The Most Wonderful Time of the Year!

So the festival tree is finished,
and in record time!





So today was festival.

Oh, my pie!

For thanksgiving dinner we ate a whole lot of pie.
I made a pumpkin cheesecake.
Emily made chocolate and blueberry pies.
And Jason made enough pie to feed a homeless shelter.
All in all we had 8 adults at dinner
and 9 pies.

Good to know

Sometimes,
it is good to know,
that the costume design class,
and patterning class,
and period theater class,
that you took in college,
that had nothing to do with your major
or your current career,
still have uses from time to time.



Rissa had colonial day this week,
and she needed a dress,
and I guess simple,
and understated
just wouldn't do.

Pretty

So after many mistakes
playing around with epoxy
and scrapbooking paper
paid off.






So now I have
new jewelry
and
Christmas gifts

So Very Cool!

I came across this on a blog today and I think that I have found a new love. It is the coolest thing I can think of, and I am in a complete state of envy. I want to play with these talented fun ladies!

If you are even a little bit crafty check it out!

I wonder if I could?

So I love this
ruffled shirt.
And although
I am really on a kick
making clothing for kids,
I rarely make them for myself.
But this one
got me wondering
if I could figure out
how to make this?

So good, I had to steal it.

So I found this on my cousin's blog,
which is quite cool,
they have a terrific sense on humor.

So in the grand tradition of cutting
and pasting. I have "borrowed" it.

Cus it was the kind of thing that makes you
laugh enough that you simply must
share it with others.

And the three people I sat down
and made listen to me read it
out loud,
were simply
not enough.

found these "random thoughts of 25 to 30 year old's"


-More often than not, when someone is telling me a story all I can
think about is that I can't wait for them to finish so that I can tell
my own story that's not only better, but also more directly involves
me.

-Nothing sucks more than that moment during an argument when you
realize you're wrong.

-That's enough, Nickelback.

-I totally take back all those times I didn't want to nap when I was younger.

-Do you remember when you were a kid, playing Nintendo and it wouldn't
work? You take the cartridge out, blow in it and that would magically
fix the problem. Every kid in America did that, but how did we all
know how to fix the problem? There was no internet or message boards
or FAQ's. We just figured it out. Today's kids are soft.

-There is a great need for sarcasm font.

-I think everyone has a movie that they love so much, it actually
becomes stressful to watch it with other people. I'll end up wasting
90 minutes shiftily glancing around to confirm that everyone's
laughing at the right parts, then making sure I laugh just a little
bit harder (and a millisecond earlier) to prove that I'm still the
only one who really, really gets it.

-How the heck are you supposed to fold a fitted sheet?

-I would rather try to carry 10 plastic grocery bags in each hand than
take 2 trips to bring my groceries in.

-The only time I look forward to a red light is when I’m trying to
finish a text.

- I have a hard time deciphering the fine line between boredom and hunger.

- Answering the same letter three times or more in a row on a Scantron
test is absolutely petrifying.

- Whenever someone says "I'm not book smart, but I'm street smart",
all I hear is "I'm not real smart, but I'm imaginary smart".

- How many times is it appropriate to say "What?" before you just nod
and smile because you still didn't hear what they said?

- I love the sense of camaraderie when an entire line of cars teams up
to prevent a jerk from cutting in at the front. Stay strong, brothers!

- Every time I have to spell a word over the phone using 'as in'
examples, I will undoubtedly draw a blank and sound like a complete
idiot. Today I had to spell my boss's last name to an attorney and
said "Yes that's G as in...(10 second lapse)..ummm...Goonies"

- While driving yesterday I saw a banana peel in the road and
i nstinctively swerved to avoid it...thanks Mario Kart.

- MapQuest really needs to start their directions on #5. Pretty sure I
know how to get out of my neighborhood.

- I find it hard to believe there are actually people who get in the
shower first and THEN turn on the water.

-I can't remember the last time I wasn't at least kind of tired.

-Whenever I'm Facebook stalking someone and I find out that their
profile is public I feel like a kid on Christmas morning who just got
the Red Ryder BB gun that I always wanted. 546 pictures? Don't mind if
I do!

-Why is it that during an ice-breaker, when the whole room has to go
around and say their name and where they are from, I get so incredibly
nervous? Like I know my name, I know where I'm from, this shouldn't be
a problem....

-Can we all just agree to ignore whatever comes after DVDs? I don't
want to have to restart my collection.

-There's no worse feeling than that millisecond you're sure you are
going to die after leaning your chair back a little too far.

