make a joyful noise

Well, folks carolers rehearsals are now in full-swing. Aside from being behind because I'm a newb and learning everything from scratch instead of refreshing, it's rad. I haven't been in an honest-to-goodness choir for almost eight years and I had forgotten how happy choral singing makes me. There is nothing better to hear than a talented ensemble singing 8-part harmony. It's rad-I can't say that enough lately.

Last week I got some news. I don't know if it's a done deal so I doubt I'm supposed to tell, but we're all friends here so I'm gonna. But first a smidge of background:

As you are all aware, This is the Place Heritage Park is run largely in part by the LDS (Mormon) church. Because of this the "world" is pretty small.

Last week the person over the Heritage Carolers got a call. What kind of call you ask? Well an invitation. Not just any invitation, mind  you. An invitation for our little group to sing for the Mormon Tabernacle Choir.

Yes, you read that right.



MoTab.

  








The Mormon.

                       Freaking.

                                  Tabernacle.

                                                      Choir.




My old Institute Choir director is a member.
No pressure or anything Kristen.


Needless to say I'm excited. Well excited and scared. Alright, mostly scared. I haven't been this excited since my A'Cappella choir was invited to sing with the Utah Symphony my Senior year.

We're awesome, but it's the freaking Mormon Tabernacle Choir for crying out loud!  Here's hoping it doesn't fall through and make a liar out of me. Regardless of whether or not that happens you need to pencil "A Candlelight Christmas" into your holiday schedule. As of right now I am the Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday cast. Those are all the specifics I know right now. I will definitely keep you all posted, and I must say although we are only two weeks in, we have an AWESOME music director, and we are already sounding pretty darn incredible, so I know it'll only get better from here.

You're missing out if you decide not to come!



the best is yet to come

Today is Mr. Wonderful and I’s anniversary. I always feel odd saying that. Why, you may ask? Well the answer is three-fold.

1. We started dating in July ‘07, but we didn’t decide to make it exclusive until that October. I say we started dating July, he says it doesn't count because we weren't officially a couple until October, so it can get confusing.

2. We’re not married, so I always feel a little odd celebrating the fact we’re committed but not committed in the bonds of matrimony...

3. We’ve been together for four years and still aren’t married. Although that’s not unusual outside of Utah, it is here-the state of child brides and marriages after knowing each other two weeks. Around the two-year mark I started getting the well-meaning but does-nothing-but-come-off-as-condescending-and-judgemental comments like: “why do you stay with him?”, “you should tell him it’s time to shit or get off the pot.”, and my personal favorite, “may I ask why you’re not married yet?” Which seems innocent enough, but is a cloak-and-dagger attempt to get me to spill, which usually ends up with them giving me “advice” wrapped in a heavy dose of judgment. Ugh. Suffice it to say it is NOT a matter of "IF", but "WHEN". Our ducks just need to be in a row first.

I digress. This post is about Mr. Wonderful, not the stupid mc stupids and their hurtful well-meaning comments.  

So here for your reading enjoyment is a few of the reasons I love Mr. Wonderful so.

-He willingly-and patiently puts up with me and my hot-headedness on a daily basis.

-He’s SO handsome.

-He can play ‘Seven Degrees of Kevin Bacon’ with ANY actor-case in point: His brother in law tried to stump him with Charlie Chaplin. He had to use IMDB to get started, but he did it.

-He is patient.
-It took him a year to decide to buy his "big ass tv"-he doesn't take making big decisions lightly.

-He plays with me (not THAT kind of playing, get your mind out of the gutter!)

-He makes me laugh and we laugh together every day.

-He is full of surprises-I never cease to be amazed by him.

-He is an awesome cuddler.

-He loves my family ALMOST as much as they love him, and there was no awkward time with them. He has been a member of my family since the second he met them.

-He is a good teacher.
-He is SO smart.
-He is not afraid or ashamed to be himself. Because of this I'm not afraid to be myself either.
-He is a big kid in a grown-up's body.

-He brings out the best in me.
-He is patient.

-He is kind.

-He is thoughtful and considerate of others.

-He tells and shows me every day how much he loves me.

