cheese on rye

'tis the season for making good things

2011-12-19T15:03:00.000-08:00

i love these people.

trick-or-treat, fools

2011-10-31T21:35:00.000-07:00

this year Ash and Tom learned a Halloween song i used to sing as a kid:

"H, A, double L, O, W, double E, N spells Halloween!"

it's sung in a minor key and stuff so it's spooky. plus, it helps you know how to spell Halloween!

Ash showered her subjects with continuous pink, English had trouble with tribbles, and Tom pitied all of the fools.

p.s. thanks to modern technology, i can post about Halloween on December 19 and no one is the wiser... until i tell you, wah ha ha ha!

N | M | A

2011-10-27T22:14:00.000-07:00

it's been four weeks now, so i think it's time to post about this new big thing...

museum school director, and i'm diggin' it. of course there is so much to learn and i remind myself regularly that it's all about pacing - one thing at a time - but i can see a little glimmer of the future and it looks awesome.

huge thanks to my lovely little family who wholeheartedly support this new adventure. and you are right, Ash. it is so fun to work in an art museum!

what a beautiful pear

2011-09-20T16:24:00.000-07:00

what do you do when life gives you a 40-pound box of ripe pears? make pear juice.

no, wait. scratch that.

what do you do with the 40-pound box of ripe pears that you ordered through the ward? core and peel a few halves to bottle (they are as beautiful as they are tasty), then make pear butter out of the rest! here's the new recipe i tried out. no need to peel the pears (yeah!) and it's so delicious!

it's so terribly satisfying

2011-09-13T13:45:00.001-07:00

to witness a car that's driving way too fast (especially on a residential 25 mph street) get pulled over by a cop. sweet justice.

a (sort of) short rant about smartphones

2011-09-06T14:01:00.002-07:00

i know smartphones are the way of the near future (not necessarily the far-future when no one will have cell phones, but that's a topic for a different post). anyhow, i know smartphones are the way of the near future and to be honest half of me would really like an iPhone. if it weren't so expensive to buy the phone and pay monthly for the data plan i'd probably have one by now. but the other half of me is bugged by smartphones. maybe it's because i don't have one. but it's definitely because of the "data plan required" business. if you're in the market for a new phone you have to buy the data plan. why can't i get a smartphone phone and just use it on my regular dataless plan? the folks at Verizon told me it was because smartphones update themselves and need the internet to do that. uh, that doesn't sound very smart to me. my dorky phone get updates and i don't have the internet on my phone.

now you may say to yourself, why would you want a smartphone if you couldn't really use all of its features? good point. but the thing is, when the time comes that i am in the market for a new phone if i don't want to buy a data plan my phone choices are quite slim. and i hate to say it but the non-data phones don't have the sleek design of the new smartphones. and i know they're doing that on purpose. of course i'm going to want great design. so i have to choose between great design + expensive data plan or an affordable plan + a dorky phone. and that, frankly, is really annoying.

a personal question

2011-09-02T16:40:00.000-07:00

what do you do with the extra frosting after the cake is finished? of course i'm talking homemade frosting. sorry folks, but the store bought stuff is not really frosting. sure it looks, even smells like real frosting. but it is not real. i know, i know. cake snobbery. but the fact remains.

anyway, back to the question at hand. do you toss it? spread it on graham crackers the next day for a poor man's sandwich cookie? keep it in the fridge for a few days because it is such good stuff but then finally toss it once you realize there will always be another tasty treat in your life? what do you do?

that was one awesome, butt-kickin' vacation

2011-08-17T14:25:00.000-07:00

Newport Beach, CA 2011: seven days of pure Johnson fun complete with loads of beach time, boogie boarding (riding froth, real waves, and tandem with Ash), singing at length about riding the froth, vacation 'staches for the guys, tide pools, a birthday party luau, SPF 15, Balboa Bars, Red Vines, Oreos, and the Vista Cruiser.

i ain't goin' in to work
gonna take the day off
we can stick it to the man
when we ride the froth...

we ride the froth (we ride, we ride the froth)

3 lovelies that caught my eye

2011-07-24T20:34:00.000-07:00

on a hike up Hunter Creek this week.

the Black Rock Desert (an overnighter)

2011-07-04T20:26:00.000-07:00

two hours northwest of Reno lies the Black Rock Desert. in the center of everything is a dry, flat lake bed larger than Lake Tahoe. it's home to land speed records, amateur rocket launches, and the infamous Burning Man event.

it also happens to be a great desert camping spot (bring lots of water). we arrived just before dusk. it was just cooling off and the light was phenomenal.

we parked the car on the outskirts of the playa near some dirt mounds. they were just the thing for exploring and playing. we also checked out the railroad tracks nearby.

the night was still, calm, and sublime with a huge sky filled with countless stars and a beautiful view of the Milky Way. Ash and Tom were thrilled looking for satellites and shooting stars. plus, we heard Tom laugh a genuine laugh in his sleep. the weather was perfect.

in the morning we chilled until the temperature started rising then we took off. we stoped to check out Guru Road, a little side stop with a bunch of sayings carved on rocks. most of them were pretty dorky but Tom found a happy one.

several times during the quick trip Ash said, "i like this place!" and we all agreed.

dial-a-temp

2011-06-25T14:20:00.000-07:00

when i was a kid there were a few times my mom made us wait until it was 100° outside before we could put on our swimming suits and fill up the mini pool (or run through the sprinklers or get out the slip n' slide). it was most likely a tactic she used to keep us from making a big mess or save herself from dealing with the whole shenanigan but i remember thinking that while it was frustrating, it was legit. this was back when you would "call the temperature," as we would say. yeah, you would dial a 7-digit phone number (from your yellow phone in the kitchen) and get a recorded voice saying, "the temperature is, ninety-seven degrees." we would call over and over getting more and more antsy as the temperature slowly crept higher. the anticipation was excruciating. let's call again! then finally... "the temperature is, one-hundred degrees." wah-hooooo!

here in Reno, after a rather drawn out cold and rainy spring, we've been long awaiting summer. but it's arrived and it's splendid. here's proof:

Tom's improvised bib will soon be all the rage in toddler fashion. keep your eyes peeled.

this week it hit 90° and the inflatable fish pool once again took its place in the back yard. so, keeping in the spirit of things, we check the temp on the computer and when it's 90° (or close enough - i can handle these two small kiddos) we throw on our suits and head for the fishy pool. we'll save the 100-degree days for chillin' at the Truckee river.

"planting your dreams, watching them grow..."

2011-06-20T09:22:00.000-07:00

when i was a working teen i had a great job at Wasatch Shadows plant nursery in Holladay. i loved that job - disliked my dufus of a boss - but loved working around trees, shrubs, flowers, ground covers, perennials, annuals, etc., etc. it was a great job because i was working outside! and when i was helping customers it was because they wanted to buy some plants and they were usually in a chipper mood.

another great thing about that job was that i learned a lot about all kinds of plants. of course i haven't retained all of it but i do remember quite a bit and it has served me well. for example, last week i decided it was time to make some improvements to our front porch area. as you can see it leaves much to me desired.

so i dug up several square feet of encroaching grass and 50 or so rocks that were embedded in the ground. (i think someone had made a path at one point with all those rocks but it was so many rocks. there was even a place where someone buried? their cool rock collection. neat rocks but a pain in neck to dig out.) then using a few of the best rocks from the pile and some other paving stones that were lying around in the back yard, i made a new boundary for the flower bed. and once that was done the fun began... time to pick out plants!

lavender, shasta daisies, salvia, coreopsis, catmint, osteospermum: flowering perennials! visiting the nursery was so much fun. the only let down was that i couldn't find any English daisies. oh, well. perhaps later. i don't think i'm overstepping by saying this is a huge improvement.

now i like to go sit on the porch and just look at the flowers. all i need a cool glass of limeade.

first camping trip of the season

2011-06-04T14:02:00.000-07:00

despite the fact that fickle spring is rubbing off on summer, we got out to Great Basin National Park this week. it was part one of our drive home on highway 50 (a.k.a. The Loneliest Road in America). the problem with driving four hours to a camping spot means it takes four hours for the kids to get their land legs back. but after a few spills and cries, we all rediscovered the joys of camping for another year.

