Not fouling

There's a sign at the manchester airport that says no dog fouling. So instead we're hanging out in a spot of sun waiting for the brother to pick us up. We're on the last half of our trip. We're a bit bummed about that but excited for the adventures ahead!
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Ice cream

We made ice cream tonight as well as bbq tofu pizza. Good delicious ending to our maryland holiday. Trouble is we have to wake up at 4:30 to catch a plane to new hampshire for the last leg of our trip. I am sad to think the trip is half over. Today we visited the national cathedral - I love that place. When we got home bret played at the park with the girls and blew bubbles with them and played princess go fish while risa and I worked on dinner. How in the world do young mothers do it without two extra adults?
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Day 7 - LDS DC temple

We love the gps. Today it took us here - to the temple. It looked smaller than I usually remember it. I think I've just been going to so many different ones I'm starting to see similarities. This one definitely had the flavor of a bygone era to it in terms of inner decor - I LOVED it! We got to be the witness couple which was exciting since this temple has no center aisle and we got to sit next to each other. There was only one other couple in our session as well as a single woman who was apparently a temple worker. If anything I was struck by the sadness that such beauty was going under used. As we left we saw more people, but still, there was the space and chance for so many more to enjoy it. In all our SL valley weekly temple excursions there is always a decent crowd.

In the morning we went to risa's RS activity with her. Bret babysat. We discussed cheap Halloween costumes and then discussed and tried a bit of yoga. I loved it.

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Metro

We're headed into the city. The two things for sure on the agenda are some church presidents attend and the holocaust museum. Collins pointed out obama has only been to church once or twice but golfs every week.
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Big fish

Bret is a big fish who just swallowed jonah. For family home evening with my sister's family we acted out the bible story. I got to be jesus and command jonah to go to ninevah. It was a good time. Tomorrow we head to dc proper. Any suggestions?
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Shark tooth

Our youngest found the biggest shark tooth. She was drawing a line in the sand and there it was.
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Digging for shark teeth

We took a field trip to some famous cliffs (sorry can't remember the name) to look for shark teeth. Bret found quite a few. I found some cheap beads supposedly from an old ship wreck. The cliffs are made of clay. There was a dead rock fish washed up. There were lots of people and we came unprepared, unfortunately, to do any proper digging. I like being on the beach, though.
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Tying knots

We're at some sea oriented museum near solomons island. (Calvert mariene museum). The girls are learning knot tying. We saw sting rays and skates. Then we dug for fossils. So far we've enjoyed our holiday! We had crab cakes and oyster stew for lunch. We also took a 2 hour nap much to the dismay of the girls.
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Nieces

So bret and I finally made it. Now I'm at the park with the nieces. School is cancelled due to all the rain and flash flooding. In fact, driving in the dark in pounding rain last night was pretty stressful. Hooray for gps! Now I'm chillin with the girls at the "park" which is just a basketball court. The puddle in the middle makes it fun for scooters.
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Midway airport

Bret and I arrived in chicago for our layover. We called vanya but he's apparently overseas on assignment. We ate lunch and listened in on some strained conversation about religion. Then we went walking and saw this cool sculpture. I'm guessing it's of the local great lake. Anyone know which one? I'd say it is a quiz but the truth is I don't know the name. Anyone? So now we're chilling. We pulled out the gps we borrowed and I showed bret how to use it. His coworker was pretty insistent yesterday that we get one. Luckily I was bottling applesauce with someone I visit teach when bret called a bit worried we really did need one and this woman had one we could borrow. It's rather nice but she only had directions in spanish and french so I had to download the english ones off the internet. I noticed the thing cost 434 back in 2007. Yikes.
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We're off

Bret and I are hanging out at gate b-21. It doesn't get more exciting than that. Really. The excitement begins at 5 tonight when we land in dc and have to drive 2 hours to bret's brother's home. I'll try to keep you all posted while we're exploring the east coast.
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The latest pair

So what do you think? Preferences? I love how quick and easy they all are. I tat while bret reads scriptures out loud.
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more stuff i make

i don't have a photo, because i'm not much of a picture taker.  but i have been busy making other things.  for one - a new style of earring (tatted) that i think i like better.

but also - the stuff that keeps me busiest - is canning.  plum juice last week - that was fun.  anyone know the difference between plum juice and prune juice?  i don't.  it's good stuff if i dilute it a bit with water.  bret thinks it's good stuff if you sugar it up.  so this morning when i was scanning the blog world i was happy to see this post!  it's all about these reusable canning lids.  whoever thought of such a thing?  so of course i entered the giveaway, but i just might have to order my own if i don't win.

other things canned so far this year:  apricots and apricot jam galore, currant jelly, strawberry jam (just freezer style so it doesn't really count as being canned), and now plum jam and plum juice.  if i weren't taking a holiday soon i would probably be canning my grape juice.  i'm hoping to get some applesauce canning in before i leave.  good times i say!

I made them myself!

