Faux-Reos

These are yummy.

And yes, a glass of milk is required for their consumption.

Homemade Bagels

Forget grocery store bagels because they don't taste that great, and definitely forget speciality store bagels because they're too pricey! Making your own bagels is surprisingly easy and the taste and texture are wonderful!

I've been trying to make all of my own bread products since I moved to Colorado. At times, it has proven difficult for me because baking in higher altitudes can be tricky. Add the boiling component of bagels, and I was pretty darn intimidated. I decided to go with the simplest recipe possible, which meant I was using white bread flour, not whole wheat flour (I've had issues in the past).

I'd love to do a step-by-step, like PW but I just don't have time time to chronicle recipes (I actually started this blog Saturday morning and had to put off finishing it because I was busy *EDIT* Although now that I have posted the blog, it says that it's Saturday at 9:53am... believe me, it's Sunday evening). I used my favorite baking handbook's recipe which can also be found here.

I think they took me three hours from start to finish. I had ordered online the one ingredient I hadn't heard of previously, so if you ever decide to make these be sure to get/search for this ingredient ahead of time.

Here is my final product.

Uggh, I couldn't get the above picture to turn (I still haven't figured out my Mac)

They were exactly like bagels should be (although maybe not as pretty)... they had shiny, chewy crusts and soft middles. As for the taste? I had three out of the 8 and J ate 5. I made them Thursday and they were gone by Saturday morning. These were true winners. I think I will make them again soon!

2010 Goals-- Organization!

Why don't we take a stroll in my left-brained/task-oriented mind? I'm sure it won't be a complete surprise to most of my readers, who seem to share the same mentality. I read far too many bloggers with the same sentiments!

2009 definitely got away from me. It wasn't the best year and it wasn't the worst either. I didn't lose any family members, although I did lose one that was as good as family (a blog post for another time). I did find myself extremely stressed for the majority of the year though, which put a damper on my personal life and homemaking.

I'm hoping a few tries at good old organization (January is National Organization Month after all) to get me through what is panning out to be a similar year to 2009. So how will this plan for organization make my life better?

1. Reading

I think I mentioned in earlier posts that 2009 was just a blah reading year for me. There were some real gems, but nothing like what I had experienced in previous years. I think my main problem last year was that I was trying to read too much at one time. There were many months where I had five books going at once because I didn't want to spend months on one long classic. I've tried this before and it just makes me frustrated.

In 2010, I'm going to try to do something different. I still want to read classics, no matter how long they are. So, instead of reading classics and modern fiction and nonfiction at the same time, I will read 50 pages of a classic in between other books. So far, I've read 100 pages of Villette which I LOVE so far and am reading my third book for completion for the year. I also want a better variety of fiction reads this year, since I'm no longer working with one particular age group in my profession. So, I'll switch from reading an adult work to a J-Fic work and back to my favorite teen works. All three have a veritable place in literature (it really bothers me when people allude that children's and YA novels are sub-par in any way) and I'm hoping that I can gain a better understanding of all three this year. I may read less classics overall this year, but I think I will have a better understanding of each classic that I do complete.

How on earth am I keeping track of this? Well, on my sidebar, I have a list of books completed for the year (2 so far). I've been doing this since 2007, but I just thought I would point out that it is there. I also have my Goodreads account where I can rate books. Finally, I have a spreadsheet that I keep for personal uses where I can color code reads to make sure that I am staying "well-rounded."

2. Crafting

J and I are both hoping to be a bit more crafty this year. I don't do much beyond embroidering. I prefer to stay in the kitchen. But this Christmas blessed us with a brand new sewing machine. A couple of years back I mistakenly bought dried lavender in BULK. It was funny at the time, but for a long time we had no clue what to do with it. J knows how to use the sewing machine (and I'm hoping to channel my very talented late grandmother to learn things myself as well) so one of these days we'll plan to make drawer sachets out of the lavender. Let me know if you want one because we'll be able to make plenty! Our ultimate goals with the sewing machine? A duvet cover (with hand embroidery embellishments) and modern curtains.

I'm working on a few projects right now... they're all stitching. One is going to be a VERY late xmas present, one a birthday present, and one is stitching names on stockings for our dogs. Maybe one of these days I'll try crocheting again or knitting since I haven't had much luck with crocheting (Ashley, I wish you lived here to teach me).

