12.27.2007

insight.

i love the sound of: my giggly little babies. even when they are grumpy and tired, i can still make them giggle.

i love the sight of: friends and family spending holidays together. even though i wasn't with my whole family, i enjoyed spending christmas eve with my sister and her family.

i love the taste of: delicious christmas eve meals. my sister out did herself with a scrumptious ham dinner. gotta love the basics.

i love the smell of: clean babies. after lillie had her bath, i got to feed her and i couldn't stop sniffing her hair. i love the smell of babies.

i love the feel of: knowing that i have family and friends that i can count on, no matter what. it's reassuring and comforting.

12.23.2007

sunday scribblings.

prompt #90: holiday memories.

i don't even know where to begin with holiday memories, so i will start with this christmas and the memories that are currently being created.

this is going to be the first christmas that i will not be with my parents. since i have to work christmas morning, i am spending christmas eve with my sister and her family. but since my parent's moved to vegas, i will not be able to spend any of the holiday with them. as weird as it is, i like that things are different. it is good to get out of the "comfort zone."

i have many, many good memories of christmas with my family, in the home that we all grew up in. i am a little sad that my children and my neices and nephews won't be able to spend time in the house that we grew up in, but like i said, i like that things can change and that they will have brand new memories of where grandma and grandpa live.

in christmases past, i loved that my mom was always on top of decorating and making our home feel very festive. i do remember that i thought she was selling out when they bought the artificial tree, but i grew to enjoy the tree. she always had "theme" trees, which i adore. they are very organized, which i enjoy. i like things matchy-matchy, so theme trees are ideal for me.

i also really loved that we would get to go and buy gifts for each other. we would get to pick a night and my parents would take each of us, by ourselves, christmas shopping. i loved that we learned how to give when we were younger.

and finally, i love, love, love that my mom would spend a day making goodies to give to neighbors and friends and family. she almost always did it on christmas eve, so we would all get to drive around town, delivering treats, listening to christmas music, looking at christmas lights and searching for santa.

i have many wonderful memories of christmas and can't wait to make many more. i am most grateful for the true meaning of christmas and that i was taught the true meaning of christmas very young and that it was reinforced all while growing up.

my nephews are comedians.

*now with the promised pictures.*
today, i stopped to see my sister, julie, and her kids on the way to stay with my sister kristen. my nephew, jake, was asleep when i got there, but julie woke him up so we could visit. there is an unwritten rule that you should not wake sleeping children, kind of like you should not wake sleeping giants.

jake was a grouchy bear when he woke up and wouldn't cooperate with me or visit with me or play with me. he was cracking me up. i wanted to have a picture taken of lucie, jake and i all together, but there was no way that jake was going to participate in that activity and he let it be know. he specifically said, "i won't do it." i couldn't help but giggle.



he is a riot. i told him that he better be good or else santa won't bring him any toys and he said that was okay "cause i already have toys." good to know, santa, good to know. to get him to be my friend, i taught him how to take pictures with my camera, including pictures of himself. trust me, i will post some of those pictures when i am at my own computer.



then, when i got to kristen's house, jesse and i were sitting and visiting before he went to bed and we were talking about how my car is old and dying. kristen started asking him what happens when you get old and he said that you die. then she asked jesse where you go when you die and he couldn't remember, so kristen gave him a little hint. "hea-, hea-." jesse, then shouts, "hecks." we lost it. we were laughing so hard. we couldn't stop. we told him that it was heaven and he said, oh yeah.



i can't help but brag about how funny and dang cute they are. i adore them all so much. good times, good times for sure.

ps. i will update this post with pictures when i at my own computer, so check back.

