I Just Have To Get This Out

Les Madeleines. Downtown SLC. Fall semester 2008.  That time was magical for me. I had no kids at home and was taking a History of Music class at the U of U. I got to sit in an auditorium, ignore the stares from 20-year-old college students, pretend like I belonged, and listen to a great professor talk about the origins and spread of popular music in America. My mind was expanding.  It was wonderful. Many times after class, I would stop by the bakery/lunch favorite Les Madeleines in downtown SLC. I would grab a few of these below.

Kouign-Amann. 

The dessert they are known for. Here is some information to whet your appetite.  

Kouign-amann is a Breton cake. It is a round crusty cake, made with a dough akin to bread dough with sugar sprinkled between layers. The resulting cake is slowly baked until the butter puffs up the dough (resulting in the layered aspect of it) and the sugar caramelizes. 

Seriously sooo good. I'd usually drop one off at Si's or Heidi's as a fun surprise for them. They returned the favor many times. I am in dessert deprivation mode currently. I figure if I just look at bakery items, my cravings might stop. Looking just might be enough. 

Aside from the desserts, they serve a great sesame chicken wrap and other good lunch finds. Sooo good. Grab a friend or your honey and go for me, will you? Tell them Erin sent you. Thanks. I feel better now. e

JIMMER! JIMMER! JIMMER!

Missing This One Today

a * r * t 

I had such a good weekend. Not a lot of profoundness to share. Just...

It is sunny. On Saturday, I woke up and snuck Kate in our bed between us. We each got an arm to nibble on. Brett and I both did our workouts.

*Detour*

I love Tony Horton.  He makes it FUN to exercise. The funny thing is, we have been with this company for 1 year now. Hard to believe it, but it has been a year. I've watched Brett learn and get healthy, but for some reason, I resisted. The baby has always been my excuse. And I love to bake. Well, this year I decided it was time. I was going to do P90X. No more excuses. I will say that I have loved it! (hint to anyone doing P90X. You can do a 45-minute yoga instead of the 1 1/2 hr one. Just FYI.) Tony Horton is just as cool in person as in the DVDs.  Now when we have company trips or events where he is there doing a workout, I won't feel like an outsider and trying to fake my fitness level, which let's face it--it's obvious I ain't fakin nothin.  I will actually be able to keep up and feel great. Also, my girls are on board. Maddie has a little workout group here every night in the other house who are all off sugar and seeing results! Maybe we all really will get healthy. Speaking of healthy, Brett and I watched Food Inc. this weekend. Yikes. It made me panicky and disgusted at the way food is processed, sold in our country. It makes me never want to eat meat again, but how can I do that? What do I do with the information I was given in that film?

Kate is outside in her bare feet. I looked out while working out and Ali had her on the swings and I could hear her laughing so hard. Whatever Ali was doing was creating some serious belly laughs.

Brett went on a walk with Kate, Rudy and Syd on her electric scooter on Saturday. Then we went to Santa Monica, explored and walked on the beach. If I had a scale and missing friends, family, cost of living etc. were on one side, then just the weather alone could be on the other side and there is hope. I LOVE THIS WEATHER. It lifts my spirits, and makes me feel alive and energized.

I got my mp3s for the band gig today. I get to listen to them and be familiar before we practice. I tried to buy a keyboard/synth on Saturday and the same thing happens EVERY TIME. I walk out, not having purchased anything and am in fact, more confused and uncertain than before walking in there. I've got to figure it out and start getting familiar with it. AAaarrrgg.

 OH oh oh! Si- I made homemade hamburger buns yesterday! I made the pulled pork sandwiches, boston baked beans, and fruit/cashew salad yesterday and realized that I had forgotten the buns. You can't have pulled pork sandwiches without buns. I looked on your blog and decided to just make THEM. They were so good! We had some friends over and they LOVED the bbq meat. It is always just so good.

