I'm a Mom with a sense of satisfaction.

I made it! I made it through NaBloPoMo 2009. I didn't know if I could do it, but it was nice to set a goal (however small) and accomplish it. My posts may not have been interesting, and I did pull a few of them out of my ass (or out of thin air if you prefer) but it was fun! I'll have to remember NaBloPoMo for 2010, and see if I can do it again! Hopefully I'll be more fun next year!

I'm a blogger with title writers block.

I'm having a hard time coming up with good titles for my posts. Just when I think I've come up with some thing clever, the same title pops up in my previously used titles cache, and I have to start all over again with the thinking. Oy! The Thinking! (Sometimes I just can't think and most of the time it is because there is no quiet spot in the house to think) I guess the key word in that first sentence up there is "good". I've been able to come up with titles but not all of them constitute a "good" subject for a blog post. Here are some examples: I'm not just a Mom... "I'm the worst Mom in the world that ruins all my kids fun" No one wants to hear about my son's fits that end up with him in a time-out (or 50) and him blaming me for "ruining all his fun" or "ruining his life" or "being the worst Mom" ever. Because at the end of it all, I have my moments where I AM the worst Mom ever, but I don't really want to ruin the illusion that I am the "perfect" Mom. "I'm a housewife that would rather sit on her ass than clean the kitchen" No one really needs to know how bad my kitchen really is. They just want to see it clean when they come over, with swept and mopped floors, and a clear counter. Maybe the dishes done too (although, that IS the one thing that is pretty caught up on in our house, but that is because my husband does the dishes. I don't). "I'm a woman that has no fitness goals despite owning a Wii Fit, the games My Fitness Coach and Gold's Gym Cardio Workout, and a treadmill." See the above title. "I'm also a psycho because some days I just can't handle it all and I run away from my kids." OK, so I make sure someone is taking care of them when I DO run away, but still. Does anyone really care that yesterday I got sick of my son's throwing a fit and my daughter's whining, so I got in the car and ran to the liquor store? Well, OK if you do, I'll write about it. Any of those titles make a good blog post? I didn't think so. I guess I'll try to find a quiet spot in the house to start thinking of some better ones.

I'm a Ute fan too!

Big college rivalry game being played today! Utah and BYU have played 90 games against each other, today being the 91st. Most of the time they are equally matched teams, and some years are a bit mismatched, but it is usually a pretty good football game. As always, my loyalties lie with my Alma mater the University of Utah. Even though I am not a huge football watcher, I still root for the Utes during the rivalry game. So GO UTES!!!

I'm a Mom that loves food.

I love finding new recipes. I love buying the ingredients. I love making the dish. And I most of all, love eating the finished product! That made it easy (and tough at the same time) to participate in Beth's (at I Should Be Folding Laundry) You Capture Challenge this week: FOOD!

I took pictures of the pie I made while I was making it. I took pictures of the food at Thanksgiving. And I took pictures of the pie we had for dessert (oh YUM!). But I think my favorite picture of food is the one that comes with a bit of nostalgia.

When we were little my Mom used to make cinnamon and sugar cookies out of the leftover pie crust. I'm sure some of your Moms did the same thing, but at the time, we thought it was something special. My Grandma used to do the same thing for my Mom, and it was one small tradition we kept up with after my Grandmother passed away. Even though it was very simple, we would watch as my Mom cut the leftover pie crust dough into rectangles, not all perfectly shaped, brush the dough with melted butter, and sprinkle cinnamon and sugar on them. We would wait in anticipation for them to be baked and cooled enough to eat, of course asking "Are they done yet?" way too many times for my Mom's liking (hey! 15 minutes is a long time to a kid!) Even though I didn't always LOVE eating them, just watching my Mom make them, and having her tell the story about her Mom making them, prompted me to make Pie Crust Cookies for my kids this year. I guess I'd forgotten that kids don't necessarily like them because my kids didn't eat many, but at least I'm passing on a tradition.

Go see what other yummy Food captures are over on I Should Be Folding Laundry.

I'm the Mom of a thankful family.

Or at least thankful kids. I asked them what they are thankful for this year and this is the response I got: Colin is: -Thankful for family -Thankful for school friends -Thankful for chocolate (even though he doesn't like it) Lilly is: -Thankful for her family (Colin, and Mommy, and Daddy) -Thankful for candy and pies (umm, OK) -Thankful for her doggy (or I guess I should say her toys, since the doggy is just a toy) I know my husband wouldn't like me sharing what he is thankful for on my blog, so I didn't ask. On the other hand, I am: -Thankful for a family that loves me and will quickly forgive. -Thankful for a husband that works hard to provide us with all we need and most of what we want (and we don't have to use the welfare system to get any of the things we need). -Thankful for many friends that have become a support system and that are willing to listen to my bitching about motherhood. AND since my son gave a silly answer, I am: -Thankful for wine, and chocolate martinis, and mudslides, and margaritas and any other alcoholic drink that helps me decompress after a particularly hard day on the job. Happy Thanksgiving everyone! (Now back to your regularly scheduled non-mushy blog reading)

I'm a Mom watching her kids grow up.

