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Sunday, February 17, 2008

Back to the living.

I seem to be coming back to the living and it feels so good. But as usual after I am sick for awhile I feel like I am behind on so many things and then get kind of down on myself about it. So, no more of that.
On Sunday I finally did my hair after my new hair cut and color. Whatcha think? The purple - redish color seems to be blending in quite nicely. I love, love the cut! It is really short in the back but the front is still long enough for me to put in a small pony tail. To my friend Michelle, this is me after my hair has been in hot rollers for 45 minutes - oh how i dream of your curly locks. My Sunday friends gave me glowing compliments and no one asked me if I was pregnant so it was a good Sunday. (also of note my Lily Lane necklace got honorable mention)

We had a Regional Conference today. (this is usually once a year) it was 42 Stakes from North Carolina up the east coast. It is broadcast at our Stake Building which is always packed so now they open the visitor center at the Temple next door. We went straight there to watch it on the giganto big screen.
It was so awesome because if feels like General (worldwide) Conference but just for your part of the country. They mentioned many references to the D.C. area. President Deiter F. Uctdof (a German native) made the funny comment that his wife had said to him that morning. She said that speaking to us that no one would be bothered by his accent (if you close your eyes while he talks it could seriously be Arnold Schwarzenegger) as he was speaking to the melting pot of the country - so true. It was translated into 12 languages. I do feel like we live in such a multi-cultural area and noticed it so much when we moved her but had kind of forgotten that until he made mention of it.
As with many church meetings when you have many young kids you want to come and just soak it all in but the reality of your life as a mother seems to keep tapping you on the back- or hitting you in the face. I missed much of the meeting coming in and out with the kids and then it ended with both Jeff and in the hall.
The few notes I was able to take down in my darling Vera Bradley "noteworthy" notebook given to me by a Pink Christmas gal were this:
. . . . . . . . . .
The Importance of Self Mastery
" A Woman's role spans generations"

Then my all time favorite Russell M. Nelson gave a talk to wives and husbands to take good care of each other. These were "8 ate's" to husbands but it could go both ways for sure.

1. Anticipate - Find the secret desire of your wives heart
2. Appreciate
3. Celebrate -he said "you have already learned to not forget their birthday and your anniversary, now CELEBRATE it"
4. Cooperate
5. Elevate - do not walk into the doors of your home unless you are able to come in and elevate your wife. leave your troubles of work behind and when you discuss them do it quietly together and not in front of your children.
6. Motivate - motivate your wife to find her talents
7. Radiate - radiate good by being good
8. Supplicate - counsel with the Lord.

Elder Nelson spoke of his time in Washington D.C. and that two of his children were born at Walter Reed. The cheapest babies we ever had - FREE. I had read his biography a few years ago and my favorite part was his time as a surgeon at Walter Reed. I highly rec0mmend this book to anyone but especially to my medical wife friends it is a must read.

We had yummy Sticky Buns for breakfast as it was a fast eat to get out the door. This is such a great recipe for kids to make as it is full proof and something they can do. I usually only think of making these for holidays but it was a perfect fun activity for Annie Kate.
Butterscotch Bundt Rolls
18 frozen dinner rolls
1 (3 oz ) package butterscotch pudding not instant
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1/2 cup melted butter

arrange frozen rolls in a greased Bundt pan. Sprinkle pudding, brown sugar, and pecans over rolls. Drizzle butter over all. Cover Bundt pan with dishtowel, plastic wrap or waxed paper and let rise at room temperature overnight, or about 12 hours. Remove dishtowel. Bake at 350 for about 25 minutes. cool 5-10 minutes before inverting to a serving plate. Serve warm.

As for the rest of my Sunday cooking I seem to have such little patience for my cooking failures. I made homemade rolls and they were a FLOP and it threw me over the edge. I ended up taking a 4 hour nap because I could not get over my disappointment. Two weeks earlier I made them and they were perfect. Those yeast recipes taunt me -

so what do you think of my hair?
is it too dark?
do you also get depressed when your cooking goes south or are my expectations too high?

43 comments:

Poulsen Family said...

I know you don't know me, but I found your blog through SPT and I just wanted to say that I love your hair cut, so cute. And thank you for the book recommendation. My husband is a resident at U of AZ right now in emergency medicine and I am so glad you posted about that book. I'll have to check into it. I have some good friends who are there doing a residency at Walter Reed, don't know if you know them or if your husband is in his residency or if he is an attending, but thought I'd throw out their names...the Rich's.

Elisa said...

LOVE the hair, not too dark at all.

I am looking for a new do myself, I am back to my high school hair, I go back over and over again but I do attempt to update once and awhile. Next year at this time I will most likely have my high school hair again:)

Alisa said...

I too love the hair. The color is great. I had wondered what color it was, when you had mentioned before that it was "purple!"
I love what you wrote about the "8"
I wonder if that talk will be available. I would love to read it together with my husband.
Glad you are feeling better!

Anne said...

I love your hair, and I don't even know what you're talking about with the purple!! If anyones hair is purple it's mine. :) Anyway, whatever shade it is, it looks great.

