Now I Have Been to Boston in the Fall

Here are some of the highlights from the rest of our trip.

After apple picking - that was monday, Ben, Anna and I went on Tuesday to Walden Pond for some foliage fotography and to meet Mr. Thoreau.

Ben took this one.

I took this one.

Wednesday we went to Newport, RI to see a)the oldest synagogue in the western hemisphere,

b) "The Breakers" - the Vanderbilt summer cottage -


and c)lots of stores.

Ben bought Anna a gilded spoon at the mansion gift shop.

Thursday was a "do all the little things we never got to do all week" including a visit to Aunt Rachel's school to meet all of her friends. (no pictures)

Friday we flew home, it took all day, but at least we didn't have to haul our luggage in when we got home.

I Had Never Been to Boston in the Fall

We are spending a week in Boston to experience New England in the fall.
Already this weekend we have gone to a Rugby game, walked around downtown, watched baseball playoffs, and eaten our weight in the local cuisine.

Anna at the Rugby game

Today we wanted to do a quintessential FallNewEngland activity, we went to pick apples. Obviously this was not a new experience for me, but I relished in the nostalgia of the labor.
I had never heard of recreational apple/pumpkin picking until recently, but apparently it has been around for ages here in the east.

Also, I wanted adorable pictures of Anna.
so here we go.

She got very upset if we took the apple from her.

We made an apple pie tonight as comfort food for our egos while watching the baseball game.

no baby pictures here

3 Names you go by:

• Tonadele
  
• 'atoni
  
• mamamammamamama

3 Restaurants I love

• Zupas (California Turkey Panini)
  
• Kneaders (or anywhere that serves all you can eat french toast)
  
• The Ikea restaurant (apple cake)
  

3 Trips to plan on this year

• Boston (next week)
  
• Ikea
  
• Bryce Canyon maybe
  

3 Things I want badly

• 12 hours of sleep/day without naps
  
• More time with aBen
  
• a rocking chair
  

3 pets I've had

• Audra the brick
  

• The paper fish
• Lappy the mac
  

3 Things I did yesterday

• Spent a lot of money - retail therapy for getting no sleep the night before.
  
• made and ate dinner for 2 for under $4
  
• ate a lot of double-chocolate-extra-oily cookies
  

3 Things I ate today

• WF frosted flakes
• Soy milk
  
• double-chocolate-extra-oily cookies

3 Fears

• Dogs
  
• Bees
  
• Dogs that shoot bees out of their mouths.
  

3 Things I plan on doing today

• Bread Tuesday?
  
• changing diapers
  
• I should wash the sheets but I already made the bed...
  

3 Things I plan on doing tomorrow

• Visiting Teaching
  
• hot dog roast up the canyon
  
• Late night Project Runway
  

3 Favorite Holidays

• Christmas (it takes a month to celebrate)
  
• Passover
  
• New Years Day, when it's ok to sleep in until noon.
  

3 Favorite beverages

• Milk Shakes
• Slurpees
• The good Doctor Pepper
  

3 People I tag

• Beetle
  
• Aunt Soup
  
• Mrs. Stradling

take that people who only read the beginning of my posts!

Loyalty Broyalty

I now realize how many of you just check my blog looking for pictures of that amazing baby, so here are a few from this weekend that I took with my phone.This is one of my favorites. Anna likes being upside down a lot. I also like that you can read Ben's shirt - I don't know why.


I call this one "Yoda or Dopey" she is especially cross-eyed in this one.

Anna either really likes Lincoln, or finds him very vulnerable. She beat up on him all weekend.


She fell asleep during the sunday morning session, if only she was this peaceful more often.

Insomania

I didn't get a lot of sleep last night. A lot of that is, of course, Anna screaming in her sleep. But the other reason I was up thinking was the fact that I read that Superdell from Totally Awesome Computers infamy, was running for Governor of Utah as a Libertarian.
Dell Schanze is a "controversial business entrepreneur" (as Wikipedia says) living in Salt Lake with some lofty ideas.

In the Utah Voter Information Pamphlet, he issued this statement in an attempt to gain voters:

"SUPERDELL is your only choice because YOU didn't file. Huntsman took away your freedoms and raised taxes more than any governor in the history of Utah. Springmeyer has admitted that he doesn't care about the constitution. The definition of the word insane is voting for the same people while expecting change.
There is no question that Dell Schanze is different. There are only 3 people on the ballot and SUPERDELL is the only one that is NOT a socialist. If you are unsure then fill your heart with love, completely open your mind and pray to God earnestly. You can't afford to get this wrong and will be held accountable for your choice."

