I Hope Tomorrow is Like Today

Come on... Grow a Pear!

2011-05-12T10:35:00.000-05:00

I know you have the stuff to do it. Go vote for Ben!

Check the "notify me if.." button for extra street credit.

Hair Show - SULTRA

2011-01-30T21:22:00.005-06:00

Last Saturday I was in a hair show. It was a huge Armstrong McCall Sales Meeting and different vendors were there trying to sell their stuff. I was with Sultra. I loved the people and the products. I managed to get away with a sweet straightening iron, and would loved to add to my Sultra collection some day! The company's Artisitic Director is Omar Lopez. He works on a lot of celebrities (Cameron Diaz, Maile Cyrus, Kat Von D), so it was fun to talk to him and have him work on my hair. My hair was styled with The Seductress, an iron that can straighten, wave and curl your hair. It was awesome. He didn't expect my hair to curl so much and at one point said, "I made you look 12 years old!" But it was great. The curls stayed and the next day I fixed them up bit. Here are some pics after three presentations, and much playing. In the last pic he had just combed my hair out and my eyes are bloodshot, but that's the only pic with Omar.

Sugar Berry Fairy

2010-12-13T15:15:00.003-06:00

I made these yesterday. They'd be a lovely addition to your holiday table. The recipe is from Cooking Light: Sugared Cranberries

I made superfine sugar in the food processor, and let them steep overnight. Lucas and I ate most of them. We let Ben have a few, too.

Sno Balls

2010-11-07T21:03:00.003-06:00

While I was in Albuquerque last month one of my goals was to make homemade Sno Balls for my Dad. That's what I would have made him for Father's Day if I lived in the 505. When I was little my dad would buy them once in a while - they were his sweet junk food of choice. Sno Balls kind of became a joke in the family, so I wanted to recreate a super-yummy one for my Dad. Turns out he only got to eat 1 or 2. Poor Dad.
I used the cake recipe from here. And instead of using a 7 minute frosting or Italian Meringue like all the copy cat recipes say to use, we decided to go with real marshmallow. We didn't bother with the filling because I used regular muffin tins, so there wasn't much room or need for the filling. Frosting the little buggers was a complete pain because marshmallow goo is so sticky! But... they tasted oh-so-delicious. We used the rest of our marshmallow and toasted coconut to make normal marshmallows, and they were super-delish, too.
I'm thinking of attempting this in bar form to make it so much easier, yet equally delicious. I'll let you know if I do.

Fetish Friday

2010-08-26T15:40:00.004-05:00

This little number by Nine West is so cute I couldn't resist a post before I run to try for a nap. I love the soft pink, the bow, and contrasting textures. It comes in several other colors and is on sale for $55 at endless. You can even get an extra 25% off sandals now, so that makes it even more on sale! So cute... and girly, unlike everything else in my house these days :).

Time to vote on Threadless!

2010-07-23T10:12:00.000-05:00

Father's Day Crepes

2010-06-21T08:34:00.007-05:00

For dinner last night I made a mushroom crepe cake that I had been wanting to make for a long time. While I was in the process I decided to make half a recipe of a gateau de crepes - also known as a 20 layer cake. It was a fun way to eat crepes, but Ben thinks he prefers a regular old crepe with filling because it's easier to eat.

If I made the mushrooms cake again, I'd add some garlic for sure. And I'd use my own crepe recipe - both of these recipes resulted in flimsy, delicate crepes that were hard to turn. My recipe yields a stronger crepe.
For the dessert crepe, I might alter the filling a little. Maybe throw in a nutella layer every few crepes or make a different filling all together, perhaps with cream cheese involved... And top it with berries.
Anyhow, it was a fun experiment. I hope Ben didn't mind having such a girly dinner on such a manly day.

