The Tail-End of the Year

It is now mid-December and I am spending my time wrapping presents while watching A Baby Story on TLC and trying to brainstorm about what the heck to get my in-laws.  Boogiebear is in the midst of a growth spurt and has started to go to bed a little later this week at night and for naps.  Since I'm not decorating, baking, or making stuff right now I'm kind of at a loss figuring out what to do with all this time on my hands!  I can remember a time when every empty moment would be quickly superseded by by worry and stress...so oppressive.

When I was younger, I used up empty moments imagining what and where I wanted to be by the time I turned thirty.  I thought I might be a writer for a magazine like National Geographic, single and traveling the world with deadlines on my mind, wearing clothes with lots of pockets.  Or maybe an artist in a city like New York or Seattle or Melbourne living in a loft with giant canvases supplanted in every corner.  A small kitchenette and comfy bed the only other belongings.  Single.  Busy.

Then I grew up just a bit and realized I wasn't going to get to those destinations any time soon, if at all.  Chances, opportunities, and dreams started to fall by the wayside like discarded rubber on a highway.  Left behind by dirty Mack trucks too busy going to see what they were leaving.  I started to make enormous efforts killing those dreams off one by one, reducing my scope, setting my sights much lower so that I could live with the reality I awoke with daily at that time.  I never found myself lying in bed imagining husbands and children and presents to wrap under a crooked tree.  I never imagined empty moments that were just...left alone to simply be.

It is such a Blessing.

Uh oh...I found Christmas blog decor!

'Tis the season!  To sing songs about Jesus and chestnuts and bells that jingle!  And redecorate your blog of course.  Don't laugh but I spent a total of 4 hours messing around on my laptop finding my favorite font, picture, and background.  Granted I had a few interruptions, I rediscovered my long lost love of HTML/css and also the excellent reasons why I never made a go of it.  IT DRIVES YOU CRAZY.  So.  Enjoy!

Other than that, I have been busy decorating our home for the holidays as well as our church's gymnasium for our Ward party.  I was more of an idea person this year but I sure had fun spray painting all those sticks and cones (you can't tell right now, but I'm actually not sarcastic in the least bit!).  I was more than disappointed to arrive home after a mad chase for a lost cell phone and discover that some scoundrels had swiped my spray paint!?  I don't know what's up with those types of shenanigans in my nice & quiet little parking lot, totally uncharacteristic!  Just LET me find you twits tagging some poor tree...I'mma getcha!

Did I mention my tree fell down?  Completely lighted and decorated.  I was putting Boogiebear to sleep and I heard a sudden *thud* with some light tinkling.  My worst fears were confirmed as I walked slowly into the living room.  I stared contentiously at our lopsided tree and started to brainstorm ways to get it back up sans hubby.  Many sore muscles and a borrowed husband later, it once again stood all glowy and ridiculously lopsided in the corner.  Propped up with a stick.

Among other mundanity, I cut my hair myself yesterday.  I kinda wish I could show you a picture.  Imagine the above self portrait with hair parted down the middle.  I took two sections from either side up top and bundled them in front of my face.  Then I did the same for the lower part.  I don't really know what happened after that but Who Cares?  It's even and I don't have split ends from last year anymore!!

I'm gearing up for some fun early next week and this recipe is included in my edibly diabolical plans.

Yields 12-16 brownies
Ingredients:
1 pan of your favorite brownies, cooled and cut into desired size and shape (I used a round cutter)
12-16 small strawberries, cleaned and hulled
{vanilla-mascarpone buttercream (recipe below)}   <-----which I will not be using since I'm a lazy chef.
Mascarpone Buttercream
Ingredients:
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
8 ounces mascarpone cheese, room temperature
2-1/2 to 3 cups powdered sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
pinch of salt
Method:
Using a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, beat butter and mascarpone cheese until light and creamy, about 2 minutes.  Add vanilla extract and salt.  Add 2-1/2 cups of sugar, half a cup at a time and continue beating until smooth.  Add more sugar, if needed to reach desired consistency and sweetness.
To assemble, pipe a ring of vanilla buttercream on top of each brownie.  Cut off the base of a strawberry so it is flat and place it upside down on each brownie, pushing slightly to secure in place.  Top the tip of the strawberry with a dot of buttercream to finish the Santa hat.

In between HTMLing and recipe plotting, I like to goof off in front of the tree with Boogie Jr.  I'm pretty sure he digs it, too.

On a much more serious note, we have a very special prayer request.  There is a little boy that we know whom was in an accident in his home at the beginning of this week.  He suffered a serious brain injury and is now at Duke with his mother by his bedside.  He is a bright little spirit that needs all the help he can get.  He went from worst case scenario to 'making it' and I have no doubt that all the loving prayers that were sent his way were answered as quickly as possible (!cheers to the team of nurses and doctors!).  Let's keep that up and maybe one more family can have a tear-free Christmas this year.

WE LOVE YOU, JOSIAH.

And whomever you are reading this?  Yeah we love you, too.  I hope you are safe and and sound this holiday season.  I pray that you may spread your love a little farther each and every day.  I know Heavenly Father will help you to do so if you only ask.  Keep yer heads up, readers!

"Only when we fix our gaze on the heavenly things do we begin to understand the eternities. Only with the help of Christ can we fully overcome tragedy. It is necessary to develop our faith in Him as the Redeemer of the world. He taught us: "In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world."
--Carlos H. Amado, "Overcoming Adversity", Ensign, Nov. 1989, 29

Community Christmas Celebration

This time last year I was a temporal heathen.  Just kidding!  (Ha convert humor...)

HA!  Nah I was a about 5 months into parenthood and about two months into our new hood.  My husband and I had decided to give church a try, the church of his childhood.  We sat behind another couple new to Raleigh from Utah with a son just two months older than Boogiebear at our first visit.  We started taking lessons from some truly spectacular missionaries.  A year later I am still going to that church and we are now neighbors with several Utahan transplants!

