Feliz Navidad!

Only two more days and I am on my way to a beautiful California Christmas!

Sans snow.

But before I get on that jet plane, hopefully on time, I wanted to take a minute to say Merry Christmas to you all. May this Christmas season bring happiness and warmth to your heart, and may that light stay with you into next year.

I wish you many new shoes, delicious food, happy family, and massive luck at the New Year's day sales. ;)

Kisses and a very Merry Christmas!

Education is like Veal.

On this day, December 16th 2009, I have at long last completed my college education.

It has taken me more years, gallons of Diet Pepsi, tears, tranquilizers and breakdowns than I care to count (or openly admit to), but it is finally over.

I was filled with a deserved sense of celebration, which I expressed by buying new boots...

(Aren't they beautiful?! It is okay to be jealous.)

...And as I walked out of my last class this morning and felt the icy wind of freedom swirl around my earlobes, I was overcome with a feeling of accomplishment and pride. This thing that I have worked toward for for so long is finally done.

The birdies flew, the sun shone, and for about 15 minutes all was well and happy.

Suddenly the happy feeling was gone; and in that moment of panic the universe came into razor sharp focus.

I have been turned out of the chute.

I have been driven down this chute that is the education system like a little veal for years, I could only see what they let me see, could only worry about things that pertained directly to getting down the chute. (Please forgive the cow metaphor, I was inspired by something my younger sister Phyllis said many years ago that helped make everything a little clearer) Well I have now reached the end of the chute and am being turned out into the wide pasture that is the world. The problem is: what do I do now?

So here is today's question: where do we go when we reach the place where the asphalt ends?

Great Expectations

Sometimes I wonder if I expect too much.

I mean if I am sitting at home at night, especially on a weekend, I am most likely consumed with frustration because I'm not out doing something fun and exciting. I honestly have no cause to be bothered by that, I mean I have a ton of movies - I mean a TON - all of which I love...why don't I watch one of those? I have a stack of books that I want to read at least ten miles high, I should start reading one.

Alas, I am still not satisfied. I saw this video on Facebook and thought to myself:

"Self: he is so right! You have so much, and yet it is never enough. You need to get back to the simple pleasures in life."

So I was meditating on this tonight while watching my friends son, and some quality Finding Nemo, and I look over and he has removed the cushioned top off one of our storage ottomans and he is sitting inside it, laughing. Just laughing his head off, standing up, sitting down, standing up again, sitting down again. It was SO CUTE!

And I felt ashamed. If he could be so pleased with something so simple, do I really need so much to be happy too?

The answer is no.

Now I am not going to sell my belongings, give away my purses and shoes, and make my home in a hollow tree in the woods - that would be nuts...what, it is cold outside!

But I am going to be better.

I don't want chivalry to die, I just want it to be more observant

I may have mentioned in a past post that automotive issues and maintenance are not really my thing...but if you missed that let me say it now: I consider cars to be a necessary evil in this world.

Now my car has suffered a safety breach in the under the hood region, that is to say something is broken, which has resulted in the coolant leaking out of my car when I am not looking. I have every intention of having this actually fixed but for now I have been able to manage the problem by topping off my coolant when the light goes on telling me it is too low.

So Thursday night I left work and headed to the grocery store and on my way there my coolant light came on. After expelling a disgusted sigh I made a mental note to refill the coolant after I had done my shopping so that the engine had some time to cool off before I started poking around under the hood. Well I did my shopping and in the blinding setting sunlight I popped the hood of my poor little car and warily approached the cap of the coolant tank.

Here I think it is important to note that on the cap of the coolant tank it says that contents are EXTREMELY HOT and UNDER EXTREME PRESSURE.

So I twisted the cap ever so slightly to the left and listened until the sounds of escaping pressure subsided, I then removed the cap completely. Ugh! If you have ever smelled hot coolant (I am aware of how silly that sounds) you know that the odor rising to my delicate nose was not pleasant by any stretch of the imagination. I then opened the coolant bottle-jug-thing and started pouring it into the tank.

While in the midst of this delicate procedure, I suddenly notice this random guy walking up to me and he says:

"You should have your engine on while you do that."

Um, there are very few things that I know how to do on my own with regard to car care, but I think this is one I can handle as it seems to have more to do with common sense than actual automotive knowledge - it is probably a bad idea to have the engine on when I am pouring liquid into this tank where said liquid is made hot in the process of doing its job when the engine is on.

So I look at him and in the politest tone possible I say:

"Oh no it's okay, I am just topping off my coolant."

He says again:

"Ya, you need to have your engine on for that. Why don't you go turn it on."

I am all for chivalry. If you see me stuck on the side of the road with a flat tire or an actually non-working car please feel free to stop and lend a hand, but at this point I was like; thanks for the offer to help, but I've got this.

