Since Finals week is just around the corner, I've been thinking a lot about books. No, not textbooks--i'm talking books that I actually ENJOY reading (like novels and such). During finals week I always read a book. It's a little thing that keeps my soul alive and offers a glimpse of what life can and will be like after all the dreaded finals. There's only so much time that can be devoted to study during finals week. The rest is for reading good stuff (and, of course, cooking).

Some of my favorite book quotes...

(Disclaimer: I sometimes find significance in the words of Dumbledore and even Twilight's Bella.
So shoot me. Maybe this summer I will work on reading more high-quality literature. Until then, this is as good as it gets)

“…something in her own unique mind had roused the powers within her…a beauty neither of fine colour nor long eyelash, nor penciled brow, but of meaning, of movement, of radiance. Then her soul sat on her lips, and language flowed, from what source I cannot tell…”
-Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Bronte

"...In every important way we are such secrets from each other, and I do believe that there is a separate language in each of us, also a separate aesthetics and a separate jurisprudence. Every single one of us is a little civilization built on the ruins of any number of preceding civilizations, but with our own variant notions of what is beautiful and acceptable.
-Gilead, by Marilynne Robinson


“Of course it is happening inside your head, Harry, but why on earth should that mean that it is not real?”
-Dumbledore


This was my happy era now. But I was surprised to realize how many things I missed from my own personal dark ages.”
-Bella.


"There is no justice in love, no proportion in it, and there need not be, because in any specific instance it is only a glimpse or parable of an embracing, incomprehensible reality. It makes no sense at all because it is the eternal breaking in on the temporal."
-Gilead, by Marilynne Robinson

Simply Elegant

Recently, I went to a lovely catered dinner at BYU for a nursing school function. Despite a menu of instant mashed potatoes and chicken cordon bleu (curiously reminiscent of freshman year Sundays at the Morris Center Cafeteria), I loved just sitting as plate after plate of food was set in front of me--I would love something like that, after all.

This experience contrasted greatly to our at-home food experience. For Pete and I, the norm is make-food-quick mode, eat it standing up. We've usually got one eye on the food so as not to miss the mouth and the other eye on the clock so as not to be late for class. I decided that every once in a while, I want to do little fancy dinners in my house (plus it will help me teach my children--and my husband and myself--good manners).

I decided Easter Sunday was the day. I spread the preparation over a few days so I didn't have to do much on Sunday. After much shopping, chopping, boiling, cooling, and many "preheat oven to's...," here's the finished product.

Course 1: Strawberry Spinach salad and rolls.





Course 2: Lasagna, steamed brocoli, garlic bread



Course 3: Creamy Lemon Bars (recipe from: http://www.ourbestbestbites.com)



It was fun to cook, make little name cards, etc. But what really made the meal was having Brian, Ashley, and Eric over to share it with us. Not only is life about people...food is about people too. My mind is already cookin' up a menu for next time...

Easter 2010

I tend to get really excited about things like playdough, finger paints, easter egg hunts, and paper chains (like the kind you do in red and green to count down to Christmas). The other day I saw a book from my childhood called "Rainbabies" and I almost cried...we're talking intense nostalgic, emotional, where-did-my-childhood-go experience.

Basically, this is all pretty hefty evidence that I need children. At the current time, however, I just have a husband. So sometimes he has to participate in the little kid activities that are just building up inside me and needing to be carried out.

Like Easter egg hunts:

Live, Love, and Eat.

So I was looking through the photos on my camera and noticing that many of them are not of cool people, or cool places, or even cool things.

They are of food.

What can I say? I like food.
Here's some yummy stuf I've made over the past who-knows-how-long:

My Favorite Snack Ever (almost better than ice cream. almost). Vanilla yogurt mixed with strawberries and blackberries, topped with grapenuts.

Whole Wheat Bread (with fresh ground wheat!). Pete likes to point out the fact that his loaf is well, rather rough looking. I just think it's nice that he would make bread with me :)

Valentine's Day Sugar Cookies

Frozen banana popsicles

Mmm...chocolate cake

Best Pizza Ever! Whole wheat flax crust + homemade pizza sauce. And the zucchini was a GOOD idea. Should have put more on.


Fruit Pizza = summertime. Can't wait til it's time to make this again!