Weekend Wrap-Up

I seriously need to know where the hell the weekend went? It flew by at the blink of an eye and I'm not happy about it!

Friday night I went to Verizon to figure out why my phone went all poltergeist on me, and of course the tech turns it on and it acts completely normal! It starts right up no problem and the lady looks at me like I'm crazy. So they reactivated it for me and hopefully it will hold out until January when my contract is up. Later on we went to a wine bar and met up with some friends for a light dinner and some drinks. The owner of the bar was awesome and had the chef make me a beautiful plate of mozzarella cheese, sliced tomato, basil and prosciutto. They even gave me rice crackers which was greatly appreciated. We headed home about 10ish and I dropped Hubby off at our uncle's since all the cousins and uncles were drinking and having fun. I went to bed cause I'm an old woman! I was abruptly woken up at 2:30am by Hubby and 3 of our cousins cause they were drunk and wanted to say hi. Good thing I love those boys otherwise I would have strangled them! They stayed up drinking and laughing until about 4am when they all passed out in the outdoor man cave.

Saturday morning I had to get up at 7am to get ready for C's maternity photo shoot in my backyard. Best light is 8am or 7pm, so I told her to get over to my house by 7:30am so we could pick her outfit, put on lashes, etc. Her Hubby was a good sport and kept his complaining to a respectable minimum, considering we had 3 outfit changes and location changes! The photos came out beautifully and by 10:30am we had enough good ones to call it a wrap. After they left, I went back to bed until 2pm when I had to bake a cake and get the pizza dough ready for the slumber birthday party at K's house that evening. Hubby went into town and surprised me by buying me the awesome Halloween wreath that I've been drooling over! I'll post a pic tomorrow.

Saturday evening we had a slumber party for C's birthday and we seriously laughed and talked to so much my stomach and cheeks hurt! We ate yummy food, exept for my pizza which I had serious dough issues. We had some good laughs over a cockroach or two and I even got a TMI lesson in childbirth issues. We finally called it a night around 2am and fell into a blissful sleep.

Sunday I was lucky enough to go see Wicked! K gave me her ticket and it was seriously the best play I have ever seen. The set, the music, the costumes, everything was so fantastic it got me a little choked up a few times. The actors were amazing and I really enjoyed the whole production. I hope it's playing next year in NYC when I'm there because I would totally splurge to see it again. I headed home afterwards to hang out with Hubby and we snuggled on the couch and passed out. We were exhausted from a busy and fun weekend.

Possible New Shower Curtain

So I'm thinking of redoing my guest bathroom. What do you think? Any Twilight lovers want to get one with me? Do you think Hubby would mind?!

If you must have one of these, head over to Esty and search for Customshowercurtains. Happy ordering. You know you want one.

Trip Planning

Hubby announced last night our cousin and girlfriend want us to consider going to MusicFest in Steamboat Springs, Colorado next January. Hubby has gone 2 times already and it's always been with all the boys and a couple athletic girls/girlfriends. I have chosen to pass normally, but I figured Hubby wanted to go but was feeling guilty about being away for 6 days. So I enthusiastically told him I wanted to go. He was surprised but excited, and then reminded me the temperature normally hovers around 5 degrees. Ouch.

But in my attempt to be excited about things Hubby wants to plan, I'm going ahead with my feelings and telling him it would be fun. There is no way in hell I would ski, so I could sell my lift ticket for about $150 and I would say hello to a fabulous mud massage and body wrap instead. The total hotel and music pass would be about $450, which isn't bad for 6 days. The problem is it's about 18 hours away from where we live. Hubby and Cousin T would be doing the driving but the idea of sitting in a car for that longs makes my butt numb already. The closest airport is in Denver, which is still 5 hours away. But that's way more manageable, so we're contemplating taking the trip. We have to decide pretty fast, otherwise our Cousin is going to find another couple to split the lodging with.

It may be cold, but taking a sleigh ride during the day and going hot air ballooning and sipping hot toddies by the fire sounds incredibly fun. At least I could say I went there once!

Electromagnetic Pulses

I swear, I have the worse luck with cell phones! I am on my 5th phone in 2 years, because every phone I get ends up having something wrong with it. I'm currently using the LG Chocolate phones, which are pieces of crap. Last night after cake class I realized my phone had died. Not only had it died, it was making electrical burning sounds and vibrating by itself and the screen was doing something out of Poltergeist. I'm guessing the piece of junk shorted out, so I'm currently using my backup phone which also sucks. Sigh. My theory is that I emit an unusual amount of electromagnetic energy which ruins all my phones. Would that be considered a super power?

Now I have to go spend a good hour at Verizon explaining to them why their phones suck ass and why I should get a free one. Wish me luck.

So Cute

This is a picture of the flower cake we had delivered to my grandmother yesterday for her birthday.

