Happy Halloween 2012

Hope everyone has a great Halloween filled with lots of candy, funny costumes and blinged out spider decor! Unfortunately I'm not dressing up this year, but I will be sporting my new skull scarf and possibly my skull earrings (if I can find them)!

Oyster Crackers To-Go

I have a friend who I don't get to see very often (I think the last time might have been March 2011), so when I found out another friend would be going to visit her I thought I would send one of her favorite treats along for the road trip...oyster crackers! (click here to see how I make them).

Of course I couldn't just send them in a plastic bag, I had to dress them up a bit! I used a quart size mason jar, some left over teal fabric, kitchen string (the same kind I use for pinatas) and I made a simple sticker tag for the top. I love how it turned out and it's more eye-catching than a plastic bag :)

Spiderman Pinata!

I was asked to make a Spiderman look-a-like pinata for a Superhero birthday party! I have to say it turned out pretty good!!!!

I started with just a balloon blown up as much as possible with out getting a funky balloon shape and I think through out the paper mache process it loss some air, but it was still plenty big to put 3 bags of candy in and to end up weighing 7 pounds!

The red crepe paper I fringed a little smaller than the Elmo Pinata since Spiderman isn't supposed to be furry...ha ha. Once all the red was on, I traced/cut out the eyes on plain white paper and glued them on (all glue was in the form of a glue stick).

Then I went to work on the black streamers. To get the streamers thinner, I cut the roll into three strips. When putting the "web" on I would run my glue stick over where the black would start and then stretched and tried to arch the black strips to the next spot and cut/glue them down. As you can see there was a lot of cutting to make them somewhat rounded lines.

And there you have it...the many angles of Spiderman! Now I wonder how long he will last once the kids start hitting him?!?!

October Meal: Chicken and Dumplings

I don't think I can express enough how much I enjoy chicken and dumplings! If I go some where and see it on the menu...that is what I'm ordering :) Elizabeth sent me the recipe that she found and liked over at Bubble Crumb.

I have a fairly small crock pot so I halved the recipe to be on the same side.

I used:

2 chicken breasts
1T butter
1 reduced fat cream of chicken
1/2 can of low sodium chicken broth
1/3 cup of diced onion (maybe even less I just eyed it because I don't like onions)
1/2 T of dried parsley
5 Grands Jr. flaky biscuits

What I did:

Lined my crock pot with a slow cooker liner (wanted to try it out)
Placed chicken on bottom of the crock pot
Added butter, cream of chicken, chicken broth, onions and parsley
I cooked mine for 5 hours on high before adding the biscuits
I pulled apart each biscuit into at least 4 pieces and threw it in the pot
I then let it continue cooking on high for another 45 mins (I lost track of time watching a very boring movie)
When the 45 mins were up I took 2 forks and shredded/mixed it all together then severed myself some in one of my favorite oversized mugs.

I kind of wish I hadn't of thrown out the rest of my chicken broth and added a little more at the end because it got really thick! But I still loved it and I'm looking forward to eating all the leftovers!! Yum!

Click here to go to the original recipe from Bubble Crum

Sweet Potato Chocolate Chip Pancakes

We ate at Cracker Barrel a few weeks ago and I stumbled upon a box of sweet potato pancake mix and immediately knew I had to try them. I didn't have any plans early Friday so I decided to whip up a batch of these bad boys and of course my syrup hating self had to add chocolate chips! I topped them with a few shakes of cinnamon and a few more chocolate chips and then devoured them!! These were really good. I would suggest trying sweet potato pancakes sometime soon! You can also make cookies with the mix...so that might be happening soon :)

Mom's Meatloaf

Ok so meatloaf isn't the prettiest thing to take a picture of...ha ha. It's also probably not the yummiest to think about, but this meatloaf...this meatloaf is awesome! My poor Mom had some picky eaters for children...my brother and I both hate onions and I hate ketchup...so making her meatloaf the way she used to was not an option. Instead she came up with this meatloaf which is awesomely delicious despite it's appearance.

What you need:

1 pound ground beef (we use the lean kind)
1 cup of oats
1 small can of tomato sauce
1 egg
Salt, Pepper, Garlic Powder and Onion Powder to taste

What you do:

Combine all ingredients in one bowl and mix it all together (works best if you use your hands)
Dump the mixture into a glass bread pan and spread it out evenly then press all the sides down a little (it should resemble what a loaf of bread looks like coming out of the oven)
Cover the dish with foil and bake for 30 mins on 350 degrees F
Uncover the dish and bake for another 20 mins on 350 degrees F

Let it cool a bit and then serve it with fluffy mashed potatoes and a veggie! And there you have it...a not so pretty, but very yummy comfort food dinner!