I suppose he finally got it that I was not going to start my car, so he just gave me this look and walked away. I then finished adding coolant to my car, got in, and drove away - the entire time mentally shaking my head not really sure why he seemed so bugged when it was me who was being annoyed.

Was that the right reaction? I am just not sure, the entire episode kind of confused me to be honest.

So that is my story, and if you are in the mood to hear another tale of a man offering a woman help when she really didn't need it you should read this, and know that I wish my story telling skills were just as entertaining.

Another stop on the road to self discovery

WARNING:
This post may bother, worry, disgust, or horrify some readers. Adult supervision is advised.

When people ask what my favorite movie is, it kind of upsets me because I am completely unable to provide an answer. How could I possibly pick a favorite movie, I would no sooner be able to pick a favorite shoe in the Nordstrom shoe department.

Now this may be a round about way of saying it but if I had to, as in life or death decision/declare or get pushed into the volcano, pick a favorite movie of all time...I think it would have to be...

Ok, these two:

Funny Girl, and The Way We Were

So it isn't ONE favorite.

My blog, my rules.

Deal with it.

These movies have one major thing in common. Do you know what it is? I'll tell you:

BARBARA STREISAND

(Warning: proceed with caution)

I love Barbara! I do. I really do! Now I know that there are many out there who are unable to appreciate the wonder that is Barbara. Who cannot fully appreciate her trademark nails and eye makeup, and the way her voice makes the world just a little bit brighter, but I don't care. I love her.

And today I made an amazing discovery: Barbara and I have the SAME BIRTHDAY! I always felt that Barbara and I were linked somehow, now I know why. Just one more reason to love her.

So what is your favorite movie? I am always interested in expanding my movie repertoire and I would love to know what other people love watching over and over again, until the DVD is exhausted and racked with seizures that make watching it any longer impossible.

Share on dear friends, share on.

And then there were two...

The blessed cupcake book has a fraternal twin!

THE COOKIE BOOK!

I'm so happy.

Now although I am generally of the school that scoffs and sniffs at people rushing, pushing, thrusting and shoving Christmas into full focus before Thanksgiving...I have to say:

I can hardly wait for Christmas so I can make the AWESOME holiday cookies in this book!

In case you are wondering, I know I have a problem.

I can just feel my sister shaking her head at me from across town.

It's okay, I know it's just jealousy.

Inspiration for a new project

Guess what, guess what, guess what!

I got a new cookbook last night, but not just any new cookbook: Martha Stewart's cupcake book.

Isn't it beautiful?

Now I know that there are some out there that do not approve of Martha, but I love her. All you have to do is look past her obsessive compulsive nature, and deplorable wardrobe, and what you will find is a marvelously creative woman with a talent for making beautiful and delicious things.

Anyway, my love of Martha led me to the realization that I needed her cupcake book in order to be happy. This book holds 116 cupcake recipes, some filled and some frosted, some glazed and some dipped, and I intend to try them all.

Now while this idea may sound vaguely familiar, especially if you have been to a movie theater in the last few months, I assure you all that I am not stealing the idea from dear Julie - I will merely share with you my failures and successes as I work my way through this entire cookbook. I also have grand and glorious plans to purchase a new battery for my camera so that I can even provide some pictures for you.

That's it. I just wanted to share my great happiness in my new cookbook with you, and warn you ahead of time that at least one more "new cookbook" celebration post is in this blogs future.

But that is all I will say for now.

The Bubblewrap Chronicles

First of all I feel it necessary to admit, declare, confirm, proclaim, note, and divulge, that I HATE moving! Hate. Did you hear me? I said HATE!

You may remember the previous gripe on the subject of house hunting and moving, but now I can safely say that I had no idea what I was talking about! My past moving experience has been fairly limited, my first moving adventure was when I was 4. We moved to the house I completed my childhood in, and although I am sure it was very traumatic - the level of stress I suffered was relatively minimal...given the fact that I was 4...and that it wasn't across the plains...in a covered wagon.

The next move was from said childhood home to Utah. While most definitely traumatic, the whole boxes, clothing, housing thang was really the least of it. I am generally a stiff-upper-lip-kind-of-girl, but leaving the nest proved emotionally strong enough to crack even my steel facade. From there I did switch apartments in the complex I live in, but that wasn't a real move.

But this, this is insane. I have been working all day, and all I have succeeded in doing is making piles of shtuff that need to be transported across town! So here is my thought, I am thinking that I could adopt the Bedouin lifestyle and only own that which can fit on my camel's saddle. Huh, huh? What do you think? I mean that does mean that I would have to abandon the retail world, except for the occasional bazaar we pass, and that I would probably never have an occasion to wear my favorite cow-skin pumps again...but it could be fun.................ok even thinking about it is freaking me out!

Fine! Back to packing. UGH!

