30 x 30

Okay. I'm scared. A thoughtful friend asked me how I was doing on my list. So I looked. And that's when the worry set in. I really thought I had done more than what I'm about to show you. Granted I have made progress on a few...but...Ah! I need to get crackin'. Here's the run down.

1. Make an entire wedding out of paper flowers.

(I kept hoping a bride would let me do this, but I'm thinking it's just time to do a photoshoot on my own)

2. Become a mother.

(This one is proving more difficult than my high school health teacher said it would be ;) )

3. Learn song by "The Swell Season" on the guitar. And sing it in front of at least 5 people.

(I'll start practicing)

4. Learn "Nunley's Carousel" by Billy Joel on the piano.

(I'll keep practicing)

5. Catch a fish by myself.

6. Memorize a poem.

(Working on it)

7. Listen to the "Lord of the Rings" on Audio CD.

(Will reserve it today!)

8. Hike King's Peak. Or just go on a hike.

(A hike will have to do. Katie? You there? Can you take me on one where I won't be too cold?)

9. Read a book by Charles Dickens.

(Kay, I've listened to the Christmas Carol on CD several times - does this count?) (I don't think so, but it might have to if I don't get my butt in gear)

10. Paint a picture.

(I was picturing a masterpiece, but my doodles might have to do.)

11. Do something with my washer collection.

(Got an idea - just need to execute)

12. Sew a shirt or skirt.

(A skirt, need to find simple pattern)

13. Make lots of pies, until I find the very best recipe. Become known for my pie-making skills.

14. Cook one dish out of every recipe book I own (got this idea from Katie).

(Need to get rid of some cookbooks)

15. Have a party. A sit-down dinner party.

(Got an idea board on Pinterest - maybe this should be for my birthday party? Great idea Megsie!)

16. Knit a scarf.

(Would it count if I told Lexy exactly what kind of scarf I wanted?) (Nope) (I'll get on it)

17. Go camping with Tom 7 times.

(I've been 3 times and I don't know if I'll make it 7. We'll see)

18. Go on a trip to a place I've never been. Can be just a little trip.

19. Design something using "Sketch-Up".

(I'll do it)

20. Get sucked into a made-for-TV drama. (I have to have something to check off, right?)

21. Attend the temple at least 12 times.

(I've gone 6 out of 12 - I'll get on it!)

22. Make a garland.

(It is started and it is so flipping cute and ruffly)

23. Serve at the church bakery or cannery or other assignment.

(I've tried several times to sign up, but they always are in the middle of the day. I might have to count cleaning the church - I'll do it next time)

24. Go see the daffodils at Red Butte Gardens.

(Have to wait until March)

25. Write at least 10 letters to people, instead of an email or phone call.

(I'll do this on Sunday)

26. Take some family photographs.

(Haven't blogged these yet, but we got a couple good shots)

27. Write down 10 childhood memories in my journal.

(Sunday)

28. Plant a garden and bottle some of it.

(Well, I sure did miss this one! Maybe I'll do some jam. Mom? Gonna need some help here)

29. Make rock candy.

(Won't be too bad)

30. Go to Antelope Island and/or Spiral Jetty.

#30 - Visit Antelope Island

I loved Antelope Island and I want to go again. I didn't see any antelope, which was a little anticlimactic, but there were deer and hot air balloons, so it didn't disappoint.

# 20 - Get sucked into a made for TV drama

I've done this several times. I have nothing to report about the quality of these shows, but they sure are intriguing. That is all.

Here's a picture of what my family might look like if we were in a made for TV drama. Just in case anyone is wondering, those are our model faces. We are teaching lessons, in case anyone is interested. 

#13 - Become known for my pie-making skills

I am for sure checking this one off my list because I am so good at making pies. My whole family said so. And if they lied to me, that's their problem, because now I really think I am super good, so they'll be eating pie forever. At every family party. Whether they ask me to bring a pie or not.

