Mr. Perfect is famous!

Well, sort of. His name has appeared on a sign. Here's the proof:

(Look at the Structural Engineer section.)

Way to go, Mr. Perfect!

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

I know it's been a while since I blogged. Life gets like that. We had a wonderful Christmas, with a fun Christmas Eve Brunch with all the kiddos. The girls brought their boyfriends, and a fun time was had by all. Presents were opened, food was eaten, games were played, and quality time together happened. What more can you ask for from a holiday? Not much. Game Boy also came over after church on Sunday to see what we gave each other and basically hang out. Hanging out is fun.

New Year's will probably be on the quiet side. Game Boy will be with us for movies, games, food, whatever. If we seem boring to others, at least we're having fun.

I hope you all have a save and happy New Year!

Another new birthday tradition for Mr. Perfect

So, a couple of weeks ago, on Mr. Perfect's birthday, we went to The Forgotten Carols. This year, he also asked if we could catch Voice Male's Christmas concert. Well, I love their music almost as much as Mr. Perfect does, so of course I said "YES!" and we bought the tickets right then.

Oh, yeah. This will definitely be a new Christmas tradition for us, whether or not it's part of Mr. Perfect's birthday or just something we do this time each year.

I love spoiling my man. He so deserves it.

Papa Carrot

So, I've been making mini carrot bread loaves to give out for Christmas. I found this amazingly wonderful loaf pan at Orson Gygi (highly, highly recommended store, and no, they are not paying me to say this). It makes 9 mini loaves at one time. And they all bake at the same speed! Just look!

Well, as you may have read, we had a bumper crop of carrots this year in our garden. We weren't able to harvest all of them before the cold weather, but Mr. Perfect knew what to do. You cover the plants with leaves or tomato vines and you can pick them throughout the winter. In fact, the ground wasn't even frozen under the mulch. Hurrah for our side!

And so it was that I discovered the father of all carrots. It was HUGE! Not just huge; massively huge. Well, at least for us. In the following photo, the red pen next to it is just a standard sized pen.

Isn't he a beauty? And don't worry, I picked enough that he was not sacrificed to the deliciousness of carrot bread. He will probably end up as sticks or slices for a salad.

A Grand Experiment

Okay, I got an early Christmas present. It came very early so I could use it at the Christmas Recital, which turned out to be a really good thing. The place were we hold the recitals usually records them so I can give the parents a CD of their child playing. Well, this year, when I got to the hall, they told me that their recording equipment wasn't working and they wouldn't be able to do the recording. Voi la! We pulled out the Christmas present, and were partially saved.

You see, the new present is a lovely, high-def, fully-1080p camcorder. Yes yes yes yes yes yes!

So this experiment is to see if I can put the movies on here and have them work. I won't post the one of the recital. It's just too big. I don't even know if it will fit on a DVD so I can give it to the parents yet. But here's one of Mr. Perfect discussing our cabling problems. You see, the camcorder takes various cables, one of which is HDMI so you can hook it up to things like high-def T.V.s or an HDMI-capable laptop. It took us three cables before we got it right and could watch the videos on the T.V. Hurrah for our side!

Anywho, here's the vid from YouTube:

Now here it is imported straight into the post:

Hmmm...the color is not as good, but I can control the display size. I think I like that trade off.

Now I just have to figure out how to make DVDs for each of the piano families...

Genius Child #3 missionary pictures

Geinus Child #3 is currently serving an LDS mission to Boston, Massachusetts. He loves it. He loves the area. He loves the people. He loves teaching about Jesus Christ.

Here are couple of pictures he recently sent home. You can see the joy in his face. He's a great man. And though we miss him very much, we know that he is in the right place, doing the right thing.

We love you, Genius Child #3. We know that Heavenly Father loves you and is pleased with you.

Wordless Wednesday

Mr. Perfect's new birthday tradition

We've started a new tradition for Mr. Perfect's birthday. Last year, I bought him tickets to The Forgotten Carols. It was the first time either of us had seen it. We loved it. It made us laugh. It made us cry. It is seriously better than Cats, and we will be seeing it again and again.

Now, anyone who knows me, knows that combining Mr. Perfect's birthday with Christmas is a HUGE no-no. Don't even think about giving him a birthday gift and telling him "Oh, that's for Christmas as well". That's a sure way to be shunned for a good year or two. But The Forgotten Carols is something he loves and wants. So, we went again this year. And it was really nice, because it was the 20th anniversary for the show. So, we broke down and bought the new CD. We have the original one from 1995 or 1996, but this has a couple new songs and different singers. Some I will always love more from the original, but others I like better on the new one.

The only thing that made us sad was that we went on a night that the Cottonwood High School choir didn't sing, so we didn't get to see All Strings Attached. And she's a senior this year, so she won't be in it next year. *sigh

Anyway, back to birthday stuff. We went on Mr. Perfect's actual birthday this year. I don't know that we'll always be able to do that, but it will be nice to try. Any year it falls on a Sunday is out (they don't perform on Sunday), but other than that, I think we could do it.

