The Peninsula

While Aimes and Annzy were here, we took a quick trip out to the peninsula. We started with the ferry crossing from Edmonds to Kingston and then drove all the way out to the Hoh Rain Forest. I think it's one of the most interesting and beautiful place I've been. Our world is such an amazing place!

This is a pictureu of the amazing foliage. Even the plants in the water were beautiful.
Then we went to Rialto beach. It's pretty far North and not like a California or even Oregon beach. Close to the water, there is course dark sand, then above the surf line, there are small round rocks. The other amazing thing is that the drift wood is made up of whole trees. Most of them were a foot or two accross, but some were three to five feet accross and 20 or 30 feet long. I can only imagine the weather that coughs those trees out of the water. It also reminded me of the book Snow Falling on Cedars. It may have been the mistiness of the evening, but I couldn't get that out of my head.
On Sunday, we went to Hurricate Ridge in the Olympic range. The drive was a small winding road and the view was really nice the whole way up. When we got to the top, it just got better. I think we picked a good time of year too. There were flowers in bloom, snow on the mountains, and lots of green.
We had a lot of fun and I'm still catching up on my sleep. Aimes and Ann, you can come visit any time!

Brush With Fame

While Amy and Ann were here, we took a road trip. I'll post more about the whole adventure later, but this post is about our brush with fame.

When we stopped for lunch in Forks, WA, we stopped by the place with a line before finally deciding on Mexican. As we were going into the restaurant, another big car drove up and a bunch of adults and kids got out. Then who do we see, but Mario Batali! (He's a chef on the Food Channel with his own show and often appears on Iron Chef.) He was even wearing his signature orange crocks.

Mario and his party sat at the table next to ours while we ate Mexican food. It's the closest I've come to meeting a real celbrity.

A Happy 4th of July!

It's been a really happy (birth)day, full of fun activities. We started off with presents -- super fun! The DH got me a few gift certificates, some lovely jewelry, and two beautiful pieces of pottery. He did such a great job of finding things that I love. I'm impressed, especially since he was acting like he didn't know what to get me at all, and didn't need any of the ideas that I gave him. He's a reall keeper, that one!

The DH and I and Annzy and her friend Amy made our first stop of the day at Mae's Phinney Ridge Cafe for breakfast. We did take a detour past two other breakfast places that were closed, but Mae's has great food, so we won in the end. We had great service and great food. Maybe next time, I'll even try their famous cinnamon rolls.

We then headed down town and went to the Pike Street Market before heading to the Mariner's game. We had a lot of fun at the game. The weather was great and we all got a little more sun than we needed. Our red noses are really cute. The Mariner's even won, which is only a little unusual these days.

After the game, we met Colin, Sam, and Max for a yummy dinner with birthday cake (and other yummy treats) for dessert at Gordon Biersch before heading to the Indiana Jones movie. We all like the movie (no matter how outlandish and impossible the plot may get).

We then ended the day by watching fireworks on Elliot Bay. We didn't know where they were going to be, so we didn't select the best place for watching, but we were able to move to where we could mostly see them. The good news is that we know exactly where they are now, so we can get front row seats next year. Then, when we got home, we found flowers from Bop and Beep on the doorstep. Fantastic! Those are the flowers in the vase that the DH gave me.

Now it's late and I'm off to bed. It's been a lovely birthday!

In Memoriam

Our dear friend Penny Catto passed away today. It makes us really sad that she's not around any more. We loved her a lot. She was like a mother to the DH. She was one of the first people who befriended him when he came back to church and he always sat with her in Sacrament Meeting. He helped her take care of her yard when she was in her old house and also helped to clean up the house before it was sold. He's got some pretty good stories about possum droppings. Just ask and I'm sure you can get all the gory details. Penny was also a great friend to the missionaries. They always knew she was good for a meal and would let them do laundry at her house for free. I know a lot of missionaries who considered her their grandma away from home.

In November, Penny fell at church and broke her hip. Around the same time, she suffered a stroke, and then a series of additional strokes both large and small. She was in and out of the hospital and nursing care facilities over the last few months and has been at home for several weeks now. Her daughter and our good friend, Carolyn, has been taking care of her while she's been ill. Over the last few weeks Penny was less and less able to communicate and it was clear that her life here would not extend much longer.

This morning, Carolyn called to let us know that Penny had died. We love them both, so we mourn for the loss of our friend Penny and the loss to our dear friend Carolyn and her family. At the same time, we rejoice that Penny is free of the broken body that she was in and that she is free from pain. She always told us she didn't want to hang around too long if she was really sick and couldn't communicate. We also know that she is now reunited with other loved ones that went before her and there were some great characters that she was looking forward to meeting up with again.

At this time, I'm very grateful for the knowledge I have that there is a life after death. Penny has left us, but she isn't gone.

Spam for Entertainment

I was looking at my Spam folder and just had to laugh at some of these subjects. I'm letting you all in on the fun. I'm such a giver.

• Image does not put up with diletantness
• Elegance exists. Accessories for ladies and gentlemen.
• My heart beats just for you
• Encouraging news for man’s health!
• UTTERLY CONFIDENTIAL
• Receive our grant to feel well!

There were some other funny ones that weren't very family friendly, but I'm sure you can look in your own Spam folder to see some of those. The only question I have is how is this making people money? It must on some level or they wouldn't do it.

The List of Three Things...

that I'm not eating:

• Sugar
• Artificial Sweetner
• Caffeine

I'm also cutting down on red meat and trying to eat only whole grains. And here's the funny thing. I'm on day 7 (yes, that's a seven) and it's been fine. I ate so much crap while on vacation that I just had to stop. Now I'm feeling pretty good. Wish me luck in sticking with it (except for my big cheat day on Friday).

Everything Old is New Again

I remember hanging clothes on the line in our backyard as a young girl. It was just what you did. We didn't do it for the environment.

My reasons reflect my mother's reasons for hanging clothes on the line though. It's hot. I mean, really hot. The laundry still needs to be done and it just heats up the house even more. The best alternative is to let the sun work it's magic on those wet clothes without adding to the heat in the house.

On Saturday, I just had to have a clothesline. It's my favorite purchase of the summer (so far) and should pay for itself in a few years. The DH calls it the new solar clothes drier. I kind of like that.

Warm Welcome

When we arrived home from the beach, there was a beautiful jar of flowered branches on the table. Carolyn had been bringing in the mail, so I just assumed that she had left the arrangement as well. When we talked to her, sho informed us that she had just brought it in off the doorstep and that was all the credit she could tak.

The flowers were beautiful -- I'm sorry I couldn't capture it in this picture. I just couldn't get the lighting right. Trust me though. They were fabulous.

We finally had to let them go yesterday, but they lasted for about a week and a half -- longer than any regular flower arrangement would have.

So, thank you so much to whoever left the arrangement. I'm not sure if it was my visiting teacher or the neighbors accross the street, but it sure brightened my home for a while.

