FFwD: Marie-Helene's Apple Cake

So, sometimes I'm funny about fruit in my food. Don't get me wrong - I love fruit. Fresh fruit....by itself....un-touched by other kinds of foods. If I'm eating chocolate, there better not be a hint of orange. If I'm eating meat, I better not find a pineapple lurking. If I'm having cheesecake, keep it pure and strawberry-free. (PS - sometimes when I pretend I'm going to become a world-famous chef, it's this road block that reminds me it will never happen.)

But this weeks' recipe didn't worry me. I know I love apple pie....so I figured I'd like this apple cake. However..........however.....I LOVED this apple cake. LOVE. Like TruLuv4Evah. It's so different than you'd expect - it's super heavy on the apple, light on the cake....and the "cake" part is so moist and so....well, almost custard-y, that it stops acting like a cake and just acts like this happy blanket cuddling up with all the apple chunks.

The recipe calls for rum, something I don't have nor did I want to (aside from the whole pregnant and Mormon thing, I just do NOT like the flavor of rum). So, I used a lot of vanilla instead...like 2 tablespoons of vanilla...and maybe a little heavy cream. PS - I love vanilla. Vanilla could probably stop world hunger and fix the Middle East crisis and still be home in time for dinner. Dorie says to use 4 different kinds of apples. Large apples. A few of mine were more medium, so I actually used 5 apples...which turned out to be a good thing since one of them was so bruised I could I only use about half of it. I chose Granny Smith, Red Delicious, Golden Delicious, Macintosh, and Fuji. Aren't they pretty?

And then I peeled them....aren't they....naked? (see that big Red Delicious?...Who knew under that dark red skin was lurking the grossest of bruises...)

And then I chopped them up....aren't they...........chopped?

And then I cooked it up. (My first experience with a spring form pan, which I had to borrow - thanks, Tami!)

And then....then I cut me a slice....

And THEN....then I introduced it to Blue Bell's Natural Vanilla Bean Ice Cream.....


And then, friends.....then I died. *sigh* ....Then.I.Died.

Verdict: If none of my other recipes have encouraged you to buy this cook book, please know this recipe alone will be worth the cost.

FFwD: Hachis Parmentier

I am 33 weeks pregnant. And I've entered a new phase of pregnancy that I honestly did NOT know was coming. My stomach - the part of my insides in charge of holding all the yummy food I eat - has shrunken. It's currently the size of a peanut. Ever since I had the stomach flu, I have had the hardest time eating. I get nauseous if I eat even a regular amount of food, let alone the pregnant amount I've been eating these past 7 months. I eat and usually about an hour later my body realizes it actually does NOT have the room after all to store what I just ate. I hate it. I have only a precious few months left of "eating whatever the crap I want with no regard to Weight Watcher points!".....and here I find that I can barely eat a single serving of anything.

Why am I telling you this? I'm telling you this so you know why I only had one serving of this meal. Had my stomach NOT been taken over by an increasingly huge baby, I would've probably gone back for thirds. Friends? I love this dish.

Yes, it's basically the French version of Shepherd's Pie. ....But you wanna know a secret? I've never had Shepherd's Pie. I know, I know - "Oh, the humanity!" "How are you a normal person!" "Did your mother not love you - did she never feed you comfort food?!" Yes....yes she did. But we ate chili & tortillas and meatball sandwiches. We were never really "meat and potatoes" kind of people. Especially me. I don't really eat potatoes. When my mother served baked potatoes, she made me my own little dish of rice.

But that aside - I am in love with this dish. I loved the creamy goodness of the mashed potatoes (*gasp!*...do I like potatoes now?!). I loved the familiar smokiness of the Emmental cheese sprinkled on top. I loved LOVED the combination of the cube steak, sausage and homemade beef broth. Friends? I loved this dish. This is the first dish so far that I can say that I will, without a doubt, 100% be adding this into our regular dinner rotation.

And yes...yes, I MADE homemade beef broth. And I am super proud of myself.

