Becoming Jane Austen

A devoted, yet somewhat uneducated fan of all things Jane Austen, I have been engrossing myself in her world of high society romance each Sunday night! Masterpiece Theater, on PBS, has been airing all of Jane's classics starting with all-new versions of the lesser-known books-turned-films. So far I've enjoyed "Persuasion" and "Northanger Abbey" and this week is "Mansfield Park." Between now and this Sunday, I think I'll have to go rent "The Jane Austen Book Club" and then catch "Becoming Jane" at the dollar theater!

Just now I stumbled onto this site where you can buy all the movies, books and even this totally great book: "Jane Austen Handbook : A Sensible Yet Elegant Guide to Her World" that also comes with ... get this ... A JANE AUSTEN ACTION FIGURE!!

Here's the little blurb: For all those readers who dream about living in Regency England, The Jane Austen Handbook offers step-by-step instructions for proper comportment in the early nineteenth century. You'll discover:
How to Become an Accomplished Lady
How to Run a Great House
How to Indicate Interest in a Gentleman Without Seeming Forward
How to Throw a Dinner Party
How to Choose and Buy Clothing

I don't think I'm going to be able to resist this! So cute!!
Now ... where can I get a MR. DARCY action figure??

Better late than never...

This year the Kings, well most of them, celebrated Christmas in St. George! Lisa was able to get some time off and the four of us had a great time!

Mom and Dad particularly enjoyed their present from Jeff, Juline, Adi and Kohen ... a digital picture frame, loaded with adorable photos!!




Before the Christmas festivities, I got in some quality time with my good friend Suzanne and her Oh-So-Cute daughter McKinley! She is such a cutie pie! Suzanne and I have a great little tradition of enjoying lengthy, lingering lunches at Painted Pony in St. George. Delicious food! So sophisticated, too! And McKinley joined us this time ... such a good girl! We had a great time. Painted Pony sounds awfully good right now. So yummy!!




Other Christmas fun included picking out a new 32-inch flat screen TV for the condo, enjoying a great turkey dinner, installing internet (yipee!!) and prepping the condo for the new tile that was installed once we left. Now I really can't wait to go back down and check out the renovation!

SNOW DAY!

The snow is just coming down today and it is simply BEAUTIFUL!! Since I'm staying nice and toasty dry inside, I thought I might spend some time updating this blog. I've been quite the slacker! But I've noticed I'm not alone among my fellow bloggers! SLACKERS UNITE!

Even though this was from a different snowstorm about 2 weeks ago, I thought I would post this cute photo of Riley playing in the snow. He was NOT happy with the foot of snow he had to jump through. In fact, at this point he was whining for me to pick him up. And the poor puppy gained about 10 pounds all in (frozen) water weight! His belly was covered in mini snowballs!



Now I guess I ought to down load a photo or two from Christmas ... only a month late!

Powered up!

My power cord came in the mail the other day, but the problem is I really don't care! I'm too busy playing on my mom's new laptop!

I woke up Monday morning, walked into the kitchen and thought I was in the wrong house for a minute. There was a brand new laptop peeking out of it's box on the kitchen table!! The computer fairies apparently got up in the wee hours of the morning and ran to WalMart for a nice hardware purchase, aka Jenn's New Toy!

It isn't the fancy new Macbook Pro that I would love, but this laptop sure is pretty ... for a PC.

So, since I've been playing on this computer and neglecting my trusty iBook, I haven't downloaded my latest photos of Christmas and this crazy thing called SNOW! Stay tuned for a couple of fun photos if I can manage to step away from my new friend Dell.

Powerless

HELP! I've lost all power!
My power cord to my laptop decided to break! So now I am forced to leave my cozy, if cluttered, basement dwelling and play ... er... work on my mom's computer.
Hopefully my new cord is in the mail!!

Another stolen pix ... or two

Again, apologies to my brother! But, that's what you get when you only post photos to your myspace account and not your blog!

Merriment and mayhem

Just a week before Christmas and the shopping, wrapping, shipping and baking frenzy is just beginning!

