I Heart This Chair!

Faced with our upcoming move from Cairo, I am taking inventory of the actual furniture we own. It isn't much. We moved here with a crib, a twin bed and a toddler bed. And our wonderful La-Z Boy. We put our queen sized bed & a little table with 4 chairs in the company provided storage. **That's it. That's all, that's all there is!** Our place here is furnished. So, I get the enviable task of choosing furniture for the next place of residence. I've got a little folder in my "Bookmarks" tab labeled, "Stuff I like". Oh, I like, I like a lot! Some stuff, too much. So there's the "Reality furnishings" and "Dream Furnishings". This chair is borderline. Ideally, I would have my own powder room & walk-in closet. This little beauty would be in the corner just exuding awesomeness! But right now, I just don't have a place for it. So there it will sit, in my dream furnishings folder, waiting for the right time.






**name that song!**

One flew over the Cuckoo's nest

I thought I'd branch out a bit and do a movie review. This movie, though, isn't going to be around, in the form that we own, for much longer. There are quite a few variations of CleanFlicks around. We even went through this Canadian video editing company. All of them do a great job. Unfortunately, they are going out of business. ALL of them. We've amassed our collection due to their going-out-of-business sales. And really, at $6.97 a DVD, that's cheaper than renting it twice (which happens frequently b/c Mommy didn't finish) We received a new batch just after the New Year and so began our sojourn into "new movie" nights.

So far, we've only managed to see 3 in the last month. We watched "One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest" on Tuesday night. The main character is Jack Nicholson circa 1975 so he looks like a baby. Although, if we're going to start calling names, the rest of his groupies in the mental institution (Danny DeVito, Christopher Lloyd and Vincent Schiavelli to name a few) looked like newborn babes compared to him. I liked the story; it took a little figuring out though, which I kind of like. Is Jack Nicholson really crazy or is he pretending? Spence & I made bets early on whether or not he is or isn't. The premise is that R.P. McMurphy (Nicholson) is brought to the mental institution to be evaluated for mental instability. Up until 10 minutes earlier, he had been incarcerated.

I thought the whole movie was a hoot. Was it supposed to be a comedy? I don't think so. I don't know, there could have been A LOT more character development. It was easy enough to follow. I'm sure it wasn't intended as a complete comedy, but really, every time Danny DeVito walked into the scene, he only comes up to everyone elbows! This was definitely before he became a big ticket movie star and the camera was banned from doing full body shots. Oh my, and his character was this squinty eyed guy with the mental capacity of a 3 year old. If he wasn't slapping the monopoly hotels down wherever he wanted; he was shoving the dice in his mouth faster than Lifesavers.

(playing BlackJack)
Danny: "Hit me!"
Jack: "You don't need a card, you've got 20."
Danny: "Hit me! Hit me!"

My other favorite character was a huge bear of a guy that Nicholson called "Chief". Supposedly, he was a deaf/mute Indian. Jack treated him otherwise; teaching him how to play basketball, including him in "group activities", etc. Chief plays dumb, but I called it, he really can hear and talk. I still don't completely know why he was in there. Probably because I was too busy giggling at Christopher Lloyd egging on the paranoid, neurotic playing Monopoly with a drooling Danny DeVito! Chief is a loyal friend to Nicholson, staying by him through wild parties and double lobotomies. In the end, he does R.P. McMurphy a favor and puts him out of his misery. I'm sure the unedited version has much more language and filth; but from what I saw, it was an enjoyable, albeit at times, odd movie evening. Stay tuned for future reviews!

It's all about the numbers . . .

Ok, this is it. My 100th post. I've been putting it off, wanting this to be a real "something" and the problem is . . . I think I have too many ideas! It would be easy if this blog were food themed; I'd pick my top 100 recipes. Or if I only did crafts, pictures, movies, book reviews or underwater basket weaving. I thought about all of my interests, there are waaaay too many (thank you ADD) and I can list my #1 from each category for this past year. (except for the basket weaving)

#1 Recipe: It's so hard to pick just one. Do I go fancy or simple? Dinner or dessert? Here it is. I picked something simple and sweet. (is there any other combination?) And DO strain the curd, it makes a world of difference. Oh, and it takes about 15 minutes MAX. I dolloped this on a Nilla wafer, sprinkled a tiny bit of the zest on top and it looked seriously professional. Like I really knew what I was doing!

