The Chronicles of Courtney Crocker

Recent Readings

2011-11-07T16:32:00.000-08:00

I've been on a reading kick lately...

Here's the titles I've read recently...with some reviews:

The Kitchen House by Kathleen Grissom- loved!! Kept me interested the whole time. I RECOMMEND IT!

Suzanne's Diary For Nicholas by James Patterson- Super sad. I cried a lot, but sweet.

The Peach Keeper by Sarah Addison- kinda weird. Started out cute and then became boring and predictable.

Not Afraid of Life: My Journey So Far by Bristol Palin-Don't judge. I read it b/c I like her mom and wanted to see what she had to say. A quick read but good for teenage girls.

Entwined by Heather Dixon- good for middle schools girls to read... cute for kids and read alouds.

Black Heels to Tractor Wheels by Ree Drummond ( The Pioneer Woman)- if you read her blog then you'll like it. I RECOMMEND IT!

America by Heart: Reflections on Family, Faith and Flag by Sarah Palin

A Visit From The Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan- soooo bad. Waste of time.

The Paris Wife by Paula McLain- this book was alright but I was disappointed. I like the scenes in France but basically everyone cheats... not uplifting.

Divergent by Veronica Roth- LOOOOVED it! Kinda like Hunger Games so if you liked them, you'll like this. It's also a part of a trilogy but the other books aren't out yet. I RECOMMEND IT!

Sarah's Key by Tatiana de Rosnay- Loved. So sad but good! I RECOMMEND IT!

Sam's Letters to Jennifer by James Patterson- Cute quick book I read in one day. Sometimes you just need a quick silly love story.

Hourglass by Myra McEntire- okay, I liked this book but I don't know if most people would. It's a little mystery, a little love and a little sci-fi. It's a teen fiction book but I still liked it. I RECOMMEND IT!

First Real Snow Of The Season

2011-10-26T20:36:00.001-07:00

I woke up to this today!! So fun! Love it!!

Grand Lake with Nessa and Cody

2011-10-12T07:44:00.000-07:00

Vanessa (old roommate/ maid of honor/ one of my besties) and her hubby, Cody came out to visit two weekends ago. We had a faaaaaaabulous time!! So fun! The colors were beautiful up in Grand Lake. It was so wonderful spending time with Ness. I so needed it!! She is amazzzzzzing!!!!

On the way to dinner the first night!

The boys played golf at this course...

Cute!

love her!

Our view at dinner at The Grand Lake Lodge

my boo

Coco-mojitos

sunset

Boys doing what they do....

Girls doing what they do....

The group

I Suck...Let's Move On....

2011-10-11T09:51:00.000-07:00

I suck at blogging right now... oh well!

Sooo....live has been crazy!! But let's take a moment and Praise The Lord!! My mom is liking Colorado and is fun to be around again!! Woohoo- thank you Jesus!

I've been subbing at Littleton High School about 3 days a week. It is so nice going to the same school so often because I'm getting to know some of the students and faculty. I got to sub for the music teacher last week- AMAZING! It was like listening to Glee all day. The kids were totally into it. So fun!

I'm not subbing anymore this week because we're moving! uhhhh, we're moving and our house is nowhere near done being under construction. Our new kitchen appliances come in tomorrow but we won't get our cabinets until like the 22nd (and then they need to be installed). I'm hoping I have a kitchen for my birthday but I'm not holding my breath. We picked out the countertops last week- so fun! We (or I, let's be honest...did Bret have a choice?) picked out a beautiful white and gray marble and Bret talked them into doing the pretty beveled edge I wanted for a lower price.

We also ordered our sink finally! The things a beast... but I love it! 36" Rohl Shaw's Original front apron country sink with one basin... so I can fit a whole pot in it. You have no idea how excited I am about this! Right now our apartment's sink is THE WORST! It's 4" deep... you can't fit anything in it... and the garbage disposal is on the wrong side ( the one without a counter) so when you chop you can't sweep stuff into the sink. UGH! So glad to get rid of it!

Okay... back to packing for me. Movers are coming tomorrow morning. My mom is coming to help me at 12 after her bible study and I picked up some pastries from the French Bakery by the new house this morning so we'll have a yummy afternoon pick-me-up!

Choffy??

2011-09-20T14:31:00.000-07:00

I'm a coffee freak. I like it black and strong. Problem is it doesn't go with my rosacea face- I dink too much and I get red-ugh! I also love chocolate...I have a little everyday! So I was doing something around the house and Dr. Oz was on the tv in the background. He started talking about a coffee alternative so I started to watch... ever heard of Choffy?

It's 100% organic roasted cacao beans that are ground and brew just like coffee. It's good for you too! In 8 oz. of Choffy there are more antioxidants than in 2 servings of blueberries. Its full of Theobromine that's supposed to give you long lasting energy. Has anyone ever tried this? I wanna try it so badly! It's $15.00 for 12 onces, kinda pricey, but if it's good it will be worth it!

On a side note, one of the bloggers I read daily, Pretty In Pink Megan, is doing a give away for the Clairesonic Mia. Those suckers are not cheap so go check it out and enter to win!

Cute Business Card

2011-09-14T02:59:00.000-07:00

I've been subbing a lot. Which is super fun! I had business cards to leave with teachers when I was subbing in CA, but since I've been in CO I haven't had any. SAD.

So when I was that Minted.com was having a promotion for free cards I jumped on it. They are giving away 25 free cards- you pay S&H. So I ordered 50 and am so pleased!! They are the cutest substitute teacher cards ever!

The front ( I blocked my Info) and the pencils on the back- so cute!

They have some other VERY cute cards, but this one worked best for my purpose. So if you're looking for business cards I totally recommend minted.com!

Coconut Cake

2011-09-13T06:24:00.000-07:00

In the words of RZ, "I die!"Seriously, this is the most amazing cake I have ever made/ eaten. We had a birthday/going away party for Jana and Mark at my other sister-in-law Anna's house. So I thought I would make a cake and since Jana and Marty both love coconut at much as I do I thought I'd try to make a coconut cake. I've made Barefoot Contessa's before but thought it was a little dry so I wanted to try another recipe. After searching for a perfect recipe that for a few days I just couldn't find one I loved so- I took my chocolate recipe and altered it into a coconut recipe. I left out the cocoa powder and coffee and added coconut milk, shredded coconut and almond extract. I also had to add more flour because of the high altitude. It was so moist, so rich and so delicious. I cannot wait to make another one.

Everyone loved it so if you have a coconut lover in your life- make this. NOW.

Courtney Crocker's Coconut Cake

2 c. all purpose flour

2 c. sugar

2 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. kosher salt

1 cup buttermilk, room temp

1/2 c. oil

2 eggs, room temp

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 tsp almond extract

1 c. shredded coconut

1 c unsweetend coconut milk

Line with parchment paper and butter & flour 2- 9 inch round cake pans.

Sift and combine flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt the bowl of our mixer. In a smaller bowl combine the buttermilk, oil, eggs, vanilla and almond extract. Pour wet bowl into dry bowl on a low speed until just combined, don't over mix! Pour in 1 cup of coconut milk and shredded coconut and fold into batter with a spatula. Pour into pans and bake for 30 mins at 350.

Cool on a cooling rack! When cool frost and cover with toasted coconut!

Frosting:

8 oz cream cheese, room temp ( i would like more cream cheese in mine but my in-laws like more of a buttercream frosting...if you're a cream cheese gal then you 16 oz of cream cheese and 1 stick of butter)

2 sticks of butter, room temp

1/2 tsp vanilla

1/2 tsp almond extract

pinch of salt

powdered sugar to taste

Blend butter and cream cheese. Mix in the extracts and salt. Start adding powdered sugar with mixer on low 1/2 cup at a time until it's the consistency and sweetness you want it.

Toast shredded coconut either in the over or in a skillet on the stove until golden. Cool, then layer on top of frosting!!

Loving it

2011-09-12T06:42:00.000-07:00

5 Things I'm loving:

OPI's "You Don't Know Jacques!"- It's the perfect color for everything. It takes on different hues depending on what you're wearing. It can be gray-ish, purple-y, or taupe-y. Loving it on my toes and fingers.

Bachelor Pad- Total trash TV. Totally good. Even Bret watched it with me. Melissa is a PSYCHO! I hate Vienna and Casey, they make me want to barf. I feel bad for Holly but how can she like Blake-he is a snake! I realllllly want Ella and Kirk to win!

Rachel Zoe Season 4- It started on the 6th. I love that show, she is so entertaining and I love seeing what she wears.

My Husband- he surprised me with a pecan tart from our local french bakery yesterday after my day of subbing! Love him- he's so cute and thoughtful!

Ally McBeal on Netflix- my mom and I watched this when I was in middle school. I'm re-watching it on netflix right now and I LOVE it. It makes me laugh out loud. So quirky!

House Update- The Front

2011-09-09T06:46:00.000-07:00

All right, here's a photo of the front of our new house. We wanna make some changes though!

1. Changing out the top glass blocks into 2 windows.
2. Painting the trim on the house white to match the windows.
3. Painting the house a lighter gray color, such as this, although this photo makes it look white, it's richer in person and has more contrast:

4. Adding black shutters to 5 of the windows.
5. Planting flowers and re-doing all of the planters (make them out of brick, not block)
6. Paint the front door black.

This won't get done till later since the kitchen is #1 right now but hopefully it will happen soon!!

Happy Birthday Jana

2011-09-08T06:33:00.000-07:00

My sister-in-law Jana turned 25 in August 22. So my in-laws, Jana & her boyfriend Mark and Bret & I went to Root Down for dinner. I love Root Down. It's phenomenal and thinking about it makes me hungry!! The miso vanilla-bean butter for their bread is AMAZING!

The Birthday Girl

Something was funny

This dessert is sooo good! It's a Banana Creme Brulee Pee with a chocolate-peanut butter crust... and like a banana liqueur sauce...

The Group

Happy Birthday Jana! She and Mark just left for Asia. They will be gone from September 6th until November 10th. Over two months, traveling in Thailand, Cambodia, Laos and visiting their cousin Kelly who lives in Singapore! Crazy- but I hope she has a wonderful time!!

A Cool Down & A Casserole

2011-09-07T09:23:00.000-07:00

Our weather looks like this right now and I'm in heaven:

I'm so happy to not be working today. I just need a rainy day to drink coffee and chill. After having an August that was basically 90+ degrees everyday I am soooo ready for fall! In fact, I'm making a casserole. Anyone's family make Tamale Pie? I'll give a picture later this week...it's not that pretty... it's just yummy! It's probably not that good for you but it's total comfort food- and that is exactly what we need around here right now. (My mom has completely broken down...please pray! ) Anyway, here's the Recipe... it's great with a big salad and some crusty french bread.