Lehman Cave, one of several in Great Basin, was awesome. it was the first time for Ash, Tom and me in a cave like this. Ash and Tom got a special "Cave Cadet" button afterwards to pin on their jackets. i was only jealous for a couple hours.

our rest-stops on the road home were cool too; desert wild flowers, petroglyphs, and stunning views. i would highly recommend driving highway 50 through central Nevada if you've got a little extra time... "basin, range; basin, range; one mile of height between basin and range."

proud parent moment

2011-05-06T16:47:00.000-07:00

reason 843 why being a mom (and artist) is so awesome:

Ash made this drawing today and this is a first: face and body (complete with belly button, toes, and hands - so she could eat stuff, she said). it was her idea to have it say "Ash is funny" too.

we've taken up smoking cigarettes

2011-04-19T14:29:00.000-07:00

or at least our house smells like we have.

see, last Sunday i started a pot of black beans cooking on the stove (you can already see where this is going). they were dry beans so they needed to soak, sit, then simmer for a good four hours. i was being really efficient and i got them started well before church so they would only need an hour or so more once we got home.

church went well (Tom sat on and mushed a dried blueberry all over the church pew but that was manageable). i taught lesson #14 in gospel doctrine that went well and enjoyed watching a clip of "The Windows of Heaven" in relief society. as i was getting the kids into the car to head home a red flag went up: i forgot to turn off the beans before we left!

on the way home i was scanning the sky for plumes of smoke. however, it had all stayed in the house; there was about three feet of smoke hovering throughout the whole house when i opened the door. holy. smokes. Batman.

fortunately it was a windy day and the smoke cleared out in just a few minutes. but the smell remains. only now, instead of smelling like charred beans, it smells like cigarettes. i'll admit, cigarette smoke can be kind of nice sometimes since it reminds me of traveling outside the country, and i've had a lot of good times traveling. but we're going on 48 hours with this smell now despite my efforts with fans, baking soda, air fresheners, laundry, more baking soda, more laundry - not to mention all of our windows are open all day. now it's less of a charming-hotel-in-Paris smell and more of a smoking-guest-room-at-the-Days-Inn smell. i'm kind of on the brink of tears. okay, that's too dramatic, only it's true.

i have tried everything!

i just made some bread so at least now it smells like fresh bread and cigarettes. care for a glass of wine and some cheese? i just may.

airm chair vs. arm chair

2011-04-12T14:08:00.000-07:00

when English and i got married we were generously given several pieces of hand-me-down furniture. it was so great to have not just any couch but a really nice, classy (now antique) couch among lots of other good stuff. in the last ten years pieces have rotated in and out of our home as we've moved or grown or both. a chair that we have right now is one of those super comfy but kind of ugly things. it would be awesome in a shabby chic front room. but while my front room isn't magazine worthy, it's not shabby chic either. i haven't thought much about replacing it mostly because i haven't seen anything that i would really want to replace it with... until recently.

the question is, when you're poor students can you justify buying a new chair to replace an ugly, but functional chair? a true dilemma. :) isn't it a cool chair though? i've tried it out and it is super comfy. and i love that color.

i believe in spring

2011-04-05T14:09:00.000-07:00

it's springtime in Reno, which means we are being tormented with little windows of good weather here and there. but it's okay because the beautiful pink buds on the peach tree are starting to blossom, the goat heads are at their soft, innocent, green stage, and Peavine Fields looks like Scotland (okay, maybe that's a stretch but for the desert it looks lush).

on the colder, blustery days there is making bread, playing "greasy corn" (see previous post), and the NMA. right now there is an awesome exhibit of Leo Villareal's animated lights showing. perfect for all ages (kids 5 and under are free)!

and speaking of bread, i've found an artisan bread recipe that i really like. this is huge because making a simple crispy crust, chewy crumb bread has been a dream of mine for years. huzzah! check out these loaves! they turned out so nice and i didn't have to let the dough rise for ten years!

find the recipe on the agreeable recipe book.

and finally, for those of us who believe spring really is going to bust through this lousy weather any day now, here is my alternative for "once there was a snowman." we sang it today at preschool. it was a hit.

once there was a green grape, green grape, green grape,
once there was a green grape big and round.
in the sun she dried up, dried up, dried up.
now she's a golden raisin on the ground.

how to play "greasy corn"

2011-03-27T20:26:00.000-07:00

kids go hide somewhere in the house.
mom calls out, "where's my greasy corn?"
mom searches for the greasy corn (kids).
mom finds a corn, scoops them up, slathers them with more butter, salt and pepper and eats the greasy corn while the greasy corn laughs wildly.
mom then throws the greasy corn in the oven (on the couch) to bake.
repeat.

"when i'm 4 i'm a big kid and i can do so many things 'cause i'm big"

2011-03-22T08:50:00.000-07:00

you're spot on Ash. happy birthday to my best girl who loves pink, purple and blue, books, singing, using her imagination, and the Beatles.

fresh strawberry cupcakes with pink heart marshmallow strawberries (by the way, this cake was awesome... here is the recipe)

taking a spin and reading birthday books in the new princess dress Ash and i made (she is a fabulous assistant)

ten years

2011-03-13T14:08:00.000-07:00

"I'm so glad I found you, darling. Let's get married and we'll have a family, a family. Life is so wonderful."
- Mademoiselle, Joe Higgs

fear of planes

2011-03-07T15:27:00.000-08:00

i have a fear of planes. not flying, just planes. when i see an empty plane (especially an older one) just standing still (especially just on the side of the road for display) it really creeps me out. park a few together... even creepier. this doesn't really happen so much at the airport because most of those planes are in use. it's the big, heavy, metal shells that loom on the side of the road (like the ones parked in front of the Hill Air Force Base museum). those enormous bombers. ahhhh! the pointy fighter jets, yikes! but especially the really huge, heavy ones. so, so creepy.

celebrations

2011-03-01T13:21:00.000-08:00

Happy 2nd Birthday to Tom! thanks for joining us on President's day two years ago, bubba. Cookie Monster cupcakes, by Tom's request...

and Happy Marriage T.R. & Ari! you guys are swell together.

and some Valentine tulips that i must share. i love them.

hail the conquering heros

2011-02-19T13:06:00.000-08:00

Ash and Tom are now thumb-free! four weeks ago we had a pep talk, painted a little Mavala Stop (the harmless, yet effective thumb-sucking prevention nail polish, made in Switzerland) on each of their thumbs, and hoped for the best.

the first few days were a bit rocky. Tom gagged (and then threw up) in Costco on day one but we were in no way defeated... just a little stinky and sour on the way home. Ash woke up with "the bitter!" taste in her mouth for three or four nights but we stayed strong. both kids even got nasty colds - with fevers to boot - and they still made it through.

i think they had a handle on it after only a week but we kept the bitter polish on for three whole weeks just to be sure. and now, here we are! no more thumbs and two happy kids. we celebrated with some swirl-your-own frozen yogurt. good work kiddos.

our Sugar-Ball and Coco-Chum days are over

2011-01-18T12:31:00.000-08:00

well, we're at it again. the post-holiday sweets and treats fast has begun. yes, yes, it's been done in the past but i'm feeling a greater necessity this time. this year it's about change. serious, lasting, welcome change. over the last couple years i've been looking more at food - what we eat, how we grow/produce it, where it comes from and so on - and i'm feeling the need to get off the Western diet. we've been making progress here and there and it's been a good experience so far. but our addiction to treats (a.k.a. desserts, sweets, goodies, yum-yums, etc.) has stayed strong. so what was the straw that broke the camel's back? it was definitely the culmination of several things but it has one face: i give you the Berenstain Bears...

Ash got this book for Christmas (by her request) and after reading it, i was sold. there was something about the fact that it's a kids book and it was published in 1985 (five years after the national obesity rate skyrocketed and 15 years after the industrialization of food really exploded) that provided that extra push toward real change. and the time is now.

so, here we go. it's been two weeks since we've begun and i'll be honest - at first it was pretty rough. withdrawal headaches and frequent "visions of sugar plums" tormented us for about three days. Ash, and Tom especially, expressed their frustration much more vocally than English and i but we were all feeling it. however, by the end of that week, we were already feeling much better.

indeed, we still think about days (and treats) gone by, but the longing for coconut cake or chocolate chip cookies, etc., etc., etc. is gone. one thing that is helping the overall will and keeping morale high is that it's not a complete sugar fast. we will enjoy the occasional french toast breakfast with real maple syrup. we're looking forward to chocolate cupcakes for Tom's birthday and T.R. & Ari's wedding cake next month. we're re-training ourselves to enjoy these things on a limited basis - for special occasions. and the best part is that it makes perfect sense this time.

brothers & sisters

2011-01-13T13:22:00.000-08:00

To the outside world we all grow old. But not to brothers and sisters. We know each other as we always were . . . We live outside the touch of time. - Clara Ortega

my sister posted this on her blog and, well i had to do the same - especially since i just recently spent some good time with all of my siblings. i so love my brothers and sisters.

the lot of us in 1988

get 'em while you can, folks

2010-12-06T09:38:00.000-08:00

for you dark chocolate lovers out there...

i've seen these at the dollar store - but not the grocery store - perhaps you'll have better luck. snatch them up while supplies last. (indeed, i've gotten a few for myself already).

that's what i should have said!

