Love this!

Love this cake pan! I don't have to worry about getting the frosting even around the cake - just stuff it in between the cake layers - done and done.

Random Musings

When you get home from work in the evening, may you never find that your roommate's boyfriend is the only one home. Taking a shower. Because even though he's perfectly nice, your only thought is that it's just you and a naked man in the house.

Secondly, I am over the whole "green movement."  Which is very unfortunate, because I'm quite fond of green the color.  I recycle, I don't litter, but sometimes I want to carry my groceries home in a plastic bag or drink my water out of a plastic bottle, when I will then throw away. Are we getting a little carried away when there are things like world hunger, an economic crisis, and a cure for cancer to worry about?  

Driving home from ward temple night last week, I heard a light tapping on my windshield and spied a little paper stuck under my windshield. Look at the little treat someone left me:

The note says "You were a real 'lifesaver' today! Thank you for your service in the temple."  Thank YOU, whichever youth group did this!  Next time, though, I prefer and orange or red lifesaver.  Green = yucky.

Also, there's a good chance I talked about naked men AND the temple in the same blog post.  

8 is Great

Kristen and I were two single gals on the loose last night. Kristen suggested going to dinner and a movie. I usually can't make the 7:00 hour show since I never know what time I will leave work - and the 9:00 hour is too late to watch the movie on a schoolnight. Lo and behold the lovely Union Park theaters had an 8:00 hour showing, which is perfect! I don't know why more movies can't show at this time. It's the perfect schedule to come home, have some dinner and then head over to the movie - still getting out before it's really late (yes, I'm getting old). It was a delight . . . and I must admit that Zac Efron is pretty foxy!

Happy B"Earth"day Melinda!

In honor of Melinda's big day, Kristen and I are doing a virtual balloon for her with some of the qualities that we love about her. In our family, our cute parents always make a special balloon that has each letter of our name with a corresponding quality for our birthdays. It's always fun to see what we get . . . so here goes:

Memory - Melinda has an iron-clad memory. Some things we would like to forget, but if we ever need to remember something, we tell Melinda.

Ebullient - Isn't that a fun word? It means lively and entertaining, which Melinda is. She likes to laugh and have fun. When something really cracks her up, she can get on a roll laughing and doesn't stop.

Lucky - Reference how she got tickets to Wicked. A few years ago, we took a little trip to Wendover, and she did so well on the Wheel of Fortune that it paid for our fancy dinner. And she's pretty lucky to have such great sisters, right Kristen.

Interested in lots of things, including pop culture trivia. She can tell you anything about celebrities, who has recently died and who is dating whom.

Native American - Mom always disagreed with this and swears that she delivered Melinda herself, but somehow Melinda has a darker complexion where she can tan easily and stays tan for a long period of time. In fact, I'm sure she is lounging by a pool right now working on this.

Dependable - This quality is very much appreciated. I can always count on Melinda to come through with anything. If my car has died on me and I'm in Saratoga and she is in Sandy, she will come and get me. If I need help pulling off an activity for church, she is right there helping me with the details.

Aunt - Melinda is a great aunt to her nieces and nephews. She loves to spend time and to play with them.
For these reasons and so many more, we love having Melinda in our life. And, in true Melinda fashion, she has jetted off to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico for birthday week. We hope she's having a fabulous time and can't wait to hear all about it.

Half Marathon Report

Melinda and I ran the Salt Lake half marathon for the second time on Saturday. It was prettymuch the same as last year (see Melinda's recap and my recap for details). Except for a few key differences:

We were faster (barely)

We figured out a key to the huge port-a-potty lines: use the actual restrooms at the Gateway BEFORE you take TRAX up to the starting line. The bathrooms were deserted, and we no longer had to spend the entire time at the start wondering if we were going to get through the line in time for the race to start. 

• There was unfortunately no woman with castanets this year on Foothill Boulevard.  But our memories of her live on.
  

One thing that hasn't changed?  The pain!  Even the simplest of tasks, such as walking, were difficult on Saturday.  As Julie would say, "Why is that fun?"  Maybe because the feeling of running into the Gateway with people on both sides cheering you on as you cross the finish line is second to none.  I'll let you know for sure once the pain subsides.

