2011: A New Year with New Resolutions

It’s almost 2011—and how weird is that? For once in my life, I feel like any goal I set I can actually achieve. I just found out I got an A (102%, to be exact) in my only class, The Grammar of English. What’s more, I’ve just gotten my room sparkly clean for the first time in at least a year. And I’m the first one to admit that my room is a fairly accurate reflection of my state of mind at any given time.

My goal in creating my new year’s resolutions is to set the bar low, but higher than it is currently. I don’t think that unrealistic-for-me goals, e.g., lose 50 pounds in 2 months, will do anything but frustrate me and make me abandon my resolutions too soon.

With that in mind, here’s the list of things I’d like to accomplish in 2011:

Health & Fitness

v Lose at least 5 pounds a month from January to October. (Averages out to 1–1.25 lbs/week.)

v Don’t gain any weight from November through December.

v Exercise at least 3 times a week.

v Drink no more than one can (12 oz.) of carbonated beverages per day.

v Drink at least 2 bottles (32 oz.) of water per day, and other non-carbonated beverages totaling 64 oz. per day.

v Create and follow a weekly dinner menu of healthy dishes.

Education & Mind

v Study twice a week for my Independent Study class (Monday and Friday evenings).

v Get an A out of my chosen class in Fall 2011.

v Read at least 50 books, including at least 25 from cover to cover.

Finances

v Save at least 20% of my gross income each paycheck for long-term goals.

v Save enough to buy my Mac by the start of school (end of August).

v Save enough to buy a nice camera by my 23^rd birthday (January 2012).

v Use no more than $100 per paycheck in discretionary funds (i.e., books, music, movies, gifts, food, craft/hobby supplies, etc.)

v Save at least $1000 by the end of the year, just because.

Spiritual

v Read my scriptures (at least a verse) every single day.

v Once I finish this time around (I’m at the end of Helaman now), read the entire Book of Mormon again by Christmas.

v Finish reading Preach My Gospel.

Preparedness

v Create a meal plan for our year’s supply of food and begin to purchase items from that list, so that by the end of 2012, we have at least a six month’s supply.

Personal Enrichment

v Teach myself to make jewelry.

v Attend BYU Education week in August.

v Write in at least one blog once a week.

v Organize my personal library (this falls under personal enrichment rather than organization because it’s so fun).

v Invent a language or two for my fantasy world.

v Finish my 2010 NaNo novel before November 2011.

v Participate in and win NaNoWriMo 2011.

Business

v Complete at least two major editing jobs for 2012.

v Get my new jewelry Etsy shop up and running, and sell at least three pieces of jewelry by the end of the year.

Organization

v Follow the House of Order Handbook’s instructions for creating an organized home.

v Clean/organize every room in the house by the end of the year.

v Re-clean/organize my room on the first Friday of each month.

Family History

v Finish Dad’s life history and have it published by Christmas.

v Begin work on transcribing Dad’s journals.

v Finish Marjorie’s diary and have it published by Christmas.

Family & Friends

v Write at least one email a week to close friends.

v Purchase at least one Christmas gift per family member or close friend before December.

Service

v Start a Girl Scout troop with my sister and someone else (anyone out there up for it?).

v Plan a special Christmas surprise for a deserving family in my neighborhood/ward.

August: The Month for Updates

I swore to myself I'd write a post in April...and here it is, August 1st, and I still haven't gotten one up. In my defense, a lot of things have happened since my last post. Here's just a few:

1. I started my own editing service, and got a client! Iris Editing Service was responsible for editing 28 Day Financial Renaissance, which is currently up for sale on Amazon. If you scroll through the "Look Inside" feature to the Acknowledgments section, you'll see my name listed as the book's editor. (When I saw it there, I had to fight the urge to jump up and down.)

2. My oldest sister got married in May. Though they'd been engaged for months, Jen and Chad gave us about one month's notice as to the actual day the were getting married. Wedding preparations were a nightmare, but definitely worth it. Jen was radiant.

3. A friend and I attempted our own version of National Novel Writing Month in June. Though I only got about 6,700 words written, I still had a blast and learned a ton. That being said, my novel has been abandoned yet again.

4. After much crying, praying, and searching, in July I finally got a job, working for the Midvale Walmart on their remodel crew. I have some awesome co-workers, as well as few I'd rather never see again. The store is looking better, though the customers (and employees alike) are getting progressively confused about where to find things. The store's grand re-opening is slated for October 22. While I am infinitely grateful that I have this job, I have to admit that the recurring nightmares about pegboard, shrink wrap, and back-to-school-colored towels are rather unnerving.

