Annacdotes 14

I love this picture because it totally captured her one crazy hazel eye. Usually it's hard to spot.

1. A while ago, when Anna was in the bathtub, she said, "I better learn how to swim so I'll know what to do when I get baptized." I laughed right out loud. It was so out of the blue and she was so matter of fact that I had to write it down right then.

Also, and this has happened several times, after we shampooed her hair, Anna asked for a squirt of the "air conditioner" next. The bathtub must be a hotbed of Annaisms. I should keep her in there all day.

2. In a recent prayer, Anna said, "Please bless everyone in the entire world, even everyone in the whole university." The university of . . . mankind?

3. Anna found a whole nutmeg on the kitchen counter and picked it up to inspect it. She asked what it was and then licked it (!) before I even turned around to answer. When I told her it was nutmeg and what it was used for, she said with a grimace, "Blech. That didn't taste very good. Maybe it was a rotten egg nut." To her credit, that's exactly how it looks.

The best squishy face I've ever seen—it even looks like she has real old-lady wrinkles.

4. In a list of things she was thankful for in yet another recent prayer, Anna said, "we are thankful for manners" and "we are thankful for the number of people on the earth, which is 6 billion." Needless to say, I was laughing by the end. We are indeed thankful for manners, and I like that she chose to add a few facts in with everything, to kind of mix it up a bit.

5. In the car on our way home the other day, Anna was rummaging around in my purse looking for a snack. I had some raisins in there, but she couldn't find them. Mumbling to herself absentmindedly, she said, "If I don't find these raisins . . . I'm gonna . . . I'm gonna punch myself in the face." When I laughed out loud, she said, "Don't laugh! I mean it for real lives!"

6. One day, something that Anna called "scary news" happened and she called out "Yokes!" It made me laugh, and she has since used other vowel variations on the word "yikes." And I love it. I have also heard "yeeks" and "yakes," and I laugh every time. I love that it comes out when I least expect it and that it's totally a joke and not a mistake. She's purposefully changing it just for fun.

HAPPY

WINTER

Eat that, rollerblades

Rollerblades and I have had a very tarnished—albeit short—history. The first time I went rollerblading, I went down a hill that was WAY too big for a beginner and I fell. I put my hand out to catch myself and ended up breaking and dislocating my pinky (pinkie? how is this spelled?) finger. And that was the last time I ever rollerbladed. I haven't written them off, or anything. I've just never done it since.

Anyway, that makes my dream last night all the better. In my dream, someone gave me a pair of these babies...

...but they were made for adults and better quality. I instantly put them on and took off down the street, going maybe 30 miles an hour. I was amazing! You would not believe the triple axles I was pulling. Ah, it was a good dream.

Tomato Quiche of Deliciousness

Before I share this new favorite recipe, I want to tell you how this post came about. I decided to post this recipe for Tomato Quiche that I got from a friend of a friend years ago because I recently made it for the first time and it was just so darn tasty. So I googled "tomato quiche" to find a good picture, naturally, since I can't take one of my own. I looked over maybe 100 pictures to find one that looked like the one I made (I couldn't, in good conscience, post a picture of quiche with bacon or asparagus when that's not in the recipe, right?). When I clicked on the picture I wanted, it took me to the Taste of Home site and the very same recipe! Whoa. How's that for coincidence. Or, if you like, an e-miracle.

Anyway, I like to share the joy when I find a recipe that is super tasty and rather easy, so here it is. Make it today. Maybe even right now.

Ingredients

• 1 cup chopped onion
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 4 large tomatoes, peeled, seeded, chopped and drained
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
• 2 cups (8 ounces) Monterey Jack cheese, divided
• 1 unbaked pastry shell (10 inches)
• 4 eggs
• 1-1/2 cups cream *

 

Directions

• Step 1: Have your mom, the resident Queen of Pie Crusts, make you a crust. I make a passable pie crust myself, but with the queen in such close proximity, why settle for passable? In case you don't have access to a Queen of Pie Crusts, make your own.
• In a large skillet, saute onion in butter until tender. Add tomatoes, salt, pepper and thyme. Cook over medium-high heat until liquid is almost evaporated, about 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from heat.
• Sprinkle 1 cup cheese into bottom of pie shell. Cover with tomato mixture; sprinkle with remaining cheese.
• In a small bowl, beat eggs until foamy. Stir in cream; mix well. Pour into pie shell.
• Bake at 425° for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 325°; bake 40 minutes longer or until top begins to brown and a knife inserted near the center comes out clean. Let stand 10 minutes before cutting. Yield: 6-8 servings.

* UPDATE: The recipe I had said to use cream instead of half and half, like the Taste of Home website said. I say go all the way.

Next time around, I might double the tomato layer because it was so delish, but it's still super good as is, if you're a strict recipe follower. I also attempted to make mini quiches out of this recipe for a Christmas party, but take it from me: this recipe was not intended for mini quiches. It's too hard to do layers in cups that small, and I was this close [    ] to taking the mini muffin pan and hurling it out the window with my quiche-filling-covered hands that were apparently the size of a giant's.

2010: The Year in Pictures

I love a good photo essay. But the real challenge here was finding pictures I hadn't already posted and blogged about before. Sometimes I felt like I was scraping the bottom of the barrel and then sometimes it was hard to narrow it down to just one photo per month, so I put in a few extra. So sue me.

Also, taking a look at all of these photos reaffirms my belief that I need to get better at having people take my picture. I'm always the one behind the camera and, if I'm not careful, a few years down the road 2010 might seem like a complete blank where it looks like Anna, the little urchin, was raising herself.

Anyway, that's enough talk. Here is a snapshot (pun totally intended) of our year.

January

February

A tea party with Anna and her two apparently skeptical cousins.

March

Loved the giant March snowstorm and our homemade sledding hill.

April

At the aquarium in Sandy. Kind of dark, but I like that you can see the cute little penguin behind us.

My sister Jen and Anna (this was the day she requested four braids) standing by the pyranhas. I took Anna's picture in front of these and the giant anaconda so that, in case we decide on either as a nickname for her, we'll be ready.

May

At Anna's preschool graduation. She threw up the night before but nothing could keep her from going to her graduation. Poor thing, she's Pasty City. But still totally adorable.

And I had to document the whole outfit that Aunt Steph brought from Paris. Tres cute.

These are the totally awesome lollipop cookies we took to the graduation. Besides looking radical, they tasted good too—but preschoolers care less about that.

June
A trip to Bear Lake with two of my brothers and their families. 
 

Couldn't resist posting this one, the little cuties. Sophie and Max are 4 days apart, but Max looks about 4 times more annoyed by the ride on the pedal bike.

July

August

The reading begins. Okay, so she's not really reading the comics here, but it sure looks cute while she's eating. What a little adult.

September

Painted faces after the Diabetes Walk for cousin Grace (the ferocious tiger in the middle).

More painted cousins. I love the face on Morgan in the middle. Little grumpypuss.

October

Our obligatory fall trip to the farm/pumpkin patch.

A facial expression only a mother could love. She's still adorable, though, in her own "special" way. And that sunset was amazing.

They had this big white slide where you slide down on gunny sacks (or what Anna calls "brown towels"), and it was actually pretty steep. I'll admit that my stomach dropped a little when I got to the top and looked down. But after one ride together, Anna was pretty fearless and took several more solo trips. Nevermind that she looks asleep in this picture. That's just the excitement showing.

The awesome rubber tire horse swings that were made for people half my size . . . children, you might say.

November

Post-smoothie mustache AND unibrow. She takes her breakfast very seriously.

December

Loved opening up the coat closet to see this. Check out the size of those boots.