Apparently when it arrived it was in a cake box with a cellophane top so you could see thru it. My grandfather thought it was a real cake, so he shower my grandmom and then put it in the fridge so it would keep until dinner!

They were all excited to eat it and when my mom called after dinner to see how they liked the flowers, utter confusion set it. This is how the conversation went:

Grandpop: The cake is beautiful! Can't wait to dig in.

Mom: Dig into what?

Grandpop: The cake

Mom: Did someone send you a cake?

Grandpop: (exasperated) The cake you sent us today.

Mom: I sent you flowers that look like a cake

Grandpop: Sooo, that's not a real cake? It's flowers?

Mom: (Laughing hysterically) Yes, the entire thing is made of flowers. Please don't try to eat it.

Grandpop: Guess I'm not having cake for dessert!

Girls Trip

I'm counting down the days (17 to be exact) until my girl's trip mini-vacation. 8 of us are heading to a resort about 40 minutes from town to spend the weekend just hanging out and relaxing. We've scheduled a spa day where we are all getting pampered and the full body scrub I'm getting is going to be so luxurious! I anticipate lots of laughter, talking, eating, drinking and relaxing. Wish it was here already!

Weekend Wrap-Up

Friday night was spent shuffling between Academy and Red's to compare 2 guns Hubby was considering buying. He was taking his concealed license class the next morning and wanted to have his own handgun instead of borrowing. Bottom line, we would have needed one of our own eventually, so we just bit the bullet and went ahead (pun intended). After much debate, we settled with the Glock because of their reliability and ease of use. One background check and about an hour later we were happily on our way. We decided to go grab a quick bite at Iron Cactus before heading home.

Hubby flew out of bed Saturday morning at 6:30am, which was about an hour after he set his alarm for. He set it for weekday, not weekend, lol. So he had 10 minutes to get ready, grab his materials for class and head out to meet his cousin. The class was a good hour away, so they couldn't be late. I was a good wife and packed a bag of snacks for Hubby and his cousin (which they later called and told me the food was a godsend). Later that morning I headed off to another babushka, this time for my boss's wife. The location was cute, the food was amazing and the women were very nice. I had a great home-made mojito which I drank in 3 sips it was so good. After the shower I headed out to browse some stores and kill some time. I ended up dropping some serious cash at White House/Black Market. They had fabulous fitting jeans and a cute top, so I splurged. Later that evening I went to the movies and saw G.I. Joe, which was actually very entertaining. I went with my FIL and we really like all the action.

Sunday we got up bright and early to head to the lake so the boys could do some scuba diving. We have family friends who have an awesome house on the lake, which actually used to be an old dive shop. So they have sunken houseboats, canoes, planes, etc, in their back yard lake area. I sunbathed and read a book the whole time and it turned into an all day event. After they boys were done diving, Hubby took me out for dinner. It was very yummy and then we headed home to hit up the grocery store. I needed cake ingredients for this weeks cake class. We called it a night pretty early since the sun had whupped us.

T.G.I.F.

Thank the heavens it's Friday. I feel like I'm running on empty. I need to work on my sleep deficit this weekend! I have the baby shower of my boss's wife to attend on Saturday morning. Sunday I'm considering going along with the boys when they go scuba diving and just laying out on the dock and reading a few books. Sounds relaxing enough.

I'm super excited because I just found out that K. is having a baby girl! She was supposed to find out the sex on Wednesday, but they pushed it back. I'm surprised because I had an inkling it was going to be a boy. However, I'm super excited that we have another Lucky Chick in training on board!

Oh, and I uploaded a new music playlist finally. Figured ya'll were getting sick of the old list.

Extension

Yeah dude in the red Ferrari, I see you. How can I not? You're blaring music that is way too young for you to even like and staring at me in a creepy way that makes me pull down my skirt a bit so you don't get nasty thoughts in your head. Oh, and by the way, I know your car is just a sad extension of your manhood. So no, I won't be starting back at you and giving you my sweetest smile. I'll get in my car all while not spilling my Starbucks and giving you the slightest acknowledgement.

Craigslist Stalking

Hubby has been in the market for some scuba gear but just couldn't bring himself to buy new. So he's been scouting craigslist since March waiting for the brand he preferred and also a good deal. He called me at 4:45pm yesterday and asked that I go along with him to look at the set he had found. It wasn't convenient for me, but I went anyways to make him happy. The neighborhood we went to was a little sketchy and I'm kinda thinking the guy was shady, but the gear turned out to be top-notch.

Hubby did all the checking of valves, etc, and decided he wanted the set. He negotiated the price down (which he was thrilled about) and was super excited. While were were there, a girl showed up to buy the seller's extra bedroom set. Hubby ended up helping them get the pieces to her car and the seller gave Hubby a discount on a nice set of fins he was selling as well. So in the end Hubby left with a new vest, octopus, fins, and some other scuba contraptions I can't remember. He was grinning from ear to ear and kept high fiving me the whole ride home. I love it when he gets a deal and gets all happy. He went into the pool when we got home to give the gear a try and was happy to find it was all in perfect shape. He'll be needing all this gear for his trip to the Keys next month and now he has a set that will last a good while.

