Predilections

One Word Wednesday: Pink

noreply@blogger.com (Jill) — Wed, 08 May 2013 15:22:00 +0000

Last Saturday I needed a break. Big time. I am up to my ears in boxes and messes right now in preparation for our upcoming move and I was feeling overwhelmed frustrated and more than a little sorry for myself.

Retail therapy! My husband and I hopped in the car and headed out for Chik-fil-A and a little treasure hunting at some local antiques stores. It's amazing how wandering around looking at junk can renew and refresh my spirit.

I loved the color of these vintage ballet slippers (and the primitive box next to them--you can see just a corner of it at the top of the picture) and immediately thought of my friend, Briana at "Sweet Dreams Are Made of These" and a photo challenge she and some of her friends have just started recently called "One Word Wednesday". Last week she gave us a "heads up" for this week's word: pink. Ballet slippers. Perfect. Ballet pink.

Pink makes me happy in my world of being a mom of four boys. I don't get enough pink. Why don't you play along on your blog or on Instagram with the hash tag #onewordwednesday? I'd love to see tons of pink today.

P.S. I'd love for you to follow me on Instagram (@jillcdunn). You can see what my family is up to while my blogging is sporadic until after our move.

Super Delicious Alfredo Sauce

noreply@blogger.com (Jill) — Wed, 08 May 2013 02:36:00 +0000

Here's a fancy iPad picture since I couldn't find my camera at the time. Don't let the crappy photo deter you. This stuff is so, SO good.

A friend posted an Olive Garden knock-off Alfredo recipe on Facebook and I read it and thought, hey, I have all those ingredients; looks easy. I'm gonna go for it.

Boys howdy! Am I happy I did. Tas-TEE! I actually changed it up a bit, added more garlic, and made a few other adjustments and I won't ever make it any other way now. So good. The whole family loved it. So much in fact that I had to remind a few of them (multiple times) that licking the plate is rude. I finally threw up my hands and said, "Fine, if you're going to lick your plate, at least do it where I can't see" which resulted in one boy diving under the table and another turning his back to me and hunching over his plate. Yep, that good. So, without further ado I give you:

Super Delicious Alfredo Sauce

16 ounces of pasta, cooked al dente (I used bow tie at the request of my boys)
1 stick of butter (for the love, DO NOT use margarine)
1 Tablespoon garlic paste (or alternatively one tablespoon of minced garlic--about three smallish cloves)
1 pint of heavy cream
1 cup of freshly grated Parmesan cheese--this is important. Do not use the powdery stuff with the green lid.
2 Tablespoons Neufchatel cheese (I used this because it is what I had on hand, feel free to use the full-on fat variety of cream cheese)
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon white pepper

Melt the butter in a saucepan on medium. Stir in the garlic paste, stirring until incorporated. Add the cream and the cream cheese and heat, stirring occasionally, until the cheese has melted and the sauce starts to sort of foam up a bit and thicken (but take care not to boil it). You may have to turn the heat down a bit. Stir in the grated Parmesan until melted and season with the salt and pepper (more or less depending on how you like things seasoned). Immediately stir the sauce into the drained pasta and serve. Garnish with a little parsley or additional grated Parmesan cheese or a little cracked black pepper, if desired. Bon appétit!

Super Delicious

At any rate, Kyle and Randy would approve.

Hung on a Line

noreply@blogger.com (Jill) — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 22:32:00 +0000


Free printable 8x10. Click image to enlarge.

Troubles: everyone has them. Anyone who says differently is selling something. Of course life's troubles ebb and flow; now you see them, now you don't. But rest assured if you don't have any trials at the moment, you will soon enough.

Sometimes we are faced with huge, life-altering adversity and other times we experience those run of the mill troubles that are just part of life. Neither kind of trial is easy to deal with. If they were, they would be pointless--how would we grow? Usually we don't ask for trials , but as I have struggled with one thing or another during my life, I have found that the times that I have been happiest have not necessarily been the easiest times. Attitude makes all the difference. Some people are better at constantly maintaining a positive outlook. I'm not one of those people. I wouldn't say I'm a pessimist, but sometimes I am prone to the "why me?" philosophy. Case in point, my attitude has needed some adjusting lately. The last few weeks have been an ongoing pity party as I've been dealing with the stress of getting ready to move and managing my household. It has helped to count my blessings and realize that in the big picture, my troubles are pretty minute.

Years ago my mom shared some wisdom that her grandmother (my great grandmother) imparted to her. Grandma Hall used to say, "If all of our troubles were hung on a line, you'd choose yours and I'd choose mine." You know what? It's true. We are blessed to have an omnipotent Father in Heaven who tailors our trials to suit us. He knows what we need in order to grow and to become closer to him. And while I don't think that He causes our trials, I do ~~think~~ know He's there to sustain us through them and to help tailor them to our personal growth needs. Through Him we can have joy, peace and even the hardest trials can be for our benefit.

I've shared this proverb from my great grandma with a few friends in the past. Awhile back a friend of mine asked me to make something that she could hang as a reminder of those wise words. I whipped up this simple little sign to print out. I thought I'd share it with my blog readers as well. I'm going to print it out myself and stick it on my fridge, because really, I have it pretty good.

Happenings

noreply@blogger.com (Jill) — Fri, 22 Mar 2013 04:36:00 +0000

So, some stuff has happened lately. Quite a bit actually. I've been pretty darn busy. There are lots of pictures but stay with me here. There's big news in case you haven't heard.

1. Specs got new specs. He is back out of bifocals now. We'll see if that helps improve his almost non-existent 3D vision (a product of his accommodative esotropia, possibly made worse by the bifocals).

2. We celebrated Pi Day with deep dish chicken pi(e) and chocolate mousse pi(e). Poo on you Pi Day naysayers out there. I mean, really, who doesn't want an excuse to eat pie? ;)

3. I celebrated the Ides of March by eating a Caesar Salad (and having a lunch date with some of my girls at Panera). Silly, I know.

4. We celebrated St. Patrick's Day. (Are you seeing a trend here with the celebrating and the eating?) I love St. Patrick's Day. I've written about this before (here and here). I consider it a celebration of my heritage. Our good friend brought spinach puffs and green hors d'oeuvres

Irish soda bread

and we shared a scrumptious feast of corned beef and cabbage and potatoes with soda bread,

Fruit salad: yummy, yummy!

green (and orange--don't want to exclude the protestants!) fruit salad and key lime pie for dessert. I know key lime pie is not Irish, and it's not even actually green, but again I ask you, who doesn't want an excuse to eat pie?! Every year we also like to celebrate by watching some of our favorite Irish movies like "Waking Ned Devine" and "Darby O'Gill and the Little People".

5. We got excited over the arrival of spring. Spring, glorious spring! Alabama springs may be some of the best in the whole world. We are going to miss them because. . .