And the fun isn't over yet. Tonight, we'll be heading to Most Happy Girl's parental home for dinner, with Drama Queen and Game Boy along for the fun.

How cute are they?

Okay, I just couldn't resist these photos of Game Boy and Drama Queen. We were at a family Christmas party, and they were just being...well...themselves. (Especially love the second one.)

Life is stranger than fiction

Last night, we saw the oddest and coolest thing. We were stopped at the Trax train crossing at Redwood Road and 8000 South waiting for the train to pass when Mr. Perfect asked me, "Is that a deer?" Sure enough, there was a deer running up the track followed closely by the train. After the crossing arms raised, we were trying to remember if it was a buck. Mr. Perfect wondered if it was an escaped reindeer, fleeing a petting zoo or Christmas festival somewhere. Could have been. However, I did not see a red glowing nose.

If it had been in a book, I wold have though "Yeah, right." Now I'll have to put it in a book.

(P.S. For those of you wondering, no animals were harmed in the writing of this blog post. The deer was able to avoid being hit by the train and quickly left the tracks after being herded through the crossing gates.)

Christmas time is here...

We've never had the Christmas stuff up so early. It makes me all verklempt. I'm not sure what to do next. Mr. Perfect and Most Happy Girl even did the majority of their Christmas shopping for each other on Black Friday. Go ahead and shudder, but at least we avoided the insanity that was Walmart. Well, except for going there at 7:00 a.m. for milk and rolling our eyes at the ten people in line for the three available T.V.s on the 8:00 a.m. sale.

The lights went up Friday and Saturday (bitter, bitter cold hands), and Game Boy graciously agreed to help with the tree Sunday evening. We watched The Muppets Christmas Carol as we carefully (yeah, right) placed each ornament. Things goes even faster when there are three of you working on it. Wah hoo!

Later, Mr. Perfect and Most Happy Girl continued another Christmas tree decorating tradition and listened to The Forgotten Carols while enjoying the beauty of the lights.

And no Christmas tree post from me would be complete without a crazy lights version of the tree, so here it is:

So long, Birdie!

Game Boy and Drama Queen finished up Cottonwood High School's production of Bye Bye Birdie just before the Thanksgiving break. The show was a lot of fun. Game Boy was several different characters (ensemble will do that to you) and Drama Queen once again got to show off her evil mother side by playing Mae Peterson, the overbearing mother of the main character (which, surprisingly, isn't Conrad Birdie). Here are some pictures the kids' friend posted on facebook from the show:

Giving thanks

I hope that everyone has a safe and happy Thanksgiving.

Eat lots of pie.

Wordless Wednesday (in video)

Game Boy and the Mysteriously Disappearing Hair

Sounds like a great title for a kid's book, doesn't it? Well, it's actually not all that mysterious. Game Boy is excited to be in his first high school musical (not that High School Musical) as Cottonwood is preparing to put on Bye Bye Birdie (oh, that high school musical favorite). With a setting in the 1950s and being called on to play multiple characters (ranging from a teenager to a fez-wearing Shriner), the glorious curls had to be sacrificed for art. So, Game Boy went from

to

Frankly, we don't mind so much. When did I get to be such an old fogey that I think the hair styles sported by most of the youth these days are a bit much to take? Am I really that old?

Okay, I just couldn't resist including this one. How cute is he?

Ah, Beethoven

The Utah Symphony has an amazing schedule this year. Thierry Fischer will be conducting all nine symphonies by the master, Ludwig von Beethoven.

Last Saturday, we went with Psycho Exercise Sis, Mr. Doctor Man, and Mr. Doctor Man's Sweet Mama to hear #7 and an amazing violinist play an amazingly difficult violin concerto. This Friday, we heard #6 (The Pastoral) and a wildly fun percussion piece. Most Happy Girl most happily enjoyed Wagner's Ride of the Valkyries, which ended the program. Beethoven and Wagner in the same concert; crazy, crazy times.

Beethoven's most famous symphony, the 5th, won't be performed until February, but fortunately it's early enough in the month that we won't miss Genius Child #1's wedding to Georgia's Sweetest Peach. Unlike most people, my favorite movement from this one isn't the opening (dun dun dun DUN) but the fourth movement. Ah, so glorious.

Hold on to your hats, ladies and gents; it's going to be a wild season of classical musical!

Have you thanked a veteran today?

Today is Veteran's Day. Even though it's a national holiday, it usually passes by without my hoopla or recognition. Sure, we may notice that there's no mail today and the banks are closed, but when was the last time you thought about what the men and woman who have served and are currently serving in our Armed Forces have done and are now doing for us?

When I was in high school, the combined choirs from the Granite School District sang each year in the Veteran's Day Concert at the University of Utah. It was always a fun performing the Battle Hymn of the Republic and wonderful arrangements of America the Beautiful. The military band pieces were fun, too.

