sweat shop

We were Christmas shopping at JoAnn on Saturday and came across a bolt of charcoal taffeta material with flocked black polka dots. Mom happened to have a fantastic full-skirted, high-waisted pattern that would be perfect with the material. She also happened to have a coupon. She also happens to be Wonder Woman and love me very much.

I also think she's a little crazy. Any sane woman would push dreams of making her 20-year-old a Christmas outfit the night before Christmas Sunday when she already had a skirt to make for her 12-year-old. Blinded by love, Christmas spirit, and a love for all things polka-dotted and twirly, she bought the taffeta, tulle, lining, and a zipper.

Saturday night consisted of Mom sewing from about 6:00 p.m. until 2:30 a.m. Holy toledo. I stayed up with her, feeling like it would make me a horrible person to go to sleep while my Mom worked away at an amazing skirt for me to wear the next day. We were both a little sleepy yesterday, but the thrill of fashion made everything okay.

Sarah and I both love love love our skirts. I've never had coordinating Christmas outfits with Sarah. It was always me and Charlotte who matched.

This year was fun, though. To celebrate, we had an impromptu photo shoot to document Mom's magic. These skirts really do deserve some showing off. I also like how these pictures document my relationship with Sarah. I have always been so much closer to Charlotte due to the fact that we grew up as best friends. Every time I come home now, Sarah seems so much older, and we too are developing a friendship.

What's the craziest thing someone has done for you out of love?

christmastime thoughts

It's easy for me to feel like my Christmas season doesn't kick in until I finish up finals and go home. I listened to the First Presidency Christmas Devotional at the beginning of the month and felt struck by the First Presidency's reminder to place our focus this season on building our relationship with the Savior and coming closer to him.

I decided that a good way to learn about the Savior would be to read about him, so I have been focusing my scripture study this month on the accounts of Christ's life found in the New Testament. I finished Matthew today and what has impressed me most in reading has been the attitudes of the people in Christ's time who sought him.

Men and women followed him to sit at his feet and learn from him. They did not hesitate when he called them to service and they sought him for healing. Christ does not walk on the earth anymore, but his love and power are just as much available to us. I cannot physically sit with him and hear his sermons, but I can study his teachings and the teachings of his prophets and apostles. I can serve him and invite his spirit into my daily life. It's easy for me to neglect my relationship with the Savior, but I'm going to try to place more of my focus on him.

I'm grateful for this Christmas season. Even though I was in the midst of finals for a chunk of the season, but I have constant access to a loving Savior who came to earth to give us his power and love. That's where I'm trying to focus my celebration.

one down

Today kicked off finals week, fall 2010. My finals this week are scheduled at 7 a.m. today, Wednesday, and Friday. 7 a.m. The good news is that the freakishly early time means that I am finished each finals day by 10. The bad news is that the start time means that I have to be thinking at my highest level at 7.

Jordin and I forgot to buy extra calculator batteries this weekend, so we woke up extra early and made a run to Smith's at 5:45. It was pretty peaceful, actually, and there were no lines.

We were both feeling pretty nervous for the exam. After studying all weekend, we still didn't feel prepared. I don't know if I will ever feel prepared for a financial accounting exam. Good thing I only have three left next semester!

Aside from studying, my finals experience features spontaneous baking. So that the baking time doesn't take too much time away from studying, Jordin brings our notes into the kitchen and reads them to me while I mix. It's a good system, and a win win win for us all.

Also key to my finals week success is my stash of Diet Pepsi. I have cans for at-home drinking, bottles to keep me awake during my early finals, and refill cups to take down to the gas station when I need the power of ice and a straw. I am ready for action.


I hope you all enjoy you week, finals-filled or otherwise.

interstate knitting

I helped Charlotte trouble-shoot a knitting problem tonight. I love Skype. And Charlotte.

thanksgiving 2010-the food

The food was amazing.

Mom calculated out a roll batch multiple based on rolls per person, adding in a substantial allowance for post dinner snacking. The result was almost 10 lbs of roll dough and probably half as much butter baked inside. Delicious.


The pie situation was different without Grandma. I took on the crust and Mom made the fillings for pecan and banana cream. Linda brought two of her delicious pumpkin pies. All were successful.
What would a Wood family Thanksgiving be without chocolate turkeys?! John, Sarah, George, Claire and I assembled the holiday turkey army, and the troops were enjoyed by all throughout the day.