-I'm always slightly terrified when I exit out of Word and it asks me
if I want to save any changes to my ten page research paper that I
swear I did not make any changes to.

- "Do not machine wash or tumble dry" means I will never wash this ever.

-I hate being the one with the remote in a room full of people
watching TV. There's so much pressure. 'I love this show, but will
they judge me if I keep it on? I bet everyone is wishing we weren't
watching this. It's only a matter of time before they all get up and
leave the room. Will we still be friends after this?'

-When I meet a new girl, I'm terrified of mentioning something she
hasn't already told me but that I have learned from some light
internet stalking.

-I like all of the music in my iTunes, except when it's on shuffle,
then I like about one in every fifteen songs in my iTunes.

- As a driver I hate pedestrians, and as a pedestrian I hate drivers,
but no matter what the mode of transportation, I always hate cyclists.

-I wonder if cops ever get pissed off at the fact that everyone they
drive behind obeys the speed limit.

Blanding

So we drove down to Blanding
few weeks ago
to meet my new nephew,
Camden.






Who could not be sweeter
Nope, not possible

And Zeb,
I do apologize
for calling your little man
sweet.

I'm sure that will time
he will grow into something
tougher, and smarter,
and more athletic
but
for now
he is simply
sweet












And spend time with my sisters.
The thing about having sisters,
I now realize is that you own all the same cloths
cuz you have similar tastes,
and body types.
Which means,
if I like it and it looks good on me chances are,
the same will be true for my sisters.
Plus,
we like to shop
together.

For instance,
I own a copy of
every
article
of clothing in this picture,
and I bought them all
with my sisters!



And spend time with family,
and remember just how funny my brother
Jason and his wife can be
and
miss them
just a little bit
more








And learned to play Scum
which you all should do





















And on the way home,
we discovered
a truly funky tourist trap
which met the definition,
in every
sense
of the word



























Complete with a memorial
to Franklin D. Roosevelt
Carved right into
this huge rock
Although
I can not
for the life of me
figure out
Why

But it made me
laugh

The Bet

So this year I planted a garden.
And since we live in an apartment,
I planted it all in pots.
Some mounted on walls
Some hanging
and some regular.

I planted zucchini,
cuz I'm from Utah
and you can't call it a garden
if you didn't plant zucchini.

Well Todd laughed at me and said
that there is no way it would grow.

And my friend Victoria,
who actually knows a lot about gardens
said it would not grow.

But, Ha, cuz here it is.....



It's too bad I didn't have something good riding on this.

Park City Arts Festival

Renaissance Woman II

So here is my list so far.....

Is a globe traveler
Owns art
Is mastering a few speciality dishes
Is well read, (pod casts, audible books, magazines, and websites included)
Discovered a work out that works for her
Has a master's degree, maybe more
Takes interesting photos, displays them in fun ways
Supports a Cause
Has rockn' playlist's
Lives in a place that reflects her personality
Speaks more than one language
Has theater she supports by attending performances regularly
Can converse intelligently about current events
Can get around a foreign country
Has attended a lecture in the past year
Rocks a stylish wardrobe
Votes
Still Sends Thank you cards
Takes classes on a variety of subjects to keep her sharp
Blogs about her interesting little life

The idea is to have a lifetime of work here. A little ambitious but achievable

Renaissance Woman

So lately I've been thinking about personal evolution and self improvement. Which got me thinking about how we define the ultimate self which got me thinking about the renaissance man and how if we changed genders, and modernized things a bit what would today's renaissance woman look like? What skills would she have mastered? What challenges would she seek out? What makes a woman today accomplished, educated, and well rounded? Mostly I'm looking for lists from you on this topic. Ideas, thought, etc.

The Perfect Sunday Afternoon

Work was a little crazy and I worked over 70 hours last week trying to keep up! I think it was a success, um mostly. But I was in serious need of some R&R so Sunday afternoon Todd and I caught and afternoon movie. I love Sunday afternoon movies. There are far less people, in the general sense I don't really like people. I have lots of individuals that I like, friends and family, mentors, co-workers and such. I just don't like people in large grouping hoards. So perhaps it is not people that I dislike but crowds. Sunday afternoons however are blissfully crowd free at the movies. And they are cheaper! Who is not looking for that perk in today's economy?

So we caught Julie & Julia, which I have been waiting for for quite some time. I have had a thing with Julia Child for a while now. And not because I find her an inspiring cook, cuz anyone who know me knows there is no way I aspire to be the next Julia Child, there are nights when Macaroni and Cheese from the box requires assistance from my husband. I have always liked who she is though, that she was fearless in stepping into a career field where there were only men before her. That the things she did most notably she did after the age of 40! That again and again she reinvented herself. I admire that about Julia.

