La Vie En Rose

WHY BUY A BOOK?

2012-01-24T07:00:00.000-07:00

Read this lovely post that touched on the change in book buying habits and publishing attempts at luring us into purchase with lovely designs and bold endpapers over the weekend that just about has me setting the fantastic goal of buying one new book every month this year. Doesn't that just sound lovely? And while the author specifically references hardback books, one of my favorite purchases last year was this little paperback:

This purchase has me thinking about collecting a variety of different editions of this book and forming some sort of a display...

p.s. after you check out that post (by Simple Village Girl) I referenced above, be sure to check out the rest of her lovely blog--absolutely worth the time.

WATCHED: THE ARTIST

2012-01-23T19:38:00.000-07:00

Saw this recently:

Loved it. It was imaginative and emotional and just plain lovely (it is a silent movie--in case you haven't heard of it--and they pulled it off beautifully and just won a Golden Globe or something).

FORWARD!

2012-01-13T19:00:00.001-07:00

Saw this on Facebook today and it made me smile:

Love their enthusiasm!

Now I'm off on a long weekend. Hope your's is lovely and long as well.

LOVE BOOKS...

2012-01-12T18:53:00.001-07:00

so I love this:

spotted here

MICHAEL MCLEAN BENEFIT CONCERT

2012-01-09T18:48:00.001-07:00

Fun little benefit concert announcement if you are a fan of Michael Mclean and/or The Center for Story: Saturday, February 4th, 7 PM at the Orem Public Library (Just $15).

Also, if you are interested in Storytelling, Timpanogos Storytelling's Midwinter Conference and Concert is coming up February 9th through the 11th--I highly recommend the concert on Friday the 10th at 7:30 PM (cause we get Donald Davis and Bil (one "L") Lepp!) Tickets for the concert are available here and general information about the conference is available here.

DOWNTON ABBEY REMINDER

2012-01-05T21:47:00.001-07:00

Before the week gets away from me entirely, I thought I would just take a sec to offer this brief reminder:

Downton Abbey Season 2 starts up on Sunday!

Here is a bit of a preview:

Watch Downton Abbey I Wonder Preview on PBS. See more from Masterpiece.

SICK

2011-12-27T11:49:00.001-07:00

The assembled supplies:

I'VE CAVED TO SOCIAL PRESSURE

2011-12-15T14:24:00.002-07:00

If you know me, you know that I hate cell/mobile phones and think they are basically not necessary. And for many of the past 10-15 years since they have become popular and then basically necessary, I have resisted the pressure to get one--there was that one brief blip when living overseas. Now all these years later, I have caved. Not only have I caved, but I have caved so thoroughly that if my house was on fire the one thing I would grab is my mobile. So this is the lovely model that I purchased:

Mind you, I'm not grabbing it for my ability to stay in touch or be in touch via phone or text--hardly use or bother with those. No, the reason I can't live without it is the aps!. Instagram, Goodreads, Lose It!, Pinterest, LDS Tools and Library, Score Mobile, Mint.com, Ted, and don't even get me started on the google maps ap that is so beyond cool for my travel missing self. Sigh, I really don't know what has become of me, but please don't try to separate me from my mobile these days.

AUTHOR BOOK SIGNING

2011-12-14T15:22:00.002-07:00

Looking for for a great Christmas present for your favorite book lover? Well, Ally Condie, fresh off her latest book tour, thought it would be fun to get some local authors together for a pre-Christmas book signing at my local library. Among those authors are, Kristen Chandler, Ally Condie, Bree Despain, Jessica Day George, Nathan Hale, Jed Henry, Brandon Mull, E.J. Patten, Rick Walton, Dan Wells, Robison Wells, and Tyler Whitesides. As an added bonus, books will be on sale at a 20% discount. Hope to see you there!

SO MANY BOOKS, SO LITTLE TIME

2011-12-05T15:31:00.001-07:00

There are books that I have loved and that I would love to read again, but...there are so many books out there that I do want to read and that list is just getting longer and longer. That has been my thinking for a long time, but this fun little essay from the New York Times has me rethinking that silly little excuse. I'm now trying to decided which to read again first: The Harry Potter series or the Lord of the Rings trilogy.

p.s.

My copy of LOTR has him on the cover:

UTAH SHAKESPEARE FESTIVAL

2011-11-17T21:19:00.001-07:00

I would like to take a moment to interrupt this incredible streak of not blogging to say:

Did you see the new lineup for the 2012 Utah Shakespeare Festival?

I don't believe I've seen any of the 3 Shakespeare plays (so yeah for new-to-me stuff), am quite excited about the prospect of To Kill a Mockingbird, and who doesn't love Les Mis?

The only thing that could make it better would be putting Stones in His Pockets (one of my favorite plays ever at the Festival) in the Summer lineup.

Oh well, I guess I will just have to go twice next year.

BOOK LOVE

2011-10-26T13:40:00.000-06:00

What does one do when one has an aching ankle that prevents one from getting around much or sleeping at 2 o'clock in the morning? Two things: first, one reads and second (at 2 o'clock in the morning) one watches that Texas Book Festival on C-SPAN2.

The result is a few books being added to my GoodReads account. But let's just stick to a few of the books I've added as "read."

Inside Out and Back Again by Thanhha Lai

Gorgeous book in verse that follows a Vietnamese family who flees Saigon at the end of the Vietnam War and ends up in Alabama. I love, love, love books in verse and this one was just splendid.

The Sojourn by Andrew Krivak

Reminded me something of Hemingway in both style and content. Only about 200 words but packs a powerful and touching story.

Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand

What is there to say that hasn't already been said about this book? It was simply amazing in pretty much every way.

Leaping by Brian Doyle

A collection of essays--"Why Write" and the section entitled "Grace under Duress" are must reads. (If you ever get the chance to hear Doyle in person you must take it--he is so fantastic and dynamic)

SHOPPIN'

2011-10-25T14:49:00.000-06:00

Fall is my absolute favorite time to go shopping for clothes. It is my favorite season and coincidentally it has the cutest clothes. Before I tumbled down my stairs I was getting out and about a bit and have these awards to give:

Worst Dressing Rooms: Target

I love Target (if you could count the number of receipts in my wallet from Target you would understand) but their dressing rooms are miserable places that make me took fat and hideous.

New favorite skirt:

Haven't actually worn it yet but I'm super in love with its flowy softness.

Latest "must have" as spotted on Pinterest:

Source: polyvore.com via Courtney on Pinterest

Forget everything above but the coat (actually no need to forget everything as it is all pretty nice). That coat is to die for.

Latest obsession that I haven't let myself indulge in (yet): boots

New Favorite Store: Express

There is one very simple reason for my new love of this store: I wear a size 4 in their jeans. They sure do know how to make a girl happy.

ADELE

2011-10-25T08:00:00.000-06:00

I count myself quite fortunate to have climbed on board the Adele train way back when she released first album in '08. Lately I have found myself absolutely obsessed with her recent album and with "Someone Like You" in particular--as in scanning radio stations (the downside to not purchasing a hard copy) looking for the song (fortunately a lot of other people must also be obsessed with it as well because I can usually find it). She is just as gorgeous as her voice and this particular clip of the song is just stunning:

FASHIONISTA (OR NOT REALLY)

2011-10-24T18:00:00.000-06:00

So my sister Janel, who has her own very nice fashion blog here, has been telling me that I need to put more me in my blog--specifically more pictures of me. So I decided to take advantage of her up-and-coming camera skills and have her take some pics at a recent family pumpkin picking outing. Of course I felt completely awkward posing for the pictures so I did what I always do when I feel awkward: I grabbed a niece or nephew or two:

How sweet is my nephew in that last picture--I don't look particularly stunning but I just had to include it.

BRUISING

2011-10-24T15:15:00.001-06:00

Saturday night I monumentally failed at walking down a simple set of stairs and have now spent the last two days flat on my back with my bruised and sprained ankle raised and wrapped in bandages. With nothing else to do, today I have firmly planted myself in front of the television with laptop (naturally) in my lap. After a few hours of browsing blogs, Pinterest, and watching daytime TV, I've been forced to resort to doing something I've been neglecting for a little while: blogging. To kick off this new run of blogging, I thought I'd start by not showing any gross pictures of my ankle (you are most welcome), but by instead sharing a little something that has already made the rounds of popular blogs--sorry for the repeat but it is just so much fun:

Up next: either a look at a recent weekend photo shoot, an introduction to my new favorite store (if I were mobile today I'd be showing off my new favorite jeans), or maybe a little book review!

Anyone local have a pair of crutches? I casually blew off an offer to look for a pair a couple of days ago and am now regretting that silly, silly decision.

CHINESE FORTUNES

2011-10-07T08:42:00.000-06:00

I've been eating Chinese food a lot this week (yes I said this week!) and check out my fortunes:

Fingers crossed that they come true and hurrah for "real" fortunes as opposed to those stupid advice fortunes some places try to hand out--who wants advice? I want promises of money and miracles and love!

2011-10-06T15:44:00.000-06:00

Saw this over at French By Design today:

Totally agree.

RAINY DAYS

2011-10-06T08:30:00.002-06:00

This weather (yesterday and still today) plus the sad wet-hair day that it created

happily resulted in the first hot chocolate of the season

which nearly made everything better.

GUESS WHAT I'M DOING TONIGHT...

2011-10-04T09:22:00.003-06:00

I'm going to see my very first ever 3-D movie! And while it may be true that The Lion King is not one of the top 10 movies one must see in 3-D, I'm still awfully excited.

IT'S FALL...

2011-09-23T09:00:00.000-06:00

...and it is even beginning (at certain times of the day) to start to feel like it.

I'm looking forward to:

1. Pumpkin Anything

2. Sweaters, Sweaters, and more Sweaters

3. Gorgeous Leaves

4. The World Series

5. Cocoa and Hot Apple Cider

I'm also in the process of looking for a great Fall movie (old or new) and take a decent Autumn picture.

ROAD TRIP ANYONE?

