Plus it has Jimmy Fallon on it.

‎"Vanilla bean ice cream with a salty caramel swirl and fudge-covered potato chip clusters." 

It doesn't sound as good as bacon ice cream, but I'm still interested. If this is the kind of food I think sounds good now, what monstrosities will I try when I'm pregnant one day? 

Oh, goodness, let's not think about that today.

Some People Aren't Cut Out for Vlogging. Like Me.

Noelle really is there, I promise. 

Broken Heart Bark

Last year I made broken heart bark around Valentine's Day. I decided to make it again this year. Part of the recipe (as written) is to break conversation hearts into pieces with a rolling pin. I didn't have a rolling pin last year.

(That's a hammer, in case you can't see it in this oh-so-wonderful cell phone picture)

I ran into a similar problem this year. Then Noelle had a BRILLIANT idea. "Why not throw them off the balcony?" We live on the third story. I my first attempt didn't make much of an impact. So Noelle tried. She  smacked it down, but it still wasn't as effective. So Beth tried. And then she tried again. Most of the little pieces were her handiwork. She also broke the bag in a couple of places. But now the bark is done, and it is delicious. 

A Great Day at BYU-Idaho.

I finally figured out what career I want to pursue.

So allow me to introduce myself. 

(I was blonde when this picture was taken.)

Brooke Taylor, future attorney at law. When I grow up, I'm going to get the bad guys sent to jail. 

After a good french class (I'm finally beginning to remember everything I had forgotten) and an incredible devotional, I broke my no-sweets resolution by getting cupcakes with Rachel. Our moms were best friends in college and we were each other's first friends. When she started school here last semester, it was the closest we'd lived to each other since we were two, so she gets to be the exception to my avoidance of refined sugar. And I just LOVE every time we get together. She's sweet and straightforward and makes me want to be a better person. (Sorry, guys, she's also taken.) 

Resolve, v. To decide firmly on a course of action

I have the sweet tooth from Hell. I love sweets and can eat them all day long. Occasionally I do. Unfortunately, I can't live that way forever without major health repercussions. So for one of my semester resolutions (It feels like a new year every 3 months anyway with my schedule, so might as well), I'm severely cutting down on the sweets. At first I was going to go cold turkey with no sweets, but that does not work in the BYU-Idaho bubble, where love is expressed with baked goods. So I won't buy or bake them. I had a cookie last night at my friend's scrub ceremony, but other than that, I've been good. No massive withdrawals or uncontrollable cravings. Just controllable cravings that were satisfied with fruit or pomegranate tea with honey in it. The hope is that I'll have more spending money and a reduced chance of getting diabetes. Good luck to the rest of you with your resolutions!

My Favorite Things, Part I

As much as I hate (repeat: HATE) being cold, I love fall. For me, new beginnings happen in October, not January. We're finally into the swing of things at school, opportunities crop up to dress a little more warmly (i.e., nicer). Now is the time for General Conference and Halloween. I'm not sure how to explain it, but there's just something in the air that makes everything a little more special.

Of course, this all points to...

Candy corn. My favorite. They're finally selling it at the grocery store, and I plan to get a bag in my next grocery trip. Or I might just pick up a few baking/cooking things and try this recipe for homemade candy corn I found here. 

This Week's Accomplishments

• I invented a breakfast pasta. I'm not really a breakfast food person, so I made pasta in a way that's more breakfast-y and sweet. Not like that just-put-an-egg-on-top breakfast pasta. It's fantastically simple and I'll post the recipe another time.
• I drove all the way out to Los Angeles to go to the temple by myself in nasty traffic. Thursdays the Los Angeles Temple has time for baptisms without appointments. I've wanted to go all summer, and everything was finally right. I was able to borrow my parents' car, I got out of work on time, all that jazz. After two hours of driving, getting lost downtown, and awful traffic in the city, I made it--only to find it was closed. I made the most of it. I took a tour of the newly remodeled visitors center and hung out for a while. Overall, it was a good experience. I'm not going back by myself, though. That's the scary part of Westwood.

