my mom is kind of a big deal

In case you didn't already know that I have the best mom in the world, last week she visited Boston and blew me away with her kindness. She came to help me with sewing in my Fashion class. We all know that mom's never just do the minimum. She also cried with me over a broken heart, nursed me back to health from a virus, made dinner for my roommates, went sailing with me, went to the temple with me, and inspired my students. She's an incredible mom. She's a big deal. I've spent some time reflecting on the divinity of motherhood this past year as I have taught child development. To me, there is nothing more sacred, more precious than spending time with a child. I have been incredibly blessed to be a nanny, an aunt, a teacher, a volunteer, and a counselor to hundreds of children and youth. I can only hope that the skills and attributes I have obtained through these experiences are preparation for my own posterity. However, we don't all get that chance in this life for reasons unexplained. I find this an excruciating reality, but there is one thing that brings comfort. We are all mothers. I truly believe that women were put on the earth to "raise" the world. The word raise is an action word. It means to uplift, to hold high, to bring up. What does this mean in the life of a child? To me this means that every single solitary time I interact with a child, I must bring positivity to their life. There is nothing more exquisite than a child's laughter. There is nothing sweeter than watching a child look at the world with wonder. There is nothing more cherished than teaching moments. My life is more invigorating when I live it through the eyes of the children I am so very blessed to interact with. To all of the mother's who have shared your children with me, I thank you for that gift. Thank You for being such incredible examples, and thank you for giving me the opportunity to "raise". To my own mother, Thank You for teaching me how. Happy Mother's Day!

sweet louise

This post is a tribute to a dear friend of mine. Louise Sturt has been a family friend who has shared my 31 years with my family and I. She is like a sister to my mother, and was my babysitter while my parents were on family vacations. I still remember going to a toy store with her and picking out the game, "Mouse Trap" and a tiny tea set with pink flowers. Louise is from England so of course we had to have proper tea. I recall meals of artichokes or chicken salad's served in pineapple shells. Another favorite memory, walking her dogs at Sugarhouse Park. I can still hear her saying, "come along Hollikin (she gave me this name). I remember vividly her energy and spunk. Louise spent many years of her life in South Africa. I never imagined as a child that I would grow up to live in Africa as well and share this connection with her. I recently read a book about the five people we meet in Heaven. I believe that Louise is on that list. There are some people you meet in this life that seem to share your soul. I adore Louise and admire her deeply. I cannot mention Louise without mentioning George of course. These two lovely people have traveled the world together over their 52 year marriage, have taught their children the gospel and have lived life tremendously. Just before I left for one of my adventures a couple of years ago, Louise and George joined my parents and I for dinner. They shared the story of how they met, stories of Africa, stories of Thailand. I could have listened for days. The stories they tell are like nectar for the soul. I want the world to know how exceptional they are. I want the world to know how much I care for them. So here it is world...Louise and George. Quiet Hero's. Proof of Heaven.

facing the facs

It's April. 4th quarter. I have nearly made it through a full year of teaching. It feels good to see a light at the end of the tunnel and now that it is Spring Break I actually have time to blog. It's been a tough year, but a year of growth here in Boston. Teaching has a way of exposing your weaknesses and strengths. Heaven knows I have many. It has also taught me important, refining lessons. I have learned to stretch and push my character in ways I never imagined. Education evolves, and naturally we must evolve along with it. I feel it a privilege to teach what I love. I can't get enough of Child Development, I am wildly passionate about cooking, and Fashion Design has surprised me. I knew nothing about it when I was asked to teach it. I can say it has been a delightful class and I am impressed with the creativity and innovation of my students. We are about to begin sewing. This scares me to death. My good mother tried and tried to get me to take sewing lessons as a child. Her efforts to mold me into a domestic, often were defeated as I rather have been outside, forming mud pies, and make believing I was a Star Wars character with my friends down the street. It's payback time. I am a Family and Consumer Science Teacher. Not only must I know the skill, I must teach the skill. This keeps me up at night. In less than a week, I will be pulling out the 15 Bernina's, threading bobbins, and my world will be filled with pins, and irons, and fabric everywhere. And I thought getting through the Flour Baby project in Child Development was rough! However, let me say this. I am proud of my students. A few weeks back, we completed a unit on beauty and the media. My students gave presentations on what true beauty was to them. As it turns out, high school students do recognize that beauty comes from the inside out and I was touched by their compassion. This provoked some discussion as to what we would do as a Fashion class to help the world. We chose an organization that we can sew for and give away the clothing. The organization is called, "Little Dresses for Africa". The students chose this, although you know as their teacher I am proud. Africa is a part of my heart, and I know these little ladies will love their dresses. The best part, the dresses are made from standard pillow cases! I can do this. Operation teach my fashion students how to sew is officially under way. To find out more about this organization click here.

buon appetito

As it turns out, I have a lot of foodie friends in Boston. We decided to get together for a fun fiasco of homemade pasta, ravioli, and tapas. It was a delicious night!

grill it. roast it. bake it. indulge in it.

