A Few of My Favorite Things

• A full moon.


• Reading in bed.


• Microwave popcorn.


• Christmas Eve.


• Sleeping in.

To Make Him Smile

Sugar Bear: Mom, Ian says I'm a dork.


Me: Tell Ian to go to Helena, Montana.


Sugar Bear (with a giggle): Watch your language.

A Few of My Favorite Things

• Red roses.


• Libraries.


• Autumn leaves.


• Chocolate.


• Naps.

A Happy Thing 10/08/09

Seeing A Chorus Line at Pioneer Theater Company with WhiteRabbit.

Thought for the Day

Nothing seems hard to the people
who don't know what they're talking about.

(Yeah, I'm back from vacation but wishing I wasn't.)

Happy Things 10/03/09

Friday Fill-In

Hosted by Janet of Fond of Snape at Its Own Home.

Graphic courtesy of Tonya!
1. One week ago it was still summer, but now it's fall.

2. I was a picky eater when I was young.

3. Mama told me, "If you don't have time to do it right, when are you going to have time to do it over?"

4. This is just between you and me.

5. Take your time and get it right the first time.

6. The quarterback will pass!

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to going to bed early, tomorrow my plans include going to the BYU football game to see my daughter play in the marching band, and Sunday, I want to have key lime pie for dessert!

What in the World?!

Theme: Orange


Sunrise in Fort Lauderdale.
June 2009.

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Happy Birthday!

Theme: Surprise


Twice in the past year, we were pleasantly surprised
to find decorations on our front door in celebration of birthdays.

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The Ripple Effect

Theme: Ripples


Intracoastal Waterway in Fort Lauderdale.
June 2009.

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Not the Real Thing

Theme: Artificial


In Montreal.
June 2008.

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Friday Fill-In

Hosted by Janet of Fond of Snape at Its Own Home.

Graphic courtesy of Tonya!
1. When will my life feel like "normal" again? (Maybe after the audit is completed and budget proposal is prepared.)

2. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix was the last good movie I saw. (Now I'm ready to go to the theater to see Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.)

3. Everything has its beauty, but beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

4. A cheeseburger from the Wendy's drive-thru is what I had for dinner.

5. I'd like your energy. (That's what I say to my 10yo son every day!)

6. Walking on the beach is where I want to be right now.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to going to bed early, tomorrow my plans include catching up on some housework, and Sunday, I want to enjoy the cooler temperatures!

My Life According to Sarah McLachlan

I had fun doing this on Facebook and decided to post it here as well. The idea was to use song titles from only ONE artist to cleverly answer these questions. Be sure to let me know if you give it a try!

Artist:
Sarah McLachlan

Male or female:
Perfect Girl

Describe yourself:
Fallen

How you feel:
Full of Grace

Where you currently live:
Home

If you could go anywhere, where would you go:
Elsewhere

Your favorite food:
Ice Cream

Your best friend:
Angel

What the weather is like:
In a Bleak Midwinter

Favorite time of day:
Silent Night

If your life was a TV show, what it would be called:
Building a Mystery

What life is to you:
Ordinary Miracle

Your fear:
Possession

The best advice you have to give:
Do What You Have to Do

Thought for the day:
I Love You

How you would like to die:
Sweet Surrender

Your soul's present condition:
Good Enough

Coming Down (A Five-Act Play)

Theme: Low

Act One


Act Two



Act Three


Act Four


Act Five


The View from My Front Porch.
Friday, August 7, 2009.

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Friday Fill-In

Hosted by Janet of Fond of Snape at Its Own Home.

Graphic courtesy of Tonya!
1. Going to the Utah Shakespearean Festival is my favorite summertime vacation.

2. My favorite John Hughes movies is Some Kind of Wonderful.

3. Velvet is something I love to touch.

4. The full moon is gorgeous tonight, peeking over the mountains.

5. I should be in bed right now.

6. When daylight fades, it's time to turn on the lights.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I enjoyed a belated birthday celebration dinner with my husband at The Cheesecake Factory, tomorrow my plans include lunch with my sisters and mom at Texas Roundhouse, and Sunday, I want to go to bed early!

What Fun Is

Theme: Entertainment


At Lagoon.
July 2009.

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What's for Dinner, Mom?

My week's menu is located on my sidebar.
(If you can't see it now, click here and it'll come up.)
For more great menu ideas,
be sure to visit Laura at I'm an Organizing Junkie!

Just four weeks left of summer! School will be starting before I know it. This week's menu reflects some of my preferences for summertime eating.

The plan for Monday is Bagel Pizzas, and everyone can choose their own toppings. It's BLT Wraps on Tuesday and Hot Dogs on Wednesday. Those will all be easy preparations and, with some fresh fruit, exactly what I'll be wanting to eat.

On Thursday, we'll be eating out as a family, after attending a public open house tour of the new Oquirrh Mountain LDS Temple.

Friday is (almost) always "fend-for-yourself" around here. On Saturday, I'm planning on either picking up some pizza or having "leftover buffet" (which sounds better if you say it with a French accent).

We have only a few Sundays left before my oldest leaves for college, so she wanted to choose the menu for this Sunday's dinner: Ham, Potato Casserole, Broccoli, and Rolls. She'll be making the potatoes from a recipe she got from my mom. Maybe we'll have something chocolate-y for dessert.

I need your grace
To remind me
To find my own

from Snow Patrol's "Chasing Cars"


(I took this photo at The Garden Cottage Bed & Breakfast, July 2009.)

Breakfast. Lunch. Dinner.

Theme: Utensils


Three Meals While on Vacation.
July 2009.