5. Not sure where this fits in chronologically, but I've also attempted to clean my room a few times. Mixed results. At least I have a pathway to my bed.

And now I've arrived at August. Next week my family (sans moi) leaves for Disneyland, then we're headed to BYU Education Week, which I expect will be the highlight of my year. A week after that's over, I start school. Exciting things in the wind. Bring it on!

St. Patrick's Day Recipes

My life seems to move in themes. One month, my focus is school. Sometimes all I can concentrate on is starting a business. And so it goes with writing, sewing, service projects, genealogy, losing weight, and heaven-knows-what-else at the moment. As I was pondering this yesterday, I realized that I hadn't had a cooking theme in a while. I thought to myself, "Well, you're just not in the mood to cook right now."

Ironically, later last night, Mom reminded me that she needed cookies for a St. Patrick's Day work party. And so I found myself baking, despite my earlier internal insistence that cooking was not (pardon the pun) the order of the day.

It was my first time making macaroons, i.e., whipping egg whites. Thanks to the new KitchenAid stand mixer we got for Christmas, getting the egg whites to form stiff peaks was not nearly as challenging as I'd thought it would be; at high speed, they took less than two minutes to form. As I've recently googled, though, it is possible to overbeat egg whites, just as it's possible to overbeat whipping cream (but instead of making butter, as whipping cream does, overmixing eggs will just yield a liquidy mess). After folding in the coconut, I added some green food coloring to the mixture. Then each individual cookie was topped with some green decorating sugar. The first batch came out a tad too well-done for my liking, but the second batch was better.

Fast forward to this afternoon, when I decided it would be brilliant to pull off a St.-Patrick's-Day-themed dinner. Several hours of work later, we dined on raisin-less Irish soda bread (unbelievably moist and delicious), and corned beef and cabbage (an amazing stew-ish classic of our family's). Inevitably, kneading the bread dough led to a sticky cutting board and hands, and a portion of the stew was unusable after burning to the bottom of the pot, but that just adds to the charm of cooking, don't you think?

The modified recipes are listed below, with bonus commentary. Enjoy them year-round (though admittedly, making red, white, and blue macaroons might not work so well).

Corned Beef and Cabbage

Yield: 6-8 servings

2 cans (12 oz.) corned beef (the leaner, the better)

1 medium head cabbage

4 pounds potatoes (about 5-6 gargantuan-sized ones)

lots of water

salt and pepper to taste

Peel and roughly cube potatoes (this will likely take a while, so keep peeled/chopped potatoes in a large pot half-full of cold water until you're finished to keep them from browning). Strain potatoes in a colander and return them to the pot. Wash the head of cabbage and remove outer leaves. Quarter cabbage, then roughly chop into chunks, adding cabbage to pot (don't worry about making the chunks small, since the cabbage will wilt and shrink down a lot). Open cans of corned beef and remove any visible fat. Break up the beef using a fork and/or clean hands.

Add about 1 to 1-1/2 quarts (4-6 cups) water into the pot, cover with lid, and cook over medium to medium-high heat for 30-45 minutes, or until potatoes are tender (or mushy, if desired) and cabbage is cooked. Stir frequently and add more water, if necessary, to keep stew from sticking to bottom of the pot. Add more water, if a more soupy consistency is desired, or less, for a thicker consistency.

Note: Thick stew freezes well.

Irish Soda Bread (photo courtesy Taste of Home)

Yield: 1 loaf (8 servings)

1 package (1/4 oz.) active dry yeast

1/2 cup warm water (110° to 115°)

3 tablespoons sugar, divided

1 cup warm buttermilk (110° to 115°)

2 tablespoons butter, softened

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

3-1/2 to 4 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup golden raisins, optional (or regular raisins, or currants, or even chocolate chips)

In a large mixing bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Add 1 tablespoon sugar; let stand for 5 minutes. Beat in the buttermilk, butter, salt, baking soda, 1 cup flour, and remaining sugar until smooth. Stir in raisins and enough remaining flour to form a soft dough (try not to use too much, as more will likely be needed while kneading).

Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes (dough will probably be sticky after a few minutes, so sparingly add more flour as needed). Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top. Cover (if using plastic wrap, be sure to grease it before putting on top of bowl) and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 40 minutes.

