Which Austen Heroine are you?

Take the Quiz here!

I'm Elinor Dashwood. But I bet if I had taken this quiz fifteen years ago I would have been more of a Marianne or an Emma.

Grocering

For much of my life grocery shopping has actually been quite a favorite pastime of mine. When I was a kid my mom would often send my older sister and me to the local market with a list and a blank check to shop for our family of roughly a dozen people. I sometimes made a game out of it and tried to sneak random items into the basket without my sister noticing--a coconut, kiwi fruit, cans of Fresca. My sister and I would sometimes get silly and giggle all the way through the store. We had a lot fun at good old Days Thriftway. I enjoyed it so much I created a word for it, "Grocering." Grocering is not merely the act of shopping for food, it is a fun leisurely afternoon spent in the supermarket.

Needless to say, I have not been grocering in a very long time. With the rising cost of food and a monthly income that is, shall we say "on hiatus", trips to the grocery store more closely resemble a panic attack than a joyous outing. I stand in the aisles, calculator in hand, for what feels like hours (especially when I have kids in tow!) and I try to calculate cost per ounce, compare sale prices at one store verses another, determine food storage needs and try not to go insane when I can't find apples any cheaper than $1.69 a pound (it's September for crying out loud, apples are in season!)

One big name store in particular honestly puts me in a bad mood every time I go there, which isn't very often. But this week they had a great sale on cereal and granola bars so I stopped in. I thought I'd pick up a few other items while I was there. That was a bad idea. I kid you not, the people in charge of pricing in that place are stark raving mad! They have this nasty little practice of inflating the "regular price" on things so later they can put them "on sale" and plaster their cute little yellow "savings" signs all over the place without actually saving anybody any money. Yesterday I saw generic brand cream cheese on "sale" for $1.99. Who do they think they are kidding with that?! That's more than the regular price at the store down the road. Or how about the chicken breasts "specially priced at just $3.99 a pound". What in the world?!

Sometimes I'm afraid that I may never go "grocering" again. Or perhaps my most recent shopping trips are just missing one crucial element from the the grocery store adventures of my youth. . . I wasn't paying the bill.

The Day the World Changed

I'm a nostalgic person, you all know that. Dates of historical significance tend to make me a bit introspective. Today is no different.

I remember that horrible day seven years ago. I was having a normal morning with my one year old when my husband called from his office and told me we were under attack. I was then glued to the television for the rest of the morning. I sobbed as I watched the towers fall. I was so confused and scared. It's a feeling I'll never forget.

That day ended up affecting me quite personally. One week before that fateful day, my husband had renewed his commitment to the Army and contracted to become an officer. I could have never imagined how the combination of those events would shape our lives.

After completing officer training my husband was sent to Afghanistan to help the Afghan army fight the terrorists. Nothing could have prepared me for the challenges of that experience. But the lessons I learned and the friends I made during that time are sacred treasures to me.

September 11, 2001 had a huge impact on a lot of people, some more than others. As I think back on that day, the day that set life-altering events into motion for millions of people, I try to count my blessings. I'm grateful for a nation that found the strength to move on and show those bad guys that they can't break us. I'm grateful for a loving Heavenly Father who can bring us peace even in times of chaos. I'm grateful for an eternal perspective that reminds me that this life is all about learning and growing, which often hurts, but we're better for it.

Fondue FHE

I always find great stuff at Ross Dress For Less when I'm looking for other things. (I once found a fabulous dress when I was there looking for pillowcases!)

Last week I was there looking for a birthday gift for my mother-in-law and found this awesome little fondue pot shaped like a Hershey's kiss. It uses just a little tea light candle to heat it up. Since my mother-in-law is not likely to use such an item and it was such a great deal (only $4!), I just had to buy it for myself.

Last night we had a ball dipping fruit and cookie pieces. After several weeks of trying to eat really healthy food my kids were blown away at the idea of sitting down to a bowl of melted chocolate!


Oh and PS: An update on the stained pants from my last post--I was so frustrated that I just left the bleach soaked pants in the sink and went about my day. I came back several hours later to find the dye spots gone!

AHHHH!

Don't you hate it when an article of clothing you only kind of like leaks dye onto a pair of pants your daughter absolutely loves?! I feel horrible because it is totally MY fault!! I was in a hurry yesterday and put some wet clothes in the hamper "temporarily" and found this today:


I've bleached it to death and this is the best I can do.


I'm just so mad I had to tell somebody about it.

I'm Turning into My Mother!

That is a common phrase spoken in our modern world. The only thing I don't understand is why people act as if that's a bad thing. I'd love to turn into my mother. My mom is amazing. And every year about this time I remember just how amazing she is.

I have vivid memories from my childhood of the sights, sounds and often the stickiness associated with the end of the summer. We had a huge garden and my mom was (and still is) a master at canning--tomatoes, peaches, pears, applesauce, pickles--you name it, she could do it all. I remember how hot the kitchen got on those days, the sound of bottles rattling in the pressure cooker, the feel of the squishy peach peels as they magically slipped off the blanched fruit. But mostly I remember my mom and the countless hours she spent in front of the sink filling the bottles in her labor of love.

Last year I planted only tomato plants in my garden so by late summer I had more tomatoes than I knew what to do with. After a few weeks of eating all things tomato, I realized there was no way we could eat them all fresh and I decided I really needed to learn how to can--not just to save my tomatoes, but to be a faithful latter-day-saint. I had a fairly good foundation of knowledge on the subject from what I had learned as a kid and what I didn't know I was able to find on the internet. I bought jars and lids, dug my biggest pot out of the back of the cupboard and set out to have an uplifting, provident, faith-promoting afternoon.

Unfortunately none of those things happened. My experience was less than uplifting--more problematic than providential. I realized the learning curve on this particular skill was steeper for me than I imagined it would be. I think the only real lesson I learned was that canning makes me curse.

I did manage to produce four little pint jars of tomatoes--two of which are still sitting in my basement because I just can't bring myself to open them when I think about the pains I took to make them.

So as I approach a new harvest season, I find myself thinking about my mom and the never ending patience and persistence she's able to employ to fill her storeroom shelves. I'm determined to give it another try this year. Most of my tomatoes are still green but my one little cucumber plant is doing quite well so yesterday I made this:


And who knows, maybe after a little more practice I'll have more in common with my mom than just the same slender fingers.

At least I hope so.

Ten Recent Observations

1. There is no such thing as a "quick trip" to Costco.

2. Even the most mildly humid summer afternoon in the mid-west is still way too humid for this Utah girl (although I do like how soft it makes my skin).

3. There is something disturbing about a self-flushing toilet that does its job with such vigor that your feet get wet.

4. Every unpleasant experience in life is made better if you have Gilmore Girls playing in the background--even getting your teeth drilled at the dentist.

5. Shoe shopping solo is a delight. Shoe shopping with three kids the week before school starts is torture.

6. It seems that not all people own full length mirrors, because if they did I'm certain they would not go out in public wearing what they do. Yikes!

7. You can sometimes find long lost friends just by "google-ing" them.

8. You can't buy love and homegrown tomatoes.

9. It is possible to drink too much Dr. Pepper. (who knew?!)

10. You know your marriage is in a good place if you can spend fourteen straight days with your husband on a stressful business trip and you not only still like him, but you love him even more.