Sugar Overload

While my sister took Josh his doctor's appointment I had my two nieces for the morning. I'm not sure if it's the fact that I'm about to turn 30, or just the fact that they give me an excuse to not care about anything, or just the fact that I have a hard time saying no to bakery treats, but I ate way too many of them on Monday...all before noon. We started out at 8:30 with Branbury Cross Donuts downtown. Lots of them. Then since we were downtown all ready, we stopped by Les Madeleines and got some Kouing Aman for later (Mmmmm if you haven't ever had one of these you should.) But they just started serving beignets too so I had to try some...and I can't go in there without getting some lavender lemonade...and the cupcakes looked so good that we decided to just get one and split it. It was small but weighed at least 9 pounds. After we dropped off my car at the mechanics we walked home stopping at 3 parks along the way where Katrina was nice enough to push me and Kjirsten on the swings.

We were hot from our walk so we had rootbeer popsicles while feeding the horses out back. We were debating going to pick lilacs in the vacant lot when their parents called to see if we wanted to meet them for treats at Kneaders. Even the girls said no thanks we were done with sugar, so they got us all sandwiches... But then we came home and ate more donuts and pastries. Bleeeech. I was sick. I must be getting old for sure because I swear I could handle twice this much sugar before. I think a similar thing happened last time I spent the morning with them. Except that time we started out at Kneaders and worked our way over to Ben and Jerry's...

New Cookie...Wednesday

I used to try a new cookie recipe about once a week and bring them to work. I called it New Cookie Monday and it was fantastic. I'm not sure what happened to make me stop...maybe it was when I stopped working Mondays. Anyway, I was talking to Gina this weekend about my beloved Martha Stewart Cookie Recipe Magazine and thought I should try out some more of the cookies in it. (If you haven't ever heard of why this particular magazine is so precious you really should ask sometime. It's a funny... and kind of mean story) All the recipes in it are now in her cookie cookbook and I would highly recommend it. (HEY! I just looked at it on Amazon and I think the cookies I made are the ones on the cover! Fun!)

So I made the Double Chocolate Cookies and they're pretty good. I'd make them again. Notice in the picture above there are two piles of white in the bowl of cocoa. One is baking soda and the other is salt. Then notice the measuring spoon next to the magazine. It's a teaspoon. The problem is the recipe called for 1/2 a teaspoon of each of these. I realized what I'd done after I stirred everything together. This is usually only my problem when I half recipes. I end up putting the full amount of one ingredient in and mess it all up. So I had no other choice but to then double the recipe. I didn't have enough chocolate to double the chocolate chunks that were supposed to be in them, so they were a little skimpy in that area but otherwise delicious and I had plenty to bring in a few dozen to work today. Everyone liked them. Happy New Cookie Wednesday.

Day Trip to Manti

For the second time in a row Gina and I made plans for a weekend campout, to sleep outside, get some fresh air, get out of the city, drive, test out my new sleeping bag, kidnap Candi, etc. and for the second time in a row we got rained out. I think the entire state of Utah predicted rain that day. There was no escape. Since we still had a Saturday wide open and we'd already been planning for a long drive, we figured we didn't have to cancel that part of the weekend. So instead of camping we took a mini road trip down to Manti to go to the temple. Megan came along and drove (I owe you gas money) and since Maria's skydiving/birthday plans got rained out too, we picked her up on our way through Provo. The rainy spring weather made the drive South extra pretty. The pastures and canyons were misty and green, all the sheep had little lambs running after them in the fields, and there were spring brides swarming all over the temple grounds taking pictures. I still wish we'd been able to go camping, but this was a pleasant alternative.

If you're allergic to cats don't read this post

For any of you who come to my house and leave with an extra layer of fur, I'm sorry, but I want you all to know I'm trying my best. I brushed Lou today with the dethatching brush and this is what I got before she managed to break free. If I didn't brush her this would eventually be floating around the house waiting to attach itself to your pants.Here's a shot of her next to it for perspective. I'm surprised there's a cat left, the pile is as big as her. She's just so fluffy. I was thinking about my new sleeping bag and its fancy "800 loft" and I was wondering what Lou's "loft" is and how warm a sleeping bag stuffed with her fur would be. It packs down almost as well as down does...

