Soft and fuzzy= :)

Lately I've been making a lot of things...it's probably just a phase, but it is somewhat fulfilling. For my nursing classes I made a couple of mini baby blankets to give to moms in the hospital who had lost their baby. Not the best sewing job I've ever seen, but hopefully they will provide a little bit of comfort.




Also, in an attempt to comfort myself from the woes of school, I decided to learn how to crochet those cute flowers I see everywhere. Realizing I didn't have anything to wear it with, I attached it to a headband I made and donated it to Lucy (whom I rescued from DI), my study buddy. Isn't she cute?

Spiced squash bread

We had some squash (as far as we--meaning the people at the grocery story, myself, and my new cookbook--can figure, it was baby hubbard) for dinner the other night. Anticipating we (Tyler and I) couldn't eat the whole thing, I only cooked half. Well, that left another half that probably wasn't going to get eaten, so I devised a way to use the remaining squash. I have a banana bread recipe, and I know the spices that go in pumpkin pie, so I swapped the banana for the squash and added the spices--the result: spiced squash bread, nearly as tasty as pumpkin bread, probably would be SOOOO much better with some chocolate chips :)



Ingredients:
1 3/4 c. flour
2 t. baking powder
1/4 t. baking soda
1/2 t. salt
1 t. ground nutmeg
1 t. ground ginger
1 T. ground cinnamon
1/3 c. butter
2/3 c. sugar
2 eggs
half of a cooked winter squash or enough to make 2-3 cups when mashed

Destructions:
Cut desired winter squash in half, remove seeds, and place in/or a tin-foil lined pan and bake at 350 for about an hour and a half or until very soft. Remove skin (discard) and mash the fleshy part. Add a couple tablespoons of butter and couple tablespoons of brown sugar. Set aside. (May be refrigerated for later use)

Preheat over (if not already heated from cooking the squash) to 350, grease bread pan, and set aside.

Mix dry ingredients in small/medium bowl and set aside. In a larger bowl beat sugar and softened butter together. Add eggs and mix. Add dry ingredients, mix partially, then add squash. Beat on low speed for 3 minutes, then medium for 1 more. If desired, fold chocolate chips (you put in however many you want, I won't judge, haha). Pour into pan and bake for one hour. Can check with toothpick for done-ness. Let cool for 10 minutes, remove from pan, and ENJOY!

PS-It is very moist. I recommend that if you do put it in a plastic bag or wrap it in foil to leave it open to the air so that it doesn't get really sticky.

Pumpkin bread and Macy's bags

For Relief Society, we made little gifts for the sisters we visit teach. Realizing it's not OK to give unwrapped presents, I tried to figure out what I was going to do. We have no wrapping paper, and I didn't really feel like going to the store to buy some. We have no curly ribbon either. Then, I spotted, sitting in the corner behind the table, old paper grocery bags. Brilliant! I always had a bit of an affinity for brown paper wrapping. But how would I decorate them? I have no paint to doodle with or ribbon long enough to tie around. Then, after digging through my button box, sorting through my ribbon scraps, and scrounging for some markers, I ended up with this:


Not bad for a scrounge job!

Also, I decided I needed to make something with the remaining pumpkin I had in the fridge. I decided to try to make Pumpkin Nutella Bread. It was tasty, but unfortunately it didn't come out of the pan very well. I made it half-intending to take it with the gifts, but decided I better just eat it...


Next time I'll spray the pan better :)

time is money, but it makes more work

Since probably the second week of the school year, not a single loaf of store-bought bread has entered our lovely little apartment. I've made homemade bread every week except for this week (because Tyler did it this time!). The sad part is, the loaves don't have as many slices so they don't go as far. Also, if I decide I want a sandwich and have no more bread, I have to find roughly 2 hours to be home so I can make it. Luckily, I can do homework while the dough is rising and it's cooking and whatnot. Unfortunately, it (multitasking) never seems to work as well as I hope. But the taste of warm homemade bread with butter and homemade raspberry jam is almost as good a cookie when I'm craving something tasty. It nearly (but not quite) allows me to give up the idea of going to Macey's at 7pm for 25 cent donuts. Work, yes. Cheaper, yes (I think...). Happy tummy, heck yes :D



PS-This isn't my picture, but mine looks (and probably is) way more delicious than this. Nobody like a blog post without a picture though...

