A Challenge!

Happy November! I recently came across this little photography challenge and thought it might be fun to give it a try. At the very least, I should have a blog post every day this month...

So here is my self-portrait for Day 1. It's gloomy and stormy today (as you'd expect November 1st to be here in the mountain tops). I actually took this picture about a week and a half ago, when I was on a cruise down in sunny Mexico! As we all know, I am a summer-lovin' girl, and this picture definitely represents that: no make-up, sunglasses, messy hair; and if you look close enough, you can see the straps of my swimsuit! Yes, I will take all the summer I can get.

Goodbye Summer, Hello Apple Tart

Check out this cool spider web I discovered on our back door this morning!

As you can see in the picture below, fall is upon us. That's not necessarily a bad thing, but I do lament the loss of summer. 

And while I feel a loss when the leaves start to turn, fall does bring with it some very nice things. Like beautiful hillsides. And soup and hot rolls. Pleasant days and crisp mornings (we'll not mention what the nights are like around here). And of course, candy corn!

But let's not forget the apples. I saw this apple tart recipe being made on T.V. the other day. Now, a baker, I am not. I have a sister and a sister-in-law and a niece who can bake circles around me. I can cook you the most fabulous dinner (my roast chicken and rosemary potatoes are to die for (if I do say so myself)) but don't expect anything for dessert, unless you bring it yourself. I have a list of about 4 cookies that I can make that usually turn out well. But when I saw this on T.V. last week, the lady making it said, "anybody can make this." So I did! My husband ate about half of it himself and then had what was left for breakfast this morning.

I'd consider that a pretty good beginning to Fall.

Want the recipe? Click here.

Evolution of a Mood

I woke up in a ridiculously bad mood today.
Can you guess why?


I was very well tempted to call in sick to work. I am sick of this weather. But I didn't. Instead I went to work and pretended to be happy for other people's children. As the snow pelted my face during recess duty, I thought of ways to lift my spirits. Historically, I turn to one of two things for therapeutic purposes: cleaning or cooking. Today I opted for cooking. Set to music. And then I cleaned the kitchen. I think it worked.

Could there BE a better song to cheer you up on a snowy day at the end of April?


Don't fresh veggies look pretty when they're being sauteed? The colors remind me of a beach towel.


And then I ended up with something that looked like a Hawaiian sunset. (I've never been to Hawaii, so I'm just assuming here).


Of course a hot bowl of pasta with homemade sauce is just the thing to warm you up when it's cold outside.


Even the little flowers on the window sill started to perk up.

And so did I.

And We're Back

I heard once that fall is a fickle season. If that's true, then what the heck does that make spring?
Here's what we woke up to today. Thankfully, Dan is currently in the kitchen making his famous Oh Boy! Waffles and buttermilk syrup. I don't drink, so I have to drown my sorrows somehow.

Oh Happy Day!

Today we did something we haven't been able to do in months. We went to the park! It was 70 degrees outside! Nevermind that it is raining and thundering right now; we went to the park! We played catch and swung on the swings. Today is the springiest spring day yet... We're all giddy with delight!

Happy Ground Hog Day

As I sit here in my wool socks and MULTIPLE layers of clothing, I am well aware of the fact that Punxatawney Phil did NOT see his shadow this morning. I just hope that Mother Nature understands the implications of this event and sends the mercury rising very, very soon.

Ah... Summer

We've had some wild weather recently here in the mountains. It seems like we had 7 months of winter followed by a week of spring; and now we're getting some major mid-August thunder storms thrown our way. Major floods have done some major damage. Yesterday I was dodging ping-pong-sized hail as I made my way around Salt Lake City.
And yet, despite the storms Mother Nature throws at us, the flowers still manage to bloom. These purple beauties are blooming in my front yard today.

Aren't they gorgeous? They've been pounded by the rain and blown by the wind, yet they still stand straight and tall, colors bursting. I have to ask myself, am I like those flowers? Do I keep my head up in the midst of a storm? Or do I wither and wilt? Do I manage to blossom and bloom despite the whirlwinds? The answer is, I try. These flowers are strong because their surroundings have made them that way. I guess it's like that with life. Whatever the trial, whatever the issue, we can choose to let it run us over, or we can choose to turn our face to the wind and build up some strength. That's not to say that we won't feel like we've been run over, because, well, life is tough. It's downright painful at times. But it's also beautiful. And the beauty is always there. Just look at these flowers.

The Cheese Monger

I was hoping to start off the month of June with a blog post like this:

Today is June 1st and it's finally starting to feel like spring up here in the mountain tops. The trees are exploding with a profusion of pinks, purples, and whites. The sun is shining and my glitter toes are sparkling.

That's what I would like to write. And it's mostly true (the above picture was taken last Thursday). Problem is, that it's raining and I came home and had to turn on the fireplace.