6. We're moving! Last week our moving plans became official! Yep. We are moving across the country back to the frozen north. My husband took a faculty position at a university in central New York (SUNY Oswego: alma mater of Jerry Seinfeld and Al Roker in case you were wondering) and we are thrilled! This has been a long time coming and now that it's here things are moving pretty dang quickly. Our plan is to move at the end of June and we're nearly to the end of March already. Whoa Nelly! We will be taking a house hunting trip soon to check out what's available in the area. Exciting stuff!

A 1909 panoramic photo of the Oswego River and where it flows into Lake Ontario

Some of the campus housing--looks like a painting, doesn't it? So pretty!

Other happenings of note: I ate macarons (not macaroons, macarons) for the first time; Tank came in dead last in the Pinewood Derby but his car got the award for most artistic; I got a bad haircut (I'll spare you the pictures); Stretch had his spring band concert--awesome; my husband and I were able to attend a panel discussion with Kim and David Lacks and a professor from Johns Hopkins about their grandmother, Henrietta Lacks and HELA cells. Fascinating!

P.S. My blogging may (or may not) be a little sporadic for the next couple of months as I prepare to move my family of six across the country but if you want to see what's going on with us more frequently, feel free to follow my Instagram feed. I'd love to see you there!

Five Picture Books for Presidents Day

noreply@blogger.com (Jill) — Mon, 18 Feb 2013 23:36:00 +0000

When Washington Crossed the Delaware by Lynne Cheney with paintings by Peter M. Fiore
We love this book at our house. The paintings are beautiful and the text is both informational and inspiring. I think the historical quotes that Mrs. Cheney chose to include really bring a personal element to the story and contribute to its depth. This is one of those books that the patriot in me has a hard time reading without getting a little misty-eyed.

So You Want to Be President? by Judith St. George and illustrated by David Small
I love trivia and random facts. Did you know George H. W. Bush hates broccoli or that William Taft had to have a special bathtub because he was so big? This book is full of interesting facts and humorous illustrations about all of the US presidents. It's a fun read and chances are your kids will like it too.

Abraham Lincoln by Ingri and Edgar Parin D'Aulaire
Written in 1939, Abraham Lincoln was the Caldecott Medal winner for 1940 . It is written with young children in mind and covers the majority of Lincoln's life (but does not include his assasination) with special emphasis on his childhood. By today's standards some might consider it dated, but I think it is a sweet introduction for young readers to one of my personal heroes.

George vs. George: The American Revolution As Seen from Both Sides by Rosalyn Schanzer
The story of George Washington and King George is brought to life with clear and engaging text and beautiful, vibrant illustrations. George vs. George compares and contrasts the lives and times of these two powerful Revoutionary War leaders. Schanzer does a great job of keeping the information interesting and accessible as well as presenting a fair and balanced view of both sides of the story.

Abe Lincoln's Dream by Lane Smith
From the illustrator of The Stinky Cheese Man comes this whimsical
story about a little girl visiting the White House who meets Lincoln's ghost. They go on a journey together swapping cheesy jokes and ultimately answering some of Lincoln's troubled questions about the state of the union. Abe Lincoln's Dream is filled with quirky illustrations and inspired by interesting bits of trivia and true stories and would be a fun and light addition to your President's Day reads. You can hear an interview with the author here.

Valentine's Day Feast

noreply@blogger.com (Jill) — Fri, 15 Feb 2013 06:56:00 +0000

I made these fun heart rolls for dinner tonight. My kids were impressed and they made a festive addition to our Valentine's Day feast. They are really easy to make too. I'm all about easy on the days when I have as much going on as I did today. I came across a video tutorial here, but here's my own picture tutorial version for future reference.

1. Start with a thawed but still cold ball of Rhodes (or some other brand) roll dough.

2. Roll the dough into a club shape (so easy a caveman could do it)--fatter at one end and coming to a point at the other. You can do this on your work surface or between your hands, whichever you prefer.

3. Using kitchen shears, make an inch or inch and a half snip in the fat end

4. It will look kind of like this.

5. Now shape the dough a little more. Round the corners and maybe shape the point of the heart a little better. At this stage they look a little strange and sad, but don't worry. It will look better as it rises.

6. Arrange the rolls on a cookie sheet sprayed with cooking spray. Cover with plastic wrap sprayed with more cooking spray and allow to raise for another hour or two. You can just kind of tell. You don't want to let them get too big because then the bread is yeasty and has a weird airy texture. They'll continue to raise a little as you bake them as well.

7. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes or until nicely browned. Usually I would let mine get a little browner than this but I was literally standing at the over with mitts in hand waiting for the timer to go off so I could rush out the door to an appointment. Brush with soft butter while hot.

8. Pile in a linen lined basket and serve.

9. They are especially good with real butter and raspberry freezer jam.

Our fancy Valentine's Day dinner was: baby field greens with cherry tomatoes and raspberry vinaigrette, raspberry Jell-o jiggler hearts, whole wheat angel hair pasta with two sauces--traditional spaghetti sauce and puttanesca sauce--and meatballs and of course, the heart rolls.

This was dessert:

Yum.

I'll be honest. I pretty much hated Valentine's Day until I had kids. I even told my husband when we were dating that if he asked me to marry him on Valentine's Day I would say no. Now, with kids, it is so much more fun. Having a great husband (who surprised me with tickets to see a local theater production next weekend) helps too. And as with many things in my life, it's all about the food. Good food makes for a good celebration.

Did you have a special Valentine's Day celebration or dinner? I'd love to hear about it in the comments.

Some Days. . .

noreply@blogger.com (Jill) — Wed, 13 Feb 2013 03:03:00 +0000

--driving your kids to school in your pajamas is your only option if you want them to make it on time.

--it's worth stopping to take a picture of the forsythia bush you see as you run errands.
--you wait in line at the post office, but you really don't mind.
--you wait in line at Walmart and feel like tearing your hair out.
--you remember what you forgot (or chose to ignore) in a moment of insanity: that you hate shopping at Walmart.
--all the groceries you just bought are waterlogged by the time you get them loaded into your car.
--you are waterlogged (and worse--your shoes are soggy) by the time you get into your car.
--Oreos seem like a good idea. A lot of them. But you only eat three.
--the power goes out for a couple of hours. So much for watching a movie while you fold laundry.
--an accidental nap makes you miss picking your kid up at the bus stop.
--a kind neighbor walks your child home from the bus stop.
--the homemade chicken noodle soup you made is just okay and you keep thinking about the Oreos.
--are soft sweater and fuzzy socks kind of days.
--you get joy out of little things like seeing your kindergartener's handwriting on his valentines.
--the future is uncertain and sometimes scary but you feel hopeful.
--all the children are asleep and the only sounds you hear are ticking clocks, the quiet patter of rain and the click of the computer keyboard. And you are content.

What kind of day did you have?

