Excited for the New Year

I know a lot of people get excited about the New Year. There are resolutions to be made and eventually abandoned, and the chance to turn over a new leaf and begin life with fresh zeal and a new outlook. These are definitely good things to be excited about. But as for me, I'm mostly excited about the food. Big surprise, huh - that seems to be my favorite part of just about any holiday.

There are two things in particular that I look forward to on New Year's Eve, and we'll be making and devouring them tomorrow just like we have been for years. I'll go ahead and post the recipes here now, though I'll be putting them up on my food blog later, after I make them and take pictures. Don't worry, you're not missing out on much by not seeing the pictures yet - it's not very photogenic food. But it's so good!!!

Traveling Tacos (sort of a layered taco dip, I don't have exact amounts for this one)

Combine refried beans with salsa. Spread in a pan. The pan and amounts depend on how much you want. For our little family, we do an 8-inch pan. Layer on top of the bean mixture: guacamole, sour cream, shredded cheese, sliced olives, chopped tomatoes, and shredded lettuce. Chill for a few hours, and serve with tortilla chips.


Hearty Cheese Dip (This supposedly feeds 20, so we usually cut it in half and it serves the two of us and the kids quite nicely)

1/2 pound ground beef
1/2 pound ground sausage
16 oz. jar picante sauce
8 oz. jar diced tomatoes with green chilies
28 oz. can refried beans
4 oz. chopped olives
3 lbs. Mexican Velveeta

Brown meat; drain. In a large pot, melt cheese, stirring every few minutes. Add picante sauce and tomatoes to melted cheese. Stir well. Cook for five minutes on medium high heat. Add remaining ingredients to cheese mixture; stir well and cook another 10 minutes. Serve with tortilla chips.


I'm going to thoroughly enjoy the munching tomorrow night! These yummy dips are worth staying up until midnight for!

Why My Husband is Awesome!

Jeff noticed that I have been feeling down, and especially down about my looks. I have been especially critical of my hair, since I cut it myself a while back and didn't do a particularly even job of it. I was excited about it at the time, but I've wanted to get it fixed professionally for a while, especially since it was growing out and really looking shaggy. So that awesome man that I married told me that part of his birthday money would be used to get my hair cut at a salon. Is he awesome or what?!

So when we did our shopping today, I stopped in at the hair-cutting place in Wal-Mart and had them fix my hair. I'm so pleased with the results! It's really short in the back, and longer in the front, with side swept bangs. It should be really easy to style, according to the lady who cut it.



This, friends, is why my husband is awesome.

A Little Update

Yeah, I haven't gotten on and posted much lately, sorry. I've been feeling a little down, and not really in the mood to post anything. But I figured it was time to post a few pictures and stuff.

The Saturday before Christmas my cousin Esther and her husband Nathan were here, along with their adorable little Hannah, and we decided to get together for the evening. We met at the Discovery Center at the Gateway Mall. Someday it would be fun to go through there and do all that cool stuff that you do at Discovery Centers. But at the time, it was just the place where we met. We walked around the mall for a while, but since it's an outdoor mall and the temperature was quite low, we settled on Barnes and Noble and stayed there for a good long time.

The children's section was especially fun, especially for Zaylee. She found the train tracks and stayed there pretty much the whole time. Every once in a while another child (or Thomas) would want to play too, and Zaylee would grudgingly be forced to share a car or two, but she was always quick to get them back, often at the expense of the other child. I helped her share as much as I could, though. :-)


Here's the only picture I took of everyone together (except me, because, well, I was taking the picture). Doesn't everybody look so nice and cold?


After Barnes and Noble, we went over to the hotel where Nathan and Esther were staying. The walk over was quite chilly, but we all survived. We had dinner (Pizza Hut pasta - the best fast food pasta I've ever eaten!) and watched The Wizard of Oz. It was Zaylee's first time seeing that movie, and she was enthralled. I think the lion was her favorite, she giggled every time he did something silly. All in all, it was a nice visit, and we had a pretty good time.

Aunt Karen wanted to see a picture of Thomas in the adorable red long johns she gave him. When I went to take the pictures, he was ready for bed and definitely needing some sleep (read: he was extremely tired and fussy). So all the pictures I took turned out something like this:


Isn't he so cute, though, even with that fussy face!

Finally, a video from Christmas morning. I had the camera set up to take lots of pictures and videos, but we were too involved in opening and enjoying our gifts to bother with the camera at all. Eventually though, I remembered that I have a blogging obligation to include at least one picture or video from Christmas morning. So here is Zaylee having a grand old time with the pompoms from my brother Owen, currently Elder Danes. Both Zaylee and Thomas have really been enjoying those pompoms!

Better Christmas Pictures

We got the tree up! This time for real... (sheepish grin)... Jeff and I put it up and decorated it last night, after our outing with Nathan and Esther (more about that in a later post). We did it after putting the kids to bed for two reasons - first because we got home late and they were tired, second and most importantly because if they're asleep they can't make a mess!


Here's the tree and the stockings, all lit up and pretty. Thomas' stocking is different because he wasn't born yet when we got these ones. I crocheted the one on the end for him last year.


When the kids woke up this morning, after I got them all dressed up for church, they were just enchanted with the tree! Both Zaylee and Thomas were thoroughly engrossed with playing with as many ornaments (or "armaments," as Zaylee pronounces it) as they could reach.


Isn't Zaylee cute in her "Snow Princess" dress? Thank you, Karen, she loves it!


I love this look on Thomas' face!


I also have a few Christmas decorations around. Nativities, holiday-themed salt and pepper shakers (Thank you again, Karen, for your contribution to our new collection!), and this fun little table centerpiece. The foliage is a little wreath we bought at D.I. for our first Christmas together. The candle we received from Michelle a couple months ago when she was going through getting rid of stuff. I was really pleased with how well they paired together!


