Will, What Does a Dog Say?

I've been trying for a long time to figure out how to upload videos from my Mac. I'm not very tech savvy, so these things take me a while. But I'm learning! So here's hoping this works...

Voila!

How do you like? Lately I've been inspired by the plain, bright, white backgrounds of some of the craft/cooking blogs I've been looking at lately. And I was indeed inspired by McKell for the picture collage (which turned out to be extremely simple to do, though of course, with my lack of computer skills, I ended up making it much harder than necessary). I like the simple look of it. By the way, if anyone reads any fun home decor blogs, send the URL my way. :)

Chris taught Will a new skill. You can ask Will, "What does a dog say?" and Will will howl. Too cute. Also, this boy is singing, dancing, and taking steps. Too much fun. Love, love, love my little guy! (And my big buy, but you know, our parents read this blog, so that's all I'll say about that.)

Under Construction

Anyone who visits this site regularly or not is aware that I'm constantly changing my blog background, layout, colors, etc. It's not that I'm never satisfied; but my mood changes. For example, SLC has been under a gray cloud for what feels like months now. I've never had overcast weather affect me this way before. Maybe it's also because I've also been wearing my glasses again full-time for the first time since jr. high and I can't shake the fact that I'm constantly looking through something. In any case, the last few weeks have just felt downright gloomy. I cannot change the weather. I cannot paint the walls of my dwelling. But I CAN change my blog decor to fit my fancy, and that gray-blue scheme simply had to go. Mama needs sunshine. So if I don't post again for the next few days, it's because I'm working on a little bit of fancy to brighten up my digital space.

And here's a little bit of my homemade sunshine to brighten you up in the meantime:

Fancy Pants Charlynn

So I just found out my friend Charlynn has a blog she's been keeping for a little while now. It is too funny; you really should check it out. Among other things, she talks about her adventures in trying new recipes that her husband Eric will eat.

So, first, let me tell you why Charlynn is one of the most incredible people I know. This girl is SMART. I had known her for quite a while before she even hinted at the fact that she was one of those people who graduated super early from high school and consequently went on to college and law school. She's gorgeous--like, Lauren Bacall circa 1946 gorgeous. She's crafty. She's wonderful with children. Apparently, she's also an accomplished cook. And to top it all off, she's one of the most selfless, friendly, and loving people I know. One is always hearing tale of her good deeds (and not from her). She exudes awesomeness. Or, like my brother Kenny might say, being with her is like Tuesdays and rainbows.

Anyway, her adventures in cooking have got me thinking that I ought to post some of the favorites around the Tingey household in Charlynn's honor. Not that she has to try any of these recipes, but it's always fun to see what other people are up to culinarily.

Giada's Marinara Sauce. THE best marinara I've ever tasted anywhere in my entire life. This stuff is so good, I'd eat it without pasta, and have on several occasions. Never served this to someone who didn't like it, and really, who doesn't like spaghetti and marinara? I will say that sometimes I add more carrots and celery because it make the sauce good and hearty, but making it per the instructions is entirely fabulous. I don't add very much salt, because I find the salt deadens the amazingly fresh taste. And my friend Whitney, who served her mission in Italy, told me about authentic Italian marinara, and this recipe looks like it's the real deal based on what she told me.

This is from her cookbooks, but it's also published on the Food Network Web site for everyone to see, so I hope it's OK that I'm re-publishing it here:

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
• 1 celery stalk, finely chopped
• 1 carrots, peeled and finely chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 (32-ounce) cans crushed tomatoes
• 1 dried bay leaves

Directions

In a large pot, heat the oil over a medium-high flame. Add the onions and garlic and saute until the onions are translucent, about 10 minutes. Add the celery, carrots, and 1/2 teaspoon each of salt and pepper. Saute until all the vegetables are soft, about 10 minutes. Add the tomatoes and bay leaves, and simmer uncovered over low heat until the sauce thickens, about 1 hour. Remove and discard the bay leaves. Season the sauce with more salt and pepper, to taste.

(The sauce can be made 1 day ahead. Cool, then cover and refrigerate. Rewarm over medium heat before using.)

"L" Is for the Way You Look at Me...

"O" is for the only one I see...

"V" is very, very extraordinary...

"E" is even more than anyone that you adore...

Valentine's Day was GREAT. Chris and I thoroughly enjoyed our evening out. Thanks to my sis Debbie for babysitting! Bill Cosby at Kingsbury Hall (SO funny!) and dinner at Cucina Toscana (good, not great). But the best was just being able to laugh and hang out with Chris without interruption. Even though said interruption is pretty much the cutest kid on the planet.

Will LOVED his Valentine from Grandma and Grandpa Tingey. He played with it for several days after.

BLESSED

Do I even need to explain why I love this little guy? Probably not. I'm sure to most of the people who know me I'm nauseatingly in love with my son. Is it possible to be narcissistic about another person? I don't know. I don't care. All I know is that tonight my little boy sleeps healthy and safe and happy in his crib.