2010-12-01T17:42:00.001-08:00

today at the grocery store a friendly fellow shopper started interacting with Ash and Tom. he said something typical like" how much you pay for 'em?" and stuff like that. then he asked their names and when Ash said hers he said, "Ash, for Ashley?"

Ash is already used to this question and she promptly responded, "just Ash." At that point the guy looked at me and said, "Ash? what a terrible name."

seriously? are you a social idiot or just a jerk (or both)?

i gave a shocked laugh and replied, "what a terrible thing to say. her name is Ash and we happen like it."

"so is it Ash for Ashley?"

"no. just Ash. like the beautiful tree." by now i'm annoyed and done.

then he says, quite genuinely concerned, "but what if some one mispronounces her name and says Ass? that wouldn't be good."

"yep." we start walking away a the guy says to Tom, "don't suck your thumb, it'll make your teeth poke out."

"he's going to be fine." (yeah, definitely both.)

now, i like people in general and i'm used to playing the whole game where the random person interacts with my kids at the store and i stand by as the omniscient narrator. but this guy pushed it too far. so at what point do you say, "alright, well that's enough" or "all done" or "yeah, don't talk to us anymore"? in hindsight it seems like it should have been said early on. i hate that.

oh, yeah! and Merry Christmas everyone!

paint the house

2010-11-19T12:42:00.000-08:00

about a month ago i asked our landlord to teach me karate. i just got so tired of people pushing me around, busting up my bike and stuff. anyway, the morning we were to begin training we met on my driveway. he handed me a paint brush and said, "paint the house. side-side." i was so ticked! i thought he was going to teach me karate. crazy old man!

the front: before and after

the back: before and after - and yes, i painted the sides of the house too.

fortunately Ash helped me out with the back - my forearms and wrists were killing me. as we were painting we decided to abandon the karate idea and go in together as luchadores. i think it's a sound decision.

and so, after about a month (with a total of 10 or so working days spread throughout) listening to several hours of This American Life, Radio Lab, and Radio West podcasts, which i really enjoyed, it's done... and just in time for snow to fly.

p.s. please say it's an improvement, even if you don't agree.

glow stick patterns

2010-11-14T22:35:00.000-08:00

two kids + glow sticks + crazy tunes + no lights + 20 second exposure =

it's starting to get night time

2010-11-12T12:25:00.000-08:00

a couple days ago as Ash, Tom and I were driving home (around 4:30pm) from running some errands Ash said, "Mom! it's getting dark too fast! it's too late." Ash, you are exactly right. i really like daylight savings. Arizona has the right idea.

Oo-de-lolly!

2010-11-02T13:35:00.000-07:00

it happens once every five or six years... two days of Halloween fun. hope y'all had a sweet one.

to the trees! (remember that line from Robin Hood, Price of Thieves? | robbing the rich

jack-o-lanterns + sugar skulls (Ash's idea to have the winking one - she's learning how to wink)

Tom goes for a mouthful of M&Ms | Ash savors the Smarties

standing up to the test of time

2010-10-20T21:50:00.000-07:00

what is your oldest article of clothing that you still wear on a regular basis?

i bought this shirt at the Salt Lake Greek Festival in 1996. i love this shirt and i still wear it - perfect for those summer months.

this photo was taken in May of 1997
young and in love - that hasn't changed much either

the runner-up is this orange fleece purchased in 2000, pictured here in 2008 at the Krishna Festival of Colors in Spanish Fork (look at little Asha). i wore this fleece a couple weeks ago. love that bright orange.

i also have a couple t-shirts, some button-downs, and a handful of sweaters (several of which are hand-knit by my G'ma Jones) at least a decade old but i can't say i wear them on a regular basis. and yet i don't plan on letting them go. they'll get another chance, if not two or three.

so now, what's your oldest article of clothing that you still wear on a regular basis?

burning the midnight oil

2010-10-13T21:21:00.001-07:00

last night while English worked on a midterm i stayed up way too late making these felted wool slippers for Ash. aren't they great? way better than any midterm.

lately Ash has been squeezing into last year's pair to do her slip-slide-spin dance moves and you know it's kind of cramping her style. plus, it's getting chilly around here and when you have no carpet in your house, like us, you need some good slippers. so yesterday evening i did a little research and decided to combine this idea from Martha plus this pattern (pattern II) i found for free. i was pretty excited to try it out. see, i was given a new sewing machine for my birthday (it's so quiet and smooth) and luckily i still had an old yellow ocher (my favorite color) sweater that i accidentally felted and could never part with (the perfect material to work with) and what do you know? my idea actually worked, Ash digs the slippers, i finally got to use my felted sweater, and this new sewing machine is awesome. while i could be better rested, i couldn't be more pleased. ding! (sparkle).

like the Love Boat

2010-10-11T13:03:00.000-07:00

hi all. just thought i'd post about my new and improved website here. i'm quite excited about it because it's pretty much everything i want and would have designed in a custom site and it's powered by Blogger, which means it'll be so incredibly easy to update! so now i'll really have to be good about making new work and publishing it. exciting! feel free to drop by and take a look. any feedback is greatly appreciated.

p.s. the old site is still up, but won't be for long. so if you were really in love with it, this is your chance to say your good-byes.

p.p.s. do you have the Love Boat song in your head now? bah-ha-ha-ha!

how 'bout them apples?

2010-10-04T20:26:00.000-07:00

ah, the fall. it's arrived. we had a beautiful Indian Summer but i'll admit the 93 degree days during the last week of September were a little, shall we say, much. but now, now it's cider weather. harvest weather. sweater weather. doughnut weather. yes!

we made these beauties to compliment fall conference. care for the recipe? visit the agreeable recipe book.

with fall came the rains... consistent rains for three days now. the last time i was in this much rain was two years ago in La Fortuna, Costa Rica. but we are soaking it up like desert dwellers. however, we did decide to harvest our pumpkins to avoid "the rot".

we got a good variety this year - even one white pumpkin. it was a great surprise.

and today we decided to visit Apple Hill (just over the mountains and down the winding road) with our pals. the last time i went apple picking was at U-Pick Phil's Apples in Massachusetts exactly 10 years ago.

Ash double-fisting her apple cider doughnut (heaven!) | lift, twist, pluck the golden delicious

Tom badgers the scarecrow | classic kids-on-the-rusted-out-machinery-on-the-farm photo

for more apple-picking fun, check out Mr. T picking apples with Conan O'Brien.

what would you do if a clown had a crush on you?

2010-09-29T15:35:00.000-07:00

we've been watching this little number for a couple of years now and well, we still can't get enough. no questions, just watch.

so, these are cute

2010-09-21T13:47:00.000-07:00

if you have baby girl feet in your life, momo baby footwear. the baby boy shoes are really cute too... but these are just, well the cutest shoes i've see for a while. so cute i couldn't help but post them.

did you say Gragle or Grey Eagle?

2010-09-17T13:03:00.000-07:00

well, it's Graeagle but some folks say Gragle, namely the young women in this here ward. we had some swell times on our High Adventure, which is perhaps a misnomer but all the alternative names we thought of were pretty dorky. i know, i know, you'd never expect dorky from a group like this but you win some, lose some. so we're keeping High Adventure. deal.

the chilly cold pool | "Big Booty" with a dance circle addition. who thought that up?