Punch dough down. Turn onto a lightly floured surface; knead for 2 minutes. Shape into a round loaf. Place on a greased baking sheet. With a sharp knife, cut a 1/4-in.-deep cross on top of loaf. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 30 minutes.

Bake at 350° for 30 (up to 35) minutes or until golden brown. Remove from pan to cool on a wire rack. Cut into 8 wedges, and if possible, serve while still warm.

Note: Warmed buttermilk will appear curdled. Also, for a substitute to buttermilk, use 1 tablespoon white vinegar or lemon juice plus enough milk to equal one cup.

Coconut Macaroons

Yield: 3-4 dozen

6 egg whites

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar

2 cups powdered sugar

1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon flour

2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon almond extract

1 package (14-16 ounces) flaked coconut

Preheat oven to 350°. Beat egg whites until foamy. Add salt and cream of tartar. Beat until egg mixture stands up in stiff peaks. Do not overbeat. Sift powdered sugar and flour together. (Don't skip the sifting step, or you'll end up with powdery lumps in your cookies.) Fold into egg mixture; add extracts and coconut. Drop on greased cookie sheet and bake, checking after about 22 minutes.

What a Novel Idea!

So for the last couple weeks I've tried to pick up where I left off with National Novel Writing Month. After determining that the plot I'd attempted in November was unsalvageable, I stole my main characters from that story, and am now writing a new story featuring the two of them. I haven't gotten terribly far along yet in the actual writing phase, but I'm going strong on creating backstories for all my characters and in creating the world and history (it's a fantasy novel).

I've been doing a fair amount of reading on the side to get ideas for improvement. I'd recommend my favorites so far, Plot and Structure by James Scott Bell, and Characters and Viewpoint by Orson Scott Card (although, if you're looking for an updated version that includes exercises, try Characters, Emotion, and Viewpoint by Nancy Kress).

Easily the best book on novel writing in general, though, would have to be The First Five Pages: A Writer's Guide to Staying Out of the Rejection Pile by Noah Lukeman. I can only compare the quality of this book to that of Strunk and White's classic Elements of Style. The First Five Pages gave just the kind of specific instruction that I've been craving.

One rule to concise writing that Lukeman describes is to improve the quality and limit the overall number of adverbs and adjectives you use. Similarly, a longtime favorite of mine, On Writing the College Application Essay by Harry Bauld, offers profound advice on the subject: "Nouns are the bones of writing; verbs are the muscles....An essay flabby with adjectives [and adverbs] weighs a reader down." This gem by Mark Twain also illustrates the point: "Substitute 'damn' every time you're inclined to write 'very;' your editor will delete it and the writing will be just as it should be."

And now I should probably be getting back to my writing (and the cleaning of my room). My space is littered with mind maps detailing various internal conflicts, and I have yet to determine which character is screaming for a Magenta personality/aura. Perhaps I'll try this exercise, lifted from Inspired Creative Writing:

"Having trouble visualizing a new character? Write a list of twenty objects she might carry or wear. Don't think too deeply about this, just write down whatever comes to mind. Next, write a series of short sketches describing exactly how your character came by these items. Try to describe what the item means to her, and how she would feel if she lost it. You may never use these character sketches, but...they will give you--and your reader--a clearer sense of who your character is."

"Reaching" and Memories of Lady and Dad

"We are reaching for the future
We are reaching for the past
And no matter what we have, we reach for more
We are desperate to discover
What is just beyond our grasp
And maybe that’s what heaven is for"
--chorus from Carolyn Arends' "Reaching" (from Hilary Weeks' album, "If I Only Had Today")

I too find myself reaching for what I can't have so much of the time, especially lately. Yesterday we found our almost-two-year-old kitty, Lady, around the corner of the busy street next to our house. My oldest sister and her kids came over, and we all had a funeral of sorts for our cat. And yes, we unabashedly buried her in our backyard.

Things are just never the same when someone that you love passes away. Lady's passing reminded me that now I'm the only living person to remember the day we picked out her and her brother from the batch of kittens that the kindly fellow on craigslist was offering.