Today I will haul Santa's ENTIRE bag of gifts to the Post Office, joining thousands of harried, grouchy and frustrated others, and ship a small toy store to my niece and nephew!

Then I'm off to the crowded stores in search of gifts for my hard-to-buy friends and family. (I'm thinking gift cards!)

So this early morning I'm gearing up for my venture out onto the holiday battlefield. Wish me luck!

Space Needle and Pike's Market

A day in the Emerald City

So in my four previous visits to Seattle, I've actually never been atop the Space Needle. So this trip today with my best friend Alicia began at the majestic needle! The views were incredible and we picked a beautiful, if a bit windy, day!




Outside the needle, there was a lovely little shrubbery version ... too bad you can't see it in this photo!

But there it is...


After the needle, we were off to Pike's Market! Great quirky shops and ... the Fish Market! This fresh fish shop is world-renowned for flamboyantly flinging and flipping fish from one employee to the next. Want to buy a Talapia? Watch it fly through the air from the ice to the scale. Amazing! Sadly, catching photos of this performance is not quite so easy ... Oh well, here's what I did manage to get.

Ummmm .... CRAB LEGS!!

After the market, we went down to the pier and found a sexy fisherman we just had to photograph! "I once caught a fish THIS BIG!"

And then I had to introduce Alicia to a Seattle institution!! You can't visit the waterfront of Seattle without eating a savory lunch of Clam Chowder and Clam Strips at IVAR'S. So incredible! It was a bit too cold to feed the leftover french fries to the seagulls near the water (a tradition, too), but it was delish!


After a bit more shopping, my throbbing feet decided they had had enough, so we gathered up our souvenir spoils and heading down the road ... me north to Everett, Alicia south to Tacoma. Hopefully I will be able to hook up with Alicia and her husband Anthony for dinner before I leave on Saturday .... maybe this time in Everett!

Stolen pix

I stole these from my sister in law's myspace page! ... Sorry Jeff, they are too cute not to share!!!

Music of the Season

I think it was even before Halloween that SLC station 106.5 started playing Christmas music 24/7 ... I do love listening to Christmas music, but the earliness was a bit extreme! Even so, I would still indulge in a song or two before Turkey Day, when I usually bust out my own music collection.

A couple nights ago I spent some time downloading some new festive tunes. I try each year to add at least one more holiday album to my collection. This year I did a little more than one. I bought the much-anticipated Josh Groban "Noel" but also hunted down his version of "O Holy Night" since it wasn't on the CD ... a major oversight since it's one of his best.

While perusing the holiday music section, I also found one of my old favorites! Back when I was at Ricks College my roommate Julie introduced me to two wonderful classic holiday music institutions. The Carpenters Christmas ... an all-time favorite; and Nat "King" Cole's Christmas Song album. I made audio tape versions of both these albums, but wore them both out. I have since replaced The Carpenters, but it wasn't until the other night that I was able to bring Nat back to the King Christmas Music Collection. I just love his version of "I Saw Three Ships"! And of course his quintessential "The Christmas Song."

A few more modern favorites I just added include: "Mistletoe" by Colbie Caillat, "Sleigh Ride" by SHeDAISY, "Carol of the Bells" by both The Bird and the Bee and Emmy Rossum (Christine from the movie "Phantom of the Opera"). I also love Jars of Clay's new Christmas album. Their "Drummer Boy" is fantastic!

The albums that get the most air time in my collection however, are the ones by Kurt Bestor! He is a genius when it comes to musically capturing that holiday spirit! Other favorite purchases from previous years include the "Elf" soundtrack, Michael Buble's "Let It Snow" and Sarah McLachlan's "Wintersong."

What are your favorite Christmas tunes? Who does the best version?

Soakin' in Seattle

I've been in Seattle ... er, Everett ... just over a week now and it's been a lot of fun! I just hope I'm being helpful enough!!
After a few days of "training" and getting a feel for their schedule, I'm now able to free up some of my cousin Chris' time for her own family.

