The Best Magazines I Read in 2012

Those books sound amazing, Kristen.  I read the occasional book, but am more in love with magazines these days . . . short snippets of information with pictures.  As background, I feel that I lost my love for reading big, deep books in high school years ago when reading Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton in high school with a teacher whose last name appropriately started with H-E-L. . . just as this book came to be for me.  We learned about symbolism and how there can be symbolism in anything and everything.  I wrote a paper on Ethan Frome and was told that my symbolism conclusions were wrong and received a poor grade.  I wondered at the time - could a book just be a book without any deep hidden meaning in it?  Anyhoo . . . I digress . . . I haven't loved books since dissecting those classic books and love magazines.  And, so I give you . . . my favorites for this year.  

Oh, how I love People Magazine.  It's an expensive weekly subscription, but I really look forward to it coming on Fridays.  I love the human interest stories in addition to the fluffy entertainment updates.  This issue was from last year, but I still have it.  It featured a story on the kids whose parents died in 9/11.  It was really interesting to see how the families have been since this tragedy and how the kids try to remember their parents.  Loved it!

US Magazine is a guilty pleasure for sure.  It may seem sort of like a tabloid, but in fact, they are always able to accurately report stories that ultimately end up being true - unlike Life and Style or OK! magazine which are not factual.  Case in point - I was totally addicted to the Bachelorette this season and got all caught up in the Jef and Emily situation.  As an ultimate Bachelor franchise viewer, oh, how I was hoping this one would work out out.   But, alas, I soon received this US Magazine and had to share my findings with Lilli - who was as consumed as I was with this relationship.  Could it be that this was all a fake and would be ending?!  Quelle horror!  Sure enough . . . what was reported in US panned out to be true a few weeks later.  This was breaking news, people! 

 

Entertainment Weekly is a smart entertainment magazine with reviews on everything from TV to Books.  We Bird's love a list and the end of year Best Of lists are really great.  I take pride in the fact that I haven't seen any of the TV's or movies on the worst list and that some of the shows I liked were on the Best list as well.  Another thing I really like in this one is the weekly TV listings with their recommendations.  I have found some good shows and kept up on some old favorites with reminders and details from this list. 

I have been a subscriber of Salt Lake Magazine since the very first issue.  Little fact about me . . . I like to know what's going on and to be aware of things. . . so this satisfies those needs for me.  The annual Dining Awards is a favorite issue.  We love to try new restaurants or new dishes at old favorites and this annual recap is a lot of fun.  Thanks to this issue we tried Forage downtown, one of our all-time most favorite, big splurge meals.  How else would we have been able to find this obscure small restaurant converted in a house with minimal signage.  

So, it's fitting as well that since I live in Happy Valley now, I need to know what's going on here as well.  I subscribe to Utah Valley Magazine and it's fun to learn about the people and places here. Yummy places we have tried thanks to this is Mountain Burrito, brought to us by the same owners of Communal and Pizzeria 712, which are ultimate favorites in Provo.  Also LaJolla Groves, which also has a location at Gateway now which everyone needs to try.  Also, I've learned about the strength of Holly Mendenhall being a coaches wife and I like the annual list of high school seniors from each high school in the valley. There was a fun recap this year on the kids from 10 years ago and what they've done since and I found it fascinating .  . of course.

Besides my mailbox on Friday's, my most favorite place to get a magazine is at the airport.  We are not the type of people to rush to make a flight.  We like to get to the airport well in advance to check in and get through security and then we can find something to eat (which our very own Salt Lake airport has amazing options right now . . . a post for another time) and something to read.  There are some magazines I have purposely unsubscribed to so that I have something new and different to read when I travel (Hello Oprah and InStyle).  I love it!  

And, lest you think I'm completely shallow, I do also love my church magazine subscriptions.  I subscribe to both the New Era and the Ensign.  I will forever love the MormonAds and the Line Upon Line sections of the youth-oriented New Era (plus I still consider myself a youth) and the wise, timely words of the Ensign. 

So, that's it . . . my recap for this year.  Any other magazines that I should be trying out?

Christmas Festivities

This was the year for Brent and Brian to spend Christmas Day with their in-laws.  Brian and Lisa's family went to Idaho and Brent and Lilli were here locally, so we still got to spend Christmas Eve with them.  I have to write down what happened so when we forget next year, like we do, we can look back on this and see what worked.  

We started with a fondue dinner at Brent and Lilli's house.  It was so good!  We realized after we had devoured everything that we should have taken a picture of the spread.  We had a yummy cheese fondue where we dipped tortellini, shrimp, green apples and pears, broccoli, French bread cubes and other yummies.  Then we had a scrumptious chocolate fondue with angel food cake cubes, strawberries, bananas, pretzels and other dippables.  It was so good!  

Take a look at Grace and Maggie with their fantastic chocolate fondue lips . . . aren't they fabulous!