Now it's finally starting to look and feel a little like Christmas. Finally. :-)

Check This Out

I was recently introduced to this short (43 minutes) Internet movie, and I thought it was pretty cool. The songs have been stuck in my head all day. It's the story of a wannabe super villain Dr. Horrible, the girl of his dreams, and his hero nemesis Captain Hammer. It's funny and heart-wrenching, and has great music. Check it out and see what you think.

Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog

I Did It!

Just a quick post to let everyone know that I finally bit the bullet - I drove to Wal-Mart all by myself! This is the first time that I've driven here since we dropped off the U-Haul when we first moved. I've been too scared. But last night we needed wet wipes and a variety of other things, and the kids needed to go to bed, and I needed to get something for Jeff for Christmas. So I told him to stay home with the kids while I went shopping on my own. And I survived! Now that I've gotten over this hurdle, convincing myself to drive will be a little easier each time. Whew!

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas, but not here....

In this holiday season, Jeff and I have already put a lot of work into preparing our home, making it look beautiful and festive for Christmas.

I'd like to take you all on a photo tour of our festive home, so lovingly decorated and beautified. Prepare to be amazed!

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Here is our tree, already set up and beautifully decorated with bows and balls and garlands and lights.



Here is a lovely scene of Christmas decorations, everything from nativities to wreaths and pretty old Christmas cards.



And here is the corner where the gifts will be wrapped and lovingly placed under the tree.



You can see that some of the gifts for the kids are already wrapped and ready to go!



Yes, in our home, the Christmas spirit and festivities abound!

Happy Birthday Jeff!

Yesterday (Sunday) was Jeff's birthday! I've been keeping Jeff guessing for several days as to what I was giving him as a gift. He would ask me a yes-or-no question, and I would answer as vaguely as possible while still being truthful. Drove him crazy! He was so excited to actually find out what I was giving him that he made me stay up until midnight on Saturday night so he could open his gift as soon as it was "technically" his birthday. Truth be told, I didn't actually "stay up" - I fell asleep on the couch and he woke me up at midnight with his puppy-dog eyes and pleading voice. So I took pity and told him to get the present out and open it up.


Jeff loves all things spicy, so I gave him a hot sauce gift set - five hot sauces featuring habanero, jalapeno, chipotle, datil, and cayenne peppers. He was so excited!!


We have been enjoying trying out the hot sauces on various foods. First we did tortillas dipped in the sauces one at a time, and then fried potatoes, with different sauces on different bites. I like hot sauce too, and Jeff has been nice enough to share. They're all really yummy, but the habanero sauce is really really spicy, so I haven't really been too eager to make him share that one!

For his birthday cake, Jeff wanted something light and lemony. Together we decided on a lemon pudding cake, and I made it up for him last night. We ate it so quickly! It made an 8-inch cake, and the whole thing was gone within ten minutes. It was so delicious! It was light and moist and creamy and lemony and sweet, wow! The recipe is over at my food blog.

Ward Christmas Party, and Our Beautiful Old Building

On Friday we had our ward Christmas party. There was lots of good food, and we got to enjoy getting to know some of the ward members. Zaylee enjoyed eating the little chocolate cakes!


I really wanted to take advantage of the opportunity to take some pictures of our building. I got a couple nice ones, but wasn't able to get a good picture of the chapel. I couldn't figure out how to turn on the light in the chapel - it's an old building, so things aren't laid out exactly how you would think. I'm firmly convinced that the switch to turn on the chapel lights isn't in the chapel at all. Anyway, I went up to the cry room above the chapel (yes, there's a cry room!) and took a picture from the "window." Without lights, it didn't really turn out, but it gives the basic idea.


I really need to go back and take pictures when the lights are on. There's some beautiful old details that are just wonderful, and the stained glass windows are so pretty! Here's a window from a smaller room.


The detail under the stair rail:


The old wooden pews in the cry room:


The doors have these wonderful old-fashioned locks:


It really is a charming building, and I'm glad that we have the opportunity to go to church there.

On an mostly different note, I received a calling this Sunday to be the Ward Music Chair. I will be over all the music in the ward - Sacrament Meeting, choir, etc. I'm excited, and kind of nervous. I've done all sorts of musical stuff in church, mostly accompanying and singing. This is the first time I'll be in a music leadership position. I hope I do a good job.

Temple Square Lights

On Sunday we went to see the lights on Temple Square with Jeff's sister Joy and her her family. We drove down to the trax station, then got to ride on the train to Temple Square. Zaylee was so excited to ride on a train!

The lights were just beautiful. I tried several times to get a good picture of the actual lights, but I couldn't figure out the best settings on the camera for it, and the batteries were running low. So I focused on pictures of other things. Here are the kids, all bundled up in the stroller and excited to be out and about.


I took several pictures of the Temple, but this one turned out best. I love the unique angle.


They had beautiful nativities set up all over Temple Square. This one was in the middle of a pool surrounded by floating lights.


And I absolutely had to take pictures of this one - a Japanese nativity, just like little kokeshi dolls. Mom will love this one - she has a wonderful little collection of kokeshi dolls. Each of these little figures was about 2 or 3 feet tall.



About this time my camera batteries died. It took me several tries to get the Japanese nativity pictures. So the rest of the time I just focused on looking around, enjoying myself, and keeping Zaylee and Thomas from throwing fits because they were tired and cold. All in all it was a good evening, and I'm glad we were able to go out and spend time with Joy and Jim and their kids.

Yesterday we got to enjoy some beautiful snowy weather. Zaylee kept climbing up to the windowsill to look at all the snowflakes falling - it's hard to see in the picture but we were getting some pretty large flakes!


I'm thinking of making those eggnog truffle cups today, because making sweets seems like the perfect way to spend a cold, wintery day!

Nightmare at the Laundromat

Today was one of those days when I really missed living close to my parents. We had a little schedule worked out - every Thursday we would go over to their house to do our laundry and spend the day with them, and usually included me making some delicious lunch, dinner, and/or dessert. This was great not only because we got to spend time with my family and have a good time together, but also because we didn't have to spend any money on laundry. Laundry wasn't a chore, it was an excuse to have a great day!


