Sarah Jane Studios...

I love the sweetness in the art work of this Utah artist.
See more of her work here!

Matryoshka...

New Matryoshka Doll Box...

$30

in the SHoP

Madagascar 2...

Pretty funny. There are more penguins and more of the Lemur King... so it's funnier. I have to admit that I did fall asleep during 20 minutes of the middle... but my 4 year old nephew sitting next to me was glued through the entire film.

The Queen of Christmas...

I love Children's picture books. The best art in the world is found in the children's lit. section at the library. We collect Christmas everything around here and this is newest book in our collection thanks to Circe! Thank you Circe!

I love the message in this book. It reminds me of some advice that I got from a friend one day who said, "Life is short. Don't make your life about taking care of stuff. Make your life about experiences." Circe does that better than anyone I know as well as gifting great experiences that become treasured memories to her family, especially her children, and all her friends. Getting and having lovely things is wonderful, but memories of great times last forever.

I enjoy so much the work of what little c calls the "HOLIDAY BOOM!" Making the chocolate chip pecan pies for Thanksgiving is coming right up.. The trick is to skip the parts you don't like as much in favor of the fun part. For example.. I don't enjoy making the pie crust usually... so I skip that part... buy the crust and just make and bake the filling inside. I love the smell from the oven.

What are the parts you'd skip and the parts you enjoy the most?

Bird Clips...

DCi Decor Craft... sure makes some cute things... I love it when designers take the time to make common things a delight...

George Washington's Rules of Civility...

If only our society was as concerned with good grace as our first president! This little book has 110 rules for good manners. Some of the rules are a bit funny to us ... but some are still very pertinent and important rules of etiquette.

a bit funny...

Cleanse not your teeth with the table cloth napkin, fork, or knife; but if others do it, let it be done with a pick tooth.

very pertinent...

Be not angry at table whatever happens, and if you have reason to be so, show it not; put on a cheerful countenance especially if there be strangers, for good humour makes one dish of meat a feast.

and...

It is unbecoming to stoop too much to ones meat. Keep your fingers clean and when foul wipe them on the corner of your table napkin.

I would add... never.. ever lick your fingers. It's a fast way to bad manners and a bad cold.

Love this little book. It's a lot to think about still.

The 2008 Paralympic Games...

Sunday, I was able to catch just a few minutes of the 2008 Paralympic Games. I wonder why the networks don't broadcast these games like they do the regular Olympics... these athletes have struggled every bit as much or more to get to these games and their stories are compelling and inspiring.

I found myself crying a long with a man who was telling about his battle with Lou Gehrig's disease, who was trying to live to compete in the sailing event. He told about his love of being out on the water and how he wished for more days to sail. A story was told about a girl who suffered a terrible cancer and became paralyzed, but still had the courage to swim and about her parents who made her dreams possible even in the most challenging circumstances.

There is so much pure junk on TV these days..., but for very little cost the networks could have broadcast these stories all day. It is difficult these days to understand the success of some of the programing on television. We have to look for those stories that inspire, that art that lifts and encourages, those people who speak truth. These are all hard to find, but they are there and worth the effort.

Something I'm happy I saved...

I love these sweet little Feltman Brothers dresses. They can be found lots of places. I saved a few that c wore when she was a babe. I have one kind of like this one.

Mr. Smith Goes to Washington...

Just to put you in the mood to vote tomorrow. ..try watching this fabulous Frank Capra film! It's a favorite around here!

Christmas Fairies...

Isn't this winter fairy dress from Chasing Fireflies... just a dream? Sooo pretty! These dresses remind me of Jackie Kennedy's beautiful wedding dress. I've seen a lot of these applied ruffles or ribbon details lately. I love it, it's so feminine!

The Mormon Tabernacle Choir and the King's Singers...

I was thrilled to see this in Deseret Book on Saturday. I've been waiting for it. I have become a huge fan of the choir since they started making their own recordings and the sound is sooo much better. This CD will be one of your Christmas favorites... Yes, if you hate the Christmas posts.. you'll just have to stay away from this blog for awhile. C and I have a philosophy about Thanksgiving and Christmas it goes like this... What are you most thankful for??? CHRISTMAS!!!

