Just so Stories

I finished reading the Just So Stories this week. As I was reading them I realized I had read them before; actually my mother read them to me because I hated not to finish a book, but I thought the stories were ridiculous and impertinent. This time when I read them I think I understood better Kipling's intentions  in writing such nonsensical stories. I was able to laugh more readily. I've found at certain times of my life when a book would mean something different to me than another time, like when I read Tom Sawyer Abroad by Mark Twain. The first time I tried to read Tom Sawyer Abroad, it was a very laborious undertaking and I didn't enjoy it one bit. I read about halfway through the book and gave it up for another time. The next time I picked up Tom Sawyer Abroad, I loved it. It's a wonderful book and Mark Twain is ingenious! I just wasn't ready for that kind of book the first time I started to read it. I have learned; if you pick up a book and just can't get into it, put it down and read something else till you are ready for it. Years later when I feel ready to try again, and I know the time is right, I get much more out of it.

At Long Last!

At long last I finally had the opportunity this week to order a teapot for myself! My husband received a gift card from Amazon.com for a schoolbook he turned in and told me I could order anything I wanted with that card. I have wanted a real teapot for so long, and now for the first time since my play set as a child, I have my very own. I exercised much deliberation about my first teapot- color, size, brand. After my research I decided on a British-made Brown Betty and it arrived today along with a new book I will read for the first time (Walden, by Henry David Thoreau).
It stands to reason that the British would know the proper way to make a cup of tea. ;) Cauldon Ceramics explains very well the reasons I decided a Brown Betty Tea Pot suited my purposes, "During Queen Victoria's reign, tea became a symbol of Britain's greatest period of expansion and stability. Every home owned a teapot, even if it was a basic "Brown Betty". Tea was no longer a refined, upper class beverage but a basis of a whole meal.

While Charleston dancers and many Victorian glamours have disappeared for the scene, the humble "Brown Betty" teapot has still remained a firm favourite. Its origins go back to the end of the 17th century and to the birth of the British Ceramic teapot; although in 1700 an ordinary small unglazed teapot made of Red Clay from the Bradwell Woods area in Stoke-on-Trent was a luxury item costing about 12 shillings.

Our Brown Betty Teapots are still made from Terracotta and used by the Elder Brothers in 1965. Their method of making was by "Jollying' but in later years it became 'Slip Casting giving a smooth finish and even thickness. Rockingham Brown Glaze complies US FDA and California Proposition 65. The pots are microwave and heat resistant.

Succeeding generations of English men have proved that the Brown Betty, as these Red Ware teapots are affectionately known, make the best pot of tea in the world. The shape of the pot causes the tea leaves to be gently swirled around as the boiling water is added, thus producing an exquisite infusion. The Red Terracotta Clay with its Rockingham Glaze, Coddles the brew and gives the perfect cup of tea."

After opening my much anticipated package, I washed my purchase and began to steep my first pot of perfectly brewed tea. What could be more appropriate than some Twinings herb tea for the first brew of many in my authentic new Brown Betty? ("In 1706 Thomas Twining started selling fine tea in England. Today, Twinings still sells some of the world's best teas from the original store in the Strand, London, and in more than 100 countries throughout the world.") Amazingly enough it did taste so much better than I'd ever had my Twinings Peppermint Herb Tea before. I used some fresh home harvested honey (my Hometeacher had given my family) to sweeten my tea and had some crackers and my homemade Blueberry Jam to accompany it. I've heard that good rituals can bring a sense of well-being and security and are a necessary element in a stable lifestyle. I can definitely see the benefits of incorporating a relaxing routine such as enjoying a pot of tezane on a daily basis.

Bit of a Disappointment

I found The Call of the Wild to be less entertaining for me than most other books, I'm glad I chose a short Jack London book to read. I found the author wrote a predictable and violent story. -Maybe men would enjoy reading about the violence. I did appreciate the author's depiction of the harsh life of dog sledders in Alaska and Canada, and the interpretation of the dog's perception. I disliked and disagree with the author's theory of evolution and mankind's primal ancestry, but it was still interesting and I mildly enjoyed it.

