AZ Happily Ever After

Olivia is going to be the next Mozart!

2010-03-22T09:29:00.001-07:00

Meridith and Jamaal are in town right now! Meri hasn't seen little Livy in months so everyone went to Muriel and Mikes for pizza and Olivia time!

Olivia got to play the piano with her Uncle Stank. She really had a blast banging on the keys!

Are you a Gleek?!?!

2010-03-19T11:00:00.000-07:00

Cause I sure am!

Sooooo there is this super awesome show called Glee that I looooooooooove! Every time I watch it, it makes me all happy! I feel like a freaken teenager! lol! Its about a high school Glee club set in my families home town of Lima, Ohio (how cool is that). There is tons of singing and dancing, it makes my little heart all a flutter!

So they are going on a LIVE TOUR!!! And Phoenix is the first stop!!!!! ::Squeal::

Luckily my good friend Sarah is also a Gleek and is going with me! Tickets just went on sale this morning and they are almost sold out! It took me 30 minutes to secure tickets!!! I cant believe we get to go to Glee! I am MORE excited about this then I was when I got to go see New Kids on the Block for the first time!!!!!!!!!!

The ever changing kitchen

2010-03-15T10:01:00.000-07:00

Soooooo once upon a time, our kitchen looked like thisHorrible 1980's white-wash cabinets with a lovely turquoise-ish counter top.

We did sand and stain the cabinets a mahogany color which really helped tone down the turquoise counters and bring our kitchen out of the 80's. (Here is the only pic I have right now, Ladmo helping butch install the new stove) We had a perfectly fine cook top that had a ton of storage underneath and a wall oven unit. Well our friend Josh's parents redid their kitchen and had a nice stove that they didn't want to go to waste so they offered it to us! I jumped at it, because that meant I would now have TWO ovens! Woot!

As it turns out, cook top stoves are much wider then a regular slide in range. So when Butch(my step dad) cut it out it left us with a good 5" gap on one side. We have plans to eventually redo the kitchen, so I wasn't to upset by it. So Butch put a piece of wood in the open area... (note you can see how the mahogany cabinets look against the turquoise counters in this pic)We decided we would cover up the wood with some tiles and make a little hot plate area of sorts next to the stove. I think it looks fine and will get us through until we can really reno the kitchen

This was our ghetto reno for the weekend :)

Big weekend ahead, might even have time for bed, bath & beyond

2010-03-12T07:16:00.000-08:00

I'm gonna be a busy bee this weekend!

Tonight I am thinking that I will shampoo the carpets and maybe take a crack at shampooing the "princess chair" Our chair and half and ottoman. I may even do a second coat of paint in the bathroom, I feel like it needs another. We shall see.

Tomorrow Butch (my step dad) is coming over to help us get our drip system in working order before it gets to hot out. Micah and I also want to conquer the master closet, get it cleaned out and maybe even up and running! I also have lunch plans thrown into the mix and babysitting little miss Olivia! Cant wait!

Nothing to much planned for Sunday, Ladmo and I have puppy school at 3. Our new teacher is super awesome, Ladmo is responding to commands a lot better. Now if we could just get him to quit biting us and eating his own poop we'd be golden!

Our Wedding Invites and Misc!

2010-03-09T09:24:00.000-08:00

I don't think I ever attention whored them up on my blog!

These were our save the dates, this is the only thing the Deb didn't print for us.

The hubs did all the design work and then the wonderful Mrs. Debbie of Definitely Debra made all the printing, cutting and layout magic happen! She seriously is AMAZING! We used Envelopments paper. Our actual invite was on White Linen, our boarder color and the programs were in Wicked, our pocket color is no longer carried, the envelopes were white linen.

Here is the invite with all the inserts in the pocket, the band at the bottom was a belly band that wrapped around and had to be slid off to open the inviteHere is the invite with the inserts taken out. We had a RSVP and Map card

Close up of the invitationThe back of our invite envelopes. Micah designed our crest/monogramClose up of the RSVPOur programs, they have been dubbed the Diva program at the shop because they were so thick! We actually included our seating chart in the program, our final head count was 286 and I couldn't imagine almost 300 people crowded around a table trying to find the place cards. This made it easier.

The following signs Deb made for us, they turned out so sweet!

This sign was at the guest book table. This was at the candy buffetOur please don't drink and drive sign that was on the bar.One of our 35 table numbers!

Hello! Lucky

2010-03-05T13:50:00.000-08:00

In case you haven't stumbled upon this sweet little stationery site yet, let me direct you their way.

Hello! Lucky's blog and their Website...both are AMAZING! The site has some of the prettiest letter press I have ever seen!

And their blog features amazing weddings and party ideas and just well, super fabulous stuff! Go lurk them! And buy me a few things while your over there, I need more pretty in my life :)

This just in

2010-03-04T15:14:00.000-08:00

Olivia does NOT like shopping...

This is what she had to say about it

She looks like she is channeling her inner Popeye

Yelp Desert In Bloom VIP Party!

2010-03-04T09:08:00.001-08:00

That's right, the Elliot's attended a V.I.P. party, so L.A.! haha

So I Yelp, In case you didn't know. I love food and I love complaining (or praising if it so deserves) http://www.kirstine.yelp.com/ Well last night Yelp hosted a Yelp In Bloom Event for people who review on Yelp, They only allowed a limited number of people and the Hubs and I got to be one of the lucky few! There was all the food and drinks you could handle for as far as the eye could see, and then some! They also had music and a circus school there doing acrobats! Who knew Phoenix had a school for that!?!

The event was hosted at the Desert Botanical Gardens. If you have never been and you live in AZ, then shame on you because you are missing out on something really special! And let me tell you its just as amazing at night as it is during the day. I love how the desert smells after the sun goes down.

I am going to try to remember all the restaurants that were there, I know there were way more but this is all I can remember:

Cein Agave They had Shrimp ceviche there, the hubs said it was fab!

WildFlower Bread Company They had this AMAZING deconstructed sandwich with a spicy mashed potato served in a martini glass! So yum!

Roka Akor We went to this place for Micah's Bday! So awesome to see them at this event, and Unlimited sushi, in Micah's book is = to heaven! I did have a California roll and it was delightful!

The Gelato Spot & XOXO Bakery I could eat gelato all day long! I had the Snickers and Micah had the chocolate, both were amazing!

Let Them Eat Cake They had the cutest cupcakes there, and you know I love cuppys! Micah had his last night, It was a vanilla cake with Bavarian cream, I snuck a taste and it was good! I am saving mine for tonight I snagged a lemon cake with raspberry filling!

Mama Mia The pizza was good, we will order from them! Also they had pasta and meatballs, I thought I was going to loose Micah to the pasta last night, he loved it!

Makers Mark we didn't make it to this booth

Salty Senorita I am generally not a fan of this place, because its so watered down with Scottsdale socialites...but let me tell you they make a mean chips and guacamole! Lordy!

Petite Maison They had Foie Gras there, we skipped this both do to the yuck factor

The Mission This place the line was to long, I think they had some sort of soup there

Butter & Me Sadly these people were rude, all we got was an apricot bar, which was tasty, but no cupys, they had like 6 on the table and seemed to be guarding them with their lives

Cruz Tequila When I drink tequila my shirt comes off and this was not that type of party, so no tequila for Kiki

Karlsson Vodka We skipped this booth as well, we had to trek it back to the west side, so just one beer each was all we had.

Session Lager We each had a glass of this! Micah got the Dark and I got the regular. Both beers were really good and really clean tasting! Loved it!

5th & Wine They had a few different types of breads with toppings going on. The bruechetta was really good, The hummus was off I just wasn't a fan.

JJ's Brownies Super yummo and the ladies there were really nice!

Hehe this picture is cute, we snapped it on our way out the door.

Awwwwe So cute

2010-03-04T08:19:00.001-08:00

Doncha just love being in love

I dont have baby fever AT ALL....

2010-03-02T13:33:00.000-08:00

Trick!

Seriously....my friends need to stop getting knocked up! And Olivia needs to stop being so darn cute! My baby fever is in over drive, but we are not acting on that right now and I am totally ok with that....HOWEVER that does not stop me from looking at things, taking notes...it will be my turn sooner then I think and a girl has to be prepared.

So at Kim's shower she got a super awesome Petunia Pickle Bottom diaper bag and it made my heart go all a flutter when I saw it. Seriously, who am I and why do diaper bags all of a sudden stop me in my tracks? So I went on the site today, and I fell in love with a diaper bag. I want to get something that will be unisex and that poor Micah wouldn't be embarrassed to carry. I always feel so bad when I see a dad carrying a bright pink diaper bag. I will not do that to the hubs.

So here it is It is THE COOLEST bag ever. I love that you can wear it as a bag pack if you need to. Also the little changing pad that flips out is pretty dang cool as well!

I had to go to Buy Buy Baby on Saturday to shop for three different babies, and I did browse around as well. I fell in love with this super cute bedding. I love that it is gender neutral, I really don't want to find out the sex of what we are having when that time comes and Micah really does...we shall see... At any rate, I thought this could be cute for a boy or girl

So there you have it folks, I have baby fever and already have a diaper bag and bedding all picked out. I am sure if Micah is reading this post he has already fainted or gone running for the hills! LOL

Fanciest Baby Shower Everrrr

2010-03-01T11:16:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I got to go to one of the most amazing baby showers I have ever been invited to!

My friend Kim of The Event Essentials is all sorts of knocked up with little Miss Madison! She is a super cute pregnant lady!

Her shower was at the Firesky Resort, and it was just absolutely breath takingThe food was super tasty! And let me tell you about the cake! A Pina Colada cake with coconut butter cream filling! I wish I had a picture of the cake to post, when Kim posts more pics I will post them over here. The cake was so pretty and it tasted sooooooooo good! Sugar Buzz did the cake! There were also cake balls or cake pops, however you want to call them, they were spectacular! She had La Dolce Pesca do those! The one I got was strawberry and it had edible glitter on top! I took this pic with my camera phone, sorry about the quality The photography was done by Shelly Ivy, all the photos posted here with the 'i' watermark were done by her, the other two crappy ones were with my camera phone. I haven't had the pleasure to work with Shelly, but I love her work, she takes amazing photos.

And of course the fabulous invites were done by little miss Kim herself! When you receive an invite in the mail and it comes in a a silk envelope with a rhinestone broach on the front, you know you are going to be attending a stunning event! All the reset of the detail such as flowers and linens are linked on Kim's blog! And if you are not a reader of hers I suggest you start following, she is always posting fabulous ideas!

Micah made dinner last night....

2010-02-25T08:49:00.000-08:00

And it was soooooooooo tasty!!!!

I have had a crazy week at work and was just to tired to make dinner last night. I asked him if he was up for taking on dinner. On the meal plan our options were chicken picadillo stuffed peppers or sweet and sour shrimp. He chose the shrimp.

This dish has a lot of steps, but OH MY GOD it is soooo worth it. I was so impressed with the hubs last night!

Here is the recipe he followed

Here is a pic, sorry its a bit dark.

Irish Car Bomb CUPCAKES!!!!!

2010-02-25T07:23:00.001-08:00

What can make a sweet little cuppy ten times better and maybe a little bit more on the sinful side??? ALCOHOL!!!!!!!!

I always do something for my co-workers bdays. This week one of the guys in manufacturing was turning the big 21 so I really wanted to do something with a touch of the tipsy ;)

Enter in Irish Car Bomb Cupcakes. Here is the original recipe I found, I did change it up a bit

Here is what I Did:

Ingredients:

FOR THE CUPCAKES:

1 bottle Guinness, I used the extra stout version they have out

1 stick, plus 1 tbs unsalted butter

3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa, I Used Ghiradelli

2 cups dark brown sugar

3/4 cup sour cream
2 eggs

1 tbs vanilla extract

2 cups flour, I used cake flour

2 1/2 tsp baking soda

FOR THE FROSTING:

1 3/4 stick of unsalted butter, room temperature

3 cups confectioners' sugar

4 Tbs Bailey's Irish Cream

For the Soak:

Jameson Irish Whiskey

Directions:

FOR THE CUPCAKES:

1. Preheat the oven to 350; line a muffin tin with cupcake liners.

2. Combine the Guinness and the butter, chopped into 1-inch chunks, in a large sauce pan, and heat to melt the butter.

3. Remove from heat, and whisk in the cocoa and sugar.

4. In a bowl, whisk the sour cream and the eggs and vanilla, then add to the beer mixture.

5. Sift together the flour and baking soda, and fold in the batter.

6. Pour into muffin molds and bake or 25 minutes, or until inserted cake tester comes out clean. Let stand 10 minutes, remove from muffin tin, and cool completely on a rack.

