Unhistoric Acts

project life: an attempt

So. Project Life. I'm doing it.

I blogged about this at the beginning of January -- how I used to scrapbook, but then I stopped, but now I sorta want to do Project Life. And then I ordered the stuff. I'm particularly talented at "ordering the stuff."

A few days after the STUFF arrived I started playing around with it. Then Jordan, my firstborn, the child who I gave up any last vestige of freedom for...that Jordan... said something along the lines of, "Huh. You started that? I didn't think you would do it."

And then I hotly replied, "Looky here girly. I ALWAYS start projects. It's NOT finishing them that I'm famous for."

Seriously.

Granted, I've only done four weeks, so I don't want to make any grand prognositications. But...so far I like it. There are no real "rules" for Project Life. You can adopt any format or timeline you like. For myself, I'm doing one page a week. My goal? To show what our life is like right now. I'm just now getting into the swing of things...finding out what I like to include...remembering to take pictures (most of my pics are from my iphone, btw).

One of my likes...is that it's not alot of mess, not alot of supplies. For these things (mess and supplies) I gave up traditional scrapbooking. Here's what I use:

99% of the stuff you see here comes with the kit. I also have a corner rounder (the teal thing) and some of my own photos. That's it. No glue. No stamps. No sprays. No stickers. No EMBELLISHMENTS. Of course, you can have all of that if you want. I just don't want. At least not in large supplies. Less is more for me.

To give you an idea, here are weeks 3 & 4:



So...it's just 12 x 12 page protectors that are separated into smaller spaces. For these two weeks I also included a 6x12 for some extra space. I like the idea of including quotes...things the kids say or that I find particularly inspiring that week. I also try to include a list of the highlights in terms of activities. As I go along I find myself thinking of different things to include...like a recipe, or song lyrics, or something from school. Ticket stubs. Grocery list. Those things that will be fun to look back on and that are representative of the here and now.

Right now I collect pictures during the week and put the page together on Sunday afternoon. It generally takes about 30 minutes. Sometimes 45 if I'm getting all jiggy with it.

On the up side, this makes me feel creative. And then I can get back to my real life...the one with dishes and laundry and very long articles to read. On the downside...less time TV time.

 

multi-layered

My friend Diana says I'm a food snob. On the one hand...that's true, but on the other hand...I should probably be MORE picky about what I eat. It's funny how you can't lose the Christmas pounds when you keep eating like it's...ummm...Christmas.

Anyway, my food snob tendency did rear its persnickety, little head the other day while I was talking to my sister. She was planning a birthday dinner for her son (my nephew). She was wondering about the dessert. Should she buy a cake? Where can she get a good cake?

Sister: "Nope, I'll probably just make the cake myself."

Me: Good idea. Just promise me you won't use canned frosting.

Sister: --Silence--

I figured the least I could do was make the darn cake. So I offered and she snapped up the offering. Real quick like.

I knew I didn't want to spend a ton of time on the cake. So I searched through my pinterest files and decided on a 14 layer cake (from Bakerella)...BECAUSE THAT WOULD BE QUICK AND EASY.

Sometimes I'm so conflicted I confuse myself.

After the multi-layered rainbow cake,I decided to work with disposable pans. This would elimante the never-endling cycle of prepping the pans, baking the cake, cooling the cake, washing the pans...on repeat. Finding the 8 1/2 inch disposable cake pans wasn't easy. Don't even bother with Target or Kroger. They don't have them. Try Randalls. If you have a Randalls, that is.

Then you have to cut parchment circles for the bottoms. And butter and flour them. And say three times, "The cake will NOT stick." Then turn around to the left six times and throw salt AND glitter over your shoulder.

Actually, the layers popped right out. Thank you disposable aluminum pan maker.

The batter? Holy cow. It takes THREE sticks of BUTTER, four and a half cups of flour, six eggs, and three cups of milk. It was some industrial baking for sure.

By the time the layers started coming out of the oven (I baked seven at a time (in two ovens)), Sterling had wandered into the kitchen to see what the heck was taking so long. He was more than happy to take over construction. Phew.