Shoes

I love my shoes. There is nothing like a good leather shoe (the only thing shoes should be made of except maybe canvas) and yet they are so hard to find. If I should find some leather shoes, you can bet they will cost me 3 times as much as they should or they may be only partially leather. What is up with our world where I can't even find a good pair of shoes for less than $90.00!
Superman bought me these flats months ago and I have been so glad to have them. They cost more than they ought but they are comfortable and simple and they breath so much better than plastic. Aren't they cute! They are Clarks and I don't know why it makes a difference but they are an artisan. Shouldn't every shoe company be skilled in their art? Why should I have to pay more money for some stitching to tell me my shoes were made skillfully? Maybe we, as a society, are too accepting of mediocrity. -Something to think about.

Jane Eyre

Jane Eyre is now one of my favorite books, cherished along side Little Women and Anne of Green Gables! I don't know why I let the movie frighten me out of reading the book for so long. (The movie was so very mournful!)

Charlotte Bronte writes with eloquence and extensive vocabulary. The characters are so well developed they seem to be real persons in the world. I love what strong moral fiber the heroine has and what courage and faith. Jane teaches one to think virtuously and compassionately. Charlotte Bronte is humorous, sincere and captivating. I wanted only to be reading Jane Eyre until I was finished. Truely a classic, written with real talent and feeling. This is a book fit to help shape the young minds of America and I think I will always read it to my own children.

Mourning Our Loss

Black Bart, our black moor fish, died last night. He was almost three years old. Jon bought him to befriend another oranda gold fish we won in a game night at our singles' ward when we were first dating. So, he's been in the family for years! I already miss him. Maybe it's silly to miss a fish but he was our first family pet and he had a fun personality... Yes, he had personality and that's probably why I liked him so much. (I usually don't like fish at all.) Bart's left a little hole in our already small family now, but I just can't think of getting another fish. We'll just have to wait to get a new pet until we can keep a dog. The End.

Join The Fight Against Mingled Fragrances!

Over the years I have been the recipient of dozens of perfumes, scented lotions, body washes, candles, bath salts, soaks, and pearls. I could probably empty them all into my bathtub for a pungent vat of pampering moonshine. Honestly, I think scented gifts are a little too widely assumed to be a generally acceptable pleasure for all females. Yes, as little girls we covet them because we are not allowed to wear them, and because we have not identified our own preference, but fragrance is particularly subject to individuality.
I have enjoyed trying out new fragrances for years; but from now on, and I think many a woman would agree with me, I'd like to be my own buyer. Unless a particular fragrance is requested, I feel it would be most acceptable to just give a good quality fragrance-free lotion, candle, or body wash.
I have found, what I really enjoy, is a good skin-quenching lotion that won't linger on my skin, a long lasting candle to soften the tension at the end of a long day, and a good soap that won't leave residue on my body. May I suggest, face masks are a very nice relaxing "me time" treat too, and I think just about any kind of 'Mud Mask' will do. I've tried lots of them and there isn't one I have disliked.
With the holidays coming up I'd like to sound my plea to the gift givers all over- in behalf of women everywhere, I love you and I appreciate your thoughtfulness and I think you're wonderful, but please, this year don't add to my melage of fragrances that won't ever smell well together. Go FRAGRANCE-FREE! :) Thanks, and I hope no one is offended by my honesty.

Book Worm Syndrome

Today I had a short day at work and when I came home I finished reading Mansfield Park. What a long book it was, it finally became intriguing about halfway through the book and the climax was not so riveting. Although I would not call it Jane Austen's finest piece, I did enjoyed it very much. I think maybe her next book, Emma, was probably so wonderful because of the experience in writing Mansfield Park.

Now I have only Jane Austen's unfinished novels, Lady Susan, The Watsons and Sanditon, left to read and then I will have explored all of this great author's novel genius. That's a sad thought, I think I will revisit Pride and Prejudice, Emma, Persuasion, and Sense and Sensibility from time to time.

I think I'll read Jane Eyre next. I can't believe it's taken me this long to finally read Jane Eyre; it seems as if everyone else has read it except me. I have a great many classics to read to catch up to everyone else. Most people I meet read books in high school that I never read, and even in college I was spared of reading any novels except in personal reading and by my own desire to be well read. I am a slow reader however, and I have a long way to go. It's a good thing I enjoy reading.