I know kids are supposed to grow up. I know that is the goal of having children, to help them grow up and become productive members of society. But sometimes it is a bit hard watching them become independent little beings.

Colin lost his first tooth this week. It had been loose for a long time, and he was a little scared to play with it, not wanting to have it come out, then lose it while he was at school. He didn't need to worry, it hung in there for so long that it came out while he was having a snack, at home. The bad thing is that, it came out while Seth and I weren't around. Luckily my Mom was here, and she being the expert on lost teeth she is, put it in a safe place. The tooth fairy came that night and brought him 2 dollars and a wallet to keep it in. Seth took a few pics of our gap toothed son so enjoy!

(Sorry this post is so late in the day, the day before Thanksgiving can be a busy one!)

I'm a cook with a suggestion.

Does anyone NOT have leftover turkey after Thanksgiving? We usually do, not a lot, but we have enough that doesn't get eaten some years. I know there are tons of recipes out there that give you an idea of what to do with that leftover turkey, but I want to put my 2 cents in. I found a really good recipe for Organic Chicken and Wild Rice Soup. One day I'd like to try it the Organic way, but good thing for me, it has instructions on how to make it non-organic. I used a rotisserie chicken, and the boxes of wild rice, so I don't think my veggies got cooked long enough, and they were a little crunchy. But other than that, it was easy to make and oh so good! I think it would be really good to use turkey instead of the chicken, as a new and different choice for using up the Thanksgiving leftovers!

I'm the wife of a man who will not refuse a dare.

Let me explain. The whole time I have known Seth he has taken just about any dare offered to him. Especially if it involves money. Before we had kids, he was dared to lick the flap of the garbage can in European Connection for $5. He did it. About a year ago he overheard a co-worker (well, she's an ex-coworker now) talking about the "11" at the Wing Coop in Holladay, and he decided to complete it. 11 wings in the 11 sauce in 11 minutes, he did it in 10 minutes 42 seconds and he doesn't like to eat wings (something about the bones). So when he heard about the challenge at Chunga's I wasn't surprised when he said he's try it. Chunga's is a very tasty Mexican food restaurant in well, what Seth called "The Ghetto". It is at 200 South and 900 West (well, in that area) which isn't the nicest part of SLC. The challenge is to eat 27 tacos in 45 minutes. And these aren't your Taco Bell tacos. I wasn't around the day Seth decided to do the Chunga's challenge, but our friend Kelly was. Kelly (burgersmoke) started a blog about the best tacos in the SLC area and my husband is a famous part of that blog now. Read all about Seth's experience on SLC Tacos. A Champion Will Be Made Today... and Seth vs. 27 Tacos- The Aftermath So if you decide to dare my husband to eat something strange, or to bet him he won't eat something, be aware, he will be up to the challenge. (I know the SLC Tacos posts were a bit ago, and I started my post about the same time, but I forgot about them, and decided to share during NaBloPoMo, crafty aren't I?)

I'm a little busy too. Just a little.

Even though I have spent most of my time at home this weekend, I've been busy. I realized that I won't have much time after Thanksgiving to take pictures for, make, and order Christmas Cards, or the Calendars I give to Grandparents each Christmas. So I've been putting those together. I had a hard time deciding what pics to use for the calendar, and I didn't have pics for Christmas yet, so I had to take those. I hate taking posed pics of my kids! They are never good for me! (I wanted to have a friend take some pics of us this year, but all of my weekends have been full or hers have been full, so I never made a "date" to get them done. Hopefully in the Spring Jan!) So we had a mini photo session this afternoon, and I picked the best shots of them that I could.

I'm also getting ready for the Thanksgiving Holiday. Luckily no one is coming here for dinner, but I DO have to make 1 pie, and 1 side dish and of course help once we get to my parents house. I decided to get my fixings today, so I wouldn't be in the middle of the crazy, crazy Thanksgiving shoppers later in the week. It was still crazy, but not as crazy as it will be on Wednesday.

So that is my weekend. Been waiting for the snow that was in the forecast to be here yesterday afternoon, and then THIS afternoon, but it hasn't materialized. Most likely it will be here just in time for the morning commute.

(Day 22 of NaBloPoMo and I'm still going! You surprised? I AM!)

I'm a photographer that finally saw a sunset.

I know I'm a few days late in joining the You Capture Challenge over at I Should Be Folding Laundry, but last night we had the most amazing sunset! I didn't even know it was happening until I passed my front window and saw my car glowing pink in my driveway. I grabbed my camera and ran outside (without shoes on) to capture it. I am sure the neighbors thought I was nuts, but I don't care! I loved it! I couldn't choose just one photo, so I made a slide show. I hope it isn't against the You Capture rules to do so, but I couldn't resist showing you all of them. I'm sure I won't see a sunset like that again for a long time. Enjoy the slide show, then head over to Beth's blog and see some more incredible sunrises and sunsets.

