Young Women

Here are a few of my yw as we went to the temple for the first time. Very exciting!
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Father's Day Dinner

Bret made it himself. It's cheesy!
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Quadrants

Finally they are together again after 14 years. Sure miss the good old days.
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BYUtv - The Generations Project: Rachel

Some of you may have heard of my good friend Rachel. She helped me cut down a few Aspen trees last year. She appeared on BYUTV last night - pretty exciting. It was actually at the cutting down of my Aspens when she was in the middle of recording this project. I think you should watch it - pretty interesting!


BYUtv - The Generations Project: Rachel

couches

there has been plenty of exciting stories from my life lately, but for some reason blogging about them has been more of a chore than a pleasure so i haven't made much of an effort.  today, though, it's rainy and i don't feel like filing (which is what i should be doing) so i'll share some recent good news.

last weekend my mother gave us her old reclining couches.  if there is anything in this world my husband loves it's a recliner.  this is the next best thing.  we managed to find space in our basement and are rather pleased with the new set up.  it did require, though, hauling out our old one.  i did that by myself one morning.  i was surprised by how light it was, especially once all the cushions were removed.  unfortunately reclining couches are NOT light.  i think poor bret may have strained his back moving them in.  anyway, the exciting thing that happened today was getting the old couch removed from my property.  i advertised on ksl and freecycle and i had quite a few interested parties, but none with trucks at their ready disposal until today.  yep, today, in the rain, a little family showed up and took it off my porch.  now i'm ready to do some grilling!  maybe i'll go sit out there and read a book while listening to the gentle rain.  that sounds nice.  or maybe i should look at my long neglected chore list and see about organizing some odd closet.


Anyway, here's a bit of nostalgia regarding my old couch.  it was a sectional.  i love sectionals.

so long old couch.  i loved you for many years.  this couch came with my old apartment, left by a previous tenant.  dona and i recovered it using bed sheets - now that was a fun project, dying them pinkish.  she did all the work.  this is where my group of closest friends was first formed - evenings after working on a tree for the "festival of trees" as well as after swing dance class.  we planned quite a few camp outs and hikes while reclining on this couch.  it was on this couch that i first became a "buffy the vampire slayer fan."  we had cats cover it in fur that gave my good friend ed an allergy attack that lasted months.  in fact i was sitting on this couch the first time i "met" ed, while watching "dante's peak." over the years, when it was less valued, it got makeup on it from the various halloween party goers.  and who knows what else was spilled on it.  and i can't forget all the many many many naps taken on it.  really it may have been one of the most comfortable couches ever.  so long.  may you get a new covering and bring your new family joy.

catching up

has it really been a month? for the last couple weeks i've had ideas of things i should share on here, and then.... well, as you can guess, i don't do it and then i forget. i'm going to try to make a list of the random things that have happened in april.
1) my young women are doing awesome! i love young women. just this morning i even worked on my own personal progress value experience.
2) bret's thumb is nearly totally healed. he wouldn't let me share photos, but just a couple weeks ago he nearly lost his entire thumb print to a mandolin slicer. we now own a protective glove. and we are now the new spokespeople for neosporin and the power of band-aids.
3) i've mastered the art of sourdough baking. today i made pitas and they are perfect! luckily bret loves all things sourdough.
4) last week i went on a hike, that wound up being a snow shoe excursion.  we went to doughnut falls and the snow was seriously four feet deep.  it snowed down on us the whole time and it was wonderful!  there were quite a few bugs out, which i thought was odd.  i wonder what they will morph into eventually - they looked like the morphing kind.  are there morphing bugs?  i don't know, but i killed a few - couldn't help it - snow shoes are big!
5) i'm a fan of drying my clothes outside on the line. so much so that even in this crazy utah weather i risked it on monday. they got rained on. oh well. today i've seen rain, hail, and sunshine. seriously.
6) my new favorite quote: we become what we want to be by consistently being what we want to become each day. - richard g. scott.

Attack of the geese

This picture doesn't do it justice. We went to the columbia river to feed ducks and these huge geese were there instead. They eventually came up on the higher ground and chased the kids around. They even grabbed bread right from their hands. It was pretty scary.