I'd like to report I just finished making my very first pair of earrings. Jewelry making has always intimidated me, but then I saw this book at the library that gave me courage. It's a book of tatted jewelry. Yep, I tatted these earrings. The hardest part was threading the beads. I think this may have been the simplest project in the book but it sure felt good to do it. Success feels good. I just might try something else.
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Sausage patties

These patties are actually made from powdered milk. Yep. Mixed with hot water and vinegar it turns into cheese. So I mixed the cheese blob with spices and a bit of egg and bean flour then fried it into patties. I actually made five but had to eat one. A bit salty maybe and certainly not greasy but they're good! We're having breakfast for dinner tonight. Now to make pancakes.
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Weed

Anyone recognize this leaf? I found a couple vine like plants in my vegetable garden and have no idea what they are or where they came from. I finally ripped them out since they were thriving so well. That's usually the sign of a weed.

By the way, I found cat poop in my freshly seeded rows of beets. This is why I am intolerant of "pets.". They don't always know whose yard/garden they're using. I wish animal control was more supportive. Maybe it's time I invested in a cat trap.
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The chipmunk

He got right under our feet. Despite the signs telling you not to feed the animals I think it's safe to assume they've been fed plenty.
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The blue jay

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Timp cave hike

Bret and I went on a field trip to timp cave today. Our friend paul invited us and it sounded fun. Well it was fun. But they were sold out on tickets to actually see the cave so we just hiked the trail for fun. Bret and I hiked half way for fun and then rested. We rested while the others kept going. We were entertained by a chipmunk and blue jay. Good times I say. Good times.
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zucchini

one of my good friends started a blog on living more frugally.  recently she recruited another friend to join the effort.  one of the features on the blog is to take an ingredient that you might have too much of (due to a sale, or home garden) and use it in a multitude of delicious ways.  veronica, the new poster, has been posting ways to use zucchini and i commented  that just last night i made chocolate zucchini cake with mine.  she asked for the recipe.  i figured i might as well share it with others.  (p.s. check out tight wad in utah - the blog that not only helps you save money but also eat well.)

my recipe comes from one of my favorite cook books.  it's called "no man knows my pastries" and is a satire on life in utah as much as it is a cookbook.  it's a bit irreverent and i doubt i'll ever share it with my mother in law, but some of the recipes are good and it makes me laugh.  i think you can get it for a cent at amazon.  i bought it at the di about 8 years ago - probably paid a quarter or more for it!  i've made the recipe exactly, but last night i mixed things up a bit.  i'll give you my version (which i tried to make a bit healthier), but feel free to tweak it how you wish.

chocolate zucchini cake (or i like to call it bread so i don't feel guilty eating it for breakfast - like i did today.)
3 eggs
1/2 cup oil
1/2 cup applesauce
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 1/2 cups zucchini
3 tsp vanilla
3 cups whole wheat flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp soda
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup chocolate chips (the original recipe calls for nuts, but i think cc are better than nuts)

beat the eggs, then add oil, applesauce, sugar, vanilla, and zucchini.  blend thoroughly.  add all dry ingredients and blend again.  pour in 2 greased loaf pans that have been sprayed with pam.  ( loaf pans make it look like bread!)  bake at 325 for 1 hour. serve with milk for breakfast.


i did find another recipe on allrecipes that looks good, but i like this one so much and since it came from my cook book that i try to justify owning as a cook book, i choose to use my recipe.

new fans! and a birthday

my blog isn't exactly the hottest spot on the internet but i'm happy to report i have two new fans!  self reported ones.  that sometimes helps since (as i always taught my english students) it's good to know your audience so that when you write you can meet your objective more efficiently.  or something like that.  (can i just say how happy i am NOT to be going back to school this fall?)  one of these new fans is an old high school friend, recently reconnected through the miracle of facebook.  she said she's been enjoying reading my old posts.  i took a day last week to review some of them.  WOW - the past feels so long ago!  i wasn't quite sure what to make of my emotions that came with reading about past relationships, troublesome students, fighting the good fight of getting certified as a highly qualified english teacher, and the random ramblings of my day to day experiences.  i was also reminded of many of my old fans of this blog.  i wonder if i've lost them or if they just don't comment anymore.  hard to say.  life moves on.  sometimes looking back is just weird.  anyway, back to the present!

