Hmmm ...

I just WORDLED my blog.

I didn't think I said "turkey" that much!  Or "things"!

Here it is ... you can click to make larger.

23 LBS

This year I got a big Thanksgiving turkey ... 23 pounds ... because we were having almost all of Matt's family over, and because I love to make turkey soup from the leftovers.

I hefted the bird onto the grocery conveyor belt at the checkout. After the clerk scanned the tag, he lifted it, exhaling all his air, and carried it around to my cart. After dropping it in with a crash, he exclaimed, "I bet in life that was one fat a** turkey."

I was eager to tell Matt the story of the punk at the store who insulted our turkey, and we laughed as we shared it with our family.

And here we are just before digging into the fat a** turkey!

Elusive "I'm Done"

Something about myself that I like and also at the same time despise, is that I am constantly in search of the Elusive "I'm Done".

It sounds stupid, but that statement describes it exactly. When there are things to be done a few things I automatically do include that:

I make lists. I put it on paper so I don't have to keep it in my brain. In my mind it goes around and around. On paper, I can purge it from my mind and relax. I tick off each item on the list until it's FINAL, and I don't think about it anymore.

I start early. I won't give details, because I'll really sound like a freak. But, I always start brainstorming things way in advance. I pick up little pieces of the puzzle along the way until it's all put together. If I know an event, project, or deadline is on the horizon, I want to get it FINAL, and not think about it anymore.

I communicate. I tell everyone, up, down, sideways, who may need or want to know. I don't want anyone left out and I want all the questions to be answered way in advance. Then I can wrap it up in a pretty bow and say it's FINAL, and not think about it anymore.

I like that I can quickly organize and complete things. I don't like that I allow myself to be consumed by thinking and sometimes drive others crazy when I take them down that path with me! Sorry! I know some of you are reading this.

It's all in the quest for that Elusive "I'm Done"; the moment when I suddenly realize that I have NOTHING to do because it's all done! That's where the "elusive" part comes in because we all know that in that moment I would create something to do.

2, 4, 11, 16

.... 39!!!

That's the number of unread posts in some of my favorite blogs.  How long has it been since I've checked my Reader?

I feel very busy.  I've been working my hardest to be ready for the holidays so I can just sit back and enjoy.  And I'm only 2 ticks away!  Yeah!

My calendar says that I have been busy.  Most nights are filled beyond my capacity, and I'm shedding some commitments.  Sorry if you're getting shedded.

Results of this schedule include that my blog has been postless since October!  I bet a lot of you are already feeling this way with the upcoming holidays, and if you're not, probably will soon.

But tonight I escaped the cage I've built of busy tasks!  Thanks to Matt!  We went and saw Quantum of Solace, which is the first time I've watched any entertainment over 30-minutes in some time!  At least a couple weeks.

And I managed to squeeze in a post.  Don't get too excited.  This is it.

Getting Creative

What would happen if I super-glued an ice pack to my head?

I have seriously had this thing permanently pressed to my ear for the last three days!  Yesterday all during work, all evening last night, and all morning and afternoon today. Of course it thawed last night while sleeping, so I woke up with "Puffy Ear" and "Swollen Jaw".

Enter ice pack and "hyper and moody pills" which let me tell you have been less on the moody and more on the hyper side.  YEAH!  Things are feeling slightly better this afternoon.  Again.

So back to my original question.  Super-glueing the ice pack to my head may sound convenient, but it would be difficult to "recharge" upon thawing!  Of course sticking my whole head in the freezer might solve some things as well!

P.S.  Check out this post of mine from September.  It is an interesting forecast of my current predicament!

4am

What can you do at 4am?

You can watch the news and hear about stocks plummeting on the other side of the globe.
You can see Orion way up in the sky!
You can be awake to hear the first Trax train run by!
You can put a new post on your blog!



So, I went home yesterday afternoon and ice packed, which did no good. About 6p I was running a fever of 102, so I went to After Hours Medical. They told me it was a delayed but "extreme and potentially deadly" reaction to a bee sting. It's not fun to hear "deadly" during a Dr. visit.

