Things I am missing right now:

1. Glee - I am so glad that I just starting watching this show and was able to watch the whole season in 1 1/2 weeks. I would have HATED having to wait a whole week for the next episode. I'm so sad that it's not on for a few months though. I'll just have to watch the episodes over and over again.
2. Christmas decorations. For some reason, I didn't bring them with me to Utah! I have a few little snowmen that my Aunts gifted me when I was in California last month. I miss having a tree with my ornaments.
3. Family. I miss them lots. I'm going to Texas this year and will get to see my closest family but I do miss my California, Colorado and Missouri family. I hope to go home to Missouri in February though and I'll be able to see most of them then.
4. Reading. Since I finished the Harry Potter series for the 2nd/3rd time. 3rd time for books 1-6 and 2nd time for book 7. Not sure what to read next. Any suggestions?
5. Short hair. Since I made the goal on my 40 Before 40 list to grow my hair 4 inches, I can't cut it as short as I would like. Not sure I'm going to make this goal.
   
6. Contact Lenses. If you haven't heard, I'm having Lasik surgery on 12/31/09. In the meantime, I have to wear my glasses. I really hate wearing my glasses.
7. A non-runny nose. Ever since I got sick after Thanksgiving, my nose still runs. Bleh.
   

What I don't miss:

1. The 10 lbs. I've lost since September. Yay me! I've cut waaayyy back on carbs and it's paid off. Only 30 lbs. to go before 9/8/10. I can totally do that!
2. High School. Do I really have to explain this?
3. Bread. I thought I would, but really, I don't miss it as much as I thought I would. Don't get me wrong - I still eat it, but not every day.
4. My ingrown toenails. Sorry if it's TMI, but I had them cut out a couple of weeks ago by a very abled Podiatrist. He just might be the best friend I ever made in December. What a difference a few centimeters of missing toenail makes!
5. Jon & Kate Plus 8. I hope they aren't heartbroken.
   
6. My old job. I miss my friends from my old job, but not the job. I have to admit, this past year at my new/old company has had its ups and downs, but nothing compared to the pain and suffering endured at the old job.
   

And that my friends is what's going through my mind this cold December night. I should really be in bed right now. I think that's what I'm really missing. Sleep!

Better late than never...

I'm a week late, but here is a link to the cutest print-your-own calendar for December:

http://martawrites.blogspot.com/2009/11/december-calendar-giveaway-411.html

You can thank me later...

xoxoLeslie

Affected

I have mentioned her here before. For close to 17 months, I have closely followed, worried, prayed and cried for her and her family.

I do not know her, but Stephanie Nielson's story has deeply affected me.

Today I am profoundly grateful that there is a God that is aware of us and although our choices may take us from the path he intended for us, He gives us strength we didn't know we were capable of to overcome our trials. Whether those trials be great or small, he is keenly aware of our needs. He puts people in our lives that love us, support us and make us look in mirrors we would rather ignore.

No matter what happens to us in this life, I know that God loves us and that love is eternal and unending.

Suggestions?

Lately, one of my biggest dilemmas has been what to make for dinner. Any suggestions? Think back to the days when you were on a tight budget and cooking for one or two. That's my situation right now. I'm also trying to stay away from white carbs like bread and pasta. Oh, also something easy with four ingredients or less just because I don't want to have a lot of dirty dishes.

Ummmm, what happened to November?

I stopped by here today to blow the dust off and realized that I haven't updated since the end of OCTOBER!!!

I wish I could tell you that so much has happened that I just can't possibly fit it into one post and that I'll have to make several entries just so I don't bore you with all the details and photos of November.

Reality? This is what happened:

Week 1: Sick with some kind of stomach bug, joined Netflix, colored my hair and gassed up the Jeep (this is significant because I just got gas again today for the first time since then!)

Week 2: Went to California for Felecia's baby shower. I got to see some of my favorites there but sadly, not all of them. OH! I got to be there when Felecia had her 4-D ultrasound!

