Blame it on the Turkish Delight

Eating with Liz 2012 - Zuppa Toscana

2012-02-13T12:30:00.001-07:00

This is what I made for dinner last night. It was really good. And with just me and John to eat it I have 2 more servings each of leftovers. Nom Nom Nom!

I found it on this website: www.tuscanrecipes.com

I followed the recipe pretty much exactly... I did only use 1 tsp of Crushed Red Peppers because neither of us do well with spicy food. Other than that this recipe is perfect as is. Enjoy!

Olive Garden® Zuppa Toscana

Makes: 6-8 servings

Ingredients

o 1 lb ground Italian sausage

o 1½ tsp crushed red peppers

o 1 large diced white onion

o 4 Tbsp bacon pieces

o 2 tsp garlic puree

o 10 cups water

o 5 cubes of chicken bouillon

o 1 cup heavy cream

o 1 lb sliced Russet potatoes, or about 3 large potatoes

o ¼ of a bunch of kale

1. Sauté Italian sausage and crushed red pepper in a large pot. Drain excess fat, refrigerate while you prepare other ingredients.

2. In the same pan, sauté bacon, onions and garlic over low-medium heat for approximately 15 minutes or until the onions are soft.

3. Add chicken bouillon and water to the pot and heat until it starts to boil.

4. Add the sliced potatoes and cook until soft, about half an hour.

5. Add the heavy cream and just cook until thoroughly heated.

6. Stir in the sausage and the kale, let all heat through and serve. Delicious!

Ten years ago today....

2012-01-25T10:16:00.001-07:00

I married the bestest friend I have ever had.

Thanks for ten wonderful years John. I love you!

Eating with Liz 2012 - Chicken Noodle Soup

2012-01-17T15:15:00.001-07:00

It's time for another recipe. I have been bad at this so far this year because we have been in the process of buying a house… We found a house. We love it. We're looking on closing on it by the end of the month!! Stay tuned for more information. Here is a recipe for you to try out this week.

Classic Chicken Noodle Soup

1½ c uncooked egg noodles

Rotisserie chicken, meat pulled off in bite size pieces

4 c water

2 c carrots, sliced thin

2 c celery, chopped

1 T salt

½ t sugar

dash of pepper

4 chicken bouillon cubes

Cook noodles as directed on package. Heat all ingredients to boiling; reduce heat and cover. Simmer, stirring often, until vegetables are soft; approximately 30-45 minutes. Add more water if needed.

This is our recipe for this week. It was really good. Here is what I did differently.

1 T salt is A LOT. I only used 1 tsp. When I make this again I wont add any salt. The bouillon is salty enough.

I used about 6 c water instead of 4. After it was cooked and eaten and I was putting way for lunches I added about 1 c water to each Tupperware. This evened out the flavor on the leftovers nicely. Next time I think I'll just start with 8 cups.

The recipe says to cook noodles separately. This I didn't do. I let the chicken and veggies cook for about 30 minutes. Then I added the noodles directly to the soup. This saved time, and pans, and the noodles were able to absorb the chicken broth rather than just a pan of salty water for cooking pasta.

I baked some Pillsbury Croissants that were in my fridge and put those in the oven when I added the noodles to the soup. This timed out perfectly.

The soup was good the first and second time, and I think this recipe will be added to my recipe book for use again one day.

January so far.

2012-01-10T14:27:00.001-07:00

What has been going on with the us for the first two weeks of the new year?

Logan and Jenny are getting divorced. There is really no other way to say it. Then to say that we’re disappointed in the actions and events that have lead to this would be a complete understatement. It’s heartbreaking actually. It has been stated in our house that it’s like having a set of our own parents getting a divorce. It’s made for some very frustrating days, broken hearts, anxiety provoked sicknesses, and lots of frustrated cleaning. One never knows how the choices that are made effect the people around them. Sure, immediate family more than others, but friends and relatives, and people who have looked up to you are effected too. And for us, It hurts. I’m sorry for everyone involved, I’m sorry that a hero has fallen, I’m sorry that the damage has been done, and overall we’re the most sorry and sad for their kids.

That being said I have done a lot of frustration cleaning over the last few weeks since we found out. The house needs a good cleaning anyway…

We’ve gotten that extra bedroom livable again without too many sacrifices. The bed is cleared, the floor has been vacuumed, and all the stuff has been neatly piled in the corner. It is now habitable. Sure it’s not cleaned out like I want it to be cleaned out leaving only the bed, the desk and the cupboard… but that’ll have to wait until we move some where with more storage.

The Bathroom has been SCRUBBED. I have lamented over cleaning that tub for years. It just gets dirty and there are days when I don’t think anything is going to get it white again, but then I make an effort. I’m happy to report that the tub is clean and white. What did I use to clean it? Comet. Yes, the old standard cleaning scrub and some mussel. I funneled all of my anger into that poor scrub brush, and lo and behold it worked wonders. I guess all that extra money I spend on cleaners isn’t really worth it when all I really need is some Comet, some Borax and a steam mop. I think I’ll put some effort in to going back to the basics when we move into a new house.

The Living room also got a thorough vacuuming the other day. Floors and couches. I think I need to work a bit harder on the curtains, but those can wait. They probably just need to go in the washer.

What’s next?

Probably the kitchen. It got a good deep cleaning not to long ago, but it still needs some work.

Lets see…. John FINALLY got a job title change and a raise at work. He is now titled “Senior Clerk” it’s about time. He’s been a “Janitor” for the last 8 years and four of those years he’s been working exclusively as a shop clerk, making sure the men and computers are working properly. So this has been a long time coming and it is good that it has finally happened. He’s referred to a lot as the expert with their computer system, but with the title of “Janitor” it didn’t help him out very much when it came to promotions or applying for new positions. We’re hoping that this job title change will be beneficial in a lot of ways.

It’s not a secret that we’ve been looking at buying a house. We’ve seen a lot in the last two weeks. 14 to be exact, and we have liked two of them. Well, we actually kinda loved one of them, but it has another offer on it, and even though we’re still interested, and may be putting an offer on it anyway, it may not happen that that is our house. But our #2 choice isn’t so bad either.

Our real estate agent is a nice guy. Troy Starkey, I’d recommend him to everyone. He grew up in John’s ward in Kaysville, so he’s considered more of a family friend. And as an agent he has been spectacular. He’s funny and opinionated, but we don’t let his opinions sway our choices, he wouldn’t want them to. The only real complaint I have about him is his down play of small homes. We’ve looked at a lot of houses that have small square footage that we haven’t not liked.

The thing is… John and I don’t have kids… we *can’t* have kids. It’s not like this is something I want to tell our realtor. Some days it’s more than I even want to admit on my blog that no one reads. All we need is a little house. All we want is a little more room. So him being so down on “small square footage” houses is a little annoying to me. Besides, more space in a house is just more room I have to clean.

We’ve been ultra busy between time with friends, working, house hunting, and all the other things going on. It’s hard to find us at home. We will definitely be happy when February is over.

My Birthday is Friday.

Andrea is coming to stay at my house for the weekend.

My Grandma turns 90 on Friday and there is a big party for her on Thursday. (At least that’s what I have heard I haven’t really been invited to it yet.)

I’m making a Captain America Shield cake for my little buddy William Brand over the next few days to have it for him by Saturday.

We’re putting offers on a house or two.

We’ll celebrate 10 years of married life on the 25^th.

I think that’s it for now.

What happened in 2011

2012-01-03T12:34:00.002-07:00

First of all, lets look back and see what I have accomplished out of last year’s goals?

Go to Church (definitely working on it. We’ve attended church weekly for the last several months.)

Learn to crochet (I guess technically I’m still learning, but I’m getting better and willing to try more complicated ones.)

Crochet something for every baby that comes this year (Well… My new nephews, Jack and Cooper, both got new blankets from Auntie Liz, friends who had babies were out of luck.)

Cook one new recipe a week (ACCOMPLISHED!)

Clean out the "other" room (Still a work in progress, but I actually think I made a serious dent this year.)

Other things that occurred in 2011:

John worked a second job at the Energy Solutions Arena for several months before the NBA lockout happened and he was laid off.

We attended a U2 concert at the Rice Eccles Stadium you can read about it HERE.

Bought our first refrigerator.

I finished four crocheted afghans. Made several crocheted roses. Crocheted a hanging neck pouch for my iPod. Crocheted a scarf for my sister-in-law.

We watched a lot of movies, both at the theater and at home.

Went to a Ludo concert. It was awesome. You can read about it HERE.

I’ve made six cakes: a TARDIS, R2D2, American Flag, Batman, a Skull, and Perry the Platypus. And I already have 2 cake orders for 2012.

Discovered I’m allergic to a medication.

I hosted a Halloween party that a few people came to carved awesome jack-o-lanterns.

I spent a large majority of the year sick from one virus or another.

I gained a new cat when the idiot neighbor moved out and left the kitty behind.
I learned to love some new music.

I thought I had an ulcer, but my doctor thinks I may just be lactose intolerant… which is sad because some of my favorite foods are made of lactose.

And the year ended on the news that two of our best friends are getting divorced. Too sad.

... as always, of course you can always look at my blog archives if you need to know more of what we did.

What’s new for 2012?

We’re going to buy a house

Eating with Liz 2011 - Potato Sausage Soup

2011-12-30T14:00:00.002-07:00

Here we are at the end of the year and this is the last recipe. I've been really bad about posting recipes the last several months, but it's the holidays and I'm sure everyone understands how that goes. I would like to report that I have succeeded in cooking something new at least once a week for the entire year. Good job for me. I feel that John and I have eaten a little healthier this year and I'm pretty proud of that. Here's hoping we can continue to do even better next year.

Here is the final recipe of 2011. I didn't actually make this one. John did. He let me play video games all day and he took care of everything. He's such a good husband.

Potato Sausage Soup

1½ T butter
¾ c onion, chopped
¼ c celery, chopped
6-8 oz smoked sausage, diced
¼ c flour
½ t dried parsley flakes
½ t dried basil
Salt and pepper to taste
1 ½ c chicken broth
1 lb potatoes, peeled, diced (I bought a 1lb. bag of mini-red potatoes.)
¾ c sour cream

Melt butter in skillet on medium-high heat; add onion, celery and sausage; cook until sausage is browned. Stir in flour until smooth; add seasonings. Blend in chicken broth; add diced potatoes, cover and simmer for 25 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Stir in sour cream and continue cooking until heated through.

Sliced Celery Sticks

Sliced celery sticks
Peanut Butter

Spread sliced celery with peanut butter.

Biscuits

Frozen biscuits
Butter

Cook biscuits according to instructions; top w/ butter.

Okay – So that's the recipe.

When John had gotten it nearly done he called me in for some help… He'd let the food simmer on too high of heat and most of the liquid had gone out of it. With a little ingenuity we added about another 1½ cups of water and stirred it in and then let it all come back up to temperature. It turned out pretty good.

What did John do differently?

He added pepper and only a little salt because the sausage is usually salty enough. In the end it could have used some more pepper.

What would I do differently next time?

I'd use Kielbasa Sausage or maybe Italian flavored ground sausage. The smoked sausage just didn't seem to have enough flavor to balance out the flavor of the rest of the ingredients.

I'd probably add that extra 1½ cup of water to the recipe. It didn't hurt it, and it actually still had a really thick broth after adding the extra water.

Again, a big thanks to E-Mealz.com for helping getting things on track. If you're interested use the link below to sign up so I can get some credit for it.

That's a long drive....

2011-12-29T10:02:00.003-07:00

The new and improved map on how we shall get to our friends house on New Years Eve.... I wonder how long it will take us to get there?

View Larger Map

Christmas with the Evans' 2011

2011-12-20T12:47:00.003-07:00

Dear Family and Friends,

It has come to the time of year when we like to look back at what has been and gone, and look forward to what is coming. I have tried writing this letter many times in the past few weeks, but the words just never seem to come out correctly. This year has been so full of good memories for us, and the months have just flown by. I can hardly believe that the year is almost over.

I’m feeling very… preachy… spiritual… humbled… awed… today. I’m not really sure of the word to use for it. I have been sitting within the confines of my cubicle listening to Christmas music all morning and feeling touched by the spirit and feeling my cold black heart melt a little towards this season of greed. Because, it’s not about greed at all, but it’s about our Savior.

Jesus Christ was sent to earth for me, and the angels sang of his glory and testified of him to the world, not just to some shepherds in a field. Some times I like to think that maybe, just maybe I was a part of that heavenly choir singing praises to my King, my brother, and our Father’s gift to man.

I may hate the Christmas season, and what it has grown to be. I hate the shopping and the commercialism. I hate the greedy kids and the parents that just wont say no. I hate the “I wants” and the “give me” that we hear daily. I hate the crowds and the noise and the busyness of it all...

But above all else, I love giving. I love sharing. I love seeing the smiles and wonder on the faces of the little people in my life when Santa appears, or when the Christmas story is read. I love seeing strangers smile at each other in the streets and neighbors waving. I love seeing families spending quality time together. I love the music that speaks, not just of the season, but of our Savior. I love singing hymns and carols and not caring if I’m off key. I love looking at the lights in the stillness of the night. I love watching the snow fall and how it makes the world look new. I love being reminded not only of our Savior’s birth, but also of the promise of the atonement and eternal life and families. I love that for just a little while, the majority of the world sets aside their differences and we all share in a day of peace and humbled remembrance of what gifts we have been given.

This year has gone by quickly and we have done so many great and fun things, but what stands out to us so much is that this year has been full of examples of love for us. We have been on the receiving end of so many blessings and I hope that some where we were able to reciprocate and let you know that as our friends and family that we do love you, more than I think we even understand some days.

John and I have been blessed with families with whom we value our time. For friends that love us and understand us and might was well just be part of our families as well because we love you just that much.

So instead of a travel log of what we have and haven’t done this year, instead I’d like to share with you my testimony of our Savior. He lives. He loves us. We celebrate His birth because this is a man who came for each of us. He is the greatest example. He atoned for our sins and gives us the opportunity to be forgiven. He lived his life as an example of what we can and should be. Christmas should be about HIM and not about the things we have. He asks us for our faith, our love, and our broken hearts. I know that Jesus Christ is our Savior, with all my heart I know it. If we can just follow his example and do the best we can He’ll make up the difference and we’ll be able to live with him forever. I’m grateful for the gospel in our lives and the opportunities that we have to share with others, by word and example.

May the Lord bless you in this coming year. May you always remember the love that we have for you, and know that we consider ourselves blessed because of our friendship.

Merry Everything, and Happy Always.
Love,
Liz and John Evans
2011

~*~

"This Christmas, mend a quarrel. Seek out a forgotten friend. Dismiss suspicion and replace it with trust. Write a letter. Give a soft answer. Encourage youth. Manifest your loyalty in word and deed. Keep a promise. Forgo a grudge. Forgive an enemy. Apologize. Try to understand. Examine your demands on others. Think first of someone else. Be kind. Be gentle. Laugh a little more. Express your gratitude. Welcome a stranger. Gladden the heart of a child. Take pleasure in the beauty and wonder of the earth. Speak your love and then speak it again."

~ Howard W. Hunter, "The Gifts of Christmas," Ensign, Dec 2002, 16 ~

Movies: Some Good Stuff

2011-12-20T10:16:00.001-07:00

Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows (2011) - I really loved this movie! John enjoyed it too. Robert Downey, Jr. did not disappoint as Holmes again. The story was engaging and I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it. What a great way to spend a Saturday afternoon. I'll admit, the end made me cry.

Torchwood: Series 1 (2006) – We’ve nearly completed the entire season in the last 3 days. That’s a lot of episodes… but they have all been pretty good. There is a an over abundance of sexually related themes in some episodes, but the stories themselves are pretty good. It’s just that awesome extension of Doctor Who that us nerds look for some days. The stories follow the adventures about Gwen Cooper, even though I really do wish they were about Jack Harkness. I’d suggest this for adult viewers since there is adult situations, but for fans of The Doctor you’ll enjoy the alien zaniness of it.

Movies: The Musicals Continue

2011-12-12T13:16:00.001-07:00

Victor/Victoria (1982) - This was better than we expected. It got a few good laughs and we enjoyed watching it. But I'm sorry, there is nothing remotely manly about Julie Andrews. A short haircut does not a man make. Robert Preston made an excellent old drag queen.

Non-Musical

The Sarah Jane Adventures: Series 2 - Love this show. There switched out some main characters this season, but since I watch it specifically for Sarah Jane I don't care so much.

The Tudors: Season 2 - I know this isn't the best viewing selection, but I love it. I am fascinated by the story historical information (or misinformation as the case is sometimes.) I think I need to get myself a real history book about the Tudors and learn something real. This season Anne Boleyn falls from grace and is executed in the last episode as well as most of her friends and supporters. I wish I could have my enemies beheaded some times.

What is today's stupid holiday?

2011-12-08T09:05:00.000-07:00

Today is...

Pretend to be a Time Traveler Day

Time to pull out my sonic screwdriver and robot dog and have at it. :)

It Came and Went...

2011-12-06T10:48:00.002-07:00

Nov 5th – We took Banjo to get fixed. That darn cat went into heat the week before and howled and howled nightly all week. That deep guttural primal howl that makes you just want to throw a lamp at her… No one in the house slept well – if at all – for the entire eight days, and we were all super grumpy – cats and people. I found a discount spay/neuter clinic in Clearfield. Thank Heavens! Heartsong Spay and Neuter Clinic really saved us. Banjo was nearly driving John to the point of throwing her outside again. I had called around to other veterinarians in the area, pricing out how much it was going to cost us to get this girl fixed, and the prices started at $158 and just went up from there. There was no way we were going to be able to afford this, but it had to be done before Banjo found herself homeless again. Thankfully, Heartsong will do it for $45. In the end, we ended up paying out $72 to get her fixed ($10 extra for cat in heat and extra $$ for vaccinations.) She scratched the heck out of my arms while we tried getting her in the kennel that morning, but the battle scars are worth it to have quiet in my house again. The scratches on my left arm have the look of a Zombie bite. That’ll make a cool scar.
Also - She is still FREE TO A GOOD HOME. Now there is a bonus. Not only do you get her snazzy yellow collar, a pink house, and a food bowl, but now she is fixed. Isn’t there anyone out there who wants this adorable kitty for your own?

Free to good home: Banjo the woodpile cat who is often called Banjo Doofensmertz. She needs some serious love, patience and rehabilitation. The people next door just left her outside when they moved away. Box trained. She’s brown and black and super soft. The cat is pretty skittish and untrusting still, but what do you expect after being left behind. With some extra love I think she could be pretty snuggly. As it is she is really sweet when she lets you get close enough. Seems pretty good with other cats bus she may be most happy as an only cat. I'd love to keep her but 3 cats is proving too much for John's allergies (and my own.) If you are interested let me know. Please share this with your friends. If I can keep her I want Banjo to have a good home. She’s been neutered! Pink house, yellow collar, and food bowls included.

Nov 6th – Scott and Ariane had their cute baby Jack blessed at church. The blessing was nice, and John was asked to stand in the circle. I was asked to bring a pot of soup, so I chose to bring my chili. Everyone apparently loved it, I got quite a bit of praise for it, and I didn’t have to bring any of it home. Too bad no one realizes just how easy it is to make.

Nov 10th – Pi Day! November 10th is the 314th day of the year making it an unofficial Pi Day. John took pie to work for his guys, and later that evening the Evans’ got together for Pizza Pie and other assorted Pie. Mmm. One of our favorite days of the year. This day also brought about my newest favorite excuse Lucy gave for not wanting to talk to me… We were all sitting around watching football when Scott asked Lucy to tell me what she wanted for Christmas and the silly little girl turned away from me with a wave of her hand and said “I can’t. I need to hear the score.” And that was that. I don’t know why she doesn’t want to talk to me. Some days it really hurts my feelings that Lucy and Kira don’t talk to me, or say my name, but other days I just let it roll off and think that maybe one day they’ll love me enough to talk to me and not just talk about me when I am not there.