But now, things are different.


Today we went to the laundromat.


We visited Smith's Market to get a few groceries and pick up some change so we could do our laundry. Jeff and I decided that it would be more cost-effective to go to the nearest laundromat than to use the machines in our building, and we would get it all done faster too. So we (the whole family) headed over to the coin-op. Upon arrival, we realized that we had left our laundry soap at home. No big deal, they had detergent dispensers, so Jeff popped in three quarters and got a box. I loaded all the clothes into a huge front-loading machine (four-load capacity, wow!) while Jeff inspected the box. He realized very quickly that he had accidentally bought dryer sheets instead of detergent. No big deal, we needed those anyway. So I sent him back to the dispenser. He comes back with Clorox 2. By now the clothes are all loaded, and ready to go. I open the box, read the directions, and roll my eyes. Clorox 2 is bleach for colors, not detergent! Back to the dispenser!

This time Jeff finally comes back with a little box of Tide, and it's real detergent. Okay, so I loaded the detergent into the detergent place, and the bleach into the bleach place, and we start the machine. After it gets going, I read the instructions on the machine and realize I put the bleach in too soon, and we should have added more detergent (it was, after all, four loads of laundry, one of which was the nasty stuff from the bathroom bucket, namely Zaylee's wet/poopy clothes). Oh well.

The kids, through all this, were having the time of their lives, running around the laundromat and opening and closing all the machines they could reach (thankfully they didn't open any that were running). Jeff got a load of bedding going, and we stood around waiting. Zaylee and Thomas got a kick out of watching our clothes go round and round in the washing machine. I got a kick out of seeing all the stuff in the machine that really wasn't supposed to be there...like Jeff's sharpie and Zaylee's little toy balloon.

When the washing was done, we loaded the bedding into one dryer and all the clothes into another. In our defense, it was a really big dryer and should have been able to dry all of our clothes in a timely manner. Okay, so we should have listened to the lady who told us that the smaller ones heat better and the big ones were kind of old. But it was so big, and we really thought it would work!

While the clothes were drying, we took a brief walk outside, to let the kids (and ourselves) run off some energy. One of the most interesting sights on our walk was the enormous dog that, standing on its hind legs while leaning up against its fence, stood as tall as Jeff. One of the highlights of Zaylee's day, I'm sure, was when it started barking and startled the living daylights our of her. Those big dogs sure have deep barks.

We got back to the laundromat in time to learn that our bedding (in a small dryer) was finished drying, and our clothes (in a large dryer) were not. Not only were they not dry, but they were starting to smell a little funny. I guess that washing four loads of nasty laundry with one load worth of detergent isn't such a great idea after all. Next time we'll definitely use our own detergent.

We put a couple more quarters in the machine and let the kids play with the laundry carts while Jeff and I watched infomercials for some super-cool sandwich maker and the Cricut Expressions cutter. Well, it was a step up from the Mexican mariachi music videos that were playing on the other station!

When the dryer was done, I checked the laundry. Still damp. I fed in a couple more quarters and went back to the infomercials, while helping Thomas push the laundry cart in circles around the laundromat. I must have gone around that place fifty times or so before the machine was done again. But when I checked and the laundry still wasn't dry, I decided that I had had it. We loaded our damp, stinky clothes and our over-excited kids back into the car and headed home. The kids were fed lunch, and the laundry is now draped over our little-used drying rack. The clothes that didn't fit on the rack are still sitting in the laundry basket, patiently waiting their turn while they stink up our bedroom.

Man, I miss my mom's laundry room!

Eggnog Truffles Recipe

Since a couple people have expressed interest in this recipe, I'll go ahead and post it, so you guys don't have to wait until I actually try them. It looks really yummy, and fairly simple. I'll post the recipe with pictures on my food blog once I've made them, but in the meantime:

Eggnog Truffle Cups
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
2 tsp. shortening
6 tbsp. eggnog
1 package (10-12 oz) vanilla or white chips
1/2 tsp. extract (recipe calls for rum extract, but I would use vanilla or almond)
1/4 to 3/4 tsp. nutmeg

In microwave-safe bowl, melt semisweet chips and shortening; stir until smooth. Using a narrow pastry brush, brush the inside of 1-inch foil candy liners with 1/2 tsp. melted chocolate. Freeze for 45 minutes or until firm.

Using 1/4 tsp. chocolate mixture for each cup, brush on another layer of chocolate. Freeze until firm.

In a small saucepan, bring eggnog to a boil over low heat. Remove from heat; stir in vanilla chips until melted; stir in extract. Refrigerate for 30 minutes or until filling begins to set.

Spoon or pipe 1 1/2 tsp. filling into each cup. Freeze until firm. Carefully remove and discard foil cups. Cover and store truffles in an airtight container in refrigerator. Just before serving, sprinkle with nutmeg.

Yields 3 dozen.

Christmas Tag

I don't know if I've been tagged for this one or not, but I wanted to play along, so here's my answers to the Christmas tag!

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? Usually wrapping paper - it comes cheaper. But I do keep gift bags when I receive gifts in them, and will use them if it fits the gift and the person receiving it doesn't mind getting a used bag!

2. Real tree or Artificial? Our tree is an artificial tree that we bought for our first Christmas together. And when I was growing up we had an artificial tree that was so fun to put together!

3. When do you put up the tree? Growing up, we would always wait until after my sister's birthday on December 8. Now, it's just kind of put up whenever - sometime after Thanksgiving but before Christmas! This year, it will be when the boxes are unpacked enough for the corner to be empty.

4. When do you take the tree down? A few days after Christmas.

5. Do you like eggnog? Oh, so very much! Jeff and I just love the stuff! I enjoy using it in recipes as well as drinking it. I found a recipe for eggnog truffles that I want to try sometime this holiday season...

