Bloggy Ramblings

I saw the cutest thing the other morning as I was driving to work. A perfectly ordinary looking couple (looked about mid-40's) was waiting at a stop light to cross the street, I assume to walk their dog at the park there. He had his arms wrapped around her and was giving her the biggest smack on the cheek, and she was smiling the hugest smile, it seemed as bright as the morning sun. It was so adorable.

Henry tells me, "Mommy, I love you all by myself." That means noone else can love me besides him, or at least not as MUCH as he does. Of course, he also loves "DcNonalds" (McDonalds) all by himself too.

Every day when I drive to work, I pass the homeless shelter. I see men (rarely women) who are waiting in line for breakfast in the cold of the already chilly August mornings. I see men standing on the street corner hoping to get a day labor job. If I drive by again at lunch time, then you see the young mothers pushing strollers, and the kids playing on the shelter playground. When I see this, I realize that I don't have a lot of problems. A daily reality check is a good thing.

Today I ate a sandwich called "The Machine Gun." Even though it was super delicious, I'm not sure I should eat such violently-named food. But I think I will be craving another one as soon as my liver and I process all the fat. Not an easy task these days without the help of my gall bladder.

Utah-Man-Am-I Guy

Utah-Man-Am-I-Guy is the latest superhero to take up residence at my house. He emerged yesterday when Joop (his big brother) came home with this season's gridiron gear.

Here are some of Utah-Man-Am-I Guy's superhero stats:

Age: 3

Hair: Blonde

Eyes: Brown, dreamy

Smile: Adorable

Favorite food: Chocolate chips

Superhero Costume: Red Ute Football Practice helmet c. 1985, Red converse all-star sneakers c. 2010, Target.

Super powers: Blankie Punch, Tackle Hug (starts out as a tackle, turns into a hug), and playing "oofball."

Superhero Theme Song: (University of Utah Fight Song, but with the words changed slightly)

"Utah Man Sir, Be a Yoo-oote-Guy. Buh-bum-buh-bum-buh-bum!"

Nemesis: Anyone on the bad guy team, but especially blue cougars and and purple horned frogs.

Weakness: Peanut butter sandwich for lunch caused dire need to drink milk, but Utah-Man-Am-I Guy can't figure out how to get the cup past the face-guard of the helmet. Eustachian tubes slightly kinked.

Here is Utah-Man-Am-I Guy out of character, relaxing at the beach.

Book Bonanza or Why I Need an e-reader device.

Having recently lugged home two giant storage boxes of books that I inherited and having nowhere to put them away, I realized that I have way too many books. I love books, and already have a rule that once I read them, I only keep them if they fall into one of these categories:

Classics: Those that my kids may have to read in the next few years, so I won't have to buy them again.

Children's Books: Even with those, I have a critical eye. After a while, I get tired of them and they only stay if they are in good shape, and they are favorites. The cheap-o books or board books that have been half-eaten by my mangy toddlers go.

Church books: Can't get rid of a church book no matter if I liked it or not. Exception: LDS Romances. Not that they count as church books. Most of them are pure drivel, as I suppose most romances are.

Books I Loved and Will Read Again: There are too many in this category already as well, and I need to purge some of them.

Cookbooks: Never met a cookbook I didn't love.

So, as you can see, that is plenty of books. So what to do about my ravenous reading habits? I can go to the library, but I am notoriously late about returning books, plus I walk past Barnes and Noble a minimum of twice each weekday, and who can resist Barnes and Noble?

That brings me around to my dilemma. What to do with an insatiable appetite for books, yet no more space on the bookshelves? One could of course buy more bookshelves, but they will just fill up too. I got thinking that an e-reader device could solve my problem. I could put all of my new book purchases on the e-reader, likely pay less than I would for an actual book, and never again have to find a once-loved book a new home where it would be loved as much as I loved it.

Now, to decide which device would suit me best? Kindle by Amazon is the one everyone knows of course. I am a big fan of Amazon, and have spent many happy hours perusing for new books, rare books, used books, etc. Apple's iPad is certainly enticing and I am still in love with my iMac and iPhone so I bet I would love an iPad too. Nook is the Barnes & Noble version of the e-reader, and since I walk past there at least 10 times a week, I am curious about that too.

I suppose if anyone is reading this blog, they may have a similar question. Which e-reader device will I love the best? Kindle, nook, or iPad? Well I already made my choice and have finished my first book, so if I ever post on this blog again, I may tell you which one I picked and why it won out.

Kouing Aman at Les Madeleines

My sister Sarah told me that she had seen a local bakery featured on Food Network for the show "The Best Thing I Ever Tasted- Salty Goodness." I drive by this bakery each day on my way to work and have always wanted to stop by. It's called Les Madeleines in Salt Lake. The bakery was featured for a pastry called Kouing Aman, so that's what I tried.

Oh My! Now this is not a pastry for people who are dieting, which I should be. It's a croissant-type dough, with sugar and butter all through, that's crispy on the outside, soft and tender on the inside, and every bite is both sweet, crunchy, and salty, and soft. It completely melts in your mouth. On the outside is a kind of soft sugary crunchy substance that is kind of like a caramel coating on caramel popcorn, but more subtle and super thin.

I also tried the ham and gruyere croissant, which was delish. The chocolate shortbread was my other sample, and it was not so much my favorite. I didn't suspect that it would be chocolate with orange, and it was. Since I don't like that combo to begin with, I would skip it next time.

I'm always thrilled to try something new and delightful. Usually that happens at home whenever Marty tries a new recipe. This delight is lovely because I don't have to do any dishes when the thrill is over!