I haven't felt like "ME" for so long I wonder if I'm even still in there.

For Documentation

My little girl, 4 years old, reminded me again tonight for like the 100th time,

"Mom, I sleep with my eyes open!"

when I told her to close her eyes and go to sleep. I think she really believes this is true. Perhaps it is, who am I to argue with a four year old?

Pumpkin Rolls

I don't have many absolutely Grrrrrreat recipes, but as I was engaged today in making my annual pumpkin rolls, I thought - "now this is one of my few awesome recipes", and so decided I'd share it with you all just in case you're dying for something that will become a tradition in your family. Seriously, there's not one single holiday occasion that this dessert isn't included in. And it's way easier than it might look - really. You know me, I'm just not that gifted in the kitchen.

Here goes:

Pumpkin Roll

Batter:
3 eggs
1 cup sugar
1 tsp lemon juice
2/3 cup pumpkin
1 cup flour
1 tsp baking powder
2 tsp cinnamon
½ tsp nutmeg
1 tsp ginger
½ tsp salt

Beat eggs for 5 minutes. Add sugar, lemon juice and pumpkin. Mix. Add dry ingredients and mix until wet. Line a 11”x16” jelly roll or cookie sheet with waxed paper sprayed with non-stick (this year I used thick tin foil but the non-stick is equally important - the tin foil is my favorite option so far). Pour batter onto paper and smooth until even right up to the edges. Bake at 375˚ for appx. 15 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Let cool.

Can you see how the cake is lifting from the tin foil? That is a very good sign - meaning it will separate from foil well as it rolls up.

Filling:

1 8oz pkg cream cheese

1 cup powdered sugar

4 Tbs. butter

1 tsp vanilla

For filling, cream all together in mixer.

Spread evenly over the top of the cooled cake. Starting at the short end (11” end), start rolling cake, removing paper as you roll. This can be tricky but the best way is to hold the foil/paper with both hands to start the first roll or two and then turn the whole thing around to face you and roll the whole thing as one piece with both hands trying to keep it uniform as you go. It sounds harder than it is! If you see cracking like you can see on my roll, just try to hold the crack together and roll over it. It happens occasionally but only slightly if you've non-sticked your paper really good.

When rolled up, cut off ends until smooth. Cut in half, and wrap in cellophane.

Makes appx. (2) 7” pumpkin rolls.

The Witches Are Better

SP, my mother and I hit Gardner Village this morning to check out the elves. It was a beautiful, and not too cold morning and we had a great time checking out all of the elf exhibits.


I'm not sure why but it seems like the witches are better. Perhaps it's the cooling weather and change of seasons, the anticipation of the first "holiday" of The Holidays, or that they are truly just better - but the elves left me feeling a little ...I don't know - wanting???

But, who can complain right? It's free to walk around and look at them, take some pictures and enjoy the fresh air. All in all, I'm glad Gardner Village does up their seasons so spectacularly.

Gardner Village in December

For my Utah readers...

There's lots of fun stuff happening at Gardner Village in December. We're headed there to check out the elves this week. They do them similar to the fashion that they arranged the witches at Halloween.

There's an elf scavenger hunt with a prize, photos with Santa, rides with Mrs. Claus, a cocoa party for kids and the list goes on. Go here to check out a list of fun stuff you can go do with your kids...or date-night!

Family Christmas

My side of the family usually does a get-together dinner a few weeks early each year to sort of get it out of the way. It sounds sort of bad but it works. We had the get-together last night. We went to Tuscany - a fairly nice Italian restaurant in Salt Lake. For the first time I was disappointed in our dinner.

We had a large group and I had specifically reserved a large round table. When we got there, we'd been inadvertently been booted for a larger party, and no one had called me. I made a stink about it of course and probably got some spit in my meal as a result. At least that's what The Marshmallow projected.

The calamari tasted like undercooked fries. The menu didn't have a great deal of selection.

However, the sea bass was incredible! And that was the highpoint.

On another note, I'm sick now for like the 4th day in a row. I think it is now officially bronchitis - I get it very easily. A tiny little cold inevitably goes straight to my lungs, and the asthma didn't help me a bit. I'm probably on the tail end of it which is good because my weeks are busy and right now being pregnant is all I can really handle.

Sorry no pics of our family dinner - I was lazy.

Decorating Christmas

This was the first year SP actually was able to put decorations on the tree herself. The Marshmallow put the hooks on, and SP toted them to the tree and hung them wherever she wanted.

