A ScreenSaver that Saves

I realize I blog too much about our long winters here in Utah, so quit reading if you're tired of the whining until April or so.

This is the wall paper on my computer right now. It reminds me that somewhere on this planet we could still use the phrase "God's green Earth." Because right now if I were to use that phrase I'd change it to "God's white snowy slushy Earth." Not quite the same effect.

(This is a picture of me at Akaka Falls, near the city of Hilo, on the island of Hawaii. Sigh.)

Take That You Evil Snow!

Snow is powerful stuff. After 3 months of constantly having this white stuff on the ground it begins to affect me in strange ways. Snow has the power to make me want to sell my house and move closer to the equator. Snow leaks toxic fumes into the air which, if inhaled enough, make me yell at my kids. These toxic fumes also lead me to long bouts of baking cakes, pies, and crisps. It makes me log onto the internet and browse airline rates to Heaven, aka, Southern California. Snow is what your mother warned you about.

But today, for the first time in a few months, we hit 44 degrees. The kids were all excited as I picked them up from the bus stop, coat in hands. "Mom it is HOT today. I don't even need my coat!" So like all good kids with cabin fever in February, Ilene thought it was perfect bike weather. She got this very pink bike for her birthday in January and it has sat in the garage due to all the blankety-blank snow that just won't melt. On Saturday, Paul took our snow shovel and cleared ALL the sidewalks on our side of the street so that his little girl could ride up and down. So today was her second time getting to ride the bike in the sunshine. Enjoy the weather little girl, tomorrow it goes 'cold' again.

Before Kitchen.....After Kitchen

Just had to post pics of my new range hood, subway tile backsplash, and under cabinet halogen lighting in my kitchen! Read my "Busy As A Bee" post below for a description of what I did. (Or rather, what I paid someone to do.)

Cookin Up Love

So my kitchen isn't done being 'remodeled' yet but I had to test out my new range hood last night by cooking something that normally smokes up the house--just to see how well it would suck the air out. So I seared some chicken cutlets and made a creamy sauce with mushrooms, basil, and red bell peppers. It was divine. And no smoke escaped the 400 CFMs of my new hood. Happy day.

Busy As A Bee

I haven't blogged in over a month because life has been so busy I hardly have time to think these days. So what have I been up to since my last post?


Bought new living room furniture at IKEA. Love that dang store. I bought 2 chairs in a linen color and a dark brown couch. All three are from their Karlstad collection. Love em! I bought a brown couch because I figure when the kids drop their cup of orange juice from the kitchen table and it splatters everywhere it won't visibly stain the couch. The last couch (which is now in the play room) was stained with bright pink paint because the kids have some stupid paint spinner thing (they've been given two of those--by Winnie and Carolyn--thanks) and they didn't put the cover on one time when they used it. Pink paint everywhere. Hopefully the brown couch solves at least little grubby handprints stains. And chocolate stains too. (Notice the blowing snow storm out the window. Snow is evil.)



I've been busy with my calling. I think I've mentioned here before, or not, that I am the big P over YW in my ward. I've had camp meetings, leaderships trainings, snow activities, planning for New Beginnings, cooking service projects, youth conference meetings, Christmas caroling in the freezing weather, talks to give in sacrament, meeting, etc. I is tired.


To top it all off, I decided that now is the time to make my kitchen the way I would've made it had we built this home. So I hired an electrician and a handyman. They are here today. Nice mess they've made so far, don't you think? I am having a range hood installed that will vent to the outside. Hooray. I can finally cook the High-Roast Chicken from cooksillustrated.com at 500 degrees without setting off my smoke alarms anymore. And seared salmon too. I may just have to make pan roasted chicken breasts with a mushroom gravy to test it out tonight. The electrician is adding under cabinet lighting, adding an outlet in my pantry for a microwave, and fixing another outlet box in the house. Then the kitchen will be beautifully tiled in glossy white subway tiles. I tiled my old kitchen in the subway tiles and I have so missed them. I'll post pics when it's all done. Now if only my husband would give in and let me paint our knotty alder cabinets. Who puts rustic knotty cabinets in a classy craftsman home? Bugs me.



