Susie's Leaning Tower of Chocolate for January 2004

Thu Jan 01 2004 20:38 Happy New Year!:

Well, we are finally done with I-15, hopefully for at least a few days. Besides driving back to Utah, we've made three trips to Midvale and back, the last two of which were very windy and scary. I am exhausted. We stayed up playing games with the pretty much the whole family then crashed on the floor with the nephews again.

Now we're back and cozy at home. I have to work tomorrow, but I am really looking forward to the weekend. Of course, then John has to start school again.

We started reading our fancy Family Book of Mormon. It's neat, all kinds of pictures and quotes and stuff right along in it. This week I have also learned how to crochet quilt squares- I am moving on from scarves and straight lines!

Safe journies to all those of you still traveling.

Crafts

(5) Sun Jan 04 2004 18:37 More Yummy Recipes from Susie's Kitchen:

Tonight, on the spur of the moment and realizing that I had carrots, I cooked some carrots. John wanted me to "cook them in a buttery sauce!" but I didn't know how to make said "buttery sauce". Actually, I didn't know how to cook carrots at all. At this point I remembered that I own an actual cookbook. Leonard bought it for me at the used bookstore. So I used it to make "Brown-Sugar-Glazed Carrots".

Cook carrots in water. Drain. Mix butter and brown sugar in pot. Add carrots. Yum.

John only likes cooked vegetables so I am learning.

Food/Recipes

Tue Jan 06 2004 21:37 Triumph Again:

Since I am only working part time this week I've had lots of time to do stuff in the morning. I've had lots of errands so far this week, but still had time to cook yummy meals. I made curry chicken in the crockpot yesterday and hamburger pie and cheesy rolls today. The rolls were an experiment, but John really liked them. They were really soft and I didn't even burn them.

I love when John likes my dinners! I also like when I have time to cook ahead and make some actual food.

We had two interns start at work this week. It's fun to watch them doing what I had to do.

Food

(4) Wed Jan 07 2004 21:23:

It's only the third day of class and already John has tons of homework. Of course, he has to get up to his usual three days ahead. I have been scrapbooking like mad. Yesterday I finally got the last of my wedding pictures and I am finishing up that book. I'm working on pages 9 and 10 this week. I really am pumping them out. Almost done!!!!

Scrapbooking

(3) Thu Jan 08 2004 09:17:

Despite the fact that I haven't been grocery shopping in almost a month and that we paid for gas to CA and back (and Midvale and back and Midvale and back and Midvale and back) on John's account, my credit card bill is the same as usual. It must be January.

I don't think I mentioned that my Christmas bonus was a free pound of See's candy. Yum. I got to pick out one of everything that sounded yummy, or that John might like, then I got the rest caramels. I've almost forgotten that I was expecting a $50 check. The box says "See's Candies... A Happy Habit."

Quotes

(1) Fri Jan 09 2004 09:15:

Does anyone know how to get rid of popups? We are getting more than ever and it's so annoying! Gah!

Sat Jan 10 2004 15:58 Testing:

here is the link for mom.

(3) Mon Jan 12 2004 09:40:

Last night we saw a comparably bad movie, Cold Sassy Tree. No plot, random people dying... John said it reminded him of Gone with the Wind.

In unrelated news, I managed to run a mile without stopping today. Ok, you can stop laughing now.

Scrapbooking

Wed Jan 14 2004 12:05:

Today I finally figured out that firetrucks parked outside the Fieldhouse just means the firefighters are in there working out. However, I did manage to realize this before I walked home and saw two ambulances and a firetruck pull away with their sirens blaring.

The past couple nights it has snowed about 1/4 centimeter, which stays around since it's, like, 20 degrees, making everything all yucky and gray. Plus it's been foggy*, making the world even less unattractive.

*In my five years living in Utah I have only once seen fog comparable to Bakersfield. About three years ago.

(2) Thu Jan 15 2004 10:30 Trying not to open my eyes too wide:

I woke up with an awful headache, even awful compared to the past few days. I've got a meeting at work, but not much else to do. Perhaps I will make a visit to the scrapbook store and use my gift certificate. I am trying to get started finishing up John's pre-marriage scrapbooking, but I need him to pick out pictures.

(2) Thu Jan 15 2004 20:02 Even More Yummy Recipes:

I made the best dinner ever tonight. I love this great curry we get at this Thai restaurant in town. Little did I know that when I got a recipe for coconut curry sauce on Food 911 the other day I would be making something just as yummy!

Here is the Susie-fied version, extended from a sauce into a delicious meal! I only used about half of the sauce to feed me and John. Remember to shake and stir your coconut milk before using... trust me on this one.

Coconut Curry Chicken
Sauce
¼ c. coconut
1 T curry powder
1 c. chicken stock
1 c. coconut milk
1 c. cashews
pepper

Mix with nifty hand blender.

Everything Else
3 potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 onion, diced
chicken, cubed
1 c. peas
rice

Boil potatoes until tender.  Cook onion in olive oil.  Add chicken.  When chicken is cooked, add sauce, peas and potatoes.  Cover and boil for a while.  Serve over rice.
I don't understand why recipes call for 1 cup or 2 cups of something that comes in a 14 oz can. What do you do with the extra? We have plenty of room in our fridge so I kept it. For now.

