Six things

I have been SUCH a bad blogger lately. In fact I think that it will be miracle if anyone even reads this-I suspect that everyone has stopped checking my site for updates. If, however, that is not the case, and you have not given up on me, BLESS YOU!!! I am going to be a better blogger... I hope that someday, when I grow up, I can be a blogger just like Camille (she is the epitome of bloggers in my mind: consistent, witty, clever, brilliant...)

Well I have been meaning to get back in the blogging spirit, but haven’t been able to find the motivation. Jami Parker Pitts just tagged me to do "Six Things". For those of you unfamiliar with this practice, let me explain: Someone tagged her and she had to write and expound upon 6 interesting/odd/clever/fun/random things about herself. After doing it, she had to "tag" 6 other people to do it next. Well now it's my turn-I get to come up with 6 things about myself...

1) I love noises and textures. Recently (and by recently I mean about 10 months ago) I have taken a great liking to crunching noises. I love to eat crunch things as loudly as possible. when thins aren't very crunchy, I like to enhance the noise, and I love to make crunching noises when I eat soft things-like tortillas and grapes-it really confuses people! I also love the crunching sound of leaves! As far as textures are concerned, I love feeling neat things: good carpet, fabrics, a bowl full of rice, basically anything that has a good feel to it...

2) I Think I want to live to be 100. When they built the new Carson Pool they sold bricks and the person who bought them could have written on it as they chose. My father is a supporter of the school and city so he paid for one for each of us kids. I thought long and hard about what I wanted mine to say. I finally decided on "Lindsey Bella Burnham 1986-2086" I now feel like it is my duty to live to by 100 years old. I stopped by and looked at the brick the other day and honestly it's not holding up too well-I don't know how long it'll last, so if I don't make it that long I'm not going to feel too bad... I don't know, the idea of living a round 100 years just seems nice. Mind you I only want to be 100 if I'm healthy-none of this feeble, decrepit body junk: I want to be spry!

3) I am addicted to Christmas. I LOVE the holiday season. I don't just like it a little bit, but I LIVE for this time of the year! I have a book of lists, and in there is a list of 14 reasons I love Christmastime. It's not quite as intenst or insane as it used to be, but I'm pretty hardcore!

4) I would love to be a linguist. I enjoy languages quite a bit. I think it would be fabulous to devote my time to learning the languages of the world (and then later on in my life traveling the world and using then and experiencing other lands and cultures... that would be my dream!)

5) Just about the only thing I am scared of is elevators. I had a terrible nightmare involving elevators about 9 years ago and they still sort of frighten me. I go on them, and I don't freak out, break out in a cold sweat, or hyperventilate when riding them, but they do scare me a little.

6) I’m tongue tied! That's right...I am tongue tied. For more information and the like you may read about Ankyloglossia HERE. It doesn't effect anything really: eating, talking... But this is what it looks like:

So that is that. I now tag six others: Brandon, Tessa, Shauna, Kristi, Karlie, and Kim. Enjoy!

Autumn

Autumn is in the air. My new blog template seemes appropriate seeing how it is autumn colors.

This morning I left my house at 8:23 to head to work. As I opened the door, the air I felt was brisk! Needless to say, that was quite a pleasant surprise! This evening I went to the grocery store and wished I had a sweater... this is SO GOOD!!! Pretty soon I will be able to comfortably wear sweatears, scarves, and gloves. That also means hot chocolate weather, heaters, the smell of cedar wood fires, and other amazing cold weather things. The world is looking up...

Last Resorts

My roommate would want to kill me if she knew I was writing this blog right now. You see, I have SO MUCH homework. Before I go to bed tonight I need to write 3 papers. put together a presentation and handout, find and read 4 articles, read from my textbook and take notes, and do a take-home test. I have class in 5 hours and 18 minutes (that's not including driving, parking, and walking time). Right after my class I have to go to my ward FHE where we are having our first Roadshow practice--I'm the director. So you can see, it is a fairly crazy day with lots to do, and writing a blog is probably one of the last things I should be doing. I thought about cleaning out my closet and getting rid of all the clothes I never wear anymore, but my roommate warned me that I would be really and truly sorry if I did, because she would NOT be happy when she got home... So here I am, writing a blog (something that I have been meaning to do for quite some time actually), avoiding everything that really needs to get done.