Fine hats + cameos=wonderful

Ok, so anyone who knows me very well has probably heard my rant about how no one ever dresses up anymore, the class is gone, and everyone should wear fantastic hats. Well, when I got married, I decided I was going to fix those things. I wish I had pictures from the reception now, but soon enough :) For now, I have a few of my bridals I can show off, haha. My mom took the pictures as well as put together my hat. The actual hat part is from the 1940's, but the original decorations on it were stained pretty badly so she redid the back part, the bird-cage veil over the top and added the flowers. I put together and decorated my bouquet, and the cameo on it was my great-grandma's! Beautiful aren't they? Hope you enjoy!

feast or failure?

I used to joke with Tyler that he needed to get married so that he would have someone to help pack his suitcases when he went on trips because he tends to, let's just say, pack like a boy...a week long trip? Simple! Swimsuit, deodorant, some clean underwear, and socks...maybe. But really, who needs those things anyway right? Well, being a minimalist is far better than one who can't remember to do those things that are the foundation of the living in Provo...I think I needed to get married more than he did! If my head wasn't screwed on, I'd loose it!

Tyler and I are taking French Choir together. Week #1: Great. Learned part of a song, realized I can't read unfamiliar French words and unfamiliar alto parts at the same time, and learned if I sing quieter, people won't hear me mess up :) Week #2: Not so great. I feel asleep because I was up at 4:30am for nursing, and didn't wake up until at text came at 5:10pm (10 minutes after class started) from Tyler wondering if I was coming, and if I had fallen asleep. Yes, yes, and uggggghh! Week #3: Fail. Again, Tyler wasn't home to remind me of class. But this time, he was as work and couldn't send a reminder text. So what did I do instead of class? Baked. Food is always a good excuse right?

Well, I feel pretty good about my creation. This afternoon I managed to make a little over 5 dozen cookies, all in honor of the BYU-Utah game this weekend! GO COUGARS :) And hopefully next week will be a success as far as actually getting to class...

2 people, lot's of fun!

Well, we've been married for one month today, and it's been quite an adventure :) Several (quite humorous) mishaps later, we are finally moved in and almost have all of our stuff put away...almost. One of our earlier joint purchases, a "2-person" raft from Walmart, has practically paid for itself! We got to float the Provo River with Tyler's brother and sister-in-law, Leighton and Sharon, and a couple of their friends. Needless to say, the $20 raft was not quite built to withstand any rapids or banging against bridges...but it sure was fun! Good thing we took a water bottle though...we needed it to bail the water out when we gained an extra hole in the bottom and the water kept leaking in through the airvalve that wouldn't stay closed...wedding pictures coming soon!

i shoulda been a chef?

So, as the term draws to an end, I realized I need to get rid of some of my food "storage." Seeing this need, along with a need to eat dinner, I began to take a mini inventory of my options. Taking the ingredients I had on hand, I came up with this.




It takes kind of lasagna-y, so I shall call it "Lasagna-esque Awesomeness" (or at least until I can come up with something slightly better...)

Ingredients:
2 c. (uncooked) elbow macaroni
1 can (14.5 oz) tomatoes-petite diced with onions
cheddar cheese
1 stick of string cheese
Parmesan cheese
Italian seasoning
dried basil

Cook macaroni to desired softness. Stir in tomatoes, and season with Italian seasoning and basil to taste. Pour half of the mixture in a glass baking dish. Cover with cheddar cheese (I just sliced enough off a brick to almost cover the noodles), pulled-apart string cheese, and Parmesan cheese. Cover with remaining macaroni mixture and repeat the cheeses, minus the string cheese. Cover and bake in oven at 350 until the cheese is melted.

Mmmm, mmmm, mmmm :)

So, today in my floral design class we talked about wedding flowers. She gave us a whole sheet that broke down who is supposed to pay for what...it was really complicated. I loved lab though. We got to make mini bridal bouquets! Here's mine :) I'm rather pleased with how it turned out (aside from the fact it looks kind of wilty because I had to leave it in my trunk for 5 hours...)

Everyone has something they can completely and totally relate to in life. Some really feel nature, others sports, and still others cars or other mechanical things. For me, that thing is dance. I feel like everything I think, say, or do could somehow be translated into dance. My soul eats, breaths, and sleeps in dance. Someday I will probably look back on life and wish I had tried to be a dance major, but for now, I will just have to dance every moment I can.
(To hear the sound of this video, go to the bottom of the page and turn off the other music [: )

Thought of You from Ryan J Woodward on Vimeo.

