The day of writing romantic oatmeal. No sugar allowed.

Cooler than snowboarding pants

Handy with a bag of chocolate chips

Artificial nothing, you're the real thing

Rock thrower

Licks ice cream

Eggs

Sappy man

Listing of facts

I like when you read to me out loud.

I am obnoxious sometimes. Thanks for eating it up.

We're going to do our taxes.

I like your lasagna.

We have the same name. 

I like your cookies.

You remind me of the David statue.

I like when you brush my hair. 

You look like a person.

Sometimes you wear my socks. I know it's true.

You have ten toes.

I like when you exercise. Good job!

Your artistic side parallels mine. 

Romantic Poem

CAW and MEW sit at a transforming table

eating cans of beans and not watching cable.

They sit around and cause real ruckuses.

Their rug at home gets vacuumed semi-often and never fusses. 

Spectacular food is prepared every day.

Our dishes the soap dragon always does slay.

Tinder boxes light their candles.

Some of their doors have sticky handles.

MEW can't always get into the house, 

it's always surrounded by cats and grouse.

MEW will love CAW 'til after her head hair reaches her butt. 

CAW loves MEW more than Jabba the Hutt. 

Life in their house is mighty exciting, 

little animals they're always inviting. 

Shrews and voles. Crawdads galore.

The bread and cheese never grow spores.

It's a jolly place to live right now. 

Woot.

Pie-

I recently finished the book "Life of Pi". Then I watched the movie. I was not impressed. I don't know why, but I was disappointed. It's possible my imagination is so awesome the movie didn't do it justice- even though the special effects company was bankrupted by the end of production. Too bad. I don't know how I would have made it better, but somehow it was not all I had hoped it would be. I would definitely recommend the book. Sorry Emily.

Boston creme pie. Have you ever had a homemade boston cream pie? They are delicious. Charles and I made one a couple months ago. It was all sorts of right. 

Picture of Not a Boston Cream Pie compliments of Justin Page.

I found this recipe on the Food network website. It uses ten eggs, but it's pretty easy and quite delicious. Woot. I did not strain the pudding. I just put it on there. I'm low maintenance like that.

Boston Cream Pie

Ingredients

For the cake:

Unsalted butter, for the pan

1 1/4 cups cake flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

4 large eggs, at room temperature

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup whole milk

1/3 cup vegetable oil

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

For the pudding:

1 1/2 cups whole milk

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 large eggs plus 4 egg yolks

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup cornstarch

Pinch of salt

For the glaze:

4 ounces semisweet chocolate, finely chopped

1/2 cup heavy cream

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Pinch of salt

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a 9-inch-round cake pan. Fold a sheet of parchment paper into a square, then fold it in half into a triangle. Fold the triangle in half. Put the tip of the triangle in the center of the pan; trim the parchment, following the curve of the pan. Unfold the parchment circle and line the pan.

Make the cake: Sift the flour, baking powder and salt into a large bowl. Beat the eggs and sugar in a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment on high speed until pale and tripled in volume, about 15 minutes. Gently fold in the flour mixture in two additions using a rubber spatula, scraping down the bowl.

Add the milk, vegetable oil and vanilla and beat with the mixer until combined. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes. Transfer the pan to a rack and let cool 10 minutes, then invert the cake onto the rack. Invert again and cool completely.

Meanwhile, make the pudding: Heat the milk and vanilla in a medium saucepan over medium heat (do not boil). Whisk the whole eggs, egg yolks and sugar in a large bowl until light and fluffy. Add the cornstarch and salt and whisk vigorously until no lumps remain. Whisk about 1/4 cup of the hot milk mixture into the egg mixture, then gradually whisk in the remaining hot milk mixture.

Pour the egg-milk mixture into the saucepan and cook over low heat, whisking constantly, until thick and pudding-like, 10 to 15 minutes. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl, using a rubber spatula to push the pudding through. Let cool slightly, stirring occasionally. Press plastic wrap directly onto the surface of the pudding and refrigerate at least 2 hours.