***Nutritional Info***

Serves 6 people

Calories: 201 per slice
Fat: 9g per slice
Carbs: 10g per slice
Protein: 19g per slice
Fiber: 2g per slice
Sodium: 1369mg per slice

*totals came from recipe entered into myfitnesspal.com

Weekend at the Movies

This past weekend was spent at the movies putting money into the economy...you're welcome! ha ha jk :)

Friday - Pitch Perfect

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Hilarious! I loved this movie! It was a-ca-awesome...ha ha. I had been wanting to see this movie for what felt like forever and finally the boyfriend agreed to go with me! That made me "happy happy happy" (Duck Dynasty anyone?!?!) I liked all the different personalities that made up the Bellas, but of course my favorite was Fat Amy. Rebel Wilson owned that character...you go girl!

Saturday - Looper

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This movie had a 94% approval rating and while it was good I don't think it was as good as the rating. Emily Blunt and Joesph Gordon Levitt where almost unrecognizable in this movie. I read an article about the movie that said JGL's mom didn't even recognize him while he was filming. The movie is an interesting concept and the end was pretty good. There were just some slow parts here and there. I guess that's to be expected though with a 2 hour movie.

Sunday - Taken 2

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I don't know why this movie got such mixed reviews?!?! I thought it was really good. Maybe not as good as the first one, but then again are any movies as good as the first one (well that aren't based on books)??? I heard an interesting fact about the movie on the radio...Liam Neeson was given $1 mil to do the first movie, $10 mil to do this one and now there are talks he could be getting $20 mil to do a third one! I would like to get those kind of raises too!! Another interesting thing that happened during this movie...the electricity went out! The movie was at a really intense part and then everything went black thanks to a small storm right on top of the theater. However, I don't think anyone in that audience was going to leave without seeing the end of the movie...ha ha...we were all that invested in the outcome. My advice to you would be to not listen to the critics and go judge this movie for yourself!

*******

Now for movies I rented a few weeks ago that weren't that great to get their own post...

The Whistleblower

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I feel like this movie could have been way better. This movie was so slow and so non action packed that I can't believe we actually finished watching it. My advice would be to watch the first Taken movie instead of watching this one...they are pretty much about the same thing.

The Reunion

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I hadn't even heard of this movie, but when I found out John Cena was in it I was sold. This movie was better than The Whistleblower, but not by much. It was a pretty pointless movie and another waste of time. Good thing I didn't have anything else I wanted to do that night.

Weekend at the Lazy O Ranch

Finally! I finally went up and visited my family's ranch! Before I over load y'all with pictures, let's have a little story time shall we? As much as I have pretend to be in the past, I am just not a country girl. Do I like country music? Love it! Do I like the rodeo and wearing cowboy boots? You bet! But when you actually go into the country you experience my Kryptonite...creepy crawling insects! Let's just say I did not sleep very much last Friday night because I was so worried a scorpion was going to crawl in my bed and sting me...ahhhh! Even with the bugs, it was still a great weekend!

Where we stayed...



My parents haven't built a house on the ranch yet so when they go up they always rent a place in "town". This time we all stayed at this cute little cottage.



This was our view of the Llano river from the front porch of the cottage

The cottage had this awesome teal shed! I wouldn't dare go in, but I loved it's old, rustic ambiance :)

The "Town"...



After all the stories I have heard over the years, this was not what I was expecting

Roosters are a big deal in Castell...well one in particular I guess...RIP Cockaroo

I thought this sign was hilarious and decided y'all should enjoy it as well

I want to say the actual population of Castell is 3 now, but it may still be 4. For a long time the mayor was a rooster! If you feel daring or need a laugh, YouTube Castell Rooster to see what the former mayor was taught to do...ha ha Supposedly the general store is the place to be and they will have random musicians come and play on the porch...sadly no one showed up this past weekend.

The Lazy O Ranch...

This would be the gate where we took our family Christmas pictures! I can't wait to see what they look like!

Elsie's Pond...this is where my Great-grandmother would fish when she was a little girl

One lonely duck...we decided that when it saw my brother it flew away because he wanted to live...ha ha

I think this is the only windmill we have or at least it's the only one I saw

I tried getting a good barbed wire pic, but my camera (RIP) would not work with me at this moment



There actually wasn't as much cactus as I thought there would be

Driving around town...

And that's all folks! Hope you enjoyed a little taste of the Hill Country! I'm looking forward to going back again and maybe even conquering my fear of bugs!

