Dove Campaign for Real Beauty

Revealing the process from right to left.

I don't have TV in my home; the few shows we do follow we catch on Hulu. Bottom line we miss out on some sweet commercials. Therefore, if, like me, you haven't seen the advertisement below, I highly recommend.

Blue Suede Moccasins

My sister-in-law has, once again, found an ooh & aah worthy piece of fashion. Behold the Darlingtonia Moccasin Co. Positively sins...ful. Okay, that pun was a stretch.

Not-too-bad Retelling of Cinderella

Because people call me to say things like "I have to tell you about a show you'll love! Lost in Austen--" at which point I interrupt to say I've already seen it, and at which point the individual says "why didn't you tell me about it, then?" Whatever-- it's a long way of saying that I should probably pass along more of my good reviews so interested parties can discover them too. Expect to see more reviews, I guess.

Ahem. I love fairy tales; reading them, telling their stories, watching them in ballets and movies, I am always searching for another to become my next favorite. While still not my favorite, Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister is quite good. Watch it free online.



Sort of depressing in the middle but with a dreamy, dreamy ending-- I so love the prince, even if the painter's apprentice is the real love interest of the film. Also, Iris' "high squeaky voice[] like the mice on Cinderella" might get on your nerves.

A Gull for Every Buoy

Rustic Heaven

Everytime I see this picture my mind fills in the rest of the house, the outdoors, the scent of the mountain air, and suddenly I'm head-long inside a fantasy where I own some huge cabin-lodge-estate thing in the middle of mountainous-nowhere... perhaps Montana? Cowboy hats, sunrises, picnics, horseback riding-- again-- too carried away. I need to stop. Perhaps trapped inside during a thunderstorm! With a crackling fire, baking bread, a ragged old quilt... ahhh! Stop. Stop. Stop.

Ahem. The couch looks comfy enough to stay, even if it is too frilly. Khaki twill the couch and I'd go out of my mind!

I FINALLY LEARNED LONG DIVISION!

I feel so empowered! I CAN DO IT!

Although my co-worker, Lauren Carlile, was a grade behind me in elementary school we both had the same fifth grade teacher: Mrs. Busco. Lauren and I ended up talking about our elementary math experience. I told Lauren that I had struggled struggled struggled with all-things-math until junior high, where the struggle decreased by 2% (likely due to a greater amount of time spent on explanation of concepts). I was a really smart kid-- but math was sticky in my brain; it just didn't compute.

Defending my own honor I said, "Hey! I'm a brilliant history whiz BYU student who tested out of freshman math...I just can't do long division... and once told Dylan that 9+12=23."

Exasperated, Lauren said "but you remember Mrs. Busco's long division, right? Daddy, Mommy, Sister, Brother, sometimes Rover?"

Eh? Noooooo, I do not remember that. I remember learning history and grammar from Mrs. Busco, and and I remember cleaning out Nick Thurber's desk during recess with Heidi Egbert so we'd win the CivilWar unit desk inspection, and I remembered drawing human organ systems and watching Roots-- but I hold no recollection of learning math. Selective memory?

Lauren still remembered Busco's method, so I asked her to teach me. Using our white board at work, she helped me through some problems*. After long division, I converted the remainders into fractions and told Lauren how those worked. I've always loved fractions. :) It must be all the baking. Lauren hates fractions. I told her "No problem-- you can do calculus!" And she can.

I found this website to use for practice. It's ten times more fun than sudoku.

THANK YOU, LAUREN!


*Daddy= Divide, Mommy= Multiply, Sister= Subtraction, Brother= Bring it down, Rover= Remainder.

Geniunely Texan

My dearest love Dylan is away for a week working hard in Texas. We're blessed that he found a job, even temporarily, and hope the next job available will be closer to home.

Because he's in down there I figured I'd post summat of the yokel--er, local-- culture of Texas. While searching for "urban legends of Texas" on Google I ended up finding this lovely picture of a 97 lb rattlesnake that measured one inch more than 9 feet (everything really is bigger in Texas!). The photo was posted with the following comment:

"A reminder that these creatures are actually out there and no matter what you believe, sometimes they should get not only prescriptive rights to be there, but the full right of way. And here's how to cook 'em."