3. In the kitchen

My parents were very generous this Christmas and decided to gift us a freezer for our basement. I have been lusting after one for a while so this was a perfect gift. J wasn't so sure at first until we spoke with friends of ours who could really speak for its money-saving goodness. When we finally went to purchase one, we found a damaged (no lock) version of the largest model the store had for over $200 off of the normal price. We decided to go for it and save the money for our parents!

I immediately checked out all of the freezer cooking books we have at work and have managed to moderately fill up that sucker. Since we got the freezer, we've only gone out to eat once! I truly think going out to eat was preventing us from saving more money and was also pretty bad for our health. I already notice a difference in my figure because we eat much less processed foods and I feel 5 times better. After an exhausting 10 hour day at work, I can come home and cook a meal that I have already prepared instead of doing all of the planning and preparing that goes with starting something from scratch. I'm hoping to get a lot out of my freezer this year and put the money we save in savings!

I'm hoping all of these attempts at organization in 2010 help clear my mind and make for a more pleasant general well-being. I'll be sure to update as the year progresses.

En Zid

New Zealand was a wonderful honeymoon and well worth the year long wait.

Christmas Fun

Thanks Ms. Ashley for our scarves!

Opening stockings...

So Behind...

Yes, I am very behind on my updating. I promise to put something (New Zealandish) on the blog this weekend. I also need to update on a fabulous new reading challenge I've taken on for 2010.

But for now, I leave you with this...

Stitching Fun

Here are some stitching projects I've been working on lately...

All except the bib are for a male co-worker. Yes, I'm giving a guy tea towels for his birthday... at least they all have things he enjoys on them! I have no clue who the bib is for. I had some left over bibs from when a local friend had her baby in July and I wanted something to stitch... something Holiday-themed.

I won't be around much until Christmas time. We leave the country for two weeks this Saturday and I have one heck of a week ahead of me before I can even dream of late spring weather instead of fall (feels like winter here) and driving on the left hand side of the road.

I look forward to reading lots of interesting blogs when we get back!

Book Review: Lord of the Flies

Author: William Golding

Originally Published In: 1954

Read in: October 2009

Poor Piggy. Lord of the Flies is an interesting study in human nature. This was one of the many books I missed out on in high school. I recall my friend Susan mentioning reading the book and I always thought it had something to do with corn (maybe Children of the Corn?). My interest was sparked this year when I realized that a lot of my patrons read and like the book. It was also mentioned on this show which I thought I wouldn't like, but ended up a follower anyway.

The story takes place on a remote island. A plane crashes leaving only British school children as survivors. No adults. The survivors must find a way to summon outside help and also create a society of their own. Ralph, a blonde-haired boy is the first elected leader. His right hand man is a chubby boy named Piggy (although he doesn't want to be called that) who is constantly picked on even in this new situation. He wants the boys to have fun, build shelter, and build a fire to summon help. Jack, whose choir boy group becomes the hunters of the pack, becomes Ralph's main adversary. Jack and his pack of hunters become increasingly insane when a corpse on the island is mistaken as a beast, resulting and crazy rituals and even more serious occurrences.

I liked this book, although I expected to like it more than I did. The book is very allegorical, so I think I would have understood all of its nuances had I read it in a class rather than on my own. Overall, I'm glad I read it and now I can understand all of those pop culture references to the book!

Book Review: The Monk

Author: Matthew Lewis

Originally Published: 1796

Read in: September and October 2009

The Monk is a creepy reminder of the capacity for evil in humans. The story describes the downfall of a prominent Spanish monk named Ambrosio at the hands of Satan. This is Gothic literature at its best and most detailed.

Ambrosio begins his descent when a woman named Matilda disguised as another monk, tempts him. As an instrument of Satan, she encourages him to commit horrible acts throughout the book, of which I will spare the reader because you all should read this yourselves!

There are many diversions (for example, the bleeding nun) in the book, which honestly slowed my reading of this book, but it's usually my preference to stick with the main story. Overall, I was justifiably appalled by the main story (in a good way because I would recommend this book to anybody who likes Gothic literature). I often felt like Catherine Morland from Northanger Abbey while reading the story because I had trouble walking into dark rooms after reading the book. It was a great fall early evening read.

I'm happy about finishing this book before Halloween because I was able to complete this year's R.I.P Challenge. This was also a Classics Challenge read. Both challenges end on the 31st, so I'm just in the nick of time. Thanks to the hosts for encouraging people to read read read!