At the Beach

After a night and part of day in Portland, the DH, Annzy, and I headed to Cannon Beach, OR for fun with the family. The first thing we did when we arrived was have Pizza with the family and then later that evening we went to the beach and had a bonfire and s'mores. I loves me some s'mores!

On Thursday, we hung out at the beach and took pictures in the awesome shirts that Kinsey made. I liked the Pit Tournament T's she made for the adults, but the tie-dies for the kids were fantastic! She did such a nice job and you would think they were professionally done at a T-shirt shop. We then spent some time in town while most folks went to the Tilumook Cheese Factory and to the Flight Museum. We didn't want to watch chease being made. That evening though, we had a big birthday bash for my Dad, who turned 70 this year! How did that happen? It seams old, but he doesn't act that old at all. It was fun to have everyone together to celebrate his birthday and Whitney and my Mom worked together to put together a really cool book with notes from all of us and fun picutres. It was a wonderful gift and turned out beautifully. My Mom had something for each of us as well. She had shirts made up for each of her kids that said "Mom likes me best" on them. It was great! She also made re-usable shopping bags for us.

On Friday, we played on the beach some more and went into Seaside with Mackenzie and Abby. We decided that Seaside wasn't all that great, but we enjoyed our Bee Bop lunch. We also had fun playing Cookin' Mama with the neices and nephews and playing in the pool. It was a little cold for actually playing in the ocean. We'll leave that to tropical locations.

On Saturday, it was really more of the same. We had great food, more fun, and enjoyed the company of the family. We were also lucky that the first rain of our trip didn't fall until Saturday evening. The rest of the time was beautiful. Saturday also included the annual Robertson Family Pit tournament. I remember learning to play Pit at Granny's house (my paternal grandmother) when I was pretty young. The adults played frequently and I loved it. We would go back and forth between the yelling version of the game and the silent version. Good times! The worst part was that Jason won AGAIN! It's like he has some secret weapon. He got the trophy and the rest of us left empty handed. Until next time.

Then on Sunday, we packed up and went to Camp 18 for breakfast. It was really fun and the food was good -- and there was more than enough of it. The cinnamon rolls taste great and they're almost as big as a dinner plate. WOW! We then bid goodbye to the Robertson clan until we see them next time.

A good time was had by all.

Home Again, Home Again, Jiggity-Jig

We spent five days with my entire family at Cannon Beach on the Oregon Coast last week. It was great fun and we had a nice break from the daily grind. It's funny how I'm always so glad to get a way on vacation, but then so glad to be back at home sleeping in my own bed. Although we've been home for a few days already, we've been so busy that it's been hard to get back to regular blogging.

One of the highlights of our trip (for me at least) was our breakfast in Portland on Wednesday morning. The DH and I drove to Portland Tuesday evening, spent the night in the Marriott by the airport, and then picked up Annzy when her flight came in on Wednesday morning. The three of us then went to Mother's Bistro & Bar. OH MY!!! I ate the best bisquits and gravy I've ever eaten. Mother brings breakfast to a new level and that level is fantastic. I think the DH loved his walnut pancakes too. Instead of sprinkling walnuts on top, they mixed them into the batter. The pancakes were dense with them. He loved it (and I didn't even taste them, since I don't eat walnuts).

After breakfast, we went to Powell's Books to peruse the aisles. I bought David Sedaris' new book (but I haven't read any of it yet) and the DH bought a couple of books and even read them when we were at Cannon Beach. I was very happy that he had a good bookstore experience and was entertained by the books later that week. Yay for bookstores! Annzy also picked up some good stuff, including an America's Test Kitchen cook book.

After that, we went to the Hawthorne District and then to Trader Joe's and headed for the beach. We were almost the last to arrive, but we got there before dinner time and not too long after check-in time, so I thought we did well.

More about the beach later!

A Picture of Me

Well, if Annzy can do it, then so can I.



















It's a picture of who I am using fd's mosaic maker. It really is quite cool. If you're interested, you can check out Annzy's post for instructions on how to make your own mosaic.

Here's to the Dad I Love

I didn't even send a card for Father's Day because I'll be seeing my dear old Dad on Wednesday. For the record, that's why Ethan, Gage, and Fiona haven't seen birthday cards or gifts from me either. I've got them all saved up here for the big event later this week. I just can't let this day pass by without saying something about my fabulous Dad though. He really is great. If you've met him, you probably already know this, but if not, then here's why.

My Dad is the strongest and the smartest Dad around (or at least he was the strongest when I was a kid). I remember my Dad's feats of strenght wowing the crowd when I was young. He could do one-handed push-ups. That's pretty amazing by itself. That's not all though. He could pick up one of our kitchen chairs by holding onto the bottom of one leg with one hand and raise it off the ground without it tipping over. I may not be explaining it in a way that imparts how difficult that is, but trust me, it's tough stuff. It was also fun to watch him do some Indian leg wrestling with the other guys. He may have been a little competitive too.

When we were kids, he was forever showing us games that made us have to think and problem solve. They're the ones that start out something like "If you have three toothpicks and you have to create an object with eight sides..." He always knew the answers too. Amazing how it always worked that way. I also thought it was cool how he taught me the strategy for always winning or tying in tic-tac-toe. It worked too, until he told my siblings the trick and then the cat always got the game and it wasn't any fun anymore. We had to search out new opponents.

My Dad also made it a lot of fun to be a kid. I'm grateful that he built the big sandbox and "pole house" in the back yard. (We didn't have a tree, so he had a big pole stuck in the ground and built the tree house at the top of it. It was pretty darn cool.) He put holes in the red wagon so we could make it into a covered wagon for pioneer day and he built an awesome doll house for me.

All in all, I'm a pretty lucky kid. Most importantly, when my father taught me about my Heavenly Father and how much he loves me, I could imagine a wonderful man looking out for my best interest and trying to shield me from harm. All because I saw these examples of His behavior in my Dad.

Happy Father's Day, Dad! I love you.

Flag Day!

Flag Day is great and all, but the real reason I'm please that it's Flag Day is because it's the baby bro's birthday. Here's a shout out to Rager. Happy Birthday!

Joy + Guilt

On Wednesday evening, I came home to an imaculate house. The bathroom was sprakling clean, the floors were all vacuumed and mopped, and the kitchen sink was shining. It was the first day that someone else cleaned my house. Coming home to that filled me with immense joy. It's been a long time since the WHOLE HOUSE has been clean at once. I might get the whole bathroom clean, but it's been a long time since the whole house was clean.

As many an old college roommate can attest, I'm usually the one cleaning the house when I'm experiencing any kind of stress, so a busy me usually equals a clean house. Since acquiring a husband and getting a job that requires an unhealthy number of hours working to stay afloat, I just haven't been able to stay on top of the cleaning. There's a lot of guilt around that too, especially since I've always been really proud of my mad cleaning skillz.

The stress of a dirty house finally outweighed the guilt over not doing the cleaning myself. We've hired someone to come in now and I think it's causing me unadulterated joy.

