merry christmas to all

christmas wish list

My Christmas elves . . .

Sophia: "Anna, if you give me a Diamond Castle Barbie for Christmas, I'll give YOU a Diamond Castle Barbie for Christmas . . . if you give me one."
Anna: "Can I have a pet cicada?"
Clara: What's red, furry, and is called "Mo-mo"?
Chris: Something found at Costco
Rachel: What could I possibly want? I feel so blessed. And then, the other day I took the girls to Borders. My senses were attacked by shiny book art, book smell, coffee smell, smooth covers and unwrinkled pages just begging to be turned. {Not to mention the Twilight display dead center.} I'll be making that list right now . . . .

Santa's coming!

Nothing Gold Can Stay

Nature's first green is gold,
Her hardest hue to hold.
Her early leaf's a flower;
But only so an hour.
Then leaf subsides to leaf.
So Eden sank to grief,
So dawn goes down to day.
Nothing gold can stay.
(Robert Frost)

(For more of our October family photo shoot, head over here.)

Thirty

Friday, Dec 5, was my thirtieth birthday! In a way, I've felt 30 for a long time, so I say--bring it on!

I was grateful for the gift of sunshine all week. And for darling children who were as excited for my birthday as they are for theirs. {The chocolate cake with homemade ganache at Macaroni Grill might've had something to do with it.} I had a fabulous date with my four loves at the Grill, a tradition that started in '99 when Chris & I were engaged. I usually go with one of my favorites but branched out to the mushroom ravioli this year--yum! {Thanks Anna-Marie for the suggestion.}

Later my one true love swept me away for a date of Christmas lights in the big cit-ay. I could choose among three exciting new movies . . . and I chose to see Twilight. Again. I sort of loved it. {Yes, do judge. I'm ready for it.}

It was a perfect birthday, complete with my favorite confections. And yet another gift of birthday bon bons--lovely macadamia nut chocolates to remind me of good things to come in the spring . . . .

{I ask you, can a girl have too much chocolate?}

So, thanks for all the birthday wishes! It was the perfect beginning to a new decade in this blessed life!

The Nutcracker

I love, love my life as mommy of little girls. Today I took the girls to their first Nutcracker production. A sweet little Eastside company put on a very magical show.

Anna whispered "Look Mommy, the mice! The tree! The snowflakes! Mother Ginger!" throughout the entire performance. But, she wouldn't let me talk to her. She sat on the edge of her seat with eyes fixed on the stage. During intermission she asked, "When is the play going to start again?" every few seconds.
Sophia's little body wiggled in time to the music, but she also only had eyes for the ballerinas. In fact, both girls toes were tapping . . . which, since they dance to the Nutcracker music every day, isn't surprising.
Their favorite part was Mother Ginger {and someday, if I'm really brave, I'll post a video of ME as Mother Ginger--a favorite little activity in our house!}.

The best part was meeting The Prince after the performance! He was very sweet. {Look at Sophia's face . . . !}

Love Fest

What would life be like without good girlfriends? I escape once a month for a night out with these ladies.

Back in June we decided that our girls' nights out just weren't long enough, so we had a good old-fashioned sleepover. {You can read all the juicy details here.}

Tonight was our grand fete to celebrate 2 years of monthly GNOs {and 7+ years of friendship}. Maggiano's + talking + shopping + Christmas lights + Cheesecake Factory + just a bit more talking = a perfect evening. The girls were sweet to celebrate my last night in my twenties.
I can't think of a more supportive, dedicated, funny group of girls. I love you guys!

Come What May, and Love It!

Sixteen years ago, my family moved into the Bonneville 1st Ward in SLC from the "mission field" (Kansas City). In some ways, it was like coming home. Our families & ancestors are Utah peeps. In other ways, it was oh-so-strange. Such as, when Elder Wirthlin showed up in our home ward & we learned it was his ward and that he lived two streets away. (Who knew that later we'd end up in President Hinckley's stake & see him at a sacrament mtg? Who, indeed.)

Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin: What a wonderful, gentle man. When I met him I was struck by his kindly, kindly eyes. And that he was short. I've really loved his last couple of conference talks (read here and here). I came across this picture of him with President Monson and love it. (Great article, too.)