Add to this all the dang birthday parties my kids have been invited to, books reports to help them on, sewing orders to fill, piano recitals, ice skating lessons, and just the general running of a household. Oh yea, I turned 34 and my knees are starting to hurt from all the boot camp aerobics I've been doing this winter. Do I blame the aerobics or my age?

If You Feed Them They Will Come

Nobody asks for my parenting advice because they've seen my kids. Nobody asks for cleaning advice because they've seen my house. Nobody asks for hair advice because they've seen my unruly curls. But people ask my food advice and that makes up for all of it. In the last couple of days I've had a friend call me and ask how to cook a good steak and which to buy, my sister called and asked about what potatoes to use for viccysoise, and I just received an email from Paul's uncle telling me that he tried the butternut squash soup recipe on my food blog and that it turned out great. Next he was tackling the curry. Well, now we're talking!

Paul and I had our annual Christmas party at our house just last Saturday and it was a big ol' success. A few years ago I noticed that nobody has Christmas parties anymore so I set out to change that. Or maybe nobody invites US to their Christmas parties. Well if the mountain won't come to Mohammad.....So we invited 40 people and 34 came!! Our house is roomey, but not that roomey! People were crammed everywhere and for that I felt badly. That's never happened before--usually only half come because it's Christmastime and everybody is too busy. Who's too busy for a party? Did they come in droves because we are loved and adored by many? Maybe it's the fact that the invitation had one catch-your-eye phrase on it "Mexican dinner served." So we fed 34 people a dinner of tostadas, refried beans, and rice. It was a load of fun. Who doesn't like food smothered in hot sauce and cheese? Crazy people, that's who. That's my Christmas present to my friends and neighbors. Instead of a plate of sugary treats that are rarely edible, we feed 'em bacon fat infused beans and fried pork carnitas. Now you know why they came.

Inspector Gadget

My little Nathan has always had a knack when it comes to building things and fixing things. When he was 3 years old he found a screwdriver and took apart Patty’s electric piano. Patty had lent it to me and Nathan watched us put it together. So obviously he just did the reverse of what he watched us do. He carefully removed the legs and proudly showed us his handiwork. Nathan is also very good at building things—particularly with his Legos. Not too long ago he built this depiction of Lehi’s vision of the Tree of Life. For you non-LDS folk out there, it’s a story from the Book of Mormon. We had read that story for family scripture study and Nathan soon afterwards built this wonderful rendition of the Tree of Life. I like how Luke and Obi Won are holding onto the iron rod but Anakin and Han Solo are drowning in the evil abyss.

Well, Nathan is 9-years old now, and he has done it again. I bought a DVD player at Wal-Mart this week for the upstairs TV. That TV doesn’t have any reception so movies are about all it is good for. Anyway, on my way home from Wal-Mart I am thinking with dread that I have to hook this dang machine up. I am terrible at stuff like this. Oh sure, I can read a sewing pattern successfully but I can hardly put together my Ikea finds. But then I remembered that Nathan is Inspector Gadget. When he came home from school I handed him the box and said, “I know you can hook this up.” He immediately told me that he wasn’t sure if it would work because that TV is old and it probably didn’t have the right cable hook ups in the back. (Winnie donated this TV to us and a garbage can donated it to her.) Nathan came down 15 minutes later, announced that the TV didn’t have the right hook-ups, but that he routed the cables through the VCR. (The VCR eats tapes now but we’ll keep it just to run the DVD player. Good grief.) So there we have it. Nathan can hardly answer the phone with more than a cave man grunt, but by golly, that boy can fix/build/connect anything. As Nathan always says about my dad, “Grandpa can fix anything.” Guess it’s all in the family.

Color Me Happy!

I hit my 100th sale on etsy yesterday. Don't have much to say about that. Just want all my friends to be happy for me. I should celebrate. Think I'll go shopping at fabric.com. I'm ill and need help.