One event that helped open our hearts to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints was our stake center's Community Christmas Celebration.  I was introduced to the word 'creche' and Boogiebear heard his first Christmas concert.  As I loitered in the Life of Christ room last year, I remember thinking, "I gotta get in on this."  Some artwork by Robert Falcucci particularly touched my soul.  Or rather, slugged it and tugged at it.  We missed the live nativity but did get to see the hundreds of creche displays softly and warmly lit that December night.  Needless to say, we felt a pull while viewing all the artistic expressions centered around the life of Christ and heeded that impression to much affirmation.

A year later, I was invited by my neighbor to accompany her to a meeting about this year's activities.  I eagerly volunteered for the Life of Christ room and have spent the past four days working alongside many others hour after hour to bring this celebration to fruition.  Besides learning how to hang many different frames from wires and bracing stubborn quad arrangements with random rod-like objects found in the trash can (thanks Nancy!), I also learned what it must feel like to be a missionary after a successful 'tracking' or whatever.  One of the master artists working on design and display came with me shopping the last night of set up to find a few last minute supplies.  After failing to find what was needed at two stores, we drove over to Michael's.  Now, there was this dude I assumed was a creeper since we kept crossing paths at each store.  He was easy enough to identify in his black suit among all the poinsettias and Christmas decorations at the stores.  Wouldn't ya know he was behind us in line at the cash register in Michaels??  Simultaneously upon noticing that I felt the strong urge to act a lil' crazy and invite that cashier to the Community Christmas Celebration.  I tried to casually 'pitch' it to her as she gazed at our purchases with not an ounce of interest.  Just as my hopes started to dip a bit, that fella in the suit piped up.

"Actually, can I have that information?  I just moved to Raleigh and I've been looking for a church.  I mean I don't even have a couch to call my own yet...but what was the address again?"

My accomplice and I tried not to act like the 'crazy mormon' prototype despite the convergent forces upon us HA!  I'm not sure if we played it off but I gave the young man the low down and wrote down the address and my name on a card he supplied.  We gathered our bags and nearly skipped out of the store, high-fiving in the car while gushing.

"Did you see?..."
"How WEIRD WAS THAT??"
"That was so cool, dude!"

Dorks.

So it's been a wonderful start to December!  The chilly weather is trying to prevail and my LED lights, while not as glowy and warm as traditional lights, cast a festive glow over my crafting/dining table.  I'm looking forward to hunting down a tree and decorating it.  I received a call from my brother-in-law and can feel the love all the way from Virginia.  Can't wait to see everyone over the holidays!  Mostly, it has been purely joyful to see Boogiebear in a permanent toddler state of wonder.  T-minus 23 days till I can finally stop staring at all the toys in the closet.  I can hardly stand it and have almost disintegrated in the face of temptation so far...

So, folks, if you are in our neck of the woods, I recommend that you wander over to our Community Christmas Celebration.  There is artwork to behold, a children's room to explore, nativities over which to marvel, and choirs and orchestras to hear.

Merry Christmas to all!

Happy Thanksgiving to All and to All a Good Night!

I think I would like to have a holographic blogger platform.  One with voice recog so I can call it up in the middle of my living room while changing diapers, cooking, cleaning, crafting, being awesome, and probably cooking and cleaning some more.  I don't have enough hands to type all that I would like!

My one rule for this blog is to keep it positive, though, and sometimes that weeds out quite a bit.  Let's see how this goes.

This has been one of my favorite Thanksgivings of my life thus far!  There were new recipes and the inherent challenges that my dorkdom craves, the delicious odors that will probably stay in my home for at least another day (don't ya love it when the air smells edible?), no traveling outside of a one mile radius of our home, friends!, and no...hmmm...*stay positive*...historical repeats!

  ~  S     M     I     L     E  ~

I also participated in my first white elephant extravaganza and it was great!  I racked up with a foot spa!  I feel sorry for the dude that got my potpourri  ;)  Which is a horrendous word, IMO.  My brain wants to say that word phonetically but BOY would my friends pick on me if I actually let my mouth listen to my brain.

 

So I tried the upside down turkey trick.  You roast that bird upside down stuffed with tons of butter and salt and herbs.  Viola!  It's one tasty dish, folks.  Not too dry and not too 'fatty', as my husband detests that taste.  I also ventured into candied yam land.  It was a fun trip considering I've never been a fan of it.  I think my pal, Bob, had it right about the almonds.  Toasted almonds make everything just right!  I'm gonna throw these recipes at the bottom of this post just so you can hack at it next year if you like.  Also -- conquered giblet gravy.  Do you say it {jib'-let} or {gib'-let}?  Just wonderin'...

 

Roasted Upside Down Perfect Turkey 




 And about those yams...

 I tweaked both recipes just a tad.  With the turkey, I prepared it the same way I just seasoned it with rosemary, thyme, paprika,  salt, pepper, cayenne pepper, cumin, and nutmeg.  I stuffed it with several cloves of garlic and several small onions with the same seasonings.  I also used butter with both internal and external herby mixtures and two bay leaves.  I would have added sage but was all out.  I did flip my bird to brown the breast.  With the yams, the recipe does not call for mashed but that's what I done did.  I also do not like pecans that much so I sub'd almond slices.

 

So today was a grand day filled with love.  My back aches from standing in the kitchen but my heart is happy with the results so, WHATEV.  The most important thing for us this year was to begin our own family traditions and hopefully set the course for stress- and drama-free holidays.  My heart is sad about being away from those whom I spent my holidays with as a child but I know in my head that this is the best way for now.  I am thankful for those good memories we shared and thankful for all the other kinds of memories that have influenced my present-day mold.  I am thankful for family that you can choose to have later in life and the love that comes with those new relationships.  There is safety in hope, despite the counter-intuitive nature of that statement ;)  Have enough faith to exercise a little hope and you might just find your piece of peace.

 

On that note, check out this nifty online store.  The items are a little pricier but good art usually is...

 

HorseFeathers 

 Oscar Wilde knew what the deal was...

 

I hope you all had a safe, happy, and friendly day of thanks surrounded by those whom love you best.  G'nite! 

Photo/Body Art project & partyin' in the yard!