Cupcake Love

A couple of weeks ago I went on a magical journey to a beautiful and happy place. In this happy place I ate (okay devoured) some AMAZING cupcakes.

I had read about The Sweet Tooth Fairy bakery here in Provo from one of the many food blogs I like to read. I decided to check out their website and not long after that I resolved to visit it, and soon.

Finally the day arrived. My brother in-law was off fishing with his dad, so my sister and I staged a very important and scientific taste test of six of The Sweet Tooth Fairy's cupcakes.


Let me introduce you to the gang (clockwise from the top left): Double Fudge, Toasted Coconut, Lemon, Peanut Butter, Black & White, Red Velvet.

The Double Fudge cupcake had a delightfully dark chocolate cake with a dark and dangerous fudge frosting, all topped off with a Maraschino Cherry. I love Maraschino Cherries, don't know if I have ever mentioned it before, my sister thinks I am sick.

Toasted Coconut I think was my favorite, all of you "Chocolate is KING" people out there settle down - I am not jumping ship. Although I do love me so me chocolate anything, the Toasted Coconut cupcake was so complex and thrilling that it has to be given top billing. The cake was white cake, but it was dense like a yellow cake, then the frosting had the delightful flavor of coconut and almond all topped with the nutty toasted coconut that added color and texture to the whole experience.

The Lemon was out of this world! So often when I eat or bake "lemon" things it seems like the flavor just isn't all there. That wonderful sensation when you eat something so lemony that it makes you pucker, in a good way, many times seems like it is missing. Not in this little beauty! The cake is dense and filled with lemon zest, as is the frosting. The frosting is covered lightly in sugar and is topped by a quarter of a lemon to add to the lemon motif. Refreshing and rich at the same time, I think this one was my sister's favorite.

Originally we had saved the Peanut Butter one for Tyler, he love anything PB, but since he was not equal to the task of dispatching the entire cupcake on his own Lisa and I were there to lend a helping hand, we are oh so self sacrificing that way. The cake was dark chocolate with a peanut better frosting and topped with chopped up Reeses cups.

The Black & White was a brilliant contrast, hence the name, the cake was the same dark chocolate as the Double Fudge, but it was topped with the almond/coconut frosting that topped the Toasted Coconut cupcake. So simple, yet so impressive.

Last but not least the Red Velvet. Here I must add that I don't quite get the draw of Red Velvet cake, I mean all it is is chocolate cake colored red after all, nevertheless people are always going on about it. This cake was very moist and was barely able to support itself when weighed down by the heaving Cream Cheese frosting, but the chocolate/cream cheese combo always gets me, and I could not think ill of the little blushing cupcake.

All in all a very educational and low fat adventure but if you are looking for a little treat, check out the Sweet Tooth Fairy Bakery in Provo, your taste buds will thank you.

P.S. I found this shirt that I think I need-

I kinda love it, what do you think?

WARNING: Deep thoughts ahead - proceed at your own risk!

As I sat in my room a few minutes ago, I had an epiphany. Don't be distracted by the big word, it just seem appropriate as I am attempting to wax philosophical.

When I need to escape I have a few pet methods of applying mental Novocain:

1. Shopping, especially for shoes. "When I feel bad I like to treat myself. Clothes never look any good... food just makes me fatter... shoes always fit."
2. Baking. Baking requires concentration so one does not accidentally mix up the salt and sugar, or worse - forgets to add the chocolate. Everything should involve chocolate at some point, even if it means that I am popping chocolate chips while mixing up the rare non-chocolate dessert.
3. Eating - this requires no thought at all...which might by why it is so dangerous.
4. Reading - I truly relish the freedom an engrossing book gives you. If you allow yourself to be sucked it, and you are really lucky, you could avoid surfacing for hours.
5. This one is very potent. Sometimes when I am really in the "depths of despair", I do something so heinous - so monstrous - so wicked...

come closer and I will tell you....

closer...

closer...

I watch... The Thorn Birds.

All 8 hours. The pain, loss, sacrifice, tragedy and suffering.

So now, as I itemize all of these methods of mental anesthesia, I am struck by the realization that all my methods of escape are slightly self destructive. Should I be concerned? Nah! Scarlett had it right - I won't think about that now...I'll think about it tomorrow.

4th of July, and my sometimes insensitive sense of humor

First off Happy 4th of July!

I hope you all had a wonderful day filled with fun, family, friends, good food, and fireworks! I really love this holiday, and not just for the fact that it makes me yearn for Old Navy, American Eagle Outfitters, Gap, and Martha Stewart's patriotic creativity.