Key Lime Pie

2010-06-14T22:16:00.005-05:00

On our recent trip to Key West we made a point to try a lot of key lime pies. That's actually my goal every time I set foot in the southern half of Florida. My BFF since 6th grade, Joanna, also shares my sentiment for key lime pie. We used to go to Stuart, Florida for spring break to her great-aunt Erna's place (Erna had passed away... Joanna's mom had access to the joint, so we would spend a week in a community where we were mere spring chicks amongst the rest of the crowd). We had a great time hanging at the pool with the old men, then heading to the beach, where there were generally a few people under 60, going to fun restaurants, and saying the occasional ultra-embarrassing remark. For instance once I told Joannie's mom, "Good riddance!" as she dropped us off at the beach. I thought it meant something like have a good trip home. Once I was corrected, I said "Bad riddence." And Joannie exclaimed, "I wet myself!" as we sat in the back of the car one day. "Oh no, Joanna, you didn't," her mom said. Indeed, Joannie had wet herself, but only by spilling her water. A short story longer, we had a thing for key lime pie. We loooved it. So, Joannie sent me this recipe. It's from Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago Club, and was featured on Oprah.
It happens to be a very basic key lime pie recipe. Most chef's will tell you their recipe - it's usually 3 or 4 egg yolks, one can of sweetened condensed milk, and 1/2 -2/3 cup of lime juice. This recipe is actually the exact same as the one the Blonde Giraffe uses in Key West. BUT, here they tell you to beat the eggs until fluffy, then beat in the sweetened condensed milk. You don't get those directions usually, and I think it's the key!

I altered the original recipe because it was ridiculously fattening due to two sticks of butter in the crust, but here is my version. Y-U-M!

Graham Cracker Crust:

1 package graham crackers
3 Tbsp. granulated sugar
6 Tbsp. melted butter
1/8 tsp. sea salt

Filling:

4 egg yolks
1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk
2/3 cup Key lime juice*
1 lime , grated zest

* I use Nellie and Joe's key lime juice and it's as good as the real thing, but don't use regular Mexican limes, and please for the love of all things good and lovely, don't ever ever use the "real" lime juice that comes in the little plastic lime. Ever.

To make crust: Preheat the oven to 325°.

Place graham crackers in a food processor and process to crumbs. Add the melted butter, sugar and salt and pulse until combined. Press the mixture into the bottom of a 9-inch pie pan, forming an even layer on the bottom, sides and edge. Bake the crust for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow the crust to cool while you make filling.

To make filling: In an electric mixer with the wire whisk attachment, whip the egg yolks and lime zest at high speed until fluffy, or 5 to 6 minutes. Gradually add the condensed milk and continue to whip until thick, 3 to 4 minutes longer. Lower the mixer speed and slowly add the lime juice until incorporated. (I think all this mixing makes for a smoother pie).

Pour the mixture into the crust and bake for 15 minutes. Cool on a wire rack for about 20 mins, then refrigerate for at least a few hours .

Applaud yourself for making a pie that costs $24 in Key West and probably $7 per slice at Trump's place. Don't forget to top with sweetened whipped cream before serving.

Vote for Ben in 2010!

2010-01-02T10:34:00.001-06:00

Happy 2010! So, we're gonna have this kid in a couple weeks, then taxes are due. Basically, we could really use some votes on these t-shirts so we can get some cash in the bank! Thanks.
(FYI, if you don't vote, Obama will have to give us all of your money - how's that for a threat?).

BURN BABY BURN

by benharman

Click HERE to vote for the Mermate. This site in in Portuguese. Press the "5" with the crown, please :).

Click HERE to vote for another Burn Baby Burn. This one's in English.

And finally, click HERE for the awesomely bright Trianglion. Sometimes this site in is French. Click on the heart if you would.

Fetish Friday

2009-12-17T10:36:00.005-06:00

I know it's not Friday. And I know I haven't posted a shoe in a while, but I just haven't seen any that made my heart skip a beat.... until today. Check out this Nine West sandal. it's regularly $89, on sale for $50, BUT you get an extra 30% off when you checkout.

Then check out this Jessica Simpson boot on sale for $150 down from $189. It has free overnight shipping today. I don't have cowboy boots... I don't know that I want any, but if I did, I would like these. Ben says these are not cowboy boots - he says a cowboy wouldn't be caught dead in them. But I say they are - plus they are for girls, not boys.

Together we can put Ben under the knife!.. or laser.