Spence began his mission papers yesterday! I was so excited. I'm calling and making his dental and doctor appointments. Then I heard the cutest message from him to Sydney on the answering machine. It was just to her asking her about her blog and then calling her to task for not blogging more so he could read it at college. It was so cute and just for a moment I thought, "Dang. How am I not going to hear that cute, funny, voice of my son for 2 years?" I saved the message and regrouped. We're goin on a mission baby! I wonder where. Where will it be?

Maddie and Eliza at the high school.

Syd happy with her abundance of birthday party presents.

 Sydney's two best non-school friends, Nicole and Lexi. Love them.

 Sydney's two closest school friends, Valerie and Haley.

ok. I am off to read my book about the ancient British throne and eat a low-cal lunch with no chocolate. Absolutely none. There is no way that I will even think about sneaking the chocolate that is in the cupboard to the right of the pantry and next Kate's box of oatmeal on the bottom shelf. I can't even remember that that chocolate is in there. e

--Hey, I Wonder What Spencer Is Doing Right This Second--

Oh hey Spence. I'm sure one of these times when I ask him, he'll be studying or in class.

Great day. I got to smell Kate's little neck for about 30 minutes when she woke up this morning. I grabbed her from her crib and snuggled her in bed with me. She fell back asleep and I just kissed her fuzzy head and smelled her little neck while rubbing her fingers. Really, my favorite thing in the whole world.

I got my song list for the band gig today and will be listening to and learning these songs so I will be ready! I understood a little bit of Isaiah this morning! Huge for me. I am thinking about my friend Laurie who just sent her son Joe off on his mission to the Philippines. What a great boy he is. Talked to my friend Si yesterday about all things called LIFE. I hosted a baby shower this week and enjoyed the women in my home chatting and eating. I also enjoyed vegging the day after and reading my new book in the sun. Whoa--Kate is throwing crayons in the other room. That stinker. I'll be right back...

Ok. Got the babes under control. Love her! We are all eating well, exercising and losing a bit of weight. Not as much as Brett, but enough to keep us motivated to keep going. It's boring not baking though. Sydney has started walking home from school with a friend. Cute Haley. Yeah! Just bought another beach picture for my beach bathroom. I need to find someone to cut my hair. I also need to find a dentist, doctor, piano tuner, colonoscopy place -eek, tailor, but those can be found later. For now...hair. 

What else? Amos Lee next Thursday night. The Clothing mart sample sales in L.A. next Friday. Whale watching in San Diego next Saturday. In case that all sounds too rosy, I have to also do 10 loads of laundry, scrub the kitchen tile grout, pay bills, water flowers, clean car, clean office/Spencers' room, and a million other things. So basically, it all evens out.

ok. Have a great one. Life is good. Live it. I'll leave you with this..e

Since I am going to Disneyland quite a bit, I will have a new segment which I will call

DISNEYLAND LAPSES OF PARENTAL JUDGEMENT..

(not mine, other people's.)

It seems I hear little gems each time I go to Disneyland, the "happiest place on earth." Last time it was the father yelling at the cute little girl saying, "I did NOT pay $3,000 for you to not ride that ride!" "But daaaddyy.." sniff sniff..."Get on it! $3,000!!"

Yesterday it was a mother's turn to say something that was completely and ridiculously final and confusing to her cute little girl. Set the scene... Restroom somewhere in Adventureland. Darling shy girl dressed up as Jasmine, pointed shoes and all, is waiting for her mother who is washing her hands. She begins to peek around the corner to the outside world. 

Mother: "Mya, don't go out there."

The girl stops, looks at her mom. Gets a tad bored and starts to lean towards the door again.
"Mya! If you step out there, I will NEVER take you to Disneyland AGAIN. EVER. I PROMISE!!"

I bet you can't wait for next time's gem.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SYDNEY. I love you so much. I'm so glad you are ours.

You were pretty lucky to get Woody, Jessie, and the green army guy in this photo. 