Dance isn't just a parade of choreographed steps set to a rhythm with a tempo. It's a way to show that part of your soul that no one really gets to see. You can learn more about a person by the way they move than by the things they say or do. Not just in dance, but in everyday movements. Do they walk with their shoulders slumped or their head down? Does their posture, with their shoulders back and chin up, give you a more solid idea of their confidence than their words? YES! Who you are is how you move. I am not a great dancer by any means, but it is how I show the world who I am. Nothing is more beautiful than a vulnerable soul being spilled out on the dance floor, only to be mopped up by the viewers' minds, thoroughly and with an added measure of personal appreciation.

Corsages!

So, I am taking floral design, and am slowly picking up on some skills I think will be useful! I made a few corsages in class, but they sat in the back of the fridge for a couple days before I could take the pics. Therefore, they froze and wilted a bit, but you get the basic idea :)

Some things can't be helped!

You know how there are somethings in life you just can't quite resist? You know, like pushing the buttons on the dash of somebody's car, pulling on a stray thread even though you know it's going to unravel whatever it is connected to, tucking in a stranger's tag or pulling random hairs off of someone's shirt, sticking your feet on the book-rack of the desk in front of you in class, poking someone when they are stretching, yada, yada, yada...Well, I can't resist kissing someone if I've got some good ol' bright red lipstick! Tyler's a trooper, and good thing! Some things just can't be helped!

Brained fried now, but I can do it!

What a fantastic feeling it is to be near the end of a semester! I've lost nearly all motivation to study or do schoolwork, which is ok because I don't have too much left. Considering my intense need to be done with school, I hope that spring semester goes ok. Luckily, I think it will be fun :) I am taking floral design, humanities, a contemporary dance class, and a tap class! What a way to fulfill GE's and try to not fry my brain :) There is no better way for me to relieve my school stress than to dance it off. I'd say 2 hours a day should do it!

My "Pot of Gold"

Preface, I don't have pictures of this event at the moment. I'll try to put some up later :)

So, it started off like any other Saturday. I hauled myself out of been for Lu'au practice, and went about my business till I finished practice at 2, then headed off to grade papers for a while. Tyler had mentioned he had a late St. Patrick's day surprise for me, so I should grade quickly. When I climbed in my car to to drive home, I noticed a piece of paper taped to my window, which I was immediately annoyed by. You know how people always stick a flier under your wipers and you never notice until you are on the road, and running your wipers doesn't get rid of it? I couldn't believe someone would have the nerve to tape a flier to my window! I heaved myself back out of my car, only to see that it was a note from Tyler...oops. Guess I should figure out what I'm getting mad about before I get mad about it...

The paper contained instructions for, a late St. Patrick's Day treasure hunt. This was the intro to the hunt.

"Happy hunting. I hope you ate your lucky charms for breakfast...or maybe now would be a good time to bust out your 4 leaf clover cuz you're gonna need more than just wit to find this pot of gold :)"

Clue #1 "Thar be a cove full of mateys where in the TV is always on watch. Ask fer the first mate. He'll give you the map... (Ya might want a camera too iffin you come across a leprachaun)"

I realized the only place where the TV is always on is his apartment. Thinking that an odd place for a first clue to be, I went anyway. His roommate handed me a box of modeling clay that had the instructions, "Sculpt the right plant to get the next clue. It had to be the right color," taped to it. Unfortunately, the first mate could not remember what it was I was supposed to make, so he just gave me the clue. Guess I'll have to play with the clay later :)

Clue #2 "Down yonder by the lagoon where many have walked the plank, and where many enjoy buying Clover Club products and certain cold dairy treats by the name of KONG, ask the King iffin he make seafood too. Codeword: Oysters

Remembering our date where we got Kong Cones at Macey's, and also Tyler's love for chips, I decided to head in that direction. The next problem was how to find the "King." There are more than a few people that work at Macey's! I decided to try the deli first, since that's where the ice-cream is. Good guess! The first guy I talked to didn't know what I was talking about, but another girl did. She even asked for the codeword! After successfully giving said word, she handed over a bag of Reese's Pieces eggs and the third clue.

Clue #3 "A young lass by the name of Kishelle works there. It's a Patch where you don't pick clovers but other plants that smell real pretty. Thar be a miss at the counter will give ye further instructions..."