Big Bear Lake

overlooking Long Lake and feeling mighty chipper

Ash spots duckies at Salmon Lake | group rock jumping: for the brave only

some recent graphic design work

2010-09-03T21:59:00.001-07:00

this is a hit with everyone in my home-office. i'm getting great feedback.

see, this time of year i think we're all a bit tired of hot dogs and burgers... and that's coming from a genuine hot dog fan. so we decided on a baked potato bar. yeah, just like middle school, baby.

but you know i must be experiencing graphic design withdrawal when i take it upon myself to design a flier (that really only needed to be a map) for our upcoming activity. but hey, that's why they pay me the big bucks. what? you don't get paid for doing your calling? what church are you going to?

buying local

2010-08-19T13:04:00.000-07:00

this summer we've been participating in Reno's Great Basin CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) program. each week we pick up a box of wonderful produce all grown locally. we are really digging it. the last box we got was so inspiring... i had to take a photo.

pretty awesome, right? it's been fun to get creative when fruits and vegetables we're not familiar with (i.e. Armenian cucumber, Japanese eggplant, etc.) show up in the box. and these kids just can't get enough corn.

the epitome of summer

2010-08-09T14:22:00.000-07:00

camping at Lake Tahoe with family.

morning at the lake | bathing beauty

sand monster | E&K's underwater adventures with a crayfish

Tom tries his first ever (fire roasted) corn on the cob | and a chipmunk-photo-shout out to Julie Ann

Robin Hood & Little John walking through the forest

2010-07-29T21:07:00.001-07:00

when i was a kid my favorite Disney movie was Robin Hood. it still is to this day. so it's easy for me to let Ash indulge. yesterday she was talking about how her fox, who is called Robin these days, needed some clothes. so we made some... quickly... in about 30 minutes (don't ask to inspect my sewing. a C+ at best). we happened to have as stash of green corduroy and some felt and we used the DVD case as our example. Ash kept pointing out the necessary details. i tried to get away with a belt that tied but Ash would have none of it. "look, he's got a buckle, Mom." right you are, Ash!

also, (drum roll) i must take this opportunity to announce that Tom is officially walking. that's bipedal, folks. two weeks ago he decided walking was worth it he had no trouble balancing, turning, side-stepping, etc. he was totally holding out on us. but now he's a walking fiend. he looks so much bigger now that he's standing up a lot of the time (and the summer hair cut adds to that too). i love watching him get a kick out of walking for the sake of walking. what lovely kids.

all is well

2010-07-19T14:51:00.000-07:00

Pioneer Trek comes but once every four years. do you have your bonnet sewn?

hey, i'm not joking. this is serious stuff. just look at my face, not to mention Ash's face. get with the program. Tom, knock it off. are you a pioneer or not?

Lazarus

2010-07-05T22:38:00.000-07:00

thanks to a generous computer EMT pal of ours the contents of our old hard drive were rescued and restored to us (thank you ever so much)! it may seem silly but on that fateful day when i was told our old computer had crashed i felt like someone had died. it was a rather unsettling way to realize how attached i am to the photos and videos that document my life and that of my family. i'm telling you - get your computer backed up, my friends.

so now that we're complete again i can post a few photos from our San Fransisco trip that we took a month ago. (the post that so sadly got replaced by the double-whammy day). here, at last...

happy with sourdough | Chinatown market

Alcatraz in the distance | demonstrating tall in Muir Woods

hey there, photos... it's so good to have you back!

raging teenage hormones

2010-06-30T15:37:00.000-07:00

last night i went with some of my fiends... uh, i mean, friends to see the 12:15 showing of Eclipse (fortunately they still love and accept me even though i haven't read the books). today i have a painful zit in my philtrum (that nice little groove between my nose and upper lip).

can't deny it. that's one powerful movie.

full of action, sweet special effects, and some really great one-liners.

woah! Pyramind Lake!

2010-06-28T22:08:00.000-07:00

Pyramid Lake is like Lake Tahoe's red neck cousin and we really like it. English camped there when he came to check out UNR for the first time, we strolled along the lake's windy shores last Thanksgiving, and several of our native Nevadan friends have told us some pretty great (creepy) legends about the lake.

well last weekend we took our first summer venture to the lake and it was beautiful. as we crested the hill and the lake came into view Ash and Tom started yelling, "whoa! Pyramid Lake! whoa!" of course i had to join them. we took a dirt side road into Dago Bay and as we were driving in (at about 30 mph) i noticed a small creature high-tailing it right in front of us and keeping up with our truck. turns out it was a zebra-tailed lizard. these fiends can run five meters per second and at their fastest they become bipedal. certainly, the fastest lizard i've ever seen. we also saw a ladybug moving at a regular pace.

zebra-tailed lizard pic courtesy Wikipedia (i couldn't ever get close enough with my own camera)

ka-boom! ka-bam!

2010-06-20T21:07:00.000-07:00

yep. it's been a while.

so what do you do when you find out that your computer has crashed? (and the hard drive is inaccessible. gone.) and you get the news that the price of the repair on your car is more than what the car is worth? all in one day?

a. laugh out loud.
b. feel that sudden pang of loss and get disoriented walking away from the "Genius Bar" at the Apple store (they were very nice and helpful despite the end result).
c. curse the car.
d. feel that punch to the kidney from the price of a new computer + software, yes.
e. sulk.
f. go over your options again and again.
g. all of the above

answer: g

yeah. so we lost all of our photos. i'm tellin' ya, i saw it coming. fortunately i've been printing off the last five years of our digital library since January. i had one last batch (March 09 - December 09) that didn't make it. luckily i do have some of those on Picasa. but our little videos... gone. like i said, pang of loss. okay, i'm starting to get a little sad so i'll move on.

we're trying to keep in in perspective though because, well, there is still a lot of good stuff going on. heck, it's summer! we did have a lot of our stuff on an external hard drive. our new computer is really slick and we have a mega-external hard drive to back everything up now. the F-150 is still running so we're not stranded (although English usually ends up being the thing-in-the-back. thanks, love). we went camping up at beautiful Eagle Lake the day after the aforementioned, double-whammy day, which kept us from getting stuck in a funk. and the inflatable pool is out for its second summer. who doesn't like to swim in a pool with colorful fishes? sign me up for the season pass... it's free!

specs and trim

2010-05-23T09:55:00.000-07:00

you know that dreaded time when your car has one too many problems and you've spent a few too many dollars for the most recent repair and then the windshield wipers go on the fritz and well, you start dreaming of a new car even though you are very far away from purchasing one? that's me. and now that Hyundai* makes a crossover comparable to the Honda CR-V i find myself daydreaming about plenty of space and great gas mileage at an affordable price (in graphite grey)... sigh.

"some day, Jennifer. some day."

*ever since we replaced our "little Elantra that could" for our current car with a/c after we had Ash, i have often thought how i would definitely buy another Hyundai. and now that this thing exists, there is no question.

i still can't spell Albuquerque

2010-05-07T13:49:00.000-07:00

i'll admit, it's a little unfair that while English was studying, reading, writing, grading, and so forth Ash, Tom and i flew off to Albuquerque for fun and adventure. but finals week(s) are tough on a guy and his family so heck, why not change it up? it turned out to be a very good idea - although we missed English a whole lot - and i dare say it was a major success. in fact i think we are all experiencing some withdrawal, which is amplified by the inevitable sleep deprivation. but it was so much fun for Ash and Tom to be with their cousins and i loved kickin' it with Linds.

at the aquarium | desert blooms

a very obliging (and photogenic) lizard | a stupendous jump-off-the-couch game

good ol' Tinkertown| a bristly caterpillar we found

when you wish upon a star

2010-04-30T14:43:00.000-07:00

i bought a Bosch mixer. my dreams have come true. yes, yes. i've had it for about three weeks now and it's, well, awesome. i made the purchase over Easter weekend, which was also General Conference weekend and i got a GCW discount. where else could you get a Conference weekend special but Utah? a friend of mine here has a connection with a seller in Utah. complicated but well worth the discount. now i can make a 4-loaf batch of fresh bread (just made some this morning) with ease and i'll be honest, i love that machine. but i will refrain from writing sonnets about it. maybe a haiku...

five ingredients
left to rise, double in size.
simple. fresh. thanks, Bosch.

we've also been watching Pinocchio lately, hence the title.

for the beauty of the Earth

2010-04-23T05:53:00.000-07:00

for someone who has lived her entire life in the desert, a lot California - more specifically, Grass Valley - feels like a different country. last weekend our friends introduced us to this gorgeous, lush, pine-filled area of the Sierra and the wild flowers were in bloom.

