Delicious things.

Cupcake Brigade. Make cupcakes, deliver, visit- spread the love. PS. Aren't my trays AWESOME!!?! Bear and galloping stallions, yes.

Homemade tomato pasta sauce? YES. What should you do when you are gifted dozens of tomatoes, yellow squash, and zuchinni from friends and loved ones (their personal gardens no less?!)? Make pasta sauce! 

Ingredients:

-Lots of tomatoes of all kinds- fresh. Buy them, but don't use sissy canned junk.

-Garlic to taste, also fresh of course- non of that dry or canned junk. It's not that hard or exspensive to buy some real live garlic bulbs and toss some in- you don't have to cut them, just take the skin/husk whatever off (And luckily, the tomato and lemon from the pasta and hummus recipes gets rid of garlic on your fingertips)

-Zucchini- lots! Raw, and you can toss big chunks in because it's so soft- so there's minimal prep.

-Yellow squash! I don't like steaming these beasts, they're too tough, and it depletes the nutrients. Solution- blend them raw, into a tiny pulp in your pasta sauce!

-Italian seasoning or fresh herbs to taste

-Pesto. I LOVE PESTO. So naturally I put some heaping spoons in my sauce!

-Olive oil...to taste (can you tell? I don't measure things).

-A little bit of purple onion- because I love it!

Blend the mother to a cream! Food processors work good, as do blenders. Mix it and put it in jars (because I know you all keep your glass jars in piles around your house- because you'll find a use for them sometime...just like me!) 

WARNING. If you freeze your sauce, like me, don't fill it to the top- it will expand and break the glass!

What's great about this recipe- no need to cook until you heat it for eating. Boiling the contents and then cooking them again removes all of the nutrients. If you make this raw recipe you can heat it up for a few seconds when you're ready to eat- and viola! Amazing, healthy spaghetti...lasagna, etc.

Another good add-in: Wheat germ. I love it! I put it in everything! ^---Check out this link.

Note on freezing: Anytime you process food it looses nutrients, except for a few foods which need minimal processing. Heating, cooling, reheating....it takes some good every time. I freeze my sauce so I can take it out a jar at a time for use, thus preventing mold and all that. So it's okay to process it a bit, I mean, at least it's not store bought processes, but beware or over doing it.

Fun in Ogden, planning our dream houses, with Rouchelle.

Amazing fireplace featuring ocean sailing scenes.

Dream bathroom/vanity

Favorite permanent piece at the Eccles Art center

Cool color detail

Nice windows and flower boxes

Good shadows

Fun shapes

Little boy playing pool....on a min pool table...on a claw foot bath tub...on the sidewalk....

in front of a pawn shop...with a dog...and a fake horse.

DINOSAUR HORSE.

Rouchelle loved this house.

Pesto Hummus:

-Garlic to taste, but careful not too much.

-Tahini, I put in a heaping spoonful- I bought mine at a Thai store, you can usually find it at health food stores

-Pesto. Like I said, I LOVE PESTO!

-Olive oil.

-Garbanzo beans, drained (chickpeas, whatever).

-Squeeze of lemon.

-Dash of cumin and coriander.

BLEND THE MOTHER TO A CREAM! 

Eat with pita, creating the perfect protein!

Fun add-in: cucumber, artichoke hearts- anything you desire! Hummus is great because you can make a lot of flavors. Pesto just happens to be my favorite.  

PS. Both featured recipes take about 10 mins. or less.

This is what Rouchelly and my wedding announcement will look like...but not with each other...I mean...I'm not a lesbian! Haha.

Pictures.

 

 

Contradictions

I just don't get it. Racist Mormons and Christians. Priests burning holy religious scripts. The KKK. Eugenics. Nazis. Skinheads...you all hate each other...but I don't know if you've noticed...if you changed a few characters and key words in you're beliefs...you could all just form a new group and get along just fine, hating and killing innocent together...what fun.

When other people act like idiots, a magic buzzer doesn't go off in the universe giving you permission to act like an idiot. When other people do unChristian things, it doesn't mean you should, or are suddenly "allowed," to do unChristian things.

Just because you lump everyone from one faith (Muslim) into a group (terrorists), and some terrorists do bad things, it doesn't mean God suddenly wants you to burn holy scripture. I don't care if it's not your holy, it's someones holy.