But seriously, I made two pies for Thanksgiving and they rocked my socks off. Lemon Truffle Pie and Persimmon Pie. They were delicious! Lemon Truffle came from the Lion House pie book and the Persimmon came from a combination of the internet and my own head. And, to make this whole experience even better, I learned that I like persimmons! I was very happy about this because I have actually never eaten one. I just blindly named my business after one because it is fun to say and thought they were cute. I was nervous to actually eat one in case I didn't like it. But I bit the bullet, sliced one up, ate it, and they are yummy. So then, naturally, I made a pie out of them.

#5 - Catch a fish by myself

Numero cinco on my 30 x 30 list was to catch a fish by myself and I am pleased as punch to announce that I have accomplished this. Usually when I go fishing with Big T (oh Tom, that's your new nickname p.s.) I make him cast, then I hold the rod, then I catch one, reel it in, and then he gets it out of the water and unhooks it. So my goal was to do all the steps by myself and I did. It was back in August on our way back from girl's camp. We stopped at Jordanelle Reservoir and I caught a small-mouth bass. He helped me a little, but mostly I did it. Small-mouth bass are super fun to catch. Pound for pound, they are the hardest fighting fish around.

So, we didn't get a picture of my bass. But I needed a picture for the post, cause it turns out posts without pictures are boring. So, I stole a picture of Tom and his friend's bass. It's cool. It looked just like this....but WAY bigger. Trust me.

Pocket Post

Dear Suzie C.,
Thanks for saying you read my blog and that I should update it and that I have clever ideas. You are the best and I will pay you later.

Dear Wild Horses,
I've wanted to see you for a while now and I got to last week! I kind of wanted you to be running when I saw you...but seeing you standing out the field worked really well for me too. I can check that off my To Try Before I Die list.

Dear Lists,
I love making you and crossing stuff off of you. And writing notes to you....

Dear New Camera,
You are such a fabulous investment! I was a little wary about spending the money on you, but you've already paid yourself off. I have better self-esteem now. I am way better looking. And I think I can run faster. So thanks.

Dear Pinterest,
Thanks for being a time-waster that gives you a sense of accomplishment afterwards. Oh! I just spent a half an hour pinning, but I have 212 pins to show for it. Much more satisfying than watching T.V. or staring into space.

Dear Plans,
Like my lists, I really love having you in my life. But I also appreciate the lessons I'm constantly being taught about how to let you go and just go with the flow. Like a hippie (sans patchouli and hairy legs).

So wild. 

Granite Rocks!

I am so excited about this post! My high school (Granite - Home of the Mighty Farmers!) closed in 2009. I was so sad, but I understood enrollment was down. So now I am just so excited about what could potentially happen to it! South Salt Lake City wants to purchase the land and all the cool old buildings from Granite School District and turn it into a community center. I read about it in the paper today and I just want to tell everyone I know about it. Here is the website for more information.

http://graniterocks.org

There will be a vote to pass a $25 million bond to transform the school into the community center. I hope it passes. I am going to volunteer to help it pass. I think it would be such a neat thing for that area. So spread the word and all you Farmers reading this blog...let people know! We had such a great time there, it would be sad to see it turned into another strip mall with no character. Yuck.

Go it Granite!

Movie Trailer

We're making a movie with our new toy. Filming will take two years. For now, enjoy this teaser.

HP*

Yesterday was great day! We got back from camping, went to Tim's house to caulk and putty the crown molding, hurried and showered, and made our way to the Gateway to meet my sister and her husband to see Part II of Harry Potter. I was so excited about it! When those students hop on their brooms?!? Man! It's exciting! Seriously, when I think about Harry Potter, it's like every nerdy tendency inside of my body comes out to play. I want to dress up, draw lightning bolt scars on Tom's head, practice my spells...I almost booked tickets to Orlando to see the new Wizarding World of Harry Potter!

