The other day I was thinking about my house. It's not really decorated exactly. I mean, I like my couch and my curtains, I like my kitchen, but it's not like I have a definite decorating theme. No creative knick knacks, no silk flower arrangements, no wooden board with slogans on them.
And we don't have expensive furniture either. Our kitchen table is a hand me down we still haven't gotten around to replacing. Same with the dresser in our bedroom. We have replaced the couch and the kitchen chairs when the previous ones wore out. But nothing is very expensive.
So what did I spend all my money on? Then I realized - I spent it on books. Lots of books. And book shelves, occasionally. Every room in my house except the bathrooms have bookshelves full of books. And when we run out of shelves, we stack the books on the floor.
Now that I know, I don't miss the fancy furnishings at all! I think my house is the BEST furnished house I know.
Saturday, January 30, 2010
Sunday, January 24, 2010
Keeping Busy
I just read the last post. A week later, and we are still sick around here. I am mostly recovered, though, and now it's Randy's turn. He took care of everything last week and basically let me sleep as much as I needed, so this weekend it's his turn.
The rest of us did make it to the Friends and Feast potluck at the church. I brought a coconut cake. Sarah was unhappy, because she doesn't like coconut, but I love it and I very seldom get to enjoy it at home. It was fun. We got to see a lot of friends from the ward and visit.
I also really enjoyed my 'serious' book club this month. We read The Chosen by Chaim Potok. For many of us, this was the second or third time we had read the book, but it was still so good and we had a great discussion. It's a sign of great writing and a great story that even as a group of LDS women, about 50 years after it was written, we still found so much to connect with. If you haven't read this book, it is so worth reading. Yes, it is a coming of age story about 2 Jewish boys, but it is about relationships and how we should treat those we love. Just amazing.
The rest of us did make it to the Friends and Feast potluck at the church. I brought a coconut cake. Sarah was unhappy, because she doesn't like coconut, but I love it and I very seldom get to enjoy it at home. It was fun. We got to see a lot of friends from the ward and visit.
I also really enjoyed my 'serious' book club this month. We read The Chosen by Chaim Potok. For many of us, this was the second or third time we had read the book, but it was still so good and we had a great discussion. It's a sign of great writing and a great story that even as a group of LDS women, about 50 years after it was written, we still found so much to connect with. If you haven't read this book, it is so worth reading. Yes, it is a coming of age story about 2 Jewish boys, but it is about relationships and how we should treat those we love. Just amazing.
Saturday, January 16, 2010
Stupid cold
I would love to post something all witty and wise, but I am not up to it. My head is full of snot. I look like Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer from blowing my nose every five minutes. Sarah and I have sinus infections; the rest just have colds. This is the second time I've been sick in a month. What's with that? And I missed book club, which makes me so sad because I loved the book and I haven't been in like three months!
What have I been doing? Playing on the computer. If you are on Facebook, you must be wondering if I have gotten off the computer for more than half an hour for the last 3 days. Nope. Well, to sleep a little maybe. My brain is just not up to much else, including reading. So more Farmville for me!
What have I been doing? Playing on the computer. If you are on Facebook, you must be wondering if I have gotten off the computer for more than half an hour for the last 3 days. Nope. Well, to sleep a little maybe. My brain is just not up to much else, including reading. So more Farmville for me!
Monday, January 11, 2010
Book Review: Band of Brothers
Band of Brothers by Stephen E. Ambrose
This non-fiction book is the basis for the TV miniseries of the same name. It focuses on an American paratrooper company, the first of its kind, and takes them right through World War II. It highlights some of the soldiers and officers and gives an account of them through every action. Their first battle was on D-Day and they stayed in the center of things in Europe right through V-E Day and beyond.
Some things the book did well. For the first time, I really understood why so much looting occurs after a battle. It also gave a really good picture of how this company became so close and why that is important for survival during a battle.
However, the names and places sort of all blurred together in my mind. Major Winters was one exception, but for the most part, I had a hard time telling the soldiers apart. I liked the 'Where Are They Now' section in the back, but what would have really helped would have been more pictures. Same with the places. I am not strong on geography, and some of these places were pretty small. I don't know why they didn't include a single map, but it was a major oversight.