Fulfilling a Childhood Dream : Cherry Clafouti

Anybody who was friends with me growing up knows my mom is a super baker. It was inevitable that her love of baking would transfer to me. I started baking hard-core in college with easy recipes that became more elaborate and refined as I got older.

My mom feels that in order to gain a love of cooking and baking, you have to start young. I don't know if this is true, although I do plan to bake and cook with my kids. I have many distinct memories of standing on a stool and staring at my reflection in the stand mixer, stirring when allowed, and waiting to lick the whisk or paddle depending on what was being created. I remember looking on with envy during Christmas season when my mom would make spritz cookies with the cookie press (Way later I learned that my mom gets very frustrated making cookies with a press... the humidity in Georgia makes for many repeats. When I lived with my parents for two years before moving to Colorado, I would be the spritz maker in her place).

So, naturally, I received cookbooks in addition to fiction as presents when I was a kid. I think it was my 5th birthday when I received Yum yum! I'll be my own cook by Monique Felix. It is an obscure (I think) illustrated kid's cookbook and is obviously translated from French. I remember fantasizing about making all of these fabulous recipes. In reality, I think we made only one thing from the book... the directions were vague and we often had our own recipes for many of the dishes. Regardless, I still covet this book because who doesn't like reminiscing about a good childhood?

I generally like to bake something on my days off and today I decided to fulfill one of my Yum yum! dreams by baking a Cherry Clafouti. I was perusing through one of my favorite baking books, when I came across the recipe I would use. I had some sour cherries left over from spring baking, so I decided to make use of them after some major pumpkin overload over the past few weeks.

So here are a couple pictures of the Yum yum! recipe. Notice how I circled the recipe in the right hand corner because I wanted to make it.

Also pictured is the final product before baking... illustrated.

Here is my final KAF creation. I had to make the custard-y version in a 9in. pan because my only 10 in. pan is a springform, and the batter would leak through...

I'm too lazy to type in the recipe, but here is another KAF recipe that I bet is just as good.

Fall Madness

So, I can't believe it's been over a month since I last blogged! A couple of weeks back, I tried to chronicle our awesome trip to the pumpkin patch, etc. but I didn't end up publishing it for some reason.

I had a wonderful 4 day weekend planned, but of course things got in the way. I ended up working more than I wanted to (which was not at all) but it does mean less work during the week. We're pretty jammed packed schedule-wise until our big trip overseas next month, so blogging will be sparse.

I will, however, chronicle some of our fall madness over the past few weeks. I should mention that there is 2 inches of snow on the ground as we speak, so it feels more like Christmas right now than October.

A couple of weeks ago J and I went to a pumpkin patch in Ault, Colorado. The dogs had a blast (even if Quincey got a bad reaction to something and we had to rush him home to give him medicine) and we walked away with 15 pumpkins for $17. Jon and I love different varieties of pumpkins, so we were satisfied. I immediately ran home, pureed one of the white pumpkins and made a lovely pumpkin chiffon pie. It may not have been orange, but it is one of the best tasting pies I have ever made. And yes, that is homemade cinnamon whipped cream... yum!

Jon and I decorated the front of the house with the rest of the lot. We decorated the window boxes with gourds and winter squashes and the doorstep and porch with pumpkins. We don't have a picture of the entire front yet because we're waiting to carve some pumpkins closer to Halloween. We do, however, have a picture of some of the pumpkins... one is particularly fluffy (trust me, he looks like a rat when wet)!

So it's been a busy fall so far at our house! More later with some home improvements!

Updates

The smell of fall is in the air in Colorado. Okay, well, it's still pretty warm here, but the mornings and evenings are perfect! So what has been happening in the life of the G. family???

• I have convinced hubby to semi-decorate the house for fall. He thinks that I decorate for seasons far too early (understandable since I once decorated for Christmas in October) but I have convinced him at least to let me change out decorative pillow covers, candles, kitchen linens, place mats, etc. to fall colors. The fall color scheme is by far my favorite, and I'm loving the warmth it brings to my house. J. even bought me a small pumpkin to make the place more festive. When I do go all out, I will post pictures (hopefully a couple of weeks from now).
• I have experienced success in the bread baking department! I have been baking bread for a while now, but moving to an elevation more than 4,000 feet higher than my previous location has been bad for baking... especially whole wheat breads. I have tried everything under the sun to adjust recipes and nothing has worked. I was so close to buying a bread maker when I checked out a high altitude baking book from the library. Alas, success with a whole wheat bread! Now my small kitchen can be spared from a huge clunky bread maker and J. and I can eat well.