Oh and don't pull the old "I forgot my sweatshirt because it was so warm at the time" trick just so you can get a sweatshirt at Disneyland. I'm on to that one now. Look how fun these two were who you went with. I bet they are a ball to just be around. Really. 

Finally, a word about Disneyland. So far, Syd and I have found 3 places where we know someone is actually looking at the crowd and commenting. This is one of them. Mr Potato head can somehow see you standing in line and as he's doing his standup routine will make little comments about what people are doing. It catches you off guard and is funny. On the Monster's Inc. ride, the blob lady at the end can also somehow see you. She commented on my sunglasses on my head. Finally, in Talking with Crush (you know, the cool turtle from Finding Nemo), somehow the animated turtle on the screen reacts with the audience and is really fun to watch. If anyone out there (Darcy) knows of another sneaky little place, let me know for next time. Next Disneyland trip, January 31st, a Monday, no lines, warm..

I'm doing a new segment called..

--Hey, I Wonder What Spencer is Doing Right This Second--

Oh hey Spence.

UPDATE

I have some great news. Really great news for me. I was invited by a professional, really good guitarist/songwriter who happens to be in my ward, to play with his band for an event in February. He wanted to know if I could read chord charts and sing harmonies. uh, yeeeeaaaahhhh, you bet I can! I was born to read chord charts and sing harmonies sir. :) ok Honestly, when I moved here, I never thought I'd be able to play like that again. I was sure of it. This gig is in Vegas (so I get to take the family) and is a concert for a Regional LDS Singles event where there are supposed to be 1500 people attending. We aren't playing for a dance or party, it will actually be a concert with people sitting in seats watching. We are the first night and David Osmond is the second night. Yikes. I am so excited! I get the song list today. Seriously I am happy about this. The interesting thing is, there will be someone playing the synthesizer and I will be keyboards. So, that means that on songs like Here Comes the Sun, which we get to do, I don't have to figure out how to play the strings, that flute/organ sound, etc. all at the same time. It will be really nice to divide all of those extra sounds up between two people. There will also be 3 guitars instead of one or two. I am excited to see how this goes.

I am excited about something else that happened yesterday. After six months of living in this house, the only major downside has been finding out that there is no heat or air conditioning in the 2nd house, which is where Maddie and Ali are. Luckily, we are in a temperate climate so the girls have been ok with space heaters, but about a month of summer is awful. Anyway, yesterday, a worker showed up to replace both. "Great!" I said. "Have at it!"

Since Sunday, Brett has lost 7 pounds. Seriously, he had swordfish delivered last night. It's actually working out great, because his workout at work starts at 5:30pm (an hour earlier than he usually leaves to come home) so he ends up coming home at the same time as before. He has more time in the mornings since he isn't exercising here.  Yesssss. The girls and I are doing well too, but just won't be as fast as Brett. I can tell a difference from what he is eating and what we are eating, although I'm trying. I made talapia fillets yesterday, but they had breadcrumbs and Brett reminded me that cereal, yogurt, breadcrumbs, any bread, are not as good as what he is getting which is no carbs at all--mostly veggies and fish, which is a little hard for me to do! How can we give up cereal? Blessed cold cereal, mother of all modern foods. I'm just not used to cooking that well yet.

Spence called about 2 hours ago and said, "Mom, guess what I'm doing tonight?" Hmmm, do I want to know? "I'm making fettucini alfredo for Michaela." Pause. Pause. "Okaaaaaay. How exactly are you going about that Spence?" He said that his friend Lindsey was actually "helping" him which stands for "actually doing all of the cooking while I joke around and tell her thank you so much. Anyway, should be interesting. I'll text him right now and see if he'll text me a picture this very second..

I did my visiting teaching (which always feels great) and went to the park today with a friend, an actual friend, a person who I actually talked to during the day and not on Sunday at church.  Finally, I get to go to book club tonight (which is thoroughly enjoyable as well.)

I am frantically finishing these...