Shuffle Me Righteous

I always listen to my ipod while I am upstairs in my studio. (Studio sounds hip and creative, sewing room sounds dull and domestic.) I park the iPod in the docking station and hit shuffle. Putting the ipod on shuffle alone has been quite entertaining. I have all the recent conference talks on there as well as my usual secular music. You see where this is going, don’t ya? As Arsenio Hall used to say, some things make you go “hmmmm…”. Well, I have been going hmmmm a lot lately as I try to read some symbolism into how my iPod shuffles everything. After all, I am LDS and we LDS types likes to see symbolism in everything because it makes for good talks. Here’s a great combo: Sister Beck’s talk called “Mothers Who Know” will come on, and then it is followed by Chris Isaak’s “Wicked Game.” (As a side note—Sister Beck’s talk comes on at least once a day, quite frequently if you ask me for having hundreds of songs on the iPod. It must mean something. But then I realize I put her talk on there twice, hence the frequency it is played.) As I am ironing the seams open on my project, my mind drifts into a sort of stream of consciousness. I wonder if Sister Beck would approve of Chris Isaak. Oh sure, “Wicked Game” isn’t a bad song but if she had seen the music video—the one in black and white, similar to a Calvin Cline underwear commercial on a beach, then I know she wouldn’t approve. Goodness, i don't approve. That video is porn! Would there ever be a venue where we have conference talks followed by a mean rendition on the electric keyboard of “Everybody's Changing” by Keane? (The keyboardist in Keane acts like a drummer in that video. Watch it. Easy Killer. )I think that could seriously help my attention span with such weightier matters. Kind of like a reward for being good. I know, I know, sounds a bit irreverent, but in the privacy of my own studio it’s ok to combine conference talks with heathen music, outside of my studio, wrong. Hey, don’t judge me, I need all the spiritual help I can get.

Never Ever in the Whole Wide World

Have you ever played that game with a large crowd where you go around the room and say things that you have never done, but that most others have? Well, I have a few that always push me closer to winning the game. Here they are:

1. I’ve never been in the hospital. (This always wins me the game in a room full of women!)
2. I’ve never watched an entire football game. Ever. I don’t even know the rules and don’t care to. I went to a BYU football game once as a freshman with my roommates thinking this is it—I’m going to learn to like football now that I’m in college. I left at halftime out of pure boredom. I come from a family where we all hate football--men as well as women. My parents loved the L.A. Dodgers during the 80s, so that was the extent seeing sports on tv. (Then I got married.)
3. I’ve never really liked candy. Pies and cakes yes, candy no. Even as a kid I would never eat all my Halloween candy. It would kind of go stale eventually. (I make up for it by baking all the time.)
4. I’ve never been on a horse. Don’t have much to say about this one. Just haven’t.
5. I’ve never seen a Shrek movie. This may sound like a weird ‘never’ but it seems like Shrek is everywhere these days with the release of Shrek 17, but whatever. Just the cover of the movie makes me wanna hurl. I’ve also never seen Pollyanna, or The Breakfast Club. Ilene has now fallen in love with Pollyanna and is quoting it, but it looks boring to me. Even as a kid it looked boring.
6. I’ve never been water skiing or snow skiing. I’ve had many opportunities to try these sports but am too afraid. And frankly, it looks more fearful than fun. I know, it’s wrong living in Utah and not being a skier. But I will gladly move out of the state lest my being here means I have to learn to ski.
7. I’ve never worn a bikini—have never even shown my stomach the light of day—nor the light of a tanning salon. I found myself wishing more women could say this while I was lounging on the beaches of Hawaii this month. Blech.
8. I’ve never eaten nor purchased Hamburger Helper, Tuna Helper, Chili Helper, Fish Helper, whatever. My mom used to joke that if she made a helper ‘meal’ my dad would give her divorce papers. Just cause I say.
9. I have never received a speedy ticket. Thanks for reminding me of that, KyLeyne!