• I am reading too much at the moment: The Monk, The Devil in the White City, Sea of Monsters, and The Sunday Philosophy Club (this one is for a book club at work). I feel like I'm finally back to a reading routine, which makes life seem just right again.
• We're slowly preparing for our big trip to the southern hemisphere in November. Does anybody know anything about getting a temporary cell phone that works overseas? We've already decided that we don't want to take the laptop with us because we'll be traveling all over the north and south islands, but don't want to be completely isolated... it would be nice to communicate with family once in a while.
• As if I wasn't already a nerd, I have forged new paths of geekery and am now taken with this show. I found out recently that my best friend from college attended this this past weekend. I continually wondered why we never explored these interests in college! Sigh, the life of a nerd.

Better Late Than Never, I Suppose...

This is an interesting article, but about 5 years behind the curve. We were discussing this very same topic when I began graduate school a whopping 5 years ago. It never ceases to amaze me how many stereotypes there are out in the real world about libraries... like how anybody who works in a library is a "librarian" or "books will be completely obsolete in a few years." I don't see why it's so weird that libraries have evolved/are evolving, considering that every industry/profession does the same. It's obvious that I am way too involved, and that I wouldn't be shocked if this wasn't my life, but I'm shaking my head nonetheless. Seriously, who has seen a shushing, bun-wearing librarian with pointy glasses in the last 10 years?

I have to wonder what I tend to stereotype, and who is shaking their heads at me...

Book Review: Madame Bovary

Author: Gustave Flaubert

Originally Published: 1857 (after the back lash)

Read in: July and August 2009

After months and months of reading British literature (my favorite) I decided to move back to my college roots and read a French author. I don't know much about Flaubert (I have only read "A Simple Heart" up to this point) but was interested in reading Madame Bovary. I had a much easier time finishing this book than my last classic, perhaps because the main character was a bit on the tragic side for my tastes.

The book is basically the story of what happens when a woman, Emma, gets very bored with her life and lives for a fantastic ideal. At a young age, her father hands her over to Charles Bovary, a second-rate physician. She is almost immediately tired of the marriage and is repulsed by Charles. The physician thinks she needs a change of scenery and moves her to a different town. The new location only distracts Emma more and she begins to form relationships with other men. Emma also has a taste for the finer things in life and her reckless attitude with money combined with her passion for... well, passion creates dire consequences for her and Charles.

Overall, I enjoyed this book. Flaubert's writing style and his attention to detail were amazing. But I LOATHED Emma, mainly because I am not a romantic. I realize that the novel was likely a social critique of the time, so she had to be over the top, but I have never read about a more self-centered character. Sadly, I think we can all see some part of ourselves in Emma, because nobody is perfect.

Next on the list? Matther Lewis's The Monk. Should be creepy!

What I've Learned In 4 Years of Blogging

I can't believe it! My beautiful blog turned 4 earlier this month. I had blogs before this one, all of which failed, mainly because I took blogging too seriously and spilled my heart all over the internet. I was able to stick with this one though, even though its conception started during a rough summer for me.

This blog got me through my last year of graduate school, which was a very productive time in my life, but also a time of degraded self-esteem, which was all my own fault. I was giving up an activity that defined me for years, holding on to relationships that I should have let go when I moved to Indiana, and most importantly, dealing with living out of state by myself, without knowing a soul (admittedly, I was much more comfortable with the latter by the time I started the blog because I had made some friends). From graduate school, I moved back to my hometown with my parents for almost two years. I received my first professional job offer, re-met my husband (obviously he wasn't my husband at the time) and began traveling. New friendships were formed and old friendships blossomed. Then came time to pack up once again and make the long journey to Colorado, where I was offered a new job (thank goodness) and married. It's been quite a journey! So what have I learned over the past few years?

• Don't change the font color for every blog... not worth it. I realize that most people don't do this, but I did it all the time when I began my blog.
• Simple layouts work best (for me). I'm content using one of the basic layouts and changing the colors seasonally. In fact, this blog will become orange on September 1st!
• I don't have to find a clever quote to title each blog.
• I don't have to update periodically. Who has the time to update frequently??? I'm lucky if I get two words in every week. This week is exceedingly special... two blogs!
• Books are great! I think book blogs (and baking blogs) are the best things out there. I admire such wonderful, positive communities... something I don't see on a lot of social networking forums and specialized blogs. What a better way to bring people together than book challenges or Bakerella's beautiful blog.
• Don't fuss about comments or followers. Blogging is a good archiving method for me, since I don't journal. I can look back to late 2005 to see all of the exciting or mundane things I was doing. Lack of comments and followers will not be my demise, but getting more busy might just be the ticket.
• Pictures! I love pictures when I look at blogs. They add depth and help me connect with the author. I want to post more pictures in my blog... I shall work on this.