FOR THE SOAK:

1. Once cupcakes have cooled a bit, take a fork and pierce the top of the cupcakes a few times with it.

2. Pour some Jameson into a small bowl or cup, take a basting brush, dip it into the Jameson and then swipe it across the cupcakes once.

3. Once all cupcakes have one coat of whiskey, give them another round or four ;) Depending on how much of the whiskey taste you want to come through.

FOR THE FROSTING:

1. Put the room-temperature butter in a large mixing bowl and bet at medium-to0 high speed for a few minutes.

2. Gradually spoon confectioners' sugar into the bowl, mixing on low speed

3. Add the Bailey's and mix at low speed.

These were a huge hit and soooo tasty! I could have eaten a bowl full of the frosting alone!

Ooooops... I had my comments blocked!

2010-02-23T07:12:00.000-08:00

Sooo I have been wondering why my past few posts hadn't even drummed up one comment.

A couple of my lady friends told me they are restricted from commenting...and sure enough I had messed with my comments and thought I had set it to only allow people who followed my blog...(I have been getting weird comments from Japan???) As it turns out I had it set that no one could comment.

Sooooooooooo things should be back to normal, I *think*

Cheesy Sausage Calzones!

2010-02-22T09:35:00.000-08:00

Last week as I was planning this weeks meals, I was on the hunt for quick and easy recipes. I found a couple really tasty ones off of Pillsbury.com! So last night I made Cheesy Sausage Calzones the easy way (recipe here) They were easy and turned out pretty good!

I put a touch of olive oil in a warm pan and tossed in the onions and bell peppers. (Dice into small bits). I added a touch of ground savory (I looove this spice and add it to any dish that has a red sauce!)Next add the ground Italian sausage and chop up into small pieces Following the recipe, I put two biscuits together and smashed them into 6" circles. Then I put shredded mozzarella cheese on one half. Next up the sausage filling. Which was sooo good! I got the sausage fresh ground from Sprouts! Next step, you fold the other half of the biscuit over the top of the filling and pinch the edges shut to make little pockets :) Follow recipe and bake.

They came out looking amazing! I heated up some jarred sauce and dinner was ready! This really was super simple and tasted really good! I do think next time I make these I will use pizza dough, because the biscuits do make for a ton of bread then a normal calzone would have. But one of these guys is all you really need, they are super filling!

Happy Friday! Pot Pie Recipe!

2010-02-19T08:17:00.000-08:00

Ahhhhh Friday! So glad to see you!

This weekend should be pretty low key. We have no real plans. I work at Definitely Debra's tomorrow, and that's about all the plans we have. We for sure need to hit the grocery store, but I need to do my weekly meal planning first. I am hoping to maybe start working on the hutch again and see how far I get with that :)

Last night I had no clue what to make. We haven't gone grocery shopping in over a week and a half. There was still a ton of left overs in the fridge from that awesome Valentines day meal, so I decided I need to use those or toss them out.

So I called the meal POT PIE! Micah loved it and went back for seconds, and so did I ;)

Here is my recipe, its pretty basic, most pot pie recipes you find will be just about like this but I did wing it a bit as I was dealing with what was in the fridge and cupboards.

1/3 cup butter chopped into a few pieces.

1 can chicken broth

1/3 cup flour

1/2 cup milk

1/2 an onion diced small

2-3 cups misc cooked veggies. These were left over roasted veggies from vday. I used the potatos, carrots, red bell peppers, and sweet potatos

1 1/2 cups cooked meat. I used my left over beef tenderloin diced in small pieces.

Salt and pepper

1 tsp Sage

Dash of Garlic Salt

2 pie crusts from the fridge section. I used Pillbury

Preheat the oven to 425

1. Melt butter. Add onions and saute till soft.

2. Add flour, salt, pepper and sage to onion and butter. Mix well, will be come a thick paste.

3. slowly and chicken broth and milk a little at a time to four paste. Stir to incorporate after each addition til combined then add a little more.

4. Toss in precooked veggies and meat. Cooke for about 5 more minutes.

5. spray 9"pie pan. Roll first pie crust into bottom. Add pie filling mixture.

6. Once filling is in, I sprinkled with a little more salt and pepper and a bit of garlic salt

7.Roll second pie crust on top. Give a pinch all the way around to seal pie crusts together. Make a couple slits on top to release steam.

8. Bake for 30-45 minutes.

And there you have it, left overs that turned into an awesome dinner! Excuse these pics, I took them on my cell phone.

Ladmo is getting so big!

2010-02-18T14:29:00.000-08:00

I wish he would stay a puppy forever. This was just 6 months ago! He was just a tiny little fryand here he is 4 months ago

Free Photo Shoot

2010-02-15T14:50:00.000-08:00

So check this out! You all know what a camera/picture whore I am!! Well my friend Mya has an awesome giveaway going on on her blog! She and Kacy of Kacy Hughes Photography are giving away a mini photo session!

Go read Mya's Blog to find out what you have to do to get signed up!

And take a look at Kacy's work! She does AH-MAZ-ING Work!

How the Elliot's do Valentines Day!

2010-02-15T10:02:00.000-08:00

First off...Happy Birthday to my lovely sis-in-law Meridith! I hit the awesome family jack pot when I married Micah!

So Micah and I decided we wanted to host a Valentine's dinner for some of our favorite couples. It was our first dinner party in the new house, very exciting! We did some spring cleaning all week following up to the party, and then flexed our culinary skills to deliver a mighty tasty dinner if I do say so myself!

For cocktail hour I served Caramelized Onion & Gruyer Cheese Tarts (here is the recipe)

For a salad I served a Pear, Blue Cheese and Pecan Salad (here is the recipe) I don't have a pic of it fully finished, but here it is being put together

For side dishes I served a Beet and Red Onion Compote, sadly no pics of that, but man was it tasty! (here is the recipe)

I also served Chive Mashed Potatos, again no pic :( (here is the recipe)

Along with these sides I also served roasted veggies, I also included a couple carrots which isn't listed in the recipe. (here is the recipe)

And here they are fresh out of the oven!

The main coarse consisted of a beer can chicken, one of Micah's specialties! (here is the recipe)

And here is the lonely beer can after the chicken was cooked. PBR ='s Klassy I also served a Beef Tenderloin! It was my first time making it, so I was a bit nervous, but it came out sooo good! (here is the recipe)

Micah checking the tenderloin temp for me.

Bryan helped slice everything up!I served the beef tenderloin with three accompanying garnishes. I cant link those recipes for some reason, but they are simple, so I will list them below each item.

There was a Mayo and Horseradish dip, Not pictured.

Horseradish Mayo: In a bowl stir together 1/2 cup mayonnaise, 1 tablespoon prepared horseradish, 1 tablespoon snipped fresh Italian (flat-leaf) parsley, and 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper. Makes 2/3 cup

A Blue Cheese and Parsley Crumble

In a small bowl lightly toss together 2 ounces blue cheese, crumbled; 1/2 cup chopped Italian (flat-leaf) parsley; 1 tablespoon lemon juice; and 1/8 teaspoon coarse sea salt or kosher salt. Makes about 3/4 cup.

and an Black Pepper-Olive Relish

In a bowl stir together 1 cup pitted and chopped kalamata or nicoise olives; 1 small red sweet pepper, chopped; 1 tablespoon olive oil; 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar or red wine vinegar; and 1 teaspoon cracked black pepper. Makes about 1-2/3 cups.

Here is the Blue Cheese Crumble (on the left) and Black Pepper Olive Relish (on the right)

For dessert I did a yummy super chocolaty Chocolate Cheese Cake, didn't get that one on film. Here is the recipe I used Ghiridelli chocolate, and for the crust I couldn't find chocolate wafers, so I used a box of chocolate teddy grahms and just smashed them up real good :)

I also served Cream Filled Strawberries. They were like what heaven would taste like! (here is the recipe)

Now onto the table setting. I really wanted to make dinner special for all of our couples. I made a menu to guide them through dinner I had assigned seating with place cards at each settingThe table all set awaiting for guests to arrive. Micah flexed his old waiter skills and did fancy bird of paradise folded napkins!
Getting ready to enjoy dinner! Jessica took the pics for me (thanks lady)!

Friday is for lovers

2010-02-12T07:24:00.000-08:00

Its Valentines weekend!

I'm pretty excited! Micah and I have been doing a ton of spring cleaning around the house and its shaping up nicely!

Last night we went to Macy's, Micah is in dire need of a new suit, the only one he has has cigarette burns in it from when he smoked yearssss ago and we also decided that it was most likely the suit his mom got him for high school graduation. We have a bunch of weddings coming up and it was high time. So I saw Macy's was having a sale. We go, he finds two he loves, they were over $1,100...BUT with all the discounts and what not we walked out of there with 2 suits for $320!!! HOLY SALE BATMAN!

In Olivia news, She has a cold and doesn't feel good :(

Busy weekend coming up!

2010-02-05T15:30:00.000-08:00

Annnnnnnnd hit the ground running!

Today is my step dad's bday, so we are headed over to my sisters House to grill some steaks and eat some pie! Yummmmm

Tomorrow I have to work and then its our friend Kim's bday. We are going to Aunt Chiladas and I am very excited because I looooove Mexican food and Micah, well not so much. SO I dont get to eat Mexican as much as I would want to. So this will be a treat. After we are going to karaoke. I am hoping i have enough margaritas that I finally do some karaoke in public! LOL

Sunday is Whitneys Bridal Shower!!!!!!!! Its breakfast at Tiffanys themed! Should be a super fun time!

Between all those activities Micah and I will be doing some major spring cleaning around the house!

I am already tired from the weekend.

Are you there Friday? Its me Kirstin!

2010-01-29T11:43:00.001-08:00

What a looooooong week! Ugh.

I am so thankful today is Friday AND I don't have to work this weekend!

The weekend is shaping up to be busy but fun and productive!

Tonight the hubs and I are going to go out for drinks for a friends bday at The British Open

Tomorrow I get to go wedding dress shopping with one of my favorite ladies!!! Miss Sarah is getting hitched! I can not wait to see her as a bride, she is going to be beautiful!

After dress shopping I will do some house work, and get some chicken and dumplings going for dinner! The hubs is having some of his man friends over to jam, so I will get to listen to that all night :)

Sunday I plan to work on my china hutch! I picked it up for $50 on Craigslist! I have reallly been wanting one, but just didnt have the $500++ bucks to shell out for the brand new ones I have been seeing. I am excited to finish it. I am trying to make it match our dining room table set the best I can.

This is the hutch...super 70's looking huh? I am painting it all black except for the buffet area I am staining a walnut color (p.s. this is not our house, this is the person I bought it froms house)

This is our dining room set (clearly not our house)

Have a great weekend!

Holy Storm Batman!

2010-01-22T08:38:00.001-08:00

Wow! So supposedly AZ is getting one of the worst storms its seen in like 10-15 years. Yesterday we got somewhere around 7" of rain, which is generally the amount we get for the WHOLE year!!! Nuts!

We even had a tornado warning, which thankfully didn't come near us...AZ is not really equipped to handle a tornado, we don't have basements for crying out loud!

As far as I can see, our house didn't suffer any damage. Our pool is pretty full...but that's it.

And my very sweet husband got Ralphie (the little blind homeless kitty that lives under our bush who has adopted us) and stuck him in the garage with his food and a little bed so he could ride out the storm safely. :)

Not to much planned for the weekend. I work at Deb's tomorrow...Have to go grocery shopping at some point as our house is pretty bare. Have a good weekend!

Oh! And check me out on Yelp! www.KirstinE.Yelp.com

Happy 9 Months Olivia!

2010-01-20T09:07:00.000-08:00

Little Livy is getting sooooo big!

She army crawls super fast now! She is also getting a little attitude, Its to cute! She is also very particular about her toys. None of her farm animals can be in the barn yard, if you put them in there she crawls over super fast and flings them out of there! LOL! She also has a little tea set that has a little plate of crumpets on it...She insists that NO crumpets be placed on the plate.

Ang sends me phone pics a couple times a week since I am an Olivia addict. Here she is just this morning :)

This is from a couple weeks ago. Olivia got to eat her first grilled cheese sandwich! Look at how happy she is! Love it!

Here She is sampling some yogurt for the first time! Haha Love the look on her face! Priceless

Happy NINE MONTHS Olivia! Next stop ONE YEAR OLD!!!!!!!!

Hello Friday!

2010-01-15T10:21:00.001-08:00

Man am I glad the weekend is just about upon us! I have the whole weekend off and lots to do!

Tonight will just be making dinner and laying low

Tomorrow I am going to look at a china hutch, then lunch with my Jen Jen, then a house warming party and THEN possibly dinner with another couple.

Sunday I have a long list of TO DO's around the house. Hopefully I will get a few things crossed off the list.