I'm happy with them. Now I just have to figure out how to make the party appropriately monkey themed. (I'm too old for this. I run out of ideas) I was tempted to just hand her some money and call it good instead. I know I know! That would be such a bad mother moment if I did that. This is one year where Sydney needs a party and we need to invite girls from school and I need to meet their mothers. So MONKEY MANIA it is!

KEEPIN IT REAL

How come Brett gets to do a pilot exercise program at work where he works out every day (making it an hour longer at work. Great.) with the original creator of the program, and gets his food planned out, cooked and served to him for free? How come the rest of us who are all starting our exercise and eating program today ALL DEPEND ON ME for healthy food that I really don't know how to cook or shop correctly for? Also healthy snacks spread out every two hours that also must be thought out and supplied by me while I'm WATCHING A BABY WHO DOES THIS WHEN I TURN AROUND FOR 1 SECOND?

Why do I have no social life here? Why do all late movies here start at 10:30 instead of 9:30 making it virtually impossible for me to want to go to. 9:30 perfect, 10:30 no way. It's ok. Who would I GO WITH??!!!
Why do I know I HAVE to get a colonoscopy? Misty got one 3 years ago at 35, and the doc found some polyps. She got another one today, more polyps. I haven't even been for my first yet. Because of my serious gag reflex due to 5 seriously vomitous pregnancies, I can't drink anything gross. Ever. It would just come back up. No pepto bismol, no cough syrup, no slightly gross drinks. Ever. Misty did the pill option which is 20 MONGO pills in 15 minutes and then something like 200 MORE over the next hour? I kind of have a big pill problem as well due to those same vomitous pregnancies that have created a seriously sensitive throatal area. So anyway, I must sign off and go to bed because it's 8:40 already. Wow, how time does fly. Yawn yawn. Guess I'll turn in. Since Brett isn't home yet, I'll just see him tomorrow morning before he gets his breakfast delivered and he's off for his PHOTO SHOOT. I'm not making this up people. e

Just a Cool Little Story

 I sometimes post about the funny things Brett says to me that sometimes may be a TAD insensitive. Like maybe the non-supermodel comment or the call from Bountiful describing his Nielson's concrete while I was here in the rain..

Well, here's a Brett story that redeems all of those. And more. I  have been a bit sick over the break. The cough is still continuing though getting slightly better. The other day, I had decided to make lasagne. It was the last day Spencer and friends were here, so I knew we should probably have a good dinner. Problem was, I was just so sick and tired and wanted to be in bed. Well, I got the meat out and set it in the pan, ready to begin cooking. I got everything out-the cheese, the diced tomatoes, the noodles. I went in my room first to help Sydney read a book report book and accidentally fell asleep. When I woke up, I knew that dinner would now be so late. Shoot. Brett came in and said, "Erin, can you please come make dinner?" I sleepily said, "Sure. Yeah. Sorry. Be right there." I was too tired to realize that first of all, Brett never does that. He never says -When is dinner? or Will you make dinner already? If it isn't made, he figures there might be a reason and just says, Hey do you want me to make something? Or, Should I go pick something up? 

Anyway, I was kind of grumbling as I walked into the kitchen thinking it wasn't fair that everyone's dinner happiness depended on me. I walked in and the meat was no longer in the pan. Good, I thought. I worried about it being left out during my whole sleep. I opened the fridge, but it wasn't there either. "Hey, where's the meat?" I asked. Brett said, "What?" I said, "The meat that was in the pan. Did someone throw it away? I hope not." He said, "Oh you mean the meat in the OVEN?" Grin, grin...I opened the oven, and he had made the lasagne! It was cooking happily away. I couldn't believe it. That was better than any Christmas present I could have gotten. I was so happy. I told him, that was one of those gifts to me that will give back to him a hundredfold. Wives don't forget things like that. It will be told for generations.. the time great grandpa made the lasagne while great grandma slept. So, here's to thoughtful husbands!