6. Favorite gift received as a child? I don't remember.

7. Hardest person to buy for? It varies. I just don't think I'm all that great at coming up with good gifts, no matter who they're for.

8. Easiest person to buy for? This year it was my mom. I knew right away when I saw it that I was going to get it for her. But I won't say it, because she's reading my blog more now that I've moved away, and I'm not going to give it away! ;-)

9. Do you have a nativity scene? I think I have three - a simple, small white one we bought our first year; a little candle holder one that I got at DI last year; and a larger, though still small, really cute one that Mom got for us. My mom collects small nativities, and spreads them all over the house for the holiday season, and I think I want to start collecting them too, it's a great way to keep in mind the real reason we celebrate Christmas.

10. Mail or email Christmas cards? Ummm, I don't do Christmas cards. I'm too lazy.

11. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? Can't think of any.

12. Favorite Christmas Movie? As a kid I loved those puppet-like specials, Rudolf the Red-Nosed Reindeer, Santa Claus is Coming To Town, stuff like that. Now I think I prefer the more adult ones like It's a Wonderful Life and Miracle on 34th Street (black and white version).

13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? I pick stuff up throughout the year, but sometimes procrastinate until mid- to late-December.

14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? Probably as a child. We were always passing toys back and forth for Christmas or birthdays.

15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? Everything!!! I have a favorite Christmas cake that I'll have to make and post on my blog at some point, and I love all the cookies and the breads and other treats that pop up this time of year.

16. Lights on the tree? Yes. Growing up it was always the colorful lights, sometimes blinking. Now we have a pre-lit tree with white lights. It looks much more elegant.

17. Favorite Christmas song? Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire.

18. Travel at Christmas or stay home? We traveled last year, and I don't want to do it again! There were too many gifts to haul back and forth and it was just too difficult. I'd rather travel for Thanksgiving, and spend Christmas at home.

19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer? Yes.

20. Angel on the tree top or a star? For the first couple years of our marriage, it was a bow. Now we have a little star ornament that we rig up on top of the tree. Maybe some day we'll actually fork out a little money and buy and actual tree topper.

21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? Christmas morning. When I was growing up we opened our Christmas pajamas on Christmas Eve, but I haven't really carried that tradition over to our little family yet. I want to some day though.

23. Favorite ornament theme or color? I like classy elegance in Christmas decorating - white lights, red bows, gold accents.

24. Favorite sense of the season (sight, hearing, smell, touch, taste)? That's a toss-up between smell and taste. I like the foods of the season!

Slowly Adjusting

I've been feeling a little better today. When I wrote my last post, I really was absolutely miserable to be here, in this tiny apartment and this huge city. I just didn't want to blog about that, because I knew I would start crying if I tried to write how I was feeling.

But today I'm doing better. We got a large cabinet at Wal-Mart on Saturday, and put it together, so now we have more space for unpacking food. I've unpacked several boxes today, and am finding that we have a little bit more space for stuff than I thought - still not nearly enough, but it's seeming a little less dismal to me than it was before. I even dragged the stroller out and down the stairs and took the kids on a little walk this morning. I was hoping to get some pictures of the area, and the beautiful old buildings all over - but wouldn't you know I forgot my camera! Oh well, we'll be here a while; there will be plenty of opportunities for picture taking, I suppose. Anyway, it was nice to get out of the apartment and away from all the boxes for a little while. It was a really short walk - just a couple blocks - I'm going for baby steps, a little at a time!

Salt Lake really is very big. I never thought I would live in a big city, I've always preferred slightly rural areas. You know, if there isn't a field right next door, there's at least one or two within a short distance. I like places where cows or horses are common sights, even the occasional llama in someone's yard. But Salt Lake is nothing like that - no livestock, no fields, and definitely no llamas! Just huge 4- or 6-lane roads all over the place. It seems like everything except our apartment is enormous. Even Wal-Mart is overwhelming - they have a two-level parking structure instead of a simple parking lot! The whole big city experience has been overwhelming and intimidating to me, and it's going to take me a while to adjust. So far I've gone from major dislike and terror (especially of those freeways!) to mild dislike and nervousness. But that's progress! (But I'm still terrified of the freeways)

Want to see my closet hole in the wall kitchen? I found my USB cable and was able to upload a picture I took on Saturday. I have Zaylee in the picture for size comparison.


For informational purposes: there is nothing behind the fridge. No cupboards or drawers, just wall. And I can't put anything there, like shelves, because that would block the dishwasher and take up half the kitchen. There are exactly four drawers in the kitchen - right there to the right of the oven, and they're each only about six inches wide and a foot deep. There's a little space above all the cupboards that we'll use for appliances and such. But as for large, awkwardly shaped things like my pizza stone, wok, and bamboo steamer, I just don't know where to put them! Sigh.

Yes, I'm slowly adjusting, but it will definitely take time.

Trying to Be Thankful

Seeing as how we just had the Thanksgiving holiday, it feels more appropriate to list things to be thankful for right now, rather than jump right into complaining about how depressingly, frustratingly tiny our apartment is, or how depressingly, frighteningly huge Salt Lake City is. Though I am sorely tempted...


~I'm thankful that, due to traffic issues with the U-Haul center in our town, we were able to rent one from the neighboring town, because to make up for the inconvenience they gave us an extra day and 250 extra miles at no charge. We picked up the truck early, and were able to get everything packed in a timely manner.

~I'm thankful for my sister Janelle, who spent every day this week at our apartment, helping us clean, pack, load the truck, and watch the kids.

~I'm thankful that my whole family came over, in two batches, on Friday to help us finish up getting ready for check-out, and to say goodbye.

~I'm thankful that we had a safe journey. I'm especially thankful that I didn't have a panic attack as we were driving into Salt Lake on that insanely huge highway.

~I'm thankful for the Wendy's value menu, and for all the ketchup that makes Thomas eat anything we put it on.