Nov 11th – BINARY DAY 11.11.11 which was pretty neat. This day wont come around for another 100 years so that made it a little special. It was also Veterans Day. There was also a thing going around on Twitter asking for your life in 11 words. This was mine: “Ten years, four cars, three cats, one husband. I am happy.” I thought it was pretty fun summing up things in 11 words. Just like the 6 word memoirs that I was so fascinated with a few years ago.

Nov 15th – I LOVE TO WRITE DAY. I love random holidays, and this is one I enjoyed this year. I didn’t know it existed until a friend at work pointed it out to me. And I do love to write. I’m sure if you’re an avid reader of this blog then you know that by all my ramblings on. But do you know how the desire to write burns in my soul and aches to get out. How my brain is constantly running dialogues and stories that may or may not ever make it to paper. Did you know that? Did you know that I’d love to be a real author, but that I don’t think I’m good enough? Today I’m going to share with you a link to a little piece of my soul. I post some of my writing on a website called Figment. Here is the link to MY PAGE on figment. And here is where this quote would be appropriate: "But I, being poor, have only my dreams; I have spread my dreams under your feet; Tread softly because you tread on my dreams." - W.B. Yeats

Nov 20th – Step One: Go back to Church. This is harder that it may sound. It has almost been three years (in February) that I have attended church on a regular basis and John hits his three year mark in May. It’s not that we don’t know that going will bring us blessings, and help us be happier, it just that we’re super, super lazy. We’ve gotten out of the habit and we need to change that. Yet, *knowing* what we need to be doing, and *doing* what we need to be doing are miles apart.

Nov 22nd – Ten years ago today John proposed to me on his parents front step. Ten years ago today I said yes. I haven’t regretted a minute of it. Ten years ago Nov. 22nd was also Thanksgiving day, so I kind of have two remembrance days regarding when I was proposed to. We went out to dinner at Javier’s in Layton to celebrate.

Nov 23rd – DOCTOR WHO DAY. Seriously, it’s a real holiday. This is the 48th anniversary of the première of Doctor Who back in 1963. I have been watching Doctor Who my whole life. As I explained in this POST from several months ago, I dearly love this show. This is one of the longest running Science Fiction shows on television. John and I celebrated by watching as much Doctor Who as we possibly could. Loved it! We got Series 6 in the mail just in time. We used our entire Thanksgiving weekend to catch up on Doctor Who, old and new. I was supposed to have made Dalek cupcakes for the occasion, but I only got as far as making the cupcakes. John ended up getting a 24 hour flu that put him in one of two places for the day, and I just kind of hovered around, so nothing got done that I had wanted to get done.

Nov 24th – THANKSGIVING! This year we got to spend the Holiday with my family. It’s been a while since we did that. What with Lari passing away 2 years ago somehow we were roped into spending the last two thanksgivings with the Evans’. Not that that is a bad thing, but I miss my own family every now and again. Especially since we have so few family traditions and family together times that when it does come up I really miss it when I’m away. Nicole and Geoffrey spent the day with the family since they’re at BYU. It was fun seeing them. After the McDermott family feast the pears’ ended up at Norm’s house to look at Jessica’s 500 pictures from England and to just generally be together. It was really nice. It was just me and John, my parents, Norm and Becca and Sophie, Jessica, and Nicole and Geoffrey. It seems that my brother Z and his wife have decided that we’re all evil because they no longer talk to any of us. No one really knows why or what we may have done to spur it, but that’s how it is, and it’s pretty sad for us all. Maybe John and I aren’t on the shit list, but we’re so antisocial we hardly speak to anyone in our families... <>

Nov 26th – We got to baby-sit Lucy and Jack while Scott and Ariane went to the Temple. Scott’s sister got married on the 27th so this was her endowment day. It was fun to play with the kids, and Jack is only 4 months old so he’s still one of those eat sleep and smile babies which makes baby-sitting easy for the most part. As for the four-year-old, she just makes life interesting. I was reminded today that even though I really want to have kids of my own I am very glad that I don’t have any. I’m not ready for that kind of responsibility.

Um... That looks like it was the end of the month. It went by so fast its hard to recall what really went on. Now it's on to the next few months of stuff.

November, The Month of Thankfulness

2011-11-30T07:44:00.000-07:00

Nov. 1^st – I am thankful for friends and family who take my love of Halloween and quirkiness for what it’s worth and love me anyway.

Nov. 2^nd – I’m thankful for discount veterinary clinics and the hope of quiet in my house again.

Nov. 3^rd – I am thankful for a husband who lets me watch Vampire Diaries and Secret Circle without too much mocking.

Nov. 4^th – Feeling very … Bleh, meh, ugh, grr, today. I am very thankful that it is Friday, even if I don’t get to sleep in tomorrow.

Nov. 5^th – I am thankful for Musicals that make me smile.

Nov. 6^th – I am thankful to be an Auntie today. Even though I can’t have kids of my own I am surrounded by little people who allow me to love them.

Nov. 7^th – I am thankful for an extra hour of sleep that helped me to get to work on time.

Nov 8^th – I'm thankful for Facebook for hooking me up with old friends, distant cousins, and family who don't live close enough to hug.

Nov. 9^th – I am thankful for having a job. I may not like it all the time, but at least I have one.

Nov. 10^th – I'm thankful for Pie... even though I don't get to have a piece until very late this evening... Hurrah for Pi Day the 314th day of the year.

Nov. 11^th – I am thankful for Veterans. I am thankful for the men and women of the armed forces who give their time, and lives, to help keep me safe and protect the freedoms that I have. I’m thankful for my friends and family, past and present, who have chosen to serve their country.

Nov. 12th – I’m just thankful to be me.

Nov. 13^th – I am thankful for my warm bed on lazy snowy Sundays.

Nov. 14^th – I'm thankful for good books that stir the imagination and help me believe in the unbelievable.

Nov. 15^th – In honor of "I Love to Write Day" I am thankful for my own imagination. I'm thankful that I have the ability to put words to paper and tell the stories that dance through my brain. I'm thankful to be literate and for the people, authors, teachers, and friends that have inspired me to be a writer... even if I'm the only one who ever reads what I write.

Nov. 16^th – I'm thankful for the comfort of knowing that death is not the end. I'm thankful for my belief in eternal families and for the knowledge that I will see those who have passed again.

Nov. 17^th – I am thankful for my ability to cook. This may not seem that impressive to some, but to others it is quite a feat.

Nov. 18^th – I'm thankful for a silly husband that can make me laugh until I cry... even at six-thirty in the morning when I'd rather be sleeping.

Nov. 19^th – I'm thankful for my family. Each member is special to me for many reasons. I'm lucky to be a Pears AND an Evans.

Nov. 20^th – I'm thankful for naps today. Long ones. In warm spots. Next to someone I love.

Nov. 21^st – I’m thankful for relief society sisters who, even though they haven’t seen me for nearly three years, welcome me with open arms.

Nov. 22^nd – I'm thankful that ten years ago today my best friend asked me to marry him, and that I said yes.

Nov. 23^rd – I’m thankful that 48 years ago today the most awesome television program was released on to screens in the UK ushering in one of the greatest and long running science fiction shows ever. Thank heavens for Doctor Who.

Nov. 24^th – I am thankful for time spent with the people I love.

Nov. 25^th – I'm thankful for quiet time.

Nov. 26^th – I'm thankful for long weekends used for laying around, sleeping in and being able to get thing done in my own time.

Nov. 27^th – I am thankful for the gospel of Jesus Christ and his teachings. I'm thankful for the person I am because of what I have learned and the examples of Christ I have in my life.

Nov. 28^th – I'm thankful that my two best friends also happen to be my sisters.

Nov. 29^th – I'm thankful for co-workers who I can laugh with and sometimes call friends.

Nov. 30^th – I'm thankful for my health. This last day of November completes the first full month of me not being sick (knock on wood) since July. I'm grateful for the medicines, doctors, hot soups, warm drinks and cozy beds that help me feel better.

Eating with Liz 2011 - Cheesy Chicken Soup

2011-11-28T14:42:00.000-07:00

Here's your recipe for the week.

Cheesy Chicken Soup

2 chicken breasts, cooked, diced

1 pkg. Bear Creek Chicken Noodle soup mix

8 oz pkg. Velveeta Cheese

Follow directions on Soup mix package.

Add chicken and cheese. Simmer, stirring often, until cheese is melted.

Crispy French Bread

½ loaf French bread

Butter

Warm bread in oven until crispy. Cut in chunks and serve with melted butter

Sliced Apples w/ Peanut Butter

1 apple

Peanut butter

Thinly slice apples and top with peanut butter.

Soup was the easy choice for dinner last week since John was sick and chicken noodle sounded pretty good. I was just going to make the chicken noodle soup, but John said just to do the recipe and get it over with. So I did.

What I did differently:

I only used 8 oz of Velveeta cheese. I changed the recipe above to reflect this. It originally called for 16 oz, but after making it with only 8 oz. I think that an entire pound of Velveeta would have been TOO MUCH. It was good with just the smaller amount.

This was so easy to make and it's pretty good.

Heads Up! The Bear Creek soup mixes make a lot of soup.

Movies: The Month of Musicals

2011-11-28T13:01:00.000-07:00

Guys and Dolls (1955) - This is my favorite musical by far. I think it may be the first musical I really remember seeing live, as preformed by Davis High way back in the 80's. The movie version of this is spectacular. There is nothing not to love about the story, the main characters, the actors. What a great combination. I think this also may have something to do with my fascination with gangsters.

Brigadoon (1954) - Neither of us has seen this before. It was a good movie with a great story. I'm really glad this was picked as one to watch I may add it to my favorites. Gene Kelly is a very talented man. The story covers a man who got lost hunting an a town that only appears once every 100 years, and a woman who falls in love. Very sweet. Yes, there was a bit of silly dancing, but not as much as there could have been. The story moved pretty quick and it was over before we knew it.

Anything Goes (1956) - Cute movie. Very predictable, but that's a given for some musicals. John and I both enjoyed this... yes, there was a bit of interpretive dance, but not as much as there has been in others. Two partners in a production each pick a leading lady... but there can only be one. On the trip from England to the US, love falls on everyone and problems are solved.

How To Succeed in Business Without Really Trying (1967) - There was something about this movie that neither of us could stand. I think it was the main actor, he was really annoying. As the story goes, a man reads a book about succeeding and proceeded to rise very quickly in the company, making friends and enemies along the way, all culminating in his rise to being a member of the board. We have both seen this production live and rather enjoyed it for the most part, but it seemed that sitting through the movie version was some sort of punishment.

Non-Musicals ...

The Tudors: Season 1 (2007) - I had wanted to watch this for the last few years, but could never bring myself to obtain it. Now that its available to watch for free with my blu-ray player and Amazon Prime I figured "Why Not?" Well, this show is full of sex. Lots of it. But beyond that I have learned a lot about the history of England, the church of England, and Henry the VIII - both the fictitious stuff on the show and the real stuff that we have googled because of the show. It's al very interesting, minus the nakedness of it.

Doctor Who: The Complete Sixth Series (2011) - We're finally caught up with the current Doctor Who series. We've suffered through this year listening to our friends and family talk in hushed tones about what was going on in the Who-niverse, and now we know. Discussions, and Matt Smith bashing may commence. And yes, that means that I still don't like him as the Doctor. This season did have some really good episodes though, and we laughed, and I cried, and it was over all too soon. This is such a great show.

Doctor Who with Tom Baker (1978) - We watched the following episodes:

The Power of Kroll: Parts 1-4

The Ribos Operation: Parts 1-4

The Armageddon Factor: Parts 1-6

They all involve gathering the pieces of the key to time. Unfortunately the blu-ray and Amazon don't have the complete story arch of this to watch for free. but it's pretty entertaining none the less. I miss K-9, and I really dislike Romana. She is an annoying Time Lord and I'm not sad at all that she was lost in the time War.

Eating With Liz 2011 - Pumpkin Bread

2011-11-17T08:47:00.002-07:00

In the spirit of the season of harvest, I have made the following item for my new recipe this week:

Pumpkin Bread

1½ cup Flour

½ tsp Salt

1 cup Sugar

1 tsp Baking Powder

1 cup Pumpkin puree

½ cup Oil

2 Eggs beaten

¼ cup Water

½ tsp Nutmeg

½ tsp Cinnamon

½ tsp Allspice

½ cup Walnuts (optional)

preheat oven to 350o.

Sift together flour, salt, sugar and baking soda.

Mix the pumpkin, oil, eggs, water and spices together, then combine with dry ingredients, but do not mix thoroughly.

Pour batter into a well buttered loaf pan. Bake 50 - 60 minutes until a skewer poked into the center of the loaf comes out clean.

Makes 1 loaf.

This recipe comes from the Fannie Farmer Cookbook that I have talked about before. I love this book. This bread turned out really yummy.

I actually forgot to add the oil, (I find I do that a lot recently,) but the bread still turned out really good. I'm not sure what the point of oil in a recipe is for, but apparently forgetting it isn't detrimental to the entire recipe.

What really inspired me to make this bread? The tupperware full of pumpkin puree I had in my refrigerator. A while ago I made some pumpkin cookies and the recipe only called for ¼ cup of pumpkin, but as we all know canned pumpkin does not come in small cans, so I had a ton of pumpkin left over. I had been trying to think of what I could make with the extra puree… and I decided that bread was a good idea. I had enough left over pumpkin to make two batches.

I didn't add the nuts. Yuck! And like I said, I forgot the oil, but it is pretty yummy.

I baked this for 50 minutes and I think that was just about right for my oven. The edges of the bread were actually starting to get a little crusty and browned so I pulled it out just in time.

Movies: The Month of Musicals

2011-11-14T12:45:00.001-07:00

John hasn't seen a lot of the classic musicals... and it turns out I haven't seen as many as I thought I had. November has been designated Musical Month and that is what we have been watching.

Singin' In The Rain (1952) - Interpretive dance... Ugh! For the most part this movie was pretty good. It dragged on at times, but for the most part is was alright.

Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (1971) - What a fun movie. I hadn't seen this version for years and I love it.

The Music Man (1962) - Love this version of the movie. Robert Preston is my favorite Harold Hill.

Annie Get Your Gun (1950) - I hadn't seen this before. It's a bit cheesy but it has a lot of familiar songs in that I had never known where they had come from.

Oklahoma (1955) - I know this is supposed to be a classic, but neither of us liked it. It was too long and convoluted. Neither of us can stand interpretive dance. This is full of it.

Captain America (2011) - What? This isn't a musical? That's what I said, but in our rationalization John convinced me that there *is* a musical number in it so it is semi appropriate for musical month.

Cleaning out, and Moving on.

2011-11-07T11:37:00.002-07:00

I keep saying that we had been busy last month… but what exactly have we been doing?

At the beginning of October I started cleaning out that other bedroom in the hope of moving around some of its furniture content (ha ha) and also so the my sister Andrea will have somewhere to sleep when she comes to stay with me for a little while in January. That room is quite the task. Just when we start getting a little cleaned out something comes up and more stuff just gets shoved in there. Somehow we manage to keep the bed semi-accessible, but that's not always the case.

A few months ago I cleaned out the "blue cupboard" at my parents house and brought home the various treasures that I had stored in there. Four boxes full. And those boxes got shoved in that other room for later sorting. It got to the point that not only was the bed covered, but the floor was covered too and I could no longer get to my hair dryer. The room needed some help. I walked in there one day after work and I repacked things and shuffled boxes and got a lot of it stacked neatly in the corner. I looked through the boxes I'd brought home and decided what I wanted to keep and what I didn't really need anymore. Which, turns out was a hard thing to do. So much in that cupboard held sentimental value from High School memories and pre-mission frivolities. But I didn't need to keep it all.

Between those boxes and the rest of the room, I came up with three over stuffed paper boxes, three random baskets, and several miscellaneous items that could go to the DI. I think it made a dent… That is until Halloween happened and the decoration box got shoved in there. (Now it's time to clean up those decorations so that problem is solved.)

Now I want to get back in there and see what else can be moved where. There are about eight boxes in the corner that need to be moved up to the storage space we have in the TV room, but that involves the ladder and hauling the boxes across the house… Which means we need to have a Saturday at home to get it done. (Easier said than done.)

We are having an over crowding issues at our house, meaning we have too much stuff and not enough room.

Mid-October I decided to clean out the closet. I have finally gotten rid of everything smaller than a sixe 16 (or XL) I had a lot of clothes in my closet that I had been hanging onto because I WILL be that size again. (I highly doubt it.) I decided that I didn't need them and that if I ever do make it back to 165 that just means I get to buy new clothes. Everything XL or size 16 got hung under garbage bags in the back of the closet for later use. I don't have a whole lot in that size range so I rationalized that it's okay to keep it. (And the fact I have recently lost 10 pounds.) I also organized the closed by dresses, skirts, long sleeve, short sleeves, and T-shirts so that it's easier for John to help put away my laundry.

I think I spent the better part of a day doing this, and when I was done I must have given John a guilt complex because It wasn't an hour after I finished that he got into his side of the closet and cleaned out for the first time in the nearly 10 years we've been sharing a closet. He had a ton of stuff to put in the bags. He still had clothes from his mission when he weighed 115 lbs (maybe less.) He is not that skinny kid anymore. Then he moved from the closet to his chest of drawers and in the end we ended up with two large black garbage bags full of clothes for the DI.

This feels like we've lightened our load a little, but there is still a lot stuffed into our little house that I'm sure we don't need. Like the fact that I'm itching to get rid of the two chairs that are too big for my kitchen, but somehow we always end up needing to use them. So I guess they'll stay for now.

But even with all the stuff I have gotten rid of… I did buy a new rocking chair this month. I was at the DI killing some time, while waiting for a friend, when I walked past it. I looked at it and thought it was a nice chair. Then I realized that the seat was plenty big enough for my wider backside and then I thought it was even better. I looked around for an employee to put my name on it so I could go up front and buy it, but then... I decided that I didn't want to let it out of my sight. So I grabbed the chair and dragged it through the store with me, straight to the registers. And there I was standing in line with this beautiful chair, and, I'm not kidding, like five people walked by and said "Wow, that's a nice chair" and all I could say was "I know." but in my head I was saying "It's all MINE, suckers!!"

This has now been added to the living room, that is already too full. I have my chunky red couch and matching chair, the orange chair I got from the DI for our first apartment, the Dutch-Modern rocking chair I got from my in-laws that once belonged to John's grandpa, four book shelves of various sizes, three CD cases and a small desk. Yes, all that stuff is in my little living room. (Do you see why John and I would love a new house with some extra room.

So… yeah… we have a lot of stuff and no where to put it.

I spent a lot of time out and about looking for new Halloween decorations this October as well. I pulled out my boxes of decorations back at the beginning for the month, and as I looked through the box of past treasures I decided that I hated all of them so it was time to get something new. I went to craft stores, Halloween stores, party stores, and even All-A-Dollar to collect some new bits to add to my collection. Let me just say, now that the month is over… I love my new stuff. My house turned out pretty nice with all it's spooktacular decorations.

What else has been going on?

October 10^th was Canadian Thanksgiving. We had dinner with John's parents and Holly at Marie Calendar's in Layton (yes, it's still there, and yes, it's still open.) We were quite disappointed with the super rise in prices since the last time we were there. I don't think the turkey dinners we had were worth $14 a plate. We wont go there next year. However we will celebrate Canadian Thanksgiving because we love it.

October 17^th John and I had the opportunity to have my friend Michelle take our pictures. Really, it was Michelle taking pictures of John's parents. Lorraine had mentioned back at the beginning of the year how much she'd like to have a nice picture of her and dad for the kids, and since then John and I had been batting around the idea of getting them a photo session with Michelle that we'd pay for. It took me until July to actually contact Michelle, and it took us until October to actually schedule a time to get them done. And, we figured, while we were at it we'd have our pictures done too. You can see a preview of them HERE, or on Michelle Sally Photography's Facebook page.