Tamale Pie

1/2 cup oil ( I used a little less)

2 large onions, chopped

1 pound or more ground beef

2 garlic cloves, chopped

1 pkg. taco seasoning mix

1 1/2 c. yellow corn meal

1 c. milk

1 large can tomatoes

1 can cream corn

1 can black olives

2 eggs, beaten

salt and pepper

(parmesan cheese to sprinkle on top)

Brown the onions. Cook the beef and garlic. Add taco seasoning, corn meal and oil. In a large bowl, combine the milk, tomatoes, cream corn, olives and eggs. Then add meat mixture. Mix until combined. Bake in a 9x13 baking dish for 1 1/2 hours at 350. Sprinkle your serving with parmesan cheese and enjoy!

The Pledge

2011-09-01T08:11:00.000-07:00

Quick note from a classroom. Im subbing today...don't worry I'm on my break Just wanted to say how much I love saying the pledge in the morning with the kiddos. I wish we said it more in life as adults.

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Sent from my Verizon Wireless mobile phone

A little of this, a little of that.

2011-08-31T15:29:00.000-07:00

I sub'd yesterday for the first time this school year! yeah! I called for Friday too. Yesterday I was in HS Social Studies and Friday I'm in HS Math. I'm so torn on if I should go back to school to get my high school credential or not. I'm so ready to be a mom... at the same time... I love subbing in high school and would love to just get the 3 classes I would need to take over with so that eventually down the road I could teach high school science. Ugh, life is full of choices. We'll see what God has in store. Either way, I'm enjoying this stage of life- it's exciting.
My mom and I saw The Help last week. I read the book sooooo long ago that I had forgot a few details, but I loved the movie. Rarely do I like a movie if I've read the book, but it was great. The actress that plays Celia Foote was AMAZING! The whole thing was so touching and sweet...I cried... so cute!

Bret and I watched the VMA's last weekend. I think MTV is pretty much crap now, what happened to music videos, Road Rules and Real World: Hawaii (Anyone else want Colin and Amaya to get together forever??) ( major side note: one of my brothers coworkers is cousins with Colin... I was pretty excited when I heard this) Anyway, we were watching the VMA's and when Beyonce showed her baby bump I screamed-ha! So excited... their baby is gonna be one spoiled little thing but I can't wait to find out what they name it!

Bret and the contractor are going down to the city office tomorrow to get permits for the kitchen! Hopefully demolition begins on time next week and we get this thing rolling. I've got about 6 paint swatches up on the walls right now. I'll take pics next time I'm at the house. Exciting!
It's raining right now- woohoo! It's been balls hot out for the whole month of August and we haven't had too many afternoon thunderstorms. So it's so nice to get some water, not just for the grass, but to cool down the temp. I hate the heat- yuck.

Have You Tried It?

2011-08-30T17:47:00.000-07:00

Have you tried it?

The Skinnygirl Margarita was good, but the Skinnygirl Sangria...obsessed. It is so good. Maybe I love it because it's 95 degrees out. Just try it though...yum.

This Past Week

2011-08-22T16:26:00.000-07:00

Monday, the 15th, was one of my besties Vanessa's birthday! Her cute hubby Cody emailed me a couple of weeks ago and said he wanted to surprise Nessa with a trip out to CO for her bday so we nailed down a 4 day weekend at the end of September. After that I tried not to talk to her 'cause I was afraid I would slip up and say "when you're out here..."! Well, Cody messaged me on the 14th and asked if I would call Nessa at 7am on the day of her bday and tell her the surprirse! I was soooo excited I got to be the one to tell her! I can't wait for next month!!

Wednesday, the 17th, was another one of our bestfriends Emily's first day of school! She is teaching 4th grade and will be such a wonderful teacher! She sent me pics of her new classroom...sooo stinking cute! Her students are lucky to have her and I am just so excited for her! She so deserved this job!! She is the cutest teacher- ever!

We officially started work on our house. Bret and my dad are going to start sanding the old wood floors so that we can re-stain them a darker color. We aren't moving in for about a month so we have some time. I want to get the 2nd floor done first so we can easily move it. We've been meeting with a TON of contractors, architects and a kitchen designer. It's been fun and stressful...that is just how this thing is gonna be. The floors used to be a warm honey color- so dated... here is a sample of the new color! So excited!

Today, the 22nd, is my sister-in-lawJana's birthday!!!! We are going to dinner at Root Down- yum! Happy 25th bday Jana!

Back from a Vacay

2011-08-17T13:05:00.000-07:00

woohoo... back from a family vacay and feeling refreshed! (and so damn thankful to be out of the humidity-ugh!) We went to Georgia for a couple of reasons. 1) My in-laws were investors in the movie Seven Days In Utopia so we attended the premier. 2) We went on a family vacation to spend sometime with Beau, Bret's brother, and to meet his new gf. Here is our trip in pictures!

Heading to our hotel in Atlanta...

lobster for the boys

restaurant we had dinner at

Movie premier

Sweet tea- yuck- can't stand it

"green carpet"

Robert Duvall, Lucas Black, KJ Choi, the director, Rickie Fowler and two other golfers

ZAXBY's!!! We don't have them out west so we were so excited!! Haven't had it sine 2007!

5 hour car ride to Sea Island

at least it was a pretty drive

The Cloister's Hotel at Sea Island

my mother-in-law riding the sand bikes

they had bagpipes playing... so pretty

creepy raccoon

inside the hotel

view from our room... we saw dolphins swimming out in the marsh.. so cool!

my cute hubby

yummy dinner, the food was good!

the Lady and Sons- sorry Paula but your food was YUCK.. too salty and WAAAAY overdone!

cutest store in Savannah!!

j. biebs cut out!

I loved Savannah and could have stayed there longer. I totally feel in love with that city! The food was great and the historic buildings were to die for. We took a carriage tour through the town- it was so fun!

Western Conservative Summit 2011

2011-08-02T20:42:00.000-07:00

This past weekend Bret and I went to the 2011 Western Conservative Summit. It was held downtown at the Marriot. It started off with dinner on Friday night and we heard from Governor of Texas Rick Perry and Former Senator Rick Santorum.

Rick Perry

Rick Santorum

Everyone was so excited to hear Rick Perry that night. Bret and I got interviewed by the Denver Post-ha! I think we got picked since we were two of the few young people there. You can see the article here. The funny thing was Rick Santorum brought the house down, not Rick Perry. Perry did alright, but Santorum stirred up a lot of emotion. I've heard him speak on TV and I've thought he was boring, but in person.... he was AMAZING!

Saturday we heard from Tucker Carlson (so funny), Foster Friess, Frank Gaffney (so smart), John Bolton, Juan Williams (a different perspective!!), Dennis Prager, Arthur Brooks, Kevin Jackson, Pat Caddell, Kevin Miller, Theresa Melaragno, Mark Steyn (awesome!), and a comedian Brad Stine. It was a looooong day!

Sunday we heard from Cal Thomas, Kate Obenshain (GREAT!), Herman Cain (gave a VERY powerful speech) and Dick Morris!

Herman Cain

The whole weekend was so interesting and refreshing hearing from some very smart conservatives! Bret and I are exhausted from it though. It was like being in class for three days straight. Afterwards, Bret and I were like... "I don't know if I can think anyone for the day"... we loved it though! I wish people our age were a little more aware of what's going on in our great nation. Anyways, I can't wait for next years summit!!

CA Wedding

2011-08-01T10:45:00.000-07:00

We were out in Ca for a family friend's wedding. The bride's mom and dad went to high school with my parents. Here is the trip is pictures:

2nd night in CA, with my two brothers and hubs on Balboa Island

Leaving our house for the wedding...poor cole wasn't invited :( I felt bad... he loves to dance!

Me and Bret

Mom and Dad

Renee... love her.... sisiter of the bride

Andrea and Tom

I fell.... so sad... there was like grass and gravel and my ankle just went wobbly!

Jeff and Gigi (my grandma)

Renee and Jeff dancing

Silly Jamie

Sue and my mom... love sue!

Sparklers to end the night!

Life is a little Crazy Right Now

2011-07-27T20:49:00.000-07:00

ugh. I'm tired just typing. I don't know where July went...but I'm really looking forward to August.

Bret and I flew out to CA on the 7th for a wedding on the 9th (pics coming tomorrow) that week I stayed in CA and I helped my parents back up their entire house. I flew back to Colorado with my mom and littlest brother on the 16th. My middle brother, Jeff, drove a HUGE uhaul (and trailer pulling a car) to CO and my dad, bro, and Bret put all of their stuff in storage. I am/was so excited for my family to move out here.

Now...I'm just exhausted. Long story short: my mom hates it here, has a pity party everyday, is totally irrational, is making everyone else miserable and doesn't want to get help. She just wants to sit and stew in her misery. It's awful. I love her but she's gotta start trusting the Lord. The great news is they sold the house and it closed today. Thank you Jesus. She's just gotta realize that it could always be worse. She still has friends and family that love her, but she won't even talk to them- ugh. I could go on and on... just pray for her, please.

In other news, I took another golf lesson last week. FUN! I've also been going to OBGYN a lot. Not Fun! Ha! I went last month for my annual check up and explained my history. ( I've never been regular, had a bad cyst burst when I was 22, don't really ovulate. ) She did a blood test and my thyroid levels came back high, meaning I have an under active thyroid. So I started taking medicine for that. I feel like it had helped with my energy level. The I went back last week for an internal ultrasound to see what's going on with my ovaries.

We found out I have two large cysts on my right ovary (one is 1.5", the other jsut a tad bit smaller) and my left ovary was full of tiny cysts ( like 20+). Not fun, so I got diagnosed with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome ( PCOS). My cousin, who is a physicians assistant, thought I had this- she was right! I'm going to go see another doctor who focuses on infertility in 3 weeks. I am so ready to get healthy!

That's all for tonight...more tomorrow....

4th of July Weekend 2011

2011-07-07T11:53:00.000-07:00

We got back from the mountains at about 12 yesterday...it was fun as usual. Here's the trip in pictures:

Baxter had a great time running around and being a wild dog.

Laying on the hammock with William and Matthew.

Dinner Time

Taking a walk!

Bret and my mother-in-law, Marty. We went into town on the 4th.

The BEST root beer float ever! Had to have one on the 4th.

Seriously, so good... way more ice cream than root beer... just perfect.

Okay, the triplets were playing on the jungle gym at the park and Bret was too. I took all these pictures of him on the monkey bars and he deleted them....such a party pooper. This is the only one he left.

Bax has seriously separation anxiety. That little boat out on the lake is Bret and Jerry. Bax sat on the dock and waited for him to come back.

Swinging with Jackson

We saw soooo many moose.

The mountains got soooo much snow fall this winter and now it's all melting. All of the rivers are flooding. I've never seen this much water up here. This first picture is one I took this fall, the next one I took this weekend...you used to be able to walk out into the meadow...now it's all water.

Fall 2010

Summer 2011

Happy Independence Day Weekend!

2011-07-03T11:15:00.000-07:00

Happy 4th of July!

Bret and I are heading up to the mountains to celebrate with his family- I'm excited to hangout with the triplets! Two quick things:

1) Anyone else watching what Kate ~~Middleton~~ is wearing everyday on her trip to Canada (and here next!) ??? I'm loving it.

2) We are under contract on a house!! We had the inspection done yesterday, everything looked alright, we get the mold samples back in a week. We're just hoping everything does smoothly!