DEEP-FRIED RATTLESNAKE

1 medium-sized rattlesnake (3-4 lbs.), cut into steaks
1/2 cup flour
1/4 cup cornmeal
1/4 cup cracker crumbs
1/2 cup milk
1 egg
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder (not garlic salt)
1 teaspoon salt
dash pepper

Mix dry ingredients. Whisk milk into beaten egg and use to dip snake steaks. Then coat them with dry ingredients. Fry, uncovered, in 400 degree oil until brown. Yum,Yum!

Rattlesnake steak? Gotta love the addendum, "they deserve the right of way, but before I forget, here's the best way to cook em."

P.S. I hope my beloved Gram doesn't read my blog. I'd hate to be responsible for her heart attack when she saw the snake.

Jordan

During my church's meetings this year we've been studying the Old Testament. (Hooray! My favorite subject!) Last week during a discussion of Joshua crossing the river Jordan to enter the promised land, our teacher asked if anyone had seen the river Jordan (in Israel, not Utah).

I answered that I'd seen it, and already knew what he was going to ask. "Is it... very deep? wide? fast?" Sorry to crush his object lesson I replied, "No." Explaining briefly that the Jordan is very different today than it was in Joshua's day, and that because of irrigation the water flow is restricted-- one image came to my mind:

Caitlin, Whitney, and Amie at the river Jordan "baptismal" site. Tamarisk trees in the rear.

I'm sure my Sunday School teacher was disappointed with my description of the Jordan river as shallow, narrow, and brown brown brown. I tried to save face by saying that up north where the river starts it is quite beautiful (see photo below), but ultimately had to admit that in the south where Joshua would have crossed it-- the Jordan is neither chilly, nor wide, and anything but swift. Nor does it resemble anything remotely picturesque (except in Israel's nature preserves, where it is lovingly manicured).

Tamarisk trees on the other hand are gorgeous. And they're all over the Jordan river banks. My teacher, Victor Ludlow had to shoo me away from ogling the trees so I wouldn't hold up the group.

Headwaters of the Jordan river, Tel Dan, Israel.

In Sunday school I shared my testimony that the miracle of Joshua using God's power to stop the flow of the Jordan river so Israel could cross to the other side wasn't that the water stopped flowing; it was that they crossed the river on dry ground, which allowed a large column of people to swiftly cross to safety. I know that it really did happen; and that God still takes care of his people today.

Not a Piece of Cake

I flatter myself-- but I must say I have a strong talent for research*. In fact, research papers have ceased to be difficult for me and instead are simply time consuming. Of course there is always the challenge of constructing the most clear, concise, and organized information (which no, I do not always do that requires effort, and rambling is so much more fun). But although research comes naturally to me, and though I'm forever discovering fun bits in my spare time, it still bites to have to do it for class.

At least I know how to pick fun topics.

"Piece of Cake: The Evolution of American Wedding Confections" is the title of my current historical work. Yay. I just spent typing a required 6 page plan for my history class this term-- yes you read that right, they now require that you turn in multiple paged PLANS for your paper. Revolting, isn't it? Ah well. At least I gathered 27 sources for my bibliography. That was the fun part!

*MOVIE QUOTE: "Research. Perfect for the feminine mind."

Wisdom

I love this room.

It's always hard to believe that this room was designed as a walk-in-closet & powder room*. How lucky is the (obviously rich) lady that gets that comfy auto-man in her closet?


If you took the wallpaper off the ceiling, changed the roman curtain to plain white with a rosy-colored ribbon drawstring, and toned down the excess toile on the windowseat-- it'd be glorious.

*"50 dollars for the powder room!"

Maniacal laughter & Really Creepy Puppets

Today I saw a friend of mine from the JC*. We gabbed about old times and she about lost it talking about the "creepy puppets" at a museum everyone seemed to have seen but me.

Confused, I asked "what creepy puppets?" She gasped. "You don't remember those? Oh wait! It was at the museum! And you didn't go!" Thanks for reminding me, I thought grimly, but instead asked "could you send me a picture?"

OH MAN. I AM SO GLAD I ASKED.

*Jerusalem Center. Come on, don't you know this by now?

Don't Ask.

My favorite part is "we sing from the diaphragm a lot".