P.S. I spiffied up my blog. If you haven't stopped over in awhile come check it out. I'd love to know what you think.

Punny Valentines--Flags and Tags

noreply@blogger.com (Jill) — Mon, 11 Feb 2013 12:56:00 +0000

I know puns aren't everyone's thing; they're too cheesy for some people. I'm not one of those people. I love them, and while I may not want to give all my neighbors punny Christmas presents, I think they are perfect for kids' valentines.

My kids wanted to do homemade valentines again this year. It has become a little bit of a tradition for us. I wanted to keep it easy. Specs recently discovered how much he LOVES Fruit by the Foot after Grandma sent a box of them in a package, so when I saw these Fruit by the Foot valentines at Target I snatched them up. You can write right on the package but how much fun is that? Not much. Instead I made some little tags that we attached with twine. You could also just staple them to the package if you don't want to go through the tag-tying assembly. You could use these on just about anything strawberry-ish--fruit roll-ups, strawberry Twizzlers, little cellophane bags of dried strawberries, chocolate covered strawberries, etc.

Download your sheet of tags here.

For Tank we did sucker flags. He wanted them to say "Happy Valentine's Day, Sucker!" but I convinced him that that wasn't the nicest thing to say to someone so we went with "I'm a sucker for you, Valentine". I was going to make them all cute with notched ends and then I thought, why go to all that work?. Cutting them in straight lines is easier so I just included notched ends in the design so you have the look without going to the extra work. Fold them in half and wrap them around a sucker stick. You can either glue them or tape them into place with double sided tape. There is a spot on the back to write "to" and "from".

Download your sheet of sucker flags here.

Angels with dirty faces.

Also, this is off the subject but Specs caught a toad on Saturday. He was excited about it in that way that only kids can be excited about toads. He told me he loved "Toady" (as he had named it). I think he carried it around for at least half an hour and would only let it go when I told him we'd take a picture so he could remember it forever.

Prince Charming in disguise?

Do you have your valentines done? Any plans for the big day?

How to Act With Dignity

noreply@blogger.com (Jill) — Wed, 06 Feb 2013 22:28:00 +0000

I have four sons that I really want to raise to be genteel men--gentlemen. After some unfortunate choices on the parts of a couple of my children awhile back (an incident involving a dead snake and terrorizing some of the neighbors being one) I determined to set about teaching them how to be dignified sooner rather than later. I have great kids, but growing up can be hard. Being an adolescent and teenager can be especially tough. I want my kids to feel equipped to deal with life's awkwardnesses in a positive way. I thought a good place to start would be to create a list of ways to act with dignity. My plan is to conduct a family meeting next week to give an overview of these standards for my boys to start processing and then to address each bullet point individually in a series of mini-lessons (we're talking five minutes or less) as a part of our weekly family nights over the next several months.

I've been thinking about this virtue for a long time, ever since having an excellent conversation about dignity with my sister about a year ago (which was sparked by a toilet paper commercial). It seems that our society's dignity began a slow decline some time ago--I'm not exactly sure when, but I suspect it began around the same time as the advent of Preparation H commercials and the like back in the 60's. At the rate we're going our dignity is headed the same place that aforementioned toilet paper went.

I want my life and my children's lives to be elevated by the beautiful, the refined and the good that we see in the world. I want them to be able to face whatever difficulties which come their way with aplomb. The world is constantly pulling our attention away from the things that will strengthen our spirits and pulling it toward scandal, ugliness, gossip and other indignities. I want to teach my children how to refocus on what matters.

I've lived long enough to know that life isn't perfect, and I don't think it's always the best thing to go about looking at it through rose colored glasses, but we also don't need to dwell on or call attention to the baser parts of life more than what is necessary for us to focus on in order to help and lift others.

I love this quote from Julie B. Beck. It centers on women, but I think it can be applied to men as well:

“The world has enough women who are tough; we need women who are tender. There are enough women who are coarse; we need women who are kind. There are enough women who are rude; we need women who are refined. We have enough women of fame and fortune; we need more women of faith. We have enough greed; we need more goodness. We have enough vanity; we need more virtue. We have enough popularity; we need more purity.”

I saw this "Rules to Always Being a Gentleman" print on Pinterest awhile back and re-pinned it for future reference. The funny thing is I think I read through it once back when I pinned it (nearly a year ago) then kind of forgot about it, but after I made my list I remembered it and went back to look at it for further inspiration and found that many of the things I came up with were very similar. I guess they are just common sense. And truth is eternal.

So without further ado, my twenty basic guidelines for "How to Act with Dignity":

Stand up for what you believe--Stick by your values; be a leader not a follower. If your friends jumped off a bridge would you? Are there bungee cords involved? Maybe. The point is act with integrity and don't let the masses sway you to go along with something you know isn't right.
Cultivate a love of learning; Value education--Be able to make intelligent conversation. Be a life-long learner. Watch Jeopardy!
Mind your manners--Etiquette. Napkin on your lap; feet off the table.
Maintain high standards for dress and grooming--Brush your suits (or have your valet do it for you), make sure your clothes are clean and pressed, shine your shoes. Wash regularly. Brush your teeth.
Appreciate literature, art and music--"The nearer we get to God, the more easily our spirits are touched by refined and beautiful things." ~Douglas L. Callister.
Make (and maintain) eye contact--Look at people when you are talking with them. Give them your undivided attention. It's common courtesy and it shows you value them. It allows them to be dignified as well.
Smile and offer a firm handshake--Be friendly. And none of this dead-fish handshake business. Seriously.
Don't say anything to a girl that you wouldn't say to your mother--If you wouldn't say it to your dear old mother, don't say it to anyone else. Just don't.
Be honest--With yourself and others. If you make a mistake correct it as quickly as possible. The words "I'm sorry", "I was mistaken" and "I misspoke" will go a long way towards helping maintain dignity.
Be humble--Be teachable. Right your wrongs. Always try to be better today than you were yesterday.
Be civil--Learn to discuss religion, politics, and other subjects without resorting to name calling or insulting another's intelligence. It's okay if you don't agree with others. Really. But it's not okay to fight, insult, call names or be generally nasty. R-E-S-P-E-C-T.
Be slow to anger--Control your temper.
Stand up straight, shoulders back, chin up--Dignified people project self-confidence.
Remember who you are--You are a child of God; a prince or princess. Act accordingly.
Don't be a clown--A good sense of humor is wonderful when used in the proper place and time. Silliness is annoying. Buffoonery is embarrassing.
Think of others before yourself--Forget yourself. Put others at ease. Offer your seat. Open a door. Pay a sincere compliment.
Practice good sportsmanship--No one likes a sore loser and no dignified athlete ever threw their tennis racket or stormed off the court in a huff.
Strive for a positive attitude--Don't complain. Whining isn't dignified.
Watch your thoughts, words and deeds--Clean thoughts, clean words, clean actions. Your language reflects who you are and what you value. Make your words soft and sweet. You may have to eat them some day.
Be in control of your emotions--Learn to express feelings without gloating, crying, yelling, etc. Use your words.

