27 Things about me at 27

I decided to give 27 things about me at 27, aside from the obvious, I love to cook and scrapbook. That's pretty obvious already if you read my blog. So here goes!

1. My favorite movie is Alice in Wonderland...the Disney version
2. My favorite colors are pink, red, and black
3. I have given in to the Twilight craze...and fallen in love with the books
4. I long ago fell in love with the Harry Potter series
5. Agatha Christie and Aldus Huxley are my favorite authors
6. I really, really, really, want a Canon EOS Digital Rebel X SI camera. Really.
7. I am way too cheap to spend the money on #6
8. The only chapstick I will use is Burt's Bees Beeswax Lip Balm
9. I love Cadbury Eggs
10. I listen to Bob and Tom every morning on the way to work
11. My dream home has a library with floor to ceiling book shelves on all four walls
12. My favorite holiday is a tie between Halloween and Christmas
13. My lucky number is 13
14. Jon and I like to listen to music on vinyl. Music really does sound a ton better on records.
15. I have one tattoo, but I want to get 2 more. I probably won't.
16. I love the word spectacles
17. I would eat mushrooms all day, every day if I could
18. My absolute, favorite tv show of all time is The Golden Girls. I own all 7 seasons, some of the twice b/c I wore out the first ones.
19. I prefer older tv shows, like Gilligan's Island, the Golden Girls, Bewitched, Three's Company, etc, to new ones. But I do love me some Friends. And Bones. And How i Met Your Mother. Maybe I do like modern tv.
20. I love high heels, and have several pairs, but I don't wear them b/c I have an irrational fear I will break my ankles.
21. I am obsessed with candles. I love them. LOVE them.
22. I love Laughing Cow Cheese
23. I am one of 5 daughters, no brothers.
24. I drove a 1977, orange, Ford pickup in highschool. It was a beast!
25. My drink of choice is Diet Coke and Parrot Bay
26. I am deathly afraid of spiders
27. I love peonies and tulips.

Thoughts of the day

I have to go into work today. On a Sunday!!! Grrr.

Jon and I are going to register next weekend! Yipee! It makes the wedding feel real somehow.

My neck hurts. And my arm. I hate tetanus shots.

My neck reeeaaaaly hurts. And its swollen. This can't be normal. Did I mention I hate tetanus shots?

Last night, Jon's family came over and we had dinner and played board games. Funtimes all around. Plus, my recipe was a hit! Woot!

So far, project 365 is going pretty well, I am taking lots of pictures. Now I just need to print them.

I am not going to shower until after work. Call me dirty. I don't care. Because I have to work on a Sunday!

White Chicken Lasagna

This was a huge hit! We had family over and everyone who tried this loved it! You know me, I like my cooking easy, so there are some shortcuts in here, but it tasted great nonetheless! A note: I am not much for measuring, so I try to get measurements to post on here, but with spices, it really is all to taste. Different people like different spices, so I will generally put a dash of spice instead of an actual measurement.



What you'll need and how to do it.

1 box oven ready lasagna noodles
1 jar alfredo sauce
1/2 cup fresh mushrooms, chopped
1/4 onion, chopped
1 tub ricotta cheese
1 lump (?) fresh mozzarella
1 can chicken
dash garlic salt
dash italian seasoning (or use a bit of oregano, thyme, basil)

Saute onions and mushrooms in olive oil until tender. Add chicken, alfredo sauce, and seasonings. Bring to a simmer. Layer some of this in the bottom of an 8x8 dish. Add one layer of noodles, then another layer of sauce, then a layer of ricotta cheese, then repeat starting with noodles. Top final layer with sliced fresh mozzarella. Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees fro 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake another 10 minutes. Let sit 5 minutes before serving.

Diet Coke Cake

I decided I wanted to try the Diet Coke cake I keep seeing, but I was really in the mood for lemon cake. So I decided to make it with lemon cake mix and Sprite. This cake is decent. I found it to be a little dry, but it was definitely something I will try again since it is a lot better for you than using the usual ingredients (eggs, oil, etc). Though, using frosting probably cancels that out. :)



Here's what you need and how you do it.

1 box lemon cake mix
1 can Sprite, or Diet Sprite, or Sprite Zero
frosting of your choice

Mix together and cook according the directions on the box. Once cool, frost and eat.

I love my weekends

I come home for the weekends and see these two. Life is good.