I am seriously so blessed to live in this country! (I put that part in just for you Val.) But, truly I am. Saturday morning I attended the Provo City parade, and although I do not personally relish the parade itself per se, I love to see the way that so many people are brought together to celebrate the freedoms we all enjoy. I also love to watch my little cousins sitting on the curb, three little boys sitting in a row clapping, laughing, and scrambling for the candy that gets thrown from the passing floats and cars. Seriously so adorable!

Well after the parade we adjourned to my cousin Ashley's house for a little BBQ with the fam and friends. Now the way family gatherings involving food play out in our family is that everyone gets assignments or signs up to bring part of the meal. Today I volunteered to bring dessert - confession I like to bring dessert if I can because it is the course I can most relate to, so I kind of hog it...sorry. Anyway, I told Ash I would bring dessert and then set to the task of coming up with the perfect patriotic dessert to bring.

Lucky for me, not so much for my waistline, my loverly friend Shem offered the idea of making one of her family's favorite desserts. It is genius! You make pie crust, for me that involves buying the Pillsbury pre made crust and unrolling it, bake it on a cookie sheet until cooked, it takes about 7-9 minutes in a 425 oven. Before baking the crust I scored it randomly with a paring knife to make it easier to break up, as well as pricking it with a fork all over to prevent bubbles and sprinkled it with granulated sugar.

Once the crust is baked and slightly cooled break it up into bite sized, or a little bigger, pieces. Now you will prepare your fruit. Today, in keeping with the holiday, I used sliced strawberries and whole blueberries that I tossed with sugar and a little lemon zest - but you could seriously do this with any fruit. Put a good portion of broken crust in a bowl and top with many spoon fulls of fruit.

Now, to truly complete the dish, you pour heavy cream over it all. Not whipped cream, the heavy cream before it is whipped up. Then you dig in! The berries are sweet and tart and the crust soaks up the cream to make a slightly mooshy blob of happiness. Following my short affair with this dessert , I decided that I would heretofore call this "Oklahoma Style Short-Cake". When I announced this decision Ashley looked at me with an expressions that can only be described as slightly appalled. Somehow when I said "Oklahoma Style Short-Cake" she heard "Local Homeless Style Short-Cake". Now for reasons that escape explanation this was instantly hilarious, maybe it was having to get up so early to be at the parade at 9, maybe it was the sun we had been liberally exposed to, but whatever it was we laughed long and hard about it. We are freaks like that.

So what, you may ask, is the point of all this? I will tell you; make Oklahoma Style/Local Homeless Style Short-Cake today, you will love it! Then while you are devouring this delightful dish contemplate this great country we all live in.

Twinkie Theory

Twinkies are delicious!

They are soft, and sweet, moist, and tasty. You tear open that crinkly plastic wrapper and your senses are assailed by the tempting aroma of this grocery isle treasure. You divest the Twinkie of its plastic prison, and admire its beauty. The rich yellow color, the convenient shape that makes shoveling them into your mouth so effortless.

Now is the moment you have waited for in such anticipation - the first bite. Delicately you sink your teeth into the supple sponge cake and taste, for the first time, the fluffy cream filling.

Oh, the bliss! The blinding moments of utter contentment!

I like Twinkies, I don't know if you got that.

Alas, for all their tasty perfection man, or woman in this case, can not live on Twinkies alone.

Now before I go on I feel it important to note that I cannot claim full credit for the following theory. It came to me, as if in a dream...okay more like the reality of family dinner. During said event the conversation turned to movies, one of my favorite subjects, and my Uncle Chad's use of Twinkie imagery inspired me. Thank you Chad!

Anyway, back to the task at hand.

There are times when we all get sick of the cold cereal/PBJ sandwich/cold pizza/cracker and cheese - meals held standing at the counter, and long for a good home cooked meal. Something wholesome and filling that you walk away from full and enriched. These are the times when your gas tank has been filled and you are given the power to dig deep and do great things and feel the drive to think and make the world a better place that it is.

Are you lost yet? I have a point I promise!

Well just as there are times when we crave substance, sometimes we just want a Twinkie. It has no nutritional value, in fact it may be of negative nutritional value, it does not fill you up, and you don't often light upon brilliant realizations during the consumption of a Twinkie. But sometimes...sometimes a Twinkie is just what you need - the opportunity to escape and enjoy a few precious moments away from the meat and potatoes world.

This is Twinkie Theory. It can be applied to just about anything, but I found it most applicable to movies and books. My mother, sisters and I had a little girls only day this past week, and we went to see The Proposal. It was a Twinkie. It was adorable! Light, funny,romantic, made me cry - shocker I know. I knew walking into the theatre and taking my reclining seat, exactly what I was going to see play out on the screen for the next 2-ish hours. But that is exactly what I wanted, and it delivered.

Being an English major I hear so many of my class mates and teachers rant about all the "good" literature and movies there are out there to be consumed, and how they cannot bear to hear of people who would waste the precious time we have on this planet by dallying with less-than-Earth-moving-drivel! To them I say that I am sorry. Don't get me wrong, I still love my Fillet Mignon and roasted summer vegetables with a dark chocolate torte for dessert, but sometimes you just need a Twinkie.