2011-09-21T21:40:00.000-06:00

I've just recently finished a book (the book itself is really not that important) that has me aching for a cross-country road trip. More specifically, I want to drive Route 50 (the loneliest road in America), then find lots a great dinners, and visit Graceland. I so badly want to do this that I have decided it is time to create a bucket list. Here goes:

Courtney's Bucket List:

1. Travel Route 50

2. Visit Graceland

3. Travel Route 66

We'll it's a start anyway.

image via

I WENT TO PORTLAND...

2011-08-25T21:53:00.000-06:00

...and it is about time I said something about it because it was pretty nice (the weather was beyond perfect and made it very hard to come back to our dry nearly 100 degree heat).

We went to Chinatown (except there wasn't much to it except these gates where I pretended I new how to pose:

And to Voodoo Donuts which has some supremely wonderful donuts (which we waited 30 minutes in line for) including a maple bar topped with bacon (I am not even too embarrassed to say that I had two of these while in Portland) and this magnificent creation whose name includes language I don't usually use but would use again in a heart beat to get my hands on another one:

And to Powell's Books which is just about my favorite place in all of Portland:

And the Rose Garden which was much busier than this picture indicates:

And had the most divine grilled cheese sandwich in this Double Decker bus:

And traveled to Multanomah Falls:

We also visited the zoo, a couple food trucks (so much fun), the water front (during Portland's Beer Fest--maybe not so much fun), and hit Burgerville for their to-die-for milkshakes (4 times).

Really, the only thing missing was a trip to the coast--next time...

I'M BACK--REALLY

2011-08-09T23:16:00.000-06:00

I've been back for a full 24 hours now and somehow I am still living out of my suitcase (because 2 weeks of doing that just wasn't enough). Actually, it all kind of sort of makes sense--or at least it does in my little brain. You see, while on my fantastic 2 week vacation (more on that tomorrow if all goes well) living out of a carry-on suitcase I had a grand epiphany: I am quite happy--happier even--living with fewer belongings. This idea has been growing and growing over the last two weeks and so of course I returned home, dropped my bags and began working on my new "project." How I began is like this: I started on one side of my room with the intention of moving from one side to the other until I was done. I began by sorting stuff into various piles (keep, donate, throw away) as well as some sorely needed dusting. Sadly, I dropped my bags on the side of the room I haven't gotten too yet so they have yet to be sorted--except I did do laundry today.

Anyway, all that is to partially explain why I'm not giving a recap of that fantastic vacation today. Instead I thought I'd share a couple of great videos. The first I wish I had seen before I went to Portland so that I could have taken lots and lots of photos and copied this great creation. The second I have no hope at all of ever recreating but I still love it to pieces.

spotted at Stephmodo via Emily McCall Photography

spotted at Black Eiffel

Hello!!! Goodbye!!!

2011-07-24T23:52:00.000-06:00

No I wasn't kidnapped by aliens, I didn't move to Mongolia, and I didn't even forget my password (thank goodness). And no I haven't even been particularly busy. That isn't, of course, to say that I've been sitting around doing nothing. For example, I've had a very good time eating foods that come on sticks:

(frozen cheesecake drizzled with chocolate)

And I've been trying to find the perfect chocolate chip cookie recipe (with some excellent help from friends and family):

(please send me your favorite recipe so I can try it too)

And while I must honestly say that it was really, a little bit, quite nice to have an unplanned break from blogging, I have missed it and missed you.

Sadly, though, this post is primarily being written to let you know that tomorrow I'm flying to Portland to help my sister move and I probably won't be doing much blogging for a little while longer. But when I get back, I'm going to be back big time!

TO DO:

2011-06-10T12:58:00.000-06:00

First up, find my brain. Really I don't know where it is. Twice today I've had to look at the keyboard to find a key (first "L" then "F"). These are keys I do use all the time! I don't know what is going on.

Second, on finding my brain hopefully I will remember who I need to email. I had 3 personal emails that I needed to send out today. I wrote and sent one, discovered that I don't actually have the email address of the second, and now haven't the slightest idea who the third was going to or what it was to be about.

Third, make a few batches of cookies in a new quest to find the perfect chocolate chip cookie (which I have been craving all week).

And fourth, hit the carnival!

photo via my sister (who takes a great photo) and her really cool fashion blog--don't worry while I may not have any fashion sense, she does.

TRAVEL WISH LIST: SICILY

2011-06-09T09:25:00.001-06:00

I'm not really a big fan of water parks or even of generally hanging around a pool or on a beach in my swimming suit. Give me a great street, a few fab shops, plenty of great food all in a great city and I will call myself well satisfied. However, there is just something a little wonderful about a water slide that sends you right into the Mediterranean Sea:

And with that one picture I am sold and ready to pack my swimming suit!

hotel: here (Sicily)

spotted at a cup of jo

FREE FATHER'S DAY PRINTABLE

2011-06-08T12:24:00.000-06:00

My favorite blog for free printables (Wisker Graphics) has a fantastic new free printable just in time for Father's Day:

I especially like her coupon suggestion: Hour of Silence

Printable available here.

Dare I?

2011-06-07T16:28:00.000-06:00

Here is the pretty lovely weather report for my area:

( I don't even mind the Thursday storm cause just look at that temp--no snow!)

So the question is, dare I believe it? Dare I believe that Spring has actually arrived--I mean, sure, it is June and all, but this year that just doesn't mean a thing. I took the last "winter" blanket off my bed last night so that must mean I believe. Let's hope that Mother Nature doesn't crush my tender little beliefs.

WIN A TRIP TO PARIS

2011-06-06T14:51:00.000-06:00

Remember when I was fantasizing about moving to Paris? And it was consuming my every waking hour? And I was obsessed with this blog (still am)? Well, Jordan, of that blog, is giving away a 7 day trip to Paris. 7 days! Visit here for all the details. I won't win (never do) but maybe you will.

photos by Paul Ferney via Oh Happy Day

HAPPY WEEKEND

2011-06-03T18:34:00.000-06:00

I'm certainly looking forward to relaxing (wish I could say sleeping in as well). Only wish I were relaxing where ever this pic was snapped. In the meantime, Utahns head on over to my friend Ruth's new collaboration blog for a chance at winning a free one-hour style photo shoot--or non Utahns head over and check out her fun look at fashion style. I haven't got any style to speak of but I noticed that Facebook has (without my permission) posted a series of camp photos across the top of my wall and, really, this has just got to be changed.

photo via Connor Clark

THE KING'S SPEECH

2011-06-02T16:08:00.000-06:00

Saw it for the second time last night (at my new favorite theater which sells $3 reserved-seating tickets, $1-2 treats (including cupcakes!!!), and shows movies via film projectors--a plus or a minus, I suppose, depending on the type of movie but it just makes me feel so very nostalgic and happy). Instead of boring you with a review that just won't do the movie justice, I'll just tell you to go. Go!!! Loved it even more the second time.

I'm thinking I just might have to do a Colin Firth weekend (where are those cold rainy days when you really need them?)

COOKING WITH GWYNETH

2011-06-01T13:54:00.000-06:00

Well, not actually with Gwyneth Paltrow...but with her new cookbook--which is really fantastic even if all you want to do is read it: gorgeous pictures, fun stores, good tips (do you do that? read cookbooks? I totally do). So far I've dabbled in a few side like her roasted cauliflower and her maple-dijon roasted winter vegetables (to die for!) but this week I'm hitter her full force. Last night was her stir-fried chicken (which made for an amazing lunch today--in fact everything I've tried has reheated beautifully and has me looking forward to lunch) on her fried rice with kale & scallions (I quite like kale--who knew). Today is her turkey bolognese and then tomorrow is her chicken Milanese. Why all the Gwyneth recipes all at once? It is a library book and it has to go back so more people can enjoy it (so sad). Of course the cure for these blues is to just get myself down to Borders and buy my very own copy that I can sit down with every night. Until that happens, though, I'm really going to enjoy my week ala Gwyneth.

WELL PLAYED BEEF

2011-05-31T10:18:00.000-06:00

Okay, so I'm not sure that any of you have ever thought of me as being cool, hip, with it, etc. However, just in case you were so disillusioned, this post is going to change your mind. I was driving over to my food co-op at the ridiculous hour of 6:30 A.M. on Saturday listening to the radio when this over-the-top sexy voice came on encouraging me to eat beef.

Who was that voice?

I'm sure you know the answer.

Matthew McConaughey.

And oh my goodness it was sexy. I'm pretty sure it ranks among the best work he has done in years if not in like forever. Upon hearing this ad I immediately had two thoughts (this is where you will realize how not "with it" I am): First: I must share this on my blog. Only, when I got home and googled the ad I discovered that McConaughey has been doing this since 2008. How did I possibly miss this for nearly 3 years? I like to think that it can all be attributed to my channel surfing ways when it comes to commercials, but the more likely explanation is that I just wasn't paying attention to the "important" stuff. And second: I must find some beef. Fortunately the saner part of my brain stepped in, acknowledged the sexiness of the ad, and then insisted I stick with the slightly-healthier turkey burger on the menu for Monday's in-the-kitchen BBQ (booo rain).

Just in case you are as out of touch as I am, here is similar ad (with pics added by funny or die):

I wonder what McConaughey would be like as an audio book reader. Annoying or able to suck you in to the most boring topic possible?

SAY HELLO TO MY BREAKFAST

2011-05-30T09:49:00.001-06:00

(i had oatmeal too)

And an extra special hello to the frosting--which set swimsuit season back at least 2 weeks.

recipe: here via not without salt

note: i found the frosting a tad salty. next time i'll probably not add any salt into or on top of.

COLORS (OR COLOURS--A BETTER SPELLING!)

2011-05-26T15:36:00.001-06:00

Last week a few friends and I sat down and did a couple colour (personality) test just for the fun of it--a few matched up pretty well and then there were others that just didn't. And then I picked up a book that randomly mentioned the favourite colours of a few American authors and I immediately realized that I must step up my colour choices--make them a little bit more snappy and interesting.