~I'm thankful that the manager was at our apartment when we got here. Her office is in another building, so she came over hoping to catch us at the right time. She did, and we were able to check in right away.

~I'm thankful that Jeff's sister Joy and her family were able to come and help us unload most of our stuff from the truck.

~I'm thankful that our new apartment has a dishwasher and kitchen sinks that actually drain.

~I'm thankful that we have our very own covered parking space, right next to the door.

~I'm thankful that the heaters in the apartment work well, though we probably won't run them to their full capacity, to save money!

~I'm thankful that we rented a utility dolly along with the truck. Loading and unloading has been so much easier than it would have otherwise been.

~I'm thankful that, even though I'm too scared to actually drive to it by myself, we have a Wal-Mart Super Center very close.

~I'm thankful that we're in an old, historic part of Salt Lake, with lots of beautiful buildings to look at and photograph (once I get brave enough to go outside!).

~I'm thankful that we finally have internet again!

~Lastly, I'm thankful for the fact that even though this move has been hard, physically and emotionally, and even though I feel terrified, lost, and completely out of my element in this big city, I have this opportunity for personal growth and progress. Challenges are given for a reason, and I hope I'm up to the task.

Lest you all think this whole situation is just sunshine and roses, I will say that my "kitchen" is so small that it barely fits two people, and there is practically nothing in the way of drawer or cupboard space. Tell me, how can I be completely happy with a kitchen as tiny as that?

Got a Lot Done Today

Yesterday it hit me that, while we're not moving until Friday, we're planning on loading the truck on Wednesday so we can have a worry-free Thanksgiving. Which means everything needs to be boxed and ready to go by Tuesday evening. Yikes!

So this morning my sister Janelle came over to help me out all day. This help was especially wonderful today because, not only was I packing and cleaning, but I was also watching my friends two adorable little girls, and four little children require a lot more supervision than just two. Anyway, we all had a great time together. C kept calling Janelle cute names because she couldn't quite remember her name. One in particular was too funny, "Vanilla, can you help me with this?" C and L really liked Janelle after they adjusted to her. We watched some movies, and the kids played together a lot, and I packed up a whole bunch of stuff. I took down the space saver in the bathroom, and I packed up almost everything in our kitchen. We did all the dishes, and then thoroughly cleaned all the counters. I even wiped out several cupboards. Janelle is going to come back tomorrow to help me clean some more. I think I actually will be able to have everything ready on Wednesday when we pick up the U-haul - woohoo!

I'm going to miss my friends and my ward here. I feel like we were finally really getting settled into this ward, and getting into our groove with this apartment, and this job, and basically this life. It'll be hard to move on again - I don't make friends very quickly because I'm really shy, so I'm just not sure how long it will take me to really adjust to a new ward and a new neighborhood. I'm nervous about it... okay, I'm just plain scared about it! I don't like things to change, I like things to stay the same. But I know that this will be a good change in many ways, and that I will find a way to adapt and things will settle down and feel normal some day. And by the time that happens life will change again, because it just has that nasty habit of doing that. Sigh. Guess I'm just feeling introspective and thoughtful tonight.

I think I need to go to bed.

Now That's More Like It!

Dear Shoe Monster,

Thank you, shoe monster, for returning two of the missing shoes. I was pleased, though not too surprised, to see my sneaker in the kids' room this morning. I wasn't really expecting you to keep that one - sneakers are notorious for smelling funny and tasting bad. But I must say that I was definitely surprised this afternoon to find that you had returned the little black Sunday shoe of Zaylee's; you know, the one that you took several months ago? That must have required a great sacrifice on your part - it's such a cute little shoe and you've been keeping it for such a long time. I really am impressed that you were able to keep it from me for so long. So thank you so much, shoe monster, for being so cooperative. I look forward to the return of Jeff's black dress shoe and my comfy sandal in the next few days.

Thanks,
Stephanie

p.s. Yes, I understand that I won't be needing or wearing that sandal for many months to come; but with the move coming up it really would be more convenient for you to go ahead and return it now. Unless you want to come all the way to Utah with us. But of course you don't want to do that, do you? It would be a dreadful inconvenience on your part to have to go all that way just so you can return a shoe later that you could so very easily return right now.

Something's Eating the Shoes

There seems to be some sort of shoe-eating monster on the loose, and it has taken up residence in my home. Actually, I think it's been around for quite a while, and has started to get more hungry lately. A few months ago, one of Zaylee's little black Sunday shoes went missing. It has never been recovered. A couple weeks ago, Jeff discovered that one of his Sunday shoes had been eaten as well. For a while one of Zaylee's brown shoes was missing, but I guess the monster decided it didn't like the brown flavor and it gave the shoe back. Many months ago one of my sandals went missing, and hasn't been heard from since. Pity, those were my comfy sandals. Now, just yesterday, my sneaker disappeared. That monster had better cough those shoes up quick, because we're moving soon, and it just won't do to move into a new house with one big black dress shoe, one little black girly shoe, one sandal, and one sneaker. It just won't do!

Conjunctivitis and other woes

You know what is absolutely no fun at all? Well, lots of things, but the one I'm thinking of starts with "pink" and ends with "eye" and makes your eyes pink. Go ahead, take a guess - that's right! Conjunctivitis, also known as "pink eye." Zaylee somehow contracted this horrible infection and started showing symptoms on Wednesday, had it for a couple days, and spread it to me. I think I got it when I let her poke me in the eye repeatedly. What was I thinking?

So I got it in my right eye yesterday, and now it's spread to my left eye. My eyes are goopy, and crusty, and swollen, and irritable, and watery, and irritated, and scratchy, and pink! I'm not supposed to wear my contacts so I have to wear the glasses that I wore in high school, the ones that were already old six years ago when I first got contacts. The ones that have a falling-apart frame and lenses on which the coating is cracked in about a billion places. And the prescription expired years ago - so I can barely see anything. And they make my face look fat and nerdy. And I had to wear them to church and it messed up my piano playing in Primary because I couldn't properly see the notes, the keys, or my hands. And I felt ugly.