It's been an interesting 4 years blog. Let's see where technology takes us during the next 4!

Marriage Survey

For all you married people out there! Tag your married friends that you want to know about!



1. When is your "engagement" anniversary: I think it was early to mid-October 2007. I don't remember the exact date.



2. When is your "marriage" anniversary: October 18th, 2007



3. How long have you known your spouse: I met him at band camp (snort) when I was in 10th grade... so 12 years.



4. How long did you date/court before you were engaged: About a year



5. Where did you meet your spouse for the first time? Band Camp in South Carolina



6. What is your spouse's full name: I refuse to post that...



7. Do you have any children: I'll go with Ashley and say "two furry ones!"



8. How many - boys/girls: one boy and one girl :)



9. Do you have any house pets: see above



10. Do you own a house or rent: own



11. Do you live in the country or town/city: A Town



12. What is one of your favorite activities together: Walking, which sometimes leads to hiking, watching movies, running errands, and most importantly, eating and traveling



13. Do you have a favorite vacation spot: I'm not sure, but we're hoping the honeymoon becomes the favorite spot. We have travelled a lot all over the west, but we've planned for much more



14. When did you first kiss? Christmas eve, 2006



15. What church do you attend? St. Josephs



16. Is this the church you were married in? No... we were married in a university chapel in Illinois (where my grandfather taught)



17. What town is your current address at? Fort Collins, CO



18. Do you work or stay at home: I work and so does Jon. If we have children in the future, I hope to go down to part time and would love to be a stay at home mom, which is it's own complicated job.



19. Where did you go on your honeymoon: We haven't gone yet. We're going this November to NZ.



20. What was the funniest gift you gave when dating? There were many, but all I can remember right now is the "I Dewey" shirt



21. How long have you been together? 3 years



22. How long did you know each other before you started dating? About 10 years being acquaintances

23. Who asked who out? He asked me.



24. How old are each of you? I'm 27 and he is 28



25.Where do you each work or go to school? I am a librarian for a public library district in a nearby town and he is a medical animator


26. Which situation is the hardest on you as a couple? For me, it's making dinner... I never know what to make for dinner and never have the energy to make it!


27. Did you go to the same school? High School and College, but not Grad School



28. Are you from the same home town? Yes



29. Who is smarter? I would say the same... although in different areas



30. Who is more sensitive? Me



31. Where do you eat out most as a couple? The Rio, Suehiro, or Sri Thai... all local restaurants



32. Where is the furthest you two have traveled together as a couple? Well, living here, I would say Georgia



33.Who has the craziest exes? I don't think either of us have crazy exes



34. Who has the worst temper? Me.



35. Who does the cooking? Both.



36. Who is more social? He is... he is confident in making friends and I am shy



37. Who is the neat-freak? Depends on the day



38. Who is more stubborn? Me



39. Who hogs the bed? Jon would say me and I would say him



40. Who wakes up earlier? Me



41. Where was your first date? Throwing frisbee at the park



42. Who had more boyfriends/girlfriends? Equal for us, or at least close.



43. Do you get flowers often? No, but I don't want them a lot because they'll die.



44. How do you spend the holidays? I prefer it with just him instead of running around like chickens with our heads cut off trying to satisfy both families.



45. Who is more jealous? Me



46. How long did it take to get serious? We were serious about 4 months into the relationship



47. Who eats more? Him.



48. Who does the laundry? Me



49. Who’s better with the computer? Him.



50. Leave a piece of advice for the other couples. Don't sweat the small stuff and only spend what you can afford!

Survey

1. What time did you get up this morning? 7am... sleeping in!

2. Diamonds or pearls? no preference

3. What was the last film you saw at the cinema? Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince

4. What is your favorite TV show? Doctor Who

5. What do you usually have for breakfast? Depends on the day, but I would usually say cereal

6. What is your middle name? Sue

7. What food do you dislike? Raw tomatoes, cooked carrots, eggplant, squashes, Chinese 5 Spice

8. What is your favorite CD at moment? I don't have one... but I always listen to the local classic rock station

9. What kind of car do you drive? Honda CR-V

10. Favorite sandwich? I don't have a favorite

11. What characteristic do you despise? cockiness/conceit (I'll keep Camille's answer)

12. Favorite item of clothing? I am having clothing issues as of late, so I would say pajamas because they don't make me feel bad