Yuba River (where we spotted a bobcat) | Tom's future is bright

newt pond waterfall | Sierra newt with gold eyes

cat's ear | wild carnation

old covered bridge (Ash eating an apple)

dudleya | pretty face | purple Chinese house

lupine and ladybug

hiking up the grass stairs | if you get tired enough...

snakehead? | blue dick | white globe lily

Tom plays with a lizard tail (still moving) | hand prints

purple Chinese house pods

playing on the sand bar of the Yuba River

tree squirrel | a strong wind blew the kids over while napping

a 'vista point' on the way home

picnic in the charcoal forest

2010-04-10T20:49:00.000-07:00

a Saturday afternoon in the Sierra...

and looking forward to more.

shaking it off

2010-04-06T14:58:00.001-07:00

so i have a few thoughts about today, none of which would make a very interesting post on its own. so i'm letting them tag along at the end of this post of our Easter weekend.

i like Easter. so do these kids. we had a very nice, relaxing weekend dyeing eggs, searching for hidden Reese's peanut butter cups, watching some conference (first Sunday session of GC: President Uchtdorf's talk, awesome). since then, Ash and i have had at least one discussion a day about when we can have some candy and why we don't eat it for breakfast. but we do love those marshmallow Peeps!

today i got a ticket for going 26mph in a 15mph school zone. if i'm ever going to get a ticket for going too fast i'd prefer it to be in a school zone. however, (of course, there has to be a 'however') the major frustration here was that this school zone - in front of McQueen High - doesn't have the usual 15 mph sign with flashing lights. instead a small, 'FROM 7:00 AM TO 3:00PM' is printed under the standard 15 mph sign. yes, it's my fault i didn't see it. yes, i deserve the ticket. but it really, really ($255) bugs me. and i think they should get a couple yellow flashers over there.

but here's the weirdest part. as i was driving down the road, approaching the school zone a memory popped into my head: when i was about 17 i was in the car with my mom when she got a ticket for going 30 or so in a 25 mph zone on the way to my grandma's house. i remember thinking, come on cop. my mom is one of the best, safest, most speed limit-abiding drivers i know. this is not necessary. i was remembering how i felt bad for my mom when she got that ticket and then bam! real time. i see the motorcycle cop in the church parking lot and well, you know the rest. crazy. maybe my mom was trying to send me a message. i didn't get it quick enough, Mom. nuts!

but things are looking better. i just picked up the second batch of prints from our back-dated photo library. i made a goal a while back to get up to date printing our digital photos, then staying current. fall of 2004 through spring of 2007 is printed and in the process of being put into albums. that's pretty good, yeah? oh, and i'm a big fan of Costco's online photo center (13¢ a print!).

and though it doesn't quite equalize the stupid ticket, after thinking i was out of onions and forgetting to drop by the grocery store while we were running errands, i found one for the al pastor chicken tacos i'm making for dinner tonight. and the avocados are just right.

3 is a magic number

2010-03-30T22:32:00.001-07:00

yes it is. and though it sounds cliché, i can't believe she's three already. i love this little kid. she's my best girl in the whole world. and she really knows how to enjoy a party!

happy birthday, Ash!

ah, Yosemite

2010-03-23T14:35:00.000-07:00

there are few things more stunning than a massive solid granite rock formation. one of those few things is a massive solid granite rock formation with an incredible 2000+ foot waterfall cascading over its edge.

our spring break excursion to Yosemite with g'pa Rem was awesome (thanks!), Dramamine drowsiness and all (note: the less-drowsy formula does not mean non-drowsy formula).

example of an Ahwahneechee dwelling | hike up the Mist Trail

Tom enjoying the ride | Merced River with Bridalveil Falls

cooling off those feet | gardens at the Mariopsa Lodge

we're excited to go back again soon and see more of the park. oh, and i highly recommend staying at the Mariposa Lodge and the Pizza Factory in town is superb.

just around the corner

2010-03-12T14:55:00.000-08:00

remember the Frog and Toad story about spring being just around the corner? Frog goes out to find the right corner to look around so he can find spring. i think about that story every other day as we go from 55° and sunny to 31° and snow granules. i know it's out there... just around the corner... in the meantime these spectacular daffodils keep us steady. such beauty and color!

it also helps that we have received three packages this week (so much birthday and Easter fun in the air) - thanks! the last of the three was from our dear friend back in Sanpete. inside was a super soft, hand knit item for each of us that is perfect in this weather. the kids sported theirs right away.

and so, we look forward to the calmer side of March with a nine-year anniversary and a three-year-old birthday to enjoy between now and then. those are a couple of great corners to come around.

55 years later, it's still great

2010-03-11T20:33:00.000-08:00

when was the last time you watched Albert Lamorisse's The Red Balloon? up until 7:00 pm this evening it had been a good twenty-three years or so for me. but i just watched it with Ash and it's even better than i remembered. true, one of the reasons i liked it more was because i was watching it with my little Ash who really got into the story, asked several questions, and laughed every time anyone chased in vain after the balloon. but i also liked it more this time because i'm not seven years old and fixated on the part when those jerks stomp on his red balloon, forgetting all of the other great stuff. i guess that kind of thing happens when you're seven.

so check it out. there is a good reason it won so many awards back in 1956.

the breakfast of champions

2010-03-04T13:19:00.000-08:00

a while ago my sister posted on the painfully forced recipes found on the side panels of some (mostly no name brand) cereal boxes. and it's true. no one wants a dessert bar made of frosted mini wheats or a plate of Crunchy Peanut Chocolate drops.

but the box of store brand cereal i bought on Monday takes it up a notch. no, ten notches. oh, where to begin? please click on the image and take a closer look.

... or just use a pair of old pantyhose after you've properly exercised.

only 2 UPC symbols, folks. how many of these do you think will ship from the warehouse?

the staff of life

2010-02-21T14:53:00.000-08:00

this is what has been on my mind for the last four days:

it all started last Wednesday when we made bread with the yw. the 1st counselor's Bosch mixer was awesome, but thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's Bosch mixer. i always thought i'd get a kitchen aid to help me fulfill my bread-making dreams but i was wrong. someday, some how i will have a Bosch mixer.

we've talked before about how i am a bread snob and prefer Great Harvest bread above most, if not all other breads - especially their honey whole wheat. and you probably know that this superior bread costs more than your average loaf and a lot more than the WF cardboard bread i grew up on. i like to make bread as much a possible but since i do it all by hand, i'm not too consistent so i end up buying a lot of bread from Great Harvest. however, i'm hoping to put an end to that soon.

last year we got a state of the art wheat grinder for our birthdays (thanks Carolyn) and it's been so nice to have fresh ground flour not to mention the know how for grinding wheat. i have my recipe perfected and as close to GH as it gets. i did the math and in eight months a Bosch mixer would pay for itself. so i'm pretty excited to save up for one. yeah, nerdy. i'm blogging about it. but how much Bosch mixer talk can a guy take? (thanks English.)

in other news... the light dusting of snow that was forecast for today turned out to be 16 inches... and it's still falling at a steady rate. church was canceled (amen) and we worshiped in our snowsuits.

birthday sandwich

2010-02-17T16:05:00.000-08:00

Tom was born on President's Day last year, which is lucky because for the rest of his life he'll have a day near or on his birthday to celebrate free of school and/or work. and his first was no exception. it was a beautiful sunny day and we got out for a family run/ride. the cake was an experimental coconut layer cake (simply marvelous) and as i was frosting it Ash exclaimed, 'a cake sandwich!'

indeed, it was a big hit. Tom even rubbed some of it in his hair (a custom that dates back several centuries, i am told).

and the handmade-with-love-by-your-own-mom dog doll was well received too. happy first birthday, Tom!

so very proper

2010-02-12T14:53:00.000-08:00

upon my sister's recommendation recently i watched the new Masterpiece Theatre Classic Emma (you can watch it online through March 9th). it was superb. i loved it. that's no surprise.

i've never read an entire Jane Austen novel but i sure do love the movies based on them and this is no exception. great casting, costumes, cinematography, etc. i also highly recommend it.

Februarys past and present

2010-02-02T13:10:00.000-08:00

for the last several years February has meant some sort of travel or, more recently, birth days...

in February of 2004 we went to Jamaica with our good pals the Pages.
February 2005 it was San Fransisco with more good pals the Hurtados and in
February 2006 the Las Vegas Scooter Rally with the Hurtados again.
February 2007 was full of preparing for the coming of Ash.
February 2008 we visited St. George and L.A.
February 2009 we welcomed Tom to Ephraim (and this world).
and of course i never forget my older brother and younger sister with February birthdays and there is always Valentine's Day, which i love.

so it makes sense that i'm a bit antsy these last few days. not that i haven't tried - i've already started making plans for Tom's big one-year celebration cake. yes, it will be wonderful. but i'm really itching for a little more sun and some good old sight seeing. hmmmm, a long weekend west may be in store.

compelled to take action: a resolution

2010-01-27T13:51:00.000-08:00

the last few nights i've been having these dreams where my kids are in very precarious positions or about to cause some trouble. for example, this morning i dreamed that Tom is sitting in my window sill (which is five feet above the floor) reaching for a glass jar that will fall and break. right before the critical moment of these dreams i find myself waking up with outreached arms, slightly flustered. it's weird.

then a couple days ago my favorite wooden spoon that i bought at a market in Venice almost nine years ago cracked in half. bad luck or an omen?

also, my Lola plant has started to die. probably from over watering. it was such a pretty one.

so what lesson have i chosen to take from these random events? simply this: it is time to systematically go through the last five years of my digital photos and print out the good ones. then starting now, print the new ones off on a regular basis (i've decide every two months) and make real photo albums again. after all, digital is wonderful but as a friend of mine just experienced, it's painfully virtual.