On top of all this, I can't sleep at night, my joints ache, and I think I have a cold. My throat hurts, my nose is runny, my head feels like it's going to explode, and I've got aches in my fingers, elbows, back, hips, and knees. Gosh, I sound like an old woman! A cranky old woman who is really tired and sore and just want to get better. Or die.

Life Experiences

Saw this on Melinda's blog and thought it looked fun.

For you to do: copy and paste this to your blog and bold the ones that you HAVE done.

1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance - just before Jeff and I got engaged - it's a fun story
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain - Jeff and I have decided we need to do this next time it rains
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper - technically it was just my finger. And a very small newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating - does a fish count?
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee

35 out of 99 - not too bad!

Boxes Everywhere!

Today Mom and Janelle came over to help me pack. We got lots of boxes packed, we're trying to box up everything we won't be needing in the next two weeks. Yup - we're moving in two weeks. This has all happened so fast! It seems like it was only yesterday that Jeff told me he wanted to apply to work at the reference lab. I had no concept of how fast it would all happen - Jeff's application, phone interviews, waiting to hear back from the lab, finding an apartment, getting everything all worked out with our current apartment managers, planning when Jeff would start working and when we would move, and now we're packing boxes.

Anyway, the three of us worked for quite a while, boxing up everything in the closets, pantry, the stuff on the walls; we got a lot done. Then when Jeff got home from work this afternoon, he brought home lots and lots of nice big boxes for us to use. so now the apartment is full of boxes, full and empty. The empty ones, we'll pack up in the next couple weeks. The sooner the better! We plan to fill the U-Haul on the 26th, the day before Thanksgiving. Then we'll spend Thanksgiving with my family, at Mom's parents' house. Then on Friday morning we'll finish loading the last of our things, check out of the apartment, and head off to our new home, and our new life!

And I'm still scared.

UFO Sighting

Now, I'm not normally into the paranormal. Ghost stories, Big Foot, UFO sightings - I find these things amusing, but not believable. But how can I deny what my own eyes have witnessed? Today as I was visiting with my family, I happened to look out the window absently, and that's when I saw it.


Hovering in the air above the distant fields was the unmistakable shape of a UFO. Here's a closer look.


Isn't it amazing! Sure made a believer out of me!



***Disclaimer: I am fully aware that the pictured object is, in fact, not a UFO but a cloud. I just thought that it was way awesome that it was shaped like a UFO, and wrote this post for the purpose of being humorous.***

Boys and Their Owies

Something about little boys, or little kids in general, is that they always seem to be drawn to ways to injure themselves. Even something as supposedly harmless as a big plastic box with no sharp edges or corners becomes a weapon of destruction when a little boy falls on it just right.


I really don't know how he does it. Seriously, the box is all rounded corners! Well, I'm sure he'll grow out of his accident-proneness someday. :-)

Lovely dessert

Today was one of those days where you just need to have a pretty dessert after putting the kids to bed. It was a nice day and all, the kids weren't any more unruly than they usually are. I just wanted to indulge in something sweet and pretty. So we broke out the fancy glass ice cream dishes, raspberry sherbet, and sprinkles.


Doesn't that just make you want to smile?

Our Big News

I can post now that, as of yesterday, Jeff has been officially offered a position as Immunologist at the reference lab in Salt Lake. His first day will be December 1, so we are planning on moving the weekend before, just after Thanksgiving. We're still working on getting an apartment, but have found one that we think will work out. It will cost more than our current apartment, since it's not subsidized. But we were pretty much counting on that anyway; it will be doable.

Jeff is very very excited about this new job. Immunology has always been his favorite, so he's thrilled that he will get to specialize in that. He's also glad that he gets to work in a big reference lab - he prefers that type of atmosphere over that of a small hospital lab. He has been doing really well at his job here, and gets along well with everyone, but he is excited to move on to do what he's been really wanting to do.

As for me, I'm excited for Jeff, and very proud of him. I'm still nervous and scared about the move, and have a ton of packing and de-junking and cleaning and all-around preparation to do. But this is an exciting thing for us, and I support Jeff and his new position 100%.

Haven't Posted In A While ...

... because I really can't think of much to post. Well, I do have one exciting thing to post, but I'll do that later.

We have been living in a mess for quite a while, because I hate washing dishes and Jeff hates washing dishes, and so we just don't do them, etc. but today we were informed that maintenance was going to come by and look at our sinks (they don't drain), so Jeff and I very quickly got to work and were able to clean up the kitchen really well. It looks great. I wonder how long it will stay that way.

Anyway, a promise is a promise - the manager promised that the guy would look at our sinks, and he did just that. He came in and looked, wrote something in his clipboard, asked a few questions, and then said he didn't have the right equipment today and he would come back next week. Well, it's a start. We're hoping that it will get taken care of as soon as possible. And they're going to work on fixing the pantry door sometime in the possibly near future as well.

Yeah, I really can't think of anything interesting enough to post. Oh well. It was worth a shot.

The Most Random Thing I've Said All Week...

..."Just a minute Zaylee, I'm cleaning your pee off of Thomas' head!"




























Just let that sink in a moment...























Zaylee had an accident this evening, and she got it all over the couch. I don't know if she actually peed on Thomas' head, or if he somehow rubbed his head on the couch where the pee was. But the fact stands that I couldn't help Zaylee get her dress off right away because I was, in fact, cleaning her pee off of Thomas' head.

I Voted!

On this cloudy, windy, and blustery day, Jeff and I took turns braving the elements all the way to our designated voting place (the whole block and a half) to vote for the leaders of our district, county, state, and country. Looky, they gave us stickers!