13. If you could go anywhere in the world on vacation, where would you go? Most anywhere that doesn't have a lot of bugs and doesn't compromise my safety

14 . Favorite brand of clothing? J. Crew, Banana, and Ann Taylor

15. Where would you retire to? Somewhere accessible to an airport, but not Florida

16. What was your most recent memorable birthday? ???

17. Favorite sport to watch? None

18. Furthest place you are sending this? No clue

19. Person you expect to send it back first? No one

20. When is your birthday? April 2

21. Are you a morning person or a night person? morning

22. What is your shoe size? 8 or 8.5

23. Pets? Quincey (named after the character in Dracula hence the different spelling-- most people think we named him after the town in which we were married) and Meadow (we kept the breeder's name for her)

24. Any new and exciting news you'd like to share with us? No

25. What did you want to be when you were little? teacher, paleontologist

26. How are you today? Day off! I'm so tired.

27. What is your favorite candy? Most anything gummy

28. What is your favorite flower? dahlias, roses

29. What is a day on the calendar you are looking forward to? November 21st... overseas vacation!

30. What's your full name? (excluding that from the blog)

31. What are you listening to right now? Cash Cab

32. What was the last thing you ate? Waffles (me too Camille!)

33. Do you wish on stars? No

34. If you were a crayon, what color would you be? turquoise

35. What is the weather like? cool and sunny

36. The first person you spoke to on the phone today? Haven't talked on the phone today

37. Favorite soft drink? Root Beer, but I try to avoid all of them

38. Real hair color? Light Brown

39. What was your favorite toy as a child? Rub-A-Dub Doggy

40. Summer or winter? Change of seasons

41. Hugs or kisses: both

42. Chocolate or Vanilla? Vanilla

43. Coffee or tea? ??

44. Do you want your friends to email you back? Depends on what I am emailing

45.When was the last time you cried? Last week?

46. What is under your bed? nothing

47. What did you do last night? I closed the library

48. What are you afraid of? Why would I list that in a public area?

49. Salty or sweet? Sweet

50. How many keys on your key ring? 4?

51. How many years at your current job? 1 year

52. Favorite day of the week? Usually Friday

53. How many towns have you lived in? 6

54. Do you make friends easily? No, I am shy.

55. Favorite restaurant? Here in Fort Collins? Either The Rio, Suehiro, or Sri Thai

Moose!

Hiking in Southern Wyoming...

Squeaky Clean Editorial

I love bar soap to the point of obsession (but not compulsion). The only time I have ever preferred a body wash to bar soap was when I toured around the country for this in college. I like the way soap makes my skin feel clean without stripping too much away. Body washes tend to smell detergent-y (to me) and most of the time involve some sort of beads or ribbons that I just don't care to deal with. I like a well made, triple-milled soap, preferably with some sort of scent.

My favorite brands that I must praise are this and this. The former has been falling out of my favor as of late ever since it joined partners with the main owner of the site. I feel like the company has drained the soaps of any of its former variety and creativity (if I could just get my hands on their Fresh Cut Grass and Ocean scents again, I would be so happy). The original and oatmeal varieties are excellent though. The latter is one of my childhood favorites. My dad always made sure that my mom and I always had an ample supply of bath items and this was his choice, mainly because they carry a Gardenia scent, which is my mom's favorite. Also, this company has been in business since the 1700s. When I was a kid I was all over the bubble baths, but these days, the lavender soap is my absolute favorite. Lavender is my all time favorite scent, and these guys get the spicy, yet soothing scent down to a tee.

While I have an ample supply of soap at home (there were some major summer sales and my husband and I are well stocked for the next year) I'm always on the lookout for a good bar soap, whether it be from a major company, locally made, or made from my own hands (one of these days I will try soap making). What is your favorite scent/variety/brand, or better yet, care to prove me wrong on the body wash front?

What is wrong with this picture???

1. My mom wants a Bl@ckberry so she can text and email with her best friend (who lives within walking distance). My dad already has one and I get more emails from his Bl@ckberry than from his physical computer.

2. Jon and I recently got on a family plan for our cell phones. We got the cheapest phones possible and refused the additional charges for texting because we rarely text.

So much for the younger generations "keeping up with the technologies."