So, my wish for each of you is that you go forth today in search of a Twinkie to brighten up your life. It need not be an actual Twinkie, but you know what I mean.

Blog Stalking: A 21st Century Pastime

Hello.

My name is Allyson Kuykendall...and I stalk food blogs, written by people I don't even know, in my spare time.

(Unison: "Hi Allyson")

When faced with a spare minute or 60, one of my favorite things to do is to skip lightly from blog to blog in search for new recipes to feed my culinary obsession. It's so much fun to see what ideas other people have, what recipes they have tried, how they liked them-or didn't like them, which cookbooks they are reading, and what new cookware is available.

But do you know what really bugs me about these blogs that I love so very, very much?

I will tell you.

It drives me totally, completely, wholly, and all consumingly (don't worry, I know that I totally just made the word up) insane when people talk about something they made and neglect to share the recipe! It's just mean, that is what it is.

So here and now I vow, to anyone who cares at all, to always share my recipes with anyone who is in the least bit interested.

Whew! You know, Kyra Sedgwick is right! Confession is good for the soul.

Spa day, is a special day!

Last week my little sister Phyllis turned 21. So in honor of such an auspicious occasion my other sister Lisa and I treated her to a relaxing spa day. I love going to the spa, I always come out so relaxed and at one with the world. It is so nice to be pampered and taken care of, and there is nothing like that delicious tiredness that comes from doing nothing but relaxing.

Well, since my fancy financial planning classes tell me that going to the spa every week is not a smart use of mah muney - I have been trying to come up with what you could call (roll eyes up and then right to left), DIY spa treatments. Here goes...

*Sauna Treatment*

Now since sitting in the sauna is basically sitting in a really, really, dry, hot space - this is one of the easier treatments to replicate. All you need to do is park your car somewhere in the direct sun (I suggest the Kalahari desert) and let it sit there and preheat for about 6 hours. Once the car has reached the approximate internal temperature of 160F, you are all set!

As quickly as possible open the door and hop in so the heat doesn't have a chance to escape. You will probably be a little...uncomfortable at first, but just relax and embrace the heat, allow it to work its magic and focus on sweating out all your toxins. Voila! A near authentic spa treatment that didn't cost a dime.

Well that's all I've got for now but stay tuned, there's more on the way.

Allyson in Financial Land...

So I am, somewhat reluctantly, enrolled in this financial planning class that was being offered at work, and today was the first of our four meetings to be held over the next four weeks. During said class our instructor, I will call him "K", kept asking questions like: "Where are you?", "Where are you going?", "How will you get there?"; and as I sat there in that room I was overcome by a feeling of empathetic sisterhood with Lewis Carroll's Alice. Too many questions to which I had no...yup no answers.

Anyway, while sitting in this class, taking copious notes, K stated that "comfort spending" is a big No, No.

(Insert sound of pins dropping, crickets chirping, bull frogs, whatever!)

WHAT!

I was shocked. All that I though I knew about the world suddenly changed in an instant. The rotation of the Earth slowed slightly. No comfort spending?! But that is one of my favorite things, one of the only things that can soothe the wounded and cranky beast in my psyche!

Now I really wish I could have seen the look on my face, actually come to think of it I am probably better off not having seen the carnage, but my sister obviously saw it (by the way my sister and her husband are taking the class as well) and she ever so gently reached a hand over to cover my clammy, ice cold one, and gave it a squeeze. She said that it was going to be okay, I don't believe her.

So here is the real point of all this psychotic rambling: Is it possible to be happy without compulsive pleasure spending? I just don't know, but I will consult with the White Rabbit, the Cheshire Cat, the Mad Hatter (especially him, I hear he made a line of fabulous hats for the Kentucky Derby one year), Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum, and get back to you.

My new favorite thing.

I have found a new favorite thing to add to my collection of favorite things. Among these many treasures, some of my ultimate favorites are: new fabulous shoes (shocker I know), red nail-polish, Target, Williams-Sonoma, getting my hair cut, dark chocolate, TiVo, cute aprons, cookbooks, Marscapone gelato, and Diet Pepsi - but today I add another prize to this list.

Ladies and gentlemen, I beg to put before you my new favorite thing.

Soft and salty, warm and chewy - I am pleased to introduce to you the Pretzel Bite! If you not had the occasion to become acquainted with these little darlings, please do so as soon as possible. Now you might say: "Well Allyson, its just a pretzel cut up into bits." and I would answer: "True, but there is something magical about these tiny, buttery, salty, puffy little devils that cannot completely be explained."

Check these out at your nearest pretzel stand, you will be glad you did.