Wood/Petersen holidays taste like hot punch. After some searching, Mom hunted down the appropriate hot/cold cups, and we sipped to our hearts' content.

The final spread:
The greatest triumph this year was the turkey. It cooked perfectly, hitting the ideal balance between not dry and properly cooked. Mom and I agreed that Grandma was helping out. I don't think I've enjoyed Thanksgiving turkey as much as this one.

Sarah typed up a menu for the benefit of all. My favorite entry was "Asserted Crackers" to go with the cheese-ball-in-spread-form. Having confident crackers really made the meal.

*What is your favorite Thanksgiving dish?

thanksgiving 2010-the company

I love my family. This year was different in its lack of Charlottes, however. Without sister Charlotte or Grandma, the kitchen was a little more empty than usual, but wonderful cousin Claire, Mom, Sarah, and I did our best without them. Claire and Sarah make for excellent Kitchen Dancing partners, though Charlotte's presence was greatly missed, especially whenever N'Sync Christmas came up on the playlist.

Whenever I'm home on vacation (i.e. not employed) I take on the role of Mom's shadow/personal assistant. I tag along everywhere, and we both love it. I love taking mental notes as I watch her fill the roles of mother, Relief Society President, loving daughter, and friend. Her capacity to love and serve is amazing to me. The more I watch her, the more I see how completely her days are driven by service. I feel so grateful to be able to be motivated by her energy and talents.

Though Dad was working during the week, I got to spend time with him and have some good conversations. I love hearing his advice. It's always good. Like him.


Being home also reaffirmed my love and admiration for my younger siblings. John is toughing out the challenges of high school right now. As I watch him dedicate himself to seminary, church, and the Priesthood amidst so many adverse influences, I am so proud of him. He's wonderful. He's also a great musician. I love being home where I can hear his guitar and piano practicing on a regular basis. (Though I do not enjoy his absent-minded strummings while we're watching a movie or tv show.)

Sarah freaks me out when I go home now. Aside from being almost as tall as I am, she starting to wear makeup and put serious thought into her style choices. I also love seeing her embrace the youth program at church and start to grow into herself. I love that our friendship is developing.

I also love the reactions she gives to my not infrequent puns and stupid faces. Apparently even 6th-graders are too cool for me. She'll learn.

I don't even remember what I said/did to warrant the reaction documented below:


On Thanksgiving, we had friends the Trumans and the Jibsons over for dinner. Linda Jibson is a beautiful woman and a wonderful friend to Mom, me, and our whole family. She is another woman who has dedicated her life to service. We have been the beneficiaries of her love for a while now, and I feel so blessed to be her friend. Mom and Linda's friendship is so selfless and loving. They see each others needs and fill them; it's a good thing to be around.

My family is full of superheroes to me. My friends are amazing. I love being home.

thanksgiving 2010-the commute

It's very late (or very early, depending on how you look at it) but if I don't post now, I'm afraid my Sunday and inevitably December will fly by without documentation of my wonderful Thanksgiving holiday. For your sake, I will break my trip down into smaller, more reader friendly posts.

:: The commute
I stayed in Provo later than I usually do leading up to Thanksgiving due to academic commitments, and originally purchased a ticket for late Tuesday afternoon. By Monday, I was completely burned out and paid the fee to change my ticket to the 7:30 a.m. flight instead. That would get me home by 10:00, thus affording another full day with the family.

The downside to switching my flight was that the shuttle picked me up from my apartment at 3:45 a.m. Knowing that the risk of my oversleeping was very high, I slept on the couch by the door Monday night (for a full 2.5 hours) with hair and makeup done. All I had to do when the shuttle driver knocked on my door (yes, I did sleep through my 3:20 alarm and woke up instead to the knock from the driver. I kept my shuttle waiting for a heart-pounding 5 minutes while I frantically changed my clothes, put in contacts, zipped up my suitcases, and scrambled to the shuttle, praying that in my haste I did not leave anything crucial behind.) I tipped my driver extra for his patience. [Sidenote: Will I ever figure out how to consistently get up on time? Days like Tuesday make me wonder.]

