No More Bar

Adam is finished with the Bar Exam! Hooray! No more 20-hour study sessions, no more 4-hour Bar prep classes every night of the week, and no more school-related stress! I am so proud of Adam for his valiant efforts in law school and in taking this beast of an exam. He is amazing and I'm lucky to be his wife. And now...a job...and...a vacation!

Tasty Variation

Here's something fun to try: make your usual dough for cinnamon rolls, but swap plain ol' homemade jam (strawberry is my very fave) for the butter/sugar/cinnamon mixture. Roll up, slice, rise and bake as usual. Make your favorite buttercream frosting, but omit vanilla and add about 1/4 cup (or more to taste) of the same jam. Top warm rolls with frosting and enjoy!

C'est Bon!

Since I love any excuse to eat good food, I try to celebrate Mardi Gras to the extent that my religion and common sense allow. We thought it could be fun to celebrate Fat Tuesday with a big pot of pseudo-gumbo (try to get a Clark to eat okra!), a king cake, some beads and masks (handed out for free, without exposure of private parts...except for Amber with her strapless, mermaid-tail-for-gown...she would have earned lots of beads in New Orleans!), and an attempt at a parade. We had a great time.

Here are the best of the revelers in their fancy garb.

Rexy wasn't into the costumes, but we managed to

get one shot of him with Cooper's hat on.

Karli loved the beads and resorted to physical violence

to accumulate as many as possible.

Amber said she was "the spirit of Party Gras!"

Amber was the most excited about the celebration. Soon after hearing the phrase "Mardi Gras," she decided that "Party Gras" sounded much better. She sat in the kitchen singing, "Party Gras, Party Gras, Party Party Party Gras!" as loud as she could. She even organized a "Party Gras for the children downstairs" (her own words) so the "grownups could have their own Party Gras". It was darling! I think the holiday is aptly named as well; I probably gained 20 pounds from eating all the yummy food.

I'm Lovin' It

I love this weather! Today the temperature topped off around 60 degrees, I took a quick run through one of the coolest neighborhoods in Alpine without having to push a 100-pound stroller (thanks Rachel and mom!), I could smell the fabulously crisp mountain air all day, and the sun has shined for three days straight. I'm ready for winter to be over, and I'm proud to say that all of the snow on our deck and front yard is gone. Hooray! I love the energizing power of sunshine in February. It works wonders on my annual, post-Christmas, winter doldrums and now I'm even more excited to bust out my sexy red wedges I bought on clearance last summer. Yay for spring!