Sorry for the blurry pic. Ever since we added the covered patio in the back of the house...my kitchen gets dark way earlier. We should have opted for the motorized awning. But you get the idea...kind of like really sturdy pancakes. (P.S. the dripping is supposed to happen.)

As Bakerella suggested, I covered the entire cake with a chocolate cream cheese frosting. Now the layers are neatly hidden...to await their unveiling at the party.

I ALMOST forgot to take a picture of the inside...what with being exhausted from the baking of the 14 layers. But I did it. And everyone squealed when Sterling pulled out the first piece. And then folks started ordering up cakes for their own birthdays. And then I started crying and ran out of the room

JK. No crying. But I did vocally reserve the right to retire from cake making at the time of my choosing. Hopefully that won't be soon.

Happy Monday!!

 

after school stuff

This picture totally cracks me up. Jordan's in the kitchen right now...talking to me...as I'm posting this. She might make me take it down, so I'd best be quick.

After school today she told me  that she's always in a bad mood after school because she has Calculus AP last period. She didn't want to take Calculus, but the Statistics AP class she wanted conflicted with French. So she was FORCED to take Calculus, even though she hates math. Or, I should say, dislikes it greatly because "it stresses her out."

Then Maddie talked about how everything EXCEPT FOR math "stresses her out." And then they both dreamed of the day they could only take math and English classes respectively. Jordan whipped out the BYU core requirements and started looking at her options. We talked about how my first class my freshman year was an 8 AM physical science class (that I rarely attended). I told her to aim for 9 or 10. And both girls marveled and became giddy at the thought of 9 or 10, especially since they've been getting up at 5 (or 4:45 for Jordan) for the past three years.

And I just thought, "My baby is going to college. Can I really be THAT old?"

As she was listing off the course options...I heard a few I might be interested in.

So....maybe I could go with her?

still cookin'

I'm in a bit of a blog rut. I'm working out exactly what I want this space to be...family record, cool repository of links, food stuffs. Right now it's a bit of everything. Let's call it eclectic. And, maybe that's all it will be. Too much definition makes my brain hurt.

So here's what I'm thinking about right now (in no particular order):

• I recently downloaded the app Momento, and I think it will work great with Project Life. It's a journaling app for the iphone that lets me record daily events. What's really great about it though is that it gets an automatic feed from Facebook and Instagram. So even if I drop the ball and don't record anything on my own...the Instagram photos (and my sage observations on FB) will be there...on the appropriate days. Because I need to remember EXACTLY what day I took pictures of magazines in the dentist's office. Right?
• I've tried out a few new recipes this week. Our Best Bites' Thai Peanut Noodles were a bit hit. They are quick to make...although I wouldn't say they pack a big nutritional punch. Still, I'll make them again. I do recommend that you have the toppings on hand (cilantro, peanuts, limes, green onions). They make it zingy and awesome. (Pretend I'm singing the word 'awesome.') I also made PW's favorite pizza, which includes roasted eggplant and grape tomatoes. It was good AND it has fresh veggies galore  (with crust and olive oil, ahem). It does take some time and planning. The dough needs to be made at least a day in advance. But then, when your husband asks what's in the bowl in the fridge, you answer, "Oh, that's the pizza dough for Wednesday's dinner." And then you look totally on the ball. Not that "on the ball" buys much these days. But you'll feel "with it" for approximately two minutes and 37 seconds. And then you might go back to roaming your house aimlessly in your bathrobe. Not that I'm speaking from experience or anything.
• Monday night we attended this special 'meeting of the Board of Trustees' for our school district. They were honoring those kids who had received recognition from the National Merit Scholarship program. Twenty kids from our high school (132 from the entire district) were recognized. Of the twenty kids (from our high school)...15 were girls. Huh. Now, I'm not saying that boys aren't smart or girls are smarter or anything nearly so controversial. But when you spend your days reading 19th century accusations of the relative mental and intellectual instability of women...and then you see 15 women walk across the stage for something like National Merit...you just say BOOYAH! YOU GO GIRL! Also, when Jordan was recognized they said something like, "Jordan plans to attend Brigham Young University" in the Fall. And the woman behind us says very loudly, "She must be a Mormon." Yes she is. Thankyouverymuch.
• The new Ingrid Michaelson album came out yesterday. I downloaded it at the orthodontist's office while I was waiting on Becca and her teeth. Isn't technology wonderful? New music...and you never have to leave the comfort of your dental health specialist's cushy couch.