The upside to really early shuttle pickups is that I was through security by 5:00, drank a peppermint hot cocoa while reading the Conference Ensign, and got to my gate in time to hop onto the 6:15 flight, getting me to Denver by 7:30. Bless the heavens, I was back in Denver before my 8:00 a.m. accounting class had even started.

Praises can also be shouted on behalf of Southwest's baggage policy. Two 50 lb bags fly free. I may or may not have flown home 40+ pounds of dirty laundry. What can I say? My Mom's washing machine doesn't require quarters, and she has four different kinds of detergent. Heaven.

quick thought

I read this today from a talk given by Elder Richard G. Scott of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles today, and it gives me a lot to think about.

"When we receive an impression in our heart, we can use our mind either to rationalize it away or to accomplish it. Be careful what you do with an impression from the Lord."

This stresses to me the importance of opening our hearts to good ideas. It is easy to push a thought out of mind, but the consequences of not following an impression can hurt ourselves and perhaps the people who we are called upon to serve.

I had an experience this week of disregarding an impression and finding out later that I had let someone down who I could have helped at a very specific moment. My heart broke when I realized that someone I loved was let down by my own foolishness. I really regret that.

We miss so many opportunities when we choose our way over the Lord's. I'm going to try to respond more actively to impressions I receive in the hopes that I will not leave someone without what the Lord depended on me to provide.

mishap

Lesson learned: check recently purchased bags of sugar for large tears before putting them into the car.
Second lesson learned: some situations call for creative cleaning solutions. Good thing I have so much experience under my belt.

grateful

Here are a few things I'm grateful for:
:: Home
:: Southwest's generous baggage policy
:: Cardigans
:: Outlet sales
:: Hand-me-downs
:: Vintage skirts
:: A friendship with one of my Grandmothers
:: The knowledge that I will see my Grandmas again
:: Remarkable men and women in my family
:: Brownies
:: Brownie fudge ice cream
:: TV shows
:: Netflix
:: Sneakers
:: The color charcoal
:: Ribbons
:: Bows
:: Watches
:: Skinny jeans
:: Swedish fish
:: Diet cola
:: Gas station fountain drinks
:: Music
:: Dexterity
:: Burritos
:: Refried beans
:: Halloween socks
:: Mascara
:: Kristin Wiig
:: My Number One
:: Half-Price Refill Wednesdays
:: Accounting
:: Free hoodies
:: Stretchy pants
:: Clinique Happy
:: Paul Mitchell hair straighteners
:: Employment
:: Mom's nice iron
:: Spray starch
:: Bangs
:: Homemade clothes
:: Yarn
:: Wonderful roommates
:: My MacBook
:: Christmas trees
:: Tortillas
:: Family recipes
:: A pie crust tutorial from Grandma a few years ago
:: Fall leaves
:: High heels
:: Pencil skirts
:: Ruffles
:: Alliterations
:: Puns and stupid jokes
:: Contact lenses
:: Fire places
:: Mountains
:: Generosity of others
:: Burt's Bees
:: Honeycrisp apples
:: So many amazing friends
:: Knowledge
:: Learning
:: Scriptures
:: Prayer

let down

I lived at this table for a week, studying for accounting Jr. Core exams, round 2.

We get to look at our graded tests today. Apparently, I could have spent more hours than I did at that table.

Even though I performed below average this time around, at least the Southwest airlines employees lining the tunnel from the planes to the Denver International Airport will still cheer for me.

Thanks, guys.

Thank goodness that today is 1/2 Price Refill Wednesday.

explosive tuesday

I was involved in two different explosions today. "Explosion of wit, charm, and style?" you are possibly thinking. "Vanity, maybe? Or perhaps cake?" Not today, folks. Real life, physics-involved explosions!

#1. Exploding Curling Iron
Clearly, luscious waves were not in my cards this morning, because my curling iron blew itself up. The "On" button was not producing its usual result this morning, even after testing it in all six bathroom outlets. Seeking to solve the problem, I wiggled the cord around at its connection point with the body of the curling iron while it was plugged in (I'm not very smart in the morning) and was met with a fire ball in my face. Luckily, nothing was singed or otherwise damaged. But whoa. I beheld spark turn to flame and smoke before I had finished my morning glass of Carnation Instant Breakfast.

