Dress for Success

 She definitely got more sleep than me.

It's a pretty famous saying: "Dress for success."  I'd be lying if I said this is the motto I live by.  My motto goes something more like, "You are what you wear."  You may be thinking, isn't it "You are what you eat?"  No.  Because if that were true, I'd be a morph between a Chex Muddy Buddy and a pan of brownies.  (Yes, I linked up the recipe, just in case you started craving Chex Muddy Buddies like I just did . . . everything is accurate except the part that says it makes 18 servings.  That's a lie.  It makes about 1 1/2.)

Back to my point.  You are what you wear.  Actually, I don't know if you are.  That would be going out on a limb.  I only know that I am what I wear.  Take today for example.  Last night Kate did not sleep well at all - turns out we have our 6th tooth coming in.  I got about 5 hours of completely interrupted sleep and woke up quite cranky this morning.  I didn't get to shower until about 10 am, and you better believe that when I got dressed I put on a very comfortable, broken-in pair of sweats.  Let me explain what that means . . .

It means that as soon as I can convince Kate to nap, I will run (yes, run) to the couch and try to catch-up on some of my sleep.  It means that I won't really feel like accomplishing much of anything today.  It means that I broke my no-t.v. rule for Kate and we just watched Playhouse Disney together.  And it means that today, hair and makeup probably won't be happening.

If I had accidentally put on my cute jeans, boots, and a nice shirt, today would have been very different.  I probably would have done my hair and makeup.  Kate and I might have taken a trip to the library.  I probably would have been motivated to put away all my fall decorations and get out the Christmas stuff.  And, I'd probably be feeling like a much better mom and person in general.

Sigh.  Oh well, I guess I should lay out my clothes for tomorrow ahead of time . . .

Am I the only person like this?  Please say no.

Marathon

 Image from marathondynamics.com

Running 26 miles . . . I don't think so.  The marathon I'm talking about is my Thanksgiving eating marathon.  I'm already training - trying to eat lots of extra food these next few days so that my stomach will be a little bigger on Turkey Day.

Part of my motivation stems from the fact that I was almost 8 months pregnant over Thanksgiving last year.  Not exactly conducive to eating your heart out, when your baby is squishing every organ you have (including your heart), and you can't eat more than about five bites in a sitting.  It's like having your stomach stapled shut.  Except worse, because you also have to go to the bathroom every five minutes.

So, I'm determined to make up for it this year.  I'm going to down food like there's no tomorrow.  Because you never know, there might not be.  Besides, 'tis the season to gain weight, right?

Here are my "keys to success" for Thanksgiving Day:

1 - Do NOT skip breakfast.  Trust me, I've tried it before.  It just shrinks your stomach . . . which is only good if you're trying not to eat a lot.  Not me.

2 - DO exercise in the morning, if possible.  This will boost your appetite.  If you're doing all the cooking, that pretty much counts as a full work-out.

3 - DO take a very large first helping of everything.  If there's a large group, you never know whether you're going to get seconds.

4 - DON'T worry about saving room for pie.  In case you didn't know, there's a dessert door that opens up (and is still empty) after you eat a meal.  It doesn't matter how full you thought you were.

Especially once you see this:

picture from kraftrecipes.com

5 - Make sure you get to take a nap.  Stake out your napping territory early, especially if there's a crowd.  You might even consider putting up a "reserved" sign.

picture from aaronpublishing.com

The NUMB3RS in My Life

Here are the numbers that describe my week: 

TWO:

 The number of days I've actually done my hair.  Eeek.

NINE:
The number of times Kate has bitten me.
(One - the number of times she has drawn blood)

ONE HUNDRED AND TWELVE:
The number of Christmas songs I've listened to.  I know, I know.  I just can't wait until after Thanksgiving.

SEVENTEEN:
The number of mini Almond Joys I have eaten.  Yep, and I'm proud of it.

SIX:
The number of times I've been ecstatic about something sweet Dave has done for me.  Let me be specific: bought me new (nice!) knives, got up with Kate in the night, got me a beautiful Christmas tree (and didn't make me wait until after Thanksgiving), surprise cleaned the house, took me to La Jolla again, and is just pretty much wonderful and patient with me.

TWO: 
The number of times we have been to La Jolla Groves in the past week.  Yes, I somehow tricked Dave into taking me there again!

SEVEN: 
The number of dropped calls I've had.  AT&T . . . grrr.

