not much going on at work today

Except for the fact that my Snyder's pretzel snack bag birthed a conjoined pretzel baby. And that does not happen everyday, my friends. (oh no! McCain is rubbing off on me. Must stop watching political debates before bed...)

On an unrelated, side-note: Has anyone out there tried these things? Regan is dying to try them but I am having a hard time believing that they are really going to be all that great. The jingle is catchy, "Make a better breakfast faster... Batter Blaster!" But there just seems something inherently wrong with the idea. (Cue Regan's sales pitch: "What could possible be wrong with getting organic pancakes instantly for 9 cents a pancake... etc etc etc."

I guarantee my homemade waffles are better but he is relentless. And usually he is all about homemade-everything (Cue my mom: "former life, former life") so maybe I should just take advantage before the novelty wears off.

nursery

This week marks the one year anniversary of me getting called to serve in the nursery of my ward.

Some days are rough, especially at the beginning, (all the crying makes my ears ring) and I have to drive home in silence. And there was at least one occasion when I told Regan I couldn't talk about the experience afterward; I seriously needed a Valium. But, as the months drag...I mean go... on, and the little kids get a little older, it gets more and more fun.

I like to complain, but I know that I will be really sad if/when (please be when!) I leave. Besides the fact that I'll have to trade toys and snack time for Sunday School, I think I would miss not getting to hang out with my little friends. For the past few weeks Regan has been subbing as my assistant and those weeks have been the most fun for me. He is so funny with the kids and they love him. I keep telling him I am going to request him as my regular helper. He doesn't really like to hear that. Siiigh.

It is hard to know if any of them get anything out of our two minute lessons but I feel blessed to get to share these children's first experiences in the church. If nothing else, my testimony that we are children of a Heavenly Father, who loves us, has been strengthened this past year.

Rumor has it that there is a new Nursery manual out... I'm SOOO psyched.

the economy is going to pot

And I'm kind of scared. I feel like my goal this year has been to learn how to live a more simple (and meaningful) life. I've really tried to define my needs vs. wants and realize where true happiness comes from. And this is something I battle with DAILY. Is anyone sick of me talking about this yet? I kind of am, but I'm also obsessed so I just can't stop.

I'm trying to live within my means; some weeks I do better than others. All of these goals I had were for us to try to "get by" while Regan is in school but lately I've been forced to think of the (at least temporarily) failing economy and the impact that has on our future. It's a wonder I can sleep at all at night. (No really, it is. Insomnia is rampant in family tree... knock on wood, so far I've been untouched.)

I'm so grateful that the church has made provident living a priority in gospel teachings so that I can learn to be prepared when the nation is facing less prosperous times.

Today, our bank sent us a little pledge of things we should all be doing to be able to declare our financial independence. I LOVED it. I'm going to print this baby out and stick it on my fridge. Fo shizzle. I really love ING. And, because I love you all (and want you to be equally independent) I will share:

this is so ugly

I've tried really hard to make my blog "pretty" and I think this is totally going to mess up the ambiance of my layout but I couldn't not post this picture.


Regan killed one of these this morning. It was in our shower. I'm really sad to report that this is not the first time we seen one of these in our apartment. I can't even confidently say that it is the twentieth. (uugh! I know.) I still can't figure out how they are getting into our bathroom. I keep asking Regan this but he says we can't try to understand it...we just have to kill them. They are hard to catch because as you can imagine, with those legs, those guys are fast. Like Usain Bolt fast. Regan has made me swear that if I see one when he is not home that I will kill it and not just pretend that I didn't spot it. (What? They're gross.)

i'm dying to

get on What Not to Wear. I think the mortification might be worth the $5K shopping spree + trip to NYC + Carmindy's make-up tutorial. Any one want to "secretly" nominate me?

Or maybe I should plan a trip to China and have the Banana, JCrew, and Anthro catalogs recreated. Is that PC?

Fashion show, fashion show, fashion show at lunch!

Soooooo happy that The Office is back on tonight.

Last season was not my fave (and totally upstaged by 30 Rock, in my humble opinion) but I'm hoping season 4 can redeem the show. I have high hopes for tonight's episode. I guess I'm just a glass half-full kinda girl. And really, we all know that Kelly Kapur never disappoints.

book club!