checking in 2010

2010-01-13T12:54:00.000-08:00

i didn't know they had it in them but these two kids rocked the nine-hour drive between Reno and SLC out and back. the borrowed, last resort, trick-up-my-sleeve DVD player never made it out of the box. you know what this means now? English and i are getting ideas - summer vacation ideas - and they are grand indeed.

in the mean time, hope your Christmas was swell beyond words (like mine was) and here's to a healthful and prosperous new year.

these guys are just begging for a piano duet recital opportunity

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year

a Christmas pajamas story

2009-12-30T19:40:00.000-08:00

i ordered some cozy warm pajamas for Ash and Tom from oldnavy.com on the first of December. when the 14th rolled around i double checked my email, rather bugged by the delay. i mean, sure it's the holidays but come on. amazon sent me my package in less than 48 hours. so i track my package on UPS and come to find out, the package was delivered, on the 11th, on the porch in... Ephraim. noooooooooo! curse that conveniently stored account information (and my failure to notice that important shipping address detail)!

so i call our old landlord who says he'll check with the couple college guys renting our old place to see if they've seen a package with my name on it. he calls back with a nope so i ask if i might call (and put on a little more pressure). Lance is nice enough but says he hasn't seen anything. hmmmm, that's funny because the ups tracking is pretty reliable. so he says he'll ask Cam, his brother. oh, he found it.

then i call my good Ephraimite friend who says she'll drop by to pick it up. thank you! and bring it up north when she comes up for the holiday. thank you, thank you! we miss our first window to meet up and transfer the package, but eventually, after a Sunday drive, the pajamas are in my hands, and later on those cute kids.

moral of the story: blanket sleepers with snaps are no good. zippers are worth the hassle.

shall the youth of Zion falter?

2009-12-02T12:40:00.000-08:00

no!

this handout was in a stack of handouts i got at our auxiliary leadership meeting last month. it's awesome. any questions i had about being the new YW president have been answered. i feel confident and collected and kind of like Fashion Plates.

and here are some more great qualities...

now, a call for entries: more qualities of this great leader.

necessity is the mother of invention

2009-11-16T19:55:00.000-08:00

...or at least the excuse to ignore some product warnings.

sacrament meeting program cover

2009-11-13T12:03:00.000-08:00

this weirds me out.

everything's a-okay

2009-11-10T20:52:00.000-08:00

i recently finished reading Jim Henson: The Works, which is a fountain of information about anything Jim Henson did. it's one of those books that you can look at for hours till your neck gets tired... full of great images and lots of captions with anecdotes and trivia.

i'm a huge Jim Henson fan. of course i loved Sesame Street as a kid and never really stopped. i remember listing Sesame Street as my favorite TV show on those 'getting to know you' handouts for school right up into high school. in eighth grade i did my biography report on Jim Henson and dressed up with an eye-liner beard and all for the presentation. i've been Jim for Halloween (see two posts ago) and i've still got this Kermit in my possession.

and the tradition continues. Ash digs old school Sesame Street and episodes of The Muppet Show on a regular basis. she sings songs about capitol I, ladybug picnics, and disco d. she's a big fan of Harry Belafonte, Elton John, Julie Andrews, James Coburn and John Denver, not to mention a long list of Muppets. i love it.

today is Sesame Street's 40th anniversary and i'll admit i'm sentimental. i haven't seen the current episodes in years but i love, love the ones from my childhood. now that i'm a parent who has learned even more about Jim Henson, the other puppeteers and the Muppets i have an even greater appreciation for Sesame Street, and even more so Jim's creative genius. hat's off to you, Jim. i wish you were still around.

reason 121 to visit Reno

2009-11-06T13:02:00.000-08:00

when i asked the baker at The Perfect Donut if the jalapeño donut was good he replied, 'oh, it's hell good!'

we had to try one.

it's hell good. so is the crumb cake, the mini fritter, the standard maple...
Banbury Cross has never had such a close second.

best Halloween in years

2009-11-03T19:15:00.000-08:00

i have very fond memories of Halloween as a kid, back in the day when we ran up and down neighborhood streets with siblings and friends acquiring unholy amounts of candy in an old pillowcase or paper sack.

i'm the red clown in the middle (i'm pretty sure i'm wearing a winter coat underneath)

then there was those teenage years when i still really wanted to be involved but had the decency (or the pride... or the shame) to refrain from trick-or-treating. the older sibling tax came in handy those years and i enjoyed them too.

Halloween is still fun as we get older and we have the opportunity to see incredible costumes like the eight-foot Satan i saw one year at a party (actually, i'm convinced it was either Satan or thee best costume i shall ever see). but some of the magic inevitably gets lost and try as we might, some Halloweens are just barely not a drag.

my best friend and me as an old couple in '92 | English as Johnny Appleseed and me as Jim Henson in '05

not this year though. Halloween 2009 rekindled the spooky spirit like nothing before, thanks to a small close-to-three Grover, an 8-month-old Ear of Corn and the chance to do some good old-fashioned trick-or-treating.

i have to toot my own horn here and say that i made both of these costumes. Ash's is entirely from scratch using an old shirt of English's. it was quite then endeavor since i hadn't done any sewing in over seven years. needless to say i was so excited when it fit... and didn't fall apart! and Tom's well, he had a yellow shirt and some green pants and i love felt. he is the cutest ear of corn of all time.

because the costumes rocked, the pumpkins lacked some of the creative flare seen in years past but they lit up nice and smelled good as the candle flame singed the lids.

it was our first time participating in a trunk-or-treat and i wish we could have had a bit more daylight but the neighborhood trick-or-treating was great and Ash felt good about the stash (and so do i as i collect my Mom tax every once and a while).

i believe this is the rebirth of Halloween.

early autumn harvest

2009-10-16T20:41:00.000-07:00

the small peach tree in our back yard is a real trooper. it didn't get watered much over the summer since the house was empty so when we got here the peaches were so small we thought it was an apricot tree. once we started watering it and the fruit grew three branches broke because of the weight (should have thinned them peaches). yet, after all was said and done it yielded several bushels of sweet little freestone peaches. we ate them every day for a good two weeks. they were delicious. i love fruit trees.

if this fridge could talk

2009-09-29T19:58:00.000-07:00

the last issue of Orion magazine featured photographer Mark Menjivar. one of his recent projects titled, You Are What You Eat 'is a series of portraits made by examining the interiors of refrigerators in homes across the United States'. it was fascinating to see how people stocked (or didn't stock) their fridge and even more fascinating how much it said about those people.

here's another quote form the artist's statement and a few images (you'll want to click on each image so you can see it bigger and read the captions):

A refrigerator is both a private and a shared space. One person likened the question, "May I photograph the interior of your fridge?" to asking someone to pose nude for the camera. Each fridge is photographed "as is." Nothing added, nothing taken away.

These are portraits of the rich and the poor. Vegetarians, Republicans, members of the NRA, those left out, the under appreciated, former soldiers in Hitler’s SS, dreamers, and so much more. We never know the full story of one's life.

and here is my fridge - as is...

Stay At Home Mom/Artist | Reno, NV | 4-Person Household | feels like a kid in a candy store shopping at grocery stores in Reno compared to those in Sanpete County (and is making cheesecake for Friday)

so i'd like to encourage you all to do the same. send me your image (kelbelbrooksatgmaildotcom) and i'll post it or if you'd like to post it on your blog, please leave a comment letting me know you did so i can link to it. i'd like to see more.

and here are some more...

and some links to more:
• boiled pizza's

milestones

2009-09-24T14:56:00.000-07:00

tomorrow i turn 30.
yesterday i hung up the first cereal-glued-to-paper picture made by my own kiddo.

without a doubt this last decade gets five gold stars. not that it was free of hardship. it was not. but the highlights are so bright. i...
dove into married life with my best friend,
graduated with my BFA,
student taught with one of my greatest mentors at my alma mater, BHS,
traveled to eight countries,
worked one of my dream jobs - teaching art and doing graphic design - for four years,
brought two sweet babes into the world,
placed in two professional juried art exhibitions,
grew in so many ways (and surprised myself time and time again),
met so many wonderful and life-changing people who are still my friends,
and moved out of Utah for the first time in my life (to name a few).

i look forward with excitement to the next 10 years.

book report

2009-09-15T19:44:00.000-07:00

i finally finished The Omnivore's Dilemma last month. yeah, it took a while (those of you who notice my current read were probably thinking i'd forgotten to change it or something) but i had a baby and moved twice during that time so, you know.