My Sympathies

Dear Rashida Jones,
I'm sorry you're stuck in the boring wasteland that is Parks and Recreation. You probably thought at the time that it was a good idea.  I did too.  Which is why I've tried (and failed) - twice - to watch an episode in its entirety.  I would be sorry for Amy Poehler, too, but she helped create that mess. Here's hoping you land a show that helps you meet the kind of Office potential we all know you have!

From, 

A Fan

Dear Woman in Denim,

I'm sorry you were stuck in this picture that appeared in the Salt Lake Tribune.  You clearly had no idea you would be featured in an article about dining choices for prom-goers.  If you knew, you probably would've worn something else, like your tiara (or fedora).  I'm also sorry the Tribune has apparently laid off everyone on their staff who knows how to crop a photograph.  

From, 

A Friend 

Ode to the Newspaper

We Birds have always loved reading the newspaper.  Other people think this is weird.  I think those people are weird.  I think it goes along with the Bird mindset that we "like to know stuff." Even though I don't get the newspaper now, I still read it online and whenever I go home to Dad's it's the first thing I go for.  Reading an actual newspaper is so much better than reading it online!  Consider:

• The kind editors of the newspaper have prioritized my news for me.  The biggest thing on the page is the most important, and the stuff in the middle can easily be skipped.
• It's easy to scan the page and figure out what I do/don't want to read instead of clicking on a bunch of little tabs and trying to figure it out based on a 5-word headline.
• I have a set routine in the order in which I read the newspaper.  I know exactly what to expect when, for example, I turn to the back page of the C section (Scott D. Pierce's TV column, whose opinion of TV is very similar to mine.  Scott D. Pierce, I value your advice!).
• Two words: Crossword puzzle.  Sunday ads.  Dear Abby!!! Movie times.  Comic strips (If you haven't read "Pickles," you're missing out).
  
• Is there anything better - I ask you - than getting the paper on Thanksgiving Day and going through all the ads for Black Friday??

I am also really loving the Mormon Times the Deseret News publishes. I've always felt a little guilty that I don't love the Church News that's published on Saturdays. The Mormon Times is way more up my alley with tons of human interest stories and opinion pieces.  

What newspaper or newspaper features are your favorite?

Right Now . . .

Right now. . .

I am not loving . . .
. . . Songs on the radio that they are overplayed . . . such as Kelly Clarkson, "My Life Would Suck Without You" and anything by Lady Gaga!

. . . Adam Lambert on American Idol. I just don't get it.

. . . Cold winter weather! Check out the view from my kitchen window earlier this week. I can't wait for some solid sunshine and warmth.


I am definitely loving . . .
. . . The new Nick Lachey song, "Patience" and David Cook's "Come Back to Me"

. . . Costco runs with fun new products that I "must have".

. . . Seeing my young women make baby steps with Personal Progress. Today I had a girl who has some challenges come up to me to get one signed off that she had been working on for a while. Love it!

. . . Fun times with our family.

. . . My new 3-hour church shoes

YW Project

I'm pretty excited about this little project that I've been working on for Young Women's. It's always a challenge getting the room ready right after Sunday School. A month or so ago, another YW leader showed me an idea for a display that anothe ward created that we saw in the hall with the storage closets. We thought it was brilliant and asked if we could use the idea and she happily obliged. We asked one of the Young Men leaders who owns a cabinet shop if he could take the idea and make something a little more sturdy out of wood and lo and behold we have this little beauty with handles! I love nothing better than finding places to put vinyl lettering . . . so with that and some carefully chosen pictures (I'm addicted to everything by Michelle Shirley). . . this will be prominently displayed at the front of the YW room as we start Opening Exercises. It's the little things that get me all excited!

For the First Time, I Feel Wicked!

"You've got to know when to hold 'em, know when to fold 'em. Know when to walk away, know when to run..."--Kenny Rogers, The Gambler.

I've never had much luck at gambling. When I was 21, I did win $300 on the Wheel of Fortune slot machine in beautiful Wendover, but ever since then, the most I've ever won is maybe $57. I am also one of the last nine or so people on the planet who has not seen Wicked yet. And I have been dying to go! So imagine my delight when I heard that it was coming to Salt Lake. I had been saving my pennies, and was so excited to buy my tickets. Well wouldn't you know it, by the time I went to buy my tickets, they were all sold out. And I couldn't bring myself to sell one of my kidneys to buy a pair off of Ebay. This has been my luck since that elusive golden night in Wendover.

