Pottered

I've been Pottered.

Attack of the Cooking Tornado

I have a confession to make. I've become an obsessive cook, and I think that I missed my calling in life. I really should have gone to some culinary school in France, instead of USU's Engineering College. I'm not really passionate about dams and roads. Don't get me wrong, I like it; but I love trying different, new foods. For example, I only work four work days, meaning that I have Friday through Sunday off. This weekend I made: Pulled Pork Sandwiches, Grapefruit Sorbet, Mango-Hazelnut Granola, Apricot Jam, Strawberry-Apricot fruit leather, Amish Friendship bread, and Hummas. Yes, Hummas. I have to get my Middle-Eastern fix in omehow. I've also become fascinated with anything remotely related to the French. They really know their stuff. The other day I made French Cultured Butter. (If only my pioneer ancestors could see me now...) It was actually really good, and I even tried to convince Don that even though it was expensive to make, it was good for you, becuase you know what is going into it, it has a fabolous flavor, AND has a biproduct of buttermilk--two for the price of one! (~Go figure, that's where buttermilk comes from.) I went to the local gardener's market and looked around and surveyed all of the different types of
granola that they were selling there, and none of them could top mine. I might be biased, but I really don't think so. I also found some great herbs to use in my cooking now. I think that this is what happens when you're not really passionate about what you're studying. My extra energy has all gone into something else. Maybe it's just this internship here at UDOT, I'm not sure. I think the fact that I don't have any children would also have something to do with it. At any rate, I have every intention of becoming a gourmet. So if anyone would like to be guinea pigs, just let me know.
**photo curtesy of www.travelerslunchbox.com

Shrine

This is my adorable nephew and niece Madeleine Kate Soule and Jaden Scott Soule, they both belong to Aubrey and she gave me these super-cute pictures that I had to blog!
Jaden is exactly 2 months old in this picture, the handsome little devil, and Madi is 1 year and 9 months old, she's the cutest thing that ever walked the earth.

You've Probably Been Wondering....

So, I realized that I haven't updated this in a while. Things have been a touch busy. Let's see, what's happened since I last blogged? No. That's too much to update. I'll start with the last six weeks. I had a little nephew born about six weeks ago. He came five weeks early, but he was still 6 lbs. 9 oz. not too shabby for a pre-mie. His name is Jaden Scott Soule, and he has me wrapped around his adorable little pinky finger. He has my cheeks. I had cheeks like that until I was 12 years old. While I'm updating you on auntie news, Aubrey's daughter, Maddie, got a hair cut. She kept pulling out and eating it because she liked the texture. And Brinleigh also got a hair cut. Below are pics of my cute little nieces and newphew.
Now that I've told you all of the important news, I'll tell you about Don and I. Two weeks ago Don was put in as the first counselor of the Bishopric, and last week he was released from his old calling. He seems to be pretty busy so far. He also started a new job as an intern for Sergent Engineering, and seems to be enjoying that. He's smart, he's had to learn how to design a structure before actually taking the classes that tell you how to design for dead loads and wind loads. I'm pretty proud of him. We've also picked up paintballing, and I have some nice shinners to prove it. Don's been complaining the past two days that I can't go anymore because it looks like he beats me.
I've also started interning for UDOT. It' s pretty exciting. The other day I paved road at Powder Mountain, which is, I'd like to add, the steepest road int the state. I'm so dang proud. Powder mountain is right by Ogden which is where my office is so I commute and start work bright and early 6 to 4, four days a week. And since I live about 50 min. away by the end of the week I'm pretty worn out. I'm also still in the primary, and last week I dressed up as Lucy Mack Smith, I figured I could pull it off since we were the same height.
We also went to Boulder, CO a few weeks ago for an Engineering Conference which was pretty cool, and I helped my little sis, Ashley, move out of her apartment. She had a sweet pad, and we partied in St. George for a day or two. Anyway, that's enough talk, the pictures are what's really important anyway. I love you all!!

Memories of Spring

I don't know about you guys, but I'm so ready for it to be spring. Two weeks ago, it was so wonderful, there were blue skies, and rising temperatures. Today I woke up and Old Man Winter dumped six inches of snow outside. And on top of that it's been snowing everyother day up here. If I were a snow bunny I'm sure I'd like it, the powder's fabulous. But I can't help feeling resentful, especially when I look through pictures and see beautiful sunny beaches. And "spring" break is only two weeks away. That is my handsome husband modeling in the picture, by the way. Sometime I'll actually have to show his face in this blog. But until then, it adds a touch of mystery.

The Ballad of Floppy Joe and other Stories

This title is due to the fact that I have renewed my love for children stories. I've started collecting children's books because I like to read them in Sharing Time now that I work in the Primary. You'd be surprised how Dr. Seuss and P.D. Eastman can teach kids. If I were ever to write a childrens book, I think that I'd use this title; it's pretty snazzy.
I also thought it was time to introduce Floppy Joe, my fish. I'm convinced Floppy Joe doesn't like us, he flares up whenever we approach him. Don claims it's becuase he's a Beta. Beta Shmeta. He just doesn't want to bond. I push his buttons occasionally by holding a mirror up to his bowl out of spite. We tolerate each other. He's Don's stand-in dog.
But enough about Joe.


My other story is about snowboarding. On Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Don and I decided to go boarding with some friends. I'm a beginner, I can count on one hand the number of times I've been. And I don't even need to use hands to tell you the number of times I've carved. I like the snowplow method. Needless to say, it was my second time going to a resort (the first time was literally a decade ago.) I did some smashing acrobatics and tried to do a cartwheel with my face down an absurdly steep slope that probably had a name like, "Black Diamond Death Ride". By the end of my routine I found myself staring into the tranquil sky wondering why half of it was blue and the other half yellow. And then realized that my goggles were broken. At any rate, I learned how to carve.