She will be embarrASSed knowing I posted this...

2010-01-13T08:51:00.000-08:00

Dora is the lady of the house.

She is a princess.

She is a daddy's girl, BIG TIME.

I busted her a while back in the bathroom....

Lord only knows how she got a piece of toilet paper stuck to her bottom.

The first full week of 2010

2010-01-08T09:16:00.000-08:00

Well the first full week of 2010 is just about through.

And so far I am not pleased with 2010 at all. I asked 2010 to be nice this year, but so far she is being a bitch. Hopefully this week will not be an indicator of how this year will go. Wasn't a super terrible week all things considered, but it could have been a lot better. Just sayin, no more bumps please.

I do get to go have dinner with my amazing mother in law tonight, so that will be a nice way to cap off the week.

ALSO today is three awesome peoples bdays!

Happy birthday to my Brother in law Ryan

My nephew Zach (He is on the far left)

And last but not least my little Sharoo, Sheila

New Tilapia Recipe!

2010-01-06T08:54:00.000-08:00

I didn't take any pictures :( Sorry. But it is super easy!

So last night we had Muriel (my MIL) over for dinner, Mike was out of town.

I made Tilapia on a bed of mashed sweet potatos with a pancetta and sage breadcrumb topping!
It was sooooooooo easy and sooooooo tasty! I found the recipe on Epicurious.com

I bought frozen tilapia and baked it, the recipe said to fry it in a skillet with butter...but I try to cut corners where I can.

poke hols alllll over 3 large sweet potatos. Put them in the microwave for 8 minutes. Turn them over and go for another 8 minutes. Turn again and another 5. They need to be soft enough that a knife slides right through the middle. Once they are done and soft. Slice in half. Scoop out the potato into a bowl. Add 1-2 tbs butter, some salt and pepper and maybe 2-3 leave of the fresh sage torn into pieces. Mix until smooth.

It called for fresh breadcrumbs. This made me nervous, i had never made them before. It was super easy. I tore up a couple pieces of bread. Stuck them in the magic bullet and a couple seconds later, fresh bread crumbs.

I took 2 oz of Pancetta, diced it up small and cooked it over medium heat until it got crispy. Removed it from the skillet and then dumped the breadcrumbs right in to toast up in the leftover pancetta "grease" While the crumbs were toasting I added 3 TBS of fresh sage that I just hand tore into small pieces and tossed those in with the bread crumbs. Total toast time of bread crumbs, about 5 minutes. Then add the pancetta into the bread crumbs and mix around.

To set the plate. Do a pile of the sweet potato mash, Lay the tilapia across the potatos, and then pile a nice heaping mound of the bread crumbs on top of the fish!

Really easy and amazing. Muriel said she felt like she was eating at Sierra Bonita or Houston's! lol

Tried another new restaurant!

2010-01-05T09:32:00.000-08:00

Goal #14 is almost complete!

On Friday me, Micah, And our friends Josh, Sarah and Kevin all went out to eat at the Cork'N Cleaver. It is a steak house, and steaks are always good in our book!

When we arrived we were seated promptly....at the very very back of the restaurant in a room where no other people were sitting. I'm not sure if it was because we are "young"... we were dressed dressy casual, all the guys had a button up or Polo on. Not sure what the seclusion was for. Its not THAT fancy of a place.

We were seated, a girl came by for our drink order. When our waiter finally came over he handed Sarah a meat cleaver! The menu is actually on a huge "knife". That sucker was heavy. I told him that it was all of our first times being there. He just said ok. Really? No informing us of the place. No welcome. Nothing. I was less then impressed.

We all finally ordered, the cool thing is you get a side and a trip to the salad bar for the cost of your meal. Prices there ranged between about $29-45. Ruth's Chris prices but they included a side and salad so its a good deal. They brag about the large salad bar, and while yes it is large, and I thought the chilled metal plates where neat, the salad bar was not impressive. The cucumbers and carrots were in realllly thick slices, not one bite or manageable slices. They also had caviar and anchovies on the bar....along with gummy bears and some sort of ambrosia grandma looking concoction.

The dinners arrived, Micah, Sarah and Kevin all ordered the prime rib and all ordered it medium and with a baked potato...hard to mess up right? Wrong, they brought Micah out some rice? Josh and I both got the New York strip. I was less then impressed. For $39 I expected a lot better cut and the way it was cooked just wasn't great.

Overall for the price you get a ton of food...but is that always best?

I don't see us going back. It wasn't terrible, but not impressive in the least. The services was terrible.

Christmas...

2009-12-29T13:55:00.000-08:00

Christmas was RAD! I had such a great day!

I took Christmas Eve off work. Micah and I got up early and went to the LGO for some amazing (As usual) breakfast and to pick up some of MJ Coe's dinner rolls (Tammie Coe's hubby). Let me school you on these rolls! They are the best freaken rolls you will ever eat. As far as I know, they are only made for the holidays, which is a crying shame....But totally gives ya more to look forward to! His Potato rolls (i.e. The dill rolls) are the BOMB-NONNIE! For serious! They were first come first serve at the LGO where they sell these suckers and Tammies delicious desserts and they said they would start selling them at 9 a.m. So we were there on the dot and I had a bit of a frantic breakdown when the chic working there kept trying to give me english muffins instead of the delicious dinner rolls. Luckily Micah was there to calm me down and save the day and go grab the rolls from the hidden little corner.

That night we had a random karaoke party at our house! D-frag brought his equipment over and we rocked the house til the wee hours.

Christmas morning we got up, wrapped our gifts and headed to my sisters house. This year we decided to draw names on my side of the family and it went really well, I think we are going to keep this going. Olivia of course was exempt from this and got spoiled. She was more interested in eating the wrapping paper though then opening gifts...Babies...Geesh. I helped Angelika put together her first hosted Christmas dinner and I think it went rather well! Everything tasted good and no one died ;)

As for my loot! I got just as spoiled!

Micah got me a Key pendent from Tiffany's! My first piece of Tiffany's! So excited!
He also got me my fav perfume which I only had a few drops left of!

Tallen drew my name. He got me a rad mail organizer which our house desperately needed AND a really freaken old book, the shop he got it from said it was over 100+ years old. I love it!

Debbie my FABULOUS boss lady at Definitely Debra's got me a set of my dessert plates! Eeeee! Some gift cards and a beautiful flower arrangement that is still living after 2 weeks in my possession! I seriously have the best boss EVER!

Muriel and Mike (My lovely in-laws) got me a calendar, an Amex gift card (cha ching), and a really cool headband that help relieve head aches, which I have already used :)

My dad and Linda sent us some tasty treats that Linda whipped up in her kitchen and some cash which is always helpful :)

My day job boss Roger's wife got me a really sweet pair of DC slippers that have soles on them, so I wear them when I walk Ladmo in the cold mornings :)

And my co-worker Jim got me some coral jewelry.

SERIOUSLY...Who is the most spoiled girl ever? ME!

Freaken Holidays and Puppy Drama!

2009-12-29T13:26:00.000-08:00

So I have completely slacked on updating my blog every Friday. So that means I have totally blown one of my 101 goals. Wah wah... BUT I have good excuses! One being the freaken holiday madness! It gets the best of everyone! Two being I have been sick since Christmas, and The other being Ladmo drama!

So On December 7th (Which was Micahs bday) I took Ladmo in to get neutered. He was 5.5 months old at that point and the Vets really encourage you to have your dog neutered by 6 months to nip any bad behaviors/habits in the bud so to say. Well Ladmo had 1 retracted testicle. We had already taken him in a month prior to get neutered and decided to wait a month to see what would happen. The vet said they could still do the neuter, it would just be more involved.

The neutering went really good and Ladmo was doing reallllly well.I stayed home Monday with him, Micah stayed home Tuesday. That night we put a cone on his head, it was a blow up kind and I STRONGLY urge you to NEVER get this type of cone.Ladmo somehow figured out a way to get around it. On Thursday we came home from work and he had clearly been licking it all day, to the point that the incision came OPEN, Like open open people...it was gross. The vet was already closed for the day, so off to the emergency animal hospital we went! They were really good with him. Took great care of him. He had to stay over night, he had a huge infection and had dead tissue and muscle that had to be removed. He screwed himself up royally to the tune of ::gulp:: $1,000.00! Gaaaaah

So he had to get the lampshade of shame put on. As well as two drains. Micah and I had to give him warm compresses three times a day for 6 days, He had to get antibiotics every 12 hours and pain meds every 8 hours. Needless to say, I had to stay home from work with him on Friday. AND THEN to top it off got Jury duty that following Monday. My life!

Its 3 weeks later and Ladmo is in top notch shape. He got all of his stitches out and feels like a new man! He has even calmed down a lot which is rad!

And here is the best picture of Ladmo EVER! Back in November when we had originally taken him in to get neutered but decided to wait, Well I guess this is what the vet does to your dog when you aren't around! LOL! They totally put a headband on him! hahah So Cute! He is totally giving Olivia Newton John a run for her money here!

A very late Friday post

2009-12-09T10:23:00.000-08:00

Bless me bloggers for I have sinned. I did not post on Friday like I was supposed to! Eeep!

For that I will give you a new restaurant review and get a little closer to marking off one of my 101 goals!

On Monday we went to Roka Akor for Micahs bday with Micah's parents Mike and Muriel!

The food was amazing!!!! The service was over the top! And it was just a down right fun atmosphere while still being very classy! We sat at the Robata grill and got to watch all the action.

The menu is comprised of a bunch of small dishes, it is all meant to be shared among your table. It comes out as it is made, so that was very fun, little tastes of stuff but never getting to full on one thing. I NEVER eat sushi, but since this place is on the top 10 list in the U.S. I decided if I was going to eat some this would be the place! And all I can say about the sushi was WOW! I didnt do any of the raw stuff (Im a weenie) but what I did eat I loved! I had the Roka Akor Soft Shell Crab Roll and I tried the Crispy Prawn Roll! All the Tempura was just amazing! The asparagus was so crisp. You also have to try their Shochu! Micah tried the apple, the pineapple and one other one that I cant recall...I tried a sip (I was the driver) They are very smooth and totally delicious!

I highly recomened Roka Akor for any special occassion yu might need to celebrate, ask to sit at the grill! Its fun

I want KEYS!!!!!!!

2009-12-03T13:17:00.000-08:00

I've been eyeing them for a while now. And I am pretty in love with the new Keys by Tiffany & Co.

I think I MUST have one! Besides I don't own ANYTHING from Tiffany's and that's just tragic! Might as well take my lady card away :(

http://www.tiffany.com/Keys/TiffanyKeys.aspx?#p+1-n+6-cg+-c+-s+-r+-t+-ri+-ni+1-x+-pu+-f+/4/0/19/3/GRP02469/24469654

http://www.tiffany.com/Keys/TiffanyKeys.aspx?#p+1-n+6-cg+-c+-s+-r+-t+-ri+-ni+1-x+-pu+-f+/4/0/18/3/GRP02469/24469654

http://www.tiffany.com/Keys/TiffanyKeys.aspx?#p+1-n+6-cg+-c+-s+-r+-t+-ri+-ni+1-x+-pu+-f+/4/0/11/3/GRP02469/24469654

Hello Friday....The Anniversary Addition!

2009-11-20T07:36:00.000-08:00

Good Morning! I am sooooo glad its FRIDAY!

Our dad got out of the hospital and has been home for a couple days now! He is doing really well and I am wayyy excited to go up to CO and spend Thanksgiving with him and my step mom!

As for the weekend is going to be jam packed! Tonight I have to take Ladmo to the groomers to get all fluffed and need to get some Christmas decorations up! Tomorrow I am working at Definitely Debra's! Love it! Then going out to dinner with my wonderful In-Laws...THEN...I know...THEN We are doing our Christmas photos for our cards! They will be sooo good! Cant wait to show ya!

And hold on to your hats!

SUNDAY marks mine and Micah's ONE YEAR WEDDING ANNIVERSARY!!!!!!!!!!! <3 <3 <3 So crazy! I cant believe one year ago we were in the final stretch of becoming man and wife! He is the most amazing person and I am so incredibly thankful to have him as my husband. I am SUCH a lucky girl!

So in the spirit of our Anny here are a few pics!

Dear Santa...

2009-11-19T12:07:00.001-08:00

The following is my *wish* list!

