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..