 I didn't end up going to any of those extremes, but I did get a little crafty. I thought it would be fun to have some treats during the movie, so I did a little research on the interweb and got some ideas for what I could sneak into the theater. I cam up with a simple brown paper bag full of treats mentioned throughout the books/movies! Here's what I did:

Front of the bag:

Butterbeer: IBC cream soda (I wanted Thomas Kemper's Vanilla Cream, but the store didn't have it)

Golden Snitches: Gold Lindor Truffles (I wanted Ferre Roche's, but again the store did not provide)

Pumpkin Pasties: Pumpkin chocolate chip, soft-top cookies

Jelly Slugs: Gummy worms

Licorice Wands: Licorice

Cockroach Clusters: A mix of PoppyCock and Cracker Jacks

All the goodies!

They were fun to snack on during the show. More fun for me to make I think. If anyone wants the tags I made for each of the snacks let me know, I'll send you the pdf so you can print them. I had such a great time and I thought the movie was great! Of course, they left a few things out, but I thought they wrapped it up nicely. I want to watch it again!

*HP is what my little nephew calls Harry Potter - he's cool like that.

#17 - Go Camping with Tom 7 Times

This weekend was camping trip #2 out of #7. Yes! Makin' progress.

Here's your proof. That's me AND a tent.

I made this goal because I felt like I had lost the desire to camp and be outside. The last few camping trips I'd been on were a big hassle. I was always freezing. I was setting my tent up at 2:00 am (after driving 5 hours in a squishy car). I was tired all day because I didn't sleep well. I got attacked by bugs. I was always forgetting my flashlight, water, or some other essential. They just weren't the funnest trips. I enjoyed the people I was with and the things I saw, but the actual camping was, um, how can I put this nicely?
Lame.

So, with Tom's help, I decided to make these camping trips easier on myself. First, Tom and I got me a new sleeping bag. A warm one. From Shopko. For $30.00. And it rocks my world. Seriously, I haven't been cold on either of the two trips this year. And I am always cold! Except for right now because my laptop is getting all hot on my legs and the fan is pointing the wrong way but I just woke up from a nap and I don't want to get up to move it.

Second, we are just camping for one to two nights at a time and we are throwing, literally stuffing, our gear into laundry baskets and getting in the car and driving somewhere nearby to set up camp. Not a big deal. We aren't unloading all the gear, we are just using the car as our storage unit and sleeping in the tent.

Third, we are going so simple on the food. We aren't packing a huge cooler full of eggs, sausage, and gourmet dutch oven ingredients. We just buy some bread and peanut butter and fruit and snacks and call it good. Maybe we'll stop on the way and eat at a yummy restaurant and use their restroom and brush our teeth with running water before we set up camp? Who knows? I'm just saying, we are going for simple.

*I'm moving the fan now, I'm going to die of heat stroke if I don't*

These changes I've made aren't rocket science, I am just writing them down so I will remember how fun camping can be! It doesn't have to be a huge ordeal. You don't have to go to some far off place or make gourmet meals every time to enjoy being outside. I'm glad I made time to go this weekend. If I hadn't I wouldn't have woken up to this.

There were at least 12 different birds flitting about, it was so great!

Or taken 50 pictures of these flowers.

Or eaten this giant donut for breakfast.Yes, that is a grapefruit.

And isn't that what life is all about? Taking time out of your mundane, busy schedule to enjoy this beautiful world, to stop and see the flowers, and to eat giant donuts? I am starting to think so.

Dear Lord

I saw this quote today and couldn't help adding it to a recent photo of mine and sharing it. Source.

#17 - Go camping with Tom 7 times & #18 - Go on a trip to a place I've never been

I've been camping one out of the 7 times. I took a picture of the view outside my tent to prove it, but I think we deleted the picture. But I've done it once, I promise. So I only have 6 more to go and I better get on it if I don't want to be sleeping in a igloo all winter.

I also fulfilled #18 at my family reunion this past weekend. We visited Kennecott Copper Mine. And it. was. huge. I can't believe what a big hole it was! Wow. You can fit a bunch of Sears Tower buildings in it and you can see it from space. The trucks hauling stuff were probably the best part, I couldn't believe how large and in charge they were. It was fun watching them drive around.