-He makes me want to be a better person.
-He got me interested in gems like 'The Walking Dead', 'Being Human', 'Supernatural', 'Avatar', and The Dresden Files books.

-He can quote ‘Ghostbusters’ verbatim-which is fun until you try to watch the re-release in the theater, then it’s obnoxious. Adorable, but obnoxious.

-Chivalry is not dead with him. He is always opening my doors, making sure I’m happy and taken care of, and he always puts himself between me and any potential danger.

-He gives the best back rubs. (I’m a trained Massage Therapist so I know.)

-He has seen me at my best and my worst. Not only does he still love me, but he also still thinks I’m beautiful.

-Speaking of beauty he tells me every day how beautiful I am.

-He is a Marvel nerd-and it is adorable.
-Kids LOVE him, and he doesn't mind when they use him as a human jungle gym.
-I know he'll be a great dad. Firm but fair.

-The longer we are together the more I love him. We just get better and better as a couple-cheesy, but true.

-He knows how to fight fair, is willing to compromise, and he’ll admit when he’s wrong and apologize.
-He has the best voice. It is calming and comforting, and just nice to hear.
-He grounds me. Just seeing him is enough to make a bad day better.
-He isn't afraid to call me on my crap-and he's never a jerk about it.

-He never says ‘I’ or ‘me’. It’s always ‘we’ and ‘us’.

-He is respectful. Not only to me, but to others as well.

-He loves the Gospel and is a good example to everyone-especially me.

-He humors my Disneyland obsession.

Don't be fooled. He only looks miserable because he was.
First vacation in seven years and he got the swine flu. Go figure.

-He is supportive of me in everything I do-even if he doesn't get it ie my love of theatre.
-He is the one who encouraged me to start taking tap again and every week he asks me to show him what I learned. He thinks it's great-even if I have to start over three times. :)
-He is my best friend and my rock. I couldn’t ask for a better man.

-Aaaand just when I thought he couldn't amaze me more, he had these delivered to me at work yesterday...

Yes they're delicious, and no I'm not sharing!

The longer I sit here the longer this list gets, so I'll wrap it up. Suffice it to say I am truly truly blessed with the best man. We have had our ups and downs, and it hasn't been sunshine and roses every step of the way, but he is my best friend, my rock, and I couldn't ask for a better person to have along for the ride.
If this is just a glimmer of the future we have together-man oh man, what a lucky girl I am! The best is definitely yet to come!

wordless wednesday

http://www.buzzfeed.com/mask824/leia-the-riveter-kwh

it's a major award

Mr. Parker: [unveiling his major award] Would you look at that? Would you look at THAT?
Mother: What is it?
Mr. Parker: It's a leg!
Mother: But what is it?
Mr. Parker: Well, it's... A leg, you know, like a statue.
Mother: Statue?
Mr. Parker: Yeah, statue.
Ralphie: Yeah, statue.
Mother: Ralphie!
Ralphie as Adult: [narrating] My mother was trying to insinuate herself between us and the statue.  Parker: Holy smokes. Do... Do you know what this is? This is... A lamp!
Ralphie as Adult: [narrating] It was indeed a lamp.
Mr. Parker: Isn't that great? What a great lamp.
Mother: I don't know...
Ralphie as Adult: [narrating] The old man's eyes boggled...
Mr. Parker: Oh WOW!

 

Well folks, we're only 10 days into the month of October, but the battle of the leg lamp has officially begun.

For those of you who don't know my favorite Christmas movie is 'A Christmas Story'. If you aren't familiar don't tell me, just go here.

 

Six Christmases ago my parents bestowed upon me the greatest gift ever-they built me a leg lamp-complete with 'FRAGILE' (frag-ee-lay) crate. I love it, Mr. Wonderful hates it. Every year around this time he starts to gripe about it-how it's the ugliest thing he's ever seen, usually as melodramatically as possible. Although it always begins in jest it usually ends in the silent treatment.