Let's just say the tree was a little bottom-heavy. I only moved a few of them because I think it's adorable and very personal. I love the way her tongue stuck out whenever she was really concentrating on putting the ornament in the exact place.

An Un-made Bed

Why does an un-made bed look so much more appealing than a made bed? I typically always make my bed but on days like today when I don't, if I so much as glimpse the blankets and pillows in mass array, it's like an invitation for more coziness - something I can hardly resist.

Am I the only one who feels like this about their un-made bed?

Homemade Ice Cream: I'm a Hero

We had a little Family Home Evening time ... this afternoon mainly because I've been procrastinating and finally decided I shouldn't put it off anymore.

Our activity at the end was homemade ice cream, something I've never done before. But it was a lot of fun and a huge success. We made Oreo ice cream and it seriously came out just like one of those Oreo Frosty's at Wendy's or McDonald's. It was so yummy!

So What? I'm Easily Distracted

So, where have I been lately that's caused me not to blog? Scrabbling. I'm a hopeless junkie and have been for years.

When I graduated from the U of U, I got my first Scrabble board game from my older sister, Renee, and even though I'd always loved the game, I was soon completely addicted, and could be found playing against myself (you know, rotating the board each turn just to have an opponent). Since then I've purchased several software versions. And, for the past two weeks, I've been scrabbling each night, late into the night, against the computer (and might I add, beating Mavin every single time!)

I'm ready to branch out though, I think. I know there are tons of on-line games going on all of the time where you can play actual people! People that actually WANT to play Scrabble, and don't just feel coerced into playing because I'm begging and crying. No one in my life likes to play except my little sister and since she lives in Idaho, I don't get to play her much. I thought that since she was an English major, she'd have kicked my butt - but no. I'd been practicing! I'm not sure she'd play me anymore though. I hope so!

So, if anyone out there is up for a great game of Scrabble and would like to play against me (a player who can sort of hold her own), then I welcome you to an online game - anytime!

Happy Thanksgiving & Black Friday Ramblings

So...Happy Thanksgiving! It was the in-law's turn for Thanksgiving so off we went on Wednesday evening to the remote town of The Marshmallow's youth where about 25 of our family converged for a chaotic if cozy Thanksgiving dinner. It was fun, I grudgingly concede!

I was invited by my sister-in-law to participate in Black Friday this morning. After reviewing the ads, and reminiscing about the nightmare Black Friday of last year, I decided against it. I mean really, who gives TV's and other expensive electronics for Christmas? I guess there are lots of people who do but I usually shop those sales when I'm waiting for a great sale on that stuff for our family. And honestly, the economy has not been kind to this family this year and there just isn't a great deal to spend on superfluous stuff so I just stayed in bed.

Black Friday has become increasingly crazier every year. I remember years ago it was frenzied but it wasn't insane like it has become. Last year, we stood in a line at ShopKo for over an hour, and then I may have blogged about the Toys R Us scheme/scandal that occurred that really soured me against going out anymore. The online deals are nearly just as good and can be accessed from the comfort of my own home at a more sane hour. If I do go next year, it'll be only to maybe 1 or 2 stores and will be a "just for fun" type thing instead of a "do or die" shop extravaganza like it's been in the past.

The Deed is Done and I Couldn't Be Happier

This year Renee (my sister) and I upped the amount of caramel popcorn that we decided to make. Last year I thought we made a ton but this year we surpassed even our own expectations.

10:00 begin - "This is going to be so great!"
12:00 - "This is fun!"
1:00 - "We work so well together; it's like being double!"
2:00 - "We have how many batches left to make?"
3:00 - "Who said this was fun?"
4:00 - "Who's getting all this freakin' popcorn anyway? Isn't there someone we can take off the list?"

We're pretty organized about our plans and I'm glad Renee is the boss of me because after about 2:00, I became a drone. Glassy-eyed, sit my butt on a chair, useless brain-cells. She was reduced to just giving me orders. Go Renee!

At least I get to go to bed! Poor Renee has to go to work tonight too!

I USED to Love Mondays

...and now I dread them. Ever since school started, I feel like I just do non-stop running all day long.

Run the carpool kids to school
Run to work
Run through my routine at work
Run back to pick up SP
Run home to get her ready for dance
Run home to finish my paperwork to submit for my other job
Run out to pick up the carpool kids from dance
Run home and get ready for my church meeting
Run over to the meeting
Run home to get dinner started
Run to my next job...