It's definitely no secret that I am a foodie. Lately I have been on a cooking kick, and I am loving every bite! Here are some of the tasty delights I've been devouring lately...

NEW recipes found on my recipe blog

Summer Vegetables. I grilled everything here, even the peaches. Sad to see summer go!

One of the best things about New England is the clam chowder. I got this at a restaurant called The Grog in Newburyport, a darling little town!

We went apple picking in Concord,  and although I didn't get a chance to take pics of the apple crisp before my roommates and I gobbled it up, this fruit was perfect. So sweet and tart, and amazingly crispy!

This is where I spend my money. This is Russo's, a grocery store in Watertown that sells delicious veggies and fruits from local farms. The cheese selection is amazing as well. Definitely a place for a foodie!

This dessert was the highlight of my week. I wanted to test the recipe before teaching it to my students. It is an egg pastry puff with vanilla pudding in the middle and chocolate sauce on top. Such a stellar creation!

This is one of the ymmiest dinner's I've made in a long time. Basmati Rice with a Korma Sauce I bought at Whole Foods. I added potatoes, chicken, carrots and peas and viola! Easy and amazingly tasty!

 Roasted Acorn Squash with Homemade Cheesy Creamed Corn. I got the idea for the squash from good friends in South Africa three years ago. I couldn't forget it. It isn't complicated to make and is perfect for warming up in New England. This has to be why fall is my favorite season!

sometimes we need little reminders...

and I am so incredibly grateful for this one this week. Listen, and savour the goodness of President Uchtdorf. Even if you are not a member of my faith, I hope you listen and that this message resinates with your heart the way it did for me. Have a wonderful week!

the waiting place...

Lately I have had various conversations with friends and family about the stage of life I am in. I love this city that I moved to, and teaching school is going well. I have wonderful roommates, live in a nice neighborhood and I have even lost ten pounds in the past month. All. Good. Things. This post is in no way meant to be a complaint about my life, because I have a great life.

However, if I am looking deep into my own pursuit and where this Holly life is leading, I feel like it is best described as "the waiting place" which is perfectly illustrated in a favorite Dr. Suess Book called, "Oh the Places You'll Go".  Truth be told, I have been a lot of places. I have lived all over the United States and have experienced the world. I am grateful for that. Very grateful. But still, I am waiting. Waiting for what I don't even know. I think that is the confusing part. Waiting to go some where? Waiting for a new opportunity? New people in my life? What? And why am I waiting? Again, I have a good life. I don't love the fact that I am waiting for anything at all. I guess the best I can do is just enjoy the waiting, enjoy the people I am waiting with, the city I am waiting in. Thoughts?

thoughts on a rainy tuesday eve...

Keep away from people who try to belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that, but the really great make you feel that you, too, can become great.
Mark Twain

Alright, so most of you know that I am passionate about many things. But right now, in the thick of my second week of teaching my thoughts and inspiration for this post are turned towards education. I just moved into the most lovely home where three other lovely roommates reside. Tonight I arrived home from a busy day at school and went to the fridge (naturally) to forage for food. One by one the roommates came together in our kitchen, snacking on Cranberry Seltzer and Waldorf salad and began a discussion. You would think that our chat would have been about the long weekend, the boys in our lives, etc. But I am impressed and pleasantly surprised that our mingle turned into a passionate discussion about education, politics, religion, inspiration and ambition. My roommate Rebecca shared some goodness with me that I will share with you. We were reflecting on our great teachers and their ability to inspire curiosity in the classroom. Curiosity in itself, is a sign of intellect.  Of course as a teacher I have that desire. This teacher of the PS22 choir seen in the video below definitely has created a room full of believers. Most importantly, the students believe in themselves. That is the most beautiful gift a teacher can give to a student. Watch the expression on the faces of the children. They are so into the music. In an interview, one of the students said, "I was scared to raise my hand in class before. I didn't want to share what I knew...but then I thought, if I can sing a solo in choir, I can raise my hand and speak in class". What an exquisite lesson of confidence learned. Readers, I would love to know your thoughts and memories of your great teachers. How did they challenge you to accomplish great things? What did they do to lift your confidence? What teachers inspired you and why?

And also to my readers I want to say to those of you (hopefully most of you) who have tasted the fruit of having a dream,  enormous or small,  to you I say...Don't Stop Believin'!

sew...