Here are some examples of how cool American poets can be:

Ezra Pound: Purple, Ivory, Jade

T.S. Eliot: Eggplant, Sable, Mustard

William Carlos Williams: Blue, Yellow, Tan (okay, so maybe not so much that one)

Robert Frost: Teal Blue, Slate Gray, Blood Red

Wallace Stevens: Vermilion, Chartreuse, Wine

And here is an example of how cool I am not:

Courtney: green, yellow, orange, red, gray

I am now on the hunt for some cooler favourite colour names. So far I am going with Claret, Citrine, and Slate Gray (cause I'm not sure you can cool up gray). Any suggestions for green and orange. Or care to share your faves?

Citrine comes via inspiration for this chair that I am absolutely in love with right this minute:

You know, I possibly shouldn't adopt British spellings in a post about American poets...

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ALLERGIES

2011-05-24T13:21:00.000-06:00

So it turns out the not all of my recent suffering is the fault of the cottonwood tree across the street--not that I'm letting that tree off the hook for any and all suffering it has and will impose on me. I am allergic to dairy (please join me in some quiet sobbing).

Fortunately there is an upside: I'm not deathly allergic to dairy. Which is a great relief because I'm pretty sure I would choose death by dairy than life without it.

The downside: dairy is murder on my skin (for most of my life I had just been attributing my dry skin to my living in a dry location--I suppose I should have considered the blatant fact that my dry skin didn't go away entirely when living in humid environments like Boston and Ireland in dispelling that myth a little sooner in my life (and there goes my claim of being an observant person).

Anyway, in a small attempt to relieve my red, flaky, itchy skin I am trying to cut down my dairy intake. Here is how it has been going so far this week:

Sunday: had Parmesan cheese on my pasta, Havarti cheese in my swiss chard strudel, and a bowl of ice cream

Monday: had frozen yogurt

Tuesday: had nothing!!!! but it is still early

Good thing I'm not deathly allergic.

RAIN

2011-05-09T11:20:00.000-06:00

Don't you just love the rain?

I do.

It is my favorite.

And it looks like I may get 2 more days of it (unheared of in my desert).

But only 2 because then I have a trip to the zoo

and an outdoor wedding.

SOMETHING EXTRAORDINARY

2011-05-06T17:14:00.000-06:00

spotted here

SUMMERTIME

2011-05-04T14:28:00.000-06:00

Okay so it may not feel exactly like it is just around the corner (only 60 degrees today--remember those cold days of Winter when 60 degrees was just a dream? Now I'm putting words like "only" in front of it!) but really summertime is almost here. And while I am not ready to be jumping into a swimsuit this weekend, I sure wouldn't mind having one of these in my dresser right about now:

on sale here

retail store in American Fork, Utah (if you're local)

use coupon code "GTU20" (online or in the store) for an extra 20% off today and tomorrow (May 4 and 5)

WHAT I LEARNED OVER THE WEEKEND:

2011-05-02T14:46:00.000-06:00

I have absolutely zero self-control when it comes to these:

Which is really rather sad because it pretty much rules out my ever having one of these (her figure):

But on the upside, I have discovered that I have mastered total self-control over these:

Which quite possibly means I might be growing up just a tad.

recipe and picture here (cause I was too busy eating to bother with my camera)

IT'S BEGINNING TO LOOK A LOT LIKE CHRISTMAS...

2011-04-30T11:08:00.000-06:00

...only on April 30th I'm just really not in the mood:

THE ROYAL WEDDING

2011-04-29T16:00:00.000-06:00

I am an absolute sucker for a good wedding so of course I was well prepared to watch this one--or at least well prepared to watch a replay of this one (4 AM is just a wee bit too early for me). And I must say it did not disappoint in the least.

Kate was beautiful:

Pippa nearly stole the show (in a very classy understated way). I imagine we will be seeing wedding trends mirroring both Kate's and Pippa's dresses:

Beatrice (on the right) somehow NEARLY made this work:

Sadly Eugenie (on the left) was also a bit off.

Of course there were a few more rather sad mistakes such as this tent from Victoria Beckham who apparently thought she was attending a funeral in October rather than a Royal Wedding in the Spring (I'm told it was actually navy blue but it sure didn't come across like that on TV):

And Harry's on-again (?) girlfriend Chelsy Davy who somehow just looks a bit trampy (and with all the amazing hats in the world to choose from, why on earth did she pick that one):

All in all, I'd call it lots of fun and a smashing success.

DON'T CALL

2011-04-27T15:47:00.000-06:00

So you thought last week's Real Salt Lake Soccer game was big? Well tonight's is even bigger.

And just so that you don't feel that I have entirely wasted your time by writing this post, check out this really cool looking exhibit coming soon to the BYU Museum of Art:

Yep, that sculpture is made out of books! The exhibit is call "Matter of Words" and is opening at the Museum next month.

And just in case I haven't had a chance to tell you in person, last Saturday's Doctor Who was brilliant in every possible way.

picture: here

more info: here

A NEW ADDITION TO THE FAMILY

2011-04-25T15:43:00.001-06:00

I've got a new 9-pound nephew:

It is amazing to me how one day he is just some unknown floating around in my sister's belly and the next day, without even seeing him, I am filled with so much love for him it would hurt if it were possible for this kind of love to hurt.

AN EASTER MESSAGE

2011-04-22T08:00:00.003-06:00

A BRITISH COUNTDOWN: 2 DAYS

2011-04-21T08:44:00.001-06:00

It has been on my calendar for a month now. People are stopping me at church to share in my enthusiasm. And I've just found out there are recipes. RECIPES! No, I haven't confused my dates. I am fully aware that Wills and Kate are not getting married in two days. What I am talking about here is Doctor Who. He's back and I can hardly wait.

Those fantastic scenes were shot in my very own state of Utah. And I didn't even head out to the shoot to do some stalking. It is called restraint, my friends, an immense amount of restraint.

REALLY, REALLY BIG GAME

2011-04-20T13:01:00.001-06:00

See, even our worstest enemies (I refrained from booing during a few particular bits) think so and are wishing us luck:

And please don't even think of trying to contact me tonight during the game.

IDEAS IN THE SHOWER

2011-04-19T13:00:00.000-06:00

Okay, so I don't usually get ideas in the shower (I tried to pay attention today to what it is I do think about in the shower and it could mostly be summed by a list of what I'm doing and need to do next--as in what body part I'm cleaning and what body part I'm cleaning next--I do love a list) however I'm strongly considering having some (perhaps if I increased my shower time) so I could write them down here:

found here
spotted here

Dreaming of Moving

2011-04-18T13:14:00.000-06:00

You know how life sometimes kind of gets in a bit of a rut? And people ask you what is going on and you literally can't think of a single thing to tell them--much less a single interesting thing? Well, of late, that has been me. Sure, I could have told you about how I am drinking 10 cups of water a day (well up from my 2 or so of 2 months ago). Or I could tell you how I've finally figured out how to get 2 fruits and 3 veggies into my diet on a regular basis--really shouldn't have been as hard as it was. Rather than dwell on these less than interesting things, though, I thought I would share a bit of a crush I have on this address stamp:

I am absolutely smitten. All I really need before I get one is a great address!

Found here.

Spotted here.

Remains of a Snowman

2011-04-07T11:28:00.000-06:00

Could this possibly mean the actual arrival of Spring?

Reporting Day: March

2011-04-04T11:34:00.000-06:00

I really don't feel like reporting in which is probably a really good indication of my need to report in--not that I wasn't reasonably good.

Year-long Goals:

1. Read 12 Nonfiction books: Read "How We Fight" by Dominic Tierney--a really interesting look at how we (Americans) fight different types of wars--why we accept thousands of casualties in a war against a state but relatively few against insurgents, etc. This puts me at 3 for the year. Right on track!

2. Read 2008-2010 to-read list: When I last reported I had finished the 2008 to-read list and was moving through the 2009 to-read list (I believe I had 2 books left on this list). Since then I started and stopped a nearly unreadable book and have checked out the final book on my 2009 list--all 900 pages of that book are still sitting on my bookshelf. (This was, of course, in addition to reading all the books not on my 2009 list) Will be quite happy if I get 2009 completed by the end of this month.

3. Read the New Testament: I'm into John now and right on track.

4. Attend the Temple twice a month: I absolutely didn't think I was going to get this one finished this month due to some very poor planning but then on the very last day of the month my afternoon completely opened up and I was able to make that second trip to the temple!

5. Go someplace new: Still haven't thought about this one much.

6. Write 12 thank you cards: Oh, I am bad!

Monthly Goals:

1. Drink 6 cups of water daily: I think I missed 2 days this month.

2. Eat 2 fruits daily: I think I missed 3 days this month--but I was feeling ill so eating wasn't a priority.

3. Eat 3 veggies daily: Same as the fruits. Also I would just like it noted here how, despite the missed days, hard I worked on this particular goal--as in there were a number of days that I was eating spinach as a bedtime snack. For the most part, though, I'm getting pretty good about getting my veggies in during normal working hours.

4. Exercise 30 minutes 3 times a week: I rocked this one!

And the end result: better looking skin, glossier hair, and I'm down 5 pounds. Not only that, four days into the new month and healthy eating is still a habit (I know, it is only 4 days but still...).

Goals for April:

May was going to be my clean/declutter/organize month but I've been bitten by the Spring cleaning bug so I thought I'd move this one up a month:

1. Go though entire wardrobe and try everything on and then get rid of everything that doesn't fit, make me happy, or perhaps has holes.

2. Organize closet and dresser.

3. Organize bookshelves--including catch-all boxes on bookshelves.

4. Clean walls, doors, baseboards, windows, blinds, and carpet of bedroom.

5. Organize pantry.

6. Flip mattress and wash pillows.

It Was So Sweet While It Lasted

2011-04-01T11:37:00.000-06:00

I didn't blog last week because I was caught up in the build up of BYU basketball and figured you didn't want to be reading about this particular obsession and then I didn't blog because they lost and I was practically in mourning--although, with the exception of that horrible statement, "if only..." that continues to run through my mind, I really was pretty much recovered by Saturday night. Then this week I just haven't had/haven't made the time to sit and blog--very sad for me because I also haven't had the chance to read my favorite blogs.

I'm back now and, while you still may not want to read about my BYU obsession, I just can't completely move on without at least one more Jimmer post to say this season was just so much fun and to apologize for the few times I did cringe when you shot it from way out there--lesson learned, you can shoot it from there. So thanks Jimmer and best of luck to you (and Emery too).