I had multiple stings on my leg about 3 years ago, and ended up at the doctor's. They told me that time that if I got stung in the future to watch my breathing carefully for anaphalactic shock. But, I was breathing fine this time, so I thought I was OK. They told me last night that sometimes the reaction is delayed and with the swelling getting steadily worse, and the fever, that problems breathing was likely an upcoming symptom.

So, I got two shots (ephinephrine and tetanus - since they consider a bee sting a puncture wound) and had to take two oral medicines (steroids and inflamation) last night, along with a lot of water!

Within 10 minutes my heart rate and blood pressure were down to normal levels. You mean 130 bpm isn't normal while at a resting state!? Within an hour the fever was gone.

They have me on 3 medications for the next 7 days, since they said it would flare up again. The medicines are supposed to make me hyper and moody! (I'll try to be on my best behavior.)

Oh! And now I get to carry an EpiPen with me wherever I go, since they assured me next time it would be even worse!



So, now it's 4am and I can't sleep. Mostly because the swelling is going down and I have a huge headache! They said with the skin swollen, the nerves are stretched out and you can't feel it. Now that the swelling is going down, I CAN DEFINITELY FEEL IT. So, I'm biding my time until I can take my happy pills (oops - I mean hyper and moody pills) and head into work! I have a feeling it may be soon!

Relaxing Evening: CANCELLED

Trust me ... no picture is necessary for this post!

Work's been a bit crazy - well, REALLY crazy! And it's sucking a lot of my energy, so my mental state is already pretty drained, and I'm feeling really behind in life. (For example, my list of unread emails.)

Enter last night. I got home, and decided to feed the dogs early before I got started on an evening of relaxation and getting caught up! So, what happened to alter my best laid plans?

I got stung by a yellow jacket!!!

No kidding, that STUPID thing flew straight into my ear, buzzing like crazy and generally getting pissed! All the while, stinging me repeatedly!

So, I'm frantically trying to get it out, and of course my hair is in the way, so it's not working. Then I tripped on our edging and fell on the lawn. Of course THAT got the bee out of my ear/hair! And now I'm laying on the lawn, having a hard time trying to get up because I mangled my knee! And my ear is starting to sting and swell.

I got up, hobbled inside (Goo staring and me in total bewilderment), and after a couple of stressful phone calls to complain to loved ones and attempt home remedies, I spent the evening on the couch, with an ice pack on my knee, an ice pack on my ear, and Benadryl (which makes me LOOPY) and Ibuprofen in my tummy.

This morning my knee feels slightly better. I have a couple bruises that have shown up on my hand and shoulder. My ear is HUGE puffy, and I'm sitting at work with a cold water bottle wedged between my ear and shoulder. (While enduring co-worker giggles, who apologize because they feel bad laughing, but can't help it because it looks like I'm talking on a water bottle!)

I'm really thinking that it was the Benadryl that took the swelling down last night, because the cold water and Ibuprofen alone aren't doing it today! So, I think I may go home early and take some Benadryl and drift off into a drugged stupor!!

Friday

Ahhh ... one of my favorite days of the year! Our Halloween Party! I didn't decorate as much as in the past.



However this year, I actually had time to get ready before people arrived!



We had a Superhero theme this year, which was a lot of fun! Matt was Condorman and I was Laser Lady!



Kung Fu Panda, Edna Mole, and Super Baby!

The Ninja Turtles, Splinter, April, and Casey Jones! (Front & back)



"The Noid" and Tinkerbell!



Layla from Sky High!



Generic Heroes!



Hiro from Heroes (Future & Past)



Wolverine and The Black Canary!



Cat Woman!



Lex Luther!



The Great Pumpkin!



We have a lot of good friends and family who are very good sports to dress up with us each year!

Saturday

Saturday we were going in all different directions.

In the morning, Matt was rolling sod with Weston, while I was at the Primary Program practice. Then Matt worked around the house, while I took a nap to relieve my lack of sleep during the previous week. Late afternoon, we went north to go to our nephew Jack's birthday party.

Here is Lily, who is acting suspicious of Matt when he's talking to her.



Here is Kendra going for a ride on Matt's shoulders.



And Jack opening presents with all of his friends (girl friends). This picture makes me laugh, because he just opened an envelope with five one dollar bills. They all screamed in excitement!