The pictures (at least what I have seen of them) turned out beautifully. I'm so impressed with her skills as a photographer to catch just the right moment, and just the right expressions to create beautiful pictures of us average people.

We chose to get the pictures done at Temple Square in Salt Lake City, not because this place holds any significance (beyond the obvious) to me and John, but because this is where his parents were married. We thought it would be nice for them to have some great pictures with the temple for their memory books.

We had a great time with Michelle getting our pictures done. With her being such a good friend it wasn't intimidating at all (or at least not much) to have her giant camera lens in your face. The wind was blowing like crazy, my hair had gone flat, and it was cold, but we had some good laughs and the time just flew by.

October 23^rd We got to go to dinner at the Brand's house. Logan and Jenny and their kids are some of our most favorite people in the world. They invited us over, along with John's parents for some Homemade Beer Brauts and quality time. John and I were of course told to come over early so we could see their oldest daughter Sam before she dashed off to Snow College again as she's finishing up her Associates degree there this spring. So we got to spend the greater part of the afternoon with them and somehow got pulled into picking grapes before it was supposed to freeze that night. We got all sticky and purple, but helped clean off the vine all before dinner time. Dinner was really good, I'm finding that I'm not as much as a Braut fan as the people I love are, but these were some really good ones.

Also, a new show premièred on Chanel 4 on Sunday nights at 7:00 PM. It's called "Once Upon A Time" and I am pretty sure that I love it.

October 24^{th &} 25^thI got to spend some quality time with my mother-in-law while we made grape juice from the three flats of grapes we got from our friends Sunday night. In the end we ended up with 43 Quarts of grape juice.

My Mother-in-law has one of these steamer things It's 3 layered. You put all the grapes in the top, stems and all, and water in the bottom and the center section is for catching the grape juice. It has a tube that you use to drain the juice out as you go. It's pretty awesome. There is no sugar added to the grape juice, and since it comes out boiling hot you just put on the lids and the bottles seal themselves. It takes about an hour per batch, but that's okay it gives me time to do other things while the grapes are steaming. We didn't let the tailings drain after steaming (using a cheese cloth, colander and another pan) because mother didn't want to, but we probably could have ended up with about 2 or 3 more quarts. I think that if I ever get really ambitious about canning I may buy myself a steamer. Apparently they're quite handy.

October 27^th John and Holly and I took the evening to carve some pumpkins. We ended up with five pumpkins this year and decided to do a mostly Doctor Who Theme. I did a lot of internet searches for just the right patterns for the pumpkins. You wouldn't think it would be *that* hard to find something to put on a pumpkin, but it was.

In the end I ended up carving a TARDIS, Holly carved a Cyberman, and John... well, he carved the Legend of Zelda emblem with the Triforce, and the final pumpkin for the day I just hacked out a regular old jack-o-lantern face. (I don't have a picture of that one.) That's why I said it was a "Mostly" Doctor Who theme. The pumpkin carving took a while, but in the end we were all pretty satisfied with our work.

October 29^th My oldest brother's in-laws had a Halloween party, and John and I were lucky enough to be invited. There is always a good time to be had at the White House. This year there were games,a scavenger hunt, bobbing for apples, caramel apples, and enough food to keep the masses satisfied. It was fun. Sure, it's mostly for their grand kids and friends, but it caters to us adults too. John won the best costume again this year. He was dressed as the Tenth Doctor. No one really knew who he was, apparently he just looked really great in his suit. (He won the Best Costume prize a few years ago when we went and he had dressed as V from V for Vendetta.) Up until the night before we weren't sure we were going to go this year since we had a million other things going on that weekend, but in the end I got a text from my brother asking if we were going, and if we could help my niece and nephew get there... Well, I had been wanting to see them so I figured this was as good a time as any so I agreed, and ended up leading Geoff and Nicole to West Valley. They told me I drive too fast for following. That's the truth, but I really really did try to slow down and be a better lead car, but I guess I didn't slow down as much as I though I had.

Also, that night, after the White's party we drove all the way from West Valley back to Clinton to hang out with our friends to play games and have some good adult time together. But we were earlier than they were expecting so the John's took a trip to Wal-Mart together, and I got to watch old Tom Baker Doctor Who while Angie finished up bathing their two kids. Once everyone (meaning the kids) were in bed and settled we played some great Zombie themed games and had a nice end to a long and busy day.

October 31^st ^~Halloween!! There was a Halloween party at my house.. Okay, it wasn't a party per say, but I had cake, food, and candy for anyone who stopped by. I had really just wanted to make a Skull cake that I had bought a pan for this summer, and I needed people to come eat it for me.

The cake turned out really nice. I used a box cake mix, but used apple sauce instead of oil. This made the cake really moist, but didn't change the flavor of it much. I glued the two halves of the skull together with store bought vanilla frosting dyed red and also used that for my crumb coating. I frosted the cake with a #16 Tip and just did white and black stars to cover the skull. Then I used a #2 Tip to outline the teeth. I made the eye with some Cadbury "eyes" chocolates that I happened to have in my fridge. They're just chocolate dots so I added a blob of white frosting to the center and then a blob of black in the center of that. I placed the entire thing on a fancy black platter and surrounded it with gummie worms, and it turned out pretty darn good if you ask me.

We had sugar cookies in the shape of superheroes, and hot cider… John even made a special *Ghosts in the Graveyard* chocolate pudding (all by himself) that was quite tasty. It was a great spread, if you missed it then you really missed out.

We saw a lot of our friends and family and their cute kids in costumes. I even coaxed a few people from the ward in out of the cold for a piece of cake. For those that lingered for the evening we played a few rounds of Zombie Fluxx, and otherwise hung out and had some good friend time with people we love.

Also, Halloween day Holly came over to spend the day with us and carved our fifth and final pumpkin into K-9, Doctor Who's faithful dog. K-9 turned out really well, except we forgot to cut air holes in him so the candles kept going out until we figured out the problem later that evening. That's why the picture I have pretty much sucks. Silly fire, needing air to continue to burn. No light makes it hard to take a photo of a carved pumpkin. You'll just have to believe me at how awesome he really was. :)

There was a lot more to October, but I'm drained of all my memories past this point. We spent a lot of time running around, watching a lot of movies, and having a great time being our wonderful selves. Here's to a new month of fun for us. See ya on the flip side.

Eating with Liz 2011 - Spiced Honey Broiled Thighs

2011-11-04T13:33:00.002-06:00

Oh, My… It's been an entire month without a recipe from me. How sad. October just turned out to be super crazy, and it's finally winding down after the first few days of November. We'll have to enjoy this nice breather though because its almost time for the three months of horror starting with Thanksgiving. Here's hoping that we can bear it well and come out on the other side of Valentine's day the better for our trials.

On with the recipe.

Spiced Honey Broiled Thighs

2 t garlic powder

2 t chili powder

1 t cumin

1 t paprika

½ t ground red pepper

1 lb boneless skinless chicken thighs

6 T honey

2 t cider vinegar

Cooking spray

Combine first 5 ingredients in a large bowl. Add thighs and toss to coat. Place chicken on a sprayed broiler pan and broil 5-7 minutes on each side. Combine honey and vinegar in a small bowl. Remove chicken from oven and brush with honey mixture. Broil 1 minute; remove chicken and turn over. Brush with remaining honey mixture and broil 1 more minute or until chicken is done.

Stuffing

6 oz box stuffing

Serve with stuffing prepared according to package directions.

Steamed Vegetable

½ head cauliflower or broccoli , steamed

(Ranch dressing)

Steam vegetables and stir in 1/8 c ranch dressing before serving.

Now, on to the goods and bads I did with this recipe:

I used White Wine Vinegar. I do not have any Cider Vinegar in my house. I hadn't ever needed it before. So after a brief Google search of what I could use as a substitute I ended up using some White Wine Vinegar that I happened to have in my cupboard.

I used two shakes of Cayenne Pepper. I have red pepper flakes, but no ground red pepper. And since I am neither ambitious nor do I own a pestle, I just used Cayenne Pepper that was already in my spice rack.

I didn't buy bone-less thighs. I don't think this made any difference at all. 1 lb of thighs came out to be 4 thighs and that worked out perfect for us.

Instead of a "large bowl" I put my spices in a bag and tossed the chicken in. This didn't work as well as I had hoped. Two pieces of chicken got really covered, and two were only lightly coated. Next time I'll use a plate.

This recipe was fairly easy and fast. I did have to have some help from John with my timing of it all. I think that if I do it again I'll prepare everything BEFORE I put the meat in the oven. I had to have John flip the chicken while I scrounged through the cupboards for more honey.

It seems that I always forget to check the bottom of my shopping list for the "staple" items that I may not have enough of.

Also, next time, I'll lower my oven rack another level and let the chicken cook a little longer.

I microwaved my Stovetop Stuffing, and we didn't make any veggies. Over all it was pretty good.

If you're interested in looking at www.e-mealz.com for yourself, please use me as a reference. I could get free stuff out of it. Click on the picture below.

(and thanks to whoever it was that signed up for e-mealz using my link. It saved me $3 off my renewal fee. That's always appreciated. You should let me know how you are liking it.)

Halloween Movie Month 2011 ... The End

2011-11-01T10:52:00.001-06:00

The Boy Who Cried Werewolf (1973) - I'll admit, I came in at the end of this movie, but what I could tell it was super high quality viewing {sarcasm} John watched this one Sunday morning while I slept in. The boy goes off to visit his father in a secluded cabin in the woods. Father turns into werewolf. Boy tries to get help but no one believes him until it's too late. Boy gets bitten. Father dies. This is your average werewolf movie done 70's style.

Boo! (2005) - Hello teenagers going into that abandoned hospital, don't you realize that all but one of you are going to die?

The Monster Squad (1987) - This was entertaining. The children aren't so foul mouthed as the Goonies, but the movie is splattered with obstinacies. Basically this group of kids "The Monster Squad" have to save the world from Dracula, Frankenstein, Wolf man, Swamp thing...etc. etc. It's a fun little show that would be a good for a older kid Halloween party.

Cursed (2005) - John and I saw this in the Theater when it came out. It's a good little werewolf movie, that isn't too full of gore. No sex, very little cussing. I think this might be a good one for an older teen Halloween watch. It is rated R, but I don't think it really hits that R rating bar.

Sundown: The Vampire in Retreat (1990) - We weren't sure what to expect from this movie, it was just on our movie list and so we got it. Little did we know it was a Bruce Campbell movie. And boy howdy, it was. A group of vampires retreat to the desert for retirement (yes, the desert) when their sleepy little town is disrupted by rebel vampires and the surprise appearance of a descendant of Van Helsing. It was good for a laugh. We adore Bruce Campbell at our house.

Fright Night (1985) - In my opinion... I liked the new version better (minus all the swearing) but this one was alright. The two movies pretty much follow the exact same plot and story line which was entertaining. The Death's of the vampires were a little over dramatic, but that's what it's all about isn't it.

And that brigs us to the end of Halloween Movie Month(s) 2011. There were some good ones, some bad ones, and some we'll never watch again. We're a little disappointed in the amount of movies we watched this year, we were hoping to get some more in, but life was busy for the month of October. I guess we'll just have to make up for it next year.

In other news... This is the awesome cake I made for my Halloween party this year.

The Cake From Hell ... not really, but it felt like it.

2011-10-20T12:27:00.000-06:00

It’s time to blog again… but what should I blog about?

The other day Holly and I were discussing stuff, and she suggested that I start a Cake Blog and blog about all the cakes I make… But that would be a really lame blog since I really only make about two cakes a year… Except this year I have made three (and #4 is coming up for Halloween.) And then I realized… I never did blog about the Batman cake I made for Holly’s friend’s birthday.

Back in July Holly asked if I could make a Batman cake for a friend at work, and being the nice person I am, I agreed. I had almost a months notice. I had to have the cake ready by the morning of August 4^th, (it was a Thursday) so she could take it to work with her.

This cake was a PAIN IN THE BUTT to make. Sure, the pattern was pretty simple, but the putting together of it was harder than it needed to be. The plan was:

Black sides

Yellow Bat symbol on top

Yes, looking at the picture you’d say, “that’s what is does have.” But getting it that way was ridiculous.

First I had to find a logo to use. holly and I agreed on this one:

I had to make the cakes on Sunday afternoon because our week was turning out to be rather booked. I was going to just make one 9x13 cake, but I’ve learned that that’s really not a lot of cake if you’re sharing with a group, so I ended up making two 9x13’s. Chocolate, of course, and one layer also was filled with mini-chocolate chips. (I was told that it tasted fantastic.) So after baking and cooling on Sunday the cakes went into the fridge to await frosting.

Monday we went to a spectacular Ludo concert at “In The Venue” that I kind of grazed over in this POST back in August. so we weren’t home that night. It was a fun night. I’ll have to remember to post about it, I mean *really* post about it, one day before I forget everything. So needless to say we weren’t home that night.

Tuesday night I used an entire can of Pillsbury Chocolate Frosting to glue the two layers together before putting on a crumb coat.I made the frosting yellow just to try and see how much coloring I was going to need to use for the actual cake… turns out it was a lot. Then it went back in the fridge to await it's final frosting coat on the morrow... it was time for bed.

Before I get to the next day – I want to point out this fantastic little cake contraption that Holly gave me to put the cake in. It is large enough for a 9x13 cake (as long as you’re not having it frosted) or, if you flip the bottom it holds 12 cupcakes. It has handles and a lid and seems so very handy… except when it comes to decorative frosting. I had to cut about an inch and a half off each side of the cake so the handles would flip back up. But then, once I got the cake on the base, and dropped it in the box after the crumb coat… I wasn’t sure I was going to be able to get it out again. I did, but It was stressful and really dangerous for the me and the cake in that order… You can see the box in some of the pictures. So – Note to Self: I will no longer try decorating a cake to put in this box unless I’m paid extra to do it.

Wednesday it was time to get down to business. I had all evening to put the cake together and I was going to get it done. I made the frosting, guesstimating how much black I’d need, and how much yellow I’d need. I think I did a pretty good job, I didn’t have too much frosting left over.

I HATE black frosting. First frustrating thing of the night. I can never get it black enough to satisfy myself. It has recently turned out very gray. I wanted nice BLACK frosting like I used on John’s birthday cake in 2010 (because that was an awesome cake) but no matter what I tried this time I couldn’t get it right. I have since learned a trick to black icing form the Wilton website. The advice is located HERE. Turns out I can add coco powder to the frosting to help the black be more blacker. I’ll have to try that next time.

I started out frosting the sides. Turns out that was a stupid idea. Second frustrating thing of the night. I should have done the top first, but you live and learn. I spent time getting the sides just right and the realized at this point that I should have done the top first, but it was too late so here is where I got the top on. So I frosted the top bright yellow. I debated on if I should just do the oval in the center yellow or if I should cover the entire top. I chose to frost the entire top.

It took forever to get the corners of this cake to cooperate. The top did not want to join the sides. The black kept smearing into the yellow. And I kept getting more and more frustrated. I put the cake back in the fridge to let the frosting harden a little before I tried adding the logo to the top. Third frustrating thing of the night.

After a little while I pulled it out again and threw the logo on top of the cake and traced it using a frosting bag and a # 2 frosting tip. Now I had to add more black frosting around the outer edge of the oval and cover up all that yellow. Here is where I’m really glad that I decided to frost the entire top yellow instead of just an oval in the middle.

Then I decided to do the Bat symbol all in stars and used a #16 Tip to do them. Mostly I chose stars to cover the mistakes and to get it done faster. Because let me tell you… I was DONE with this cake.

All in all it turned out really well. Aside from the anger, and all the snapping at poor John who happened to be in the same room with me. I didn't throw the cake away and tell Holly she was out of luck. So it all worked out. Also, because I cut the bat out of the center of the paper pattern I had it left over at the end... So what did I do with it? I turned the bathroom into the Bat Cave.

We really like it there and are considering actually painting one on the door for reals.

Halloween Movie Month 2011

2011-10-17T10:04:00.000-06:00

Red Riding Hood (2011) - This movie was alright. Not as good as we wanted it to be, but not as bad as we expected. It really did keep you guessing who the werewolf was for most of the movie.

Goonies (1985) - Really liked this movie. I don't think I'd seen this once since the 80's, and John had never seen it, so it was pretty much a new experience for us. We were taken aback by the foul mouthed children at the beginning of the film, but it was pretty tame for today's standards. The adventure was great and the plot was simple. This is a great movie for a good night in.

The Addams Family (1991) - I hadn't seen this movie until I married John. He really enjoyed it, and now so do I. Its silly and spooky and just a little ookey... Whatever, it's the Addams Family. It an easy laugh in the midst of horror movie watching that we really enjoy.

Gremlins (1984) - Wow, Cory Feldman sure aged between this movie and Goonies a year later.. Also, why are so many Halloween movies centered around Christmas. Anyway. this movie is still pretty awesome. I have to point out that the animatronics for Gizmo are amazing for this being 1984. What a cute little guy. I promise that if someone gets me one for Christmas I'll follow all the rules.

An American Werewolf In London - John watched this one without me. That's okay though, because we own it, and I've seen it before.

The Mummy (1999) - I absolutely love this movie. It is full of action, adventure and so many memorable lines... Do you swear? Every damn day. He he. Definitely one I'd recommend for anyone's movie watching pleasure.

My Bloody Valentine (1981) - Entertaining. Bloody. Cheesy. Not as horrific as I expected. One thing I do appreciate about these 1980's horror films is that the directors still knew how to leave some of the violence to the viewers imagination. And would you believe it, a whole movie without nudity. Wow. I was pleasantly surprised since the 2009 version was full of naked (we watched that one last year.) If you're going to watch a version of this movie I suggest the 1981 version.

Stir of Echoes (1999) - This was better than expected. Kevin Bacon, after being hypnotized starts seeing ghosts and has to solve a mystery with the knowledge he has gained. This runs along the same vein as What Lies Beneath, The Sixth Sense, and The Other's. If you liked those, chances are you'll enjoy this one.

Night Fright (1967) - We spent the entire movie waiting for Elvira or the Mystery Science Theater guys to pop in, but sadly we got the actual movie and not one with commentary. I guess 1967 was really just that lame. It took forever to get to the point of them movie and apparently John fast-forwarded a bit while I was out of the room. In the end, after waiting so long, the monster was destroyed very anticlimactically.

The Signal (2007) - I randomly picked this from the free Amazon Prime movies on our Blu-Ray... It was questionable on if it was any good. For the most part it was entertaining. Confusing, yes. But entertaining. It's shown in three segments and each once makes you doubt what came before and then the ending confused the heck out of us. Was it a *happy* ending or wasn't it. I don't know, I was too lost. This one was full of foul language and a naked but within the first 10 minutes.

Low Self-Esteem?

2011-10-10T13:02:00.007-06:00

Alternate titles:
You’re Only As Beautiful As You Think You Are
Or, A blog post about self-loathing and personal image depression

The last few weeks I have been horrified with the idea of looking at myself in the mirror. I don't know what has triggered it, but I'm feeling very ugly, very old, and very plain.

It's not true.

Or so I’m told.

I have people to vouch for it, and sometimes I see a glimmer in the mirror of what maybe the rest of the world sees when they look at me, but that's not very often.

As a female in general, I have a terrible self image. I always have, ever since I was a young kid. I was always too fat, too short, too zit-faced, teeth were too crooked, nose is too long, too dorky with glasses to ever be loved. Yes, the world had beaten down this girl and helped me see that I wasn't ever good enough.

I didn't eat much food through much of Jr. High and High School. The toast for breakfast would be handed to the dog on the way to the car, and lunch money would be pocketed for later use...