2009-11-13T15:56:00.004-06:00

Ben is in the running for some free laser surgery.
Please go here to vote for his video, "Who doesn't want Laser Eyes, Right?"
You can vote once a day per IP address until Nov 25th.
It's not that I don't think Ben looks hot in his glasses from '92... it'd just be awesome if he could wake up at night and write down his next genius idea w/o searching for them first, knocking things over, and then waking me up, etc. I'm also getting too fat to be crawling on the floor looking for dropped contacts.
Thanks!

Meatballs

2009-10-20T14:14:00.002-05:00

I made this Alton Brown recipe for meatballs last night. It calls for lamb, beef, and pork, but I used turkey and beef. Then you sneak in some spinach and it's kind of healthy. I used paanko bread crumbs, one clove of garlic, some fresh herbs and cooked it in the muffin tin like he said. Place foil under your muffin tin to avoid a big mess.
We ate them with spaghetti and marinara sauce. Lucas ate them like a champ, which was surprising, so I think it's a keeper. Anyhow, if you're interested, click HERE for the recipe.

Ugly

2009-09-30T16:29:00.004-05:00

It's been a week since I shut my thumb into the car door.
I can't decide which is more disgusting - one purple fingernail or 10 purple fingernails? It's all pretty gross, I think. Is my fingernail gonna fall off? Someone give me a glimmer of hope. Someone?

voting time again!

2009-09-22T21:38:00.000-05:00

boom goes the dynamite.

2009-09-19T17:26:00.003-05:00

Last Monday while Ben was at work, they were filming a scene for Machete right outside his office window. There was a car crash followed by an explosion. Ben said it was a lot of fun to watch from the upstairs balcony. One of the ladies from the crew came in and talked to them and explained the movie. When it was time for the explosion, she came back and told them to stay inside and away from the windows to avoid any shrapnel. This is a shot of the action. What a fun day at work!

2009-09-17T14:57:00.002-05:00

My friend, Sara, became famous today. I had the pleasure of living with her at BYU before Ben and I got hitched. Now Sara and her friend write the blog, Our Best Bites. Check them out!
Here's Sara on a news show in SLC.

The Bomb

2009-09-05T00:00:00.002-05:00

Tonight I dropped the F-Bomb at church.
I meant to say, "He gave me fifty bucks..."
Luckily only my friends heard.

Best Thing I Ever Ate... this week.

2009-08-12T13:00:00.006-05:00

Today I was feeling a little adventurous, so I tried making Alton Brown's pretzel recipe. The dough came together very easily. Alton's measurements were perfect - I didn't have to add any additional water or flour. The whole process was no more difficult than making bagels - actually a little faster, because they boil for less time, and I didn't add fancy stuff like when I make bagels. The stove, however, was much more messy due to the splattering baking soda in the boiling water.
When I was done it was lunch time, so of course I had to involve a pretzel. I made an awesome sandwich that even impressed Lucas. Delish!

Fetish Friday

2009-07-31T14:16:00.002-05:00

I think I would enjoy this studded little heel (as long as there's not too much toe cleavage). It's versatile and simple... and it sparkles.
Rivoli-2 by Pierre Dumas. Available at Piperlime for $49.

Promotion Motion

2009-07-08T14:39:00.004-05:00

Hello,

Have you ever needed $10,000? Have you ever had the chance to win 10K based on your awesome friends' voting power? Well, now is Ben's chance.
I know we always bug you to vote, but this one is serious. This is huge. This is for 10,000 big ones. Not only is this design pure awesomeness, but took time. And did I mention it was for $10,000? It's in a contest for Design By Human's anniversary, hence the large cash reward.

So, please, PLEASE, go here and vote for Ben's shirt. You need to sign up for an account if you don't have one, but it's easy, and they don't send you all sorts of junk mail.
When you get there, all you have to do is press the "vote" button. Easy as pie. Easy as those gross pies you can buy from the grocery store bakery - only way, way more rewarding.

Another thing that's easy? You could start your own promotion motion! That would be swell - real swell.

(FYI - Ben's Urban Assault shirt will be printed soon. Thanks for voting! The Taking Tree shirt is all sold out. We should have bought more when we had the chance!)
Thanks so much for your support!

Shirts!

2009-05-26T13:59:00.002-05:00

In doing his part to make better dressers, Ben has shirts up on Design By Humans - the same site where The Taking Tree was sold.