The story got me interested enough to do a little research on my own. I found that this book is a little controversial - not everyone involved felt it was an unbiased account, and some felt that Ambrose's scholarship was a little sloppy. However, it was a good story and now I'd like to read more from some other writers about their own experiences. There is strong language in this book and some pretty graphic stories of violence, but I don't really see how you could tell a story about war without it being violent. Recommended, but it could have been a better book.
This non-fiction book is the basis for the TV miniseries of the same name. It focuses on an American paratrooper company, the first of its kind, and takes them right through World War II. It highlights some of the soldiers and officers and gives an account of them through every action. Their first battle was on D-Day and they stayed in the center of things in Europe right through V-E Day and beyond.
Some things the book did well. For the first time, I really understood why so much looting occurs after a battle. It also gave a really good picture of how this company became so close and why that is important for survival during a battle.
However, the names and places sort of all blurred together in my mind. Major Winters was one exception, but for the most part, I had a hard time telling the soldiers apart. I liked the 'Where Are They Now' section in the back, but what would have really helped would have been more pictures. Same with the places. I am not strong on geography, and some of these places were pretty small. I don't know why they didn't include a single map, but it was a major oversight.
The story got me interested enough to do a little research on my own. I found that this book is a little controversial - not everyone involved felt it was an unbiased account, and some felt that Ambrose's scholarship was a little sloppy. However, it was a good story and now I'd like to read more from some other writers about their own experiences. There is strong language in this book and some pretty graphic stories of violence, but I don't really see how you could tell a story about war without it being violent. Recommended, but it could have been a better book.
Friday, January 1, 2010
Merry Christmas!
Hope your holiday was great! We had a lot of fun.
Christmas Eve started off really well - I had the day off! After working so much over the month, I was so happy to have the whole day off. Of course, I spent a lot of it cooking. Since that's one of my favorite parts of any holiday, here's a list of what we had for Christmas:
Christmas Eve dinner - appetizer buffet
Taco Chicken Fingers
Apricot Chutney Spread with Crackers
Peppermint Cookie Bars
Potato Skins
Pumpkin (Squash) Bread
Mini Sausage Rolls
Cheese and Spinach Ravioli
Mini Quiche
The highlighted stuff is all things I made. For the spread, I combined apricot chutney with some softened cream cheese and put it in a bowl to spread with crackers. It was the best thing at the party, I think. The cookie bars are a flexible recipe. This time I added some melted white chocolate with the frosting and topped the cookies with crushed peppermint candies. Super yummy.
Christmas Day dinner
Prime Rib - thanks for the help, Charesse!
More Potato Skins
Carrot Sticks
Sauteed Mushrooms
Crescent Rolls
Chocolate Truffle Cake
This was my first attempt at Prime Rib and it turned out fantastic. I put a garlic-herb crust on it and let it sit overnight in the fridge. It wound up full of flavor, tender and delicious. A side note - my meat thermometer is apparently not to be trusted at all. It kept saying the meat was rare, but when I decided enough was enough, it turned out that the inside was medium well, but we still had some pockets which were pink enough for Sarah and Randy. We will definitely make this next year, but I'm going to splurge on the boneless rib roast next time and save a little trouble.
The chocolate truffle cake was amazingly good, three kinds of chocolate filling and sweetened whipped cream on top, crushed Heath bars all over. It was super fantastic. Although really, I would be happy with a bowl full of sweetened whipped cream as a dessert.
New Year's Eve dinner - Chinese buffet
Veggie Won Tons
Beef Won Tons
Fried Rice
Orange Chicken
Mandarin Chicken
Orange Cookies
The won tons were homemade and very good - lots of zucchini, broccoli, carrots, mushrooms, and leftover prime rib. Yum. The cookies were also homemade, with a start from a cake mix. It was the first time I tried them and they turned out really well. The other stuff came from Panda Express.
How's the diet, you ask? What diet? I've gained back 5 lbs, but I'm not even worrying about it until Monday, when I go back to work and get back on the scale for real. Holidays are not about self-denial.
As for the presents, Mike was the clear hero here, surprising us with a 46 inch TV and a Blu-Ray! The kids were thrilled, and I admit that it sure was more fun playing the new video games and watching the new movies on the giant screen.