ZERO:
The number of Christmas presents I have bought so far.  Not good.

ONE THOUSAND FOUR HUNDRED SEVENTY THREE:
Number of pine needles that have fallen off our tree since we brought it home 3 hours ago.  Number of pine needles Kate has eaten so far . . . inconclusive.

ONE:
Number of car accidents we've had this week.  Which means it's also the number of drivable cars we have right now.  Boo. 

Any significant numbers in your life right now?

Anything you can do, I can do better . . .

Okay, maybe not better.  But just as good.  Here is Pottery Barn's version of this fall wreath:

from potterybarn.com

Here is my version:

The pictures are of Ali and Aaron (my sister and her fiance).  I'm using it for her bridal shower on Saturday.  I'm so happy with how it turned out.  The Pottery Barn version is $44 . . . mine was about $6!  Yay for saving money!

Holy Jolla

Yes, that's pronounced "hoya" - don't worry, I made the same mistake.  I don't get Spanish pronunciation.  But let's skip ahead to the point.  Dave and I went on our date night to La Jolla Groves.





Sorry about all the blank space, I was holding down the "enter" button while I was daydreaming/drooling about this amazing restaurant.  What more can I say?  You MUST try it.  End of discussion.

By way of intro, La Jolla Groves is located in the Riverwoods in Provo.  It's only been open for a few months.  Everything they make is made from fresh, organic, locally-grown produce.

I had heard positive things about this place from several people, so Dave and I decided to see for ourselves.  And let me tell you, I wasn't disappointed.  We called ahead to put our names on the list (there was a 10-20 minute wait time for walk-ins).  Side note, don't you hate places that don't let you make reservations?  I do.

We were greeted by a very friendly hostess, and then escorted to a lovely table.  Here was our view:

Yes, those are lemon trees overhead.  They looked so good I wanted to pick one off and eat it.  If they weren't fake.  And if the lemons were apples.  But I loved the atmosphere!  The ambiance was really cool, and despite the fact that the restaurant was crowded and busy, Dave and I felt like we had the place to ourselves.

Now, don't get me started on the food.  Everything was an A+.  We started off with the Tomato Mozzarella Caprese - it's an Italian dish that I tried in Italy, and have loved ever since.  Beautiful and tasty!

Dave ordered the crepes, and seriously, they were a 10 out of 10.  And I'm not an easy critic - I can't remember the last time I had a 10 out of 10.

I ordered the salmon which came in a cilantro butter - divine!  I gave my own meal a 9.5 out of 10.  If you love salmon, you have to try it.

And finally, we couldn't leave without dessert.  Not when everything else had been so good.  And not when they had something called "Chocolate Mousse Cake" on the menu.  I admit, right here the picture doesn't look that good.  There's an explanation.  It looked so good, and was so good that I didn't even get to take a picture before my hand picked up my spoon and started feeding me.

For any of you who have had any sort of a chocolate lava cake before, this one tops them all.  And trust me, I know.  If there is a chocolate lava cake out there, I've pretty much tried it.  I seriously have been dreaming about this dessert ever since.

Other: they had delicious rolls with lots of different flavors, the service was great, and our food actually came really fast!

Prices: this is a little on the pricier side.  Appetizers range from $6-8, entrees from $10-15, and desserts from $5-7.  But oh so worth it!

Be sure to give this place a try.  It was so good, I was even willing to go online and review it, so everyone can partake of the goodness :)

Goodbye, Harry?

 Image from http://filmkuw.com/

Rumor on the street has it that there are several nude scenes in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (part 1).  Okay, it's actually not a rumor, it's a fact.  And I didn't hear it on the street, I heard it from my mom, who heard it from . . . well, I don't know who she heard it from.  But I didn't think it sounded near as catchy to say: "My mom heard from somebody that it's a fact that there is nudity in the new Harry Potter movie."

Back to my point.  I did some research on it, and here's what I found out.  According to an article at nydailynews.net . . .

"The director of "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" - the two-part final cinematic chapter based on the series of seven books - says Daniel Radcliffe will do several nude scenes in the upcoming movie, one of them of the steamy variety. 

Director David Yates told Britain's Daily Telegraph, "Dan has appeared nude in the past. There are a couple of scenes in the new film in which he will undress, but we're still thinking about how to present it."

In the upcoming movie, Yates explains, a monster tortures Harry's friend Ron (Rupert Grint) with images of Harry in some sort of tryst with Hermione Granger (Emma Watson), with whom Ron is passionately in love. 