And to all the haters that are jumping all over themselves of late, have you nothing better to do than to make personal attacks against a fine young man, with a great work ethic, who has been a whole lot of fun to watch, and never made any personal statements of grandeur? Here's hoping that some day in the near future you find yourselves Jimmered.

And now on to baseball (Yankees) and soccer (Real Salt Lake).

St. Patrick's Day

2011-03-17T12:29:00.000-06:00

Cause I am lame (and consumed by basketball), here is the same clip I gave you last St. Patrick's Day:

Of course, my fondest and most sincerest best wishes still go out to you on this most important of holidays.

The Crack of the Bat

2011-03-15T12:47:00.000-06:00

So perhaps this will just be one of those weeks when everything seems to revolve around sports. Last night I had the chance to watch a few innings of my first baseball game of the season. Hurrah! And while my team (the Yankees) did go on to lose to Them (the Red Sox), I think there is just about nothing as lovely as the sound of the crack of a bat.

All in all, it is probably good that I have baseball coming at me just around the corner because according to every single college basketball expert my picks for the tournament are completely and absolutely wrong.

And now for a short song to get us all in the mood:

Going Dancing

2011-03-14T01:08:00.001-06:00

It's National NCAA Basketball Bracket Day (or something like that) and I thought I would get in on the act with my predictions. Ever the BYU optimist (and the supporter of the underdog--I've just noticed I don't have a single no. 1 seed getting into the Elite Eight and only one no. 1 seed getting to the Sweet Sixteen which realistically is just not going to happen), my predictions are as follows:

We'll see how all that goes (and sorry I'm just not quite computer literate enough to give you a better image).

What They Say Is True

2011-03-10T11:41:00.000-07:00

You know how THEY always say that drinking water is good for your skin? And how I have really, really terrible skin. And how, even though I have often heard the advice about water being good for my skin, I have never really tried it out (or at least not for a long enough period of time to count)--cause I am a really terrible water drinker. Well, it turns out they were right: water is really good for my skin. Not, like, good enough to take a picture and post it or anything (cause I still have terrible skin--just not really, really terrible skin) but last night, as I was washing my face, I noticed that my skin does look remarkable so much better than it normally does--except that patch under my nose that is currently red and raw from the amount of tissues I have been forced to use of late.

And to add to my triumph: I only add to arise from bed once last night to visit the bathroom!!!

I know they are small, insignificant joys, but they are my small, insignificant joys.

Dreaming

2011-03-08T12:33:00.000-07:00

So I have been having some fairly odd and just a little bit freaky dreams of late. For example, in one recent dream I was sent down into the basement of my parents house (which was unfinished about 5 times the actual size) to use a toilet set up in the middle of the basement without any walls around it. It was all dark and creepy but I wasn't really bothered by that. As I was finishing up, my cousin (who bares no resemblance to any actual cousin of mine) came down to check to see if I was okay. I went back up stairs to find my mother freaked out because she apparently knew that there was some weird guy stalking me and that he was in the basement. Rather than do anything about we decided to go out to dinner (of course) and while out to dinner I decided that I needed to check my closets before going to bed. Well, after dinner I forgot that I was going to check my closets and just went to bed. At some point in the night I woke up and remembered that I was going to check my closets so I got up and checked them only to find that a whole bunch of my personal belongings had been stolen. I woke my family up and this time we decided to go down into the basement to find my stalker. We did this and found him clinging to the ceiling in a corner much like a spider. Then we were suddenly outside on a mountainside and my stalker who now resembled something of a gorilla was carrying a blond girl in a white nightgown. Then suddenly he jumped off the side of the mountain with the girl and fell hundreds of feet into a river. Then I woke up.

Now the thing that was really freaky about this particular dream was how scared I felt throughout the entire dream (as in really, really, sick-to-my-stomach scared).

Next dream: I am out driving around with my four-year-old niece when I realize that I need to have permission from her pre-school to have her during the day. So I drive over to her pre-school (which isn't in reality her pre-school) and find that the front of the building has been taken over by pygmy goats who begin to ram into my legs (it hurt enough in my dream that I was somewhat surprised that I didn't wake up with bruises). I left my niece outside with the goats (naturally) while I went inside to explain to the school that I had my niece but need their permission to keep her with me the rest of the day. They (naturally) decided that they would do an eye test to see if I was really her aunt and had permission to be with my niece. Then I woke up.

Last night's dream: I dreamed that I was blogging and put a video clip of Jimmer Fredette up on my blog. Then I woke up.

And as I have nothing else to really blog about I thought I might go ahead and make this last dream come true and hope the others never do:

Video found at www.jimmer32.com/

Reporting Day - February

2011-03-02T15:25:00.000-07:00

So it is time to check in once again and report on my New Year's resolutions. And so far, I'm feeling pretty good:

Yearly resolutions:

1. Read 12 Nonfiction books: I've now read 2 and am right on track.

2. Read 2008-2010 to read lists: I completed what was left on my 2008 list and have 3 books left on my 2009 list

3. Read the New Testament: I'm into Luke

4. Attend the temple twice a month: did it! and didn't even wait until the last week of the month

5. Go someplace new: still thinking about this one

6. Write 12 thank you cards: wrote 3

Monthly goal: Prayer

Like I mentioned last month, this was a difficult goal to track but I feel like I accomplished what I wanted (more frequent and more thoughtful prayers) so I'm going to call this one good as well.

March's monthly goal: Health

This one is one I can actually track (yay!) and so far I am doing a perfect job of it!--okay so it is only day 2 of the month but still I'll take perfect even for just a couple of days:

1. Drink 6 cups of water every day (i.e. get to know my bathroom better)

2. Eat 2 pieces of fruit every day

3. Eat 3 servings of vegetables every day

4. Exercise for 30 minutes 3 times a week.

Stressed Out

2011-02-25T15:56:00.002-07:00

I was raised on sports. Specifically, I was raised on BYU sports (and USA sports during the Olympics). Some of my earliest memories revolve around these sports--I could recognize and signal for a touchdown when watching football on TV before I could walk. If you go back and read the few journal entries I made during my teenage years they often revolve around BYU football--it was the era of Ty Detmer--and who they were playing on the coming Saturday. My love of sports hasn't changed any as I have aged--although I much prefer BYU basketball to football now--but I had thought that I was approaching a new zen about how I view my sports teams and their wins and loss. You see, once upon a time my world seemed to shatter when my team would lose and it would effect me for days. Somewhere in my 20s, though, I began to handle these losses much better--gained some perspective or something. All was good. I loved my teams. I wanted them to win. But when they didn't (and sadly they often didn't) I could move on without stewing over it pretty much as soon as the games were over.

All that--all my maturing, growing up, perspective, zen finding--has changed with this year's college basketball season. I am stressed. And not only am out stressed out when they lose (fortunately not often this year) but I am stressed out for days before they play (and they play about twice a week which means I am pretty much just stressed out)--I think that perhaps I was never stressed out before games as a teenage because back then, just as I was immortal, my teams were immortal which perhaps says a bit about why it was so hard when they did lose.

What is different about this year?

Well, one possibility it that BYU is good--as in really, really good (at least comparatively speaking). And they have this player named Jimmer (perhaps you have heard of him) who is really, really good--and is in the running for several MVP of the Year type of awards. But I have cheered for teams that have won national titles before and not felt this kind of stress.

Another possibility: while I don't actually know any of these players or coaches, I do feel a bit of a connection of faith with most of the players on this year's team--can I just say how tickled I was when Jimmer went on ESPN TV and in response to a question testified of his knowledge of the truth of the Gospel with which we share a belief. But again, I have cheered for teams (pretty much any BYU team) where I have felt this same connection and not felt this kind of stress--I have even cheered for teams from BYU who have won national titles and not felt stressed by the combination of both a good team and a team that shares my faith).

Really, I am at a loss. All I know is that I so badly want this team and its players as a group and individually to play well--and not even for me the fan but for them and the work they and their coaches put into what they are doing (see I am not totally regressing back to my teenage years when I wanted my teams to win because if they didn't I would be upset--at least sort of right?). Clearly what I need to do is pay a bit more attention to one of BYU star players (Emery Jackson) who, when asked about his future in the Europe or the NBA, emphasizes that his focus right now is on completing his University degree and not on what possibilities may come to him if he decides to pursue basketball professionally. See, Courtney, sports is not everything!

Still, with the biggest game of the season looming on Saturday, I find myself in bed for the second day in a row praying that I haven't let this all get so out of control as to actually make me ill--please, please, please.

And please, please, please let them play (read: destroy the other team--obviously in a loving Christian sort of a way--oh that last comment is so fraught with discussion possibilities that we won't go into right now) well on Saturday.

I think I need to find some chocolate and some peanut butter.

The Absolute Perfect Kitchen

2011-02-18T07:47:00.002-07:00

Okay, speaking of fantasies (I was yesterday), I have a recurring fantasy about the perfect white kitchen and Stephanie of Stephmodo has gone and discovered it--I am completely smitten and in love with every single detail. I am now going to put the picture of this perfect kitchen on my blog so that someday when I am fabulously wealthy I can recreate every single detail of it:

spotted at Stephmodo

image via Massucco Warner Miller

Fantasy Be Gone

2011-02-17T17:13:00.002-07:00

Okay, so it is possible that I may just be a little bit obsessed with Jordan and Gabrielle's blogs chronicling their separate but equally wonderful adventures living abroad in France for the next year. It is possible that I occasionally get lost in day dreams about what my sweet little Paris flat would look like if I followed them over there. And yes it is possible that I get lost thinking about how cute my kids (yes in my day dreams I have kids--3 perfect ones--and a wonderful husband who speaks flawless French) would be in their school uniforms speaking French. But really folks it is time to get back to my reality...at least it will be right after you watch this cute video that has me checking out the french language options at my local library:

spotted at Design Mom

Spring is in the Air...

2011-02-16T17:30:00.008-07:00

(note: somehow this didn't post yesterday when I had written it so I am posting it today. But it was written yesterday before there was snow on the ground!)