Week 3: Came back from California and spent the rest of the week doing laundry and letting dishes pile up in the sink.

Week 4: Thanksgiving - definitely the only highlight of the last week in November

Not too many pictures to show and none with me in them actually, but this is one of my favorites from the shower. Lea and Catherine, I hope you don't mind!

No promises, but December is already looking more exciting. After all, I'm going to Texas in 2 1/2 weeks to celebrate Christmas with my family! Happy December y'all!

In My Birthday Suit

Made you look, huh? Gotcha! Happy Halloween!

Wondering Why

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip cookies made last April tasted so bad that I threw them away without a second thought.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip cookies (same, exact recipe) made on a crisp, Fall evening for my very own FHE taste absolutely perfect...

They are just made for this kind of weather!

I love this kid

I was going through the downloaded pictures from this summer and I found this picture:

This was taken when I let my 7 year-old nephew take the camera. What do I love most about the picture? The pasta sauce on his right leg. This picture was taken at my cousin's restaurant. Whenever I see this picture, I will always think of baked ziti. Always. Especially now because I've cut back on carbs (stay tuned for more on that in a later post) and I think about baked ziti alot.

I have a question

Does anyone else choose their toothbrush SOLELY based on the color?

Tonight I bought a new toothbrush. Not because it is proven to reduce tartar and gingivitis. And certainly not because it had a special brush patch for cleaning the tongue and cheek.

I bought it because it was pink.

What I Did This Weekend

I bought this lovely vintage headband at a local craft boutique.

I hung these pictures on the wall

Went to an emergency preparedness fireside -boy, do I have a lot of preparation to do...

I updated my blog layout - I'm still working on the title font.

I went to a ward barbecue, took a camera, but forgot to use it.

What did you do this weekend?

I'm Alive and Well

I think it's time to pick a theme song for the next year of my life. When I turned 30, it was "My Next 30 Years" by Tim McGraw. One year (I don't know which) it was "Daughters" by John Mayer. If you recall, last year it was "One Step at a Time" by Jordin Sparks. This year I declare the Kenny Chesney/Dave Matthews masterpiece "I'm Alive" as the winner for this, the last year of my 30s.



I have it on repeat in my head...it sums up my life perfectly right now.

40 Before Forty

So, today marks the first day of my last year in the 30's...for some reason turning 40 seems so ominous and looming. Some days I can hardly believe that I'm this old! Then I look in the mirror and see the gray streaks staring back at me and I know it's true. Of course, I started turning gray at 18, so that's not really an indicator of aging for me. Anyway, I digress. I'm turning 39 today and I thought I'd challenge myself to accomplish 40 unique, never before accomplished things in the coming year before I turn 40. After giving it a lot of thought, this is the list I've come up with.

1. Finish and fill every page of the scrapbook I started in 1998
2. Lose 40 lbs.
3. Attend the temple 40 times
4. Grow my hair 4 inches
5. Take another tap dancing class
6. Learn to knit and purl
7. Drink hot chocolate at a ski lodge
8. Bike ride in Southern Utah
9. Volunteer at a local women/children's shelter
10. See a Broadway show on Broadway
11. Go to Pike Place Market in Seattle and buy fresh flowers
12. Go fishing
13. Attend the Utah Symphony
14. See Jim Brickman in concert
15. Re-read the biography of Gordon B. Hinckley
16. Create and stay on a budget
17. Grow my own cilantro
18. Hang pictures on the walls of my apartment
19. Take more baths
20. Visit Yellowstone and Jackson Hole, Wyoming
21. Make and send more birthday cards
22. Walk across the Golden Gate Bridge
23. Figure out my true life's passion
24. Play tennis
25. Start and finish the Book of Mormon (again)
26. Catalog my CDs
27. Read 40 never-before read books
28. See Donny & Marie in Las Vegas
29. Eat Thai food
30. Finish a Sudoku puzzle without looking at the solution
31. Finish what I start (applies to all things, not just dessert)
    
32. Go on a first date
33. Have a second date
34. Kiss on the third date
35. Sleep under the stars
36. Refinish the living room side table
37. Visit all of the temples in Utah
38. Buy a rocking chair
39. Learn to make decent fudge
40. Feel good about turning 40

This is my list. What are some things you would have me do? Maybe I can come up with another list called "40 Things My Friends Want Me to do Before I turn 40"!