Despite his earlier objections, Dad too secretly wanted another cat, so eventually he caved in when I begged and begged to get another one. The two of us went to check out in person the six kittens that had been listed on the craigslist ad. They were all spread out on the hardwood floor of the fellow's bachelor pad. They were so tiny, so cute, so furry, and oh my, had such sharp claws! The blue and pink collars, which were set as small as they could go, still hung off the kittens' necks. We picked out the two kittens that seemed the friendliest (and cutest) and gently placed them in the pink and black kitty carrier I'd gotten only days before for that very purpose. As I drove home, Dad held the carrier and tried to keep the kittens from soiling it in their fear. (I have never known a cat that enjoyed car rides.)

My biggest regret is that we never took any pictures of Lady and Oreo as kittens. We got the kittens in mid-May of 2008, and it was just after Christmas of that year (if my memory serves me accurately) that Oreo left us and took up residence with another family. Lady has been an "only cat" for over a year, and we all, especially my Dad, came to love her dearly. We even mentioned Lady in Dad's obituary.

I will miss her quirky way of burying herself under the covers, of (as Dad put it best) "kneading the bed dough," and her patient way of waiting to be let outside, seemingly herding us to the door.

And words cannot convey how much I still miss Dad and think of him daily. A person only ever gets one Dad, and I can't help but feel that I got one of the best ones ever.

And so, when I hear the words that Hilary Weeks sings, I too feel that I am reaching for something that just eludes me. I usually have fallen into the "reaching for the future" category, but lately, I've also felt that I'm "reaching for the past." I have been so blessed in my life, yet still, "no matter what [I] have, [I] reach for more." I will end this post by posting the full lyrics to her song, which I have been unable to find anywhere on the Internet.

"There’s a time I can recall

Four years old and three feet tall

Trying to touch the stars and the cookie jar

And both were out of reach

And later on in my high school

It seemed to me a little cruel

How the right words to say

Always seemed to stay just out of reach

Well I should not have thought it strange

That growing causes growing pains

'Cause the more we learn

The more we know we don’t know anything

But still it seems a tragic fate

Living with this quiet ache

The constant strain for what remains

Just out of reach

We are reaching for the future

We are reaching for the past

And no matter what we have, we reach for more

We are desperate to discover

What is just beyond our grasp

And maybe that’s what heaven is for

There are times I can’t forget

Dressed up in my Sunday best

Trying not to squirm and to maybe learn

A bit of what the teacher would teach

And later lying in the dark

I felt a stirring in my heart

And though I longed to see what could not be seen

I still believed

I guess I shouldn’t think it odd

Until we see the face of God

The yearning deep within us

Tells us there’s more to come

So when we taste of the divine

It leaves us hungry every time

For one more taste of what awaits

When heaven’s gates are reached

We are reaching for the future

We are reaching for the past

And no matter what we have, we reach for more

We are desperate to discover

What is just beyond our grasp

And maybe that’s what heaven is for

I believe that’s what heaven is for

There’s a time I can recall

Four years old and three feet tall

Trying to touch the stars and the cookie jar

And both were out of reach"

Reflections on Stake Conference: Be Optimistic

Today was the culmination of a three-day string of events that made up stake conference. There were so many wonderful speakers (including one of our old stake presidents whom I've only heard of before); even so, if I had to pick the one talk that made the greatest impression on me, I'd have to pick the talk of our current stake president, Chris Funk.

President Funk spoke last night on how we must never lose hope, and followed it up this morning with the thought that although many of us are called to bear extreme trials in our lives, there is cause to be optimistic.

We can take comfort in knowing that we have an all-loving and omniscient Father in Heaven and a perfect Savior who are ultimately in charge. Furthermore, we can find peace and optimism in doing three things.

First, know that light really does come after there is darkness. In the Book of Mormon, we learn that after the tempests, earthquakes, fires, whirlwinds and the three days of physical darkness that took place in the ancient Americas following Christ's crucifixion, those who survived the catastrophes did hear Christ's voice come to them. In our own lives, in our own upheavals and darknesses, we must remember that light will once again come to us if we but endure our trials.

Second, minister to others. After the people in the Americas heard Christ's voice come to them, Christ himself came down and ministered to them. If we expect more in blessings than we are giving in service, then we are not following the Savior's counsel. By serving others and following Christ's example, we will find great hope in our lives.

Finally, seek revelation. In Doctrine and Covenants 88:63, we are given the following commandment and promise: "Draw near unto me and I will draw near unto you; seek me diligently and ye shall find me; ask, and ye shall receive; knock, and it shall be opened unto you." If we will but pray for inspiration, it will be given to us.

By doing these three things, we really will find peace and great cause to rejoice, even in the midst of our struggles.

