Feeling Festive

It's finally feeling like holiday central. Friday night was finish all Christmas shopping once and for all. (I was super proud of myself until I realized Christmas is next week and I had come nowhere near close to my goal of finishing before Dec. 1.)

Saturday night was my company holiday party at this nice little patio bistro. It was so fun to meet all the significant others and pity dates. I saw a new side of everyone which was so refreshing. I wore my new berry-bunch earrings with a mulberry top and brown skirt. (Also the same night as the ward Christmas party where Adam would have had to play Santa Clause. Ho, ho, ho!)

Sunday was finish wrapping all Christmas presents and shove them in the corner under our lamp, which acts as this year's Christmas tree. (I have no qualms about having zero decorations in my house. That will come in due time. Besides, it's never really Christmas in California. No snow = no Christmas.) Sunday night was also dinner at a friend's and gingerbread party at our house!

(Here's Adam opening Aunt Karen's generous gift the other day. Thanks Aunt Karen, aka Devoted Warehouse Blog Reader)Here's our gingerbread house. Adam built the foundation. I topped it with a fish sky roof and made a pathway paved with chocolate. We call this "Born Again Christian House."
Proud owners of "Born Again Christian House." Will you take a look at the Frank Lloyd Wright-inspired graham cracker fountain on the left? Zoom in close if you have to. It is worth a look. Also featuring a backyard of pop rocks.The Heinrichs come to us with extensive experience in gingerbread house making. Ariana made a purple pool out of laffy taffy and a tree from licorice. Christian's house is mostly just see-through. But the fact that it is still standing means everything.

The Neves made "Dream Trailer." We made up a song about it and sang it. It's to the tune of "My Buddy." Sing along if you want: "Dream Trailer, Dream Trailer. Wherever I go...Yoooou go. Dream Trailer, Dream Trailer...where the real estate....depreciates. Dream Trailer, Dream Trailer. Dream Trailer and me! DREAM TRAILER!!!" Such an awesome song.

Merry Christmas, everyone! Next time, pictures from a place where real Christmas happens - aka LOTS of snow!

Angry Charity

Tonight was visting teaching double duty. I visit taught and got visit taught. All in under an hour. Ever been done? I think not. But it was brilliant. And it didn't make me angry at all.

Last night, however, was a different story. I planned to make poppy seed bread for all the co-workers. Mostly Adam's co-workers because I'm sticking to my one secret Santa. I bought the poppy seeds at Food4Less for $1. I got home. No poppy seeds. I KNOW I bought poppy seeds. I looked everywhere and then re-looked everywhere. No poppy seeds. Nowhere in tarnation are the poppy seeds. At this point I am thinking about all alternative recipes that would look nice as a little loaf with tissue paper on top. I bought the wrong butter for lemon bread. In fact I bought the wrong butter for everything. And spaghetti likely wouldn't hold its shape.

At this point I am whining very much because I will do anything at all times and in all places to avoid going to the grocery store. Especially when I am wearing my blue bathrobe with blue slippers and black work socks and am feeling oh-so cozy. But the crap clouds just dumped down upon me and I switched my bathrobe for my yellow jacket. Now I am a sporty-yellow jacketed, blue girls camp t-shirted, plaid pj panted, blue granny slippered, black work socked angered do-gooder. All I wanted to do was make bread for people and now I want to hurt those people.

So I went to the super close, super expensive store that eeks me out everytime. Not because of the luxurious beauty that is wide aisles and flattering lighting, but because of the ludicrous prices. A little place called Albertson's. Where the poppy seeds cost $5. Seriously. Same bottle, different brand, jacked up price.

I came angry, I left angry. And went home and made some pretty amazing poppy seed bread. But I was still angry. And that's when I read the visiting teaching message which I had to preach today. Charity. Pure love. Not just acts but a state of being. I am so far from it but there is hope because little acts add up to being. Get it? I don't got it, but maybe if I make some more poppy seed bread...

Wild Pie

A few recommendations of media goodness. It was only 5 days ago that I realized I could watch DVDs on Adam's laptop while he studied for the CPA on our desktop. Where have I BEEN? All these months of entertaining myself with cooking, baking, laundry, reading, blogging, and walking the streets aimlessly while he's slaving for our future. And all this time I could have been watching chick flicks?! Now I'm annoyed that he'll be done in a few months.