Simple Gifts

I love listening to this CD every November. One of my favorite songs on here is this Shaker hymn:

'Tis a gift to be simple, 'tis a gift to be free
'Tis a gift to come down where we ought to be,
And when we find ourselves in the place just right,
'Twill be in the valley of love and delight.
When true simplicity is gain'd,
To bow and to bend we shan't be asham'd,
To turn, turn will be our delight,
Till by turning, turning we come round right.

What "simple gifts" are you grateful for today?

I'm Not a Fangirl

I'm not. I promise. Still . . .

Edward's Girl

Saturday night+ theater full of screaming girls (and women)+ good girlfriends+ lots of giggles + anticipation = the Twilight movie!

Loved that the audience screamed as Edward made his first appearance. I am still laughing. (And yes, I screamed.)
Loved that the teenage girls behind me were hyperventilating. Loved the artsy camera angles.

Some things left to be desired, but that's where the book comes in . The movie did capture the essence of Twilight--the obsession, first-love awkwardness, drizzly Washington.
And let's face it, the Twilight world wouldn't be half as compelling if I didn't have good girlfriends, sisters, sisters-in-law, and cousins to share it with!

Notice what colors I'm wearing . . . . and the color of my eyes

For all you Twihards, good news here.

Pumpkin Waffles with Buttermilk Syrup

This is the recipe you have all been waiting for, even if you didn't know it. The pumpkin waffles are lovely, but the piece de resistance is without question the buttermilk syrup. I think we've made the syrup 3 times in the last month. Sooo good! Oh, and a big thank-you to my lovely sister-in-law Laura Dahl who sends great recipes my way!
(There might be more pumpkin recipes to come . . . maybe!)

Batter:

2 cups flour

2 TBSP baking powder

2 TBSP cinnamon

1 TBSP sugar

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1/4 tsp salt

Mix ingredients together, then add:

4 egg yolks (save whites)

1 cup pumpkin

1 TBSP vanilla

1 1/2 cup milk

3/4 cup butter

Beat the 4 saved egg whites until stiff peaks form and fold them into the batter. Cook in waffle iron.

Buttermilk Syrup:

1/4 cup butter

1/2 cup buttermilk (can substitute 1 TBSP lemon juice + 1/2 cup milk OR buttermilk powder)

1 cup sugar

1 tsp light corn syrup

Bring to a boil and take off heat. Add 1 tsp baking soda and 1 tsp vanilla. It will bubble up quite a bit, so make sure your pan is large enough. Stir until it settles.

Serve over warm pumpkin waffles. Yummy!

Pumpkin Swirl Cheesecake

Thanks to my little sister Jeannette for this delish and mouth-watering recipe. I do love me a slice of regular pumpkin pie, but what could be more divine than cheesecake? We've been known to make this almost every Thanksgiving since she gave me the recipe (back in 2001). Do yourself a favor and whip this baby up!

Pumpkin Swirl Cheesecake

Crust:

2 cups graham cracker crumbs (or vanilla wafers)

1/3 cup melted butter

1/4 cup granulated sugar

Combine crumbs and butter; press onto bottom and sides of 9-inch springform pan.

Filling:

2 8-oz packages cream cheese

3/4 cup sugar

1 tsp vanilla

3 eggs

1 cup canned pumpkin

3/4 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

1. Combine cream cheese, 1/2 cup sugar and vanilla, mixing at medium speed on electric mixer until well blended. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition.

2. Reserve 1 cup cream cheese mixture; add pumpkin, remaining sugar and spices to remaining cream cheese mixture. Mix well. Layer half of pumpkin mixture and half of cream cheese mixture over crust; repeat layers. Cut through batter with knife several times for marble effect. Bake at 350 for 55 minutes. Loosen cake from rim of pan; cool before removing rim of pan. Chill. Makes 10 to 12 servings.