Chris and I have managed to escape on a few shopping escapades! I've managed to find a few Christmas gifts and, of course, bought a few things for myself.

Marge and I also went to the hospital Tuesday for her Physical Therapy sessions. It takes Marge some time to get to and from the car, but she's getting along great! I know she's frustrated that she can't get up and go like she used to and she's struggling with her eyesight, but it's obvious she's getting stronger and better every day.

It sure has been rainy! In fact that lovely snow storm turned into a huge mess with lots of flooding. Luckily we stayed safe and relatively dry!

We've enjoyed quite a few home-cooked meals that I have been so excited to prepare! Finally somone to cook for!! I tried to recreate Marge's famous Swedish Meatballs. I think they turned out great, but apparently not quite like the master's. Oh well!
The biggest hit so far has been my Chicken Enchilada Casserole. Awfully tasty and super easy to throw together! Here's the recipe:

CHICKEN ENCHILADA CASSEROLE
2 cups shredded chicken (for ease, you can use the canned chicken, 2 small cans)
1 can Cream of Chicken Soup
1 cup Sour Cream
1 small can diced green chilies
1 small can chopped olives
2 cups shredded cheese
Salt and Pepper to taste
8-10 corn tortillas

Blend all ingredients together, including cheese. Then either layer between torn up pieces of tortilla, or, rip the tortillas into smaller pieces and blend into the mixture.
Place in 9x13 pan. Top with more shredded cheese.
Bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until bubbly.
Great garnished with sour cream and salsa. Don't forget the tortilla chips!

Santa's visit

I don't remember who it was, but there was an older couple in our ward who would dress as Santa and Mrs. Claus and, after hooking up their horses to an authentic sleigh, they would travel throughout the neighborhood on Christmas Eve, stopping at various homes, leaving presents of ribbon candy and oranges!

It was so exciting watching the jingling sleigh pull into our cul-de-sac. And those oranges ... what is is about oranges and Christmas? Oranges just taste better when you either get them from a visiting Santa or pull them out of the bottom of your stocking on Christmas morning! Oh ... and I nearly forgot the peanuts! Still in their shells, of course.

Christmas memories

I was sharing this crazy holiday story the other day and I thought it would make a funny blog post!

One Christmas Eve, as the excitment and anticipation of Santa's visit was building, my dad played a mean, evil, Scrooge-like trick. Thinking he was so clever, he pulled out a piece of cardboard and made a huge sign that said:
"Don't Stop Here, Santa! These Kids Have Been Naughty!"

After a lot of screaming and crying from us kids, and chiding from my mom, Dad brought the sign in the house just in time! Whew! I don't remember what we got that particular year, but I know that Santa did find the King Kids, despite my dad's "naughty" claims. Looks like Santa knew better!

So, now that I've stirred up these Christmases past memories, I just might have to share a few more stories. What are your fondest holiday memories?

Christmas ideas

It's time to deck the halls and my cousin has started a great Making Christmas blog that is full of clever ideas, recipes, holiday deals and more. Check it out!

The Perfect Purse

I am a purse freak! I have dozens and dozens of purses that I LOVE! I don't switch out my tote from my bevy of bags nearly as often as I would like. Something about transferring all the crap that just gets annoying!

I have found a solution! My friend Elaine and I were shopping with her family at Fashion Place Mall in Salt Lake when we ran across a kiosk peddling these nifty creative purses www.michebag.com

They are the perfect purse. One simple brown or black purse with dozens of interchangeable shells that magnetically snap into place. Want to match your shoes to your purse? Want to enhance your cute pink springy outfit, but swap out shell of the purse. GENIUS!

Now, if only Santa could somehow read this blog.

Let it Snow! Let it Snow! Let it Snow!

Beautiful snow was falling this afternoon as my cousin Chris and I were driving home from a great Christmas bazaar ... Victorian Christmas Village an hour or so south of Everett. The two of us both found a few Christmas gifts, tasty treats and enjoyed some great window shopping. A great way to get into the Christmas spirit!