Anyway, here's the first flick I watched. Waitress. SO worthwhile. Makes you thankful for your husband who slaves for your future and doesn't slobber. A strange twist after the movie was finished makes it all the more fascinating and moving. Its director (who plays Dawn in the movie) was murdered after she finished filming it. No, not in the movie. In real life. I remember reading about it last year. Very tragic and truly sad, kind of like the movie, but without a second chance... This is a movie I did not watch but really, really want to. I read the book instead and it was almost life altering. I tried to buck the system while I was in the throes of page-turning, but I couldn't really quit work, don't want to leave my husband and can't carry a 40 lb pack. I also have no tolerance for the cold and buses don't have seatbelts so there's no way I'd feel safe out there. But I like the kid's bad attitude and his distaste for materialism. I'm with him there. The book also cites some really interesting side stories of people like Chris McCandless who try to live off the land, using nothing manmade ever. One man does it for years and years and years and finally declares, "It can't be done." Poignant.

Anyway, I recommend both of these. I kind of like the idea of them mixed together. Adventure in the Wild But Forgot A Map so I Die Pie.

Thanksgiving Roundup

Few families love a day chock full of food more than the Hullingers so I was delighted that they came to my house for Thanksgiving so I could be the sole ringleader of stuffing face. Being in charge of the turkey made me so giddy I could hardly sleep on Thanksgiving Eve. I even got up in the middle of the night to check on its little (big) brining body in my cooler and add a bit of ice. For my brine recipe, go here. It turned out yummy. Here's Adam getting the bird ready for its bath. And here it is 4 hours and 1 hot over later, meat just falling off the bone. That's the sign of a good brine.

Owen watching The Office on Thanksgiving morn. Laughing burns pesky calories that stand in the way of eating more turkey.

Dad spearheaded the roll making the night before.

Mom sings Over the River and Through the Woods as the rolls come out of the oven.The boys, whose place was unfortunately near the kitchen, set the table which consisted of our desk + table. Wrapping paper makes a cheap table cloth.Sitting down. Almost ready to chow. Mom couldn't resist bringing Tom the Turkey and putting him at the head of the table.

Friday, after we'd slept it all off, we ventured to Corona Del Mar.

The boys snorkeled while Mom, Dad and I poked around poking sea anenomes.

Owen put his wetsuit on inside out. Silly.

Allen, Mark and Owen face the sun. Something they haven't done in awhile.

Owen went through the temple for the first time (pics below) and afterwards we ate at a ribs joint. We were in our Sundee best so we all wore these great bibs.

This is all out of order, but we went to Laguna Beach on Saturday evening. Just in time to see a cloudy sunset and walk thru all the cute little galleries.

Gelato! Mmmmmmmmmmm. As if I hadn't already eaten my body weight in turkey.

Here's the temple day. It was fabbbb. Adam and me.

Owen cheesing it up like I told him to. The Boy will do anything I say.

That's it folks. It was such a great weekend. Thanks for coming fam!

My First Successful Solo Sewing Project That Five People Helped Me With

Ta dah!! You'd think that a person with a sewing ICON for a mother would know how to sew a few things on her own. Nope! It is only now that I have a) had the interest and b) learned anything about cutting out a pattern and running a sewing machine. Ariana and I sewed these aprons during about three hours of Enrichment (while everyone else was stuffing their faces and making ornaments) and finished them up at her house. She knew what she was doing and performed every seam flawlessly. I had to ask anyone who walked by my machine what the heck to do about the dysfunctioning bobbin (hey, at least I know my lingo) and then sewed my pocket on about four times cuz it kept flopping off, with special attention on the corners over which I sewed forward and reverse a few good times. OH and I cut my hair. With me it just doesn't stop. This is the shot right after the tryst at Paul Mitchell School (I always get a good adrenaline rush going there - who KNOWS what they'll come up with - I love the surprise after gripping the chair arms for four hours). As you can see, it's blown dry (first of many hair no-nos for me), smoothed and spiked perfectly.

This is how I do my hair. I prefer the ruffled, towel-dried look. Spikes are welcome and I'm also digging my burns. This hairdo takes 45 seconds. Heather says I have found my hairstyle for the next 40 years. I'm kind of offended by that.