Last night I had a waffle party here at #5 Hillside. I made waffles and people came over and ate them and mingled and ate. A few of my friends performed musically. Derrick Played a few fabulous numbers on the cello, then Steffen, Peter, and Josh played the Guitar. When there were just a few people left, Steffen pulled out the Phantom of the Opera book out and played the guitar while he and Lisa (my roommate who is a music major at ASU) sang. It was really fun. I enjoy Sunday evening get togethers.

500 to 1

Early last week I got home from my day's obligation and went into the bathroom. As I walked in I realized that something was not quite right...

There had been an INVASION!!! That's right, an invasion! Ants were taking over my bathroom. They were ALL over the floor, bathtub, shower curtain, and walls. Not even joking, I think that there were more that 500 of the little devils. After the initial shock wore off I grabbed the Clorox Cleanup and went to war. Some of them were drowned, some got smashed, and others died from the bleach fumes. I even tried to sweep up some of the ones that were on the floor--not such a good idea, seeing as they can move fairly quickly...

Well after a long battle I thought I was the conquer, but then I saw a trail of ants leading up the toilet bowl. I lifted up the cover and there were SO MANY ants! The picture doesn't even make it look as bad as it was. This was taken after I had sprayed the stupid bugs, and half of then had fallen in the bowl and been flushed.




This is is a picture after I wiped the dead ants off the seat. Needless to say, this was a wretched thing I had to experience. There are still a few ants crawling up the wall, but I put one of those plastic-things-full-of-ant-poison in there, so hopefully they will carry that back to their colony, never to return.

Oh, the joys of living on my own...

An Aunt at Last

Back in December I found out that Karlie, my sister-in-law, was expecting a baby. Her original due date was was estimated to be August 11th. As the 11th quickly approached, however, it looked like she wasn't going to have the baby till as late as the 24th.

When Bryce and Karlie found out they were having a boy they decided to share that information with family and friends, but wanted to keep his name a surprise. Since we didn't know his name I started calling him Charlie (it sounded close to Karlie, and was a boy's name). This pseudo-name caught on and soon the whole family called him this.


Well, Karlie went into the hospital the morning of Friday the 24th of August . She was induced and gave birth to Brigham Walter Burnham at 2:54 pm. He was a healthy 8 pounds 3 ounces and 20 inches long.
It's amazing: experiencing a new life coming into the world. I didn't "experience" life coming into the world literally (I mean I didn't give birth, or even see Karlie giving birth), but I have seen the process of Brigham's coming about. I saw her when she was just barely pregnant, saw her grow, got to feel Brigham kicking and rolling about in Karlie's womb, and then saw him when he was a few hours old. It is incredible that Karlie was able to make another person--one who was so beautiful and perfect! It's so fun to hold his little body and embrace his innocence!

So Brandon went to the hospital earlier today and was happy to announce that Brigham doesn't look like a "Charlie" at all. Karlie was quite excited to hear that. This evening while I was at the hospital visiting again Brigham opened his evey and was trying to look around. I could tell that he was really fighting to keep his eyes opened, and he went really cross-eyed. It was SO FUNNY, and Karlie and I were dying laughing.

So Being an Aunt is amazing and I already love it!!! I can only imagine what is yet to come.

A Question With No Right Answer

I find that in my life I put off little, simple things for a long time. A while ago I got a notice in the mail that my car registration was about to expire. I got online and tried to renew it right then so I could just get it out of my way. Well I discovered that I needed to get my emissions taken care of and renewed. I went that same week and got that taken care of, but somehow didn't get around to mailing it in...