Verdict: If it were actually fall here, I could see calling this the ultimate comfort food...and possibly eating it every single cold day.

Please Don't Punch Me In The Face

What I'm about to say may not be a popular statement. It may elicit anger and violence from some of my fertile friends. It may frustrate and depress my infertile friends. But I cannot hold it in any longer.


...I love being pregnant.

No, wait....let me say that again:

I LOVE being pregnant.

Let me be clear on something: It hasn't been a cakewalk. Heartburn started early and with ferocity (for the past 5 months I've been on prescription strength antacids). Headaches unlike I've ever known started about month 4 and after exhausting the limited strength of Tylenol (seriously, who does that work for?), my doctor prescribed me the strongest thing I could take...and it really didn't do much at all. And now I'm in that "my stomach is scrunched up so tiny that I eat 5 bites and I'm full and nauseous and wanting to throw up because there Is.No.Room" phase of pregnancy. As an avid Weight Watcher-er, seeing the scale tip past The Number Which Should Not Be Named has been scary. I've been confined to wearing flip flops for 3 months. And, already being a fidgety sleeper, I have HATED having to deal with sleeping with this newly shaped body.

However...HOWEVER.......I still love EVERY minute of this journey.

Granted, I fought hard to be here. I was born wanting to be a mother. When I was little and people asked what I wanted to be when I grew up, I'd say "a ballerina, an ice skater, a nurse, and a mother". At college, I quite literally wanted to kidnap every baby I saw on campus (...there is an annoying amount of babies on the BYU campus). As I got older and single-er, I started feeling violent towards all the girls with whom I grew up as they had baby after baby...and I went home to my lonely apartment every night. When I finally got married at age 31, I felt gratitude that I had "life experiences" under my belt. Two months into our marriage we started "trying" and 3 years, 3 IUI's, 1 IVF and over $20,000 later, I find myself 7 weeks away from my dream.

Oh yes...I fought hard to be here. And, once again, I feel gratitude that the journey was long.

But that's not why I love it.

I love being pregnant because....because I'm a partner with God in creation (finally!). Because Andrew and I will have a tangible product of our love to show off to the world (finally!). Because the science of the whole reproduction thing is absolutely astounding to me - I am literally GROWING A HUMAN BEING IN MY BODY (finally!). And because every time I feel this little boy squirm, every time he pushes and kicks and hiccups and twirls and giggles (yes, I think my boy is already giggling)....every time I watch my belly do that creepy wave, I am reminded that He Is Mine (FINALLY!); that Heavenly Father is loaning me one of his Most Awesome spirits to raise and love and protect and teach and guide through this mortal coil.

I am filled to the brim with joy and love. I am glowing and emotional. I am crazy and needy. I am awestruck and humbled. I am fat and happy.

I.Am.Pregnant.

*This painting is called "For This Child I Prayed" and my sister gave me a framed print of it at my baby shower. It's the story of Hannah and her desire for a son (Samuel) and the prophet Eli promising her she would be a mother.

FFwD: Vietnamese Spicy Chicken Noodle Soup

I wasn't going to make this. I really wasn't. I had the stomach flu last weekend and was still getting my tummy back to normal. Andrew wasn't excited about it. It called for a bunch of odd ingredients. ...I was just going to sit this one out. But then.....well, then I did make it. So...there.

I know you're all thinking, "Vietnamese soup?...Um...how is that French?" Well, actually France and Vietnam are pretty closely related and have been for hundreds of years. France actually ruled over Vietnam from 1887 to 1954. So, apparently there are quite a few Vietnamese restaurants in the France.

I'm going to be honest...this soup worried me. Scared me. Stressed me out. The ingredients were crazy. Star anise? (I HATE licorice) Dried red chili's? (I am NOT a spicy eater) Asian fish sauce? (.....Asian fish sauce?) And then there were odd directions like putting a bunch of stuff into cheesecloth and just letting it hang out in the soup for a while. ...Eh? Or adding the ingredient "2 dried red chili's".....but not explaining whether we were to dice them up, mince them, add them whole.....if they're whole do we take them out later? Do we take the cheesecloth thing out, too? ...Do we see why I was going to sit this week out?