Ain't gonna lie, this past week  and a half was rough, dude! My kidney got sick again and I was reminded of how vital a renal system is to our well-being.  I got some good meds and I started feeling better after about four days.  But dude...a sick kidney is no joke!  Everyone needs to drink plenty of water every day and eat good food like fresh veggies and fruit from the Farmer's Market.  Also, exercise!  One day we'll be too old to run around (I kinda feel like that now from inactivity) and too old to play ball with our kids and too old to chug water and just too dern old to do anything but say 'I woulda coulda...'

So take care of yourself.  You and your family will thank you now and forever.

I was able to really start enjoying myself later this week once I got my swagger back.  Pinterest kept the good ideas flowing and friends made me laugh and smile all the way into Saturday evening.  I got to participate in a nifty photo project with a local photographer, Carl Tyler, centered around body art.  We took photos in Marsh Woodwinds, a local shop that hosts live bands and lots of jazz.  The guys there were really friendly and supportive of our project, giving us free reign upstairs, downstairs, as well as in the back where they repair all kinds of instruments.  There was a wall of saxophones that just drove me nuts (in a good way).  I was super nervous and still feel unsure about the final product but hopefully he got something he can work with after three hours.  Whew.  I was super proud of my husband for being so supportive and being able to razzle dazzle Mr. Tyler with his guitar skills!  He needs his own photo shoot, the rock star!

This week we celebrated Veteran's Day, people.  My husband spent six years in the Navy.  His dad is a lifer, about to enter the arena at the Pentagon (I hope that's not classified or something?!).  His brother is currently stationed in Norfolk, Va.  My grandfather and great-grandfather were also seamen for many, many years.  I cannot even properly recall all the friends and friends of friends and distant relatives that are serving or also have many friends and loved ones serving in the military for the United States of America.  That's a lot of people, people.  They go because they don't know what else to do after high school, or they come from a family of servicemen, or they have national pride out the wazoo...but I don't really care why they join.  I don't care if they were jerks in high school or if they are still a jerk.  When they signed that paper they knew that they could possibly die and it would in the name of our freedom.  I guess maybe I could do the same...?...but I sure am glad I don't have to...

~Thank You~

Freedom to gather under pretty lights and eat yummy food.  Lots of it.

And to top it all off we were able to gather with friends tonight in the crisp autumn evening to enjoy delicious bowls of warm and cozy concoctions and roast marshmallows while mommies diverted crazy suicidal toddlers from the huge fire cage basket thingy.  And the moon looked cool, too.  Just as we were leaving to tuck our little Boogie into bed, he waved at our host and said, "Bye-eeee" for the very first time.  Just like me.

 Freedom to be goofy with your child in the safety of your home with your husband in PJs made in the US.

   And to teach him to smile.  Just like you.

Teenage Babies,Tricky Treats, and Adversity.

No, my son is not having a baby.  Just wanted to put to rest all those assumptions out there, whew.

What happened was...
I cut my little dudes hair the other night.  I am not necessarily disappointed by the state of his head now as I entered into the thing with adventurous inclinations and tendencies.  It was rather fun and cliched, chasing him around with a comb and scissors as he jogged butt nakey around the room.  I am curious how he could possibly have known to stay still whenever he heard the "snish-snish" of the scissor blades.  And it was a tiny bit sad to throw all those curls in the waste basket.  I therapeutically repeated, "It grows back, it grows back..." to myself as I transformed my baby into a little man.

Which begs the question -- upon receiving a new 'do', why do our personalities also seem to shift?  Boogiebear looks and acts like a cross between a teenager and a Terrible Twos vigilante.  I miss his soft curls and the softer side that came with it.  He hasn't kissed me in days..willingly.  However, I was watering the plants a few minutes ago and telling him that plants like to drink water, just like us.  His response was, "Coooooooool!"  And he sounded just like me :)
Today we are going trick or treating at the local mall with some pals.  It has been so fun dressing up as Dorothy with my Little Lion Man.  It will also be fun to be done with trying to snap all the buttons on the costume and trying to scrub lollipop our of his mane.  Till next year...

Yesterday I gave my first talk at church.  It is one of the things that first attracted me to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (yep, that's the Mormons!).  There's an open forum that any and all can engage in to seek information about the Book of Mormon and all that it contains as well as the organization and fundamentals of the church.  No more funny looks if I ask blunt questions about life after death, the role of the godhead and what the heck does THAT mean, Baptisms for the Dead...do you know how CREEPY you sound???  Weirdo Mormons.  Nah, in this church there are plenty of people that actually know what they believe in (although, you must understand, this church is comprised of humans and you may ask the wrong ones to answer your questions...just keep seeking if you truly want to know).  So where was I?  Oh yes, my first talk.  Every 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th Sunday the bishopric asks several members (usually ahead of time ha!) to speak for a few minutes during Sacrament meeting.  And I was asked Saturday to speak this Sunday.  I was so nervous that I initially and cowardly declined.  But as soon as I turned around I knew it was wrong.  The topic was something I was familiar with and felt that maybe I could get some words out that may bring comfort and reassurance to the very people that have been catalysts for tremendous positive change in the course of the past year.  I knew I had to dive deep and just do it.  Had to get my Nikes on, so to speak.  Get pumped.  Oh yeah.  I could do it!  Oh my geez was I nervous.  I arrived as everyone was singing the first hymn and climbed up to seat in the cushioned seat next to the other speakers.  The young man whom spoke before me talked about prayer and how it can be so helpful.  It magically segued into my talk on maintaining faith through adversity.  As tempted as I was to spill my guts and have storytime instead of A Talk, I stuck to my guns and read more scriptures than personal anecdotes (a great personal feat, I tell ya).  I spoke of how our Heavenly Father has our backs by promising us that he will "consecrate thine afflictions" and turn them into some sort of gain for us.  I know dats right because although I was a good person before all the tough stuff happened, I have gained much more patience and understanding when it comes to love and relationships (friend or foe).  I have become brave and graceful only through suffering through a ton of humiliation and shame and pain.  I learned to be super smart AFTER being quite idiotic.  And I got to this other side because something inside of me always told me, "Hey, it's better on the other end of this, if you can just drag yourself there...whatever it takes..."
In the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, they call it the Light of Christ.  I don't so much mind how you know it, I just hope that my folks out there know they have it.  That's what drew me to all the people I've come across...the worst one and the best ones. Like adversity, the Light of Christ hardly discriminates, I think.  So yeah.  It was all I could do to squeak out an "Amen" when I was finished.  Then the choir followed with what I believe to be their most beautiful and well performed piece this year, "All is Well with my Soul."  Call me self-centered, but in that moment, after turning from the podium with my face all screwed up in silent teary-ness (the ugliest kind of cry!), in that moment when the biggest picture came flooding into my framework, I heard my friends and sisters and brothers saying, "All is well with my soul," and I knew they were singing a confirmation to my very own heart.  All IS well with my soul....all is well...with my heart, mind, and soul.  And I know why.  And I know how.  And I know that I want that peace for every single person I've crossed paths with in this adverse journey through the wilderness.