We were lucky, in that we went early and are in a small town - there wasn't even a line and everything went very quickly. I had thought I wouldn't be able to register to vote, because I believed that I had to have some sort of "official" proof of residency - power bill, phone bill, driver's license with our current address, that sort of thing. But I had Jeff ask about it when he registered, and he found that all I needed was something that had been in the mail and had my name and current address; it didn't have to be all that official at all. So I was able to take a letter from Mom, and register and vote. Yay me!


When I looked out the window this morning, here is what I saw:


The leaves have finally abandoned their posts on the trees and decided to take up residence all over the ground. There sure are a lot of them!

A cute video

I've just got cute little video I wanted to share. This is Thomas playing peek-a-boo. He would pull the blanket over his face, then pop out and say "Da!" which is, I guess, his version of "boo." At one point the blanket got caught on his head, so when he tried to pull it off, he ended up pulling himself down. I love his closed-eye laugh!

Halloween stuff

We spent yesterday (Halloween) at Mom's house, helping with William again. We were excited to learn that Nathan was recovering great. He was able to go home yesterday, which was nice. I was glad to get to see Michelle in the afternoon, and hang out with her for a while. She and Mom and I had a little shopping trip at Wal-Mart and had fun, just us girls!

We went to the trunk or treat at my parents' ward last night. Here's the fun costumes:

Marie as a murdered gypsy...

Rheanna and Zaylee as princesses...

Thomas as a guy with a beard and mustache (we ran out of creativity. Anyway, he thought it was great)...

Me as a medieval maiden...

Jeff as "Sleepy Dad" (aka he didn't really dress up but wanted in on the fun)...

Costumes I didn't get a picture of - Samuel as a prince and Janelle as a cowgirl. Marie's costume was the funnest and most time consuming. She looked up online how to make wounds and fake blood, then she and Janelle spent most of the afternoon making it look like Marie had been brutally murdered. It was fun. There was fake blood getting smeared all over the place, because some rubbed off every time Marie brushed against anything (or anyone - I got some on my t-shirt). I think they did a good job of creating the grisly effect.


It looked so realistic that Marie claims her arm really started hurting as they were making it. Wow.

Zaylee had a fun time at the trunk-or-treat. She got really good at saying "Trick or Treat!" and "Thank you!" But she said it so quietly that I had to say it with her so that the people would know she was saying it. We only gave her a small bucket to collect candy, and we left when it was full. We didn't want her to have too much. She had already filled up on pumpkin seeds, eating them all day long! I did let her have more candy than I normally would though. It was Halloween, after all!

Fast forward to today. Zaylee was sick today, because of all those pumpkin seeds. She threw up this morning, and has had diarrhea a few times more than I care to remember. Clean-up for that kind of stuff is no fun at all! Zaylee got to have her first shower ever this evening after a particularly messy episode. She thoroughly enjoyed it. I didn't enjoy it quite so much as she did.

The Relief Society had Super Saturday today, and I went and had a good time (leaving Jeff to deal with Zaylee, who remained in good spirits despite not feeling well, and Thomas). I signed up to make a Christmas apron, and the quiet book that I drew all those pictures for. I didn't finish either project there, but I will be able to finish on my own in the next few days. I got all the quiet book pages cut out and everything, I just need to get them laminated and bound. And I have a little bit more sewing to do on the apron. I'll post those when I finish them.

Long Day

Today has been very long, but pretty good. With Nathan in surgery, I had agreed to help Michelle by watching William. It didn't really end up working out that way though. We spent the day at Mom's house, doing laundry, and Janelle was assigned care of William. That made it easier on me, I could focus on Zaylee and Thomas, and the laundry, and tracing gospel pictures for an ABC quiet book I'll be making on Saturday, for our RS Super Saturday.

Technically, I was supposed to print out pictures for the quiet book. I knew where on lds.org to find the ones I needed and everything. But when I tried to print, the computer told me that dad's printer has the incorrect black ink cartridge or something. We all tried to figure it out, but long story short is that they need a new cartridge and I couldn't print my pictures.

Mom being the Primary guru that she is, she dug out several books with gospel-related children's pictures and we decided I could trace the pictures I needed from there. They weren't the same pictures I was going to print out, but I basically just needed the same subject matter anyway. You know, instead of the photograph of a child taking the sacrament, I found a small illustration of a child taking the sacrament, traced it out, and colored it in. And I had to do 26 different small pictures, one for each letter of the alphabet. I was digging through these books (illustrations for the children's song book, Primary busy books, coloring books to go with lessons, stuff like that) for pictures to go with these words: Angel, Baptise, Church, Daddy, Eternity, Family, Grandparents, Helamen, Isaiah, Jesus Christ, Kneeling, Love, Mommy, Nephi, Obedience, Prophet, Quiet, Resurrection, Sacrament, Tithing, Unity, Vision, Word of Wisdom, eXaltation, Yoke, Zion. The whole process took me several hours to complete. But I have the pictures I need, and I will have the most unique Quiet book of all the sisters there this Saturday!

Here are all my pictures, in alphabetical order. You can click on the picture to see it up closer. It was a lot of work!


Anyway, doing up those pictures took up a good portion of my day (and hence, a good portion of this post!) and I had fun doing it. Another fun thing I did today was make pizza for lunch. I wish I had taken pictures of that, it was delicious and looked great. But I did post the recipe for the crust on my food blog; it was the easiest yeast pizza crust I've ever made, and I've made lots.

I think I'm going to take the opportunity to apologize for doing kinda pathetic at posting on this blog. I haven't been posting very regularly, and when I do take the time to post, I don't really think through what I'm writing and it ends up coming out in one huge jumbled mess. I don't really have any good excuses, just that I'm not feeling very bloggy or motivated right now. I keep up my food blog because it's super fun, and I always cook so I might as well blog about it. But this blog ends up getting neglected. I'm sorry for that, and I'll try to try harder. :(

Flashback Tag

I was tagged by Nicia to find the sixth picture in my sixth picture file. So here it is:


It was April 26, and I guess Thomas was just being really cute at the time, because I have like ten pictures and two videos of him in that folder. I was playing around with the camera settings too, because they're all black and white or sepia. Cute stuff!

