Christmas Eve

Bruce and I spent Christmas Eve with my parents, all of my siblings, in-laws, and nephews. It was a full house, but as my 3 1/2 year old nephew Brady remarked just before we sat down to eat, "This is a lovely dinner!"

My dad made our traditional Christmas dinner. And we had our traditional English Crackers to open. The toys & jokes were great this year, but I miss the colorful tissue crowns. This year's were silver and they were not silly enough for me.

Starter:
Mushroom and leek soup
Cheddar and dill scones (this year the scones were served with honey butter)

Entree:
Prime rib with creamy horseradish sauce on the side
Roasted red potatoes
Steamed asparagus with Hollandaise

Dessert:
English trifle (fruit, lemon cake, custard)

After dinner we sat around the fire and my dad read Dylan Thomas' "A Child's Christmas in Wales," after which my brother-in-law Brock read Dr. Seuss' "The Grinch." We then sang Christmas carols with my dad on the guitar, and then Alli sang Suo Gân (a traditional Welsh lullabye). It was gorgeous.

Quote of the Day

“Never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known God.”
Corrie Ten Boom

The Hunger Busters

I went with Bruce to buy food for Second Harvest
on behalf of Google this morning - it was pretty awesome.
We got $300 cash to buy food at Costco.

My office is having a little 'competition' to collect canned food. We have four teams and since no one else volunteered, I am the team captain of Team 1 AKA The Hunger Busters.

The CEO stopped by my cubicle yesterday with concern that my team's barrel was lagging behind the others (to be fair, on one of the office floors we are in the lead!). He offered to match our team's donations for the next week to encourage us in our donations AND, if he judges us to be taking advantage of that match, he'll continue it through the end of the competition (December 30th).

If you have any brilliant ideas on how to increase donations, I'd love to hear them! Right now I'm going to each person's desk to personally plead with them to donate something.**

If you haven't had the opportunity to donate to your local food bank, or if you would like to donate even a dollar more to the Second Harvest Food Bank, you can take advantage of my CEO's match by donating on behalf of my team! (Don't worry, he WANTS this to go beyond the employees.)

How to donate funds online:
o Go to www.VirtualHarvest.net
o Choose: Companies - under 250 employees
o Choose: Intacct Corporation
o Choose: Hunger Busters

** So, you might say, why do you care so much? You love the food bank? You love winning? Well, yes, but also I know the CEO will heckle me all year long if I fail. Ouch.

Quote of the Day

“Endurance is not just the ability to bear a hard thing, but to turn it into glory.”
William Barclay

The debut of the shelves!

Read Bruce's blog post about it here.

yessssss

Bruce and I finished the shelves last night & put them up - they are the most attractive shelves I've ever seen. I'll post pictures as soon as I get them.

Meanwhile, one of the most unusual wedding gifts Bruce and I got were a set of spices from The Savory Spice Shop -- and I love them! It was fun to get both gifts from our registry as well as things we didn't even know we needed / wanted. This is the set we received.

Do You Believe in Magic?

 For our family it happens every Thanksgiving.

This is where the magic happens:

Recipe here.

And this little guy ate about half of it in between hunting ghost(es) of the striped, paisley, houndsteeth, and seersucking varieties.

Introducing: Our Apartment

So, for the second time in my life, I live with a man.* And I feel that I should tell you that we live on the street of ROCK.

As awesome as it is living our rock and roll lifestyle, it has been a herculean effort getting our apartment in order. In fact, the kitchen is the only room that I'm going to show pictures of today. Mostly because it's the only place where we have won the battle of the boxes. Everything is unpacked and everything is in order. The only things we have left to do are to get a mat for in front of the sink (getting that at Target today) and to finish painting and mounting our custom-made, er, home-made spice shelves. (Which Bruce and I are ridiculously giddy about. I'm sure I'll post it later. hehe.)

My sister-in-law Amanda asked me in my last post if we have a kitchen color, which question inspired this post. I am going to answer in pictures. The answer is yes. Er, I mean no.

Introducing, Our Kitchen

This is me greeting you from the kitchen when you walk in the door. That is, the front entry is in the far left. You can see the dried orange chinese lanterns I mentioned yesterday on the table with some clementines and, yes, some half eaten brownies. Thank you, Ghirardelli.

