sd county fair

yesterday we went to the county fair. i absolutely love fairs. seeing all the animals, cheap goods being hawked, and heart clogging foods makes me happy. each year we check out the demolition derby and it didn't disappoint this year. i feel so white trash cheering while cars are crashing into one another and catching on fire, but whatev.
about to dig into a county fair cinnamon roll. last year i saved my roll until we got home and it fell on the ground as i got out of the car. i made sure that wasn't about to happen this year. these rolls date back to my childhood. that is a sincere smile only butter, dough, and cinnamon can bring.
chowing down on a huge roasted corn. yum, yum. aaron tried to get the secret of the roasting out of the workers, but they wouldn't budge. the ones we make never taste this good. i could have eaten at least 3 more. note how all the pictures of the fair revolve around food.
aaron is whipping up a video of the demolition derby so hopefully i'll be posting that soon. with the fair under my belt, it feels like summer is right around the corner!

yosemite

we went to yosemite a few weeks ago. i made the reservations for early in the year so we could see the waterfalls in full effect and to work around aaron's summer school schedule. old man winter made sure we saw the waterfalls at their glory. he also made sure we could play in the snow. not cool. with a weather report straight out of december, we decided to go anyway.
here's a snapshot of us entering the valley and stopping at tunnel view. this is a famous place to take pictures because you can see many of the landmarks in one frame (el capitan, bridalveil falls, and half dome). although we had smiles on our faces it was about 40 degrees outside. we look fondly upon this image and try to forget the rest of our ill fated trip.
this is yosemite falls. fed solely by snowmelt, it was raging. the season had delivered a record breaking 300% snowpack, so the rivers were pumping. a trip to yosemite isn't complete to me without a major hike. with granite steps all along the trail, this is the equivalent of hiking 2 empire state buildings. there are some hair raising views at the top since you can literally walk to the edge of the falls. i loved it. it was such an amazing hike.
note the dry ground. this is hours before the rains began and the floods came up.
see the magnificent view from glacier point. or so i'm told. we took the hour drive on switchbacks to see the entire valley from this one vista. too bad i didn't realize a storm meant the entire valley would be fogged in at this elevation. with fog everywhere and snow on the ground i had to laugh or i'd cry. this was pretty much the theme of the trip...
...including when, in the first 5 minutes of arrival, 2 squirrels had gotten into our suv, ripped into my sealed bag of chocolate chip cookies, snacked on our cheez-its and pooped on the seat. luckily it was a rental. i felt like the grizwolds time and time again. oh well, they can't all be perfect, right?
aaron posted a video of our trip on his facebook page, if you're so inclined.

lovely

in may i took a week off to visit my family in utah. the week didn't turn out exactly as planned, but it was still a great visit. i was able to see most of my family and get this shot as i entered the temple. what a wonderful place.

new art

while in slc last month, i stopped by the grand daddy distribution center and picked up a few goods.
i found a delightful selection of frames thrown together from left over scraps of temple artwork. as such, you can buy a frame kit ($10) and you install all the hardware and such. oh, and they're very cheap. like $14. that's where i come in. i snagged the gold one below. please, please ignore the weirdo in the frame. this is the one time she is being goofy on camera and is paying for it. i think she just woke up from a nap. oh, and they have an amazing collection of artwork for only $1 a print! i hemmed and hawed and ultimately fell in love with this one.

then i proceeded to pack it in my suitcase and had to bat a few eyelashes at curbside check in so the counter dude would allow my over the weight limit luggage to pass.

i adore the new artwork in our home. i've wanted a nice picture of the Savior for some time and i love that i got it for only $25!

ice cream cake recipe

per request, here is a link to the ice cream cake recipe i used.

and, if i may, here is some advice:

use the size of pan specified. i used a weensy bit smaller one and paid the price.
the layer order is there for a reason. stick to it. unlike me.
unless you're a major chocolate lover, half the ganache. it's rich stuff.
let the ice cream soften on the counter at least 30 minutes before trying to spread it.
eat more roasted broccoli.

that last one is general life advice. i'm trying to spread the message of roasted broccoli.

enjoy!!

partay time

i threw a little shindig for aaron's birthday. it included all the man food staples (and birthday boy wishes); pizza, soda, and chips. luckily some lady friends saved the day and brought a salad.

i believe to the delight of many parents, it was at a park. none of the little ones are pictured, but imagine their squeals in the foreground.
aaron found that baby on the side of the road and decided to bring it to the party.

dew dew + ag = luv.

ag + ag = ag2 & tru luv

cake + ice cream + chocolate = stomach ache? i'm done with the math.

aaron wanted an ice cream cake, but after seeing the price of an ice cream cake for 25 i said, no way, mama. i'm making one. i made three. very rich recipe, i think i'll cut back on the chocolate ganache next time. but tasty! each had pound cake, oreos, and ganache, but i did a strawberry & vanilla, mint chip and chocolate, and coffee with chocolate chip cookie dough. yum.

pardon their appearance. i almost pulled all my hair out trying to make 3 ice cream cakes at once. i'm not sure who i thought i was, but i'm not an ice cream cake chef! after many meltdowns (get it? meltdown?) the cakes were done and lessons were learned. they'll be purdier next time.

fun girls.

some random kids on a bench. oh wait, i think those are the baby's parents. plus another in a sling.

thanks everyone for coming and celebrating with us!

happy birthday!