Today was no different. Except that amidst my running, I found a few minutes to get my eyebrows waxed (yeah!), and also my upper lip that I finally let the girl talk me into. I'm to that point where I'm fishing for ways to make myself feel like the semi-attractive person I used to feel like. And now that I have no fuzz on my upper lip, I'm sure I'm going to win Mrs. America.

I also found time to run to the grocery store and buy some necessities including molasses I need for the annual marathon caramel popcorn fiesta that Renee and I are doing tomorrow. See last year? I needed 1 more jar of it and I put it in the back of the Jeep and headed home. When I got there, I opened up the door, and that stupid bottle rolled right out and smack onto the driveway. Have you ever had to clean up molasses off a cold driveway? Oh my gosh. It seriously spoiled my mojo today - I had to carve out plenty of time to get it off or else I think I'd have a hardened, condensed patch of molasses there for the rest of eternity.

And then I had to find time to get BACK to the store for more. Nice. It wasn't as bad as this picture though. Can you even imagine? After today, I just shudder.

It's Truly a Miracle

I had mounds of trepidation upon pulling out the bags of Christmas lights today. Flashbacks of the past three years compelled me to nearly take Valium prior to this monumental task which lay ahead of me for the rest of the afternoon.

Last year, I had neatly coiled up all of the lights separately in bags with their hangers still attached, which I've now learned is a very smart thing to do.

My memory served me well in what "to do" and "NOT to do". I did one string at a time, inside. Laid them out, tightened the bulbs, attached broken hangers and made sure they were all working bulbs. Then, and only then did I even go outside.

Each string went up as if I were a pro. I felt exonerated in my abilities as they each bulb attached neatly and quickly. The whole task was done in under an hour. Amazing!

I did have to climb up on the roof one time which, had there been a video, would have been worthy of sending to America's Funniest Home Videos - mostly me getting down. My belly's big and I had to sort of lay on it and shimmy around until I could get my feet on the ladder. I wasn't scared but it was definitely needing my intense concentration and all of my balancing faculties.

Anyhoo, the job's done - and I'm glad of it.

Christmas Lights

For those of you who were around last year reading my blog, you'll remember the fiasco I had with them.

I got them up last year while the weather was still really nice and then they were there just waiting for the day after Thanksgiving when I personally feel it's acceptable to finally turn them on without making a spectacle of yourself to your neighbors.

I've had so much on my "to-do" list lately and lights are one of them. I really need to do it before I get so top-heavy that the task is a dangerous one. Since I'm NOT doing the runway lighting I did last year, it shouldn't take as long as last year (!), so hopefully I can bang it out tomorrow morning.

I hope to report success!

Circus Animal Cookies

Bankrupt. Yeah, that's right. They're gone. If you like them, you'd better stock up! Are you as sad as me?

Sorry Oh, Hey! It was worthy of repeating!

Now What

The doc just called and told me to check out Salt Lake Regional.

I. don't. think. so.

Looks like a change of doctors is in my future.

Just Perfect

A friend cautioned me to check LDS Hospital to make sure they took my insurance. I was pretty cavalier about it but called anyway. um...they don't. CRAP!

I can't deliver at Lakeview Hospital, my preference, because of I've had a C-section and now since I want to try VBAC, they're too small to handle that serious of an emergency should I rupture or something. TMI? Sorry.

I can go to the University Hospital or St. Mark's - both of which are at least a 20 minute drive which could be worse but really sucks when you're in labor.

I know St. Mark's has a great new Women's Center but I have no idea about what the U is like. I've worked at both of them on a limited basis but as a patient, I have no first-hand knowledge.

So...again - your opinions would be of use to me. Do they both have private rooms? How are the nurses? Do you wait a ton of time for your call-light to get answered? How cost-effective are they comparatively?

Thank you!

Jealous?

I Finally Got It!

Yeah! I finally was able to buy my grain grinder! I've been waiting for a long time but finally got the one I wanted at a price that seems reasonable to me.

And now I can start using my vast supply of wheat berries which is mainly the point of having them in the first place!

I've been enjoying so much the kitchen classes on wheat and wheat bread that our local Ace Hardware puts on. For the most part, they are free and you often get a 10% coupon off of whatever you buy that day which is actually how I got the grinder at such an affordable price ($225, normally $300 for those with inquiring minds).

I have acquired several really good wheat bread recipes through these classes and am making my very first loaves with freshly ground wheat right this very minute. I'm so excited - I just preheated the oven.

The smell of fresh bread will soon be wafting through my whole house - come on, there's just nothing better, is there?