Ladybug Ladybug...

2011-06-29T10:39:00.000-07:00

Bret and I were walking Baxter yesterday and a ladybug landing on his shirt. I immediately thought of the old Mother Goose Nursery Rhyme book I had as a child. I loved it. But some of the rhymes were seriously creepy!

Ladybug Ladybug fly away home,

your house is on fire and your children will burn.

I remember reading this one with my mom and we would just laugh... why would they ever put that in a children's book? Or how about this one...

There was a little girl, who had a little curl,

right in the middle of her forehead.

And when we was good, she was very very good,

but when she was bad, she was horrid!

What's up with that? So there was a bad curly haired little girl?? I remember being mad about that one because I had curly hair and I was good. HA!

On a side note, Bret and I are placing an offer on a house today! Kinda exciting! We'll see what happens! We've been looking like crazy for the last couple months...the house is in Bonnie Brae, a dream location, but needs a lot of work, which my dad can help us with :) and we would be able to completely gut the kitchen, hire an architect/designer and redo it to our liking. It all comes down to the price...so here's to keeping our fingers crossed and saying our prayers. We were gonna leave on Friday to head to AZ but if they counter back it looks like we might be flying out to CA and will do a AZ trip later this summer.

I'll leave you with pics of two of our 3 nephews (they're triplets!). We went to Benihana's last week for Father's Day and then went out to frozen yogurt after. They are finally big enough for booster seats which is super exciting and they wanted to ride with Uncle Bret and Aunt Courtney so we grabbed two of them and had a dance party in the car. They are getting so fun!! ( sorry the pics are blurry...cell phone pic in a moving car is not good...)

William w/ Benihana Hat

Jackson

Summa Time

2011-06-28T14:49:00.000-07:00

1. It's summer!! Woohoo- which means I'm chowing down on fruit. Bret and I went to Costco on Sunday and come home with a watermelon, a honeydew, a golden melon, a pineapple and a bunch of pears. I cut up the watermelon and the golden melon so my 'fridge is full of containers. Oh well, cold fruit is the best snack and dessert! Side note, several times I've been able to use the line "I carried a watermelon" and it totally gets lost on Bret. So disappointing... he may be my bestfriend, but those are the moments I really wish I had my bestfriends around too because they would TOTALLY get it.

2. Speaking of Best friends, we are planning a reunion for next month!! Thank the good Lord! We haven't all been together since the 4th of July last year. I can't wait!!

Last Summer in Denver

3. Bret and I are leaving on Friday to head to AZ for some rest, relaxation and golf for about a week before we drive to CA for a wedding on July 9th. I can't wait to lay by the pool and read. Hopefully I'll get a tan.

4. I've been blasting Katy Perry's latest CD all day- it just feels like summer. Have you seen her video for Last Friday Night? HILARIOUS! Confession- I wore head gear when I was little too! Plus, it features HANSON (omg- my first love), Darren Criss ( from GLEE- HOT!), Debbie Gibson (my favorite ever when I was 5) and Kenny G. Just watch it... its amazing!!

CAN'T WAIT!!!!

2011-06-24T14:44:00.000-07:00

Although I wish Zac Efron was in it....

I can't wait!!!!!!

We Almost Became Moose Munch

2011-06-24T11:55:00.000-07:00

well maybe.

Last week we went up to the cabin in Gande Lake for a couple days to just relax and have fun. My dad had never been up there so it was a treat for him too. We walked around the town, ate ice cream and hiked. It was so relaxing! It just smells so fresh and clean up there. It takes 2 hours to get there from Denver and you feel like you're in another world.

There was tons of Elk and Moose up there right now. We pulled up to the cabin after dinner one night and there was a moose right in front of us eating the aspen trees. So COOL! Baxter was a good little boy and just sat there quietly with us and watched. :)

We got like 30 yards away from him and just watched for a while. When we woke up in the morning he was out eating breakfast in the lake behind the house.

We hung out the rest of the morning and then went for a hike and checked out Adams Falls. So pretty!

Dad being a goof ball!

Happy National Chocolate Eclair Day!

2011-06-22T15:11:00.000-07:00

How do people come up with this stuff? I have no clue but this was on yahoo's homepage today when I woke up. Good news is... I love chocolate eclairs! There is an awesome french bakery here, near Denver University, called Kathrine's. It's amazing. They have their garden. All the pastries are made just the way you want them- real butter, heavy cream, imported chocolate - the whole nice yards! Maybe I can convince Bret that we need to go there today! I always get the eclairs there- yummm.

Anyway, traditionally an eclair looks like this:

I love them! Coincidentally, I them on Father's Day! Well, I made cream puffs which are basically the same thing but in round form. I'm picky because I don't like when they are filled with whipped cream. They need to be filled with custard! But they are absolutely to die for. I could eat them everyday...but then I would look like a cream puff... not good.

I made them at my in-law's house, hence the ugly plates, sorry. Here are the pastry puffs before I filled them. You could totally make them into rectangles to look like an eclair. I just used a pastry bag to pipe the dough out.

And the completed puff:

I made small ones... and then ate 3 haha

To-Die-For Cream Puffs:

For the dough:

1 cup water

1/2 cup butter

1 cup flour

4 eggs

Preheat your oven at 400. In a sauce pan add the water and butter, bring to a rapid boil. Stir in the flour and drop the heat down to low. Stir for one minute until the dough becomes a ball. Remove from the heat and add all 4 eggs. Beat until all combined and smooth. Drop dough on to baking sheet or pipe dough on to baking sheet. I used parchment paper. Bake until puffed and golden. The size of our puff will determine the baking time. When done, let cool completely.

For the custard:

2/3 cup sugar
4 tbsp cornstarch
1/4 tsp salt
4 cups whole milk
4 egg yolks, lightly beaten
4 tbsp butter
2 tsp vanilla
2 bananas, sliced

In a sauce pan mix the sugar, cornstarch and salt until blended. Turn heat on the stove to medium. Slowly pour in milk and stir constantly until thick and boiling. Boil for one minute. Stir half of the mixture into the egg yolk mixture and blend quickly. Stir the egg yolk mixture back into the sauce pan. Boil one more minute and remove from the heat. Stir in the butter and the vanilla. Place in a bowl, cover with plastic wrap. Place the wrap directly on the custard so that a film doesn't grow on the top of the custard. Place in the fridge for 4 (+)hours.

For the Chocolate Ganache:
* I have no measurements for this because I always just do it by sight, sorry*
Bring some heavy cream to a simmer. Pour over some semisweet chocolate ( a chopped up bar or chips are fine) and stir until you get a think creamy topping. Go slowly you can always add more cream.

For assembly:

Slice the puff in half, spoon in some custard ( I like a LOT as you can tell from my pic), plce the lid back on top and drizzle or drench with chocolate ganache. Refrigerate for a few more minutes and sever... YUM.

Happy First Day of Summer

2011-06-21T08:34:00.000-07:00

1. Hair is blonde again- praise the good Lord! If anything came out of this it's that I actually found a girl to do my hair that I like! Not only did she do a great job but she was totally cute and fun to talk to. She's been to culinary school and loves to cook too! Plus, as she was going through my hair she was like "OOOMG... you have patches of blonde then brown then red then gray...it's not even highlighted...it's like chunks of color...what happened?" Ahh... it was soo nice to have someone who understood! Now I'm a happy camper!

2. So pissed. I ordered two cheap summer dresses online the other day because it's getting warm around here and in the summer I HATE wearing jeans. It's just to hot and uncomfortable. I could wear a dress everyday of my life and be happy. Pants are dumb. What's even more dumb is dresses that let your booty hang out. They were so cute until I tried them on... they were dresses for "little people" or something. Most def too short so I'll have to take them back this week. So bummed.

3. We finally got our wedding album this week!! Praise the Lord! We've been married for a year and half...it was time. I am super pleased with it though. It's gorgeous!

4. Is anyone watching Keeping Up With The Kardashians? Love it, but here is my question. How do they were that much make up all the time? Or do you think it's only when they are filming. I love make up but I hate wearing it all the time. I like to be able to touch my face....

And how to Kim and Kris Humphries kiss...he is so much taller than her. And poor Kendall, her skin was so bad on Sunday's nights episode!

and she has heels on....crazy

Lemon Coconut Pound Cake

2011-06-17T08:55:00.000-07:00

This recipe is so easy and so dang good! It's super moist and pretty. ( The one in the picture was actually made with grapefruit instead of lemon, notice the pink hue? I've made it with both and they are yummy! I probably liked the lemon better, just a cleaner flavor but I had tons of grapefruit just sitting here so I switched it up this week) It's also really pretty and would be perfect to gift someone with.

1 stick of butter, soft

1 1/3 c. sugar

3 eggs

1 1/2 c. all purpose flour

1/2 tsp salt

1/8 tsp baking soda

1/2 cup sour cream ( I've also used 1/2 cup of buttermilk both were great!)

2 tsp lemon zest

1/2 cup shredded coconut

Heat oven to 325. Grease and flour a loaf pan. Beat butter and sugar until creamy. Add eggs one at a time until combined. Stir together the flour, salt and baking soda. Blend into the butter mixture alternating with the sour cream ending with the flour mixture. Stir in the lemon zest and coconut. Pour in the pan and bake 1 hr and 10 minutes. Start checking it at an hour and make sure the center is set. Cool on a rack. One completely cooled top with glaze and toasted coconut!

GLAZE:

2 tbsp lemon juice

2 cups of powdered sugar

milk until the right consistency

1/2 cup of coconut, toast in a pan on top of stove SLOWLY so it doesn't burn!

Mix altogether and pour on top of cake. I think it kinda thick so that it drips down the sides prettily (is that a word?) Top with toasted coconut.

Recent Readings

2011-06-16T03:59:00.000-07:00

I love reading in the summer. So fun and relaxing. Here's my recently read reviews:

Snow Flower and The Secret Fan by Lisa See:

I really liked this book. It kept my interest the whole time and I just flew through it. I tend to like novels set in different time periods. The story follows two girls growing up together in 19th century China. You follow them from the age of 7 until their deaths. It was fascinating learning about the whole foot binding process. It's a little heavy and sad at times, but aren't most good books? I'd give it a 4/5 and def. would recommend it.

Last Night At Chateau Marmont by Lauren Weisberger:

After reading a sorta sad/heavy book I wanted something light and gossipy to start summer off so I picked this one up. It's by the author of The Devils Wears Prada. It was totally a disappointment. I'd give it a 2/5. It follows a couple that live in NYC. She's a nutritionist and he's a starving artist until he makes it big which causes BIG problems for them. The plot of just kinda thin and I really couldn't identify with any of the characters. You just kinda feel bad for everyone in the story. Lame.

Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers:

I've heard about this book for a LONG time now so thought I would give it a try. I totally loved it. It's fictional christian book which usually fall really flat to me, but this one was good! I cried, like a good happy lump in the through cry a couple of times. It's about a woman who is sold into prostitution at the age of 8 but a godly man comes into her life... she learns about love, forgiveness, etc. It's so good though- not cheesy like I thought it would be. It's set in California during the gold rush. I give it a 4.5/5.