Unfortunately I was a size 8. Always a size 8. I could never get any smaller no matter how much I starved myself and tried to be active enough to help the weight fall off. No matter how hard I tried I could never get below 135 lbs and to someone who looked in the mirror and saw that fat girl every time, that was never low enough.

I wore make-up, too much make-up, to cover my flaws. I tried off setting the make-up with hair dye, cleavage and short skirts. Hoping that I could fit into *that* mold of what everyone else wanted me to be… or what I thought everyone wanted me to be. Some days I’m not even sure who *that* Liz was.

I look back now and see myself as thin, I looked good, without the poky bones or my ribs showing. From a 15-years-further-down-the-road/outside perspective I look back and wonder "What was I thinking?" I spent so much time worry about my looks that I missed out on the opportunities I had to wear more mini-skirts and skimpy swimming suits and showing off my arms... because of the little rolls that would appear on my belly when I'd sit in a chair. (Oh what I wouldn’t give to have *little rolls* when I sat in a chair again.)

Eventually I got over most of this… I had friends who noticed my lack of eating and started making sure I had something to eat every day – even if it was just going out to dinner. I really think that saved me from spiraling into an even deeper hole in my life. Thank you friends.

When I was 23 I had just returned from my mission. I had spent 18 months being torn down by nasty companions and rebuilt by companions who truly loved me for who I was. I gained a new view of myself and had finally decided that yes, maybe I was okay. I weighed 165 lbs and was perfectly content with my life, how I looked and the way I felt about myself. I had curves in all the right places and a choice of clothes that flattered me, and helped me snag the wonderful husband that I have. I gave up make-up, deciding that I preferred my natural beauty to that made-up look. My complexion was nice, I had rosy lips and a nice skin.

I really thought I had finally beaten it. I could look at myself in the mirror and smile and think that I looked really good. I was an adult and I could face the world and be content with who I was, what I was doing and where I was going… Yeah, right. Turns out it was just hiding in a closet in the back of my mind.

Unfortunately, due to life situations and circumstances after we got married, with medications and stress, over the years I gained weight, and gained weight, and gained weight until a few years ago I found myself weighting 249 lbs and completely unhappy with myself, the 5’ 2.75” fat girl. I fell back into *that* hole, but at least this time, I really was overweight and knew it. I no longer had cute things to wear and became a slave to the fat girl clothes stores that never have anything cute or shape flattering. I don’t shop for clothes in stores any more, the whole experience leaves me depressed and heartbroken so I only ever buy clothes online now.

I’ve lost some weight since then, I’m much closer to the 200 lbs mark than I used to be, but I’m still larger than I’d like to be, and this has a harsh impact on how I view myself. Over my lifespan I have shed a lot of tears over how imperfect I am.

Why am I drudging up these sore feelings and sad memories on my blog today? Divulging my dark loathing to the world? Well….

I have been planning to have pictures done by one of my best friends, Michelle Sallay from Michelle Sallay Photography. She was my MTC companion, and although we didn’t get along so great back then, she has turned into one of those people that you really couldn’t imagine your life without. She’s pretty spectacular. Anyway, Michelle is a fantastic photographer. I love looking at her work and seeing what a beautiful job she does. Her pictures always look so nice, and the people in them so beautiful… so photogenic… so … like they belong in the beautiful settings that Michelle’s talent has the eye to see. I’m not one of those people.

I think that’s where I have hit my rut. I want to have beautiful pictures of me and John, but I don’t think I belong in her photos. I look in the mirror and see my glasses and crooked teeth and my sun spots and think how absolutely non-photogenic I am. I see the acne scars and the left over sunburn shadows. The dark circles under my eyes, the never ending cycle of adult acne… and I wonder if the rest of the world sees me the way I do. It just breaks my fragile little heart sometimes.

With picture day coming up so fast (next Monday!) I have set out to put together a nice outfit that will make me look thinner than I am, hide my rolls and bumps and saggy arm fat. I have yet to do that, but I still have a few more days.

I also have been staring myself down in the mirror looking at my facial flaws, my hands, my hair… trying to decide what to do about it all. I polled some friends on Facebook asking if I should invest in make-up (which I haven’t owned or worn in almost 10 years. I don’t think I even wore make-up on my wedding day.) Or just go with my regular lipstick and mascara routine. They all told me “No new make-up” of course, because, as I pointed out earlier outside people see me differently that I see myself…

I decided that I’d take that advise and not buy make-up… but then I read the following articles on the internet last week:

KSL News article: Study: Women who wear makeup seem more competent
MSN article: The Makeup Hater's Guide to Makeup

Apparently, according to both of these articles I am not competent, likeable, attractive, successful, or trustworthy.

*BAM!!* I’m back into the hold of self-loathing and depression.

I tried not to listen. Really I did, but it festered. I fought and struggled against that ugly girl who lives just below the surface who reminds me that I am not as good as everyone else.

Guess who won?

Nope, not the rational me who can step back from what’s going on in the world and think that I’m okay. “Because I’m good enough, I’m smart enough, and, doggonit, people like me!”

No, the insecure paranoid me won out, and I ended up spending $45 on make-up the other day. New face wash, new lip-stain, eyeliner, blush, base, powder… yes, I have bought into the fact that the world doesn’t think I am good enough, so neither do I.

Saturday morning after I showered I decided to try out my new make-up, and while I must admit, I did look quite nice and un-made-up I died a little inside because I had given in. When I asked John how I looked, he told me that I looked very nice, and I started to cry. When he asked what was wrong he also followed up with the question of “are you feeling old?” and I sobbed. My newly applied mascara began to run and the make-up had just applied became blotchy and smeared, and I felt worse than when I had been duped into buying the stuff…

Why do I let the world get to me? Why can’t I just be happy with myself as I am, in whatever situation I am placed? Why can’t I just love me for being me?

Why can’t the young women of the world look at themselves in the mirror and see the beautiful person that they are, and not the abstract image of what they *should* be or what they *want* to be? Why can’t the world appreciate the natural beauty in things and enjoy the differences that are presented to us in each individual?

I don’t know the answers to those questions, I don’t know if any one does.

Fact of the matter is – I bought into it. I let the failure in me out to the surface where I need to be acknowledged and recognized as part of the beautiful people of the world. I need the approval of others, I feed off compliments, even if I don’t always believe them.

When it gets right down too it, I will have pictures taken next Monday by a fabulous photographer, and I’ll be the same old Liz I have always been. Yes, I’ll wear the makeup that I invested money in, and I’ll hopefully have the new clothes I ordered from Old Navy before picture day. But I’m not holding my breath. If they don’t show I’ll go a head and have a minor melt down over the weekend but eventually find something I already own that will work out for pictures…. And it will all turn out fine. It will, because everything usually does.

~*~*~*~

So now here is some good thoughts to finish of my self-loathing post about how inferior my looks are to the rest of the world…

I really liked this quote. I don’t know if Emma Watson really said it because we all know how true everything we read on the internet is {sarcasm} but it’s nice to hear some one say it once in a while:

“I find the whole concept of being ‘sexy’ embarrassing and confusing. If I do an interview with photographs people desperately want to change me - dye my hair blonder, pluck my eyebrows, give me a fringe. Then there’s the choice of clothes. I know everyone wants a picture of me in a mini-skirt. But that’s not me. I feel uncomfortable. I’d never go out in a mini-skirt. It’s nothing to do with protecting the Hermione image. I wouldn’t do that. Personally, I don’t actually think it’s even that sexy. What’s sexy about saying, ‘I’m here with my boobs out and a short skirt, have a look at everything I’ve got?’ My idea of sexy is that less is more. The less you reveal the more people can wonder.” - Emma Watson

~*~*~*~

As a child, when I would look at the little forget-me-nots, I sometimes felt a little like that flower – small and very insignificant. I wondered if I would be forgotten by my family or by my Heavenly Father.
Years later, I can look back on that young boy with tenderness and compassion. And I do know now I was never forgotten.
And I know something else. As an Apostle of our Master, Jesus Christ, I proclaim with all the certainty and conviction of my heart and soul – neither are you!
You are not forgotten.
Sisters, wherever you are, whatever the circumstances may be, you are not forgotten. No matter how dark your days may seem, no matter how insignificant you may feel, no matter how overshadowed you think you may be, you Heavenly Father has not forgotten you. In fact, he loves you, with an infinite love.
- President Dieter F. Uchtdorf

Monday October 10th ....

2011-10-10T09:13:00.001-06:00

HAPPY CANADIAN THANKSGIVING, eh!

oh, and Columbus Day too.

Eating With Liz 2011 - Baked Turkey Rolls

2011-10-03T12:28:00.002-06:00

I haven't been posting recipes lately… I'm sorry to any of you who are paying attention and/or even care. We have had an interesting last few months. Either I've been sick or John's been sick or we've both been sick … needless to say that hasn't led to us eating much at home or doing a lot of house work… so our house is dirty, our bank account isn't too happy with us, and I failed on making a new recipe for a few weeks. I just haven't figured out how to make dinner and be sick at the same time… I just don't think it works.

We are still participating with http://www.e-mealz.com/. We've gotten used to is over the last six months (wholly cow! Six months!) The food has gotten better and we're learning the use of seasoning to make something edible. It's been great. The last three months we've been using the Low-Carb menu, and let me just say that's been a lot of meat. We've decided that we can't do that much meat. With this last renewal we've gone back to the standard menu and look forward to more variation in dinner time.

I'm still amazed at the amount of money we save every shopping trip, and it is SO nice to be able to come home from work and have dinner all figured out for me already so we don't have to stare at each other and do the:

"What do you want for dinner?"

"I don't know. What do you want for dinner?"

"I asked you first. What do you want for dinner?"

I don't know. What do you want for dinner?"

…

It's a life saver. Nice thing about it as well is that most of the meal take 30 minutes or less, and some stuff can be prepped a head of time. (Like when a meal calls for ½ pound beef I'll cook the entire pound and put half in the fridge for another meal that is coming up. It's amazing how much time just doing that saves.)

Anyway – I'm stop doting on e-mealz and just get to the recipe we liked this last week:

BAKED TURKEY ROLLS

2-3 slices turkey bacon
12-16 oz turkey cutlets, pounded very thin
Garlic salt
Black pepper
2-3 slices provolone cheese
½ c Milk
1 c whole wheat crackers, crushed

Preheat oven to 350o. Cook bacon in skillet. Let cool; crumble. Lay turkey cutlets flat; season with garlic salt and pepper. Layer each piece with bacon bits and a slice of cheese. Roll up. Dip in milk; coat with crushed crackers. Place on baking sheet, seam side down. Cover loosely with foil and bake about 25 min.

Green Beans
½ lb green beans
(Olive oil)
(Salt/pepper)

Wash and prepare beans. Steam green beans in an inch of water until crisp-tender. Season with oil, salt and pepper to taste.

What did I do differently:

I didn't buy turkey bacon. I used regular bacon.

I used club crackers instead of wheat.

I know. Two not very big changes, but the result was really pretty good. We ate this with the suggested green beans and a side salad. It almost looked like a real meal when set out on the plate.

Halloween Movie Month 2011

2011-10-03T11:58:00.001-06:00

Dylan Dog: Dead of Night (2010) – This movie was entertaining enough. Out of all the one’s we’ve watched so far this year it was definitely the best. But that’s not saying much. Dylan is a Private Investigator who used to work as a mediator between the worlds of the dead and the living. He’s pulled back into the world when crazy things start going down in the world of the undead. I kept expecting Brandon Roth to go all Superman on the undead... but he never really did.

Crucible of Horror (1971) – This movie had so many flaws in the murder plot that I just couldn’t stand it. I found myself several times yelling at the television telling the useless women to “just shoot him!” The ending was pretty predictable. Full of bad 70’s acting even though it had some great actors to draw from. Very disappointing. Very slow. Very un-scary for a movie in a box set called “Pure Terror”.

Double Exposure (1983) – Terrible, terrible movie. I can’t believe we watched this. A photographer has graphic dreams of killing his models and then they turn up dead. The question is… is he really the one killing them or is it something else. It really did keep me guessing for most of the movie, but when the end comes all you can say is, “really!? That’s how it ends?” Not one I’d recommend to anyone. Oh, and there was lots and lots of naked.

Mystery Science Theater 3000: Werewolf (1996) – This movie was so bad I was surprised to learn that it was filmed in the 90’s… but then again 90’s movies were never really that good. All the actors were foreigners and their accents just got worse as the movie progressed. I don’t think I could have made it through the movie with out the Mystery Science Theater guys shadows in front giving running commentary. It was awful.

They Live (1988) – or rather “John Carpenter’s: They Live” like adding John Carpenter’s name to it would make it any better. Staring Roddy Piper… (yes, that is in fact Rowdy Roddy Piper.) There are aliens living among us, and they are hiding themselves with a massive power transmission that hides what they really look like… unless of course you have the magic sunglasses that allows you to see them as they are. All in all the movie was rather lame, but it had the worlds best line: “I came here to chew bubblegum and kick some ass... and I ran out of bubblegum.” And of course there was one really long unnecessarily absurd fight scene because Roddy is/was a huge member of the WWF.

Vampire Journals (1997) – Remember what I just barely said about 90’s movies? This one didn’t change my statement. This was horrible… What terrible acting. Again a bunch of people who didn’t speak English very well. I guess the plot of the movie was one vampire out to get revenge on another vampire, but with all the naked boobs and bad accents I didn’t follow the plot too well. -- Vampires. Apparently. Can't. Speak. In. Full. Sentences. What did I learn from this movie? A) The vampires in this movie were very wasteful. They would bite someone and then open their mouth and let blood spurt all over the victim. B) All crazy vampire women sacrifices must wear white flow-y dresses. And when you add A + B = a mess. John actually stated that it would suck to have to try and get those stains out.

Grave of the Vampire (1974) – John and I agreed that the subject of this movie was a terrible vampire. Instead of just biting all his prey and drinking them dry he opted to kill them by various means; Throat slitting. Smashing a head with a sarcophagus. Breaking a back over a tombstone. Ice pick… The premise of the movie was that the main vampire (who was a terrible vampire) raped a woman and she birthed a half vampire who spent his life searching for his father to kill him. Well…. To ruin the end for you (because trust me, you don’t really want to watch it) The child of the vampire kills his father but then… are you ready for it? …. He TURNS into the vampire. Duh duh DUNN!

Big Bad Wolf (2006) – Lots and lots of naked boobs and sexual situations. So… boy is trying to pledge for a frat. They go to his step-father’s cabin in the woods. Everyone but original boy and his girl die a horrible death at the claws of a slathering talking werewolf in pants. They run home and one thing leads to another and some how it is deduced that step-father IS the werewolf and the have to get proof and kill him. A few more people die. More naked boobs. A big fire… were wolf dies, but boy is bit. OH NO! The tragedy of it all! Yes, I just ruined the entire movie for you. Don’t watch it.

Books I'd like to read...

2011-09-30T13:45:00.001-06:00

I’m participating in a contests for a book, and the author, Brenna Yovanoff, asked us about a precious item. Well, I have blogged about this a lot so I’m actually just going to refer you to an old post.

Peaches and Cream Barbie

If you’re interested in winning a copy of”The Space Between” you can enter the contest on her blog and The Second Space Between Contest.

Christmas List 2011

2011-09-30T11:35:00.000-06:00

It's that time of year again.

Without too many more words I present to you the things I'd like for Christmas:

This is all for now... I think.

16 Men on a Dead Man's Chest.

2011-09-19T08:04:00.001-06:00

Yo Ho Ho, and a bottle of Rum.

It do be International Talk Like a Pirate Day. This mornin’s car pool conversation revolved around singing sea shanties and pickin’ our crew. So what scallywags do I be addin’ to me crew?

Gerard Butler
Ewan McGregor
Johnny Depp
Orlando Bloom
The Phantom of the Opera
Jet Li
Jason Statham
Bruce Willis
Jeffrey Dean Morgan
Chris Evans
Tony Stark
Thor
Captain America
Jude Law
Robert Downy Jr.
The Doctor

And since me choice of ship would require a skeleton crew between nine and twenty I do be addin’:

John Evans
Mister Smee
The Mumbly man from Hot Fuzz and his shed arsenal
Kevin Sorbo

Movies: Halloween Movie Month 2011

2011-09-13T08:36:00.001-06:00

Curse of the Devil (1974) - This movie was .... interesting. Being a foreign horror movie from the 70's it was expected to be campy. It's the story of a man who's ancestors were cursed by a witch that one day one of her people would be killed by one of his people and the curse would come upon him. Well, after several generations it happened and the man was turned into a werewolf that ran amuck and killed the family of the woman he loved and some other random villagers too. In the end the woman must make the decision to kill him because a werewolf can only be killed by the woman who loves him. There is campy violence, bright red blood, full nudity, and lots of horrible dubbed dialogue, cut scenes, and story... Only watch this if you want to see something really stupid.

Dark clouds may hang on me sometimes

2011-09-13T08:08:00.001-06:00

Well, it's been a while since I posted about a favorite out of my collection. Recently John and I have moved all the music on our computer to an external hard drive and as I've been going through, deleting duplicates, I have been reminded about how much music I have that I love so very much. Here is a CD that played a lot during my high school years.

Under the Table and Dreaming

Dave Matthews Band

The Best of What's Around

What Would You Say

Satellite

Rhyme & Reason

Typical Situation

Dancing Nancies

Ants Marching

Lover Lay Down

Jimi Thing

Warehouse

Pay For What You Get

#34

Under the Table and Dreaming was released September 1994. I don't think I really thought much about the album until the summer of 1995 when there was a boy I worked with at Lagoon named Eric Clark. I used to call him Jack for fun. He was a sweet quiet kid from Bountiful, but very funny and a good friend. He asked me to go to the HORDE festival with him that summer where Dave Matthews was performing, of course I said yes because I wasn't often asked out on dates. Jack also took me to another DMB concert the next year. He was a great guy, and the Dave Matthews concerts were totally awesome. Thus began my love affair with the Dave Matthews Band. This CD is the first studio release for the band, and it contains a lot of great music.

This was one of the first albums I bought for my budding CD collection... and sadly enough it's also one of the first Albums that my nephews helped destroy with little shoes full of sand. I still have my original copy, it's been smeared with CD repair cream so many times over the years, but it skips and sounds terrible when listened to in a player. I haven't bought a new copy yet, but one day maybe I will.

A few of my favorites off this album are:

The Best of What's Around

What Would You Say

Satellite

Ants Marching

and my favorite off the entire album is Dancing Nancies

Why is Dancing Nancies my favorite you ask? Well, I think it is because it is the first song I heard off this album. I heard it sung by the band Colors, at a concert in the Davis High auditorium (probably back in 1994.) I fell in love with the song back then and decided that I needed it for my own. It's always been a favorite of mine.

I would definitely recommend this album for you if you enjoy some good jazzy, funk-rock, southern cookin' music to listen to. They're great.

Movies: This Weeks Edition

2011-08-29T12:39:00.000-06:00

Fright Night (2011) – This movie was great. We saw this Friday night to get out of our hot house and spend some time with our friend Holly. Mostly we saw this movie because it had David Tennant in it. but He was just a pleasant highlight. For the most part we all really enjoyed watching this. The language was terrible (as it usually is for this quality of horror movies) as we don’t believe that every other word in a sentence needs to start with the letter F and have four letters. But whatever. A vampire moves into a Las Vegas neighborhood and then people start disappearing. The boy next door is clued into the fact that something is wrong and then the movie goes from there of trying to run from the crazy vampire and trying to kill it as the same time. This was a very entertaining kick off to our Halloween Movie Month for 2011.