This guy gives me the willies.

google him, and you'll get them too.

Unbridled Success

Bread Tuesday has come and gone again.
This time, in honor of Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, we attempted Challah, the traditional braided bread. And since I was already at my mom's house working on a quilt, we held Bread Tuesday there and I credit that decision with much of the success.We didn't have enough eggs to do a glaze, but you get the idea. This was the most successful Bread Tuesday as yet. And it only took 4 hours.

Behind Bars

I sincerely hope you aren't worn out with pictures of Anna. I know sometimes it seems like the same old thing.

But, Anna has recently discovered that the bumper around her crib is adjustable. Almost every time I go in there she is looking through the bars for us. Then we get to play a little Peek a Boo, one of her favorites.

So the other day, when the lighting and temperament was just right, I got some pictures.





Above is one of my favorite Anna faces, she opens her mouth really big and scrunches up her nose, that's how you can tell she's really excited.

Revitalize Historic P.G.!

Have you ever been through the historic downtown Pleasant Grove? It's lovely. Really, there's a big park next to the community center, an old grocery and a theater where they have a country western dinner every Friday night. It looks like it could be a really cool area, if it was given a little love.

Right on Main Street there is an old Victorian-era house for rent (I assume for businesses) that I fantasize about. Would it be more fun to open a used book shop or a quilt shop? ( there is also a building down the street a bit that would make a great ice cream shop, maybe a lactose/gluten free dessert parlor?)

What kind of shop would you open, if you had the time, money and energy?

Just two pictures.

'Licious

Yeah, I made this.
It's beautiful chocolatepeanutbutterdeliciousness.

You can come over and try some. I won't mind. As long as you tell me how awesome it is.

Blue!..NO! Yelloooooooooooo

Anna has been fervently trying to eat my shoelaces for months now.

It is her quest.

Long Nap, Happy Girl

After an almost 2.5 hour nap, I found the happiest baby in the crib. She was smiling and kicking and fist-banging and inhaling rapidly throughout her post-nap lunch. so happy.



So was I, after my baby took a 2.5 hour nap (I ran out of things to do) and woke up happy.

Not Retarded

Beetle and I had our second Bread Tuesday, and we were totally successful.



We know how to do stuff.





We go to college.

Marketing

Motorola should market their RAZR as a teething toy.

1 out of 1 babies in this house recommend it.

Recipes that Don't Work: 2

Beetle and Harrison came over tonight to keep me company while Ben was at school. For a project we decided we needed to learn how to make bread.

So we measured out 5 C of flour.

Then things got a little sketchy.
The conversion from grams to teaspoons led us into a tailspin and then translating the recipe from using fresh yeast to instant yeast secured our demise.

so we added some water. . . , and some milk. . . and some salt. All part of the recipe.

But it never actually looked like dough. It was very tough, dry -but not in a flaky way - and dense.

we mixed, we kneaded. Then we let it sit to rise for an hour.

When we came back. . . it was the same size, no rising.
Obviously the yeast was a bigger problem then we anticipated.

So, in a fit of genius I decided that we would, instead of make bread, we would make bread products. Since it wouldn't be rising anyway, we decided to go for flatbread/pitas and pretzels.

They turned out pretty good. While they were still hot we added toppings like butter and salt or sugar cinnamon for the pretzels and honey and sugar cinnamon or peanut butter and honey for the flatbread. The flatbread was comparable to a less oily, sweet, dessert naan. But only while it was warm. Now that the they are cooled, they are the toughest, chewiest flatbread you could ever imagine.

So don't ask me how to make bread. I'm still working on it. and we may see a series of "Recipes that Don't Work" as I try to figure it out.

Are You a Jumperoo?

Anna got a new toy, and if you know her, you know it fits her perfectly.


Anna is a Jumperoo.

Curiouser and Curiouser

What?



Eh?




huh?



Oh.

Check out my cousin's Etsy shop, Anna got to be a model for their wooden toys and they took some great pictures of her.

Preparedness

I just returned from my first Enrichment night in this ward. It was all about preparedness - i.e. food storage. Everyone was really nice, we learned how to use a canner and sealer, we heard from some ladies who had experience living on food storage and we toured someone's immaculate storage room. Everyone was really nice - also, there was a tasting table of food people made from their food storage. Mostly cookies. Someone brought Krispy Kreme.