But I really need to start trusting in Dorie. Because kids...she doesn't lead me astray. Sure, I completely ignored her when she told me to add star anise. I decided to add the dried chilies whole and then just take them out. I halved the whole recipe except for the amount of noodles (meaning my noodle soup was heavy on the noodle, light on the soup). BUT still....I trust you, Dorie. ...Mostly.

This soup was surprisingly easy to put together, even though I just whined about not understanding parts of it. It went very quickly (which was good since I didn't get home from work until 6). Also...this soup was surprisingly tasty. With all the changes I made, I have NO idea if it tastes the way Dorie meant for it to. But I dug it. Truly I did.

...Plus now, I have a whole jar of fish sauce in my fridge! So....bonus!

Eli: The First 30 Weeks

Having an IVF is a stressful, agonizing, terrifying experience. It's not what I would call "fun" or "the way to go". BUT...if you ever do find yourself on the IVF side of infertility, let me tell you the best part: the ultrasounds. So.Many.Ultrasounds. I have quite literally watched this boy grow from an egg to...well, to an as-of-today 3.75-ish lb, 16-ish inch baby boy. Most pregnant women have 2, maybe 3 ultrasounds throughout the 9 months of gestation. Me? I've had 12**...and will probably have at least one more.

Come with me now, as we follow the development of this gorgeous child who I'll get to meet in 8 weeks:

1. Fertilization: That's right folks....one of these fertilized eggs is my son. ...How many of YOU know what you looked like the exact minute you were conceived? ...Suckers.




2. Implantation: See that little white dot? That's those two eggs being rocketed into my uterus. And guess what! One of them stuck!


3. Week 5: It's official! I'm pregnant!


4. Week 6: Yep...still in there!


5. Week 7: Feelin' queasy...which I'm told is a good thing.



6. Week 8: Whoa...are those arm and leg nubs? K - he's a teddy graham person.


7. Week 10: The official hand off from fertility doctor to OB...obviously my fertility doctor has much fancier machines...



8. Week 14: The longest I've gone without seeing my little guy....and look how much he's grown!




9. Week 18: It's a boy!!! A 12 minute long ultrasound, as my son did NOT want to share his business with the world. But eventually we peeked anyway. And just look at those toes...



10. Week 22: Check out this kid's profile - doesn't he already look like Andrew?


11. Week 26: ...The creepiest picture I have of Eli. I mean...dude......look at that creepy face, all starin' back...heebie.jeebies.



12. Week 30: Ok...heebie jeebies quickly replaced by...oh my word, the loveliness of that face. And would you get a load of those cheeks?! Are you kidding me?! *sigh*


13. Week 30: In case you missed it.....it's a boy.....





**Yes, I know there are 2 week 30's - but we really have had 12. One was during week 28 when we ran into some complications...she just didn't take any pictures.

FFwD: Gerard's Mustard Tart

My family, the Keller family, has a thing for condiments. It's kind of a sickness. My brother, my father, even my sister's husband - between those 3 fridges I would feel very comfortable saying they have probably 50 different condiments. Barbecue sauces, relishes, marinades, and mustards. Lots of different mustards. This tart? This tart is for them.

But wait! Guess what?! It's also for YOU - you, dear reader, who does NOT belong to the mustard of the month club (yes it's real and yes my brother was once a member)! Because while this tart is heavy on the mustard (1/4 cup of 2 different kinds), it also heavy on the awesome.

Before even starting this recipe, I was skeptical. I mean, a good spicy/brown mustard is pretty tasty. ...But an entire pie shell filled with mustard tasting egginess?....Not so sure. As you're adding the mustard and the salt and pepper, Dorie even suggests adding those things "to taste". Friends...I HATE adding things "to taste". I am BAD at adding things "to taste". ....Especially since this is a new recipe and I have NO idea what it's supposed to "taste" like! Um, also...I'm pregnant...and pregnant girls are NOT supposed to be "tasting" raw eggs. But I took one for the FFwD team. ...You're WELCOME, Dorie.