...but only temporarily (as in snow is expected tomorrow). So today I decided to take advantage of the extra spring in my step and do some shopping. More specifically, I decided to pick up some new colors for my fingernails (a Christmas present from my sister--what is better than Christmas and nice weather? Nothing!). Those of you that know me well know that, apart from the color scheme on this blog, I just really don't do pink. Well, I've decided that is about to change (on my fingers at least) and picked up this fab new color:

But just in case that doesn't work out for me I also picked up this one:

And now I will be spending the rest of my evening walking around with fingers splayed.

colors and images via essie

Happy V-Day

2011-02-14T11:58:00.000-07:00

After last nights entirely disappointing airing of part 1 of Any Human Heart (really where is the character development--why on earth should I care at all about such shallow characters who think of nothing but their only immediate pleasure--and where are the fantastic settings, costumes, and dialogue) on PBS, I felt it was necessary to indulge in a bit of oatmeal cooked up with dried cranberries and a few extra dark chocolate chips thrown into the mix this morning. Pure bliss!

I also intend to indulge in a few of these today:

And I hope that your Valentine's Day is filled with lots of flowers, chocolate, love, and whatever else your heart desires today.

Sweetheart Knit Valentine

2011-02-11T12:59:00.000-07:00

Okay, so by now you are probably wondering who I am and what I have done with Courtney. Well, my friends it truly is me. I've just been bitten by the blogging bug this week. Actually, I've been rather stressed out by stuff lately and decided that the best way of dealing with that is to not stop doing all the things that I love just because they are time consuming. Rather, in an attempt to stay somewhat mentally healthy, I have decided that I absolutely must make some of the good things in life an absolute priority. That means that I'm blogging and reading again and while the stress is still there, I feel so much better about everything. I really must try to remember this little lesson.

Anyway, on to a Valentine from Flax and Twine. How absolutely adorable is this:

I am now being faced with that age old question: to knit or to read?

Tutorial Here.

Spotted on Design Mom

Image via Flax and Twine

Setting My Clocks for Sunday

2011-02-11T07:59:00.002-07:00

As I mentioned yesterday I did not get a chance to watch Downton Abbey as it was first airing on PBS--read that as I did not appropriately schedule my time around the event. Well, there is a new 3-part series called Any Human Heart starting up and I am determined to be paying proper attention this time around because one Matthew MacFadyen (of MI-5 and the lesser--but still watchable--Pride and Prejudice fame) is playing one of the leading roles. And while I'm not at all sure about the subject (a quiet question from me regarding if this series' subject would normally be of interest to me) of the series, I really just can not say no to Matthew.

And then in March PBS is airing an encore presentation of The 39 Steps with one Rupert Penry-Jones (of MI-5 and Persuasion fame).

What exactly is it with these British boys, MI-5, and Jane Austen? One might begin to think that all they did was star in really fantastically watchable programs of quite decent quality.

I Love Stationary

2011-02-10T07:19:00.000-07:00

I love stationary just about as much as I love making lists. Buying stationary is one of the top 3 things I MUST do when I visit Boston (they have a Crane & Co. stationary shop and I don't--the other two being visit Mike's Pastry and purchase chocolate covered cranberries). When I visit a bookstore I naturally gravitate toward their stationary displays. And then I buy, buy, buy. The result is a really decent stationary collection. Sadly, it is not a collection I often use. And it is not even that I don't want to use all my pretty stationary, it is that I just don't. Well, folks I've been browsing Etsy and am just itching to buy something perhaps like this from Sycamore Street Press:

The thing is, though, I'm kind of on a little card/stationary buying diet and am not allowing any new purchases until I use half of all my stationary. Therefore, I need a plan!

Step One: Take stationary out from under bed where I have been storing it--hoping that if I see it I'll use it.

Step Two: Create a space for that stationary, newly out from under the bed, to reside.

Step Three: Sit down and write!!! (Perhaps while I sit down to watch Downton Abbey which I was prevented from seeing when it aired on PBS in January--thank you fabulous public library)

So does anyone want a letter/note from me on a piece of my fabulous stationary (I've got Kate Spade)?

image via Sycamore Street Press

I Want a Dog

2011-02-09T07:11:00.000-07:00

So perhaps this is the week I change my mind on what I thought I wanted and didn't want because, like yesterday, I never would have thought I would even think such a thing as "I want a dog." I am really just not an animal person in general. And while the truth is that I still really do not want a dog, if there were ever anything that could convince me otherwise it would be these dashing dog collars ($37) from Silly Buddy:

So here's hoping I see your dog sporting one of these soon (preferably sporting one of these while not jumping up on me).

p.s. I finished my "About Me" page so check that out. It involves lists!

spotted at Ali Loves Curtis

picture via Silly Buddy

I Want to Live in Paris

2011-02-08T10:47:00.001-07:00

Okay, so those are words that, truly, I never thought would come out of my mouth (or be typed by my fingers). Of all the places I've been in Europe, Paris wouldn't even under normal circumstances make the top five places I would like to live. I remember it as being rather dirty, a little unfriendly, and with museums a touch on the unwieldy side. All those thoughts have flown out the door, though, as I have watched Jordan at Oh Happy Day prepare and now arrive with her family for a year-long adventure in the City of Lights. Here is just a sampling of what she gets to wake up to:

Are you not entirely mesmerized by the charming beauty of it all? Check out Jordan's adventures here. And check out her sister Gabrielle's similar adventures (only in this instance it is Normandy, France with her husband and 6 children) here.

As for me, before this little shake-up, I would rank the places I would love to live in Europe as follows:

1. London, England (my favoritest city in all the world--my apologies to Boston)

2. Rome, Italy

3. Amsterdam, Netherlands

4. Edinburgh, Scotland

5. Siena, Italy

photos by Paul Ferney via Oh Happy Day

The Jimmer Show

2011-02-07T12:45:00.002-07:00

It is over at last. No more Super Bowl/NFL coverage. No more so-called funny Super Bowl commercial breaks that really did nothing for me other than convince me that there are certain brands I should avoid completely (Doritos and Pepsi)--although I should mention as a disclaimer that I didn't watch much of the second half. And no more hours and hours being spent by sports analysts telling me why the Steelers are a lock to win. Now on to more important stuff: like College Basketball. And in particular BYU's superstar Jimmer Fredette. Not that I would let a tiny thing like the Super Bowl get in the way of my BYU basketball team. In fact, I had the chance this last Saturday to attend The Jimmer Show (aka: BYU vs. UNLV) in person. And, for the most part, it/he was all that I could have hoped for (okay, so I was hoping for another 40+ point performance but still, there is no denying that the pasty-white boy can shoot). Here is a bit of proof:

Okay, so not so much proof as Jimmer is the blur in the middle throwing the ball away--cause, hey, even superstars make mistakes when they are triple teamed.

Carl Bloch

2011-02-03T14:34:00.000-07:00

I can not believe that I haven't blogged about Carl Bloch! But, somehow it is true. So here is the low down:

BYU's Museum of Art is hosting a once-in-a-lifetime type exhibit featuring several of Carl Bloch alter pieces. The once-in-a-lifetime bit comes from the fact that several of these pieces have never been outside of Denmark before and some not even outside of the church buildings in which they have been residing for over 100 years!

I've been twice and have LOVED the exhibit thoroughly (may I highly recommend the iPad rental--even if it does make you look like a nerdy tourist who might be wearing white tube socks with sandals). I have been awed, inspired, and cried just a tad (Elder Ballard's fault really--see iPad). Here is my favorite piece of the exhibit:

And really, this image just doesn't even come close to doing the piece any justice at all.

So with all the imploring I can muster, I highly ~~encourage~~ demand you to make your way over to my part of Utah (I'm looking at you Brigham City) for this fantastic opportunity. Tickets are required but are free and can be reserved here until May 7th. May I also suggest you choose a night other than Tuesday or Wednesday as that is the night of many, many youth groups. Also, you may want to know that the Museum isn't all that strict on the ticket time--should you, you know, get stuck in a really long line for the iPad rentals ($3).

Reporting

2011-02-01T12:41:00.000-07:00

There is absolutely nothing that keeps me more on top of my New Year's Resolutions like reporting on my blog how I am doing. When I don't report I don't keep my resolutions. When I do report I tend to keep at least some/most of them. I think it has something to do with a self-preservation that stems from not wanting to look inept or be embarrassed by my lack of resolution keeping. There is also nothing like reporting when you have actually had a pretty good go at you resolutions:

Year-Long Goals:

1. Read 12 Nonfiction books:

I read one: "More than Petticoats: Remarkable Utah Women"--It was a terribly written book that I would never have picked up except we were reading it in book group, but, hey, I get to check off 1 of those 12 nonfiction books. Now I just need to figure out what to read this month (any suggestions). I already have the first half of the month scheduled out with books and none of them are nonfiction so I really need to start thinking about this or I will be on my way to reading 11 nonfiction books in December.

2. Read 2008-2010 to-read list:

I have 1 and 1/2 books left on my 2008 to-read list so I fell like I am making some progress.

3. Read the New Testament:

Nearly through with Matthew!

4. Attend the temple twice a month:

So, yes, I ended up attending the temple twice last week. And yes, one of those times was on Saturday morning in a purposeful attempt to watch the BYU Men's Basketball team that afternoon (I would like it noted that while I did arrange my temple attending time around a sporting event my temple attendance itself was in no way related to the event) and it would appear that I was not the only one with that idea as I was forced to park a least a 1/4 of a mile away from the temple. As I was walking my 1/4 of a mile I started wondering if my local temples see a drop in attendance during BYU sporting events and if temple's world-wide see an increase of temple attendance during the first couple of months of the year the way gyms do. Something I will need to remember to ask my temple-working friends.

5. Go someplace new:

No movement on this one

6. Write 12 thank you cards:

Sadly, no movement on this one either

Monthly Goal:

Posture:

I think I mentioned earlier this month that this was a rotten goal as there is no real way of measuring my success except to say that I have a better understanding of what makes good posture, a better awareness of what I, in particular, need to do to have good posture (No Crossing of My Legs), and have made a real effort throughout the month to have better posture. And I'm going to go ahead and call all that a success.