I'm not actually in a book club. But if I were to start one tomorrow, the book I would choose is "It's All Too Much" by Peter Walsh. You know Peter from TLC's Clean Sweep? (Love that show, btw.) He's also been on Oprah, saving the world one pack-rat at a time. Well, he just so happens to have a book.

I stumbled across the book one day during my routine distraction of choice (aka, web browsing.) So I hopped right over to my library's online catalog and requested the book. My notice for pick-up came in the mail yesterday and viola! I'm well on my way to learning the psychology of consumerism/hoarding. Which, interestingly enough, affects more people in more ways than you might think.

One big point that Peter writes about in the book is how our society has become preoccupied with consumption and accumulation. He calls it the "stuff epidemic." Here is a little (ok, long) excerpt that struck me:

"We live in one of the most prosperous nations on earth, and we measure our success by material accumulation. Everywhere we look we are encouraged to buy more. Love your kids? Prove it by giving them the best clothes, games, sports paraphernalia, or the latest video game system. Just got a raise or a better job? Time to show if off with a bigger TV or a flashy new car or more (and expensive) clothes. In two-income families where there's barely time to relax, we try to find happiness by buying more stuff. Everywhere we turn, we're told that more is better. We super-size our food. We buy two for the price of one instead of buying one at half price. But for many, it has become clear that instead of bringing happiness and peace of mind, all this stuff is stressing us out and alienating us from our families, our partners, our dreams. Sure, some stuff does improve your life. Of course it does. Who can argue with a comfortable home and a nice car? But where do you draw the line? Did you know the size of the average new house in this country has grown almost 50 percent in the last thirty years? And all this while the average family size has declined. With more space has come the urge to fill it with more stuff. Unfortunately, more stuff doesn't guarantee greater happiness. And when happiness doesn't come, you buy more, thinking that's the answer. Instead of bringing you closer to the life you want to live, your stuff starts getting in the way." (p. 28)

I haven't finished the book yet, but one thing he stresses is that the issue isn't the 'Stuff' itself. It is our relationship to that stuff. He tells the people he helps that you have to start by imagining the life you want to live. It's about keeping stuff that makes sense in your life--your real life--not a fantasy of what was or what could be. 'Stuff' is secondary to who you are and that should be reflected in your home.

I think I just had an Aha! moment. Note to self: stop wasting time and money on things that do little to enhance my quality of life. Actually, my aha moment might be that I think I could really dig going into a person's house and making them throw out the crap and spruce the place up. Think Peter needs an intern?

it came!

Yay yay yay! My first subscription to Real Simple came in the mail this week. Regan got me a subscription for our anniversary because he knows I like to keep it real. And I'm simple. And cause he said being married to him was Real Complicated... but I guess they don't make that magazine.

I love this magazine so much and I am so happy to have 12 uninterrupted months with it. Thanks, Regan! I'm already so inspired. One of these days I'm going to have a perfectly organized house, free of clutter and any sort of stress. But until then, I'm putting off cleaning my bedroom, doing laundry, and washing the kitchen floor for one more night so I can soak up all these good tips. I've got to study y'all. I need to do it right!

is it too early to quit?

Haha. Just kidding! Kind of. I always hate starting any new job and having to learn the ropes but it wasn't that bad last night. A little boring, yes. But my apron sure is cute. (Yes, it's just plain black but I still kind of love it.)

Standing behind the cash register watching another girl ring up all the customers really put a damper on my idea that I would be "playing store". I felt like I was five again and yelling at my brothers: Let ME play! I looked at the clock about 30 minutes into my shift and almost had heart failure. Luckily, it turns out that the clocks at the register are 20 minutes behind.

Once I finally got to ring a few people up it got better but really cashiers should get to have a stool. And a magazine because apparently Wednesday nights aren't that busy in retail land.

My favorite part was at the end of the night when I walked around and straightened things. I found sooooo many cute things that I would love to buy. And it turns out that I hate people who put things back in random places across the store. And I'm feeling guilty for all the times I've done that myself (which happens to be a LOT.) Must be cosmic payback.

Half way through the night I did begin to question what I was even doing there and why. But, I think I'll stick it out, for now.

new job= a free apron +all the manner schnitten i want

I start a new part-time job tonight. I figured it was about time to get a new one; I seem to be on a semester schedule for starting new part-time jobs. My latest applications had landed me a position at World Market. I only have to work one night a week so it should be pretty fun.