Dorie's recipe calls for carrots and leeks. But she says the original recipe calls for tomatoes. And since I'm more of a tomato fan than carrots and leeks, I went for the original. I probably could have cut the tomatoes up smaller...but then it wouldn't have had the cool fan effect. See?:

Aside from the fact that I took two nights making this (night one: making tart dough, chilling tart dough, rolling out tart dough, chilling tart dough; night two: cooking tart, chilling tart, cooking tart......stupid day job), this was an incredibly easy recipe. Plus also, it gave me an excuse to make some homemade creme fraiche.....oh.my.yum.

And maybe this is what it looked like after only me and Andrew had our way with it.....please don't judge......remember - I'm eating for two.

Verdict: Heck yes. Mustard my tart, please.

French Fridays With Dorie: Gougeres

**Let's just get this out of the way: I lived in France for 16 months. I lived in the Loire valley for the first 13 months and way down south in the Pyrenees for the last 3. This was 12 years ago. 3 years ago I went to Paris for the first time. I spent about 36 hours there. ....That is the extent of my Paris experience. 36 hours. Dorie LIVES in Paris. She's a world famous chef. She hangs out with world famous chefs. Soooo...sometimes when she talks about the food she eats...and I've never heard of it......let's forgive me...ok?

For our first recipe (hand chosen by Madame Greenspan herself! - hi Dorie!), we made gougeres. Dorie says, "Gougeres are made everywhere in France..."(........except maybe the Loire Valley and the Pyrenees...) "...but their home is Burgundy..."(...oh, ok. Now I feel better.)

(Let's also forgive my crappy camera....before the baby comes, we're getting a much nicer one...mmkay?)

Gougeres:...imagine a cream puff....but instead of cream, it's Gruyere cheese....and instead of being in the middle of the puff, it's all throughout. Oh my...so light...so airy...so cheesy. And friends? So easy.

This is (embarrassingly) my first Dorie Greenspan recipe. And kids, Dorie likes to really explain every step. So, the length of the recipe can seem a bit daunting. I was having my parents over for dinner (mommy was bringing soup) and I worried a bit that I wouldn't finish them in time. (especially with directions like "add the eggs one at a time and beat, beat, beat until the dough is thick and shiny.") But, oh these came together so quickly. And her thorough directions made me confident I was doing it right at every step.

She says you can use any cheese, but lists Gruyere or Cheddar as possibilities. I used all Gruyere and its strong flavor was perfect for something so little and light. AND it went perfectly with the Wisconsin Cheddar Potato Soup my mommy brought over!

Verdict: I absolutely loved these bite-sized, puffy, cheesy, happy gougeres. I will definitely be making them again!

Dear Readers,...bienvenue a French Fridays With Dorie (henceforward to be known as FFwD).

French Fridays With Dorie

Dear Readers, I am embarking on a new and exciting journey. Sure, sure, motherhood. But ALSO....I am going to be cooking and baking my way through Dorie Greenspan's newest cookbook "Around My French Table".

Remember how I served my mission in France? Well, I did. And I ate a LOT of French food there (seriously...it was, like, everywhere). But what I did NOT do a lot of was COOK French food. My mission was very big into creme fraiche pizzas and burrito fetes (holla, France Bordeaux Mission!). And while I did learn how to make a mean crepe, I didn't acquire a lot of skills in the French kitchen (or la cuisine) (...and no I did NOT just have to look up that very simple 8th grade French word online.....*sigh*).

So imagine my excitement when that too-cool-for-school group of food bloggers who started "Tuesday's With Dorie" decided to celebrate Ms. Greenspan's latest beast of a cookbook by creating the group "French Fridays With Dorie"! No really...imagine it. ...See?! I was really excited! I sneakily added the book onto an Amazon.com order of birthday presents for Andrew and it showed up in my mail 2 days ago. And dear readers...I devoured it. I read the first 120 pages the moment I opened it. I LOVE this cookbook. It's gorgeous and interesting (she writes a little intro for every recipe!) and full of The Yummiest Food This Planet Has Ever Conceived.