Food/Recipes

(5) Fri Jan 16 2004 11:17:

Mom: I'm glad you married so wisely
Mom: You have a cute DH too

Sat Jan 17 2004 22:44 Adventures in Scrapbooking:

Today was the first trial of our Relief Society's Scrapbook Club. There were only two other girls on such short notice but it was really fun, plus John got to study while I was out of the house. I am working on finishing up John's old stuff and I am almost done with out wedding book. One more page. Finally. I haven't gotten around to using the cute things I bought with my Christmas gift certificate, but I am looking forward to it.

Scrapbooking

Sun Jan 18 2004 11:25:

This morning I made french toast and bacon for breakfast, John's two favorite foods. I was going to surprise him until he rolled over in bed and asked me to make french toast for breakfast. So much for that idea. We poured syrup from a little glass ducky syrup dispenser.

In related news, I have been using a cute little crab recipe holder. I never realized how useful a recipe holder is; my recipe is always in the same place when I look for it. Amazing. Thanks Leonard!

Food

Mon Jan 19 2004 21:29:

Tonight at Nathan's birthday party Jodi (my sister-in-law) announced she is getting married on June 18th. We are all very excited and happy for her. The guy, Franco has been very sweet and nice since we met him at the New Year's party. They will be engaged for five months, but they haven't known each other very long. Yay for weddings!

(2) Tue Jan 20 2004 11:17 Still Almost:

I continue to be "almost done" with our wedding scrapbook. I spent the morning cutting up leftover picture of the two of us to say "John & Susie", but now I'm not sure what to do with the page. My fat alphabet stencils match my picture cutouts well, so I will use those, but I can't decide if patterned paper will make it too busy or not.

This is, by the way, the LAST page for the book. I have two pages left for John's old book (Disneyland!), then I will be caught up to about August 10. Luckily most everything else that will need scrapbooking is still on my camera.

I have been meaning to mention for the past 8 1/2 months that the walls where I work are plastic. Not in my building, but in the bathrooms and on the units, the school etc.

Scrapbooking

(2) Wed Jan 21 2004 10:34 Sick:

Bleh.

John has his first interview today, of three, so we are hoping. This means we have a social to go to every evening. Tonight I just have to go for the dessert, not any of the meeting part, which is good because the food/meeting ratio last night was not favorable.

Back to scrapbooking.

(2) Thu Jan 22 2004 16:07:

I am feeling a little better, which is lucky because I've had to work all day today (and tomorrow and Monday). My groups went so well today, I am very pleased. I was only able to take four girls off campus, but they still let me go! Then the boys were so good for me (mostly) playing Ping Pong Basketball. I'm glad we're off to a good start because I have four more days of covering for Laura in the next week or so.

It's been a mess at work because our driver quit, Emily is sick, Laura's gone and someone needs to go skiing tomorrow. Mess mess mess. Why can't that all happen on different days so I can get more hours?? Next week I get to take Laura's boys to learn karate.

Hi-ya, sissy?

Update: My entry sounded weird rereading it- somebody actually has to go skiing tomorrow, I wasn't being sarcastic. Marissa finally agreed to go.

(2) Sat Jan 24 2004 11:26 Done:

I have officially finished our wedding scrapbook. Every page has a page protector on it, so it's official. What a relief.

In other news, I think I have an ear infection. It doesn't hurt but I can hardly hear anything. John is taking me to Leatherby's for dessert tonight.

(2) Mon Jan 26 2004 19:47 Busy Day and Good News:

I rushed home from a full day of work, whipped up some more scrumptious Coconut Curry, and John and I headed up to Jon and Sharon's to meet Alyssa's fiance. We decided to turn around when we were 20 minutes late and hadn't made it farther than Pleasant Grove, due to the awful traffic. To cheer ourselves up we a) made plans to go up and spend Sunday with our family and b) received a phone call from Ernst & Young in Orange County offering John a fly-out. Yay!

John also got offered a fly-out from PWC in LA, who also offered to take us skiing, but we have too many other things to do (sad). We don't expect to hear from KPMG until next week. Of course, we didn't expect to hear from E&Y yet either. They called John before their USC interviews; a good sign, we think.

Yay!

(4) Tue Jan 27 2004 15:32:

Ray Oman called me this morning. He kept confusing everyone in our family, asking my if my mom was dating again, and didn't I live in the house I was born in?

(2) Wed Jan 28 2004 11:05:

As an assignment for our calling (John and I are the Stake Public Affairs people), we are collecting dishsoap in our living room. We only have four bottles so far (out of a possible 46 couples who volunteered to help), but they look silly lined up on our window sill. We get to do some fun things with our calling, but we also have to go to lots of boring meetings. But not for three more weeks!

(8) Thu Jan 29 2004 12:52:

I spent the morning making my weblog entries from my Romania internship print-able, and now I can't get the file to open on our computer at work. To make things worse, the survey I needed to create only took 20 minutes so now I don't really have anything to do. Since everyone else is in group, I am busily thinking of more projects for myself. I can have more fun with stats once we get the surveys back.

It's supposed to get up to 40 degrees today!

Sat Jan 31 2004 18:15:

Today I got a yummy free lunch. John is on the phone with, I assume, a recruiter. I cleaned the house today. We also took 36 bottles of dishsoap to Spanish Fork. I took a picture of our window sill with all the pretty soap bottles.

John was talking to KPMG. His office visit is on President's Day. Yay! Three for three so far!

Susie's Leaning Tower of Chocolate for 2004 January