I just love a clean house. It makes me very happy.

Funk-O-Mart

Yesterday I spent some time exploring more of the city of Philadelphia. I started with another lunch at the Reeding Terminal Market, this time with no creatures in sight. I ate at Delilah's, which is down home southern food. The mac n cheese and the cornbread were both fantastic.

I walked down Market Street to go see some of the historical sights in Philadelphia and on the way, I saw the FUNK-O-MART on the other side of the street. If you're in the market for more funk, this is the place. It's actually a record store specializing in '60s and '70s vinyl. I just thought the name was hysterical.

I also went and saw the Liberty Bell, the 2nd Bank of the United States, and Independance Hall. I'll write more on those later when I can download my pictures. For now, just think about how much more funk you have now that I've shared this with you.

All-Natural Appetite Suppresant

I'm here in Philadelphia this week attending a conference. It's the Society of Technical Communication's annual event and it's in our constitution's birthplace this year. The city is really pretty cool and I'm staying at a hotel that's right in the middle of things. It's a great location. The block between the hotel and the convention center houses the Reading Terminal Market. It's a lot like Pike Place Market with lots of interesting shops and such.

Today for lunch, I took a detour into the market. I always enjoy the frenetic energy in public markets and this one did not disappoint. I really did enjoy the fish mongers, bakers, and candy makers in the market.

Since it was lunch time, I decided to sit down at the Down Home Diner. I sat at the counter and ate grilled cheese with a side of fried potatoes. Now here's where it gets interesting. I'm eating my sandwich (and it was yummy -- all gooey cheese on delicious whole-grain bread) and looking forward at the wall below the pass-through window by the soda machine and what do I see, but a little old cockroach. Just yuck. I mean, I know it's a big ol' market and all, but I did not need to see that. I wasn't very hungry any more after that.

Finally Finished

Well, I started it on April 25th and finished It's Your Ship May 25th. It really was a great book on managing people. Much better than any of the other books I've read. Here's a little more of what I learned from the Cap'n.

One of the big things Captain Abrashoff talks about is building up your people. You have to make sure they know you care about them and what they're doing and that you feel this on a very personal level. It's super important to make sure that you recognize the good things people do when they do them. It's not as effective if you wait. In a workplace setting, that means you can't wait until annual reviews. In a personal setting, it means you shouldn't wait until everyone has forgotten what you're even talking about.

The other thing that I really liked in the book was the idea of generating unity. One aspect of this is making sure that you tell people they've done things wrong when they do them. You can't wait arount to discipline people and you have to be as fair as possible. When people see that you are quick to punish and that you are fair about it, they will rally around you. It's also important to listen to their ideas and implement what you can while removing any roadblocks that may be in the way. This builds everyone's confidence and helps them to love what they do.

He also talked a lot about having fun. I think that everyone needs to have more fun. I know that it's one of the things that brought my family together growing up and it's a great way to build unity at work. I think I'll start with some grilling. That's always fun!

Decoration Day

Today is Decoration Day, also known as Memorial Day. I remember reading books as a young girl that talked about families making a big deal about Decoration Day. They would spend a good part of the day at the cemetary and visit all the family grave sites.

Any graves I'm really interested in visiting are too far away for me to go to right now. Perhaps another year, I'll make it Burley or Malad for this day. I'm sure others made it.

The DH and I did visit our local cemetary today though. We took photos of the military section of the cemetary. It really was beautiful.

So, on this day, I want you all to know that I've been thinking of my maternal grandparents and my fraternal grandfather, hoping that their graves were decorated today. I've also been thinking of all those in the military who have put their lives in danger for the cause of freedom. I'm very gratefull for all they do.

Timing is Everything

Last night, the DH and I went to see Corteo. It's the current Cirque du Soleil playing under the big top at Marrymoor park in Redmond. We had a wonderful time seeing women swing from the chandeliers, jumping on beds, and doing amazing tightrope walking. There was so much movement on the stage at any given time. We were amazed at how well-timed they all had to be in order to avoid getting hurt.

One other really cool thing they did entailed several people who had rings that looked like large hula-hoops, but then they would hold themsleves up in the ring and roll around the stage and spin inside the ring and things like that. This even included rolling over their own hands. OUCH! I've found that Cirque du Soleil is so difficult to describe to someone who hasn't seen it. Hopefully that didn't just sound crazy.

The acrobatics they do are simply amazing. They have so many things that seem simply surreal. During the second half of the show, one of the performers was on a bicycle that was suspended in the air and he looked like he was riding in the air. He pedaled and moved forward slowly. Another man was in a harness, suspended upside down and walking along the tightrope. It was jut fantastic.

We also enjoyed yummy desserts and got a Best of Cirque du Soleil CD. We haven't listened to it yet, but we're hoping it's good. This is one event that I'd recommend to anyone who can afford it. The tickets are pricey, but we felt like it was well worth it.

Cabbies

I made a quick trip to Washington D.C. for work this week and there were some very entertaining moments. The best were the two cab rides I took, to and from the airport. I was staying in Silver Spring, MD and flying in and out of Dulles, so it was about a 30 mile trip each way.

The cab from the airport on Wednesday was driven by an older gentleman who was a native of India. He drove a very clean and well-kept cab and was also very well-dressed himself. When we started out on the drive, he told me all about the big news for the day -- the Oil moguls on trial in Washingtong! He talked about the price of gas hitting $135/barrel and American Airlines starting to charge $15 per bag on domestic flights. All were an outrage. He went on to talk about how cab fares have not risen in years and that it's close to impossible to make a living at it now. I have to admit that I felt for him. He was driving me all the way to Silver Spring and would have to drive the return trip empty. The trip was almost 90 minutes, so I got quite the earful.

On my return trip to Dulles, I was driven by a gentleman from Camaroon. He started the drive by asking if I was familiar with African music. I'm not such a world music aficionado so I said no. He then told me that he would play two CDs for me and find out which one I like best. The first CD was all in French and it was pretty good music. Jacques told me the name of the artist, but I couldn't quite understand the name. The entertaining part of this music appreciation adventure, however, was the commentary. I got the whole back story on every song. One song was about how every woman and every man in Camaroon want to be with a white man or woman. Another was about a woman who's husband left to work in another country so she put a lock on her knees. Another was about a priest who goes to France and starts to do all kinds of things preists shouldn't do. The last one was about how a man needs to be busy working and living and loving or he will get depressed. I then heard the first two songs of the second CD, but didn't have a chance to vote since we got to the airport in only 55 minutes.

I feel like I got a very cultural diverse experience going to the nation's capital, even though I never saw much more than the airport and a two-block section of Silver Spring. Adventure -- it's just a cab ride away!

Working for the Weekend

Well, it's been a really long week. I had a huge proposal due by 5:00 Eastern on Friday and it ended up taking up all my spare time all week. And I really mean it. I didn't even go to My Ice Cream Diary's surprise birthday party on Thursday. The good news is that everything got done and submitted on time. It just came at a price. Of course, that has me thinking about the decisions I've made lately and has me a bit worried about my current job. I'm going to have to figure out how to have better boundaries with my time. It's not really one of my strong suits, but I'm definitely going to work on it.