"...in the wilderness, thou knowest the greatness of God; and he shall consecrate thine ^aafflictions for thy gain." 2 Nephi 2:2 in the Book of Mormon.
"And it came to pass that they were many times buried in the depths of the sea, because of the mountain waves which broke upon them, and also the great and terrible tempests which were caused by the fierceness of the wind...they did cry unto the Lord, and he did bring them forth again upon the top of the waters."
Ether 6:6-7 in the Book of Mormon.

Boy howdy did I get swallowed up by stormy waters.  Waters that I did not cause to swell and then some that I did.  There were times I cursed God and later begged him for help.  Looking back it is quite clear to see the many instances in which I should have been much worse off but survived.  The day that I gave up trying to figure it out by myself, gave up trying to solve all my own problems like I was taught, the day that I realized there was no way that any living thing on this planet could survive without a miracle...well I guess that's the day God knew I was ready.  And I was ready.  To treat Him more like my Heavenly Father and less like a mere philosophy or possibility or fair-weather friend.  I did drag myself through the last stretch and didn't look so hot when I arrived.  I probably smelled bad.  But babies look pretty ugly and smell funky right after being born, right?  That's exactly how it is...come out ugly and then ya get all cleaned up and you're ready to go to work.  Go to work living.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Happy Halloween 

to all and to all a spooky, safe night MWHAHAhahahahaha!

;o)

The afterburn from Service is as good as getting high.

So the last two years have been a pretty good ride.  Pretty Good Ride being defined as follows:

a ride with sufficient rises and equally complimentary falls to stimulate the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems and invoke an increased awareness of being alive; traveling through time at such a pace that encourages the heart rate to accelerate for brief intervals while not overtaxing the human body and psyche as a whole.

(Merriam-Webster feel free to give me a call and offer that job)

There are a few facets of the ride that allowed it to be pretty good.  Things like love and support from blossoming friendships was a must.  A cute little boy was high on the list as well.  Hope and faith played equal parts.  And the one that hits me right. here. is service.  There were people providing us with services left and right.  And I'm not talking about the service you get at the drive thru at McD's.  Because it's pretty good as well but I'm talking about the service you get from your fellow brothers and sisters on the street, in the mall, in church, over the phone, through txt, and in baskets left on your doorstep.  Those things made all the difference in our little world.  Whenever our little fam got bogged down with all the temporal blah blah blah, our friends stepped up to the plate (sometimes unbeknownst even to themselves) and lightened our burden enough for us to carry on with smiles on our faces.  If that ain't in the Spirit of Jesus Christ I just don't know...

Therefore I have prayed nightly for Heavenly Father to grace me with the spirit so that I may recognize the opportunities I could have to pay all of that forward.

I've had a few opportunities here and there but isn't it funny...I've gotten 47 opportunities this past week!

And after seizing upon those opps, I also discovered/remembered/realized that service provides you with a feeling akin to being high.  But better because there is no come-down.  Better because you walk away knowing you've actually done something right.  Better because the Christ Light that builds up under your skin and makes you feel like you may burst, the build-up that can spill over in unbecoming ways if you don't manage the flow appropriately, it suddenly finds an outlet and spreads like butter on warm toast in the most delightful way all day long and into the next as well.  Just like a drug, you start feeling like you're hallucinating as the sky becomes bluer, the air crisper, the people surrounding you more beautiful, your baby and husband are suddenly more appreciate and helpful, diapers don't smell so bad, and my...I think my wrinkels are fading???

OK I made the last part up.  Isn't it amazing that we have the capability to boost others AND our selves in this manner and fashion?  Isn't this just another way in which our creation is stunning and filled with grace?

A bonus to all of this was my other more minor discovery that they have returned VH1's Pop-Up Video to their programming!  I truly enjoy educating my son on the music of my youth.  I hope to impart to him the most positive aspects of my experience.  As these band members age and curse less, get sober, and enjoy maturing fashion sense while still pumping out great riffs and choruses I maintain hope that my child will have a decent soundtrack to the beginning of his own pretty good ride.  Ride on, child-o-mine, and turn that thang up!  But not too, loud, you'll ruin your ear tools.

Suzanna Collins

Dear Ms. Collins,

I just wanted to take a moment and tell you how grateful I am for your books in the Hunger Game series.  I am grateful for whatever life experiences led you to become a writer and grateful to the influences that spawned the characters of said series.  I wonder how many hours of sleep I have lost because I stayed up until 4:30am reading only to wake up at 6:30am to fix a sippy cup of milk with cereal and a change a poopy.  You should know that I would do this again in a heartbeat.  If it was Hunger Games vs. Twilight, I would totally dress up as a mockingjay and cheer until the wee hours of the morning for Katniss Everdeen to kick those whiney teenagers and their vampy boyfriends in the butt.  I hope that the movies kick box office butt as well.  I do, however, wonder what happened at the end of the second book.  Was your publisher calling you nonstop giving you heck about turning in those last chapters?  Have you grown to loath your own creative genius and just squeezed out the last bit to tell your agent, "Here.  Done."