I used to love to play "store" in my room when I was little so I figure I'll like this at least as much. Of course, I am mostly excited for the apron they are going to give me. I'm a sucker for a new apron. I'll do just about anything.

Plus, I'll get to keep my eye on all of the cool products and then pounce with my discount when I good sale comes around. The goal is to not spend more than I earn which is going to take some discipline considering retail never pays all that much (and I already spotted several things I would like to take home, just in the time that I walked from the front of the store to the back to have an interview and fill out my paperwork.)

I think Regan is almost as excited as I am for the gourmet food section. Our friends just introduced us to an Austrian treat they sell there called "Manner-Schnitten" which is almost as fun to say as it is to eat. Not sure if it's considered gourmet in Austria but Oh my goodness, it is sooo sooo sooo good. To get the best you really need to get the 'Haselnuss-crème mit feinem Milch-Schokolade'. (haha. how's my german, denton?)

So anyway, wish me luck!

i've gone through the change

ew. not like that, silly.

After a lot of trial and error: I changed my template! Finally. I've been meaning to do it for FOREVER but have had a hard time deciding what I wanted. (Surprise.) I thought I better acknowledge the change in a post since everyone is using Google Reader these days. So, here it is, at least for now.

i know what you are thinking:

"Awwwwwe, cuute!" That's what I'm thinking too. I forgot about this picture until I stumbled across it again today. We are going to have the cutest kids someday. Don't you agree?

I probably need to brush up on my punnet squares but I'm convinced that all of our kids will be toe-heads. I guess that's ok with me. As long as they bleed blue. Go cougs!

September 11, 2001

It feels like so long ago that the attacks on the World Trade Center completely changed America. On the one hand I am grateful that it seems like most of us have been able to move forward and carry on. I guess it is a testament that time heals all wounds. Part of me knows that it would be bad to really forget, to feel unaffected. So today, I wanted to remember that day and how it affected me, at the very least.

I was in homeroom when I heard about the first plane crash; I was a Junior. I was wearing a I Love NY t-shirt that I had gotten in the city just two weeks before. I had been in the World Trade Center then, too. I remember walking down the hall and some boy made some comment about the irony of me wearing that shirt that day and for some reason I felt embarrassed. There was a lot of confusion and speculation. There were rumors that the father of one of the teachers at my school worked in the World Trade Center. I remember feeling relieved that no one I was close to was in NY. We watched the news in 4th period and that is when we saw the second plane hit.

The news was on constantly at my house for the next few days and I was absorbed in it. Although, I couldn't take my eyes off the screen, I knew could move on from what happened with little changing my day-to-day activities. Sometimes I almost feel like I shouldn't be allowed to say that it affected my life when I think of all the people who were in NY that day or whose family and friends were there. Those people who survived the chaos, the lack of information, the constant "why me?" were the ones who were allowed to do that. But I know now that somehow in many ways it changed my life forever, too. I can't pinpoint it exactly (besides the obvious changes in airline regulations which seems too slight to even be worth mentioning) but I think it changed my way of thinking, even if only subconsciously. There was life before 9/11 and there was life after 9/11 and both were very different.

I felt especially comforted to hear the words of the Prophet during the next few days. And as I reread his words today, I feel the same.

"God loves us. He loves his children and he will provide for us. I have no doubt of that. We face terrible sorrows. None of us can understand the enormity, the tension of those on those planes, for instance, who were headed for crashes. None of us can understand those, the feelings of those innocent people in those buildings, which were taken down. But with all of that, for those who are left, for those who are wounded, I bring you a message of peace and hope and comfort. That comfort which comes not from man, but from God Himself, who is the father of us all and who loves us...But I have no doubt, none whatever, of the fact that life is eternal, that we are immortal beings and that when we step over the threshold from this life to the next, it will be for those who do that, a pleasant and uplifting and wonderful experience...

I have an absolutely solid faith concerning the eternity of life, concerning the fact that we're all sons an daughters of God, regardless of our religious persuasion, regardless of our nationality. We're sons and daughters of God.

He expects good things of us. He expects us to live lives of accountability and the right kind of pursuits, not to be destructive, not to be evil, but to rise above these terrible things and depart ourselves in a manner that will bless mankind and bring to pass that peace which all the world longs for. "

President Gordon B. Hinckley on Larry King Live.

my life is so hard... except not really

That's right, I had a bad day today. I don't even want to go into the details of the day because I am SO over it so I'll just leave it at that. 