Then of course there is the fact that the movie centers around being a blogger! I mean who does not love that. The main character is like the original career blogger. I mean who out there doesn't on some little level secretly want their hobby, their space of joy to become their full time career, to make money following their bliss. (I do realize that it is much more difficult than that though.) But still it is nice to dream.



The movie did not disappoint. It was funny and sweet, I laughed hard, I wanted to cry a bit but didn't, and in the end I was, sorry to say even a bit inspired to cook, not my way through Julia's eight year labor of love, but it might be nice to master a few french dishes. It definitely recommend it!

New Glasses

Get your desiger on

So I have been playing around with some purse patterns that i would like to market on Etsy. I looking for feedback, let me know what you all think.

How to cater a shower quick!

So after Hilary’s shower
I got asked for these
a lot

So here they are.

Amy’s fantastic four fondue

Shopping list

Savory

1 four cup bag of sharp cheddar cheese shredded
1 pint whole milk
Garlic
Fresh chives
1 container whipped cream cheese
1 container sour cream
1 package frozen spinach (not creamed)
1 jar marinated artichokes
1 baguette sliced
Green apples for dipping
Other veggies to dip



Sweet

1 bag large marshmallows
2 large bags chocolate chips
1 pint heavy cream

1 box Gram crackers
Bananas
Strawberries
Other dippables



Savory
In a fondue pot over the stove
Rub a sliced clove of garlic on the inside walls on the pot
Dump in a cup or so of milk and heat slowly (do not boil)
Add two or so cups of cheese a handful at a time
Stirring as you add the cheese letting it melt
When all the cheese is melted add a few tablespoons of chopped chives
Add salt and pepper to taste

Move to a flame and enjoy!


In an oven safe dish
Mix sour cream and whipped cream cheese
Defrost and drain the spinach
Drain and chop the artichokes
Add artichokes and spinach
Add two cups shredded cheddar cheese
Add salt and pepper to taste
Mix well

Cook in a 400 degree oven for an hour or so,
until melted,
stir if necessary.

Serve with bread



Sweet

In a fondue pot over the stove add a 2 cups or so of whole milk
Slowly warm the milk, do not boil
Add chocolate a bit at a time stirring and melting as you go
When it has reached the right consistency

Move to a flame and enjoy!

Next take another Fondue pot
fill it with marshmallows
Pour some of the chocolate from the chocolate fondue over the marshmallows saving the rest of the chocolate
Place the whole marshmallow pot in the oven or microwave until the marshmallows are melted

Move pot to a flame and enjoy!

One last thing
You can not make this and not dip a sliced banana’s in the chocolate marshmallow fondue.

Do you ever....

read
though
your old blogs
and think
wow,
I didn't
know that
my life, this thing I'm living,
is
cool?

It's nice
to have all
the good stuff,
the highlights,
there
reminding you
the life
your living
right now
the one
that feels crazy
and hectic
like the kitchen is
always too messy,
and you never get anything
done,
and you haven’t worked out in weeks,
which really makes
the gym membership
a complete waste,
and you don't call your
sisters often enough,
or tell your husband how great he really is
isn't as bad as all that.

You read through
your blog and
it, this life your living
really is
a
good thing.

Rissa's B-day Bash

Step One
get older

Step Two
invite all your cutest friends to celebrate step one


Step Three
get panicked over activities on a budget and call Aunt Amy

Step Four
raid your closet of old jeans and leftover craft supplies


Step Five
clip pockets off jeans, cut straps from extra jeans

Step Six
heat up the glue gun

Step Seven
free your inner craft diva
and
get your design on


Step Eight
document your greatness

Greatful

Today I am just greatful that.....
nobody at work
ran away,
died,
or
seriously hurt someone else.

that I have called neither 911
or the police this week
cuz
I act cool
but in truth
it freaks me out,
every time.


that every night
I go home to
someone who loves me,
can take care of himself
and is stable
&
healthy.



that I know
I am the force
that is in control
at least in my own
life.



that my parents were/are
good people
who did the right things
and tried
to give
me
good things.



That I was and am loved.

My Favorite Thing About Paris.......

is that you come around a corner
and
there is this amazing piece of art
that you have spent
your whole life
looking at
in
books,
right there
in person.






It's like being a little kid
and your favorite fairy tale
came to life.









And as if that is not good enough,
it just keeps happening
again
and again
and
again.