Stick toothpicks around the side of the cake as a guide for cutting two even layers, then slice the cake in half horizontally with a long serrated knife.

Place the bottom half of the cake cut-side up on a platter. Top with the pudding, spreading it to about 1/4 inch from the edge. Carefully place the other cake half on top, cut-side down, pressing gently.

Make the glaze: Heat the chocolate, cream, vanilla and salt in a saucepan over medium-low heat, stirring, until melted and smooth, about 2 minutes. Let cool about 5 minutes, then pour over the cake and smooth with an offset spatula. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes or up to 4 hours before serving.

Read more at: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchens/boston-cream-pie-recipe2/index.html?oc=linkback

Chauli is exercising like a champ. He's quite inspirational. Every time I see him working out I start running inside my head. It's working me out quite nicely.

Maybe I'll break down and do it with him. Then I can eat more pie. 

Favorite things-

I know Oprah and Ellen do episodes about their favorite things. So I thought I should do the same. Although, in my version I won't be giving readers any of my favorite things. Sorry. I will do the giveaways after my first banked million. I pinky spit promise. "What are these beautiful pictures?" you ask. 

1. A water glass. I need to work a little more on my talents, this is step one: practice. I love art!! I also love water. 

2. Christmas in Germany. A wedding present from oversea cousins. Thanks a million! 

 3. A wedding present blanket. We wanted something fancy in our house. Adults have fancy bedspreads.

 4. A leafy treetops diorama. How cool is this? I got it because I coveted it from a friend and she saw it in my eyes. Next time.. there will be no next time. Say no to coveting. I do love this picture.

 5. Green felt supporting a wicker owl. I think you know a little more about coveting now, don't you.

 6. A magnificent quilt to match my other fancy bedspread and impress guests. Thanks Deane! She spent two years on it and I'm very impressed with the result. All of that business is hand stitched. See #1.

7. Life of Pi. I read it. I loved it. You should read it and love it too. Thanks for the picture, moviewaffler.com.

8. Babies. I love them. They are so precious and delicious. I don't want one yet, but I love holding this one.

 9. Krispy Kreme donuts are pretty much the only kind of donuts I like. Only fresh.

10. Charles. I love that man. He's my favorite. He's so nice and sometimes dresses up in fancy coral shorts to impress me. 

Sea of Glass

Saturday we had a pretty adventure.  In the beginning, we played ultimate frisbee with all the ultimate regulars. To end it, Charles got the frisbee from the person's backyard it was thrown into. Good job Charles. 

Then we went boating with Terry and Jennifer. Terry did not bring his dog Duke, which ended up being a good idea, because dogs are not allowed on Angel Island. It wasn't windy. Now I know what people are talking about when they say…sea of glass.

We hiked to the peak of Mt. Livermore, took pictures, and made eyes at the view. Terry then bet a fresh batch of cookies to the first person to reach the boat. I don't know if you've ever met Terry, or even heard about him, but he kills desserts. I mean, I don't know how he is with actual food, but he can make a mean carmel sauce, and we devoured those cookies as we would have a delicious burrito.

We started by walking down the mountain, then I left those suckers in my dust. Charles chased me, saying when he'd married me he thought he wouldn't have to chase me anymore. Darling boy. We then jogged together, laughing about how a certain sister would look on in dismay. (It's quite foolhardy to run while holding hands.)

Then we saw a deer jumping right in front of us. Oh deer. Right when we felt the safest, we looked back, and there was TERRY! He and Jennifer were coming upon us. So we ran. Fast. We were so fast. We ran until I made Charles go ahead and win it for us. I can only run at top speeds for so long. I'm a cheetah. Or, I can lope for hours. I'd spent all my running capacity, so Terry and Jennifer passed me. 

