The benefits of consigning.

Every time I put away clean laundry, I always think that I need to clean out my closet (which is overflowing) and consign some items! My closet was so full that I had clothes draped over a chair. It was such a mess and I finally did something about it. Since my mom owns a beautiful consignment store, The Wandering Wardrobe (www.thewanderingwardrobe.blogspot.com) I consigned them with her. There are many benefits to consignment. We all want to save the earth and be more green, and consigning is as green as you can get!! It's basically just recycling your clothing. Everyone also likes a little extra cash in their pocket. At the Wandering Wardrobe, consignors earn 50% of what sells. Some of my mom's customers call their consignment money their pizza money. The process is easy, quick, and painless. The Wandering Wardrobe does it all for you. All you have to do is make sure it's clean and in great condition, and drop it off. Once you're in the store, you might just find a treasure or two.

The Wandering Wardrobe is located in a beautiful historic home at 511 South Main Street in Springville. (801) 489-3893.

Thanksgiving Pictures

Hi friends! I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving! I had such a wonderful time with my dear family. I definitely ate too much!! I just wanted to tell my friends and family that I'm thankful for them this year, and always. I thought I'd share some pictures.

Thanksgiving Favorites

I'm going to share my 7 favorite things about Thanksgiving. Hopefully you'll comment and tell me yours.

1) Saying what we're thankful for before we eat.
2) My Grandma Dolly's homemade stuffing recipe that my mom makes.
3) The Macy's Thanksgiving day parade.
4) There is usually a dog show on after this that we love to watch.
5) Turkey and cranberry sandwiches the next day.
6) Putting up the Christmas decorations the next day.
7) Having the whole family together even if it's just one day.

"An Attitude of Gratitude."

There was a great message in church this morning that I thought I'd share. My pastor was talking about giving thanks. When we choose to have "an attitude of gratitude" our lives can become so blessed. He encouraged us to keep a gratitude journal and jot down the things we are grateful for everyday. It doesn't have to be big, in fact the little things might just be the most significant.

When we acknowledge what we are grateful for, many things happen in our lives. We are more likely to help those in need, we have fewer health problems like colds or the flu, we have less sadness and depression, we attract like-minded people, and more blessings come into our life.

My Favorite Things About Winter

I'll be the first one to admit, that winter is my least favorite of all the four seasons. It can sometimes just be so cold and dreary and driving in the snow is no fun. But, I was thinking today that there are many things I do enjoy about this season and I thought I'd share.

Sitting by the roaring fire.
Flannel sheets.
Chai tea and apple cider.
Skiing on a sunny day.
Snowshoeing.
The holidays.
Christmas decorations.
Polarfleece.
Sweaters.

3 for 5

Members of my church community (www.k2thechurch.com) have joined in a global movement to provide clean drinking water to people all over the world. The idea is simple: invite 3 friends to give $5 each to unite a community of 20 million people to help provide clean water to millions of people in the developing world.

Did you know that more than 1.1 billion people lack access to safe water and 2.6 billion people lack even basic sanitary facilities. It is something that we in America never think about. We just turn on the faucet, and there it is ready for us. Diseases caused by unsafe drinking water and inadequate sanitation remain humanity’s most serious public health threat, causing 80% of the sicknesses in developing countries and annually killing between 2 and 5 million people, mainly young children. Lack of water and sanitation also causes other problems, such as lack of education, nutrition, environmental health, and gender equality.

So, what do you say? Are you with me? To sign up, visit www.3for5.org to place your email in a mailing list. 3 for 5 will contact you in 2009. Search "3 for 5" at www.youtube.com to watch an inspiring video.

Go Utes!!

I'm taking a break from writing a paper to cheer on the Utah Utes!! The big game starts today at 4:00. I am having dinner and watching the game with my friend Marianne, who just happens to be a big BYU Cougars fan. This should be interesting!!

Really?

I just read an article on WebMd about a new fad diet called the "Cookie Diet." http://www.webmd.com/diet/features/the-cookie-diet. I'm always looking for diet and health tips and I was intrigued as to how an individual can eat 5-6 cookies a day and lose weight. Apparently the cookies are filled with healthy ingredients and you're supposed to eat 5-6 of them a day in place of meals. Dinner consisits of a whopping 300 calories. The authors of the diet recommend that you eat about 800 calories a day and you'll expect to lose 2-3 pounds a week. Um...last time I checked that's called anorexia, my friends. A healthy goal when dieting is between 1200-1700 calories per day. Any nutritionist will tell you that it is really bad for your health to cut out entire food groups. This diet recommends that you don't consume any dairy or fruit. It is entirely lacking in whole grains and vegetables too.