If anyone else wants to do this, you're tagged!

Thomas and the Toddler Bed

Michelle asked if we've moved Thomas into Zaylee's old toddler bed yet. I started to answer in a comment, but realized it was too long of an explanation, so I'll answer in this post.

We haven't yet moved Thomas to the toddler bed. And here's why. I mentioned that we've been restricting Thomas' pacifier use, and giving it to him only at naptime and bedtime. Well, it turns out that Thomas has now associated the pacifier with naptime and bedtime, go figure, and started refusing to take it. Or we would give it to him and put him in his crib, and he'd stand up and throw the pacifier over the side of the crib and cry. Rather than continually coming back into his room to retrieve the paci and give it back, which would be silly, we just let him cry himself to sleep without it.

So now, for the past several days, we haven't even been giving him the paci at all. And it's working alright - he cried in his crib for a few minutes, then puts himself to sleep. This whole thing is actually quite a huge relief. I don't even know where the pacifier is right now, and it's great because I don't care!!!

The only unfortunate thing is that I'm not sure how he'll transition to the toddler bed. I'm nervous to make this big change right at the same time that we're cutting out pacifier use. I'm worried that I'll put him down for bed or naps, and he'll run screaming to the door and stand there crying for who-knows-how-long, and never ending napping. And he won't have the pacifier to calm himself down.

I'm probably making a mountain out of something that will only be a tiny molehill. But I'm sure I'm not the only mother who hesitates to make a change that might adversely affect her child's sleeping. I treasure the hours when the kids are asleep - I need that time! And it always drives me crazy when they just sit in there crying. I'm okay with letting them cry it out, but I hate every minute of it!

So long story short, I'm nervous to move him to the toddler bed. I'm sure we'll do it sooner rather than later, because I don't want him to learn to climb completely out of the crib, and he's close to that. But in addition to the pacifier situation, I also don't want to take the crib down until we figure out what we're going to do with it - we have no space for it here in the apartment. I'll probably call Mom and see if she'll let us keep it in their garage.

Anyway, that's my long-winded answer to the question of whether or not we had moved Thomas to the toddler bed. Whew!

Twilight Character!

I'm totally in love with the Twilight series, so was excited to find this quiz.

Take the Quiz and Share Your Results!

You are thoughtful and care very deeply for your family. A loving home is of great importance to you and you always try to make people feel welcome. Although you have a great capacity to love, you also have a great capacity to hurt, so at times you can be sensitive. You're firm when you need to be, but people trust your judgment and appreciate the kind way you always handle things.

Other Twilight Quizzes

The Primary Program and Zaylee's Bed

Today our Primary had their Sacrament Meeting Primary Program, themed "I Am a Child of God." As primary pianist, that means I got to spend the whole time up at the piano. I wish that piano benches came with backs, because after all that time at the piano, my back was starting to hurt! Oh well. :-)

Last night, the ward organist called and asked if I would play the organ for Sacrament meeting today, since she wasn't feeling well. I went ahead and said yes, so I played the opening and Sacrament hymn on the organ, then worked my way through the rows of children to the piano on the other side of the stand for the Primary Program. What fun! Luckily, the hymns were fairly simple and I was able to practice on Grandma's organ before church so I didn't mess them up.

I have to admit I was nervous about the program. I have of course seen Primary programs plenty of times, but this is the first time (since graduating out of Primary years ago) that I have actually participated in one. The behind-the-scenes stuff that goes on is hectic, mainly practices with all the kids. After two Sundays and one Saturday of program practices, I was sure that the program was going to be a disaster - the kids would be wiggling in their seats and gabbing to their neighbors, and wouldn't know when to stand for the songs, and would all forget their parts. But when I mentioned this to Mom yesterday, she said that it's always like that. The practices are always a little merrily chaotic, with kids just being kids. But they always seem to calm down for the actual program, and everything just runs smoothly. I was pleasantly surprised that she was actually right - everything just went well and the kids did extremely well with the songs and their parts and being calm and reverent.

I was feeling a little squished up there on the stand. Since the bishopric and the ward chorister were displaced, their seats being taken by young children, they were all squeezed in wherever they could find a place. The bishop was sitting on the corner seat in the back of the stand, and the ward chorister was stuck on a little chair (you know those tiny plastic chairs they have for the Nursery and Sunbeams) right up beside the piano bench. The bishop joked that if the kid who sat in the seat he was in showed up, he might have to share the piano bench with me. Luckily, the seat he was in never did get occupied by a child, so the bench was mine.

Anyway, after the program, it was back down to the Primary room for two hours of Primary. For singing time, we played a sort of Hot Potato game, where the kids got to choose their favorite songs to sing. Part of the rules was that they weren't allowed to choose songs we had done for the program - we had been working on those songs for months and everyone was tired of them! The problem was that since those were almost the only songs the kids had been singing for so long, they couldn't think of any other songs! It was fun though, to get to do a bunch of non-program songs. Most of the kids chose fun "wiggle" songs, like Popcorn Popping, Head Shoulders Knees and Toes, and Book of Mormon Stories.

It will be nice to get back to regular Primary next week. We're going to start working on Christmas songs. Yippee!

In other news, Zaylee's bed was delivered yesterday, and Jeff put it together. Zaylee is thrilled with her beautiful new bed! Here's some pictures Jeff took of the process of putting it together.

The bed in the box

All laid out

Hmm, now what do I do?

All put together

Aw, isn't that cute?

The bed is nice and high, so there's plenty of storage space underneath - always a nice bonus! Plus, Thomas can't climb up onto it, so Zaylee will have less reason to beat up on him - hooray! Now, does that mean she'll actually beat up on him less? Well, we'll see...