Target my love

I puffy heart Target. But it will be the end of e. How is it possible to go in for one thing and walk out with 20? I'll tell you how. You walked into Target. I should really stop taking my credit card in there. It enables me to spend. I won't stop taking it though, b/c I luuuurv my Target.
The pillows, oh how I love the pillows! I am slightly pillow obsessed right now but com one I'm decorating a house right now!

I picked up this baby for our chair in the living room at 50% off. Woot!


And these little beauties? These are $4 for the covers and $4 for the inserts. That's right, $8 per pillow!!! And they're washable! And they come in coordinating colors and patterns!!! Have I mentioned I heart Target?

Project 365

I’m going to do it! If you haven’t heard of it, basically, you take a picture everyday for a year to document your everyday life. I’ve read on several blogs about this and I’ve decided I am going to do it. But I might not take a picture everyday. I’ve decided I want to do what I’ve seen some other people do and include more than just pictures. Receipts, tickets, lists, and other things you accumulate. I am going to do a week by week type layout and include lots of stuff with my pictures. I’m pumped! I’ve been trying to think of a way to scrap daily life and this sounds perfect!

Baby Fever

I’ve got it! Eep! Don’t tell Jon! Its just that all the babies in my life are now toddlers and it doesn’t look like anyone else is gonna be popping out a little one for me to cure my baby fever with. Actually, everyone keeps saying that Jon and I will be next! We aren’t even married yet people! Sigh. I really do want a baby around though…as long as I can give it back to the mommy when I’m done. ;)

What I really would love to do is decorate a nursery. I love nurseries! They are so cute and you can do so much with them! Now personally, when I do have a baby, I will be finding out the sex as soon as I can. I’m impatient people! I need to know! But I will still keep the nursey neutral…just in case! I think I will like bright colors though. I seem to gravitate towards them. Hmmm…maybe I’ve thought about this a little too much?

Shepard's Pie

I decided to go nice and easy today for lunch and made Shepard's Pie. It has quickly become a favorite of ours. It's so easy to make and I, of course, make it even easier. Here is my version of Shepard's Pie.




1 lb ground beef
1/4 onion, chopped
1 can tomato soup
1 package Bob Evan's mashed potatoes
3 cups frozen mixed vegetables

Cook potatoes according to package. Brown ground beef with onion. Mix with veggies and soup. Put on bottom of 8X8 baking dish. Top with potatoes. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. Enjoy!

Dinner FAIL

Sigh. How do you burn chicken in the crockpot? How does that happen?!??!? Seriously?!??! I attempted to make honey mustard chicken in the crockpot. After a mere 5 hours (and the directions said to cook it for 8!) I decided to check on it and open the lid to find burnt chicken. Totally inedible. Gah!!! So I have had to throw the entire contents of the crockpot away. Guess we're eating take out tonight.

Introducing the Boys

I just had to post pics of my two boys. I have two cats, Jersey and Topeka, that I rescued from the animal shelter. They are brothers and were the last two of the litter. Almost 5 years later and they still fight like the brothers they are. Sorry about the sideways pics, I can't figure out how to fix them.

Bathroom Fail...or not?

I have been trying to decide what to put in our bathroom above the toilet. There has just been this big white wall staring at me. I didn't want to use pictures or a painting b/c our bathroom has a tendency to steam up. One day I was browsing through Target after work, waiting on the traffic to clear when I came across vinyl wall quotes. I had seen these all over the place on the web and really liked the idea. So I decided to go for it. I put it up and then realized that i was supposed to layer the words. Oops. Turns out my fail is a good thing b/c Jon said he likes it this way better!




To end with a quote from Jon, who is playing the New Super Mario Brothers Wii..."AAAAAAAAAARGH!"

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies

Read. This. Now. There is nothing better than Mr. Darcy talking about taking out some Zombies. Just go read this. That is all.

I like it fast and easy

Fast, easy, and nutritious that is. That's the way I like my food. That is my magical food trifecta. I love one dish meals. I love using the cream soup in a can. Call me a cheater, a fake, or whatever you like. If I can make if easier and faster, I will. I like spending the extra 10 minutes with my family. Plus, I hate doing dishes. So if you aren't the kind of cook who likes shortcuts, you probably won't like many of my recipes. But maybe, just maybe, one day you'll need a fast, easy, and nutritious (well, most of the time) meal. and here they'll be.

a little bit about me

argh! I left my computer at home all week so there are going to be a lot of updates this weekend to get me caught up! See, I live at home during on the weekends and with my sister during the week. i work in the city and it's a lot easier on my car and my pocketbook to live in the city during the week. Now here's a little bit about me.