Patience, the Ultimate Virtue? -A Soap Box

Superman and I listened to the Priesthood session during the break between General Conference sessions on Easter Sunday. Elder Uchtdorf's talk on Patience really struck a cord with me. During his talk I remembered pondering the virtue of patience when I was a teenager, and how hard I'd worked on developing it.
Working in retail can really tax your patience, but I'm sure that's true of any job. Not only at work but everywhere I go I find my patience overcome by annoyance and judgement. I see immature people driving, ignorant people voting, irresponsible people raising children, and self-centered people shopping. You might say, "Oh how judgemental; who am I to point out the flaws of others." I only can see the world no longer values the same virtues it once did, and I see it in the people of the world. I'm afraid to raise children in it because I want something better, and more wholesome for my children.
I feel so relieved when I see someone doing a good deed, speaking respectfully to another, cleaning up, or favoring a gracious gesture. I think if I can just do as much good as I can, and be patient with the rest of the world, there are enough people out there just trying to do good that it will prevail.
I am glad to be reminded not to give up on patience.

A Quick Summery From February To Now..

Well well, I have skipped over much of the past couple of months, but I will briefly mention a few of the goings on now.
I had to work on Valentine's Day, but when I got home I first found a dozen red roses for me in the kitchen and then a live orchid waiting for me with my sweet husband. I don't remember what we had for dinner but my husband is a New York Cheesecake buff so I made a Junior's Cheesecake for dessert. It was heavenly.

In march I finished my Aunt's apron and sent it to her, but I believe I already wrote about that, so here is a picture of it.

My sister-in-law's birthday was in march and she loves chocolate so I made two chocolate cakes for her birthday. The first was a chocolate sponge cake with dark chocolate ganache from my Julia Child Cookbooks. The second was a Betty Crocker mix chocolate cake with Pillsbury Fudge Chocolate frosting.
Superman and I had a wonderful Easter, we had lots of fun Easter treats, listened to General Conference, and we had deviled eggs with lunch. Last month was my birthday and Jon took me out to eat with my friends and then we had cake and ice cream at home with family. By the way, Texas Roadhouse makes you sit in a saddle on a wooden horse while they announce it's your birthday and everyone shouts, " Yeehaw!" at you. It's not too embarrassing, but all you get for it is a scoop of vanilla ice cream (although it was pretty amazing ice cream.)

I have been growing tomato and bell pepper plants from seeds in egg cartons and next month I will transplant them into the back yard. In a couple of months I should be able to harvest my first crop! I'm so excited; look how tall and green and healthy they are getting, this is my first vegetable garden I'll be planting by myself. Superman has been a great help actually, he has watered the seedlings when I forgot and has been helping me prepare the earth in the backyard for transplanting. I plan to plant peas in the plot soon too.

Mothers

I am not a mother myself yet; although, I want to be. Motherhood is one of the most intimidatingly important tender desires of my heart. It intimidates me because of how people are being raised these days and how differently I want to raise up children of my own to be. I see people around me everyday who are indecent, impolite, crude, careless, irresponsible, and selfish among other things. It frightens me to think I have all of these ugly influences to overcome to teach my children to be decent, polite, generous, responsible, charitable and hard working people. I will just have to devote every thought and effort to teaching them to live healthy virtuous lives. At the same time I know I don't want to, and CAN'T, micromanage my family so I will just have to do my best. I think maybe that's what most women want and how they feel about becoming a mother.
I hope my own mother knows how deeply grateful I am to her for leaving work to raise us kids and for sacrificing so much time, thought, and effort to make sure we were taught right and felt loved and secure. Thanks Mom, I hope I will follow your good example when I have my own children. I also want to thank all the other good mothers out there who are carefully raising their children to be decent members of society. Thank you for your sacrifices you Beautiful Women!

Discovering a New Strategy

This week I used my new trifle bowl for the first time! I made a banana pudding in it. Isn't it beautiful? ...Well for a first attempt maybe?... Okay okay, I need practice. This trifle bowl from pampered chef is awesome though; it has a removable pedestal and a lid, so if I need to I can stick it in the fridge as is! I'm all about minimal clean up.. and my bright orange mixer!

