Feliz Cumpleanos Papi! & other weekend happenings

Saturday

We started the weekend with a celebration lunch for Papi's birthday. Super yummy, wonderful conversation with my family, memories shared of the years with Papi.

♥Espere que usted tuviera un dia maravilloso Papi. Nosotros le adoramos. Gracias para todas las memorias divertidas con el paso de los anos, y optimistamente muchos mas ser hecho. ♥

Sunday

More Papi birthday fun at Joey's for a family dinner. Just Dance on the Wii was super popular. Nothing at all wrong with grooving out to the Gorillaz & Cindy Lauper...


Clark getting in on the action...

Friday

Shane had his annual Wasatch Front K-9 Association Dinner this weekend. In the past, it has just been for the handlers, but the President this year decided it should be for spouses as well. We had a relaxing dinner followed by the annual awards and slide show. Shane was nom'd for Handler of the Year, which he graciously lost to the Draper handler, but...

West Valley City took home Best Agency of 2009. You guys ROCK!


...and a very cool tribute to Pete. He passed away a year ago this month. He was such a scrappy, passionate little dog (okay, not little, but more like big, scary and violent). This picture was taken at the agency training the day before he was put to sleep. He had just had his stroke, so he couldn't walk. Shane found this shopping cart to push him around in so he could enjoy his last training session. This picture is the one little bright spot during a very tough time for Shane. Shane sometimes has a very odd sense of humor--I am blaming it on his job, but he thought it was hilarious that the probable previous owner was also just recently out of a job like Pete. The next day he cried when Pete was put to sleep. Rest in peace Pete.

photo credit unknown

and last but not least, a family decision we NEEDED a warm trip somewhere. Soon. Since it wouldn't be quite warm enough to swim in St. George, we decided to go to our second favorite family vacation spot, Disneyland. The perfect respite before Paris!

Heroes & Creative Inspiration

Pack Meeting was tonight, and the theme was Heroes and Talents. Each of the parents had to come up with a few little paragraphs about their sons and why they were a hero in their families. Mack also played a song on the piano. So proud of him! Here are a few little thoughts about him:

Thursday

Needed a little creative non web based inspiration today. Mini field trip to J Crew was in order. Stunned by all their little perfect spring details - the jewelry, the cardigans, the tops. Loved the styling of these belts. Felt all refreshed, creative and happy returning to work (with just a new top or two!)

Cards, Amber & BYU

Making CD's for my comment girls


Lunch with Amber. Love seeing her--wish it was more. She is one of those perfect people: gorgeous, impossibly thin, kind, smart, stylish, but human at the same time. Wishing all good things her way as she works through a few things. XOXO Amber:}

Attended a career symposium at BYU today for Molecular Pathology and Microbiology programs. Amazing intelligence seriously blows me away. The upcoming workforce is going to be so uber talented. We are so lucky this caliber of people will be working in the healthcare industry!

Our week...

Tuesday

Love watching Biggest Loser with Amanda on Tuesdays. I NEED to stop eating junk when I watch it:} No favorites yet, still a bit early in this season.

Wednesday

Updated some candle vases while the boys were at scouts tonight. Took a garland I got from JoAnn's and cut it apart. Some of the beads are frosted--love the way they catch the light.

Thursday

Presidency Meeting tonight. As much as I dread another meeting after a long work week, I truly enjoy the company of our Primary Presidency. Everyone is so different. Our President is the perfect example of service. She is constantly thinking about everyone and what she can do to ease their burdens. Our First Counselor is the perfect housewife. Her kids are amazing, her house is immaculate, and she is beyond organized. Our Second Counselor is probably the person I am closest to in our presidency. She is goregous, stylish, fun and brings a light quality to our meetings.

Tonight we went over a talk (The Principle of Presidency)our Bishop wanted us to discuss. Would highly recommend this three minute read for anyone in a presidency. My favorite thought I pulled out that I need to remember:

We should all remember the sound counsel I heard years ago from President Ezra Taft Benson. He mentioned that when it comes to callings in this Church, we should be aware of three things: First, we do not seek for a position. Second, we do not ask for a release. And, third, we are not sad when we are released.

Friday

Les Madeleines in Salt Lake City was featured tonight on The Best Thing I Ever Ate on the Food Network for the category of Salty Goodness, specifically the Kouing Aman. It is described as crunchy, salted caramel on the outside and gooey and flakey on the inside -- a study in opposites. They are definitely addictive. Some say they are better than kisses. Tempted?

Saturday

Movie day with Mack and his friends. They saw Tooth Fairy while I caught Leap Year in the theatre next door.