8"x10" printable subway art: "How to Act with Dignity". You can download it HERE.

I'm planning to print this out and hang it somewhere in our home where my boys may be reminded often of the importance of living a dignified life. Maybe you are as tired of subway art as you are of "Keep Calm" posters and those wood signs that say "live, laugh, love" but you can print it out too if you want.Download it HERE (sans photo corners).

Here's to raising our sons (and daughters) to be examples of effortless dignity.

Tiiiiimber!

noreply@blogger.com (Jill) — Sat, 02 Feb 2013 05:57:00 +0000

Move over Paul Bunyon. AxMen? Swamp Loggers? Pshaw.

Borrowing big brother's hatchet for pictures.

What do you do when you wake up forty-five minutes before school and realize that you never did figure out a costume for the Career Day parade at school? You don a plaid shirt, suspenders and a tuque. Stuff a bandanna in your back pocket and loop some rope around your belt. Let mom paint on whiskers with eye liner and borrow little brother's toy chainsaw. Boom. You're a lumberjack. And a darn good one.

I knew it was coming, but with all the other craziness in my life we never did decide on a costume for Tank. I woke up in a panic Thursday morning and realized our oversight. Oops. We hurried and pulled together this lumberjack/logger/forester getup. Not bad, eh?

Planning ahead? What's that? I do some of my best work under pressure.

P.S. I mailed my first letter today! Whoop, whoop!

Mail Time

noreply@blogger.com (Jill) — Fri, 01 Feb 2013 06:00:00 +0000

via

Have you ever had that skip-down-the-sidewalk-singing-Zip-A-Dee-Do-Dah feeling? That happy, "I feel loved", "someone thought of me" feeling? That's kind of how I feel when I get real mail--not bills or circulars or dental appointment reminders, but actual hand-written, stuffed in an envelope, stamped and sealed-with-a-kiss mail. Packages are always welcome too. ;)

Getting a real letter is a splendid thing, isn't it? Good mail can make a good day better and kick a bad day square in the keister. Oh, how I love a newsy letter, a cheery card or even just a couple of heartfelt jotted lines!

More information HERE

Now it is February and what better way to celebrate the month of amor than by spreading the love with paper, envelopes and postage stamps? My friend Tanya from Tanya's Stamps & Things inspired me to take part in "A Month of Letters" after she wrote about it on her blog. I have cards. I have stamps. I am ready! For the next month, I will be sending out hand-written, heartfelt letters every mail delivery day. Maybe you'll find one in your mailbox. Maybe you'll even write back.

Huzzah for handwritten letters!

Oh, and THIS.

Homemade Bread

noreply@blogger.com (Jill) — Mon, 28 Jan 2013 17:42:00 +0000

Whole wheat white bread

Every time I make homemade bread I think why don't I do this more often? I have a fantastic good old standby recipe that my mom always used when we were growing up. I remember coming in from playing outside to the smell of fresh bread baking and feeling giddy with anticipation. I remember lining up with my brothers and friends from the neighborhood for a thick slice of hot bread with butter. What a treat!

I woke up this morning to half the remaining loaf from last night being gone.

The dough handles beautifully and comes together easily. This recipe makes three tasty, easy to slice loaves with crisp chewy crusts and soft delicious insides. It's cost-effective, fairly simple and oh-so-good.

Toast with real butter. Yum.

The bread makes amazing toast the next day too--if there is any left. I made this for dinner last night and my family of six devoured two loaves and started in on the third. I may or may not have had four slices myself. So much for my low-carb eating plan. :/ Totally worth it though.

After I turned the bread out of the pans I told my boys they needed to hurry and clean the front room before we ate. Monkey kept finding reasons to venture into the kitchen so that he could bend over the loaves and take in the mouth-watering smell up close.

My favorite way to eat it is warm with butter but I'm not opposed to a little honey or a smidgen of freezer jam either. Of course bread is always more delicious when it's hot but this is good cold too. If you want that fresh-from-the-oven experience the next day you can always stick a slice in the microwave for 7 or 8 seconds to rewarm it.

I like to raise the dough in the microwave (instructions below) but you can raise it the old fashioned way too. The microwave just makes the whole process go faster. *Be careful though. I accidentally cooked the dough in my old microwave once and ruined it because the wattage was too high.* I haven't had any problems with my current microwave.

2 packages dry yeast (4 1/2 teaspoons)
3/4 cup warm water (105-115 degrees--too hot will kill the yeast)
2 2/3 cups warm water
1/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon salt (I used kosher salt)
3 tablespoons shortening
9 to 10 cups all-purpose, unbleached or bread flour*
soft butter or margarine

Dissolve the yeast in 3/4 cup warm water. You don't have to do this for a long time. I greased my pans and glass bowl while I waited. Stir in 2 2/3 cups warm water, the sugar, salt, shortening and 5 cups of the flour. Beat until smooth. I used the paddle attachment for my Kitchenaid for this part then switched to the dough hook. Mix in enough remaining flour to make dough easy to handle (it took 9 cups for me last night). Knead dough in mixer with dough hook until smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Place the dough in a greased bowl--turn the greased side up. Cover with a sheet of waxed paper and place in a clean microwave oven and warm at 10% power (power level 1) for 5 minutes. Rotate the bowl and microwave again at 10% power for another 5 minutes. Allow to finish rising until an impression remains in the dough when touched with a finger.

Punch down the dough; divide into three equal parts and form into laoves. Place into well-greased glass bread pans, brush lightly with soft butter and place in the microwave. My microwave has a turntable to I usually remove it for this part and put an upside down dinner plate over the turning thingy then set the loaves in there. Again, cover the dough with waxed paper. Microwave on 10% power for 5 minutes. Rotate loaf pans and microwave one last time for 5 minutes at 10% power. By this time the dough should be doubled and at the top of the pans (or nearly there).

When the dough is doubled place the loaves in the preheated oven so that the tops of the loaves are in the center of the oven. Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until deep golden brown and loaves sound hollow when tapped (I often use a wooden spoon to tap them). Brush with more soft butter. Turn loaves out of pans onto wire racks to cool.

*You can substitute up to 2 cups whole wheat flour for a delicious change. This is the kind I made last night.

Enjoy!

Make some today. Your family will thank you.

P.S. You can find lots of other favorite bread recipes HERE.

What I've Read Lately

noreply@blogger.com (Jill) — Sat, 19 Jan 2013 00:25:00 +0000

I have a small book case beside my bed. These are just the books stacked on top that are in my read-in-the-near-future pile.

If you visit here with any regularity, you know I am an avid reader. I need to write a post one of these days finishing up the reviews for the books I read in 2012 but for now I'm going to jump ahead because I'm excited to share what I've read since the beginning of the year.

