Jam Session

Steve's mom came to our house to teach us how to make her famous boysenberry jam. We invited our friends over to participate in the jam workshop. Included below are the instructions for making the sugary spread, as it happened at our house.

1. Review instructions with master jammer, being sure to look interested when the camera is around

2. Smell the bucket of pureed boysenberries to make sure that a) they smell like childhood and b) it's caught on camera

3. Stir the puree

4. Take a break from stirring to stretch to "avoid getting carpal tunnel syndrome"

5. Bring the puree, sugar, and pectin to a rolling boil

5a. Strike several poses, thinking they're being caught on camera when they're actually not

6. Take a time out to kiss the carpal tunnel-less cook

7. Cover the jam with a layer of melted wax to seal in the goodness

8. Make and share boysenberry smoothies with friends and delight in warm conversation while the jam cools

Steve and I appreciate his mom taking time to come teach us the art of jam!

Boys and Grills

Steve received a grill for Christmas last year and has slowly been outfitting it for use leading up to the big initiation day. He procured a stand, a cover, a converter hose, and a propane cylinder in preparation to introduce it to its future frequent companion: meat. The arranged marriage took place yesterday when Steve fired up the coals (are there coals?) and grilled some T-Bone steaks. My gift to the grill on its momentous day was some meat thermometers that Steve used to cook the victuals to perfection. As expected, Steve and Grill became instant friends and plan to provide many sizzling meats to the Broadbent home. We'll be on the lookout for hungry guests...

Boss Man

Each Thursday I look forward to the office life humor portrayed in NBC's The Office. All of us can relate in some way, and perhaps identify persons at our job who bear striking similarities to the quirky characters. During the show's beginnings, a group of us friends would get together each week and watch the ridiculousness unfold. I couldn't help but notice that the boss of the Scranton branch, Michael Scott, reminded me a little of my then boyfriend. It began to be amusing to me to watch my own Michael Scott laugh at the NBC Michael Scott. Since the show has continued, I have had several people remark to me that my Steve reminds them of Steve Carrell, aka Michael Scott. You be the judge!

Mother Earth

With Earth Day upon us, I thought it would be a good idea to visit the Memorial Park Arboretum for Family Home Evening on Monday. There wasn't much to see at this time of year, it seemed, so we had fun playing with the camera instead. Here Steve is shown maximizing his visit--breathing in the nature experience--on a fallen tree. I could almost hear Celine Dion singing in the background what with that Kate Winslet/Titanic thing going on. For his turn as photographer, Steve captured me in this very candid pose. I commonly find myself sitting on logs, laughing gleefully at nature while spastically flipping my hair. Happy Earth Day!

Beefy Brisket

I have a top 10 list for my favorite meals made with chicken, beef, and fish. I keep them in google documents if anyone wants to have a look. Kalina always tries to make a new meal that will make the top 10 list and bump an inferior meal off the rankings. Tonight we had delicious beef brisket with baked potatoes, cornbread, and steamed carrots. I feel like this meal made it into the top 5, and not just because it was sunday night. I might even recommend it for a dinner party at some point.

I also ordered a new printer yesterday. My old printer was a brick house! I found this wireless laser printer from staples for 99.99 with a $30 rebate. I purchased a $25 off $75 coupon from e-junkie.com for $1.80 and applied that to bring my total with tax down to about $83 (before the rebate). That's in case anyone else wants to get the same one.