And guess what?! I get to blog about this group every Friday!! We'll be starting October 1st. And every Friday to follow, I will blog about making one of Dorie's French food creations. (I will NOT, however, be posting the recipe. ...For that, you gotta get your own book, yo.)

Want to join the group?! Go here.

And watch this space for my weekly journey into the art of French Cooking. (...I just rocked your world with the idea of me blogging weekly, didn't I?)

MY Google Fate

Remember how I like to talk about how I'm not original or creative? Yeah...I'm not.

So, maybe I'm gonna copy Krisanne right now (because I STILL haven't scanned images of the baby in my belly...so this will have to suffice as a blog post).


I went to Google Images, typed in "What is the fate of Susan Gardiner" and among the random photos, I found this one...





….Do we think ‘Susan Gardiner’ is the cat, pulling the ribbons of life? Or is she the teddy bear, being smacked around by the kitty claws of fate?................


PS - it's Andrew's birthday! Happy birthday, Andrew D. Gardiner! Who's fate looks like this!:


(The caption of this photo reads: "Andrew predicts the future with a big bag of money in the background." Yes.Please.)

Pregnant!

Has it really been 6 months since I last posted? I hang my head in shame. ...Especially since this has been an incredibly eventful 6 months.



See, I'm pregnant. Our fancy IVF worked. And we are having a little boy in about 15 weeks. A little boy named Eli. A little boy who I cannot wait to meet and love and cuddle.



I have pictures of him - lots, actually. I've had an ultrasound at every single Dr's visit since I got pregnant. ...But those pictures are currently affixed to our refrigerator. I honestly do mean to scan them in. In fact, the fact that I'm lazy at the scanning is why I haven't blogged. I have issues with blogging without photos. So this one, of my 22 week pregnant belly will have to do. ...For now.

Bucks For MY Baby

My sweet, sweet, amazing, wonderful, kind sister-in-law has created a blog for my dear friends to follow our awesome, fun, injection-filled fertility journey. You can follow it here.

http://www.bucksforbaby.blogspot.com/

And I really do have a lot of good intentions when it comes to being a better blogger. Seriously. LOTS of good intentions. So many, in fact, you could...I don't know - pave a road with these good intentions! Now...where would this road be heading....

Wishes

I wish you all have a Merry Christmas!

I wish you get everything you want!

I wish you will see lots of family - even if they're not yours!

I wish you will remember our Savior and His miraculous birth!

I wish love, peace, and above all JOY!

**Coming soon - posts about the things I made for people as gifts, cupcakes I've been making, and more Cat In A Box!

Cat In A Box:1

Briquette's fascination with cardboard started at a very early age...

[Insert Hopeful Title Here]

Albert Einstein said that insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, expecting different results. This is definitely true for us women blessed with infertility: we experience a monthly form of psychosis.

After 30 months of trying to conceive and after 30 months of failing to....you'd think I'd be used to this feeling. That I would accustom myself to the disappointment that comes with the physical evidence that once again - once.again. - I am not pregnant. And sometimes, I AM accustomed to it. Sometimes I do fine - oh, sure - I whine a bit, I lay around and moan with chocolate and a heating pad...but fertility-wise, I do OK. But other times.....oh, other times....I do NOT do fine. Other times, I feel trapped in a broken body. Other times, I wonder why I ever thought "this month will be different!" Other times, I want to do physical harm to every pregnant woman I know (alienating myself from over half of my close friends....silly fertile ward). Other times, I sit at my desk biting my lip, hand over my eyes, trying desperately to keep quite as the tears trickle down my cheeks. Other times, all I can think is...why me?