Onto other things. Is it too late to talk about Halloween? Good. I hate the holiday although I grew up in a morgue where everyday was spooky so it's practically in my blood. But I did want to post just a little.

First off, I wanted to share something new and exciting in the world of cupcakes. So there I was, Halloween eve, searching high and low for cupcake cups. Sold out. Nearby were these mini cups. I blew them off all angry like cuz I don't have mini cupcake pans. But a closer look revealed that you didn't NEED mini cupcake pans. All you do is put a bunch of these little guys on a cookie sheet and they hold themselves up. And they turn out cuter than ever because they're mini. And you eat more than usual cuz they're mini. I baked up the little darlins and took a bunch to work the next day, just like I had planned. Who needs the other cups? I won't support them. And neither will my pans.

Halloweens past were fun. Here are a few gems: Ricks College. Bed Head Betty and Bead Head Bess. All that's needed: bathrobes, a raspy voice, lipstick, bad blush, hairspray.

Also Ricks College, mmm, actually this year it was BYU-I. Lunch Ladies. All that's needed: wigs and hair nets from mom, aprons, nametags (I was Flo), bad makeup again, kitchen items, a singing voice for singing: "Hoagies and grinders, hoagies and grinders. Navy beans, navy beans, navy beans."

The Boy Goes to India

My little brother, Owen, aka The Boy, just got his mission call yesterday to go to India!! Are you kidding me?? It was only recently that I knew LDS missionaries were even IN India. Bangalore, India is the mission, which encompasses all of India. Except word has it they're opening a New Delhi mission. Seriously, somebody tell me how long missionaries have been in India.

PS - We call him The Boy because he is just that. THE boy. Boy Prodigy, Boy Genius, Boy Wonder, Boy Wizard. Boy Musician, Boy Mathematician, Boy Speller, Boy Fashion. Think of anything in the world and The Boy is it.

Congrats Boy Elder!!

Choo Choo Ca Choo

Drop everything you're doing and go see Across the Universe. I never liked the Beatles and after seeing this I still don't like the Beatles - I just like their music with someone else singing it and this movie breathed new life and interpretation into their tired, overplayed songs. I even like "I am the Walrus" even though walrus and eggman are two words that shouldn't be put together in any chorus from now on.

My Favorite Holiday Scent aka Butter

I LOVE Bath and Body Works Vanilla Bean Noel. I put some on the other day when I passed the shop and Adam called it Butter. So whatever you want to call it, even if it smells like food and makes you crave cinnamon rolls and hot cross buns and monkey bread and apple pie and butter, it still puts me right in a holiday mood.

They Rocked

We had a great trip to Denver over the weekend and although we never got tickets to the game, we went downtown and took it all in as if we were really going. It was so fun. There was that good old fashioned happy feeling in the air. The feeling that says I am a true blue fan of my team, come rain or shine. And then it rained. And we had to rethink a few things.

Another Day of Smoke

This is what the sky looked like outside my apartment at 6:30 am. This has been the worst smoke cover yet - I woke up with a sore throat and our bedroom smelled like someone had built a campfire in our closet. This was what the sky looked like at 7:30 am on my way to work.

This is the 8 am view of the sky just across from my office.

Here's the sky at 6:30 pm, when I got home from work.

Here's a little drive-by-smoking for ya.


An eerie night just in time for Halloween!


And here's the countertop in my house at 6:45 pm. Adam made the most delicious dinner! MMMMMMMMMM.

Ruffles

Never thought I'd be putting ruffles on my wall. But then ruffles and I fell in love. Although I can't help but think of little girl ruffle bum panties every time I look at my wall. That's a little distracting. This whole framing fabric thing is still....I don't know. It feels incomplete. I like it because it's simple and cheap and interesting. But I feel like there needs to be a mirror or a picture within the frame. What do you think?

The pictures along the bottom are still a work in process. And that lovely Martha Stewart bowl (deep footed compote) I was so excited about that you see on my table - well, I went to TJ Maxx last night and found two MUCH cooler pedestal bowls and I could get them both for the price of the M. Stewart one. Sometimes I am just hypnotised by the Martha brand. She's so clean and crisp and photobrushed in every picture. We share the same name and sometimes I think I am her. But really, let's face it, a woman who crochets ponchos in prison is not to be trusted.