lime ricki swimwear

i've found the swimwear sweetspot:

stylish, modest, AND relatively cheap. thought i share it with all of you. plus, they're doing a giveaway on their blog until march 29th. all you have to do is post a comment.

may i introduce you to lime ricki swimwear...

a day in the life, in case you wanted to know, tuesday to be exact

4:45 wake up. take ibuprofen, switch load of laundry, head to gym.

5:15 run.

6:15 shower. housework.

7:00 wake up kids. scriptures. breakfast. make lunches. craziness.

8:45 take kids to school.

9:00 prepare tax returns. (and yes, the dishonesty of my fellowmen saddens me, still, every time.)

4:00 home. teach piano.

7:00 dinner.

7:15 more piano.

8:00 back to work. more tax returns. fun, fun for everyone.

10:00 home. scriptures. prayer. exhaustion-induced weeping ensues. or reading.

10:30 dream about the 1040.

4:45 the fun starts all over again.

and the insane thing is, i am enjoying work quite a bit. much more than last year. i am almost dreading all that free time coming up in a few more weeks.

no more good excuses for a messy house. and will mr. coleman stop doing the dishes for me at night?

quilting on the brain

added to the bucket list: sew a quilt or two or four.

and an update. i have failed on all of my new years resolutions but two (still no soda and no new clothes). but i am still trying my best. i always aim high and shoot low. what can i say?

on hold

are you sick of seeing that picture of tomato soup every time you log into my blog? well it's gonna be here for a while. this blog is low on the list of priorities right now.

at the coleman house right now: we are sick. we are on medication. we are making money and paying down are debts. we are taking turns with making dinners and doing housework.

regular posting should return sometime after april 15. you can always give me a call if you are curious about what's new.

Tomato Soup Success

Stress level on a scale of 1 to 10 (10 being the highest): 10.

Just so you know.

What was I thinking?

Anyway, after years of testing different tomato soup recipes, I have finally created the ultimate, perfect recipe. It is so good it makes me want to cry. And it only takes 15 minutes, with about 1 minute of prep work. Try it and weep.

Basil Tomato Soup

2 28 oz. cans crushed tomatoes

1 tablespoon chicken base

1/2 cup pesto

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

3 tablespoons sugar

1 cube (1/2 cup) butter, chopped

1 12 oz. can evaporated milk

Directions:

In a large stock pot, combine tomatoes, chicken base, pesto, salt and sugar. Bring to a boil and simmer, covered, for 10 minutes. Add butter and milk and heat through.

Notes:

I buy my chicken base at Costco in the spices/pantry section and use it with water added as a substitute for chicken broth or stock all the time.

Great food storage item.

If you don't have it, you can substitute 3 boulion cubes, but don't add any salt (and sorry to say, but your soup won't be as good). I use homemade pesto that I freeze at the end of every summer in gargantuan batches. (Ask my kids about picking basil last fall. I think we had 3 laundry baskets full.)

photo from here

confessional

i am so tired.

i have failed in my goal to write every day in 2010.

i have a secret love for the singer aaron neville.

i ate a rotisserie chicken the day after i watched food, inc.

i vacuumed my room for the first time in ... really i can't remember when i last vacuumed it. maybe june?

i am in love with the book i am reading. i love it so much i don't want to tell people about it, because what if they don't like it?

i have been crying all day, off and on for the dumbest reason, but i can't stop. somebody put me to bed.

i feel like throwing up every time i think about starting work full time again tomorrow.

wish me luck. i'll be doing it all without sugar this year. NO TREATS UNTIL APRIL 15th.

An Addict and 5 Chins

Okay peeps. I am really behind on blogging and it's just going to get worse.

I have accepted a new assignment at church (Relief Society secretary) and said goodbye to my previous assignment with great rejoicing and choirs singing alleluias in my head. Not one tear shed in sadness.

But, with the change comes a lot of work and meetings, plus there is the looming Tax Season of 2010 that I am preparing for. I am really busy. Can you tell? While the world mourns their losses in Haiti, I blog about getting new shoes. Also, I leave it up for more than a week. Don't worry. I made a donation to the Red Cross at Costco to make up for my shallowness.

I still need to blog about: (1) basketball season, (2) a change to my New Year's Resolutions, (3) an author signing, (4) a birthday party

But first, allow me to reminisce. So far, I have been perfect in keeping my goal for no soda in 2010. But did you know, like a true addict I went out with a bang? On New Year's Eve I made a visit to Pop the Soda Shop in South Scottsdale to fill up one last time.

Think: aisles of dusty cardboard boxes filled with every kind of bottled soda that exists in the known world.

My sisters and me.

And now the 5 chins. Please meet my brother-in-law Clint, husband to my sister Angela. He is hysterically funny, argues passionately about his beliefs and I would suggest bringing him along on any outing. Guaranteed to be more fun. Our little jaunt turned into a contest to see who could make the most chins. I think I won, but tragically only have the pictures of Clint's 5 chins to show you. Also, Clint has a blog and sings in a band. You may love one or both.