Knowing that I am driving with expired tags has caused me to feel a great deal of angst. Every time I see a cop I get really tense and make sure I'm not doing anything wrong. Well this last Sunday I was driving home after eating dinner at my parents house. I saw a cop driving right behind me and once again got tense and made sure I was not breaking any traffic laws. Well about a minute later the blasted cop turned his lights on. I had never been pulled over in all my life, so it was a good experience I suppose.


So I rolled my window down and the cop comes over and says, "Do you know why I pulled you over?" WHAT KIND OF QUESTION IS THAT?!!!! I mean it's like the kind of question that's impossible to answer safely! You don't want to say you're speeding, because if that's not the real reason, then you've just given yourself away. You can't say "Why don't you tell me?" Because then the cop will think you're getting smart with him! You can't say nothing, because despite how dumb this question is, they TRULY are expecting an answer! It's like a walking into a trap; it's a sick joke. I can just picture it: All the cops are sitting in training. "Okay, rule number one, always ask the question 'Do you know why I pulled you over'... it's amazing! It's bound to make them feel nervous, and you to be in complete power." All those cops can't wait to get out in the field and try this sick little 'trick'.

I honestly believe that there is no winning with this question...

Taco Time

My brother Brandon and I both recently moved out. Since this has happened we 1) don’t get to see each other as much as we used to, and 2) don’t eat as well. In order to solve this we came up with a solution: Twice a week we eat together. Monday nights I make dinner and he and Brad come over to eat and visit. Wednesday nights Brandon cooks and I go over to his house. (This ensures 3 decent meals a week-Monday, Wednesday, and Sunday at my parents).

His past Monday I decided to make tacos. They are not a hard thing to make, but I felt fulfilled no less. The taco meat turned out really good, we had a good variety of taco fillings, they tasted amazing, I felt like I was a good homemaker, and I didn’t burn the kitchen down. All in all it was quite successful! I like cooking, enjoy expanding my skills, and am really happy to cook for my brothers who I love dearly.

A Sunday Concert

So as I mentioned previously, Sunday evenings are usually reserved for cooking something fancy. This last Sunday, however, my cooking partner was out of town. So instead of doing nothing at all (and going to bed early which would have been the wisest choice), I decided to have people over for a little concert.
I have been really blessed to have friends who play the guitar and sing quite beautifully. During church I was talking to Lance Jennings and he agreed to play for me. So I invited a few people at church to come join me.


Brian Coleman, Sam Fox and Tanner Huber came over a little early and we made some treats. Lance serenaded us for a bit and did an amazing job. One great thing about Lance is that he knows a lot of songs that Camille and I like, and he is willing and happy to play whatever we request.

After Lance was done playing Adam Norberg took the stage and played a few songs in story form. He got really into it and everyone lived it. I truly think that Adam should be a comedian when he grows up!

To end the musical portion of the night, Bryan Crosland played a bit. Brad was our final musician and played a little song called Wind chimes (for those of you not familiar with this “song”, it basically consists of playing the strings at the very, very top of the guitar where they are about to connect to the tuning posts).
After the concert portion we stayed and chatted for a while. It was fun to listen to music, eat treats, and get to know each other better. All in all I would say it was a successful night!

An endlessly empty kitchen

So I think that those of you who have ever lived on your own will be able to relate
to what I am about to write more than those of you who have not. That doesn't mean that you only-at-home-livers won't enjoy it, you just won't relate as fully...

So when I lived at home I took small things for granted: soap, toothpaste, toilet paper, not paying for shower water, and FOOD! Now that I live at number 5 Hillside with 5 girls I do not enjoy such luxuries as free food in abundant quantities.


I have also come to realize how frustrating grocery shopping can be. Above is a picture of me looking at the sale adds at the store, trying to see how to get the most for my money-I try to be a smart shopper. Below is a visual of me deciding what frozen foods to buy.