** I need more books to read... any recommendations people???**

Best Pandora Station

2011-06-15T16:53:00.000-07:00

Loving the "Hands to Heaven by Breathe" Pandora station... ahh... I could listen to this all day long. Go listen to it. Now.

3 Summer Pie Recipes

2011-06-15T07:34:00.000-07:00

Last weekend was Bret's 10 year high school reunion! We had a mini-reunion BBQ at a friends house the night before and I was in charge of desserts so I brought my banana cream pie and a key lime pie. Both we're so good! I recently found out my mom won a pie contest with this Banana Creme recipe - definitely a keeper!! I'll give ya the recipes for the 3 pies I made recently! I used a Graham Cracker Crust for each:

Graham Cracker Crust

One block of graham crackers
One stick of butter, melted ( or more see directions )
1/4 cup of sugar- depending on pie

Crush the graham crackers either in a food processor OR in a zip lock baggy. Stick them in there and beat with a rolling pin. Pour into a big bowl. Mix with melted butter and sugar. Here's is where the amounts of ingredients vary. If I'm using a deep dish pie pan then I use more graham crackers and more butter. Also, I'll add more melted butter if I feel like the crust isn't going to come together well enough. Sometimes I don't put that much sugar in my crust especially for Banana Cream Pie.

Next press the crust into your pan. You can use the bottom of a measuring cup to help press it in evenly. I like to use my hands so that I can lick them afterward :) Sometimes I just pour my filing in next. Other times I bake the crust for 5-10 mins at like 325 so that it hardens up. I don't see a HUGE difference between the results. If I have time I do it...if not I don't. No big deal.

Key Lime Pie

1 can sweetened condensed milk

2 tbsp lime zest

1/2 cup fresh lime juice ( I think I used 9 small limes)

2 egg yolks

Mix egg yolks, zest and lime juice together. Then add sweetened condensed milk until blended. Pour into the crust and bake for 15-20 minutes at 325. Since I'm in Denver it took a good 20 minutes. Just bake until the center is set enough. Chill for at least a couple hours. Top with sweetened whipped cream! This pie is super tangy- which I loved- but you've been warned!

Banana Cream Pie

1/3 cup sugar
2 tbsp cornstarch
1/8 tsp salt
2 cups whole milk
2 egg yolks, lightly beaten
4 tbsp butter
2 tsp vanilla
2 bananas, sliced

In a sauce pan mix the sugar, cornstarch and salt until blended. Turn heat on the stove to medium. Slowly pour in milk and stir constantly until thick and boiling. Boil for one minute. Stir half of the mixture into the egg yolk mixture and blend quickly. Stir the egg yolk mixture back into the sauce pan. Boil one more minute and remove from the heat. Stir in the butter and the vanilla.

Layer the sliced banana pieces on the bottom of the pie pan (on top of the crust). Pour the pudding mixture on top of the bananas. Refrigerate for at least a couple of hours. Top with sweetened whipped cream and fresh banana slices!

Chocolate Pie-

From Emeril, link HERE
I'm not gonna type it out. It's super long and complicated but sooooo worth it. I thought it was amazing!! The oreo cookie crust is so good too. It's not that hard to make...just detailed! I added the heath pieces too- don't skip that on the top. It added a perfect salty crunch!

Happy Birthday Mom & A Hair Catastrophe!

2011-06-10T08:45:00.000-07:00

Wednesday, June 8th, was my momma's birthday!!!! Happy Birthday Mom! I took my dad to the airport on Wednesday night after he got off of work. He flew home and surprised her by walking in the house. She screamed and cried- cute!!

Alight I haven't loved my hair girl here so I thought I would try another one yesterday. I looked up a bunch of reviews online and heard this girl was good. I made an appointment and was kinda nervous but thought hey- it's only hair. OH MY GOSH. I told her I wanted to be warmer...not just yellow... but more honey lowlights. She then asked me to look through a book to show her a picture I liked. I found a picture for Blake Lively, this one actually, and told her something like this!

She did her magic and I waited, then she shampood and I came out SOOOO dark. I immediately told her I didn't like it and I wanted more blonde. So we went back and she added more blonde. This is how I came out of the place:

PISSED OFF!!!!

It is SOOOOO dark! And dull and ugly!! I would get over it but it's Bret's 10 year High School Reunion on Saturday and I wanna feel pretty at it. I'm so pissed. So I frantically called the old girl and she is booked until Tuesday so I'm going to see some random girl at the old salon today at 11 to get blonde again. This is costing me so much many too. I'm so pissed!!! I just wanna cry.

Cool Summer Pies

2011-06-06T20:28:00.000-07:00

This past weekend Bret's cousin Andrew graduated from DU. We went out on Saturday night and celebrated with him. (No pictures- sad- I totally forgot to take some.) On Sunday his parents threw a little party at their house. I volunteered to bring dessert!

Sunday was the hottest day of the week and I did NOT want to bake. Turning my oven on would have heated up out whole place- yuck! So I decided to make two cold pies. They were stink'n delicious if I do say so myself! I made a Banana Cream Pie (my grandma's recipe, and a trusted fav!) and I tried a brand new Chocolate Cream Pie. It was so good- the consistency was more like Marie Calendar's Chocolate Satin Pie- not puddy-ish. Which made me happy because I'm not a fan of chocolate pudding pie- yuck.

Banana Cream Pie with Graham Cracker Crust!

Chocolate Cream Pie with Cookie Crust and Heath Pieces on top!

I only took photos with my phone, really quickly before they got cut into. I was super excited to you my new pasty bag and fancy tips for it. I can't wait to bake a cake soon so I can decorate it too!

Summer Treats

2011-06-04T13:35:00.000-07:00

Bret and I tried the new Mocha Coconut Frappuccino this week. I was in heaven! It is so good but basically a milk shake. It's awful for you...but def a yummy treat. I love coconut:

Totally on a coconut kick. With my sore throat this week I've been enjoying these too... ahh...they just feel like summer in your mouth:

We had a bag full of grapefruits from Costco that we're just okay and not that great for eating by themselves so I found a way to use them up. Grapefruit Ganita! Soooo refreshing. It tasted like an italian ice. I found the recipe on Food Network. Bret loved it too. Perfect summer dessert. A little sweet and a little tangy. It's pretty too.

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups fresh pink or ruby grapefruit juice, at room temperature
1 cup boiling water
1/3 cup superfine sugar

Directions

Combine juice, water and sugar in bowl and whisk until the sugar has dissolved. Pour liquid into a 13 by 9-inch baking pan. Freeze until hard, about 3 to 4 hours.

To serve, scrape with a fork and spoon the scrapings into small chilled martini glasses or small glass bowls. Garnish with small sprigs of fresh mint.

I Wanna Dress Like A Middleton

2011-06-01T07:39:00.000-07:00

I am so in love with this look, the dress is great:

Love this Coat- the ruffle is so cute:

Love this look- so classic and clean:

Pippa's Dress is cute too:

It's Feeling Like Summer

2011-05-31T14:35:00.000-07:00

It's our first day of HOT weather- I hate the heat- here's to hoping Summer won't be too hot! But I am looking forward to sitting outside and relaxing. It stays light out here sooooo late compared to CA.
Memorial Day weekend was fun. On Saturday we marinated Skirt Steak and made tacos with it. Yum! I love Bret's guacamole. Sunday we tried out a new church, the pastor was good and the congregation was mostly made up of people our age which was a nice change from the church we've been going to. We saw a movie that night. Yesterday we ran errands, Bret bought me some golf clothes and then we went golfing with his parents. We just played 9 holes and I don't think I even completed an entire whole but it was fun!

We saw Water For Elephants. It was good! I had read the book so I knew what was coming but it done well and I thought Robert Pattinson did a good job.

I'm totally pissed about American Idol. I think Scotty is great but not exciting to watch. I would have rather seen an all girl, Lauren vs. Haley final. I SO wish Lauren had won. It's time for a girl to win... plus I just like her voice. Also, I thought her song to be released was beautiful and I liked it way better than Scotty's.

I'm totally getting a sore throat... yuck.

The Angels Are Bowling

2011-05-24T12:44:00.000-07:00

When I was a little girl my mom would always say, "listen to those angles bowl" when there was thunder and lightening. There is so massive thunder & lightening going on right now and I love it! Perfect morning to drink some coffee and do some online shopping.

I bought a dress for a wedding we're going to July 9th. I always wear black to everything so I'm determined to NOT wear black to a summer wedding that is outside. With free shipping and a coupon code I was pretty excited and pulled the trigger. The dress should be here by Thursday or Friday. I'm nervous to see what it looks like in person.

My brother, his friend Matt and my dad's friend Mike were all out here this past weekend. We really didn't take many photos but we did hit up happy hour at La Fogata's!

Mike, Dad, Bret, Moi, Jeff and Matt

It was totally a boys weekend. The boys played golf and toured the Coor's Factory. We also went downtown on the light rail one night to give them a tour of the city. It was good to see Jeffy! But seriously, boys are so boring. We all went out to eat one night and everyone was so quiet... not like they were busying eating, they just didn't have anything to talk about I guess? BORING!!!! oh well, I didn't complain.

So glad I'm a girl!!

Rainy Thursday

2011-05-19T16:36:00.000-07:00

(This post might be full of typos...im posting from my mother-in-laws ipad)Today I woke up at six thirty to drive down to Colorado Springs with the hubs because he had to go down there for work. I didn't really wanna drive down there with him so early but he asked me to and I know its much more fun to take a long drive that early in the morning with someone. He also bribed me with a venti pikes place from Starbucks so I was there! We took Baxter and I brought and book since Bret was in some business meeting trying to get the zoning changed for one of their properties. It takes a little over an hour to get down there.Then we drove to the airport to pick up my brother Jeff. It usually takes about 30 min to get there from our place. Today it took two freaking hours!!! They were doing road construction and the highway went down to one lane. Shoot me now. Not only have I been in a car for five hours today but I totally got car sick while we were driving home...and then it started hailing and we were in Bret's mom's new car so Bret got all stressed out. Luckily it was okay.Oh well...just one of those cold crappy days. Good news is that I have the radio on and "breezing'" by George Benson just came on. I'm a loser but the hubs and I Both like this song...thanks to my mom. It came out in 1976- ha!Anyway it should be fun having Jeff out here. We don't really have plans other than he is testing for a fire dept on Saturday and I know the boys are gonna play golf at some point. I want a cheeseburger this weekend too. Maybe for Sunday Funday? I've been craving one all week. Alright now my mouth is watering...I think I'm hungry.

Died & Gone To Pastry Heaven

2011-05-17T06:50:00.000-07:00

When I was home for Mother's Day I made Barefoot Contessa's Cheese Danishes... OMG.

