Finally Friday!

1. I had to work today. (Fridays are my normal days off.) It feels so weird. But I'm working what normal people work, so this shouldn't feel as strange, right? wrong.

2. I've started (mostly in my head) going through all of our stuff in preparation for moving in 6 months. (Overachiever much? Not really. I just know I'm going to be procrastinating for a looong time. Headstart vs procrastination = maybe I come out even) I'm kinda sentimental about some things. It's been really fun to read some of the old papers I've kept. (more on that later)


3. We will be in NY in one week! I am getting more and more excited about going home. (read about some of our plans here and here).

4. We have lots of plans for the weekend. BYU vs Baylor basketball (so excited!), Jazz scrimmage, dinner with lots of family, church (and we are in nursery this week!) then a Christmas party. I have lots to get done tonight - lots of goodies to make, presents to finish, things to wrap.

5. I convinced David to let me buy and Xbox/Kinect. It's our big Christmas present for each other (which we have been using since Black Friday). It's pretty awesome. My favorite game is Dance Central. Here is one of my favorite pictures this week. (He will hate me for putting this up, but it just makes me laugh so much)

Happy Friday!

Pass it on. Pay it forward.

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Today I paid for the car behind me in the drive-through.

As I sat in line waiting to pay, I looked back and saw a dad with his 2 kids in the car. There was nothing unusual about him.
When I paid for them, the lady had to ask again what I wanted to do. She looked confused.
I paid, got my diet coke and drove off. I realllllllly wanted to look back and see his reaction. What would it be? Would he be surprised? Confused? Grateful? Would he think I'm a weirdo? Most likely the last one (which is why I didn't look).

But mostly I liked how I felt. The money didn't matter. His reaction shouldn't be important. I just liked feeling that maybe I had made someone's day better. That maybe he would pass that on down the drive-through line and that people paying for each other would just happen indefinitely. Like go on for infinity.

Okay, maybe not that long.
But that's how good I felt.

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hyhena (TM)

One of our friends always says common sayings/words wrong. We think they are pretty hilarious.

Yesterday was Andrew's birthday.

So here is the present we decided to give him.

The hyena I had to sketch freehand from a picture on the internet.

Trying to figure out the layout.

My pre-freezer paper template.

He thought Hyena had an 'h' - and that it was silent. haha

We are glad he can laugh about it too.

Freezer paper.

You cut out your image so it creates a stencil.

Freezer paper ironed onto the shirt.

Paint over your stencil. (I didn't have textile medium (long story) so I just diluted some acrylic paint so the consistency was kind of like milk.)

You are supposed to pull the freezer paper off while it is still wet - can anyone tell me why?

 Then you let it dry. (Or just use a hairdryer to speed things up...)

Sit back and admire the shirt that you just made. 

I kind of really love "hyhena" (TM).

It might possibly be the name of my future brand of something.

(I was inspired by this post. And now I really want to make that shirt too.)


Linking up here!

Christmas - the real reason

We had a really wonderful lesson in Relief Society on Sunday. Three different teachers taught about Christmas and it was so interesting to see their individual takes on it.
(Coincidentally, one mentioned art, one mentioned music, and one mentioned poetry - It was great.)

The whole lesson just got me thinking about Christmas, Christ, and everything in between. Here are snippets of my notes/thoughts on it.

Brian Kershisnik's The Nativity

We talked about this painting - which has Mary, Joseph, baby Jesus, and lots of angels. The angels bring up two things: 1)If you look closely, the faces of the angels have so many different reactions to it. Can you imagine how they all felt? 2) The thought that maybe we were there as angels - watching this significant moment happen.

Christ was born in a lowly stable, son of a carpenter, and was raised in a small town. He had no formal education, no political office and was not wealthy. The scribes and the pharisees missed his birth because it wasn't what they were expecting it to be. Are there distractions in our life that keep us from having Christ as the center of our lives? (A couple that were mentioned were time, technology, worrying so much about the small "to-dos" versus the big picture.)

Sometimes the most precious gifts of life are right in front of us but we cannot or will not see them. If we really want to remember the true meaning of Christmas, we need to focus our traditions on Christ. I've thought a lot about the traditions that I want to have when we have children of our own. One comment that was made was that we need to be intentional about these traditions. We need to see Christ in Christmas. President Uchtdorf, at his 2009 talk at Christmas devotional (it's really good), said this:

All of these spectacular displays and decorations that compete for our attention can be beautiful and uplifting, but if that’s all we see, then we’re missing something that’s in plain sight. Sometimes, despite our best intentions, we become so preoccupied with responsibilities, commitments, and the stress of our many tasks that we fail to see with our hearts that which is essential and most sacred.