Don't forget the mustard!

"This time, like all times, is a very good one, if we but know what to do with it." -Ralph Waldo Emerson

Word!

Well it happened again.

Try as I might to prevent such atrocity the days, weeks, and years keep passing and then, every now and again, my odometer trips up a number, and I'm not going to lie to you; today's number has thrown me for a bit of a loop.

25...

I don't feel shame or embarrassment in revealing the troubling number - I don't think I have attained that level quite yet - it is more a feeling of: soooo...ummmm...well...ya...

Do you know what I mean? Probably not because I am not making sense - I just have this overwhelming feeling of "ok, what now?"

Well the realization that I am now one more year older has thrown me into exactly 3.5 minutes of serious reflection about birthdays in general (I intended to go a full 5 minutes but all of the sudden I was distracted by a loud humming and burning smell emanating from my brain, so I thought it best to stop while I was ahead) and this is the conclusion I have come to:

Wait for it...

I have no conclusion.

But the presents are nice! Meet my new baby!

My mother understands me in a deep cosmic way. Isn't it pretty? Well for those of you who are currently shaking your heads and thinking: "Wow, that girl's got problems." - don't worry, I am so aware of it. ;)

I am the Jedi Master of procrastination.

I am not even kidding, this is truth - fact even.

But before I go any further I must pay homage to my brilliant sensei.

He taught me well. (P.s. I chose the younger, Ewan McGregor version - I don't think I really need to explain why.)

So here it is the last week of classes; I have papers and projects up the wazoo and what did I do this weekend? I will tell you: NOTHING!

Okay, that isn't exactly true - I had a plan, and I did do a lot...just not things that I really needed to do. This weekend I: went grocery shopping, did laundry, did my nails (fingers and toes), cleaned out my email inbox, cleaned off my computer desktop, cleaned my bathroom, cleaned the kitchen - and then promptly dirtied it again, cooked Sunday dinner...the list goes on.

I told you I had skills.

It's okay to be jealous.

I love to laugh!

"If we couldn't laugh we would all go insane"
-Robert Frost

There is nothing like laughing so hard that you lose control of yourself. It usually starts small but as what you are laughing at, and the effect it is having on you really sink in, it just gets funnier and funnier and before you know it you are gasping for breath and have tears running from your eyes.

I love laughing like that. The only problem is that I have kind of an evil laugh.

Whats worse is that when the evil laugh comes out...I tend to kink of, sorta throw my head back. I don't mean to...it just happens.

My brother says that I cackle like a witch.

I don't do the evil laugh on purpose, sometimes it just slips out...like it did tonight. Now my roommates both think I am having a psychotic break.

I blame my father, he has a serious mad scientist laugh.

I got it from him, I am sure of it.

I wonder if I could hack living out of my car...

Ah, never mind, there is no way I could fit all my stuff in my car. I would have to be living out of a Semi to make that work.

I hate looking for housing!

Seriously.

The only reason I have stayed in the "palace" I have been living in for the past two years is because it is just easier to stay put than suffer thought the whole moving process.

But it is more than JUST the moving. First it is the hunting and gathering of information. Then comes the price comparing and the roommate situation, only to be topped off with the endless phone calls to check availability and then at long last the contract signing. Then you get to pack up all your Earthly belongings (of which I have quite a few - what? I like my stuff okay?!) and move them from former home to new dwelling.

What am I talking about? That sounds like LOADS OF FUN!

I don't know, maybe I could make the whole car thing work...

Beannacht Lá Fhéile Pádraig!

For those of you who are a little rusty on your Gaelic I just wished you a Happy St. Patrick's Day!

I love St. Patrick's Day! I cannot tell you why, but ask my parents, sibling or friends and they will tell you that I am obsessed with all things Irish, especially St. Patrick's Day, and March 17th just gives me the chance to go all out.

On this day, every year you can find me cooking corned beef and cabbage, complete with boiled potatoes and Irish soda bread, rocking out to some Irish tunes, and watching some of my favorite St. Patty's Day movies. So, since I am unable to make St. Patrick's Day dinner for all of you I thought I would suggest some St. Patrick's Day movie musts instead:

Darby O'Gill and The Little People (Total St. Patty's must! Ignore the lame special effects, this one is a real treasure! Also note how young and adorable Sean Connery is.)

The Quiet Man (An all time favorite year round, I love Maureen O'Hara and The Duke - they make such a great pair!)

Far and Away (Oh the days before Tom really lost it...)

And, last but not least...

Brigadoon (Okay, so it isn't exactly Irish but with the kilts, broughs, and bagpipes there is a definitive Celtic feel. And no Elyse, it is not "exactly like The Village"!)

So cuddle up with some Corned Beef and cabbage, pop in a fun St. Patrick's Day flick and have a very Happy St. Patrick's Day!