As always, I am late with the photos, but we had a lot of good moments. Sarah got lots of Beatle-related stuff, including the movie Help! and a Yellow Submarine journal. Ellen got Twilight Princess for the GameCube, which the kids are loving. And I got the Blu-Ray of Planet Earth. It's really breathtaking to see all that on the big TV.
I have to admit that I got choked up when Randy asked me to pray on Christmas. I am so thankful this year, more than ever realized, to have all my kids here for Christmas. Sarah has been having troubles lately and for a little bit it looked like she might have to spend Christmas in the hospital. Just having them all home was the best present I could have gotten. I know that now my kids are getting older, and will soon be moving out on their own. I'm not sure how many more Christmases we will spend all together like this. So it was a wonderful gift to have my kids all home on Christmas morning.
Here's hoping that 2010 will be a kinder year to us - and to all of you - than 2009. I'm firmly resolving to have a great year, no matter what.
Happy Holidays!
Christmas Eve started off really well - I had the day off! After working so much over the month, I was so happy to have the whole day off. Of course, I spent a lot of it cooking. Since that's one of my favorite parts of any holiday, here's a list of what we had for Christmas:
Christmas Eve dinner - appetizer buffet
Taco Chicken Fingers
Apricot Chutney Spread with Crackers
Peppermint Cookie Bars
Potato Skins
Pumpkin (Squash) Bread
Mini Sausage Rolls
Cheese and Spinach Ravioli
Mini Quiche
The highlighted stuff is all things I made. For the spread, I combined apricot chutney with some softened cream cheese and put it in a bowl to spread with crackers. It was the best thing at the party, I think. The cookie bars are a flexible recipe. This time I added some melted white chocolate with the frosting and topped the cookies with crushed peppermint candies. Super yummy.
Christmas Day dinner
Prime Rib - thanks for the help, Charesse!
More Potato Skins
Carrot Sticks
Sauteed Mushrooms
Crescent Rolls
Chocolate Truffle Cake
This was my first attempt at Prime Rib and it turned out fantastic. I put a garlic-herb crust on it and let it sit overnight in the fridge. It wound up full of flavor, tender and delicious. A side note - my meat thermometer is apparently not to be trusted at all. It kept saying the meat was rare, but when I decided enough was enough, it turned out that the inside was medium well, but we still had some pockets which were pink enough for Sarah and Randy. We will definitely make this next year, but I'm going to splurge on the boneless rib roast next time and save a little trouble.
The chocolate truffle cake was amazingly good, three kinds of chocolate filling and sweetened whipped cream on top, crushed Heath bars all over. It was super fantastic. Although really, I would be happy with a bowl full of sweetened whipped cream as a dessert.
New Year's Eve dinner - Chinese buffet
Veggie Won Tons
Beef Won Tons
Fried Rice
Orange Chicken
Mandarin Chicken
Orange Cookies
The won tons were homemade and very good - lots of zucchini, broccoli, carrots, mushrooms, and leftover prime rib. Yum. The cookies were also homemade, with a start from a cake mix. It was the first time I tried them and they turned out really well. The other stuff came from Panda Express.
How's the diet, you ask? What diet? I've gained back 5 lbs, but I'm not even worrying about it until Monday, when I go back to work and get back on the scale for real. Holidays are not about self-denial.
As for the presents, Mike was the clear hero here, surprising us with a 46 inch TV and a Blu-Ray! The kids were thrilled, and I admit that it sure was more fun playing the new video games and watching the new movies on the giant screen.
As always, I am late with the photos, but we had a lot of good moments. Sarah got lots of Beatle-related stuff, including the movie Help! and a Yellow Submarine journal. Ellen got Twilight Princess for the GameCube, which the kids are loving. And I got the Blu-Ray of Planet Earth. It's really breathtaking to see all that on the big TV.
I have to admit that I got choked up when Randy asked me to pray on Christmas. I am so thankful this year, more than ever realized, to have all my kids here for Christmas. Sarah has been having troubles lately and for a little bit it looked like she might have to spend Christmas in the hospital. Just having them all home was the best present I could have gotten. I know that now my kids are getting older, and will soon be moving out on their own. I'm not sure how many more Christmases we will spend all together like this. So it was a wonderful gift to have my kids all home on Christmas morning.
Here's hoping that 2010 will be a kinder year to us - and to all of you - than 2009. I'm firmly resolving to have a great year, no matter what.
Happy Holidays!
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