Tracie's World

Turns out that Friday was also National Puzzle Day. So my adorable niece and I celebrated by (how else) putting a puzzle together. Not sure if you can tell, but she LOVES kittens, and the color pink. Pretty sure that with this puzzle, we covered everything.

This week we were blessed by a visit from my Sister and her two oldest girls, who flew in all the way from Texas. The nieces are almost ready to graduate from High School, and were here to check out some potential college choices. Friday, I was fortunate to go with them to the Open House for the new Provo City Center Temple. It was a pleasant drive, and the temple was stunning. And it was a special treat for me to experience it with them. We also spent some time checking out Provo, shopping at the Polynesian Market, and eating at my favorite burger joint. Later in the day, we went over to my Brother's house, where we played games, and Awesome Sister-in-law #1 treated everyone to a delicious dinner. Sadly, the visit was all too brief, and they are now safely settled at home. But so grateful for the time we got to spend together. 

The Salt Lake Temple has been closed for cleaning the last couple of weeks, and before I started serving there, I figured I would really look forward to my "off" weeks. However, I've found that's not the case. I miss being there, and the good feelings that get me through to the next week. So last Saturday, fearing that missing a week at the temple would cause me to lose some of those good vibes, some of my temple worker friends and I, all made a trip up to the Bountiful temple. It was not nearly as busy as we suspected it might be, and ended up being a wonderful session. It motivated me and kept me feeling good as I went throughout a long and busy week. Lesson learned.

Had another great day at the temple on Saturday. The biggest thing was that I've memorized and passed off the words for some of the ordinances, and was able to practice and help out with some of them. My reward for completing that, aside from being able to help perform the ordinances, was some delightful freezer jam made by one of the Sister Training Coordinators. I also manned some of my usual posts, and got to interact with some of the fabulous Sisters who work there.  In thinking about some of the blessings that have come to me from serving in the temple so far, I would say that being at the temple every week really contributes to my ability to get through the next week with a positive attitude, and gets me out of the house in the winter time. I'm sure I will discover more as I continue with it, but for me, those are huge.

A few of my friends shared a recipe online for Oven-baked Avocado Egg Rolls. Avocados are a major part of my diet (I eat some avocado just about every day), and the recipe sounded pretty easy. Plus it was vegetarian. I finally got around to making them yesterday, and they turned out great! Avocado Egg Rolls 3 large avocado, diced 1/2 c. sun-dried tomatoes, chopped 1/2 c. red onion, diced 1/2 t. salt Stir the mixture together, wrap in egg roll wrappers (you can get those in the produce section, by the tofu), and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Makes about 10-11 egg rolls.

With the New Year, I thought I'd try a few new things to do with my time while I'm at home relaxing, in place of spending more time on my tablet or TV. First, I bought some adult coloring books, and started coloring a bit. The jury is kind of out on the adult versions - they're a little too much effort. But it was a good attempt, and now I know I'd probably prefer kiddie style coloring books instead. Second, Santa brought me a little toy recorder in my stocking, so I bought a book of recorder music. I discovered that the toy recorder was a little warped, and some of the notes wouldn't play, so I bought a new recorder instead. It takes a lot of wind, and I'm trying to remember all the new fingerings, but it's fun. Third, I wanted to get back to reading regularly, so I set a goal on my goodreads account to read 24 books this year - basically 2 books a month. FOr my second book this month, I picked up a book that I'd bought a while ago, but hadn...

Yesterday was my first official day at the temple, it ended up being a very good day. It started out a little unexpectedly, when during the preparation meeting, the new Sisters were all introduced and told they would speak to everyone for one minute each. And the Temple Matron, Sister Samuelson was there, plus all the Supervisors and Coordinators, so it was definitely a little intimidating. But they are all very nice, and so helpful, that it's not intimidating for very long. After the Preparation Meeting, it was time for training, and the rest of my schedule. I learned some of the different postings (where you have to stand and watch and direct folks where to go), and started memorizing some of the ordinances. The schedules are so tight that the time just flies by. But by the end of my shift I was pooped!

Normally on New Year's Day, my tradition is to make a pot of blackeye peas and corn bread, along with some collard greens. It's supposed to bring luck and good fortune in the coming year. But for whatever reason, I just wasn't feeling like it much this year.  However, while I was checking my twitter feed on New Year's Eve, I came across a tweet of a recipe from pbs.org, for something called "Veggie Pate'", and it sounded interesting. Basically, it's a meatloaf-like dish, without the meat. It's supposedly a recipe eaten a lot in Quebec on New Year's Day. And having visited there, it piqued my interest. Here's the recipe as I wrote it down from the website.  Finished product: I have to say, it was mighty tasty. You can serve it on crackers, or like a meatloaf sandwich. I took it down to my brother's house, and they all liked it as well. I hope you'll try it. It's fantastic, and worth the effort.

A couple of weeks ago, I ended up with a bottle of Coconut Nectar from the department party, and I'd been hanging on to it not knowing what to do with it, and a little afraid to open it. But I came up with an idea the other day for how to use it in a "mock"tail (non-alcoholic cocktail). I went to the store and bought a bottle of orange-pineapple juice, and along with a bottle of 7-up that I'd been gifted, I mixed those together with some of the coconut nectar. And I have to say, it was delicious! If you'd ever like to try it, you'll need to go to an Asian Market to find the coconut nectar (product of Thailand). But you'll love it!

Got together with my pals Inge and Janeen for New Year's Eve, and had a fun time ringing in the new year. The evening started with a Broadway Sing-along at the Temple Square Assembly Hall. There was quite a crowd, and led by two Emcees, and wonderful accompanist, we all sang along, and I had so much fun that I was "this" close to opening my umbrella inside for "Singin' In The Rain". Afterward, I captured this lovely shot of the temple all lit up. After the Sing-along, we met up with Inge at a fun restaurant called Cinegrill. Tasty Italian food, accompanied by a gentleman playing the piano and singing the old standards. I neglected to get a photo, but needless to say, the food and music and friends were terrific. After dinner we realized that we were sorely lacking in the New Year's Eve party favor department. We finally found a few, and all decked out, made our way down to the movie theater to catch a showing of "Star Wars: The Force...