So I'll admit it...I'm kinda a baking snob. I don't buy pre-made pie crust (it tastes nasty anyway) and generally stay away from mixes. I don't like preservatives and nasty oils in my food and in my body...plus that stuff tastes like crap. BUT... I made an exception for these and boy am I glad. I looked at a bunch of homemade puff pasty recipes on-line several of them take 3 days to make and NONE of them showed pictures of what it looked like after being baked- fishy too me- I wanna see the flakey layers people! Totally use the store bought puff pastry- it was so tasty.

Okay, here's the recipe- they are amazing!!!! I added a dollop of cherry preserves on top of the cheese because that's how I like my danishes. You seriously could fill them with anything though. My mouth is watering as I type this. We ate these with coffee for dinner one night. Not healthy, I know, but I was on vacation.

Easy Cheese Danish

Ingredients

8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
1/3 cup sugar
2 extra-large egg yolks, at room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon grated lemon zest (2 lemons)
2 sheets (1 box) frozen puff pastry, defrosted
1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water, for egg wash
Preserves of the flavor you choose (cherry, raspberry, apricot etc)

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.

Place the cream cheese and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and cream them together on low speed until smooth. With the mixer still on low, add the egg yolks, vanilla, salt, and lemon zest and mix until just combined. Don't whip!

Unfold 1 sheet of puff pastry onto a lightly floured board and roll it slightly with a floured rolling pin until it's a 10 by 10-inch square. Cut the sheet into quarters with a sharp knife. Place a heaping tablespoon of cheese filling into the middle of each of the 4 squares. Brush the border of each pastry with egg wash and fold 2 opposite corners to the center, brushing and overlapping the corners of each pastry so they firmly stick together. Brush the top of the pastries with egg wash. Place the pastries on the prepared sheet pan. Repeat with the second sheet of puff pastry and refrigerate the filled Danish for 15 minutes.

Bake the pastries for about 20 minutes, rotating the pan once during baking, until puffed and brown. Serve warm or room temp.

*** We left out the lemon because my mom didn't want it and I added WAY more than a tablespoon of filling on each danish. Just fill them and divided the filling evenly between them all... the more the better!***

Mama's Day

2011-05-16T07:29:00.000-07:00

I went home for Mother's Day. I had to do a deposition for a lawsuit- blah- when I was home too- not fun! Glad that is over with. Other than that we had fun shopping, eating and just hanging out!! I also went to Trader Joe's 4 times in 5 days... pathetic! But we don't have one in Denver so I wanted to stock up! I got some Medjool Dates, Walnuts and Tomatoes! Wish I could have got more but its hard to bring it back on a plane. Here's a little photo recap of my trip!

I got a super pretty new blush. It's called Gentle. It's one of Mac's Mineralized Blushes. Everything turns so orange on me so I need something with cooler tones. But OMG, the chick who was testing out blushed one me was aweful. She kept putting more and more on top of each other and never cleaned the brush. My mom finally said, stop she looks like a clown! haha

I got a cute dress for the summer. It's way cuter in person than in this pic

We went to Cole's baseball game.

Mom with the boys on Mother's Day

Me and mom! It felt soo humid there to me...

I literally CRAVE these blackened chicken tacos from Taco Mesa. To die for!

My beautiful tomatoes I got at Trader Joe's for super cheap... they made me sad. They would be double the price in CO.

Had to have Inn-n-Out while I was home- YUM!

Royal Wedding Thoughts...

2011-05-14T18:45:00.000-07:00

Okay.

My mom has always been obsessed with Princess Diana. She and my mom are a year a part in age and my parents got married a month before Diana and Charles got married. My mom has coffee table books about her and a plate with their faces, oh and old People Magazines etc. etc. Whenever she was on TV of interviewed my mom always watched it- and I watched too! My mom and I stayed up to watch her funeral in 1997... both of us sat their crying! Well, my mom passed her obsession down to me. I've always thought Harry was the cuter one, but I was super excited for the Royal Wedding!

My first initial thought was... OMG- its my mom's dress from 1981! haha Alright, it's a little updated but check out these photo of me in my mom's wedding dress and compare it to Kate:

UPDATE: after seeing this my mom sent me photos of photos taken with her cell phone (sorry for the bad quality).... here is my momma on her wedding day!

The sleeves, the neckline... the skirt.. all so so similar to my momma's dress!! CRAZY! At first I wasn't a fan, but it totally grew on me. I know she had to had her shoulders covered and I loved the lace.. I wish the skirt had been more lacy but over all she looked beautiful! I loved her hair down...I didn't like the vail though. I thought it laid weirdly on her head. Over all, I loved that they seemed so in love! They are cute together and when she said "I'm so happy" to William I totally started crying... so romantic. Oh, and the church bells! They killed me- LOOOVED it! I thought she looked stunning in her second dress too! Classy! Although I would have kept the tiara on- you're a princess and you can get away with it- so why not?

If You're Reading This Please Say a Prayer!

2011-04-27T16:36:00.000-07:00

My sophomore yr of high school I dated a guy named Nate Beyer. He is one of the nicest and sweetest people ever. Seriously, like he was too nice when I knew him. He comes from a strong christian family and loves the Lord! He married a beautiful girl named Heather 2 1/2 years ago.

Earlier this week my mom called me clearly upset. She had just read an article in our local paper about a 27 yr old girl that had stage 4 breast cancer that had been misdiagnosed twice! It turns out this girl is Nate's wife. I had not talked to him since high school but I'm facebook friends with him and posted on his wall that they were in my prayers. He wrote me back the next day...he seriously is so kind. It's just horrible this is happening to him :( Heather is so cute! She was high school cheer coach and member of the Angels Strike Squad. My heart is breaking for them and their families. Please say a prayer for them! Her faith, strength and joyful spirit are sooooo inspiring!!

Here's the link to the article: http://www.ocregister.com/articles/-297623--.html?pic=17

Here's a link to a video clip on MLB.com: http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20110426&content_id=18264338&vkey=news_mlb&c_id=mlb

and remember to check your boobs ladies!!

He Has Risen! Easter 2011!

2011-04-26T09:01:00.000-07:00

I had a nice Easter this year but I'm really looking forward to spending Easter with my family next year! I love Easter. It's fun and joyful a lot less stressful than Christmas.

Growing up we always went over to my grandma's house and dyed the eggs the day before Easter. My dad would write on the eggs since he has super distinctive block writing that is perfect for eggs. We have very specific sayings that we always write on a few that are silly and would mean nothing to other people but make us laugh our booties off ( i.e. hippity hop bunny slop) Each person gets their own dozen to decorate and write on along with their own set of dying cups... it's intense! I don't even know what we do with all the eggs... we don't have a hunt anymore and we don't eat all 72 eggs. That night we eat Tamale Pie (a yummy casserole) and See's candy!

Easter morning we would find baskets from my mom and dad and then head on over to my grandma's house and find baskets from her. My 54 yr old dad still has to look around the house and find one- ha!

This year my dad went home to be with my fam but Bret and I stayed here. I'm going home for Mother's Day instead. On Saturday, Jana and Mark came over for dinner and egg dying. I made a pot of chili and some jalapeno cornbread muffins.

Sunday morning we woke up and went to church. Our church held one big service at Comfort Dental Amphitheater at 10:00. Bret and I did a Starbucks run and brought coffee for the family. It was nice to be outside drinking a coffee during praise and worship.

Then we went to brunch at Cherry Hills Country Club. It was sooo yummy!

Our nephews participated in the Easter Egg Hunt and got "tattoos" on their forearms. Holidays are so much more fun with kids around.

We took a picture with them and the Easter bunny too!

Pie

2011-04-25T13:55:00.000-07:00

yum.

I love pie. I'm on a bit of a pie kick right now. A week ago I made a sour cherry pie. I wasn't in love with it though... I just didn't love the cherries I used, but I didn't really have any other choices. The only fresh or frozen cherries I could find were dark sweet cherries and I was craving a sour cherry pie. The only sour cherries I could find were canned in the super market. They just weren't that great. The crust was good, but the subpar filling was BLAH.

Today I felt like trying another pie recipe so I made a mini-pie in a big creme brulee dish so that I wouldn't be tempted to eat a whole pie. I had a little bit of pie crust left over from the cherry pie that I had thrown in the freezer so I unthawed it and got to work.

I made an apple pie with dried cranberries. It was really good. I did not have enough crust to do a traditional top so I did a lattice...

I like it all rustic and homemade looking. It was super yummy too. No recipe... I kinda just made it up as I went. Apples, dried cranberries, lemon juice, lemon zest, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and a pinch of salt. I used an egg wash on the top and sprinkled it with sanding sugar.

The Little Boy That Grew Up To Be My Husband

2011-04-21T21:20:00.000-07:00

So my father-in-law, Jerry, is all about old photographs and movies. After seeing the photo books I've made for our honeymoon and such he asked if I would be interested in make some for him. So for the past week I have been scanning and organizing photos from the 70's and 80's. I haven't really gotten to the good stuff yet, most of it is just his backpacking trips and about 95% of the photos look like this:

I have no clue who this is??

But today I found a couple of good ones. Check on the little boy that grew up to be my hubby! So cute!

Mr. Independent... he is still like that today.

Older Brother Beau on the Left, Bret on the Right

Love this one!

Such a Boy!

Catching some sun before his swim meet!

Little Bret

I can't wait to have a little Bret someday... well, his name won't be Bret, we've already picked out our boy names, but I hope he is as cute as his daddy!!

Baby Dylan

2011-04-14T12:21:00.000-07:00

Our friends Kacie and Daniel had their baby on the 3rd and a few days ago we went over to their house to meet their sweet baby girl!

Dylan Juliana
7 lbs 10.5 oz
Born 5-3-2011

She is so perfect! Bret and I got to hold her all night...it was so fun! She smelled so good and wasn't fussy at all. So sweet! Her mom and dad are doing great too! Kacie looked amazing! Daniel's parents live in FL but they are staying with them right now to help out so it was great getting to visit with them also. Seeing Dylan totally gives me the baby bug.

Bret and I had so much fun going to Pottery Barn Kids and buying fun stuff for her. I was so glad they wrapped it all because I am the WORST gift wrapper on the face of the earth. Seriously... it's embarrassing.

Inside: 2 books, a lamb stuffed animal that was the cutest thing ever, a baby blanket that was SO soft and a bath wrap with a pig face on the hood!

I also made them some Whole Wheat Oatmeal Maple Scones... so yummy! I got the cutest box at Home Goods. One side is a chalk board so I could label it. I bought a tea towel to line it with and in went the scones!

Of course the recipe comes from my favorite, Ina Garten!

Maple Oatmeal Scones

3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup whole-wheat flour
1 cup quick-cooking oats, plus additional for sprinkling
2 tablespoons baking powder
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 teaspoons salt
1 pound cold unsalted butter, diced
1/2 cup cold buttermilk
1/2 cup pure maple syrup
4 extra-large eggs, lightly beaten
1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon milk or water, for egg wash

For the Glaze:

1 1/4 cups confectioners' sugar
1/2 cup pure maple syrup
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, combine the flours, oats, baking powder, sugar and salt. Blend the cold butter in at the lowest speed and mix until the butter is in pea-size pieces. Combine the buttermilk, maple syrup and eggs and add quickly to the flour-and-butter mixture. Mix until just blended. The dough may be sticky.