• I discovered I'm not the only Rachel fangirl in my ward. Hannah and Tiffany and I all want to be like her when we grow up.
• I've finally seen Firefly. I'm sad it was cancelled. And look!

Yep. That's prepubescent Zac Efron as a younger Simon Tam. I laughed so hard.

I know you're all just terribly excited to see what I've done with my hair. Because I am just so awesome and everything I do is important. I have no good pictures of it yet. But I will tell you that I completely disregarded the overwhelming majority of you and went blonde. And I like it. I was blonde as a child and it still works.

The sad thing is that I put that before the news of my birthday! I turned 19 last Thursday. I didn't too anything too big--worked all day, then had dinner and cupcakes with my family after.

Uhhh, that's all. Bye.

I have no formal post. Just captions for pictures.

 This is my dad fixing the pipes. They're partway through redoing the kitchen, and it's going to look great!

 There's a clothesline in the backyard of my new place. 

 I plan to take unnecessary amounts of pictures of my clothes drying this summer.

 I actually plan to take unnecessary amounts of pictures in general, because now I have a real camera for the first time since November! I bought a Canon EOS Rebel XSi for my photography classes. Huzzah.

I was home alone with nothing to do tonight, so I got started making chocolate hazelnut gelato. 

 Side note: I made the bacon ice cream earlier this week. It was really, really good. My family loved it, too! (See? I am neither pregnant nor crazy.)

I wore an apron and everything!

It's not finished yet, though. It has to chill for a lot longer before it can go into the machine. But it'll be worth the wait. 

Wait a Minute...

You never know what could set you laughing on the inside all day long. Today, it was this shirt.

On this boy.

And he wanted to show me how to drink from a water bottle. And watch cartoons on my iPod. And read Dr. Seuss. And "help" with orders. And everything else the world has to offer a two-year-old.

Or this kid. He asked if we could have a party when he found out that we would be the only ones home tonight. Luckily, his idea of a party is playing Super Smash Brothers Brawl on the Wii.

I felt like baking today. It's nice to be at home where my mom has a KitchenAid and a convection oven and everything I need for chocolate cupcakes and buttercream frosting. (I always bake from scratch!)

 (Okay, the blue and yellow frosting came from a can. But it was fun to decorate some of them!)

Geez,how did this turn into a Mom Blog? I'm only 18! Just look at this post--it goes from toddler to eight-year-old to baking completely effortlessly. I think this means I need a date. Or at the very least a girls' night out. Or a life in general. Anyone who wants to help in this effort will be compensated in dumb jokes and baked goods!

"Cubans don't eat cupcakes because cupcakes are happy and communism's not!"

Today you get a lot of sporadic thoughts and images. Have fun!

Some skills need to be constantly cultivated. Otherwise they go away. Like sometimes you're performing in Carnegie Hall one day and a year later you're struggling to sightread an easy alto part.

Today I found myself missing my long red hair. And New York. And Dallin. I like how this picture has all three.

I've also noticed that after I hear barbershop live, I impulsively have to say "Get some!"after every song. I can keep it quiet in a BYU-Idaho setting, but I just know that it's because of Diva Day '09. Good times.

Maddie is the coolest eleven-year-old ever. And I bet Minnesota wishes they still had the Lakers. (Even though Maddie is about nine in this picture and while we were at Staples Center, it was a Clippers game.)

I declared today a Day of Cupcakes. Since we were watching Obsession in my sociology of religion class today, we were supposed to bring food. I made Nutella cupcakes first thing this morning. Then I somehow found myself in The Cocoa Bean getting a Madagascar Vanilla Vanilla cupcake after my last class. Then I made myself stop.

I'd have pictures of all this, but they're all on my phone and I can't send pictures from my phone anymore. (Hey Dad, can we fix that, please?) So you get this one of Noah, Kendra, and Kylinn on top of the fort back home.