Burlesque (2010) – Good movie. I am totally fascinated by the world of burlesque. I think it all started back with Moulin Rouge, so when this movie came out last year I told John I wanted to see it. And he quietly admitted that he wanted to see it too. It took us a while, but we finally rented it… and we loved it. The story goes that a small town girl from Iowa moves to LA looking to be a singer and stumbles upon a Burlesque club and falls in love with the idea of working there. By being a push devoted person she gets a job and it’s all up from there. There’s is a love story, and a story of persevering no matter what mixed in. It stars Christina Aguilera and Cher.

Live Free or Die Hard (2007) – Matt Farrell: “You just killed a helicopter with a car!” John McClane: “I was out of bullets.” – This movie never gets old.

Die Another Day (2002) – One of my least favorite Pierce Brosnan Bond films. But still good none-the-less. Bond is off the record and trying to find a villain that escaped him. This includes: Exploding diamonds. Face changing. A giant satellite used to kill people. And an Ice hotel. All great fun. It also has Madonna in it. Least favorite part of the movie: Halle Berry.

Journey to the Center of the Earth (2008) – So much better than expected. It wasn’t to campy or cheesy and was enjoyable to watch. Brendan Frazer, while looking for clues to the disappearance of his brother, discovers that Jules Verne wasn’t full of it when he wrote his book. This was a good family movie.

Blood Magic

2011-08-26T15:16:00.002-06:00

Blood Magic

By Tessa Gratton

I don’t know what it is about the Paranormal YA genre lately, but I have loved reading all of these books that have a touch of something magical in them.

This is the story of two teenagers who are a little more than slightly damaged by the acts of their parents. They’re drawn together by the use of magic. Blood Magic, to be exact. Nick has hidden memories of his mother, and Silla is just learning things about her father. Together they have to discover what is wrong with their families and what they need to do to make sure everyone is safe.

I was a little disappointed that I couldn’t get this as an audio book to listen to at work, so it took me a little longer to actually read than it would have if I’d just listened to it… but it was worth it. I loved the story line. I loved finding out little hidden things about the characters. I was surprised when my hypothesis was incorrect and the twist in the plot that made me says “hmmm.” I admit that I cried a little at the end.

I really loved this book. I'll recommend it to anyone who is looking for a little entertainment and doesn't mind a little dark magic.

Blood Magic is the first novel by Tessa Gratton. The book was recommended to me by Maggie Stiefvater, author of Shiver and Linger, who is one of Ms. Gratton's critique partners, along with Brenna Yavanoff (author of The Replacement). The three of them make up the members of the Merry Sisters of Fate website. (Where one of these three people post a new short story on Mondays. They're fun to read.)

Really!?

2011-08-18T12:51:00.000-06:00

This summer has sucked. Well, not the entire summer, we’ve done some really fun things., but for me personally, this summer has sucked.

We have had a ridiculously busy summer. But that’s how summers go (isn’t it?) It feels like we’ve had something to do every weekend and most of the days in between. Aside from all the family stuff, out doors stuff, and normal stuff I have been sick with one thing or another for the last two months. Ick.

Some high-lights of the last few weeks:

John’s sister Kristin came up with her son nick to visit for a few days at the beginning of the week. We were able to spend a few evenings with them, and the rest of the local Evans’. It’s always fun to spend some time roasting marshmallows around the fire pit.

Bryce and Jennie were in town for the summer and we got to spend a little bit of time with them (even though we wished it could have been more.) On Sunday night we went to Logan and Jenny’s house where John, Bryce and Jacob and all the families attached were able to be together for just a little while this summer. It’s so fun to have everyone get together. We all spent so much time together as teenagers that it’s sad that now, with families and lives that we can’t be together more often. (Yes, I was still itchy and miserable, but with a lot of Benadryl I made it through the evening.)

We went to a Ludo concert with our friends John and Angie on August 1^st. It was at “In The Venue” in Salt Lake. I’d never been to a club before. (yes, I lived a sheltered life) and this was… interesting. It was a lot like how I pictured it, but a lot hotter. The club was dark and full of sweaty people. The opening bands were – okay – the sound was really not that great and the loudness of it all made the bands kind of suck. I think I liked Tommy & the High Pilots, but I’d have to here them *not* in the venue to really decide. It did inspire me to write poetry. I wrote this little didy the next morning:

Own the Night

by liz evans 8/2/2011

I close my eyes to shut out the noise

Allowing the lyrics to emerge from the chaos

Bass reverberates through the souls of my feet

Creeping up my legs in a cacophony of feeling

Pounding in my chest like a second heartbeat

Freeing my inner punk to awaken with the sound

Lights pulsating in blinding flashes

Tangles of arms and heads moving like puppets to the singer’s command

Dirty jeans, scraped shoes, shiny reds tarnished for good.

Sweat drenched pleasures of an age not long past

Years falling off, through time and music

Swaying to the forgotten memories

And missing the freedom of youth

We had decided early that morning that it would be a great idea to get a hotel room in Salt Lake and just stay in town that night instead of having to drive home in the dark of the night. Thanks to a friend who works for Marriott we were able to get a great deal on a room at SpringHill Suites in downtown. It was a nice hotel, and we were a little sad that we were just spending the one night instead of a couple. It would make a great place for a quick vacation away from the house.

Some Low-lights from the last few weeks:

I got a cold back at the beginning of July that has just never seemed to go away. I’m really done with it, but it apparently has yet to be done with me. There was a few weeks I battled a severe bout of depression, what with feeling sick and tired and all the family togetherness I’ve had to be a part of. And then, most recently I’ve a UTI that I actually went to the doctor for. He put me on sulfamethoxazole-trimethoprim, an antibiotic which, after 5 days of taking it, caused me to break out in Hives on Friday afternoon.

I had just been minding my own business, making dinner, when I looked down at my arm and notice that I had a patch of spots. John and I just thought that maybe I had rubbed on something that was causing an irritation, but as we watched they multiplied… At this point, we didn’t really know what I was allergic to. We thought that maybe it was caused by Banjo the Woodpile Cat that allowed me to touch him earlier that afternoon.

By the next morning I was covered in giant patches of red hives. I’ve never had hives before. I was itch and irritated and just wanted to not feel that way. We ran to the store for some Benadryl and Cortisone 10, but to be on the safe side I decided to ask the pharmacist what the best course of treatment would be. (Side Note: the pharmacist at the local store looks a bit like a rejected 70’s pharmacist with silly hair and a mustache.) He confirmed my first guess, and commented on how covered in blotches I was. (Thanks, like I didn’t already know.) Coming home I stripped down and wore my nightgown for the rest of the weekend, because the thought of wearing clothes was very unpleasant.

I wanted more sympathy than I already had so I contacted my oldest sister, because my mom is out of the country, and between me and her and a quick look at the prescription I had been taken it was decided that I was probably allergic to the antibiotic. Turns out she’s allergic to it, and one of her boys is too. Hmmm. That made me feel better-ish. I was glad to know it wasn’t poor Banjo outside that was causing me such irritation. I was itchy and splotchy all weekend, and completely miserable… I had way too much Benadryl in the last few days so I have a very fuzzy head and no concentration. I’m finally not taking anymore Benadryl and coming out of the fog. What a bummer weekend.

We didn’t get to go to a concert on Saturday that we had tickets for. The useless tickets are sitting right here in my purse. It was the Utah Symphony Orchestra performing “The Music of Queen” at the Deer Valley Music Festival in Park City. I tried giving the tickets away, but no one wanted them. I hate letting good tickets go to waste. We also missed the “Wood Family” reunion, which is John’s Grandma’s family reunion that happens every year.

On the 9^th, Mom and Dad and Jessica all went to England without me. John and I really looked into going with them, but were unable to come up with the $5,000 it would take for just the two of us to get to England let alone be able to do or see anything while we were there. Oh well. I hope they have fun. Maybe I’ll get there someday.

August marks the 5 year anniversary of trying to have a baby. And it seems that everyone I know is having babies this month. So that’s contributed to some depression. But for the most part I’ve dealt with it pretty well. But thankfully for me I have a really good support system of women who have been through infertility and are willing to share their lives and their kids with me. It helps a little.

On the Job front… I haven’t found anything yet, but I haven’t been looking too hard. I’ve applied for a few in the area, but there’s not a lot out there. There aren’t too many jobs in credentialing around here because most companies are outsourcing this type of work to India, like my company did. So that’s frustrating. We are budgeted in until the end of the year so I at least know I have a job until the end of December. I may start looking into other career fields. I don’t want to, but we don’t always get a choice.

Coming up:

We’re taking a short trip to St. George. John’s nephew Mitchell came home from his mission and we’ll be going down to visit and hear him talk at church. He’s been in Albuquerque. (I think) So that will be fun for us. We’re staying at a hotel instead of with the 10 + people who will be at Kristin’s house. This always makes for easier Sunday mornings. It will be a nice break for us. We’ve been looking forward to this trip for a while.

After that, it looks like our schedule will clear up for a few months. We have decided to start HALLOWEEN MOVIE MONTH in September this year so you can look forward to our horror movie reviews sooner than later. We think we’re going to start it off by seeing the new Fright Night movie that comes out. It’s actually being release this month on the 19^th, but we will probably not see it until next month.

That's about all for now. I'll return again with some movie reviews, recipes and favorite CD's another day.

Movies: Nothin' Else to Watch

2011-08-01T11:12:00.001-06:00

Empire Records (1995) - This movie wasn't as good as I had been led to believe. It seems like everyone I know who has seen it loved it and recommended it to me... Well, we watched it, and let me just says... I wasn't impressed. It was actually quite boring. It was kind of fun to look back at the world of 1995. The styles, and teenage issues... but didn't I see this all happen before in an episode of Saved by The Bell? I had been hopeful that it would be full of teenage mayhem as the group had to ban together and fix the major issue that was brought up in the first 10 minutes of the movie, ala Ferris Bueller fashion, but it never happened and I was disappointed.

Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (Extended Edition) (2001) - As always this is a fantastic movie. I love the extended editions for all the extra bits of fun that are put in. We've watched the extended edition so many times now that we have forgotten what's in this that isn't in the other, but when we watch the other it's like there is too much missing. What great movies. Epic in every sense of the word.

Movies: Action fun.

2011-07-25T07:59:00.001-06:00

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (2011) - Saw this Monday night in IMAX. It was good. It picks up right away and it's non-stop action all the way through. Just the way I like my movies. I might suggest watching Part 1 before going just to refresh your memory. The CGI was great. I wasn't really impressed by the 3D, but I never am. I guess if you've seen the other seven movies you might as well see this one too. Here's what happens just in case you don't want to see it: Harry Potter dies, and so do all his friends. The End.

Captain America: The First Avenger (2011) - What can I say about this movie... LOVED it. We went into this on Friday night, hoping it would be good, but we came out of it thinking it was AWESOME! We seriously pulled out our phones at dinner after the movie to see when the next showing was that we could make it to. And that's saying A LOT. We haven't done that for any movie for quite a long time. Yes, we did see it twice this weekend. The movie was just good. The action. The character build. The plot. The actors. There was noting about this movie that I can complain about. We highly recommend it... in fact, if you go, invite us. We'll gladly go again. I hope they make a sequel, and not just the Avenger's movie.... and speaking of... don't forget to sit through the credits. You wont be disappointed.

Movies: Only one? Really?

2011-07-18T08:02:00.001-06:00

Winnie the Pooh (2011) - I loved this movie! It was funny and heart warming. It taught a moral lesson. Eyore was as gloomy as ever. Owl was super entertaining and all the characters of the Hundred Acre Wood were as enchanting as ever. I was expecting this to be cute, but I was completely bowled over by how "Pooh" it was. The animators and story tellers stuck very well to the nostalgia of Winnie the Pooh. They didn't try to modernize it or make it action packed. It was pure and simple and very fun. The music was nice. It was 69 minutes long, just right for the theater full of children that we attended with. The short before the movie was also very cute. and In the end both the short and the movie taught us great moral lessons of life. I ♥ it. Take your kids. and don't forget to sit all the way through the credits.

Eating with Liz 2011 - Crustless Quiche

2011-07-13T12:23:00.004-06:00

Like I have pointed out, John and I have been pretty busy the last little while, and it turns out that when we're busy we tend to eat out more because we're lazy and if we're busy doing one thing it's just that much extra work to expect us to make dinner for ourselves. I guess this means that I have to admit that I have pretty much failed in trying a new recipe once a week… or maybe I haven't. I know I HAVE cooked at least once a week off the http://www.e-mealz.com/ menu, I just have no recollection of it… so that means that I most likely have made something new, but it just got swallowed up in everything else that has been going on.
That being said, John made dinner last night. What does that say for these recipes being easy to follow. I had this goal once to teach John to cook, and alas, with our tiny counter space and ill laid out kitchen that has yet to come to fruition, but I do try sometimes… But these recipes are simple enough that I think almost any one can figure them out.
Silly me switched our subscription to the Low-Carb Meal Plan so we'll be eating a lot of meat over the next three months, but had I really thought about it I should have gone Vegetarian so I didn't have to use the stove so much over the hottest months of the year. Ugh! My bad, but I can't change it back. (They only allow one switch per subscription period.)

HAM & SWISS CRUSTLESS QUICHE

6 large eggs
5 T milk
½ t nutmeg
1 t salt Pinch of Salt
1 T olive oil
½ c deli ham, chopped
4 oz Swiss cheese slices, cut into pieces

Heat oven to broil. In small mixing bowl, combine first four ingredients; whisk well. Heat olive oil in oven-safe skillet on med-hi. Pour egg mixture, ham and cheese into skillet. Cook until eggs are set around edges. Place on middle rack under broiler about 3 min until brown on top and set in the middle. Let it set and cool.

Sautéed Asparagus

1 T olive oil
½ lb asparagus
½ T salt

Toss asparagus in oil and salt. Sauté in skillet until crisp-tender.

I'm a Quiche fan so I was hoping that it was going to be edible. Turns out that it was really pretty good. It was cheese-y and egg-y. After the fact we discussed that it probably could have used some extra veggies, like green peppers or tomatoes, but that was easily solved by serving it with some salsa.
I changed the One Teaspoon of Salt to only a Pinch because the end result was too salty with the ham. We also used the pre-cut vacuum packed ham instead of straight from the deli ham.
The suggested side dish for this meal was Asparagus, but neither John or I are fans of that particular vegetable, so we substituted it for strawberries and yogurt with some granola on top. Nom Nom Nom.
This made a great dinner, and of course it would make a good breakfast too. It was simple and tasty and filling enough for our evening meal.

Movies: Some we forgot to mention

2011-07-13T09:05:00.001-06:00

The Mechanic (2011) - Jason Statham. Need I say more? He's a hit man who is double crossed by a double cross-er and he is out for revenge. With his new side kick, the crazy son of the man he murdered wrongfully, of course. This one wasn't as great as it could have been. It doesn't hold a candle to other Statham movies I have seen... even the dumb ones. I was disappointed. It could have been better.

Thunderball (1965) - SPECTRE has stolen two nuclear war heads! It's up to Sean Connery to get them back. You can never go wrong with feeding people to sharks. There were a lot of epic under water battle scenes in this one. Making some of the fights rather ridiculous. But that's Bond for you. Great movie with lots of action... even if it's in slow motion in scuba suits.

Diamond Are Forever (1971) - How many times do the villains have to create diamond satellite laser guns before they realize that they will never work because James Bond is there to thwart their plans? At least twice (this movie and Die Another Day, I believe.) 1970's Las Vegas is great. Stealing moon rovers. Blofeld and his cat. What a great move. Sean Connery doesn't disappoint as Bond again.

The Spy Who Loved Me (1977) - Back to Roger Moore as Bond. This movie also has Jaws in. He's featured in several bond films as the henchman. Again with the missing Nuclear Subs. There is some underwater action. People being eaten by sharks. Explosions. James Bond stopping world domination.

Busy Busy Busy

2011-07-12T12:39:00.000-06:00

Sunday 7/3/2011 – Fireworks at the Evans’ late into the evening where I was allowed to do all the lighting of the wicks. I also tried to light the lawn at the school across the street on fire by chucking ground blooms over-hand and not under hand.

Monday 7/4/2011 – The Fourth of July. I woke up totally sick. My head was stuffy, My nose was runny and I felt like I was drowning in snot. I was quite upset because it was the 4^th of July after all, and I wanted to go to the parade. I laid in bed for quite a while and informed my family I wasn’t coming to the parade even though my dad was going to be in it again this year riding on the Veterans of Foreign Wars float. Eventually I forced myself out of bed and into the shower. Then I frosted this cake that I had made:

That looked like this inside:

And we loaded our car with the supplies for the day, and a lot of tissues, and ran to the parade. John let me out on the corner and I ran up the hill to join my family in the usual spot while he drove to his parents to unload... I missed the Davis High School Marching Band, which is something I look forward to, and also missed my dad on his float.

But I did get to sit on the hot hot street with two of my favorite girls trying to catch candy. After the parade john and I went back to the Evans' for a continuation of 4th of July fun. There was a barbeque. Homemade ice cream. Extended family. City Fireworks. and then, finally, more fireworks at the Evans'. This time John tried to light the school on fire with an aerial bloom that should have gone up, but the firework fell over and shot into the lawn at the school across the street. We're pretty lucky that it didn't head towards us in front of the house, or to our cars that were parked at the school.

Yep, I spent the entire day with the family even though I was sick. Touching peoples kids and going through tissues like there was an infinite amount of them. I felt like complete crud by the time I got home that night.

Tuesday 7/5/2011 – John and I took this day off because we were smart. Who wants to wake up the day after a long holiday like that and wants to go to work. We sure didn’t. John helped his dad clear out some yard work while I stayed home sick in bed. I’m sure there was something else we did that day, but for the life of me I can’t remember. I do remember crawling out of bed and getting ready for the day around 1:00 pm-ish.

Thursday 7/7/2011 – We got ourselves a real estate agent and took a look at the house next door it went up for sale for only $80K. Verdict: The house next door is totally trashed... it may only be $80K to buy it, but it would take another $80K to live in it. They only re-sided the front and sides of the house. The back is old cedar shingles that are falling apart. All the carpets will need to be replaced. Several doors. The bathrooms will need refurbished and tiled. The linoleum in the kitchen would have to be replaced. The entire thing would need to be repainted. Don't even get me started on the back yard and the state of the cement patio. Or the fact that the entrance to the crawl space (one of two) is just covered by a warped piece of particle board. So who knows what else other than Banjo is living under it. Then there is the questionable wiring throughout. It is more work and money than we have to put into it and all that would need to be done BEFORE it could really be lived in. I just wouldn’t be worth it to us. We’ll just stay where we are for a while longer.

Friday 7/8/2011 – John’s Mom’s Birthday. We went to Rachel’s and roasted Hotdogs and Marshmallows over a back yard fire. Also, this was the 7 year anniversary of bringing Mahana the Cat into our lives.

Saturday 7/9/2011 – Chris Isaak w/Blues Travelers Concert at Spring Mobile Ball Park. John had to work that night, and I really wanted to go to the concert so I contacted my sister Jessica and convinced her and Toby that coming with me would be a great idea... and it was. the concert was fantastic. I do love Chris Isaak. The Blues Travelers weren't that bad either. Chris Isaak sings good old time rock and roll type music. He of course sang a lot of his own music, but he also threw in some Elvis, Johnny Cash, and Carl Perkins. It was a great concert and a good evening with my girls. There were fireworks at the end of the night... Even Chris Isaak stopped to watch them before he was herded out of the ball park.

Monday 7/11/2011 – We skipped work, because we could, got some grocery shopping done, went out to dinner at Pepper Bellies, and visited Logan and Jenny and their air conditioning. This summer has been crazy for the humidity and heat and rain and the strange weather patterns. We were sitting at home after grocery shopping in the dark, with the swamp cooler blowing on high and all the fans on, but it seemed like there was no respite from the heat. Thank heavens for good friends who called and invited us over.

