Walk Like You Have Somewhere to Go

What a refreshing view on the world! She starts her auto-biography from childhood, through her teen pregnancy with Shaquille, right up to the present day. Her trials and joys are laid out plain and clear & the writing, honestly, makes it easy to imagine her reading it aloud. I think I enjoyed that the most. It feels raw and unedited; real, I guess. She includes her favorite scriptures that helped her get through each phase of her life, which made the book all the more applicable to me on a personal level.

I honestly couldn't put the book down! I had a day off of work yesterday and had every intention of being super productive. Au contraire! I read this book in front of the computer, while making dinner, instead of cleaning the house, etc. Lucille really draws you in, and her can-do attitude is contagious! I really enjoyed her take on education and motherhood. She mentioned how she thinks every generation has an obligation to pave the way for the next generation, in the name of human progression. I recommend this book to anyone who feels like they've got it bad. It really made me appreciate the opportunities I have and the family I've been blessed with.

To comply with new regulations introduced by the Federal Trade Commission, I have to mention that Thomas Nelson has provided me with a complimentary copy of this book. Click for details.

The Call Family Food Revolution

We're quitting. Cold Turkey.

C & I have a bit of a sweet tooth problem. We eat homecooked meals and even bake our own bread at this point [yay, college!] but our downfall is sugar. Some people have a sweet tooth, our entire jaw is made up of sweet teeth. Not good. Especially when you're signed up to run a half marathon [whole marathon in C's case] in June.

So we're quitting. We went on a good long walk in the fieldhouse on campus and both decided we wanted to be healthier. I suggested we drop sugar until C graduates. That's next April: so just over a year away. Once we were both on board, C had a little bit of a hard time understanding exactly what that meant.

"So, can we still make doughnuts?"

"What if we don't ice them, we just roll them in sugar?"

"What about pancakes with powdered sugar?"

"What about your graduation brunch?"

"Weren't you going to make Up cakes for me for finals week?"

"Can we still have Chocolate Chip pancakes?"

He then informed me that he drew the line at chocolate milk. He drinks it after his long runs. Apparently, it has the perfect combination of proteins, carbs, and fats that you need after a hard work out. We'll see if I can find a replacement for that. Maybe I could bring back his favorite spinach shakes.

We had an intervention last night. My wonderful sister-in-law Kiara works at fresh market and brought us gobs of clearanced Easter candy. The good stuff. We gathered it all up and took it to our next door neighbors. They didn't want it either, but said they'd take it to a study group later this week. It's about time for finals. Heaven knows SOMEONE needs the sugar.

The theme here is fruit. Sugar replaced with fruit. Ice cream replaced with homemade sorbet. Healthy recipes. Sugar-free desserts. Natural ingredients. Whole grains. And yes, this will all be included in OAMC.

We're planting a garden, too. I'd like to do it sooner rather than later, but I woke up to an inch of snow! It's mid-April! augh.

Here's to more energy. Clear skin. Balanced hormones. [& hopefully sunshine!]

What's your first step to a food revolution? Small steps make a world of difference!

Journaling on a Time Crunch

Journaling is sometimes really hard for me to put on a layout. Sometimes I have too much to say, other times I couldn't fill the space if my life depended on it. However, my perfectionist nature still needs the journaling to act as a design element. I was also under a major time crunch for this album [which is still technically not finished, but it's printed!] so my solution was cute little envelopes to hold journaling, ticket stubs, and other memorabilia that sometimes gets neglected when scrapbooking digitally. Pathetic, isn't it? That my solution for journaling is to wimp out on it completely. Don't get me wrong, the story is the most important part of this album for me! I just wanted to make sure I had enough space to say what I needed to say. And the coupon was expiring at the end of the month, so something HAD to be done.

I printed this album through Artscow and was OK with it. If I was doing it again, though, and didn't have a coupon code for Artscow, I would definitely print somewhere else! They have weird page restrictions. This album is 61 pages. I originally wanted 47 pages, but my options were 41 or 61, so 61 it was. I ended up just scrapping some of our engagement pictures for the last 14 pages or so, which is probably a good thing, because now I don't have to scrap an entire engagement album! Heaven knows those pictures are way too prevalent in our house anyway. Plus, C printed them all out and stuck them in a 4x6 album about a year ago, just so we'd have them.

The album is 5x7 and I have to say, scrapping on something other than a square LO was kind of liberating! The templates for both the envelopes and pages will be in the shop soon!

The pages in this album mainly used the Chocolate Cherry Delight collab from Sunshine Studio Scraps, and freebies from KevinandAmanda.com, the white frame came from Gina Cabrera's Snow Day kit.

You can see on this spread notes for a 3x5 envelope and the journaling it will include. This kept me organized and made the LOs go quick. I used the same heading for every envelope page sprinkled throughout the book. Now I know what stuff to put in each envelope! [Font is Pea Hannah Chocolate Swirls from Fonts for Peas]

Wha'dya think? I'm excited to have a new coffee table book! And for our story to be recorded. The first 6 months we knew each other were a bit of a whirlwind. Writing it out made me realize how crazy it all really was!