Pork Chops and Brown Rice...

Sorry, I forgot to take a photo of this recipe... It's one of those Utah recipes with Cream of Mushroom soup, which I sometimes tire of... but it tasted good yesterday.

1 package thin lean pork chops (cut about 1/2 to 3/4 inch thick)
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can french onion soup

Mix soups in small pot and place pork chops in the soup making sure they are covered... cook on 275 for about 4 hours or more until they are very tender.

Serve with brown rice, a side veggie and salad.
Recipe is easily doubled.

Autumn Day at Temple Square...

We had such a fun family day today. We went to see the Reflections of Christ exhibit at the Joseph Smith Building... it was quite beautiful. We had lunch at the Lion House Pantry.
We walked around Temple Square's beautiful Autumn gardens and rode the Trax train around town. It was like a mini vacation. I just loved it all.

Happy Halloween...

Meet Slim and Dim Witt my Dad's Halloween Pumpkin creations.

I hope everyone has a great day and gets lots of treats!

Holly Claus Costume...

THIS eBay Store had great costumes/dress ups... if you need something for a little girl at Christmas be sure to check it out. I was very impressed with the price and quality of the dress. I made the crown of snowflakes myself so that c could be Holly Claus for Halloween... not her favorite holiday.

City of Ember...

This book was made into a film that was released to zero fanfare earlier this month. I think I will miss the film after reading the reviews.. it sounds far too much like Wall-E and you know how I loathed that movie. However, the book is an engaging read for the 8-14 crowd especially. I enjoyed it myself. c insisted that I read it after she did.

Where have you been all my life???

This is a wonderful product. It is a bit painful, unless you've experienced waxing and then it's really not. If you have dark hair like I do... this could be your new favorite thing.

Read the reviews here.

Frankenstein...

When I was in school studying Mary Shelley, I read somewhere or heard that Mary met Percy Shelley as he walked up a hill and saw her there performing a seance in order to communicate with the spirit of her mother who died at her birth. Shelley was a married man, but was immediately smitten with Mary although he did not remain faithful to her either. Whether or not the story of the seance is true, they did court behind her father's back at the grave site of her mother... a graveyard courtship.

Death was a devastating and all to frequent an occurrence to the Victorian who had really almost no hope of raising most of their children to adulthood. Infant mortality was high and real medicine a new and often brutal science.

Subsequently, a generational desire to conquer death through science and the debate over how far science should go were topics of the day. It almost sounds like the Victorian era never ended doesn't it?

Of course the book has other interesting themes. The idea of beauty being linked with a persons treatment, something that has been studied and well documented in our culture. Looking from a modern point of view, I would also say that more evolved emotional intelligence and better communication could have solved the troubles in this book.

However, the most interesting theme was brought up to me by my sister the English teacher who said that Frankenstein's creature was yearning and searching for a divine creator. He wanted an omnipotent, compassionate, loving and perfect creator to set him on course and help him to make a life for himself with purpose and direction, things that he could not do for himself. A mere mortal scientist fell far short and disappointed at every turn. Likewise, our mortal parents, creators of our clay forms can hurt or reject us and we can and do fail our own offspring in large or small ways, while a perfect God and creator does not disappoint, fail or lead us astray.

With few exceptions, I am not really a science fiction/ fantasy fan, but I found this book a very interesting read.

Coconut Dilema...

Why does packaged coconut always have a nasty after taste. What variety should I buy to avoid that? I made these cookies and they were great except for that.

OATMEAL, COCONUT, CHOCOLATECHIP COOKIE

1 1/4 c. oatmeal
1 c. flour
1/2 c. sugar
1/2 c. brown sugar
1 c. flake coconut
1/2 c. chocolate chips
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 c. melted butter
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla

Mix all dry ingredients together in bowl. Then add oil, egg, and vanilla. Mix thoroughly. Drop by teaspoon onto greased cookie sheet. Bake at 325 degrees for 12 to 15 minutes. Let cool slightly before removing from pan.

Ballet Shoes...

I wish they had spent as much time with the script as they did with the sets and costumes... however, it was worth watching for the sets and costumes. I loved the classic book by Noel Streatfield and so I had very high expectations... but see it anyway.