The best part of the day, however, was the flurry of flakes fluttering fast on the drive home! The flakes were huge and were starting to stick to the ground. We planned our trip just right ... enjoy the shopping and still get home before the snow got too bad!

What a perfect way to welcome December!

Great Northwest!

Being actively unemployed, still searching for a job, I have volunteered to spend three weeks in Seattle, Everett, to be exact. I will be helping out my Aunt Marge (see, "She's a Pepper!") who is still recovering from a stroke she had over the summer. So I will become Nurse-Housekeeper-Laundress-Chef Jenn from now until Dec. 15.

I'm really excited. I've always loved Seattle and always have a great time with the Peterson Clan! And, hopefully on this trip, I'll also be able to spend even more time with Alicia and Anthony (see, "Vegas Fun") since they are at McChord AFB!

I'll be sure to post about all my adventures and fun stories that I'm sure my Uncle Lyle has ready to tell!

BAH HUMBUG!

No, I'm not Scrooge! Not in the slightest. I can't wait for Christmas this year.

There is one thing I really dislike about the holidays, however, ... those sappy, unrealistic, over-acted Kay Jewelers commercials. "Every Kiss Begins With Kay" ... UGH!

The torture is just beginning and it will only get more and more sickly sweet after Thanksgiving. Why must this jewelry store torment me?!? Finding the perfect Christmas tree, decked in diamond earrings ... BLEH! A sweet child's Christmas poem to his mom muddied by a diamond pendant from his dad ... YEESH!

Why can't holiday commercials be as witty and hilarious as the Heineken commerical where little old grannies fight over bottles of the ale? Or what about my favorite: "I didn't leave him cookies. I left him CHEEEESE!" Those are great seasonal commercials!
(Of course I will never admit that the real reason I hate these over-played commercials: I would give anything to have something so romantic like that in my life. Nope, never going to admit that! haha! )

Basement Dwellers

This is my new favorite term and I give all the credit to my clever friend Angie!
Here's the scenario when I discovered this newest bit of wit:

I drove an hour south for church last week. Angie attends a mid-singles ward and I thought it would be a great opportunity to possibly meet some new people ... and well, check out the "meat" market. First off, the ward was quite large. And through my quick, not-so-sly Sacrament Meeting glances, the prospects seemed encouraging. But, like is so often the problem in singles wards, the odds of men to women where horrible! Unfortunately I've come to expect this sad, sad ratio.

The meetings were great and the linger longer boasted an array of tasties, but the mingling was a little sparse for the two new girls. I guess that was the down-side of being one of the first people in the food line. As Angie mentioned, we shouldn't have let our growling stomachs impede our socializing options.

Recapping the day's events, Angie declared that the ward wasn't too bad, even though there were a few Basement Dwellers -- those unsavory men and women who might still be living in their parent's basement, haven't seen the sun in a few decades and lack refined social skills. What a great descriptor! Logging that term in my "to be used" file.

Now, a few days later, I've had an epiphany!!
I too could be considered a Basement Dweller! ARGH!
Yep, here I sit clicking away on my laptop in my basement abode: Converted sofa permantely made into a bed, makeshift closet hanging in the laundry room and ... oh yeah ... several job applications waiting to be filled out so I can once again return to the workforce! UH OH!

So many photos!

The King family officially welcomed baby Kohen Mitchel King this past weekend. The family flew out to New Jersey to participate in the blessing of the little prince. We had a great time cooing over Kohen ... a lot of bouncing to calm him down while Mom, Juline, prepared for feeding time ... and pulling out all sorts of new outfits.

The higlights of the weekend came from 2 1/2 year old Adilyn!
It has been about 10 months since I've seen Adi, and she has changed so much!! She has gotten so big and is so incredibly smart, and such a talker!

OK, enough jabbering ... on to the photos!!

Adi and her new Halloween-decked Teddy Bear!

Here's Kohen!

Watching the Backyardigans ... right before she fell asleep!

What a great big sister!

About to brush her teeth. Wearing cute new outfit from Aunt Lisa!

Waking up Cowboy Papa with a kiss!

Family portraits!

The Whole King Clan