We use the bookshelf on the left for storage of most of our serving dishes since we have almost no cupboard space in the actual kitchen. I LOVE the red clock and still haven't sleuthed out who sent it to us as a wedding gift. I'm trying to bully Bed Bath and Beyond into telling us since they are the ones who neglected to include a packing slip... Regardless, I am delighted with it and its currently undisclosed donor.

 

I forgot to take a picture of the actual cooking area... sorry. But as consolation here is a close-up of one of our more attractive cupboards. We didn't go for any special china or place settings, but just did bright, happy colors. I already owned the bowls and my sister thrifted the orange juice pitcher for us. Did everyone have one of these in the 70s / 80s? Our family did :)

Over the sink is the stained glass that Bruce made in our stained glass with Tom Stanton & Holy City Art Glass this fall. We LOVED the class and as you can see, Bruce is good (he's soldered before).

My magnet collection is on full display on our refrigerator. Poor Bruce. There's always some 'surprises' they say when you get married. This was one of them. hehehe. (He admits, however, that he likes the strawberry. Everyone does. It looks real!)

And, of course, I brought my little salt & pepper shakers. Love these little guys.

They reside over the stove. Just above their heads is where we're going to mount our spice shelves when they're completed. (Hopefully this weekend).

That's the grand tour documented for posterity and the interwebs. Until next time!

love
kt


*When I graduated from college and moved into my first real apartment with my first real job, my older brother Gordon and I were roommates. So different from living with women, but not in a bad way. Just different. One thing I do like about living with a man is being the primary feminine influence in the home. So awesome.

Hello. Greetings. Hi There.

I wanted to let you know that after pretty much no blogging for a-number-not-to-be-named months, I will likely be blogging again.

or something.

maybe.

p.s. I just got some dried orange chinese lanterns for our kitchen table. They make me happy.

Wedding Pictures

We just got our pictures posted. Check them out here.

Guess what

I'm getting married on Saturday

(!!)

After approximate 7 weeks of stress my week of giddiness has arrived!

pics to follow later....

Quote of the Day

“When in situations of stress we wonder if there is any more in us to give, we can be comforted to know that God, who knows our capacity perfectly, placed us here to succeed. No one was foreordained to fail or to be wicked. When we have been weighed and found wanting, let us remember that we were measured before and we were found equal to our tasks; and, therefore, let us continue, but with a more determined discipleship. When we feel overwhelmed, let us recall the assurance that God will not overprogram us; he will not press upon us more than we can bear."
Neal A. Maxwell

A Late Walk by Robert Frost

When I go up through the mowing field,
The headless aftermath,
Smooth-laid like thatch with the heavy dew,
Half closes the garden path.

And when I come to the garden ground,
The whir of sober birds
Up from the tangle of withered weeds
Is sadder than any words

A tree beside the wall stands bare,
But a leaf that lingered brown,
Disturbed, I doubt not, by my thought,
Comes softly rattling down.

I end not far from my going forth
By picking the faded blue
Of the last remaining aster flower
To carry again to you.

oh, by the way...

Bruce and I are getting married in October!

January 2010, Santa Barbara, California

The Life that I Have by Leo Marks

The life that I have
Is all that I have
And the life that I have
Is yours

The love that I have
Of the life that I have
Is yours and yours and yours

A sleep I shall have
A rest I shall have
Yet death will be but a pause
For the peace of my years
In the long green grass
Will be yours and yours
and yours.

Quote of the Day

Happy people are beautiful. Especially happy ones.
- Stephanie Nielson

Quote of the Day

“There seems to be a superstition among many thousands of our young [men and women] who hold hands and smooch in the drive-ins that marriage is a cottage surrounded by perpetual hollyhocks to which a perpetually young and handsome husband comes home to a perpetually young and [beautiful] wife. When the hollyhocks wither and boredom and bills appear the divorce courts are jammed. …
“Anyone who imagines that bliss [in marriage] is normal is going to waste a lot of time running around shouting that he has been robbed.
“[The fact is] most putts don’t drop. Most beef is tough. Most children grow up to be just people. Most successful marriages require a high degree of mutual toleration. Most jobs are more often dull than otherwise. …
“Life is like an old-time rail journey—delays, sidetracks, smoke, dust, cinders and jolts, interspersed only occasionally by beautiful vistas and thrilling bursts of speed.
“The trick is to thank the Lord for letting you have the ride.”
- Jenkins Lloyd Jones  (“Big Rock Candy Mountains,” Deseret News, 12 June 1973, A4).