As always, clothes, gift cards and things like that are always on my list....But these are just some extra special things

I'm wanting to start a library of OLD books... I like the look of them. (The link is just an example.)
http://images.craigslist.org/3n33pe3ld5T95Pe5Sd9bid8ff1ddbf84314a0.jpg

S&P to match out china! These are soooo cute I almost fell over when I saw them!
http://www.lenox.com/cat/index.cfm?fuseaction=prod&pid=28742&kf=55

4-8 more place settings...We currently only have 4 place settings.
http://www.lenox.com/cat/index.cfm?fuseaction=prod&pid=15245&kf=55

4-8 more dessert plates
http://www.lenox.com/cat/index.cfm?fuseaction=prod&pid=27442&kf=55

Deep Fryer....To make very healthy food goodness with :)
http://www.target.com/Delonghi-Dual-Zone-Deep-Fryer/dp/B0016PPRLU/ref=br_1_14?ie=UTF8&frombrowse=1&searchView=grid5&searchNodeID=3519541&searchRank=pmrank&searchPage=1&searchSize=30

Burberry (the original)...I'm running low.
http://www.perfumania.com/ProductDetails.aspx?CatId=850&CatName=&ProductId=18259

ALSO please bring my husband a baby grand piano. He wants one badly!

Its the Friday post

2009-11-06T09:38:00.000-08:00

First things first. As I type this my dad is in Abq, NM being operated on. 2 years ago he had colon cancer. He went through Chemo and surgery and last November was given a clear bill of health. A few weeks ago at a check up some cancer cells popped up. He has colon cancer cells on his right lung. They caught it fast and like I said he is in surgery now. Lots of thoughts and prayers his way that everything goes well and has a speedy recovery!!!

ALSO Ladmo was dropped off at the vet yesterday morning for a routine neutering. The vet called me about an hour later and said he had elevated enzymes in his kidneys. She said it could possibly be a fluke and be just that he was dehydrated (As they cant have food or water after midnight before a surgery) So he has to go back in 2 weeks for more tests. THEN the vet calls back like 20 minutes later and says Ladmo only has one nut...yes you read right, my dog is the one nut wonder! LOL. The right one hasn't dropped yet, so we are just going to wait and see if nature takes it course vs. an extra $200 for them to surgically go in and get it out. So we shall see.

As for this weekend it is pretty busy! Tonight I am going to hit up First Friday with my friend Becca.

Tomorrow I have to work, and then probably just lay low, clean the house.

Sunday I have a baby shower to go to! Woot! Can't wait to see the baby bumps and some of my lovely innerwebz lady friends :)

1.5 goals completed this weekend!

2009-11-02T10:13:00.000-08:00

What a great weekend!

Halloween was a lot of fun! We had about 75 trick or treaters, not to bad...only about 5 handfuls of candy left.

Micah and I dressed up as Fred and Wilma
Ang, Ryan, Olivia and Muriel all came over to help pass out candy. We had a good time sitting in the drive way watching all the cute kids.

Ang was a flower, Ryan was a leaf and little Olivia was a Ladybug! To Cute
Sunday I woke up early and reorganized our freezer. Looks good in there. Should have been on my goals, but oh well.

I DID however complete a goal and a half!

#65 was to clip coupons every Sunday for a month! Last week when we went grocery shopping I saved $114 in coupons!! That's HUGE!

Also #42, We had the fireplace inspected and cleaned so we can start burning fires (As soon as it gets "cold" out here!) Its only half a goal completed, because we have to do it next year as well.

I also have half of one of my top seller books read...so I am just plugging right along and getting goals done!

Happy Friday and Happy Halloween!

2009-10-30T11:32:00.000-07:00

SOoooo excited for this weekend!

This week was a good week!

Monday M and I had my brother Tallen over for dinner and to discuss some projects we need to get done around the house. I'm excited to get these things moving! Monday night/Tuesday morning Micah left for Vegas at 2 a.m. for a company meeting. Its the first time he has left me since we got married, so needless to say, I didn't get back to sleep after he left :(

Tuesday I met up with Becca after work. She is the craft QUEEN! She helped me pick out fabric for M & I's Halloween costumes! She was going to help me make them...which turned into me cutting the fabric and her sewing them. (My sewing skills are still at the pillow stages)! Becca seriously knocked out TWO Halloween costumes in under 2 hours. I was highly impressed and thankful!

Wednesday Micah came home! It was like we had been separated for months! haha

Thursday I got to go see my friend Nicole and her daughter Mackenzie. Nicole passed on some maternity clothes to me for safe keeping for when its my turn :) I also go to go see Olivia and give her some smooches. Micah and I met up with Muriel and went out to the Capital Grille! Sooooo tasty!

Tonight we get to go to a Halloween party!

Tomorrow I have to work, then race home to pass out candy! My sis, her hubs and Olivia And Muriel and possibly Becca's are all coming over to help pass out candy as they don't get many kids on their streets and its reported that we will get at least 100 on ours!!! After trick or treaters die down we are planning on hitting up our friend Jeremx's yearly Halloween bash.

Sunday, REST! Do some laundry...go to puppy school!

Busy week/end

2009-10-23T10:39:00.000-07:00

Man its been a short work week for me but its been so dang busy! And this weekend shows no signs of letting up either!

Wednesday Micah and I went over and Angelika and Ryan's (My sis and BIL) House for dinner. Let me tell you, my sister is becoming quite the domestic diva! Dinner was tasty!

Micah and I got some good solid Olivia time in! She gets bigger and bigger each time I see her!

As for this weekend, I have to work tomorrow, then bake a cake and some cupcakes for a lovely friends baby shower. Sunday is the actual baby shower...poor thing, she is 31 weeks pregnant with twins and has been put on hospital bed rest until they arrive, so her baby shower had to be moved to the hospital. Say a little prayer that Meleah's little lady bugs stay put and keep growing!

Fun weekend and some 101 goals!

2009-10-20T16:15:00.000-07:00

Goal #92 is now complete...I think a 3 day trip to L.A. counts as a family vacation!

Also Goal #14, We went to a few new restaurants. Toast, Madeo, Beachwood BBQ, Basix

L.A. was quite the fun weekend!

Before we left for L.A. Micah dropped Ladmo off at the groomers so he would be all fresh and clean. Micah even let them put a bow in his hair because it was my bday :)Muriel had picked up sandwiches for us to eat before jumping on the road AND she surprised me with some cupcakes from Tammie Coe! I ate the Coconut one, it was uber fab! Ladmo did surprisingly well in the car, he really slept the whole way. I drove from 7pm til about 11-11:30ish and then Micah had to take over, as I usually go to bed by 10 so I was getting dangerously tired.

We rolled into Meridith and Jamaal's house about 130 am-ish.

Saturday we got up and had breakfast at Toast. People there went NUTS over how cute Ladmo is. It was a bit ridiculous. After breakfast we went to the shops on Beverly Drive in Beverly Hills. We passed by a hair salon and a couple ladies came out to pet Ladmo, one of them even cried...so strange. Ladmo even got to go shopping in the Gap! After shopping we went back to Meri's to rest and get ready for Muriel and I's birthday dinner at Madeo which was amazingly tasty.

Sunday we got up waaaaaaay to early. We met up with my cousin Jason and all went hiking up to the Griffith Observatory, even little ladmo went! It wasn't really a super hard hike, but considering I am a couch potato, well my legs STILL hurt 3 days later. Afterwards Micah and I showered and headed down to Seal Beach to meet up with Erik and Jess and meet their new baby Orion! So cute! Once back in L.A. everyone was pretty well beat. I met up with Jason for some din din and then went back to Meridith's and crashed pretty early.

Monday we got up at a pretty good time, had some breakfast with Jamaal (Meri had to go to work :() Then we were on the road by noon. Micah and I stopped at the large dinosaurs and had some fun playing with Ladmo. We got home around 630pm and we were beat. I don't even think I made it all the way to 9pm! ha!

Ladmo is ready to be discovered!

Happy Friday and Happy Birthday to MEEEEE!!!

2009-10-16T10:22:00.000-07:00

That's right, today I turn the big 3-1...oi! Where does the time GO??? Next month Micah and I will be married for a YEAR! That's just crazy talk!

For my bday we are driving out to L.A. With Muriel and Ladmo to go see Meri and Jamaal!!! I also get to see my baby cousin Jason! Good times! I cant wait, totally need a little break from the 602!

I came across old Pudding wrestling videos this morning! For those of you who don't know, I am the Co-Founder Along with Ms. JoAnn-Thrax of the Dirty Darlins of Debauchery...Phoenix, AZ only all girls pudding wrestling troop! We had a ton of fun with this!

Enjoy!

This first video is yours truly (I am on the left of the screen) vs. Princess Anna
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C-YvzhN6NyU

Here is JoAnn-Thrax against Meleah Tequila! We wrestled at the Phoenix Greyhound Park for some Newtimes Doggy Style Party
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C-YvzhN6NyU

Its Friday!

2009-10-09T11:54:00.001-07:00

So one of my goals was to blog at least ever Friday.

So here we are Mr. Friday!

I am really looking forward to this weekend! Tonight I am having my very good friend Jen over for dinner. It was her birthday a while back and I had told her I wanted to make her dinner...Well she is crazy busy and just came up for a breath of air! She requested my Mac and Cheese (Which I will blog about next week) So dinner tonight will be fun!

Tomorrow I am working at Definitely Debra slinging wedding invitations! It sucks that I have to work on the weekends, BUT I love working there sooo much that its really not work. The people I work with are so amazing and I much rather call them my friends then my coworkers :)

Sunday Ladmo has puppy school! He's been extra barky and bitey these past couple weeks so hopefully we can get some input on that. Then we are going to try to go to the Greek Festival that is going on all weekend. I've never been and Micah has been dying to take me, so hopefully our day goes well and we get to go to it.

101 goals in 1,001 days

2009-10-08T12:39:00.000-07:00

I'm jumping on the bandwagon. A bunch of my lady friends are doing this and so I thought, hey why not... I can set some goals as well :)

The idea comes from this site http://www.dayzeroproject.com/

Here is the mission:

The Mission:Complete 101 preset tasks in a period of 1001 days.

The Criteria:Tasks must be specific (ie. no ambiguity in the wording) with a result that is either measurable or clearly defined. Tasks must also be realistic and stretching (ie. represent some amount of work on my part).

Why 1001 Days? Many people have created lists in the past - frequently simple goals such as New Year's resolutions. The key to beating procrastination is to set a deadline that is realistic. 1001 Days (about 2.75 years) is a better period of time than a year, because it allows you several seasons to complete the tasks, which is better for organising and timing some tasks such as overseas trips or outdoor activities.

Here is my list! I plan to blog and track my goals on here. I have broken goals down into categories.

I plan to start my goals TODAY, so in 1,001 days it will be July 5th 2012!!! Wish me luck!

I will BOLD items as they are completed!

Blog:
1.Blog Every Friday for 6 months straight (0/24)
2.Have 50 blog followers (23/50)
3.Inspire Someone to start and blog their own 101 in 1001
4.Blog a dish once a week for 3 months (0/12)

Going Greener:
5.Switch to Re-Usable Grocery bags , own at least 10 (4/10)
6.Switch to Organic Fruits/Vegetables
7.Make Eco-Friendly Cleaning Supplies
8.Start to compost
9.Plant and grow our favorite veggies
10.Plant a tree

Family, Friends & Home:
11.Institute a game night each month (0/30)
12.NO take out for a week (including lunches!) (0/7)
13.Have a date night with Micah once a month (0/30)
14.Try 10 new restaurants (0/10)
15.Clean out Garage - Sell, Donate, or throw out anything we don't need.
16.Have family pictures taken for Christmas cards (0/2)
17.Send Christmas Cards (0/2)
18.Get pregnant! After May 2010.
19.Take the dog to the park once a month for a year (weather permitting) (0/12)
20.Have a picnic
21.Slow Dance with Micah
22.Host a Thanksgiving
23.Host a Christmas
24.Take a cooking class with Micah
25.Get a fireproof safe for important paperwork (social security cards, passports, etc)
26.Leave the tv off every night for a week (0/7)
27.Cook dinner at least 5 times per week, for a month (0/4)
28.Complete a 1000+ piece puzzle with Micah
29.Make a snowman
30.Paint my craft room
31.Organize and set up my craft room
32.Learn how to acid wash the floors & complete project.
33.Pick paint color for master bathroom
34.Finish painting hall bathroom
35.Tile hall bath in pennies
36.Get new vanity for hall bath, possibly restore old sewing machine for this.
37.Organize hall closet
38.Finish installing master closet
39.Make laundry “Room” area pretty and organized
40.Sand blast back patio
41.Pull weeds in front and back yard once a week (0/143)
42.Have fireplace inspected and cleaned before winter (0/2)
43.Have A/C inspected before summer (0/2)
44.Bake 3 loaves of bread from scratch (0/3)
45.Go Ice Skating with Micah
46.Read Micah's favorite book and talk about it with him
47.Go to a drive in movie
48.Finally make our wedding album
49.Have a slumber party with the girls, just like in high school
50.Go to one of Kevin's hockey games

Health:
51.Lose 5-10 pounds in the next 5 months
52.Go roller skating once a week for 2 months (0/8)
53.Take a yoga class once a week for a month (0/4)
54. Take a pole dancing work out class once a week for a month (0/4)
55.Do weight watchers for 3 months straight
56.Cut down ice cream to once a week for a month (0/4)
57.Take Vitamins every day for 6 months (0/181)
58.Hike to the top of Squaw Peak
59.Get my teeth cleaned
60.Go rock wall climbing
61.Eat vegetarian for a week straight all 3 meals

Money:
62.Play the lottery! Twice a week for a month straight (0/8)
63.Deposit $5 in a special account for each goal completed (0/101)
64.When grocery shopping, only get whats on the list!
65.Clip Coupons every Sunday for a month (0/4)
66.Grocery shop and meal plan according to whats on sale in the papers for a month (0/4)
67.Stay on budget for 6 months
68.Before buying furniture/items for the house look at Craigslist/Goodwill first
69.Random Acts of Kindness
70.Compliment 10 Strangers (0/10)
71.Pay for the car behind me in the drive through
72.Donate Christmas gifts to Christmas Angel (0/2)

Just For Me:

73.Volunteer at a homeless shelter
74.Read 6 books on the Best Sellers List (0/6)
75.Attend church at least once a month for 6 months (0/6)
76.Take a "Me" day once a month for 6 months (0/6)
77.Make a Will
78.Back up photos on disk
79.Trash the Dress photos
80.Become CPR certified
81.Catch a fish
82.Knit a scarf
83.Choose to do the right thing. (I'm assuming the opportunity will present itself)
84.Develop a filing system that works!
85.Get a college degree
86.Donate blood five times (0/5)
87.Learn basic Sign Language
88.Stop buying cards and make them instead
89.Do a scrap book
90.Get my passport

91.Make a calendar with all important dates.