#13 - Become known for my pie-making skills (part 2)

Made my first cream pie for Memorial Day. It's called Razanna (banana and raspberry) Cream (out of the Lion House Pie Cookbook). I guess, this pie-making adventure would also count towards cook one recipe out of every cookbook I own. Cause thanks to Tom's mom, I own the Lion House Pie Cookbook. Anyway, it took a while for the cream filling to set up, but I finally got it to work. I would also add more raspberry and bananas to the mix, but other than that, it was a success!

My 5-year-old nephew told his Mom that his Aunt Meggie could make money baking pies! I think that might mean I've become known for my pie-making skills, don't you think? I better keep practicing though, I think he's just very complimentary, polite, and likes his Aunt.

#14 - Cook one dish out of every cookbook I own

This is the first cookbook I chose to cook dinner out of. My step-mom gave me this cookbook (looks like you can get it for 27 cents) - she buys cookbooks from the DI and copies out the recipes she wants to try and then gives the book away. Smart! I've kept this one though because there are a lot of good recipes that you can cook really fast. I like.

I chose the Guerilla French Toast and it was super easy and fancy-looking. I like that it was baked, not fried. You just mix up an egg/milk mixture and add cinnamon and vanilla. Then you take 1" thick bread slices (it calls for Challah, but I used french bread) and cut a hole in the bottom (keeping the sides and top in tact) and stuff it with your favorite jam or fruit. Then you soak the pieces in the egg mixture for 5 minutes (2 1/2 on each side) then pop it in the oven for 20 minutes at 375 degrees. Then after 20 minutes you flip the toast over and bake for another 5 minutes. It turned out really yummy! Would be good for a brunch because you can make quite a few at a time.

Happy toasting!

A little pretty

Pocket Post

Dear 30x30 List,
I definitely am still working on you. I've got some plans up my sleeves. No worries.

Dear Rain,
You are kind of stupid.

Dear Apartment,

I love how clean and organized you are! Wasn't it fun to get all spruced up for spring? I vote yes.

Dear Posterity,
Sorry I said 'stupid'. I'm nicer than that. Most of the time.

Megs

Gullible

California 2011

Henry loves Claire

The Utah Bride Blog featured me on their site today! I loved this wedding :)
http://www.utahbrideblog.com/flowers/truly-organic-persimmon-floral-wedding-flower-friday/

Another Silhouette Giveaway

Sorry for all the giveaway posts. I just really, really, really with whip cream and cherries on top, want to win this Silhouette Machine!

So I guess if I want it so bad, I should give you the opportunity to win it too. Cause that's what a nice person would do. A nice person who has to blog about it to get an extra entry....

http://www.decorchick.com/giveaway/silhouette-machine-giveaway-and-a-discount-code

#1 - Make an entire wedding out of paper flowers

I haven't done this yet, but I got pretty close yesterday. I did wedding flowers for a really cute couple and they let me do paper flowers in the bouquets and centerpieces. I loved how everything turned out.

Bridal Bouquet

Bridesmaid Bouquets

Cake

Groom Boutonniere (for the bridal picture)

Bridal picture bouquet

#13 - Become known for my pie-making skills

March 6, 2011 will go down in history as the day I baked my first pie. From scratch. None of this sissy pre-made crust or filling-in-a-can stuff. I'm talkin' apple-slicin', sugar-moundin, butter-poundin', crust-chillin', pre-baked snackin' goodness. My mom helped, of course. It was my first time.

It was delicious. The crust was my favorite. I'm sure the butter-flavored shortening had something to do with that. Next time, I'm going to do a crust with all butter. I loved how it looked too, kind of rustic and imperfect. Quite vintage actually. I snapped a few photos on my mom's spanky new phone.

So here's to becoming known for my pie skills. It's going to be a tasty, tasty ride.

golden AND delicious

hand-sliced. with love (that's the key)

handsome crust.

i'm loving those little star cuts.