This month's monthly goal:

Prayer (another rotten goal without any key measurements):

1. Pray morning and night (I tend to let my morning prayers slip through until mid-morning and sometimes forget entirely on weekends--oddly enough especially on Sunday (I blame 9 am church--or at least I'd like to except that I manage to pray in the mornings when I have to be to work at 8 am)).

2. Spend 5 minutes before each prayer to ponder what I want out of the day/what I have accomplished and how I have seen my Heavenly Father's hand in my life.

Any other ideas on the topic of prayer would be much appreciated.

Preparing for the Creation

2011-01-24T10:44:00.001-07:00

I am busily (and a little nervously) working on my first teaching assignment for Sharing time next month in Primary (the LDS Church's children's organization). The topic is The Creation and things are thus far coming along quite nicely. In my search for resources I came across a gorgeous YouTube video and, while I'm not going to use the clip when I teach (in the end I chose to stick with a few pictures and the scriptures), it is just so beautiful and so must be shared with lucky you ;)

The One on Resolutions

2011-01-20T12:22:00.000-07:00

It's not to late to be talking resolutions, is it? I really, truly had intended on being on top of my posts but then life got in the way (which I suppose is really a positive) and I have become a complete blogging slacker. I've got the day off, though, so in between sleeping until that blessed hour of 8, catching up on a few Church responsibilities, cleaning my bathroom and my room and possibly my stove, and reading (something that has been sorely lacking from my life of late), I though I would catch up on blogging (mine and yours).

As I mentioned, I really had intended to be on top of blogging and on top of resolutions this month/year (lets just pretend last year's resolutions didn't exist--except for the one about learning to sew a skirt!). In fact, I spent much of December considering what kinds of resolutions to have, how many, and then mapping it all out. And for the most part, though I haven't told anyone about them, I am already making some good progress! What I have decided on is 6 goals that I will be working on throughout the year and then 1 goal I will be working on each month (And thanks to everyone who has been publishing your resolutions. You have been an inspiration to me and my goals). Here is what I am working on/going to be working on:

Year-long Goals:

1. Read 12 Nonfiction books (at least 6 of them published in 2011)

2. Read all the books on my to-read list that date from 2008 to 2010 (about 70 books)

3. Read the New Testament (I am already 13 chapters in so this on is going quite well)

4. Attend the Temple two times a month (which means I will be attending this week and next week or twice next week--must to better)

5. Go someplace new (I had this goal last year and went to Toelle for about an hour and counted it. Not this year! This year I will go someplace new for real)

6. Write 12 thank you cards

January Goal:

Improve my posture (which is a terrible goal as there is no real measurement that I can do to say I have completed the goal but as I have the world's worst posture, something simply had to be done) by reading up on improving my posture (check), practising good posture throughout the day (small check--sometimes I forget but lots of times I remember), telling others to smack me upside the head when I am displaying poor posture (this is what I am doing now--feel free to smack away). Here is what I have learned about me and posture: crossing my legs is evil and is likely to induce slouching, it is possible to sit at a desk for long periods of time with good posture if you sit in the chair in the way it was intended to be sat in, driving with good posture is extremely difficult--the posture bit not the driving bit.

So here is to a new year and a new set of things I am going to do!

Umm No, I Didn't Fall Off the Face of the Earth

2011-01-14T20:49:00.000-07:00

I'd just like to interrupt this long silence to say that I am planning on blogging--just not today. Until I do blog (I have to get my resolutions out there), I'd like to attempt to entertain you with a few funny clips (because while I have been rushed off my feet at work and scared out of my pants at the thought of my new calling--1st Counselor in the Primary Presidency), I have had time to find a few things mildly entertaining:

Goodbye 2010

2010-12-31T13:55:00.000-07:00

So not too long ago we had a lesson in Young Women on journal keeping. I am a rotten journal keeper--seriously rotten. And while I could have/should have probably made some sort of commitment about doing better, I, instead, decided it was perhaps time to consolidate the 6 started-but-never-finished journals into 1 or 2 (it turned out to be 1 and 1/2--how sad am I?). And so for about a month I diligently copied my thoughts (even the thoroughly embarrassing ones), and consolidated, and really had quite a lot of fun. In doing so, I was reminded how I used to take some time at the end of the year and write down my favorite things (books, movies, music--the New Kids on the Block played an embarrassingly heavy role in my teen life) and I thought maybe I should try my hand at it again this year.

So here goes, my favorites of 2010 (not necessarily published/aired/or whatever in 2010 but just what was enjoyed by me in 2010):

Books (I figured I must start here since books are my favorite):

Adult Fiction:

1. The Hero of Ages (Mistborn, #3) by Brandon Sanderson (Fantasy)

2. Death with Interruptions by Jose Saramago

3. Cutting for Stone Abraham Verghese

4. Chronicle of a Death Foretold by Gabriel Garcia Marquez

Adult Non Fiction:

1. Make Gentle the Life of This World: The Vision of Robert F. Kennedy

2. Bonds of Affection: Civic Charity and the Making of America by Matthew S. Holland

3. Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell

4. A Short Guide to a Happy Life by Anna Quindlen

Young Adult Fiction:

1. The Best Bad Luck I Ever Had by Kristin Levine

2. The Brooklyn Nine by Alan M. Gratz

3. Shakespeare Bats Cleanup by Ron Koertge

4. Flygirl by Sherrie L. Smith

Junior Fiction:

1. Countdown by Deborah Wiles

2. Behemoth (Leviathan, #2) by Scott Westerfeld (Alternate History, Science Fiction)

3. One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams-Garcia

4. Mockingbird by Kathryn Erskine

Picture Books:

1. Bink & Gollie by Kate DiCamillo and Alison McGhee

2. A Sick Day for Amos McGee by Philip Christian Stead

3. City Dog, Country Frog by Mo Willems

4. Mirror Mirror by Marilyn Singer

TV Shows:

1. Doctor Who (love the new Doctor--but miss the old one as well)

2. Law & Order UK (we get BBC America on demand and that explains nos. 1 & 2)

3. Blue Bloods (love the family relationships--plus I love me a cop/crime drama)

4. MI:5

Movies (of which I didn't watch many):

1. The Young Victoria

2. Les Miserables-The 25th Anniversary Concert

3. How to Train Your Dragon

4. Ramona and Beezus

Music Artists

1. Pink Martini

2. Adele

3. Dean Martin

4. U2 (a constant)

Not Really the Creative One

2010-12-22T12:25:00.000-07:00

A not-so-hard lesson to learn, but a lesson I should try to remember:

Shopping at Williams Sonoma, despite all my best intentions and wishes, will not magically turn me into a creative cookie maker.

I got roped (or roped myself--it is all a bit hazy) into making about 20 dozen cookies for my mother to give away to her neighbors for Christmas and am now just a bit tired of baking. Not only that, I am entirely kitchened out. If I never see another kitchen again.... but it is Christmas so I suppose I will just need to develop one of those stiff upper lips and endure.

Being all cookied out, of course, would be a great thing to be right now. Sadly, now that the cookies are all delivered (not a one is left in the house except those ones that fell on the floor that someone has been eating--I haven't the heart to tell them what happened to them--what they don't know won't kill them?) I have a mean cookie craving and have been wandering the house in vain in a desperate search for something sweet. How is it that I have no cookies!!!

Hodgepodge of Movie Stuff

2010-12-16T17:56:00.000-07:00

I have just a minute to blog cause I'm rather hungry and no one is willing to cook for me tonight.

When last I left you, my friends, I was very much looking forward to going to that movie Morning Glory. Well, I've been to see it and I must say that, though I am not one to blame others for what I choose to view, someone should have warned me against seeing this mind-numbingly bad movie and I blame you. As small as my readership is, someone out there should have known better than me (and the newspaper reviewer) and warned me off it. For what it is worth, my mother and sister had this to say of the movie: "There were some cute parts." Clearly I would have been better off and entirely happier to have stuck with Joyeux Noel. Or perhaps just stayed home with my Netflix who does know me so much better than that guy who reviews movies for the newspaper

Speaking of Netflix, there is a movie that I recently watched on their recommendation that I found to be simply lovely. It's not likely to win any awards (not much drama), but it kind of makes me sigh in happiness when I think of it: The Young Victoria. This movie's absolute sweetness, brace yourself if you are familiar with London, has convinced me to completely forgive Victoria for that thing that is generally referred to as the Prince Albert Memorial.

Not only that but I'm strongly considering bumping Prince Albert (Rupert Friend--what is it with so many hot British guys being named Rupert?) into my list of 5 crushes and bumping that Hugh guy whose name I can't ever quite recall out (I mean, it must be some kind of a sign that we are not meant to be when I can't even remember the last name--that and his being absolutely gorgeous, famous, and married--it isn't Grant or Laurie...shoot, still can't remember). Anyway, I think he just might make a nice addition to the list.

And now I'm off to cook and eat and read (cause Maze Runner is due tomorrow and I still have 250 pages to read). Happy Weekend!!!

Music and Movies

2010-12-09T13:37:00.000-07:00

I am listening to this

and this

(the packaging is just to die for)

and have this to watch

but am going to see this today instead

and as a result am feeling rather happy and full of holiday cheer.

Technology

2010-12-07T17:00:00.000-07:00

I'm not really a great fan of technology. I hate cell phones. Hate, hate, hate them. I was a happier and more fit person back when I was living in Ireland and didn't have regular access to a car--you know back when I could eat a galaxy chocolate bar (as in the good British stuff) a day and actually loose weight. Now not only do I not often take the time (my fault mostly) to walk and thereby think and clear my head, but I am actually ridiculed (or thought ridiculous) for, you know, presuming that it is a good thing to walk to church--which is exactly five houses away from my house.

That said, I'm beginning to see some real positives about this whole technology thing.

1. I kind of sort of really love to blog and to read blogs.

2. I kind of sort of really love it when I can type sw in the google search bar and it knows that I'm looking for The Sweet Tooth Fairy.