Happy Birthday Jay!

My brother in law celebrated his birthday this week. An acrostic in his honor:

J - Jovial. He is always super friendly, interested in how you are doing, and fun to be around.

A - Astute. Jay always seems to know what is going on in the world in every aspect. Kind of like a walking Jeopardy! board:}

Y - Yearner. Jay is always looking forward to the next adventure, the next cool thing to do. Excited to hear about their adventure to China!

Hope you had a wonderful birthday Jay!

Haircut

Golden Globes 2010

I love award shows. The combination of movies, TV, fashion and celebrities leaves me just a bit giddy.

My favorite look of the night:

And the winners were:
Best Actor Television, Drama- Michael C. Hall, Dexter
Best Supporting Actor Television, Drama- John Lithgow, Dexter
Best Supporting Actress Motion Picture- Mo’nique, Precious
Best Animated Feature Film- Up
Best Original Song, Motion Picture- Crazy Heart, “The Weary Kind”
Best Original Score, Motion Picture- Up, Michael Giacchino
Best Actress Television, Drama- Julianna Margulies, The Good Wife
Best Actress Television Series, Comedy- Toni Collette- United States of Tara
Best Actress Motion Picture, Comedy or Musical- Meryl Streep, Julie & Julia
Best Actor Mini-series, Drama- Kevin Bacon, Taking Chance
Best Actress Mini-series- Drew Barrymore, Grey Gardens
Best Screenplay, Motion Picture- Up in the Air, Jason Reitman and Sheldon Turner
Best Actor Television, Comedy- Alec Baldwin, 30 Rock
Best Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television- Grey Gardens
Best Foreign Language Film- The White Ribbon
Best Television Series Drama- Mad Men
Best Supporting Actress Mini-series- Chloe Sevigny, Big Love
Best Supporting Actor Motion Picture- Christoph Waltz, Inglorious Bastards
Best Director Motion Picture- James Cameron, Avatar
Best Television Series, Comedy or Musical- Glee
Best Actor Motion Picture, Comedy or Musical- Robert Downey Jr., Sherlock Holmes
Best Actor Motion Picture, Drama- Jeff Bridges, Crazy Heart
Best Actress Motion Picture, Drama- Sandra Bullock, The Blind Side
Best Motion Picture, Comedy or Musical- The Hangover
Best Motion Picture, Drama- Avatar

Happy 40th Anniversary Jack & Karla!!

My cute in-laws celebrated their 40 year wedding anniversary today, Saturday, January 16th. They are such an inspiration to me for marriage. They truly enjoy each other, love spending time together, and have understood the importance of give and take (Jack sees chick-flicks and Karla goes to train shows). I hope Shane and I can grow together the way they have. Just appreciate and adore each other. Love them. So happy and proud of their achievement and happy to be able to be a part of it.

We started celebrating the day by going to Koda's memorial. Koda was a K-9 from Midvale that was killed on New Years Day. It was a sobering wake up call about the danger of police work. Made me really consider Shane's profession in a way I haven't done for a long time. Everyone always asks me when they find out what Shane does "Doesn't that scare you?", and honestly, it really never has. I guess I just tell myself that whatever happens is meant to happen in life and there isn't anything you can to do change fate. But, as I sat at the memorial and considered the gravity of the events that happened that night to lead to Koda's death, it scared me. The thoughts of anything happening to Shane or Copper would be devastating. Beyond devastating. I had a new appreciation of police work, freedom, and the fragility of life.


One thing that I haven't been able to stop thinking about from the memorial was the folding of the flag. I wouldn't consider myself a very patriotic person, but the reverence, and perfection, the time they spent folding the flag they carefully delivered to the Koda's family was something I have never experienced. Gratitude filled me for the sacrifice of police officers and also for the freedom's protected by them.

After the memorial, we went to dinner at Cucina Toscana downtown. I have seen this restaurant a million times driving from LDS Hospital to Murray, but we have never gone. It was really cool. The food was so out of control rich though, I ended up that night with the most raging heartburn I have ever had (sorry for the overshare!). When going downtown for dinner, we usually head to Red Iguana (so good I think I may have shed tears on occasion), Al Forno's (my favorite non chain Italian), Litzas (still love that place from college), the Garden (love it there in the summertime when they open the roof), Melting Pot (we usually just do their cheese and chocolate and it is the perfect naughty dinner), Cucina Deli in the Avenues (their pastries are beyond) or Z'Tejas. The food was okay at Cucina (the mixed green salad was perfection though!). Kind of overcooked, temperatures too cold. So, when venturing downtown if you live in the burbs like me, I would recommend getting the Enchiladas Suizas with the brown mole at Red Iguana, getting a cute sweater at J. Crew or Anthropologie in the Gateway and seeing a movie with frozen Junior Mints. You could do all three of those probably for the cash we dropped at Cucina. But, going with my in-laws to dinner made up for the food for sure. I can't remember the last time we have all gone out as a family.

