Festival of Colors 2010

It's that time of year again! This year was way better than last year. This year we got there early, got our colors, and waited for the count down.

Throwing colors (couldn't even see what was going on):

Me and Kate in front of the temple:

Cara and the free hug guy:

Justin:

Me after the whole ordeal:

My poor hair:

I had purple boogers

Tights

I hate them. I have to wear them for choir and as soon as choir is over, I go to my car and...take off my tights. After that I unbutton my restricting button-up shirt and drive home. I hate, abhor, detest, loathe, and despise tights.

Anybody with me on this?

The Outlet

In Ghana we dealt with electrical problems. Here was my favorite:

The outlet. Here is how it worked. You flip the switch (on the right) off, stick a stick in the top hole and plug in the object you wish to use. Safe? No. Living on the edge? Always.

4 Things

1. This bracelet fell off today. I have been wearing it for over 3 years. I think I have taken it off roughly 6 times since the first time I put it on. It has had a hard life. R.I.P.

In other news: this is the replacement.

2. I went to see Leap Year last night. Such chick flick. Loved it. I sat in a broken chair (unknowingly). I slid off on accident. Got so into the movie that I plopped right onto the ground (gross)

3. Stole Borrowed this from a friend in another building.

Lovin' every minute with it. It sits on top of a pile of papers that sits on top of a printer that sits on top of a pile of chairs. Very classy.

4. I almost died at work today. Went to plug something in and ZAM-POW! I got shocked. It charred my hand a little and revved up my heart. But I am still alive and kickin' so work hasn't killed me yet

Stupid, Stupid Brownies

I am an FHE mom in my ward. That means I am in charge of planning/executing family home evening for my apartment as well as three other apartments. No big deal up until tonight. I was going to make brownies for dessert because:

1. Brownies are a delicious treat

2. Brownies from a box are easy

3. It was all I had time for

So I made brownies. But here is a little known fact about me: I ruin brownie mixes. I have made probably 6 boxes of brownies in my day. The success rate thusfar is zero percent. True fact.

But this time was going to be different. I followed the box directions exactly. I sprayed the pan and I made sure everything was perfect before I put them in the oven. This is how they came out. Don't they look delicious?! I thought so.

It's a lie. Take a closer look. There is goopy in the middle. It is still a full-on batter in the middle.

By the time I realized this, 7:28 was rapidly ending and I was going to be late. But these brownies were going to turn out if it killed me! So I cranked up the oven to 500 degrees and threw the brownies in for a few more minutes. After what seemed like a reasonable amount of time (by this point I was about 15 minutes late) I pulled the brownies out and checked them out again. They actually looked okay. Hooray for brownie mixes! Being in a rush, I committed a horrible error (knowingly). I tried to scrape them out before they had cooled enough. So they balled up like this:

I was mad. I knew I shouldn't have done it, but I was in a rush. How could I, the mother of the group, be late? It was unthinkable! So I kept scraping. Soon, I came to the middle of the pan. Still goopy. I was TICKED. I was livid beyond reason. Then I got frustrated with myself for not being able to bake from a box.

8:00 was upon me and I was lacking a treat for my children. What a horrible mother I was!

Time for a bit of background: I had a rough weekend. So lets do the math.

1 rough weekend + 1 bad batch of brownies + 1 bad history with box brownies + not fulfilling motherly duties = angry tears.

I cried over brownies. BOXED brownies. I cried and cried. I skipped FHE altogether and sat on my bedroom floor with a tissue and moped. I cried for my rough weekend, I cried for not having a treat ready on time, but mostly I cried for those stupid, stupid brownies.

I can make fancy-schmancy cakes from scratch:

I make delicious cookies and frosting from scratch:

But I will never be able to make a batch of brownies from a box. Woe is me!

Little Moments

It's the little moments that make us a family

Vintage

Today I went through my (and my mother's) vintage jewelry from my grandma and my great-grandma. Here is a necklace of mine that I absolutely adore:

This pin is completely classy. Small and simple, but stunningly beautiful:

A flashy bracelet:

Love this set....definitely red carpet worthy

I am in love with this bracelet. My mom pulled it out and I just about died with love

Then she pulled this one out and I couldn't decide which one I liked more....but this one would go perfectly with my afore-mentioned pin

This necklace goes back several generations. It has incredible detail and it is so dainty I am in love

Then there is this ring that I want to steal from my mom:

Huge and extravagant, but absolutely stunning. I can't get enough of it

I LOVE VINTAGE JEWELRY