Quote of the Day

When we pluck the roses, we find we often cannot avoid the thorns which spring from the same stem.
- James E Faust

Quote of the Day

When we enlarge our capacity to love, other people become real individuals, not merely functions. Gospel duties cease to be mere routine and become, instead, doors to delight. Every doctrine of the gospel is a door to delight that, when opened, exposes us to a vista of things we have not yet fully comprehended. Joy not only helps us do our gospel duties but increases our individuality. It is sinners who reflect such a stale sameness. Righteousness lends itself to individuality.
- Neal A. Maxwell

Quote of the Day

When we are racked or harrowed up or tormented by guilt or burdened with grief, He can heal us. While we do not fully understand how the Atonement of Christ was made, we can experience “the peace of God, which passeth all understanding.”


We know that some anxiety and depression is caused by physical disorders, but much (perhaps most) of it is not pain of the body but of the spirit. Spiritual pain resulting from guilt can be replaced with peace of mind.

We all make mistakes. Sometimes we harm ourselves and seriously injure others in ways that we alone cannot repair. We break things that we alone cannot fix. It is then in our nature to feel guilt and humiliation and suffering, which we alone cannot cure. That is when the healing power of the Atonement will help.


The Atonement has practical, personal, everyday value; apply it in your life. It can be activated with so simple a beginning as prayer. You will not thereafter be free from trouble and mistakes but can erase the guilt through repentance and be at peace.

- Boyd K. Packer

Emotional Integrity

Emotional integrity is the personal achievement of emotional strength, discipline, and completeness that remains constant no matter what others say or do. It includes both a control of emotions and an honest acknowledgement of them—pleasant or unpleasant. When we achieve emotional integrity, we are steady, consistent, and resilient. Our actions are not determined by the actions of our companions. We are emotionally resilient within ourselves, more enjoyable to live with, and easier to communicate with. We have put our own emotional “houses” in order and are thereby prepared for effective communication with others.

The Savior’s life is the one true, complete example of emotional integrity. The Latter-day Saints whom I have watched attain emotional wholeness have, of necessity, studied and strived to emulate the life of Jesus Christ. He lived in this world and experienced mortal emotions. He celebrated with friends and relatives. He experienced temptation in the wilderness. In righteous anger he drove greedy men from the temple grounds. He wept with joy at the purity of little children and with sorrow at the death of friends. Weary from teaching and healing, he withdrew to recuperate. In the closing scenes of his mortal life, he yearned for companionship as he suffered unspeakable pain for others’ sins. Viciously abused, he still forgave the soldiers who killed him.


Christ’s mortal experiences demonstrate an integrity that remained unchanged even when he was left without spiritual comfort and cried, “Why hast thou forsaken me?” (Matt. 27:46.)

His perfection ought not discourage us. Rather, we should be encouraged that he knows, perfectly well, what we are going through. Obedience to his laws helps us gain master of our emotions, and we, in so doing, are able more fully to express and receive love.

- Victor L. Brown

Quote of the Day

Some of the greatest battles we will face will be fought within the silent chambers of our own souls.
- Ezra Taft Benson

Pour some Skittles on Me !!

My FHE group did this video for our ward activity music videos. Enjoy!

How much larger your life would be

How much larger your life would be if [you] could become smaller in it. . . . You would begin to be interested in [others]. You would break out of this tiny . . . theatre in which your own little plot is always being played, and you would find yourself under a freer sky, in a street full of splendid strangers.
- GK Chesterton

This reminds me of the scripture in Matthew (10:39), "He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it."

I have found that the times I look beyond the 'cell of my circumstance,' I am kinder and happier.

I have heard that children believe their experience is everyone's experience -- they believe everyone knows what they know and sees the world as they see it. I think that this is true often for adults (or at least for me), but I also know that God intends us to broaden our view, and open our perspective.

While God wants us to be childlike, he also wants us to be wise and increase the scope of our understanding. When I begin to see myself and others as we truly are, instead of players in the 'kt show,' I know I come closer to true wisdom, true compassion, and true love.

When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things.
For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.
And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity. 

-1 Corinthians 13

Quote of the Day

There is a mighty power of healing in Christ, and that if we are to be His true servants we must not only exercise that healing power in behalf of others, but, perhaps more important, inwardly.
- Gordon B. Hinckley, "The Healing Power of Christ"

Did you know ... ?

...that you can do anything in the strength of the Lord?