Lemon Curd <-- it's a linky to the original recipe

Ingredients
2 Tbsp finely minced lemon zest (about 2 medium lemons)
2 large egg yolks, lightly beaten
3 large whole eggs, lightly beaten
1 stick/4 oz/8 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted
3/4 cup granulated sugar (about 6 oz)
1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (about 2-3 medium lemons)

Method
1. Whisk all ingredients together in a medium stainless steel saucepan.
2. Place the saucepan on the stove and turn on heat to medium (or medium-low if you are more timid). Stir constantly with a whisk until it starts to thicken a little. Make sure you are standing by your stove the entire time. Trust me, this is not the time to take breaks to watch tv or check on your laundry.
3. Once it starts to thicken, switch to a large flat-bottom spatula and stir frequently, making sure to scrape the bottom of pan so that the curd thickens evenly without burning the bottom.
4. Continue to stir and cook until very thick (about 6-10 minutes, if you're cooking on medium heat). It's pretty quick if you do it this way though you need to be vigilant for that time. It took me 8 minutes tops on medium heat.
5. Strain the curd (yes, you must do this if you want a really smooth and pretty lemon curd) into a bowl.
6. Cover with plastic wrap right on the surface of the curd (to prevent a skin from forming) and chill.

Favorite posts about the kids:
Eliza - - This is a wonderful poem she wrote.
Mairyn - - She made a lovely comment insinuating that I am a 3 armed alien.
Grant - - One of my favorite Grant-isms.
Jacqueline - - This is a video of her saying her name.

#1 Craft: I made quite a few of these dolls. I found the pattern in this random "Easy-to-make Early American Folk Dolls" book I got at a gift shop in SLC. They are so simple. I'll do a future post about the process next time I make one.


#1 Picture: Again, the dilemma proves daunting. Nature, people, things, etc. Don't worry, you'll get more in the future. This picture is of a column in Aswan, Egypt at the Philae Temple that I took in February 2008.


#1 Movie: Oh geez, picking a favorite movie. Well, since we don't have current shows here, we don't really watch that much T.V. or cinema. My favorite find this past year was the series Lost. Seriously. I. Love. It. Period. And it's so much better watching it on DVD than live, that way we can just move right on to the next episode to see if Locke really is going to die. But start from the very beginning or you're lost right along with them. Ha, I kill me.

#1 Book: As I said before, picking a favorite something would be like choosing a favorite child (although there are days when one shines above the rest! ;-) This book shines above the rest in recent memory. It's called "The Glass Castle" by Jeannette Walls. Great book, read the wiki page. 'nuff said.

**This has been a 100th post by Lydia and I approve this message**

Milestones

Well, this is a milestone I've been in a little bit of denial about. I kind of thought the calendar just ended on January 25th, 2009 and that's that. Then I would never turn 30. I don't know, birthdays are weird. When I turned 18, I thought, ok, now I'm an adult. But I didn't feel any different than if I was 16. Then when breached the barrier into the 20's, still no "change". I had a real identity crisis when I was 25 and had 3 kids and a minivan! Yikes. But even now, I still don't "feel" like the adult. Should I? I don't think so. It reminds me of this car commercial. I don't remember the car or anything, all I remember is this guy narrating & saying,

"When did I become the person saying, 'Don't eat that off the floor!' when I'm really thinking, '10 second rule.'"

Exactly. Also, I was a little disappointed that I didn't reach another milestone today. I was trying really hard to make the two coincide. My 30th birthday and 100 posts. I am at 99 posts with this one today. I just didn't have anything to post about and I can't post just for the sake of numbers. I had already named this post & I couldn't think of a better title so it stayed that way. Besides, I wouldn't want to waste all the celebration on just one day!