On Saturday, the DH and I went out to breakfast and I had crepes in honor of Annzy's birthday. Happy Birthday girly girl!!! And then, we bought some plants that the DH planted in the yard and I didn't do much of anything else. I did run to the grocery store for some sustenance, and then we got together with some friends for dinner, but it was very low key. I've not done a thing today either. It almost makes up for the ugly week.

And Another Thing...

While I was in Utah last weekend, I picked up the amazing quilt that Annzy helped with. You should see some of her other work. It's amazing. Like this, and this.

For me, she made the Drunk Love quilt again. I was going to make it, but I got stage fright and couldn't get it started. Annzy took it off my hands and put all the squares together for my Christmas present. Then she got the back for it and I paid to have it quilted at the Porn Wagon* where Annzy used to work.

Annzy didn't trust me to do the bias tape for the binding, so she pulled that together one evening and sewed on one side. Now all I have to do is finish the binding and it's all done. Isn't it amazing?

And I thought I'd leave you with a little more detail from the painting. This is the shiny white front door and the new switch plate cover on the light switch.

* NOTE: It's really called the Corn Wagon, but when Annzy first told me she got a job there, I thought she said Porn Wagon. I was very concerned about her new job. Then I found out there was nothing untoward involved and that she got discounts on cool quilting stuff. It's all good.

Painting Complete!

After moving the furniture out, the painters got started on repairing the walls. It looked pretty rough for a few days before they actually started the painting.










Once the painting started, we realized there was no sleeping in that stinky house, so we had to bug out. Patrick got a hotel room while I was out of town and I joined him there for two more nights after I arrived home.

This is how the house looks now. The painters at Seattle Painting and Decorating Company did a fantastic job. They kept everything clean, did work above and beyond what we agreed on, and generally exceeded expectations. The rooms look awesome!

Movies

So, last weekend, I went to two movies. I wasn't totally wowed by either of them, but I was entertained.

Baby Mama
I went and saw this one last Thursday evening with the girls. The premise of the movie was fairly believable and the cast was fantastic. The story moved along and it was funny without being gross or crass most of the time. The scene where Amy Pohler pees in the sink really is the worst thing in the movie -- and you already saw it if you've seen any trailers. I laughed quite a bit and I enjoyed the love interest part of the story line.
I'll give it a 7 out of 10.

Made of Honor
This was the Friday night movie of choice. We were all looking forward to it and expecting a great show. The story line was a lot like My Best Friend's Wedding, only not as funny. Patrick Dempsey makes a pretty good leading man and the woman playing the lead was pretty good, but the story lacked depth and it was a little too predictable. There were even things in the movie that made me uncomfortable, like the woman hawking sex toys at the bridal shower. That part wasn't funny at all, just really uncomfortable. The one great thing about the movie was the Scottish countryside. It really was beautiful and I enjoyed seeing that part on the big screen. All in all, I'm not sure I'd recommend it to anyone. It would be a good rental though.
I'll give it a 5 out of 10.

I'm hoping to be able to report on Iron Man soon!

Weekend Recap Part II

The rest of the weekend was spent shopping and eating and playing games. We had great food at Hattie's in Midway (I have to recommend the Swiss Onion Cream Soup) and a wonderful pizza place there too. I don't recall the name of the place, but Annzy and I shared a salad and a pizza and loved it.

We spent a good deal of time at the outlet mall and I ended up with a couple of sweaters, a jacket, and a couple of t-shirts. I still can't believe we were there for over four hours, but it's true. We all had tired feet by the time we were done. Annzy stayed and hung out with us for quite a bit of the evening and I'm so glad she got to have fun with us too. Family rocks!

I think the games were my favorite though. We played a really fun game called Sleeping Queens and then played a game that Diana and her family are working on called Catch and Release. I'll let you know when she get's it marketed and on the game store shelves. It was really fun and I'm sure it would be a hit.

The saddest part of the trip was leaving. I had such a great time with a wonderful group of women. The only thing that took the sting out was knowing I'd be back with the DH in only a couple hours.

I drove down the canyon by myself and was amazed as always at the beauty that is in that area. I love the Wasatch mountains and miss them when I don't get to see them often enough.

Weekend Recap Part I

My weekend started with a flight to Salt Lake. The flight was great because I sat by two fabulous ladies from my stake who were on their way to the Women's Conference as well. We had great conversations and it made the time race by. Then I picked up a rental car and headed to Camille's house. She and her three girls were all waiting up, in spite of the late hour. It was 11:30 by the time I got to their house. The men were all sleeping soundly, but I got to reconnect with the girls for an hour or so before going to bed. Camille's girls are all fabulous. It's been way too long since I saw them last and they are all growing into amazing women.

On Thursday, we went to the Women's Conference and met up with Camille's mom, sister, cousin, and other cousin. They're a great group of women that I had a blast with all weekend. The first thing we did that day was listen to Sheri Dew. She was actually the best speaker we heard the entire time and she was the first one of all. I find her to be very inspiring though. She has a no-nonsense way about her that just works for me. We also heard a bunch of other speakers and had a yummy lunch.

After the conference on Thursday we had Annzy hook up with us for dinner at a great little Mexican place on Center St. in Provo. Yummy! Then we went to see Baby Mama. I'll have to post my movie reviews separately, but I will tell you that one of the funniest things about the movie was watching certain people sleep through it.

On Friday, we went to more of the conference, but I skipped the middle presentations. The first presentation was by Sis. Beck (the General Relief Society President) and she gave a really nice talk about making sure that your home is a refuge. I like that idea a lot since I really enjoy being home. The later presentations were by a couple talking about marriage and then Pres. Monson. Pres. Monson's talk was sort of like a lot of his talks. He told some good stories, but it was nothing that really spoke to me.

During that time I was skipping sessions, I did some work that was on deadline for Friday and then shopped at the BYU bookstore. I didn't mean to spend as much time there as I did, but it was for a good cause. I bought the DH new sciptures and had to wait almost an hour for them to get printed with his name. They're really pretty. It's a quad with green leather cover. lovely!

That evening, we had dinner at Red Robin and then saw Made of Honor. After that, we went back to Camille's mom's house and laughed and talked and played games. It was great fun!

Taking Off

Last weekend, the DH ditched me for the opening day of fishing season and this weekend I'll be ditching him for BYU Women's Conference and fun with a bunch of girls. I'm flying out tonight and will be coming back on Sunday. I missed going to this the last two years in a row because our stake women's conference conflicted with the date. This year, I told them I was leaving either way, so we better have ours on a different weekend.

I can actually take or leave the women's conference, but it's a great opportunity to hang out with some of my favorite women. Camille was my best college roommate ever and we've stayed close all these years. I love her entire family as much as I do my own and always enjoy spending time with them. It's especially fun to spend time with just the women. I have just as much fun with Camille's mom and sister as I do with her, so we're bound to have a great time.