That's it. But stay tuned...I just might be MAKING something.

going viral

Have you read this? It's pretty much gone viral...and for good reason. This is what good writing does. It takes a single human emotion (or heck, a whole tangled pile of them) and it orders them in nice straight rows for one blessed moment in time. Also, it let's you know that there are other people out there facing the same cruddy (and sometimes not so cruddy) issues as you. Ahhhh...strength in numbers.

So, yes, the above-linked article made me a momastery fan. And I really like what she posted today. She jumped right up on my particular soapbox, from which I'll gladly step aside and even shout out "Sing it sistah!"

 

on being a hermit

This picture has nothing to do with being a hermit, other than sometimes when I'm holed up...I make pretty arrangements of fruit and candles. It seems like a very Jane Austen thing to do. It makes me feel more artsy and less deranged.

I write today in a semi-state of celebration. I handed a chapter in today. Yippee!!

Except it's not really DONE done. It's not even pretty much done. But it's drafted and fairly complete and is certainly a step in the right direction -- that direction being lots of black words on white paper.

As of late I've kinda sorta hit my stride in terms of coming up with a working schedule. Before the "schedule," my plan was mostly reading, blog surfing, lunch with friends, and long talks with myself about buckling down. Now the plan is that I have to work first. I know. It's a simple idea: Do your homework first, and THEN you can play outside. Eat your healthy foods first, and THEN you can have dessert. But still, I somehow didn't think that rule applied to me. Also, I was lazy.

But now -- I get home from seminary, make Parker's lunch, and try desperately to go back to sleep on the couch while Parker and the dog dance around me...Parker chastising Sterling for taking too long even though it's only 7:15 and the school doesn't open till 7:50. Generally speaking, I can't fall back to sleep, so I give myself a little mental pep talk in which I tell myself to stop being such a whiny baby and go sit down in your nice, warm study and write a few words. It's not like plowing the back 40. For heaven's sake.

Then I do. Sometimes I work for specific time periods. Say 8:30-11:30. Lunch and errands from 11:30-1:00. Back at the desk from 1 until the girls get home at 2:45. Sometimes I work towards a specific number of pages written. Last week I wrote three pages each day, but I need to work towards five. I'm not getting any younger you know.

I know a few of you, ahem...friends and family, are suspicious of my "I've got to work" excuse when I refuse a lunch date or don't make contact with the outside world for days at a time. But I really am working. And I need to do it. And unfortunately, the only way I can make this work is if I play the role of semi-hermit. The outside world is too shiny and distracting.

Right now, on my desk, are about 23 books and 1,723 pieces of paper -- these include articles, notes, drafts, and even a few pieces of my actual sanity. Sometimes, when I'm writing, I remember something I read in so-and-so's article and then I look through all 1,723 pieces of paper and can't find it anywhere. Then I look again BECAUSE I KNOW IT'S THERE, and I usually find it about the 4th time through the piles. I could organize my stuff better, but that's a trap right there. I'll spend three days and $143 on organizational supplies all to avoid the writing...which hurts so bad I can hardly believe I made it through the last 40 pages without having a nervous breakdown.

But I did. And I'm learning how I trick myself, what with the organizing, and the careful attention to my works cited page, and the desperate need I have for powdered donuts right when I'm at a difficult point in the theory. See? I'm learning so much about myself.

 

the weekend awaits (not to mention MLK day)

Photo: taken this morning after seminary.

I have to say, all things considered, I sorta like seminary. I like the study part. And I like some of the teaching parts, and I'm working really hard to like the waking up parts -- but that might be asking too much. And no, this does not mean I'd like to do it another year. I'm just trying to have a good attitude here and now.