Read:

Reached by Ally Condie
You know me--I'm a sucker for good dystopian/post-apocalyptic fiction. This is the final installment in Ally Condie's Matched Trilogy. If you aren't familiar with the series you can read my brief reviews of Matched and Crossed to get a little background information).
I did enjoy reading the book over our Christmas break (it's a good popcorn read) but I found that for me when it comes to trilogies I'm seeing a trend that I usually enjoy the first volume the most. I thought it was ~~a little~~ quite a bit longer than it needed to be but I'm not complaining too much because I enjoy Condie's writing style and I like the characters in this series. Some of the plot resolutions were a little disappointing to me after the lead up in the first two novels and I kind of found the romance between Cassia and Ky a little cloying towards the end but I get it, I guess. The literary references that were so important in the first couple of books didn't come into play as much in this book either. There was more emphasis on personal creation of art and literature which is great, but those references were part of what I loved about the series to begin with (What's not to love about the poetry of Dylan Thomas and Emily Dickinson, right?) I'm not sorry I read it, but it's not one I'm dying to reread anytime soon either.

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot
"Her name was Henrietta Lacks but scientists know her as HeLa" (from the book description). Henrietta was a young woman with three children, expecting her fourth when she was diagnosed with cervical cancer in the early 1950s. Her doctor took a tissue sample from her (without her consent) and the cells grown from it became the first immortal cell line: HeLa.
HeLa cells have been used by scientists all over the world for research; HeLa cells have helped with scientific advances from space travel and the atomic bomb to the HPV vaccine, a cure for polio, mapping the human genome and cloning. But the story goes deeper. This book offers a remarkable look at the lives of Henrietta's family and how learning about their mother's "immortality" profoundly affected (and continues to affect) them.
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, though scientific and occasionally clinical by virtue of the subject matter, is paradoxically intimate and moving, thought-provoking and even at times spiritual. Rebecca Skloot's research is comprehensive and she tells a compelling story that is at the same time scientifically accessible to the general public.
I really enjoyed this book and found it hard to put down--more so than any of the works of fiction I have read recently. I also loved talking about it with my scientist husband and getting an insider scoop about certain scientific questions I had while reading and hearing his views on the debate about informed consent.
I highly recommend it.

Currently reading:

Cry, The Beloved Country by Alan Paton
This is our book club selection for the month. It is beautifully written and I'm really enjoying it so far. I'll give a more detailed review in the future.

Next up on my to read list:

Les Miserables by Victor Hugo
I saw the movie and LOVED it so now I guess I need to read the book. I got it for my Kindle for free.

Demons in the Big Easy by Jamie Marchant
This one is written by my friend and free today only for Kindle. Go get it!

I'm linking up to this party at Jones Design Company. I can't wait to see what other people are reading. I already have a few to add to my to-read list. I love books!

It's Going Around

noreply@blogger.com (Jill) — Fri, 18 Jan 2013 03:08:00 +0000

Lately,

I have been drinking lots of this:

via

I have been taking this a couple times a day:

via

I have been using lots of these:

via

And these:

via

I have been wearing these a lot:

via

I've been watching quite a bit of this:

Here

And wondering why I bothered getting one of these:

via

*Cough, cough*

It didn't seem to work--the flu shot that is. I guess it could have just been a really bad cold, but it felt an awful lot like the flu. Plus when I used the symptom checker on webmd it said it was probably the flu. And we all know how accurate self-diagnoses from the internet are. ;)

I'm finally starting to feel better. I still have a pretty bothersome cough but I can actually stand for more than five minutes without breaking out in a sweat and feeling like I'm going to pass out and my head doesn't feel like it's going to explode anymore. Tomorrow I think I might actually venture out to do a little much needed grocery shopping.

Wish me luck!

Liebster

noreply@blogger.com (Jill) — Mon, 14 Jan 2013 05:15:00 +0000

Before a few days ago my knowledge of German was mostly limited to counting to 10, saying "I'm a jelly doughnut" and occasionally randomly using the word "kase" in place of cheese in conversation. My friend Heidi (The Bartle Bulletin) introduced me to a new to me German word: "liebster". I guess liebster means "beloved". The idea is to pass on the Liebster Award to people whose blogs you love and to get to talk about yourself in the process. Blogs are, by nature, somewhat egocentric usually. If I didn't like talking about myself I wouldn't be doing this, right? Just keeping it real here.

Below you will find eleven random facts about me and my answers to eleven questions from Heidi, plus eleven more questions that I am posing to some bloggers that I like. They in turn list eleven random facts, answer my eleven questions and come up with eleven of their own questions to ask some of their favorite bloggers. Oh, and I think there's some rule about the nominee's blog having under 200 followers. Verstehen sie? (That's German for "Do you understand?" Thank you, Google.)

You don't have to play along. No pressure here, I just have felt short on blogging material lately so this was a welcome distraction for me. Just know if I mentioned your blog it's 'cause I love you and think you're the berries.

So, without further ado. . .

Eleven Random Facts about Me:

1. I always stay up way too late and am sorry the next day.

via

2. I like putting things in rainbow order: m&ms, the books on my shelves, the shirts hanging in my closet, markers in the marker box etc. It's possible that I need professional help.

via

3. Sometimes I like cranking up the car stereo really loud. Usually when a song like "More than a Feeling" or "Sweet Child O Mine" comes on.

4. I refuse to use "LOL". I just can't bring myself to do it. I always type "ha ha" or something similar instead.

5. I'm left handed (but bat and throw a ball right handed).

via

6. I hate artificial watermelon flavor. Bleh. But I love real watermelon.

via

7. I don't vacuum or mop nearly as often as I should. My laundry is almost never caught up. Although I want things to be neat and tidy they rarely are. I often feel overwhelmed with trying to keep the house clean with four boys. This is my life.

8. I played clarinet and trombone in high school. I'm pretty sure I wouldn't be able to play either anymore. I was never any good (although I loved band and thought it was great fun). I've always kind of wished I could play the piano. Maybe someday when we have extra money I'll take lessons.

via

9. I have a macabre fascination with zombies and even though I know they aren't real they still kind of freak me out.

10. I can curl my tongue three times. Kinda gross, I know.

11. I HATE having the hiccups. I hate it so much that usually after I get the hiccups I'm so scared that I'll have a hard time getting rid of them that I inadvertently cure myself of them after only a couple of hiccups.

Heidi's Questions (my answers in red):

1. When was the last time you brushed your teeth? Two minutes ago. I just went and did it specifically to answer that question. (The last time before that was this morning before church).

2. How many days per week do you make your bed? I'd say 2.5 days a week on average. I'm striving to be better about this. My mother would be appalled at my current habits.

3. What does the last text you received say? "They are here and safe! :)" from my neighbor (When I could not find Monkey and I knew he was "cahooting" with her son, J. She let me know when they turned up at her place.)

