major life accomplishments

Today I received an email from the university graduation police (or somebody) reminding me to apply for graduation.  Has my time really grown so short?  It dawns on me that this is my last semester on campus.  This seems very strange.  Where will I be if not walking to class on a frosty campus at 8:00am everyday?  What will I do without the carillon serenading my steps?

I suppose I know exactly where I will be and what I will be doing.  Teaching cute little kids in some cute little school as I complete my cute little internship.  I won't graduate until after that (April 2012), but still.  Where have four years gone? Soon I'll have a diploma and a degree, a tiny little set of letters after my name, and a tiny little bit of experience.  Uh-oh.  That means I'll be an adult or something.  Yikes!

Happy List #2 (or is it 3? maybe 4?)

I'm super-pscyhed-crazy-stressed-what-am-I-going-to-do-about-school-and-life-in-general?-ahhhh!, to put it shortly.  I need something happy and calm to keep me going through these mountains of Utah core curriculum maps, looming INTASC standards, and endless readings and lectures on subject integration and differentiation of instruction.  How about a weekend?

And perhaps a happy list...

1. hot showers
2. family and friends that like me despite myself
3. hope...winter semester can't last forever, can it?
4. coconut m&ms
5. Thomas Edison

There, I feel much better.  Life really is good, just a little stressful when you are a wannabe teacher.

Stuffed with Fluff

After this crazy first week of the semester I find that all I want to do.....

is hug this!

They Breath is Like the Steame of Apple-Pyes*

I want to bake a pie.  There is something homey and happy about a pie, especially when it is coupled with family and holidays. Yay, holidays!

Recently, in my time-wasting perusal of food blogs, I have discovered the most wonderful blog devoted to, you guessed it, pies!  Pie Love You is set to have a different pie for each week of this year (right now there are 41) and I'm considering some of these for my Thanksgiving contribution to our family meal....or maybe, if I absolutely can't wait that long, for a culinary escapade beforehand.  There are all sorts of bizarre and tasty-sounding pies on this blog.  Like Nectarine-Raspberry.  Or Maple Ginger Pear.  Or Lemon Curd with Rosemary Crust (what?).  Or maybe I ought to just go with something chocolatey and fluffy.  Mmmhh... Many a possibility.

 Pie-making adventures of Yore

(Emma's Pumpkin, My Chocolate Mousse, Lisa's Chocolate Pecan...was it?, and Mel's Apple), 

Thanksgiving 2008

*-Robert Greene, Arcadia, 1589

Presenting, a Recipe!

I do not profess to be a great cook by any means, but I definitely enjoy trying out new recipes and sharing them with friends and family.  I also really love recipes shared via blog.  There are gajillions of tested, tried-and-true recipes out there if you know a few good places to look.  Free cookbooks...my favorite!  Today I discovered a pretty good food blog with down-to-earth, non-threatening, tasty-looking recipes.  Take a look here.

And in the spirit of food blogs (and since I have never, ever, not once! posted a recipe), here is one of my easy healthy favorites:

Mom's Wheat Waffles

 

3/4 c. whole wheat

1 1/2 c. milk

2 eggs

1/4 c. butter

3 T. brown sugar

1 t. baking powder

3 T. cornmeal (or 1/4 c. flour)

Combine whole wheat and milk in blender and blend for 3 minutes. Add eggs, butter, brown sugar, baking powder, cornmeal (or flour) and blend together. Using a pastry brush, brush butter or vegetable oil onto waffle iron and bake waffles. Top with syrup or favorite fruit. Enjoy!

Source: Joan Hardman

Yield: About 6 large waffles

Random Selection

Whenever I've had occasion to participate in a raffle, random drawing, or luck-of-the-draw-may-the-odds-be-in-your-favor something, I am always optimistic.  I cross my fingers and think happy thoughts for luck, hoping that this time, this once, maybe I will win.  Well, someone in the room must always be thinking happier thoughts than me. *Sigh*.  I hardly win.

BUT! Yesterday I was sitting in LDS Marriage & Family and Brother Dorius announced that the Department of Religious Education was going to be randomly selecting 10 or so students from each religion class to take a one-hour online test.  This test is meant to measure a BYU student's knowledge of the New Testament, without scriptures or any other form of aid (hopefully prayer isn't ruled out).  Sounds fun, yeah?  I know that a test hardly sounds like a coveted prize to win, but how exciting is it to be one of 10 selected from 60-something?  That is enough to brighten anyone's Thursday. Plus, they give you a $5 gift certificate for the Bookstore.  Not bad, I say.  Not bad.  That is like a bag and a half of chocolate covered cinnamon bears.  Not bad at all.

Brother Dorius read the lucky 10 names in alphabetical order.  There was a last name beginning with B, then E, then G, then J, then H....could there be another H or would he skip on down to L or something?  Imagine my delight when I heard "Hardman, Bethany"!  Huzzah! *Big smiles*

How jolly it is to know that someone thought of you, even if it was through the process of random selection.  Now I just hope my New Testament knowledge is up to par.

My Father's House

Well.

Well, well, well. Today I have begun examining my love/hate relationship with blogging. Pros and Cons are being weighed. Thoughts are being mulled-over. A decision will be made. We'll see if a new post makes it up here anytime soon.

p.s. if you are reading this and have an opinion about blogging, you better share it with me. Ready go.

Bethany