SMILE

Yesterday was Christmas, so we went to visit all of our nieces and nephews at their homes. When we arrived at my brother's place, my niece declared to us all, "I'm too happy!!!" What a great problem to have, eh? I agree that yesterday was a lovely day. It was a great time to reflect on the plethora of blessings we have, our relationships with family & friends, and of course the birth of our Savior. Hopefully we can all find cause to be "too happy" in our lives!

ZZZ...

Dear Fellow Whom I Went Out With a Handful of Times Last Year,

You seem like a kind soul, but I really don't know you very well from the few times we went out.... which means that you are not entitled to send me text messages in the wee hours of the morning when I am trying to sleep. My lack of response night after night might be a good indicator that I would prefer to get some shut-eye. Thanks!

All the Best,
R

IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE

I have been beyond lazy today. Lazy to the tenth power..... But it was a highly stressful week at the office, and it has been very nice to unwind/relax today. There were moments when I felt like I wasn't going to make it through this last blasted week, but I finally did... and the relief I felt when I arrived home last night is indescribable. This morning I took the liberty of sleeping in, and when I awoke, there was a beautiful blanket of white snow on the ground. I normally hate the snow, but for some reason today I love it.... maybe because I am not obligated to go anywhere, and so I can just watch it from the window.

I decided to wrap Christmas presents in my pajamas while watching "It's a Wonderful Life." The older I get, the more I love and appreciate that movie. I think it's good to be reminded that human beings are so intertwined, and the way we treat others definitely has an impact on who they (and we) become. "No man is a failure who has friends." Yes, it certainly is a wonderful life.

GOLD STANDARD

On Friday night I enjoyed the most delicious hot chocolate of my life. Picture a cup full of amazing dark melted chocolate and cream. Now imagine it gliding sweetly across your taste buds and falling gently down your throat. Are you blissfully happy? Multiply that experience by a million, and you might have an idea of what I felt. If you want to know the secret destination, just ask...

Yes, on Friday I experienced a gold standard. I can never go back to the ordinary.

P.S. The chocolate-covered cinnamon bears are also a dream.

SUNDAY NIGHT BLUES

Is the weekend seriously over already?!?

LIFE IS SWEET

We're heading on two sappy posts in a row, but tomorrow is Thanksgiving, so making a list of things I appreciate seems like the right thing to do. Following is a hodgepodge of 50 things I am thankful for (in no particular order of merit):

• family
• opportunities to travel
• comfortable bed
• books
• temple
• friendship
• car
• job
• emails
• sunshine
• walks
• prayer
• mountains
• computer
• shoes
• cereal
• telephone
• lip gloss
• hope
• chocolate
• white Christmas lights
• warmth
• mascara
• love
• joy
• listeners
• plans
• good advice
• bubble mint gum
• laughter
• pen & paper
• photographs
• ice cream
• journal
• gospel
• games
• homemade raspberry jam
• light
• vision
• decisions
• tulips
• support
• nieces & nephews
• winter hats
• music
• piano
• solitude (sometimes)
• safety
• guidance
• dreams

This list certainly isn't all-inclusive, but when I look at it, I can't help but think that life is pretty darn sweet...

BOO RADLEY

I have long loved Harper Lee's novel, "To Kill a Mockingbird." Not only is the story interesting and well-written, but it contains powerful messages about human relationships and strong moral character. Most of you are probably familiar with the part of the story when Jem & Scout receive guns from Atticus. He says, "Shoot all the bluejays you want, if you can hit 'em, but remember it's a sin to kill a mockingbird." Scout wonders why, and her neighbor says, "They don't do one thing but sing their hearts out for us."

I think these lines parallel the story in multiple ways, but I specifically like how they apply to Scout's severely reclusive neighbor, Boo Radley. Boo keeps to himself, usually, but comes out of his comfort zone to save Scout's life one night.

A couple of weeks ago, we were out raking leaves for 4 hours when I was reminded of this principle of service/compassion.... We had somewhere to be that evening and ran out of time to finish the job, so had to leave all 40+ bags of leaves out on our lawn with the intention of of taking them to the dump the following Monday. We have a neighbor who is semi-reclusive (not to the same extreme as Boo, but who is fairly reserved nonetheless). Although he has always been kind, we have probably not been as friendly to him as we ought. As we were heading out the door, he came over and offered to haul our leaves to the dump for us. We declined, explaining that we felt badly that we couldn't help, so it wouldn't be right for him to do it by himself. We left. When we arrived home, the bags were gone. Despite the fact that we have not been the best of neighbors to this mockingbird, he still made the effort to come out of his comfort zone and help us.

Incidents such as this make me realize that I have a long way to go in learning to truly love and serve others. I need to be a kinder neighbor and friend to all. I was grateful for this life lesson. Perhaps it's time for me to read the novel again....

IN CASE YOU CARE...

Semicolons and ellipses are far and away my favorite punctuation marks; they make almost any sentence more interesting...

RUNNING TO STAND STILL...

A few of my siblings love to run, for some reason unbeknownst to me. We're talking about the crazy kind of runners who think 26.2 miles of misery is a blast.... I cannot relate.... BUT... a few months ago I decided it would be a good idea to exercise, as it is supposedly a healthy habit. Also, I wanted a physical outlet for my wild and ever-changing emotions... something to calm my body and soul. So I decided to run. I don't go long distances, but I have made a point to go consistently, and am even enjoying the experience (in a masochistic way). My sisters have been very supportive of my efforts; they are willing to come with me almost any time, which helps!! And my pink shuffle makes it better, too...