Nail Files: Sally Hansen Salon Effects Nail Polish

Last Christmas I picked up some Sally Hansen Salon Effect peel and stick nail polish in Winter Funderland and just recently decided to use it...I know I know it's been almost a year shame on me. For some reason I've been in the nail polish on my nails mood which hardly ever happens because I tend to chip it within a day! I was really excited that it said "lasts up to 10 days" on the box! Here's my review...

Pros:

• no drying time
• fun colors and design (hello easy glitter application)
• quicker than painting
• lasted a few days longer than reg. nail polish for me

Cons:

• Very hard edges by my cuticles (my hair would get caught on them while washing it)
• Strong nail polish smell for a day or so
• Tip wear noticeable faster (the picture up there is on day 3)
• Not so easy removal

Let's talk about the removal process shall we...It says you can take it off with regular nail polish remover, but unless you want to use one cotton ball per nail I would suggest peeling it off in the shower. I tried the cotton ball and it was just one big sticky mess and the polish didn't really come off it just spread out on my skin. I gave up after one and a half nails and decided to take a shower. I found that the steam/hot water in the shower helped loosed the polish and if you start picking the polish near your cuticles it will mostly come off in one pull. Then of course my nails felt weird the rest of the night from the torture I put them through, but that's the price you pay.

Overall, I thought the polish was really pretty and the application wasn't that bad, but if I didn't have any strips left I probably would never wear this stuff again. The hard edges and the removal are the factors that are turning me away.

Have any of y'all tried the polish strips? Did you like it? Or do you know any secrets to make it a better experience? Let me know!

Pumpkin Spice Cookies

You've probably seen these cookies floating around Pinterest and the blog world, but if you haven't these cookies are probably the best fall cookies ever! They are super simple as well!! All you need is a box of spice cake mix, a can of 100% pure pumpkin (not the pie filling) and a bag of chocolate chips.

The chocolate chips is how I make mine a little different. I use semi-sweet chocolate chips compared to the milk chocolate ones most people use. Both ways are really good, but I am and always have been a semi-sweet chica!

This is muy importante...don't do anything it says to do on the cake mix box! All you want is the cake mix so dump that in a bowl then dump in the entire can of pumpkin and get to mixin'. Once all that is fully combined add your chocolate chips (or maybe go a little wild and try white chocolate or butterscotch!).

The batter will be very sticky...I used a cookie scoop and a spoon to make somewhat round balls of dough. Bake the cookies at 350 degrees F for 12 - 13 minutes (my oven is a little ghetto so I did my last two cookie sheets for 13 minutes and they were still really moist). They won't look done but trust me they are!

Stop drolling and go make me some! :)

**Oh and in case you are watching what you eat these aren't that bad for you...around 100 calories per cookies if you make 36 cookies.

The Story of the Hulk and a Mug

This Hulk doesn't turn green and go bonkers, this Hulk is a sweet girl who just happens to be what her boyfriend calls "freakishly strong for a girl" Well this sweet girl always laughed and thought nothing of it until one day she goes to wash out her morning tea mug at work and breaks the handle off! Just breaks it clean off! All she could do was laugh because her boyfriend is standing next to her saying "I told you so" Ha ha! Granted the mug could have been cracked, but that will have to remain a mystery...

below is the aftermath of what happened...and don't worry the sweet "hulk" girl didn't injure herself in the process...

Gone Girl

This was another book I read just because everyone was talking about it... And guess what, I liked it too! To me it was just like a Lifetime movie...I mean seriously I think they should turn it in to one...who's with me?!?! The only way I know how to describe it without giving anything away is through reactions....

First you're like...whhhhaaaaatttt?

Then you're like...no way...you fooled me!

Then you're like...O.M.G!!!

Then you read the last page twice because you can't believe that's the way it ended...I mean it really could have had a better ending, but overall it was a good read.

By the way the caption in the picture up there couldn't describe the book better "He's the perfect suspect. She's the perfect victim."

Fall 2012 Bucket List

So far I've done half of these! Of course there will be posts with pictures to follow :) What are you doing this fall?

Dum Dum Arrangement

Turning 30 is a big deal! Well a big deal if you make it one or if your co-workers who are younger than you decide to rub it in your face...you are welcome! A friend at work turned 30 a couple of weeks ago and after seeing this on Pinterest, a couple of us young people knew this was the perfect thing to make!

The "30 sucks" I cut out with my Cricut machine using shelf paper (a much cheaper option than vinyl!) The cute bucket and the styrofoam ball came from Hobby Lobby and the suckers from Target!

It took just over 100 dum dums to fill in the the stryofoam ball! That's a lot of suckers!

There you have it! A very sucky, happy 30th birthday! To see what else I've made for a 30th birthday click here!