Found My 2010 Calendar

For all you True Blood fans, you'll recoginze the Swedish hottie that is Eric Northman. God I love these books.

Weekend Wrap-Up

Holy cow, I need a weekend to recover from my weekend! Friday night found us setting up and decorating for C's baby shower. We moved furniture, hung up kites and decided on a table setting. We figured out our game plan for preparing the food on Saturday morning. We finally called it a night around 9ish.

Saturday had us running around and putting the last minute touches on the decorations and food. When C walked into the house and we all saw her surprised face over the theme, it was totally worth it! C looked beautiful in a blue maxi dress and her hair and nails all did. We had a neighbor friend come and take the photos all day so the hostesses could enjoy the party. Let me tell you, it was totally worth it! We had everyone decorate onesies and we also played the much loved and equally hated "Don't Say Baby" game. K put together a tough game where baby items were placed in paper bags and you could only feel the contents to guess what item it was. I sucked at that game, only getting 2 out of 7 correct. We ordered a fantastic chocolate cake with strawberry icing that was decorated like the Dr. Seuss book "Oh Baby the Places You'll Go."

After the party was over, the hostesses headed to a friends lake house for some swimming and relaxing. It was so nice to float in the pool and let my feet rest. They were killing me from standing all day. The boys enjoyed their "Manshower" and were enjoying the effects of Jack Daniels by the time we arrived. Most of us called it a night around 8ish.

Sunday was spent recovering, not only from the weekend activities, but from the wheat I ate. Dumb move on my part. But the roast beef sandwiches were amazing and the cake tasted so good!!!!

Cake Class- First Cake

Our first cake was a sky blue cake on which we piped a rainbow and clouds using a star tip. Here is my first go-round.

Next week we tackle a clown cake!

Girl Time and Guilt Trips

I've been spending a lot of time with my girlfriends lately and Hubby is starting to lay on heavy guilt trips. I've been bouncing about seeing movies, having dinner, going to cake classes, and planning multiple babyshowers. I've always been pretty independent, even before Hubby and I tied the knot. He has appreciated that because it allows him "manly time" to do whatever and he doesn't have to worry about me being clingy.

The tide has turned since I have a more stable friendship base than in our previous years together. I have more opportunities to go do fun girly events and outings and Hubby is starting to get jealous. It's been harder for him to make friends here mostly because he can't let go of the past. He loved his old friends, yada, yada, but I keep telling him to wake up and realize they don't like anywhere near us!

So I'm currently walking a thin line of attending fun activities that I enjoy and making sure Hubby is happy. He also has a job doesn't allow for him to meet people his own age and go out to lunches, etc. I've declined attending some events to placate Hubby but he started in on me last night. I finally told him to pretend I was working for a band and had to do a lot of networking (that's what he used to do when we first lived together). He didn't like that much but I was delirious with exhaustion and didn't care. I'm sure he'll get over it.

Crisco Clouds

Last night I finished torting and frosting my cake sky blue for cake class. I happened to "spill" a bit on the counter and was forced to eat the yummy homemade buttercream frosting. Yeah, I know it's made with Crisco, but damn it's tasty. I guess I ate too much because I had dreams that clouds were made of buttercream frosting and I drove myself crazy trying to grab a cloud and take a bite.

Weekend Wrap-Up

Another busy weekend for the books! Friday night found me over at N's house helping her out with a baby shower project that needed to be completed by this weekend. We had a blast going to dinner and chowing down on some Pad Thai and working on our project. It's really impressive and I'll post pictures of the finished project next week.

Saturday was spent hitting up the gym, Micheal's and going grocery shopping. Later that evening a bunch of us hit up the Friends of the NRA charity event. Hubby's company donated an engraved table that ended up in a bidding war between two women. We were hooting and hollering for them to raise the stakes and it finally ended at $2,500! It was the second highest priced item that evening. T and I were the only ones not wearing denim as we had opted for cute summer dresses. We were way overdressed, but we felt cute! We bid on some items and we were each hoping to win the ladies handgun for which you had to buy a $20 raffle ticket. We were sad when we didn't win, but T's FIL won a leather vest which was way to small for him. The whole table had a good laugh over that win. It was definitely a country evening, but we laughed the whole time so it was totally worth going to.

