Chocolate Coconut Cheesecake Squares

I can't think of anything I like to eat more than cheesecake. Yum! I'm getting hungry just thinking about it and I don't think 8:30 am is the appropriate time to crave it. However, I subscribe to Martha Stewart's daily cookie recipes (I'm not sure why since I am on the no sugar plan currently. Maybe I should say I am failing at keeping up with the no sugar plan) and the emails come in the morning.

This is the recipe they sent this morning and I can't imagine that it would be anything but extremely yummy. Plus, it is a very interesting cookie, not one you'd see every day.

Three Cheers for Melting Pot

I have been wanting to go to the Melting Pot restaurant in Salt Lake for years now, but every time I get the coupon in the mail, I see that it's $25 per person with the coupon (kind of pricey for our budget) and it's a 45 minute drive each way. So, I have really wanted to try it, but never have.

We decided for celebrating our belated 10 year anniversary, we could splurge and go. Especially since it's only a few miles away from Steve's office in Salt Lake. We also made it into our annual business meeting so we could write it off on our taxes.

I am so glad we did! We both LOVED it. We had a great, private seat overlooking downtown Salt Lake and the food was fabulous! It was a whole 4 course meal and took about 2 hours to eat it all. With tax, tip, and a drink we shared it ended up being $75, but for special occasions, definitely worth it.

Here's what comes in the courses:

1. Cheesy Fondue with dippers including bread, veges, and apples.
2. Salad
3. Uncooked meat (salmon, shrimp, sirloin, filet mignon) that you put in broth for 2 minutes to cook. Served with 5 yummy sauces.
4. Dessert. Can't say anything bad about melted chocolate, cheesecake, and strawberries.

Meeting Amazing Grace

I just finished reading this book from my neighborhood book group. It's mostly about relationships with in-laws and is indirectly about our relationships with everyone from our spouse to our parents to our children. It is written from a religious perspective. I have to say, at first I thought it was mighty superficial, but found as I read on, the message of the book is quite profound. It's like a non-fiction written in fiction style with stories from real people. Gary Lundberg is a family therapist and Joy is a song writer with Janice Kapp Perry. They are a fun couple, but sometimes you have to turn on the "sicky sweet" filter, but that's ok.

My Favorite Foundation

If there's one favorite thing I have among cosmetics, it's Max Factor foundation. As a child, it was "cute" to have some freckles on my cheeks, but as an adult, I hate all of the freckles on my face (as a teen, I frequently rubbed lemon juice on them in hopes they would fade). Apparently, they don't like me either, because they keep multiplying. A hazard of fair skin, I'm afraid. I never go in public without this makeup on and it covers really well without looking caked on. I apply it with a circle makeup sponge. It's nice because it's not runny and is in a solid form. I also have very blotchy skin and it seems to cover that up well too.

There you have it. While reflecting on the lemons on the freckles... I was thinking about how when I was a teenager, my mom used to iron my permed hair to straighten it, on the ironing board and everything. After a while, I could do it myself. Did anyone else ever do that? Just curious.

I love this photo!

Sans the butterfly, I love this photo with the reflection of the family! How creative! It's from Anniemations Photography.

The Thief

Loved this first book of a 3 part series by Megan Whalen Turner. Loved the surprise ending. Can't wait to read the next one, thanks Adrienne for the tip!

Velcro Curlers

Hate round brushing? Try these instead. They work amazingly well, are inexpensive. And, if times get tough, they will give your kids and possibly your neighbors a good laugh.

Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes

A friend just loaned me this short true story. It is about a young school girl and how the A-Bomb that was dropped on Japan during WWII affected her and her family. It was very touching and took me outside of my tiny "box" of awareness. I guess I never thought about how much that impacted Japan, but of course it did. I guess my thoughts have always been about Pearl Harbor, but the world was deeply affected by the war and it took it's tole everywhere.

Gathering Blue

I really enjoyed Lois Lowry's Youth series about a Utopian society: The Giver, Gathering Blue, and The Messenger. I am a sucker for series and for youth fiction. I read them out of order, but they were all very good! I just finished Gathering Blue and really liked crippled Kira's quest to find blue thread in a city where there was none and in the process she found out what she was made of.