Those sticky buns look incredible! I could probably eat a whole pan on my own.

Anna said...

I love the darker color on you. Looks great! And I especially love that you are wearing a LilyLane necklace! :) That makes my heart happy!
A good friend of mine is the grand-daughter of Elder Nelson. Her husband is in surgery training with my husband. We talk a lot about the Nelsons and all his medical training he went through and how many years it was (similar to what we are going through)...he has mentioned several times that he never heard his wife complain all those years of training....and my friend says to that, "Yeah, he never heard her complain because he was never home!". I love it! :)

everything pink! said...

anna - tell his grandaughter that I think her grandfather is the greatest!!!
i can't believe i didn't also say how many people loved my lily lane necklace. i just love that necklace.
thanks again so much.

michelle said...

Kristi your hair is gorgeous! As for the curls, I guess we all want what we don't have...

Your conference sounds great, although I know exactly what you mean about missing most of it. I don't even bring my notebook anymore. Maybe next year :).

By the way, Elder Nelson did my step-father-in-law's quadruple bypass surgery! He is so nice.

Anonymous said...

I love your hair, and do not think it is too dark! I think it is very becoming. I'm thinking it is time for me to get an all over color instead of highlights. Way too much gray.

I don't get really depressed over failures when I'm cooking, but I hate the waste of the ingredients. I'm always trying to salvage it, and most times it is unsalvageable. So unhappy.

I'm glad to see that you are back to the land of the living! Congrats on making it through!

charlotte said...

I love your hair! It looks so so so cute! A new cut and color is always a good way to go back to post-sick real life :)

Holly said...

I adore your new do! It is not too dark at all and the cut looks fun and just a tad sassy. Perfect.

Don't let the kitchen get you down. Even Betty had her moments--and it's okay.

Glad you are on the upswing!

Anonymous said...

I have always said that you have great hair, and I love the style and color is great. Can't wait to see that necklace up close. Take care that you don't overdo and end up sick again..... SEC

Jill said...

Hooray, I'm glad you're feeling better!

I think your hair looks great! I don't see any purple or red, but can tell you got it cut. I haven't used hot rollers for years, it's funny to even think about it now.

Thanks for posting your notes. It's nice that Elder Nelson wrote something for the husbands. I always feel like there are talks listing things the wives should be doing, and it often feels like one more thing to do.

That's too bad your rolls didn't turn out. I am never adventurous in the kitchen because it's too much mess and work for something that might fail...that's just not my thing.

Francie said...

Glad you're feeling better. Hair looks great. President Uchtdorf is one of all time favorites! Cooking failures make me feel so frustrated!

Staci said...

Way cute! I love it. I think it looks fabulous!

Lauralee said...

you have great hair.. can't see any purple or red.. awesome necklace!
I heard Elder Nelson a couple years ago at a regional conference talk about the 8 ate's I was just rereading those notes.. funny you would write about that..
I am always having disasters in the kitchen.. sometimes I almost expect it.. I am generally surprised when something turns out good!

Mamarazzi said...

as one of your newest fans i will be 100% honest...love the cut, love the color...VERY cute and super springy...adorable!!

and those sticky buns are looking WAY yummy!

i am the same way about things not turning out right...it take it very personally when something i cook or bake is not prefectly perfect.

Nikole said...

Hey Kristi! I've been a lurker for sometime on your blog...but I have to tell you that your hair is gorgeous! And I adore the necklace. Hey...I noticed you took the "traditions" link off of the sidebar of your blog. Any chance of bringing those back? I loved to have your holiday ideas.

j said...

so cute! i love the hair! it makes me wonder about hair dye myself....
what a great conference! i love the quotes you shared!

Michelle Alley said...

Your hair is so cute, including the color! I remember one of those large regional conferences, we went with our branch and President Hinckley spoke. I can't remember where they held it though. It's so nice to see that you are feeling better. I have a contest going that I would love for you to enter. It's called the Sunnyday contest, it's my most current post -check it out and lend us your thoughts!

Quelly said...

I love your hair! It is, oh, so SASSY! I'm not seeing the purple though - it looks like a deep rich brunette.

Melissa said...

I love your hair- you look so cute! I think that's the first picture I've seen of you up close. You are usually behind the camera. I don't think your hair is too dark at all- just really cute! As for cooking... I don't really try to hard to do the hard things like bread. It's just way beyond my capabilities.

Amy said...

That's exactly what my hair would like like after 45 minutes in hot rollers--which is why I don't even bother! I absolutely love your new cut and color! You look great! And, no, it's not too dark in any way!

I don't get too bummed about cooking failures. I just expect that they'll happen from time to time. I hate when it happens with something that's expensive to make, and I would imagine that it's pretty frustrating when bread doesn't turn out. Bread is such a time investment! You just have to get back on the horse and try again! Someday it wont happen anymore.

Rebecca said...

I love your hair! I love the cut and the color! And I love that picture of you!! I also loved stake conference. My favorite also being the 8 ates. I am going to put them on the fridge. Thanks for reminding me! Glad you are feeling better!