But that all changed tonight. Kristen and I had heard that there was a ticket lottery before every performance. The deal is that you show up two hours before the show and put your name in one of those spinning drums (which I love), and if they pull your name out, you get one of 10 pairs of tickets for the bargain basement price of $25. So we thought it would be fun to try our luck at said lottery, and if it didn't work out, we were pretty excited to have dinner at Benihana. With all of the lovely snow today, we were hoping that some of our competitors would drop out, but there was a sea of people. I swear it was about 300 people, but Kristen has informed me that my guess is too high. For the sake of this story, it was between 300-1000 people. Anyhoo, our odds were slim to none. They start calling out the winners, and I decide that I am going to put "The Secret" to the test. Normally, I think this is kind of a crock, but we needed all the help we could get. Because Oprah says that if you believe in something, it will happen. They call the first nine winners, and it's not us. There is one golden pair of tickets left, I'm working all of the Secret magic I can, and sure enough, they call my name! I felt like Charlie from the Chocolate Factory winning my golden ticket. And we were on row G!




And I tell you what, that show was A-mazing. Kristen and I even broke our rule of not giving a standing ovation, it was so good! Seriously the best $25 I've ever spent! Oprah, I will never doubt you and your crazy ideas again, because they work! So if you're near the Capitol Theater around 5:30 for the next 3 weeks, use the Secret and win yourself some lottery tickets!

I Will Survive

It's been established that I live a little further away . . . in what I consider to be about as far as China. What constitutes living in China is the need to drive 7 miles to a grocery store or a gas station. After last year's fateful snowstorm of February 13th and then subsequent flooding a few weeks later, I have been considering what I would do if I were stuck in this little city by the lake. I don't keep a lot of food here (refer to my posts on tuna and love of Easy Mac and you get the idea), so I've been scoping out my neighborhood to see what resources are nearby. Some of my cute little young women have a whole basement of food storage that their family has been working on and they inform me that I'm invited over. And yet another neighbor lives on several acres with a water well in addition to her year's supply of food and she has also invited me to come over should the need arise. Another yummy viable option that I discovered in our sales meeting on Monday is through the the company Daily Bread!

One of the incentives to buy a lovely new Fieldstone home is free food storage through the company Daily Bread. Before we can talk about the product, we needed to give it a try to see what we were offering. I must confess that I have never been too excited about food storage. It always involved tons and tons of wheat that filled our basement, which we never did use before it went bad. And what exactly do you do if you just have the wheat? Now you need a wheat grinder and other ingredients to make something out of said wheat. I have been to plenty of Relief Society Enrichment Nights - and have even planned some myself - where we share recipes that you can make with food storage. I must admit that I would have to be pretty desperate to make any of these food storage delicacies. I don't think that powdered milk will ever be appealing . . . I need to start stocking my basement up with 12-packs of Coke. . . just in case. However, my opinion totally changed when we got to try the yummy options from Daily Bread. We were all admittedly pretty skeptical . . . but after adding a cup of water and waiting 8 minutes we got to try Beef Stroganoff, Chicken Teriyaki and Lasagne and I must say that they were delicious. Not just good, but way better than the regular meals I have during the week. The lasagne was totally my favorite! And the best part is that you don't have to figure out what to make with it - like the wheat - you just add water and a complete meal is ready to go. Not to mention that it's good for 25 years! A years supply for little old me will even fit nicely under a bed. Forget storing for an emergency, this could fill my current pantry. I'm all excited . . . and just have to figure out how to get me some . . . without buying another house!

Look What I Got...

For the average person, this is not a big deal. But this gal has not owned one of these since I was 8 years old. May I present to you...

My library card! Do I look smarter? I had to show myself holding it so that you all knew it was mine! Hopefully now this will prove that a) I can actually read, and 2) I can actually read. Although it was weird to get big girl books without pictures, and books that weren't Us Weekly.

And boy howdy, has the library changed since I was a wee lass! There are computers everywhere! I kind of miss the card catalog though; is that bad? And it was a little weird that a 5 year old had to show me how to check out, but whatever. I'm smart now! So now I'm hoping that Kristen and I can have meaningful conversations about books and stuff!