I'm only wondering because I imagine it would be a hard thing to do.  Finishing a book under less than ideal circumstances, I mean.  So much pressure!  Even without a horde of hungry fans (hardy har har) anxiously awaiting news concerning the fate of Peeta and Katniss or a money-guzzling publisher whom has long forgotten their idyllic beginnings as a young writer themselves breathing down your neck, their is the pressure that emanates from the very center of your own hard-nosed self.  Whew.  I sure don't envy you.  Okay, well maybe just a bit.  But I'm just letting you know, good job!  But please don't rush your writing anymore.  You eliminated about 75% of your awesomeness.  I finished reading the last book a full four days later than the first.  I gained approximately seven more hours of sleep reading the second book.  I hope the last one nearly makes me forget to fix that sippy cup of milk and change that poopy.  I hope my son has to rip the book out of my hands to play the chase game and pay him some dern attention it's just that good.  But really.  Congratulations on your accomplishments and best wishes for you future!

Sincerely,
Mama Boogie

Oh it's the randomest!

I finally uploaded all my photos to an web album.  Finally I can sleep better at night.  My laptop has come 'unseated' as of late and my IT nerves are shot just thinking about all the life that could be lost if that motherboard not only got unseated but just walked on outta here.  You know it costs at least $500 to reseat that thing???  But that is why they required us to have a gazillion computer courses throughout my pre-collegiate school career.  Oh wait, they made me take one in college, too.  Yes so now I am going to uncrew some screws and tell that mother to just SIT.  TIGHT.  or else.

Also can I just share how annoying it is to have restricted use of even one opposable thumb?  Really ridiculous.  I feel so sorry for all the mammals out there without thumbs.  At least they don't have to unload a dishwasher or change a diaper  *sigh*.  I still smell like butt paste.  You may be wondering what I actually did to my thumb and I wish I could tell you.  My best guess is I pulled my 'crab' muscle.  I was trying to teach a friend's child how to do the crab walk and I'm guessing that's when I overextended my crab muscle in my right hand.  It is the muscle that connects my opposable pincer to my wrist.  Ouchie.

I am really excited about Conference tomorrow.  Don't know about you, but I could really use some words from our Prophet right now.  Tell it to me, Preesident Monson!  Tell me what. is. up.  Amen.

Right this second, however, I am super psyched about Fringe.  My life has gotten immeasurably better since summer TV has been killed off and replaced with the creative geniuses that happen to know exactly what best entertains me has released the beast that is Fall TV.  Not since TGIF have I been so psyched.  Is that bad?

FALL IS HERE, PEOPLE!  Go outside and shout to the brilliant blue sky how happy you are to bid the humidity farewell!  Whisper to the trees how grateful you are for the free color therapy (not to mention cleaner, crisper air)!  Smile to those passersby so they know they are not the only ones succumbing to autumn's delightful delirium.  Yes, share those good vibes that can be attributed to another well-thought out plan by our Heavenly Father.  Just when you thought you were going to explode from 99degree heat and 140% humidity....whew....

I got my Temple dress the other day and it fits perfectly  (I'd like to give a shout out to Sister K for hooking me UP).  T minus 3 months and two weeks.  I finally put the family photos up on the wall, too.  Thanks, Life: SemiCrunchy, for the beautiful frame.  We find ourselves staring at it frequently.

And do you want to know the phrase that always plagues me when I trying my best to wallow and wail in a deep dark hole?  -OR-  The one that makes me smile knowingly when things are just riding right along and I have time to hand surf out of the passenger window?  (Yes, it's the same phrase.  Ironic, huh?)

"You never know, Catherine, you  just never know..."

I like to think of this when I can't hold on to an actual good reason to wallow or feel awesome (because despite being highly creative, I seek logic like the sun seeks the horizon).

Happy Conferencing!

A New Crock Pot Sensation wowzas!

This is so yummy I could just kiss myself.
It is based off of a recipe called, 'Tijuana Trainwreck'.
I just fiddled with the ingredients a bit and this is what happened.

You need some flour tortillas, at least 6.  You  need some shredded cheese.  Chopped onions.  Also 1 can of black beans, 1 can of diced tomatoes (or the equivalent freshies), 1 can of corn, and 1 1/2 lbs of ground chuck and/or sausage.  I used 1lb of burger with some Jimmy Dean Sage Sausage I had in the freezer.  Last but not least, you will need one can of enchilada sauce.

Brown that meat with onions *I am assuming you assumed you must mush and mash the burger and sausage together until it becomes one*!  And add salt and pepper to taste.  My secret ingredient was one packet of Sazon Goya, the orange package.  Drain and set aside.  Grease or oil the crock pot and place one tortilla on the bottom.  Put a layer of your browned meat on top of that and pour some of the enchilada sauce over it.  I think I ended up with two meat layers so you can pour about half of the sauce on this layer.  Then sprinkle some cheese and add another tortilla layer.  Next, add the veggies that you have mixed together in a bowl.  It looks so pretty and you're doing great!  Sprinkle with cheese.  Continue to layer with tortillas and meat (don't forget yer sauce) and cheese and veggies.  I ended with a tortilla sprinkled with cheese and cilantro.  Put the lid on and cook on High for two hours or Low for a bit longer.  I forgot I had sour cream and I bet that would just be suburb as a topper.  Prepare to get fat.

Love! 

It's almost autumn!

Every time I fall down, I get up and realize that I'm standing more firmly and taller!  After so m any years of standing up only to bump my head on a ceiling...well this new feeling is just plain AH-MAY-ZEEENG.

Some things I've been doing with my new found stance include painting (slowly but surely), hanging with my homies, volunteering for church activites, and cooking new recipes.  Kinda sounds like small potatoes to me but the better half of my self knows these to be very important steps.  These are the steps I take that keep the ball of inspiration rolling!

Here's a recipe I tried out tonight with much success.  I dedicate it to the lovely people, Amanda Lyn and Charles Franklin (I think) that I met at WalMart.  They are an artist and executive chef, respectively.  I hope our paths can cross again in the future.