T3 Flat Iron

I love my T3 hair dryer and since I love it so much, I asked for the T3 flat iron for my birthday :). It's fabulous and heats up in about 30 seconds. It makes the hair look shiny and not frizzy and it glides easily over the hair. It too is made from encrusted jewels :). Apparently, they no longer have the model I bought, but they have this new wet/dry one which seems pretty cool.

T3, My Hero

This week I will be posting about my favorite beauty items. I'm not sure why, I just thought of it this morning while using my lovely hair dryer. I'm kind of a plain person, but I do love a few things that make life easier and better in the getting ready in the morning department. Have I ever mentioned I am not a morning person? Well, I'm not, at least not for an hour after I wake up. Then I have no choice, it's inevitable.

The hubby may laugh at my diamond and 100% jewel encrusted hairdryer that I wanted for Christmas several years back, but when I blow dry my hair faster than all y'all, I'm the one laughing with all that extra time. Hee hee. Hey, every minute counts at this crazy house. Not to mention, I had a hairdryer blow out once a year for at least 5 years before I got this one. That was even during my wet ponytail wearing days when I hardly even used it.

I have dropped the T3 in the full bathtub in the wet sink and on the hard tile floor at least 10 times and it is still going strong with 1800 hot watts of blowing power. I never go on vacation without it because blow drying my hair seems so laborious with anything else. Not that I love drying my hair now, but it's at least tolerable. I also see that the prices have come down on it, $90, that's a STEAL! To tell the truth, you could justify the purchase because in hard financial times, you may be able to sell it to those stores that buy gold and other precious jewels. Hey, it could happen.

I love you T3.

It's Great to Be Eight

Megan was recently baptized and it was such a wonderful experience for our family. On Sunday during Sacrament meeting she asked me why Brother Nelson was crying and I told her that sometimes when you feel the Spirit, it makes you want to cry in a good way. She seemed to understand that somehow. I'm not very good at explaining things!

She was lovely in her white dress and is such an amazing girl.

Nurses

My Mom is home from the hospital now after 2 weeks and a painful yet life saving surgery in her abdomen to stitch an ulcer. There were some good and bad experiences at the hospital. The worst was the severe pain, loss of blood, and her not being able to eat and drink for a long time because it may compromise the stitches. However, I must say nearly all of the nurses there at the hospital were so fantastic. They work long hours and around the clock and were so cheery and optimistic. One even came to check in on my Mom on his day off! I tell ya if I didn't faint at the site of blood, or freeze in a stressful situation, I would love to be a nurse!

One other touching moment was in a man's room I walked by each time to get to my Mom's room. He was always sleeping with his mouth wide open and facing forward toward the door. Often I saw nurses in his room tending to him while he was sleeping and trying to make him more comfortable. He didn't even know they were there, yet they tended to him like anyone else. My whole time there visiting, I never saw this man conscious. One Sunday, I noticed some music coming from his room and looked in casually and there was a harpist there playing hymns. For the first time that I ever saw, he had his head turned toward the harpist. His eyes were still closed, but that little change was noticeable. It was really quite touching.

The last day my Mom was on that floor, I walked by and the man was sitting up and talking to family members. I don't know why that made me so happy, but it did!

Anyway, this whole experience makes me reflect on the little things we do. Like the times we make the effort to help someone even when we think it will go unnoticed.

I just finished this book written about a well known fairytale and Disney movie, Beauty and the Beast. I loved it! It was something different to read, and very clean which is a welcome change. I loved the character development and imagery. The only thing lacking a little was the ending.... too bad you can't have it all!

Life in the Hospital

I just came across this photo of my Mom and I in the bean bag chair (a great memory) and was reflecting on all the great times we have had together. She is such a good Mom!

As you may know, she was rushed to the hospital on Sunday morning with an ulcer on a major artery in her intestine and has been in the hospital ever since. She is still losing blood which is cause for concern and it is possible she may need surgery.

Life is so fragile and at any moment can change.