I'll report on all the details when I return!

Learning From the Cap'n

I'm reading about the Best Damn Ship in the Navy and the first thing that I learned that I really want to implement is that it's important that people know you care about them. This sounds like a no-brainer, but the chapter on this really opened my eyes. It made me realize that there are a lot of things we do unintentionally that give people the feeling that we don't really care.

Here's my list of things that I want to stop or start doing:

• Don't let the phone interrupt an in-person conversation. The one exception is if I'm expecting an important call. In that case, I'll warn the person I'm talking to that I may need to be interrupted (so they know it's not because I don't value my time and/or conversations with them).
• If I'm on e-mail when someone comes to talk to me, I'll ask them to wait a moment so I can finish what I'm doing and then physically turn away from the computer screen (and not look back at it while I'm talking to the person).
• When talking on the phone, I will not multi-task by working on e-mail. I can always tell when I don't have someone's full attention, so people can probably tell when I'm not focused.
• Be on time for meetings. This is the hardest one for me, especially when I have things scheduled back-to-back. It means that I will have to set expectations in meetings that I can't run over, because I have another committment. It also means paying attention to the clock.

Those are the things I get to work on because of the Cap'n's advice. let me know if you have any other good advice for sending the message that you really care about people.

Where's Our Stuff?

The overwhelming curiosity is about where our stuff is. Well, much of it is here in the garage...

and a bunch is in the guest room here...

It's a huge mess, but it will be worth it. I think.

Tabula Rasa

This is my living room...

and that in my dining room...

The contractors show up today to fix all the drywall issues in the dining room and hallway. As soon as they're done, we get new paint. Finally!

T-Ball

Saturday was a beautiful day here in the Northwest. The DH was enjoying the opening day of fishing season out on the peninsula and I had the day to myself. I slept in, got a pedicure, hung out wasting time, and then went to the nephew's T-ball game.

I thought it was a hoot watching T-ball. The nephew had it kind of sprung on him and didn't know any of the other kids there, so he wasn't as excited as I was about T-ball. I sure it will grow on him though. The bases are about 20 feet apart and an inning consists of everyone batting. There are no outs and they play three innings.

I laughed at the end of the game when one of the kids on the team asked who won. The coach said "We all did." I think that kid was still confused about the win/lose thing though. He's watched sports. He knows there's usually a score.

Speaking of scoring, the SIL and I at sushi and then shopped after the T-ball game and we both scored some cute stuff. I got new jeans, a couple of Ts and a new dress. The dress is supre cute and I wore it to church on Sunday. Then the DH came home. Good times!

Yes, A Book

So, I started reading a book on Wednesday. It's true. It's a book, not a magazine. It's Called It's Your Ship: Management Techniques from the Best Damn Ship in the Navy. It was recommended by my former boss's boss's boss (or my GM at the big software company accross the bridge). Apparently, it's all the rage at that big software company. Kudos to the Cap'n for getting that message out there, because I'm sure it's boosted sales in a big way.

That comment just made it sound like I'm not a big fan, but so far I am. It's a fairly quick and easy to read and I definitely like his style. I think I have a lot to learn from the Cap'n and I'll keep you posted on my progress.

Another New Game

I was really excited when I got home from work today and found a package sitting outside the front door. It is a new game I purchased from Amazon last week after being reminded how much I love it on my last trip to the parents' house.

Facts in Five arrived today and I can't wait to have friends over to play. It's a game where you have a grid on paper and are given five letters down the side of the grid and five catagories accross. Then you start a timer and fill in as many answers as you can for each category starting with the appropriate letters. It may not sound like much, but it really is great fun.

Don't be surprised if we invite YOU over to play!

Reading Magazines

I know I'm too busy when my only free time is spent reading magazines or playing soduko. I love to read books and I think I can count on one hand how many I've read in the last two years. It's really pathetic. It took me several months to read The Master Butcher's Singing Club and by the time I finished it I was simply relieved to be done. That's not how it's supposed to be.

Now I'm on Good Reads and suddenly I'm feeling guilty about all the great books out there that I haven't gotten around to reading. And it makes me a little sad when I see how all my friends are reading all these great books and I'm not.

My new goal is to start reading books again. I'll even commit to posting some new information on Good Reads.

This is Just WRONG!

It started snowing around 5:30 and looked like this.

Now it's snowed enough to stick and looks like almost an inch on the grass. It's just wrong.

Poaching?!?

I was shocked, I tell you, SHOCKED on Wednesday when I got a notice in the mail from the Washington State Department of Transportation. It was a notice telling me I was not getting a ticket, but that I had been reported as driving in the HOV lane alone. Seriously!

You may not know this about me, but I believe that people that poach the HOV lane should get very heavy fines and I love seeing the cops on SR-520 pulling over the poachers. I tell you, I LOVE seeing that, because I am so vehemently apposed to people driving in the carpool lane when they do not have a carpool.

I drove home in rush hour traffice on SR-520 for two-and-a-half years watching poachers speed past on a regular basis and just wished them all tickets. It's one of the traffic laws that I really wouldn't ever disobey (as apposed to any and all posted speed limits), so I'm still wracking my brain wondering how this could have happened.

Then the DH told me to get over it. It's not a ticket and I don't know when or where it happened, so I should get a life. But, oh, the injustice of it al!

Who is TED?

Several weeks ago, my Dad sent me a link to a talk that Isabel Allende had given. I was moved by her words (which has happened more than once where Allende is involved) and I had to investigate.

The talk was part of a series of 18-minute talks given for TED. TED is an acronym for Technology, Entertainment, Design. They have an annual conference where folks come and give these 18-minute talks on a variety of topics that fall into those three categories. Many of the speakers are people you have heard of (like Bono and Al Gore) and many are people who are much more obscure, but no less interesting. I've enjoyed talks by Karen Armstrong and Jill Bollte, and music by M'Bifo. There's a huge variety of ideas there to explore.

You can just go to the site and explore, but I've also registered and I get a weekly mail that gives me links to three new recordings. That way, I find out about things that I probably wouldn't find on my own.

Go explore! You may find something interesting there.

Thanks, Yvonne!

Yvonne told us a while ago about her wonderful experience at a new Mexican restaurant. The DH and I love Mexican food, so tonight we decided to try it out.

WOW!

Señor Moose Cafe in Ballard (5242 NW Leary Ave) serves wonderful Mexican food and you won't recognize much on the menu. I had Camarones Enchipotlados. The only way I can describe it, is Yum! We also had a couple of appetizers. One was Guacamole, but really it was sliced avacado with tomatoes and onions and a little tiny bit of smashed avacado to hold it together. The DH ordered a Jicama and Cucumber salad. It had lime juice and some spiciness to it. For his main dish, the DH had El Mole De La Abuela Adela. Try saying that five times fast!

