Tuesday, December 14, 2010

Summer is not here anymore...



I'm getting worse and worse at updating my blog in a timely manner! So here is a quick update on everything that has happened between July and now...
Kenny started school...his LAST SEMESTER and it took a bit of poking and prodding to get him to go every day but he will take his last final tomorrow. They don't have a graduation ceremony for fall semester so he won't walk until spring - if he decides to walk. But either way he'll be a college grad soon enough! He will graduate in Exercise Science and he plans on going to PA school (Physician Assistant if you're like me and didn't know what that was). He applied to a few schools this year that would start next summer and we've heard back from 3 of them. He got an interview to 2 and was rejected from 1, which unfortunately was the U. So if he gets into school this year than we will be moving out of state. We are still waiting to hear back from a school in Las Vegas and one in Puerto Rico...I'm hoping for vegas.


I was really crafty this fall and made some adorable pumpkins out of 2x4's (shown below). A little wood and paint is about as crafty as I get! I also made a wreath out of black burlap that turned out perfectly spooky for our front door but since it is now almost Christmas, that wreath has been put away and i don't have a picture of it - sorry I'm sure you were just dying to see it!

We through a Clue themed Murder Mystery dinner party in October to celebrate Halloween that turned out to really great. We gave everyone characters, some were clue characters others we made up, and had them come in costume to the church for the party. We had a five course meal and in between each course we collected clues from rooms set up around the cultural hall. During the third round the killer started killing off suspects making the mystery even more important to solve!




We planned the game so that we could play it again and have a different killer everytime and no one, not even the killer, will know who the killer is until the third round. Anyway, it was the first time we made something like this and we were pretty proud of how it turned out! And in case you're wondering who killer was...it was...Mrs. Peacock! (a.k.a. Deborah Riley)

The suspects.

We also had a Halloween party with my family this year that turned out really fun. We ate soup and bread bowls (that were Halloween Orange), a brain, worms, eyeballs or toes, and your choice of vampire blood, swamp fog, or poison to drink. We played monster bash, ghost snatcher, dipped caramel apples, and dug for worms...if you want to hear about how we played any of these games let me know!

So there you have it...a quick update on the last 5 months! I know so much more has happened but I'll update again soon...




Wednesday, July 21, 2010

Summer Update!


Summer is here! We kicked off our summer with a cruise to the Caribbean where we swam with sting-rays, ate too much, didn't where enough sun block, danced, played, climbed a waterfall in Jamaica, took a drive through a fern gully, got offered marijuana, took a scooter ride around Key West and saw where I lived and played, and had so much fun! We posted pictures on facebook, well Kenny did, so I may or may not get around to posting pictures.

SPARKLERS!!
This July 4th we went back to our roots and played with sparklers. Kenny and I, Jamie and Derek, and Bryce and Kaylee had a rendezvous with these beautiful little sticks of fun. And we made cool designs too!












Friday, May 14, 2010

Packing

Packing for a trip is quite honestly one of the greatest banes of my life. There has to be a proper balance between needs and wants and I have never been able to find it. I over pack for everything and because it's my own fault I have to lug it around the airport on my own with little sympathy or assistance from kenny. I am currently sitting on my living room floor listening to Glee surrounded by stuff, lots of stuff, trying to pack for our vacation tomorrow (and its a good thing its a vacation because I'm going to need one after the stress of packing). Despite my luggage woes I am definitely very excited to get out of Dodge with our friends and head to the Caribbean!

Saturday, March 6, 2010

Cupcaking


So to beat the winter blues, Deborah, Jamie, and I got together to make an all time summer favorite...Pink Lemonade but with a twist. These cupcakes were so fun and we got to practice our Martha Stewart decorating techniques. I think they turned out pretty cute for a first attempt!

the baking process...as you can tell Jamie looks just thrilled!


the colors...


the decorating...


the final products....




PINK LEMONADE CUPCAKES

  • 1 pkg white cake mix without pudding in the mix
  • 3 egg whites
  • 1 cup water
  • 1/3 cup thawed frozen pink lemonade concentrate; thawed
  • 2 TBSP oil
  • pink food
  • (otional)

FROSTING

  • 4 cups icing sugar
  • 1/3 cup butter, softened
  • 1/4 cup pink lemonade concentrate

1. Beat cake mix, water, egg whites, 1/3 cup lemon concentrate, oil and food coloring. Medium speed for 2 minutes. Spoon batter into lined muffin cups.

2. Bake 18-22 mins. Cool completely before frosting.

3. Beat icing sugar, butter and 1/4 cup lemonade concentrate, until well blended. (Add more concentrate to thin frosting if necessary.) Add pink coloring to desired color.

*Just a note, I added almost 1/2 cup of concentrate to my frosting because I found it quite thick and I really wanted it tart. I would keep adding and tasting until you like it.

They bake up so lovely and even. And flavor aside, they were honestly the most moist and delicious cupcake I have ever had.

Frost and add a straw for garnish.



Friday, March 5, 2010

I thought it was spring...but I was mistaken

So this weekend was beautiful! The snow melted and the sun came out and my wintery gloom went away but then BAM it snowed again. I guess I cant expect much else while living in Logan. So to take my mind off of the snow outside I am focusing on our CRUISE! We're going in May so of course I'm already planning what to bring and what kind of excursions we can do. Jamie and Derek, Mario and Melissa, Kaylee and Bryce, Dallas and Melissa, are all coming, oh and two single guys we don't really know but who are friends with Derek. I am getting so excited!