I just yelled at Charles to keep going and to win. He did. 20 minutes later, I made it to the boat with Jennifer. We got there before sunset. Unfortunately, the engine had some trouble. Puttered, slowed, sped up, puttered, slowed, sped up, and finally, died. Luckily, by then we'd left the scary part of the bay. We stopped in the inlet. Thank goodness Terry made us run down the mountain.

As Terry took out the oars, we sang noble songs. I waved at a passing 50 ft. sailboat. He passed us, and then, Zach came back. He offered us a tow, and brought us onto his boat. He said we hadn't looked too worried, but he thought he'd ask if we needed help. It was nice of him to come back. We had no lights and there was a tugboat moving a huge boat in the causeway ahead of us, so we might have gotten crushed. We didn't. Thanks Zach! He dropped us close to the dock and we(Terry) rowed the rest of the way. Hooray! We chose life!

At the dock, there was a guy on a little houseboat, smoking and declaring someone had stolen his gas can. He then told us he knew who did it. Sketch. Then, at the fish cleaning station, we saw an old lady cleaning her clothes. After closer inspection, she was our age, and she was still washing her clothes. I'm ashamed to say I didn't give her any of our leftover granola bars because I didn't know how to approach her with them. I didn't want to humiliate her. Next time, I will just ask. Ahh, courage.

Swifter and Stronger-

I realized yesterday, talking with a group of friends, that I haven't made any show lists recently.

My faithful regulars

1. Nashville

2. Modern Family

3. Scandal

4. Chicago Fire

5. Graceland

6. Vikings

7. The Goldbergs

8. The Bachelor

9. Almost Human

10. America's got Talent

Shows that really tapered off for me

1. Agents of Shield

2. Once Upon a Time

We'll see shows

1. Suburgatory

2. Enlisted
3. Brooklyn 9-9

Funny Bachelor quotes/thoughts (http://abc.go.com/shows/the-bachelor/cast

It seems pretty important, when you first come out of the limo, to make a big impression, because that's your big one-on-one chance. If you don't plan anything to say, it's going to be a big tank ex. Amy- during her big chance, she just stood in front of Juan Pablo in silence.

"He's my type; very attractive."

Massage therapists on these shows are always creepy, I hope it's just her intro- Amy.

"Not only am I pretty, but I'm not afraid to scratch people's eyes out".- Valerie

Lacy has short fingers.

Some of these girls look like Disney princesses eg.Clare.

Lucy: job- free spirit. Nuf said.

Sharleen- I know she got the first impression rose, but she's not feeling it. She's probably waiting for a surgeon.

I like Lauren, the music composer. She seems real.

Ok, real life. Charles did some crazy P90x exercises with my brother-in-law and thereby has been sore all week. Yet even in his highly debilitated physical condition, I cannot pin him. I cannot move his deadweight body when he plays dead on my chest. I can hardly dress him when he pretends to be paralyzed. How am I supposed to push him around if I can't overtake him physically? I submit multiple solutions: 

1. Get stronger.

2. Persuasion through treats

3. Battles of brains vs. brawn. Strike that. Beauty vs. brawn. Strike that. Nooo, no. Under qualified at every turn. Wait, he shaved the stache. It's on.

4. Wait one more day until he's even weaker. Then, use my backup strength.

5. Challenge his strength while he's asleep. There, that's how strong you are.

6. Always wear shoes around the house.

I got a soft new planner for my birthday and need to transfer all the important info. from my last planner. Coming soon. I am also finished reading "Life of Pi". Silly me, I thought it was based on a true story. It is not. What I hate? Looking on Wikipedia to see if it's a true story and accidentally reading the ending to the book, which I'm one cd away from myself. Boo. It's my own fault. Never marry a man who lies. 

Scuffs-

My brother made me and Charles a disney princess/ super hero mashup calendar. Woot. I'm excited to color it. Happy 2014!!!!!


I want to know why there are shoe skids on the toilets at work. I've been to Russia. I know how people use the toilets there, but are you kidding me? With full access to toilet paper covers, you don't need to walk on the toilets people. You can use the paper and sit on them like a normal person.