We sat at the bar and watched the action while we were there. The staff was delightful and we got our dinner faster than we could down the guacamole. The only thing we could complain about at all was the parking. Street parking in Ballard is anything but easy and there's no lot in the vicinity. The walk in the fresh Spring air did us good after dinner, though, so really there's nothing bad at all about the place.

We'll be back there again.

ADDENDUM: I just realized that I should also provide a warning with this post. The restaurant has only about 8 tables and a bar. We arrived at 6:15 and all the tables were full, so we sat at the bar. There was a line of folks waiting for tables and about a half hour wait. If you go, go early or prepare to wait. On a brighter note, it's totally kid friendly.

Saturday -- Another Long Day

Saturday was long, but really pretty great. It started with our Stake Women's Conference. First of all, even after a short night, the DH got up and went over to the church with me to help take photos. He'd done tons of work on all the programs (and has the tired hands to prove it).

With the cruise theme, we wanted to have everyone get a lei and have their picture taken, just like any old cruise. We had the front entry way set up like the entrance to a ship, then sent people to the Releif Society room to have their pictures taken, then to the cultural hall that was set up to look like the prow of a ship to learn about the rest of the "cruise". The DH took pictures for about an hour, then left to take care of all the chores that have been ignored around the house while we've been traveling and getting ready for the women's conference. He sure has been a good sport!

The main part of the women's conference was a set of three mini-classes. We had 3 or 4 choices during each time slot and most of the women said they had a really hard time choosing which class since they all looked so good. We ended up with about the same amount of people in each of the classes, so we deemed that a success. (We were really afraid that one class would have 100 people and another would only have two or three.)

The last part of the conference was a big buffet lunch and a live band in the cultural hall. The food was fantastic and the band was a lot of fun. They played mostly oldies and really got everyone swaying to the music.

By the time the conference was over and we'd cleaned up the mess, it was 3:00 in the afternoon. The DH picked me up and we went and took a nap before leaving for the Mariner's game that evening.

The game was wonderful. We had great tickets (section 144, row 1) and sat by really fun and friendly people. The Mariner's won and the DH got some great pictures. The weather was amazing for April -- a high of 79 degrees -- so it was very comfortable in the stadium. We didn't have any balls come our way during the game, but that's probably for the best. We didn't have a mit anyway.

Friday -- Staying Up Late

Our Stake Women's Conference was Saturday, so for me, that meant a late night Friday night. I made all of the flyers, programs, name tags, and thank-you notes.

Our theme was "Cruise to Perfection" so everything was built around the cruise theme. The programs were made to look like passports and all the name tags, flyers, and thank you notes had the ship on them.

The passports were the most labor-intensive project I've taken on for a Relief Society event. Also, my printer took a full minute to print each page, so it took a really long time to get all the pages ready to assemble. Then, everything had to be cut, the corners rounded, and then stapled together. Marie, our stake RS secretary, came and helped on Friday night and it only took us until 10:00 to finish up. If that had been the end of my assignment, we would have all been doing well.

After finishing the programs, I still had to sew scripture bags for Laurels in the stake. I only made three, but I had to wrestel with the sewing machine enough that it took me at least an hour longer than it should have. They turned out just fine though.

I love how everything turned out. I'll admit that I'm glad I'm done though. It made me a little tired getting all of that finished.

Getting to Sleep in No Time Flat

This post is a big thanks to my mom for introducing me to Melatonin. It's a hormone produced by the pineal gland (who knew you even had one of those?!?) that helps in sleep regulation.

I'm no insomniac, but I have a problem that I know is common to many women. I go to bed at night and then can't quiet my mind enough to go to sleep. I think about all the things I didn't get done, all the things I should get done, all the people I should be thinking about, and so much more. All of those lists just run through my mind as I try to get to sleep.

When we went to Boise, I complained about the bed at my parents house, so my mom offered me the wonder-drug, Melatonin. I've been taking it ever since. I take it about 20 minutes before going to be and when I roll over to go to sleep -- I actually go right to sleep. It's amazing! No running through all I did that day. No mental lists of all the things I need to do the next day. Nothing. Nada. Zip. I just go to sleep.

I wake up just as much in the night as I ever did, but it's such a beautiful thing to be able to fall right to sleep. If you have the same problem, then try it out. You can find it with all the supplements at the grocery store or supplement store. I found my bottle at Target.

Back Home

We're back home now and happy to be here. Even going to work was fine, since it meant getting back to the regular routine.

The rest of our Anchorage trip was still fun, but I don't need to go back to Anchorage pretty much ever. We were fortunate to see the amazing views when we flew in because they were gone by nightfall. We had grey skies and snow the rest of the weekend. I think they got a foot of snow there on Saturday and overnight until Sunday. Good times in April.

The second highlight of the trip (after the surprise for the DH's son's birthday) was playing Settler's of Catan. We bought it there and then the five of us played three games in a row. It was great! I highly recommend the game to anyone. It took some time to get the instructions straightened out, but we sort of played through one game and had it all figured out by the time we were done. We had the expansion kit so that 5-6 players could play--especially since there were 5 of us and none of us wanted to sit out and watch. That made the first game a little harder, but nothing insurmountable.

Actually, I might be convinced to go to Anchorage and/or Alaska again, but only in the summer. I'm just not that into snow, especially in April.

Third Trip in Three Weeks

Rager made a comment about all of my posts ending with talk about sleeping in my own bed. It's true. I've been traveling a little too much and when I'm away, I dream about my own bed.

Now I'm in Anchorage. The good news is that this is, again, personal travel. The DH's oldest son turned 29 yesterday and we flew to Anchorage with his younger son to take part in the big surprise. We just showed up at the restaurant he and his wife and daughters were going to for his birthday dinner. It was a wonderful surprise and we had a really good dinner at Benihana in downtown Anchorage.

This morning, I ate reindeer sausage for breakfast. Seriously. it was pretty good, too. Now we're hanging out for the rest of the weekend in Alaska. It's my first visit to the state and I think it may not be the most beautiful time of year, but I'm still in awe of the mountains here. BEAUTIFUL! I thought Provo had the best mountain view, but I think Anchorage wins--especially since it has water on the other side, which is a special bonus.

Weekend With the Family

The DH and I had a great weekend in Boise with a bunch of my family. We flew out early Friday morning and worked most of the day in our Boise office. I got to see the digs there and meet a few new folks and say hi to some of my old friends there. That evening, we had yummy Taco Soup with Rager and Kins and their darling boys. That youngest one of theirs is quite the little monkey. At one point, after being left alone for a matter of minutes, he was on top of the gum ball machine that sits on top of a five foot bookcase. I hope he doesn't end up with too many stitches in his life, but he has no fear.

On Saturday, I ran errands with my Dad, went to Del Taco with the DH and then we all went to my cute niece's baptism. She turned eight earlier this month and her Dad baptized her and then confirmed her a member of the church. She was so cute. She wore the same dress that my mom originally made for my baptism, then both my sisters were baptized in it and now my two neices who have gotten old enough have been baptized in it. It was such a little blast from the past and she was just as cute as can be.