I don't have a lot of fun to report. Not much fun is generated when you spend most of your day at a desk reading and writing. But I am writing and that is good. I keep pinning posters about how it's better to try and fail than never to try...which is strangely comforting to me as I wait to hear what my advisor has to say about my work thus far.

At any rate, here are a few links to liven up your day:

• I've been using this transfer app to get my Instagram photos to my computer. I agree that it's a little silly to pay for such an app when actually plugging the phone into the computer is not exactly a great feat of strength. But still, I find myself transfering photos a lot more often.
• Dude. I made these brownies yesterday. I don't even really like brownies. Or, I didn't. But now I do. These brownies will make you a believer. Sterling tried one and was all, "We'll never make brownies from a mix again!" And I was all, "That's easy for you to say."

• Got most of my Project Life stuff yesterday. The whole time I was ordering it I kept saying, "I'm not even sure if I'll do this." And I was on the phone with Debbie, who answered back, "I can't believe we are considering this." And then we both clicked the final button and bought the darn stuff. Cuz we need a project. 
• And finally, I made So-Easy Coq au Vin last night. I'm dying to link the recipe for you, but cannot FOR THE LIFE OF ME find it anywhere on the vast Interweb. So I'm going to type it up for you, and hope Better Homes and Gardens doesn't get me for copyright infringement. It was good. Perfect for a wintry evening.

So-Easy Coq au Vin (adapted from Skinny Slow Cooker)

8 oz mushrooms (sliced)
4 medium carrots (sliced)
1.5 cups frozen pearl onions
6-8 large chicken thighs, skin removed
1 cup dry red wine
1/2 cup chicken broth
2 Tbsp tapioca
2 Tbsp red wine vinegar (I was out and used apple cider vinegar)
1.5 tsp herbes de Provence
3 cloves garlic, minced
Italian parsley
4 cups whole grain noodles (cooked)

1. Chop mushrooms and carrots and place, with frozen onions, in the crockpot
2. Season chicken thighs with coarse salt and FGP and brown in a large skillet (about 6 minutes). Add to crockpot.
3. Deglaze skillet with red wine. Reduce heat and simmer for two minutes. Remove from heat and stir in broth, tapioca, herbs, and garlic. Season with salt and pepper. Pour over chicken.
4. Cook on low for 5-5.5 hours OR high for 2.5 to 2.75 hours.
5. Serve over cooked noodles with sprinkling of parlsey.
Serves 6

some disparate things

PJ after school (after school cookie in his mouth).

It's currently 69 degrees in Houston. Blue, blue skies. Slight breeze. If you could bottle up this weather, you could sell it. And get REALLY, REALLY rich.

That not being a possibility, I've been writing my little brains out today. Nothing like writing to make your brain feel teeny, tiny. As in miniscule. A very big part of me feels that the writing should come easier to me, that at this point in the process is should be effortless, that my brain should coalesce all that I've read, the theories I've learned, the texts I've chosen. And yet, it's more like the little engine who could. I'm (metaphorically) huffing and puffing. Not sure if this is normal. Will seek professional help.

Parker's reading grades have been all over the map lately. Nothing really bad, but more mediocre grades than I'd like to see, especially with junior high staring us straight in the eyeballs. I e-mailed his reading teacher and asked where he thought he could improve. He suggested we work on making inferences...understanding those concepts not directly stated in the text. I'll be honest with you, my first thought was to hire a tutor. Because I am lazy. But then I got a hold of myself and reasoned that I could put some of my EXTENSIVE training into my own child's education. So, I took myself down to the teacher's supply and bought two workbooks and that handy-dandy box called, precisely, "making inferences." I pulled out the most difficult card to just see how far off the mark we were. He read the story and answered all of the questions correctly. So...hmmmmm. Tomorrow I'll try some of the workbooks. (I bought the smencils and the doodle book to make the whole proposal more palatable. The grape smencil is to die for.) The point is people -- I'm trying. Can I get some bonus points just for trying?