"We'll create something that feels very sexy and very intriguing to bring about a reaction in Rupert," Yates told the Telegraph of the scene." 

Read more here.

What???  Why in the world does there need to be a nude scene in Harry Potter?!?  A book that is categorized in Children and Young Adult sections?  This is absurd!

Now maybe I don't have all the info.  Maybe I'm blowing this out of proportion.  But really?  I know that Hollywood basically believes that adding sex and nudity to anything will make it sell more, but as a devoted Harry Potter fan, I feel like I've earned the right to put in my two cents.  This is supposed to be a kids/family oriented movie.  It's pretty sad when the movie production team forgets who their audience actually is.

I suppose the scene might be relatively harmless and they don't really show much.  Maybe they just talked it up as a nude scene to draw another crowd.  But still - that's really annoying!

My family was planning to all go to the new Harry Potter movie together, but now?  Not so sure.  I'm interested - if you've heard anything about this, I'd be glad to hear your thoughts/input!

The Gestapo Part II

Dave returned home late Friday night (he was out of town Wednesday through Friday, if you didn't read the previous post, click here).  Since then, he's been going around the house singing, "I'm the Gepetto, I'm the Gepetto!"  I think he meant Gestapo.  Nice old Italian man who carves wood - the evil state police of Germany - practically the same thing.

One of the first things he asked when he walked in the front door is, "Did you at least save me one of the cupcakes?"  Of course I did.  I would never eat 12 cupcakes all by myself in 2 1/2 days.  Just 8.  There were 4 left when he got home.  He ate one, threw one in the garbage (he said he had to at least throw one away after I wrote that post about him), and gave me seconds to hide the other ones before he chucked them as well.

The outcome?  I'm officially addicted to these cupcakes.  I've been craving them all week.  Just in case you have too, here's the recipe:

German Chocolate Cupcakes

Cupcakes: Make life easy on yourself.  Use a German Chocolate cake mix. 

Frosting:

1 cup evaporated milk
1 cup sugar
3 beaten egg yolks
1/2 cup butter
1 tsp vanilla

Cook the above ingredients on medium heat for 12 minutes, then add:

1 1/3 cups coconut
1 cup roasted chopped pecans (pecans can be roasted in the microwave for one minute on each side)

I like to chop off a piece of Almond Joy and place it on top for a garnish.

*These cupcakes are even better when they are warm and served with ice cream!

I'm a Fan

Dave and I are huge "Office" fans, and tonight we watched the episode where Jim confesses his love to Pam for the first time.  So adorable.  I think Jim and Pam might be the best TV love story there is.  So for all you "Office" fans, I just wanted to share this adorable video.  And the song is perfect.

The embed code had been deleted, but here is the link:  Jim and Pam

Kissin' Kate Kimball

Kate has two new tricks.  That sounds like she's a dog, doesn't it?  Let me rephrase: Kate has two new skills she has mastered of late.  One of them is waving.  Pretty much anytime you say "hi" or "bye-bye" she will now wave.  Go Kate.

Kate also has a new crush.  His name is George.  Curious George, that is.  Her new favorite thing is to watch this Jack Johnson "Upside Down" video on youtube:

She gets so excited whenever she sees the little monkey.  She dances, waves her arm, and bangs her head.  Unfortunately, the development of Kate's new crush corresponds with her other recently developed skill: kissing.  She will now give you a big slobbery kiss on the cheek whenever you ask.  Is this a coincidence?  I think not.  Granted, I'm grateful that Kate's first crush happens to be on a monkey, and a cartoon at that, but still . . . it makes me nervous for when she's older.  I mean, there are some real apes out there.

Ta Da!

Just wanted to let you all know that I'm starting a new blog about family.  I know, I know, I was soooooo nervous about starting my first blog, and here I am starting another one.  But here's what I've found: I love writing.  I didn't realize how much I'd missed it until I started doing it on my blog all the time.  So I chose something that I love (don't worry, I don't think I'm some expert on family) and that I'm passionate about.  I'd love it if you'd check it out, comment, and share stuff with me about your families and what works for you, since I have so much to learn!

http://everydayfamilies.blogspot.com/ 

For Kids: Crayon Roll

I found this and love it!  I'm not quite ready to make one, since Kate is more interested in eating crayons than drawing with them, but I thought I'd share anyway!

picture from Life in Grace

For directions on how to make it, go to Life in Grace.  Talk about a handy gift for moms!