3. I kind of sort of really love the recommendations that Netflix gives me based on the movies I watch via the Wii system thingy. They come with group categories like: Period Pieces, Feel-Good British Dramas, and British Movies based on Literature. Netflix you truly know me--plus you don't forget that I like to watch stuff like Iron Man as well.

But then, just as I'm starting to really love technology, it goes and reminds me in front of my whole family that my 4 year-old niece has better dance moves than I do:

You didn't actually think you were going to get a shot of me doing this, did you? And sorry about the video being on its side--darn technology!

An Alternative to the Insanity of Black Friday:

2010-11-24T12:04:00.000-07:00

National Day of Listening

Friday, November 26th take some time to interview a person you know and love.

Record that interview via a recording device or pen and paper.

And enjoy the blessing of stories.

Need some tips?

http://www.nationaldayoflistening.org/
http://www.yourstory.utah.edu/
http://www.lifestories-ut.com/

And There Goes My Diet...

2010-11-23T11:43:00.001-07:00

Okay, so I wasn't really on a diet. But, I had some vague ideas about possibly going on one (we've got family photo's next month). Instead I am eating these to-die-for peanut butter dark chocolate chip cookies that I nabbed from Sarah Dessen (Yes, that Sarah Dessen--as in the ever-brillant author Sarah Dessen who has a really fantastic blog that you should really check out even if you don't know anything about her books--but shame on you if you don't know her books).

Diet, shmiet. I'm pretty sure it is my turn to stand behind someone in this family picture.

Thanksgiving

2010-11-22T13:31:00.000-07:00

It is that fantastic week where we get to slow down, enjoy that last remnants of Fall, hang out with our wonderful families, watch some football, and EAT!!! Also, I believe there is supposed to be something in there about gratitude and thanks giving. Here's a short message to remind me about that:

Les Mis in Concert

2010-11-18T12:10:00.002-07:00

aka a plethora of YouTube clips

Last night I had the singular opportunity of attending the Les Miserables 25th Anniversary Concert (originally performed in London and broadcast in movie theaters throughout the US last night) and can I just tell you that there are simply no words to express how wonderful, extraordinary, magical, powerful, etc. the performance was. To just give you a hint, I've placed a couple of clips from the show (sadly not official clips so the sound and the camera work is not exactly stellar but just imagine sitting in a theater with surround sound and then triple experience you are imagining and you will just about be there)--both clips are from the encore. You may also notice one Nick Jonas of the Jonas Brothers performed in the show (and did a really fine job--I am now repenting for questioning his casting), Lea Salonga, and a few other recognizable cast members. However, who I really want to draw your attention to is one Alfie Boe who plays Jean Valjean (the 4th Jean Valjean in the first clip), is a part-time resident of Salt Lake City (his wife is from Salt Lake City and they have a home here), and is now on my Christmas list as well as my list of people to see perform live before I (or they) die--Dame Judi Dench being the only one on my list that I have actually been able to see perform live. The last clip is of him warbling in a friend's kitchen--how cool would that be?

You'll notice in the above clip, the fantastic Frances Ruffelle is only shown from the waist up which is a kind gift from the recorder of the clip as Ms. Ruffelle appears to have forgotten her pants (possibly in both the American and British sense of the word "pants") to say nothing of her choice in shoes!

If you are British or live in Britannia you can purchase the DVD on November 29th. No word yet on when us Yanks get our chance but if you missed this in the theaters then you must, must, must purchase or rent or borrow (I would almost say steal) the DVD, find a large screen with surround sound, and sit back and enjoy!

In an unrelated note, I saw a local musical production of The Scarlet Pimpernel and for the first time in my entire life (including that one unfortunate time that I endured an entire 30 minutes of the A&E version) I was rooting for Chauvelin--extremely bad casting (the actor who played Chauvelin would have made a charming Scarlet Pimpernel!)

The Winner Is...

2010-11-17T23:17:00.000-07:00

Mockingbird by Kathryn Erskine

Which was bound to be the result as it was the one book--of the three I thought would/should win--that in the end I ignored in my predictions.

2010 National Book Award

2010-11-16T12:16:00.000-07:00

When Janssen mentioned that she was going to read the the five 2010 National Book Award finalists in the category of Young People's Literature I decided to jump on board and do the same--there is nothing like being ahead of the popularity curve (which is just a tad slow around here) and being able to say "oh, yes, I read that last year"--very pompous of me! I thought that I would read the books and then just before the announcement was made do a post of my reviews and predictions. It wasn't until this past weekend, though, that I realized that putting all of my reviews on GoodReads (and then Facebook via GoodReads) kind of defeats that idea as most of you probably have access to me through one--if not both--of these social mediums. On realizing my goof, I did withhold one review and of course I haven't made any predictions whatsoever. So, then, without any further ado, here are my reviews and predictions:

Ship Breaker by Paolo Bacigalupi (6 out of 10 stars)

Summary: In a futuristic world, teenaged Nailer scavenges copper wiring from grounded oil tankers for a living, but when he finds a beached clipper ship with a girl in the wreckage, he has to decide if he should strip the ship for its wealth or rescue the girl.

A little more swearing than I care for in a teen novel and I didn't care at all for the scene in which teen alcohol use is portrayed as an acceptable means of celebration and escape. In general, though, this is an excellent read that puts climate change at the root of this dystopia. I enjoyed the characters and felt like there was some good development and good dialogue (particularly in the final 2 chapters), though there was a bit of repetitiveness in the use of a few phrases and ideas (blossoms of pain; fear that whoever is dying might not (for different reasons) actually be able to die) that weakened the overall writing. I am, though, looking forward to reading the next installment.

Mockingbird by Kathryn Erskine (7 out of 10 stars)

Summary: Ten-year-old Caitlin, who has Asperger's Syndrome, struggles to understand emotions, show empathy, and make friends at school, while at home she seeks closure by working on a project with her father.

I liked it. I found it a little unexpected and rather interesting, unique, charming, and even informative. That said, it felt a little flat. And while I loved the idea that getting into someone else's head and understanding them can change the world, maybe even lessen the violence we too often witness, I felt the author's note was a little heavy handed and didn't quite connect with the story--It seemed really to be more a story of closure than a story of averting future violence through knowledge and understanding. If I were handing it to a junior or teen reader I think I would also hand them something on Asperger's syndrome as that is a major issue but is not really directly addressed.

Dark Water by Laura McNeal (5 out of 10 stars)

Summary: Living in a cottage on her uncle's Southern California avocado ranch since her parents' messy divorce, fifteen-year-old Pearl DeWitt meets and falls in love with an illegal migrant worker, and is trapped with him when wild fires approach his makeshift forest home.

There is a sad, depressed quality to the writing that hints of tragedy and had me feeling rather unsure of this book from the beginning. And then there were pieces of writing (such as: "He nodded and watched me with his sepia eyes") that just felt ridiculous. Around page 120 the book started to grow on me with some better writing (such as the paragraph on p. 134 that described a desire to be nine again), but still there was this love story going on between 2 characters who barely speak to each other, barely know each other, and have nothing in common--I couldn't decide if this was unrealistic or typical teenage love/drama. Then the book just sort of dragged on and on always hinting of the tragedy but never getting there (actually it did get there eventual, but it took its own sweet time). By the end the tragedy and the romance all just felt so frustrating, stupid, and pointless that I was really rather glad to close the cover on this book. Also, I think I wanted a bit more social ethics--we should care about illegal migrant workers because they are human too type of a message--something that would really make a teen reader think/reconsider ideas.

Lockdown by Walter Dean Myers (8 out of 10 stars)

Summary: Teenage Reese, serving time at a juvenile detention facility, gets a lesson in making it through hard times from an unlikely friend with a harrowing past.

There is a realness in the dialogue and reasoning of this book that is intense and feels true--and there wasn't very much swearing which was so refreshing when so many authors think they must load these types of books in order to stay true to reality--a notion proven untrue by this excellent read. The result was a great read that has the potential of changing perspectives of people on the outside looking in and on the inside looking out. This is the book that I wanted Dark Water to be. With the inner thinking that the main character goes through and the examinations of the situations of inner city youths, Myers has created a character that you will sympathize with and root for. And yet, he does all of that without removing the concept of personal responsibility--the character's and ours.

One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams-Garcia (7 out of 10 stars)

Summary: In the summer of 1968, after traveling from Brooklyn to Oakland, California, to spend a month with the mother they barely know, eleven-year-old Delphine and her two younger sisters arrive to a cold wwelcome as they discover that their mother, a dedicated poet and printer, is resentful of the intrusion of their visit and wants them to attend a nearby Black Panther summer camp.

An excellent introduction, for junior readers, to the 1960s Civil Rights movements, the Black Panthers, etc. Where I wanted more of a social impact drive from books like Dark Water (teen fiction), I felt this was very age appropriate. I did occasionally think that the 3 girls acted above their own ages (particularly Fern who grasps complex scenes and writes poetry about it). And I felt the end wrapped up just a little too neatly (girls understanding mother, mother understanding girls, everyone (nearly) flying off into the sunset). I think I wanted a stronger feeling that not everything was magically fixed--that there was still a lot of work to do and that all involved were committed to doing that work. But maybe this is a point that the girls were truly acting their ages--by needing a mother more than needing to hang on to the bad and being able to forgive in a way only children seem to readily be able to forgive.

So now on to the predictions:

Well, I really just didn't care for Dark Water so if that one wins I will have serious questions about the win. After that, though, I wouldn't be too upset should any of the other books wins. That said, I just don't really see Ship Breaker winning (and really it shouldn't). So, in my mind at least, it is down to Mockingbird, One Crazy Summer, and Lockdown which to me is a contest between 3 potentially powerful books. And while I really would be happy with any one of these books winning, I suppose that the purpose of making a prediction is the actual making of a prediction. So, so, so...really these books are so different, how do I choose? Okay, Lockdown is my pick--but I think it really might be One Crazy Summer (way to hege my bets).

The announcement comes tomorrow!

99 Most Beautiful Names

2010-11-15T14:22:00.000-07:00

I went to a fantastic art presentation at my library last week and it has been on my mind ever since--so now I get to get it on your minds as well.