i would recommend this book to everyone. Micheal Pollan talks about where food comes from and, even more important, why we should care. using first hand experiences with fast, organic, small farm and personally hunted and gathered food as his main structure Pollan works through the ethics, politics, economics and rhetoric of food production, food marketing and food consumption. he gives his opinion but leaves the reader plenty of room to form her own. and ultimately inspires the reader to eat better, which in Pollan's mind means consciously.

so the one question i'll ask here (to get you thinking about reading the book) is: what does it mean that our relationship with food - a relationship even more intimate than sex, the every stuff we're made out of - is more often mediated by its price, rather than its quality or origin?

this book will help you think it through... but you don't have to take my word for it. bah- nunt, nunt!

weekend highlights

2009-09-14T10:16:00.000-07:00

when i was a little kid our next door neighbors would vacation at Lake Tahoe. before i even knew where California or Nevada were i heard about how great Tahoe was. i totally wanted to go to Tahoe. every year it was Tahoe this and Tahoe that. eventually it got annoying and i kind of wanted to steer clear of 'Tahoe', still not knowing exactly what it was. but last Saturday we went to Lake Tahoe and it was swell (especially with the echoes of Tahoe this and Tahoe that in my mind).

then early Sunday morning we nabbed one of the last parking spots within close proximity to the Reno Balloon Races, walked right up to the park and watched as fifty or more hot air balloons lifted off. spectacular.

geez. it looks like we had a pretty fun weekend.

'what's the smells, Mom?'

2009-09-11T19:40:00.000-07:00

on July 7th i called Graco and made an order over the phone for two Pack N' Play mattresses. i gave them the model and serial numbers, payment info, etc. and was told i'd get them in three weeks. didn't happen. called again to check the order status and they said, three more weeks. nope. the next call was less a status check and more of a 'just send me a mattress. i don't care if it matches, i just want one that's not busted, please.' FedEx next day service. new mattress, doesn't match, no charge. great! two weeks later, another delivery: two more mattresses, definitely do not match, smell like Play Dough according to Ash, no charge. huh? a week later, another delivery: one more mattress, doesn't match, charged. wait, what?

i call Graco and ask about sending it back and getting a refund. they say no. (and forget to hit the mute button while explaining the situation to the supervisor, so i hear the customer service lady say, '...and now she doesn't want it. DUH!' some customer service.) so after nine weeks, four phone calls and three deliveries i have four mattresses, none of which are the ones i ordered. what the...?!

101° weather brings out the white trash in all of us

2009-08-20T21:09:00.003-07:00

the other half of the back yard is grass, i swear.

Reno, honey

2009-08-18T14:52:00.005-07:00

we made it! we're settling in and getting to know this area. it's a great little city and we're excited to explore. so far we've taken a couple trips to different spots on the Truckee river, English and Ash have run up to the R on the hill side, and tonight i'm going to Swenson's with the R.S. for 'the best ice cream around.' exciting times are ahead!

oh, and one of these days we'll hit the buffets.

p.s. does anyone know what must be sacrificed to the sleep gods in order to get a 2.5 year and 6 month old to sleep well for two (or, please bless us, several) consecutive nights?

camping compare and contrast

2009-07-22T10:07:00.010-07:00

my first overnight back packing trip was 21 miles in the Tetons with English and the BTBR when i was 18. it was a baptism by fire sort of experience but i was so in love that i only slightly noticed the pain. a couple things resulted indirectly from this 3-day hike: English + Kelly, and our subsequent back packing trips all over Utah and i love it.

now that Ash and Tom are hanging out with us, car camping is the best bet. our first ever family camping trip was up at Tanner's Flat a couple weeks ago. it was the perfect trial run because we knew that if all hell broke loose at any time during the camp out we could sail down the canyon and be home in 20 minutes. fortunately there was no need for a midnight drive. the kids were great and everyone thoroughly enjoyed themselves...

full of confidence we planned a couple days at Fish Lake last week. we rented a 'rustic' cabin and packed our swimmin' suits. unfortunately this trip didn't go as well. our cabin was on the main drag so anyone going to or from the marina passed our place. diesel engines and headlights through the window well past 10pm made sleeping quite a challenge. especially when very curious and attentive Ash kept whispering, 'what's that?' every time one went by. we're pretty low maintenance people so 'rustic' sounded fine. but these cabins weren't rustic simple, they were rustic crappy-beat-down-hear-the-guy-peeing-next-door. strike two. after a frustrated afternoon rest (i don't dare to call it a nap) amid maintenance sawing a drilling on the neighbors deck we decided to cut our losses and go home.

so we've learned a couple lessons from our experiences. 1) it's more important to be far from the road than miles from the city. 2) background noise is key (rushing waterfall vs. Dodge Ram). and while we don't mind waiting, we are excited for the day when the kids are big and strong enough to carry their own packs.

siblings

2009-06-20T13:28:00.004-07:00

can you tell they are related?

Ash, May 2007 | Thomas, May 2009

p.s. happy Father's Day

things i will miss about Sanpete County

2009-06-15T18:54:00.001-07:00

folks, but that goes without saying
cheap rent
big garden spot
no traffic
close proximity to everything in town
Juve's tacos
my morning walk route
spring
sunset in the spring (any day)
seeing lots of stars at night
the Pizza Gallery
people out enjoying their yards/neighborhoods
raw milk, grass-fed beef
rodeo & demolition derby
teaching at Snow
the CUAC
Skyline drive
trusted mechanics
views of Mt. Nebo
acres of juniper
testimonies about 'Pageant'
Sanpete BBQ
oolite limestone buildings
grammar, syntax and pronunciation idiosyncrasies (i.e. we was down to the Heriteege Festival with some folks from the wahrd.)
...to mention a few.

Ash with Count Von Count, spring, front yard, Ephraim

summer in the suburbs

2009-06-05T13:46:00.010-07:00

it's BBQ season and we're up in SLC for two months. May was prepare-to-move month among other things. we made millions at our Memorial Day weekend yard sale despite rain and the competing Swedish meatballs at the Heritage Festival. then within 48 hours Thomas and i were on a plane (Thomas sleeping on my shoulder and me watching Tom Cruise ooze testosterone on the jet fighter classic, Top Gun). we were off to the D.C. area to help my sister Ash and Jess and their brand spankin' new Oliver. it was great to be with the new little fam. Thomas lived a life of luxury sleeping in the hotel king sized bed and the two cousins enjoyed each others company.

mean while back home English and Ash packed up the remainder of our house and moved up north. needless to say it was a whirlwind week for all of us. when i got back to Utah i came home to Cottonwood Heights, home of my childhood. i never had the chance to say a proper good-bye to Ephraim so i plan on going back one more time.

it's been good though. we've already been to a couple summer parties and i took Ash to the aquarium yesterday. this will be a nice little stepping stone to Reno. i'll do a better job keeping you posted.

one love, one heart

2009-04-16T13:12:00.006-07:00

Ash has a Bob Marley shirt that our good pals the Pages gave her. she's a big fan of the shirt and as a result she's now a big fan of a handful of Bob Marley songs, mostly the early stuff. but she really likes the shirt and requests to wear it often: 'i like Bob Mahlee shirt, pease.'

a couple weeks ago Ash spilled some apple sauce down the front of herself - right onto Bob Marley's face. of course i was thinking of the mess and the oversight to put a bib on her but Ash had her heart in the right place. she looked down, scraped the blob of sauce from his screen-printed quarter profile and said, 'I'm sorry Bob Mahlee.'

home court advantage

2009-03-18T12:22:00.004-07:00

i've never been any good at basketball. as a teen i played on a semi-regular basis for our church's young women's team. i thought about playing well but in basketball the thought doesn't count for anything (unless you think to practice a lot and even then you may never improve your skills). my sister and i were reminiscing about those days of playing in our jean shorts, Keds, and the team-issued pastel t-shirt. go Brighton 7th Ward!

these days, however, i'm beginning to wonder if my lack of talent had more to do with awkward adolescence and less with real skill. see, i've got a box on my back porch where i toss dirty diapers (think diaper Genie but outside, cardboard and box-shaped). it's a pretty good solution to our 12+ diaper changes per day routine. no stink inside, one daily trip to the trash can, and no diaper pale to clean/air out. but what does that have to do with basketball? like i said, i toss the old diapers into the box from the back door and i get it in nine times out of ten... even left handed! that's pretty awesome, especially for someone who has been a homebody for the last four weeks (spring can't come soon enough, eh?).

but not as awesome as these two babe-a-pies. here Ash is reading The Amazing Bone, one of her faves, to Thomas and from the looks of things these are good times.

Snappy Tom

2009-02-26T19:56:00.002-08:00

just in case you didn't hear...