But even if I did list out each reason of why I thought it was a bad day, most of you would tell me to get over myself and quit being a sissy 'cause life could be a LOT worse. So I'm going to go work on that now. 

The ironic thing is that the part of my day that I should legitimately be able to complain about didn't really phase me. (I'll credit that to Regan's purely glass-half-full mentality.)  At nearly the end of my bad day Regan called me to say that his car was broken down. Not only was I not even surprised but I wasn't frantic either, like perhaps I had good excuse to be. We got it towed and we'll figure out the rest tomorrow. 

The silver lining of this all is that I realized that every once in a while I might just have a rotten day, I'll get in a good cry (maybe go get a diet coke), and then I'll know that the day has to end at some point and that things are bound to look up tomorrow. 

So here is to a brighter tomorrow. I'll drink to that.

when the cat's away...

...the mouse goes to work parties stag.

When I was a Jr. in high school I was all alone one day, it was a school holiday and my parents were out of town or something (it should be quite obvious by now that I have a failing memory) but I was really excited because I decided to go to a movie. Alone. The movie was lame, and I was the only one in the theater but it was one of the most exciting things for me. I don't know how to explain it, I'm sure it sounds crazy.

Anyway, the point of that tangent was that Regan was double-booked with work/school stuff tonight so I braved going to my work party sans my better half. Aren't I a brave little toaster? I actually was a little nervous; I don't go to many functions like that alone. Even before I was married I usually dragged a roommate/friend to any social event I wanted to go to. It was kinda weird to go alone but I'm kinda geeky and I like to do stuff by myself every once in a while. It makes me feel independent and empowered. Or something. And, I genuinely had a good time socializing outside of the 9-5. AND there was an open bar which is totally awesome. Haha, just kidding! But I think could have filled my tank with amount of diet coke I drank. Which might explain why it's almost 12:45 am and I'm still twitching.

And in case you are wondering, Wake Wives was fun too. We met at Kernal Kustards, (place in town that sells gourmet popcorn and custard. Creative, huh?) and it was fun to catch up with some of the girls I haven't seen since school let out and meet some of the new wives.

And since I'm giving you a blow by blow of my life, I also went to costco. I bought milk, bread, and a watermelon (but not spinach because it was on the outs). Is TMI a side effect of too much caffeine?

As my niece, Leo, would say, "I'm out."

baby cash

Reg and I drove to Charlotte yesterday to go to my cousin's baby's blessing. Stephanie and Chip's baby, Cash, was too cute in his little white suit with matching blue cummerbund and tie. We thought Charlotte was beautiful, I'm glad we finally made it down to see where they live.

It was fun to get to see my favorite girls while we were there, even if it was just for a few hours. Bonus: We scored some Trader Joe's green salsa (best EVER). Gracias Chels for stocking us up.

Congrats Chip and Stephanie!

p.s. completely off the topic, BUT does anyone think i should get bangs? this picture makes me think i should try it. my neighbor/friend/hair dresser has said that i should but i'm such a chicken! i've gone as far as pinning my hair to try and visualive it... but still, i'm gutless. i'm almost positive that as soon as i do it i will regret it. i'll probably just continue talking about it for the next few months (like i have for the past few months) and then still not do it.

ok, I'm done

And now we can talk about it. I'll just say that I liked this MUCH MUCH more than the previous three. I thought the ending was a little too perfect, but I still really enjoyed it. I no longer hate Bella and I will finally admit that I'm glad that Bella chose Edward over Jacob.

Wishing I had some other good book to go home to tonight... oh well. At least, I have Wake Wives!

best day of my week

And not just because it's Friday. That's nice and all but add a fabulous/easy lunch on a Friday and you've got a winning combination.

Earlier this week I rekindled my love affair with my george foreman. I am as shocked as the next guy. I didn't foresee pulling that thing out for a LONG time. I bought it during my sophomore year at BYU when I was first starting to really cook for myself everyday (or every other day. or every other other day.) Then I got burned out on it because is a PAIN to clean. And I'm lazy. (Suz: Former live former life!) Regan can attest to the fact that I am anti hand washing things; I like to put EVERYthing in the dishwasher. 

But this week, Regan and I have been making homemade panini* and as you can imagine, I am totally smitten. (With the sandwiches.) A few times we have used some fancy bread from Fresh Market but really even my regular wheat bread from Costco does the trick. They are so easy to make and clean-up. I couldn't ask for more. I know its not a novel idea but you know how I hate always trying to come up with meal plans.

