My first Glue Gun

So I had been wanting a wreath for like the past year, but they were all like forty bucks for cute ones, which I was not going to pay, I won't even buy jeans for that much let alone some cute twigs. Haha yes, I am cheap. But I finally found my wreath, it was only eight bucks (five with my forty percent off coupon), so I bought it and took it home, but there was something missing, it was too plain. So the next day I went out and got some cute little fake flowers to put on, but I forgot to buy a glue gun to glue them on, and I didn't want to run to the store twice in one day, so the next day my wonderful husband came home with some beautiful fall flowers and a pink mini glue gun. He even got the glue sticks, which I am sure most men would not even think of. But I glued those flowers on an it looks ten times better!! Well at least I think so, but here is a pic of the finished project. I forgot to take a pic of it before I put the flowers on, but just picture it without the pink flowers and the ribbon.

City of Ash and City of Glass

 I just finished the Mortal Instrument series by Cassandra Clare. In  an earlier post I talked about City of Bones the first book in the series, but now I have finished the other two books in the series,  City of Ash  and City of Glass. City of Ash was average, but City of Glass was fantastic, all in all the series was very well done. This book definately kept me guessing til the end. The last book had so much suspense in it, I really couldn't guess what was going to happen, which was a nice change. The character development was very well done as well. The romance part of this book was good, but I will be honest, some parts creeped me out a bit... I think the author could have done a better job in that aspect. Cause some parts were just weird... But anyway I liked the series and so I give it four out of five stars ****

Jar o' lantern

So I wanted to make a Cheap fall/Halloween craft this year. So I had been to a lot of different blogs looking (cause geeze, there are a lot of cute crafty blogs out there) but I finally found one that was in my budget that didn't require any sewing and I had pretty much all the stuff for it. I made pumpkin luminaries, or as I like to call them, Jar O' Lanterns, haha I am cheesy. But they were super super easy and I think they turned out pretty cute. Here is the blog I got them from: http://www.craftsbyamanda.com/2009/10/halloween-painted-jar-luminaries.html
The lady who does this site works for like a disney website making craft tutorials, so I totally trusted her.
But any way, you just get the some Kerr jars, I had some left over from last years project of canning salsa (thanks mom, cause you gave me the jars in the first place) but then I just painted them one color and then waited a day for it to dry and then painted faces on them the next day. That was my favorite part, I loved making the cute little faces on them. But then I just sprayed them with some Krylon gloss spray paint and put some tea lights in them, and they were done. Super super easy!! Haha, I didn't actually have the acrylic craft paint, I mean I am young, most people my age don't even have Kerr Jars, so I thought I was a step ahead. But I had like acrylic paint from an actual like art paint set, yeah don't use those. I did and it ended up working, but it was a lot more difficult to use, the paint didn't go on very well and so I think my jars could have been a little bit better but I used stupid art paint. And I bet your like, well duh, its totally different, but I a not that crafty so I didn't know.. oops. Oh and the yellow one looks like its crying, but I just dripped paint a little under its eye again... double oops. But it looks more terrified I guess. Anyway these were fun.

Cafe Rio and Two Fires

Last week was a lot of fun. On Thursday night I made homemade Cafe Rio burritos. If you haven't been to Cafe Rio, go now! Its food from heaven I swear. They seriously have the best salads and sweet barbacoa pork ever. I also like their shredded beef burritos, Jeremy thinks I am a wierdo cause I don't get their pork every time, so I guess I am crazy cause I like to mix it up a little. But really their pork burritos are super good. So I gave Jeremy a night where he could choose ANY meal he wanted me to make and he chose Cafe Rio style pork burritos. So I had a few recipes in my awesome cook book that my mother-in law gave me for Christmas, but they all called for these adobo chiles things that Walmart just did not have (no surprise there, walmat is not known for selection, but hey, its cheap) so I got online and got another recipe and it was sooo good. So you must try them, here is the link for the recipe for the pork and the rice, although I added a bit more lime juice than the recipe called for and got great reviews from Jeremy. http://oopsey-daisy.blogspot.com/search?q=cafe+rio But this recipe was really super close to Cafe Rio and it was delicous. I also made homemade Pico De Gallo to put on top of the burritos, which really put it ove the top.

So then on Friday night we went up to the canyon and roasted smores over a fire with some friends until some large animal started making alot of noise in the bushes and freaked all of us girls out so we left after an hour and then went and got snow cones, courtesey of one of our lovely friends.