I'm not a nutritionist, although somedays I think that'd be a really fun field to go into. I say if it sounds like a fad than it probably is. Moderation is key.

It's Coming!!!!!

My little sister Alyx and my best friend forever Mary got me hooked on the wonderul Stephanie Meyer Vampire series books. I'm so excited to see the new Twilight movie this weekend!! I'm looking forward to seeing what they did with the movie. Can't hardly wait!

A new Thanksgiving recipe

I have signed up to get email recipes from Weight Watchers. A tasty one came along and I thought I'd share. Why not try sweet potatoes this year? They are good for you and chock full of nutrients. I thought I'd bring these to my family's dinner this year. Of course, we'll still have normal mashed potatoes because it isn't tradition without those!

Here's the recipe:

Ingredients
3 medium sweet potato(es), peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks (about 2 pounds)
2 medium garlic clove(s), peeled
1/2 cup(s) plain fat-free yogurt, Greek-variety recommended
4 tsp sugar
1/8 tsp table salt, or more to taste
1/8 tsp black pepper, freshly ground, or to taste
Instructions
Place potatoes and garlic in a large saucepan and pour in enough water to cover potatoes. Set pan over high heat and bring to a boil. Boil until potatoes are fork-tender, about 8 minutes.


Drain potatoes and garlic; transfer potatoes and garlic to a large bowl. Add yogurt and sugar to bowl; mash until smooth. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Yields about 1/2 cup per serving.

Best of all, they're only one point per serving!

Recipe and picture from www.weightwatchers.com

Good-Bye JCC

Last Friday was my last day of work at the JCC. Due to financial and insurance reasons, I took a position at Discover Card.

I've taught at the JCC for almost two years. I grew to love the children in my class as my own. I developed great relationships with their parents and all of the wonderful and talented staff there.

It was a hard last day. My whole class gave me a big group hug, and during it I had tears streaming down my face. I will miss my co-teachers Pam, Anny, and Brandy so much. The Administrative team was so good to me, and I left on excellent terms. I will miss story-time, my favorite part of the day. I will also miss learning about the Jewish Culture and doing Shabbat every Friday morning.

It was my first day at Discover Card yesterday. It was definitely an adjustment starting work at 6:00 am. But, the upside of that is that I'm completely done with work by 2:00 in the afternoon with the whole day ahead of me! This will create some much needed study time. I will definitely miss the "family" style atmosphere of the J. Discover can't quite compare to that because they have over 5,000 employees, but I hope to make friends with the members of my team and recreate that family feeling.

I was sad to leave teaching because I want to eventually teach elementary school. With this new job I'll be able to pay my way through the rest of school and be able to live more comfortably. I guess doing what you love doesn't always pay the bills and I think I made the right choice.

I'm Thankful For...

My family has a wonderful Thanksgiving tradition. Every year we go around the table, and toast each other and say what we're thankful for. This is a wonderful tradition from my parents, and I hope to pass it down to my children someday.

I'd just like to share what I'm thankful for this year:

My family.

My dear friends, both far and near.

My health. I didn't have the best of health in 2008, but now I have it back and am so grateful.

My church community.

Children.

My education.

Nature.

A night out with friends, free from the stress of work and school.

Hummus

I've been doing a lot of cooking from my new Weight Watchers cookbook. I thought I'd take some of my favorite recipes and share them with you. I made a batch of Hummus and it's quite tasty. I pack it with carrot sticks and red bell pepper slices for my lunch. If you're following Weight Watchers like me, it's only 2 low points per serving!

1 (15 ounce) can chickpeas
1/2 cup plain fat-free yogurt
2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
3 garlic cloves, crushed
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 tablespoon water
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

In a food processor or blender, puree all the ingredients until blended, but still a little chunky.

November Blog

It's been a long while since I last posted.

To update--Mason is doing remarkably well! He's finally HOME after spending 26 days at Primary Children's hospital. He is truly a miracle!! If anyone needs proof that miracles happen, then read Mason's story! Thanks all for your prayers and support.

Like the rest of the nation, I was glued to the tv on Election Night. My roommate and friend Crystal and I both cried as Obama gave his speech. We both feel so hopeful for our country.

Things are going well in my life. I have crazy busy 14 hour days Monday-Thursday so that's why I haven't blogged in a while.

I plan on blogging at least once a week. I've been doing some healthy cooking, and will post some recipes for you to try.