"I can't think about that right now. If I do, I'll go crazy. I'll think about that tomorrow." - Scarlett O'Hara

Gee sister, you just said a mouthful!

Confession: I am a terrible procrastinator. I have even been known to utter Scarlett's immortal words in moments of extreme resignation.


Here it is, 10pm on a Tuesday night, I have so much to get done tonight I will probably end up either not going to bed (NoDoz is my friend) or only getting a very few hours of sleep, and while that reality presses down upon me here I sit, writing a blog post.


I think I have a problem.


But now that I have said what I want to say I am going to immediately get back to work, not linger online reading other blogs or maybe checking in on Facebook, I am going to get right back to work.



Then again...if EVERYTHING doesn't get done tonight..."tomorrow is another day."

I want to be a cowgirl!

Warning: Random late Sunday night thoughts to follow.

Have you ever wanted to try doing something radically different from that which you are currently doing? I mean, you liked what you were doing but thought to yourself: "Self, what would it be like if you did ___ or ___ ?

I recently stumbled upon a new and fun blog and while checking out all the interesting things I found there, I started to think. It's okay to be shocked and worried by this, the proper authorities have been notified and future activities are being closely monitored.

It all starts with the fact that I am a city girl. I was raised in a seriously suburban neighborhood, within a pretty modern city, located in relatively progressive, mostly left wing and often eyebrow raising state. I like freeways, the beach, shopping (obviously), unique foods, the swift city pace, museums, movies, bookstores, and lots of different kinds of people. Now while none of these things are bad, reading about The Pioneer Woman's life on her ranch in the middle of nowhere Oklahoma made me think about what it would be like to live that kind of life...and I think I could do it, or at least it would be fun to try it.

But I mustn't get ahead of myself, such a change will require a little bit of preparation.

To do list:

• Find some fabulous, but functional, boots
• Hat, definitely, def-definitely need a hat
• Get a few more horseback riding lessons in...
• Find a ranch that is looking for a girl who is willing to exchange her homemaking/cooking skills for some experience living and working on a ranch.

Yup, better go check Google, and the want ads...

The healing power of ice cream

It is a simple fact that some days require the healing power of ice cream...today was one of those days.

So I took myself off to one of the houses of retail worship in search of a cure for a lousy day, and fell prey to one of my new obsessions.

Fleur De Sel Caramel Ice Cream

I know, at first glance salted caramel ice cream may seem like an iffy choice, but once you try it...there is no going back. I would even go so far as to say that this ice cream could- quite possibly- have magical powers. Scoff if you must, but I believe!

Try it. Your taste buds will thank you!

A shopaholic on the subject of Valentine's Day

As soon as Valentine's day products go out in stores we have all been given a not so subtle reminder that we need to start thinking about the Valentine's Day gift, or gifts, we need to find. Some of these gifts are for sweethearts, some for beloved little ones, and some are for our friends and loved ones that may not have sweethearts of their very own.

Now this lady is great about serving up fabulous gift ideas, but today I have a gift suggestion of my very own...

Do you have single friends?

Do you worry that they are lonely, especially during this Valentine's season?

Are you a single person, who feels unsettled when you go to sleep at night all alone in your home?

Well if any, or all, of these statements apply to you then I have the perfect solution to all your problems!

Wait for it.........

The "Hug Me Pillow"!

Ooooh!

Ahhhh!

The Hug Me pillow is made of 100% polyester, dry clean only, and the microfiber shirt is incredibly soft and conveniently machine washable. :)

Best of all, in addition to being the perfect snuggling companion, the Hug Me pillow provides comfort as well as piece of mind. (Muffled giggling)

So this Valentine's day when you are trying to decide on the perfect gift for your poor single friends, consider the Hug Me pillow - and give them the gift of hugs and snuggles long after February 14th has passed.

And Happy Valentine's day to you all!


Kisses!


Note: The Hug Me pillow can be found on overstock.com (if you need a laugh check out the product reviews)

Are you ready for some football?

I love the Super Bowl!

Not because I harbor a passionate love of the game, have a deeply personal investment in the teams playing, or want to channel the power and greatness of my favorite team players by wearing my "game day" jersey. Oh no, I love the Super Bowl party.

Last year my roommates and I decided to have a little get together for the Super Bowl and it was so much fun that I had an epiphany, I thought to myself: "Self, this must be why the Super Bowl is so popular!" We invite our friends over, eat lots of yummy (fat and calorie free of course) food, and scream at the magic box with the moving pictures on it - what's not to like?

So, this year, following my new tradition, we had a Super Bowl party. My roommates, sisters, brother in-law, and friends came over and we dined on popular Super Bowl foods: walking taco dip (also known as seven layer dip), bacon wrapped Lil' Smokies in barbecue/grape jelly sauce, veggies and ranch dip, and baked potatoes with all kinds of toppings ranging from chili to steamed veggies. Then for dessert...a giant chocolate rice krispie treat in the shape of a football!