On Sunday is when the real excitement happened. So we were watching the Colts/Giants game (me only half watching, ick) and all of a sudden the game is interrupted by breaking news. The news caster said there was a huge fire that started at Camp Williams and has spread across the mountain and they are evacuating homes in Herriman. Well Jeremy and I jumped up and ran to the window, cause Camp Williams is like five minutes away from our apt and Herriman is our neighboring town... So anyway we went to the window and sure enough, huge flames are about two miles away from us. We didn't even know, apparently it had been going on since 3:30 in the afternoon!! The flames were pretty big and the whole mountain was on fire, we could see ambulances and fire trucks and stuff in the distance, it was crazy! We thought we might be evacuated too, so I made a small pile of important things to take, just in case the police pounded on our door at three in the morning and told us to leave. Oddly enough it was so close, but it didnt smell like smoke at all, even when we walked outside. People alot farther away from the fire than us were smelling smoke, but not us... I guess the wind was blowing it in the opposite direction, I still thought we would smell something... Luckily we didn't have to evacuate, the wind blew the fire in the other direction, so the poor town of Herriman had to evacuate, but not our town. But it was freaky. I guess like six homes burned, but the fire dept did a good job at making it stay away from most houses. But once the wind stopped, the fire died down and it was mostly out by the time I woke up this morning. But it was a crazy night!! The pictures make it look alot further away than what it was, buy you can see how big the flames were. But our camera is not the best... But it looked like lava was coming down the mountain. I thought I was in Dante's Peak or something.

A Hue of Blue

Ok so anyone who has talked to me in the last week knows I am totally obsessed with The Color Code by Taylor Hartman. I know, how ten years ago, right. I mean I had taken the color test in junior high and high school, but it never really told at me about myself, it was always just told me what career was most compatable with me, LAME! So anyway for some reason my wonderful mom got on this huge color test kick, I guess someone told her about the book and she had never heard of it, so she took the test and determined she was the color blue. Which I had always known I was as well. She began telling me some things about the blue personality, and oh my gosh it was so me. So I had to know more, so I got the book at the library, retested myself just to be sure, and I was most definately still blue. This book was like the story of my life. I was laughing so hard because of how well this book described me. The blue personalities are worriers, and I worry about Everything! Also it said that we are guilt prone, perfectionists, self-righteous and judgemental of others and controlling. I know what you are thinking, you totally want me as your friend now after reading that. Haha, well there are some good things about blues we are super nurturing, and responsible, and way loyal. And that was me. This book just like knew me. I mean we all have imperfections, and I am sure that being a blue, I worry about them more than the rest of you people of other colors, but I was so happy when this book like told me that I was normal. I also made Jeremy take the test and he was white, no surprise there. The book has a section that describes relationships between each color. It was hysterical what it said about mine and Jeremy's relationship. It was so dead on. It said that for blues the most important thing in their life is 'togetherness' so blues will plan activities to do together. Everything in a blue's life focuses around 'togetherness' and whites are content to be by themselves and stuff and do activities alone. So when blue's plan togetherness activities, the whites go along with it to keep the peace cause they are the peacemakers and they dont want to make the scary blues angry! It was so funny cause that is so Jeremy and I. I am always like, 'Hey, lets do something together tonight,' and wonderful Jeremy just goes with the flow so I don't get mad. So basically I think everyone needs to read this book so they know that they are normal. And so they see their flaws and can work on them. Like maybe I shouldn't be so judgmental... maybe... But anyway, go buy/checkout the book and let me know what color you are.

'Reds and blues spend their whole lives trying to control people,

Yellows and Whites spend their lives refusing to be controlled.' 

Color overview:

Red: Power Hungry, Productive, self-critical, wonderful leaders, insensetive, goal setters, organizers,

     Responsible, competetive, excellent decision maker.

Blue: Emotional, judgemental and self-righteous, guilt prone, responsible, perfectionistic, loyal, highly demanding, nurturing, passionate, loving, dedicated, sincire, analyitcal.

White: Peacemaker, non-confronational, patient, tolerant, unmotivated and lazy, sometimes boring, unproductive, insecure, gentle, adaptable, withholds feelings.

Yellow: Happy, fun, self-centered, irresponsible, enthusiastic, care free, uncommitted, superficial, exciting and playful, disorganized, superficial, undisciplined, super talkative, trusting,

Fall Time Fun List

Activities that I want to do this fall:

Go on a picnic in the park.
Visit Wheeler Farm
Have a photo shoot of Jeremy and I at like a park or somewhere.
Host a game night
See duckies one last time on the trail by our house.
Walk around Day Break Lake
Go to the coppermine
Go to Barnes and Noble and sit in one of their comfy chairs and read
Make one last trip to the mountains
Swing on swings
Finish my last player on Fable
Have a Mario Party Night
Have Pride and Prejudice day
Host a party
See Harry Potter 7
Have Harry Potter night
Read Pride and Prejudice

Tiny kitchens and Cooking the Orient Way.