That brings us up to today.... What's going on with the rest of our month or so? This is what is planned so far:

Friday 7/15/2011 – We’re going to see the Winnie the Pooh movie. I’m excited for this one. I hadn’t actually heard that there was one until like last week.

Saturday 7/16/2011 – “The Music of the Eagles” Concert preformed by the Utah Symphony with my sister Jessica at Deer Valley while John goes to work at the ESA for a Blaze game.

Monday 7/18/2011 – Three days after it’s opening we’re going to see Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows 7.2 movie in IMAX.

Friday 7/22/2011 – We are excited to see the Captain America movie with Holly. It will be awesome. (that’s our hopeful thinking.)

Monday 8/1/2011 – Ludo in Concert (Space night) with our friends John and Angie.

Thursday 8/4/2011 (more like Tuesday-Wednesday 8/2-8/3) – Make a Batman cake for a special order for Holly’s friend.

Saturday 8/13/2011 – Another Trip to Deer Valley and the Utah Symphony. This time it will be for “The Music of Queen” while John is at the ESA again for the Josh Grobin Concert. Who will I take to this one with me? It's still up in the air.

Friday 8/19/2011 - Monday 8/22/2011 – St. George! I think this will be our first trip down this year. John’s nephew Mitchell will be coming home from his mission on 8/17 so we’re heading down to see him and hear him speak about his mission experiences.

So... Yeah, that what our calendar looks like. Those are just the planned events... I don't know what we'll do if too many unplanned events pop into out schedule. If you don't hear from us it's not because we don't love you, it's just that we're super busy. But, if we're busy we're not wallowing in our little house.

Movies: Our Weekend in Films

2011-07-12T11:00:00.000-06:00

Legendary Assassin (2008) - This movie wasn't full of the legendary assassin-ness that we were hoping for. I think this was added to our blockbuster queue when we were looking for another ninja assassin movie and was just never removed. We watched it anyway. There was very little action and the over-dubbing was terrible. I don't know if it would have been more interesting if we had watched it in its original Cantonese. As it was, we didn’t enjoy it, but we did sit through the entire thing.

Crocodile Dundee II (1988) – I think I have tried watching this movie several times over the years, but I always only manage to see the end. This time… I saw most of it. I think I still missed the first 45 minutes or so, but probably didn’t miss anything. This is just another cheesy 80’s movie that is watched for the nostalgia, and not for the great content.

The Shakiest Gun in the West (1968) – We didn’t actually get to finish watching this movie since life invaded out lounge time, but what we saw we enjoyed. There is something to be said about these old movies that have no real violence, language, sex or action, but they incite a laugh every time. Don Knotts is entertaining in this movie as the bumbling Dr. Haywood. Such a great movie. We’ll have to rent it and watch the rest one day.

This is Not What You Think it Is...

2011-06-30T08:32:00.000-06:00

Once upon a time there was a girl who lived in a small hut in the shadow of an empty castle. This was no average girl, although her red hair and freckles would lead you to believe it, she had a secret that she kept very close to her heart. Now, because we’re friends I’ll tell you her secret… she is a princess, but not the princess of this castle. She had come from a land quite far away that she had no desire to rule over. It didn’t matter though because she never would have ruled. She was the younger sister of an older brother and the daughter of a wise king. Her brother would have ruled, and in his wisdom the king would have married her off to a stuffy old duke to form an alliance of peace for the future of the kingdom. But she didn’t want that. She didn’t want any of it, so one day, in the still of the night she packed her most precious belongings and snuck out of the kingdom. When the royal household awoke the next morning there was much weeping and searching with not a clue as to where their precious princess had gotten too, and the kingdom mourned their loss… but this is not a story about them.

In the darkness she slipped on to the back of a wagon that was plodding slowly away from the castle and watched as her home disappeared into the distance. Once it was out of sight she rejoiced because for now, it looked like she was free. With a smile on her lips she rode along on the wagon until the merchant noticed her and threatened a flogging for strays that hung where they didn’t belong. She had never been threatened before, she was a princess after all, but instead of being indignant she hopped off the wagon and jogged into the near by woods to avoid the large man with the very threatening whip. Thus started her real adventure. Now, you see, because she was a princess she was grossly unprepared for life outside the castle walls and there were many days when she had nothing to eat and bruises and scrapes that would have never happened in that protected environment.

Her silken slippers didn’t protect from the rocks under foot, and her hair of satin tangled and knotted in the foliage. Though troubles abounded she persevered and one day, after what seemed like ages of walking she saw a shadow appear ahead of her on the debris strewn path she had been traveling. The sun dappled path was not dark, but the figure of a large steed appeared in shadow and mist to her weary eyes, and always just out of reach. It seemed that no matter how she ran to catch up she could never get any closer. She started to wonder if perhaps it was a demon sent to punish her for running away, and other times, when the sun would glint off the shadow like a blazing star, she thought that it may be her salvation from this silly and dangerous path she had chosen. It didn’t really matter, what did she have to loose anyway. It had been days since she’d seen another human being, she could be hopelessly lost and no one would even find her bones if she were to die here. Darkness started to fall, and the mysterious figure became harder and harder to see, eventually, in exhaustion and frustration the princess flopped to the ground and cried herself to sleep.

The next morning when she awoke she found herself on the edge of a great wood, and before her stood the most magnificent castle she had ever seen. It’s towers and turrets gleamed white marble in the sun, and the red tiled roofs looked sturdy and welcoming. Finally, she had found somewhere else. Somewhere she had never been. She had traveled far and wide visiting castles of royalty, but never in her life had she seen this one. With a giggle she rose to her feet and, very un-princess like, ran towards the huge iron gates that stood closed within the tall stone wall.

“Hello!” she called out as she ran, but no one emerged from the guard house. “Hello!” she shouted louder as she reached out to wrap her dirty hands around the thick bars of the gate. But again no one answered. Strange, she thought, with a castle like this that no one is around to let me in.

Peering through the bars, the castle grounds were beautifully landscaped, the lawns trimmed, the gardens in bloom, and even a large red and white striped tent stood in the ready for a picnic, but there was no one to be seen. After standing for a while, admiring the grounds she noticed something else… there were no birds singing within the walls. There were no bees or butterflies admiring the gorgeous blooms. No palace cat or dog chasing the non-existent gophers. There was no life with in these walls, and she found herself feeling very alone, and very scared.

Just then, she heard a noise that pulled her gazed to the far corner of the castle wall where the shadowed stallion stood in the full sunlight, yet still shrouded in mist. It seemed, even though she couldn’t see it, that they locked eyes for a moment before it disappeared around the corner, and the princess ran to catch up.

“You, there, stop right this instant!” she demanded in her most princess like voice even though she coughed and wheezed as she ran, because princesses, after all, are never to run, or shout. “Come back here!”

Rounding the corner she stopped in her tracks. Before her stood the most majestic stallion she had ever seen. His flanks glowed a shimmering black. Its mane flowed in waves down his neck, and his thick tail nearly touched the ground. And to her surprise, a single silver horn gleamed from the center of his forehead, so intricately carved with spirals that it looked like a master’s carving, but infinitely better.

“You are a unicorn!” she gasped, placing her fingers to her lips in surprise. “oh, great beast, forgive me for chasing you.” Falling into her most courtly curtsy her tattered skirts spread out around her. “I’m you humble servant.”

“Get up girl. I am not your master.” The voice was not loud, but carried an authority about it that had the princess jumping to her feet to obey. “Why would a silly princess like you be wandering so far into the woods?”

“Who says I am a princess?” She asked a bit indignantly. Because, after all, she was running away so she wouldn’t have to be the princess any longer.

“No one has to tell me you’re a princess, foolish child. I can see the glow about you as though there were a crown lay upon your brow.”

“I do not want to be a princess anymore.” She said to the unicorn, crossing her arms over her breast.

“So you say. Perhaps you will change your mind.”

“I wont.” She replied.

“Then why have you come to this castle?”

“You led me here, sir. Another castle was not my destination.” She paused, looking up at the high wall beside her, thinking of the beautiful castle hidden within, and a question occurred to her. “Why is there no one living in this castle?”

The unicorn let out an amused whinny tossing back it’s head. His horn catching the light and sending shattered pieces of sunlight across the ground.

“There once was an entire kingdom here. Thriving farms as far as the eye can see. It was ruled by a prince who was vain and selfish and cared not a lick for the lives of others. One day a lovely young lass came to the castle petitioning for the princes' hand in marriage. A beautiful girl though she wore not a crown or fine silks. Upon seeing her the prince fell in love, but when she had not a title he had her removed from the palace and his sight so he would no longer be tempted by her beauty. For he was a prince and as such deserved someone more beautiful who was royalty. Her petition for marriage was simply to save her family from being wrongfully killed, and asked no more of the prince than his hand in marriage, but he could not accept her as she was. She stayed at the gates of the castle for days, begging to return to the palace, but the prince would have none of it. In the night the girl died, curled up on the ground, and in the morning a brilliant white unicorn lay dead at the palace gates.”

“Let me guess,” said the princess, “All in the palace were cursed and you are that prince. Who was supposed to learn a lesson.”

Again the unicorn laughed. “Goodness no.” He said. “You are right about the curse though. The unicorn that died for this prince was my sister. She had fallen in love with the human man, not knowing of his less than attractive traits. She gave up her life as a unicorn through the magic of the nymph Khatri. She only needed the prince to accept her as she was and she could live with him forever… but if he didn’t then, well, then Khatri would destroy the unicorns.”

“Oh no.” the princess whispered and took a step closer to the unicorn. “But he didn’t marry her so how are you still here?”

“The nymph cannot see me. I was already cursed with a coat of black. While the others frolicked in their shimmering white. I would never be like them, my magicks are different. I am not a unicorn the way the others were. When Khatri destroyed them she looked only for the white rays of sunlight, and didn’t check the shadows. When all the unicorns had gone, I returned here and cursed this kingdom. This is my doing.”

“You poor thing.” The princess, who had a gentle heart, ached for the last unicorn, and closed the gap between them. Placing her small white hand on his muzzle she stroked his jaw to comfort the creature, though he didn’t seem to need it.

“I am not poor. Only lonely.”

“What can I do to help you to not be so lonely?”

“I wish you to take this castle as your own. And have me for a husband.”

“Oh, No. No, no, no.” The princess replied. “I shall not take the castle. I do not want to be a princess. I just want to be me. No servants, no silly dresses. Just me. As I am now.”

“And you would not have me either?”

“Dear Unicorn, I would have you. But I will not take greatness.”

The unicorn snorted and pulled his head from her grasp. “Then you cannot have me.” He said, and cantered towards the encroaching forest.

“Are you sure you are not the vain prince?” She called after him, but he just disappeared into the trees.

Finding herself alone again the princess let a single tear roll down her cheek. “What am I to do now?”

From the trees shattered light spread across the ground again, blinding her for a moment. When the light had gone the princess found herself standing at the door of a tiny cottage that seemed to have grown from the ground. It sat nestled against the wall of the castle. Her gift from the black unicorn that had saved her from wandering aimlessly in the forest. Her heart swelled with gratitude as she entered her new home. Everything inside was just as she had wished it could be, and she lived quite happily ever after.

Now, you’d think that was the end of the story, but it’s not. The princess did live quite happily there in her little hut in the shadow of the empty castle, but eventually she did grow lonely. One day she went outside into the bright sunshine and stood, staring into the dark of the forest, remembering how the unicorn had told her that the nymph had forgotten to look into the shadows.

“Unicorn!” She called out, because since she no longer considered herself a princess it was perfectly acceptable to shout. But there was no response to her call. Day after day she did the same thing, and day after day there was no response.

She didn’t want to give up hope of seeing the unicorn again, but as time passed she found herself missing him. She had no idea how to lure him back. All the tales she had heard about unicorns said that they only appear to someone once, and if you didn’t take the offer when it was given you’d never see it again. She had seen him, and refused his offer, and now, she was afraid that she would never see it again.

She walked aimlessly and eventually found herself standing at the gates to the empty palace. It had been so long since she had rounded this corner she had nearly forgotten that there was a castle behind the wall. It was still beautiful behind the gates, and she found herself wanting to go inside and touch the silks and china… but only for a moment. She didn’t miss that stuff. Reaching through the bars she pulled the lock and the gates swung open quietly, letting her into the still wonderland beyond.

Quietly, like an uninvited guest she strolled through the gardens, and lounged in the silken pavilion. Closing her eyes she wondered what it would be like living in this magnificent palace, instead of her perfect little hut.

“Admit that you miss this, princess.”

Startled, the princess let out a squeal as she fell off her chair. And there, before her face were four silver hooves, attached to long shimmering black legs. Above her stood the unicorn. Her unicorn. She couldn’t hide her excitement at seeing him again and jumped to her feet throwing her arms around his neck.

“It is not the frivolities I miss.” She cried into his silken hide, “It is you. I will be anything for you if only you say you shall not leave me again. I have felt your loneliness, and I can bear it no longer. Take me with you. Either here into the castle, or into the dark of the woods. I care not. I care only that I am no longer without you.”

“And I only care for a princess.” The unicorn replied.

“Then that is what I am. I am a princess. The first daughter of a king. The next after my brother. I am who you say I am. I will not deny it to you.”

”Then it is as it should be.” The unicorn replied.

In an instant the court yard came to life. A bird sang in a tree. A bee buzzed through the flowers, a chorus of water cascaded into the fountain. Life returned to the air.

Looking around her, the princess clasped her hands beneath her chin. “It’s alive!” she cried out joyously.

“Princess,” the unicorn said, returning her attention to him. “It is now your choice. Would you stay here and rule a kingdom of us, or would you throw off your mortal bounds and join me in the woods.”

“Oh, I hadn’t thought…I want…”

“Hush now, princess. Close your eyes and make your wish, I care not what it is.”

Closing her eyes the princess smiled brighter than the sun as the unicorn touched his horn to her heart. The two were swept up in a magical glimmering light fulfilling the wish of the princess…

The End

written by liz evans 6.28.2011

Movies: The Good and the Bad

2011-06-29T07:53:00.000-06:00

Where the Wild Things Are (2009) - This was our blockbuster movie rental for the week. I was excited to see this movie since I love the book so much. I was disappointed. It was too slow and not enough dialogue or action, and I think that if you didn't know the story or weren't paying enough attention it would have been very hard to follow. It's just a very quiet movie about Max having to learn for himself that you can't be happy all the time and that you love everyone different and that you need to grow up eventually. When thinking of this movie as a whole I guess I could say that I enjoyed it for what it was, but during those 101 minutes it seemed like it would never end and that was kind of painful. I wouldn't suggest this as a movie for kids. I wouldn't even suggest this as a movie for adults. I say that if you want to see it, watch it. If it wasn't on your too see list then don't go out of your way for it. I did tear up a little at the end, but I do that for the book too.

The Man With The Golden Gun (1974) - If you couldn't guess, John got the complete James Bond Movie collection for Christmas 2010. We've just recently started watching them together, although I'm sure he has watched some without me before. This one stars Roger Moore as James Bond (One of my favorites) and Christopher Lee is the bad guy. Bond is tracking down the assassin Scramanga who apparently is out to get him. There are women in bikinis, gun fights, midgets, explosions. Everything a Bond film should be.

Goldfinger (1964) - Ah, Sean Connery as James Bond. Does it get any better than this... (yes, actually: Pierce Brosnan.) Naked ladies painted in gold, crazy villains, nuclear bombs... the quintessential things for a movie of this sort. "No, Mr. Bond, I expect you to Die." There was no lack of Bond humor and quips and jabs at the enemy that made for a good chuckle, but when it got right down to getting the Job done James Bond pulled it off like always, saving the day, getting the girl, and all without wrinkling his suit.

My Newest Nephew

2011-06-24T13:26:00.001-06:00

Cooper Lee Razee

6 lbs. 13 oz.

12:11 pm

The Great Nightgown Debacle

2011-06-24T10:40:00.001-06:00

First of all, let me say that I had no idea that buying a new nightgown could be so difficult… and made even more so by trying to buy one with husband in tow.

Recently I decided that I wanted a night gown. I have lots of pajamas tops, bottoms, t-shirts, flannels… but not a nightgown. Having someone else in the house has reminded me that some of my sleeping attire is inappropriate for company so I thought having a nice light summery nightgown wouldn’t be a bad idea.

I did my usual looking around on-line (I don’t shop for clothes in stores anymore.) I checked Old Navy, Gap, JMS, Wal-Mart, Target… you know, the general locations but never found anything quite what I wanted. I figured I’d just go without and sleep in my hot pajamas that I already had.

Yesterday while out running errands we happened to park next to Macy’s at the mall, and instead of walking to the general entrance doors in the hot hot sun we chose to cut through the store. I do always like walking through the china section. Inevitably, that meant that when we left the mall we’d walk through the store again on our way out. After getting what we needed we passed back through the department store on the way out but took “the long way” around. I looked at crockery, mattresses, ties, kid clothes… and eventually we passed the ladies lingerie sections and I remembered: “Oh, yeah, I wanted a nightgown.”

In my younger days when I worked at ZCMI, before it was Meyer & Frank, before it was Macy’s, I remember them having nice nightgowns that I had always admired, but was too cheap and loved my holy plaid pajama bottoms too much to ever buy. I thought it would be a good idea to see what they had. With John in tow I dragged him through the bras to the sleepwear section and pretty quickly I spotted a nice gown that I *thought* would be perfect. It was cute, blue with little flowers and some lace and buttons at the neckline… but from behind me I hear “That’s an old lady nightgown.” I guess I should say that what I was looking for was just a nice knee length gown, with short/cap sleeves, made of cotton or another light/summer appropriate material. Apparently, this style = grandma. John picked out the long flowy ones, the short slinky ones, the silky ones, the expensive sleeveless ones… all cute but not what I was going for. Then I figured it out. I started showing him the really grandma ones. You know the ones: textured print, light flannel, zippered house coats, ugly ones, floral ones. Eventually working my way back to that first style that I picked out. Eventually he just threw his hands in the air and told me to get whatever I wanted because he didn’t care. (Really? If he didn’t care would he have made the grandma comment in the first place.)

I finally settled on a cure pink one, just the style I wanted with a little lace and some cute buttons. It wasn’t the first one I picked out, but it’s one I like. I just never knew that my choosing a sensible nightgown was going to cause John to have an apoplexy. But now I know that I’m just getting old because I like modest nightgowns… I guess it goes well with my gray hair.

Life: What's next?

2011-06-20T13:41:00.001-06:00

I have felt like blogging for the last few days but just haven’t had the chance to sit down at a computer. A lot has happened this last week.

Where to start… hmmm…

First of all, last Monday morning (6/13) I went to work as usual and we had our regular staff meeting at 8:30 am… Then, the Manager of the Credentialing Verifications Center got on the call and informed us all that we’ll be “co-sourcing” with a company called Ingenix. Most of their work is done in India. This leads to the fact that they’ll be consolidating the CVC sites and some jobs will become redundant and no longer needed… Well, guess what? The Salt Lake CVC is the one being consolidated, it will be dissolved, and all 33 of the employees (including me,) will be laid off within the next year. Yep, as soon as you’re job function is taken over by the new company you’re out. Starting in September 2011 they’ll start moving all the work to Ingenix, and updating the systems, and by September 2012 they want to be fully integrated and running with their new co-source. Whatever.

So what does this mean for me. After a ‘pulse-check” meeting last Wednesday we learned that we’re pretty much guaranteed our jobs until the end of 2011 since we were all budgeted in already, but starting 1^st Quarter 2012 jobs will start to go. The health plans that were managed by the Salk Lake site will be moved to Bismarck or Harrisburg, the file volume will also start going that direction too. The processers will most likely be the first to go, followed by the plan leads, the supervisors, and finally the manager. Yep, I’m being laid off.

I understand that people in India need jobs too, but what about us Americans? Where is the great plan to help our economy when good jobs are being sent over seas? Where is the sensibility in this plan?