Make a Smilebox slideshow

I'm a Twilight Saga fan(ish) too.

So, I liked the books. Well, loved the books. And have been excited for the movies (but not so excited I dressed like Bella, or stood in line for hours just to get tickets). I didn't even see Twilight until my friend Mel had a Twilight viewing party when it came out on DVD (that was so much fun!) Last night I got to see New Moon with a bunch of friends at an early showing of the movie! Katie's neighborhood did a fundraiser and for a small donation we got a ticket to an exclusive showing of New Moon. The fundraiser coordinator ROCKED! She got a whole theater for the early showing just for people that donated to the cause. It was so great to be able to see the movie at 6:00PM the night before opening day, in a theater where I knew I wouldn't have to deal with too many Twilight crazed teenage girls. Although there were some crazy women (like the Mom that brought her newborn to the show, I mean, WTH? Leave the kids at home) most of the theater was pretty insync with what was going on, on screen. (I loved that when Jacob first came onto the screen everyone went "ewww!" because he still had his long hair) The theater was pretty quiet most of the time and it was really nice to just watch a movie! I got to sit in a row with most of my friends, and no one made fun of me for wearing my New Moon t-shirt (at least not to my face). All in all the movie was better than Twilight, but could have been better in general. I'm interested to see if the other two movies will get subsequently better as the budgets get larger. I will buy the DVD, just so I can have the collection (OK, and so I can look at Jacob's abs whenever I want-Oooooh baby!) but it isn't a movie that I will watch too often. The most fun of the night was when we went to dinner after the movie! MacCool's remains one of my favorite places to eat and hang, especially if we get a fun waiter. Do you remember Ed from this post? Well, Ed was our waiter last night! A bunch of crazy women, along with a pretty crazy waiter makes for a crazy evening! Jabs thrown here and there, and great service, is why I love MacCool's so much! I need to go more often, even if it is just for a drink and an appetizer before a movie. So to summarize: New Moon the movie 1 thumb up, MacCool's for the after party 2 thumbs and a big toe up. (Luckily we didn't have to much to drink that it was 2 thumbs and a New Moon shirt up)

I'm a Mom that loves spending time with Friends!

This is another quick post. I have a busy day ahead, between discussing movies at Movie MOMS, and cleaning the house enough that the babysitter will feel comfortable while she's over here, and going to a pre-midnight showing of New Moon tonight, I don't have a lot of time. I know, ANOTHER quick post? I would have thought you'd be glad about that after some of my really long wordy posts the last few weeks. So, I get to spend the evening with some friends, watching New Moon, possibly going to dinner and having drinks, and all in all having a great relaxing evening. Whoo Hoo! But tomorrow I'll have a post about the movie and the great evening I had! PS If you were here to see if I had any pictures of a sunrise or a sunset you must not know me very well. There is no way I am going to be awake early enough to take a pic of a sunrise and sunset is during homework and the witching hour here in UT. I wanted to be creative, and have my kids color what they think a sunrise, or sunset looks like, but they shot me down. Sorry! I'll try to have a new You Capture next week.

I'm a TV watcher too. *updated*

Those of you that know me, already know that. This is another quick post since it has been a long day, and I still have hours to go! Here are a few TV shows you SHOULD be watching if you aren't: Monday: The Big Bang Theory. So funny, so cute, and even though sometimes I want to smack Sheldon upside the head, he rocks! Castle. Nathan Fillion. That is all. Tuesday: The Forgotten. Kinda of a crime drama/cold case type show, but so much more. Christain Slater, and a really cute artist (and a few others) help the forgotten network find the identities of Jon and Jane Doe's and what happened to them. Sad, but uplifiting at the same time. Wednesday: MERCY! Watch mercy! Love the main character, she is great! Thursday: All of NBC until 9:00 (MST) when I switch to The Mentalist. Oooh! Simon Baker is so cute, and smart and even though he doesn't use his Aussie accent, I still like to listen to him talk. Friday: Ummm...The Soup. And Medium. But they are on at the same time, so I'm not sure I know which one to watch. Saturday: Nothing. Nothing on TV. This is usually date night anyway Sunday: Brothers and Sisters. Although I've felt so sad about Kitty and her cancer, that I haven't watched in a few weeks. I'd link to most of these, but either you are watching them, or you can find everything you need to know about these shows on IMDB.

I'm a cook that is going to start keeping buttermilk in her fridge at all times.

Quite a few of the great recipes Pioneer Woman has on her website call for buttermilk. Now I know some people consider that a staple in the "pantry" but I never have. (I also know people that like to drink it straight *shudder*, and that is totally a personal preference.) But from now on I'll make sure I keep some in my fridge. Once recipe I will make over and over again (as long as I keep the buttermilk in the fridge) are PW's Homemade Chicken Strips. They were so easy to make, and so yummy! I made them the night before Halloween, and the family ate them up! I should have made more since I craved them for lunch the next day, but they were great with my homemade french fries and BBQ sauce for dipping. (Next time I make them, I want to try PW's Homemade Ranch Dressing though, mmmmm) If you want something quick and easy to serve, try 'em!