So I guess I live a life of "extremes". I am usually on one side of the spectrum or the other-no middle ground. This idea manifests itself when I am grocery shopping. A vast majority of the time I go shopping when I am famished (and EVERYTHING sounds good) or I am too full (and I can't imagine ever being hungry again and don't want to buy anything!)


Every time I get food I try to get a good variety: sweet, salty, hot, cold, fast, ingredients to make dishes, hearty, light and snacky, et cetera. As I am shopping and paying I feel successful, but that usually changes when I get home and start putting food away. I can spend 10, 20, 60 dollars on groceries, yet when I get home and put everything away I feel like I have just as much to eat as I did prior to shopping. How is that even possible?!!! IT DOESN'T EVEN MAKE ANY SENSE!!!

As a side note:
My little brother went grocery shopping with me and I made him take all these pictures. At the end of our venture he said, "Lindsey, I think that you live your whole life around your blog..." I think that for the moment that is true, sadly...

Saga of a Successful Souffle

So I have a good friend named Steffen and we have recently taken a liking to cooking fun, new or fancy things together. The last two times we've done this it has happened to fall on a Sunday night, and I think that it is sort of becoming tradition. I am really excited about this for a number of reasons: I get to eat the things I make, I get to learn how to make more things, I am enhancing my homemaking skills, and I will get to have a weekly blog about what we made and what I learned!

So this last Sunday Steffen and I set out to make a chocolate soufflé. It's funny because neither one of us had ever made, seen, or tasted a soufflé. Now for those of you who don't know, soufflés are very temperamental; they are very sensitive to touch (and some have said light and sound... I think that may be pushing it, but you get the idea...) The soufflé been called the ''prima donna of the culinary world'' So in spite of the forces working against us we set to work.




For this cooking endeavor I got to be the head chef and Steffen was the sous chef. Basically I got to be in charge and got to tell him what to do :o)

So as we got started my roommate Shauna was using the oven. We started mixing ingredients and got going. As soon as Shauna took her food out of the oven I changed the oven heat to the appropriate temperature. Things went smoothly and we got the soufflé all mixed up and dished into the ramekins. We put them in the oven and set the timer for 10 minutes. When the timer went off we looked in the oven and they didn't look even close to being done. After a few moments of confusion and debate of what we should do, we realized that the oven was off! It was on the correct heat on the 'temperature dial', but the 'bake dial' was in the off position. We reheated the oven and then they cooked just beautifully. (The main cooking tidbit I gleaned from this week's venture is to make sure that the oven is on before cooking something!)


We took these little treats out of the oven and topped then beautifully with powdered sugar. We "served immediately'' as directed and they were INCREDIBLE! They were described in a number of ways: a chocolaty cloud, a little taste of heaven, amazing, and downright tasty. All in all it was a very pleasant experience, and I am on my way to being a better cook!

No pants!

So I love telling funny stories from work. Today at work I was cutting a 14 year old boy's hair. His sister, aunt, three cousins, two foster cousins, and two young family friends were there with him. They were a large group in and of themselves, and on top of their presence we were really busy: the store was packed. So as I was cutting, the insanity persisted. Suddenly I heard the mother yell "WHAT ARE YOU DOING!!!" She then jumped out of her chair and sprinted across the store. I turned around to see the cause of this outburst. Turns out one of the three year old boys had gone to the bathroom and wasn't able to pull his pants up on his own. Instead of waiting in the bathroom for help, or being secretive about getting someone to help, he just walked out of the bathroom and halfway across the store with his pants down to find a helper. I turned and saw the mother helping him get his pants back on and ranting about how inappropriate he had been. "What on earth were you thinking!!! You can't just come out here like this! Everyone in the store just SAW you! You are three years old and should be fully capable to pull your pants back up-apparently that's not the case! When we get home we are going to work on that and you WILL NOT leave the house again until you can do that!" Meanwhile the poor kid was standing there not knowing exactly what he had done wrong.

I found it interesting to see how this mother reacted to the situation. To me it seemed a little counterproductive. She was upset that people had seen her little boy naked, yet at the same time if she hadn't reacted with so much anger and noise, I wouldn't have even noticed! Oh good times at work!