Italian Turkey Burgers/sliders:

I started with about 1lb of ground turkey, the lean Jennie-O brand.  I dumped it in a mixing bowl and added grated Parmesan cheese, oregano, basil, and thyme, with a dash of salt and pepper.  I also added finely chopped onions to the mix, hoping my anti-onion husband wouldn't see them and just try the dang thing.  I mushed it together but refrained from squishing too long.  My hands were freezing from the cold meat and my finger bones started to ache.  I had preheated the oven to 350 degrees.  I greased a baking sheet and patted out six burgers (you will have more if you want sliders, duh).  I baked mine for 20 mins.  Depending on the thickness of your patties you may want to take them out and flip them when they are almost done.  There will probably be juices flowing around so be careful when you take the sheet out.  While they are baking, you get to make the sauce that truly makes these things super yummy!  The recipe I scammed called for slightly different ingredients which I, of course, did not have so there was some improvisation on my part.  I used 3/4 cup Real Mayo, 1/3 cup regular yellow mustard, and 1/3 cup Honey Mustard dressing.  I added a dash of pepper and nutmeg.  Slather it on some toasted buns, slive some tomato and you're ready to eat!  I would have taken a picture but we ate them too fast.  Here's a generic pic I Googled:

The count down begins!

At 10:13am tomorrow my little BoogieBear will be one year old!  Can you tell I'm excited?  There will be a special Mommy prayer going up tonight...

There is no greater thing on this earth than Motherhood, I am convinced.  Cheers to all of us whom strive to do it well; may we strive together always.

Pumped up Kicks and Diapers

So life continues.  This week Isaiah and I have been at home a lot by ourselves.  I'm kind of anti-heat so I wuss out and hide in the house in the a/c during the summer.  The only way to get us out is to catch us DTing from cabin fever or invite out to a place with water.  I would totally be a beach bum if I had more sunscreen and lived closer to the coast.  I actually was a beach bum for a brief moment in time as a kid.  I lived on the point on Emerald Isle.  Get home from school and grab my doggie and walk 200ft to the on ramp to the beach.

But more about hiding out indoors - - so I wake up with Isaiah and we flop downstairs and listen to music on VH1 or MTV.  I have to channel surf a bit to avoid overly sexed videos and the potty mouths that can be found on even the sweetest faces these days.  But we just love to Boogie and I can't ignore my rockin' roots.  This girl's got music on the brain 24/7.  And I think Isaiah enjoys it almost as much as me sometimes.  We like dancing to "Pumped up kicks" by Foster the People.  Not sure of the content totally as I haven't looked up lyrics yet but the music is good and there's no overt cussing.  I've noticed Isaiah has natural rhythm and that makes me smile.  I hope he gets into music somehow and can still avoid the negative aspects of such a hobby like drugs and sex.


Right now I'm listening to "I've got this friend" by The Civil Wars.  You can listen to lots of great music on Spotify.  Check it out if you haven't already. 
Cheers and more!

Long time no blog.

Friends are great for so many reasons.  I added another reason to that list today while shopping at Food Lion.  A friend was kind enough to remind me that I had a blog, and hey!  Come ta think of it, I kinda miss writing it.

Much has happened since this past February (such is life, eh?).  Some of the highlights have been Isaiah's Blessing and subsequent visit from the Grandparents as well as Auntie Glory.  I have finally obtained the magical pre-pregnancy weight by number and the acceptance of the near impossibility of the pre-pregnancy body type.  Isaiah learned to crawl upon turning 8 months and quickly proceeded to walking at about 9.5 months.  The entire household has mustered up the courage to don bathing suits and enjoy the sun at our apt. complex pool.  I finished watching Lost and I thoroughly enjoy the profundity of it all.  I am well into Alexander McCall Smith's series about Precious Ramotswe and her No.1 Ladies Detective Agency series (thereby falling asleep with a smile on my face most nights).  I have seen my father twice and my sister once and thank the Lord I have yet to see my stepmother.  I have been estranged my my maternal side of the family for over a year now.  I had surgery that blasted some kidney stones to Kingdom Come.  We had to say goodbye to my favoritest station wagon...it was a very soggy farewell.  And I fell in love with Wang's.  AND my husband turns 27 this week.  If he talks about how old he feels one more time I'm going to slap him with a sign that has the number 28 on it and scream hysterically, "See how that feels?!"  Note to self:  Shut up about feeling old around anyone 29 and up.  Try to complain only around teenagers.

So there are some small things in that little summary and then there are some big honkin' thorn-in-my side type thingies hiding out in there.  Okay well maybe not hiding but you know?  Since I happen to have in my possession a piece of fancy paper that implies my expertise in the area of psychology I will purposefully avoid the big honkin' things.  Sometimes you just really shouldn't spoil the sunshine with all the Captian Obvious remarks about troubled childhoods and awkward open-ended conflicts.  I'll save it for a day I decide to throw myself a pity party!  Instead I shall discuss the coolness of watching a child learn to walk.

It was just me and lil Booger-head at home one day.  I'm pretty sure I was glued to the TV watching one of my shows on Netflix while doing five thousand things at once (*high-five to all fellow wives and mothers*) when I decided to roll around on the floor like a dog and nip at my little boys chubby legs while growling.  "Grrrrrrrrr," said the mommy to the baby.
"GGgggggeegeeegeeee!" said the baby to the mommy.
Baby crawls to the couch, pulls himself up and peers over his shoulder at the creepy grown-up quickly approaching.
"I'm gonna getchoo, I'm GONNA GETCHOO!" says the mommy to the baby.
And baby takes a wobbly step forward to slap mommy in the eye socket.
"GOOD JOB!"  mommy squeals.  "C'mon, you can do it, take a step, c'mere little dude, come see me!You can do it!" encourages mommy.