I am now a HUGE fan of The Girl Who.

I spent part of my day yesterday reading the archives of The Girl Who. I barely got through part of the first year she started putting her journal into a blog, so it is going to be a long time before I get through all of them. One entry brought me to tears. It goes along with my post from last Friday, all whiny and shit, but I've never been able to put into words how I feel some days/weeks and she did it for me. Read her post here, and if you feel like it, comment on it. Here or there, or both places. You might get sick of me talking about The Girl Who. Who cares? Just don't read the post if you don't like it. (OK, so I care. I'll try to keep the posts about her to a minimum, -K-?)

I'm a blogger running out of things to say!

I've been trying so hard to make sure I have something semi-interesting to write about during NaBloPoMo, but it isn't easy! Yeah, I kind of copped out yesterday, with the whole "it's snowing in Utah" post, but I get a few "freebies" don't I? I don't have a lot to talk about today either. It is another lazy day in the Behunin house. Watching sappy movies and doing a little laundry. And reading Post Secret. Of course, reading Post Secret. I love that Frank posts a few extra secrets on TwitPics every Saturday. It gives me something to look forward to on Sundays. This week he posted these secrets: http://twitpic.com/pj7ze , and the judgemental people commenting really piss me off! (Read through them) I mean, who is anyone to judge what movies, books, or even songs can get someone through a tough time. Who cares if the whole world doesn't approve of the Twilight series, some of us like it, and enjoy reading the books and seeing the movies? Who cares if someone that doesn't normally enjoy that type of book or movie, gets something out of it that no one else can see? Post Secret is supposed to be a place where secrets can be shared without judgement. So to those that commented about the first Saturday Secret in a mean, judgemental way, screw you! (I know, I'm so articulate)

I'm lazy too.

Well, on the days laziness is called for. Which is pretty much the weekends. I spent last evening with a couple of friends drinking and chatting ( thanks girls, I so needed that!) but didn't get home until late (or early, whatever). I've spent most of the day in bed watching movies and being lazy. That is mostly because it has been snowing all day long. And what better day to be lazy than a snowy one? I took a few pics of the snow, but they didn't turn out. So if you want to know what Utah looks like on the 14th of November 2009, take a look out your own damn window, or if you DON'T live in Utah, be grateful you don't have a few inches of snow outside your door today!

or maybe I am.

So I know that my blog is mostly a glossed over peek into my version of motherhood and being a housewife. But I've been thinking a lot about changing that. I don't mean I'm going to go all "my life sucks" on you, but on the days I'm having a hard time, I'm not going to hold back. Well, maybe I'll hold back a bit, but I'm not going to post something fun when my head is telling me to just let it all out. I'm going to try to express what I'm thinking, but since I'm not a very good writer (did you read those two damn long posts about PW? I need to figure out how to be short and to the point!) try is all I can give you. Recently I came across a blog, well OK, dooce had been talking about it on Twitter, The Girl Who, that I was really getting into. I started reading the archives, and read her love story, Mormon to Married in Manhattan, and started to get to know her through her writing. Let me rephrase that: started to get to know her through her AMAZING writing. I love the way she writes. I just love it. She wrote a funny post about Facebook (or as she calls it, Facefuck) and came to the crazy realization that we not only grew up in the same hometown, but we went to High School together. And not only did we go to High School together, but we were in the same graduating class. (Not gonna give any details, I feel old enough already some days) So I read a bit more of her archives and found her maiden name, and read more about her childhood. I got out my yearbooks (yeah, I'm a little ashamed of that) and looked her up. We didn't have the same friends, although I knew who she was and who her friends were. She was a popular girl that dated a football player, and I was less than popular that liked drama and choir (and dated a geek, yes, I CAN admit to that now). As I made this discovery, I started thinking. I of course started thinking about how appearances can be deceiving (or from one of my favorite songs by Insipid Brown "appearances are so misleading") and how I thought things were perfect for the blond, blue eyed, cheerleader type that seemed to have it all. And they weren't. Not by a long shot. I also started thinking about how things change. How the people I though were going to be successful after high school, are not the ones I consider successful now, or the ones I thought would have it good, are actually screw ups. Every once in a while an old schoolmate will end up in the news, and not in a good way. In fact a few years ago, a girl I desperately wanted to be friends with, and I wanted to like me in the worst way ended up being caught stealing identities from college students, and committing fraud. What!? That was just about as bad as seeing a kid from Junior high on the news for trying to rob a bank with his brother (seriously. And I won't tell you about a former friend from Junior High that didn't help save a girl from ODing. It is just too crazy). The one thing I think most about though as I find out about people from high school and what their lives are like, is me and my life. I find out that The Girl Who is a TV producer for a local news station. I find out that the tall redhead with big boobs that could sing, and act, and make friends like there is no tomorrow, has written her own plays, and music and lives in New York and doesn't look much older than when we graduated (bitch). I know I should say "who cares" and I know I should be grateful for what I DO have (and I am, every day I am so grateful for my husband and kids and the life we have made, and the great friends I have) but I wonder what I have contributed to society. I wonder why my life isn't as exciting as theirs. I feel like I do the same things day in and day out and it is boring a repetitive. I know many of you feel the same way sometimes. Or do you? Oh my God! I just took a bit of a break from writing this post, and realized I sound a bit whiny. OK so really whiny. I'm going to leave it as is, since these are the things I think about sometimes. Do you feel that way? Or am I just a nut? And truthfully, I am NOT looking for validation, well, not in the "You have a great life. You have a great family and your kids are your contribution to society" kind of way. I mean, tell me I'm not alone, or not crazy. Or tell me I am. I might just need that slap in the face to get me back on track, and to realize that being "just a Mom" is OK.

