spent a good portion of today going over my finances and creating a budget. i've tried this before, but not with as scientific and purposeful approach - here's hoping this time is different. here's hoping i actually stick to it! i've decided i need to especially watch my grocery, eating out, and entertainment categories - those are the places it's easiest to go overboard. i also did some cleaning today. the good roommate has boxed up nearly all of her things - they fill one side of my front room - oh i should take a photo for documentation purposes. i'll do that next. anyway, i had to move one of the larger boxes to get to the printer paper. i never realized the but muscles involved in lifting large boxes. i know this because last week when i was cleaning the bathroom i fell on my rear. it's been bruised feeling ever since. maybe it's more of a strained muscle, actually, since it flared up in pain just now while moving the box. school starts next week. cry for me argentina. seriously i hope i can survive all this change!

Birthday fun begins today!

Yep it's officially my birthday I think. I spent the day with my mom doing lunch and shopping for shoes. When I left she gave me my bday gift - some good old fashioned cash. I figure the cool new shoes I bought should officially be the purchase using that cash - thanks ma! They're cute aren't they? And the red soles match my red orthotics - call me fashionable. My mother always said a girl should have a bit of red on her somewhere. I think orthotics should count! So where am I sporting these fancy new fancy new shoes - no other than a birthday movie outing with the good friend. Anyway - gotta go check out the flick!

last friday

technically next friday is my last friday of freedom but since i'll be in lava hot springs getting to be in charge of a ward trip i don't feel i can call that true freedom. so guess how i'm spending the day! well, i have a ton of crocheting to do - goals must be met - so i figured sitting around watching a video might be a good way to do it. so i called my mother to see if she had any good ones from the library she might be watching while she sews. instead she convinced me to join her for a bday lunch. who am i to argue. so my last day of freedom i'll be doing lunch with my mother and hopefully crocheting. i'd like to point out that before i turned 30 i wanted to finish an afghan i'd begun 6 years earlier. when i picked up this project last april i decided i must complete it faster than 6 years. yes, it would be super cool if it could be done by my birthday, but i'm content to say before my NEXT birthday. mostly i'm trying to impress the niece that got me started and who is visiting at the end of the month. i want to be half way through. you know what will happen when school starts - i'll totally neglect it. in fact, i may neglect a lot of things going on in my life. sigh. school is hard. last night at visiting teaching my friend said back many years ago when she taught her roommate was also a teacher. my friend said she knew she was a good teacher, but she knew her roommate was a great teacher because the roommate kept thinking about school stuff and actually enjoyed thinking about it, where my friend would come home and just think about what was for dinner. i'm afraid i'm only a good teacher. i do know a great teacher, though, and she's my inspiration. her school starts a good week before mine so it's easy to feel motivated and inspired by her. good luck julie! i'm thinking about you!