12.20.2007

insight.

i love the sound of: a quiet, empty, dirty-boy free house. it has been nice to not have to deal with the messes and dirty boys and noise and inability to clean. january will come too soon.

i love the sight of: snow. we haven't had a good snowfall this winter, but we got a nice one tonight. although i hate shoveling snow, i love the way it looks. i do love winter.

i love the taste of: christmas treats. i haven't made any of my own, but the nice kitchen ladies at work made my co-workers and i a lovely little bag of delicious treats. christmas treats are the best. i am going to make some soon.

i love the smell of: my new scentsy candles. i have bayberry and winter wonderland scenting up my house. it definitely helps with the christmas feeling, since i am decoration-less.

i love the feel of: cozy slippers, a warm mug of cocoa (or any warm beverage of your choice) and winter.

12.19.2007

officially official.

it was pretty hard to grasp the fact that my parents were seriously moving to vegas, but now it is officially official. they are now in their new home in vegas and my dad came to get the rest of their belongings.

i didn't see the finished pack job, but apparently this truck was packed to the hilt. they don't own a thing in utah anymore. so weird.

maybe someday it won't seem so weird, but for now...weird.

messy, i mean merry christmas.

this is the mess that my gross and disgusting and extremely dirty and messy roommates left me for christmas.

there are not words to express my disgust and anger, so i took pictures to document that i'm not crazy or irrationally clean and demanding. i'm just not a slob.

yes, my friends, that is the garbage.
the thing is, the little can is supposed to be recycling.
do you think that lettuce can be recycled?
i don't.

a better view of just how full the can was.
i like to call this lazy. very, very lazy.

these are not my dishes.
i did not use a single one of them.
yet, somehow, they think the magic dish fairy will do them.
(probably because i usually do.)

gee-ross.
foul.
any other word you can think to discribe the filthy boys i live with.
wait until i decide to take pictures of their bathroom.
prepare to vomit.

and yes, that is a bowl of milk.
do they not know how horrendous that would have smelled if someone wasn't here to rinse it out?
which leads me to ask, how hard is it to rinse a bowl out?
are you that busy?
the thing is, this bowl was left by the one roommate that complains about how dirty the rest of the boys are.
huh?
that's right, i will not be listening to or validating those complaints anymore.

alright, i am done. sorry about the vent-fest. but i needed it.

new favorite show.

don't ask me why and don't make fun of me, but this is my new favorite show. that's all.

12.15.2007

sushi.

a few weeks ago my friend, derek, came to visit me in the metropolis of logan. we decided to go to lunch with our friend, sara, and we ended up at the sushi joint in town. i can't remember the name of it, it is a newer establishment (although i have been there a few times before). any-who, we had a good time, and in the spirit of sharing good times, here are some photos of the meal. enjoy. and eat sushi more. it's good. and good for you. that's all.

derek.

sara.

me.

before.

after.

my babies.

ps. this is my new hobby/addiction...digital scrapbooking. don't make fun. so, you might be seeing more of these pages.

another blessed day.

the newest addition to our family, lucie kay, was blessed on the second of december. my sister, julie, had a lovely gathering at her home afterward and i, of course, visually documented the occasion. here are some special pictures to celebrate the day.

isn't she absolutely beautiful. it was a very special day. and one of the most special things was that the dress that she was wearing was the dress that my sister wore at her own blessing.

i love this picture with all my heart. jake loves his baby sister so much and is always giving her kisses. but my favorite part of the picture is my dad's smile. like i have said before, grandpa loves his granddaughters more than the world. well, he loves all his grandkids. but that smile is priceless.

julie looks so pretty in this picture and so does baby lucie. they are both beautiful. love them.

my three favorite things about lucie: one--her chubby little face and neck. two--those chubby little cheeks. three--those cheeks.

this is julie's mother-in-law, her sister-in-law and the top of lucie's head. jared's whole family was at the blessing (minus a brother-in-law), along with myself and our friend sara, my parents, kris and her family, and matt and gail. plus friends and such. there were a lot of people in the tiny little apartment, but coziness never killed anyone.

this is me and lucie. our first self-portrait of many, many, many to come.