After opening presents, Jack went around thanking everyone with a hug. His friend Hannah told him that he missed hugging three people, and then dove on him for her hug.



No worries! His other two friends, Jordan and Brooklyn, got their hugs, too.

Sunday

Working backwards ... we're now on Sunday ...

which was the Primary Program. The kids did so great, and they knew the songs better than the two previous years that I've been involved. HATS OF TO KIRSTIE! I was so happy that we ended on time, which has been a yearly goal. All the pieces came together, and you could feel the testimony in their cute talks.

After church our neighbor Hayley came over and we made spaghetti and she dressed up in our Halloween costumes. It was fun. She's a cutie, and it was fun to hang out.

After lunch, we headed to Matt's aunt's home. They're getting packed up to move to North Carolina next month. We helped move some stuff, and she gave us an old Danish Bible that she wasn't sure where it came from.



Upon further inspection when we got home, we discovered it is Matt's great-grandmother & grand-father's family bible, listing births, marriages and deaths in their family.



Also inside we found a page with pictures, two of which I'm pretty sure are his great-grandmother and great-grandfather, probably around their engagement (top and bottom right).



And we also found a newspaper clipping with Matt's grandmother's picture, and announcing her engagement.



I've put on my "History Detective Hat" the last few days to see what I can find on the internet to support my ideas of who are in the pictures in the Bible, but no luck yet. I'll need to start asking those who knew them. Wish me luck!

I love this stuff!!! (If you can't tell.)

Monday

After our busy weekend, we took some gift cards I got from work and went to The Melting Pot last night. We've never been before, and it was a lot of fun! I know I wouldn't pay $120.00 of my own money to go, but on someone else's dime, it was fabulous!

After dinner, we walked around downtown remembering when we used to work there. Matt and I met while working at Pacific Rim Mortgage Company which was in the Kearns Building. Everything sure has changed a lot since those days! The malls are gone! The Trax train runs down Main Street! The Conference Center was built!

HINT: Temple Square is NOT crowded in October. You can take a nice leisurely stroll on the grounds and run into very few people!

Bonita

As part of my mom's family's yearly reunion, we auction off items that help to fund the next year's reunion. Although we are now asked to bring new items, in the past the auction consisted of wrapped white elephants; the only clue to the contents being a description on the outside of the box that said if the item was best for an adult, a child, a boy or a girl.

At a family reunion in 1992, we were still being asked to bring white elephants, but at this point we were asked to not wrap them. My Uncle Stan brought "Bonita" to the auction. Stan teaches at a college; teaching students how to do hair! Bonita was a hair school practice head!

During the course of the auction, they put a funny Robin-Hood-type hat on her. My dad thought she was pretty funny and bought her, and then traded hats with her to make everyone laugh. Here is Bonita in my dad's hat, and he in her's:



Bonita floated around the house for the next few years, usually forgotten in a box, until someone opened the box and screamed when they saw eyes staring back at them!

Around 1998, my mom was ready to get rid of her and asked if she might find a home at our place.

Now we've had Bonita for 10 years. Each year at Halloween she makes her appearance. Once we made her a body and hung her from the trusses in our bay window. Another year we put her behind the door in the bathroom. She's been the centerpiece on the table, surrounded by veggies and dip. We've put her on top of the TV, on top of the post at the bottom of the stairs, on shelves, in windows, and on ice.

Last night as I started my Halloween decorating (I ALMOST made it until October to start) I unpacked her. I put her in the window of our downstairs bay, facing the front door. I thought that might creep someone out.

This morning as I was locking up to come to work, I almost simultaneously jumped out of my socks, peed my pants, and had a heart attack! The first thing that shot into my mind when I saw her looking at me through the window was, 'Someone's in my house!' ... of course I figured it out quick enough, but I had aftershocks all the way to my car. And then I laughed as I remembered yesterday thinking that she might creep someone out, and of course she did, and of course it was ME!

But, that's how it always is! Each year I put her somewhere so she'll scare MATT, and instead, forgetting she's there, she scares ME!

We love Bonita. She's part of our Halloween Family. (Next we'll have to introduce you to Romer Treece.) And I can't wait to share where Bonita's going to be this year! I'll keep you posted!