And then I remember that I am not that unique. I remember that a good deal of my friends - friends who are now mothers - have experienced exactly this. I remember that infertility is becoming an unfortunately common diagnosis. And I remember that above all...above ALL - there is One who, long ago, voluntarily chose to experience infertility.....just so that I could go to Him in prayer and He could say, "...I know.....I know...".........And that is when I sigh...pick up my head....replenish the hope........and brace myself for another month.**

**The painting is "Miracle of the Gulls" by Minerva Teichert, one of my favorite artists. I love the strength in the woman's face...and, considering the story, is how I like to think I feel every month.

Some Say Tak, Others Merci

I've been missing lately...I apologize. Turning over new leaves sometimes means you have to re-turn over...and re-turn over. Bear with me as I...re-turn over.

I love Thanksgiving...don't you? This one was lovely - being with my family and eating lots of food is always cause for celebration. But as this was the first year where I actually contributed to the meal (by way of yummy rolls, mini pecan tassies, and sweet potato fries), I found that thanksgiving got lost....I don't mean Thanksgiving, capital T...I mean the act of being thankful. I forgot to do that. I know I don't need a holiday to be thankful (and believe me, I live everyday trying my hardest to be thankful). But as the point of the holiday is actually THANK...I missed it this year.

And so...humor me as I run through a list of random (and some not so random) things I'm thankful for.

I'm thankful for nephews. I'm thankful for gingerbread cupcakes. I'm thankful for my parents and their amazing love for each other after 38 years of marriage. I'm thankful for diet coke. I'm thankful for my cat and the life she brings to our home. I'm thankful it took 30 years to find my husband. I'm thankful for my job and Andrew's job. I'm thankful for my membership in The Church Of Jesus Christ Of Latter-day Saints. I'm thankful for movies. I'm thankful for teenage vampires, teenage werewolves, and fellow adult women who will drool and swoon over them with me. I'm thankful for one cute perfect little niece. I'm thankful for my house and its red walls. I'm thankful that my husband is the funniest person in the world. I'm thankful that God loves me enough to give me trials like fertility. I'm thankful that I get to be a bridesmaid to my dear sweet Lindsay. I'm thankful for a best friend in Korea who forgives me for being the worst emailer ever (soon...I promise). I'm thankful for our dear prophet, Thomas S. Monson. I'm thankful for peanut butter and chocolate. I'm thankful for rain. I'm thankful for my pretty red rain coat. I'm thankful for my sister...my beautiful, perfect, lovely sister. I'm thankful for my husband's love for me and my butt and my eyes and my tummy. I'm thankful for pretty purses that make me feel like a girl. I'm thankful for my dad who is so kind and loving and fun and sweet and cute. I'm thankful for amazing in-laws...truly amazing. I'm thankful for cookie cutters. I'm thankful that I live in Texas and that someone here came up with Chips and Queso. I'm thankful for a temple that is beautiful and holy. I'm thankful for Club Awesome and that I get to spend 9 hours a day with them. I'm thankful for my brother who is the most loyal person I know. I'm thankful for books. I'm thankful for people who buy my cupcakes. I'm thankful for Anne, the sweetest girl in town. I'm thankful for scriptures. I'm thankful for my calling...even when I'm not. I'm thankful for A and Di and the bond of The Triumvirate. I'm thankful for smiling. I'm thankful for legs that can run and a heart that loves to. I'm thankful for the ability to pause live TV. I'm thankful for my husband's haircut. I'm thankful for blogs and bloggers who inspire me. I'm thankful for Christmas time. I'm thankful for my mother who is the greatest woman I have ever, or will ever, know....and my idol. I'm thankful for my Savior, Jesus Christ, His life, His death, and His love for me. For ME.

I'm thankful.

A Tithing Of Sorts

Giving 10% is not a new concept for a Mormon. As soon as we're old enough to get an allowance, we are taught the law of tithing. I have been giving 10 % of everything I've earned since I was 6. Paying the Lord back such a small amount, knowing He will freely pour out His blessings in return, has, for the most part, been an easy concept to follow.

...Until now.

For the past 7 years, I have been a member of Weight Watchers...or at least in between memberships. I've joined and rejoined so many times, I'm quite certain my registration fee keeps the company in the black. For a WW member, losing 10% of one's weight is the first major accomplishment. The day we join, our leader writes our 10% goal right on the top of our weigh-in card. It's the number we're working towards. Of course, what we really want is that goal weight...but figuring out a goal weight doesn't even enter the picture until we get to that 10%.