What have you never done? Come on, don't be shy.

Video Killed the Radio Star

Something scary happened the other day. Paul and I watched a video of our wedding day. We had never seen it. (Patty, my sister, had all of our family videos on tape transferred to DVD.) Now, this wasn’t a ‘wedding video’ per say. We didn’t have any moolah for such nonsense, so we just handed the video camera to different family members and they walked around taping everything. I noticed a few things on this video.

First of all, Paul and I definitely look older. My SIL Ilene quite often posts wedding/engagement pictures of her and Dan on her blog. They don’t look a day older. Those two are adorable. But Paul and I look completely different. Perhaps its because now I actually pluck my eyebrows, don’t wear burgundy lipstick anymore, and shy away from brocade dresses with puffed sleeves. Oh and my hair is 15 inches shorter. Maybe that’s why? Paul doesn’t part his hair in the middle nor puff it up anymore. Consequently, people don’t tell him anymore that he looks like David Bowie. Just a guess. I once told my hairstylist that there are a lot of fashion regrets I have of my wedding, to which she added, “Better to regret the fashion, and not regret the marriage.” Wise words from someone with scissors.

I also noticed on the video that Paul is still the same. Often on the video, he would touch my back to guide me this way or that way. Or lean in to talk to me quietly. He was tender then, and he still is. I think you can work through any problem in your marriage if you are kind and tender to each other. I think if there’s one thing (and maybe that’s the only thing) we’ve done right in our marriage thus far is to be kind and tender to one another. He’s been the example there. I'd like to think that Paul would still send me a note with David Bowie lyrics like he did in 1994: “One day I'm gonna write a poem in a letter; One day I'm gonna get that faculty together; Remember that everybody has to wait in line; Blue Jean-look out world you know I've got mine; She got Latin roots; She got everything.” I know, I've mentioned that in a previous blog already.

Paul and I will celebrate our 13th wedding anniversary next month and there is nothing I regret about that. Even if I did have Brooke Shields eyebrows on my wedding day.

Paradise Found

This is not going to be a typical run-down-of-a-vacation blog. I could write forever about the wonderful things we did in Hawaii but instead I'll simply give you a list of epiphanies that occured in my brain while we were in Hawaii.

• Day 2 of 7 on our trip: "This place is paradise but I could never live here becuase my hair is frizzy and ugly from the 90% humidity." It wouldn't even straighten with my flat iron set to 400 degrees.


• Realized my kids would never eat a bowl of cereal again if we lived in Hawaii because all cereals (even generic nasty ones) were $6.50 a box and milk was $7.00 a gallon.


• Was reminded once again that most people on this planet looked better with more clothes on rather than less. (Including myself.)


• Realized I ate mahi-mahi every time it was offered to me. Kind of like that guy on "SuperSize Me". If they offered to super size his fries, he had to say yes. I made that my rule concerning mahi-mahi. Server: "Our special today is grilled mahi-mahi with a thai chili sauce." Me: "I must have that."


• Realized that the word Mahalo (Thank you) is used everywhere. It's even written on 'rubbish' cans!


• Realized 4 airports in 18 hours is not for me. How do flight attendants do it? Also realized plenty of people drink booze on airplanes at 6am. (The plane was heading to Vegas.)


• Realized it is possible for a mom to read 4 novels in 6 days. (Sans children of course.)


• Once again was humiliated in asking for a fork to replace the chopsticks given to me due to lack of chopstick talent at many, many restaurants.


• Realized that when it's over 85 degrees in Hawaii, that's all people talk about. Me to the airport ticket agent on Kono: "How are you". Ticket agent: "Fine but this heat is awful."


• Realized that 85 degrees is the perfect temperature for my body--day and night. That was heaven. Turn off the air, open the doors, and let the love flow in.


• Realized the 20 plus hours I worked on my tan was all for naught seeing as I am always covered from wrists to ankles in the winter here in Utah.