92.Sing karaoke at a bar
93.Go to First Friday in Nov, Dec, and Jan. (0/3) Buy one thing each time I go (0/3)

Travel:
94.Take a Family vacation (in the US)
95.Take a Family vacation (out of the US)
96.Go on a day Trip unplanned
97.Go Camping
98.See at least one of the 7 Wonders of the World
99.Visit a country I've never been to
100.Go play in the Snow
101.Visit 4 corners

Sasquatch Burger

2009-10-01T11:27:00.000-07:00

Sooooooo There is a place here in town called The Lodge that makes these Sasquatch burgers. I have never been to the restaurant but I read the description and HAD to have one!

So on my way home from work last night I stopped at the store and picked up the few things needed to make this burger.

Thin white bread

American Cheese

Bacon (I got the thick cut kind)

Onion (I used sweet)

Hamburger (I used Angus burgers)

That's it...that's all you need.

Micah grilled the burgers up, just put a little Tony's seasoning on them.

I caramelized the onions, made the bacon and made the grilled cheese sandwiches. That's right...There are no buns used in this hamburger, instead the bun is replaced with 2 grilled cheese sandwiches.

Make everything as you would normally do, and assemble.

I was only able to eat half. Micah somehow ate the whole thing! I asked if his left arm was tingling this morning, but he seems to be ok :)

Olivia!

2009-09-25T14:37:00.001-07:00

I cant believe I haven't posted any new pics of Olivia (My niece) since she was born! Little Livy Loo just turned 5 months old! Time really does fly and it is soooo amazing to watch her grow!
Fresh out of da tub

Hanging with her Homies

Liv at 4 months in the dress and blanket my mother in law Muriel MADE out of my sisters old wedding dress, seriously amazing!

Livy can grab her toes!

She is a very deep thinker

Olivia with Uncle Stank (my husband Micah)!

Blowing bubbles

Getting her Aunt Kiki kisses

Cuddling with Kiki

Pacey

getting her diaper changed

Hanging with Uncle Stank on the 4th of July

Meeting her Grandpa Harry

It is true, Her auntie loves her :)

Can you be in love with body products?

2009-09-25T14:25:00.001-07:00

Cause I sure am!

When Micah and I stayed at the L'Auberge de Sedona for our mini moon back in November, the hotel had our bathroom stocked with the most amazing smelling lotions, gels and shampoos!

I have been desperately holding onto my very tiny 1.5 oz bottle of Gilchrist & Soames (original, At least it has no other name that i know of)
It goes on really thin, but soaks right in and feels soooo good and the SMELL! Its seriously what I think heaven might smell like! Its so light and I think it could be worn with just about any perfume as its not very interfering or strong.

Any way I just thought I would share, I just put some on and I keep sniffing my arms :)

Cupcake Swap in August

2009-09-24T14:45:00.001-07:00

Back in August I hosted a cupcake swap at my home.

The only reason why I hosted it was because I was really craving cupcakes and wanted a reason to be able to eat them and pig out and not be judged ;)

So of the 60 girls invited, 30 came...and THANK GOD only 30 came! I honestly didn't think through how many cupcakes would be in my home.

30 girls x 30 cupcakes each = 900 cuppies! Yes there was almost 1,000 baked treats in my home! Every flat surface was covered in cupcakes!

The plan was that each lady would take one of each cupcake home... Well, I don't know if that really happened or if people made extras or what...but at the end of the day I was left with OVER 200++ cupcakes! I called a local homeless shelter and they were more then happy to take them off my hands!

I will now try to remember whose cupcakes are which, and this clearly wasn't all of them...

Here are Both Marti and Whitney's cupcake...I forget what kind they were :(

Ummmm Gaaah I cant remember whose these were. I want to say Katie?? Ok! These were Mya's super tasty Pumpkin Spice! The Lemon Meringue Cupcakes belonged to the wonderful Becca These little Ice cream Cone cuppys were made by JenniAhem... These were both mine. The ones in the back are Tiramasu w/ Mascarpone and dusted with Cocoa, The ones in the front were supposed to be strawberry w/ strawberry meringue...I clearly failed at that...but they still tasted good.

The Sunflower Cupcakes were done by my Mother in Law MurielThese Raspberry jobbies were done by my sisters mother in law Amy! The Banana ones were also made by Jenni...I cant remember exactly what they were though.THESE were one of my favs of the day. Jessica made dark chocolate and BACON! Everyone was doubtful of them, but dang were they tasty! These were also one of my favs of the day! Coconut Cupcakes by little Mrs Ambie Jaye made the Banana Fosters Cupcakes! Super yummo!

I cut my hair!!!

2009-09-22T16:06:00.000-07:00

Here is a years look at my hair getting progressively shorter, to what it is now! Just cut last Thursday by the ever so talented Hooti!!!!!

Here it is in Feb of last year, about to the middle of my back when not curled.

Our engagement pic sessionAfter the wedding I cut it to just below my shoulders, This picture is with my new husband & Family the Elliots! Love them!

THEN I went to chin length! This is us in front of the new homestead
And just last Thursday I went for it!!! I chopped it all off! It is crazy short! For me at least!

I freaken loooooooove it! And so does Micah which is all that matters!

Meal planning....09/22-10/2

2009-09-22T15:50:00.000-07:00

Dang it feels nice to know the answer to that nagging question "Whats for dinner?"
The best part is I have everything listed below at our house at this very moment! So no grocery shopping for the next week and a half! woooot! Usually I like to plan out the meals and then grocery shop around those specific meals...but this next week+ is called clearing out the freezer!

Today we are having left over WW (weight watchers) Santa Fe Chicken. We ate it over brown rice on Sunday, Tonight I am thinking making crazy nachos or burritos out of it!

Wednesday- Turkey Meatloaf (im going to do small individual meat loafs in cupcake tins) and Mashed potato's

Thursday-Baked whole wheat pasta dish, (Need to use up the Italian Sausage and ricotta) So maybe a Ziti? We shall see

Friday-Left overs and salad!

Saturday-BBQ Ribs & smashed Cauliflower w/cheese

Sunday-Steaks & baked potato's

Monday-Mac & Cheese with a side of peas

Tuesday-Chicken (haven't figured out what I will do with it yet)

Wednesday-Grilled Cheese & soup...Yummmm Perfect comfort food!

Thursday-Breakfast for dinner! Busting out the Belgian waffle maker! Scrambling some eggs!

Friday-Spaghetti and garlic bread

Our New Addition, LADMO

2009-09-10T14:19:00.000-07:00

Ever since Micah and I moved in together I have been BEGGING for a dog. The place we lived in was just to small to bring a dog into (we have 3 cats already) and he always told me when we had our own place we could have a dog.

Sooooooo 5 weeks ago we got a puppy! A Shih Tzu to be exact! Micah's family has never had a dog before so its been a very new and exciting and SLOBBERY experience for him! Ladmo is now almost 13 weeks old! He is sooo much fun but such a handful!

The first couple night he cried, but has been pretty good since then. He does like to get up at 6a.m. though, so thats been fun. He gets his 4th round of puppy shots at the end of this month and then its off to the groomer with him! He needs to be trimmed up! We finally were able to trim his fanny, he was constantly getting poo stuck in his hiney fur! The first week we had him he got FOUR baths, poor guy.

The cats are doing o.k. with Ladmo. They can really care less that he is there. We feared Tuki would try to attack him but Tuki is the only one who has really gotten close to him the most.

With our further ado....The Ladmo

Bad Bad Blogger...

2009-09-10T14:15:00.000-07:00

Wow...almost 2 months have gone by since my last post :(

TONS has happened!

I will list everything that has happened and then will make some individual posts with pictures I PROMISE!

I hosted a cupcake swap at my house

We had a house warming party

We got a new PUPPY!

I got a new car!

We went to Bisbee for Springs wedding!

We finished the hall bathroom!

I think thats all the excitment for the past two months! Our one year wedding anniversary is just around the corner! Where does the time go?

Bathroom Ideas

2009-07-14T13:38:00.001-07:00

Does this work????

The towels, Shower curtain, bath accessories and towle racks we have laready... everything else is ideas to do in the near-ish future...

Weekly Meal Planning

2009-07-08T12:03:00.001-07:00

Man where does the time go? Today marks 2 months of being a home owner...how does that happen? Time just slips on by.

Now that we are moved in and getting settled we are back to preparing meals at home! (Thank god, If either of us had to go through another drive through we were going to lose it) I've decided to start planning our meals a week or so at a time...this will help us with our budget, with eating healthy and will cut down on standing in front of the fridge with the door wide open asking what we should eat for dinner tonight time!

I set up an excel spreadsheet with 2 weeks laid out, I have a grocery list to the side and am going to try to inventory our pantry/fridge so I will always know whats on hand and what we need for certain recipes! Im pretty excited about this!

I went on Rachael Rays site to find 30 minute meals, so we can ease ourselves back into cooking. So here is the next 7 days meal plan.

Today: Whole Wheat Penne with Cauliflower Sauce
http://www.rachaelraymag.com/recipes/rachael-ray-magazine-recipes/rachael-ray-30-minute-meals/Whole-Wheat-Penne-with-Cauliflower-Sauce

Thursday: Cracker and Parmesan Crusted Tilapia
http://www.rachaelraymag.com/Recipes/rachael-ray-magazine-recipes/rachael-ray-30-minute-meals/Cracker-and-Parmesan-Crusted-Fish-Fillets

Friday: Pasta Arrabbiata with Eggplant
http://www.rachaelraymag.com/recipes/rachael-ray-magazine-recipes/rachael-ray-30-minute-meals/Pasta-Arrabbiata-with-Eggplant

Saturday: Apricot Poppy Chicken with Dill Potatoes
http://www.rachaelraymag.com/recipes/rachael-ray-magazine-recipes/rachael-ray-30-minute-meals/Apricot-Poppy-Chicken-with-Dill-Potatoes

Sunday: Grilled Shrimp and Grits with Spicy Salad
http://www.rachaelraymag.com/recipes/rachael-ray-magazine-recipes/rachael-ray-30-minute-meals/Grilled-Shrimp-and--Grits--with-Spicy-Salad

Monday: Creamy Parsley and Pistachio Fettuccine
http://www.rachaelraymag.com/recipes/rachael-ray-magazine-recipes/rachael-ray-30-minute-meals/Creamy-Parsley-and-Pistachio-Fettuccine

Tuesday: Grilled Salmon with Wild Rice
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Grilled-Salmon/Detail.aspx

I will also be trying to blog on these dishes as I make them!

Whats a STEAMPUNK?

2009-06-11T15:30:00.000-07:00

So after much debate...we tossed out the idea of going with an old world/tuscan feel with our home decore and decided to go more towards steam punk...as it incorporate the old school traditional stuff that I like, and the funky modern stuff that micah likes.

Thankfully all the colors that we had already picked out and started putting onthe walls goes with this new scheme.

