Conflama

Have you ever heard of conflama?
It is a mix of "conflict" and "drama" and I have to say that I am a fan of this made-up word. It seems to follow certain people and it is the thing that hooks us into those strangely addicting drama shows on the television. Now, I know there are many of you that claim not to watch television, but we all have our little secrets of certain conflama shows, whether it was soap operas in high school or the early days of ER. I admit, however, that I have two shows that I am addicted to at this very moment. I am exposing myself by saying so, but I love to watch Grey's Anatomy and Prison Break. I have been previously addicted to the beginning seasons of ER and the entire running of Alias as well as seasons one and two of 24. Yes! Conflama abounds on each and every one of these shows! No one can ever seem to catch a break on these shows, and if they do, their new-found peace or happiness is exceedingly short-lived! ACK!
It is true that sometimes I watch new shows to see if they have an addictive force, but none has caught my attention as of late. That is ok, though, because I can still deny that I watch too much TV, as I only 'specifically' watch these two shows. But what about my guilty flipping on to The Biggest Loser? And the afternoons of laundry folding in which the Food Network tempts me to make blueberry crumble or grilled peanut-butter-honey-and-banana sandwiches? But, ah, I am sidetracked so easily. Perhaps it is not conflama that draws me towards that darned noisy box that the television is. Perhaps I just like to watch it...

ps. this picture has nothing whatsoever to do with the subject, but I like this picture of me, doing things I love to do: eat ice cream, travel and walk about...

Adventures in Recipes...

Faith, my youngest child, loves to help me in the kitchen. After we gather ingredients for a recipe, I then read the directions out loud to Faith and we commence the building of whatever food item that is on the agenda, be it soup or cookies, et cetera. One afternoon, we were in the process of trying out a new chili recipe and I was, of course, reading the instructions out loud. This particular recipe read, "Toss until all ingredients are intimately mingled." What?!? I may not be the connoisseur of cookbook instructions (though I have read several cookbooks cover to cover), I have never come across that particular phrase in cooking! How romantic! If one thought of one's food as being "intimately mingled", would not one enjoy their food just that much more? It reminds me of that movie about the lady who makes a meal for her extended family while she is extremely upset and the whole family begins to weep before the end of the first course! I love that scene! To me, it is a reminder of how one person in a home can influence all of the others without ever realizing it. Also, I think that from now on, when someone asks me for a recipe, they may find that I have somewhat altered the instructions of a recipe to reflect a recipe that is more than just a preparation of food, but an exercise in what exactly goes into the recipe besides the physical ingredients. When I ate that chili this week, I thought of how the ingredients were "intimately mingled" as if a chili could be full of passion or romance-or both! Could that extend to our moods? hmmm...

Floating about

Now that my family and I have been in Hawaii for two years, it recently become apparent how slow our life has become. We spent a few weeks on the mainland this summer and I was seriously culture-shocked at the rushing-rushing-rushing feeling that I experienced while there (in Utah). I do have periods of busy-ness here in Hawaii, but there is a considerable amount of down time as well. This may sound suspiciously like boasting, but going to the beach to decompress for the couple of hours before dinnertime seems decadent to me, especially as I think back on times in my life that have been ridiculously busy. I remarked to Dave that I was surprised at my slow afternoons...and then I laughed at myself. I had better just enjoy it while it lasts!! So, it must be said that hanging out at the beach park with a picnic lunch and friends (and their babies!) is an ideal way to spend a Saturday...

It's Me!

Yes, it is true. I have finally graduated from college. It was as though I would never see the day, but here it is, the beginning of September and I still think I have classes to attend...Dave says I am addicted to studying--must be true, because I am still looking for new things to study, memorize and, hey wait! When is the test!?!?!?
So here I am, new to the blogging world and ready to introduce my life...Stay tuned!