Stop the ride - I want off

The past couple weeks have been hectic. Our sewer line broke, so we had to be super careful with our water usage until we got it fixed (done, thank goodness!). One grandpa has a mysterious illness on top of his advanced Alzheimer's. The other has colon cancer. Our Stake President from CA got in a car accident, in which his wife died and he punctured a lung, did some serious injury to his back, and other problems, I'm sure. My best friend from high school's older sister died of an aneurysm. The kids mashed the little fins on the AC, so it's barely working - and it's 100 degrees outside all this week. My husband's stepdad is in the hospital from a stroke. My sister lost her baby. All I can wonder is, what's next?

A friend reminded me of a "thanks journal." I think I'll have to make a post later today of just our blessings. Since, somewhere in all this, there are many.

The Quilter's Apprentice

The Quilter's Apprentice by Jennifer Chiaverini

My review

rating: 4 of 5 stars
A quick, easy read. Amazingly clean. Sometimes I think she struggles with describing the quilts, although being a quilter myself, I know many of the blocks by name and can visualize them without a description. She does a wonderful job weaving the stories into the plot. I think she could have done more description, as well and development of the relationship between Sarah and Sylvia. It seemed a little too scripted - it happened too easily. I am curious to see what she does in the next book, although I have a feeling that she could have combined the two into 1 (this book was only 266 pages). Oh, and I wished that she had told the story behind the "contrary wife." I think it's so funny that I'll have to make one myself someday!


View all my reviews.

Love Walked in

Love Walked In by Marisa de los Santos

My review

rating: 3 of 5 stars
I loved the premise. Sadly, the author is foul-mouthed, loves to focus on sex (even if she doesn't describe it explicitly) and with that she pushes her belief that sex is something to be played around with - to experiment until you "find the right person." And still, I fell in love with the characters. And I loved how she switched back and forth from Cornelia's point of view to Clare, winding the stories together. Wonderfully written.


View all my reviews.

The Bread Baker's Apprentice

The Bread Baker's Apprentice: Mastering the Art of Extraordinary Bread by Peter Reinhart

My review

rating: 4 of 5 stars
An enjoyable read. I have not had a chance to try the recipes - that will have to come later. But I am very interested in playing around with retarding the dough and seeing the effects it makes in the flavor and texture. I have not read a whole lot on artisan bread, and this was helpful in learning the science as well as some the techniques. I now understand what the "windowpane" test is. It does have only 2 recipes for whole grain breads (whole wheat, and whole sourdough rye), which was a disappointment, but know I have a lot of new ideas of how to play around with the bread recipes I see.


View all my reviews.

Just for a laugh

That guy deserves a $20 tip!

If Jesus hadn't gotten baptized, would that have been a sin?

That was the question that caught my attention in Primary. My answer is different in some ways than the one given them. First off, I would say yes. If he hadn't gotten baptized, that would have been a sin. But he did get baptized. He himself said it was "to fulfill all righteousness." I believe that Christ was perfect because of all the things he did. If he hadn't done them, that would have been a sin of omission. At every point in his life, he had an opportunity to choose right from wrong. The difference between him and all of the rest of us is that he ALWAYS CHOOSE RIGHT. All the time. Every day, every minute. He was not exempt from the law. The expectations for him were not low, but higher than all others. That is why we worship him, stand in awe of him, and thank him for his sacrifice. Not because it was easy - it was impossible for any other to accomplish - but because it was hard.

Along those lines, this post has got me thinking. Am I ready to say "yes" to the role God has assigned me? Can I do my best to choose the right, no matter how hard it may seem? I know there will be times when I fall, but am I selling myself short? Giving up too soon? It's time I listened to those promptings, to do those things I know I need to.

Baby fat

So, I always have gained a lot of weight during my pregnancies. From 45 pounds to 60. Now that I'm no longer pregnant, and our baby is 3 1/2 months, it's time to lose the 20lbs that are still on me. Baby fat is cute on babies, not on my thighs. How is it that we end up with skinny babies, anyhow?

This post is purely to motivate me. To actually EXERCISE. To say no to that 2nd helping of dessert. Okay, and the 3rd and 4th. And sometimes the 5th. I know that I'm not "obese." But I am not healthy, and none of my clothes fit. I'm tired, and my back hurts.