I finally loaded my pictures onto my computer so I have to show you the new apron my sister-in-law made for me for Christmas. The orange stripes match my mixer! My oldest brother's wife is so crafty especially with the sewing machine.
She also made my husband a jean and flannel blanket for Christmas. Isn't she amazing?

Last week I unpacked my blender and I've been making a lot of smoothies and milk shakes ever since. When I was growing up my family never used the blender much and I think I had my first real smoothie when I was 23. I discovered jamba juice and made it a once a week ritual for a while. (I love the Peanut Butter Mood minus the Chocolate and with extra banana.) So cooking with the blender has been a gradual and unnatural discovery for me. Luckily I have my years working at Dairy Queen experience to fall back on.
Now I'm using my blender as a way to get fruit into my husband. Superman is allergic to many fruits and the only way he can eat them is if they are mixed up with other fruit or in something. I mix sherbet with a banana, cherry juice, berries, and Naked juice. It makes a pretty delicious breakfast for him and it makes me happy because now I know he's getting his vitamins and fiber. So, for anyone else out there who is struggling to bring fruit into her man's diet I thought I'd share the strategy. ;)

My Pampered Chef Party!

I hosted a Pampered Chef party this weekend after my birthday and we had a really good time. We learned how to make Strawberry-Coconut Tres Leche Trifle and tried a whole bunch of fun tools to make our lives easier in the kitchen. You can find the recipe in the Spring/Summer 2010 Season's Best recipe book in addition to many other recipes offered for only a dollar! One of the things I am ordering this week is the Trifle Bowl. I will now have something to build my banana pudding in that will also look pretty fancy! Here are some more trifle recipes Pampered Chef is offering on the website!
For those friends who were unable to come, you can still check out the website and order from my party for the next few days here. Just enter my first name in the first yellow box, click "search for host" then click on my name (in blue) when it uploads. You can shop, download recipes, and place your order securely! Have fun!

Things that make me happy this month

I go in and out of obsession fazes throughout my life, gradually improving on talents and picking up new talents with each faze. My most recent obsession has been sewing. I made an apron for my sister at Christmas and I just finished an apron for my aunt last month. (It was meant for Christmas also but it's a busy time of year and the season is past, so I'll send it to her anyway and she can wear it this Christmas!) Other than sewing up a jumper for myself in my junior high years, with the aid of my mother, and a book bag in Young Women's I had never really sewn much of anything prior to last winter. I bought a cheap sewing machine last fall and began to teach myself and call home to my mother for tips. My sister's apron which I posted earlier was my first project. I have since been finding all sorts of patterns online and buying clothing patterns too. The challenge is finding the right fabric for the right project, which has also been one of my biggest obstacles aside from finding the money to buy fabric.
My most recent purchase was a much needed and longed for ironing board- which my husband helped me to find and buy (mostly the getting home with it part.) with the promise that I will now iron his church shirts more often now that I don't have to wage it over on a towel on our TV room floor. (Oh my aching knees!) ;o) I feel so joyful to finally have my very own ironing board! It feels somewhat like a right of passage into the domestic world, and an ironing board is so essential to a seamstress!
Speaking of the domestic world; last week I made my very first batch of Hollandaise sauce and served it as a Sauce Chantilly over poached Dover Sole. By the way, I don't think Dover Sole is real Sole and I would not by it again. The sauce and poaching of the fish was; however, SO yummy. Thank you Julia Child for teaching me to poach fish and make Hollandaise sauce all in one night! Even though the Hollandaise was so rich and creamy I did put too much lemon juice in it, even for my taste. So, I will have to try again and serve it over an omelet I will also learn to make from the late Mrs. Child.
Another happy occurrence in this my birth month is that my hair has finally recovered enough from my last bad hair cut that I can wear it down again. Before it was so unruly I had to banish it to ponytail holders for months, but now I can curl it! Hooray! No more flyaways! So now it needs a trim and I am much too frightened to let anyone touch it ever again.. Hmmm what to do.. Should I drive 5 hours to see my old reliable hair stylist, Chana, or... I can't even bare to think of the alternative right now. Chana is wonderful she can see in what patterns my hair grows and cut it so that it naturally lays beautifully on my head. I think all hair stylists should be so talented.
Well I will have to post about Valentines Day and Easter in my next blog because it is just too late at night now and I have work in the morning. So for now, Good night.