Ben would really appreciate your votes:

CLICK HERE FOR TRIANGLION
CLICK HERE FOR URBAN ASSAULT

One of his shirts is actually causing quite a stir in the comments.
Ben could use your support! Thank you!

Totaled my Cake

2009-05-19T22:38:00.005-05:00

Pretty colors, huh? It's not paint. It's cake batter. I decided I was going to try a cake that my friend, Sara, made (she's famous, you know). She made cute little cupcakes that would have made Rainbow Bright pee her pants from excitement.
I have to make a cake for the kids at church tomorrow night and I thought they would enjoy a colorful cake like Sara's. So, I turned on Dancing with the Stars, colored my batter and layered the colors into my pan.
By the time I took the cake out of the oven it was after 9:00. Ben was at basketball and Lucas was still gallivanting around the house when he should have been in bed. I debated whether or not to take the cake out of the pan before we went upstairs or wait until after Lucas was in bed. I decided to do it before. BAD idea. The cake was way too warm and cracked. I made it worse by trying to fix it and eventually just called it loss and tossed it around.

I have to admit there as a little part of me that was excited because this meant I could eat the cake. But now a big part of me regrets that decision, and there are sad cake pieces waiting for Ben to take them to work in the morning. Poor cake - If only I would have waited for it to cool more... like until I got Lucas to bed.
I'll try again tomorrow. And I'll also try making Sara's frosting recipe. Wish me luck!

Fetish Friday

2009-05-15T07:03:00.005-05:00

The girls over at Our Best Bites mentioned these shoes on Twitter.
They are handcrafted in Chicago by Mohop. Basically you order the platform and get different ribbons to make a customizable shoe each day.
Pretty cool, huh?
$136-$148 at mohop.com

oops. I did it again.

2009-05-05T22:33:00.005-05:00

Almost pretty, right? I tried making Smitten Kitchen's challah bread last night because I felt up for a challenge. I was so excited to taste it and when I did it was..... bland. I forgot the salt. AGAIN. I've done this a few times when making bread/bagels and it totally ruins the end result. I was looking forward to something resembling one of Jeana's creations and this was nowhere close. This was the plastic vending machine jewelry to Jeana's Tiffany & Co. broach.
Oh well. I think I'll freeze it and make the best french toast ever when Lij and Logan come to visit. All the sugar and fat in that recipe will totally make up for the lack of salt.

Fetish Friday

2009-05-01T00:14:00.005-05:00

Montgomery, meet everyone. Everyone, this is Montgomery.
This shoe jumped out at me because it reminds me of a similar shoe I have. It's the type of shoe that makes you want to buy accompanying outfits just so you can wear it more often.
The color is called "sunshine" and I love it. I'd like to imagine myself wearing these babies whilst basking in the sunshine, sipping on a fruity drink, and floating along on a cruise ship in Greek Isles. As to what I would wear with the shoes whilst sipping and floating... well, the possibilities are endless. And I guess it depends with whom I'm floating.
MICHAEL Michael Kors, "Montgomery" $150 at Dillards.

Fetish Friday

2009-04-24T08:14:00.002-05:00

I was having trouble deciding between a $500 shoe today and this shoe for only $26.99. I decided to go with the Payless shoe so all does not seem hopeless in the purchasing department.
It's a gladiator sandal to the least extreme, so it's pretty cute. I still can't handle those gladiator sandals that wind all the way up your ankle. Maybe some day...
Until then, this is the Lapis Stone Gladiator Wedge, from Payless.