For the past 7 years, I have never reached that 10%.**

...Until now.

Yesterday morning, dressed in my lightest of pyjama pants and thinnest of t-shirts, I nervously got on the scale in front of my weight watcher leader....and reached my 10% goal. I only needed to lose 1.4lbs...and I lost 1.8. I had dreamt the night before that I gotten it...I dreamt about it. And in my dream, I cried. ...I didn't think I really would. But (and I know this won't surprise most of you)...I did cry. Right there in Weight Watchers...I cried. And then the lady said it was time to start thinking about my goal weight - my goal weight! I've had a fictitious number in my head for 7 years. And it is finally - FINALLY - becoming a reality.

I've thought about how the law of tithing and my weight loss are connected. One time, Krisanne mentioned that one of her most powerful weight management tools was thinking about how her body was a gift from God. That it was indeed a temple...and that it was merely on loan to her. And if things like morality and the Word Of Wisdom were important, then by golly, so was watching what she ate and exercising. And the more weight I lose...the more that thought is ruling my choices.

I have just paid a sort of tithing to the Lord - he has given me a body that can walk and hear and see and think and laugh and cry and (someday) create life. The least I can do is give 10% back.

...The battle for my goal weight? Fast offering.

**When I first joined WW 7 years ago, I weighed 35 lbs more than I do now...meaning I actually HAVE lost 10% of my weight...just never while in WW and never all at once. I'd lose a bunch, then gain some back...lose a bunch, gain some back....so while I've actually lost close to 20% in this 7 year stretch, it's not been consistent...and it's never counted.

Monday Meet: MerMag

I'm easily annoyed. Really. Ask my mom. I'm not proud of it...it's just how I am. I get annoyed at (seemingly) the littlest of things. I mean, I don't think they're little (Mega Super Constant Fakey Coughing Guy?!...that is NOT a little thing).


So when I say that I'm super wicked impressed by someone, please believe me. And lately, I've been introduced to a blog world filled with the most impressive women. Astoundingly, creatively, happily impressive women. And so, I'd like to take Mondays to introduce to you the women on the blogosphere that have been Changing.My.Life.

First up - Mermag. Cute Merrilee is the wife of a guy I acted with in many a BYU theatre production (Teresa - is it a hanging preposition if it's in the middle of the sentence? Should I have said, "with whom I acted"?...speaking of getting annoyed...). He played my brother in my senior project...brilliant dude. Merrilee is super artistic and cute and together with her husband have produced 2 of the most adorable blond-headed boys EVER (of course after Max & Axel, the cutest blond-headed nephews EVER.)


Meet Merrilee.


Merrilee is an artist - see?

She sells this gorgeous piece of work on her etsy shop. She even does custom portrait drawings

Marrilee is a homemaker. See?

They just moved to the L.A. area and here she is decorating her new home...no...that's NOT a page from Martha Stewart's Living.

Merrilee is a hostess. See?

This is THE most adorable children's birthday party. It's a Peter Pan theme birthday party for her oldest son and all the children came dressed as a character (with her husband showing up as Captain Hook!). Also one time she threw her friends a tea party...oh, Marilee...invite me next time, k?

Merrilee is a crafty mom. See? See? SEE?!

This adorable travel desk was made AND DESIGNED by Merrilee. ...Fer rils?! Now her creativity is just getting ridiculous. My nephew Max travels to Colorado and Idaho to see family lots...someday when I have (and know how to use) a sewing machine, I'd like to make one of these for him.

Dear Readers, this is Merrilee. I have loved discovering her blog and being constantly inspired (and, ok, intimidated) by her creativity. ...You should too.

I Left My Heart...

...in San Francisco, o' course!

Kids, let me tell you - next time you've got a spare weekend, some frequent flier miles, and the cutest husband ever - you should TOTALLY go to San Francisco!