Tough Stuff

I'm in a bit of a pickle. Here's the digest version:

1. I love my job. It really is fabulous. Great pay. I actually use my degree. I learn a TON every day. etc.


2. I currently live in Utah and have been a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for my entire life.


3. I understand that the culture in Utah is very different than anywhere else in the world and can be a big adjustment especially if you're neither LDS ["Mormon"] nor from around here.


4. There's a new guy in my department. He's been here for a couple of months.


5. He is not LDS. [I only say this to


6. He moved here from

Pomp & Circumstance: Save the Date

If you're related to me and/or live in the Orem/Provo area and received one of our Christmas cards, there's one in the mail headed your way! If you're not related to me and didn't receive a Christmas card, but would still like one, don't be shy! Send me your address and I'll get you one asap!

Tales From An Ill-Equipped Kitchen: Jam

One of the left-over recipes from my April OAMC day was strawberry jam. I love this recipe! C took a break from studying to help with it. It took about 30 minutes start to finish and resulted in a lot of giggling. My sister, Jessica, is in culinary school. I'm 99.9% sure this post is going to make her cringe.

Sliced Strawberries.

It was C's job to mash the berries. The recipe said to use a potato masher for best results. I'm thinking they meant the old fashioned metal mashers. I doubt they even make those anymore. Our plastic one made a good effort, but was pretty pathetic and just slopped berries over the sides of the bowl. We actually found that the pizza cutter did some serious damage. The beater was it's right-hand man and the potato masher ran the anchor leg. We did end up with a really nice puree with fruit chunks. Yum.

We combined the pectin & everything and it was time to put the jam into jars. Do we have a funnel? no. In the past, we've rolled up a piece of paper, but we figured this needed something a little more sturdy. A while back, we found sobe lifewater for free. So now we have 30 of them. We cut open one of the empty bottles, rinsed it out & voila! funnel! [We'll wait while Jessica finishes crying. Sorry, Jess. At least you know now what I need in my stocking!]

However, right tools or not, the jam is delicious! We let it set on the counter over night & I made myself a sandwich with it for lunch today. Considering the cost benefit & how easy it was [no, really. Despite everything, it was super easy!] we probably won't be buying jam again, just looking for clearance berries.

I'm sorry for the poor quality photos. I'm still trying to figure out the settings on our new-to-us camera.

Here's the recipe for those interested:

Freezer Strawberry Jam

2 pints strawberries, hulled (2 cups crushed)
4 cups sugar
1 box fruit pectin (Sure Jell)
3/4 cup water

In a large bowl, crush one cup of strawberries at a time, use a potato masher for best results. If using a food processor, pulse to a very fine chop. Do not puree. Jam should have bits of fruit.

Measure exactly 2 cups of the prepared fruit. Place into a separate bowl. Measure exactly 4 cups of sugar into another bowl. Stir sugar into prepared fruit.
Mix well.

Let the mixture stand for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. In a small saucepan stir together one box of pectin and 3/4 cup water. Pectin may start out lumpy. Bring the mixture to a boil on high heat, stirring constantly. Boil 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from the heat. Stir the pectin mixture into the fruit mixture.

Stir constantly until the sugar is dissolved and no longer grainy, about 3 minutes. A few sugar crystals may remain.

Pour into prepared jars or containers, leaving a 1/2-inch space at the top for expansion during freezing. Cover with lids.

Let stand at room temperature for 24 hours.

— Source: Sure Jell recipe

How To Stay In Love [#1]

My hometown of Flagstaff does something called "Mormon Prom" for the 16+ kids as an alternative to the "dirty dancing" craze that has recently swept the nation. It's a classy night in a good atmosphere. My little bro is 16 now, and has a cute little lady all his own. [weird, yes because I'm used to the J.T. that played with rescue heroes and ran naked through the house after his bath. but she's a total doll! One of those girls every mom wishes her son would be interested in.] 

They've been "together" for 6 months now, and on the 6 month mark, J.T. put this little ditty together to ask her to Mormon Prom.

As I understand it, J.T. wore a jacket over this shirt all day until choir, which I think they have together. Cue the roses, sharpie in the oversized bag and a cute note from my stud of a brother.

With 3 older sisters, chances are he's got some good resources for spoiling a girl! Now, all of you ladies who are sitting there wishing your man would do something like this for you, remember there is no reason you can't spoil (and probably slightly embarrass) your man just the same. Plan a fun date (or night in) and put a little effort into asking him on a good old-fashioned date. A candy bar and a note in his lunch/wallet/car will make a pretty big difference in his day. Who knows, he might just reciprocate sometime.

Then, you can make out like teenagers. Because being a teenager, sometimes, really isn't all bad!

Note: if you're interested in some pretty sa-weet ways to ask him out-you've got to read this post.

Got a tried & true way to stay in love? Send it to k.call.design{at}gmail.com to be featured here!