Yellow Wallpaper

or, all the Facebook updates that I could have written, but I don't want to be one of those people that posts a million times a day about random things . This morning the kids were with their dad and I had plenty of time to get ready. But, we were still a little late to church. Oops. After the kids got here we decided to print off some of the activities from the new copy of the Friend magazine so we wouldn't have fights about who got to use it at church, and printing several different PDFs and needing to change the ink cartridge ending up taking a while. Oh well--everyone was entertained and happy at church. After the first prayer on the sacrament ended, P.Bibby excitedly said "I need to go to class!" and got ready to go. She was very, very sad when I told her it wasn't time yet, and we had to go out in the hall to calm down for a while. She really, really loves her nursery class (and her teachers are great) and I love the fact that she is so enthusiastic abo...

I was at Costco last weekend and I happened to notice that they are now carrying organic steel-cut oats for a pretty reasonable price. I grabbed a bag because I've eaten them a few times before and I liked them. Then I remembered that I had seen this recipe just the day before so I decided to try it for Monday morning. It turned out quite well; even though I put them in the crockpot at 11 pm and woke up at 7, they were a bit overdone and crusty around the edges. However, most of them still had a great taste and texture and I think the overcooking issue was more a function of my crockpot than the recipe (I often have that problem because it's an oversize pot and more wide and shallow than most--the lid is also broken so I'm planning on replacing it). I also liked the recipe because the added brown sugar and maple syrup added just enough sweetness that I didn't need to add any more sugar to my bowl. The oats were tasty on Monday morning and it was great to wake up to o...

I hate leaving a negative post up there with no resolution, but I've been busy during the past week. Things are feeling better; often just writing down feelings and getting them out of my head helps a lot. I'm still not sure if I should put them on the internet or not, but I guess I already made that decision and I'm sticking with it. This week has also started to feel like spring for real, and that is helping my mindset too. I know it seems weird, but the lack of normal winter weather the past few months has really stressed me out. The fact that so much of my life is out of whack did not make the fact that natural order of the universe has apparently been disturbed any easier to bear. Now that it is early March, I'm happy to see the sun and to feel warmer air on my skin finally. Yes, it might snow tomorrow, but the light and the air feel like spring so I'm a lot happier. I also made some decisions, because making decisions makes me feel happier and in control. La...

Remember how I was going to read fewer books in 2012? Well, then I decided to read some of the Whitney finalists and I totally disregarded my goal. Maybe in April I'll cut down on reading; I know I'm going to need a break by then! The Magic Room by Jeffrey Zaslow I thought it might be painful to read a book about a bridal shop, but I actually really liked it. Zaslow tells the history of a family-owned bridal shop that has been in business for seventy years and intersperses with it the stories of some of the women who have bought dresses there. I'm a sucker for true-life stories and social commentary, so this was a great read. The Story of Beautiful Girl by Rachel Simon I wanted to like this book more than I did; the premise was interesting, but I didn't like the way it skipped around to different points of view. I think that also violated the expectations that I had going into it--I thought the book was going to be more about the baby, but the story was more...

I wrote this yesterday and sat on it for a while. I probably should have just put these thoughts in my journal, but I decided to put them up here instead. I always hesitate to post serious stuff, because usually by the time I get it out of my brain and onto the screen I feel better, and then I just end up feeling sheepish when people try to give me sympathy. It's Leap Day again. Just like it was four years ago when I wrote this post. Early 2008 was a good time in our lives; we had a good year from the middle of 2007 until the fall of 2008. I don't regret too many things, but sometimes I regret the fact that I didn't just listen to my feelings and stay in Utah during the summer of 2008 instead of moving us to California. At the same time, I think regret is kind of silly. The past is done and over, and it is impossible to imagine redoing it because the threads of so many decisions wind together to make our lives. How can I judge the decisions of the past through my current...