Dump the dough out onto a well-floured surface and be sure it is combined. Flour your hands and a rolling pin and roll the dough 3/4 to 1 inch thick. You should see lumps of butter in the dough. Cut into 3-inch rounds with a plain or fluted cutter and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

Brush the tops with egg wash. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the tops are crisp and the insides are done.

To make the glaze, combine the confectioners' sugar, maple syrup and vanilla. When the scones are done, cool for 5 minutes and drizzle each scone with 1 tablespoon of the glaze. I like to sprinkle some uncooked oats on the top, for garnish. The warmer the scones are when you glaze them, the thinner the glaze will be.

Love Of My Life (for now)

2011-04-07T10:35:00.000-07:00

Laying on the couch....he put his arm around me...so freaking cute!

Skin Care and Rosacea

2011-04-06T12:27:00.000-07:00

My skin had always been okay. I have noticeable pores (totally hereditary) on my nose but in high school I never had acne or anything. Then my senior year of college my nose started getting red for no reason at all. At first I thought it was just a stage, but it never went away. I went to a dermatologist and she put me on Finacea, a topical cream, and La Roche Posay skin care products.

I was not in love with them. I used La Roche Posay's Toleriane face wash and Anthielios moisturizer. First,, my skin is super sensitive. So when I used other face washed my rosacea would flare up. But I always felt that Toleriane never really got my skin clean. It didn't take my makeup off either. The moisturizer seemed greasy to me too. It was gentle, but I didn't like it.

Then I moved to Denver and it is so dry here! I needed more moisture!! Plus, my rosacea has gotten even worse! My nose is red and my t zone near my nose is all red and flaky- gross! Make up covers it but I don't like wearing make up if I'm not going anywhere. Also, I didn't know what to put on my face at night that wouldn't case a flare up because everything I was trying was hurting my face.

So Last week I went to the dermatologist and he set me up on a new routine. I'm now on Metro Gel for the rosacea. Hopefully I'll like it. It was so expensive :( I was ticked off when I went to pick it up!

But I'm totally LOVING the face wash and moistureizers I'm now using. Plus, they are WAY cheaper. I'm using CeraVe products. You can find them at Walmart or a drug store. I"m using the foaming face wash- I love it. It really lathers up and I feel like my face is cleaner after. The I'm using their AM and PM moistureizers. The AM has sunscreen and doesn't feel greasy at all! The pm one feels really good on. It's too early for the metrogel to work... it takes a couple of weeks. But Bret says he thinks the color of my skin everywhere else on my face looks better! I'm hoping this is the answer!!

I HATE having rosacea. My dad has it too. Its just aweful. I know my trigers. If i drink too much coffee, am in wind or sun, eat lots of hot soup, eat anything super spicy etc. I totally get red for hours. Oh, and if I cry. If I cry I get super flushed... here's an example at my wedding:

I was a hot mess... totally crying from everyones speeches and my nose was like - BAM - Rudolph red...totally sucks!

Being a Girl Sucks

2011-04-06T10:44:00.000-07:00

So I haven't blogged in a while because I just feel pissy!

My hormones are all outta whack. This whole week I've felt unmotivated. I feel fat, grumpy and tired for no reason. I'm afraid to talk to anyone because I know I'll just snap at them. Everything is annoying. I don't wanna do anything. I just feel bitchy right now. I don't want to clean my house. I don't want to work out. I don't want to do laundry. I don't want to go anywhere because then I would have to put makeup and cute clothes on and I don't want to.

Thankfully, I realize this and haven't attacked my husband. Identifying how I feel is my first line of defense against this crappy mood. I know my limits right now....which basically means I putting myself in isolation so I don't rip someones head off.

This could be because I have super irregular periods?? I've been off the pill since June and have only had 3 periods in 9 months. I basically bled for the entire month of March so now I think my body is FREAKING out... making me super bitchy- yuck!

Being a girl sucks! I'm gonna go eat some chocolate....

Candy Fix For The Week

2011-03-24T11:12:00.000-07:00

Tuesday night we went to see Lincoln Lawyer with our friends Kacie and Daniel. They are due a week from today so she could have the baby at any moment....I'm so excited!! She loves sour candy and sour patch kids so I made Bret stop at the market so I could surprise her with a couple bags for the movie. While I was there I bought some Dark Chocolate Raisinetes for me and Bret.

OMG. I can't stop eating them. They are so good. I thought they might be nasty because they are made by Nestle and I am totally a chocolate snob, but they are dang good. I'm eating them right now as I type. They aren't even good for you... whatever... I gotta put them away before I finish the bag.

I just saw on their website that they have dark chocolate covered cherries... I gotta try those next!

Praise The Lord!!

2011-03-24T09:49:00.000-07:00

Praise the Lord!!! My dad got a job out here in Castle Rock!! My parents house is totally under contract now!! My family is moving to Colorado!!

I've been MIA but it's been a busy week around here.

My dad lost his job in October and have had their house on the market since then also. They accepted an offer on the house about a month ago or so but it was contingent on the buyers house selling. It's been a scary time of waiting and praying, but God has had his hand on this whole situation.

I am so excited, I can't even put it into words. It has been a rough couple of months for my family but now there is light at the end of the tunnel. My dad started is new job this week. Last Friday he was told he got it and that they wanted him out in Colorado on Monday. So he quickly tried to get everything together and left for CO the next morning with my brother Jeff. They knocked on our door at 2 in the morning the next day. Unfortunately, Jeff had work on Monday so he had to fly back on Sunday but it was great seeing him for a day! Now we just needed the house to sell....

Monday night my mom gets the phone call that the buyers house had sold and they were ready to go into escrow on theirs!! The timing could not have been more perfect. God worked a miracle, for sure! Never in a mile years did I think my family would move to Colorado. I'm so excited to have my parents and Cole, my littlest brother out here. Jeff, my middle brother is staying out in CA for the time being but is testing for a fire dept. out here in May.

I can't wait for my kids to have both sets of Grandparents in the same city!! Totally something I never thought would be possible. I'm also so excited for my parents to get a fresh start on life. There is so much to explore out here and so much fun to be had!!

Happy 314 Day!

2011-03-14T22:11:00.000-07:00

Okay, I'm weird.

Today, March 14th, is one of my favorite days of the year. It's not a holiday or my birthday. It's 314 day! Three hundred and fourteen is my favorite number. This started in middle school and the number keeps popping up in my life in weird ways.

It's Taylor Hanson's birthday...my first celebrity crush. I was going to marry him one day.
It was the class room number of my first high school classroom
It was the classroom number of one of my college classes on the first day of college
I've been given hotel room number 314 four times without even asking for it
I ALWAYS seem to see it...either on my watch or clock or in a newspaper etc.
It's PI...you know, the ratio of a circles circumference to it's diameter

I also love the 3+1= 4 and 4-1= 3
My college roommates are all number based on our room locations in our house

Vanessa is #1, I'm #2, Emily is #3 and Tracy is #4. Since I am number 2, they are my 314. Emily even gave me the cutest jars for my kitchen: When my brother, Jeff, was over he asked what happened to number 2? haha I hadn't even thought of that... I don't want a number two... I just want my favorite number!

I have a good husband...today on the phone he asked me what I wanted to do for my special day! We're gonna go to Benihana's with our friends Kacie and Daniel and then watch The Bachelor! Woohoo!

Dream'n of Doughnuts

2011-03-09T15:52:00.000-08:00

One of my besties, Vanessa, sent me an email the other day about an article in the NY Times. Here's a screenshot of the picture that goes with it:

Gourmet Doughnuts!! YUMMM! She suggested that she and I move next door to each other and start our own doughnut bakery---sounds like HEAVEN to me! Ness and I love to bake so this would just be perfect! Although, I'm pretty sure I would gain 25 pounds from all the taste testing I would have to do.

I typically go for yeast doughnuts, I love the soft airiness and rich buttery flavor... but I do love a chocolate chocolate cake doughnut or crumb doughnut too! Oh, and buttermilk old fashioned's too! It's to hard to just pick one!

Now I'm craving a doughnut. Darn.

Zella @ Nordstrom

2011-03-06T20:09:00.000-08:00

Last month I was searching and searching for new work out pants. I used to hate working out in pants but with the cold weather out here I needed some that I could throw on a feel semi-cute in still.

I had a gift card to Nordstrom so I figured I'd get a pair there.

I tried on a bunch of Nike pants but they all came up so high on my waist I felt like a major MOM. I was also kinda in between sizes... the small was baggy in the butt but the extra small was way too short for my legs. I tried on Reebok pants but I thought the material felt cheap. Lululemon's pants looked and felt great but I really didn't want to spend 100 bucks on a pair of pants when I had a gift certificate else where.

So I tried on a pair of Zella pants. I'M IN LOVE. I got the "Booty" pants- haha! The Lord knows I need any extra help I can get to have a "booty". They look and felt very similar to Lululemon's Groove pants. Supposedly, the chick that designed them used to work for Lululemon. Is it a copy? Possibly. Do I like the $58.00 price tag better than the $98.00 price tag? You betcha!

I really like 'em. I've worked out in them and they were super comfy and breathed really well. I totally recommend them.

American Idol

2011-03-05T21:11:00.000-08:00

So I wasn't going to watch it because I can't stand J. Lo but things have changed. I actually think she is totally sweet and has a heart... who knew? I really appreciate that the judges are actually judging this year. No more stupid conversations back and forth between then and more singing- I like it! I think year has some great performers too. Let's discuss the top 13:

Casey Abrams- he's cool. Not the "american idol" but so entertaining. He deserves to be in the top 13 for sure.

Naima Adedapo- so annoying that they saved her... her stories nice but I don't think she is that great. Hopefully America will give her the boot.

Lauren Alaina- MY GIRL! I love her. She's my pick for winner. She makes it look easy. the words just fly out of her mouth. She's only 16 and can already work the stage... she just sparkles!!

Check out her audition:

James Durbin- enough with the screamers. We already had one and I didn't like him... I'm over it. And why does he have a tail??

Ashthon Jones- She kinda just screams to me...and I don't like her attitude.

Stefano Langone- I like him. He seems sweet... not gonna win. I don't know how he will do on all the theme nights but the guy can sing!

Jacob Lusk- this guy can sing too! But so not my style...I can't really picture him on the radio either.

Scotty McCreery- love him! He'll get a country record for sure, but not gonna win it.

Paul McDonald- love him even more! I totally would buy his CD. Love his sound and he has a GREAT smile... kinda awkward on stage but I can look past that. I think he is my favorite guy!

Thia Megia- the girl can sing but has no personality... doesn't have the "it" factor or any sparkle.

Haley Reinhart- she's not gonna win it either... but she can sing.

Karen Rodriguez- okay, this is AMERICAN idol not MEXICAN idol speak english. ANNOYING!

Pia Toscano- pretty and can sing but I think she is kinda boring.

All Photos From: http://www.americanidol.com/contestants/season_10/

Subbing all this week!