And that's how it started!  Just a few steps.  That night he was extra hyper and courageous and was able to really get going down the hallway.  The next day he was able to achieve even more with his new skill.  By the third day he was positively walking fer reals.  This past Sunday he enjoyed exploring in the fluffy grass in front of our church.  He seemed to take a liking to the bushes with the thick green, glossy leaves.  They happen to be my favorite, too.  I like ginkgo biloba leaves a lot, too, and I can't wait to show them to him.  It smelled like green grass and was just hot enough to require a bit of deodorant.  Pretty day.  He walked all around just talking to himself.  Discovery Mode is just the coolest.  It made me think of Kid Zoom Vision.  You know, that ability kids have to look at something and then zoom in on the smallest details while effectively blocking out all other stimulus and distraction?  I remembered trying to follow all the veins in the leaves of trees as they looked like city streets.  Tiny green streets that were filled with....oh I dunno.  Chlorophyll or something.  Neat stuff.

Something else I really want to put out there.  There is an author named Alexander McCall Smith who has apparently lived an interesting life in various parts of the world and therefore has acquired through nature and nurture an amazingly simply and wise perspective that he seems to effortlessly inject into his writing.  Such authors are a gift to us on this earth and I think it is our duty as God's children to take notice of this gift he has...this gift that God has given to uplift us and remind us of the good things.  I suggest you check out this man.  I may just write him a letter.  I hope he enjoys that sort of thing as I wouldn't want to bother him.  I know I would enjoy my letter but I suspect I'm a tad biased.

For the record, Wang's is a local Chinese, Thai, and Japanese restaurant.  Their recipes are different than the 'fast food' type dishes that are so predictable at similar venues.  I ordered the Lo Mein and I did not get soggy, greasy noodles with soggy, greasy veggies.  Their egg rolls are light and crispy and savory on the inside.  The egg drop soup doesn't default to salt.  Even the fortune cookies were fresh.  This is why everyone in this household has fallen in love with Wang's.  If you happen to call for delivery and you get the lovely lady with the heavy accent, just try to mimic the accent.  My husband tried making his eyes bug out of his head and gesturing erratically while on the phone but that did not exaclt work?  I think maybe I have a gift for accents.  Anyway,  what she couldn't understand from him, she was able to get from me and then we were able to get yummy food from her and that's what counts.  No matter what, it is fun trying to talk like that.  I hope I didn't offend.  If I did, somebody's spit tastes good.

I would say something about birthdays but I cain't.  It's a surprise.  Or at least I hope it will be.  I have yet to plan anything but I have faith that the Lord will be with me on this one.  All I can hope for is a gathering of friends on the day my Anthony was born so we can laugh and smile and take pictures and talk about our kids and play the guitar and sing silly songs that sometimes don't rhyme and eat double chocolate brownies with ice cream and them go home and sleep a lot.

But the last thing I want to share is....hmmm.  I don't know how to preface this.  Sometimes in life you find yourself in a room full of people and you realize you are all sharing the same sentiment and it can feel powerful.  Last Sunday was such a moment and was different in that the shared sentiment was quite erratic.  That was some real power!  I mean, for a bunch of people to feel one thing at once is pretty amazing but for a bunch of people to feel the same several things over the course of the same consecutive moments was just...so powerful that it was weird.  This is a short synapsis is Creative Writing 101 form:

There was the harbinger standing at the podium in his breezy uniform of storm-cloud colored linen.  His voice was the static between those clouds, scratching at our eardrums and tapping at our good will.  His audience was inspired to draw their children nearer and put on stoic masks of indifference to lead the way for childish response.  I think his name was Friday as no one told him it was Sunday and not a day for such news of incarceration.  Pleas or no pleas we wished to hear no more, please, but this harbinger forced his static into our hearts when they were most open.  Then the lightening struck and eyes grew wide and I imagine some may have wanted to hide; disappear through a trapped door even.  It left an ugly mark in the fertile soil of our sacred ground and you could hear all the minds whirring, gears turning as we fought to choose the right response.  However, we were not weakened and only temporarily shaken.  The small voice that followed did not say anything thunderous but his point was soft and large like a beloved Father's hand.  A hand which ushered in that which was briefly lost.  I wonder if he knew the job he was performing?  I know he knew the rewards for such work, though.  And people began to breath again.  Some laughed it off as people sometimes do in awkward situations and that dispersed some of the storm clouds still hanging around.  Some people fought with their tongues to withhold a gossip and others puzzled over the change in the air as they had actually been away when the harbinger came to speak.  They did not know of the thing at all except for unfamiliar looks on all the familiar faces in the aftermath.  This must be what happens when Friday is not familiar with this particular Sunday.

But nobody forgot to tell me it is Monday.  Time for sleep, peeps!  Hope you are all well and hope I see ya soon.  Sweet dreams       ;)

PS - I dedicate this post to a friend.

In like a something and out...what? A LION! a lamb...sheesh.

WHEW!  We're not sick anymore!  Papa Boogie told me I had the Bubonic Plague.  It felt like bronchitis but I quit smoking in Sept. '09 and I was *wishfully* thinking that my lungs were automagically healed completely...but maybe not.  The sun is shining, I painted something (finally !@T^&@#%*&^!%!@), and my 'baby' ain't lookin' so much like a baby anymore.  He turned seven months old and I didn't even notice.  I was too busy trying to remember what it was like to move, talk, and act like a real live grown up cool as cake independent woman to notice the longer legs, expanding vocab, and burgeoning personality.  Actually I'm lying.  I noticed that stuff but was too wrapped up in myself to make a bigger deal of it.

But I got baptized also yes!  The water wasn't that cold and that hair wrapped around my toes wasn't that gross no wait yes it was.  And those cookies really were that good.  But my favorite part was the speakers.  There were a few particular moments that hit me pretty hard and it just kinda meant the world to me that all those people got together and made sacrifices for lil' ole me.  And then I got confirmed and that super made me cry.  Some folks just really know how to pull your heart strings out of NO WHERE and blizzAM, yer cryin'.  Good happy tears, too, not those pesky sad/mad ones. 

I still have not written my Thank You Notes for our wedding.  I have tried everything.  I tried actually writing them, tried rationalizing excuses for my failure to complete them, tried sharing the burden with my new hubby, and now I am trying to figure out if it's kosher to even send Thank You Notes months after the actual event for which you are trying to express your gratitude. 