Just so you know, bret and I came to washington state (tri cities) for the week to visit his brother's family. We have had a great week but have to head home tomorrow. We have his uncle's funeral to attend saturday morning.
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The New "Secret"

Bright-sided: How the Relentless Promotion of Positive Thinking Has Undermined America by Barbara Ehrenreich

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


I was alerted to this book by a friend on Goodreads.  As an optimist I couldn't help but want to see what it was about.  My husband, the pessimist, thought I was strange for wanting to read it.  I couldn't help but hear his voice throughout the book.  I once read and was moved by "The Secret."  This book bashes it, along with other motivational books and speakers I've admired.  It gave me reason to really think about the pros and cons of positive thinking.  In the end (she did a good job of bringing it together at the end - but I did struggle through a couple chapters wondering at her negativity) I realized that there must be something out there better than just having an optimistic outlook.  As she said, it's not about being negative either, at least I like to think she said that.  I remember advice my father used to give - you don't have to like it you just have to eat it.  I guess in life you don't have to think all is rosy and you don't have to think the sky is falling, you just have to work.  A willingness to work hard may be what's undermining America, and the trend toward positive thinking is a nice way to justify our laziness.  Anyway, it was a quick read and gave some added insight into the recent market crash, as well as a renewed desire to be hard working and realistic.  But I'm still determined to be hopeful!



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Gardening

I worked in my garden today. I finally pulled up the last of my carrots. They weren't all this ridiculously small. Now hopefully I will get around to planting my peas and onions this week.
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Pumpkin salad

I made it again. Bret can't get enough of it.
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roasted pumpkin salad

it's another recipe post!  a few months ago i was reading a blog where a woman was talking about her family's new food addiction.  i can't remember exactly what her kids were inhaling, but she said it was inspired by a recipe she found on 101cookbooks.  it involved a pumpkin and since i had two in storage i was pretty determined to try my hand at it.  finally, yesterday, i did.  while searching for the blog i had read, i instead came across the recipe on 101 cookbooks, so i did that one.

sorry i don't have pictures, but i do have a link to the website where i got the recipe and that has pictures. and hers are pretty!  much prettier than how my dish turned out, but according to bret, taste is what matters anyway, and this was a winner.  he nearly ate the whole bowlful by himself!

By the way, what I'm posting here is my version of the recipe.  Feel free to follow the original.

Roasted Pumpkin Salad

3 cups of diced and peeled pumpkin (obtained from Mother's garden last fall)
2 large onions cut into large chunks (basically quartered)
olive oil and salt - no measurement - enough to coat the pumpkin and onions.

Toss the pumpkin and onion in oil and salt and then bake on a lined cookie sheet for around 50 minutes at 375.  Every now and then try to stir it up a bit so they can bake on new sides.  The goal is to have them caramelize a bit.

While that is baking, make two cups of brown rice.

While rice is cooking, blend the following in a food processor to make the dressing:

1/3 cup sunflower seeds
1/3 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon honey
2 tablespoons warm water
1/2 cup cilantro, roughly chopped

When everything is done, mix them all together and enjoy!

Guess where I went today

Last free day of the season. Bonded with nieces and nephew. Good times!
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In other news

I went short! I think it's been 10 years. My how time flies. So far I love how it is out of the way. Wonderful!
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Finally it is finished!

I started this afghan over Easter break on a trip to California visiting my sister's family. My niece, who is an expert crocheter, showed me how. I made a goal to have it finished by Christmas, but you know how things go. Bret went with me on the trip and on the drive home we read a book about finding the mate of your life. Well, it was productive and we finally got married, thus delaying my afghan work. When I got back to it I didn't have enough yarn. You can't tell, but it has two different whites. I'd like to point out that this is only the second afghan I've ever made and both wound up being made with two yarns that are slightly a shade off. You would think I would learn my lesson. Always buy way more than I think is necessary. At least I figure this way I won't be afraid to use them. Mother always says a mistake or two shows it is hand made.
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Guess where I am