My German Chocolate Night Out, aka, The Gestapo is out of Town

Disclaimer: Don't get me wrong, I love my husband very much.  And I love having him home with me.  But . . . if he has to be gone, I might as well enjoy my night out, eh?

Okay, so maybe "night out" isn't a very appropriate description.  When your husband is out of town, and your daughter goes to bed at 6:30 pm, you're pretty much facing a "night in," but hey, let's not get technical.

I hate it when Dave travels, I honestly do.  And I've got 4 months of living without my husband to justify that hate.  However, if he is gone, you'd better believe that I'm going to make the most of it.  Let's start with a simple fact, and I apologize if I digress: Dave hates it when I make treats.  I know, I know, my talent of making the most scrumptiously unhealthy desserts you can imagine has gone to waste.  Just to clarify, he does like the desserts that I make.  He just doesn't like that he likes them.  Mostly because of what they do can do to the waistline.  He hates it when I make treats, he hates it when I buy goodies, or candy, or anything else that might be hanging out at the top of the food pyramid.  Namely, all of the stuff I live for.  Problem.

Thus came Dave's pronouncement: "If I find it, I'm throwing it away."  So let it be written, so let it be done.  Except for one little detail - the "if."  If he doesn't find it . . . well, I'm sure you see where I'm going with this.  I've become an exceptionally good "hider" - even given the very small square footage of our apartment.  Maybe it comes with the name.  For example . . . one of the best places I've ever come up with for my treat stash was in my closet.  In a bag, on a hanger, hidden amongst my countless shirts and skirts.  Brilliant, if I do say so myself.  But by the time Dave reads this, I will have moved it to another equally brilliant hiding place.

Now you see it.

Now you don't.

Pretty much, he's like the Gestapo (evil German police) and I'm a German citizen, trying to hide and protect the good things in this world.  Like peanut butter m&ms, and brownies.

So, what was my point again?  Oh yeah.  Dave's gone.  That means I can let the treats out of the bag, if you know what I mean.  I made German Chocolate cupcakes with my sister.  Mmmm, mmmm, good.  I'll have to post the recipe soon.  

Love 'em - you can see why.

I thought the "Give Thanks" sign in the background was quite appropriate, given what I was about to partake of.

I sat down to eat my delicious cupcake while watching two episodes of one of my all-time favorite tv shows - Law and Order.  It's too bad Dave doesn't get home until Friday . . .

Happy Halloween!

It's weird that today is actually Halloween, because no one has really even talked about it.  Since we celebrated it yesterday, it seems so . . . well, yesterday.  We had a great first Halloween with Kate!  I'm a little embarrassed to admit, but we were so excited that we pretty much went out September 1 (a lot of the places we looked didn't even have their costumes out yet) to buy Kate her costume.  She was a duck, and a very cute one at that.  I was a farmer.  You know . . .

Old Miss Heidi had a farm, E-I-E-I-O.  

And on her farm she had a . . . duck . . . 

E-I-E-I-O!  With a quack quack here

 and a quack quack there!

(I know the picture is fuzzy, but I loved her little duck tail)

Here a quack, there a quack

Everywhere a quack quack!

(That's cousin Amira - or should I say Queen Amira?  I'm not sure why she was hanging out with us lowly farm folk!)

Here's our whole family.  I'm not sure why Dave was a Jewish Rabbi.  I'm pretty sure it had 100% to do with random assortment of things he found around our house to make a costume out of :)

"What if we lose the farm?"

He actually sort of looks like an Amish farmer.

We had big Halloween party with the Kimball family - saw lots of great costumes, played some fun games, and ate some delicious food.  Check out what we had:

Yes, that's right.  Pumpkin bread bowls.  Dave's mom got them at the Lehi Bakery - aren't they perfect??  Here's mine, with the Mexican Chicken Corn Chowder that Dave's Aunt Rachelle made - delicious!

The soup was fantastic.  Rachelle is an amazing cook, and she has Celiac Disease, so everything she makes is gluten-free.  If you're interested in checking out some of her recipes (including this amazing soup), click here.

Jami was in charge of the fruit - I loved her idea!

Fruit kabobs in the pumpkin.  I think it's a really fun idea for Thanksgiving, too - I'm envisioning a beautiful turkey with fruit feathers :)  Bring on Thanksgiving!