Thursday night Jeremy and I made Chinese food, and it was YUMMY!!

Jeremy made fried rice. I don't know why but he is so much better at making rice than I am. I mean sure I can make it in my rice cooker, but anything more complex than that is just my funeral. I can barley make those dang Rice-A-Roni packages! So I made the rice in my rice cooker and let Jeremy take over from there since he is the fried rice expert apparently. Also I can't make fried rice cause you have to scramble eggs with it, and since I don't care for eggs all that much I haven't ever learned to scramble eggs. But oh my gosh his fried rice was the best he has ever made it. AMAZING!!! We gobbled that stuff up like there was no tomorrow. 

While Jeremy was showing off his mad skills in the rice department, I was making Mandarin chicken. Basically I just cooked up some chicken and veggies and then poured the mandarin sauce over it. So I guess I kinda cheated, it was just the Panda Express Mandarin sauce, so it tasted a lot like theirs. Weirdly enough the left overs of this tasted even better than when it was fresh the day before. I think cause it had been like soaking in the sauce all night and was all flavorful the next day. 

I also made chowmein noodles. I got the recipe online but ho mein nestly it was only average, I won't ever make it again. There is a shockingly small number of chow recipes on the web. I don't know what this world is coming to. But really, online community, I was very disappointed in all of you for not giving me a quality recipe. Especially you Panda Express, why can't I get a descent copy cat recipe of your chow mien, Jeremy loves it ever so much!!

We ended our night with some brownies that I had made a few hours earlier, cause I am a sucker for the chocolate.

So overall it was a delicious night. We barely had enough for leftovers the next night. 

By the way, did you notice the size of my kitchen. It is sooo TINY! Its amazing that I can barely cook anything at all in that thing. I mean with the two of us cooking in there I can barely move. It is just so sad. I want a big counter to bake cookies and lay out my big giant cutting board on, really, I have an extra large cutting board and it really doesn't even fit on my counter top. Its so ridiculous. Someone donate me your big kitchen and I'll bake for you.

City of Bones

City of Bones   By Cassandra Clare, First book in the Mortal Instrument series
I just barely finished this book this morning.So here is my review:
Summary of book:

When Clary Fray heads out to a night club with her friends, she hardly is expecing to witness a murder, much less a murder by teenagers covered with strange markings. This is Clary's first meeting with the Shadowhunters, warriors dedicated to rridding the earth of demons-and keeping werewolves and vampires in line. It's also her first meeting with gorgous golden-haired Jace. Within 24 hours Clary is pulled into Jace's workd with a vengeance, when her mother disappears and Clary herself is attacked by a demon. But why would demons be interested in an ordinary mundane like Clary?

Ok so I really liked this book. It was upbeat and romantic and had a lot of good fantasy action which I love. The characters were well formed, and not at all annoying. I say that cause many books' characters annoy me, and are super super whiney, but this book the characters were well done. I was a little iffy about reading this, the first chapter was a little weird and also the author is friends with other author, Holly Black who writes  fantasy novels and I hate Holly Black's novels, they are super weird and have a lot of language in them. But getting through the first chapter I started liking it more and more. I also liked Cassandra Clare's style of writing.  I am really looking forward to reading the rest of the series.

City of Bones  Four out of Five Stars ****

Pages

Ok so I have had a couple people say that when they click on my pages, such as the recipe or book page, it doesn't go to the page. But it totally does. It just looks like it doesn't change cause the picture is the same (dont think there is a way to change that) so just scroll down the page and you will see it is most definately a different page.

Cookie Day!

I Love, Love, Love cookies. On Sunday I made my famous Oatmeal Chocolate Chip cookies. These are pretty much the best cookies ever. You have got to try them. They are super super easy to make too and Jeremy and I ate three dozen cookies all by ourselves, haha I especially have no self control when it comes to these things. The recipe is on my recipe page if you want to try it out. For some reason whenever I have been making these cookies or any other cookies lately they have been going flat. They have never done that before, but ever since we got married and moved to this place they go flat. I think my oven is just weird or the humidity here is different or something. But anyway, if you find this is happening to you and any of your cookie recipes I found a solution!! If you put the dough in the fridge for twenty minutes before cooking the dough, it will be perfect.