weekend in la

March 1, 2011


harlow and i made a quick trip to LA this weekend. the rain stopped and it was sunny and blue. thank goodness.


i went to the temple on saturday.


and harlow almost got us kicked out of our room… but i snuck her back in! she was as good as gold but i was nervous that we’d get kicked out so i didn’t get much sleep.
(and fyi the front desk said it was okay to bring her but the security guard said she wasn’t allowed…ugh!)


i took my new (to me) pentax camera i got from jen out for a little bit. we’ll see how it turns out when i finish the roll of film.


and then we hit up the oh.ban.fest yard sale. hot dang i scored some great things and got to meet bri, jen, joy, paige, em, jasmine and i’m probably forgetting some other blog/twitter friends. SO fun! it was also pretty funny introducing myself as “joiebutter”… make sure you pick a blog/twitter name you like!


harlow loves her new bed from bri… she loves it! and i took home a few of these ladies from jen.

then we headed home to watch the oscar’s and visit with my cousin who was in town. i’m ready to head back to la now!

a little recipe

February 27, 2011

in my search for healthy foods i came across a recipe i love. it’s for chicken baked with lentils and it’s really, really good. really. it may not look pretty but it’s warm and stewy and delicious. i first found it on the wednesday chef when i was looking for a dish to bring to my friend and her family.

i used smaller chicken thighs (not drumsticks) and added extra celery for good measure. the chicken comes out incredibly tender and the lentils are perfect and flavorful. it’s meant to be served with mashed potatoes but this is a potato free zone now and really it was filling and satisfying on it’s own.

i managed not to lick the dish. but just barely.

granny goose

February 26, 2011

my great grandmother, my granny is 97 years old and she’s incredible. she lives alone, drives all over the country (not at night), is sweet, funny and just feisty enough to keep her young.

she had minor surgery earlier this week and did great but we had to take her to the hospital last night because she wasn’t feeling well. the doctors are keeping her till monday but she’s okay. they just want to keep an eye on her. even though she’s been “old” my whole life i’ve never thought of her as old. she’s just granny. i know i’m lucky to have her in my life and i feel so blessed that we have such a close relationship.

i asked her tonight if she needed me to bring her anything while she was in the hospital. her request? her lipstick.

aren’t grandparents wonderful?

finally… a picture

February 25, 2011

a little birdie told me that my blog was lacking pictures of me. pictures of me are not my favorite. most of my childhood pictures have me holding a packet of certs (which was my favorite candy when i was little) because that was the only way they could get me in a photo with me looking at the camera. i was a shy little violet. but i do like this picture that krista took when we went to hearst castle. so there you go, that’s me.

the "d" word and loving you

February 23, 2011


call it a diet, call it detox… whatever it is i’m doing it. i’m jumping back into doing what i did last year and we’ll see how it goes. i’m been sugar/carb free for two whole days and haven’t lost it so that’s good. of course that may just be because since i’m drinking a gallon + of water everyday i’m distracted by my bladder. but so far so good.

this isn’t my first attempt at changing my eating habits and maybe it won’t be my last. some of it’s worked, some hasn’t. some of it has made me feel good and some of it has sent me head first into a bowl of ice cream. but this time feels different. maybe i’m more “ready” for change but also, i think i’ve learned a thing or two.

if you’re changing any habit (eating, smoking, spending, whatever) i think a lot of your success it determined by your own way of thinking. i’m not an expert (clearly) but this is what i think.

changing yourself shouldn’t be a form of punishment. purging your closets simply because you feel guilty about shopping won’t make you feel better. changing your eating habits because you’ve been calling yourself “lazy”, or “greedy”, or “a slacker” is a set up. you’ll end up rebelling against yourself.

i know me. i know my hair is frizzy more often than not. i know i almost always have circles under my eyes. i know i’m not skinny. but i also know i have worth. i know i am a child of god. i know my body (wobbly bits and all) is a gift.

so while i am embracing this change, i’m doing it because i like me. i want to take care of me.

i hope you take care of you too.

and if you have any heathy recipes you’d care to share i’d love to hear them. xo

photo by jen gotch

all this sunshine

February 21, 2011

all this sunshine pouring in through my bedroom window this morning is making me happy. you can’t really tell from this iphone photo but it’s bright. and warm. so i got up, brushed my teeth, cooked breakfast, fed harlow, washed up, brushed my teeth again, opened all the windows wide, put the beatles on, and feel ready to face a new day/week/month. i’m excited to spend next weekend in la and meet some new friends.

even if it’s not sunny where you are i hope you have a wonderful week. xo

can you resist the power of the mallow?

February 20, 2011

http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=5239013&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=&fullscreen=1

An experiment where these kids are given a marshmallow and told that if they wait until the person comes back to eat it then they can have two. I laughed out loud watching these kids try to resist. There’s a story about it in the New Yorker.

Spotted at Cup of Jo.

about time

February 18, 2011

it’s mid february and i am ready to make some resolutions. i like to take my time with these things.

.take more pictures, especially polaroids. at least weekly.
.cook and bake more and blog it.
.england, france, and or australia.
.move
.sew something
.unravel
.make more time for spiritual things
.10 days of truth
.dream a little bigger

and next week i’ll have my first, just-for-fun giveaway for you. i’m excited!

polaroid by me