New blog

Hey - I've started a family blog now - I'll still keep up this blog with my own musings and thoughts, but follow this link to see "What Jed and I have been up to"!

On another note, I made my first new recipe. This is how it was supposed to look:


Big, beautiful, perfect.

image from:
http://mykitchencafe.blogspot.com/2009/06/cheesy-ham-and-broccoli-crescent-braid.html
The recipe can be found there too.

It actually turned out like this:


And here cooked:


Not quite the same, and it was a bit salty. But I still felt pretty exultant at trying something I've never done before!


This is not my exultant face, it's my "It's not quite the same" face. Sans makeup. That's what happens when you stay home all day ...

Temples and moths

One would think that a temple really wouldn't need cleaning due to the meticulous way people behave in the temple. Nonetheless, the temple is wiped spotless (or near spotless) every day.

Jed and I began our weekly janitorial volunteering last night and it was so neat! First off, we had no idea that we would be in charge of a ward assigned for cleaning that night. Not having cleaned the temple before and not arriving early enough for an orientation, Jed and I were given a list of things to do and three volunteers. On the 2nd level of the temple, we set to work and gave jobs to our three hardy workers who were twice our age. They vacuumed, I cleaned the bathrooms and Jed wiped the woodworking.

During my brief stay in the bathrooms spraying all sorts of good smelling cleaners, I felt so privileged to be an "invisible" help for people who come to worship in God's house. I thought if I had come to the temple and saw some dust or maybe a streaky mirror, that just might distract me enough from my feelings. I realized my important role in eliminating possible distractions for others.

I moved on after the bathrooms and started on wiping the staircase banisters. Along the stairs are some windows and I attempted to dust those ledges, but for some, my duster (and arms) were too short. I noticed a dead moth on one of them and tried in vain to remove it. I gave up after a while, making a mental note to get someone with longer arms to take care of that. Unfortunately, the time to clean had ended and I had forgotten about the moth. I cringe now with the thought that I left something undone and hope that someone else found it and has removed it. It made me think again about "moths" that we don't take care of, whether for ourself or someone else.

What to do?

So I've been married nearly two weeks and I've fallen into my role as a hardworking housewife. Fallen or maybe even tripped, but I'm in it, nonetheless. However, I was surprised at the challenge that was now in front of me. What do I do now? Should I look for work? What hobby(ies) should I pursue? These questions have been swirling in my mind.

In the employment sector, I got a surprise call from the company that owns the Idaho Falls Post Register and a couple of area weekly papers. The lady who called me gave me a phone interview right then and there. The position is for a general assignment reporter which would work between the Shelley and Rigby weekly papers reporting on various assignments and then working once a week for the Post Register. Being unprepared, I was nervous during the interview, but gained confidence as the interview went on. I was pretty excited about the idea of working for a newspaper again. I need to keep up my skills.

Other ideas for hobbies that I've had include scrapbooking, sewing and gardening. I've got a basic start on supplies for scrapbooking, and would be most interested in that. As for sewing, I don't have a machine nor do I have a clue what I would be doing! I would need to start out pretty basic for that. Gardening would be a fun outside hobby, and thanks to my roommates, I've started with a tomato plant. Unfortunately, I've not been very diligent with trying to keep it alive. I would be surprised if it produced any tomatoes.

So now I petition all my loyal followers: anyone have any ideas for me on what I should do to fill my time? How have you handled free time in the past?