Move Over Paula Deen

So, this week school pretty much demanded my undivided attention and I have let everything else fall to the wayside. Thank goodness for a subway card, a patient husband, and the fact that my kids are pretty low maintenance. Well, tonight I decided to redeem myself by making dinner--and let me just say it was delicious! We started with a green salad topped with carrots and bell peppers, and then homemade BBQ "chicken" pizza. Maybe it was because we were both starving, or maybe it was because Sweet Baby Ray's barbeque sauce is like mother's milk--whatever the reason the pizza was amazing and we shared a moment of content silence after we had licked our plates clean. Nate had to go to a meeting so that gives me time to whip a little something up for dessert. (Apple compote drizzled over vanilla icecream--so much for winning the biggest loser contest at work.)

Taco Town

I love their faces 30 seconds in!
I alway have about 5 different cravings after I watch this.

Flashback Friday

Haley, Jess, Ronald, Laura
Park City
August 2001

(P.S. This post is dedicated to Travis Miller)

They grow up so fast...

A few cat highlights from 2008:

-Charlie taking a mini vacation to Wendover without telling me

-Fritz climbing onto the kitchen table nightly because he knows it wakes me out of a deep sleep

-Charlie and Fritz having a total of 4 abscesses (3 for Fritz, 1 for Charlie)

-Fritz having to do extra chores to work off his vet bill

-Charlie still wearing Fritz' name tag

-Charlie bringing a dead bird onto our bed

-Fritz not wanting to be seen holding hands with his mom anymore

-Charlie not immediately running under the bed when people come over

-Charlie and Fritz watching me pull 10 toy mice out from under the dryer

-Fritz realizing that the bathroom sink is a comfortable spot for a nap

-Charlie getting stuck in the neighbor's shed

-Charlie getting stuck in the bathtub

-Fritz sitting in front of the heater with the warm air blowing on his face

-Fritz sleeping on his suitcase every night

-Charlie making the strangest cat sounds known to humankind

To Charlie and Fritz: Thanks for being the best cat-kids ever!

With Love,

Your parents

Smells like Hope

Hurray for this historic day! As I was driving home from school I was listening to a segment on NPR about the Obama collectibles that people were selling at the inauguration. My favorite was a clip of a man selling Obama air fresheners--he said, "Get an Obama air freshener....you open it up and it smells like hope!" I had to laugh but it's true! We are all hoping for a better world, hoping the economy will improve, hoping for the war to end, and hoping for people to have food on their table and a roof over their head.

As far as electing the first bi-racial president goes... it really put things into perspective for me when Obama stated that, "...a man whose father less than sixty years ago might not have been served at a local restaurant can now stand before you to take a most sacred oath." We certainly have come a long way and still have a long road ahead of us. Here is a big toast to Hope, and to President Obama!!

I have a dream...

As a future social worker one of my goals and responsibilites is to be an advocate for social justice. Every time I watch this video I feel inspired!

Cateye Collection

For Christmas I got some more magazines from my supplier in Michigan (thanks dad!) and I have been working on some cards to freshen up my supply at Frosty Darling. Here is a sampling of the new inventory:

One of the dangers of having things on consignment at Frosty Darling is the fact that the store is always brimming with all sorts of fabulous funky nick knacks, handmade treasures, awesome old fashioned candy, and a vintage record player that soothes me with its scratchy tunes. When I dropped off my cards Thursday I knew I was in trouble because Gentry, the owner, had just filled up the candy jars with new sweet treats from an order that had just come in. Here is what I came home with:

So I realized that I collect cards. Something inside me just can't pass up a funky local made card. I need to think of a cool way to display the ones I have so far. (about 20) The above pictured Lima? bean in its whitey tighties and the dancing state fair foods are the newest additions to the collection. I also can't pass up the chance to try some candies that I have never before tasted. Nate and I had the Pop Rocks chocolate bar tonight and it was surprisingly good! Decent chocolate and then pop pop pop! I haven't had the Ice Cubes yet.

Now about the Sen Sen. I guess people used to eat Sen Sen breath fresheners to hide smoker's and/or alcohol breath. I don't know how they managed to tolerate this stuff because holy awfulness! If you want to know what they taste like go grab a bottle of your grandma's old perfume and spray several squirts in your mouth and then go lick your bar of Dove soap! ICK!! I only put two little tablets in my mouth and I immediately started gagging. I had to go brush my teeth and use Listerine to get rid of the taste. Unfortunately after watching me Nate could not be coaxed into trying the Sen Sen.

Flashback Friday

Party Crashers

1999

Elisha, Jess, Heidi, Brooke, Aimee