Sometimes I get intimidated or discouraged. I have so many weaknesses, I've made so many mistakes, and there are some very daunting things that I think (maybe?) I want to do in my future. How is it possible that I could ever do these hard things?

Not to mention God wants me to be happy -- which sometimes seems like the hardest thing of all.

But God has told me that he will strengthen my mind and heart -- maybe even give me a new (braver) heart -- and that I can have joy.

Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding.

He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength.

Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall: But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint. (Isaiah 40: 28-31)

I think sometimes that the last line is very relevant to our own happiness -- that we can sometimes be weary and discouraged, but if we wait upon the Lord we can still have happiness even when it seems 'hard.'

I'm so grateful for the scriptures which provide so much strength and for the gift of prayer. 

Quote of the Day

Let the Savior be your “lead” in life. He has said, “I am … the Rock of Heaven … ; whoso cometh in at the gate and climbeth up by me shall never fall.” The Redeemer will safely lead you over the most difficult obstacles of life. His laws are absolutely secure anchors of protection that dispel fear and assure success in an otherwise dangerous world. Such a life will certainly provide you peace and happiness.
- Richard G. Scott

Quote of the Day

With consistent practice, faith will become a vibrant, powerful, uplifting, inspiring force in your life. As you walk to the boundary of your understanding into the twilight of uncertainty, exercising faith, you will be led to find solutions you would not obtain otherwise.
- Richard G. Scott

Quote of the Day

When sore trials come upon us, it’s time to deepen our faith in God, to work hard, and to serve others. Then He will heal our broken hearts. He will bestow upon us personal peace and comfort. Those great gifts will not be destroyed, even by death.
- Russell M. Nelson, "Jesus Christ--the Master Healer"

Quote of the Day

No matter who we are or where we live, there is much about our daily lives that is routine and repetitive. As we go about this dailiness, we must be deliberate about doing the things that matter most. These must-do things include making room first for the minimum daily requirements of faithful behavior: true obedience, humble prayer, serious scripture study, and selfless service to others. No other daily vitamins strengthen the muscles of our faith as fast as these actions. We also must remember that genuine fasting fosters strong faith. This is especially important as we faithfully seek to fix deeply embedded character flaws which go “not out but by prayer and fasting.”
- L. Whitney Clayton, "Help Thou Mine Unbelief"

The Firefly by Ogden Nash

The firefly's flame
Is something for which science has no name
I can think of nothing eerier
Than flying around with an unidentified glow on a
person's posteerier.

The Great Commandment by Joseph Wirthlin

The scriptures tell us that “if any man love God, the same is known of him.” What a wonderful promise—to be known of Him. It makes the spirit soar to think that the Creator of heaven and earth could know us and love us with a pure, eternal love.

Love is the beginning, the middle, and the end of the pathway of discipleship. It comforts, counsels, cures, and consoles. It leads us through valleys of darkness and through the veil of death. In the end love leads us to the glory and grandeur of eternal life.

Sometimes the greatest love is not found in the dramatic scenes that poets and writers immortalize. Often, the greatest manifestations of love are the simple acts of kindness and caring we extend to those we meet along the path of life.

True love lasts forever. It is eternally patient and forgiving. It believes, hopes, and endures all things. That is the love our Heavenly Father bears for us.

We all yearn to experience love like this. Even when we make mistakes, we hope others will love us in spite of our shortcomings—even if we don’t deserve it.

Oh, it is wonderful to know that our Heavenly Father loves us—even with all our flaws! His love is such that even should we give up on ourselves, He never will.

We see ourselves in terms of yesterday and today. Our Heavenly Father sees us in terms of forever. Although we might settle for less, Heavenly Father won’t, for He sees us as the glorious beings we are capable of becoming.

The most cherished and sacred moments of our lives are those filled with the spirit of love. The greater the measure of our love, the greater is our joy. In the end, the development of such love is the true measure of success in life.

Read the full talk here.

Quote of the Day

Let us recognize that fear comes not of God, but rather that this gnawing, destructive element comes from the adversary of truth and righteousness.
Gordon B. Hinckley

Happiness is

• sleeping in (but not too much!)
• June sunshine
• airplanes flying overhead
• family arriving from far away
• chubby babies
• flip flop Friday at work
• going to the Temple

Hooray!

Yesterday morning I woke up and paid off my car loan - before I even got out of bed to run!

It will process tomorrow and I should have no more debt by the end of the month!

I am so excited and now I just need to meet my OTHER goals (see previous post).