happy birthday, aaron! i can't believe how old you are and that i'm about to follow. you're fabulous and wonderful and loads of fun. i'm so happy you're in my life.

if you can't tell, he's the darling on the left.

oh, and note the post date. i back dated cause his birthday was over a week ago. sorry...

midnight in paris

last night aaron and i saw this movie. and loved it.


i'm picky about my movies. and i'm so not a rom-com girl. but this fit the bill.


it's really quite delightful. and clean. loaded with cameos, in unexpected places.


go see it. it might help to brush up on your 1920's literature/art history to fully enjoy the movie. just a tip.


we saw it at an indie theater so you might have to search around.

swamp people

last night we discovered the show, swamp people, on netflix. what a find. the premise involves families who make their living hunting in the Louisiana swamps, spotlighting alligator season.

the characters are awesome. you know they're real because you can't script this stuff. the alligators are crazy. quality viewing. my two favorite quotes of the night?

~speaking of shooting an alligator.."you ain't might not never get another chance"
(3 negatives. a negative X a negative X a negative = a negative, people. this is grammatically correct.)
~referring to a large alligator.."thas there a tree shaka"

i found out this morning that season 2 is currently on the history channel. best news all day.

problem

i left my phone charger in utah last week.
solution?
until it is mailed to me, i'll use my car charger.
problem?
i never drive the car and aaron doesn't get home until late.
solution?
i woke up at 5 this morning, grabbed my pillow and a blanket, walked out to the car in all my morning glory, plugged the phone in and slept for 30 more minutes in the back seat of the car.

i give my neighbors plenty of reasons to wonder.

recipe time

i often receive those recipe chain emails that request me to whip a recipe off the top of my head to a stranger.

i've never participated. i'm completely intimidated by them. i over think it. and under think it. suddenly my palms are sweaty and i can't recall a recipe off the top of my head. so i do nothing.

this time i have something. a small offering and an apology to all who have ever sent me an email like that and i dropped the ball.

i make banana bread often in our house. about once a week. aaron is picky about the condition of his bananas and unless he eats roughly 5 in 2 days, they're suddenly past his prime and on the fast track to bread.

'banana bread?' you say. i can hear your sigh. you already have 5 of these recipes. they're everywhere, right? but, wait. this recipe is different. it's from my beloved baking illustrated. and it's the first recipe in the book. super special. delicious. easy. and, i have made it so many times that i can proudly recite it from the top of my head.

banana bread

1 1/4 C roughly chopped walnuts (not walnuts, chopped. big difference)
2 C flour
3/4 C sugar
3/4 t baking soda
1/4 t salt

3 ripe bananas, mashed well
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/4 C plain yogurt (i use non-fat)
6 T melted butter, cooled
1 t vanilla

*heat oven to 350.
*spread chopped walnuts on a rimmed baking sheet and bake in oven for 5-10 minutes. once they start to brown and you can smell em, they're done. let cool.
*while the walnuts are roasting, melt the butter. put in the fridge to cool.
*wisk flour, sugar, baking soda, salt and walnuts in a large bowl.
*with a wooden spoon or spatula, mix bananas, eggs, yogurt, cooled butter and vanilla.
*gently add the wet to the dry and mix until just combined.
*butter and flour your pan(s). the recipe calls for a 9 in loaf pan, but i've also used 3 minis just fine. i used a pastry brush to get all the left over goodness from the butter bowl to grease my pans.
*bake at 350 for 55-60 mins. i find this bread to be very moist so i turn the temperature down just a bit (330 ish?) about 40 mins through so the tops don't brown too much.
*let rest in the pan for five minutes then turn onto cooling racks. (i was greedy once and didn't let it rest. suddenly i had 2 loves. top half in my hands, bottom half in the pan. not cool.)

not much beats the taste of this bread with a bit of butter while still warm. i love giving the minis as gifts or eating a whole one while standing at the kitchen counter. your call.

enjoy!!

a thought

i'm listening to the mormon channel at work right now. it provides much needed solace.

the current program is 'conversations', where sheri dew is interviewing elaine dalton.

regarding running, elaine told a story where she and her husband were running and she fell behind while going up a hill. frustrated and discouraged, she called out to her husband that she was turning around and going back to the car. he ran down to her and said, 'elaine, you never turn back while going up a hill; i'll run with you'.

you never turn back while going up a hill.

i like that.
i hope to apply it to my life.

countdown

it's may. do you know what that means?

we go to yosemite next month. oh boy. come to mama. to put it mildly, i'm excited.

it's the highlight of my summer.

in honor of the countdown to camping, i'm posting a video aaron took upon finishing our climb to half dome 2 years ago.

i was not thrilled to be videotaped.

i was not thrilled to be conscious.

i spoke softly. you'll need to turn the volume up.

enjoy.

royal wedding!

i did it. i awoke at 1245am to make a breakfast treat then met J to watch the royal wedding. we watched it on a BIG screen. then went back home and got ready for work.
here's our picture. remember the time while viewing the photograph. we were tired.

btw, loved the wedding. it was wonderful to see a wedding given so much fanfare. weddings are important. and i loved her dress. not just in a fashion sense, but because it was so modest. not exactly temple ready, but a big step in that direction and i'm excited it will spawn designs to follow suit. i hope my yw were watching!!

naturalist

ever the environmentalist, i discovered aaron's method for drying clothes one day as i returned home. so clever.