Albertson's CAN Be Romantic!!

We were running out of milk, so tonight -- after dinner -- Max and I went to Albertson's to buy some. After all, it's better to buy it the night before you need it, rather than run to the grocery store early in the morning with sleepy eyes and bed smashed hair. Right?

We left the children at home and called this our mini-date night. Yippee!! Date night at Albertsons!!! We're living on the edge. You can call us the last of the romantics.... gazing at each other with the soft glow of the milk case softly reflecting in our eyes. Oooooh. It doesn't get any better than that, does it?

Well, tonight it actually did.

I had read on a friend's blog that she got a great deal on some Post cereal today and I thought that maybe, while we were there, buy a couple extra boxes for our food storage. So we found the cereal aisle and threw 5 boxes in.

On a whim, I decided that hey! If cereal is on sale, let's see what else we can get a good deal on. I grabbed this week's ad. We ended up walking around that store, back and forth -- forth and back for about an hour while we added good deal after good deal into the cart... and about 15 more boxes of cereal. (Yes, it was still romantic. Saving tons of money is the best aphrodisiac there is! *wink*wink*)

Before we knew it, the cart was bursting full of good deals and great items to put in food storage and our 72 hour kit. As well as food that Max can take with him when he goes out of town again -- so he doesn't have to eat out in restaurants too often.

We were mostly confident that we had gotten good deals... but exactly how good still needed to be seen. It was time to check-out.

Beep.... beep..... beep.... went the scanner (boy this is compelling writing, isn't it?) The checker joking around with us, winking at his wife as she walked by. Obviously we're not the only couple who finds romance in a big building surrounded by produce, fluorescent lights and canned food. Beep... beep... beep.....

Tension was building. Did we save money? Were we smart consumers? Will love conquer the big grocery bill?

Finally, the big moment arrived. Our checker looked at us and said that we had saved a bundle. (Do people really talk like that anymore?) We saved so much and had used so many receipts, it was unclear was the exact savings was... but we knew that we hit the jackpot.

I gave the man some cash, grabbed the receipts and ran for the car anxious to get home to a calculator so I could see the exact totals.... I think Max came along. By this time, all thoughts of romance and time alone had left my brain. All I could see were dollar signs and coupons.

Hurrying to put the soupy ice cream away and trying desperately to find enough space in the storage room for the 20 boxes of cereal (and popcorn, and pudding etc. etc.) I finally was able to sit down and work the numbers:

The total amount for the food we bought was: $191.75
The total amount I gave Albertson's was: $ 67.84
Which means the total amount I saved was: $123.91

HOLY COW!!!!

And all we needed was a couple gallons of milk and some time alone. Date night should happen more often! *wink*wink*

(Thanks, Julie, for the heads-up about the cereal sale!) :)

Kind of Quiet

Thorkgal commented to me how quiet this blog has been lately.

I guess it has been.

I have had a bit of a writer's block as well as a bit of a boring life. There hasn't been much to write about. However, I'm determined to write something today. It probably won't be fun or interesting, but there are a couple things rolling around in the empty spaces of my ole brain...

Owls:

I love owls. To me they are mysterious and aloof. They are also a bit scary. Once, when I was a kid, we were in the mountains of Montana hiking and an owl swooped down and tried to take our little dog. Thanks to the quick footedness of my mom, he was saved from being that owl's dinner and lived a long life of pampered luxury.

Now I have a pair of owls living in my neighborhood. I lay in bed at night and listen to them softly call to each other. It's amazing to hear. Yet, it's slightly ominous. I think: Why is there an owl out there? What is it eating? We don't live in the "country" where there are lots of various animals running around to feed on. We live "in town" where there are lots of house pets living nicely in people's yards. I have house pets living nicely in my own yard. I am terrified of letting my dog out at night. I'm afraid that the owl is going to swoop down and take her away. And even though my cat drives me batty, I can't imagine the horror of him being picked apart to feed the little baby owls I'm sure are going to hatch pretty soon. So I don't let him out at all.

These are morbid thoughts and probably over dramatic, but it's what runs around my brain at 2:30 a.m. when I hear these amazing creatures calling to each other.

Y.W.

We got the news last week that our YW board is going to be released this week. I AM SO SAD!!! I have loved serving with this group of girls and I'm not ready for it to end. I hoped and prayed that the new president would want me back... I'd take any calling: official eraser of the chalkboard, the chair lady, anything...

anything

but it's not going to happen. I am going to be released whether I like it or not.

The bright spot in all of it is that I still get to be Camp Director. I'm looking forward to that week in June that I get to have fun with all the girls.... one last time.