So I'll just share what I did yesterday. There's a fancy-shmancy grocery store down in the Salt Lake City area that boasts among other things, a huge selection of the world's cheeses. I like cheese. A lot. Can you beat a nice slice of gouda on a baguette? Hardly. But Dan adores it. Even more than I do. So as the finial cap to his birthday, we went to this store and spent a while hanging out among the Havartis and Edams.

Wild and crazy, I know.

And then we met the cheese monger. No lie. That is her title. It said it right on her name tag. And boy, did she know her cheeses. She gave us a few samples, and insisted we try the Spanish Machengo with a black olive (and not the kind from a can). Wow. I can never eat olives from a can ever again. Ever. She told us about her job, her love for cheese, and how she's been able to travel to Italy, Spain, and other places around the world to hone her mad cheese skills. We walked away with a block of the Machengo and a block of Butter Kase from Germany. And some olives. Not from a can.

As we hesitantly left the cheese area, Dan said, "if for some reason, my company no longer requires my services, I'm going to become a cheese monger."

Good-Bye Winter...

Do you know what I did today? I sat outside and watched my husband and my son play catch. I wore sunglasses and no jacket. Keeping my nose pointed at the sun, I hardly noticed the two feet of snow still blanketing the yard.

Did I mention that everyone in my town has spring fever? A co-worker of mine wore sandals to work today, but also brought "warm" shoes for recess duty. People are talking about their gardens as if they are already planted. My kids are excited because olive-drab patches of grass are peeking up through the melting snow.

It reminds me of my favorite Billy Holiday song:

The very thought of you,
and I forget to do
those little ordinary things
that everyone ought to do...

That, of course, was a love song directed towards a person. But it clearly has applications for spring. We'll take what we can get. One degree fahrenheit at a time.

Spring Teaser

I am currently sitting on a leather couch inside of my local oil change place. See how you can blog no matter where you are?

I woke up in a crabby kind of mood. No reason. Probably hormones. (I like to blame lots of stuff on hormones). But then I drove to work and do you know what? I had to use both my sunglasses AND my sun visor. The crabby attitude quickly melted. Why? Because that big yellow thing in the sky was shining! Seems like it's been weeks since I've seen the sun. Wouldn't you know that recess duty was a joy today? I love sunshine.

Nevermind the fact that the school grounds and surrounding community are still blanketed by several feet of snow. Today has been one of those "spring teaser" days. The red stuff inside of my thermometer is up, the sun is up, the icicles are dripping... it's a sunny day and I'll take what I can get.

P.S. I'm going to attempt snowshoeing later today, for the first time ever. Hilarity is sure to ensue. I'll be sure to post if it does.

I Grew Up in ARIZONA!

I woke up this morning to the sight of several inches of snow on the ground and the sound of our neighborhood being plowed. I got my kids and myself bundled up before trudging off to school. It was a balmy 3 degrees out, by the way. The snow was thick and still falling. The roads were slick, but I drive a BIG four-wheel drive Chevy Tahoe, so it took me a little longer, but I got to work in one piece.

I came home at lunchtime. The snow was still coming down pretty heavily. I had to leave again at 2:00 for an after-school meeting. The snow had accumulated and I live on a hill, so I decided to shift the car into 4-Lo. For those of you who get to drive fun little roadsters and rear-wheel drive racing machines, or who live on completely flat, paved surfaces, there are three 4X4 driving options:

1) 2HI - for normal driving, on-road, dry conditions
2) 4HI - for when you need some extra traction in the snow or off-road
3) 4LO - for when you're climbing steep hills and/or are driving in deep snow or mud

Like I said, I live on a steep hill, the snow was half-way up my tires, and I prefer driving as opposed to sliding. Okay. So I made it down the mountain in 4LO to a regular, mostly plowed road. I was ready for 4HI. I pushed the button to shift the transfer case but nothing happened. I tried again, still nothing. You can't drive much over about 10 mph in 4LO because it will tear up your front axle. So I had to pull over, take out my owner's manual and learn how to properly shift out of 4Lo. And I quote:

(It begins with a warning, of course)
"Shifting the transfer case to NEUTRAL can cause your vehicle to roll even if the transmission is in PARK. You or someone else could be seriously injured. Be sure to set the parking brake before placing the transfer case in NEUTRAL.

To shift from 4LO to 4HI, your vehicle must be stopped or moving less than 3 mph with the transmission in NEUTRAL and the ignition in RUN. The preferred method for shifting out of 4LO is to have your vehicle moving 1 to 2 mph. Press and release the 4HI switch. You must wait for the 4HI indicator light to stop flashing and remain illuminated before shifting your transmission into gear. If the 4HI switch is pressed when your vehicle is in gear and/or moving the indicator light will flash for 30 seconds but will not complete the shift unless your vehicle is moving less than 3 mph and the transmission is in NEUTRAL."

Are you kidding me? It's snowing! I'm driving! 10 and 2! 10 and 2!