Numerical Benefits of Crutches

Would you believe that I actually lost 3.4 pounds this week, despite being unable to do any exercise? Crazy, huh?

Apparently using crutches is more of a workout than anything I could have crafted for myself intentionally. Makes sense, really, if you think about it. It takes a lot of upper body strength (not to mention pressure on your good leg) to hobble around like that.

Well, that brings my total weight loss since the beginning of the year to 10.2 pounds. Yea!

Now all I have to worry about is the three Marie Callender's pies we just bought. Lemon meringue, coconut cream, and chocolate satin....mmm! Scale, be kind to me next week. ;)

Cleaning out the Refrigerator

It's hard to imagine anything quite as disgusting as pulling a moldy container of heaven-knows-what out of your refrigerator. At least, after last night, that's how I see it.

I have no idea how exactly it started. All I know is that one minute, I was discussing what we were having for dinner, and the next, I was pulling condiments with expiration dates as bleak as early 2007 out of our poor refrigerator. I discovered a number of interesting things. Among them, that our family has at least 5 or 6 jars of pickles in our fridge at any given moment, and that at least half of those have gone bad, at least according to the expiration dates that have smudged and worn off over time.

Other highlights included a tub of green beans that smelled like vinegary four-bean salad, even though it was obvious that they had originated in our freezer; a jar of applesauce that was olive green; and in the farthest corner of the fridge, on the top shelf, lay a Ziploc container of something so covered in black, white, and green mold that neither my mother nor I could even remotely tell what it might have once been.

And if this is not bad enough, I had to use a butter knife, lots of scalding hot water, a heap of baking soda, and a scratchy yellow sponge to literally scrape off the pale pink sweetened condensed milk that had become encrusted on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator. It was bad enough that it actually wore a hole in the yellow sponge. I made no progress whatsoever until my mother suggested that I use the baking soda, which then acted as a miracle crusty-milk-dissolving wonder and loosened up the glob enough that I could then use the butter knife and scratch the remaining goo off the poor glass shelf.

I am now pleased to report that we only have about 4 or 5 bottles of salad dressing in our fridge, as opposed to the 12+ we had before. And two full double-bagged garbage trips later, we can actually see the back of the fridge.

Next on our list is the pantry. Watch out, weevils!

Of Knees and Crutches

You know, it's truly amazing how much we use our knees for. Being a joint and all, you'd assume that they would be rather important, but, such as with most things, it's only when we have problems with them that we actually notice they exist.

My first warning sign was during the past two weeks, when every so often I would misstep while doing step aerobics and my right knee would creak onerously. But did I become too concerned? No, of course not. I just kept telling myself that as the pounds miraculously shed themselves, I would be rid of knee creaking forever.

No such luck.

Last Thursday, I decided to start a new routine doing yoga and stability ball exercises. I did all the warm-ups just fine, but partway into doing my second lunge with the stability ball, I tried to correct my form and ended up with my back (right) knee completely giving out.

To make a long story short, I am now on crutches (yet again), though I'm trying to gradually wean myself from them. At church yesterday, everyone was astounded at our family's luck. First, my dad dies, then my sister hurts her knee/leg, then my mom breaks her foot, and now I've somehow messed up my knee. All in two and a half months. Geez.

On the upside of things, I still managed to lose weight last week, despite being unable to exercise for the last several days, bringing my total weight loss to 6.8 pounds in 3 weeks.

Welcome and Introduction

After talking about starting a blog for the last two months, I've decided that it's finally time to take action.

I chose my URL based on one of my favorite scriptures from the Book of Mormon, Ether 12:27. In every aspect of my life, I have found that overcoming weakness is a matter of turning to the Lord, and that only through the Lord can weaknesses truly become strengths.

I'm hoping that this blog will chronicle (as the title implies) my life and struggles, particularly in the following areas:

1. College & education
2. Spirituality
3. Health & nutrition
4. Hobbies & interests
5. Employment, and my lack thereof

6. Family & friends

A bit about myself:

I just turned 21 two days ago. In the words of one of my sister's friends, now "I'm old enough to do all the things I never wanted to do anyway."

I'm a college student taking a forced hiatus of one year from school. It's looking like I'll return again this fall to Brigham Young University, where I'm an English Language major with an editing minor.

I love crafts, cooking, writing, reading, history, linguistics, and learning in general and hope to make this blog my new hobby.

Thank you for choosing to read my blog, and feel free to pass it along to your friends!