5 days ...

until the best month of the year!

To wet your appetite for the month of October, here's a little Halloween dessert for you to mix up! Kitty Litter Cake!
And here is an appetizing picture of the finished product:



And here are are the ingredients:

• 1 spice or German chocolate cake mix
• 1 white cake mix
• 2 large packages of vanilla instant pudding, prepared
• 1 large package of vanilla sanwich cookies
• green food coloring
• 12 small Tootsie Rolls
• 1 NEW kitty litter pan
• 1 NEW plastic kitty litter pan liner
• 1 NEW pooper scooper

And here are the instructions:

• Prepare cake mixes and bake according to directions (any size pans).
• Prepare pudding mix and chill until ready to assemble.
• Crumble white sandwich cookies in small batches in food processor, scraping often.
• Set aside all but about 1/4 cup. To the 1/4 cup cookie crumbs, add a few drops green food coloring and mix until completely colored.
• When cakes are cooled to room temperature, crumble into a large bowl. Toss with half the remaining white cookie crumbs and the chilled pudding. Important: mix in just enough of the pudding to moisten it. You don't want it too soggy. Combine gently.
• Line a new, clean kitty litter box.
• Put the cake/pudding/cookie mixture into the litter box.
• Put three unwrapped Tootsie rolls in a microwave safe dish and heat until soft and pliable. Shape ends so they are no longer blunt, curving slightly. Repeat with 3 more Tootsie rolls bury them in the mixture.
• Sprinkle the other half of cookie crumbs over top. Scatter the green cookie crumbs lightly on top of everything -- this is supposed to look like the chlorophyll in kitty litter.
• Heat 3 Tootsie Rolls in the microwave until almost melted. Scrape them on top of the cake; sprinkle with cookie crumbs.
• Spread remaining Tootsie Rolls over the top; take one and heat until pliable, hang it over the side of the kitty litter box, sprinkling it lightly with cookie crumbs.
• Place the box on a newspaper and sprinkle a few of the cookie crumbs around for a truly disgusting effect!

Kids on a Boat

We took the boat out this weekend, and had some new passengers ... Matt's sister Andi, her husband Justin and their three kids ...



WHO DID ABSOLUTELY GREAT ON THE BOAT!

Can't wait to take them all out again.

A Door

This post is in honor of my BFF Heather, who loves doors!
Today is her birthday! Happy Birthday!!!!





Not only is the door cool, but check out the handle.
It toggles left and right (with your thumb) to open.

Happy Birthday to the Best BFF! Love ya!

(And see you next week for lunch!)

Patriot Day

Today is Patriot Day. We won't say to people in greeting, "Happy Patriot Day" - no, that feels painful. Nor will anyone have the day off, and the day before invite people to "Have a good Patriot Day."

No, it's not a "holiday", but I guess this is how they can start.

Memorial Day ... a day to think of deceased loved ones, or an extra day for a weekend vacation?
Martin Luther King Day ... we don't sit around thinking about this man's great deeds all day long, but gradually more and more companies are taking the day off. And furniture companies are advertising sales!

President's Day ...
Labor Day ...

I'm not complaining! I love to have the day off to spend with family, and yes the people that came before me helped to make that possible, and I'm sure that's what they would want me to be doing! So, I'm not bagging on our holiday activities one bit.

I just wonder what Patriot Day will be in 50-years or 100-years. Will it become a holiday? Or will it stay more like Pearl Harbor Day?

What do you think? Do you think on September 11, when I'm 80 years old that I might be sitting with family on a boat since everyone has the day off?

Recommendation

Feeling a little weird about my last post, I thought I'd put this out in Bloggerville ... a movie I would recommend.




This is a great movie, which would be especially fun to watch right now because of the upcoming presidential elections.

Brief Plot: Katie Holstrom, the "Farmer's Daughter", moves to the big city to become a nurse, gets robbed, works in the house of a senator as his maid to re-earn her nursing tuition, and because of her political sense and honesty she ends up running for a newly opened position in the senate on an opposing ticket from the family she works for ... of course, after falling in love with the senator!

