I'm Nesting with My Blog

I have a whole bunch of things that I've been wanting to blog about, and because my nesting instinct is in full force these days, I'm going to do them all at once!! (I have no idea when this baby is coming. I'm 38 weeks, and as of a week and a half ago, absolutely nothing was happening. Lately I've been feeling some mild pressure in the ol' lower abdomen, so maybe there will be some progress by my next appointment...?)

Anywho...

Blog #1: Sweet Tomatoes!! (aka Souplantation)

I love this place. It was on my list of "Things I'm Going to Miss" when we left California. And now we have it again!! Why it has a different name in Utah, I will never know. But it's still exactly the same...

Load up your plate at the huge salad bar, and then pay a flat fee at the cash register:
...then visit the hot foods area and load up with soups, baked potatoes, pasta, breads, fruit, and desserts!

But you know what makes Sweet Tomatoes EVEN better? Good friends! Like this lady!! (Yes, this picture is crooked and wonky. Yes, Weston took it. Yes, the pictures that I took all came out fuzzy. What's up with that?)

I originally met Lyndsey in California, and she's pretty amazing. Did you know that she is a super blogger? And that she runs a stationery blog, too? And that she makes wicked awesome stationery products? And that she runs half-marathons? And that she does freelance public relations for a number of clients? And that she interviewed Swarupa Katuka for the Mormon Women Project? And that she has an eight-month-old baby??

Yeah. I don't know how she found time to meet me for lunch, either, but she did, and I'm so glad. :-) Here are my favorite things about Lyndsey: she's really laid-back; she's really funny; she's really hard-working; and she's addicted to In N Out (and she got my addiction started, too, with the help of Doris). Oh, and of course I have to mention Mr. Jack, who is such a good baby and is FREAKING ADORABLE:

So, that was a great time!!! I love meeting friends with kids at Sweet Tomatoes/Souplantation, because you can get your food quickly and the kids stay happy. Plus, it's crazy delicious. The end.

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Blog #2: On Ducks

Once again, my need for animal interaction has resulted in another quasi-adoption of ferals. (In Pasadena, I fell in love with a couple of feral cats that hung around our neighborhood. Because they looked like they were starving, I started feeding them, and they instantly fell in love with me, too. Well, they fell in love with the food. But I pretended that it was me.)

There are several ducks that wander our neighborhood here in Murray. It's probably because there's a big pond at an apartment complex nearby, but for some reason, they love to mosey along our sidewalks and driveways over here. And a couple of them are repeat visitors to our backyard: Yes, I give them bread. They're just so darn cute, with their waddling and their humble quacking. They visit every day or two, and I'm secretly hoping that they lay eggs in a safe place in our backyard (while Tim is dreading it). Haha! I love animals.

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Blog #3: The Easiest Pie in the Entire World

Strawberry season is upon us once again!!! If you're like me and you're buying the huge, four-pound package of strawberries at Costco every couple weeks, then you might find yourself with a surplus at some point. Solution: strawberry pie!!! I can't believe how easy it is to make. Observe:

Gather the ingredients (pre-baked pie shell, strawberries, sugar, Cool Whip): Slice the strawberries:

Sugar the strawberries:

Stir them until they're good and saucy:

Plop into the pie shell:

And top with Cool Whip (DONE!):

Now, I know a lot of you readers are much more skilled than I am in your cooking/baking abilities. So, here are a few ways to make it more complicated, if you're hardcore like that:

-Make your own pie crust;

-Make your own whipped cream;

-Grow your own strawberries;

-Harvest and refine your own sugar;

-Train as a blacksmith and then forge your own pie plate.

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Blog #4: Red Butte Garden!

Yesterday was Arbor Day, and therefore, free day at Red Butte Garden in Salt Lake City. (You already know how I feel about FREEEEEE!!) This place is basically Salt Lake's arboretum, and it's much smaller than the L.A. Arboretum, but still very lovely, especially with the backdrop of the foothills: Weston and I spent the whole time exploring. We found the Children's Garden (which was packed with school groups), and then wandered over to the giant salamanders:

Weston raced through the kids' tunnel (which, I'm assuming, is usually covered with green leaves in the summertime):

...and Weston humored me when I repeatedly stopped to take pictures of the pretty flora:


However, he was MUCH more interested in his new waffle toy, which he clutched the entire time while saying over and over again, "I yuv diss!" (THANKS, AUNT DANA!!!!)
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Blog #5: Dinos

Finally, Weston got a couple of dinosaurs from the Easter Bunny this year, which brings his dino collection to five. The other day, I asked him what their names were. He responded:

"Iron" (a gray T-Rex);

"Hikes" (a dark green stegosaurus);

"Hopes" (a blue stegosaurus);

"Hoppisay" (a green ankylosaurus); and

"Menna-Mee-Neo" (a light green T-Rex).

I love that kid.