Don't Quote Me On That

Inspired by that mom on youtube.com who made up lyrics to the William Tell Overture, I've been keeping track of what words come out of MY mouth to my kids. It ain't pretty.

That’s not a song, quit playing it on the piano! ......... Use your legs and walk down the stairs to talk to me! ........... Anything left on the stairs by bedtime goes in the garbage ............. Get those frosted mini wheats off of the couch ............. Spit out that wad of gum (an entire pack) before you choke to death ....... Life will stink next week while you’re gone (to Paul) ......... I’m going potty by myself. Get out ........... Why is an entire box of Krispy Kreme donuts in your bed? ........... Get out of the chocolate chips ............ What’s all this powder on your bed? Pop rocks? ........... Buckle the body ............ If you can’t find any soap to wash your body just use the bubbles in the water left from the shampoo ............ You don’t want the vinaigrette here at Brick Oven, Ilene, it’s no good. (To the server) No offense ....... Quit eating just the raisins out of the Raisin Bran .......... Why did you beat a 1,000 scratches into the piano bench with a naked Barbie?...... If you keep talking (at night) I’m taking away the radio .......... You’re not wearing the bunny costume to the Post Office.

Fine Photography

I have no desire to be a photographer but I am completely enamored with fine photography. I just bought this tulip photo off of etsy.com. I framed it and wanted to share it with you all. I think it's glorious and not just because tulips are my favorite flower. (You knew that, right honey?) My father is an amateur photographer (who takes my family photo each year) and my brother, Mike Harrington, is a professional one for Super Chevy Magazine. Mike took the photo on the right of the clouds at sunset. (Yes, I know that is a huge wall and it could use more frames--I'm getting there.) That picture was taken at Heart Bar campground where as kids we camped at least 100 times. My dad and bro are super duper talented in this area. Thank goodness because I am slowly filling my house with framed art from those I know and those I wish I knew. Hooray for artists.

50th Sale on Etsy

Most of you know I have been selling on etsy.com for about 6 weeks now. I thought I’d tell ya a little bit about what I’ve learned as I’ve just about hit my 50th sale.

1. I’ve learned that some customers want a bargain no matter what. I’m sorry but it you have $150 to spend on three of my purses you don’t need to ask for a shipping discount! You loaded!
2. I’ve learned that to ship to Singapore is a rip-off. Is the package being delivered by elephant? Why so much moo-lah?
3. I’ve learned that I can make as much money as I want to. Meaning, if I could sew 4 hours a day I could make a lot more. This is quite the trial for me as I am a good capitalist American and LOVE to make money. There is literally a devil on one shoulder telling me that money is everything and an angel on the other shoulder telling me to read to my kids and clean my house. Nobody pays me to clean my toilets but people will pay me to make ‘em some pillows. Curse housework.
4. I’ve learned that compared to many other sellers on etsy.com I sell pretty normal stuff. These mesh glasses are the weirdest item I’ve seen yet.
5. I’ve learned to love the post office. They ain’t as evil as I thought. (Except of course for the ones who shoot people dead when they’re having a bad day.)
6. I’ve learned this week that I earned enough money to pay for myself to go to Hawaii! (Leaving in 15 days, not that I’m counting.) Hip hip hooray!

Future Arsonist

On Saturday I took Nathan to get his haircut—just the two of us. When I drove around alone with Nathan I try to keep the radio turned off so that this boy who doesn’t talk much may actually talk! Here is our conversation:

Nathan: Mom, if somebody didn’t want their house anymore, and wanted to build a new house, they wouldn’t have to tear it down. They could just burn it down!
Mom: No, Nathan. I don’t think someone is allowed to just burn their house down.
Nathan: Why not? Because it might catch someone else’s house on fire?
Mom: Yes, but also, most people, including us, don’t own our home outright yet. We are still making payments to the bank, so really, it’s the bank’s house and they don’t want us burning their stuff down.
Nathan: But once you pay it off, and it’s yours, you could burn it down right?
Mom: Nathan, why would someone pay off their house only to want to burn it down?