As I was thinking about Preparation, it's something I'm ready to get started on but I understand it's a long term goal and can never truly be perfected. So I'm willing to be patient and take it one day at a time.

Then I realized that I didn't have any wipes for Anna in the diaper bag. Or a pacifier. Or any toys. Or a blanket (it was all in backyards). I did manage to grab us each a jacket though.

So maybe I should take even smaller steps in relation to Preparedness - half a day at a time.


PS. Thanks to everyone who weighed in on the last post. Thanks for your pessimism, optimism and personal testimonials. I am no longer contemplating that action.

Here's a little hint - They all jump

I need you all to talk me down off the ledge. This is a very dangerous, life changing ledge. The recovery from jumping off this ledge takes months at least.

I was tempted this morning to cut bangs.

I learned recently that "girls with bangs" is something white people like, and I think I could get really chunky ones that would look good all the time.

But I know I'm just lying to myself. And I would NEVER do them.

But, isn't it worth a shot?

this is a dangerous ledge.

Things I Hate The Most Part (A)

• Finding dead birds in my yard by almost stepping on them.
• Dead Birds in general - they give me the jibblies.
  
• The stupid Cat who keeps killing the birds and leaving them where I can find them.

Three Noses?

Here are some pictures I found today on my other camera from baseball game and family reunion and this morning.

This was at the Owlz game, unfortunately that night ended in a rain out. And excessive vomiting of carrots.

This is Anna and Ellyn meeting again for the first time. Ellyn is roughly 2 months younger, Anna is a twerp.
This is Anna bundled up for camping in Heber - onesie, socks, sleeper, 12 month sweatsuit, Red Sox beanie. She slept really well.


This was this morning after her first nap. She doesn't actually use that kind of pacifier, but I keep it in her crib hoping she'll just pick it up. Here, it is still a chewing apparatus. Notice the usual paci is cast disdainfully aside.


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Crawling and Trawling

Anna started scooting in earnest yesterday, she could scoot to China and win the Olympic scooting event if she wanted...but she doesn't. The best angle is from the side where you can see her move her knees and toes but I realized that if I ever tried to video it from the computer, she would just come toward the computer. Alas, what can you do.

This also gives you a good taste for the color of her room and the hurricane that blew through it.


I also started trusting her to sit up on her own this week, it turns out she's already pretty good at that.

Back to School

I found that my diploma arrived this morning, it was sitting on our porch. Then I realized I didn't get the mail yesterday and it might have possibly been there for 2 days. Probably not though.
This is the first fall that I have not been getting ready for school and I kind of miss it. I like the part in "You've Got Mail" when they discuss bouquets of sharpened pencils. Buying school supplies, going to new classes and learning new things have always defined fall for me and I believe there is a feeling in the air that defines 'back to school' for me and I feared I wouldn't get it this year. Fortunately, today I was driving around and decided to switch CD's. The random CD that I chose to put in was titled, "From Jethro, Aug '07" I thought nothing of it but when the first song started playing it instantly took me back to that going back to school vibe because this was the very mix CD I was listening to last year when school started again. I remembered driving to school and hoping for parking, looking for Beetle in the halls or giving her a ride to her car, I remember dreading my first class (because the prof was ridiculous). It was great. Thanks J-ro.

Recipes that Don't Work - part the first

Just thought I'd give you all a heads up about some recipes that don't work.

- Improvised Muddy Buddies -

1 box of Crispix
1/2 cup of Butter
something close to a cup of chocolate chips, possibly semi-sweet but there might be some milk or dark mixed in there.
1/2 cup of Peanut Butter
1 teas. vanilla
1 1/2 cups of Powdered Sugar

Pour the Crispix into a bowl only just big enough to contain it all without spilling.
Microwave butter, chocolate chips and peanut butter for 1 1/2 minutes, then realize that the original muddy buddies recipe only calls for 1/4 cup of butter. Try to pour out the extra melted butter and add more chocolate chips because you're not sure you put in a whole cup in the first place. Add vanilla. Microwave continually until it smells scorched.
Pour mixture over cereal, stirring as much as possible, spilling handfuls because you didn't pick a big enough bowl in the first place. Eventually give up, leaving huge conglomerate chunks of weird chocolate and cereal mixture. Pour the mixture into a plastic grocery bag because you don't have any quart size ziplocs.
Discover that you are out of powdered sugar... Scramble around for something similar in density and sweetness...not cocoa...not granulated sugar...not cinnamon...Hot Cocoa Powder! Find a half empty Stephens Chocolate Raspberry Cocoa tin and pour it in the grocery bag then shake until well coated. After pouring it all back into the bowl sprinkle some granulated sugar on top hoping that it will get rid of the bitter aftertaste.

