Bitterly bitter

"Simply delicious." Really?! Umm...

According to Walmart, Target and any other store that sells home decor items, Easter is coming.

Well, to get in the mood of the Easter celebration, I attended a Seder (Jewish Passover) on Friday night with my best friend. We sat down at 6:30 pm and didn't leave until 10 pm. It was, for the most part, the real deal - even down to eating the bitter herbs. Darling readers, I think I'm still feelings the effects of those bitter herbs. You know what they used for bitter herbs? Pure, untainted, ridiculously hot, horseradish. If you don't know what horseradish is, go to the store, buy some, open the jar, take a spoonful of it and eat it. Then you'll know. And that's exactly what we had to do: a spoonful of horseradish... three times. I thought I might die... and I thought I was going to lose my best friend to watering eyes and a burning stomach.

Uch... just thinking of it makes me gag.

On a happier note: happy early Easter, my friends. Celebrate Easter, and Jesus Christ, the same way we celebrate him at Christmas - because He lives!

Moment with Elder Holland #1

Elder Jeffrey R. Holland: member of the
Quorum of the 12 Apostles of
 The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

I just purchased a new book by a man named Jeffrey R. Holland. If you've heard of him, you may know he is a Mormon. I'm a Mormon, if you didn't know. In the Mormon church, we have what is called a prophet. (You've heard of Moses and Abraham? They were prophets too. Except, our prophets don't wear long wool coats like Charlton Heston in The Ten Commandments. They wear a suit and tie. See picture to the left.) Mr. Holland is what we call an apostle. There are twelve apostles, just like Jesus Christ had when he lived on the earth. (Jesus Christ formed his church while on the earth and called 12 apostles.) We have that same church on the earth today - we have a prophet and 12 apostles, and all the same teachings Jesus Christ taught.

Anyway, Elder Holland (we call them Elder as a formal title for the type of assignment they have in this church, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) wrote this new book. It is a quote book. I've read it through a couple of times and decided to share a few of my favorite quotes from the book. The quotes are all taken from speeches he has given in different meetings, so there aren't any copyright issues. Here is my first favorite. Hope you enjoy!

Quote:

"Fighting through darkness and despair and pleading for the light is what opened this dispensation. It is what keeps it going, and it is what will keep you going."

Planning a big day?

Photos: 100 Layer Cake

Are you getting ready to plan a/ your wedding? I wrote an article for the LDS Living blog and highlighted a few awesome wedding idea blogs. Summer is the time for weddings and spring is just around the corner. So, now is the time to start planning!

I love the look of the DIY wedding... all of the fun do-dads and colors! These websites have some fantastic tips on DIY projects for your big day.

Happy planning!

Elizabeth Dye

Style Me Pretty

100 Layer Cake

Once Wed

The Knotty Bride

The Budget Savvy Bride

Toilet paper

I love the cleaning people in my office. Want to know why? I think I'm usually the first person to use the restroom in the morning, so I get to see the cleanliness and order of the bathroom. My favorite part is the end of the toilet paper that the cleaning person folds into a neat point. I know, right? Awesome! It's like finding a mint on your pillow - what a treat. I think I might start folding the toilet paper at my house for when guests come over. Try it at your house and see if your guests say anything!

The only thing I don't like about the cleaning people is, they always leave the toilet seat up. I'm not sure if it is a guy cleaning the toilets and he leaves them up out of habit, or maybe they don't like touching the toilet seat as much as I don't.

Hair tutorial #2

Genius

How cool is this wedding invite I found on Pinterest? I love the "dinner and dancing and eternity to follow."

Source: None via Pinterest on Pinterest

One square for you...

I'm back! Feeling more myself... thanks for the get well wishes. I think my least favorite thing is being sick. So, get well to all of my fellow sickies.

Currently, I'm at work listening to a planning conversation going on in the cubicle right next to me. They're planning an upcoming event where the primary attendees will be women. They were going over the bathroom logistics saying that the men's bathroom, from 6-8 pm, will be turned into a women's bathroom. One of the planners mentioned that at this event in past years, there have been problems with running out of toilet paper. They made a note to stock up on toilet paper. Yours truly made the wise crack, but logical remark, "Why don't you just ration the TP and handout a few squares per person at the bathroom door. 'Two squares for you!'" (Have you seen the Soup Nazi episode on Seinfeld? I'm saying it with that voice..."two squares for you!")