Here's my Equation:

A thin layer of Classico pesto sauce on one slice of bread

+ a handful of spinach

+ two slices of tomato (yes, I'm even having the tomatoes)

+a sprinkling of grated cheese

+ shredded chicken (if its a fancy night) or deli sliced lunch meat (on a regular day)

= Heaven. 

I'm a simple girl. If you couldn't tell, it really doesn't take that much to make me happy.

*Btw, I just learned from wikipedia that panini is the plural form of the word. Singular form: panino.  Huh. I never knew.

Drill Baby Drill

I didn't watch the whole Republican National Convention last night. Shame on me, I know. I was lame and reading Breaking Dawn. (I just started it so don't post any comments PLEASE. I was shocked when the library sent me a notice that my time on the waiting list was up. I guess it's the demographic of my county. The people here just aren't quite as excited about vampire love as the rest of us.) But I did catch the end of the convention which I assume was the most important part. 

And I was really excited by Palin's speech. (Although, maybe not as much as my brother or this guy. ) I thought her delivery was excellent and the content substantial. 

Even though I liked her sassy jabs at Obama, my favorite part of the entire night was when camera cut to a shot of Palin's family and there was cute, little Piper Palin licking her palm and smoothing her baby brother's wispies. Hysterical. Oh, and Cindy is just looking so classy these days, don't you think?

And does anyone else wish you could just do this when people start spouting off stuff you don't want to listen to? 

All in all it was excellent and I am really geared up to support this election. I credit that to Palin. Drill Baby Drill! (Btw, have I mentioned that I met McCain back when I was campaigning in Vegas in 2004? Just thought I'd toot my own horn.) 

my designs on a dime

Here are a few of the projects that I was working on while Regan was in UT a few weeks ago. I think I am most proud of the wall art... done by yours truly (with a little help from my equally talented spouse.) In retrospect, computer paper really isn't the best medium for water color paintings but whatever. It works. I probably shouldn't tell this but I love a good deal too much not to: I got all four frames for $2. Amazing. We actually did the paintings one day while we were in Richmond and I had a need for releasing some creative energy.

I can remember when I was in HS I used to get to the point where I felt like I just *NEEDED* to craft something. I don't really get those same urges as often these days... I like to blame it on all that cooking I do. Haha. Sometimes I really like to get those creative juices flowing but somehow the monotony of "what should I make for dinner?" annihilates the urge. I guess I didn't do as much cooking, or thinking about cooking, while I was in RIC because one day I had the urge to paint these beauties. I've affectionately named the grouping Big Poppy: (these hang in our hall bath)

(And I realize that the paintings look a little crooked in this picture, but they are not. It's your eyes. You should really get that checked out. Also, if you aren't impressed with my artistic abilities- shame on you. I'll blame it on my camera quality.)

ANYWAY, I also stained this table that I made my junior year of high school. I found it in my parents attic while we were living with them for the summer. My conversation with Regan went some thing like this*:

Me: Oh, look at this table! I think I made it.

Regan: Really?

Me: I think I did. I kind of don't remember but I think I made it in high school.

Regan: Wow.

Me: No, Regan, I think I actually made this! I mean, who else would have made it? I think it was my final project in wood shop. No, I remember now. I did make it! But I never finished staining it because I thought that I might want to paint it red and then I was afraid of painting it red and hating it. This is MY table!

Regan: This is really good. I can't believe you made it. (Then he really checked it out... you know like tapping on it and stuff.)

Me: I know! It was a lot of hard work, but I did it. I am so awesome. This table is awesome. And now we can have a coffee table. For free!

And there you have it. We weren't really looking for a coffee table. And I don't even really love oak. But when you realize that you forgot that you even made a table and then you stumble across it in your parent's attic and remember that it was in your car when you got pulled over for having expired tags on your car (so it should definitely fit on the slightly larger car that you drive now)... you don't really have much of a choice.

*Obviously, when a girl can barely remember that she made something totally awesome and useful--she's not going to remember something small like the actual details of a conversation that took place about that totally awesome and useful thing. But I think I captured the mood of the discourse pretty well.

I'm a little bummed that I forgot to take the before picture my table sans all the stain and finish... but c'est la vie. Now if I can just resist the urge to put my feet on it.