Don't Enjoy!

Inauguration

So I just returned from my first ever trip to Costco as a member. Wow. I feel so grown up.
I feel like I've been inducted into a Mother's of America program where you pay this company where you take your kids so that they will misbehave, you can spend a lot of money for a lot of extraneous items and where you can stand in line after walking a half mile around the store.

I managed to only spend $75, (on 7 items) but that was for 2 meals that we're having friends over to share with us.

I don't know what to say about it but it was a rather bizarre outing for me to do with only Anna for company. (She was just interested in eating my new membership card).

Are You Smarter Than a Cat?

In addition to the myriad of canines on our street, there is next door an exceedingly bold cat. He climbs over our fence and poops in the backyard. He climbs on cars - I even saw him exploring an open trunk. He left a dead robin on the sidewalk in front of our house just long enough for me to see it and get totally grossed out.
I appreciate cats who wander and eat all the mice, but I'd rather not have them playing (read: pooping) in Anna's future sandbox. So Ben and I have decided to face the challenge - and teach that cat not to mess with us.

So far in my research I have found some hopeful home remedies

• Spray with water - cats hate being wet, so get them wet at every chance
• landscape with pricklyness - mulch with pinecones, lay chicken wire down on top of the soil
• use cat deterrent plants - Lavender, rue(?) and Pennyroyal(?)
• put mothballs, ammonia or cayenne pepper out (some of those might be lethal)

So I'm thinking first of ways to make it less appetizing to jump our fence, maybe some gothic spikes or something

give us your suggestions, or pinecones, if you have them.

The Generals Agree

We moved into our house last night. I don't know if I have much to say about it.
it still smells like dog. (that might be psychological, before I knew that the previous owner had a dog, I didn't notice any smell)
I can't believe we are actually homeowners
It's hard to get used to the idea of having two bathrooms.

We painted all yesterday morning, we turned Anna's room from a dark blue-grey into a pleasant sage green with one cream wall
And we turned the master bedroom from a puky brown to a less puky brown with one cream wall.

We are running out of cupboards in the kitchen and are thus looking for a stylish bar/hutch that won't break the bank.
Right now I'm waiting for the Sears guys to come deliver and install the fridge and laundry appliances.

All in all, I'd say we're pretty dang happy.

Here's a picture of Anna to keep y'all happy

ps. I still can't find the box of bathroom stuff.

I'm on Fire and I Dance!*

CARNIVALE
was the theme for Ben's summer work party at Thanksgiving Point.
It was great, we could go anywhere in TP for free (or discounted movies) so we went to the Farm Country and got some pictures of Anna with baby goats.
then she tried to eat a cow

Then we went over and got the party started. They had carnival rides, clowns and booths everywhere with free food and drink (churros, cotton candy, snowies, coke products, popcorn)

almost as soon as entering, there was a baby conference with Maliya, they are two weeks apart and both very 'petite' though Anna was a little jealous of her head of hair.Then we all went around and found a baby friendly ride - the COW TRAIN!
Then Anna got sad because we wouldn't give her any cotton candy or churros. Or hamburgers, or cookies.
There was a lot of food, and we had fun hanging out with some of Ben's old friends who he got jobs for, and their babies. Which led to ...Another Baby Conference! Anna, Maliya and Daniel, in age order.
Then the camera ran out of batteries, so we left. Actually, Anna was ready to go, they weren't giving out naps at the party.



*if you can tell me where I got that line, you will get a pat on the head.

Anna's Video Diary

As Anna was playing on the floor this afternoon, I thought I should get some video of her attempts at crawling, she's getting her legs beneath her but forgets to move her arms, so it's pretty slow going and a lot of face plants.

My attempts at getting it on video were thwarted as Anna saw the computer on the ground and her desire to type took hold.


So this video is her crawling over to the computer


The second video was actually taken entirely by her, she pushed the play and stop button herself.



The third video was started by her, but she moved the mouse so I had to push stop. It's not totally interesting, but you get some good close ups of her hair and eyes.

Silent Plea

If someone wanted to buy our computer this week, so we don't have to move it to our new house, that would be great.

$200-$250

Thanks