"I don't know why, but I think that today's going to be a GREAT DAAAAAY"

You know how sometimes, you just wake up and know that it's going to be a great day? Today was one of those days. Trust me, I also know when it's not going to be a great day. Monthly hormonal stuff, missing people, not a good night's sleep, rain...whatever.

But today, the sun was out. I had to actually wake Kate up at 8a.m. to take Sydney to school. Wow. Lots of sleep for me! Also, Brett is out of town this whole week and Sydney has wedged her little body into his spot. She curls up all nice and warm beside me and sleeps quietly away. She's going to hate it when Saturday comes. Good thing she now has her big monkey to keep her company in her own bed. The monkey has been great for that. But let's face it, not even a monkey beats warm-skinned mom.

So, last night I had a R.S. service project at my house where we put together lunches for a homeless shelter. We do it once a month. We had about 12 ladies, busily making sandwiches and assembling the lunches together. It was really fun. I stopped at Dots Cupcakes in Old Town Pasadena during the afternoon and picked up one mini of every flavor. So I had about 18. Today this is what was left.

During the evening, I got a text from Brett in NYC with this picture.

Anyone know where he is? Melinda? I love that he went there without me! I laughed pretty hard. Maddie and I made him go there 3 nights in a row the last time we went.

So this gave me an idea. Because you know me, always full of ideas... I texted my 3 children and asked them to text me a picture of what they were doing right at that very second. I think it was noon today. Sydney of course doesn't have a cell phone, so no picture from her, but I'll post one of Syd and Kate in their homemade spaceship from a floor lamp box last night. I don't know if you can notice, but that is actually a clip in Kate's hair. I know! Now people will KNOW she's a girl-sweet!

Get ready. Here are the rest of our pictures of what we were doing at that exact moment.

"Get me out mom." I don't know where that In-n-Out bag came from.

 I texted him back,  yeah right.. and he said No mom seriously I was!! Should we believe him?

Obviously Maddie right before lunch..

Obviously Ali at lunch..

Hey wait--where did it go? Huh? I'm the only one home! Weird!

Also, don't you hate when you put Christmas all away and then you find one random fake cranberry like this?

 Oh and look what Kate did..

Ok. Must go. I have Tony Bennett playing in the other room and I must read my book and listen to master Tony. Here's a self portrait he did.

 Let's see how many people can comment on this post because then tomorrow won't be even close to a possible bad day due to me missing those I love. It can be another great day! How about it? e

Today, being the 3rd day of this new year, two thousand and eleven

So I just about got in 2 accidents in the five minutes it takes to drive Sydney to school. Yikes! I've got to watch it! Focus Erin.

My throat is on FIRE. Ouch ouch ouch. My cough keeps me up at night. I coughed 1 stinking time in True Grit and the people in front of me turned around. So I spent the rest of the movie standing up in the back. 

A Christmas break with people, mostly young people around. House full of young people, eating, laughing, playing music. Just how I like it. Really feeling like home now.

Spencer left early this morning to drive back to Provo. His room looks pretty bare. 

2011 

Welcome. Let's have a great one, eh? Oh I know we will. My goals this year are pretty much all internally based. I need to be more exact and disciplined in doing the things that will make the biggest difference in my life. I know what I need to do daily. I've just made goals to help me DO IT.

Still miss everyone in Utah. When a few months go by that I don't go, I start to get antsy. I don't know when we will go next, but something will come up. Right now, nothing planned until April 28th for Lauren's wedding! We will be there. In the meantime, I like living here a lot. I love the people I am meeting and getting to know.

Must go now and clean my house out of all things Christmas. Get the paper snowflakes off the window. Get the fake cranberries out of that vase. Get those carolers off of my piano. Get that dang tree out of that one corner. Get all of those lights off of that fence. Get those stinkin pictures off of my fridge. Get that candy cane soap out of my bathroom. Back to boring boring boring.