Funny, right?! My coworkers chuckled... which I hope is what you're also doing right now.

Sick

Friends... I'm sick. I so want to blog and talk to you, but I just don't have the energy or the time. Just know I love you. If you want an update on what I did last Friday, read this post from Our Best Bites. I even got included in one of the pictures!

Favorite hair roundup...

All of these hairstyles found on my new favorite site: Pinterest. More to come on Pinterest. 

Nice people

Last night, I was in my office pretty late. At about 8:00 pm, I was printing something off when I heard, "AE Jones, you still here?" My coworker, (we'll call him Bomb.com) was still here and he came over to say hi. We chatted for a bit about our to-do lists and wondered together how we were going to finish everything by our deadlines. I had just finished eating dinner at my desk (which was actually supposed to be my lunch) and Bomb.com was running out to grab a bite to bring back and eat while he worked.

A few minutes later he came back and called out, "Hey, do you like hot chocolate?" "Yes, I love it!" "I got you some. Both working late nights, and I just thought hot chocolate sounded good." Bomb.com walks around the corner and hands me a cup of hot chocolate with a cardboard hand-protector and lid... it even had whipped cream on top. My jaw dropped.

Wow.

Sincerely nice people still exist. Bomb.com proved that to me today. And no, I don't say that just because I got the "sweet" end of the deal. (No pun intended.) My coworker ways busy too, but he took the time to think outside of himself.

I rolled out of work around 11 pm... and held the door open for the cleaning people. Ha!

Good song for you...

I've got your next favorite song right here:

It's called "Big Jumps" by Emiliana Torrini. She's my current "favorite."



Do do do do do do do do...

Love this video...

I love this woman! Love her photography and her attitude. She's just happy. So I wanted to share it with you...

I love...

I found an amazing new website... the flowers are to die for. Thanks to Amarillo y Crema for linking to Poppies and Posies. I love unique flowers.Can I get married tomorrow?

I love J. Crew's idea here... fun way to see their new pants, as well as the creativity behind their employees. I think I'm an "Emma" or a "Laura." Which one are you?

When I lived in Germany, I saw these little wooden figure models everywhere. Decorations in chique offices; modeling in art studios; keeping someone comfort on a kitchen window sill. Random, I know. I bought two. I keep one at work, a small one, and a large one in my bedroom. I love 'em!

I found this photo on The Pioneer Woman. Her caption: "This is what I sweep up after a week of ignoring housework."

I love clean floors.

A loaf?

You know what you call a five-pound piece of caramel?

A loaf.

A "loaf" of caramel.

I know, right? Random.

I saw this add on Orson Gygi's website and just had to share it with you. Who knew a five-pound piece of caramel existed, let alone was called a "loaf."

Healthy is good...

Looking for a good nutrition/ fitness blog?

I've got one for you.

It's called Trim & Toned. You may remember it from a post I did a little while ago when I asked your opinion on which logo to use for this website. Well, the site is up and running... Arian is the name of the girl who writes all the content.

She shares some awesome ideas like the following:
-Protein Granola Bars... I haven't tried them but they look delicious.

-Benefits of whole wheat verses white... I'm a "wholer", if you wanted to know.

-Portion control when eating (heaven knows we all need help with that... or at least I do. I love me my food.)

-Why it's important to eat breakfast... the most important meal of our day!

Chinese Immersion program

Here in Utah, elementary schools are adopting second language immerson programs for Chinese, French and Spanish. My brother just emailed me and told me that my six-year-old nephew was accepted to the Mandarin Chinese immersion program; he'll be starting next year when he enters first grade.

At first, I wasn't sure how I felt about elementary school kids spending half their day learning a language and the other half learning English. That's a lot for a little kid! But I think we forget how easily young children pick up languages - much easier than adults do. The more I've learned, the more converted I've become to the idea. I think it is fantastic. What an opportunity for children to be completely immersed in a language - that's what you need to actually learn it - not just going over vocabulary once a week.

And what amazing opportunites they'll have in their futures - work, missions, etc. And simply having a second language under their belt - I think that's great. It makes me feel a little pressure to keep up on my German.

Here is an article and TV spot that was done by our local news station on the topic. Interesting stuff.