this is sara and baby lucie. sara is my friend and hairstylist extraordinaire to my sisters and i. she's like part of the family, too.

this picture shows exactly how gigantic jesse is and how small jake is. jesse is four and jake is almost three. the difference in the size is hilarious to me.

malcolm was asked to be in the above picture with jesse and jake, but he "wasn't feelin' it," so he opted to not be in that particular photo. a little while later, he decided that he wanted to be a part of that type of photo, so he grabbed a hold of jake and kept saying cheese. man, how i love these boys. so much.

this was the final shot of the day. the two goofiest members of our family and both are now proud fathers of little girls. it should be good for them.

obviously this day was for lucie, but i love to get together and just celebrate family and friendship and each other. definitely another blessed day.

ps. i decided to be the nice big sister and help julie out with food for the event. i took over dessert. and i'm not gonna lie, i out did myself.

these are simple turtle bars and lemon cream bars. the lemon cream bars were my favorite.

these are fudge brownie and peanut butter cookies. delightful, seriously.

and egg-nog poppy seed bread. the bread was a little dry. it got over baked, but i am planning on making it again, soon.

12.12.2007

christmas sweaters.

i think that christmas sweaters are the most hideous items ever crafted by human hands. some more so than others. i thought that they were only something that adults could subject the world to, but i was wrong.

now, don't get me wrong, i think this outfit is adorable, but only because it is a baby version of adult hideousness. if i were to see this outfit in a toddler version or an adult version, i would have something else to say.

so, here she is, in all her christmas-sweater glory, my lillie girl.




i know, i know.

i'm still alive.
just in case you were wondering.
and i promise i will post something substantial soon.

11.29.2007

dear santa.

dearest santa:

i know it's been awhile since you have received correspondence from me. i figured that since i haven't been receiving all the things i have asked for or wanted in recent years, it wouldn't hurt to remind you what i am wanting this year. i am very grateful for all the things that you do for all the kids in the world, and please remember that i, too, am just a kid...even if it is only at heart.

first and foremost, i would really like this ipod nano. i really want it so that i can track my running progress. it would be fun and helpful all at the same time.

if the nano isn't available, then i would settle for the 160gb ipod classic. santa, you know i have a lot of music, and this would be the perfect place for me to store it. think about it.

i really would like these knives. i know that you might fear me trying to use them to harm my roommates, but i promise i won't. i won't let them near the knives. i would take very good care of them.

santa, my mom is going to take her mixer away from me soon, so i need one of my own. i don't even care what color. just as long as i have one.

i know you have heard about my car. i would settle for any car, but if you are gonna get me a car, you might as well get me this one.

santa, i don't think i am asking for too much. and really, i would be happy with just one item on my list (preferably the car). if you have questions, i am just an email or blog comment away. again, thanks for all you do.

sincerely,
rachelle.

11.25.2007

random.


sunday scribblings.

prompt #86: misspent youth.


i was a good kid growing up. seriously, a real good kid. i didn't break the law in high school. i didn't toilet paper or egg any houses. i didn't do drugs. i didn't drink. i was a good kid.

i had great friends. i attribute my straight-and-narrow path to them. and even my friends who were doing those things, they were accepting of me. and i was accepting of them.

and of course, i have amazing parents, who taught me right from wrong, but how to have fun. and even when i did the things they taught me not to do, they were still loving parents. maybe disappointed, but they still loved me and still wanted what was best for me.

i will fully admit that i took advantage of the fact that i had amazing parents who were concerned about me and about my well being. i also took advantage of friends who were good examples. looking back, i will be forever grateful to them for being a part of my life.

working in youth corrections has made a huge impact on me. i've always known that good family and good friends are important, but now i actually get to see that, in fact, good family and good friends are saving graces.

people always ask me why kids end up in the system and i have to respond, unequivocally, that the majority of kids we see in our programs are there because they lack the family structure and good family examples. the impact that bad family examples have on these kids is astounding.

so, i will never again take advantage of the fact that i was surrounded by an amazing family, who were and are incredible examples to me. and the same goes for my friends. what a difference we can all make in each other's lives. let's not misspend any of our time and if we do, let's learn from it.