Since I couldn't actually lay down or sit up due to my acid problems that night, had to indulge in the Perfect Bath.

Some fabulous things I discovered in my magazine & catalogue reading and iPhone surfing:

There are some really great free font downloads out there. Porcelain (cute vintagey font) and Wendy Sue (so cute handwriting). Click on the link below to Porcelain and leave me a comment if you want me to send you Wendy Sue. I couldn't find Wendy Sue anywhere on the web, so emailed the artist and she emailed it to me.

Free download of Porcelain

I also got a whole new vision of how I want to decorate my living room. Karla and I made these gorgeous temple pictures last month (she gifted me mine for Christmas!), so want to hang it up, but want to redo stuff before I do. LOVE this room with the clapboard walls and museum lighting. Copying everything!


Ribbon/trim shop in Paris. In the words of Rachel Zoe: I. die.

The Car Show

Our family loves the annual car show that comes to the South Towne Expo Center. We are definitely a car family, and savor all the new body styles, inside styling and cool new technology. Smelling that fabulous new car smell too is worth the $5 alone.

Our family favorite this year was the Audi Q5. The navigation system was insane, and Mack loved the rear heated seats. Definitely contemplating that one in a year or so when it comes time for another car.

Until next year new car smell!

My favorite things

My card exchange group was tonight. This group has been so fun to be a part of. I love that through the group I still get to see some of my favorite people from my old neighborhood, my best friend from high school, my best friend from across the street and my two sisters. It is definitely a diverse group! Love too that we can see each other just every other month and we easily fall back into conversation and laughs.

Our assignment tonight in additional to making cards was to bring a basket of your five favorite things to exchange with someone else’s five favorite things. I am such a material girl—there are easily thousands of things I could count as favorites, so thought as of January 2010 what things are really speaking to me. Here is what I came up with:

One ~ The Perfect Bath

I have loved taking baths since before I can remember. My Mom would order us to take a bath growing up if we felt tired, professed depression, couldn’t sleep, get warm, etc., so it is kind of my go to winter stress reliever. Next to a really good workout, a great bath can put me in a really clear frame of mind. I feel like I get some of my best ideas just being alone without phones ringing or people constantly needing me.

I love listening to music pretty much anytime and anywhere, so had to put together a playlist of some of my favorite quiet tunes. I also love a huge liter of partially frozen water to offset the steamy heat. Put a bottle of water in the freezer a few hours before your bath. Yum. I also love a huge stack of magazines, catalogues, books and my Kindle. Included a Vogue as this month’s gave me a lot of creative inspiration. Lastly, you have to have a great bubble bath. I am really partial to the 3 in 1 products from philosophy. Spicy Gumdrop and Candy Cane are my go to scents right now. Mash them up for icy heat goodness.

Two ~Traveling

So anyone that reads my blog, befriends me on Facebook or follows me on Twitter knows that I have been obsessing non -stop about my upcoming trip to Paris. I have been dreaming about going for years since my first Art History class in high school. I am heading to the City of Lights in March for my first overseas trip. I am envisioning the art, the outdoor bistros, the pastries, the cheese, the Metro, the chocolate, the architecture, the language and positively swooning over it all. So, had to include a small silver replication of the Eiffel Tower.

Three~York Peppermint Patties

Cold York Peppermint Patties could be one of the greatest treats on the planet. I usually have a small stash of them hidden in the fridge away from my family. They really need to be the full size ones though to get the perfect proportion of the dark chocolate to the mint. And, they really must be cold.

Four~L'OCCITANE Shea Butter Hand Cream

Discovered this the first time I stayed at a Four Seasons. These are their toiletry products (another reason staying at a Four Seasons is beyond pampering). It is hands down the best hand lotion you can find anywhere. It is a combination of shea butter, honey and almond and jaw dropping wonderfulness. Plus, it comes in the most beautiful little silver tube (I really love great packaging, LOL). I have a tube in every purse I own.

Five ~ Fashion

I have been crushing on all the fabulous fashion lately. Clothes are the one thing that get me up in the morning. I love figuring out what to wear to work, finding the perfect jewelry and shoes, etc. I am kind of boring as I only shop at a really only a handful of stores that I know instantly will have perfect details, draping and that little extra to make something over the top cute.

