My Mantra

Cinque Terre image from leslieitaly.wordpress.com

In exactly one week almost to the very minute, I will be getting off a plane in Italy. No matter how much I have to do this week, no matter what I do get done and what I don't, I'm still getting off that plane in one week and I'll be there all week. This is what I am telling myself over and over again as I make my way down the to-do list.

We'll stay in Turin for a few days for Rob's conference and then spend a night and day in Cinque Terre, then take the train to Florence for 2 more days. This is what's keeping me going.

Oh Brother, Where Art Thou?

*Sigh* I miss my brothers. I never thought I'd say that, but I do.

On Sunday we had neighbor friends over for dinner and got talking about our childhoods. Our friend Steve grew up in a big family in rural California and regaled us with tales of dog attacks, 4-H gun projects, reaching into the septic tank for repairs, and sleeping in the barn with his 5 brothers. We sat around the table laughing so hard at his funny memories and the relish with which he told them. The girls were shocked, fascinated and completely hooked. I told Steve he was a total dirthead and only later realized he probably doesn't know what I meant by that.

Being a dirthead (more on the definition below) is pretty standard behavior for my 5 brothers and they are, in fact, proud of this. Listening to Steve, his wife Kim, and our friend Becky (both women grew up with only brothers), it made me miss mine. The sarcasm, puns, stories, silly accents, and dramatic re-enactments that bring me to laughing tears every time we're together.

For the first time ever, I really thought about what our girls might miss out on by not having brothers. I'm still thinking about what that means.

And just to preserve for posterity and confused friends, I'm including some definitive information.

'Dirthead', 'being dirty', 'being ugly'...these are all phrases from our family lexicon that essentially mean the same thing, but it's really hard to describe it. It's more a feeling and a way of being, than something exact. Basically, ALL of the characters in Napoleon Dynamite are dirty and ugly in some way. I appealed to my brothers for a definition, and got this response from John:

"It is difficult to give a precise definition of the term dirthead and is therefore generally more productive to illustrate typical actions of a dirthead. These include, but are by no means limited to:
Drinking "almost" all of the milk in the carton so you don't have to throw it away

-Any excessive pelvic gyrations while dancing (to the extent that ANY pelvic gyrations aren't excessive)

-Eating stuff off the ground or eating peoples' leftovers that you don't know

-Forwarding most mass e-mails is common dirtheadery

-Any shameful laughing that is "breathy" or results in the dirty smoker's cough

-Speaking in hood slang as a white person "I'm down wit lunch yo, cuz I gotta ax u somem'."

-Eating ribs for breakfast

-Any feigned interest in a product you are sampling at the grocery store

-Shimmying

-Eavesdropping on conversations while feigning to shop, work, or exercise

-Pretending to be asleep to get out of chores

-Using an olfactory "sniff test" to determine the healthiness or cleanliness of questionable food or clothing

Are you a dirthead too?

The Best Christmas Pageant Ever

Against my better judgment, I responded to the frantic call for help to make *a few* costumes for our stake Nativity festival. Suddenly I had committed to make 10 of them. So I, in turn, made a frantic plea for help on Sunday. Three women came over to cut and sew with me on Tuesday and several more are coming on Friday night. (Thank goodness for Relief Society sisters!!!) So far, the costumes look awesome and I think the kids are going to have a great time dressing up.

I feel like I've spent A LOT of time at the church lately, having "a lot of churchy opportunities", as Nacho Libre said. Sometimes it feels so exhausting and crazy--I wonder how that busy-ness ties in with the gospel. The girl next to me at the dinner had a book of quotes by President Hinckley and I found this one, which immediately spoke to me.

"Cultivate an attitude of happiness. Cultivate a spirit of optimism. Walk with faith, rejoicing in the beauties of nature, in the goodness of those you love, in the testimony which you carry in your heart concerning things divine."
--Gordon B. Hinckley, One Bright Shining Hope

The testimony in my heart concerning things divine. That's why I do what I do. It makes me tired, but it also makes me happy.

My life as a moviestar

Do you ever feel like you're in a movie? Maybe it's the heavy rain we've had for 2 days (remnants of hurricane Ida) that makes the light different and the mood more somber. Maybe it's having the kids home from school (Veteran's Day) that makes things seem unnatural. I just keep having moments today where I feel like I'm in a movie scene, waiting for someone to cue the music.

Scene 1: I slept in and woke to the sound of heavy rain, feeling thankful for a good excuse to skip my morning run. I watched Rob sleeping and listened to the girls playing happily downstairs. I have a good life, I know I do.

Scene 2: Our breakfast scene resembled the one in "Cheaper by the dozen"--LOUD, chaotic, and messy. And then everyone dissipated quickly and I was left alone in the kitchen with a sink full of dishes. I didn't even mind because it was 5 quiet minutes that I needed to recover.

Scene 3: A friend came over to get help on a baby quilt. We sat and talked and laughed and unstitched and then restitched together. A modern day quilting bee. Just my favorite thing to do on a rainy day.

If I were really cool, I'd select the background music to my scenes and provide links for you. But today the music will just have to live in my head(and in yours). I have to go prepare for my next scene, "Dinner", and I haven't read the script yet.


**When in high school, I was told more than once that I bore a striking resemblance to Andie MacDowell. It was the hair, I know. But I might pick her to play me in a movie.

I'd rather be fat and happy*

photo from piesandbass.wordpress.com

Last week I found overripe bananas on sale for $.10/lb. I bought a dozen and Sarah Jane and I made a ginormous batch of banana bread to share with all the neighbors. My neighbor Jessica, who does not bake, raved about it and asked if I would teach her how to make it. Here was our conversation about what she would need.

J: What do I need?
F: Flour.
J: Okay, I think I have about 1/2 cup left from the same bag I've been using for 2 years. I only use it to bread fish. So I'll get more flour.
F: You also need sugar.
J: I don't use sugar. I just have those little packets for my coffee.
F: Okay, you need real sugar. And butter.
J: Can I use the kind in a tub?
F: No. Do you have a loaf pan?
J: I think....what does it look like?

Anyway, she came over with a new tiny bag of flour and her bananas and we made banana bread. She was so excited and interested and eager to learn and made me feel so good about myself and my vast knowledge of treat baking. As we cooked, she told me how her mom never baked and she grew up eating frozen dinners. I told her that I didn't know about those refrigerator slice & bake cookies until I was in high school. And now our worlds have collided.

I figured since the oven was on, I should make something too, so I made Great Harvest Pumpkin Bread. Jessica raised an eyebrow when I added chocolate chips to the pumpkin bread, then tentatively asked if she could add some to her banana bread. (Yes, by all means, yes!)

It was really fun to share a skill with a friend and I have thought all day about what a different person I would be if I never had flour, sugar or butter in my kitchen. I'm sure I'd be skinnier, but I don't think I'd be as happy. I get a lot of satisfaction and joy from baking, nourishing, sharing, and teaching. (Thanks to my amazing mom for her talents and inspiration in this area.)

**Probably my all-time favorite quote from my mother is, "Would you rather be fat and happy or skinny and neurotic?" NOT to say all skinny people are neurotic, and not to say I wouldn't like to be skinny...but I'm going to choose fat and happy for now, especially with the holiday baking season underway.