Guster Show

2009-04-23T08:31:00.004-05:00

Last night Ben and I went to see Guster at Stubbs. Now that we have a kid, we don't get out much, but whenever Guster comes to town it is a cardinal rule that we must attend.
Ben got there early and saved us a nice spot by a tree. I left Lucas at home with Andrea, and arrived just in time for the show.
A few highlights:
-They played "Red Oyster Cult", and then transitioned into Blue Oyster Cult's "Don't Fear the Reaper." And there was cowbell. It was awesome.
-Making fun of the people in front of us who must have taken 50 pictures of themselves. I really wanted to smack them because they were so drunk and annoying and kept invading my personal space whilst making out and swing dancing. Who swing dances at a concert where people are packed together like sardines? Anyhow, Ben thinks I my long history of patience has finally run it's course.
-They usually mock the encore tradition. Ryan always mentions the encore and tells you there will be an encore, how many encores, etc. This time instead of leaving the stage and making us clap for a long time, they just told us when the show was over and then started the encore without ever leaving the stage. It was great.
-And watching Brian “Thundergod” Rosenworcel is always my favorite part of the show. He plays the drums with his bare hands for much of the show. We could see him up there taping them getting ready for the set. It's amazing.
Now I need to go feed Lucas breakfast... he's downstairs looking for Andrea.

Athleta

2009-04-22T14:12:00.002-05:00

While some of us are addicted to shoes, other girls I know are addicted to clothes they can sweat in.
Gap Inc. has a new company, Athleta, just or those girls. I do have to admit that they have some pretty cute stuff - skirts for all sporting occasions. Here's to you, Jeana!

Fetish Friday

2009-04-10T07:00:00.001-05:00

Who doesn't love a little ruffle here and there? This is Beauti by Steve Madden and they are on sale - especially if you're a 9.5 or 10! You can get them at Nordstrom in the bronze for $44.90. OR if you like black you can get them at Smart Bargains for $29.97.

Garbanzo & Hominy Soup

2009-04-03T13:46:00.003-05:00

As I was eating my leftovers for lunch today, I thought I should share this recipe with you.
My sister told me this recipe yesterday as she was driving and I was doing pilates. It was so easy I didn't have to write anything down and she didn't have to read anything to me. E-A-S-Y!
It was yummy and reminded me of my mom's posole, only 16 times easier and faster.

Garbanzo & Hominy Soup
2 teaspoons olive oil
2 cups chopped onion (about 1 large onion)
4 cloves garlic
2 cups water
1 can vegetable broth
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 can Rotel tomatoes (mild or medium)
2 cans of garbanzo beans
1 can of hominy
2 cups of fresh spinach, packed

Cook your onion and garlic in olive oil. Add water, broth, cumin, and pepper. Stir to combine. Add tomatoes, beans and hominy. Bring to a boil and simmer for about 20 minutes. Taste to make sure the seasonings are good. Just before you are ready to serve, add the spinach. It will wilt as you stir it into the soup. Serve with tortillas or crusty bread. I also served it with lime wedges and cilantro would have been good, too.

I accidentally bought a huge can of hominy, so I had about equal parts hominy to garbanzo beans. Because of that, I added an extra can of tomatoes and extra broth. Instead of a can of veggie broth, I just added more water and added beef, chicken, and veggie bouillon. I like to mix it up a little...

This would be good with some chicken or pork added, but doesn't need it.

Fetish Friday

2009-04-03T08:23:00.004-05:00

Hello, Spring. I'd like to introduce you to Cinnabar from Carlos by Carlos Santana. I'm a fan of wedges mainly because they are easier to walk in than other heels. And also they provide more space for art work! I love the detail on this little wedge. It also comes in black.
Cinnabar can be yours for $100 from Piperlime.

Easter Talk

2009-03-31T14:02:00.002-05:00

So.....
I'm speaking in church on Easter and need to start writing my talk. Just wanted to check and see if any of you have cool, interesting ideas... The subject is Easter and the resurrection, of course. Those of you that will be there, any special requests? Perhaps a secret shout out? Frequent rhymes? American Idol mention? (Remember once I mentioned Sanjaya in a talk? It was awesome).

Fetish Friday

2009-03-27T10:24:00.003-05:00

This is what all the kids need here today. This is the Lotus rain boot by Kidorable. They have matching rain coats, umbrellas, and other accessories, too. Check out all their little collections at ComfyKid. Your kid can be decked out as a pirate, fireman, mermaid, fairy, or lotus flower.
Boots on sale for $26.10.

Vote for Ben... again!

2009-03-25T14:16:00.000-05:00

It's on Ben's Bucket List to have a shirt make it onto Threadless. You can help him achieve his goal by voting once again. Thanks a million! (If you really like it, click the "$" first, then the 5.)