I'm a Big Softie

I'm sure many of you have seen this clip on YouTube, but for those of you who haven't:

This clip is from Britain's Got Talent, and the woman singing is 47, an "aspiring singer," lives alone with a cat, and has never been kissed. Everyone's laughing at her - and then she blows everyone away. The Brits and generally a bit more cynical than we Americans, but I love Simon's smile at around 1:30, I love the cheers she gets at the end, and how she just walks offstage, and I love how excited she is at the judges' comments. If you don't come away with a little tug at your heart, you are officially dead inside!

Susan Boyle Sings on Britain's Got Talent 2009 Episode 1 @ Yahoo! Video

Two Things I Love Right Now

Mini shopping carts. These little troopers are perfect for the single shopper. I'm thrilled to have a choice other than lugging around a basket on my arm and getting a huge cart. These carts are the perfect size for a few things plus a gallon of milk. Not only that, but they're incredibly agile and can zig and zag through shoppers and other grocery obstacles with ease.




This yogurt. Stoneyfield Farms makes a fat-free chocolate yogurt that I simply adore. I have tried other chocolate yogurts hoping they'll be good (they're not). This one is the sole exception. It's a little more pricey than regular yogurts, but I usually find myself with two or three in my cart every time I go to the store. It's also organic, if you care about that sort of thing (and let's be honest, I don't).



These trees. I'm not sure what they're called (cherry blossom trees, maybe?) they smell amazing. As I was finishing my run today I caught a whiff of one of these trees from the house across from me and I remembered my street growing up. Almost every house along our street had these, and so in the springtime you'd see all these pink blossoms everywhere in front of every house. I love spring! (now if the weather would cooperate...)

Easter Date

Dear Mr. Cadbury Creme Egg:

You and I have a date this Easter.  I've loved you since I was a child.  I know I have been playing hard to get when I've seen you in the grocery store aisles these last few weeks.  But you're always in a four-pack with your friends.  I just want one of you.  Even today at the store I resisted you, though your call was stronger than ever.  But this Easter Sunday, I'm going to peel off your colorful foil wrapper and eat you - slowly, so as to savor your faux-yolk filling.  And then I'll see you next year.

Until 2010,

Kristen

This is For You, Kristen!

Imagine my delight when I spied this license plate on my way home today. I had to chase after him like a crazy person in rush hour traffic, and I'm sure the driver thought he was on Cops after I finally caught up to him and then took his picture, but all of that was a small price to pay my friends. This is why I always have my camera with me!

I Heart Squeezables

Something easy that I always have in my pantry is tuna fish for those nights after work when that's about all I can muster. I love tuna fish with the tangy zip of Miracle Whip, mustard and relish . . . yum! However, when I'm making this fancy treat, I start by dipping my fork in the creamy salad dressing to get enough to put on the tuna, but then my fork is dirty and I can't possibly put it in the mustard and get that dirty. So I have to get a new fork. Then I have to dip in the relish and can't possibly use the mustardy or the Miracle Whippy (my own word) fork . . . and . . . well, you get the idea. One of my favorite inventions is the brilliant squeeze bottle. Now I can make this delight without dirtying several utensils. Bring on the crackers!!

I'm Too Old for This...Stuff!

I am an old woman.  Or at least I feel like one oftimes when I go to FHE in my singles ward.  The intent of Family Home Evenings are to spend time with your families, have a lesson, a song, etc.  But we singles have to use FHE as another way to meet and get to know each other.  Because I am single, I'm forced to participate in the same activities I was doing when I was in Mutual...almost 10 years ago.  

Take tonight.  In a cryptic email, we were told the activity would be service, and to bring a camera.  My first thought: a service scavenger hunt. But I dismissed this thought quickly.  After all, the ward had just done a photo scavenger hunt (around the wardhouse, while going around with your group in the shape of a train) a couple of weeks ago.  But alas, I should've gone with my first instinct: it WAS a service scavenger hunt, and we had a whole list of suggestions to "serve" and be back in 45 minutes.  By the time our activity was announced, I was trapped in a group and couldn't escape.

Is it service, may I ask, to frighten strangers by appearing 6-strong at their doorstep and ask if you can walk their dog?  Or sew on one of their buttons?  Of the people who answered the door (just four out of maybe fifteen we knocked on), only two actually let us serve them.  Only one let us in their house - and I don't blame them! 

Fact: I am too old for this stuff.  