The best thing about this movie is the loveable characters: Katie, the senator, his mom, his girlfriend, the butler, and Katie's super-strong brothers.

Seen It?

I have to admit that I have been reluctant to put this out there. Anyone seen this movie? What did you think?



I checked it out from the library, nervously expecting something possibly funny, also expecting that I might end up turning the TV off and not finishing it, and ultimately being positively surprised.

That's all I can say, which is not necessarily a recommendation. I wouldn't watch it with young children around, which for me usually means I feel bad watching it. Which is another reason I hesitate to put it out there. But, here it is? I want someone else to comment who's seen it ... so here's your chance!

Read it?

I'm currently 2/3 of the way through this book:



Anyone out there that I know who has read it?

I think Shannon Hale is an excellent writer! And I'll be a little controversial* here by saying that although Stephenie Meyer is a great storyteller, that I think Shannon Hale does a lot more with the English language, using common words in unusual ways, which I love. I'll have to put an example on here. She's amazing!**



*I'm really on the edge, huh - pushing buttons and creating havoc with my opinions. Ha-ha. Really though, I know that there are people out there who would argue with me. Sorry! I think I'm right.

** I have to admit that I've only read two of her books, both about princesses, and I'm hoping to read something where she expands to a new topic.

Sport:Tennis

I love tennis!

It's the one sport that I can watch for hours.  All the excitement of this last week has held me captive.  I'm excited that one American has made it to the finals ... Serena Williams ... and I hope she does great tonight!  Go Serena!  Watching her battle it out with her sister was amazing.  I don't think there is a more entertaining pair to watch than Serena and Venus.  Most the time I don't care who wins when they play, I just enjoy the show!

I'm a big Federer fan!  Back when Agassi was still playing, not so much.  He made me mad because he was so PERFECT.  But, he is so gracious in real life, and a real class act - and I became a fan.

Enter Nadal this year at Wimbledon, knocking Federer off his well-deserved pedestal.  I wasn't too happy!  Then the Olympics, where Nadal ended up with the gold medal.  My consolation was that Federer got the gold in the pairs competition.

So, at the U.S. Open I was REALLY looking forward to a showdown between Nadal and Federer, with of course Federer coming out on top!  Any tennis fan out there knows that Andy Murray beat Nadal today, so I don't know how I feel?  I am torn ... glad that Nadal lost ... sad that there won't be a showdown ... but, still excited to see how it turns out.  Go Federer!

On a side note, I really do like Nadal.  I think he's a great player, and also a person with a lot of class.  I think if it wasn't Federer that he was beating, that a lot of times I would be excited when he won!

Ahhh, tennis!

One Year

It's my One-Year Bloggiversary!
A few things to remember from this past year:

• My first post.
• Church stuff: Elder's Quorum Movie Night, Fall General Conference, Primary Program, New Prophet, Ward Talent Show, and Spring General Conference.
• 11th Annual Halloween Party
• Bollywood: Hrithik Roshan, Shah Rukh Khan, movie marathon with Matt & Steph, and the long wait for Jodhaa Akbar.
• Reconnected with my first old friend in Bloggerville.
• Discovered my first Bloggerville friend.
• Christmas season: Savior of the World play, Nutcracker ballet, and Christmas Utah.
• Family & Friends: Made quilts for family reunion in August, yearly visit to the Auto Expo with Matt & Steph, Nichols' house for dinner with the Shakespear's, my nephew Colton's baptism, Jeramy & Brandi came for a visit, and Heather & Jake's open house.
• Birthdays: My BFF Heather turned 30, my nephew Justin turned 18, my nephew Shaun turned 21, my dad turned 70, and we attended Kami's surprise birthday party ... Come on Kami! Get moving on your blog so I can link to it!
• Joellen: Our friend moved to London for the season (ha, ha --- for a one-year temporary assignment, but those who watch British movies will get the joke), we are watching her cats, and she's only come back for one visit. We miss her!
• Saw some fun movies in the theater: Nim's Island, Iron Man, and Enchanted.
• Went on some fun adventures: Arches in Utah, Maui in Hawaii, Rifle in Colorado, Boise in Idaho, Fish Lake in Utah, Angels Camp in California, Bear Lake in Utah, and Great Salt Lake in Utah.
• Remodeled: Worked on house, built a fence, and fixed a boat.
• New additions: Matt & Steph's son Xander is born and Andi & Justin's son Jet is born.

