Out of my mind.

A few thoughts that need to be documented here. Because I’m trying to get them out of my brain!

1. I have survived my first experience with layoffs. Yikes. Got the good word this morning that the process is complete, phew. There was some bad juju around here the last few days. It has made everyone on edge and incredibly anxious. It seems strange that the Church would be laying people off, but it is a tough world out there and unfortunately, it is still a business and the Church is not immune to that. My department got hit with a 7% “reduction in force” aka RIF which is about 80 people. It has made me even more grateful for my job and the wonderful living situation we are in. I’m grateful to still have a job I love.

2. I cannot get the Les Mis soundtrack out of my brain. Seriously. Neither can Brad, haha. That crazy snow day while we were shoveling he just kept singing “I’ll escape now from that world, from a world of Jean Valjean. There is no where I can turn, there is no way to go ONNNNNNNNN!!!!” Ok yes, I have listened to the soundtrack like every day since we saw the movie, but I can’t get enough! My favorite song changes daily, but overall I love Empty chairs at empty tables. But today my favorite is “Is Marius in love at last? I’ve never heard him Ooooo and Ahhhhh” I’m a little obsessed here people. “It is time for us all to decide who we arrrreee” I love it!

3. My Kitchen. This is a whole other post, but I’m SO pumped. Little changes go a long way in our little basement apartment. My dad’s a master when it comes to home renovations, and I love doing these projects with him! I’ll put up some pictures when they become AFTER pictures. But here is my favorite picture, haha. Brad was giving me a foot rub while I painted :)

 

4. COLD. My body doesn’t let me forget the temperature outside for one moment. Continuous goosebumps. Ice storm in SLC this morning? Really? 128 traffic accidents this morning just in the Salt Lake Valley. YIKES. Check it out HERE. It is going to be a balmy 30 degrees this weekend, breakout the swim suits! I miss Hawaii.

5. Ice Cream. It is freezing outside I know, but I still love it. And I want some right now.

6. And last but not least, just because of the title of this post – it reminds me of this AWESOME video from a while ago. A hip-hop dancer and a ballet dancer. So You Think You Can Dance. Even if you don’t like either of these styles of dance, this video is still pretty sweet. I live vicariously through people who can dance. Check it out!

If we were at breakfast together this morning…

I’d tell you that this week has been a doozie.

I’d tell you I’m so grateful for a truly great living situation and I’m grateful for my job.

I’d tell you I’m grateful for tender mercies.

I’d tell you that I sold my first (and only) cookbook this week and I am beyond thrilled about it!

I’d tell you that my favorite show finally came back on last night, and I’m obsessed. #harveyspector #savedonna #litup

I’d tell you about all the mini basement renovations we are planning on doing this weekend and how excited I am to get started on that. I’d also tell you that I’ve already got a budget and project plan laid out for those because I’m a project manager and a little crazy, this is what I do! I love it! If we aren’t going to buy a house right now, we may as well spruce up the basement a little bit! I get the fun of the little house projects without having to pay for a house right now. I mean it’s a win-win!

I’d also tell you that I’ve been watching too much Property Brothers lately. :)

I’d tell you about my dedicated husband and the 8 MCAT study review books he just received.

I’d tell you about the Thai Chicken Pizza that I plan to make very soon. Or anything with big shavings of parmesan on it.

I’d tell you how I miss running outside in non-arctic conditions. And how I thrive on sunshine.

I’d tell you that Brad & I have a dinner date with an NBA player tonight.

And I’d tell you that I’m grateful for great friends. Because I have a lot of great people in my life who make it so enjoyable. And I’d tell you that next time we should really do this in person. I’ll cook :)

In My Kitchen – My Cookbook!

What is that you say – a book??

Yes, in fact I did write one! Not a novel, but a cookbook! I actually did it!

This has been a little dream in my mind for a while. I’m the worst at writing down my recipes and I thought it would be fun to put them all together! It was a lot of work, but boy was it worth it. The hardest part was keeping it a secret! I gave it to my family for Christmas and they loved it!
There are all my family favorites in here. And if you are thinking of THE ONE – yes that is in there too :) So take a look, and hey if you are feeling crazy buy one! It is available for sale on Lulu.com and will soon be on Amazon (how cool?). And just so we are on the same page they told me a minimum of what I could list my book at, so I didn’t really just choose that price out of no where!

I tried to turn it into an e-book, but it seems that changes all my formatting from my printed book. I’ll still work on the ebook and hopefully get that for sale!

The first 12 pages are available for preview on Lulu.com - Check it out!

In My Kitchen Preview