Thomas Serrano Brooks was born Monday, February 16, 2009.

test drive

2009-02-11T18:32:00.003-08:00

Ash tried out the cradle for baby brother. she wanted to make sure it passed the comfy test along with scores of quality assurance tests to determine if we're in compliance. she says it's good to go (which comes as no surprise since G'pa Kent made it). that settles it baby brother... we're ready when you are.

understanding your craving for a treat

2009-02-03T19:44:00.002-08:00

a new study* has shown that when you try to satisfy your craving for a specific treat with a lesser treat you will fail and be disappointed. so, if you are craving chocolate chip cookies, rather than eating a bowl of mini marshmallows or even worse, a piece of hard candy, make the chocolate chip cookies. oh, and thinking that a hand full of chocolate chips will do the trick just adds insult to injury.

*i have been working on this study for quite some time but haven't received the funding to make it legit: set up a control group, record data... things like that. so it's not official yet but it might as well be.

this is my favorite part

2009-01-30T10:52:00.002-08:00

oh, coldy!

2009-01-27T18:22:00.005-08:00

if you are too pregnant to put on your own ice skates, you're too pregnant to ice skate. but you can probably walk carefully on the ice in your shoes. i believe Ash liked riding with Dad better (think of It's a Small World verses Space Mountain).

pretty cool icicles.

if i were the cross stiching type...

2009-01-25T12:53:00.002-08:00

Never let a problem to be solved become more important than a person to be loved. - Monson

five weeks and counting

2009-01-14T17:50:00.005-08:00

the necessary preparations are being made. yep, this is what has been on my mind for the last several weeks and it's getting close. there's nothing like scrubbing a cookie sheet with steel wool until you can see your reflection to remind you of the inevitable. it's nice to be 'nesting' in January... keeps the seasonal affective disorder at bay. Ash and i hang out everyday playing, working on projects, watching the occasional episode of Old School Sesame Street (which i highly recommend). i'm really enjoying these days and i look forward to his coming into the world with much excitement and anticipation.

a Christmas tree story

2008-12-15T12:31:00.000-08:00

once upon a time Mom and Dad took Ash out to the Ranch to cut a little Christmas tree to take home and decorate. at first Ash thought it was a lame idea. after all, she really didn't know how exciting Christmas trees were.

however, it didn't take long before she stumbled upon an old ant hill, which changed her disposition rather quickly. ant hills have so much possibility!

the method of entertainment was rather simple yet so rewarding: dip mitten hands in ant hill, dust debris off on legs, repeat.

Ash realized how much fun cutting a Christmas tree can be and promised not to complain about her Mom and Dad's so-called lame ideas without trying them out first.

once at home, decorating the tree was another story. it was action packed and involved tiny lights and cool little Ash-sized things to hang up. not to mention all the Juniper berries to be picked off.

when it got dark and all the lights were shining, Ash smiled big and danced around. she named all of the ornaments and picked some more Juniper berries. what a good idea!

well, heck. would you look at that?

2008-12-12T15:31:00.005-08:00

more graphic design with super-short deadlines, hence my absence from cheese on rye. this time, however, i set some boundaries and i was able to manage it much better than last time. here's the inside page of the 11" x 17" bi-fold.

everyone in the Brooks household is happy to know it should be only post cards for a while.

2008 or 1978?

2008-11-20T18:12:00.004-08:00

November is prostate cancer awareness month. for a five days English wore a mustache to show his support. good man, seventies mustache.

back to back shows or art on demand

2008-11-13T18:25:00.012-08:00

last Thursday at 9:00 am the Art faculty started our second 24/7 show at Snow. the opening reception was Friday evening and quite a success with several big cheeses in attendance (not to mention several small cubed cheeses on the refreshments table). here's the card i designed for it.

for my piece i worked on a new dimension of the Movement Studies: patterns of movement in our domestic space (a.k.a. our kitchen and front room). the square represents the room itself and each colored line records the movement patterns of Ash, English or me within that room. i included a double-time video of the all the segments from which the drawings were made. it was a great show and i'm excited about this new work!

then this week i've been painting like a fiendish mom for the Manti Temple show at the Central Utah Art Center. the show is made up of a wide variety of Manti temple images by local artists. i just finished my painting today and the opening is... tomorrow evening!

while i was finishing it over the last few days Ash did a little painting herself. nice work, Ash! natural talent. but i just wasted my time making this photo all kitsch with the color on black and white. i'm such a nerd. look how serious this artist is.

i think i'll hang this up on my dorm, uh... i mean fridge (next to the hanging-upside-down-bouquet of dried roses).

Halloween 2008 report

2008-11-03T19:14:00.004-08:00

we finally had a swell Halloween after several years of rather underwhelming evenings (dressing up with no place to go... or worse, dressing up with only IHOP to go). this year, we were a ghost family: Ash was the cute ghost, English was the hobo ghost, and i was the pregnant ghost complete with baby ghost growing inside. after seeing the photos i noticed that my headpiece was quite reminiscent of a scuba diving nun, which isn't a bad thing necessarily with the whole pregnant nun joke and all, but still it wasn't really the look i was going for.

fortunately Ash stole the show wherever we went wishing folks a happy 'Hoween' and saying 'boo!' our scones turned out great, a Halloween tradition to be sure, and we still have a little stash o' leftover candy in the cupboard.

coming up - and staying up - for air

2008-10-27T19:15:00.007-07:00

what happened to the last two or three weeks? where did they go? or as Ash says, 'where-izt?'

i just finished working on a 28-page promotional booklet for Snow's Art Department. it was one of those projects that seems to linger over your head like a unassuming rain cloud then boom! you're drenched in a half a second. i caught a glimpse of what life could be like as a close to full-time work-from-home mom and it was grim. my sincerest apologies go out to Ash and English. we were all stretched to the limit and yet we pulled through. 'preciate cha.

this is by far the biggest graphic design piece i've ever done and i have to say i really think it rocks. i can't wait to get my hands on a hard copy. here's a sampling...

i also realized that while i love my computer and and the Adobe Creative Suite, i do wish i had an upgrade. i now understand how bittersweet it is to become 'Santa'. i mean, i really want to ask for these for Christmas.

hold the plastic, please

2008-10-09T12:35:00.007-07:00

the other day i bought a medium serving bowl, a pair of cheap sun glasses, and a chapstick at Wal*Mart. i'd forgotten to bring in one of our canvas bags so i planned on carrying everything out just inside the bowl. as the checker went to put it in a plastic bag a conversation took place:

me: 'oh, don't worry about putting it in a bag, i'll just carry it out.'
checker, looking at me like i'm an idiot, continuing to bag the bowl, then proceeding to double-bag the bowl.
me: 'no, really. i wouldn't like it in a bag, please.'
checker, hesitating but still double-bagging against my request.
by this time i realize there's no way i'm getting out of here without a bag.
me: 'it's okay, you don't need to double-bag it.'
checker: 'but what if the bag rips?'
me: 'i think it'll be okay.' plus i'm thinking, one extra layer of wimpy plastic bag isn't going to cushion a fall even if the first bag does rip and if the first bag rips then it isn't a suitable grocery bag at all!
checker, still double bagging...
me: 'please. i don't want two bags.
checker: 'but...'
me: 'it won't break and if it does, i won't hold you accountable.'
she stops double-bagging and scans the other items only to then put them in a separate plastic bag. what the...?
me: 'could you just put everything in that same bag.'
checker: 'okay. if that's what you want.'
me: 'yep.'

now, i understand that there is a protocol to bagging groceries. my sister, who was a bagger at Smith's, had to watch a training video on effective bagging: don't put the bread on the bottom, wrap raw meat in a separate plastic bag, put tender produce near the top, etc. all in an effort to get groceries home unscathed. that makes sense. but i think the checkers at Wal*Mart have taken that to mean only put two or three items in a bag and don't ever put a tube of toothpaste in with a box of crackers. one is food, the other is not.

sure, i think this over abundance of plastic bags and inefficient bagging is unnecessary. heck, i bring my own canvas bags with me to the store 9 out of 10 times. but what surprised me the most is that i was treated like i nut for not wanting a plastic bag in the first place. as if i were asking Arby's to hand over my beef n' cheddar without a wrapper... 'you can just put the fries right here in my hand.'

hey, that's not a bad idea. hmmmmm.

proof of God's existence

2008-10-06T12:28:00.003-07:00

yesterday afternoon we visited our friends' farm. it was an incredibly beautiful day: perfect fall weather, lighting, etc. on our little walk to the pond we stopped to watch some mules grazing in the pasture and Ash played with Chuck, the very friendly dog. the colors were magnificent.