Until I have children of my own, I am also too old for roller skating (see: the Numb-Knee Incident of 2002 TM), corn mazes, haunted houses, ice blocking, sledding, caroling on a flat-bed trailer, playing air-soft pistols, and playing night games.  

Dancing With the Stars is looking more and more tempting on Monday nights. Go Gilles!!

Au Revoir

The latest victim of our economy: the TGI Friday's at the Cottonwood Mall.  I went there many, many times during my junior high and high school years (that and Chili's - are those the only two places people can agree on, or what?).  The banner on the restaurant says "Thanks for a great 20 years."  What the?  I can't believe it's been 20 years! I remember going there when it first opened.  How old am I???  

Memories aside, I'm really not that torn up about it.  I haven't been to a TGI Friday's in probably a couple of years.  But it got me thinking what restaurants might be next on the chopping block.  

Here are some restaurants I've driven by recently and wondered why they're still open: 

• Souper Salad.  Does anyone eat here?  I guarantee you when my friends OR family are trying to think of a place to eat, Souper Salad is not even on the radar.  And I've never thought the name was quite as clever as they think it is.
• Sconecutter.  The novelty of a sandwich served on a giant scone wears off rather quickly.  Plus, when I think of a scone, I think of the crispy-on-the-outside, soft dough-love on the inside scones that Chuck-a-Rama has perfected (the only thing they've perfected, in my opinion).  I do not think of the dry, room temperature "scones" that Sconecutter serves their sandwiches on.  And there are not one, but TWO locations in the greater Salt Lake Valley!
• Fazoli's.  Apologies to Julie - I had no idea anyone still ate there, and liked it!  In theory, fast food Italian is a great idea.  In reality, it must be trickier than we think.  Case in point: the fact that the only other fast-food Italian place I can think of is Sbarro. 

What about you - any food joints you think might be the next to go?  

PS. Sorry three out of four of our last posts have been food-related.  We just like to eat, okay?

Favorite Eats

I feel like I live in my car going to and from meetings, communities, and my main workplace. With that, I sneak in quick meals while I'm in between . . . not the healthiest thing to do, but it keeps me going. I totally prefer the ease of drive-through . . . heaven forbid I actually get out of my car and wait in a line . . . so places like Cafe' Rio are definitely out. Not only is it hard to get a parking place, but once you are in, it's a Disneyland maze to get your food, then I have to go back out and try to find where my car was parked. These are some of my favorite drive-through meals:

1. Wendy's Oriental Chicken Salad. I used to totally love the one from McDonald's - it came with edamame and a healthier dressing - but once they got rid of that, this is my second favorite. Little packs of crunchy noodles and almonds that I get to put on amongst the chicken, lettuce, mandarin oranges and a delicious Oriental dressing . . . yum!!

2. After early meetings at the office, I am dying of hunger. Forget about waking up a few minutes earlier to actually eat something before I rush out the door. So the easiest thing is a quick run through the McD's drive-through for an Egg McMuffin or a yogurt parfait and the best part of all . . . an Extra Large Regular Coke . . . I'm salivating just typing this. And, I just read an article this week that said that the Egg McMuffin wasn't as bad for you as once thought . . . I'll take it.

3. If I'm working late, I need something at lunchtime that will carry me throughout the day. Often my choice is the Chicken Parmesan from Fazoli's. I also get a side salad to try and balance it out. I can eat half of it and then save the rest for later in the night.
4. My all-time favorite lunch or dinner right now is Subway's $5 footlong subs. I wish they would do this all year long with their sandwiches. This is when I can try different sandwiches without much risk. This came in handy recently when a customer behind me was trying to figure out which sandwich had turkey and bacon. I informed him it was the Subway Melt. For sure I know any sandwich that comes with bacon! When the deal is gone, I often go back to my trusty ham/turkey combo.

What are some of your fast-food favorites.

Classy?

I've written about the dearth of cute furniture in our local stores recently.  I took to the internet today to try and find some good things, and I came across a link for an internet store called "Touch of Class." I was intruiged!  What could be so classy? Click here and find out.

Yep, apparently bird feeders shaped as cats and decorative stair treads are the classy thing nowadays. Seriously, who buys this stuff? It feels straight out of the SkyMall!

PS. I love the SkyMall. Sometimes to mock, but sometimes to wish I had a shower head with 86 pulse settings.