I put a couple inspiration boards together, its more fun and creative (Which is SO us) The funny thing is, we already had some of these elements in our house...now we just need to pull it together for an over all feel/look :)

I Can Haz Wedding Porn Now?

2009-06-04T16:29:00.000-07:00

Here are a few little "boards" I whiped up of some of our wedding photos!

O is for Olivia!

2009-06-01T10:02:00.000-07:00

I saw this cute felt book online a few months ago and decided that I wanted to take a crack at it for my niece Olivia and spell out her name in pictures. I have never really done any hand sewing (Just stitching up a hole in clothes, nothing crazy) And I have never done any felting...so I went into this project pretty much blind and hoping that it would turn out half as cute as the one I saw online.

I started it in March, I worked on it just about every night after work, sewing for about 2-3 hours a night. And I spent one whole weekend sewing for about 6 hours a day! I finished it sometime around the end of April, just after Olivia was born :) I estimates that I put about 50-60 hours into this book.

Sooo here it is. Be kind, it was my first time.

O is for Octopus
L is for Lion I is for Insect

V is for Vegetables

I is for Ice Cream Cone

A is for Alligator (Micah drew this one for me, and then I cut it out!)The End...I just realized this is a boring page, it needs some bling :(

House Updates Part Deux

2009-05-28T08:24:00.000-07:00

Man! Being a home owner sure isn't easy! Ever since we got the keys to our house on May 8th Micah and I have been over there every day doing something to the house to get it ready for us to move in!

The first project was getting the popcorn ceilings out of there! They are soooo gross and not very pleasing to the eye. We called around to see what it would cost to have a professional do them. The quotes were between $3,000 and $4,000!!! Even if we HAD that kind of money I don't think we would spend it that way. So Saturday the 16th, Micah, his good friend Felix and my brother Tallen were assigned to the task. If you wanna see how its done, here is a link to a video. It cost us $700 in supplies and they had the whole ceiling scraped down in one day!

Project number two goes hand in hand with project number one. We then had to retexturize the ceilings. We started it on the 20th and finished on the 25th. We are going for an old world/Tuscan sort of look in the house, so I wanted a really rustic looking ceiling, a flat boring ceilings just wouldn't do. So we bought some sort of joint compound stuff for dry wall mixed it up and slowly by hand spackled all the ceilings. That was some serious labor! But OMG is it the coolest prettiest ceiling ever! We painted them Behr Swiss Coffee. We had a TON of help on this project from Josh, Tallen, Muriel, Becca, Chet and Kris. With out the help from them, Micah and I would still be standing on chairs spackeling.

This isn't the best picture, but you can see the ceilings are finished, the new fans (3 total) have been hung...and those grandma drapes in the background are gone as of last night!!!

We will call project number four the sanding of the kitchen cabinets. The previous owners fancied the 1980's bone white wash method....

This does not suit our tastes or go with the over all theme. So these are being redone. I took all the doors off and labeled them so they can go back in the right spots. Muriel got all the cabinet bases sanded and now we have a pile of doors waiting to be sanded. Then we can start the staining. We picked out Bombay Mahogany. I cant even wait to see the out come!

Project number five is painting the walls. Its been a fun looong process. Picking out the colors was a process all in its self. My friend Brittany who is getting her degree in interior design came and sat with us one Sunday afternoon and helped us pick out colors and how to use them. Micah and I grew up in houses that always had white walls, so now that we can paint colors we had no idea where to start. Here is our swatch wall...the FC and AW are out of the running. My friend Ashley came over and pitched in on the entry way wall, which we are painting in Behr Sly Fox (Its the SF color in the picture above). The dining room is being done in Behr Wild Porcini

We have ideas for the bedroom and our offices, but no paint swatches on the walls to show for that. Things are coming along nicely. We wouldn't be nearly this far along with out all the help we have received. Which we are so so thankful for! Stay tuned, more updates to come!

The newest member of the Munger Family!

2009-04-24T11:07:00.000-07:00

WELCOME BABY OLIVIA!!!!

My sister Angelika gave birth to Olivia Ella on 4/20 at 9:25 p.m. weighing in at 7 lbs 1 oz!

My sister wanted me in the delivery room with her and I was totally good with that, I had never witnessed a birth before. I thought I was going to go in and hold her hand...you know like they show in the movies...Instead her hubby and I each had to hold a leg and help her push...I almost passed out twice! haha, had to sit down and take some deep breaths and drink some water.

They are still in the hospital because Ang is having some blood pressure issues, hopefully she gets out today! Olivia is doing amazing and was discharged a few days ago, but they are all staying in the same hospital room together until momma can go home.

Ive been sneaking pics of her on my cell phone every chance I get! I love this little girl!

Here she is about 30 minutes old

10 Hours old! Look at those chubby cheeks and mini-mouth! Just like her mommy!Olivia and her passyThis is her being very very concerned about something very interesting...This next one is to to funny...Ang had just got done feeding little Livy-lou and was burping her. Olivia picked her head up turned it and started sucking on Ang's face!

The last one is one i took of little Livy cuddling with her Auntie Kiki :)

Muriels Mother In Law Cake

2009-04-08T14:56:00.000-07:00

Muriel's Sister and niece came for a visit from indiana this past week!

We had a family dinner on Saturday night and I told Muriel I'd bring the cake.

I made a Yellow Cake (man do I love yellow cake) With Chocolate Butter Cream frosting. Then I made a chocolate ganache (I like to use Gihradeli 60% Cocoa choco chips), I poured that on top and just let the chocolate slide down the sides.

I topped it up with fresh cut strawberries and whipped up some fresh whipped cream as an accompanyment :) Sooooooo tastey!

Peanut Butter Jelly Time! ...Cupcakes that is...

2009-04-07T11:46:00.001-07:00

So I have been taking a crack at cupcakery...trying to make some really awesome tastests and looks.
Here is my rendition of Peanut Butter and Jelly Cupcakes with a peanut butter, butter cream frosting topped with chocolate ganache and chopped peanuts! YUM!

Peanut Butter Cake
2 cups All Purpose flour
1.5 cups granulated sugar
2 large white eggs
3/4 cup Pure Olive Oil
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup buttermilk
3/4 cup hot water
1 cup Jif creamy peanut butter

Combine all the wet ingredients and mix well

Sift all the dry ingredients together in a separate bowl
Then slowly add dry to wet while beating to incorporate
Once its all mixed, pour into cupcake papers about 1/4 of the way full
Then give each awaiting little cake a squeeze of jam, I used strawberry...

Filling
½ cup Smuckers Squeezeable Strawberry Fruit Spread divided among cupcakes.

Top each one off with a little bit more batter and then toss in the oven at 350 for 30-40 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean

Let them cool on the rack in the muffin tin for 10 minutes, then turn them out and let them cool on rack, I am impatient and tossed them in the freezer for a bit...

Next up the Peanut Butter Butter Cream!!! Soooooo good, I could eat this all by itself!

Peanut Butter Butter Cream
4 cups powder sugar
2-3 stick margarine softened
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup milk (or less, depending on desired consistency)
3/4 cup creamy peanut butter

Beat Butter, Peanut butter and Vanilla together....Then slowly add your powdered sugar a cup at a time.
Add milk a Tbs at a time until you reach the desired spreading consistency, I didnt need the whole 1/4 cup of milk.

Frost those tasty cakes!
Next up the Ganache!!! DROOOOOL!

Ganache
1 Bag Chocolate Chips (I really like the Gihradeli 60% cocoa chips, they are a bit bitter, which sets off the sweet)
1 Cup Heavy Cream

Heat Cream to slow boil.
Dump over Chocolate Chips and stir until chips and cream become one
Its seriously as simple as that!

Toppings
¼ Cup Peanuts Chopped
4 Reeses Peanut butter cups halved

Here is one of the ooooh so gooey and so very yummy cupcakes all finished

And the sneak peak inside!

House Update

2009-03-24T12:26:00.000-07:00

So here we are... A month away from our closing date! We had our inspections last week and all went fairly well. A few small minor things that need to be taken care of but nothing that would stop us from moving forward on purchasing the house.

Right now we are just awaiting the appraisal, which should come back today or tomorrow. From there its just a bunch more paper work...we are actually keeping our fingers crossed that we will be able to close earlier then the scheduled date...we shall see...

Micah and I are beyond excited. We have paint samples picked out that we want to try on the walls. Some fabric swatches to recover my favorite chair. And we bought a new front door handle/deadbolt set!

We have a few boxes packed but need to get more serious, moving day will come fast!

Angelika's Baby Shower

2009-03-10T14:48:00.000-07:00

My sisters mother in law Amy and I hosted her baby shower on February 21st at The Lost Leaf in down town Phoenix. It turned out really great! Olivia's nursery has a shabby chic theme to it, so I tried to stay with that in the decore of the shower. I went to many many thrift stores looking for dinner and salad plates to set the tables with, I wanted to use china to give the event a little extra importance.

I had help in a few places. Patrick Tipton was on hand to take photos for the big day, he did such an amazing job. I high recomend Patrick for any of your photography needs. One of Amy's friends/co-worker, Mellisa, did the flowers, which turned out perfect (We used left over vases from my wedding)! My good friend Nicole helped me with the cakes. I wanted 3 different cakes for the shower but didnt have the $200-$600 a cake that the local bakeries were quoting so I decided to do them. We baked all the cakes on the Thursday before the shower and made all the buttercream icing and then on Friday we put them together, in all we spent 7-9 hours on those cakes.

I bought the soap eggs in a nest favors off of Etsy, they turned out really cute and the seller was very easy to work with. The Olivia banner and cake plates were all made by some of my bridesmaids on a craft day I hosted, I would have nver accomplished all this stuff with out their help!

Enough gabby, bring on the photos!

Outside the Lost Leaf

Its a Girl

Angelika Arriving! Ryan is such a sweet husband and drove her to the shower!

The room all set up once you've entered the Lost Leaf

The table setting

Decore...

Baby Pictures of Ryan and Angelika

Drinks and Food

I made homemade Raspberry Lemonade and Fruite Infused Iceed tea and also served Izze and Pelagrino sparkling water

Amys amazing food spread!

The candy and cake buffet was a HIT!

Now for the cakes! When I have a chance I will remake each of these and show step by step on how to bake and decorate :) I just didnt have the time this time around. There was a Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Buttercream Frosting. (And yes I totally taught myself how to do a basket weave! Insane!)

The carrots were made out of marzipan and were a joint effort on Nicole and I's part.

Next up was the Yellow Cake with Strawberry Jam Filling and Strawberry Buttercream Frosting, and the only cake I didnt make totally from scratch. Reason being, if you use a Pillsbury Moist Supreme box mix and use olive oil in it it makes the worlds yummiest cake! You can get the step by step instruction on this cake however, HERE. The Strawberries were also made from marzipan.

Last but certainly not least was the Dark Chocolate Cake with White Chocolate Coconut Buttercream

Angelika and Olivia made out like bandits! Olivia is going to be one of the best dressed babies out there! AndI dont think Ang and Ryan will need diapers or wipes for the first year, I held a raffle, the price of a ticket was a box of wipes or box of diapers...the raffled item was a huge basket filled with lotions, candles, wine, note cards and all kinds of other goodies!

My favorite little baby in the world, Miss Mackenzie, Mark and Nicoles daughter...Angelika got this really cute sheep book, poor little Mackenzie really wanted it, Ang let her hold it during the rest of the shower...

I really had a blast hosting Angelika's shower. It went much smoother then her bridal shower did a few years back (actually tomorrow is their 3 year wedding anniversary)! Congrats Angelika and Ryan!

We bought a house!

2009-03-09T14:39:00.000-07:00

As I previously posted, Micah and I were very hard at work trying to find our first home.

Well, we found one, put in an offer and it was accepted! Right now we are waiting for the seller signed documents so we can go forward with the inspections! Its all very exciting and nerve wracking!

Here is the front of the house

Entering into the foyerThe formal living/dining room is just to the right when you enter. It is closed off from the family room and kitchen, we are hoping to do a little demo and tear the walls down and make one big great room.

The kitchen has a galley lay out. Which will be fine for right now, we are hoping to eventually tear down the wall between the kitchen and formal living space and have a nice sized island

The family room is right off the kitchen, it has a huge sliding glass door out to the pool and a nice fireplace! The house was built in 1970, and the master bedroom totally has some 70's charm to it, dig on the built in vanity...it will be coming down!

The backyard will be great for AZ summers! Micah and I both have very different ideas when it comes to how to decorate the house, he likes very modern stuff where I like very traditional stuff...BUT we were able to agree that we both liked old world/rustic type decore...I threw this inspiration board together and Micah liked it, so we may have a design concept here!

I've been a bad blogger!

2009-02-24T12:27:00.000-08:00

My how times flys!