It is incredible to see how much of Christmas has been created by the commercial world - the gift giving, the decorating, the parties. But underneath it all, there is a small quiet reason for celebrating. Because on Christmas, we were given the gift of having a Savior. Someone who came into this world to take our sins upon him. Someone who loves us unconditionally. And that Someone is what Christmas should be about. How holy that night was when our Savior entered this world. It's my goal this season to remember that.

I really love the looks on Mary and Joseph's faces here.
painting by Simon Dewey

Another really good talk by President Hinckley.

Also, one of the girls talked about how one of her Christmas traditions is to listen to "The Real Story of Christmas" by W. Cleon Skousen. (Available in book or audio cd here) 

I looked into it and it seems really good. I'm thisclose to ordering it for myself.

What to do?

As I was driving to work today, I saw a billboard for another marathon. (seriously, Utah has so many now.)
Every time I see these billboards, the ambitious side of me says YES.
It's on my bucket list. I really want to do one.
This one is for the Provo Marathon.
It is newer than like the Top of Utah or the Salt Lake Marathon, so it's not as hyped up.

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Problems that will probably come up if I sign up for it:
1. It is right around the time when we are moving out of our apartment, so it could just add to that stress.
2. My workday goes from 7am-6pm and what could be my running time is usually when I am driving to work. Making time to run would be a little bit difficult, but is this one of those things that I just need to sign up for to motivate me to make time for it?
3. David is also planning to take another big test around that time. (side note: I really don't like actuary tests. Mostly because they steal my husband from me when he is putting in his 150+ hours of studying...) So our house might fall apart because we would both be busy
4. I'm an awful runner. This could easily be one of the biggest FAILS of my year(s).

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I need your advice.

   Should I not be an overachiever and just not sign up and wait for another better time?
Should I not be as much of an overachiever and just do the half marathon?
   Or should I go for the big bang and just sign up and do it and kick-start my awesome marathon running career that we all know is just waiting for me?

Finally Friday.

1. My sister asked what my "unreasonable" wants for Christmas were.... A baby, a kitchen aid, a car without squeaky brakes (even though ours are new, they still squeak. ugh), and a vacation!  What are yours?
This is where I want to go right now:

no original source... anyone know?

2. There is a BIG test happening today. Please pray that the questions that are randomly chosen are not on the HARD HARD side. Hopefully they are middle ground - at least there is a shot that way. I'm nervous right now. I'm not even the one taking the test.

3. I've been crocheting up a storm at work in my down time making Christmas presents. And now everyone at work is starting their own crochet projects. It's like an epidemic here!
Also, how about this CROCHET wedding gown?!?

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I also really like this rug.

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4. We (I) finally put up our Christmas tree at work. Which is good because I don't think we are going to do one at home since we won't be here for Christmas. Basically it was a pre-lighted, pre-decorated tree that I just had to drag in from the storage unit outside and somehow put back together while it was all still tangled together. But I definitely felt in the Christmas spirit while hanging up all the ornaments that fell off. I also have tried to convince my office that it really is okay to sit with the lights off and the tree on. But no one believes me.
And I really like this no tree Christmas tree.

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5. Lately I've been putting french fries on my burger! It is so so good. You should try it. That was random I know.

It's finally friday!
Linking up here with E Tells Tales

Homestyle Cooking: Hamburger Gravy

This is one of my go-to meals. It's nothing fancy schmancy but it is pretty good.
I remember my mom making this fairly often when I was younger. It wasn't ever the meal I picked when it was my birthday and I got to choose dinner. BUT, every time she made this I always always wanted more.  And it really is the easiest dinner (excluding the really quick stuff like maybe mac and cheese, grilled cheese, smoothies, toast and eggs, etc.. I'm talking about DINNER dinner here.).
For example, I got home a little after 6 today because traffic was awful (THANK YOU, NEVER-ENDING CONSTRUCTION) and I stopped to get gas. This was ready to go by 6:40 - including defrosting the meat - when I went to get David.

[Note: I DID use a rice cooker so that helped cut down time, but I also changed clothes, got on twitter, emptied out some containers from the fridge, unloaded the dishwasher, partially loaded the dishwasher, put makeup on and ate a mini ice cream cone, so I think it all evens out somewhere in there....]

I know you might think it looks like a weird pot of mush, but I PROMISE it is delicious when you put it on rice/mashed potatoes and pair it with green vegetables (namely, broccoli or green beans). Green beans are my favorite, and I actually like to mix them in with the rice/gravy as I eat it. It's just so good.

