Conference Is Coming

This coming weekend is General Conference. I get excited for conference. Every six months all the leaders of the LDS church come together and we get to listen to addresses on all sorts of topics from welfare to faith and charity. I love conference!

I know I am not supposed to have favorites, but Jeffrey R. Holland is one of my favorites.

Aside from listening to the awesome talks from men and women I admire, there are a few other things I like about this time of year.

Spring is finally here. That means there is a little more of this...

And a little less of this...

Stuff You Can Find at My House

Water Bottles: You have to keep your eye on these. They can multiply. And you know it's bad when you walk by the isle in the grocery store and you stop and look every time. Walk away! When you have enough to use 3 a day - per person in the house - and still only have to wash them once a week...you might have enough already. If I start a support group for addicts I'll let you know.

Kleenex: It's in almost every room. I can't explain it. They get used. We either have really bad allergies or we laugh a lot or we cry a lot. I can't tell you more because that would spoil all the fun.

BBC Dramas: Bleak House. Sense and Sensibility. He Knew He Was Right. Pride and Prejudice. Emma. North and South. Wives and Daughters. I could go on. It never occurred to me how much of these consist of  just talking until I was watching one with my brother and he finally burst out (around hour 3) "When is something going to HAPPEN!?" I give him credit for sticking around that long waiting for the action to start.

Nicholas Sparks books and/or Movies: This is a compromise. Which you do when you love folks. In my world, they would be banned. But I am willing to give them a spot on the shelf because they are loved by others. I just can't seem to get to the point where I understand the point of a plot where two people fall in love only to be tragically separated by some twist of fate. Give me a good Shakespeare tragedy for that where I can point to the mortal flaw in a good protagonist as the reason for a sad ending. Romeo and Juliet anyone?

Bucket-o-Toys: This might seem odd for a house full of single girls. But we are all aunts. And we adore the little munchkins of our neighbors and friends. So we keep toys and books and dolls and cars on hand for any of the short folk who might come to visit.

Justification

Any day I have to go to a doctor is a day I don't have to go to the gym/track/exercise. I burn enough calories in nervous energy it seems like a pretty good workout.

Making rice krispy treats (especially those with M&M's) is almost the same thing as making dinner.

Eating rice krispy treats (especially those with M&M's) is almost the same thing as eating dinner.

Sunsets are gorgeous, even looking across a muddy lot littered with construction debris.

Rational or not, they all make sense to me.

Pure Awesomeness

First I think everyone needs to have a lamp like this.

Because not only is it really awesome, it changes colors.

See? And if you like it pink, it even rotates to that.

Um, this pair of earrings was free. If they look awesome in the picture, imagine how much cooler they are in living color. And they are about the same size as my ears, so then there is that.

I know it is only the first two weeks of March, but it is fun to know that there are some flowers that are peeking out of the ground to help me remember that spring and warm weather on the way. Even if I'm not capable of taking pictures in focus.

So we got out the croquet set last night. (Or if you are three, we were playing "rolly".)

The foreground has one cute little girl. In the background, my mother is working on getting her ball out of the coil of hoses against the side of the house. How did her ball get there? It was either one really enthusiastic hit on her part or one of the times my brother smacked her to the edges of civilization. We are kind of an extreme croquet playing family. It is even possible it is kind of an initiation into the family. My sister-in-law almost changed her mind about being a part of the family after playing with us. Ok. Not really. But not far from the truth.

But this is the best shot of the night by far. That would be my bro modeling the awesome tiny jacket he found in the hall closet. We might have sang a quick round of "fat man in a little jacket" when he walked out in that.

Things I Like That I Probably Shouldn't

Sugar - I'm sure there is truth to the studies that show it's addicting. I am probably one of the afflicted. But I love cookies and cakes and candy and chocolate and cinnamon rolls and...well, all of it.

Soda - My love of soda is probably like a bad relationship. I know I should leave it. I know I would be better off without it. I even flirt with quitting sometimes. But I keep coming back to it. Because I like the taste. And the bubbles. So I justify that it isn't THAT bad. At least until the next time the guilt cycle kicks in.

Styrofoam - I know it is probably bad for the environment. And I try to maximize my use of the awesome white glasses before I trash them. But they really do keep the drinks colder than just about anything else can.

Sleeping In - This one doesn't even make me feel bad. Because it feels so good!

Reading late into the night - It is so easy to get caught up in a good story. And I have been cursed (or blessed) that I can't fall asleep while I am reading. I actually have to put the book down and turn out the light. After just one more chapter...

Playlist

Some days there are 100 things running through my mind, but none of them are appropriate to put out on the world wide web. This is one of those days. So as a diversion, I decided to record part of the day's playlist. Because these are some of the songs that I don't want to live without.

1. Bring On The Wonder - Bones Soundtrack. Because I'm a fan of the show. And one night when I couldn't sleep I went through the soundtrack for every episode for 5 seasons to find the good songs. This is one of them.

2. Belong - Cary Brothers. Brought to you by So You Think You Can Dance. One of the shows that has some gems in its sound department.

3. I Got You - Leona Lewis. Another SYTYCD. And it gives me chills every time I hear it because I still see Marko and Melanie dancing.

4. Under Pressure - David Bowie. I don't know if it's the beat (NOT ripped off by Vanilla Ice, according to him) or the classic 80's style. Or Bowie's voice. I just like it.

5. Lose Yourself - Eminem (Clean version!). I'm willing to admit Eminem is one of my guilty pleasures. I am not a girl who normally likes rap. And I wouldn't say he is an upstanding role model. But I could run or workout to this song all day long. Or just get really excited to work. Really.

6. Need You Now - Lady Antebellum. Probably the polar opposite of the previous song. That's just the way I roll.

7. Suspicious Minds - Dwight Yoakam. Every other version of this song is not as good.


That's all I have for now. And the lights just came back up so it's time to get back to work.