I understand it’s all about the money from the large business perspective. But what about the little people like me who need a job to support my family? I guess I’m better off then others that I work with: single moms, huge debts, barely making it… but If I lose my job we loose the biggest part of our income. I can’t let that happen so I’m going to have to find a job before I’m put out in the cold. I hate job hunting. If anyone has any information about open jobs let me know. I’d appreciate any help I can get.

Now the question is what do I do? What do I want to do with my life? Do I want to look for a new job now? Or do I stick it out for a severance package, or maybe an opportunity to work from home that they say “might” become a possibility? Do I want to work in Credentialing anymore? Do I even want to stay in the medical field? Do I want to try something new? Do I want to try a brainless job somewhere? If so what is there?

I don’t want to work in retail. I don’t want to work in foods. I don’t even want to look for a new job. I like the one I have. This really is so unfair. I really love this job and the thought of it just being pulled out from under me is so frustrating. When I got this job at Coventry I decided that this was going to be it for a long while. I had thought and planned on this being *the* job that I’d stay at until I was able to really get on with my life with kids and a home and John with a degree and a good job.

How our plans do seem to go awry.

I agree with Depeche Mode, I do think that God has a sick sense of humor, and when I die I expect to find him laughing.

Work since then has been rather depressing, but the management, (even though they’re all pissed off too,) keep trying to remind us that until the end of the year it’s just “business as normal…” but it sure doesn’t feel like it. We’re all depressed, disappointed, pissed off and there is very little motivation. Can you blame us?

Whatever.

That same Monday night around 10:00 pm, I got a call from my oldest sister saying that her oldest son (step-son) had been kicked out of his mother’s house and needed some where to stay for a few days. Of course I said yes, because not only do I love my sister, but I kinda love all her kids too, but then I realized that our extra bed was covered in two feet of junk and there was only a tiny little pathway to the bed anyway. So I got out of bed and did what I think is the fastest cleaning of that room ever. I moved boxes, piled quilts, hung up coats, trashed junk and magically I found the bed, and most of the floor within a half hour. I was pretty impressed. After several texts I hid a key and went to bed. Bryon showed up in the dark of the night and has been there ever since.

It’s funny, John and I are up and out of the house by 6:00 am, and Bryon works late hours and then is out with his friends/girlfriend until all hours of the morning and we’re in bed by 10:00 pm, so we have actually only seen him a few times since he’s been there.

It works out well, he can come and go as he pleases, and we just carry on as usual.

I did help him find a more permanent place to stay. My mission companion, and friend Holly has been seeking a roommate for quite a while now that isn’t crazy, a thief, or unfit for human companionship, so I introduced her to Bryon. They’ve come to an agreement and he’ll be moving in with her July 1^st. That means that he’ll be lurking at my house for the next week and a half, but that’s okay, it’s nice having him around. Most of the time us here in the area don’t know where to find Bryon, but if he’s in my other bedroom than at least I know he’s alive. So, I found my Holly a roommate, and my Bryon a place to stay. Two outside problems solved.

The roof leaks. You wouldn’t think it would since it was replaced in 2007, but it does. We think the issue is around the vents that were installed in the roof during the shingling project. John needs to get up on the roof and see if he can seal it up a bit more to stop the leakage, otherwise the landlords will find themselves having to replace a large section of the roof because the wet wood will have rotted out. Nice. I just wish it would stop raining.

John has had the flu this last week. He missed a few days of work and spent the weekend in bed. What fun that is. Apparently his mom and his sister both had it last week too. I am hoping I have missed this fun round of sickness.

Speaking of John’s sister, Rachel, she hasn’t had her baby yet. We thought that maybe he was coming last Tuesday (6/14), but it turns out it was just Braxton hicks contractions and the flu combined to put her in the hospital for several hours with no baby as a going away prize. We’re still waiting for Cooper to make his appearance. He’ll either come sometime in the next few days, or it’s my understanding that she is being induced on Friday 6/24… one way or the other he’ll be here by the end of the week. I’m excited to see my newest little nephew.

I spent some time with Jessica and Toby this past weekend. Jessica helped me figure out the connecting stitch to this blanket I have been crocheting. I’m finished with it now. I’ll get a picture of it up so everyone can see it. I’m pleased with how it turned out, although my edges aren’t so straight, and I only made 6 strips instead of seven… but that’s okay. Sometimes a smaller blanket is better than a bigger blanket when it comes to babies. I have to give quite a bit of credit to Jessica on this one since with out her suggestions and help I probably would have given it up a while ago and it probably would have gone into the void of “liz’s unfinished projects.” Thanks Jessica.

I don’t think there is anything pressing taking up our evenings this week. This coming weekend is going to be pretty busy. John works Friday night (and maybe a baby.) Saturday we have a baptism in Saratoga Springs and then a 1^st birthday party back in Kaysville. I don’t think there is anything on Sunday, and then Monday is a dentist appointment. We’ll be doing a lot of running around.

Eating with Liz 2011

2011-06-20T13:22:00.001-06:00

We haven't really eaten a lot at home the last little while, but what we have eaten hasn't been that impressive. Here is one that we didn't hate:

Chicken & Spinach Casserole

2 cups Roasted Chicken cut up

16 oz Cooked Spinach

1/2 cup Alfredo Sauce

1 cup Shredded Mozzarella Cheese

4 oz can sliced Mushrooms

8 oz tube of Crescent Rolls

Cook spinach according to package directions (or wilt fresh spinach in microwave or in a pan on the stove top.) Mix cooked spinach with Alfredo Sauce/

Spray a 8x8 baking dish with cooking spray. Create layers: chicken, mushrooms, spinach mix, and cheese. Repeat. Everything should layer twice.

Cover top with Crescent Rolls for a crust. Bake according to Crescent Roll directions, or until golden brown and everything is heated through. About 20 minutes.

Movies: Spies and some crap.

2011-06-20T08:03:00.001-06:00

Green Lantern (2011) – It was okay. I can’t say it was any better than that. It could have been sooo much better. It was boring and not interesting and some of the animation is so bad. I feel sorry for the poor movie. I can’t believe that they paid $200M to make it and it still sucked that badly. Basically it was an introduction to the world of the Green Lanterns. First of all, I wouldn’t be seeing it if I didn’t already know who the Corps were. Secondly, it took the entire movie to get to any real action, but by the time they got there I didn’t care anymore. I'd say the acting was bad, but even good actors can only do so well with crappy dialogue. I did like Hal Jordan. That’s about the one nice thing I can say about it. We really, really wanted it to be so good. but sadly it just wasn't. Sad. Just sad. It gets two frowny faces. -- :( :(

Casino Royale (1966) – We came across this movie on TV and stopped to watch. I’ll admit, I dozed part of the way through it, but I was tired. John however watched the entire thing. At first I thought that it was a serious Bond film, because who would make a spoof of James Bond without changing the names….. Well, I was mistaken. Peter Sellers, Orson Wells, Woody Allen, David Niven – It had some pretty big names in it. I really enjoyed the parts I saw, and John enjoyed it enough to watch the entire thing… even with commercials. Truthfully, I’d rather watch this one than the 2006 version.

The World Is Not Enough (1999) – This is the first Bond movie I ever saw in the theater with John. I enjoy this one. Really, I enjoy all the Bond movies, but as I whole I choose the Pierce Brosnan era over any others. In this one he not only gets one love interest but two, however one turns out to be something he didn’t expect. I love Dame Judi Dench as M. This is also the last movie that Desmond Llewelyn appear as Q. I HATE Denise Richards. She can’t act. She’s not pretty. In my opinion she brings this whole movie down just by being there. Other than that, it’s one to watch.

The Living Daylights (1987) – Timothy Dalton, is not my favorite Bond. This one takes place in the Soviet Union, and several other countries while Bond tries to find a defected Soviet General who double crossed everyone and is working to start a world war. Bond, with the General’s girlfriend (of course) has to hunt him down and stop him from selling opium for money and the purchase of high-tech weapons that he wants so he can start a war. Not the best Bond movie out there, but one I hadn’t seen before. I did enjoy the fact that one of the bad guys in this movie sows up as Felix in the future Pierce Brosnan films. Amusingly enough, this SHOULD have been Pierce Brosnan’s first Bond film, but he couldn’t gout out of his Remington Steele contract. So the script was tailored to him, but Timothy Dalton was brought in to play the roll.

Movies: Things to watch

2011-06-13T07:29:00.001-06:00

Inception (2010) - This movie was not as great as I had been led to believe. It was soooo long and took forever to get to the point. It was a little like Oceans 11 but less interesting. Guy puts together a team to break into someone's subconscious to plant an idea. the basic plot line: build team, rob bank, get reward. Like I said, it just took forever to get to the point of the movie with too much filler. I probably would have enjoyed it if it was an hour shorter.

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (1968) - High Low, everywhere we go, on chitty chitty we depend.... I love this movie. I always have. It's a little slow to start like most old movies are, but the story is so fun. Man and woman fall in love, children using their imagination, and a magical car that saves the day. What better story do you need than that.

Movies: Things we shouldn't be watching

2011-06-08T07:17:00.000-06:00

Watchmen (2009) - We finally bought this movie after nearly two years, and I just have to say that it is as bloody and violent as I remember it being. There were parts that were much cooler in the IMAX version that weren't as impressive on my little TV, but as a whole this is a great movie to watch if you don't mind sex, violence, language and a lot of blood... and a giant blue naked man. We bought the Uncut Edition that had the story of the Black Freighter spliced into the original film and that added some extra interest as the Black Freighter kind of parallels the storyline. It was about 4 hours long though, so don't watch it if you're sensitive or don't have the time to dedicate to it.

It's life, Jim, but not as we know it.

2011-06-07T12:52:00.000-06:00

It's about time for a real post about the life of Liz. I've posted about movies and food and musicals and concerts, but nothing really about me... well, I guess in the long run those posts ARE about me, but there are other things going on in our lives that might need to be recorded for future posterity.. ha ha. Whatever. Lets see what I can come up with.

I finished the blanket I had been making for Rachel's baby. He is due July first, and his name will be Cooper. this blanket took way longer to make then it needed too. I made the afghan mostly of yarn that formerly belonged to John's Grandma Evans. Mother Evans has a stash of it in her basement. Green, White, Brown and Variegated. I did have to buy the orange yarn because I needed just one more color that wasn't in the stash.

It took me about 3 months to finish. The pattern wasn't terribly difficult, just tedious... but I think that's true about most crochet projects. Tedium just comes with the hobby I suppose. And though it wasn't difficult it was extremely frustrating. It's two rounds of 24 lines each alternating colors. This may have been a little more than I was ready for as my second crochet project ever, but the book listed it as "Easy" so I thought I could handle it...

Well, it started out okay. Then suddenly I noticed that the "seam" where the colors changed was getting really crooked. Next, I was weaving in tails when I snipped a string in the pattern and had to unravel half of my completed work (setting me back about a month) ... Oaky, now that I have to basically start again I tried straightening the seam. That was good... but then I noticed that I had cut some of the tails too short and I worry that it will unravel with use. Then there was this problem and that problem an before I knew it I hated this blanket. the center rings appear to be too tight so they bulge strangely, but after talking to a friend who crochets a lot it appears that this is a common issue with this type of pattern. But in the end it turned out okay and I handed it off to Rachel and it's not my problem any more. I did tell her though that if it fell apart then I would make Cooper a new one. I may make Cooper a new one anyway.

Now I am working on a new blanket for Arianne and Scott's baby. He's due in August.. This blanket has been much easier and much less frustrating.... well a little less frustrating then the last one. It's made up of several strips of different colors (I'm making it in St. Lewis Cardinals colors for Scott) that are attached together by a zig-zag stitch that I still need to figure out. I have it mostly done and could probably have it all done if it weren't for one strip of red that was driving me crazy. I had to unravel it about nine times because I kept missing a stitch somewhere in the pattern and I didn't realize it until the end of line 5 where it should have matched up, but it didn't I was anywhere between 2 to 4 stitches off... finally on one round where I ended up only one stitch off I said to heck with it and just added the extra stitch and kept going. I guess that will be the end strip that doesn't need to match up with anything. But like my mom says "A blind man would be happy to see it." and she's probably right. Except that I'm not giving it to a blind man. Thanks to advice from my sister Jessica I have now invested in some Stitch Markers that have helped a lot and hopefully I'll have this one done sooner than later. I do like the pattern though and think I'll try it again. I'll post more about it when I'm finished.

I have also decided that my brain only functions on one creative level at a time. I feel like since I have picked up crocheting I haven't really written anything. It's like I'm so focused on finishing the project I'm working on that all of my creative fuel is used up so I sit down in front of an open Word document and I have nothing to write down. That's sad. I hope that maybe I'm just suffering from a case of writers block and not the fact that I no longer have the words to feed my imagination. I guess it's time for me to sit down and pound out a story about Unicorns to prove to myself that I can still do it.....

Someday I'll continue with my choose your own adventure story. However I think the poll up in the corner of my blog is kind of funny showing that the majority chooses "Kill Yourself" - I'm sure that if anyone is new to the blog they may be taken aback and confused by the question... maybe they even think I'm a bit suicidal. Who knows. It's just funny to me now.

We've spent some time with friends the past few weeks:

Of course there are game nights with John & Angie, and Megan. They're totally awesome and have introduced us to a lot of new board games, and card games we've never heard of before that we now love. We had dinner with Becky & Jacob, and their kids, a few weeks ago. It was fun to see them. We don't see them often enough. We introduced them to a fun new card game called Pirate Fluxx. We all had a fabulous time. Bryce & Jennie, and Owen are in Utah for the summer, and they also came down from Logan to have dinner with the Shapiro's. It's always fun seeing them. We miss them when they're so far away.

Everyone's kids are getting so big. It's starting to make me feel old while I watch them grow up.

Before going to dinner at the Shapiro's house John and I had some time to kill in Salt Lake because we didn't want to drive all the way home just to turn around and drive all the way back to their house... So we stopped at the Church History Museum to see the new exhibit called "Seek his Face" the paintings were nice to look at. There were some really strange ones and some really nice ones but they were all the artist's interpretations of Christ. I love going to see the displays at the museum. It's not a large place, but it's always interesting.

Then there was the U2 Concert, and Les Miserables and it seemed like nothing else really happened in between. I guess there was Memorial Day. We spent the weekend with family, and also dog-sitting Frodo and Lilo for Norm & Becca while they went to Las Vegas. And then there was my dad's 76th birthday. John and I stopped at a British store (or two) and bought him some candy, and also some Pasties for dinner that night.

I think that's about it for now. I can't think of anything else at the moment.

Eating with Liz 2011 - Almond Chicken

2011-06-07T12:36:00.000-06:00

We haven't really eaten at our own house for the last two weeks so I haven't made too many new foods to eat. We have either eaten out, or been invited to someone else's house for food. (Which is sooo nice.) Anyway, here is one recipe that has been tried with in the last two weeks that we did like.

Almond Rice Chicken

½ c green onion, chopped fine

20 oz boneless chicken tenders

2 T olive oil

1 T parsley

1 c long-grain rice

¼ t salt

14 oz can chicken broth

2 oz pkg slivered almonds, lightly toasted

Sauté onion in 1 T oil. Stir in, parsley, rice, salt and broth. Bring to a boil. Cover and simmer for 20 min. Meanwhile, heat 1 T oil in another skillet. Sauté chicken for 3 min on each side, until done. Combine all together w/ almonds.

Cheesy Broccoli

½ bag fresh broccoli florets

¼ c shredded cheddar

Steam broccoli; drain. Add cheese and re-cover to melt.

We had this with a green salad, instead of broccoli. Also, I cooked my rice separately from the chicken mixture. Regular rice never seems to work for me in these types of recipes, it always turns out too under-done and crunchy. Yuck. I cooked the rice with the chicken broth in our rice cooker (that always manages to burn things to the bottom) and then tossed it into the chicken stuff at the end. It worked out well, and it all tasted just fine. Even though John is not an almond fan, he has admitted that he'll eat them when they're in something like this.

Final thoughts on this dish: It was pretty good. I suppose we could eat this again. I think it needed "something" else in the flavor department. Maybe more pepper.

Les Miserables 5.31.2011

2011-06-07T08:56:00.001-06:00

Last Tuesday we had the opportunity to go see Les Miserables in Salt Lake City with our season tickets we have to Capitol Theatre. I love this musical. This may in fact be my favorite musical. I think I have only seen it live three times now, but I have heard it, or seen it on PBS a bout a million other times. I know all the music and have sung along to it a thousand times… any yes, each time I get a little teary eyed (all through the second act) when I hear the music.

Before the show John and I went to dinner at the Cheesecake Factory. Let me just say… I wasn’t impressed. Sure the menu is like 40 pages long, and the portion size is on the side of ridiculous. It was so over priced. I really don’t think I should have to pay $15 for a salad. Granted, the tostada salad I had was pretty good (and fed me for two days,) but it wasn’t THAT good. Oh, and it was totally full of Cilantro. I hate Cilantro, I just don’t see why everything has to be covered in it recently. Yuck. John had the Sheppard’s Pie and that really wasn’t that great. The cheesecake was good though. We tried the Apple Strudel Cheesecake. It was pretty good. Not as great as I expected it to be. Will I ever eat there again? I doubt it unless someone insists that we go with them… besides, that’s way out of our way to go there.

On to the show:

I love the Capitol Theatre. I love going to the theatre. There is just something so fancy about it that even though I’m in my nice clothes I feel underdressed and find myself looking down my nose at those that show up in their shorts and work grubbies. I think that going to the theatre should be a special occasion that demands a little bit of formality.

We of course arrived early, as good manners dictate and while we waited for the doors to open my cute husband bought me a souvenir shirt that has “24601” across the front (it’s awesome.) and a magnet for our fridge. Usually I don’t think we need to buy the over priced souvenirs in the lobby, but this time he convinced me that I needed something.

And then I really just have to complain about the people that have their season tickets behind us. Wow they are annoying. First of all, it seems like they know everyone that walks by and then they talk about their holidays in Spain and their weekends in Kittybunkport, and their yacht and blah blah blah… Okay, not really, but they might as well be. That’s about the same idea. Basically they’re rich obnoxious people that we just want to turn around and smack. We like to mock them in our spare time. They were especially annoying that night. What with the loud candy wrappers and talking. I did turn around and give the father (of all people to be so disrespectful of others) a nasty look that stopped his candy wrappers for the rest of the show.

Okay, now I’ll tell you about the production…

This performance was… mediocre. The voices of the performers were weak and not very memorable. The only person in the production was the adult Eponine. She was a very lovely African-American woman with such a beautiful voice and she just belted out the tunes the way they were meant to be sung. Too bad she had such a short amount of stage time. I wanted more from Little Gavroche, and Cosette but I was disappointed there too. I will say that this Marius was a million times better then that Jonas brother that played him in the recent “Dream a Dream” Production on PBS. (That production, by the way, it totally worth watching.)

One neat thing about this production was that this touring season they have redone all the sets to more closely resemble the original drawings by Victor Hugo that were made for the book. Everything is grittier, and darker. I loved how the projections on the rear curtain would move to give the illusion of marching through the streets or slumming through the sewers. That impressed me.

There were some sound problems with the microphone’s and the heads of the people in front of me were annoying, yet over all, I suppose the production was just fine, but I have seen better.

Movies: Two This Week

2011-06-07T07:57:00.001-06:00

Wild Target (2010) - This movie was totally funny. I loved every minute of it. It made us laugh. We are fans of Bill Nighy, and he was superb in this. also, it was nice to see Rupert Grint in something other than Harry Potter. I would definitely say this is a movie to watch for us older people. Not kid friendly, but we don't have kids so that's not something we worry about too often.

