the female brain.

let me tell you why i love my mother.

the last time she came to visit, she brought me this book and told me to read it, except for the sex chapter. so i read that chapter first. 

let me tell you, this book was SO interesting. even more interesting were the lines in the book that i came across every now and then that my mom had whited out. only, i was so curious about what would have been so bad for her to cover up, that i would hold the pages up to the light so i could see what was under the white out. that probably defeated the purpose. sorry mom.

but back to the book. it was written by a neuropsychiatrist who explains the way womens' brains are wired and operate - from the birth of the female brain, to the mommy brain, to the mature female brain.  the book is a combination of findings from various articles and books, along with accounts of patients from her clinic and explains what is occurring in the female brain during each phase of her life.

read it. you will love it.

and it will make you feel a lot less crazy.

i have this problem.

i like to read. [that's not the problem, in case you were wondering].

the problem is that i would rather read a book about the constitution for my own satisfaction than read from my biology textbook for school. i think i'm just taking the wrong kind of classes.

if i read as much for my classes as i do for leisure, i would probably be getting straight a's. but it's only the first month of the semester - still plenty of time for studying up on plant reproduction [kill me].

my recent reads include:

the tipping point

the female brain

the screwtape letters

and the time traveler's wife

right now i'm working on the 5,000 year leap.

my goal is to read at least one book each month this year, including church books.

so what should be next on my list? i would love your suggestions...

xoxo.

jana

grilled cheese reinvented.

[photo taken by me. you better believe it. how are my food styling skills coming along?]

the best thing since grilled cheese sandwiches...

is a grilled cheese sandwich made on sourdough bread.

with pepperjack cheese.

avocado.

bacon.

and apple slices.

yes, apple slices.

i am obsessed.

christmas in california.

a long time ago my dad bought me some reflectors for my photography.

when i was home in december, he told me i should probably pull them out and use them sometime.

so on christmas, with my cousins, i did.

ps. i never have any one take pictures of me, so this was kind of exciting.

[britney, my grumpy assistant]

[the one on the right was my favorite picture all day]

[then it started getting dark because we took so long getting ready]

[oh. and here's me]

dear husband [that i don't have yet],

i was thinking about you today.

i spent a few hours painting today - sitting on the floor, then on the couch - and my back was not very happy with that set-up. which made me think: husband, i certainly hope our home will have an art studio for me. 

so i kept thinking. of all the other wonderful things our home will have. white cabinets and lots of windows in the kitchen. a breakfast nook. a red front door. or maybe a black one. i'll let you choose. a neverland playroom with a giant treasure map painted on the wall... 

then i started to feel bad for you. and not just because of the handy-man role you'll have in our marriage. you see husband [that i don't have yet], i hate to admit this, but sometimes i can be needy. sometimes i get sad for no reason and i will need you to help me be happy. some days my hair will absolutely not do what i want it to, and i will need you to tell me i look pretty anyway. sometimes i may not feel like getting out of bed in the morning, and you might need to give me a little push - possibly a literal one. 

like i said. i am needy. you can't say i didn't warn you.

i will need you to say 'i love you' every day.

and i will need you to dance with me in the kitchen when i don't feel like starting on the dishes yet.

i will need you to tickle me when i'm mad at you for beating me in a game. [you beating me probably won't happen very often though, unless it's a stupid game that i probably didn't want to play in the first place, just saying].

and i might need you to carry me to bed when i fall asleep on the couch during a movie.

but before you go running off, i promise that being married to me will have it's fair share of benefits. 

i promise i'll kiss you a lot. [and i mean a lot]. and you'll probably like it. who am i kidding? i know you'll like it. we'll probably do lots of other things too, but i can't talk about that here because my mom will get mad at me. you know, like play board games and stuff.

speaking of board games, i'm a pretty awesome person to have on your team. 9 times out of 10, we'll win. pictionary, disney scene it, even other things like bowling or miniature golf, you name it... all of the other couples at game night will be pretty jealous of our awesomeness.

i make a pretty mean lasagna - even though i stole the recipe from my mom. i bet even if you don't like lasagna that much you will like mine. i actually can make lots of good dinners. and if you tell me you don't like casseroles with cooked broccoli in them, i promise i will use something different. and if there is a good football game on tv, i won't even mind if you want to watch it instead of helping [just don't get carried away]. i will make you whatever dessert you want for your birthday, and probably for lots of your unbirthdays as well.

i will say lots of stupid things and won't get mad when you laugh.

i will give you lots of pretty babies.

and i will always make you happy. i promise. even if it means rubbing your back when it feels like the longest 10 minutes of my life.

i like to think that it's a pretty good deal. in fact, i'm making lasagna tomorrow if you would like to come for dinner.

xoxo.

jana

family pictures.

i've been a terrible blogger. long story.

so here are a few family pictures i've taken over the past few months to make up for my little hiatus.