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USF 2009 - Day Four

I woke up on our fourth and final day at the Utah Shakespearean Festival wondering if we couldn't just stay a few more days ...


I did go walking again - three days in a row! With some good bandaging, my heel didn't even hurt.

Diana's breakfast this morning featured an egg casserole, which I ate with fresh salsa, and a pumpkin-nut coffee cake, which was delectable. The starter was a goblet of sliced bananas and strawberries. (WhiteRabbit got my bananas again.) The beverage was grape juice.

After the Literary Seminar discussion of Henry V - which featured director J.R. Sullivan and during which I concluded that I really do need to read more about England's history - we checked out of The Garden Cottage - but not until we made reservations for next summer!

Because we had some free time before the matinee, we took a photowalk around the SUU campus, then sat on a bench in the shade to read a little - I'm working on Michael J. Fox's Always Looking Up - and eat a pretzel from The Sweet Shoppe.

At 2:00 we watched a terrific production of The Secret Garden. I saw this musical a number of years ago at a community theater and just fell in love with it. I own the CD, and I loved the book on which the play is based when I read it as an 11- or 12-year-old. Ben Cherry was just wonderful as Archibald Craven (the role that Mandy Patinkin played in the original Broadway version), and the children Ellie Smith and Nikaiya DeBirk were delightful as Mary and Colin. I sobbed through much of the performance, using every Kleenex I had in my bag.


After the play, we went to Chili's for an early dinner, after which we hit the road for home. I slept a good part of the way - as I usually do when WhiteRabbit drives.

Although we're now home, I'm still considering myself to be "on vacation" through the weekend.

USF 2009 - Day Three

I went walking again to start Day Three. I rubbed a spot on my heal raw - there was even blood - but I'm glad I walked.

Breakfast was delicious - as always. Fruit smoothies, southwestern quiche with fresh salsa, cranberry-orange scones, grapes, and hot chocolate. I ate until I was stuffed!

Right after breakfast, WhiteRabbit - having come to believe that every vacation requires some golf - headed out to play 18 holes at the Cedar Ridge Golf Course. I went over to the Literary Seminars with my parents.

I liked the observation that Ace made, related to As You Like It, that Shakespeare understood that men's and women's roles were, to a great extent, something that people put on, like actors playing a character.

I also learned some interesting tidbits and got a few insights into Private Lives from the discussion:

• Noel Coward wrote the play for himself to play one of the parts.


• Coward once had a knock-down, drag-out physical fight with a female friend during which the maid came into the room - reminiscent of one of the scenes of the play. He fired the maid for "interrupting my conversation with my friend."


• Coward was spoofing the superficiality of people like Elyot and Amanda in writing the play.


• Today's sensibilities about domestic abuse - and, in particular, the personal experiences of two seminar participants - have resulted in some of the same reaction I had about the play among other attendees.

I spent the late morning and early afternoon blogging, reading, and napping. After WhiteRabbit got back from the golf course and had a shower, we went for an early dinner at Ninja Japanese Steakhouse. I had teriyaki scallops, vegetable tempura, and California roll. So very good!

The evening's play was Henry V. We almost decided to not get tickets for it, since the histories generally seem less accessible to me. But with Brian Vaughan as Henry, we decided we'd regret not seeing it. We would have! Although it was long, and despite the fact that I didn't understand a number of the side stories, I'm very glad to have seen this terrific production.

USF 2009 - Day Two

I started off the second day of our vacation by putting on my walking shoes and circling the Southern Utah University campus while WhiteRabbit ran about five miles. I desperately need to get back into a regular exercise schedule, and I'm hoping that spending a few mornings walking while on vacation will motivate me to keep it up once we get home.

At 8:30 a.m. we enjoyed one of innkeeper Diana's delicious breakfasts. For starters, we had a parfait of vanilla yogurt, granola, and bananas. (I gave my bananas to WhiteRabbit). The main course was an egg and vegetable casserole and pecan sticky buns. A glass of orange juice and a cup of hot chocolate completed the meal.

Right after breakfast we headed over to the Literary Seminars to listen to discussions about yesterday's plays. Weather permitting, these seminars are held out of doors.


Of course, we'd only seen one of the plays being discussed - Comedy of Errors - but I enjoyed also hearing the discussion about The Secret Garden, which we will see on our last day here. Dramaturg Michael Flachmann joined Literary Seminar Director Ace Pilkington for the first hour of the seminars.

For lunch, WhiteRabbit and I picked up some food at Panda Express and enjoyed eating it in the garden.



After a short nap, we saw Noel Coward's Private Lives. I can't say that I enjoyed it. I'm at a loss to see Coward's point, and while it's billed as an "amusing rollick" - and there were some laugh-out-loud moments - I mostly found it depressing.

I ate a southwestern salad at the Pastry Pub for dinner, and WhiteRabbit had a turkey sandwich. This little eatery is within easy walking distance from the B&B, and having a meal there has become a must-do for our USF trips. Apparently they've only just re-opened after being closed due to smoke and water damage from a fire in December.

At 8:00 p.m. we attending our second Shakespeare play of the trip - As You Like It.

I took this photo inside the auditorium lobby.
The display there included an original artwork poster for each play, as well as a related costume.
This was the second time we've seen As You Like It at the Festival. It was a great production, although I thought the second half went on a bit too long. The first half also seemed somewhat darker than I remembered. When the actor playing Rosalind, Melinda Parrett, first appeared on stage, I feared that I wasn't going to like her as this character. She soon won me over, however, in this fun role of a woman pretending to be a man pretending to be a woman.