I'm a Mom showing part of her "Real Life".

*Sigh* This week's You Capture challenge, Real Life, was tough for me. I have a hard time telling most people about what really goes on in my "Real" life. Not that I paint everything to be all sunshine and roses, but very few people know some of the day to day conflicts we go through in the Behunin household.

I'm not going to share everything in this post, but here is a little peek into my "Real Life".

I have a 3 year old daughter. Those of you that have had (or do have) 3 year old daughter, or a 3 year old for that matter, know they get so frustrated when they try to do something on their own and it doesn't work out right. One example is when my daughter tries to put on her pants. Inevitably things go wrong and she freaks out. But once she asks for some help (or gets some help), the waterworks shut off in an instant.

Waaahhh! I can't do it!

Yay! I got help. If these pics look staged, or fake it is because the pouty face and the whining and crying ARE fake. Every time. And it is loud and obnoxious. And no matter how many times I tell her I can't hear or understand her when she is whining, it still happens multiple times a day! It's enough to pull my hair out!

Then there is my son. Between the homework and the reading (and the fighting over homework and reading) EVERY NIGHT I don't have a lot of time for much housework, so once again the kitchen is a mess most of the time.

Son actually reading without a fight

Dirty dishes in the sink, as usual

After the kids have gone to bed, I stretch out on the bed and play on the computer. Oh, who am I kidding? I am on and off the computer all day long. I know, I know, my kitchen wouldn't look like the pic above if I wasn't on the computer all day, but some days, it is just the perfect getaway from the laundry, the vacuuming and the toilet cleaning. Especially the toilet cleaning.

I LOVE the skin on my laptop, so girly!

And last, but not least, my REAL LIFE consists of a drink or two (OK sometimes 3) a few nights a week, so I can unwind and de-stress. Sometimes it is a chocolate martini, or a margarita, but last night it was a glass of Barefoot White Zinfandel wine. (I know most of you know this is part of my real life, but there are some out there that either don't know, or don't approve. Well, I'm putting it out there. Some times I need a drink to stay sane, and I don't care who knows it.)

I like how the wine looks in this one, kind of fun!

So those are my "Real Life" You Capture photos. Go to I Should Be Folding Laundry and see what fun stuff Beth and her readers have in store for you!

Oh! And this week, I WILL, visit more of your You Capture posts, I promise! There are just not enough hours in the day sometimes!

I'm also a grateful American.

Today is Veteran's Day. I want to express my gratitude to all of the Veteran's out there that have served our country. Even though I currently don't have anyone in my family that is a member of the military, and I have never personally had to feel the absence of a loved one who has been deployed, or experienced the loss of a family member due to war, my Thanks goes out to each and every one of my friend's husbands, wives, fathers, grandfathers that have risked their lives (or potentially risked their lives) to protect my freedom. So thank you.

I'm a cook looking forward to slow cooker season!

Slow Cooker season is upon us! I love smelling dinner simmering away in the slow cooker throughout the day after little effort from the cook (that is usually me!) The smells seem to scream "Fall is here". Recently as I was watching Good Things Utah, a local talk show, I saw a cooking segment by a local blogger (no, not dooce. Does she even cook?) who was is trying to use her slow cooker for 365 days. So I checked out her blog and 365 Days of Slow Cooking is pretty cool! She uses a star system to rate the recipes, and gives her and her family's opinion of the dish. It is pretty easy to navigate and fun to see what recipes she has tried. I decided to try a 4 star recipe Sweet and Spicy Ribs. We hadn't had any pork around here for a while, and I am sick of cooking pork chops when we do, so I adapted the recipe a bit. Not only did I half the recipe (6 lbs of ribs is a lot of food for 2 adults and 2 kids) but I used boneless pork country ribs instead of the beef. This was so yummy! It smelled divine all day long, and the sauce had just a tiny bit of kick! I think I will add more of the Cajun seasoning next time, to give it more of the spicy and less of the sweet. I served it with mashed potatoes with the sauce as gravy. The ribs fell apart as we ate them, no knife needed, and it would be fun to try a pork roast in the sauce for pulled pork sandwiches. I will make these quite a few times this winter, and I'm hoping to be able to cook the full recipe to share with friends as some point (that depends on if I decide to clean my house and invite people over or not). All in all a great recipe, worthy of the 4 stars Karen gave it! (It's the 10th day of NaBloPoMo and I'm still doing well....hope I can keep this up!)