Pottery

My first pottery class has officially ended. I still have some glazing and firing that needs to be finished by next week, but other than that, I'm done!

I had a blast in this class. It was so fun getting my hands, face, hair, clothes filthy dirty each and every week. I didn't create a single piece of art, but created lots of little bowls. My favorite creation was a gravy bowl complete with a handle and spout. (yippee!)

Here's my little secret: I signed up for the next session of classes! Starting the end of April and into the first part of July, I will get to spend each Thursday night covered in mud again!! And the bonus is: Shackie and Thorkgal are signed up for the same class as well as the two ladies I took this class with. It will be fun to have such a fun group of people to hang out with each week. (Thork took the class before mine this semester and created some beautiful pieces. I'm excited to take the class with her so I can copy her!) ;-)

New Recipe

For mutual this week, our YW board threw ourselves a going away party.

I made these absolutely delicious cookies. Believe me, you want me to share the recipe and you'll be so glad you made them!!!

White Chocolate Raspberry Cookies

7 oz white chocolate baking bar

1/2 cup butter, softened

1 cup sugar

1 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

2 eggs

2 3/4 cup flour

1/2 cup seedless raspberry jam

Preheat oven to 375*. Lightly grease a cookie sheet; set aside. In a small heavy saucepan, heat and stir 4 oz of the white chocolate bar over low heat until smooth. Cool. (I did it in the microwave. It was fine.)

In a large mixing bowl, beat butter with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Add sugar, baking soda and salt. Beat until combined, scraping sides of bowl occasionally.

Beat in eggs and melted white baking bar until combined. Stir in flour.

Drop by rounded teaspoons, 2 inches apart onto the cookie sheet. Bake for 7-9 min or until cookies are lightly browned around edges. Let stand for 1 min on cookie sheet. Transfer to wire rack and let cool.

Just before serving, melt the raspberry jam in a small saucepan over low heat. Spoon about 1/2 teaspoon of jam on top of each cookie. (oops! I forgot to melt the jam. It was fine.) Melt the remaining white chocolate until smooth. Drizzle over cookies. If necessary, refrigerate cookies about 15 min or until drizzle is firm.

ENJOY!!!!

********

I'm looking forward to Max being home all week next week!!

?

Inigo just made the announcement:

"I've got to go get some piercings!"

and

"I'm in a war right now."

Sometimes I'd like to get inside his brain. Then I realize it's better if I don't.

Poor Johnny Cash. He probably wants to take that Ring of Fire and wrap it around Adam Lambert's neck.

Yuck.

You Light Up My Life

Tonight we were putting our shoes on so we could run to Walmart when

FLICKER FLICKER

went the lights in the dining room.

FLICKER FLICKER

they went again.

Right as I looked directly at the lightbulb it had one last

GASP

and it went dark and the house went totally silent --

no more humm from the refrigerator, no more fan running from the fireplace.

Okay, the house didn't go totally silent.

I heard from the resident 6 year old:

HEY!! WHO TURNED OFF THE LIGHTS?

Because I'm lazy and I didn't want to go to the garage and pull the rope thing that disengages the garage door opener, we decided to skip the trip to Walmart. (Buttercup can wait a day or two for the hair straightener she thinks she can't live without.)

It was still too early to get ready for and go to bed (8:00 pm) so Inigo and I decided to turn the evening into a party. We got out the half burned Christmas candles and several tea lights (on small plates) and lit them. Inigo made up a new game called...

CONCENTRATE.

Please don't confuse this new game with CONCENTRATION. That's incorrect.

And he will tell you, "IT'S CONCENTRATE!!!!"

I'm still not exactly sure how to play it, but he demonstrated it beautifully.

While Inigo concentrated and I snapped photos, Buttercup read by candle light. She really didn't want to "CONCENTRATE" on anything, but I was okay with that. She was at least in the room with us!

And I snapped photos of her.

Eventually we got out the game Trouble and played it (backwards: you start at the finish) and when that was done (or started?!?) we moved to the piano and sang some Broadway. We were just finishing up reading a story when the lights came back on.... nearly blinding us by their brilliance.

It was especially bright because Inigo wouldn't believe that the power was out through the entire house and flipped every light switch he could find to the "on" position.

Buttercup immediately put the book down and headed to finish watching DWTS and take another quiz on Facebook. Inigo disappeared... presumably to turn off all the lights he turned on and I was left alone with the smoke from the newly blown out candles wafting morosely around me.

Sometimes, I wish the power would go out and STAY OUT!!!