Pumpkin Chocolate Panini

Arguably, I have a thing for pumpkin and chocolate. It's unusual, I admit, but if you made the pumpkin bread recipe I posted earlier, I'm positive you're a fan. I make the following recipe any time I feel that the girls aren't getting enough orange veggies in their diet. It originally comes from The Flavor Point Diet (great book!) and is "rich in antioxidant nutrients and fiber". Great quick FHE dessert. Enjoy!

Pumpkin Chocolate Panini
butter
2 slices whole grain bread
2 TBSP canned pumpkin
Ghirardelli Double Chocolate Chips (we use any kind)
Opt: 1 TBSP pecans

1. Spread butter on 1 side of each slice of bread.
2. Spread the pumpkin on the plain side of one slice, sprinkle chocolate chips, and nuts (if desired). Place the second slice on top with butter facing up.
3. Place the sandwich in a hot panini grill or a nonstick skillet over medium heat, close the grill (if using skillet, press the sandwich with a spatula), and grill for 2-3 minutes (if using skillet, turn the sandwich and press again).

Pumpkin Extravaganza

My friend and old BYU roomie, Gwyn, wrote a pumpkin-inspired post on her blog. And oh, did it inspire me. Have I mentioned that I love pumpkin? I decided to lead up to next week's festivities by posting a pumpkin recipe a day. These are my all-time favorite pumpkin foods. So today, I bring to you the best pumpkin cookies. These little guys are light, fluffy, and very addictive.

(Unfortunately, I'm not making a recipe a day, so pictures are courtesy of the world wide web.)

Pumpkin Cookies

1 cup brown sugar

1 egg

1 cup butter

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 cups AP flour

1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1 cup canned pumpkin

1. Preheat oven to 350 F.

2. Cream together sugar, egg, butter, and vanilla. Sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. Add to wet ingredients, then stir in pumpkin. (Add walnuts & raisins if desired.)

3. Bake for 10-15 minutes. Dust with powdered sugar while still warm.

Feeling Grateful for This Today

I Voted

I Ain't Afraid of No Ghost!

Happy Halloween!

I must say, for it being one of my least favorite holidays, with kids it gets more fun every year. With Halloween parties, the ward trunk-or-treat, a Halloween tea party, and TODAY, the girls got to wear their costumes multiple times this past week.

Now go blast "Ghostbusters!" to pump you up for trick-or-treating tonight!

Question: Who Hangs Christmas Lights in October?

Fact: 50% of our neighbors (slight exaggeration)
Here's the deal-io: Microsoft employs a lot of people from India, and many live in our neighborhood. And every fall they celebrate Diwali, the Festival of Lights. Houses are strung with beautiful twinkle lights and glowing candles. Right now neighbors up and down the street are letting off fireworks. It's quite festive!
Four years ago, our friends Anvay and Deepti hosted a fabulous Diwali feast. Anna wore a bindi, or as we called it "Baby's First Bindi". Deepti displayed gorgeous hand-painted lamps and spoiled us with a lavish feast.

The food was delish. The lovely Deepti & Anvay are now back in India (we miss you guys!). Each year there is a huge Diwali festival at our elementary school with catered foods and lots of dancing. Perhaps someday we'll celebrate Diwali again!

p.s. In case you didn't pick up on it, we are now The Office junkies. For a Michael Scott introduction to Diwali, go here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pYwsaspQ29c. For a more "academic" explanation, where else but Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diwali.

School Days, School Days, Dear Old Golden Rule Days

What do three little girls & one mommy do all day while everyone's in school? Well, what we do best--have fun! This is my last year to have all my girls home with me. We are going to enjoy every single minute . . .

Singing

Dancing


Playing

Reading and Writing, Arithmetic, Taught to the Tune of the Hickory Stick

The Pumpkin Patch

I love reading about everyone’s festive autumn outings. So many harvests and farmers’ markets and apple picking and wagon rides! I wish we could come to all of them; they sound so fun! I’ll join in by adding a few pictures of our annual pumpkin patch excursion. (Which included a kids' class, harvest veggies, flower pickin', hay ride, bean maze, chickens, and alpacas--of course.)

the great pumpkin search
found: the perfect pumpkin! (Pumpkin Pie III)
this pumpkin is too big

this pumpkin is just right!


monet's garden

"I'm a puppy-lovin' pigeon!"