There is something so peaceful about waking up on a snowy morning.

Don't get me wrong. I have been longing for blue skies and sunny weather as much as anyone. Probably more than many. I spent last summer in Virginia, which basically equates to no summer.

Virginia summer = boiled people
Utah summer = baked people

What is a summer without being baked? Not really a summer at all.

But it doesn't matter what time of year it is, what the weather has been like, or what the weather is expected to be. You will never find me unhappy to wake up to find the clouds low and grey and the trees frosted in white.

Snowy mornings resonate with something deep inside, something I forget until I wake up to a quiet world covered in snow and find it there inside of me. It is the very me-est part of me.

It is easy to get a little off balance with this crazy life pushing and tugging and swirling me around in whirlwind of fabulousness.

All I need is a snowy morning.

It brings me back to me.

How To Change Your Life Forever

Raspberry Bread Pudding

• 1 1/2 loaves white bread, aged

Tear bread into 1 1/2 inch chunks. Set aside in large bowl.

• 1 quart half & half
• 3 cups sugar
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 1 tsp vanilla

In a medium bowl, whisk together the half & half, sugar, egg, and vanilla. Continue stirring until sugar is dissolved.

Pour half & half mixture over bread. Stir gently to coat all bread chunks. Let stand for half an hour stirring every 5 minutes.

• 5 cups raspberries
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup apple juice

In a medium mixing bowl (I rinse out and use the same bowl from the last conglomeration), gently stir together the raspberries, sugar, and apple juice until the sugar is dissolved.

Fill a 9x13 baking dish half full with the bread mixture. Spread the raspberry deliciousness over the bread. Top with the rest of the bread mixture.

Bake 40 minutes in a 375° oven.

Vanilla Cream Sauce

• 1 1/3 cups butter
• 5 tbsp flour

Melt butter in medium saucepan. Stir in flour. Cook over low heat until it starts to smell a little nutty. Do not cook long enough for butter to brown.

• ½ salt
• 3 cups heavy cream
• 2/3 cups sugar

Add salt, cream, and sugar. Stir continually until mixture thickens to a nice saucy thickness. (This is personal preference. Some people like their sauce thin and runny. I like my sauce thick enough that it stays where I put it.) Remove sauce from heat.

• 2 tsp vanilla

Stir in vanilla.

Books 3-5

2 – 5/200 OR 1/40 complete

Is there anything better than a biscuit?

Nope. Definitely not.

Which is why I will be doing this in the coming weeks.

This is gonna be good.

I just discovered that if I walk to the break room at work 41.7 times a day, taking the long route, I will get in the recommended 10,000 steps a day. Do you think anyone will notice if I walk to the break room every 11.5 minutes?

Book 2

Love.

Las Vegas

Yesterday was Martin Luther King Day. Three-day weekend = I’m outta here! I spent my mini vacation in Las Vegas, basking in the gorgeous, sunny mid-60s weather. My aunt and uncle were kind enough to offer me and my sister a place to lay our weary heads at night. Lucky for us cause all that sunny weather, amazing shopping, and awesome food is enough to tire out any girl.

My aunt and uncle, along with a place to rest our weary heads, are also excellent providers of lots of laughter, lots of thinking, and lots of conversationaling—three things that are tragically difficult to find. Thanks Aunt and Uncle.

I also had an opportunity to begin working on my 24/24 list.

10 Kelly and I started the drive to Vegas Friday after work, at about 3:31 pm. The sunset was amazing in a very nontraditional sunset kind of way. The colors are indescribable. If you think of a sunset I am pretty sure these colors wouldn’t come to mind. It was the prettiest sunset I have seen in a long time.  It reminded me of all the things that were perfect  in this world. And then I wasn’t thinking at all. But . . . is it possible to “visit” a sunset? 

13 I may have fulfilled my requirement to do something disgustingly touristy.  Kelly and I took Tommy (my delightful GPS device) to Vegas with us. He struggled a bit when it came to the spaghetti bowl.  Don’t worry, we only got off the freeway to get right back on, per Tommy’s instructions, four or five times. (And then we put him away. I was better at navigating without him.) I am not sure if I am going to count it. It is not what I had in mind, but what reason is there for discriminating against something that was not in my mind?

21 I started setting out my pennies! Good thing cause I have so far to go. I was disappointed in the lack of fountains I found. There were a couple, but they weren’t spraying. I need to improve my fountain sleuthing skills.

First penny strategically placed to bring good luck. I am happy to report that when I visited the spot four days later (the gas station was the first and last place we stopped), my penny was gone.

Four more pennies, placed to bring good luck. Don't worry, I just left the pennies, not the bags of wonderful stuff.

Verdict:

13 – not complete

10 – not begun

21 – 1% complete

PS Is anyone else disturbed that I didn't think about Martin Luther King Jr. once over the weekend? I didn't think about him, I didn't think about what he fought for, and I didn't think about how he changed our nation. Who am I?