Now, I ask you: does that say Super Bowl or what?

So, as I cleaned up the mess and washed the mountain of dishes that were a by-product of said fabulous party, I heaved a little sigh of understanding. The Super Bowl isn't about the game or the players, the jersey's or the crowds, the touchdowns or the calls - what the Super Bowl is really about is the fun you have while you completely ignore the game!

Okay, I can explain...

Finding fun stuff to entertain myself with on Sunday is always a little interesting, so today when I heard that there was a CES fireside tonight where President Monson was going to be speaking, I thought to myself: "Self, going to listen to the Prophet speak would be a good way to spend a Sunday afternoon." So the fireside started at 6pm so we went over at 4pm so as to have the best possible chance of a non-nosebleed seats. Well, when approaching the Marriot Center we saw a crowd of people heading in, so we just went on in with them. While walking around to the side we wanted to sit on we beheld through the windows a HUGE line of people and we realized that the group of people we came in with was the choir and that we weren't really supposed to be in there yet.

At this point the four of us were faced with the age old quandary - do we go back outside...into the cold...to the wait, or do we stay inside...in the warm building and hide out in the bathroom for a half an hour until everyone else comes in. Ya, we chose warmth. Well as soon as we heard the din of voices in coming from the entrance at 4:30pm we exited the ladies room and made a mad dash for the closest seats we could get. We ended up in the third row of the stadium seats.

This is a pretty small picture but this was our view - we were less than 100 ft. away from the podium.

(From left to right) Alyse, Me, Jessica and Elyse

Me and Elyse - so tender! We had time to kill since we were an hour and a half early.

The fireside was really great, and our adventure to get into it was just a bonus. All in all a pretty great Sunday that we topped off with pancakes, yummy!

Hide and go...WHAT?!

So I couldn't sleep, and as I lay in bed trying to go to sleep I remembered something that I wanted to post about. Well, no time like the present, this one is for you Ash.

Last week my parents, my sister Phyllis (her real name is Emily but we all call her Phyllis...it's a long story) and my brother Eric were in town because they were here dropping Phyllis, our little BYU student, off at school. Along with my immediate family, and the other members of the family who are here full time, one of my uncles and his family were here so Grama decided that we would all have dinner together, all 28 of us. Whoa, family togetherness!

We had a lot of fun making dinner, finding places to sit and eat our dinner, mocking the people who made the dinner funky, and then cleaning up dinner. Afterward a bunch of the cousins went downstairs to play cards. Now here I must explain that our family on my mom's side is split up in an interesting way: my mom is the oldest of six children, three girls then a space and then three boys. So given that my mom and my aunts are a little older than my uncles they all got married and had kids long before my uncles got married and started families of their own. So the result is half of the cousins being in the 18-30 range and the other half being in the 3-15 range. FUN!

ANYWAY, we decided to play "Spoons" and my silly, silly brother in-law decided it would be fun for the first person to take a spoon to then throw the rest across the room and watch the resulting melee as the other players grappled for their own spoon. Well in a moment of hyperactive chaos I dubbed our new game "hide and go spoon". Well the minute it was out of my mouth I clapped my hand over my mouth and looked to see if anyone else had noticed. After a moment of stunned silence, the five of us over the age of 15 looked at each other and just died laughing. Me and my mouth! The five younger ones thought we had all gone totally mental but I will say this - I will never be able to think of playing "Spoons" the same way ever again!

A Blessed New Arrival!

Happy New Year to you all!

I hope your holidays were safe, happy and above all totally fabulous.

Well I have some news...over the Christmas holiday my little family was blessed with a few new additions...

I have wanted a Food Processor for soooooo long! Yay!

A Jessica Simpson purse - the picture really does not do it justice! It is brown faux crocodile with gold buckles and zippers. Ooh so pretty!

And, in case you didn't notice, the pies de resistance...

Pretty, pretty snake shoes! And on sale too. Oh, I am so happy!

Needless to say -this material girl is very happy but sadly, due to the cataclysmic amount of snow we have had of late, the pretty snake shoes may have to wait for drier weather conditions. Have I mentioned that I am not the biggest fan of snow?

All in all Christmas and New Years were quite loverly. My parents were driving my younger sister Phyllis out here for school, so that visit continued even when I was back in Utah. And then, to add to the family I already have here, my uncle Todd and his family were here for a visit from Washington so I got to see cousins I haven't seen in a long time. So fun!

So as we start into this new year may we all remember to try a little harder, love a little more, and to treat ourselves from time to time with a new purse of some new shoes - or whatever you like to treat yourself with if shoes and purses aren't your thing. (CRAZY!)