4. If you could do anything you wanted for a day, what would that be? This is a tough one. Most of my daydreams involve whole weeks in foreign locales. In reality I would probably choose to stay home with a good book, some good food and enjoy some peace and quiet. Or maybe I would go thrifting or do something crafty with friends.

5. Are most of your friends real or virtual? Real.

6. With how many adults have you spoken in person today? More than a dozen. It was Sunday and I went to church. Usually it's two or three a day though.

7. What did you have for lunch (or your last meal) today? For dinner--My husband made pancakes. I had a couple then had some whole grain cereal so that my meal wasn't completely made up of empty calories. I doing this no-sugar-low-carb thing until Tuesday.

8. If you could go to lunch with anyone, with whom would you dine? Do I have to choose just one? I feel like I should say Ghandi, Mother Teresa, Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King Jr. or so many others, but I will limit myself to two and choose my mom and sister. They are two of my favorite people in the world and they both live far away from me so we never get to have lunch together. And I wouldn't have to worry so much about being on my best behavior or making intelligent conversation. We would just laugh a lot and enjoy each other. Yep, definitely my mom and sister. Or Jesus.

9. Are you hungry yet? Or craving grown-up conversation? Hungry? Always lately. I'm okay on the grown-up conversation today though.

10. If your toenails are painted, what color are they? They are painted Essie's "Mint Candy Apple" which I think is a silly name but a lovely color. I added white polka dots with a paint pen. :)

11. What's your favorite Gavin story? I seem to recall a time when Gavin painted himself with bananas to make for easier body surfing. Yes. That would be it.

My questions:

1. What is your favorite breakfast cereal?
2. Do you like camping? Why or why not?
3. If you had a super power, what would it be?
4. What music motivates you, gets you going or cheers you up?
5. Do you have any nicknames past or present? Please share.
6. What was the last movie you saw? What did you think of it?
7. Would you rather live in the city or in the country?
8. If you could visit any country in the world, where would you go?
9. Do you have a favorite book? What is it?
10. What is your favorite word? Least favorite?
11. Are you an introvert or an extrovert?

Liebster Award Nominees (in no particular order):
Sam

Amy

Wes

Misty

So that's actually only 10 nominees and some of them may have more than 200 readers. I'm such a rebel.

Anyway, if you decide to play along leave me a comment so I can read your answers.

Now, I'd better head to bed so I can get over this wicked-awful cold I have. Later.

2013's Word

noreply@blogger.com (Jill) — Wed, 02 Jan 2013 19:08:00 +0000

I've always enjoyed making New Year's Resolutions but the past few years I've felt a little overwhelmed by the prospect. Perhaps it is because now that I am getting older and wiser I am more keenly aware of just how imperfect I am. If I sat down to make a list of all the things I wanted to improve about myself I could probably fill a small notebook without too much trouble. To avoid becoming overwhelmed and discouraged before I even start, I decided this year to make only a very few specific goals and to outline several much broader areas where improvement is warranted. I figure that as I accomplish certain specific goals I can cross them off my list and set new ones from those broader self-improvement categories.

I have noticed a trend to choose a word for the year that sort of defines the direction a person wants to head in terms of goals for the coming year. The word serves as a guide and a reminder on the self-improvement journey. I decided to follow suit and after some serious pondering I have chosen my word.

per·se·vere

intransitive verb \ˌpər-sə-ˈvir\

: to persist in a state, enterprise, or undertaking in spite of counterinfluences, opposition, or discouragement

She persevered in her laundry and eventually caught up by the time she had grandchildren.
Even though she really wanted chocolate, she persevered and didn't eat any refined sugar for two weeks.

Synonyms: carry on, persist, gut it out, hang in there

Related Words: dig in, hang on, keep up; follow through (with); knuckle down

So, to my thinking perseverence=tenacity, determination, endurance, persistance.

Also:

The light of Christ is just what the words imply: enlightenment, knowledge, and an uplifting, ennobling, persevering influence that comes upon mankind because of Jesus Christ (from The LDS Bible Dictionary "Light of Christ" entry, emphasis added)

My amazing friend from New York has started a Pinterest board with inspiration relating to her word. Because I want to be like her when I grow up, I'm going to do the same. I'm hoping that my word "persevere" will remind me to not give up until I've reached my goals.

Although I feel optimistic, I'm a realist too. I know there will be times when I have a hard time following through. Lucky for me I have my Savior, Jesus Christ (and family and friends too) to help and encourage me when I struggle. As I continue to try to press forward, through grace, I can have that Light of Christ and its "persevering influence" to guide me and help me hang on.

The New Year only happens once every 365 days, but each morning I can wake up fresh and resolve to keep trying to be better.

Here's to perseverance!

Beans and Greens

noreply@blogger.com (Jill) — Tue, 01 Jan 2013 23:30:00 +0000

Collard greens and black eyed peas--our traditional New Year's dinner.

The collard greens are for prosperity and the black eyed peas are for luck--one day of luck for each bean you eat. We like ours with aged white cheddar, green onions and a side of deliciously tender and golden corn bread.

I used Fannie Flagg's recipe for greens (which I got from my sister) and a basic beans recipe that I modified just a bit. They were SO good. You have to realize that for me to say this they must've been truly remarkable. I am generally not a bean person. In fact, I've had an aversion to beans (limas in particular) ever since being forced to eat them as a child. I usually choke down beans a couple of times a year because I know I should, but after eating them today I have resolved to change my ways.

Collard Greens

2 lbs collard greens

2 oz. salt pork, diced (I used bacon--probably about two or three slices depending on the size of your package)

1 teaspoon sugar

1 teaspoon salt

Prepare your greens by removing the large veins and discarding them. Cut the leafy parts into bite sized pieces. Place them in a colander, wash them and wash them again. I rinsed mine a few times to make sure you've gotten rid of the sand or grit that greens usually have. Set them aside.

In a large pot bring 2 quarts of water, the salt, sugar and bacon to a boil. Add the greens. Return to a boil. Turn heat down to simmer and cover. Simmer for one to two hours, stirring occasionally until they are tender. They take awhile to get done. I did mine for the whole two hours.

I served up the potli kker on the side. You can dip your corn bread in it if you like or eat it as a soup.

Black Eyed Peas

4 cups black eyed peas (I used frozen--eliminates the need to soak)

two ham hocks

drippings from 3 slices of bacon

1 bay leaf

salt and pepper to taste

Bring 3 cups of water to boil in a medium saucepan. Add the black eyed peas, ham hocks and bay leaf and return to a boil, stirring gently. Cover and reduce heat to simmer, stirring occasionally. Simmer for 40-45 minutes, until tender. I did mine for an hour and as you can see they are a bit overcooked, but still so tasty. When they are tender,remove the ham hocks and cut off any meat and add it back to the pot. Remove the bay leaf. Stir in the bacon drippings and add salt and pepper to taste. Amazing!