Sunday I cleaned the house and made my cake and frosting's for my cake class on Wednesday. I helped C finish her mosaic birdbath while Hubby took a chainsaw to the trees in the backyard. We were hoping to let more light in so the pool would stay clearer. He succeeded in trimming the trees but I almost had a heart attack when I saw how precariously the ladder was perched on the tree. After the mosaic'ing we hit up the pool for a few hours. We all spontaneously decided to go eat sushi at 7pm and it was yummy! Hubby and I split a Spider roll, Philly roll and California rolls. I also got Miso soup that was out of this world good.

Country

So Saturday night I'm probably doing the most country thing I've done since I moved. Hubby and I and some friends are going to an NRA charity event. Hubby has been wanting a handgun and other guns for safety and thanks to a Marine neighbor friend, he's been building his stockpile. I have no problem with the second amendment and think it's great to have the right to posses a gun. However, I strongly believe that having ample knowledge about guns and safety issues coincide with the responsibility of owing a gun. We have a good safe in our house where we store our guns. Hubby goes shooting regularly and I need to go practice. It's been a while since I've shot a handgun.

We're heading out to Hill Country and attending a silent auction dinner event. I love silent auctions and all the fun and unusual items to bid on. Plus they are having BBQ which I can eat!! I'll let you know on Monday exactly how country the event was!

Cake Class 101

Last night was the first meeting of the cake decorating class I'm taking this month. We meet from 6-8pm every Wednesday. I was really hoping to dive right into some hands-on decorating, but was a tad disappointed to learn the first class was mostly going through different techniques from making buttercream frosting to actually frosting the cake.

I've been baking for years so a lot of the information was not new to me. I did however learn some good tips for torting a cake and crumb coating a cake. We also learned to make the three different types of buttercream frosting, which are hard, medium, and soft textures.

I'm planning on taking all 4 levels offered, so I'm going to purchase a caddy where I can keep all of my cake/cupcake decorating tools. They are currently floating all over my kitchen drawers which is very inconvenient. This caddy will allow me to put everything from piping bags to tips to my leveler in one spot.

Our homework for the next class is to bake a 9 inch round cake and have it frosted with a medium consistency buttercream that is colored blue. I'm also to bring 1.5 cups medium frosting in two colors. At the next class we will actually learn the decorating techniques and decorate our cake with a rainbow and practice writing.

Dreaming

I've been dreaming about milkshakes, pizza and pasta. I wake up starving because all I want to eat is wheat. T made some zucchini noodles that are supposed to be a healthier version of pasta. It was good, but damn, nothing quite satisfies like a big heaping bowl of fettuccine alfredo!

Beauty Shopping

I've been contemplating by a Zeno device for well over a year now. It's a acne clearing device that uses heat to stop a pimple in its tracks. It works best when you first spot the signs of a pimple, and you hold the heated tip on your skin for 2 1/2 minutes. I've noticed my face has been breaking out more than usual since it's been so hot and now that I have bangs.

I broke down last night and purchased one for $89. My dermatologist had told me it works really well and they keep one in the office for their staff to use. I figure it's cheaper than monthly facials, so what the hell. I tried it out on two blossoming pimples and I have to say, the tip gets pretty hot. It doesn't burn or sting really so it's quite bearable. You don't have to put pressure on it either, just hold it right on the pimple until it beeps letting you know the treatment cycle is complete.

My skin stayed red for about 2 hours, but nothing crazy. I did notice this morning that the pimples I treated had reduced in size significantly. You can do up to 3 treatments in a 24 hour period on the same pimple.

Weekend Wrap-Up

Another fun filled weekend for the books! Friday night we chilled out and I got into a cleaning frenzy and decided to organize all the loose paperwork and bills that were floating around the house. I finished filing the 2008 junk and made a tidy bankers box for all the 2009 paperwork. It felt very cleansing to clear up the clutter.

Saturday I headed to the gym and then the grocery store to pick up the last items for my new cake recipe. I made a gluten-free, dairy-free coconut chocolate chip cake that came out amazing! I also tried out a raw recipe for "pirogi." It calls for a jicama sliced extremely thin and a stuff of cashews, soy sauce, garlic and red bell pepper. T introduced me to the fun and healthy appetizer and it is so addicting! Saturday night was our aunt's 50th birthday which was an appropriately themed 50's party! Our uncle called in a favor and had 2 hot rods from the 1950's brought in and we all took a dozen photos in and around the cars. I donned a poodle skirt and pink top as well as homemade saddle shoes! Elvis made an appearance, as well as Fidel Castro, and lots of Pink Ladies and Greasers. We danced the night away until well past 2am when we finally called it a night. Dancing the hand jive and hula-hooping takes a lot out of you!

Sunday we got up at the crack of dawn (okay, 8am) to get ready for E & E's babies baptism. It was so special to share in that occasion, and I even got to be the official videographer and photographer! We were exhausted so we skipped the brunch and headed home where we proceeded to nap until 5pm. We finally got up to eat some dinner and watch mindless TV. Whew, I need a weekend to recover from this weekend!