Also...bonus points for after school cookies. The avocados are for dinner. I have chicken in the crockpot for tacos. And even though I've posted this recipe before (I think), it bears repeating. It's the EASIEST DINNER EVER MADE. Or very nearly so if you don't count cereal.

Chicken Tacos

Time to make: 1.3 minutes
Time to cook: a long time

Throw some chicken breasts (boneless, skinless) into the crockpot. I usually do 4-6 breasts, and they are always frozen. Because I can't be bothered to thaw something out beforehand. Unless I buy fresh. But that's a rare occurrence as well.

Add in a packet of taco seasoning (I used chicken taco seasoning today, but any taco seasoning works), about a cup of salsa (or picante), and 1/2 - 1 cup of water. Put it on low and let it cook all day. Or, if you are like me, put it in at 1:00 and cook that sucker on high.

When you are ready to eat simply shred the chicken in the pot and stir it up with all of the juicy, salsa goodness. Serve with lettuce, tomato, cheddar cheese, sour cream, cilantro, avocados and some soft, fat tortillas (or crunchy shells if you are Parker). That's it. It's easy and relatively wholesome. Try it.

sunday night. boo hoo.

Here's the whole motley crew at BYU just a little over a week ago. And now it's back to work. And (keep your fingers crossed) to exercising and eating right and writing and doing all of those things that are good for me but that my lazy self really doesn't want to do.

Seriously, tomorrow it's back to my desk. I pulled out the chapter I worked so feverishly on in December. There are some good parts, don't get me wrong, but there are some parts that I want to cut and slash and write in the margins, "What on earth were you thinking here?" That's the obvious benefit to desk editing (which means letting it sit in your desk for a while) -- your mistakes in logic become glaringly obvious. The plan is to tidy up that chapter a bit and then to plunge ahead with the next. No big breaks. No pats on the back. I think that's what's been getting me in trouble...so much patting on the back...which really amounts to me giving myself lengthy breaks. It's all a mind game, and I'm done with it. (Or is that just another mind game?)

At any rate, I think I'll write out my shopping list tonight so I'll have that out of the way. I'm definitely going to try Baked Bree's minestrone soup and pasta and white beans with broccoli pesto (from January's Everyday Foods). I'm also going to serve chicken tacos (ala crockpot) and perhaps one more crockpot dish from the new Skinny Slow Cooker -- a Better Homes and Gardens Special Interest Publication that for the life of me I can't find a link for.

Also, and I can barely type it here...I'm thinking of embarking on Becky Higgins Project Life. I know. No more projects. But maybe just one. I'll just work on it on Sunday afternoons. And only if I've given three pints of blood that week to my dissertation. I swear.

ski pics

I realize this is much like inviting friends over to see our vacation slides...but I'm going to do it anyway. Eventually, someday, when I get about a bazillion free hours, I plan to print this dear blog into books. That way, my future generations can also view my vacation slides. Boredom through the annals of time....THAT'S my end game.

Let me just emphasize here that I did not take any of these pictures. Debbie was good enough to lug her big camera and BIG lens around and captured these images. I did edit them, which I only tell you here in case you don't like the editing...don't blame it on Debbie. It's all me. And I'm a fairly lazy editor.

The whole fam...and Sam...who is family. We will probably one day regret this, but we often refer to Parker and Sam as the old married couple. That's how they operate. Except no fighting. They are an old married couple in complete harmony.

Each day, when we finished skiing, we left our skis at the ski valet. Except one day Parker wanted to bring his snowboard home (to practice his stance). Sterling warned him he would have to carry it himself and that there wouldn't be much time for practicing. Parker still wanted his snowboard by his side. And no, there was no practicing. But he loved it just the same.

On our trip, we also set aside an entire day to visit BYU (and eat lunch at Brick Oven). I swear, everytime I'm there (at BYU), a little birdie whispers to me "You're home." And I yell back, "Well, get me a job here already!" Lazy little birdie.

This picture was taken in the courtyard of the humanities building where I pretended I have an office. The pretending is both inspirational and depressing...all at the same time.

Maddie and her sidekick, Jane.

That's all. We'll be sleeping in tomorrow! 11 AM church. Wahoo!!!!