Look for posts about the accomplishment of these 40 things. I may even add them to the sidebar just to keep myself reminded of what I want to do.

Happy Birthday to Me!

Cheap and Tasty

I'm talking about salsa...I told you last Saturday that I made salsa. Or maybe it was Sunday that I wrote about it, or Monday. Anyway, I made salsa again today and I thought I'd share the details.

1 28 ounce can of diced tomatoes
1 medium onion (white or yellow)
juice of 2 limes
1 bunch of cilantro
salt and pepper (to taste)
2 generous kitchen teaspoons of minced garlic

Just put everything in the blender, puree on pulse until mixed well.

Recipe yields one quart and about 2 cups. Now for the best part:

Can of diced tomatoes - $0.78

Cilantro - $0.32
Onion - $0 (because it was from a friend's garden)
Garlic - $0 (I already had it in the jar)
Limes - $0.50
Total cost for "homemade" salsa - $1.50

It's very mild - if you want to kick it up a notch, use canned tomato with green chiles. I used that last week and it had quite a "kick". I ended up having to cut it with another can of regular diced tomatoes.

See, I told you - cheap AND tasty!!!

Edited to add: This recipe came from my sister who took it from a cookbook and tweaked it to perfection...I'm just sayin'

9-day Weekend...

Today is the first day of my 9-day weekend...well, actually, I will have to go into the office here and there, but I'm officially on vacation this week! This is going to be a great week! My dad and Angie get here on Wednesday and stay until Saturday. I have a lot planned for them. I hope they don't want to sleep or relax. I guess I'll take it easy on Dad since he DOES have cancer and all. Angie though? No way! She can rest when she gets back home! I love me some sister and Dad time. Now, if I can just get my Mom to visit!

Anyway, I'm coming up on my one-year anniversary of blogging. I think this is my 70th post actually. So, on average, I've at least blogged once a week. That's pretty good huh?

Happy long weekend, y'all...

Good Intentions turned Better

So, this morning started out with my obligatory weekly load of laundry. Towels to be exact because I only have 8 towels and well, you do the math. I really, really, really wanted to go to a local farmer's market and buy up a flat of raspberries and make jam. That was what I had planned for this morning. Then, I was going to drop by the bike barn and pick up my bike which was getting a tune-up. For this afternoon, I planned to make a yummy salsa recipe tried and tested and tweaked by my sister yesterday.

While getting out of the shower, I remembered that I had told a friend last night that I was going to go to the temple this morning. See how one night of sleep can totally erase one's memory? Either that or how tempting food can be to lure me from my original celestial goals.

So, I got ready, did my hair, put on a pretty dress and headed off to the temple. On the way, I did pick up my bicycle and next door to that, there was an Osmond's (I'm sure related to THE Osmonds) Home Furniture store and a 50-70% sale going on. I found a chair with a very wide seat bottom (for us wide-bottomed gals) and black ladder back and so I squeezed it into the back of my jeep and propped it on top of my bike and off I went to the temple.

Then, my friends called and invited me to lunch so I met them at a cute little place on Main Street in Lehi called Porter's Place. I had a yummy french-dip sandwich. Then, we took a drive to their son's new place in Highland. Around 4:00 p.m. I finally made it home.

I didn't get the jam made, nor did I get to the salsa. There is always tomorrow for the salsa I suppose. I really did have good intentions for today. However, the better plan shaped my day!