Caveman Shivers

About a two years ago I worked at Fantastic Sams. For those of you who don't know, Fantastic Sams is a salon. It's a franchise and has fairly inexpensive haircuts-this results in interacting with a wide variety of people. While working there I cut a certain man's hair a couple of times. This man was single, probably in the range of 35 to 40 years old. He was muscular, freckled, hairy (it was red and all over his body), had a couple nastly scars on his neck from surgery, was socially inept, and quite awkward.

So one day I was cutting Stewart's hair (I can't for my life remember his name, so for the sake of story ease and staying concise we'll call him Stewart). As I was cutting his hair he had a HUGE shiver, out of nowhere. I'm sure you guys have all experienced this sometime in your life-out of nowhere you just get a shiver which has nothing to do with being cold or scared or anything. So he had this shiver, and said in a voice strewn with insanity "Ahhhh... A caveman shiver!" I apparantly had a confused look on my face so he explained that a 'caveman shiver' is when you get a shiver out of nowhere.

Since this event I have adopted this incredible phrase and it has become a part of my vocabulary, and in turn part of my friends' vocabularies. When ever we get such a shiver we say "Ahhhh.... A caveman shiver!"

So the day before yesterday I was at the Gym. As I was putting my things in a locker I saw a man out of the corner of my eye who looked just like Stewart. The reason he looked like Stewart, is because he WAS Stewart! Now I figured that he probably didn't recognize me (because it has been a long time, I hope that I look different that I did 18 months ago, I was in workout clothes and was fairly unattractive, and he's not the brightest of characters...) Yet despite all these factors I started freaking out! I thought that he was going to see me and maybe he would try to say something, or just look at me with a glint of recognition, or something of the like and it was going to be weird. So I hurried as fast as I could to head away from him, and avoided him for the remainder of my workout. I did glance over at him a couple of times and caught his eye.

All in all our 're-meeting' was uneventful, but it did take me back in time a little and refresh this story in my mind. I hope that the next time that any of you get a shiver out of no where you think of this man and 'caveman shivers'!

My Very Own Blog

So I have recently taken a great liking to reading other people's Blogs: those belonging to strangers as well as people I know. I know that it sounds a little strange and absurd, but it is the honest truth. My desire to start my own blog has stemmed from that obsession. So here I am, starting my own blog. It seems that starting a blog gives the writer a whole new outlook on life-I mean I will be going about my day and think "wow! That would make an awesome subject for a blog entry" or "that is a perfect blog story". I feel like I have reached a new epoch. I think that since this is my first entry, I should mention the inspirations for "Stories of a Silly Spinster". My main blog instpiration is Cristin Lassen-one of my good friend's sister-in-law: she has am amazing and inspiring blog about her life. Secondly, Camille Strate-my best friend who recently started an amazing blog herself.

So I have decided to write about the mane of my blog. "Stories of a Silly Spinster".

STORIES: I love to tell stories! To me, my life is essentially a compilation of stories: funny, sad, tragic, adventurous, tender, you get the idea. As I experience these stories I like to share them with others.

SILLY: Yes! I most defidently am silly-no doubt about that!

SPINSTER: Now I think that the validity of this is dependant upon the person/group you ask. By 'mormon standards' I guess I am a little bit of a spinster. I mean I am a solid 21 year old and i am not dating anyone, engaged, or married... I must be in trouble! According to my married peers who thik that marriage is the most amazing thing that ever happened, I am considered a spinster (especially since I am not headed down that path just yet.) Personally, I think that being single right now is the best thing for ME. Sure, marriage might be perfect and right for other people my age, but that truly does not appeal to me at all right now. Maybe this isn't what others think, but frankly, it's not their decision to make. I don't condemn the married, and they shouldn't condemn me either.

So that's that! I hope that this blog woll prove to be enlightening and enjoyable to me and the readers.