I am making attempts to pick up new hobbies and skills. Fall seems to be that time when I get overly ambitious (the other time is January 1st), and make lots of new goals and I get hankerings to try new things. I have resisted sewing in the past, but this summer I finally decided to stop fighting with my inner fear that there are too many rules in sewing for Holly. I broke out the sewing machine, spent $80 at  fabric store (when did this hobby become so expensive?) and here is the result. I completed a couple of pillow cases first and I am still working on pajama pants. I shamefully will admit that I had no idea what I was getting myself into and I You Tubed "how to thread a bobbin" but atleast there is something wearable in the end. Now I have to figure out how to teach it to my students. Yikes.

once upon a time i moved to boston

So here I am. Finally back on the blogging scene after taking the summer off to move across the country to Bean Town. And lemme just say...I LOVE IT HERE! Everything about this city is lovely, well not the traffic, but almost everything. In May I landed a job as a teacher in a high school just outside Boston. I start next week, yikes. I get to teach what I love (child development, cooking, and fashion design), and for that I am grateful to have a job that I will enjoy.

For the summer, I took care a couple of really awesome children from Ireland. I had so much fun with them going to the Children's Museum of Boson, Outdoor Movies on the Charles, Painting Pottery, Painting Paper, Running through Sprinklers, Swimming, Revolution Game, Red Sox Game, Board Games, Making Volcanoes and Mermaid Castles, and Enjoying BBQ's and Walking Katie Dog. It's been a while since I have been in the nanny world and I loved every minute of it. I was so sad to send them back to Dublin.

My nephew Hayden came out for a visit and we enjoyed a very busy week touring around Boston, Cambridge, Newport, RI and New York. It was stellar having him here and I hope his stories and pics prompt more family and friend visits to this glorious part of the country (wink).

daily creed...

And so it seems that every time I am in need of a little spice in my life, a pick me up... the right little message is sent to me when I least expect it. I received an e-mail from my Aunt Marty the other day, sent to recap the family reunion I'd missed in Utah this past weekend. My grandfather who is a legend, a hero, and the most optimistic person I'd ever met, used to have this on His refrigerator, and would repeat it, out loud,  daily. I feel inclined to follow his tradition.

“This is the day I will live a happy, serene, and useful

 life, repelling promptly any thought of antagonism,

 discontent, anxiety, discouragement, and self-seeking.

       I will cultivate a spirit of tolerance, cheerfulness,

 magnanimity, charity, and a love of serving others.  I will

 set aside some time each day to read some uplifting

literature, and for the practice of quiet meditation.

       I will practice generosity in giving, economy in

expenditure, carefulness in conversation, diligence in

assigned duties, faithfulness in every trust, and a childlike

faith in God.

       In particular, I will be faithful in those daily habits of

prayer, work, study of the scriptures, physical exercise,

eating, and sleeping, which I believe, the Holy Spirit has

shown me to be right.”                    

                                                                   John Heidenreich

another thing to check off of my bucket list...

I have been wanting to walk across the Brooklyn Bridge ever since I moved to New York for the first time...TEN YEARS ago. I love bridges, and I love cities. Finally, and with much satisfaction I did it. Now, this is not a huge accomplishment, not like climbing Kilimanjaro or Skydiving (which are also on the bucket list just by the way), but this bridge is something extraordinary. The views of Manhattan were incredible. I got to share this journey with some very special people. Return campers from Camp Rising Sun joined me from Spain, Colorado, Brooklyn, The Bronx and Poland. A true symbol that no matter where we are in the world, love and tolerance builds bridges. So for today, I am thankful for this experience. And thankful for this incredible, simple day. Carpe Diem!

loving boston

I am a little late on this post, but I recently moved to Boston for a job and I wanted to say that I am loving it here! This city is amazing. It is full of culture, history, water, cool people, and delicious food. I landed a job at a High School just outside of Boston teaching Child Development, Fashion Design, and Cooking. I am very excited about the opportunity but also feel like I have a lot of work to do and a long way to go before I feel completely comfortable in my classroom. There are some skills I will need to polish before I start teaching including sewing. I haven't sewn in years and now I need to somehow teach 25 students how to sew from scratch. This is my challenge I guess At the end of it at the very least I will have obtained a good domestic skill.

In the meantime, there are so many great things about living in Boston. I am lucky because I have the summer off. I have been spending my time developing curriculum, cooking, riding my new bike, swimming, eading on the beach, watching Boston sports team kick bum, and playing piano. I feel like after the last semester of my master's degree and student teaching where it was chaos 24/7, I am finally feeling like Holly again. Just by the way, anyone is welcome to visit and I will gladly host you!

Thank you for reading, I will do my best to update more often.

congratulations boston

 It was so fun to arrive in Boston in time for the Stanley Cup Hockey Finals. I admittedly don't know as much about this sport as I want to, but it was a nice welcome to Boston anyway. Yesterday we ventured down to the parade and we happened to get a prime spot where the players and said Cup were 15 miles away. It was a great celebration to a stellar Hockey Team. The Red Socks are playing great as well after a rocky start and I must say that although I love my Salt Lake City roots, it is so much fun to live in a city with major sports teams that happen to be doing very well. More later on the move.

Masterpieces

Hi Friends. Just want to share a couple of videos from my dear friend Steve Nelson (the cello player). Here are a couple of  is new pieces Steve has created in his musical mastermind. I love Steve as a person and I adore his music. I think you will too! Please watch these and share them with others!