#2. Exploding Beverage
This tale is not as exciting as my curling-iron-turned-flame-thrower, so I'm including pictures.

When I'm pressed for time in which to chill canned beverages, I put them in the freezer, but sometimes I leave them there for too long. I did that this weekend.

The good news is that I found it (hopefully) before any of my roommates discovered it and had time to resent me and my caffeinated cola. Also, I got to wear my floral-print rubber gloves, which was nice. It felt like cleaning day, which is one of my favorites. It also gave me an excuse to break from accounting and watch "Psych" on Netflix while I scraped and wiped frozen Dr. Pepper off of my roommates chicken.

And look! A stupid face to top off my excellent accounting break at home.

'tis the season

Yup, it's November, which means a long-awaited reunion with my beloved Christmas tree. Last Sunday, I pulled out my bags of ribbons and tied them into a cheerful, multi-textural garland.

Next came the sparkly baubles and snowflakes, doubled up on ornament hooks.

After a final primp of the greenery and placement of cheerful sprig on top of the tree, my festivity was in full swing.

*When do your decorations go up?
**Have you started listening to Christmas music yet?

saturday night

Saturday night finds me
&
Excited for Thanksgiving
And then Christmas
Trying hard not to feel sick of school
Wishing I were asleep
Drinking Diet Dr. Pepper instead
Humming Christmas music
Understanding pensions (finally)
Glad tomorrow is Sunday
Missing Charlottes
Excited for pumpkin bread tomorrow
Looking forward to clean sheets tonight

Good night. Eventually.

for the harry potter fans out there

October 30 + 12 hours of audit studying + improvised emery board magic wand = Magic!

Crucio!

Wingardium Leviosa!

Accio "That Thing You Do, Extended Edition" !
Accio empty perfume canister!
Polyjuice potion!
Magic.

Makes Me Happy 007

Spending the last two weeks working on a tax case for the "xTAX" (short for Extreme Taxation) competition sponsored by one of the accounting firms doesn't sound fun to some, but I loved it. When I first signed on, I had my doubts, but went with a good feeling I had about the whole thing. It ended up being a memorable, challenging experience, and one I'm so grateful I had. It also helps that my team rocked the competition and came in (a very close) second place, winning $250 cash each. What's not to love?

This was an extracurricular activity, so it meant a lot of extra pressure, but I loved working with my team putting together a kick-butt result.

(In case you can't tell, we're making x's. It was my idea.)

Makes Me Happy 006

Pie.
x Two. Making. Smelling. Eating.

Makes Me Happy 005

Chocolate-covered pomegranates from Costco make pages and pages of financial accounting much more enjoyable. Especially when served in a small bright red bowl.

Makes Me Happy 004

The weather here has been rainy all week. Every day, I have been able to enjoy either a thunderstorm, pouring rain, relaxing patters, or any mixture of the three. I have been wearing long sleeves, vests, and socks. I'm normally thrilled with one day like this, but a whole week? Heaven.

Makes Me Happy 003

Today, I wore a warm wool vest that Grandma knitted for herself a long time ago. Combined with plum skinny jeans and metallic gold accented sneakers, the vest made for many happy moments.

I love this vest.

Btw, more on vests to come.

honorary afternoon

Yesterday was my Grandma's birthday, so I dedicated my afternoon to her, the wonderful woman whose example and love influences me every day.

I did so by baking my first of many traditional cakes in honor of her birthday. This was my first layer cake, along with my first attempt at making White Mountain frosting. Though a daunting task, these were both staples in Grandma's repertoire, and I considered it fitting to begin my development of my own "skills born of experience" on her birthday.

Sadly, the cake layers had difficulty releasing from the pan, and my first go with White Mountain frosting was a disaster, but end result was satisfying. I felt a little blue that I wasn't able to share the cake with anyone who knew my Grandma personally, but I loved sharing my cake with roommates and neighbors and telling them a little about CJP.

While I baked (which involved extensive scraping of hardened sugary syrup from pans and bowls and mixers) I listened to the recently broadcast General Relief Society Meeting, which reminded me of the love and beauty that was such a part of her. I also turned on some instrumental jazz in her honor.

I think that Grandma would have enjoyed the afternoon in my kitchen. I know I did.

I have also enjoyed many snacks (and a lunch) of cake since yesterday. So delicious.