Micah and I are in full swing with this whole house hunting thing...We've felt like we've gotten really close a few times, but the houses had really crazy really illegal looking add-ons, so on ward we search. Hopefully we find the perfect one soon, because we are just sooo excited to become home owners! No one told us house hunting was like having a part time job, and well I already have 2 jobs, so this is like a 3rd for me!

Angelika's baby shower was this past Saturday! It went off with out a hitch! I cant wait to get pictures so I can get them posted on here! Her little Olivia is going to be one spoiled baby!

ALSO! I cut my hair off! I haven't had it this short in about 7 years???

Before the great chop AND After the great chop

My hair is looooooong gone! Its so nice, it only takes 3-5 minutes to blow dry now instead of the 15-20 minutes it used to take! My hair is extremely thick, so this new low maintenance do was much needed! Just in time for the sweltering heat of the AZ summers!

P.s. if you haven't caught on yet, I have zero blog skills, I type it and it looks one way, I publish it and its all chopped up and garbled looking....I need the hubs to teach me some computer tricks :)

This past weekend was Busy!!

2009-02-09T11:02:00.000-08:00

Micah and I had a pretty busy weekend... Friday night we ran a bunch of errands and did a pretty good cleaning of the house.

Saturday I had to work at Definitely Debra's, which was fun as usual. We had a really pretty invitation to put together on top of all the brides who were coming in. After work I rushed home because I was having the ladies from a chat site I am on over for a little girl time. It was loads of fun filled with laughs, wine and snacks!

Sunday Micah, his parents and I met up with Christie (www.Ilovetwins.com) Who took us out to show us some houses!!! That's right! Micah and I are in the works to becoming first time home owners! It was a very exciting and educational experience. We toured 7 homes, only 1 was move in ready...we both liked it, but also thought it was a bit small...there was one that I just loved, it was a 1950's ranch home that had a bit of a ginger bread/grandma looking curb appeal which I love and as it turns out Micah HATES....I think this house buying experience will be fun, but trying.

After we parted ways with Christie the rest of us went to 5 & Diner and then onto the Willow District Home Tour...It was soooo much fun getting to see the inside of some of the most amazing homes in the valley.

After the tour, it was about 3 and Micah was feeling under the weather...so he laid down and I hit up the goodwill and Michael's to find some things for my sisters up coming baby shower. I had some success. Got home at about 530 rested a bit and then decided to bake a cake. I had full intentions of blogging about the cake...I took step by step pics all the way up to pouring the batter into the cake tins... I made a yellow cake and made chocolate butter cream frosting from scratch. Then I covered all the chocolate frosting with shredded coconut...I got soooo excited to eat it that I totally forgot to take pictures! haha so no choco coconut cake pics for you :(
sorry. It was mighty tasty if thats any consolation:)

French Onion Soup-First Try

2009-02-06T12:35:00.000-08:00

So the other day I found a blog called How To Cook Like Your Grandmother run by a guy named Drew Kime. His blog is really user friendly and there is a forum on there for people to talk about other recipes and what not...I think I will be trying a lot of his recipes and will of course blog on here about them....

I have been dying to try making french onion soup! So this past Wednesday I took a crack at it. I did bastardize Drews recipe a tiny bit. You can see his here

Mine went a little something like this:

To serve 2...

2 large onions, I used Sweet.

1/2 Tsp thyme (I didn't have fresh)

3-5 cloves garlic Minced

sea salt, to taste

fresh ground black pepper, to taste

3-4 Tbs Butter

flour, about 2 Tablespoons

1 cups wine, I used Chardonnay (Ooops at Target, $10)

16 ounces Swanson's Certified Organic beef broth

Croutons to fill top of soup bowl (I used garlic & butter flavor)

Gruyere Cheese enough to cover top

Shredded Mozzarella Just a little bit...

Peel your onions, Chop off the tip, then cut in half.

Next Dice your onions cross wise (So they make a C shape) Not to thin but not to thick...maybe a 1/4 inch wide?? Once Diced "break" them apart so they are loose

Next toss a couple Tbs. of butter into a pan that has already reached medium heat.

Mmmmmm....Butter
In go the onions!

(This is an Action shot! Woot)

Next Dice up the garlic and add along with the Thyme , salt and pepper

Give everything a good toss around the skillet so its all covered in the butter then leave it alone until you start to see some changes, the onions will get a bit translucent and start to caramelize (i.s. get brown....NOT burned however...golden) Once they start to show some brown you can stir every once in a while to let all the onions have some time at the bottom of the pan.

Once the onions get an all over golden looking color, you may notice it getting a bit 'burned' looking in the pan...You will then deglaze the pan with the cup of wine, It will smell sooo good! Now you can really get into stirring around the onions a lot more.

Mmmmm Look at them bubble in the pan!

Once the wine has cooked down a bit you can add your flour. Add a Tbs at a time making sure to stir it until all white is gone and flour is mixed in...It will get pasty

Now comes the Beef broth! DO NOT dump it all in at once. Add just a little at a time...Constantly stirring. You will see how the flour will make the paste grow a bit before it finally gets soup like.

Let it simmer 10-15 minutes, Then into the ramekins they go! I used 16oz. ramekins. Top the soup with croutons, I liked using croutons vs. a slices of toasted french bread because this way when you dig in you get a bunch of little bite sized nuggets of goodness vs the typical bust through the cheese and then the toast slaps up and makes a mess and is hard to get a good bite of...

You don't neeeed to use this many croutons...I'm just a glutton when it comes to carbs...you really just need enough to keep the cheese afloat, that is pretty much the main purpose of the croutons, to act as a cheese life raft :)

Next up is the cheese! Now...the recipe calls for Gruyere, Which is very expensive. For 1 pound it is $17.00, so just buy the smallest bit you can find. If your not willing to break the bank on this cheese (which I HIGHLY suggest you do, it makes a world of difference) You can use some Swiss and provolone together...

Now comes the part I botched up a tiny bit, I've never used a broiler before on an oven..so I was clueless to how fast it really cooks. Put your ramekins O' goodness onto a cookie sheet or whatever will fit down in your broiler. And keep a close eye on them...we have a gas stove, so I don't know if it made a difference, but I SWEAR I put them in for about 3 minutes, and when I looked in on them, one was a tiny bit on ...ummm...fire...EEEEEP! You just want the cheese to melt a bit and brown...

Once I pulled them out, I topped them with a bit of shredded Mozzarella cheese and put them in the regular oven at 250 for about 2-3 minutes, just enough to melt the cheese.

Yes the one in the back is the burn unit victim :( wahwahThe soup was amazing! The cheese was super stringy and fun to eat! The little croutons were nuggets of joy! I will FOR SURE be making this again, sans fire.***Caution the cheese holds in A LOT of heat...beware, you will cuss like no other if not eaten with caution.

I could really go for a Kewpee hamburger right about now....

2009-01-28T15:26:00.000-08:00

Hamburg with pickle on topMakes your heart go flippity-flop

Man, July can not come quick enough! Wanna know why...I cant stop dreaming about those tasty square burgers wrapped up in that beautiful blue and white wax paper with the little kewpee doll smiling back at you....This July is when Micah and I will make our Indiana/Ohio trip....... and the second I am in Lima, Ohio I am going straight to the Kewpee!!!

I generally take mine with Mustard, Ketchup, Pickles & pickle relish, green olives and onions with a side of fries and the original Frosty! GAH! And their Sugar Pie...dear lord! Only 153 days to go and counting.....

Want to learn about Kewpee's and how Dave Thomas formed Wendy's on a LIE!

My New Years Resolution

2009-01-21T14:12:00.000-08:00

Well I didn't post my new years resolution on here....and I think I should so that way I will keep seeing it and be held accountable for it.

This year I would like to be a better home-maker. Micah and I have lived together for a little over a year now and we really haven't found our rhythm as far as the house goes. We both are always so busy and involved in projects that the house is always an after thought. I really want to live somewhere that I am proud of...with the way things are now, I am generally embarrassed when people come over...so I have made us a weekly chore chart, like the kind your mom made for you when you were a kid. I think this will help us keep on track. Once we have this down then we will spread out...We have lofty goals for the front and backyard such as starting an herb and vegetable garden, and I want roses in the front yard.

Here is our chore chart!

EVERYDAY: Dishes-rinse and load in dishwasher only run when there is a full load. Wipe down counters, wipe out kitchen sink, Quick tidy of house (Put shoes away, put mail away, nothing left out on counters or tables)

Monday: Sweep all floors, Quick bathroom clean (Sink, mirror, toilet), Cat box

Tuesday: Dust, Wipe down appliances, clean microwave, one load of laundry, cat box

Wednesday: Tidy the bedroom, Organize one other thing (Closet, drawer, mail), Cat box

Thursday: Sweep floors, One load of laundry, Cat box

Friday: Dust, clean bathroom, mop floors, cat box

Saturday: Change sheets, one load of laundry, Cat box

Sunday: DAY OF REST!!!!

Cake Attempt Part 1.

2009-01-20T07:20:00.000-08:00

Sooo I've decided that I really want to hon my cake baking skills... Ive always loved to bake, but its usually been cookies, brownies, cupcakes and fudge...Never a full on cake!

I took a crack at it last night, I didn't have a ton of time, so I made a boxed cake instead of from scratch...but MAN did this box cake come out like no other box cake I have ever had!

I used Pillsbury Moist Supreme Classic Yellow Cake Instead of using Vegetable Oil, I used straight up OLIVE OIL (NOT extra virgin or virgin) It made a WORLD of difference! The cake was insanely tasty!

I used two 6" round cake pans and a 2" one to have a little taste tester cake ;) I baked them per the instructions, let them cool in the cake pans on the rack for 10 minutes, then turned them over and took them out of the tins and let them cool on the rack another 10 minutes.

I had already had some butter cream frosting that I made from scratch a few weeks ago in the fridge. Homemade butter cream will last a good month in a tightly sealed container! Here is the recipe I used. I then Incorporated Smucker's Strawberry Syrup (1/2 cup plus a little extra) into the (pre-made) butter cream frosting...the color was slightly pink, so I used a little Wilton Pink icing color to make my icing a more pinkie color.

Once that was all mixed I was ready to assemble my layers, I sliced both cakes in half. The first layer was spread with Smucker's SEEDLESS Strawberry Jam

Then I placed the next layer on and it was spread with the Strawberry butter cream

The next layer was spread with the Smuckers jam, The picture below is before the jam was spread.

I then topped the 3rd layer with the 4th layer and then proceeded to cover the whole cake in the butter cream.

I then tinted the left over pink butter cream with Wiltons Violet icing color and then used Wilton Disposable Decorating Bags with a #18 decorating tip to make a star/flower shape around the bottom edge of the cake. I used a #5 tip for the little dot design on the top of the cake.

OF COURSE I had to dive right into it! One of the perks of living next to the in-laws is I can make things and then have them taste test for me! Here is what it looks like once its sliced into.

And yes I was so proud of my little cake that I posed with it

Phoenix Bridal Expo

2009-01-12T15:24:00.001-08:00

I survived the Phoenix Bridal Expo! **phew**

It was sooo much fun, but a lot of work! It was cool being on the other side of the fence, I've always gone to the expo's as a bridesmaid, maid of honor and then finally this year as a bride...it was neat being there as a vendor!

The Definitely Debra booth was jammed packed from the minute they opened the doors til the very end each day, which is good news for us! Debbie and I hardly had a chance to catch our breath between eager brides. We already started to brain storm for the June booth which I am very much looking forward to.

On Saturday Morning Ella from Classic Cakes and Confections dropped by our booth, she baked the cake for our wedding. She dropped off the worlds tastiest cookies, white chocolate, cherry macadamia nut oatmeal cookie...ummm YUM! I HEART Ella, she is just to cute!

I was able to take a breather and run by the Butterfly Petals booth, the florist who did our wedding...and DANG did their booth look amazing, so much so that I through a mini-fit because i want to have another wedding just so I can be surrounded by more of their fabulous creations! On Sunday, at the very tail end of the expo, Amanda from BP brought over a peacock inspired bouquet and gave it to me, I was over the moon with excitement!

Photo game

2009-01-07T09:51:00.000-08:00

The game works like this:

1) Choose the 4th folder where you store your pictures on your computer

2) Select the 4th picture in the folder

3) Explain the picture

4) Tag 4 people to do the same. NO CHEATING! (cropping, editing, etc!)

Ok here is mine! This photo was taken by Andy Hartmark. The photo was for Crown Sunglasses. I think this picture was early 2006...

I tag whoever reads my blog :) Infact, leave your picture in my comments section! That will be a fun way to collect pics of my peeps :)

2008 RECAP!

2009-01-07T08:15:00.000-08:00

I figured since I just started blogging I would go ahead and recap the best and the worst of 2008 as we head into 2009!