My hair is starting to show beneath the second wall pane in the hallway at work. It's been a long road. These days, the only way to keep my hair out of my face, I braid it at night. It makes me feel like I'm on Pride and Prejudice.

My sister America had a baby. She's a peach. She smiles for me and makes me want my own. Who wants to share, when you can have all the drama for yourself? Ha, I don't want a baby. I do love holding my niece though. She's so tiny and reminds me of an elf.

I found out over the break that Charles wants a dog. Not now, but someday. What a thing to spring on a person. Especially around Christmas. Almost gave me a heart attack. It would be an outdoor dog though. Charles would take care of it- and feed it, and dress it, and rock it sleep.

I told him dogs are worse than babies, because they never grow up. I'll show him. Not today though. Today, it's just the two of us. We color, eat, run. That's about it. That's why we have so much fun when we're together. Hooray for marriage!

You know something cooler than a dog? A compost method. I know it sounds strange, but believe me, compost gives back. Don't believe me? Ask the garden. We don't have one, but someday, right before we get the dog, we'll start a heap. I don't like wasting, so I imagine we're feeding the dirt. You're welcome dirt.

Do I like pizza crusts the best? No, but I do eat it first. Who wants to eat cold pizza crusts? At least when you eat that part first, it's warm and lovely. Pizza is lovely. Most pizza. Some pizza is gross. Sorry gross pizza. 

Wanted, hopefully alive

My oldest sister just had a baby. Sometimes babies look like aliens. This baby is beautiful. Good job for not looking like an alien straight out the gate beautiful baby. I saw her yesterday. She smiled at me. Thanks for smiling at me beautiful baby. I know giving birth isn’t going to kill me, but it sounds terrible.  The only thing that makes me want to make my own is my interaction with kids in Primary at church and seeing my own adorable nieces and nephews. The picture is actually my younger sister holding her.

Speaking of want, my suitcases want to be packed, even though we don’t leave until Thursday. I like packing early, because then I make believe I won’t forget anything essential for the trip. I started this morning.  Every time I take a vacation, I realize how nonessential clothes are.

I mean, yeah, bring a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt, but don’t bother bringing anything else. You probably won’t wear it. It’s Christmas! Live a little. By that, I mean wear the same clothes over and over until they smell and then change into something clean. It will make you appreciate them more. My husband doesn’t know that part of me yet.

Don’t get me wrong; I change my underwear. I learned from my Dad, at age 10 when I told him a splendid fact about my personal hygiene; that you’re supposed to change undies every day, not every week. Whether you need to or not.

So when we ghost around the Houston house for two weeks, wearing the same stuff, don’t be surprised Charles.

We also plan to run, because it’s warmer there. So let it be written, so let it be done. Then I can eat what I want and not feel guilty.  Besides, I need something to balance out my movie mosies. I want to run regularly through the break.

It's hard to know what people want for Christmas. Most people just say not to buy them anything, that love is enough. It is, but here's a little peek into our list this year.

Needs: Things you should just buy yourself at the store, but think maybe people could buy you for Christmas instead of random stuff you probably don’t need.

Luxuries: Things you like doing/having, but try not to do/have often because you’re budgeting.

Fancies: Things you would never think of yourself, but in hindsight are so grateful for. Like this baby. Not getting one for Christmas, but isn't she fancy?  

Ward! Whatchu want?

1. Needs:  collared Sunday white shirt, baseball cap, running socks, shoes, 2 car smog checks, jeans, sports bras.

2. Luxuries: movie tickets, chipotle/sushi/restaurant gift cards, movies, laptop, ipad, camera, movies, expensive chocolate- with caramel and pecans, cologne, trips, nose hair trimmers.

3. Fancies: You’re on your own people. That’s why they’re fancy. Everyone loves giving others fancies. It’s hard to think of good ones though, so often people get needs instead. Included here: hair accessories, jewelry, personalized gifts, services-vacuumed car, crocodiles.