connecting with the past

1. grandma mabey's orange rolls and hot cocoa
2. grandpa pouring grandma's hot cocoa on her plate while describing how large the cobb of the corn used to be (as big around as the rim of the cup...)
3. grandma's dream that she and grandpa were moving to a condo...but she was still weeding the garden in front of the house as they were saying goodbye to neighbors.
4. my great grandpa mabey loves tulips...so does grandpa mabey, and so do i
5. great grandma mabey was a "large-set" woman and a great teacher. she chopped wood and told great stories.
6. grandpa wouldn't give his farm days for anything. he's really good at thinning and topping sugar beats.
7. great grandpa mabey was slow to adjust to mechanical farming...the machines couldn't bail the hay as nice.
8. picturing grandma getting caught playing tic-tac-toe on the side of the red brick school building with white chalk by her uncle's girlfriend/school teacher.

tidbits of the past

1. "I'd rather be an old man's sweetheart than a young man's slave" - mary james stewart (my great-great gma)

2. grandpa mabey riding to heber in an old, black ford truck

3. mary james stewart had a laundry business and made her own soap

4. "uncle mark" giving little girl gma mabey a candy from his pocket every time he saw her

5. great-great Gpa hicken was a butcher...built a log cabin in Park City and then a red brick home in Heber.

in the kitchen

1. cute aprons

2. delicious foods

3. no dirty dishes

4. the smell of freshly baked anything

5. pandora radio

thinking about red

1. my walls

2. my nails

3. university of utah

4. berries

5. my wedding get away vehicle

Anticipating Fall

1. starting school is always exciting (i miss that part)

2. baking becomes easier in a cool apt

3. foods like pumpkin and apples find their way into everything

4. the leaves, of course

5. it's sweater weather

why I love the 24th of july

1. because it's always a family holiday
2. because I absolutely LOVE pioneer stories
3. because it's usually around 100 degrees and I remember all the sacrifices that have been made for me--physical and spiritual.
4. because it makes Utah different--a peculiar people--to celebrate it
5. because it's a paid holiday at work (I know, totally shallow--and completely realistic)

My favorite things about shoes

1. they almost always make my feet look good

2. they are very easy to try on

3. they are usually worth their price

4. they have a tongue...and other human traits

5. each pair has a history

My Favorite things about Wednesdays

1. It's the middle of the week
2. The week is half way over
3. The week is half left
4. It's the middle of the week
5. Yes, these all mean different things.

Favorite ways to eat a hot dog

1. at costco

2. with a honey crips batter around it on a stick dipped in the perfect ratio of mustard to ketchup (1 to 2)

3. with relish

4. at a baseball game

5. right off the grill (do the black marks really cause cancer?)

favorite things about chocolate chip cookies

1. They remind me of my mom

2. They remind me of my dearest friends in the world...and in heaven

3. I have made them so many times it's really hard to mess them up

4. They please almost anyone--Who in their right mind doesn't love a chocolate chip cookie?

5. They're perfect even when they're not--sort of like the way a flower grows...

Favorite things about 2:30

1. the work day is more than half way over
2. i have eaten a healthy lunch of salad greens and grilled chicken
3. because of said lunch, I deserve a delicious treat
4. i have some dark chocolate + coconut treats in my desk (shhh don't tell anyone)
5. mmmmm. delicious.

Favorite things about tax day

1. I get my husband back

2. we found out c1 has a job

3. we get a refund

4. that means April is half way over

5. we don't have to do taxes and tax season...for another year.

I don't want to do favorites today.

I just want to think about how nice it is to have a home, and a job, and a husband with a job.  I am thinking about how even though I don't take advantage of it, I can read any book that I ever wanted to.  I can make anything I ever dreamed of...yes.  That is what I'm thinking about today--the fact that I have everything i "need" and so i get to worry about what to do in my leisure time and silly inventions.

Favorite "Sunday tunes"

1. The Water is Wide

2. Prayer of Thanksgiving

3. Beautiful Savior

4. How Can I Keep From Sining

5. Cello Suite No. 1 in G Major: Prelude

Favorite Easter Foods

1. cadbury mini eggs (does anyone disagree?)

2. mom's rolls 

3. cardamom bread 

4. potatoes--usually some kind of cheesy baked goodness

5. peanut butter eggs

Favorite things to do on Saturdays

1. Sleeping in 

2. catching up

3. reading

4. designing

5. cooking

Favorite things about having painted nails

1) They remind me of Kate

2) I feel like I did something to "get ready"

3) They look terrible and I really don't care because no one is looking that close anyway

4) They are red

5) I can take it off whenever I want to

Favorite things I inherited from my Dad

1) strong thighs (thunder all the way, baby)

2) an A in my Communications Law class

3) an aptitude to be happier on Sundays

4) my incredible middle name

5) an appreciation for water and how much we DON'T have here in Utah

Favorite things to make in the kitchen

1. BBQ chicken pizza

2. anything citrus-y

3. a new recipe

4. casadillas (so easy and delicious--you have to use the right kind of tortilla, though)

5. dinner for two

Favorite things about starting my new job

1) clean desk (this will not last long)

2) i get to use a mac

3) i get to use a mac

4) in my office, I have a photo of Lucille Ball dressed as a super hero climbing out of a window (thanks to Leah for giving me this PERFECT print years ago)

5) i get my very own digital voice recorder (8th-grade Candace is SO pleased with this)

Favorite Songs: James Taylor

1) Gone to Carolina in My Mind

2) You Can Close Your Eyes

3) Shed a Little Light

4) September Grass

5) Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas

Favorite Guilty Pleasures

1) Twilight--the movie--sorry, this movie is SO entertaining

2) My Dough Girl cookies

3) I take snacks to eat at church (who doesn't need a pick-me-up after Sunday School?)

4) Listening to my high school madrigal group CD

5) I get a treat every time I go to Costco (well, almost every time)

Favorite things I inherited from my Mom (Part II)

1) I love surprises and surprising

2) learning new things is important to me

3) an appreciation of nice fabrics and quilts

4) using words like "ninny" and "swig"

5) I have all of the Brite Tapes memorized (anyone know what those are?)

Favorite things I inherited from my Mom (Part I)

1) being a food snob

2) a priority list with practicality on top

3) the "Cristie Sneer" (this thing works wonders)

4) an ability to be a peacemaker (when I so choose, of course)

5) a fearlessness/love of people

Favorite things about snow

1) each snowflake is different

2) anyone can leave a mark of an angel in it

3) it is white and pure and reminds me to be that way

4) it makes the Wasatch Mountains breath-taking

5) it eventually melts