Cheese Fondue:

1/2 pound Swiss cheese and 1/2 pound Gruyere cheese . . . so worth the extra effort to find Gruyere

3 Tbsp. flour
2 Tbsp. butter
1 1/2 cups milk
1 1/2 tsp. lemon juice
a few dashes of nutmeg
salt & pepper to taste

Grate cheese and mix with 1 Tbsp. of flour.  Melt the butter in the sauce pan over med-low heat. Add the rest of the flour. Stir well until smooth roux is formed. Add 1/2 cup of milk and continue to stir until smooth. Add the remaining milk, stirring constantly until the mixture thickens to about the consistency of light cream. Add a handful of the grated cheese. Continue to stir, letting the cheese melt. Add another handful of cheese and stir until it melts. Continue this until all the cheese is added and melted. Once the cheese is smooth stir in the nutmeg, salt and pepper. Add the lemon juice, stirring more until the mixture is smooth. Warm your fondue pot and add in the cheese. Serve immediately with your favorite dippers.

** We liked this one because the cheese didn't curdle . . . I think it's the addition of the lemon juice . . . genius!

Favorite Chocolate Fondue:
1 cup semi-sweet or milk chocolate chips
2 Tablespoons butter
1 can sweetened condensed milk (Eagle brand)
2 Tablespoons water
1 teaspoon vanilla

In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt chocolate chips, butter, sweetened condensed milk and water.  Cook and stir about 5 minutes until thick.  Add vanilla.  Serve with desired dippers.  

Thanks, boys, for always taking care of the dishes!

Brent and Lilli, Grace, Maggie, and Davis had fun opening their gifts from Grandpa

 Kristen

Melinda and Davis

One of the gifts their family got was Just Dance 4 . . . so, of course, we needed a dance tournament.  The kids were awesome!

Then on Christmas Day, we were on our own.  Dad got the annual calendar from Kristen which is always a highlight to see who made the cover and the monthly pages each year.  Yes, the kids may actually count how many times they are in the calendar!

Kristen got some custom bound scriptures and took time to get them all updated 

We must have been pretty good again this year, because that Mr. Claus sure spoiled us!

The Best Books I Read in 2012

I love reviewing the books I've read over the past year and picking out the best ones.  Why do I get such pleasure out of lists?

Here are the best books I read this year (see my 2011 list and 2010 list as well).

Wonder, by RJ Palacio. Wonder is a novel about a 10-year old boy named August, who just happens to have been born with severe facial deformities. The book follows him through 5th grade, which is the first time he's ever attended school. I basically cried through the whole thing - as August endures the torment of his classmates, as his loving parents and sister try to help him but don't know how, all the way to the end -  where he gets his happy ending. The novel's moral - "be a little kinder than is necessary" - is something we can all learn to live by. Read my Goodreads review.

Behind the Beautiful Forevers: Life, Death and Hope in a Mumbai Undercity, by Kathryn Sockett.  Sockett lived among the people she writes about for three years - gaining their trust, and a true understanding of how life in Indian slums work.  This is a book that - while I wouldn't call it a "favorite" - has stayed with me ever since I read it in March.  I gained understanding into a world I had vaguely heard about and frankly wasn't very interested in before I read this book.  But it's fascinating stuff - that the people who live in these slums have class systems all their own - and they are more like us than we think.  The subtitle is well-chosen - there is life, death, and even a little hope. Read my Goodreads review.

Quiet, by Susan Cain.  Here's a book that really made me understand myself better.  Yup, I'm an introvert - and so are 1/3 to 1/2 of Americans.  Cain argues that introverts' strengths should not be overlooked: they often make better managers because they're more willing to let their employees run with ideas; they are good listeners; they think before speaking; they're highly creative when working independently. It helped me make sense of how I operate - and that I shouldn't feel bad about those things, but should recognize and use them as strengths. Read my Goodreads review.

History of Joseph Smith by His Mother, by Lucy Mack Smith. Lucy Mack Smith has SPUNK. Her personality flows through each page, and she gives you her honest take on everything that happened to the Smith family from the very beginning (wait til you see what she has to say about Martin Harris' wife Lucy).  I learned so much about Joseph and the whole Smith family, and found myself loving this woman of such great character and faith. Her description of seeing her sons after their martyrdom is heartbreaking.  A must read. 

Destiny of the Republic: A Tale of Madness, Medicine, and the Murder of a President.  Here's what I knew about James Garfield before I started this book: 1) He was president; 2) That's it. But it turns out, he was a remarkable man. A truly self-made man who rose from poverty to become a university president, Civil War general, and...President of the United States. President for only a few months, he was shot by a crazed assassin. But it wasn't the bullet that killed him - it was the appalling medical treatment he got from his doctors, who rejected outright the new sterilization theories coming into play at the time. Very well-written, and really interesting stuff.  Read my Goodreads review.

We Die Alone: A WWII Epic of Escape and Endurance, by David Howarth. This story blew me away - because you couldn't make this stuff up.  How much can a human being endure?  How much is a life worth?  This is the true story of Jan Baalsrud, a Norwegian spy who was the lone survivor in a botched anti-Nazi mission during WWII. Pursued by the Nazis, Jan has to rely on the charity of others to keep him alive. You will not believe how much he endures, and the lengths perfect strangers go to save his life. I LOVED this quote from a 72-year old man who rowed Jan ten miles across freezing waters: "In my day, it was wooden ships and iron men, and what is it now? Iron ships and a lot of wooden men."  Too true.  Read my Goodreads review.