 The news about a Christian preacher burning Qurans on September 11 made me so sad. There's no other way to put it.

God loves us. God loves all of His children. He loves His children from every time in the history of the world. He loves His children from every country and in every religion. 

2 Nephi 26:33 "For none of these iniquities come of the Lord; for he doeth that which is good among the children of men; and he doeth nothing save it be plain unto the children of men; and he inviteth them all to come unto him and partake of his goodness; and he denieth none that come unto him, black and white, bond and free, male and female; and he remembereth the heathen; and all are alike unto God, both Jew and Gentile."  

"Racism is an offense against God and a tool in the devil’s hands...The promises and challenges of a new millennium remind us of the continuing urgency for the human family to accept and live the Apostle Paul’s prescient pronouncement that all men and women everywhere are God’s beloved children. To the Athenians, Paul said God “hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth” (Acts 17:26)...How grateful I am that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has from its beginnings stood strongly against racism in any of its malignant manifestations. President Spencer W. Kimball stated the Church’s position well: “We do wish that there would be no racial prejudice. … Racial prejudice is of the devil. … There is no place for it in the gospel of Jesus Christ” (The Teachings of Spencer W. Kimball, ed. Edward L. Kimball [1982], 236–37). The Prophet Joseph Smith, who experienced more than his share of intolerance and prejudice, understood the importance of caring for, respecting, and helping others, even those we don’t agree with. Speaking of the need to provide temporal assistance to others, the Prophet explained that a member of the Church “is to feed the hungry, to clothe the naked, to provide for the widow, to dry up the tear of the orphan, to comfort the afflicted, whether in this church, or in any other, or in no church at all, wherever he finds them” (Times and Seasons, 15 Mar. 1842, 732)."

http://lds.org/ldsorg/v/index.jsp?hideNav=1&locale=0&sourceId=006ca1615ac0c010VgnVCM1000004d82620a____&vgnextoid=2354fccf2b7db010VgnVCM1000004d82620aRCRD

I suggest watching this whole video, but if you don't want to watch it all, at least skip to 2:45:

 

Here's a good link for the LDS stance on religious freedom: http://newsroom.lds.org/ldsnewsroom/eng/public-issues/religious-freedom

 Seriously- just love. When people ask questions about politics, war, homosexuality, abortion...just to get an argument out of you...answer with love. Answer love. I don't know all of the details. I don't know how everything works, or how things will work out in the eternities. I do however know this- God loves us all. Black, white, Muslim, Islamic, Jewish, Jane, Wicken, Mormon, man, woman, gay, atheist, Mexican, sinners, saints- ALL OF US. God loves everyone and everything He created.

 

Note: I was feeling very angry about all of this...racism amongst fellow Christians, hatred, ignorance...initially I wrote a lot of negative things...but I deleted them. I hope that the overall feeling of this blog entry was a good one. I don't like the idea of returning negative for negative...while I think it's appropriate to vent here and there, why should I ooze my sad on you? 

So...LOVE.

Life is crazy.

Wow. Life has been crazy. Every day is packed like a sardine box. Monday's are work, class, then FHE. Tuesdays are racquetball, work, temple, homework and church things. Wednesdays are work, class, and institute until 9 pm. Thursdays, Racquetball, work, class until 7. Fridays, sweet Fridays are only work, but so far plenty of other things afterwords. Life is good. It seems the busier I am, the more I get done. When I have nothing to do, or very little, I do nothing at all, not even a very little. When I'm busy I don't have time to worry, time to be sad, time to feel bad for myself. Time for junk.

Tonight, after a long day of homework, monumentally BORING phonics training for work, and so-so class I hit the jackpot. Pearl of Great Price. We studied my favorite of all scripture now available to me- the beginning of the book of Moses. I feel closer to God, to my pre-mortal existence, and to my spirit, Earth, eternities, family and truth while reading the book of Moses, than with any other reading available! Want to feel of God's love? Read Moses Chapter 1 with your name in place of Moses'. 

Try verse 6, "And I have a work for thee, Laura, my daughter; and thou art in the ^asimilitude of mine ^bOnly^cBegotten; and mine Only Begotten is and shall be the ^dSavior, for he is full of ^egrace and ^ftruth; but there is ^gno God beside me, and all things are present with me, for I ^hknow them all."

Can we say, holy canoli?!