We got on a plane early Friday morning and got into the city about noon, dropped off our stuff at the hotel, and walked straight across the street to the In-N-Out. Oh holy goodness...it's been years since I've had one and I generally don't eat red meat. But um...maybe if that were my last meal, I'd be ok with that.

We walked Fisherman's Wharf, played with those crazy sea lions, experienced some 4-D movies (dude, I actually had to wear a seat belt...), and ate clam chowder in a sourdough bowl (no wait - THAT'S my last meal).

Saturday morning, we toured Alcatraz. Wow. I mean...wow. If you go, you must take the audio tour - it was given and recorded by 4 former guards and 4 former inmates...astounding. We also got to experience the famous San Francisco fog! We spent about 3 hours there and honestly could have stayed longer. But instead.....

We got to see Susanna!! Oh, my dear sweet Susanna...how I've missed you. You know how there are those friends that, no matter how long it's been since you've seen them, the minute you're together again, you go right back to being the best of friends? Yeah...that's my Susanna. Isn't she the cutest? And her sweet husband and gorgeous little boy Van were there, too...heaven. Absolute heaven.

The Risser's were nice and drove us around some of the streets of SF, including the crazy curvy part of Lombard street. (Dude...what were they thinking building a street like that?!) Then they dropped us off at the foot of the Golden Gate Bridge. I've never seen a structure so...just immense (no wait...I have.) We walked across, what we thought was half way...turned it out it was maybe a quarter of the way. Then we walked back. We walked back to Fisherman's Wharf. Are you hearing me people?! We walked from the Golden Gate Bridge to Fisherman's Wharf! ...Ok, it was only 5 miles. But still! Five miles!! ...Right...I'm a baby. But since it was a gorgeous day and we were walking along the San Francisco bay, there wasn't much complaining (oh, except I did complain about my feet...because ow).

That night, we took an evening cruise through the bay, under the bridge, and around Alcatraz. Windy!

Sunday morning, we got up and decided to hit Chinatown before our flight. 1. Those hills....oh.those.hills. Seriously, San Francisco? Don't worry - my shin splints are finally going away. 2. Chinatown isn't very open Sunday morning...FYI. But we managed to find a shop selling what we were looking for and wandered our way back. (Side note: I live in the 4th largest city in the country population wise but the sheer mass of Houston is - - well, it's big. And spread out. And while I totally and completely love my city, sometimes I wish I lived someplace where you walked....you can't really walk anywhere here. Isn't walking lovely? Lovely...

*warning- here comes some cupcake reviews...

We got to see one last friend - wonderful Becah Davis, sister to two of my very best friends, Tini and Heather, stopped by our hotel before we left with a box of Sprinkles cupcakes. Wasn't that the nicest ever? Nicest.Ever. And also...Sprinkles is yummy. Super yummy. Tastes a lot like Crave...it'll be interesting when our Sprinkles opens up just down the street from Crave...hmmm...The vanilla was amazing. The Red Velvet...red velvet-y (really people? it's just a color...). The pumpkin was...eh.

On our way out of town I made our driver (that's right...we had a driver - because us Gardiner's are fancy!) stop at another cupcake shop - Citizen. Overall, they're ok. The cake is waaaay too crumby - the vanilla cake fell apart in my hands - not good. I dug the vanilla icing but if there's no cake...you know? But they're chocolate cupcake...hoo-boy. Probably the best chocolate cupcake I've ever had. Don't know why...it was just good. Also their pumpkin was horrible - it was filled with raisins - RAISINS!! Why would anyone do that to a pumpkin cupcake! Oh, the humanity!!

The other cupcake shop we tried that weekend was Kara's. Super cute logo. Adorable atmosphere. ...Not so great cupcakes. Not horrible...but I'd never crave them. So there.

And that, friends, wraps up our weekend spree to the west coast. We loved every minute of it (except for - where was the cold?! Everyone said it would be so cold - and it totally wasn't!).

As we were boarding our plane home, Andrew was already planning our next weekend trip...to New York.....get ready!