I seem to be hearing about a LOT of awful things happening to children lately that makes me need to hold my little guy a LOT closer. It started with the earthquake in Haiti. I was and still somewhat am haunted by the lost parents to the surviving, now orphaned children. It's almost like I can actually hear them crying for someone to love and care for their children. I simply can't bear the thought of these children growing up in cold (well, not actually COLD in Haiti, but you know), non-nurturing environments. I was on the treadmill a couple nights after it happened, running and sobbing as I watched the news coverage. I think of my son, how much I love him, and now there's no one here on earth to love these littles ones.

A couple nights later, a news story prompted by people's fears of the earthquake's impact on Haiti's children: an expose on the child sex slave trade in Cambodia. I can't even write about it.

On Sunday I learned that my former Relief Society president's great-granddaughter had died an entirely preventable death; the family's 15-month old followed yesterday, a victim of the same awful circumstances. And just now I read a blog linked on my friend Melanie's blog (in my blog list, look for the Phillips Family post about how miracles do happen) about a little boy who almost drowned to death. Well, he did drown. He was pronounced dead when his heart spontaneously began beating again. Don't believe in God? THINK AGAIN.

Being a mom is hard for everyone. We all have days where it is difficult to see (or smell) past the icky diapers, messy high-chair feedings, cranky tired babies, an unclean house, etc. But what we do is important. More than being important, though, it is a privilege to be a mother. We take care of God's children. We love them. We give of our life, our breath, sweat, and blood to bring them into this world and we try to arm them with the tools that will help them help themselves. As my mom says, we work ourselves right out of a job. I am humbled to be able to stay home with my little one. I wouldn't trade this privilege for the ability to see the world or be able to go back to school or have more money or whatever.

Let me tell you a little about why I love my little guy. This kid is curious about EVERYTHING. You can see him working things out in his head. He wants to be into everything, experiencing everything. He takes no time or circumstance for granted and just makes the most of whatever he can learn/explore about where he's at. He perseveres. When he was learning to sit up, he kept falling over and trying to get back up until he could do it on his own. Now as he's learning to stand he falls a LOT. I mean, a LOT. Not a day goes by without a big bump to his head at some point. But it doesn't deter him. He wants to get up; he wants to be like the grown-ups, so gets up again, tries again.

Beyond these motivational things that I suppose are typical of all babies, there are the yummy little personality quirks I can't get enough of. The way he holds up his hand in a questioning way as he chats, scolds, or demands. How he spends most of his playtime with his books, me reading to him and him reading back to me. The way I can tell his babble means something very specific to him. How, even when he's finished a full bottle, if I pull out something to eat, he's all over me, wanting a bite. His deep, gorgeous belly laugh. The way he and his dad are buddies. Wet kisses. How we can carry on a conversation even though we don't speak the same language.

And then beyond that, I really can't put it into words. It's a connection that I guess all mothers are blessed with. A mother's love runs deep and fierce. Motherhood is one of the best things that ever happened to me: Before I was timid and unable to stand up for myself to anyone who intimidated me. Now I am much better at asserting myself from learning to assert his needs. Ever see someone try to attack a bear cub? Watch out.

But tonight is not about defending my son. Tonight, as I mentioned before, he his sleeping safe and healthy and happy in his crib. And I am truly humbled that my Father in Heaven has blessed me with such a beautiful, sweet, funny, intelligent boy.

January: Month in Review

So it's my belief that New Year's Resolutions fall by the wayside if you don't hold yourself accountable in some way. So at the beginning of each month, I'll be doing a little update. I know you probably aren't interested, but I'll be honest: This is more for me than it is for you. So I shan't be offended at all if you decide to skim on over this. Here we go:

1-Lose Pregnancy Weight: Let's just say we're working on it. I've probably already worked out more in '10 than '09 so that's some form of progress.

2- Write in my journal once a month: Well, I guess this one is shot for the year! My last entry was December 2, 2009. Can I count this one as kept if I write an entry today about what happened in January? What do you think?

3-Go somewhere (anywhere) I've never been before: FULFILLED! I meant this in the loosest of terms, and therefore when I went to check out the new Fresh Market and when Chris took me to Vienna Bistro, this was technically cross-offable. So while I'm feeling good about having something finished for the year, I'd like to see if I can keep this one in a more exciting way. I mean, I don't see Phuket in my future anytime soon, but I'll settle for Thanksgiving Point or the Children's Museum.

4-Finally read Shogun and The Hunt for Red October: Haven't even started. My turn to host the Terrace Falls Book Club has come around again for February, and I haven't even started THAT (which by the way is Jane Austen's Persuasion, so if you have any interesting conversation topics, you just leave me a comment!).

5-Keep at least one of these resolutions: See #3. I'll no longer be reporting on this resolution. Ha! That means TWO resolutions successful! Of course, they're the easiest ones, so the real work is yet to come.

What about you? Are you a New Year's Resolution sort of person? What was the BEST resolution you ever made (and kept)? Mine was to sing EVERY hymn that was assigned in church. I'd gotten in a bad habit of just not singing when I didn't feel like it. So I made a resolution to sing whatever hymns were up for singing even if I didn't know them. It wasn't as traumatic as I thought it would be, and I actually learned to follow the alto line pretty well.