I'm glad 2012 is over. It wasn't a bad year, but the new year always brings with it so much promise and oh, the possibilities! I'm feeling optimistic. The house is mostly clean, even if the laundry isn't. I have a list of goals that I'm looking forward to working on and I began the year with my family, delicious food and a lazy day reading a good book.

Here's a final thought to leave you with on this first day of the new year, 2013. I think this sums up nicely all the most important things I want to accomplish this year.

“This year, mend a quarrel. Seek out a forgotten friend. Dismiss suspicion and replace it with trust. Write a letter. Give a soft answer. Encourage youth. Manifest your loyalty in word and deed. Keep a promise. Forgo a grudge. Forgive an enemy. Apologize. Try to understand. Examine your demands on others. Think first of someone else. Be kind. Be gentle. Laugh a little more. Express your gratitude. Welcome a stranger. Gladden the heart of a child. Take pleasure in the beauty and wonder of the earth. Speak your love and then speak it again.” ~Howard W. Hunter

Huzzah for a new year! Happy 2013, y'all!

Book Club: "The Mansion" by Henry Van Dyke

noreply@blogger.com (Jill) — Mon, 31 Dec 2012 14:54:00 +0000

I got to host book club for December. We read "The Mansion" by Henry Van Dyke. It is more of a short story than a book really, but a good and convenient read for a busy time of year.

"The Mansion" is a perennial favorite of Thomas S. Monson (President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints).

He said, "For almost as long as I can remember, I have had a particular tradition at Christmas time. My family knows that just before Christmas I will read again my Christmas treasury of books and ponder the wondrous words of the authors. First will be the Gospel of Luke—even the Christmas story. This will be followed by a reading of A Christmas Carol, by Charles Dickens and, lastly, rereading The Mansion, by Henry Van Dyke." (Read more including a synopsis and excerpts from his mention of the book here). Read the book for free here or download it for your kindle here or other e-reader here.

I briefly considered trying to make a gingerbread brownstone mansion like that in the book and decided instead on gingerbread cottage cookies. I already had the gingerbread dough for the other cookies we made so in the end it was a way better (i.e. less stressful) choice. ;)

Talking about literature, visiting with friends and enjoying tasty food--what a fun way to spend a December evening!

Christmas Vignettes

noreply@blogger.com (Jill) — Mon, 31 Dec 2012 14:31:00 +0000

I have to tell you, I'm kind of in love with making pom-poms. They are so much fun. I made a bunch for an autumn garland at my girl's weekend retreat (mentioned in the previous post) and they were so much fun I made a bunch more for my outdoor Christmas tree. . .

and for another garland to hang in the house. It was something fun to do to keep hands busy while I watched Christmas movies with my boys.

I already talked about my yarn and felt wreath here, but here are some other shots of my mantle and little vignettes around the house.

Yes, Diana/Artemis is wearing a Santa hat. I can almost hear her singing "Santa Baby".

I had been pining over little light-up cardboard houses ever since Martha Stewart made an over-achieving, but oh-so-delightful village of them that I saw in Martha Stewart Living a few years ago.

Imagine my delight when I found these two little cuties at Target for $5 a piece. I had to have them and for the first time in my entire life I also had to have fake snow for my mantle. It seemed like a necessity for the little houses to feel, well--at home. Also a Christmas tree shaped candle seemed like a good idea.

As did trees and a deer in mason jars. Mason jars are always a good idea.

We picked out our fresh tree on Stretch's birthday at the end of November. It's a pretty homey tree, decked out in homemade ornaments from all of our elementary school years and ornaments from my and my husband's childhoods. We like to keep candy canes on it so we have something to give neighbor kids and friends who visit us during the holidays.

Speaking of tree--here are a couple I made. I made the one on the left last year and the one on the right this year out of a smashed up styrofoam craft cone that's been floating around my house for a year. Oh, and out of yarn and vintage buttons, a spool and a Monopoly thimble too.

And finally, da bears. My mom sewed these years ago and they are kind of like our less labor-intensive version of elf-on-the-shelf. They like to see what kind of mischief they can find around the house but mostly just hang out in the china cabinet/library hutch.

Some of my very favorite Christmas decorations are the two gorgeous nativities that I have (not pictured) and my basket of Christmas books on the hearth.

What does Christmas look like at your house?

Wreaths of Two Varieties

noreply@blogger.com (Jill) — Mon, 31 Dec 2012 05:05:00 +0000

Back in November, I had the opportunity to get away for a girl's weekend with some seriously amazing friends. I have not laughed so much in years. My stomach muscles are still recovering. ;)

My friend, S. was awesome enough to coordinate the whole fabulous affair and score us a place to stay while we got crafty at her family's private lakeside retreat. I had too much fun making pom poms for a fall garland, a t-shirt scarf that has since made it's way into my costume box as seaweed for a future swamp monster, and this wreath.

Awhile back another sweet friend invited me for some craft time and I was in a creative slump. While I had a wonderful time visiting with her, I was starting to doubt my ability to still create cute things. Creating is not like riding a bicycle. You can forget. I know from experience. What seemed like a good idea at the time turned into an epic craft fail. I should have taken a picture, but I didn't. You should probably be glad because now you won't have that hideous monstrosity burned into your brains.

I am happy to report that with the creation of this Christmas wreath, I feel that I have gotten my groove back.

In fact, I was feeling so inspired that I decided to make a wreath for my front door while "the iron was hot" so to speak. This one is definitely staying up until at least Valentine's Day and may make a comeback appearance for the Fourth of July. I love it.

Making pretty things makes me happy. So happy.

Christmas Card Saga (and Rejects)

noreply@blogger.com (Jill) — Mon, 31 Dec 2012 04:42:00 +0000

This is the photo we ended up using in most of our Christmas cards this year. . .

After the stupid place I ordered them from cropped this one wrong and cut off the top of David's head. It was bad. He had no head above his glasses.

It looked like this:

At least they refunded my money.

Then I ran out of the good pictures before all my cards were sent so a few of you on my list are going to end up with scalped David pictures in your cards when I finally get them sent (very late, I might add) because it would be a pain and cost extra money to order the half dozen or so I need to finish up my cards. That's my story. No good excuses or anything. Just me being flaky.

I was going to make a cute homemade card but ended up wasting a lot of time on the project and not being completely satisfied with any of them so I made a fancy newsletter instead. I didn't use any handy program. Just made the whole thing from scratch with GIMP. It took a l--o--n--g time.

Here's the newsletter:

Here are the reject Christmas cards:

It seems like I tried a couple of other variations as well, but in the end my perfectionism got the best of me and since what I was imaging in my head wasn't coming out right I used some cute store bought cards that I'd been hoarding for a couple of years. That's how I roll.