The highlight of the concert was when the band would play a medley of the various branches of the military's themes and all past and current members of that branch were asked to stand and be recognized. And a lone trumpeter would play taps for those who didn't make it home.

I hope that this is still happening with the choirs so that students today can see and feel and understand what it means to have the freedoms we enjoy.

So, I would like to express my thanks to all military personnel, past and present. I know that the service you give is more valuable than any words of thanks I can give. But thank you. May God bless you and your families.

Experimenting with pies

Tonight, the Relief Society activity is a pie exchange. Now, I love making pies. And Mr. Perfect loves eating pies I've made. His favorite is fresh peach. However, to make a fresh peach pie at this time of year would take a couple of weeks of planning (to find fresh peaches and give them time to ripen) and money (to pay for said peaches). So that left pumpkin, apple, or mincemeat to be truly seasonal.

Well, I do have fresh processed pumpkin in my fridge awaiting packaging for the freezer, but I wasn't in the mood for pumpkin (it's not my favorite). Plus, I haven never made a pumpkin pie, and I've heard it's challenging to make it with fresh pumpkin. I didn't want to show up at the party with a pie that would make the sisters in the ward pat me on the head, click their tongues, and pity my husband.

I've made several really good apple pies (according to others who have eaten them). I love apple pie, and I love making apple pie. However, this time of year, who isn't making apple pie? It just wasn't original enough for my Relief Society baking debut. (The cookies were for the Primary children, not their moms.) Is that too prideful of me? Probably. I have never claimed to be perfect.

I'm not even going to discuss mincemeat. I know my mom loves it, but really...

I didn't go hunting on the internet for a new pie recipe, but I did find one. And even though I wasn't up for experimenting with fresh pumpkin on my sweet T'ville 9th Ward sisters, I will experiment with Blueberry Sour Cream. I found this recipe on Jamie Cooks It Up. After the cutting and consuming tonight, I will post it on my cooking blog.

So, wish me luck.

Wordless Wednesday

Bathroom update

Things have slowed down a bit on the bathroom remodel front, but we have added a lot more of the details to the master bathroom such as

• A mirror - it's adjustable!
• A cupboard over the toilet
• Trim around the wall cupboard
• Towel hook by the sink
• Standing toilet paper holder

Things that still need to be done include

• Finishing the edging of the built-in shelf above the wall cupboard
• Grouting the window sill and built-in-shelf
• Sealing the crown molding and trims
• Touch-up painting
• Towel rack for large towels

I love the feel of the tile on my feet. I was worried it would be really cold in the mornings during the winter, but it's not. I highly recommend tile for bathrooms. It's so easy to clean and looks amazing!

Now, if we could only find the time to finish the main bathroom...

Wordless Wednesday

Snow is falling all around...

Snow is falling all around

On the rooftops

On the ground.

Snow is falling on my nose,

On my head and hands and toes.

Okay, so you can't really tell by the picture, but it was snowing when I took it.

Looks like we're in for another typical Utah fall. Two weeks of lovely weather followed by six months of snow. *sigh*

Happy, Happy, Happy Halloween!

And so it begins. The first of all of the favorite holidays is here. I was lucky and took today off of work. I've been able to do some serious, much-needed cleaning, and to have lunch with Mr. Perfect and his office. I took some homemade chili down, and shared it with all the boys. (The recipe will soon be appearing on the cooking blog.)

Last night, we were able to get the pumpkins carved. It was so much fun cutting up pumpkins I've been watching grow from seeds (literally). Here' are the results:

Game Boy's masterpiece

All lit up

Mr. Perfect's amazing Miss Piggy (look at those eyelashes!)

Keeping with the theme, Most Happy Girl carved out Kermit

Game Boy's cool face

Halloween fun

So, can anyone guess who Mr. Perfect is going as for Halloween?

Wordless Wednesday

(P.S. As a side note, this is my 300th blog post. Wah hoo!)

I have discovered...

I miss traveling. Serious traveling. To far away places with strange sounding names. There are so many places that I've been that I want to see again, especially with Mr. Perfect. There are places he's been that I so want to see with him. And there are places that neither of us have been that I want us to see.

I have big plans for future travel. Europe, Africa, South America, Asia, the South Pacific, Australia. Sigh. I miss traveling.

How awesome is Mr. Perfect?

Last night, I had to go to a four-hour Good Landlord Program training meeting. Yuck. Actually, the instructor made it interesting and fast. There's enough material for eight hours (and some cities require that before you can get the Good Landlord Program discount on your business license), but Salt Lake City only requires four hours. Yes, I know the rental isn't in Salt Lake City, but the city it's in will accept the certificate from this training, even though if you do it for when that city is scheduled, it's eight hours. Confusing enough? For me, too.

Anyway, back to the title at hand... Mr. Perfect texted me at 6:45 and said that he was doing the dishes. He hates doing dishes. But for me, he'll do dishes without even being asked. Isn't that awesome? I know!

How I love this man.