*sigh*

I am a mediocre adult.

But I did paint something.  That's kind of a major deal to me and I'm still trying to decide why.  From the time I was little, folks always said, "Oh that's beautiful!  You're going to be an artist when you grow up," or "You want to be an artist, don't you?" or "That's awesome, make me one!" and then...nothing really.  I painted some stuff sporadically over my young adult years and ripped some of them up and put them in the trash.  I studied Journalism and Psychology instead of anything creative.  I did social work until it made me crack.  I tried to tattoo but discovered I had no tolerance for shop drama and shadiness.  Not painting or doing art has become the epitome of my failure to blossom as a successful, productive member of society.  By not painting or becoming an artist, I have somehow not become anything else either and that fear has caught like a wildfire in my soul, blocking me from even attempting anything new because I am afraid of the prospect of failing at it, too.

But yesterday?  Yeah I painted something.  And it's no Van Gogh or Picasso or Khalo or like the work of that lady that looks like floral vah-jay-jays.  Georgia O'Keefe!  Yes, that's her.  It's not the same caliber of work but it sure does match my living room rug and I finished it.  Well, actually, I am now starting to generate ideas for further embellishment but that's a whole other dealie.  Point it, I painted something.  Maybe I am not a failure after all.

And did I mention I got baptized?  And confirmed.  I don't have the grammatical self-discipline, let alone brain power right now to get into those ramifications but soon. 



BTW, don't buy three packages of cookie mix to "bake some cookies for the neighbors" because if you are like me you will bake them...and pour a tall glass of milk.....and promise to bake some other time for others...oopsy.  BTBTW, can someone babysit for the next two weeks?  I have to go run off three batches of cookies.

¿Questions?

Do you have to wait until you are baptized to give your testimony?  Not that I'm going to do it any time soon-ish.  Just wondering.


I keep reading about Temples.  It seems to me that LDS folks feel strongly about temples.  I am excited to go one day but I do not think I feel in the way that other Mormons feel.  Mormons seem to feel about the Temple the way I would feel about going to the real Hogwarts Castle.  The Presbyterian, Methodist, Baptist, and whatever other churches I've visited before in my life did not feel special and were not treated like I thought you should treat a holy place of worship.  I mean, everyone knows it's a place of worship but there's still this gap between it's specialness and holiness.  Or at least that was my observation.  When I was 17 I went to Italy for two weeks.  The things I was most stoked about were seeing the architecture, the food, and the Sistine Chapel/the Vatican.  The architecture was so old, the food was so...omgosh I gained twenty lbs., and the Sistine Chapel...well I don't know why but I thought I was going to have some sort of spiritual event upon visiting.  The architecture was just as amazing and more so than I expected.  The food...well I gained twenty lbs.  And the Sistine Chapel and the Vatican?  I got the darkest feeling when I went inside the Vatican.  There was this beautiful artwork in the Chapel...but the feeling had been stomped out of it.  Or maybe touristed out of it.  It was strange and empty.  There was no reason, no influence that would have prompted me to feel the way I felt upon entrance to the other buildings but it just felt negative.  Made me think of liars, and deceit, and conspiracy, and betrayal, and the death of all the Church's good intentions.  I mean the Catacombs were down right creepy and not because they were Catacombs.  I won't go into any more detail (unless you ask me privately) but the feeling was dark, dude.  So I was super disappointed.  And in every basilica, I experienced a similar emptiness...a lack of holiness.  So I'm worried about the Temple.  I expect that we humanized those other magnificent artifacts and that's why I got disappointed.  The HG may have hung around in there a bit but the HG didn't live there.  I am expecting the HG to hang out in the Temple like it's his own crib.  I'm expecting it not to look or feel like something you take a tour of and snap some pix for your FB profile.  I'm expecting magnificence and tranquility and opportunity.  But please, help me out on that.  I don't want my expectations to wreck my experience one day.

PS - I did not completely discount that outing, though.  I ended up dancing in the middle of a cobblestone street with five monks while eating coffee flavored ice cream cones.  Somewhere out there is a picture of this wonderfully happy phenomenon and I will forever hold a special place in my heart for those simple men who felt compelled to serve the Lord.  You could see it on their faces and hear it in their voices no matter what language was being spoken.  That's what I had gone to find in the first place.  They treated me like their Sister.

Jiggle, Jiggle.

My post-baby belly ain't the only thing jiggling 'round here.

I asked my husband the other night how on earth he manages to put Boogie to sleep so quickly and he confessed that he jiggled him to sleep.  He demonstrated in the air and I thought he was nuts-O.  But after trying to walk Boogie for an hour the following afternoon by myself, I decided to try it out. 

I was a little nervous about the whole Jiggle thing because of two things.  While I was pregnant, my semi-psychotic mother shouted out of the blue one day while I was cleaning her apartment, "Don't shake the baby!!!"
Um.  Ok.  I'll try not to, Ma.  It's not like they didn't show me the Purple Crying DVD in the hospital, doncha know.
Also!  After actually having a newborn, I became paranoid that I was gonna totally lose my cookies in an unforeseeable fit of parental psychosis brought upon by sleep dep and stress and, that's right, Ma, shake the baby!

So.  I was.  Wary.  And Skeptical.

But whatta ya know.  I put one hand on his shoulder and one hand on his hip while he was on his side in his crib and I started to bounce him.  Just a little bit.  Shallow bounce, rapid succession.  And BAM.  He was out like a light.  And I walked out of his room and he napped for almost 4 hours (He has had a cold and got his 6 mo. vaccs. the week prior).  I am curious about the physiological response this seems to trigger and will he progress to learn to self-sooth better as he grows?  Or will this somehow inhibit some important learning process...

I wonder how he will put himself to sleep when he's older?  I am NOT jiggling a teenager to sleep.  That's just plain weird.  And if he has future problems falling asleep, I'm gonna blame it on his Daddy and hope that he finds a new method.  Until then, we will finally be gettin' some sleep 'round these here parts agin.