Nathan: Maybe it’s old and they don’t like it. Maybe they want to build a new house!
Mom: In that case, they could just re-decorate it. Or move. People don’t usually burn their houses down when they are tired of them. Houses are just too expensive for that.
Nathan: Oh. Well, if it's illegal to burn it down, how could they tear it down? With a big wrecking crane?

Mom: Sure, whatever.

Maybe I should just keep the radio on.

Reverse Deja Vu

If it's possible to be in a situation where you feel you have been there before, isn't it possible to be in a situation and already be looking back at yourself years from now? I had that kind of moment today. It is a glorious fall day, the leaves are changing colors and beginning to fall. Hallie wanted to walk to get Nathan and Ilene at the bus stop today. So we walked off, hand in hand, down the street. The breeze was blowing, Hallie was singing, the leaves were falling. As we approached Nathan and Ilene, Hallie ran to them and they had a group hug. As the four of us walked home I noticed Ilene had a rip with a grass stain on her knee (click on photo above to see it in full glory) so we talked about what kind of fun patch we could put over it. In that moment, life was grand. I looked forward 20 years and realized I wouldn't always have three little friends who needed me that would hold my hand as I walked down the street. It was a good memory to file away in my brain because I know in five minutes someone will be screaming, "She's touching me..."

Dammit Doll

I like to download free sewing patterns on the internet because I am a cheapskate. I definitely shy away from the more crafty projects (lavender eye masks and kitty tunnels) and focus in on useful sewing projects (headbands and aprons.) But tonight I ran across a crafty sewing pattern that I just had to share with you all. Get ready to wipe away tears of laughter. (I swear I am making one for my sister Carolyn--the road rage doll, different poem than below. Umm-humm. )

When you want to kick the desk

or throw the phone and shout.

Here's a little dammit doll you cannot do without.

Just grasp it firmly by the legs,

and find a place to slam it.

And as you whack it's stuffing out, yell,

"dammit, dammit, dammit!"

It's worth a try! They have all kinds of poems on the website.

Farewell to Nemo

Nathan’s beta fish Nemo went to the giant fishbowl in the sky this week. He was a good Beta fish. He never made noise and never looked angry—always a happy fish. He lived a long life—3 years. It seems just like yesterday my sister Patricia took Nathan to Wal-Mart and let him buy a pet fish. (Was my permission even asked about this leap into pethood? Nope. Shame on Patricia!) Nonetheless, I let Nathan keep Nemo thinking he’d be dead in a month. On the contrary, Nemo proved to be near immortal. He once survived a trip down the garbage disposal. Were it not for the quick thinking and agile hands of Paul who quickly unscrewed the garbage disposal from underneath, ripping it off practically, and dumping Nemo safely into a cup of water, the fish would’ve suffered an ignominious death. He had a lot to brag about after that experience (Nemo that is.) After all, how many fish go down pipes and live? Nemo also survived out of water for a length of time, how long we’ll never know. His tank was being cleaned so he safely, we thought, rested in a cup of water on the sink. We had to run an errand and when we came back we noticed Nemo was no longer in the cup. He had flopped out onto the counter. We quickly put him back into a deeper cup of water, although it was now obvious he didn’t need water to survive. Nemo was definitely no ordinary beta fish. God bless him.

Amy Butler Apron

Is it too housewife-y to wear an apron all day? Because I have been wearing this apron all day. I'm loving all the sewing projects in my new book, In Stitches. Although I don't think I'm brave enough to wear the apron over jeans out in public like in this photo to the right. I made it this morning at 4am when I couldn't sleep. (Surprise, surprise, I'm the worst sleeper ever. I've already blogged about that.)

I made sure I added the pocket because I once read that if you clean the house wearing an apron with pockets you'll be more efficient. You'll load up the pockets with all the odds and ends--rubberbands and crayons in my house) and then put them all away in one trip after you're done picking up . Will adding this pocket make my house organized the way buying an ab-roller makes one skinny? You're right, should've added ten pockets.