I like Butter Pecan ice cream. Except for the pecans.

The title of this post comes from the May 2009 Quote Book. I definitely said it in AP Bio, but I can't remember the context. Do any BiFs remember?

Little Thank You Notes

To the French language:
Thank you for being my teenage rebellion. Spanish may be more practical, but you definitely have your perks.

Dear Austria,
Thank you for inventing Milka chocolate bars.

Dear Pianos,
Thank you for being strategically placed around the BYU-Idaho campus.

Dear Pacsun,
Thank you for making awesome metaphoric necklaces.

Dear Taylor Swift,
Thank you for writing "Jump Then Fall."

Dear Sudoku,
Thanks for finally making sense.

Dear Guy from Lifehouse,
Thanks for writing great songs, but I'm not too fond of your voice.

Love always,
Brooke

Top Ten Reasons that This Week was the Best.

10. J'ai trouvé ma cloche!

I finally have the coolest hat in the world back. I lost it in my French class on the second day of class and didn't see until yesterday, when Sœur Passe-Carlus said she had it in her office.

9. Hair Color Fades!

My hair is a normal color! But I did turn the towels pink at the temple...

8. Nutella Cupcakes!

Found this recipe while stumbling around the internet on Thursday and couldn't help but trying them. And they are DELICIOUS. We ate them for breakfast. (Since they're self-frosting, you can totally pass them off as muffins.) I will definitely be making them again in the near future.

7. I've finally seen The Dark Knight all the way through!

When my family rented this when it first came out, no one ever told me when they were starting. So I always came in the middle. Then last semester I started it with the guys, but we only got halfway through before curfew. Then we watched it last night because their new roommate is just off his mission and hadn't seen it yet. Hurray for 1am curfew on Fridays!

6. I finally found a good place to study!

I have a hard time focusing on homework when Sven the Mac's 20-inch screen offers so many other options. And I don't like the library--too many people. But there is a lovely little secluded place in the Ricks Building (pictured above) perfect for reading and studying. This should increase my productivity by infinity.

5. The Hello Kitty Coloring Book

My mom sent a bunch of crayons up with me after Christmas Break and I had nothing to color! In my determination to remedy this, I bought a 288 page Hello Kitty coloring book. I almost got the Star Wars one, but it was part of that crap Clone Wars franchise. I am not ashamed of my new hobby. You're just jealous. 

4.Endless Jam Sessions.

My roommate Jenna the Music Ed Major brought an acoustic guitar up with her. Now we're both using it to teach ourselves to play. I remembered a few things from back when I actually practiced Francesca (my guitar that's been sitting lonely in my room for the past three years). My fingers are sore and covered in band-aids, and Jenna's thumb has turned funny colors from strumming with it. But it's way fun. Since Thursday, we've spent at least three hours a day taking turns playing. 

3. Getting things worked out.

Don't you worry your pretty little head about the details.

2. Hearing from two members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.

Elder Russel M. Nelson gave the devotional on Tuesday and Elder. M. Russell Ballard More will be on my Rexburg Blog.

1. Getting my family's temple work done.

Unless I'm completely mistaken, this is my great-grandmother,(my mother's mother's mother) Margot. I was baptized and confirmed for her and for my great-great-aunt, (my mother's father's mother's sister) Anna. I'm so excited to keep tracing my mom's family line and getting their work done, too!

Scatterbrain

I'd really like to see (500) Days of Summer.

Yesterday I made a Nutella and bacon sandwich using Eggo waffles instead of bread. It was delicious.

Then today I found a recipe for Candied Bacon Ice Cream. Something may be wrong here.

photo courtesy of the Telegraph

Look at this dress. It has special pockets for markers to create the colored pattern. How clever! 

I'm tempted to not go to my American government class on Tuesday because I know something more horribly sexist than usual will happen in the name of an object lesson.

50% of Haitians agree with Pat Robertson about the deal with the devil thing.

Mari Winsor is officially my arch-nemesis.

