Valentine Surprise!

I just wanted to shout from the rooftops what a great supportive loving family that I have!!!!! Valentine's Day can be pretty depressing for a single girl, and I think can be even more so when you are divorced and you thought you had your Valentine, but find out that you don't. I was in pretty good spirits this year, however. Things were looking up. My infected cyst is healing really nicely and is not nearly as painful as it has been. I recieved some really sweet ecards from my mom and some nice Valentine's Day wishes from other members of my family and was invited to come to a movie with my mom, and 2 of my sisters. It was just a really nice day. But there was one thing that just made my year so far!

My sister-in-law, Laura, emailed me to ask what my plans were, because she said they had a little Valentine's Day gift they wanted to give me and they didn't know when they would be down my direction. I told them about my movie plans and that I would be in their neck of the woods for that. So we made plans to meet at my mom's house. Well, I thought it was very sweet that she would get me a gift and in all honesty I just thought it would be a little treat or something that they would have just picked up at the store for the kids to give to me. Boy! was I surprised! When I got there, Peyton, my nephew gave me the sweetest little "brag book"! It holds pictures of Dan & Laura's kids and me with them. It is one of the most precious things I think I have ever received....certainly the best Valentine I have ever received! I can't thank them enough! It made me feel so loved and special! I hope they have some idea how much I treasure it and am so grateful to have them in my life! Below are pictures of the book cuz I just needed to "brag"! :)

Reclaiming Buffy

I went to my new ward this Sunday. I only went to Sacrament Meeting, so I didn't get a chance to introduce myself to anyone until after the meeting. As I was sitting in the meeting it suddenly occurred to me that this was a completely new situation for me. No one in this room knew me at all. I could be anyone I wanted to be. In the past I used to have everyone call me Buffy except at work as it was easier with legal paperwork and such to have people call me by my legal name "Carla". When I moved to Salt Lake about 10 years ago or so, I moved in with someone I had met at work and so I was introduced at church and everywhere as Carla. For the first time in 10 years, I have moved somewhere where no one knows me at all. So on Sunday, I decided that it was time for me to reclaim Buffy! So that is how I introduced myself. It was oddly liberating.

Now I do find it interesting that today, the day after I reclaim my identity, I have to go to the doctor because I have a massive infected cyst on the side of my face. And have gone to work with a hole in my face covered by a 4x4 gauze bandage and tape...boy am I a sight! One might wonder if these two events are connected somehow. It would appear that the boil on the butt of humanity has now moved to my face! Such is my life I suppose. This time however they want to send me to a plastic surgeon to remove the cyst after the infection is gone....I wonder if I can get any other work done while I am at it...any suggestions? :)

SAD Therapy

So it's Friday!!! Hallelujah...the end to an extremely long work week!

I woke up this morning extremely down for several reasons I think. One I HATE winter! I am not very fond of snow and short days are a serious bummer as well as cold temperatures! I crave warmth!! I really didn’t want to go to work or even get out of bed.

Secondly, 5 years ago today I was engaged to my now ex-husband. While I am so incredibly happy that I am no longer married to that man, I feel a sense of loss sometimes…especially when a friend of mine, recently married, shows me her wedding video. What can I say…I’m just a boob.

Anyway, as the day progressed I discovered some things. Just like my sister, Betsy, I am in serious need of a SAD light to rid me of these winter blues! However, there are some other therapies that seem to have worked pretty well today! Music! I was able to listen to a variety of happy music today, for example…”Wake me up before you go go”…it’s an oldie but a goodie! I dare you to listen to it and not smile and wanna get up and dance!

Then of course there are the songs that remind me of the strengths I receive through the hard times I have experienced in my life like “Broken” by Lindsey Haun…if you have not heard it I recommend you look it up, it is a good one.

And finally there are the songs that remind me of the qualities that are uniquely me…like “Freckles” by Natasha Bedingfield…yes Jenny I downloaded it and you are right it is FABULOUS!!!! And truly makes me happy just listening to it, “Cuz a face without freckles is like the sky without stars.”

So those are my SAD therapy suggestions! I know that this therapy is tailored to me and my personality, but we all have those songs that work for us…so go out and find your SAD songs! Hopefully we can bring in the warm sunshine of Spring shortly! Until then we have our SAD songs, cuz “sad songs say so much.”

Laissez Les Bons Temps Rouler!!!

So begins the life and times of Buffonskivitch! :) Happy Mardi Gras everyone! So I am now becoming a blogger. WOW! This could be a very interesting new phase. :) So for my first post I will share with you my most interesting baking experience of last night. Every year on Mardi Gras I have established the tradition of making a King Cake for my coworkers. As I am the only Louisiana representative in my University of Utah office, I felt it my duty to educate my office on the traditions of my home state. It is fun to do, but a lot of work goes into it and let's just say there are some years when I am kicking myself for starting this in the first place!

Well last night was one of those times. I have just recently moved into a new apartment and am still surrounded by boxes. Not to mention my sister, Kathy, was in town from Arizona and we had plans to spend some time together and go out to dinner before she flew home later that evening. Well, King Cake takes some time to make as it is a yeast cake and needs time to raise. So the plan was to mix the dough and let it raise the first time while we went out to dinner and then go home and finish making the cake. Well this went smoothly enough...Kathy and her friend Melanie came over and had the tour of my new place and while I put the cake dough together Kathy and Mel were nice enough to shelf paper one of my kitchen cabinets that I had not gotten to yet. Actually it was a HUGE help as it decluttered my kitchen quite a bit! ...Thanks Kathy and Mel! :) Then we went out for sushi! (yummy!)

When I got home, the dough had risen ok...not as well as I would have liked, but well enough. My kitchen is a little drafty and it is very, very cold here right now, and I think that it affected the rising process. Anyway, I finished the prep work...filled the dough and rolled it up to rise again. Again, it didn't raise all that well, but well enough. Then I baked it. Well, during this process is when the explosion occurred...the filling was oozing out of the top...it was like it was turning itself inside out! When I took it out of the oven this is what it looked like!

Well, I was a little worried that glaze and colored sugar would not disguise the mess I was seeing before me or assist in keeping the cake together enough for people to eat it as it appeared to be simply falling apart. Well, luckily it calmed down a bit as it cooled and held together. And here is my finished product.

Not too bad, eh?

Well Happy Mardi Gras, y'all!!! :) Let The Good Times Roll !!!!!!!!!