K, so at this point, I was a bit stumped. I figured it had to be some sort of flower place, but I had no idea where she worked! I called my roommate Kendal to see if she knew, got numbers of her visiting teachers to see if they knew, texted Tyler for another clue, but to no avail. I figured it had to be either the flower place on the corner, or the one on campus. I sat in the parking lot of the Flower Patch just off Bulldog to think. Wait...Flower PATCH...duh! In I went, and the girl at the counter knew exactly what I was after :) To get the next clue, I had to answer this question, "Where is a pirate's favorite place to eat?" After thinking for a moment, the girl said it was a fast food place. Immediately I knew it was, "Aaarby's!" Correct, she told me, as she went to the back to fetch a beautiful yellow rose and the fourth clue.

Clue #4 "At the far East end of the Good Ship Provo ther be a trusty ol' crow’s nest where ye can look out o’er the lake... Thar lies your pot of Gold, X marks the spot! (dead peeps tell no tales)” [A little, very simple, map was drawn on the paper, just to eliminate confusion]

I thought for a moment, then decided to head to the mountain. I had been to a spot a couple summers ago where you can drive up the mountain to a chainlink fence, park your car by someone's house, and walk about 50 ft to a spot with a pretty good view of Provo. I took Tyler up there once because I thought it was cool, so I figured this is the place he meant. Although I had been there a few times, it still took me about 10 minutes to figure out how to get there again. Only about 3 wrong turns...

As I pulled up, I didn't see his car, but decided to proceed. About 15 feet up the trail, sitting on a rock right in the middle, was a small, squishy, preservative-loaded peep! Yes, and about 10 or 15 feet after that, was another, and another. Following the trail of peeps, I went over a little ridge to find a couple boards forming an X, but nothing else. I stood there, a little bewildered, looking around for anything else, and contemplating finding a rock or stick or something to start digging with…Suddenly, Tyler jumped out from behind a rock, nearly giving me a heart attack, with a yellow piece of paper taped to him with “Pot of GOLD” written on it. He said, “I’m your pot of gold!” and I got excited just cuz it was fun. He came over, and we just stood there on the mountain holding each other and talking before he started to get kind of quiet.

At this point, he kind of pulled back a little so he could look at me and said, “I want you to be my pot of gold. You are my pearl in the South Pacific.” And down on one knee he went! I gasped, hands over my mouth as he pulled out the ring, and couldn’t say anything but a forced “yes!” since I was really holding my breath. I could hardly believe it was for real, since he had already been down on one knee twice before that (little stinker!).

He was a bit out of breath too, and I teased him a little for it. His response was, “I’ve been holding my breath for the 20 minutes I’ve been here!” He had left his apartment (where he had been hiding in the back doing homework) shortly after I left with the clue to head to Macey’s. He said he was afraid I wouldn’t say “yes,” but who wouldn’t be?!

After taking a few pictures and such, we headed down to get an appointment to get the ring sized, the lady gave me a little rubber thing to put on it until we dropped it off, and we headed back to Glenwood. He left me so I could call my parents, and then we went and watched the BYU basketball game. Can’t say I really remember anything about the game. I spent the whole thing holding the hand of the man I would marry!

Valentine's Day ≠ Single Awareness Day

I would like to tell you what I think about Valentine's Day. I think it could either be a really great holiday, or as far too many would agree, a dumb one. A reminder to go out of your way to tell the people you care about that you really do care? Great! Everyone needs reminding now and then. The prophet has told us that even if we assume they know, we should tell people that we love them. Does it matter if you don't have a significant other? It shouldn't. I think we should all take the opportunity to tell those around us how much we appreciate them and their friendship. After all, the best relationships we have are those where we feel like best friends, right?

For those who feel that Valentine's Day is just another holiday where you are obligated to spend money on people, let me tell you, it is not. There are wonderful things you can do to show love and caring without spending money (and without a significant other). Let me recount what Tyler and I did last night (he being the brilliant creator of the plan). We ate pizza at his apartment (yeah, dinner...everyone needs dinner, haha). Then he told me of his plan to make giant cookies and a card and take them to my grandpa who has been living alone since my grandma passed away several years ago. We got it all done up and went over to visit. He wasn't home (I hope he went out and did something fun for himself!), but we left them on the step and headed back. Not only did I get to spend the evening with a newer friend (new BEST friend, I'd say), but I got to serve someone I've loved for a long time! Happy Valentine's Day world! (Single Awareness Day has no foundation if you have the right attitude, though I will admit I had a bad attitude for a long time. [: )