Goals

I have two short term goals that I am focusing specifically on right now:

1. Lose 10 lbs by July 1st.
2. Pray morning and night - aloud and on my knees.

I sometimes get bogged down by all of the ways that I want to improve, and my sister wisely suggested I pick two and let myself enjoy some success :)

Quote of the Day

“Often the deep valleys of our present will be understood only by looking back on them from the mountains of our future experience. Often we can’t see the Lord’s hand in our lives until long after trials have passed. Often the most difficult times of our lives are essential building blocks that form the foundation of our character and pave the way to future opportunity, understanding, and happiness.”

- D. Uchtdorf

I have found that this is true in my life. The times that I have consecrated the anguish that I've felt due to heartbreak, grief, depression, or any other cause, I have emerged humbler, more flexible, more compassionate.

I want to do this better with the day to day things that frustrate me - consecrate them, bear them cheerfully, and be the better for them.

Quote of the Day

"If you are going to win any battle, you have to do one thing. You have to make the mind run the body. Never let the body tell the mind what to do... the body is never tired if the mind is not tired."

George Patton

Quote of the Day

“God never bestows upon his people, or upon an individual, superior blessings without a severe trial to prove them.”
-Brigham Young, as quoted in "The Sustaining Power of Faith in Times of Uncertainty and Testing"

Quote of the Day

"All that is not eternal is too short, and all that is not infinite is too small.”
- inscribed in Stanford University Memorial Hall

Quote of the Day

While wholesome pleasure results from much we do that is good, it is not our prime purpose for being on earth. Seek to know and do the will of the Lord, not just what is convenient or what makes life easy.
- Richard G. Scott, "First Things First"

Happiness is

• fresh navel oranges
  
• sunshine
  
• gummy bear vitamins
• early mornings
  
• roses

Another video :)

This one is of my cousin and his wife who were in a plane crash a year and a half ago.

Video

I have been in Mormon Messages a lot the last week or so and am remembering how great these are. Enjoy!

Quote of the Day

"The pillars of my faith are still intact, but the roof has blown blessedly off the structure to reveal a whole sky full of stars."
- Emma Lou Thayne, about writing as a Mormon woman

French Horn by Jane Hirshfield

For a few days only,

the plum tree outside the window

shoulders perfection.

No matter the plums will be small,

eaten only by squirrels and jays.

I feast on the one thing, they on another,

the shoaling bees on a third.

What in this unpleated world isn’t someone’s seduction?

The boy playing his intricate horn in Mahler’s Fifth,

in the gaps between playing,

turns it and turns it, dismantles a section,

shakes from it the condensation

of human passage. He is perhaps twenty.

Later he takes his four bows, his face deepening red,

while a girl holds a viola’s spruce wood and maple

in one half-opened hand and looks at him hard.

Let others clap.

These two, their ears still ringing, hear nothing.

Not the shouts of bravo, bravo,

not the timpanic clamor inside their bodies.

As the plum’s blossoms do not hear the bee

nor taste themselves turned into storable honey

by that sumptuous disturbance.

Quote of the Day

"Never eat more than you can lift."

Miss Piggy

Quote of the Day

Learn to love those who sin differently from you.
- Unknown

Quote of the Day

As you know, continued exposure to loud sounds will, in time, damage delicate organs of hearing. In like manner, if you overindulge in loud music, you will more likely become spiritually deaf, unable to hear the still, small voice.
- Russell M. Nelson

Kind of a big deal

Yes, I am cheating and back-dating these posts. Give me a break! I have had a lot on my mind!

Why?

Because on Monday, February 22nd I gave notice at my current job and I am starting a new job on Monday, March 15th!

I'm so excited, but making the decision was an agonizing process. (AGONIZING).

I'm extremely happy with this decision, the 2 weeks off I have between the jobs, and my ridiculously wonderful boyfriend. life. is. good. (!!)

Quote of the Day

The little things of life, sweet and excellent in their place, must not be the things lived for; the highest must be sought and followed; the life of heaven must be begun here on earth.

L.M. Montgomery

via Rachel

40 Days of ...

Tomorrow kicks off 40 days until Easter, and so I'm going to do the following:

• Purge my Google Reader of the superfluous design, fashion, and other blogs that distract me. (DONE!)
• Purge my iTunes of music that is distracting from good things.
• Blog daily (watch out!)
• Give up sweets (Bruce and I are doing this together).