Happy St Patrick's Day!

Today I remembered it was St. Patty's Day because I had the privilege of wearing jeans and a green shirt to work with a Button wishing everyone a Happy St. Patrick's Day! Tonight I made Emerald Salad, a recipe from my Grandmother, but we didn't have our traditional corned beef because the family couldn't get together to eat dinner with us tonight.
I think St. Patrick's Day is under celebrated by non-drinkers and so I am trying to come up with fun traditions for my own family. When I was in grade school I made the coolest little leprechaun paper doll with posable limbs and we cut out Shamrocks with our names on them to decorate the classroom with. I LOVED IT! I think I will do that with my kids someday and I hope I can find the leprechaun for a pattern so my kids can make them too. (They were awesome because we used brads to make the limbs posable and you could color different outfits on them- so was fun to get creative, and imagine his home among the toadstools and his coveted treasure at the end of the rainbow.) Lets not forget watching Darby O'Gill and The Little People, and The Gnome-Mobile, who remembers that movie? As a child I got such a thrill imagining there were little people playing and frolicking in the woods. Who wouldn't want to live like that! Haha.

Our Cozy Corner..

My husband and I live in a corner of my Mother-in-law's house; we have a living room fortified with boxes and furniture lined walls where we entertain ourselves and our friends, a bedroom almost too small for our towering king sized bed and a tiny closet bursting with clothes, and a bathroom with sickly pale lavender walls.
It's never easy to live under someone else's roof and I think that's why as children we anticipate growing up and getting out on our own. I feel it's in our nature to want to build our own lives, make our own choices, and form our own "nests." It's even harder once I have made my own "nest," and life, and had freedom to make my own choices to have to regress and loose almost entirely all I've built and earned.
I have learned a lot about myself, my husband and his family. It has taken a great deal of tenacity and courage to face our situation, and to find happiness together in the midst of our efforts to climb out of this seemingly ever darkening hole. I think the worst part is feeling the shame and humiliation of our obvious situation. It's hard enough to try to recover from falling on your face, but falling on your face where everyone you know can see and laugh at and judge you is ten times worse.
I've relearned humility; I'd hoped I'd never again have to be looked down on or be discluded from activities purely because of finances. I've learned what real friends are and money and processions don't make a person happy for long. I used to think if I wore the latest trends and ate at the fanciest restaurants I would live a better quality of life and have more refined friends. I've learned eating at home is better quality, and learning to cook more cultured foods is more satisfying, wearing comely less expensive clothing is more comfortable and less regretful when they get damaged or won't fit anymore. The so-called "refined" friends are no more cultured than anyone else, most of the time. I appreciate my friends who are loyal, down to earth, and have more pertinent interests. Acquiring talents bring more fulfillment than acquiring possessions, and I enjoy making nice things for my home much more than buying them.
As my husband and I have been slowly piecing our life back together, I feel gratitude for my friends who haven't turned up their noses at me, for a mother in law who lets us share her roof while we have none of our own, and for my own parents whose constant faith in my abilities and judgement have never wavered. I'm grateful to my Father in Heaven for blessing me with talents that help me to overcome financial difficulty and with a family and friends who have helped me develop them. I am most grateful for my caring, forgiving, thoughtful, and courageous husband who always stands by my side and makes me laugh when I feel as though I will never laugh again, and he never gives up trying to find our way out of this mess.
Hardship comes to everyone at some time in his/her life, I always try to remember, "This too shall pass" and ask Father in Heaven to bear up my legs under me so that I may persevere. I hope that I may learn my lesson and not mock or scorn those who may appear beggars.
"For behold, are we not all beggars? Do we not all depend upon the same Being, even God, for all the substance which we have, for both food and raiment, and for gold, and for silver, and for all the riches which we have of every kind?" (Mosiah 4:19) Sometimes it's hard to remember that when I am faced with someone who is dirty and ungenteel and clearly doesn't know what it is to be a useful member of society. Maybe that sounds snobby, but lets face it; no one likes to feel encroached on or uncomfortably near someone with bad hygiene. It's sometimes hard to treat a person like a child of God when you feel that person might try to take advantage of you because he/she may see your kindness as weakness or an opportunity. I believe we are all entitled to protect ourselves, but I pray I may not be too judgemental of such a person and still remember the worth of every man's soul is great. I hope I may learn the lessons I can from my trials, and become the person I am meant to be.