On Sunday, we celebrated my sister's birthday. We had to have yellow cake baked in a bowl and she likes chocolate frosting the best, so we had to get creative to figure out how to decorate the cake. Annzy hooked us up with a really cute cake on Martha Stewart's web site and we were on our way to making the cutest monkey cake you can imagine. She loved it! We had a great family dinner and then monkey cake and ice cream.

Now the DH and I have arrived back home in Seattle and are looking forward to sleeping in our own bed again.

Internet Woes

Well, this morning I got internet back at home. The support center was down over the weekend, I was on hold for over an hour on Monday with no luck, I called at 9:00 p.m. on Tuesday to find out that's when the support center closes now. Finally, this morning, I got Raj on the phone to help me. It took about 20 minutes and I'm bak online.

I've been very frustrated with AT&T DSL, but it looks like my only other really good (but expensive) choice is Comcast broadband. Word on the street is that ClearWire has too many outages, which would be worse than my current woes. I can't get Qwest or Verizon as it looks like my phone line isn't supported by either of them or I'm too far away from their office, or whatever the real reason is.

In the end, I may just be keeping AT&T anyway. No matter how frustrated they made me over the weekend, they're one of the few high-speed games in town.

If anyone has a better suggestion, I'm open to it!

No Rest for the Wicked

I sure am glad to be sleeping in my own bed, but the stars were against me this weekend. I needed to put together a flyer for Relief Society and a small justification document for our big new client over the weekend. This was in addition to the Relief Society luncheon, nephew's birthday party, and Easter dinner with the family.

On Friday evening, the internet just stopped working at our house. That meant that I had no access to the information I needed for the flyer or the justification document. I was not a happy camper, but I was sure that the AT&T DSL helpdesk would make it all right for me. I was wrong. When I called, they told me their systems were down until Monday and I could call back then.

That's when I had the mild breakdown. The DH was out putting gas in my car and delivering some Easter goodies, so he got to miss it. Lucky man. There were two other results of this news. One is the decision to quit AT&T DSL for good (after more than 15 years of loyalty) and the second was to go into work on Sunday afternoon to get caught up on those things that required internet access.

Today, it looks like things are all coming together. The justification document is being edited and I have everything I need for the Relief Society flyer. I'm also more or less done with writing the information I need for the big bid. And this evening, I'm going to the mall to sign up for Clearwire. All's well.

Dreaming of My Own Bed

I'm tired but happy. Yesterday, our client called at almost 7:00 p.m. to tell us that they had selected us as the partner for a large proposal. When 5:00 came and went and then 6:00 came and went, we weren't sure what to think, but they finally called with the good news.

That means that I have a bunch of work ahead of me to get the proposal finalized by Tuesday, but it also means that we have begun what could be a long and prosperous relationship with a large company that is new to my company. It's a pretty significant win. It was also kind of cool to be in the position of really selling what we do, so that feels pretty good right now.

Finally, I am happy because I'm flying 1st class to get home and I'll be able to sleep in my own bed tonight. I'm really looking forward to that.

Life is good!

Detroit Blues

So, I'm in Detroit right now. I'm heading home tomorrow, and can't wait to be back with the DH. I miss him when I'm away. I also had tickets to a concert in Seattle for tonight, but instead, I'm in the steal belt.

I just finished a pretty intense presentation to a prospective client and now we have to wait until the end of the day for their response to our porposal. If they accept our proposal, it means a bunch more work for me leading upt to another proposal due next week. I feel like I'm running a marathon and I only trained for a 5K.

I found out that Hilary Clinton was giving a speach in Detroit in the building down the block from where I was giving a presentation pretty much at the same time. I didn't get a crowd though. Only six people listened to my stuff. I actually would have liked to hear her and that would have made it feel like there was something really cool to do in Detroit.

Patrick's Day!

Happy St. Patrick's Day! It's the DH's holiday, so we had to do it up right.

We put together a lovely meal of corned beef, cabbage, boiled potatoes, and soda bread. It was a meal fit for an Irish-American imigrant. We found out that no one in Ireland eats this on St. Patrick's or any other day. They're partial to pig.
We couldn't eat all of that food ourselves, so we invited over a few other couples and they enjoyed it with us. And big thanks to Lorraine for bringing the green rice krispies treats. They were squishy, marshmallowy goodness all the way.

Teased by Spring

There are so many signes of Spring right now that I'm just bursting with anticipation. The camelia bush down the street if covered with flowers. The cherry tree in our yard is just starting to blossom. We have pussy willows on the table (courtesy of the nice neighbors accross the street). And, best of all, we keep having sunny days that are startin to feel warm.

Today it was cold and this evening, cold and stormy. I know Spring is on the way, but I'm getting impatient!

Burning the Candle

It's been a long week and it looks like I may have one more in front of me. Last week I had three late nights putting together bids for potential new customers. During the day I had been dealing with all sorts of things to do with staffing, project quality, attrition, and gross prophit. I won't bore you with the details. I just want you to know that a lot has been going on.

On Friday, I was in a seminar all day on Silverlight (a new tool that Microsoft developed that completes with Adobe Flash) and also joined a sales conference call for two hours in the of the day -- skipping lunch to be on the call. The result of that call is that we passed the first gate in the sales process and I now get to go to Detroit, MI to work on the next step in the process. It's not easy to go from Seattle to Detroit, so it means being gone for basically three days.

One good thing about the folks I work with now is that I have some amazing people on staff. Although we are a bit short-handed, the hands that are on deck are willing to really put in their best all-out effort. Also, we've hired what I hope is our last project manager and he will start on April 7th. With his addition to our team, things should even out for all of us.

On top of much going on at work, church has also been a major time commitment. We had our last ward conference today, so I'm doing teaching the Releif Society lesson to all the wards as of today. We have our semi-annual Releif Society President's luncheon for the stake this coming Saturday and all I have to do for that is bring salad for a dozen ladies. Then our Women's Conference is April 12th. The preparations for that are almost complete, but I still have to put together all of the programs and print out all of the name tags and invitations. It's a lot, but I can see the light at the end of the tunnel.

In between all that, the DH and I will be going to Boise to attend my neice's baptism and then to Anchorage to celebrate the DH's son's birthday.

I think I'm looking forward to May.

Things I'm loving right now

I know it's been too long -- again -- but I'm doing the best I can right now. I'm a busy bee at work and with church obligations right now, but I still want to share some of the things I'm really enjoying right now.

• I just got Cheryl Crow's new album and love the song Peace Be Upon Us.
• Pussywillows from the nieghbors accross the street as a thank-you for the baby blanket.
• Parties for friends and the High Priest group.
• Reading magazines (like Oprah and Self) but not a book.
• Daylight savings and light on my way home from work.
• Crocus and soon-to-blossom grape hyacinth.
• Going to the gym with the DH.
• Yummy ruby-red grapefruit.