Next thing for me ... I want to do my Blog Book. I'm nervous and excited! Anyone done one before? Any hints for me?

Uncommon Goods

I love Uncommon Goods!

If I had loads of money, I would buy from them all the time. As it is, I mostly just look. I did buy the following "Desktop Dodgeball" set for Matt for Christmas last year. Wanna come over and play?



And I would really love the "Come In - Go Away" door mat.
Maybe someday.

What's The Buzz?

I have noticed a lot of things around me lately that buzz.

For example, today I walked into my boss Catherine's office, and her laptop was buzzing. It sounded like it was a plane getting ready to take off. Also:

• This morning the coffee machine at work was buzzing and we had to unplug it. Come to find out it was the heater element which was trying to heat water, and there was no water.
• My cute little fan at work is making a buzzing sound. I think from constant use that the little screw that holds on the tiny blades is loose. One day it will let loose and launch (reminding me of that scene in the movie Contact).
• And of course the queen of all buzzing sounds ... bees! We have a yellow-jacket infestation in our yard. We have traps (yes, plural) out, which are filling up constantly and we've sprayed and sprayed. Come on cold weather! (Not really, just to get rid of the bees and then we want it warm again.)

I am sure there are more examples, because it is standing out at this moment as a theme in my life. I'll keep you posted.

Gilgal Garden

Looking for something to do around SLC?

Take a drive to Gilgal Sculpture Garden. They've made a lot of landscaping improvements in the last few years, and it's pretty fun (and interesting) to walk around.



It's free, and there is a map available to explain symbolism, concepts, and creation.



The Garden is located at 749 East 500 South and is tucked behind and in between houses.



It's not huge, so you could spend 15-quick-minutes or 60-leasurely-minutes walking around.

GSL Governor's Cup

So, this weekend at Great Salt Lake was the Governor's Cup. No, we didn't participate, but Matt, Shaun, my dad, and I hung out on the lake and watched the race, as we attempted to sail to Antelope Island from the marina near Saltaire. Yea - it's farther than it looks. We really do need GPS so we'll know these things. :)

We sailed away from shore for 4 hours and then it took us 2 hours to get back. There were minimal bugs, and yes when we got out far enough there weren't any around! Yeah! The closer we got to Antelope Island the more we saw and they were no longer brine flies, but BITING FLIES. So we turned around to come back into shore.

It was interesting that no matter how far we got out on the lake that if we listened really close we could hear the freeway. And there are a lot of trains that go by. And the smoke stack only looked a few inches tall when we were nearer Antelope Island.

We had fun sailing from buoy to buoy, charging seagulls, and watching the "diving ducks". Good times! Thanks Shaun & dad!

Approaching the first buoy.

Shaun catching brine shrimp. (There are 3 of them here.)

Dad scooping brine shrimp in our collapsable bailing bucket.

(I love that thing!)

Governor's Cup Race

R U A Follower?

If you are a follower, pretty soon I'll know for sure!

Check out the Blogger Buzz and see what's coming to your Dashboard.

What's Happening?

We had our Primary Presidency meeting last night and Jenny told me that I'm not posting enough, and when I do that I'm mostly posting about the boat.

OK - with that in mind I've posted once today (about the boat) and here's the "what else is up" post.

This last weekend we had our monthly family dinner (Matt's side) and we were in charge. Since the weather was nice, we went to Flat Iron Mesa and had a BBQ and then flew our stunt kites. Wes and Lisa brought theirs and we had ours. The nephews and nieces had fun playing ...

Here's Jack with his air-conditioned hair-do. Air conditioning was provided by his father following behind Jack misting him with a spray bottle.


Here's Kendra after one of her 100+ rolls down the hill.


Here's Lily before FEARLESSLY going down the slide. Again.


And here's Jet, the newest addition, hanging out with his dad.


It was a fabulous evening and I'm so glad the weather has been so nice!

Now, look forward to my next post about some random topic, and while you're waiting, head on over to Jenny's blog and read her latest post.