so, with new fans, i feel i better write something!  i did have a birthday last week.  it was pretty good.  for the next few months i'm officially older than bret.  that makes me feel special but i have to make a concerted effort to remember we're not the same age since he can never remember his age and i have to do it for him.  my bday landed on a great weekend - one of bret's longer ones.  we spent one evening with his parents, one day with my mother and brother, an evening with friends, and then an evening with the neighborhood.  i got to help put on the 7th annual night out against crime for my 'hood.  i got to be in charge of organizing the kids' games.  luckily i have super nice and enthusiastic neighbors who agreed to help.  i also luckily have a good husband who is willing to do anything i ask.  we started working around 4:30 in the afternoon and didn't get home until 11.  bret didn't complain a bit.  he actually may have enjoyed himself.  no, now that i think about it, he said it gave him a lot to think about.  maybe that's like enjoying himself.  our neighborhood isn't exactly "upscale" by any means.  we'd more likely be referred to as the "other side of the tracks" although, the real tracks (for uta trax) are actually about four blocks further west.  but our residents tend to be multinational, limited english speakers, alternative family types.  hmm, this isn't coming out right.  basically there are a lot of rentals in the area.  not to mention the hood has a reputation as being a bit of red light district (at least a few years ago it did).  so anyway, the kids that came to our games weren't exactly polite or well behaved.  neither were the parents.  rules?  what are those?  as bret said, they didn't respond to the word "no."  they didn't respond to anything.  he felt a bit run over by the kids.  not exactly the thing a new husband needs to experience.  it's not like the idea of kids sounds easy breezy anyway!  when we were cleaning up i couldn't help but smile to realize that the people doing all the work were two old women, one middle aged woman and her 10 year old son, one old man and his pregnant daughter and her husband, and then me and bret.  not exactly the sort of crew that can haul tables and chairs for 200 after having worked for three hours setting up, grilling, wrestling kids, and cleaning up.  i was impressed with their fortitude.  i, however, lay on the grass and tried to relax my back as it was causing me some severe pain after all that.  we're thinking next year of hiring the hauling of tables and chairs.  the two old ladies that do most of the work are pretty good at getting donations from businesses, but not so good at getting members of the neighborhood to pitch in.

yep, so that's how i spent my big bday weekend.  the best part was having  a good husband intent on making me happy all weekend.  he let me eat apple currant crisp for breakfast on thursday.  he took me to moochies for lunch on saturday.  and he got me a box of see's.  who could ask for anything more?

apricots and doors

thursday i went apricot picking with two women in my neighborhood.  they're also in my ward, but i met them through my involvement in neighborhood watch.  anyway, they're great women.  i love how they've "adopted" me.  so we went picking.  the tree belonged to a 92 year old woman whose children won't let her climb ladders anymore.  another woman joined us, and i think everyone except me was well over 70.  so i got elected to climb the ladder and get on the roof to pick.  good times i tell you.

so anyway, the rest of the day was spent processing those 30 odd pounds of apricots.  the fun went into friday, as well.  somehow we managed to let a fly in.  by the time we went to bed we finally noticed it.  bret didn't want it annoying us while we slept so we lured it out of the bedroom and then closed the door.  as usual, i needed to use the restroom around 3 a.m.  guess what i did.  yep, i walked right into that closed door.  and bret slept right through my pain!

anyone want some apricot syrup?  syrup is a lot easier to make than jam.  in fact, if you try to make jam, be prepared to embrace the syrup you'll get instead.

food adventures today

sometimes i have days where i cook a ton.  usually it's to use up things going bad in the fridge.  other times i just need to.  today was a combo.  i had avocados that were RIPE.  bret and i have been buying  a ton of them lately because they're on sale.  i'm content to leave them in the fridge and just take a couple out each week.  bret, though, thinks he must have at least five that are ripe all at once so that he can make guacamole. trouble is, guacamole requires tomatoes and i had about five avocados needing to be used today.  luckily i found tomatoes that were cheap (doing price matching through walmart).  but when i got home i decided the tomatoes weren't ripe enough and besides, i'm SICK of guacamole.  he isn't of course, but i'm all about variety and now that he's married to me he has no choice - i thrust variety at him regularly.  so what did i find online?  recipes where you take avocados and turn them into dessert - my type of recipe!  here's a link to bret's favorite (i made him try two).  i highly recommend it.  the other one i made involved a banana.  since bret was willing to let me finish the banana one so he could finish the other, i decided to experiment some more and mix cocoa powder and sugar in.  wow - that was a good idea! 

besides avocado treats i had to bake bread. i also had to make dinner.  my new favorite cookbook, no joke, is "country beans."  i love it so much i bought a copy on amazon.  i think i've tried about five recipes in there and bret loves them all.  in fact, one i've made like three times now he loves it so much.  double in fact, i made that same dish again, today, a double batch!  i had a huge costco size bag of spinach that needed using.  this recipe calls for a pound of fresh spinach.  basically it's spinach with rice and beans all mixed together and held together with beaten egg and cheese on top.  when bret got home he saw it sitting out on the counter and got excited thinking it was for dinner.  but it wasn't.  it was for the freezer.  for dinner we had mashed beans mixed with rice and cottage cheese - all baked together with olives and mushrooms.  i thought it was pretty tasty, but we both agreed it made a better burrito filling than anything.  luckily we had some tortillas (and avocados) and some sour cream and bret was as happy as if i'd fed him the spinach stuff.

but yeah, i'm tired.  my back hurts.  no more kitchen work for me.  at least for tonight.  and tomorrow.  we have plenty of leftovers in the fridge!

Yikes!

This was on my front door when I got home last night. It's big and blue and beautiful in a bug sort of way. Little versions hover around my garden regularly.
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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. :)