Why am I posting about Christmas cards (and other projects) after Christmas is already over?, you ask. Well, my sister and I decided that Christmas shouldn't be over the day after Christmas. Where's the fun in that? It should last through The Twelve Days of Christmas which begins on Christmas itself. Don't you agree?

And I want to tie up loose ends and start fresh for the New Year. So there.

Coming Attractions

noreply@blogger.com (Jill) — Mon, 17 Dec 2012 06:21:00 +0000

I've been feeling a little uninspired as a blogger lately. People kept saying I would have all this time once all my kids were in school. Lies! I am busier than ever--one look at my calendar for the coming week and you would understand.

Yesterday we were gone from home for nearly twelve hours. Ridiculous. Next weekend will be more of the same.

I'm trying desperately not to get sick just in time for Christmas. I've been fighting a sinus headache and a sore throat all day.

I have sixteen posts in draft right now from the last couple of months. They all need tweaking before going live. I have a whole folder on my desktop of project photographs that need to be edited before my perfectionist self feels comfortable putting them out there for the world to see. I don't know when I will get to these things. At this point I'm wondering if I should just draft more posts and plan to post them in December next year. :/

Right now I am so behind in my laundry folding that I don't know if I'll ever catch up but all I really want to do is laze around in my pajamas watching Christmas movies or reading a good book.

The good news is I have done some fun projects that I will share with you. Eventually.

Thanks for sticking around.

Halloween Festivities

noreply@blogger.com (Jill) — Thu, 01 Nov 2012 19:22:00 +0000

The Buckeroo

The International Man of Mystery

The Swamp Monster

Another Halloween has come and gone. It was fun. Sort of. I can't say that I'm particularly sad that it's over. It's not my favorite holiday, but I try to make it fun for my kids. I decided to go the low-stress route this year with costumes. We have a bin of dress up clothes that I keep in the attic so we got it down and let the boys figure out their own get-ups.

Specs wanted to be a cowboy. Tank didn't really want to go trick-or-treating, but I persuaded him to use the same costume he used for Dictionary Day at school last year (his word was incognito). Monkey wanted to stay home and pass out candy. Since I wasn't keen on my 11 year old being home alone and opening the door to a bunch of strangers--mostly kids, but still--I made him go with us, but I let him wear a mask and be scary. I'm not a big fan of masks (this one has a long story behind it) but it was a compromise.

Stretch was enjoying a steak dinner with some friends from church so he wasn't around.

We started off trick-or-treating with a bunch of friends, but the group was moving pretty slow with the little ones so we ended up just doing our own thing. I wanted to make sure to get home and get the kids to bed by 8:00. My husband is away on business this week so I am handling things on my own. While he's gone I have to get up at 5:45am to make sure everyone is ready before taking Stretch to his early morning bible study class. Prompt bedtimes are a must this week.

I knew Halloween itself would be a bit stressful, despite my low-key approach, but I wanted it to be special for the kids. I just had to plan ahead a little. Tuesday we carved our pumpkin. Tank did most of the hard work cleaning it out and Specs designed it this year since he seemed to care the most about what it looked like.

Tuesday I also made a candy-corn themed dinner: Candy corn pizza (just cheese pizza with mozzarella, cheddar and Colby-jack cheeses in rings so it looks like candy corn when you slice it), candy corn fruit cups (pineapple, oranges, whipped cream) and candy corn punch (recipe HERE). This is slightly ironic since I don't even really like candy corn, but since the meal involved no actual candy corn other than a garnish on the fruit salad it was all good. Perhaps it wasn't the most balanced meal (and a little heavy on the whipped cream)--but hey, it was a special occasion.

And since we didn't have enough sugar with the meal, I made a Frankenstein's monster cake for our dessert. I know--not candy corn themed, but I was feeling too spent to attempt candy corn cheesecake.

I guess Halloween was pretty good even though The Great Pumpkin passed us by again. I may even be persuaded to like it a little more now that I have discovered Cadbury Screme Eggs (my favorite Easter candy at Halloween? Yes please!). At any rate, it's over until next year.

Now bring on Thanksgiving!

Autumnal Reds

noreply@blogger.com (Jill) — Thu, 18 Oct 2012 03:54:00 +0000

Here are some new and old seasonal autumn pictures from my collection starring red. Orange-red, purple-red, apple red, maple leaf red--I'm pretty much in love with them all. Red makes me happy almost all the time (unless it is on the University of Utah's football uniforms). Huzzah for red! Huzzah for autumn! Huzzah!

25 Things I am Loving Lately

noreply@blogger.com (Jill) — Tue, 09 Oct 2012 17:28:00 +0000

I'm working on being grateful. This is an ongoing thing for me. I know I am very blessed. Sometimes I just forget to count those blessings. I don't mean to forget. I just get overwhelmed with life and before I know it I find myself walking around under a black cloud.

This past weekend, as I listened to General Conference, I resolved to start keeping track of my blessings again.

President Thomas S. Monson said in his talk in the Sunday morning session, "I have found that rather than dwelling on the negative, if we will take a step back and consider the blessings in our lives including seemingly small, sometimes overlooked blessings, we can find greater happiness. . .Take an inventory of your life and look specifically for the blessings large and small you have received. "

Here's a list of twenty-five "small, sometimes overlooked" blessings that I am grateful for lately:

1.) Open windows.
2.) Sweatshirt weather.
3.) A sweet friend bringing me chocolate after my horrible day last week.
4.) Folded pictures rendered in orange crayon and stuffed into little pockets.
5.) Ginger snaps--Nyackers Pepparkakor to be exact.

6.) Homemade chicken noodle soup. Homemade beef and barley soup. Soup in general.
7.) Nivea lip balm.
8.) General Conference.
9.) Sherlock (the BBC series with Benedict Cumberbatch. Isn't that name great?).
10.) Listening to podcasts of This American Life and Radiolab while I exercise.
11.) A real lavender candle by my bedside.
12.) Curling up with a good book (shall I share some of my recent reads with you soon?).
13.) Chamomile tea. I like it with sugar and a little cream.
14.) Long phone chats with people I love.
15.) Finding out that I'm going to be an aunt again.
16.) Going to the library all. by. myself.
17.) The thrill of a thrift store hunt--can't beat an Italian silk necktie for $1.50.
18.) Orla Kiely pear ginger dish soap from Method (at Target--it smells phenomenal and looks cute too).
19.) Sonic's lime cream slushes--like a refreshingly limey version of a creamsicle.
20.) Bouquets of newly sharpened pencils and the smell of Scotch tape.

21.) Discovering new places on my morning walks and runs.

22.) Changing leaves and other evidences of autumn.

23.) Listening to the mockingbirds by our house sing.
24.) Free samples (I love the perfume samples that come in the Ulta circular).
25.) Erik Satie

*Not listed in any particular order--just as they came to mind.

What is making you happy and lifting your spirit these days? Please share.