Inigo demonstrates the new game of "CONCENTRATE"

Family Fun

We had a couple hours at my sister, Red's, house in Orem before we headed to the Temple (see previous post). My parents were there hanging out. Mom is still recovering from that nasty cold that swept through our local valley and Dad was busy nailing a chair rail to the wall in Red's library/office...

We pulled him away from his saw and compressor long enough to grab some lunch and head to the local park for some fun and sun. It was a BEAUTIFUL DAY!!!! It made us hungry for spring... since we're still encased in snow and cold weather here in Florin. It actually got up to about 60*. Max thinks he got his first bald-head sunburn at the park. I was jealous. I just got more wrinkles and sun damage.





Inigo gets a little "put out" by the camera always being pointed in his direction. He thinks the photographer is picking on him. If he took time to notice, he would realize that it's NOT always pointed at him and he might be a little grateful for some "face time." But until that happens, we occasionally get pictures that look like this. You can hear him say, "GAH!! I DON'T WANT MY PICTURE TAKEN!"


Thanks Red, M&D for letting us crash the party for a while!! It was nice soaking up some vitamin D with you. However, next time I hope to plan a little better to have more available time so I can hang with you, the MG -- SJA.

Eternal Sunshine

This weekend we had a quick trip to Draper for the Temple open house. I mean QUICK!!

It's our goal to take the children to as many temple open houses as we can and when we realized that this was the last weekend for this particular open house... well... we panicked. We got online to get some (free) tickets and --of course-- there were none available. We knew that when our own Florinian temple had the open house, tickets weren't really needed and they let everyone who showed up take a tour. However, when we went to the open house three hours west, we were asked for tickets.


We had a 50/50 chance that we'd be able to get in. We decided it was worth the risk.


We packed quickly and headed south.

Our plan (if you can call it a plan) was to spend a couple hours with family in Orem and head for Draper during the "dinner hour." Our thinking was that most families would be at home eating between the hours of 5 and 6:30 pm so we would have a better chance of getting through the doors.


HA!!!


We got there between 4:30 and 5:00 and parked at the first church we could find. We were ushered into the cultural hall that was PACKED to capacity. No one asked to see a piece of paper or a ticket or anything. So we felt blessed in that area.


After waiting about an hour we were finally able to start the tour. It was different, but nice. Different because we didn't wear little white "booties." Different because it was a "non-speaking" tour, which meant we just walked through with the (huge) crowd. But the temple was beautiful and a nice place to be with my family.


And I got our family picture for March.



Inigo shows us his yoga pose while we wait for the tour.



Buttercup was more cerebral: She played with Max's Ipod Touch while we waited.

Buses took us from the church to the Temple.


It was a spontaneous overnight trip, but it was well worth it.

Her Parents Must Be Proud

Thank you Thorkgal for sending me this link:



Day of Faith: Personal Quests for a Purpose - 3. Rachel Esplin from Harvard Hillel on Vimeo.

PLEASE Don't Quit Your Day Job, Dear!

I shouldn't post this, but I have to.

It makes me laugh..... hard.

I think only my family will truly appreciate it.

WARNING: Make sure there are no dogs or cats in the room while this is playing. They might start howling!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DkdRd_J__GQ

I Can See Clearly Now!

Inigo BEFORE school today:

Inigo AFTER school today:

We had no idea he was going to look so different today.

Last week, on Thursday, his school did vision screening for the kindergarten. The screeners (optometrists) noticed that his right eye wasn't seeing well (20/70) and suggested that we take him for a complete eye exam.

I wasn't worried. Buttercup had an eye exam at the same age and the doctor (a quack) told us she was basically blind and that her glasses would eventually end up being as thick as coke bottles. This happened at the same time we were moving to Florin, so I made an appointment with our local eye doctor to continue with her treatment.

Imagine my surprise, when the doctor said her eyes were fine. All kids, he said, have a natural near sightedness and she was no different from anyone else.

He glasses went into her drawer and she has not needed correction since.

I thought Inigo would be the same.

Which is proof that your children are as different as can be from each other.

Inigo has a right eye that doesn't work and a left eye that is doing all of the work. The right eye is not as bad as the original screening said... only about 20/40, but still bad enough that it needs corrected.

So there you go!

Exam and glasses all in one day.

Just proves that each day can provide you with something new and exciting!

Kittens.... Explained

I post this video in honor of our friend, Miss Doolittle, whom we found out tonight, is a cat whisperer. She, apparently, walks around her house and translates what her cat Jasmine is saying. (I think I can use Jasmine's real name here. I don't think it's a real safety risk....)