I have been drooling over Miss Ruby Sue’s accessories for a few months. Flowers, tulle, grosgrain tied necklaces have been totally inspiring me. So, included a really cute flower headband in my box from Motley Handmade Designs Etsy Shop as I couldn’t quite justify a creation from Miss Ruby Sue’s yet—even for myself!

My cute sister Joey got my box, so hope you enjoy some of my favorites!

In honor of my favorite things for January, leave me a comment and the first five comments (if I get that many!) will win a Perfect Bath CD complied by me!

My last thing I shared with the group were my cards. I made really simple Valentine’s Day cards using some cute new brushes from Designer Digitals and House of 3. I emailed these to FedEx Kinko’s to print (love laser color copies so much more than ink jet); punched two holes in them, and attached to a cellophane bag with some cute ribbon. An easy and cute gift for a teacher, visiting teachers, a little unexpected gift to lift someone’s day, etc.

Vampires & Alfredo Sauce

I have been eagerly anticipating the release of the new Vampire Weekend album. Did not disappoint--probably my favorite band right now.

Fun GNO with Amanda and Tisha to Olive Garden on Wednesday. Relaxing to catch up and enjoy the company of two of my favorite girls.

Wii & Chicken Parmesan

Mack has been addicted to the Wii Motion Plus he got for Christmas. We have loved playing the Frisbee Dog Throw, Three Point Shoot Out and the Island Flyover.

Monday was a day of major wintery comfort food. I came home from work feeling this need to cook a lot of super soul satifsying goodies.

Main course was Chicken Parmesan with a green salad. I made the overly cheesy version, but am posting probably a version I like a bit better than won't induce major heartburn. Mack kind of likes this version better too--he really likes the spinach pasta. This is from the Body for Life Cookbook:

2 Egg whites

1/3 cup Italian-seasoned breadcrumbs

4 tbsp Reduced-fat parmesan cheese, grated, divided

2 portions or 1/2 lb Chicken breast

2 portions or 4 oz Uncooked spinach pasta (you can find this at Harmon's)

1 cup Low-fat pasta sauce

2 cups Baby spinach leaves

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 400.

2. In a medium mixing bowl, beat egg whites with fork until slightly frothy. Then, mix breadcrumbs and 2 tbsp of reduced-fat Parmesan cheese in a pie plate.

3. Dip chicken breasts into egg whites and then into the breadcrumb mixture, coating both sides.

4. Lightly coat a baking sheet with cooking spray. Place chicken breasts on the baking sheet; bake for approx. 12 minutes. Turn over and bake another 12 minutes, until chicken is no longer pink in the center and coating is golden brown.

5. While the chicken is baking, prepare spinach pasta according to its package directions.

6. In a small saucepan, warm pasta sauce over medium heat.

7. Divide spinach leaves between two separate plates. Layer portions of warm spinach pasta and baked chicken breasts over spinach leaves. Top with pasta sauce and remaining Parmesan cheese. Serve.

& then we ended the night with these...

Golden Graham Treats. Sigh. Perfection!

Dinner & Primary

Dinner with my family at Famous Dave's. Fun and relaxing way to spend the start to the weekend. Such a long week this week after so much time off during the holidays.

Our annual Primary Get to Know you Activity was today. My job as secretary is to make all the rolls, lists and direct everyone to their classrooms. Whew! So much work every year. In awe that Mack is almost out of Primary and soon will be passing the sacrament.

Merci Beaucoup & Honesty

Had our card exchange at work today. These were my little thank you cards. Transparency, Emmascript, ribbon and French. Love.

We are trying FHE on Thursday nights as it is the only night we are work and church free. We did a lesson tonight on honesty. Here is what I put together:

Write the letters H, O, N, E, S, T on separate pieces of paper and hide them in the room. Have your family find them and decide what word they spell. For each letter, share a story of someone whose name begins with that letter and who was honest and true. H—Helaman (Alma 56:1–10, 45–48), Hezekiah (2 Kgs. 18:1, 3–5), Harold B. Lee (Valiant B manual, pages 219–220); O—Obadiah (1 Kgs. 18:3–4); N—Noah (Gen. 6–8), Nephi (1 Ne. 3:7; 1 Ne. 16:18–26, 30–31); E—Enoch (Moses 7:13), Enos (Enos 1:26), Ezra Taft Benson (Valiant B supplement, page 2); S—Samuel (1 Sam. 15:1–28), Spencer W. Kimball (Valiant B manual, pages 221–224); T—Timothy (“Timotheus” in Philip. 2:19–22), Teancum (Alma 50:35; Alma 51:30–37).