I'm a Mom that took her kids to see They Might Be Giants

OK, my husband took them too! They Might Be Giants is a band that has been around a long time. One of my friends even said "I went and saw them like 20 years ago!" When their fans started getting older and having kids, they started making albums full of kids songs. I'm pretty sure if you have kids, or nieces and nephews (or even grandchildren) you've heard a few of their songs. (One of the most famous is the new Mickey Mouse Clubhouse theme song). They came to SLC last year, and I was a bit peeved they didn't have a kids show, or perform at an all ages venue. So I don't know if they heard I was mad (ha, ha, ha) or they realized they have a TON of kid fans too but this time they performed twice while they were here! I don't think our kids knew what to expect from a rock concert, so I don't think they were too excited. We waited for 30 minutes until we got into the venue (Murray Theater) and for 35-40 minutes more after we got in. As we waited they showed the DVD from their new album Here Comes Science, and that was pretty cool. It kept the kids entertained, and made me want to go buy the CD/DVD. Once they started to play, it was awesome! Colin loved being able to watch them play, and when they started playing the electric drums (those are so cool) he realized we weren't lying when we told him they would have some unusual instruments. They Might Be Giants played a few songs for the adults (Particle Man) but most of them were all about the kids. They shot confetti through the air a few times, and Lilly was disappointed it didn't reach her the first time. The second time she was asleep! Yes! She fell asleep during a concert. Seth had her up on his shoulders, and she fell asleep. Luckily even after he went into the lobby, he was still able to hear the music. I just can't believe she missed a lot of the show. Oh well! I'll be able to tell her all about it when she grows up. Even though the tickets were a little expensive, if They Might Be Giants comes to town again and plays a kids show, I am SO THERE!