The presentation/display is called 99 names and stems from the artist's, Andrew Kosorok, own interest in the Islamic faith after 9/11. What he found out about the religion was so different from what the television pundits were broadcasting (for example, he talked about attending a sermon by a California Imam who spent the first half of his sermon teaching about the importance of the family unit, that families need to eat dinner together, and that no man can get to heaven without his wife, and then the second half proving the divinity of the US Constitution through the Qur'an) that he felt he needed/wanted to do something to express what he has learned. What he has created are a series of glass sculptures (there will be 99 in total--hopefully by 2012) representing each of the 99 names of God that Muslims are supposed to learn and emulate (a few examples of the names are "The Judge," "The Gentle," "The Merciful") that are gorgeous and inspiring:

I simply love the simplicity and humility in which this author is working to learn about others and pass on that learning in the hope of creating a more understanding and better world. It is an example, I think, that we can all learn from and follow. Nine of these sculptures are on display at my local library until the end of the year and are really worth a short visit if you are in the area.

You can read a few of the many articles being written on this project here, here, and here (I found the first one to be very interesting and worth a read).

Starlet or Streetwalker?

2010-11-11T10:32:00.001-07:00

I have a secret (and slightly embarrassing) love of E!'s show Fashion Police--its funny and informative. And they have a short segment called Starlet or Streetwalker during which the co-hosts have to determine whether the girl in the picture (with the blurred-out head) is a starlet or a streetwalker. Recently my thoughts turned to this segment as I was considering the latest sewing project I undertook:

I sewed it and designed those black "trees" myself. But now I find myself asking, do I dare wear a bright pink skirt out in public (it is brighter than the picture here implies)? And if so, can I accomplish said wearing without looking like a streetwalker? I am entirely undecided. But, I am still loving this whole sewing phase I'm going through.

Snow!

2010-11-10T14:31:00.000-07:00

It snowed today

(and by that I mean wee flurries floating around

and thank goodness that was all because I'm not ready for the real stuff!)

and that means hot chocolate and Christmas shopping!

(and by Christmas shopping I mean spending $70 on myself--for Christmas)

Booktalks Round 4 (Again, sort of)

2010-11-08T12:39:00.000-07:00

Not that anyone has been beating down my door demanding that I finish off my reviews of the Beehive Book nominees (last updated the end of June), but I thought I would get the final two out of the way because next week I hope to put up my reviews of the National Book Award nominees in the young readers category (right before the announcement on the 17th). So, despite a general lack of interest: here are the final 2 reviews:

Eon: Dragoneye Reborn by Alison Goodman:

(This is where the sort of that follows Booktalks in the title comes in) Eon's purpose in life has been to train to become a Dragoneye, but Eon holds a terrible, deadly secret that may undo everything. Sadly that terrible, deadly secret bored me to death as did this book. I skimmed the last 100 pages and wouldn't have even finished it but I had committed to reading all 12 nominees.

Musician's Daughter by Susanne Dunlap

Theresa's father is found murdered, his violin missing. Her quest to solve this mystery uncovers a plot thick with deceit, betrayal, and intrigue. I liked the setting. I liked the characters. I liked the basic story idea. The execution of the story, though, was rather sloppy.

So, yeah, not so much Booktalks this go around, but at least I finished up the reviews--sort of. You can check out the other Booktalks (some of which can actually be considered Booktalks) here, here, and here.

And now for my thoughts on who should and might win:

My personal favorite was The Brooklyn Nine by Alan Gratz for its combining of Baseball and Genealogy. Sadly, I don't know if that combination is a winning combination among my State's teen voters.

Who will win? I'm not sure that I am very good at making these kind of guesses, but I'm going to say My Fair Godmother by Janette Rallison.

Who should win? Despite The Brooklyn Nine being my favorite of the bunch, I am really pulling for Flygirl by Sherri L. Smith to win. But I would be equally happy for Chains by Laurie Halse Anderson or Along for the Ride by Sarah Dessen to walk away with the award.

I'll let you know when the winner is announced, but until then are there any that you have loved or hated?

SOUP!

2010-11-03T12:30:00.000-06:00

This little beauty walked into my kitchen over the weekend and I think I'm in love.

Now I can finally make all those fabulous soups that everyone keeps telling me about--starting with this Black-Bean Soup provided by Janssen.

AT LAST

2010-10-27T14:48:00.000-06:00

Last night

at the end of a 4 1/2 hour City Council Meeting

(that I sat through)

our City Council

finally

(after 4 years of discussion)

voted to approve

the Center for Story and Art!!!

(a 500 or so seat auditorium to host library events)

Now we move into the fundraising and design phase--you know, just in case you know someone with a million dollars just hanging around!

They Seek Him Here, They Seek Him There

2010-10-26T13:38:00.000-06:00

I was looking for a movie to rent over the weekend when I hit upon the fantastic idea of renting The Scarlet Pimpernel (we are reading this book for book group this month). Sadly the good versions (i.e. the versions with Jane Seymour or Leslie Howard) were all checked out. However, I did notice a version I had never heard of before done by A&E and thought to myself maybe "I'll give that at try--after all it was A&E that gave me Horatio Hornblower." Sadly, this version of The Scarlet Pimpernel was no Horatio Hornblower. I made it through all of 30 minutes before I just couldn't stand it any longer. Fortunately, my good mother owns a copy of the Jane Seymour version so I have nearly driven the horrible images from the A&E version from my mind. Of course this all does leave me with a bit of a problem: I am having a difficult time differentiating between the various movies and the book. At this point I could probably do a better job commenting on the movies than I could on the book--which is not too bad of an idea as this may be the only book in existence that far prefer the movie to the book. And really, can you blame me when the movie gives me about two hours of anthony Andrews?

I did quite valiantly look for a picture of Anthony Andrews (you know, to liven up this post) to insert here but none of them quite do him justice so you'll just need to get your fix by watching the movie. Sorry, but I imagine you'll live--or at least die quite happy.

Pumpkin Patch

2010-10-22T16:08:00.000-06:00

I went up the canyon to breath some Fall air and look at some Fall colors (sadly sans camera) which got me thinking about my Fall to-do list which then got me thinking about what I have done and how that could be a post which would be great because I am short on posts lately. So here it is, our short trip to a pumpkin patch that included a hay ride, a pumpkin patch, and cold apple cider (sadly they were out of the donuts):

The hay ride (it took some time for the boys to get used to the idea):

Picking out the right pumpkin:

Posing in front of the tractor that pulled our hay wagon:

I Love Fall!

I Am Lame

2010-10-13T13:06:00.000-06:00

I've been meaning to blog. I had a blog post all ready to go. All I needed to do was download some pics off my camera. I was too lazy to do that--even though it only takes like 30 seconds. But now I am back:

So, if you will kindly recall, way back at the beginning of the month I spoke briefly about learning how to sew a fab skirt--right? remember that? I don't know if the fantastic Fall air has kicked me into something of a nesting mode, but I have nearly entirely become a crafty person. I am scared! Here are a few of my most recent projects:

A lovely knitted scarf:

Two whole pillows that I sewed entirely by myself:

One of those head wrap thingys that were so popular last year:

And to top it all off, I have a skirt pattern (with a zipper) that I am going to be attempting very soon. I always used to say that my sisters took all the creative/crafty genes but perhaps I am just a late bloomer--this, however, does not mean that I am going to start quilting. I'm leaving that skill to my mom and my sisters.

Read a Banned Book

2010-10-04T13:42:00.000-06:00

I really didn't intend on my Wednesday post of last week being my last post of the week. However, hacking up a lung put a serious damper on my blogging interest. Had I blogged again last week, I would have blogged something about Banned Books Week. It is over now, but I think any week of the year is a great week to read a banned book. You can find information on banned books week and a list of banned books here.

I think I'll read: The Lord of the Rings (cause it has been about 5 years since I last read this series--entirely too long) or Winnie the Pooh.

Today I Am Sad

2010-09-29T12:56:00.000-06:00

Despite a surety of its ultimate powerlessness, when death comes and steals away with one of the best of us I can't help but feel a little helpless and very sad. Last night was one of those times.

Jim Reams
1956-2010

City Manager
and Champion of storytelling in my fine city.

2010-09-28T11:57:00.000-06:00

I discovered this soundtrack on my iPod today:

Admit it, I'm the coolest person you know!

I Am One Who Sews

2010-09-27T20:46:00.000-06:00

I do not look on "Reality" TV with much fondness. That said, I somehow got sucked in by two (yes, two!) "Reality" shows this summer. The first, Food Network's Great Food Truck Race (or something like that), ended in such a dumb manner as to cure me from ever watching that series again! The second, Lifetime's Project Runway, has taught me that I know absolutely nothing about fashion (and really that is okay judging by what they are calling fashion)--I am now watching the show mostly to see when they finally kick Gretchen off! However, watching Project Runway has sort of brought out a secret inner desire to be able to sew. It is a secret desire that most likely would have gone unrevealed (despite a New Year's resolution to sew a skirt this year--and a pillow) if not for my lovely cousin Jen who after throwing a fantastic baby shower (the homemade soup was amazing) invited me to stay and learn how to sew a skirt. Amazingly, I was actually able to follow her very good instructions and left with this fabulous little number:

Probably should have snapped a picture of just the skirt, but you get the idea.

Thanks Jen! You are the best!

Help!

2010-09-24T12:33:00.000-06:00

Dear Readers,

So, I was teaching my Young Women in church on Sunday when I used the phrase "a bucket of fish" (or possibly "a kettle of fish") and was immediately stopped by the Young Women and asked for the definition for this archaic phrase. One of the other women sitting in on my class stepped in to help me by offering up another similar phrase: "a can of worms," but the Young Women still expressed disbelief at the use of such phrases and demanded further explanation. I promised I would do some research and bring them a translation of the phrase in their language on Sunday--only I kind of haven't done the research and really don't know how to go about doing that. So that is were you come in. Help me. Does anyone have any idea how to translate "a kettle of fish" or "a can of worms" into teenagese? Or possibly into text--cause they would think that was so cool--and what is the translation of "so cool" these days?

Hopelessly uncool and out of date,

Yankee Girl