In the meantime just try not to wear black when you come over. I do what I can but spring is shedding season.

Too good to pass up

I wasn't going to post this picture, but it was just too good to pass up. Jake had to shave his beard off and as every guy ever does when he shaves off a beard, he did it in stages. It was long so it was extra fun and this was stage one. It was actually the only stage I saw. It lasted about 3 days like this and funny enough it was what he looked like when he met my sister and her family for the first time. I tried to warn them, but nothing can prepare you for something like this. I think my nieces liked it though and they were trying to make him on their Woolly Willy. Although I really liked the beard and was getting used to the stash, he looks very nice clean shaven.

Candy and Imagination

I don't think there's anything better for kids than candy and imagination. Do you really need to teach kids to enjoy candy? No of course not what a stupid question. The same goes for imagination. But these days with sports teams, video games, and organic foods and all that other healthy business you might have to do a little coaxing to help them really understand how fun both of these things are. And if you want them to enjoy candy as much as I enjoy candy then yes, believe it or not, there needs to be a little training involved... (including how to get Nerds out. What is Jacob doing with his finger in the box???)

Most of you know my house was robbed last December. I've been slow to replace anything, including my TV and any of the gaming systems I had. They used to be what occupied my nieces and nephews when they came over to my house. So since then they've had to resort to old fashion imagination types of fun. This weekend it came down to playing in boxes. At first I saw them crawling in this box and rolling around while the others just kicked them which didn't look so fun but luckily that didn't last long. Then I saw these two climbing the stairs like this. What an accident waiting to happen! So I distracted them with candy. These two are well on their way to developing as many cavities as their Aunt Katie. I was so proud.

It kind of reminded me of giving treats to my dog to make her do tricks but in this case they didn't do any tricks they just made a mess and I was left with a pile of nerds on the floor when they finally waddled away. But it was all in the name of progress and education of the next generation. I think I'll go watch some Willy Wonka movies now...

Celebrations

This weekend I had almost all my family over at my house for a few celebrations. My brother Nate graduated from BYU with his MPA (Masters of Public Administration) and then he and my niece Samantha had birthdays a day apart. Even my Aunt Inez came over for it all. The only one missing was my brother Bryce. Too bad too since he'd just run the Boston marathon in an amazing time, we could have celebrated that too if he were there but he was still out having a good time in New York so I don't feel too bad him.

(My sister wishes she was as tall as me...look at her standing on her tip toes)

Birthdays when everyone gets together usually calls for a Baskin Robbins Mint Chip Roll Cake, but I didn't feel like driving all the way to get one. We still had to have the mint chip ice cream cake though so no fancy desserts were homemade. As much as I like cooking sometimes it is nice to just buy something. Cold Stone makes pretty tasty cakes...

Black and White

Despite what you see in this picture (the ugliest picture ever) and the fact that it looks a lot worse in person, I'm still loving rock climbing. I went out twice this week to Little Cottonwood Canyon for my first multi pitch route and then to Rock Canyon for a few singles and then up 3 pitches. I don't know where all these bruises came from since I never fell. The coloring continues up and down and around the backs of my legs as well as on my arms. I even have a big one on my foot though I do remember that one happening when a rock fell on me. I was at the doctor's today and had to put on a gown that only came to my knees. He didn't even ask what happened to my legs! I remember how I used to love getting tan and wearing short shorts when I was a teenager...not anymore. It looks like I'm going to be black and blue with a pasty white background this summer...all underneath some nice long pants.