 

It's a losing battle for us; I will never get rid of it and he will never like it. I just wonder if we argue about it this much now-what will it be like once we're married? (No, that's not an announcement.) Mr. Wonderful and I agree/can come to a compromise on everything else-except this. To me it's not Christmas unless the leg lamp is in the window and Mr. Wonderful claims his is ruined if it's up. Who knew something so silly and fun could bring out such passion? I now have a better understanding of the tension between Mother and The Old Man because of it.

 





What say ye? Do any of you married folks have things you brought into the marriage that the spouse HATES? Did they bring something you hate? I'm pretty sure Mr. Wonderful and I will have to agree to disagree on this one-he'll make sure the tree is gorgeous, and I'll make sure the lamp where it should be...right next to the tree in all its glory...

 



 

i'd tap that

I've had a fascination with tap for as long as I can remember. My Grammy V would make us tapes with movies recorded off of cable for our birthdays (wow I just dated myself there...), movies like Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, the Glass Bottom Boat, Pillow Talk, Katy the Caterpillar, and my personal favorite, the Shirley Temple movies.

Captain January

I remember watching these movies and wanting to dance like her-I may have even fast forwarded to the dance scenes...as I got older I remember being so jealous that my neighbors across the street were cloggers-I realize it wasn't tap, but it was close enough. I would put on my Sunday shoes and 'tap' on the kitchen floor. When I was a teenager I became mesmerized with the dance troupe Stomp!-yes I know they use percussion primarily, but watch the dancing. There is a LOT of tap influence there. I read an article in TV Guide and thought it was so cool that Nana Visitor-Major Kira for those not in the know-is also a tap dancer. I still watch biographies on Fred Astaire completely captivated. Hearing taps on a dance floor has always made me happy and has always been one of my most favorite sounds in the world.

Last year after a lifetime of wishing it was me, I finally decided it was time to make it happen. Using a referral from a friend the Bestie and I found and enrolled in a beginner tap class. It was horrible. The teacher was brilliant, but cold. She had trained with some very prestigious tap dancers-Gregory Hines being the one I remember best, and because of this she took herself far too seriously. Bestie and I were beginners so she was easily frustrated with us and our trying to learn AND have fun. Instead of helping us learn she focused on the more advanced dancers in the class leaving us to our own devices. We stopped going after that first month.

I was heartbroken. I wanted nothing more than to learn to tap and it wasn't as fun as I had expected it to be. I put hid my taps in the closet and wondered if I would ever find someone willing to teach me and let me take it seriously enough to learn, but lightly enough to enjoy it.

Then this summer I was in 'All Shook Up'. Our choreographer owns her own studio and I learned she would be offering an adult tap class in the fall, and our music director was the teacher! If any of you saw the show Patti choreographed the tap number in 'Blue Suede Shoes'-and most if not all of those guys had never tapped a day in their life. When she was done with them they looked UH-MAZING!! I was so jealous I wasn't in that number.

I started TLC tap in August and the last four weeks have been the best. experience. ever. I still have a long way to go and lots to learn, but I love it more and more with each class. Patti is a gifted dancer and a wonderful teacher-she will break a step down as much as you need it and wants you to succeed. We work hard, but we have the best time. It's awesome. I leave class each week sweaty and tired but as happy as can be. I can't wait to get better and be able to show people what I've learned. I can't say enough good things about Patti, the people in the class, and TLC dancers-check it out. They are RAD, and I have found something that makes me as happy as singing. Almost.

Sadly I have to take a little break so I can embark on my next big adventure-rehearsals for Heritage Carolers starts this week and rehearsal conflicts with class-but I WILL be back. I am considering taking Stephanie's advice and taking another class during the week to stay in the habit--it all depends on how full my plate gets once rehearsals are in full swing. Oh! Speaking of swing Mr Wonderful bought me six weeks of swing lessons for my birthday so we might just do that. Yes he's willingly offering to take a couple's dance class with me. And then taking me dancing once we learn how. Be jealous. Be very very jealous.

kristen's kitchen: roasted chicken

Up until a year ago nothing instilled fear in me like "roasting". I don't know why, but it always seemed so daunting, so scary, so HARD. Well folks I'm here to tell you that it's not as hard as it sounds. Actually it's a piece of cake.