BEAUTIFUL MESS

The past week of my life has been one big beautiful mess.

1) Visited Philly for the first time... beautiful.

Highlights: quality time with my sisters, Betsy Ross' home, the tour guide at Independence Hall, meeting Will Shortz (my idol), wearing matching t-shirts to a sudoku competition, having our photo with WS in the Philadelphia Inquirer, running up the "Rocky" steps, spending a lovely autumnal Sunday outside the city with our friend, Brian.

2) Learning that I have a minor case of shingles... mess.

Thought I was the victim of some crazy spider or allergy, but nope... the real deal shingles. It will be a dream when they go away, eh?

3) Jason Mraz concert... beautiful.

I wasn't incredibly familiar with Jason prior to the concert, but was invited by my friend, Kristan. We all fell in love with the man. Let's face it... he plays the guitar, has curly hair, and has some pretty sweet dance moves. The concert exceeded my expectations, to say the least!

4) Joshua Radin/Missy Higgins concert... beautiful.

I loved (and still DO love) Joshua even more than Jason. My friend, Kristan, encouraged me to throw all caution to the wind and attend this concert... a) having never once heard any of the songs prior & b) having just been to Jason Mraz the night before. I was SOOOOO glad I opted in, as I now have a new favorite musician. Check out Joshua's song "Closer" if all you want to do is cry.... SO good! "I'd Rather Be With You" and "Brand New Day" also became fast favorites. Thanks, K!

5) Car accident... mess.

A sweet middle-aged lady forgot to check her blind-spot before changing lanes and ran into my car, thus denting/scraping the entire driver's side. I am grateful no one was injured, but obviously wish she had taken the brief moment to survey the scene before maneuvering her car my direction. I hope the repairs don't take long.

6) Halloween... beautiful.

I have the cutest nieces and nephews in the entire world!!!

7) Various conversations/correspondence with good friends... beautiful.

Need I say more? I feel fortunate to know so many stellar individuals!

8) Official expansion of my cereal repertoire... beautiful.

Move over, Grape-Nut Flakes. I still love you, but you've got a rival now....

9) Blogging twice in one day... mess.

Who does that?!? Please don't neglect the post below, though.... those pumpkin waffles would be on the beautiful list if they were from this past week.

10) Looking forward to a good night's sleep (which has been messily lacking this week)... beautiful.

Can't wait for my head to hit the pillow. I think I'm going to sleep tight tonight.

PUMPKIN WAFFLE HEAVEN

A couple weekends ago I had the privilege of spending a pumpkin-filled evening with one of my favorite friends. We started with delicious pumpkin waffles (which I have officially dubbed as Pumpkin Waffle Heaven... as in, "I died and went to PWH"), then moved along to pumpkin carving. Jake's jack-o-lantern was, of course, PERFECT... Mine looked more like a disco-ball, but it was adorable in its own whimsical, polka-dotted kind of way. Jake, if you ever read this, will you please send me the photos so that I can post them here for all the world to see?

Anyway, being that today is All Hallows Eve, I thought it would be appropriate to share this amazing recipe with the class:

PUMPKIN WAFFLE HEAVEN

2 cups flour

1 T cinnamon

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1/4 tsp salt

2 tsp baking powder

1 T sugar

1/2 tsp coriander

4 eggs (separated... keep both parts)

1 cup canned pumpkin

1 1/2 cups milk (maybe a tiny bit more)

1 T vanilla

1/2 cup margarine

Mix dry ingredients, then add egg YOLKS, milk, pumpkin, vanilla, and margarine. Beat 4 egg whites to stiff peaks and fold into the batter.

To top it off, make this delicious dream:

BUTTERMILK SYRUP

1/2 cup buttermilk

1/2 cup butter

1 cup sugar

1 tsp corn syrup (light)

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp vanilla

Bring buttermilk, butter, sugar, and corn syrup to a boil. Remove from heat once boiling and add baking soda and vanilla. Stir until it settles.

I hope you all enjoy...

Happy Halloween!!

I HEART WHEEL SHORTS

I do, okay?!?

I LOVE NOT CAMPING

I have a feeling I'm not the only gal who relates to the clever Miss Anne Taintor... (http://www.annetaintor.com/)

And my personal favorite....

RED VELVET

My dear friend, Paige, insisted that I have a red velvet cake for my 22nd birthday party. It was fitting, because I am unabashedly partial to the color, but I honestly had never tried red velvet cake before; I thought it seemed somewhat unnatural to opt for a cake that wasn't the darkest brown known to man.... But it turned out to be a delightful treat, so I whole-heartedly welcomed red velvet into my life.

A couple of summers ago, while in the Big Apple visiting my friend, Kristan, we stopped at a cupcake shop where I purchased the dreamiest red velvet cupcake imaginable. The butter cream frosting was thick and delicious; I could have died happily at the moment I inhaled it. It was SO divine that I purchased the cookbook online a month later, and shortly thereafter found myself happily dancing around the kitchen wearing a polka dot apron. Two bottles of red food coloring and an afternoon later, I had the satisfaction of partaking of the gems. My heart and my stomach were fully satisfied....

Red velvet is intensely rich, temptingly sweet, and simply satisfying. I hope you'll all enjoy it as much as I do!