I'm a Cook finishing her story about meeting PW

Continued from this post: The "roadies" tested the microphone, the bookstore representative (at least I THINK that's who she was) said a few words, a hush fell over the crowd (well, as much of a hush that would happen in 500 people) and Ree walked up to the mic! Right away people began taking pictures. Some stood up, some lifted their cameras as high as they could, and others were lucky enough to have a prefect shot of her and her SIL Missy and I think her MIL was in the room too. (Mine ended up having a big white spot, and I couldn't figure out what it was, until I realized it was the flash bouncing off the hair of the lady sitting in front of me-Oops!) Ree spoke for a few moments (including telling us about her sudden onset of allergies, that's Utah for ya!) then started taking questions from the audience. She was so sweet to answer all the questions! I wish I would have had a notepad to write all of the questions down, but they varied from "How do you take pictures of your food? Do you used a tri-pod?" To which Ree answered "I used to use a tri-pod, but it hindered what I could take pictures of so now I use my elbows as a sort of tri-pod" , or something similar to that. Someone asked Missy if Ree was the same in person as she is in her writing that answer was "Yes, absolutely!") A question or two later a member of the audience asked an inaudible question, she was on the front row, and the next thing we know Ree steps back up to the mic and starts singing! She sang a few lines of what I now know to be an Ethel Merman song, and she sang it well! You can find her account of the "incident" HERE. Ree is so cute! Traci even got to ask a question...she asked how many Pioneer Woman readers there are, or how many hits Ree gets on her website. Ree was so down to earth when she answered, she was so humble. It seems that she doesn't even look at how many hits she gets, or how many readers she has. She said it would make her nervous to think about it, and she won't be able to write they what she wants to if she knew (or at least I think that is how she answered). The person behind us said she read it is something like 2 million a month, but I read in an LA times article, she gets 13 million pages views a month. (I don't know the difference between the two, but WOW that is a lot!) One of my favorite questions someone asked was about "Black Heels to Tractor Wheels", and YES, she IS publishing the love story! She is finishing the second half (Wedding Day-Present Day I assume) and going to make it into a book. Whoo Hoo! Book Club choice for sure! After she was done answering questions, she made her way to the book store and started signing the cookbooks of the first 20 people in line...now remember some of us had "F"...luckily even though we waited in a large line (I know, I know, it shouldn't have been so large if "A" and "B" were in the bookstore, why were the rest of the crowd just standing around?) we had fun! Katie and Michelle stayed back with us, so we weren't lacking for good conversation (although we were lacking in food...we were starving!) People walked by and kept asking us about our aprons! They all thought they were cute (GREAT idea Traci) and most wished us luck in getting Ree to sign them. We stood behind a group of girls that were also "F" and they had some fun calling all of us "F'ers" even though the people standing in the way were really the "F'ers", and finally, finally got up to be close enough to be in the bookstore. As we made our way through the bookstore, getting closer and closer to Ree, we started getting tired....so tired I thought I was hallucinating when I saw Missy bring in a few kids that were out in the cold, and the bookstore let them! I also thought I was hallucinating when we went up a few stairs, well stood on the stairs, and at the top was Ree's mother-in-law! Traci spoke with her for a bit, and I admired her beautiful diamond earrings, a gift from her husband (Traci asked), and a few other fans asked her to sign their cookbooks. We kept winding our way through the bookstore, and finally, finally got close enough to take pics (because of the number of people, they asked we only take pictures OF Ree and none WITH her) People kept standing in my way so I couldn't take a decent picture. All of a sudden up the stairs comes a guy from Fox 13 news with a camera on his shoulder...he asked Ree a question or two, and just as I was sitting down, he started filming the crowd (whew! I was lucky! I think I was out of the way.) When we finally got up to see Ree, we handed our cookbooks to the bookstore employee, one person at a time, and Traci asked Ree if she would sign the aprons, explaining to Ree about Annie, not being able to be with us because of her daughter being ill. Ree said something about using tons of antibacterial hand sanitizer and was so sweet to be willing to sign the aprons. (See Beth, that's where the aprons and a sweater come into play....and I WAS wearing pants. REALLY, I was!) She signed three books and two aprons for Traci and it was my turn! I was so quiet (yeah, I know) and didn't know what to say. In fact the only thing I remember saying was that I loved her hair color and that her colorist did a great job (there was a post or a tweet about her going to get her hair done) and maybe I said something about how much I like her? I totally don't remember! (If any of you want to remind me what I said, but not how stupid I sounded, please feel free!) She signed MY cookbook first, and the one for a friend second, then my apron. As she was signing my books, Katie took a picture of me, NEAR Ree (but not with her) and I know I looked way cheesy! I feel bad, because as Katie got her book and apron signed and Michelle got hers signed, I don't remember what happened! I was on such a high from talking to Ree, and her not being a jerk (how many people thought The Pioneer Woman could be a jerk, not me, but you never know) that I didn't pay attention! Sorry Katie, sorry Michelle! I do remember going out of the bookstore and having a few people ask if she signed our aprons, us deciding where to go eat (it was like 9:00 by that point), and me doing a little skip dance thingy on our way back to Traci's car because I was so excited! It was so cool to be able to meet someone I read on a daily basis, someone that shares so many of the recipes I love to cook, and my family loves to eat, and someone that just makes my life so much more fun! I am going to savor the cookbook (and cook out of it too) and possibly get the apron framed (I don't want to find out if the marker Ree signed it with is really permanent) and hopefully when Black Heels comes out in print form, she will sign books at a larger location!

I'm a cool Mom because...

...I took my kids to their first concert today! And that is why I can't finish my post about meeting The Pioneer Woman. It has been a long day ( and a long night before that) and my head is pounding, I'm trying to reason with a tired, grumpy 6 year old and finishing my "To Be Continued" is just not going to happen tonight. Hopefully I will get the chance tomorrow!

I'm a cook that got to meet The Pioneer Woman!

So as most of you know Ree Drummond (aka The Pioneer Woman; aka PW; aka P-Dub) wrote a cookbook. Let me rephrase that she wrote a BEAUTIFUL cookbook. Oh! This cookbook is heaven! The photos are beautiful, the recipes delicious and the cover is divine! (OK, so I like the cover because it is orange and that means I can display it in my kitchen, and it won't look out of place!) And since most authors take a book tour, Ree did too. Or as she calls it a "book trip". On November 4th she was here in SLC! I was so excited she decided to stop here! We are not in any way shape or form a big city like Chicago or LA, but as shown by the number of fans that came out to see her, we loves us some PW! Let me back up here...a few friends and I decided to go out to The King's English Bookstore to see her and have her sign our cookbooks. We planned for a little bit, and then Traci came up with the idea to make aprons with a cute vintage cowgirl printed on it, so we could maybe have Ree sign them and it might make us stand out a bit. We planned for a little bit more, chose our aprons and had one made for PW, then got out names embroidered on them (and of course Ree's on her's along with "SLC loves Pioneer Woman"). On the day of the book signing, Traci picked me up (in my carefully picked out "book signing outfit") and we headed to Sugarhouse. We were meeting Katie and her friend Michelle, and hoping Barbi would be able to come out with us too (Barbi wussed out, but I don't blame her, and Traci's friend Annie had a sick baby, so she couldn't make it). As Traci and I were on our way Katie texted me telling us to hurry, because there were tons of people, and more kept showing up! Now I know not all of you have been to The King's English but it is a quaint bookstore amidst a few shops along 15th and 15th smack dab in the middle of a neighborhood in SLC. The first thing I thought (and texted to Katie) was "SHIT!" Thinking we were not going to be able to make it to see Ree. We pulled up and parked (up a hill, and I was wearing my new "hot" boots) at about 5:40ish. We rushed down the hill and got in line, even before seeing where Katie and Michelle were. We were so lucky! We hadn't been in line long when a lady came by and handed us a "ticket" to the book signing. Traci and I were "F". Now at the time I didn't know what that meant, but I eventually found out that there were 20 of each letter, so that meant we were in the 5th group of 20 people to be able to go in and meet Ree. (Katie had "C" and Michelle had "D" lucky bitches!) The letters went to up "Q". And there were more people that didn't get tickets that waited for after the people with tickets had taken their turn. Seriously, we think there were 500+ people there to meet Ree and get their books signed. WOW! We stood in line (after buying our books from the local bookstore) for about 45 minutes. They opened the gallery (cute art gallery where Ree spoke) at 6:30 and we were so lucky that Katie and Michelle saved us seats or we would have been standing like 300 other people that didn't get seats (THANKS!) Ree was slated to speak at 7:00, so we waited in the midst of the excited crowd,taking pictures, and browsing the cookbook. The "roadies" tested the microphone, the bookstore representative (at least I THINK that's who she was) said a few words, a hush fell over the crowd (well, as much of a hush that would happen in 500 people) and.... TO BE CONTINUED! (Aww..it's late, and I'm still tired, and well, this post has been long. And I need something to write about tomorrow, dontcha know?)