11.24.2007

i can cook.

i made a thanksgiving dessert and it was so yummy, i decided to share.


praline pumpkin dessert
12 servings

1 can (15 ounces) pumpkin—not pumpkin pie mix
1 can (12 ounces) evaporated milk
3 eggs
1 cup sugar
4 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
1 box golden vanilla cake mix
1 ½ cups chopped pecans
¾ cup butter, melted
whipped cream, if desired
additional pumpkin pie spice, if desired

heat oven to 350° f (325° f for dark or nonstick pan). grease or spray bottom and sides of 13x9-inch pan. in a medium bowl, beat pumpkin, milk, eggs, sugar and 4 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice with wire whisk until smooth. pour into pan.

sprinkle dry cake mix over pumpkin mixture. sprinkle with pecans. pour melted butter evenly over top.

bake 50 to 60 minutes or until knife inserted in center comes out clean. cool 30 minutes.

to serve, cut dessert into 4 rows by 3 rows. serve warm or chilled with dollop of whipped cream sprinkled with pumpkin pie spice. store covered in refrigerator.

11.23.2007

insight.

i love the sound of: christmas music. i love christmas music. i own so much christmas music, but i refuse to listen to it before thanksgiving and after new year's day. so, thanksgiving night, i go crazy and i will probably listen to it non-stop until the end of the year. i love it.

i love the sight of: family and friends celebrating their gratitude together.

i love the taste of: yummy thanksgiving treats and desserts. i made a special pumpkin dessert and it was delicious.

i love the smell of: thanksgiving dinner. definitely smells that trigger memories.

i love the feel of: cuddling up in warm, fuzzy blankets and watching christmas movies, especially my favorite, miracle on 34th street.

11.22.2007

happy thanksgiving.

i hope you all had a fantastic day with your family and/or friends. and i hope your hearts are filled with gratitude and your bellies full of turkey. much love.

11.19.2007

breaking news.

i'm not in love with the bachelor anymore. what does he expect or want? perfection. good luck, buddy.

a day at the salon.

my friend, sara, is a hairstylist. one of the best around. she is so good, my sisters and my mom travel to have her cut their hair. (well, my mom just schedules when she comes to visit, as does my sister, laurie. kristen and julie come up from slc just for sara.) when kristen and julie have appointments, i become the designated babysitter and i love it.

on tuesday, kristen had a hair appointment, as did jesse and malcolm. since my mom was visiting from sin city, she decided to come with them to see me and she brought jake with her, so that julie could have a relaxing day alone with lucie. and i hope she did, because, as it turns out, taking three little boys to the salon is quite hectic.

here is jesse getting his hair cut. he has always been really good at sitting still. surprising, since he can't hold still to save his life outside of sara's chair.


malcolm doesn't like getting his hair cut as much. he won't sit in the chair on his own. the last time he had it cut, he wouldn't even wear the cape. this time, he wore the cape, so we are making progress. he is a shy little thing, but i noticed during this visit that he is starting to grow out of that. he's still shy, but he doesn't need to be with his mom at all times.


jake was very intrigued by the whole process. he didn't get his hair cut this time. he was a little (read a lot) rambunctious. i was sitting on the waiting area sofa with malcolm and jake and they were jumping around and being little devils. i told them that they had new nicknames, "birth" and "control." jake thought that was hilarious. he kept repeating it over and over. i hope that he repeats it to his parents. they will hate me. not really. i'm sure they will laugh.


mom got the good job. she got to feed lillie and then cuddle with her. that girl is too cute. lillie, too.


this is how cute lillie is. i just want to eat her.


i love my babies. i can't believe how stinking cute they all are. i mean, i didn't think that they would be ugly or not cute, but i never imagined that they would all be this cute.