Yesterday Mr. Wonderful and I got a well-deserved break from the one woman show of crazy that is his mother. He's been battling a cold the better part of the week and since his father and sister hate it (therefore making it difficult to serve for Sunday dinner), he decided he wanted roast chicken. I wanted something simple so I just did a basic recipe, but really the sky's the limit on this one.

I forgot to take pictures until after the fact, so you'll just have to use your imagination-again.

Roasted Chicken

1 whole chicken
olive oil
2 tsp salt
2 tsp pepper
1tsp garlic powder

2 tsp thyme

1 cup water or chicken/veggie stock
Roasting pan with or without rack-I don't use a rack but if you have one and want to use it, by all means do so.

Place racks so roasting pan will be in center of oven and preheat to 375F

Mix seasonings in a small bowl; set aside.

Prep your chicken:

Remove chicken from package and giblets from body cavity (Liver, kidneys, sometimes neck. You can cook these, but I think they're gross so I throw them away), and rinse inside and out with cool water. Drain well and place breast-up in roasting pan.  (I place the chicken in the roasting pan and prep it there. This helps to keep the mess and possible contamination to a minimum.)
Check to ensure all the excess fat and pin feathers are removed, and pat dry with a paper towel. This helps to ensure a crispy skin, not to mention using your kitchen towels is just gross.
If you didn't buy a pre-trussed chicken, do this now.

Trussing a chicken is easy-it just takes a little time to master:
Place bird breast-up in pan.
Cross drumsticks at 'ankles' and bind with kitchen twine. (easiest way is to make a slip knot and attach to the 'ankles' and kind of hog tie them together.) This doesn't need to be pretty; you just want them to stay together during cooking.

Once bird is trussed drizzle a little olive oil (about a tablespoon) over it and spread with hands-don't forget the body cavity. Then rub seasoning mixture on skin and inside cavity. Add 1c water or broth to pan cover if your roasting pan has a lid, and place in oven.

The cooking times will vary based on how big your bird is. The general rule for UNSTUFFED chicken is 20 minutes per pound of meat, plus an additional 10-20 minutes. Confused? Me too. This link is my go to-as it has a cooking guide, general info, and tips on how to make variations to the basic recipe. I am afraid to eat stuffing from body cavities, but I am not opposed to putting things in there for extra flavor. Just be sure to use caution if you do choose to use the stuffing from your bird.

I covered and roasted my bird for an hour and 35 minutes. Be sure to baste your bird every 15-20 minutes if it's covered, but watch it if you don't have a cover for your roasting pan. You don't want the juices to cook off and dry the meat out. To baste you don't need anything fancy, just a large serving spoon. Just remove bird from oven, close the door to retain the heat, and spoon the juices over the bird. Recover, and put back in oven. If you want to roast veggies with your chicken don't put those in until the last 30 minutes-unless you like mushy veggies.

After the initial roasting time I like to put it uncovered into a 450 degree oven for an additional 10-15 minutes to brown and crisp up the skin.

The best way to check if your bird is done is to use a meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh without touching the bone. Once it reads 180 you are good. If you don't have a thermometer there are other ways to check for doneness-the easiest is to cut between the leg and thigh and be sure the juices run clear.

Once bird is cooked remove to a plate, cover with foil, and allow to rest for at least 15 minutes. Resting allows for the juices to redistribute in the meat. If you cut the meat before it's had time to rest you lose all the cooking juices onto your cutting board and get dry meat. So do it. It's worth it. Plus it gives you time to make pan gravy with the drippings:

chicken gravy
1cup cold water
3tsp cornstarch
chicken drippings

milk or water

Place roasting pan on burner over medium heat. Mix water and cornstarch in small cup until blended and there are no lumps.

Whisk cornstarch mixture into drippings and stir continuously until thickened and everything is incorporated. If the gravy thickens too fast whisk in milk/water a little at a time until it reaches desired consistency.

Remove from heat and serve immediately with mashed taters or over the meat.

Carving your bird takes some practice, but super easy once you get the hang of it. Good reference link is here

Mr. Wonderful rating: went back for thirds...had to threaten him to leave some chicken for chicken noodle soup later in the week...