Barbershop or Jazz?

Little Hypocrisies (And Some Big Ones)

This post is a bunch of confessions. You've been warned.

"A girl needs to have SOME glaring contradictions in her life."

~Hannelore from "Questionable Content"

I like to say I'm honest, but I also want to be a politician someday. And yesterday I illegally downloaded "Mozart L'Opéra Rock" after iTunes France wouldn't let me buy it.

I like to say that I'll sleep when I'm dead or that sleep is for the weak, but I'm so tired all the time.

I like to say I'm a good person, but I did my visiting teaching for the first time today, with three days left in the semester.

I like to say I'm mature, but Mr. Roosevelt came with me to college.

I like to say it's only cold if you can see your breath, but I start to shiver when it's colder than 50º F.

I claim to aspire to Audrey Hepburn-status classiness, but I'm known around UHS for my racist jokes.

I eat nothing but junk food but weigh 119.

I do less work and have a higher GPA here than I did in high school.

I don't believe in love at first sight, but my favorite song by The Beatles is "I've Just Seen a Face."

A Minor Setback

Before I can begin, I must apologize for the horrible pun in the title.

I can't pick a minor. I'd been planning on journalism at the beginning of this semester, broadcast a week ago, and now I really don't know.

But it's all good. I've got a good schedule for next semester that covers general ed foundations and my major requirements. (At least I'm sure about my major. I almost died of happiness when we talked about the Constitution and government in Book of Mormon class today.)

In other news, I'll be home in 4 days! Huzzah for Thanksgiving!

BREAKING NEWS: these are Candy Corn Kisses from Hershey's. They are perfect and they are making my day.

How Vogue Saved My Life and Halloween Adventures

I bought the November 2009 Vogue tonight whist grocery shopping at Albertsons. I like Vogue. Their writers are fantastic and it's fun every now and again to see what the classy rich gals are wearing. (That's the difference between Cosmo and Vogue-class.)

Then we loaded up McKell's car with our groceries. She put hers into a cooler in the back-and something in there is going bad. Carolyn and I were about ready to die - until I opened up the magazine, flipped to the Trésor by Lancôme ad, and smelled the heavenly perfume sample.

Speaking of Vogue, I felt like I belonged in it on Halloween night. I had just dyed my hair red again (and I feel like myself!) and I loved how everything came together.

I was a 20s gangster.

It's been awhile since I've taken tons of pictures of myself. But tonight was a good night to do it.

I went to a few parties. It was fun, but nothing too memorable.

My favorite costumes of the night:

(If you're clueless about this, you're probably a good parent and don't let your kids watch Nickelodeon. But The Fairly Odd Parents is still an excellent show.)

The Anatomy of a Good Day.

Monday was a good day.

I got reacquainted with my old friend Jillian (Michaels).

(she says "hi," Mom.)


I looked really cute. I didn't take pictures of myself, but I should have. I'll just show you what I wore today instead because today was a good day too. 

(headband is from Ross, shirt from Kohls, cardigan from Costco, shoes were a gift from my friend Emma's grandparents, and the bag was made by the fabulous Sister Sant.)

I got a package from home.

 I was SO excited to get this!

 

 My mom made us a card!

 

 Bouncy balls- how cute!

 

Real adults wear socks like this. 




Incidentally, yesterday started out good too, for a very similar reason to the package-I got a letter. A REAL letter from my new pen pal Rachel. It made my otherwise stressful and neurotic day.

(Peanut Butter M&Ms helped with my Tuesday, too.)

Let me tell you, I have an awesome FHE group. Not everyone was able to make it on Monday, but we have a good time. We played Egyptian War for our activity and it got INTENSE. I had to take off my ring after I "injured" Ryan's hand slapping when we both slapped the deck. 

Laura never gave up trying to slap back into the game after she got out!

Brooke did though. She just played solitaire. Side note: There are two Brookes and two Johns in our FHE group.  Things can get confusing.

 What makes a good day for you?