[Second Note: My mom makes this with mashed potatoes and rice. I've done both and I usually keep the recipe the same(ish); she likes to replace the milk with water if she is having it with rice. I just like creamier stuff I guess...]

Ingredients:
1 lb hamburger (If it's more than 1 lb, just add extra milk/onion/and a little more butter/flour)
half of one onion (Sometimes I just forget about this, so if you don't like them leave them out!)
salt and pepper (to taste)
rice/mashed potatoes (*this is also a good recipe to use leftovers)
2 - 4 Tablespoons butter/margarine
1/4 - 1/3 cup flour
3 cups(?) milk (or chicken broth) - really, there is no set amount on this. You just add until you think you have enough (or if you want it thinner. With more meat, I always add more milk so it is less like stew.)
beef bouillon cubes - I usually put in 1 or 2 depending on how much meat it is. Do one at a time and taste it and then if you think you need the second, put it in! (I have also put in chicken bouillon cubes and there really isn't a noticeable difference.)

Directions:
Brown the hamburger and the onion together over medium heat - add some salt and pepper.
When it is done, add the butter/margarine until melted.
Then add the flour until it makes a mixture that starts sticking together. Then add a little more flour. Mix it in. Then add some milk and stir it until it thickens. This is where you add more milk if you want it thinner. I usually do.
Then add the bouillon cube(s) to taste (and salt and pepper to taste).

Then you are done!
Put on rice or mashed potatoes.
And go with the green beans.

Happy Monday!

Look what picture I found today while thumbing through a time-wasting magazine! I laughed so hard. Phil is one of our favorite characters in Modern Family.

Here are a couple good lines:

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Going Home (part 2): Walking My Vacation Away

By far the cheapest thing to do when going to NYC is to walk every where. Yes, you get tired. Yes, you look like a tourist if you are wearing sneakers to do it. Yes, it is worth it.
You come home physically exhausted but filled to the brim with the satisfaction of being a part of the energetic, bustling city. And that right there is what makes you get up the next day and go do it again.

Over the years as visitors have stayed with us, we've crossed off a lot of the "touristy" things to do. Like the Empire State Building, MoMA, Guggenheim, Statue of Liberty, Times Square, Natural History Museum (which I really love). But some things that are worth repeating - like the Brooklyn Bridge and Central Park.
So here's my list of potential things to do when we go back (in less than 3 weeks!):

the high line - a park that is built on unused train lines that goes over the meatpacking district.

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manor park - We went here fairly often in high school. It's not in NYC at all, it's up in Larchmont. If you click the link, there are some other gorgeous pictures of the park.

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botanical gardens/bronx zoo - they used to do holiday lights at the zoo, but I think it's been cancelled for a couple years. I found people saying it is happening, and people saying it isn't, so I don't know who to believe. But zoos are always fun.

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rockwood hall/rockefeller estate - I went here on a field trip in high school once. Taking a tour of the mansion costs money, but you can walk around rockwood hall (it is the summer home built by John D. Rockefeller's brother William. John built the huge mansion) for free and it is right on the Hudson river. Directions here

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Nutcracker Ballet - I've been twice and loved it. Tickets are a little bit pricey, so we probably won't go this year. Even though you know the story so well, it is enchanting to see it come alive.

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 chelsea market -- it's an indoor mall/food court. they also film some of the food network is on top level. Apparently the food is really good and there are decent shops too. I've never been, so I'd like to try.

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whispering arches in grand central station  - you stand in opposite corners of the archway and you can whisper sweet nothings to each other as if you were standing side-by-side!

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staten island ferry - it's a free ride across NY Harbor with great views of both the city and the Statue of Liberty. Best part: FREE. It will probably be pretty cold this year though.

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9/11 memorial -  The last couple times I came down to ground zero the construction fences blocked everything. Everyone is kind of standing around trying to get a glimpse inside. It will be nice to see the new memorial. If you want to go, it does require an advance pass but you can reserve one here.

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NY LDS temple - I worked at the open house for this temple as a teenager. I remember hearing a lot of the behind-the-scenes stories. It is so pretty inside. I'm always amazed at how you can walk from the noisy city into the temple and the noise is gone.