X-Men: First Class (2011) - I loved this movie. John had some qualms about it, but in the end he'll admit that he liked it too. It was fun seeing the X-Men from the younger angle. I liked James McAvoy as Professor X he was good. There was some action and the plot was laid out pretty good. There was one little part that I really liked, but was disappointed with at the same time. If you see the movie you can probably guess what that was. But over all we really liked it and enjoyed watching it.

Star Tours

2011-06-04T18:53:00.001-06:00

The new Star Tours opened in Disneyland this weekend. I can't wait to go ride it. Until I do though there is this awesome video to keep me smiling until I get there. :)

Movies: This past weekend

2011-05-31T15:52:00.001-06:00

John and I only watched one movie this weekend. Can you believe it?

Return to Oz (1985) - John and I watched this one over the weekend. I don't think I had seen it since I watched it in the Kaysville Theater in 1985. It creeped me out back then with the lady and her interchangeable heads... It didn't so much this time. The movie is cute and simple. I don't suggest showing it to young kids. Like I said before it was creepy to me as a kid. Was it worth watching again? Meh.

U2 05.24.2011

2011-05-31T12:49:00.003-06:00

I have been trying to write this blog post for a week now, and it just keeps getting pushed out further and further… I’m going to try to get it written and posted today. Here’s hoping I can get something done today.

It's been exactly a week now since the U2 concert on May 25 and I just can't get over how absolutely awesome it was. It’s hard to think of another word to describe it other than “awesome” maybe: Amazing. Atapsimizing. Spectacular. Brilliant. Emotional. Awe Inspiring. Fantastic. Completely Perfect…. Hmm… it was awesome. That about sums it up.

We (Liz and John) attended this year’s U2 concert at Rice-Eccles Stadium at the University of Utah, and shared the experience with Norm , Becca, Jessica, and Toby. What fun that was. It was a family affair and we had a great time with all of them. I’m not lying when I say that this was THE BEST concert I have ever attended, U2 or otherwise. This show was even better than U2 in Vegas in 2009. The stage was the same, but that’s about it. There was such a energy to the show that made the entire experience worth the year we waited since it was canceled last summer due to Bono having emergency back surgery.
John and I got off work at our regular times and picked up some drive through Crown Burger (Yum!) and drove up to the stadium. We weren’t sure what the parking or the craziness was going to look like so we figured getting there sooner than later would be a good idea. We found a great parking spot and there were more empty places than we were expecting. There weren’t a whole lot of people there when we arrived around 4:40pm. We were able to buy a few new shirts without being smashed in the crush of merchandise mosh-pit. The gates opened at 5:00pm and we got right in and found our seats. The stadium was pretty much empty until after 6-ish. I’m impressed that the Utah crowd was so much more polite then the Las Vegas crowd. There weren’t too many drunk people and not a single one of them asked us if we had any pot.

We had great seats, straight up from the stage. Perfect! We were on the east side of the stadium Section E37, Row 38 and John and I had seats 24 and 25. Funny story... When the concert was originally announce for June 3, 2011 I bought us tickets for the General Admission Floor thinking that it would be really fun to get that up close and personal with the stage, but as the time passed and that concert was canceled and rescheduled, we all re-thought our tickets, knowing that John has his bad back and other people had their various reasons... So I got online one random day just before this past Christmas and bought six new tickets to the U2 concert. Reserved Seats. I paid an extra price for them, but it was well worth it. I was able to sell all 6 of the GA tickets to other people in the week before Christmas. Nice. Everyone that came with us was pleasantly surprised at the new seating arrangement and that I let the extra price tag on the tickets go as their "Christmas presents." I'm such a nice sister.

The weather in Utah has been crazy this past month with torrential downpours, snow, clouds and cold. I was a little worried how the evening would turn out when that morning also started out so dark, cold and rainy... I took every opportunity I could to check out the windows while I tried working a full day before the concert. At some point in the early afternoon the skies cleared up and the sun came out. It got so warm and the sky was such a clean, clear blue. It turned into a beautiful day and a evening I'll not forget. Salt Lake City is such a beautiful venue. I was quite disappointed that there was no 2 on the mountain next to the U.

The opening act was The Fray. They came out and preformed at 7:00pm. I don’t know too many of their songs, but John only knew one. They were pretty good. Much better than any of the other opening acts we’ve seen for U2 in the past. I may have to look them up and see if I really want to own any of their music. What I thought was amusing was that the lead singer of The Fray was trying so hard to *own* that stage. Unfortunately he just wasn’t pulling it off, He looked so tiny walking around that gigantic circle I felt kind of bad for him. It was a nice comparison to see how he fit on the stage, and then to see how Bono owned the stage. Bono’s persona/mantle fills that stage as he struts around, it makes the stage seem smaller in his presence.
The set list was great. They played a lot of older songs that I hadn’t heard live before. I loved the acoustic version of Stay (one of my favorite songs,) Love Rescue Me, All I Want is You... Awesome. Apparently the band actively tracks what people are listening to and where and customize their shows to the locations they play. Apparently Utah listens to the old stuff. I thought that was pretty cool to learn how they pick their set lists, apparently they really do care what their fans think.

I wished so much that my Lariann could have been there, she died in May 2009, she would have loved it. U2 has become one of those bands that though I love them so, they remind me of her. I cried during Elevation. Why? Well, for one, it's U2, for another it reminds me of Tomb Raider, and for third, both of those things remind me of Lariann. I remembered her and celebrated U2 as if she were there with me. At the end of the concert (as he usually does) Bono invited us all to pull out our phones and turn the stadium into stars on the ground. Bono let us all remember her at the end in our field of stars.

'Take out your phones,' came the call before Moment of Surrender. 'Everyone has someone they want to think about at the moment.
'Make the light brighter. No need to kick out the darkness.
Hold on to this beautiful world... Hold on tight..' U2.com

I thought of Lari, and I cried. That was twice in one night that I was missing my adorable little sister, and here we were with Bono remembering her too in his own little way. I wonder sometimes if he has any idea how he touches lives and how much people like me think of him and his magnanimous personality. What a difference he has made in the world.

THANK YOU U2 FOR SUCH A GREAT EXPERIENCE!

Even Better Than The Real Thing (Remix version)

I Will Follow

Get On Your Boots

Magnificent (Remix version)

Mysterious Ways

Elevation

Until The End Of The World

All I Want Is You

Love Rescue Me (Unplanned, not on printed setlist)

Happy Birthday (To Bob Dylan)

Stay (Faraway, So Close!)

Beautiful Day (with "Here Comes the Sun" snippet)

Pride (In The Name Of Love)

Miss Sarajevo

Zooropa

City Of Blinding Lights

Vertigo (with "It's Only Rock 'n' Roll (But I Like It)" snippet)

I'll Go Crazy If I Don't Go Crazy Tonight (Remix version, with "Discotheque" and "Mofo" snippets)

Sunday Bloody Sunday

Scarlet

Walk On (with "You'll Never Walk Alone" snippet)

Encore:

Aung San Suu Kyi Message

One

Where The Streets Have No Name (with "Blowin' In The Wind" and "The Times, They Are A-Changin'" snippets)

Encore 2:

Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me

With Or Without You

Moment of Surrender

Our Weekend in Movies

2011-05-23T08:47:00.000-06:00

Bedtime Stories (2008) - This movie was really cute. A lot better than I was expecting it to be. There are some Adam Sandler movies that are worth watching and then there are the ones that you are embarrassed to admit you’ve seen. This one I loved. It was funny, touching, entertaining, and it made me laugh quite a bit. This is definitely a family movie that you could let your kids see.

Get Smart (2008) - I'm not really a Steve Carell fan, but this movie is funny and I enjoyed it. There are a few little add ins that I am sure are funny to some, but I just found unnecessary. Overall it's a pretty good comedy adventure movie.

Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (2011) - I loved this movie, and not just because I'm a Pirate fan or a Johnny Depp fan... but those both helped. I saw this twice this weekend and loved it both times. I'm not going to compare this movie to the others because I loved them all in their own right. Jack Sparrow makes the movie what it is and not the supporting characters. LOVED IT.

Eating with Liz 2011 - Italian Chicken & Noodles

2011-05-16T12:51:00.001-06:00

Hi There. It's been over a week since I posted something food related. Sorry about that. John and I haven't really been eating at home this last couple of weeks, but believe it or not I have still been able to keep up with my new recipe a week. Some we like others we don't. This weeks recipe to pass on it pretty easy and was a tastier than we were expecting to to be. Like I have said before, we're a little gun-shy with some of these recipes from e-mealz.com, so we're programmed to think something is gross before we even try it. Sad, but true... but on the bright side, when something is good we are pleasantly surprised because we weren't expecting it. So without too much more chatter, here is the recipe for this week:

Italian Chicken & Noodles

2 c Egg Noodles

1/2 c Italian Dressing

2 Chicken Breasts cut into bite sized chunks

1 Tomato chopped

2 c Spinach

1/2 c Cheese

6 oz Bacon crumbled

Boil water for Egg Noodles. Boil noodles according to package directions.

Heat Italian Dressing in a large skillet. Add cut up chicken breasts to hot dressing. Cook for 7 or 8 minutes until chicken is cooked through. Add Tomato and Spinach and heat thoroughly until spinach is wilted.

Combine chicken stuff and noodles on plate. Top with shredded Cheese and crumbled Bacon.

As a reminder, this recipe is "For Two" so you'll have to double up on it if you're feeding your family. We didn't end up with any leftovers of this one. Also, it didn't seem to be missing that "Something" that some of the other meals have been missing. I think the Italian Dressing helped a lot in the flavor category. I think this might be one we'll eat again.

And... as always, if you are interested, this recipe came from www.e-mealz.com.

Movies: At Our House

2011-05-11T11:35:00.000-06:00

Movies:

The Invention of Lying (2009) - Some of the dialogue was unnecessary. I understand that the point of the movie is that no one lies (and apparently has no inner dialogue) and that most of the time most of the population of the world are thinking naughty thoughts, but come on. Really? I almost turned the movie off before it had really gotten started... but I didn't. The rest of the plot was good. Man discovers lying and tries to make the world a better place, but due to his imperfections he is likely to lose the one thing he wants most. I think I cried a little near the end.

Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist (2008) - This movie was pretty cute. There were some bits that were totally unnecessary, but as a whole I really enjoyed watching it. Sad boy dumped by girlfriend is out looking for a concert and finds new love before the night is over. They bond over music.

Castle in the Sky (US release 2003) - John and I watched this movie not to long ago. We loved it. The story is fantastic and the animation is great. There were some parts where it was like "huh?" but not to much. I would recommend this as a good movie for the family. A girl falls from the sky with a magic stone and the two children have to learn the truth and make it to the castle in the sky before it's too late.

The Green Hornet (2011) - Such. A. Waste. Of. My. Time. We watched this last night and have officially decided that it was really stupid. Seth Rogan is a terrible actor. The story was lame... The only reason we watched the entire movie was because Kato was worth it. this is one we'll never watch again. The language was fitly We're glad we didn't actually pay to see this in the theater. That would have been such a disappointment for my birthday.

Thor (2011) - LOVED THIS! There was nothing in this movie that made me think less of it. I'm glad that the excitement for it at our house was not unfounded. I would highly recommend this to everyone to see. Not just fans of superheroes. There was nothing disagreeable in the movie. I don't even remember hearing any of "the" swear words. Go See It. You'll love it too. Thor is cast out of Asgard and has to learn some life lessons. Loki, is scheming. Midgar is troubled. Odin is old. Havoc ensues.

TV on DVD:

Doctor Who: Series 4 (2008 TV Series) - The Doctor saves the planet, nay, he saves the universe, with the help of Donna Noble. I wasn't a complete fan of Donna before watching this series all the way from beginning to end, but I'm a little more fond of her now. Not by much, but I am.

Doctor Who: The Complete Specials (2009 TV Series) - Of course David Tennant can't end his time as The Doctor in a regular series episode. Oh, No, the BBC makes you buy a whole other set of DVDs with 4 episodes on.

Doctor Who: Series 5 (2010 TV Series) - Matt Smith as The Doctor with his companions Amie and Rory. Still not sure that I buy into this new Doctor, but I will. There are good and there are bad, Matt Smith just isn't selling it to me yet. Maybe in Series 6...

Firefly: The Complete Series (2002 TV Series) - John and I spent an entire Sunday watching the complete series of Firefly. What a great series. What a shame that it was canceled so soon. Joss Whedon doesn't get enough appreciation for these great shows that he creates. By the end of the last episode I was pretty attached to all the characters and pretty annoyed that THAT WAS IT. This show could have been so great with so much going on. Sadly there is no more... except the movie Serenity that came out a few years later... Too bad. There was quite a bit of naked, and some made up swear words, but nothing too terrible because it was a TV show after all.

Serenity (2005) - Technically a movie, but really it was kind of a finale to the Firefly series so I'm listing it down here. This is a movie you have to watch to tie up the ends of the series that was canceled. This was a good wrap up... for what it was. I wanted s much more of the adventures of the Serenity crew, but this is all we got. It did make some things better, but it also left a lot hanging. It was a sad reminder of what could have been, but we loved it anyway. It was shiny.

The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes (2010 TV Series) - What great animation! This is one of the best Marvel Avengers series' that I have watched (slept through.) John really loved it. It's currently on Disney XD channel so season 1 just came out on DVD. I would definitely recommend this as one to watch for all you superhero fans. the animation is great. The story lines have been great. The entire first season is pretty much an introduction to all the characters. Here's to hoping season 2 will be just as exciting.

The Royal Wedding and Crumpets

2011-05-05T14:06:00.002-06:00

I've been asked a lot this week how I enjoyed the Royal Wedding last Friday… and the answer is: A LOT.

I loved every moment of if so much that I didn't really mind waking up at 2 am to watch it from beginning to end (all 8 hours of it.) The whole thing was just so ... regal. It made me a little nostalgic for my own wedding. I admired Kate's dress. Her veil, her tiara, her beautiful smile. William looked so nice in his red uniform. And they both looked really happy. I'm not a professional entertainment guide, or a royal spokes person, but Will and Kate looked genuinely really really happy to be together. Kate had that wedding day glow.

The wedding service was beautiful. Long. But beautiful.. The sermon given at the ceremony was very eloquent. The words were chosen wisely and spoken so well. The Bishop of London, the Right Reverend and Right Honourable Dr Richard Chartres,

gave the royal couple advice that we could all use in our own marriages, or life in general. I highly recommend a read through of the service, even if you listened to it the first time.

"Marriage is intended to be a way in which man and woman help each other to become what God meant each one to be, their deepest and truest selves"

But even with the fancy words and advice given to Will and Kate, I gained such a positive confirmation of my own marriage. It made me appreciate my simple Mormon wedding that doesn't involve singing or pomp. Now let us pray, now let us sing, now let us pray and sing some more... stand up sit down fight! fight! fight! I prefer the simpleness of my wedding. "Yes" is the only word we had to speak, and then John was mine and I was his and we are so happy. I'm not preaching, or getting on my soapbox or anything, but I just want to say how absolutely thankful I am for my temple marriage. I'm thankful that my sealing to my husband is for "Time AND All Eternity." When I hear weddings binding people "Until Death Do Us Part" it just makes me sad. I know that not everyone believes what I believe and that to some my temple marriage is just the Mormon "pomp and circumstance" or the way we like to shut others out of one of the most important days of our lives... but to me, if I love someone enough to marry them, than why wouldn't I want to be with them for all eternity. So whether you believe it or not, the words "For time and all eternity" are a comfort beyond belief for a life that is so temporary.

Nevertheless, I wish the Royal couple well in their lives together and hope that their marriage will be steadfast and be an example to the world of what love and marriage should be.

For the occasion (once I got out of bed) I wore my tiara, I wore my replica ring. I even wore a shirt which I have deemed "royal" purple. I'm a Royal fan even though I'm only half British… and even that giver of my British half is less then interested in the goings-on in the Royal family. Oh well. Some days I really wish I was full British. I wish I lived in England (or Wales, or Ireland, or Scotland.) But in the end, I'm here and this is where I'll stay because I'm too afraid to move away from the things and people I know to make a new start. I'm a chicken. That's really all it comes down to when I think about branching out into something new. That being said, I do try new things in the safe confines of my kitchen. For breakfast on the bless-ed day of the Royal Nuptials I opted to try something new. Crumpets. I'd never had them before, but you always hear about having crumpets with a spot of tea.

SIDE NOTE: I'm not a fan of tea in any form although I do have friends that try to convince me that herbal tea is quite good. I was even offered some peach herbal tea that very same night, but I turned my nose up at it because I am just not a fan. Yuck!

These were pretty easy to make. The batter is simple and the cooking directions seem to be pretty straight forward. You do need to have some special tools handy for their cooking, but I figured that the purchase of such tools may come in handy further along in life too. What tools you ask? Well, these ones, of course: English Muffin Rings. I bought mine from the other vendor option they have on amazon.com so I got 8 rings for about $6 + shipping, but considering that King Arthur Flour wants me to pay $11 for 8 rings I think I got a pretty good deal. I guess now that I own them I should learn how to make English Muffins as well. You could also use metal cookie cutters for this, or I read some where that if you use empty tuna cans they work just as well. Don't forget to grease the inside of the ring before adding your batter or it makes removing the crumpet pretty difficult (and hot!)

Crumpets

From: www.kingarthurflour.com

· 1 1/2 cups lukewarm water

· 1 cup lukewarm milk

· 2 tablespoons melted butter

· 3 1/2 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour

· 2 1/2 teaspoons instant yeast

· 1 teaspoon baking powder

· 1 1/4 teaspoons salt

1) Combine all of the ingredients in a bowl, and beat vigorously for 2 minutes. A stand or hand mixer, set on high speed, work well here.

2) Cover the bowl, and let the batter rest at room temperature for 1 hour. It will expand and become bubbly. Towards the end of the rest, preheat a griddle to medium-low, about 325°F. If you don't have an electric griddle, preheat a frying pan; it shouldn't be as hot as the temperature you use to cook pancakes.

3) Lightly grease the griddle or frying pan, and place well-greased 3 3/4" English muffin rings in the pan, as many as will fit. (If you don't have English muffin rings, use well-cleaned tuna cans, from which you've removed the top and bottom.) Pour sticky batter by the scant 1/4-cupful into each ring; a muffin scoop works well here.

4) After about 4 minutes, use a pair of tongs to slip the rings off. Cook the crumpets for a total of about 10 minutes on the first side, until their tops are riddled with small bubbles/holes. They should be starting to look a bit dry around the edges. Their bottoms will be a mottled, light-golden brown. Note: They probably won't be as full of holes as store-bought crumpets; that's OK.

5) Turn the crumpets over, and cook for an additional 5 minutes, to finish cooking the insides and to brown the tops gently. This isn't traditional; "real" crumpets are white on top, but the crumpet police won't chastise you for adding a little color to the tops.

6) Remove the crumpets from the pan, and repeat with the remaining batter, until all the crumpets are cooked. Serve warm. Or cool completely, wrap in plastic, and store at room temperature. To enjoy, warm in the toaster. Serve with butter, or butter and jam.

Yield: about twenty 3 3/4" crumpets.

The first batch I could were really doughy after cooking for what I felt like was a long time so they got tossed, and the second batch I tried using a little less batter and they seemed to work out much better. After cooking until they were thoroughly browned they still tasted a little doughy… I called my dad. "Dad, what consistency are crumpets supposed to be?" I asked. After expressing he jealousy over my eating crumpets he stated that they should be "a little doughy" in the middle. SCORE! I got something right. I think it's just my American cooking ways that says that something should be cooked completely (except for steak, of course.)

After adding some butter and jam or honey I'm happy to say that the crumpets were very good. Mmmm! I packed some away in my freezer for later consumption, and said to myself: "Self, I think I'll try making those again. They were good." And my self agreed with me.

"Be who God meant you to be and you will set the world on fire." - St Catherine of Siena