Jennifer (mom of four) said...

The hair looks fantastic! The flip is so cute!

Glad you are feeling better!!!

Take a picture of your necklace up close so we can see it.

Amanda said...

Love the hair! A new cut always makes you feel so good! Your conference sounds great. I appreciate that they always have people speak who have lived in the area. When we had ours last year Elder Packer spoke and they had lived in Boston for several years. I remember last fall being soooo excited because I bought some "Lion House Rolls" mix from deseret book online. I followed the recipe (really it wasn't much because it was a mix). The rolls were a complete wreck. They didn't taste at all like good rolls, let alone Lion House Rolls. I felt like a complete failure and cried!! Now it seems funny, but at the time it meant so much. Something I need to learn to work on.

Kim Sue said...

hair - fabulously sassy!

cooking - a couple weeks ago, I spent all afternoon making a new gumbo recipe. Then I managed to scorch the bottom (the recipe said turn up the heat and bring to a boil!!). My husband came home right about that time. He was so sweet and tried to convience me that we could still eat it and that it was going to be yummy. Yeah right, nice try though.

Liz said...

Love the new cut and color! Very fun!

THanks for sharing your notes from your conference. Sounds like it was great!

I get disapointed when my meals don't go the way I planned too. But, then I just get on with it. Cereal is a great backup plan! :)

Anonymous said...

Kristi,
Your hair is fabulous and inspiring (I have a hair appt tomorrow and want a new cut but fear I don't have it in me to go for it). Yes I get discouraged when things don't turn out while cooking. For some reason for just a moment it seems to define my capabilities in all areas and I get discouraged with everything. Then somehow I snap out of it, venture to the pillsbury website where most thing are impossible to mess up and WAHLAW! I am a bonified cook again :) Thanks for the sticky bun recipe.

The Monkeys said...

Love the hair. It's very cute. I had a couple friends dub me a good chef and I have had a hard time living up to that. I don't cook that great, I just have some good recipes. I have a love/hate relationship with my candy recipes that I make every year for Christmas. They only turn out 1/3 of the time, yet I keep trying them. Just shake your head and go eat some chocolate and think of how good you are in everything else you do. It's not worth ruining a wonderful sabbath! I was at the conference, too and loved what I got to hear. We had a wonderful dinner with friends, a wonderful visit with some other friends and then I almost ruined it all by getting upset that some other friends were together again without inviting us. What a waste. A little bit of Pacing on my part, too!

Wendee said...

Oh, your hair looks fantastic! You made us worry by saying it was purple? You look fabulous, Kristi!

Anonymous said...

I love you hair---I have been wanting to cut mine off, but the hairdresser has a rule to never do something dramatic when someone is either sick or at the end of pregnancy. Good rule. I remember those yummy sticky buns when we visited you in TN. I will have to make them for my kids. Also, the free zoo thing was one of our favorites---for some reason it just made you feel like you got to go to Disneyland for free!

Price Cream Parlor said...

Welcome back to the land of the living!
Love your new do! I saw your comment on my sistas site and thought - wow! Look at Ms. Fancy! You look great all dressed up or totally casual! Lucky!
So hard to put time and effort into something yummy to have it flop! 4 hour nap sounds like HEAVEN!!
Loving the necklace! I wear mine all the time!

carlo said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
carlo said...

had to laugh at the "when your cooking goes south" comment. as a perfectionist, yes, i get very sad. over the time and effort and the failure. though i wil say everyone usually likes the dish but i am critical i think.

love the cut and color! not too dark at all!

oh and the curls v. straight hair? i agree with both you and michelle! i have stick straight hair and would just like some volume!! :)

sorichfamily said...

love, love, love the new do!! so glad that you are on the mend and back to having some fun adventures! i really need to work on the whole roll thing too...my friend just gave me a recipe that is "supposedly" super easy and unwreckable...we shall see...if it works, i will forward it on! hope you have a great week! you look sooo great!

mimi said...

Love love love your new haircut and color. You look gorgeous! I'm sorry that you have been sick for so long. I hadn't realized that. Happy that you are on the mend. Love ya.

Kristin said...

I think your hair looks great. I love the color of your lipstick. What color is it? Also, I to get bummed out if my cooking doesn't go well. I think that is why I tend to stick to the same old, just cause I don't like it when things don't work.

Shauna said...

Your hair looks great!

Love the Russell M Nelson book and him!

Anonymous said...

Your hair is gorgeous- as are you! It is so nice to get up and get ready after being sick for so long.

Even though I cook a lot and have my share of failures- it still defeats me when something doesn't turn out. I don't know it if is the failure itself, the waste of ingredients (money), or that I have to come up with something else.

Natasha said...

Love the hair, absolutely!

LJ, DC and ML said...

hello, LOVE your hair, the color is awesome!

patsy said...

I have been so busy I just haven't had the chance to say I REALLY LOVE THE CUT & COLOR It's really cute!

Missy said...

love your hair - it looks so cool!