Yep I'm at monster jam. We got free tickets through the tightwadinutah blog. Bret refused to join me so it's a girl night. So far it's pretty fun. Right now someone named bobo is telling us how much horse power (1600 hp) his truck has. Thankfully some neighbors had extra earplugs to share. I'd be miserable without them. Take note - when you get free tickets to monster jam remember to bring ear plugs!
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making dinner

do any of you struggle to have just the right ingredients on hand for the recipes you want to make?  i plan a menu, i shop accordingly, and yet i still find myself, time after time, missing an ingredient when it is time to make dinner.  take tonight for example.  i've wanted to try this thai beef noodle recipe for a while.  it called for sprouts, cucumber, and cilantro.  not to mention noodles, beef, and flavorings.  anyway, i couldn't find sprouts for sale in the stores i normally go to so i finally decided to grow my own.  i bought cucumbers and cilantro.  well, by the time the sprouts grew enough to make me give up on having them be long tall sprouts like i've seen at salad bars, i decided i needed to make the dish.  i dove into the crisper only to discover the cucumber was slimy.  yep.  well, by this time the beef was thawed and i was determined to make it.  i decided i could use celery and carrots in their place - after all, it's basically a noodle stir fry type dish - all vegetables are good.  as i got making it i discovered it also called for fresh ginger.  i had some on hand at the time i first decided to make this recipe, but apparently somewhere in between it went bad and i threw it out.  so guess what i used instead?  pickled ginger - like the kind you eat with sushi.  i figure it's just a bit more flavorful, and being pink won't matter much since there are carrot shavings in there too.  it all blends.  and truth be told, it's rather delicious.  i just hate thinking of the fresh produce i wasted.  i really need to be better organized with my menu planning i think.

beauty

in my last post i said i was going to floss my teeth and clean the bathroom.  but then i remembered i had a good experience last week that bret said i should blog.  he's not big on blogging, so if he suggests it i figure i better.

last wednesday i got home from grocery shopping feeling totally defeated.  my bad mood continued on through the night.  i think i'd also been listening to too much news about the egyptian revolution and that added to my depression.  i figured after a good night's sleep i'd feel better, but the next morning i still felt grumpy and sad.  since it was bret's day off we were scheduled to go to the temple.  i knew that would do me some wonders, but i wasn't feeling very motivated.  luckily with bret's motivation we headed down town.  while in the session all was fine, i felt fine, i wasn't sad, but i wasn't exactly feeling great either.  about half way through the session, after changing rooms, the woman who sat next to me turned to me and said, "you are just beautiful, absolutely gorgeous."  or some such excessive compliment.  it really made me smile.  in fact, it made me feel so good i couldn't help but notice every other person in the room looked beautiful to me.  i mean seriously - they were all beautiful.  after that, the rest of the day was great.  there was beauty all around me.  it's amazing how much difference a random compliment can make.  if anything it was a lesson to me on how important it is to tell people how beautiful they are.  compliments are miraculous.  i'm still feeling good from it!

gardening

i planned my garden last week. planning is the easy part. luckily i get to put off the real work for another couple months. i decided to write a blog post about it for my other blog - tightwadinutah.

by the way, i still haven't flossed today.  maybe i should do it right now!  then i'll clean the bathroom.

flossing

i just want to report that i flossed today. went to the dentist earlier this week. again i was painfully reminded of why i should floss. i brush with no trouble why is it so hard to also floss? i figure if i've learned to brush twice daily then i can learn to floss once a day. right? and yet i forget like the wind. any tips on how i can make it more of a habit? i have the floss sitting right next to my toothbrush so i can see it and yet i've managed to see it - much like the dust in the house.

if you haven't flossed today - maybe you should. it only takes a minute. now to exercise. something else i've managed to learn to do despite many many many years of not wanting to.

behind in blogging

i don't seem to make enough time for blogging anymore. not sure of my excuse - i feel like i sit at the computer way too much as it is and i don't know what i have to show for myself. yesterday i finally made myself put together a post for the "tightwadinutah" blog i contribute to and the thought occurred to me that i should get credit for blogging over here too. so, here's a link to my latest post. i'm a bit pleased with it if i do say so.