January 2008: Micah and I went to a NYE party where his short lived AZPunk.com Battle of the Bands, band Gunf*ck played...

February-April:Ummm Im not really sure, nothing that I can remember at least. Probably just a whole lot of wedding planning.

May: My baccalaureate & bridal shower were in May over the memorial day weekend. I had it over a 3 day weekend so that Margie & Meridith would be able to come and join in on the fun! We had a really great time, On Saturday was the Bach. party activities. We went and took a pole dancing class which was so fun and a total riot watching everyone try to work the pole! That night we were set to go out to dinner and dancing...well half way through dinner I came down with a very terrible cold and ended up in bed by 1030. :( My bridal shower was Sunday afternoon and it was BEYOND amazing! I actually cried when I walked in because I was sooo overwhelmed that my sister and dear friends had put this amazing shower together for me! I got spoiled beyond belief with all the wonderful gifts!

Margie, Angelika & I at The Arizona Biltmore drinking mimosa's!

The girls all set for a night out on the town: From top to bottom, L to R

Margie, Whitney, Nicole

Vanessa, Jen

Angelika, Jessica, Spring

Me, ChristineJune: I cant place anything exciting in June...I need to work on my memory

July: Micah, Angelika & Ryan (My lil sis and her hubs) all headed up to Pagosa Springs, CO to visit my father and step mom. We had such an amazing time up there! We went horse back riding, it was extremely scary at first, I hadn't been horse back riding since I was about 10. I had sat on a horse back in 2007 for a photo shoot and it almost bucked me off...so I was pretty freaked out, But I absolutely loved it! We also went white water rafting! It was towards the end of rafting season, so the tides weren't as large as I was hoping for but Micah and I still walked away completely soaked (we sat in the very front of the raft)! I also ate Buffalo burgers for the first time on this trip and loved them, I thought they would taste weird but they totally don't!

August: August was realllly hot...Arizona is the last place you want to be in August.

September: I found out my little sister was prego and that I was going to be an Auntie, I was over the moon to hear the great news! Baby Olivia will be here mid April!

October: October was BIG month of happenings!!! I turned the big 3-0 in '08! We hosted an Alice in Wonderland themed birthday party, it was a ton of fun and most guests showed up dressed in fabulous costumes!

Also my father was given a clean bill of health, he had a year long battle with colon cancer, had a few scary emergency surgeries BUT came out on top in the end!

The Arizona State Fair was also going on this month, so me, Micah, and the In-laws (Mike & Muriel) Went one night with the sole purpose to eat dinner at the fair! I started off with cheesey curly fries, then a corn dog and a carmel apple and topped the whole night off with kicking the three MAE's butts at one of those water gun games!

And last but not least, a childhood dream finally came true! For my birthday my sister bought us tickets to go see New Kids on the Block!!!! It was soooo much fun, we met up with Michelle (Ang's SIL), Jen (one of my BM"s and a very dear friend) and her friend Kim! On our way into the venue we got pulled to the side and had our super high nose bleed seats upgraded for free all the way down to super sweet seats! We were all beyond excited!

Ang, Hooti & Dev helping get the bday party set up!

Christine, Me & Jason Micah (The Mad Hatter) & Me Dog pile on the chair, its about 3 a.m. at this point in the evening...
My EAT ME cupcakes and Tammie Coe Birthday towerSarah, Me, Ryan & Spring kareakoing up a storm...Group shot of all the guests who came dressed in costume! State Fair! NKOTB!!! Woot
Jen and I at dinner before the big show!
Seconds after getting free seat upgrades! Jen, Michelle, Angelika, me & Kim
November: What can I say, it was the most amazing month! Micah and I tied the knot in front of 284 of our closest friends and family! Our wedding day was beyond amazing. We took the following week off from work to spend with family, the Friday after Thanksgiving Micah and I went up to Sedona and stayed at the L'Auberge de Sedona (a gift from Micah's parents)! It was so amazing, we didn't want to leave. We had a private cabin right on Oak Creek!

Micah and I in Jerome on our Mini-moon

Out to lunch, My hair matched the walls!
The view of the creek from our front doorOur amazing bed! Complete with rose petals!
December: December got off to a rocky start. We celebrated Micah's 31st birthday and the very next day he fell victim to the economy when his company laid off some 15+ people. It was very heartbreaking for him, but in true Micah form had already made contact with a few people and had freelance work lined up that very day. He thankfully found a job very quickly. Our Christmas was nice, we spent quality time with family and just laid lowed and enjoyed married life.

Soft fluffy puppies on the brain!!!

2008-12-24T08:01:00.000-08:00

I am in NEED of a puppy! Yes we have cats, but they are sooo independent and don't pay any attention to anyone but Micah! To them, Micah is their god.

So I started to do some research on what kind of dog would be the best fit in our little family unit. It needs to be a breed that can get along with other animals and likes children, as they will someday be a part of our household.

So I took a test: http://www.dogbreedinfo.com/search.htm

I got matched up with 15 dogs, and of those 15 I narrowed it down to 4 that I really like and think will be a good fit in our house.

First up is the Australian Labradoodle! http://www.dogbreedinfo.com/australianlabradoodle.htm

THEN There is the Kerry Blue Terrier! They are soooo cute! And they really are a blue black color! http://www.dogbreedinfo.com/kerryblueterrier.htm

Next up the Miniture Goldendoodle! These guys are pretty freaken adorable http://www.dogbreedinfo.com/miniaturegoldendoodle.htm

Last but not least is the Schnoodle! http://www.dogbreedinfo.com/schnoodle.htm

Here is the list of all the dogs I got matched up to, some I cant even pronounce:

Australian Labradoodle
Dandie Dinmont Terrier
Glen of Imaal Terrier
Hairless Khala
Kerry Blue Terrier
Labradoodle
Miniature Goldendoodle
Miniature Labradoodle
Peruvian Inca Orchid (PIO)
Petit Basset Griffon Vendeen
Petite Goldendoodle
Schnoodle
Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier
Whoodles
Xoloitzcuintle

Fun in the Snow!

2008-12-22T11:09:00.001-08:00

As one of our wedding gifts, Micah and I were given a timeshare weekend in Sedona!

We headed up Friday night, checked in and laid low the rest of the night.

Saturday we went and had a nice breakfast and then headed out to do some hiking. It was Soooo cold out that you couldn't see your breath! Thats freaken cold. We hiked around Slide Rock Park for a bit. We found a creepy little shack that was falling apart .

Then headed up the 89A towards Flagstaff in search of snow. It was only about a 20 minute drive when we came to a huge open field full of knee deep snow!

(It was very exciting)

We were very ill prepared for the snow, I had on my chuck taylors (very non-water proof) and Micah had on a pair of shoes that had a hole or three in them (I have only been telling him to get new shoes for who knows how long). Also he then informed me that the soaking wet pair of socks he had on were his only pair for the trip, soooo on our way into town we stopped and got him some socks and me some soup!

Here is a fun video of me making a snow angel http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d_tWA4kpq_k

After our adventures in the snow, we came back to the condo and relaxed by the fire. We watched the Muppets Take Manhattan and took a little cat nap. For dinner we found one of the most amazing Italian restaurants! Cucina Rustica! Its a MUST if you find yourself in the Sedona/Village of Oak Creek area! http://www.cucinarustica.com/index.htm

Today marks our one month anniversary of being husband and wife! I couldn't be more happier!

Making a difference

2008-12-17T10:05:00.000-08:00

Now that the wedding has come and gone I have a lot more free time on my hands and I really want that free time to go unwaisted.

I did some thinking this morning and have decided that I want to make a difference in my community and in the lives of others.

I thought about volunteering at an animal shelter, but I don't think I could handle that. I would want to bring all the animals home! I have been begging Micah for a puppy for well over a year now and he isn't budging, so working at a shelter would just be torture on me.

SO I have decided that I will either be volunteering my time to either the Big Brothers, Big Sisters http://www.bbbs.org/site/c.diJKKYPLJvH/b.2286705/k.89B2/Be_a_Big_Sister.htm
Or to the Girls Scouts of America http://www.girlscouts.org/for_adults/ I think Either one would be extremely rewarding!

I love 7th Avenue & the Melrose District!

2008-12-15T07:44:00.001-08:00

This past Saturday I got to go to the antique and boutique shops on 7th Avenue (Between Indian School & Camelback) and let me just tell you, it was HARD to hold onto my money. I wanted to snatch up one of everything!

I really enjoyed Paris Envy, and decided that if I ever won the lottery and didn't have to work, that I would open up a little shop like that...they don't have a website, but I found their blog. http://parisenvy.blogspot.com/ ALSO their wall color was amazing, and believe it or not, they actually sell the paint there because so many people love it...and I am one of them! Here is a picture with the wall color in the background

Another shop I visited that doesn't have a website or blog or anything and REALLY should is Melrose Vintage! They had the most amazing things for sale and carried a lot of Rachel Ashwells fabulous items http://www.shabbychic.com/ . Melrose Vintage also and had a huge room devoted to scrap booking, which I have just recently gotten into. I picked up a few fun things from there, like a pattern for a felt flower.... So I worked on that yesterday. Once I master them and they don't look like Franken-flower I will post a how to ;)

Angelika's Baby Shower....

2008-12-12T13:05:00.000-08:00

My soon to be niece Olivia's delivery date is fast approaching which means a baby shower is in order!

Her nursery will be shabby chic, so I decided to carry that theme over into the shower. It will be a shabby chic garden tea party of sorts... Pinks, Greens, and Yellows will be the parties pallet. Bunnies, Flowers and Teapots will be a part of the decor.

I put an inspiration board together for the look and feel I want for my sisters baby shower...

Once the shower occurs I will post pictures of the outcome. I have a crafting day schedule and have called upon some of our girlfriends to come help me paint and glue and tape. I'll post pictures of the projects and simple instructions on how I got the looks!

As for the menu, I want to keep it simple but girlie!

For drinks, Honeydew & Mint Agua Fresca

and Old Fashioned Pink Lemonade will be super refreshing and easy to make (We received a really awesome juicer as one of our wedding gifts!)

Snacks will be simple tea sandwiches , fresh fruit and cheese.

Dessert will hopefully be a show stopper! I really want the cakes (yes plural) to be amazing! I had my eye on 3 designs, sent them in to several bakeries but the price range of $200-$600 for a baby shower cake was just to steep...so I am going to try my hand at making them. Here are the 3 that I feel in love with.

I really liked how cute and simple this first one is.

I really fell in love with this pink cake with the cameo on it! It SCREAMS shabby chic

The third one completly knocked my socks off! Its the perfect cake for a garden party!

My goals for recreating one of these cakes is a bit lofty, but we shall see. I am 85% sure I can pull off one of the looks of these cakes.

Holy HOT DEAL!!!

2008-12-12T07:07:00.000-08:00

I HAD to share this!!! If you are in the Phoenix/Tempe/Scottsdale area you MUST MUST MUST go check out The Lamar! Its a fabulous day spa that wont break the bank!!! My mother in law (that feels weird to say) turned me on to them, and oooh man it was love at first sight!

The staff is excellent...The spa itself isnt stuck up, you dont feel out of place like some of those snooty places make you feel. AND they ALWAYS have a Hot Deal of the month!!! AND the first Wednesday of each month its bring a friend and buy one service get one free!!! Seriously awesome! I took my husband (even stranger to say) there the week after the wedding and we both had hour long swedish massages for only $100 TOTAL!!!! Plus you get to use their steam room, sauna, whirl pool and heated pool for free all day long the day of your booked appointment!!

ANYWAY...That not even what prompted me to type this! I just got a little info email from them. If you buy a $100 gift card during the month of December...for $25 extra bucks you get a free Spa Day credit of $85 PLUS a $50 Cuccio's Natural Nail kit!!! HOLY SMOKES! If you dont have anyone to spoil with a gift card, freaken spoil yourself twice, use the gift card and then the spa credit!

And NO I dont even work for this place! I just wanted to share such an awesome deal! Its good for the mind body and soul to be pampered every now and then!

http://www.blogger.com/www.thelamar.com

Here I am!

2008-12-11T10:49:00.000-08:00

Soooo I am going to give this blogging thing a shot. I want this blog to be personal but useful to others. I am not a designer by any means, but I do have a passion for throwing fun parties, hosting amazing events and crafting when ever I have the time! I will use this blog to journal my ideas for events and crafts, then show the outcomes.

I also love to cook, which goes hand in hand with hosting fun parties. So I will be sharing recipes that I love along with picutres of how they turned out.

I am also newly married, so you may be hearing about that as well :)

Here we are on our wedding day, November 22, 2008

this photo was taken by Dawn Rosa Cole.