I was so excited for tonight's lesson on the creation of Earth. Maybe it's the artist in me now, or maybe I was an artist in the life before this- maybe I helped paint the skies...but I LOVE the creation. Not the world traditional and limited creation story, but the everlasting, ever loving, ever continuing creation described by the Son of God in Moses. 

For the spiritual thought I shared from one of my all-time favorite articles, Man's Dominion by Hugh Nibley. I can't say enough good about this article- just read it, it will change your life if your really listen

 

 Anyways...I just felt so happy after class that I had to share. I mean, the book of Moses, donuts and a good answer to a scripture question I've had for a few years now?! What a fantastic night. What a fantastic life.

More summer shows!

This summer was bitter-sweet, but it for sure had an abundance of good music!!! I already blogged about getting to see one of my favorite bands ever, Mates of State- but the goodness didn't end there!

BEN FOLDS!

Ben leading crowd participation

 

Ben was a great performer, lacing the show with wit and audience participation. Normally Ben is also one of the most vulgar (language) shows around, but for this appearance he was comparatively tame- I think it was because the show was with a symphony as a part of a summer collection of shows (aka, if someone bought season tickets for some tame concert series they might be offended by swearing Ben). But let me make this clear, I'm not complaining- I had always wanted to see him live, but I was very happy to have an edited performance.

 

With the Utah Symphony Orchestra

BOB freaking DYLAN (front row!).

 

Oh Bob. I was SO excited to see him. I've been a fan of Bob for quite a few years. His poster hangs above my bed. I love his nasaling voice, his humor, his hair, and his subjective lyrics.

Bob on guitar 

 

At first I was going to have to go alone because none could afford it- I couldn't afford it, but I thought...honestly...Bob's gonna die and I want to see him live in all his glory!

Lucky me, I have an amazing big sister who made some calls and gave my cousin Eimile the moola to go to the show with me! She knew it wouldn't be as good, and she knew how important it was to me :) She was right, I can't imagine it without Eimile.

 

Bob had a bucket of incense on the stage, oozing out sweet smoke scents. A large majority of the crowd was helping with their own sweet herbal scents (not Eimile and I of course, haha)

 

Bob didn't sound like his 20 something year old self- it was old, raspy Bob- WHICH I LOVE.

 

I couldn't help thinking about my dad all night. I asked him a few years ago if he would go to a concert with me if I could ever work it out. I guess I just felt a connection with my dad because of Bob because he was the only one in my family who liked Bob besides me. It was nice to see Bob and to think of my dad, and the love he instilled in us for good music.

 

Saying goodnight

 

 Eimile

 

 Bob on keyboards

 

Goodnight!

Melissa stinkin' Branin! It was crazy, I was texting our mutual friend Justine before the show and she said Melissa was at the concert. I looked and sure enough, right there was Melissa and her fiance. Melissa said that she had heard about the concert via my facebook status (btw, Melissa is a MEGA Bob fan, and has seen him live before, but not front row!), but she thought there was no way she could see him. Her fiance knew how much she wanted to see him, and when they got off the plane in Utah he surprised her with a ride and tickets! It was definitely nice running into her and sharing in the BOB.

SHE AND HIM

Yes, Zooey Deschanel is that pretty in real life.

I had no idea M. Ward was so good looking!!!

I loved his mannerisms, he would grin and move with his guitar- it was too die for and gave me butterflies.

I was attacked (possibly hexed) on the way in, but it was worth it. Okay, let me explain. I was late to the show because I had class, but I knew my sister and cousins were in the front. The crowd was huge and as I shoved through people threatened me and some person said, "karma will get you." Haha, then it got weird and these girls were following me and pulling there hands through my hair, giving me strange looks, and mumbling things. I was not happy about the whole situation to say the least. I finally got to my group and I was paraniod someone would mess with, I was sweaty beyond beliefe and I was NOT feeling it. BUt then they started...and OH, it was amazing. It was more than I could have hoped for and I danced and until the annoying drunk girl showed up to grope the boys, it was perfect. Oh forget, I didn't care about the drunk girl, it was still amazing. I love going to shows. I love dancing at shows. I love being a nerd and convincing myself that the preformers would be my best friends if they met me. I just love it. I love the sway of the audience and the lack of boundaires. I LOVE MY WHOLE HOUSE. clap.