What are you enjoying these days?

Taco Soup

For Groundhog's Day, we went to Colin and Sam's for fun, food, and games. Sam made Taco Soup and the DH wondered why we never had that. It's one of the easiest things to make and takes all of five minutes to put together. Add to that that it tastes great and you have the makings of a great, easy meal.

Taco Soup

1 pound hamburger
1 onion chopped
1 16-ounce can tomato sauce
1 can whole tomatoes
1 16-ounce can corn (I use ½ cup frozen corn)
1 small can green chilies (I never use this much – put a little in and then taste it)
1 package taco seasoning
1 can small red beans
1 can chili beans
Salt and pepper to taste

Brown hamburger and pour off grease. Add rest of the ingredients and simmer. Garnish with chips, grated cheese, sour cream, and avocado.

The Master Butcher's Singing Club

Well, I finally finished it. Last night, I read the final pages of The Master Butcher's Singing Club. It only took me since, what, October? I know, pa-the-TIC! It was a pretty good read, even if it did take me a long time. I'll blame it on changing jobs and added stress, but I think the book just didn't move along for me the way I would have liked.

The characters were all well-developed and I enjoyed the story. There's a nice little twist at the end too, in case you haven't read it. This isn't a spoiler, so don't worry, but it really didn't end as i expected.

One thing that I think many of you would appreciate is that all of the sex scenes are implied or alluded to, without any explicit descriptions. There is some homosexual love, but again, not described in any kind of lurid detail. The themes aren't for children (as in, I don't think anyone under 15 would be interested, not that it's too graphic or anything like that).

I also enjoyed the German references, but others might not enjoy those as much. Any time a foreign language is used in the book, it's not translated. Either you figure it our from the context, or you don't.

All in all, I think I would recommend it. Hopefully it wouldn't take you as long to read as it took me. Also, I'm happy to loan it out or give it to someone else who wants to read it. Just let me know. First come, first served!

Soul Food

My last post and the comments from my sibs on the merits of upside-down hamburger pie just got me thinking about those staple meals from my childhood that I love to remember. There were some I loved and some I hated.

We had a rule that you had to eat dinner with the family, but you didn't have to eat anything you didn't want to. My mom never made special stuff for anyone who didn't like what we were having for dinner that night, but we could get a bowl and eat cereal if that sounded better than whatever she cooked. Or we could make our own sandwich. Or whatever.

Anyway... these are the foods from my childhood that worked for me and didn't:

Loved it

• Ramen noodles with all the fixin's -- my mom would fry some egg, cut shallots and other vegetables and put together a whole spread to go with the noodles. I've never had as much fun with Ramen on my own.
• Chili -- mom would make chili on Saturday while we were all up at Bogus Basin skiing. We'd come home and have chili to warm us from the inside out.
• Homemade Bread -- who could pass this up? When I was young, mom would make a batch of bread dough and make cinnamon rolls and bread from it. It was divine. A loaf would never last more than the day. Whatever was left in the evening, dad would eat as bread and milk for dinner.
• Tacos -- this one might make you laugh. There was a time when mom put shredded potatoes in the taco meat to make it stretch. She always seasoned it with the Schilling taco seasoning packet and I still love that stuff to this day.
• Spaghetti -- I think this might be my mom's specialty. I've started her spaghetti more times than I could count, but I never finished it and I still can't make spaghetti taste as good as hers. The secret ingredient was ketchup, but even knowing that isn't enough for me to duplicate it.
• Fried Chicken and new potatoes -- this is my all-time favorite home meal. It's the meal to eat in August when the potatoes are ready from the garden. After making the chicken, mom would make gravy from the drippings. YUM! We might have corn on the cob too, just to make it the most amazing dinner on the planet.

Hated it

• Upside-down hamburger pie -- I think the recipe came either from the bisquick box or the Campbell's tomato soup label. The meat is seasoned with onion and tomato soup and then you put it in a pie dish and put a layer of bisqick dough on top and then bake it. I just thought it was horrible. As you can see from my previousl post, however, the family is quite divided on this topic.
• Potato soup -- I didn't actually hate it, but dad likes his clam chowder without the clams and with no thickening. Basically, it's the same recipe as clam chowder with bacon and potatoes, but no clams. I always wished we could have it thickened up instead of milky. Mom liked to make what dad liked though. I'm actually supportive of that position now though.
• Grandma Deschamps' dinner contributions -- my family will totally laugh about this. When Grandma came to visit she always thought we should eat more vegetables. My favorite horror food was when she made vegetable soup and then put it through the blender thinking we would be more likely to eat it if we couldn't identify any of the vegetables. It was horrible.
• Steak -- this is something I only hated at home. We didn't get steak very often, but it was usually a pretty thin cut and my dad like his well done. As a result, we all got ours well done. I thought I didn't like steak until I was in high school and had my first medium rare steak. Now I love the stuff.
• Fish sticks -- I think we only ate these when mom and dad were going out for dinner on their own. I may have liked them at the time, but now I really don't like fish sticks.

In the end, what I really loved about dinner growing up was that we always ate dinner together as a family. I have fond memories of spilling milk, and then spilling more, having dad make a rule about no singing at the dinner table, and sharing the highlight of our day. It fed the sould then and I still look forward to dinner with the whole family now.

My Elementary School Journal

When I was in elementary school, I got a journal for Christmas. I think I was in about the 4th grade. I would write in the journal every day for about two months. The entries are mesmerizing. I was quite the writer. Brevity was my strong point. Here's an example:

"Today I went to school. After school I went home and mom made me practice the piano. We had upside-down hamburger pie for dinner. It was gross."

After weeks on end of that kind of entry, there would be a gap of several weeks or months. Then I would start up again with an entry that looked like this.

"Sorry I haven't written in weeks. Over the last few weeks I've gone to school, gone to church, played with my friends, and we went to see Granny and Papa twice."

That was my catch up.

Well, it seems that I've become the same person in my blog. Hopefully I just had a small absence and will be back to the regular blogging now. I sure enjoy it when all the folks I read in blogs keep posting. I guess that means I should do the same.

Here's to more blogging in 2008!

Bloggers (Silent) Poetry Reading

It's time for the Zout post to go. Here's on to better and more frequent posting.

I'm a day late, but yesterday was the Third Annual Bloggers (Silent) Poetry Reading. I read about it on the Duchess' blog and thought it would be a great way to get back to posting. I want to share a poem that was shared with me once when I doubted I could what I needed to do to get through some trying times. The times are different now, but the poem still seems quite timely to me now.

Doubt
by Kay Ryan

A chick has just so much time
to chip its way out, just so much
egg energy to apply to the weakest spot
or whatever spot it started at.
It can’t afford doubt. Who can?
Doubt uses albumen
at twice the rate of work.
One backward look by any of us
can cost what it cost Orpheus.
Neither may you answer the stranger’s knock;
you know it is the person from Porlock
who eats dreams for dinner,
his napkin stained the most delicate colors.