For Dinner

Tonight I made Chicken Satay with Jasmine Rice and Vegitable Kabobs. It's wonderful so I decided to share it.

Chicken Satay (a partial recipe from Williams-Sonoma)
Superman and I enjoy this dish very much; it originally came with a recipe for peanut sauce, but the sauce is more trouble than it’s worth and the chicken holds it’s own unaccompanied. So I just make the chicken and add rice a veggies.
1 ½ lbs boneless skinless Chicken breast, ½ cup Coconut Milk, ¼ cup Fish Sauce, 3 Tbsp Brown Sugar, 2 Tbsp chopped fresh Cilantro, 1 Tbsp Madras Curry Powder
Cut chicken into 1 ½ x 4 inch strips. Mix all ingredients in a large bowl. Add chicken strips to bowl and massage around to coat evenly. Cover chicken in the bowl and place in the fridge for 1 hour. Soak 8 to 12 wooden skewers; 9” long each, in water to cover for at least 20 minutes.Remove chicken from refrigerator and weave strips onto soaked wooden skewers. Discard remaining marinade. If using a stove-top grill pan, preheat it over high heat. Brush grill rack or pan with oil. Place the skewers on the rack or pan and sear the chicken until golden brown on each side, 4-5 minutes per side. If using a charcoal grill, move the skewers away from the direct flame, cover the grill, and cook until the chicken is opaque throughout, about 5 minutes. If using a grill pan turn off the hear, cover the pan, and let the chicken stand for about 5 minutes. Arrange skewers on a warmed platter and serve with peanut sauce on the side.

While I was waiting for my chicken to marinade, I decided to try out my new Organic Wheat Pastry Flour and make some Apple Maple scones of which recipe I've been meaning to try out for some time now. You'll find the recipe here. Only I added a little more of each flour and used 1/4 cup of maple syrup and only 1 Tbsp of sugar. They were good but didn't taste very sweet so I whipped up some brandy flavored glaze to drizzle on top, and wow, I love them. They are like a really good bowl of oatmeal with apple cinnamon and fruity sweetness. - Only better cuz they're scones and go very nicely with a warm cup of teazan. Enjoy! I certainly am.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Well now that I've given the apron away for Christmas I can post a photograph with out giving away the surprise:My sister was thrilled to get it, and I was so exciting to give her such a surprise gift she liked so much. :) Snowmen and snowflakes are my sister's favorite for holiday decorating; so when I saw this material, I knew just what had to be done.

Every year (so far) at Christmas time my husband and I buy new ornaments. This year I bought one for him to hang and one for me to hang on the Christmas tree.

I found these beautiful ceramic birds at Kohls and knew they were our ornaments for this Christmas. In my mind, they seem like just the kinds of things that should adorn Christmas trees. Our First Christmas we bought this ornament and displayed a wedding photo since our wedding was only three days before Christmas.

For our anniversary this year we were supposed to give eachother "Cotton" gifts. I couldn't think of anything cotton to give Superman this year until just a few weeks before. He is fond of Venture Brothers and especially the body guard Brock Samson, and so I decided to custom make him a tee shirt with Brock Samson on it. Here's the before and after shots:

Of coarse I would pick a BLACK tee shirt to do it on and choose an image with FINE LINES for my first try. I'm insane! It was a lot of work, but it turned out great and my husband just loves it. Thank you Jeni for the tutorial!

My parents, Aunt, Superman and I spent Christmas at my sister's house where my mom helped me make a mincemeat pie for the first time and I made it with a lattice top for the first time! It was so fun and pretty good if I say so myself! Superman and I watched Twilight for the first time the night of Christmas Eve and for New Years day we went to see New Moon. I haven't read the books so I thoroughly enjoyed the movies and can hardly wait to see Eclipse when it comes to theaters in June. I think I will read the books after I watch the movies so I don't spoil the movies and won't miss out on the details in the books. I'm glad I waited till now to see any of the movies so the suspense isn't so long to see what happenens next. :)