Wool Omnibus, by Hugh Howey.  Howey self-published this Wool omnibus (which consists of a series of five novels), and they have blown up. Stay with me here: this is a story of people who live in a silo in a post-apocalyptic world. They have everything they need to sustain life within the silo and no reason to leave.  If someone wants to get out, it's certain death.  So when the local sheriff leaves, he sets off a chain reaction of events that - believe me - you will not expect.  My biggest surprise of the year.  This one will keep you reading - and guessing - until the very end.   Read my Goodreads review.

Escape from Camp 14: One Man's Remarkable Odyssey from North Korea to Freedom in the West, by Blaine Harden. Could these titles get any longer?  Did you know that North Korea has no natural resources that they can export - that they have to rely on assistance from other countries (such as China) to sustain a way of life?  Did you know they still operate super-secret labor camps?  I didn't.  This is the story of the only person known to escape from one of those camps - and how he learns that everything he knew is distorted reality.   Read my Goodreads review.

Shadow and Bone, by Leigh Bardugo and The False Prince by Jennifer Nielsen.  Two YA [cough] fantasy novels for you.  But here's the thing: they're both really good. Shadow and Bone has a old Russian feel to it, and The False Prince is surprisingly funny and engaging.  Give 'em a shot.  

Code Name Verity, by Elizabeth Wein.  The story is of two young female friends caught in a web of espionage in World War II - one as a prisoner of the Germans, and one still free. The payoff comes in the second half...I love it when an author is a step ahead of me.  Read my Goodreads review.

Wonderful Waffles

We love a food truck . . . and we especially love Saturday's Waffle and their little silver trailer that appears each Saturday at Olympus Hills Mall from 8am to 12noon.  It's not always possible for me to get down during those hours . . . but once I saw their tweets that they would be serving a Maple Bacon Waffle . . . I had to go.  I picked up Grace on the way and met Melinda and Kristen for some waffle goodness.  Turns out the cold weather didn't deter anyone else either . . . it was packed!  We kept warm by starting with some hot chocolate - with whipped cream and a homemade peppermint marshmallow!

Then we tried an assortment of waffles.  I love an abundance of things . . . so we had to try the Benny - the waffle, an egg, hollandaise sauce and bacon!  Then the lumberjack with sausage and gravy on the waffle.  A new favorite with maple cream and bacon!  (Can you sense a theme?)  The caprese that we had tried before and I personally love with yummy balsamic glaze, tomatoes, fresh Mozzarella and basil.  And then Grace wanted one with just whipped cream.  They were so good.  And, I think we looked pretty great eating on the hood of the car.  

After we were done, Grace wanted to try and climb up the big snow pile that had been created in the parking lot since she is an "excellent climber".  She made it up and loved it.  When I asked her later what she enjoyed most - her first choice was the snow pile.  What about the waffles?  That was second place and in last place was the cold wait for the waffles. 

Man, are these waffles good!  If you live close (or even if you don't), they are worth going for. 

Caramel Taste Test

We have a pretty great Dad!  He knows how much we love a taste test and when we were over on Friday night, he surprised us with a fun taste test of 10 or so different caramels.  It was fun to guess the different flavors.  It turned out that we really liked an orange-cremo version as well as one that was layered with marshmallow.  

Relief Society Revelry

We've had a busy month with Relief Society activities . . . from the Christmas party . . . to food donations . . . to dropping off a gift to each sister . . .we've spent some good times with each other.  To deliver the gifts this year, Mandy had a sweet wagon that we pulled up and down the neighborhood in the cold and snow.  We were getting a little giddy by the end as we were at one house, knocked and they weren't home.  We left their gift and then Jimena took the sidewalk chalk that was nearby and wrote a lovely message for them from the "RS Queens".  I'm sure they were thrilled . . . and may want to be home next time.  Love these ladies I get to serve with. 

Progressive Party

We had a fun family party on Sunday.  We started a tradition last year of a progressive dinner party and thankfully the weather was so good that we were able to do it again.  Brian and I live at opposite ends of the earth now . . . so we were out this year . . . but we managed to hit everyone else for some festive fun. We started at Kristen's house for appetizers and exchanging our sibling gifts as well as Grandpa giving a gift to each of the grandkids. 

 

 

 The look on Grace's face when she opened up her first pair of silver high heels was pretty much priceless. 

 

 Then it was off to Melinda's house for the main course. . . Aunt Lois' cheesy, chicken soup that we love along with rolls and salad.  It was all delicious!

 

Then finally to Brent and Lilli's house for dessert and a white elephant gift exchange that was pretty fantastic

  Maggie got this sweet bobblehead of President Obama in Hawaiin swim trunks

 

Grandpa got a Rolodex chock full of random business cards . . . from Las Vegas

Jacob was pretty excited about this sippy cup for Mom's

Brian ended up with an old lava lamp from his childhood room

And who doesn't love a coconut bra

We sure love our family and appreciate the good times we are able to have with each other.