Sunday Quotations

"Home should be a haven of love. Honor, courtesy, and respect symbolize love and characterize the righteous family. . . . "Where love is, there is no disputation. Where love is, there is no contention. Where love is, there God will be also."

President Thomas S. Monson

I've been thinking a lot about home lately. "Home is where the heart is." (or wherever your household goods are delivered!) We are in the process of getting our house in order; ready to be packed up this April. We have A LOT of crap. (future posts on that) But this all is more in the category of your "house or apartment". Home really is a state of mind, feeling or sense of being. Home is where you feel safe, home is your sanctuary, a hide-away from the world. And I think it is one of the things I protect most. When I get overwhelmed by mess or chaos in the house, I have to remind myself to take a step back. Then I ask myself this these questions, "Are my kids happy? Am I happy? Is this going to matter in the eternities?" If the answers are "Yes, yes and no." then everything o-kizzay. I actually have two quotes today. The other is from a book (that is no longer in print) called "Families are Forever . . . if I can just get through today." By Janice Madsen Weinheimer. She had 9 children; a girl, twins (boy & girl), twins (boy & girl), triplets (3 girls) and then 1 girl. And the book is generally about her tips and tricks to raising a large family. This is one quote that I call to mind frequently. When she was overwhelmed by the mess and temporal trials, she would tell herself,

"You can't take this clean house with you when you die."

That's right. When your children are grown and gone, will they remember if the Tupperware was organized or that you took the time to have family game night or a movie just because? Will they remember that their underwear was ironed and folded? (although i don't know in which dimension that would EVER be a reality) Or that they felt cherished, loved & safe? Think about it.


*this last summer's family picture, NOT my favorite, but everyone else looks great.

Two weeks later . . .

**Warning: Grant's Fingers Ahead**

Now, I'm not grossed out by his healing fingers. Some may not share the same opinion. The only time his injuries made my stomach churn was when it first happened. Spencer came running to me with Grant in his arms, holding out his smoking fingers. There was black, gooey plastic melted all over his fingers and in his wounds, and yeah, I just about lost it. That's when we knew it was time to call the doctor. It's surprising, I'm not that squeamish anymore. I remember when my sisters would throw up and I'd feel like heaving, too. I'd wonder, "How does my Mom do it? I couldn't scoop up barf and NOT lose my own cookies!" And needles, ugh, I could hardly look at one when someone else is getting poked. So naturally, when I'm pregnant, I need lots of shots. Rhogam, etc. Now, I just roll up the sleeve (or pull down the waistband) and take it! Bloodshed? I'm fine. Grant's bitten through his lip again? Wipe it up and give him a popsicle. My kids have done it all: stitches, casts, IVs, burns and bumps. I don't know if I've reached the point where I can give a shot to one of my kids, but I can at least look at the needle or blood and not feel faint.

This was supposed to be a complete collage. It is not. See the little blue, blank space in the corner? That's where the "healed" picture was supposed to go. I haven't been able to pin Grant down and get a non-blurry one yet. And if I don't post this, I never will. But, he has healed up nicely. He's got a wicked cool scar on his left index finger. It wraps around from top pad of his fingerprint down to around the front of his second knuckle. It looks very Frankenstein-ish. The left thumb and right index finger & thumb have these little windy valleys on his fingerprints. And really, I don't think these scars will last past his teens. I got burned once on the underside of my arm when I was 7 or so. It was big, blistery, yuck. I had a scar about the size of a silver dollar. It turned silvery and when I'd get cold or in the pool, it would turn purple. Vividly so. Then, late teens came I noticed that it had gone away. Poof! So, we'll see what's left in 10 years. I did read somewhere that women are more attracted to men with scars. Rrrar.

I feel pretty, oh so pretty!

It was time. The mane grew out of control. As was the girl. Day after day of fighting tangles, tears, wailing and gnashing of teeth. Enough, I say. Something has to be done. Jacqueline has been shorn of her long locks. But don't shed any tears for her (she did enough of that), it will be easier, for both of us!