I'm a hobbyist wishing I had more time for my hobby.

Even though I don't get enough alone time to hone my photography skills, I've still been trying to take photos and use my camera in different ways. I think I need to watch the DVD that came with my camera, so I have a better idea of what I'm doing.

This week's You Capture Challenge was to shoot whatever I wanted! So I took my camera with me a few places this week and came up with some fun stuff....at least I think the photos are fun.

Glow of a fake Jack-o-lantern decorating a hallway at my husband's work

Glow of a REAL Jack-o-lantern on our front step

Glow of a Pioneer Woman Signing Books at The King's English in SLC

Go check out the other great photographer's You Capture Shots at I Should Be Folding Laundry! And tomorrow I will have a post about the whole experience meeting Ree! (Sorry I didn't get one done today Barbi...it's been a long day!)

I'm a Pioneer Woman fan too.

Well, you already knew that! Just in case I get home from Ree's book signing a little late, I'm posting this so I don't miss a day of NoBloPoMo. I'm so excited to get The Pioneer Woman's new cookbook, and have it signed and to see her in person! I hope to be able to meet her and get a pic with her and give her the surprise my friends and I got for her. I'll give you an update either later tonight, or tomorrow! Yee-Haw!

I'm a cook loving that soup weather is here!

Soup is one of my favorite things to make. It is easy to make, and one of the greatest comfort foods ever! I have a few no-fail soup recipes but this has become my family's favorite (OK, so Colin doesn't like it since he doesn't like potatoes). This recipe makes a TON of soup, so it is great for sharing whether with a family that has a new baby, or for a dinner party with friends. It is so yummy to serve with fresh grilled panini's or in a soup bowl. If you are vegetarian you can always use vegetable bouillion cubes and leave the ham out. If you try it let me know...I'd love to hear your take on this recipe! Potato Cheese Soup 6 cups potatoes diced 3 chicken boullion cubes 6 cups carrots diced 3/4 cup butter 1 onion chopped 3/4 cup flour 1 cup celery diced 1 quart half & half 16 oz velveeta diced ham (optional) Put vegetables in large stock pot. Add bullion cubes and enough water to cover. Cook until vegetables are tender. Add velveeta, stiring occasionally to melt cheese. In seperate pan melt butter and add flour to make a roux (add salt and pepper to taste). Slowly whisk in half & half, cook until thickened. Add white sauce to vegetables and cheese. Add ham and heat through.

I'm a blogger participating in NaBloPoMo.

What is NaBloPoMo you might ask? NaBloPoMo stands for National Blog Posting Month. Every Novebmer a challenge is issued to bloggers for them to write at least 1 post a day for 30 days. We all know that there are very few bloggers that can post something every day, so it is a fun challenge to attempt. I was so wrapped up in Halloween that it snuck up on me this year. Last year I vowed to try NaBloPoMo when I came around again, I forgot about it until I read this post by Tia over at Clever Girl Goes Blog. Thanks for your post Tia! Since she reminded me of it, I've decided to try it despite all the stuff going on. Maybe I'll get brave and share, or maybe I'll just use Plinky most of the month. Whatever gets posted, at least I'll feel like I've accomplished something. So stick with me, and see what I come up with!

I'm a Mom on her game!

Look! It's the day after Halloween, and I actually have my Halloween slideshow finished! I'm finally on top of something...now if I could just get my Raider's Curtains done. We had some fun this Halloween season and even though we didn't get to see the Witches at Gardner Village this year, the kids still had plenty to keep them occupied. Enjoy the pictures!

Make a Smilebox slideshow