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chinatown - definitely a fun place to go. My favorite part of Chinatown are the guys that come up to you that want to sell you the knock-off handbags --- Not the ones on display. The ones that you have to follow him for blocks before he will show you a picture catalog of the bags and when you finally choose the bag you want, he makes a suspicious phone call. Then a car shows up and hands you a black bag that you can only look inside for a second, just to make sure it is the bag you want, before they rush you to close the bag. Yeah. Those handbags. I kind of want a wallet this year.

central park - I would go with a bagel and hot chocolate in hand, of course. -- I've even considered maybe doing a carriage ride through. Mostly because I'm a girl and I think it would be romantic.  But look how pretty the park is! Although it probably isn't that color when we go.

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broadway show - always fun. I wish I could have seen Les Mis before it closed. Wicked was also great.

brooklyn bridge/park - David mostly wanted to come here the first time because of Newsies and the scene where they are spitting off the bridge. But it really is such a fun thing to do. And there is the Brooklyn Bridge Park at the end conveniently located close to Grimaldi's. What a great coincidence!

rockefeller center - definitely a Christmas-time must-see. Plus all the lights on the storefronts around it are way fun too. Our Stake goes Christmas caroling in NYC - we start on the steps of the NY Public Library and sing and hand out doughnuts to people walking by. Then we would all walk down to Rockefeller Center and carol there for awhile. So fun. One of my favorite NY Christmas memories.

What else?! Anyone done anything else that they loved?
Linking up here:

Going Home (part 1): Eating My Vacation Away

I love going home to New York. I love being with my family, I love the east coast and the trees and seasons, I love seeing all the things I associate with being home - like the park across the street that my family is at every day (and probably has been since we moved there years and years ago.)

You'd never guess that behind this hill of rocks was a park....

with a creek (and the baseball field in the background)

and really fun swings.

Anyways, a lot of my memories of NY also involve eating/food. In between Christmas shopping and work, I started trying to make a list of where I want to go. Some places I've been to, others I've just heard about and want to try.  We definitely can't do them all. But here's some of what we are choosing from:
(I had a couple pictures on here for some of the restaurants listed, but for some reason it wouldn't let me load with them on, sorry.)

hampton chutney - last time I was in NY, we took the subway out to the Indian neighborhoods in Queens and had some good authentic food. (Naan!) I've heard/read some really good reviews about this place.

jake's wayback burgers - I'm pretty sure my dad goes here at least once every week. The people behind the counter recognize him now. And I'm a burger girl. So yes, while I am on my way to get a delicious piece of junior's cheesecake, I will be stopping by.

cosi - kind of like a panera bread/zupas soup salad bread place. There is one close to my house and I can't even begin to count how many times I've eaten there. It's not a one-of-a-kind experience, but for me, it's a memory.

the bagel place at quaker ridge (which I just learned is officially called H&R Bialy. Who knew?!)  I used to get a bagel here before school very often (especially junior/senior year before AP tests when we'd go to school really early for extra review sessions. I'm pretty sure that was my key to success.). With a strawberry-banana-orange juice. I keep hoping to find a bagel place out here that comes close, but there's nothing quite the same. I like the bagels off the street vendors too, but this place is at the top of my bagel list. Neri's is up there too.

the mexican corner restaurant - I actually can't remember what I've eaten here. But I do remember loving it.

shake shack - again, burger girl here. I don't think I could say no to a burger/malt from there. Definitely going to keep this one on the list.

national underground - it's a music venue but it apparently has good burgers.
 also, it's owned by gavin degraw and his brother. fun little fact.

candle light - there is a facebook page dedicated to the wings. Yes, they are that good. Sometimes I have dreams about them. We've made some homemade wings that are pretty close to these. But it's not quite the same.

doughnut plant - I've always heard how the doughnuts here are pure bliss. And who doesn't like doughnuts? (actually, for about 2 years I just didn't want doughnuts after having them every week in seminary. But I wouldn't fight them putting in a Dunkin Donuts here in Utah. Please?)

grimaldi's - classic delicious NY pizza. That I LOOOVE. We drove to Vegas just to eat this (although, the boys thought we were going for basketball games, so the pizza was just my reason) once because it was the closest store to Utah. Oh, how I miss thin crust pizza I can fold and eat.

chinatown/pho - you know all the meat hanging in the windows of Chinatown? It's really good, according to David. I personally LOVE their sesame rolls with the different fillings.  And the pho places down the street. We had some really good food last time and I'm excited to get more.

quickly - their website makes me laugh. But we love their smoothies with the tapioca balls. Last time we ran around the city based on where the quickly's were so we could get more than one. Here was the last ones we had before we went home.

Anyone else have any good places I forgot? Because I am very open to more good food.
Next part - my list of what to do!

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