Dave had some particularly long work hours this week, so I amused myself with further culinary adventures. Among the dishes I attempted were Cider-Glazed Roast Pork Loin accompanied by sage-butter penne, and pumpkin soup (made from a real pumpkin). I also attempted to make delectable Banana Muffins and Penne with Spinach Garlic Cream Sauce.
A few notes on my discoveries: if you ever attempt to make pumpkin soup from a pumpkin (something that I have deduced that most sane people only do once) and attempt to peel it, make sure to have on hand a very sharp knife or a sledgehammer. Also, if you are going to go to all the work to slice and clean a fresh pumpkin for soup, don't completely ruin it by using cheap powdered $1 chicken bouillon powder from Walgreens. That said, the other dishes turned out pretty well. Strangely, I am finding that whenever I get on a cooking hobby kick, for some strange reason, our kitchen has unflagging huge piles of dirty dishes, try as I might to contain them. Hmmmm, more evidence that you really just can't have it all.....
I am continuing my workout program with great vigor but diminishing enthusiasm. I feel great after my workouts and revel in my confidence that this will bring lifelong intangible health benefits, but I weighed myself recently and since I started my program I have GAINED 4 pounds. Needless to say, I am really ticked off. Dave has tried to point out to me that I might be building muscle as a result of my weight lifting and it might be healthy weight gain, but I told him that was such a guy way to look at it. HEALTHY weight gain??? Whatever. Okay, fine, he may have a point, but I don't want to have to start lying on my drivers license form.
I started exercising regularly as an outlet for myself, to increase my general health and feel-good-ness, not as a weight-loss program, so why am I ticked off at a few pounds? Well, you would think that if I am working so hard and being so diligent (I have done this program faithfully for a whole 4 weeks now), =] that by now I would- just as a token side benefit of course- have an amazingly flat stomach and toned muscles that would put any supermodel to shame. Hmmmmm, maybe I do fall into the exercising-because-I'm-an-egomaniac-who-wants-to-look-like-Cindy-Crawford category. So how did I get from "I'm going to work out so I feel good and have an outlet for myself" to "I'm ticked off that I'm 4 pounds heavier?" Alas, vanity loves to intrude itself.
We had a tri-ward "trunk or treat" on Friday night, which was a huge highlight for Jared and Camryn. Jared dressed as Pooh Bear and Camryn dressed as a beautiful princess (wearing... guess what color... pink). When our home teachers came today, Jared informed them that there was a lucky adult who was going to get a surprise for being good and quiet during the lesson and he gave one of our home teachers a Kit Kat from his trunk-or-treat candy. Camryn, not to be outdone by her brother, gave our other home teacher a special surprise: a lollipop! A member of the bishopric came over to discuss a calling with Dave and I, and Jared and Camryn spent the first 10 minutes eagerly telling him about the trunk or treat and showing him their "Rhinoceros Tap" book page by page. When we went to a neighbor's house for a potluck tonight (and I was carrying a 10 lb. casserole) Camryn started to have a cow because she wanted to hold my hand and couldn't figure out why I wouldn't just drop the casserole and hold her hand instead.
So, Dave and I have a new calling together... in the Primary. We are being called to do Primary music together. Between the two of us we will conduct the music and play the piano, to be divided between us however we like. Having just finished a two-year stint as primary music director in January, at first I wasn't super-thrilled, but then I remembered that nobody in this ward has seen any of my ideas yet, so I can just recycle!! And I thought I was going to have to pack all my drums, scarves, bells and rhythm instruments in a box in the garage.... Dave suggested that maybe he can just accompany the primary on the guitar. I thought that was an awesome idea. So this does sound like fun after all. We're going to have the Dave and Karen show! (We'll see how long they like us doing this.... ) At first I was worried that are fun plans would come to naught because I know you can't have guitar in sacrament meeting, but Dave pointed out that you don't usually do rhythm instruments and scarves in sacrament meeting either, so we're probably OK.=]
So that's the long version of our uneventful week. Hope you are all doing well. Love you all!
Karen
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