I want bookshelves

"Of course anyone who truly loves books buys more of them than he or she can hope to read in one fleeting lifetime. A good book, resting unopened in its slot on a shelf, full of majestic potentiality, is the most comforting sort of intellectual wallpaper.-David Quammen, The Boilerplate Rhino

I stumbled upon this quote while stalking a strangers blog. It was some girl who lives in New York. I love stalking New Yorker's blogs... and locals too...they're my favorites. But I read this and a sighed with relief because it made the large piles of unread books in my house makes sense, it made them ok, it made them a good thing, and it made me feel better about myself instead of guilty. I'm feeling so good maybe I'll go buy some books...

And because I have so many of these books I want bookshelves...and some pretty wallpaper and framed art, and fancy pillows, and everything else in this room. But mostly I want the bookshelves.

Which made me start looking for some more ideas on bookshelves....

Happy Earth Day

Happy Earth Day! I scourered my pictures for ones that seemed good for today and found this one of Katrina up at Brighton this fall. It seemed to send the right message...except that it's a fall picture and I'm wanting it to be spring.

The only exciting thing I'm doing today is eating hot dogs for lunch at work. Not really very exciting. Maybe another day I'll be able to go somewhere fun and outdoors. Until then I'll just have to look at my pictures. Here's a few shot from my favorite place on Earth.

The landscape artist Francis McComas (1875-1938) described Point Lobos as "The Greatest Meeting of Land and Water in the World" and I agree.

Kurt Vonnegut

I just finished a fantastic book that is completely out of my taste in books. "A Man Without A Country" by Kurt Vonnegut. I've never read any of his books. I don't like science fiction and I get tired of a book with anything political in it. I didn't even finish the last few chapters of The Jungle because I got tired of reading about Socialism. Plus this one isn't even one of his novels, it's non fiction which is something else I rarely read. But I loved this book. I didn't even mind the politics in it. He makes so many good points on so many topics and I find myself often thinking, "I've thought that too, I didn't know anyone else did." Not to mention it's hilarious in such a dry sarcastic way, I'm thinking I might go read some of his novels now. This is one of my favorite parts I thought I'd share. Good advice for all...

But I had a good uncle, my late Uncle Alex. He was my father's kid brother, a childless graduate of Harvard who was an honest life-insurance salesman in Indianapolis. He was well-read and wise. And his principal complaint about other human beings was that they so seldom noticed it when they were happy. So when we were drinking lemonade under an apple tree in the summer, say, and talking lazily about this and that, almost buzzing like honeybees, Uncle Alex would suddenly interrupt the agreeable blather to exclaim, "If this isn't nice, I don't know what is." So I do the same now, and so do my kids and grandkids. And I urge you to please notice when you are happy, and exclaim or murmur or think at some point, "If this isn't nice, I don't know what is."

Easter

This year we had Easter dinner at my house. My parents were in town and Andy and Nate both came over with their families. It was pretty fun and it was pretty darn good too! Which means we ate it all and were cleaning up before I realized I hadn't taken any pictures of us all sitting around the feast. None of the kids hunting eggs in my front yard either. Oh well. We did some other stuff over the weekend that I did manage to get a few shots of. These were the "twilight zone" eggs. We thought the first one I cut open was so cool but as each one I sliced through was again double yolked Andy freaked out and said it was like the Twilight Zone. I don't know what's so scary about double yolks but apparently they rank up there with zombies and time travel. I hear they're good luck so I can't wait to see what great things are going to happen to me after this. While I cooked the sides and Andy turned all creative on the salad and Nate smoked the brisket, Emily and the grandparents kept the kids occupied with Easter egg crafts.

And it looks like Sarah has rubbed off on her little sister because they are now both obsessed with reading the little tiny books on my bookshelf. It was so cute I had to take a picture...or two...or three... ok I took about 25 but I'll only post 3. (I just noticed how big this picture makes my chair and my plant look) Monday was so nice we took a short little hike in Draper to a waterfall. I hit my head on a tree and Emily hit her head on a rock but the kids managed to get out of it safe. Usually it's the other way around.

Random Bits of Fun

Here's what I did yesterday. It's me and Doug Grigsby holding some baby chickens. How random and fun can you get?