2011-02-28T09:59:00.000-08:00

So I'm subbing at St. Mary's Academy (an all girls private high school in our neighborhood- Emily I think of you a lot while I'm here!) all this week. I was here last Thurs. and Friday too!

I'm loving having a normal job for the week and I totally love this school. The girls are great, fun and so high achieving! We just had an assembly and they had me cracking up... high school was so fun.

I'm teaching AP Environmental Studies and Biology. I love science but it's been a while since I worked with this material. Luckily, we're in the middle of the water unit in AP Enivro. Sciences. At Cal Poly, I took like 4 field trips to the estuaries, sand dunes and bays in the area so I remember a lot of that stuff. But BIO- it's been like 5 or 6 years. I'm supposed to teach them all about mitosis this week which shouldn't be too bad. Interphase, prophase, blah blah blah. The teacher gave me this youtube video to show the kids:

So I'm cramming to come up with info and questions for them right now. Hopefully it'll be okay! I always thought it would be wierd to go to an all girls school. Especially in high school, but being here has totally changed my mind. Ya, its harder to meet boys for them and listening to them talk about prom sounds depressing... prom is fun because everyone knows each other but they have to being random boys. On the flip side, they aren't distracted and don't have to worry about what they look like at school. I don't know if it's just this school, but the girls all get along so well. They really support each other- it's such a community. If my kid wanted to go here I would totally look into it.

Kitchen Envy

2011-02-26T10:44:00.000-08:00

Bret and I have been watching HGTV like it is our job! We've also been checking out houses in the area and online... I really want to find a house with a crappy kitchen so that I can make it my own! Here's some of my inspiration:

LOVE THE HUGE BAR-PERFECT FOR EATING, ENTERTAINING OR DOING HOMEWORK

MUST HAVE A BOOKSHELF FOR COOK BOOKS

LOVE THE MIX OF OPEN SHELVES AND CLOSED SHELVES

LOVE THE BACK SPLASH

LOVE THE OPEN FEELING AND WINE STORAGE

MUST HAVE A DEEP FARMHOUSE SINK!

I REALLY WANT AN EAT IN KITCHEN WITH CHANDELIER

SO CLEAN LOOKING

PRETTY

LOVING THE WINDOWS AND ALL THE NATURAL LIGHT

LOVING THE SINK

AMAZZZZZING FLOORS

LOVING EVERYTHING ABOUT THIS KITCHEN

Bangs

2011-02-25T22:23:00.000-08:00

It's weekend :) This is what's on my mind: BANGS

How do people handle having bangs?? I got bangs about 2 weeks ago and I've been dying. I hate having hair in my eyes!! My left eye has been watering so much because of it. What am I supposed to do?? Any suggestions?? Here's what they look right now if I don't push them over every 5 seconds:

Ignore the apron... I was baking cupcakes!

HELP!

Pottery Barn Wish List

2011-02-24T09:01:00.000-08:00

Now that I got hired on past "seasonal" period at WS I now get my discount at Pottery Barn too! So, naturally, I wanna spend all of my paychecks there :)

Our lease is up October 1st and we're looking at house right now, so basically I don't wanna buy anything until I know where it would go... but if I had our house NOW these are the things I would be finding a place for:

This mirror! A lot of the houses we've looked at have a brick wall around the fireplace... I think this would just POP!

This table would look SO good with DARK floors!

Matching buffet.

Plus, it has a handy drawer for table cloths and napkins.

Loving the worn edges, let's be honest the more worn the better because one I have kids everything will look worn!

Bret really wants this bed... and I like it... it would look great with our bedding right now.

Cute nail heads.

I really like this bed... but Bret says it's too girly.

It's cute, right?

This would probably go in a guest bed room! I looooove it!

I like this coffee table!

Cute floor lamp!

Love this Chandelier!

I want this candlesticks so badly!

Loving these... would be so cute outside!

Can't have enough glass around the house!

Love these too!

There are few things I REALLY want from other places too:

From Restoration Hardware:

I want the front color pillows for my couch!

From Arhaus:

This coffee table is awesome

This table is more gray in person and absolutely beautiful!!

This table is more gray too and amazing!

Semi-homemade Bread

2011-02-23T07:42:00.000-08:00

I worked at Williams-Sonoma 2 days last week- so fun! I love being in there surrounded by sparkly fun gadgets and delicious food! After my shift I picked up our new Honey Wheat Bread mix:

You don't need a bread machine to use it! I just baked it in my oven and it was divine! It came with a packet of mix and a yeast packet. I heated a cup of water to 110 degrees, mixed it with the yeast, let the mixture sit for 10 minutes. Combined the yeast water with the baking mix in my mixer fitted with the dough hook and let it rip for 8 minutes.

Next I let it rest and double in size in the mixing bowl for an hour, punched it down, let it rise again for another hour. Kneaded it into a loaf shape, transferred it to the loaf pan and let it rise for 30 more minutes... this is what it looked like before I but it in the oven:

After baking for 30 minutes:

Our place smelled so good!! The bread was moist and doughy and perfect! I would totally make this over and over again! They have 3 other types of bread: brioche, french and italian herb. I can't wait to try them all. The only down side is they are expensive... $9.50 for a mix, but with my discount it's worth it. I could eat bread and butter all day long- too bad my pants wouldn't fit me if I did- that's basically the only thing stopping me. This picture from the Williams-Sonoma web site makes my mouth water:

Valentine's Day!

2011-02-22T11:21:00.000-08:00

I am SO not a Valentine's Day person... too much hype and expectation. It's a fun holiday for kids and when I've got a couple I'm sure I will be alllll about it- cookie decorating and presents and flowers around the house.

Every year Bret and I get mexican food for Valentine's Day...my fav! We went to our local happy hour and got marg's and the shredded beef super nachos... sooooo good!!

For dessert we went to 31 Flavors ( okay...I call it that but everyone else I know calls it Baskin-Robins) and we go Peanut Butter n' Chocolate cones!

The we went to go see The King's Speech. We had heard it was amazing and a "must" see. To be honest, I was bored. Yes, it was a good movie. No, not a "must" see in my opinion.

After eating popcorn and watching the flick, we headed home and busted out some See's Candy! My favorite!! I waited in line 30 minutes for my hand packed pound and enjoyed all of it throughout the week.

In MY box I had: Dark Chocolate Truffles, Dark California Brittles, Pecan Buds, Dark Coconut Creams, Peanut Butter Patties for Bret, and a Raspberry Cream to mix it up! YUM!

Recent Readings...

2011-02-10T07:39:00.000-08:00

I've been reading a lot lately...here's some reviews:

The 19th Wife by David Ebershoff:
The book was waaaaay too long. It was one of those books I just picked up at the library randomly. The cover looked interesting. The book is split into two interweaving sections. One is current time and the other set in 1875. It shows polygamy today and in the past. Part history, part murder mystery. I just didn't love it. I found out today, when search for a picture of the book, that it was made into a Lifetime made for tv movie featuring Chyler Leigh from Grey's Anatomy so I'm all excitied to watch it. It aired last September but will be on again in March. I say, don't read the book but the movie could be alright.

Who By Fire by Diana Spechler:
I liked the way the author wrote. It was spunky! The story started off great- a jewish family torn apart by tragedy. But as the book continued the story line got weaker and weaker. It was a quick read and I pushed through it but some of the characters were super annoying and self-destructive. I'd give it a 6.5 out of 10.

On/Off by Colleen McCullough:
A murder mystery by the author of my favorite book, The Thorn Birds. It was good... but too long. There where a lot of details and it wasn't totally predictable- plus there was a twist at the end! A fun read... not the best ever, but fun!

Love'n Glee and The Bachelor This Week

2011-02-09T15:35:00.000-08:00

Ok, let's go over TV right now...

The Bachelor- I'm liking Brad a lot more now. He seems sincere. Michelle is crazy- like BANANAS! She needs to get off of there. I hate how she tells Brad what to do...she's so bossy and you know it will only get worse with time. If she's like that now... God bless the man she ends up with! Emily is sweet but has NO personality. Bret likes her. I think he just thinks she's hot, which she is but... she is so boring. She needs to come out of her shell a little. Chantal O. is so pretty and they seem to have the best connection. They aren't awkward, they seem comfy around each other which is nice to see. Now this week I was so confused!! How the heck could Brad let Jackie go and keep Brit and Ashley?? They suck. Brit and Brad have no chemistry and Ashley is so annoying!! This rose ceremony totally surprised me!

Glee- It's finally back on!! I thought the Superbowl episode was just okay but last nights episode was amazing!! I love Firework...I was missing a good Rachel Berry solo and I LOOOOVE Silly Love Songs by Paul Mccartney. One of my favorite songs ever (thanks, Mom)! I love Blaine's voice...ahhhhh!

Dad's b-day and other news...

2011-02-03T16:32:00.000-08:00

It's my dad's birthday today! He is the most amazing dad and friend. He's witty and sarcastic and just fun to be around. Unfortunately, I didn't get his wit, but I did get the rest of my personality from him. I may look more like my mom and have her mannerisms but I'm definitely more reserved and opinionated like my dad. I feel so lucky to have such a close and open relationship with him. I wish I was with him and the fam to celebrate!! Hopefully he will be out here soon interviewing for a job! I can't wait to get my whole family out to Colorado!! Let's pray Jeffy gets hired on out here too! Like I always says...

Life is too short to not be with the people you love!

I love you Dad!

In other news this week I made three new recipes!

First, I made Katie Lee's Apricot-Glazed Braised Pork Chops and The Neely's Kale Chips. I totally spaced it a forgot to take pictures. We had Jana and Mark over for dinner and I served these two items with baked sweet potato french fries. Yum! The pork chops were very flavorful and the sauce was great! the kale chis were a HUGE hit. Kale is super chip and so good for you. They baked up in no time. Just be careful not to burn them...I might have burned a batch :( thank goodness we bought 2 bunches of kale.

Second, I made Nigella Lawson's Sesame Peanut Noodles... HEAVEN! Here's the pic from her site... they were sooo good! Bret loved them too!

Weather Woes

2011-01-31T19:02:00.000-08:00

Here's the local weather at the moment:

Ya, three degrees... all of the schools are closed tomorrow - woohoo - I'm sleeping in! I actually don't mind the cold when it's snowing. It's beautiful and so quiet.

Plus, I lucked out and got a pair of super cute gloves for 1/2 off last week...just in time for taking Baxter outside to got #1 and #2

I had to be at work today at 6am...when I was driving there is was 26 out... but when I was leaving today at 3pm is was 9 degrees out. I had to scrap the ice off of my wind shield. I finally felt like I lived in Denver! It's the first time I've ever had to do that in an entire year.... it's really not that bad.

I can't wait to drink coffee and hot chocolate all day... maybe I can talk Bret into watching a bunch of good movies. When I say "good" I mean musicals and chick flicks :)

Happy Birthday Baxter!!

2011-01-27T06:21:00.000-08:00

Baxter Brown turns 1 today!!!