Confession of a wanna-be

I think I've said this before here, but I'll say it again. Not that I would ever want to go back to being a teenager, but if I were a teenager today, I would totally be a huge fan of Miley Cyrus and The Jonas Brothers and all of the other Disney kids. As a nearly 39-year old woman it's just not appropriate for me to admit here in public that I am fans of them so let's just say that if I were their age, I would totally be. (That's my story and I'm sticking to it...)

Anway, if you have children who frequently tune into that one channel where you can watch Walt's current group of teenage idols, you may have heard the new song called "Send it On". I really love it. My sister said it's Disney's version of "We are the World". Could be.

Here is a sneak peak video I found on YouTube. If you go to the Disney website and click on videos, then music, it comes on first. At least that's what I've heard. Not that I've done it...

And because some of my readers don't like a lot of writing and want more pictures, I give you some of those too. The picture at the top were these beautiful hydrangeas that were just growing outside the public restroom in Riomaggiore, Italy. Have I mentioned how much I love that place?

This is me and my Dad outside of the Hard Rock Cafe in Amsterdam. Did you hear his good news? His cancer is not growing and some of the smaller lesions have actually disappeared! He goes back to the Dr. tomorrow to find out his new chemo treatment plan. Hopefully it's not so aggressive this time. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that he'll be able to go to Singapore with me at the end of September. It's not on his bucket list, but having him go places with me is on mine. He'll just have to deal with it and like it. I think he can manage...

If You're Not Already...

You should be reading this blog every day. She is heartwarming, hilarious, an excellent photographer and just downright precious.

Particularly, two of my most favorite (recent) posts:

Bottom Hanging Down
Ruth and Naomi

Reading her confessions makes me smile. I need more of that!

PS - Check out the other parts of her blog. Her pictures of food are A-MAZ-ING...

Willing to Mourn

This has been a tough week for me in many ways. Among the difficulties of this week came my resolve to work on some of my personal issues and demons. Then, news came that a young family in my ward lost three beloved family members in a tragic plane crash. All week I have pondered their loss, but know of course that they had eternal ties and if they can just get through this life they can live with their loved ones forever.

While at the memorial service yesterday, I felt the truth of the words spoken by the Prophet Alma in the Book of Mormon:

"Yea, and are willing to mourn with those that mourn; yea, and comfort those that stand in need of comfort, and to stand as witnesses of God at all times and in all things, and in all places that ye may be in, even until death, that ye may be redeemed of God, and be numbered with those of the first resurrection, that ye may have eternal life --" (Mosiah 18:9)

I am grateful for those that have mourned with me in the past and continue to mourn with me during times of struggle and pain. I am also grateful for the opportunities that I am given to strengthen others around me during their times of mourning. It really puts everything into perspective.

Life is too hard to try to live it without the love, help and strength of those around you. Especially too hard to do without belief and reliance on a Savior who took all of our pain away in the Garden of Gethsemene.

Why is it?

Why does it go days and days without raining and the day I pay $7 to wash my car, it rains?

I'm just asking.

It's been one week...

Last weekend I got to spend time with my dear friend Ruth. She was in Utah at the start of her four week vacation. We met at a local water park and then I followed her up to Eden (up the Ogden canyon) to stay with her at her good friend's house. Her house overlooked Pineview Reservoir and was absolutely BEAUTIFUL!!!

It was wonderful to spend time with her and her family - not to mention the day on the lake was one of my best few days so far in Utah!

There really is a place called Eden, Utah. For reals. Look it up. It was so pretty and quiet and basically a piece of heaven on earth.

The best part was spending time with good people, eating yummy food (thank you Judy for the red vines - I had to go and get some this week because the craving had been activated), playing the most fun game, getting yelled at while on the lake because we were unaware that people could actually reserve the beach and leave it unattended and catching up on each other's lives.

Thank you Davis and Smith families for a great weekend!