My mixed tape:
original movie soundtracks, Brad Paisley, Mandy Moore, The Beatles, George Harrison, Tom Petty, Dave Matthews Band,

My bookcase:
Harry Potter series, Twilght series, Agatha Christie, JD Robb, Jane Austin, Aldus Huxley

I heart:
equality, scrapbook, cooking, candles, making love not war, the color pink, mushrooms, Halloween, The Golden Girls

I do not heart:
ignorance, prejudice, inequality, lima beans, narrow minds, vacuuming, how time flies

New Super Mario Brothers Wii...SQUEE!!!!!

Oh my gosh! This game is so much fun! As someone who grew up on the original NES Super Mario Brothers, I am a side-scroll gamer at heart. I was so excited to see this come to the Wii! I played the New Super Mario Brothers for the Nintendo DS and had a blast. Love the Mega Mushroom! I was psyched to see the version for the Wii come out. Mario on the big screen?!?!?!? Sign me up! Now, I am by no means a hardcore gamer. I'm more of a watch my fiance play games person. I'll join in once in a while, and I do own my own NES, Dreamcast, Nintendo DS, and Wii. But I am lost when it comes to 3-D games. I have issues. I have trouble controlling them and I get motion sickness. Pathetic huh? But side-scroll games I can play forever. Long, rambling story short, this game is awesome. You can play with up to 4 people at the same time, or by yourself. Either way, it's a ton of fun.

Come Together

Some friends of ours...our best friends actually, just got some bad news about their baby girl. Pray for them. Haiti...enough said. Pray for everyone there. Pray for everyone who needs prayers right now.

When it rains...

When it rains it pours. On Thursday we got quit a bit of snow, which means the roads were awful. I made it to work, but soon realized, I was (and still am) sick with a stomach bug. Then on Saturday, my car decided it didn't want to start. I had a friend who knows about cars look at it. It appears to be the alternator going out. Woot. We finally got it started, and I made it home. So this week I will attempt to get it in at the dealership. That is, of course, if it starts. I suppose I should just count my blessings and realized that snow, stomach bugs, and car problems are low on the things that could suck list. :)

and back to the wedding planning

I took a break from planning the wedding for the last couple months and now I have to get back to. I can't believe it's less than 9 months away! It's crazy! All the big stuff is booked, but I still don't have a dress. Sigh. And so it begins. I have a pretty big to do list sine I am doing a lot of DIY for this wedding. Feather bouquets, aisle runner, feather wreaths for the church, feather door hanging for the reception entryway, centerpieces (and I still don't know what I'm doing for those), etc, etc, etc. See a theme of feathers though? Yep, people think I'm nuts but I've seen some beautiful feather bouquets and that was my jumping off point. The tricky part is making it elegant instead of burlesque. I think I've achieved it except every time I get to the centerpieces, they go burlesque. Also feathers and candles don't mix and I really want candles on my tables. Hm. I will just have to keep working on that one. I'm thinking maybe feather chandelier over the head table (I know, head tables are out, but I want one) and just keep the centerpieces super simple with just a line of votive candles. Cost effective and elegant in its simplicity. Woot! Decision made! I love making wedding decisions. :)

Crockpot Chicken Tacos

We tried a new recipe last night and it was a huge hit! I love my crockpot! I don't know where this recipe came from originally, it has been everywhere lately. We made this and had it on soft taco shells.

Crockpot Chicken Tacos

1 can cream of chicken soup
1 cup salsa (we used mild)
3 boneless chicken breasts
1 packet taco seasoning

Put chicken in the crock pot. Top with taco seasoning. Mix the soup and salsa and pour over the chicken. Cook on low 8 hours. Once done, shred the chicken and serve.

More Scrapbooks

Still catching up on old scrapbooking. Here is another one.

Catching Up

I finally cuaght up on some of my scrapbooking. It has been sadly neglected as of late. But I did complete my first acrylic scrapbook! I'm really getting info mini scrapping right now. Here are my latest two attempts.

An Introduction

It's a new year, so I decided to start a blog. It will be a little bit of everything: cooking experiments, scrapbooking, life, etc. Last year I got engaged and bought a house. This year is the wedding. I am marrying my wonderful fiance Jon. Our family will include his son ( and my soon to be stepson ) Josh.

"Now the Moon begins to shine, good night, sleep tight" - The Beatles: Good Night