It's funny because I used to hate animals. I told people I would never have a dog. I hated the way they smelled, shredded and pooped. I thought I they were pointless, but Bret totally convinced me that they were great. I think it's more like if its your own dog you don't mind. Plus, you wash him so you can control if he's smelly or clean!

Bax is such a lover. He is spoiled but not rotten. He is so calm and doesn't bark. We lucked out! He's content just chillin' with us...and he looooves other dogs. All of a sudden Bret has been talking about getting another dog... Bax does need a friend! But I refuse to get a puppy in an apartment so we're gonna wait until we are in a house. I think I would want another Cavachon but it's hard to imagine finding another one as cute as Bax. And then one we have a really big yard Bret wants to get a big dog...can I really have 3 dogs though?? So not like me... plus, Bax sleeps in our bed with us right now and I refuse to let a big dog on our bed. And most big dogs shed... no bueno. I will not have a dog that sheds in my house...so Bret has to find a big one that won't!

Anywho... Happy Birthday Baxter!!

He loves to hid in little crevices!

Getting a little bigger!

He's so little when he is wet!

He looks mad in this picture!

I love him all shaggy!!!

Mini Cheese Cakes

2011-01-26T08:45:00.000-08:00

Cream cheese was on sale 5 bricks for 4 dollars so I loaded up the other day. Every time I opened the fridge they were just starring at me so I had to do something with them.

I made my moms Cheese Pie, but turned them into mini one! I made them in muffin tins... they were perfect because I wasn't tempted to eat half of the pie...I could just eat one of these mini ones and be satisfied! I love this recipe...its creamy and yummy. I don't love the cake texture of traditional thick cheesecake but I love cream cheese. This is the perfect combo in my mind.

Cathy's Cheese Pie:

1 pkg. graham crackers, crushed
1/4 c. sugar
1 cube of butter, melted

**Mix the above ingredients in a bowl and pat into the pie pan. Put in the fridge to harden.**

16 oz. regular cream cheese
1/4 c. sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
3 eggs

** Mix well and pour into pie crust. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes. Let cool completely.**

8 oz. sour cream
1/4 c. sugar

** Mix together and top pie with mixture. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours. You could top with cherry ( or any flavor) topping when serving.**

Without wrapper!

Why It's All White

2011-01-25T12:27:00.000-08:00

I'm so bummed... the website I use for the background of my blog, www.shabbyblogs.com, is discontinuing my background! :(

So until I find another one I really like I'm just gonna leave it white...lame.

New Veggie Soup

2011-01-25T02:00:00.000-08:00

It's been cold around these parts so I've been making buckets & buckets of soup!

I tried a new recipe from Katie Lee and loved it. It's her mom's veggie soup recipe, but I added shredded chicken because Bret doesn't like soup without a protein- gotta make it a meal! It was good and good for you! There are quite a few ingredients but they are fairly common and make the soup very flavorful.

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 bay leaf
3 carrots, peeled and chopped

2 parsnips, peeled and chopped
1 medium turnip, peeled and chopped
2 cups fresh Brussels sprouts, trimmed and quartered (may substitute cabbage)
1 28-ounce can whole tomatoes, chopped, juices reserved
2 quarts good-quality chicken broth
1 cup frozen baby lima beans
1 15-ounce can great white northern or cannelini beans, drained and rinsed
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 whole chicken, cooked and shredded

Directions:

Warm the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion, celery, and bay leaf and cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Add the carrots, parsnips, turnip, and Brussels sprouts and continue cooking until the vegetables are just tender, about 5 more minutes. Add the tomatoes and their juices and the broth. Bring the mixture to a simmer, reduce the heat, cover and continue to simmer for one hour. Add beans, chicken, salt, and pepper and continue simmering for another 30 minutes.

Being Sick Sucks But It Gives Me Time To Read

2011-01-24T16:31:00.001-08:00

Being sick sucks... but I'm not writing this to have a pity party...I'm writing this because I feel bad for Bret. I've been trying to get over this cold or whatever but I can't stop coughing. Every night this week I wake myself up coughing badly around 2 am. I drink some water and throw a cough drop in but I can't stop the cough. Last night I gave up...when I woke up at 2:30 I moved to the couch in the living room so that the hubs could sleep. I still kinda woke him up but at least he didn't have to listen to me hack a lung up for 10 minutes.

The other part of being sick that sucks is food...nothing tastes good. Like the cold totally hijacked my taste buds. I'm hungry but nothing satisfies me because I can't really taste it. Lame.

At least I have a good book to read. I picked up The Hunger Games by Suzanna Collins at the library. I've been on the waiting list to get it for 3 months!! I first heard about it online from a couple of bloggers and then while subbing in middle schools I heard all of the kids talking about. It's a sci-fi book... the new "in" series to read. I'm half way into it and loving it. It's suspenseful and totally a quick read. There are 3 books in the series and I'm on the waiting list for the two after this one. The main character is a girl but I think boys would LOVE this book- its adventurous and all about survival. Totally a great read aloud book for a classroom!

It's Friday, I'm In Love...

2011-01-21T15:03:00.000-08:00

Fun song from The Cure! I'm so my mother's daughter... oh how I love old music!

It's Friday... Bret and I are going over to our friends (Kacie and Daniel) house for dinner! They are expecting a little girl on March 31st... their baby is going to be so cute!! They both have great smiles and cute dimples so their baby is bound to be adorable! Our other friends, Brittany and Greer, are gonna be there too! They have an adorable son, hudson, and twin boys on the way! So, we'll be the only childless/ not-expecting couple there...and that's okay! I'm a couple years younger than them, but whenever I'm hanging out with them it gets me super excited to have kids someday!!

Bret is totally Mr. Lets Wait! I'm more like... if it happens it happens but hopefully sooner than later. My whole thing is that people (as in Bret) always wanna wait for the perfect timing in life for things. But life just isn't like that. We have to live. If it was up to him he would have gotten married this year, not last year... but what would that have really done? Nothing... it would have been one more miserable year of long distance. He had to finish school while we were married...but it honestly ended up not being a big deal. I think boys just want to have all their ducks in a row... and while I admire his ability to really think things out and not make choices based on emotions... I still think you sometimes gotta go with your gut and just do it!

So who knows when we'll start having kids. I know I don't wanna have a baby in an apartment and our lease is up in October... and I know I want 2 before I'm 30...but at the rate we're going that ain't gonna happen. I really wanna be a young mom. My mom had me at 24, Jeff at 27 and Cole at 36. It's horrible to say, but she had so much more patience and energy to give me and Jeff compared to Cole. Same thing with my dad. I just wanna have them while I've got the energy to keep up with them. Bret and I talk about it a lot, we've got all their names picked out and really look forward to that day! But there are also a lot of things we still want to do before we start a family. We'll see.... I know that Bret will be an amazing father one day, but until then... we'll keep spoiling Baxter!

I Wanna Teach Science

2011-01-20T18:15:00.000-08:00

I've been subbing and really enjoy working in high school classrooms. I've been thinking about getting my high school credential. I would have to take 3 more classes: 1 chemistry, 1 physics and 1 earth science. Plus I'd have to take a big test. I'm bummed because I actually have enough units but they are quarter units and the state of Colorado wants semester units. So frustrating!! I was a Chemistry major for a 1 in college so I took a bunch of science. The thought of going back to school totally SUCKS- but I think it would go quickly... and I love science...I'm totally a nerd. The test would be hard and I don't think I'd pass it right now but if I took a month to study I think I could do it.

As much as I love working with the little kiddos in elementary school, high school kids are so great because you can reason with them! Plus, I love how high school students have school spirit and are active in their schools. I totally would want to get involved and be in charge of a club and go to sports events. So I'm looking into on-line classes, but two of them have to have labs so we'll see...

In other news, watching the chick who falls into the fountain makes me laugh so hard... what an idiot!! I've watched it like 4 times and I still laugh... is that mean??

Totally Sick

2011-01-19T22:23:00.000-08:00

I totally got sick on my surprise Va-cay :(

Like horrible sore throat, that turned into a fever/chills/ache and a cough...

Just got home and haven't unpacked...but cuddling with Baxter does make it all a little better...

5 Things I'm Loving

2011-01-17T19:42:00.000-08:00

1.Smashbox Primer Light- Love this... I always used the regular, but I recently switched to the light version and thing it's great! Less oily...more like a lotion. It keeps my make up on ALL day.

2. Lindt Dark Chocolate With Sea Salt- Heaven on earth...not t0o sweet but the salt just brings out the flavors!

3. Matrix Sleek Shampoo and Conditioner- my favorite. My hair feels great after using it and it keeps my hair frizz free.

4. Wet N' Wild Disturbia Nail Polish- cheap and it lasts!

5. Tazo Zen Green Tea- I'm a coffee drinker but recently I've been loving Zen green tea at Starbucks.

Homemade Pizza

2011-01-17T08:00:00.000-08:00

So I was watching the Barefoot Contessa the other day and she made grilled pizzas that looked amazing! While grilling really isn't an option for us right now, I thought I could still find a way to make 'em. So I looked up a couple of her recipes and found one that I could make in the oven...and it was darn good!

We made ours with fresh mozzarella, caramelized onions and hot italian sausage. I would have loved to have thrown some fresh basil on it, but I didn't have any in the fridge. I would definitely recommend this recipe for a great quick dinner. I've made it twice now and the 2nd time my yeast didn't work that well... so make sure your yeast is FRESH! If all goes well, the crust is perfectly thin and tastes like pizza from a restaurant.

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cups warm (100 to 110 degrees F) water
2 packages dry yeast
1 tablespoon honey
3 tablespoons good olive oil
4 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for kneading
2 teaspoons kosher salt
all the toppings!

For the dough, combine the water, yeast, honey, and olive oil in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a dough hook. Add 3 cups flour, then the salt, and mix. While mixing, add 1 more cup of flour, or enough to make a soft dough. Knead the dough on low to medium speed for about 10 minutes until smooth, sprinkling it with flour, if necessary, to keep it from sticking to the bowl.

When the dough is ready, turn it out onto a floured board and knead by hand a dozen times. It should be smooth and elastic. Place the dough in a well-oiled bowl and turn it several times to cover it lightly with oil. Cover the bowl with a kitchen towel. Allow the dough to rest at room temperature for 30 minutes.

Divide the dough into 6 equal parts and roll each one into a smooth ball. Place the balls on a baking sheet and cover them with a damp towel. Allow the dough to rest for 10 minutes. Use immediately, or refrigerate for up to 4 hours.

If you've chilled the dough, take it out of the refrigerator approximately 30 minutes ahead to let it come to room temperature. Roll and stretch each ball into a rough 8-inch circle and place them all on baking sheets sprinkled with cornmeal. (You will be able to fit 2 pizzas on each 18 by 13-inch baking sheet.)

1 Year Anniversary!

2011-01-16T09:00:00.000-08:00

One year ago today I married my favorite person in the world....

Bret surprised me and we flew to California..... so no blogging today!

he's so cute!!

(And I STILL don't have any of my professional pictures to prove it... I'm pissed it's taking this long, but that for another post ...so I'm gonna improvise with pics from other people and stuff pulled from the Photog's blog!)