Gold Bars

2009-03-20T21:34:00.003-05:00

When I was in Elementary school, there was a gem of a treat served in the Albuquerque Public Schools called a Gold Bar. It was loads of crispy peanut butter goodness topped with chocolate, and it was awesome. I remembered this tasty treat the other day and wondered if I could ever recreate them. I found this recipe online and decided to give it a try.
I made it for our preschool group today and it was a hit - especially for the moms. Ben also really enjoyed it last night, which means a lot, because he thinks it's hard to make a good peanut butter/chocolate concoction at home. I forgot to add the corn syrup, so that would have given it a little more moisture. Also, I used healthy peanut butter, but it was still just fine. I'm thinking if I would have used regular PB (with all that sugar and high-fructose corn syrup - check your labels!) as well as the remembered the light corn syrup it would have been pretty dang close to the original.

For you PB freaks, here you go:

2 cups crunchy peanut butter
2 cups Rice Krispies
2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
4 tablespoons melted margarine or butter
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
3 large Hershey chocolate bars*, melted

Method: Mix peanut butter, Rice Krispies, powdered sugar, melted margarine, and light corn syrup until well blended. Press mixture evenly into a 9-by-13-inch pan that has been lined with plastic wrap over light oil. Melt chocolate bars in double boiler (or microwave). Spread evenly over Rice Krispie mixture; chill until set but not hard (chocolate will begin to lose its shiny appearance). Cut into pieces of desired size. Return to refrigerator until chocolate has hardened completely. Remove from pan and store in tightly covered container in refrigerator until ready to serve.

*the original recipe calls for 11 regular Hershey bars, which seems ridiculous. I think three big bars would be perfect. I used 2 big bars and 1 regular bar.

Wasting Time

2009-03-10T23:42:00.003-05:00

Yes, I finally have a reason to waste two more hours of my life each week. Dancing With The Stars is back for yet another season. I watched most of is last night and I was glad to see that Edyta wore the outfit she borrowed from me last week... she looks almost as good as I do in that little number. If you only knew the hours I put in to bedazzling all those rhinestones on that thing you would be amazed!
We'll see how the season unfolds. They tried to put all sorts of relationship twists in it this year. Julianne Hough is dancing with her real life boyfriend, Maksim and Karina and engaged and competing against each other, and Jewel was supposed to compete against her husband. BUT, Jewel and Nancy O'dell were both injured and replaced at the last minute. O'dell by Playmate Holly Madison, and Jewel by that Melissa chick that got dumped last week by the dreamiest Bachelor ever.
I think she's in a much better place now... totally worth the heartache to be on DWTS! She'll be just fine. (Plus, she scored well after only 2 days of practice).
If I had to put money on anyone it would be Cheryl and Gilles, Julianne and Chuck, or Derek and Lil' Kim. We shall see...
(And no, I don't watch The Bachelor - this show is my only weakness)

Fetish Friday

2009-03-06T15:21:00.005-06:00

Wedding season is just around the corner. The one thing I regret about my wedding is my shoes. They were simple. They were white. They blended. They were cute mary janes, but could have been much more exciting.
If I were doing it all over again, I would ban the white shoe and go for something fun - red, orange, green or yellow. Pictured here are Rage, Electra, Mika, and Monique. They would love a walk down the aisle.

Uneetee Voting!

2009-03-05T22:22:00.007-06:00

Yes. Once again it is time to vote for Ben and his t-shirts on the interweb. This time they are on a site called Uneetee.
When you vote, all you have to do is click "Cast My Vote" and you're set - no tricky number hierarchy, no button declaring your plan for purchase. Just one step.

VOTE FOR MERMATE
VOTE FOR GIRLY BUTTERFLY
VOTE FOR TRIANGLION
VOTE FOR SAME OLD STUFF

We greatly appreciate your votes. If Ben wins, we can buy some brand name Cheerios, and we all know they are ten times better than generic. Thanks!

(FYI, girls: I also think it was rude to cut that guy's face off. I mean... come on, Ben!)

Fetish Friday

2009-02-27T07:00:00.000-06:00

I think these are some pretty cool man shoes. I love the color and the stitching adds some pizazz, too.
Rush by Gordon Rush Shaw. $135 at Piperlime

Pancake Mix Recipe

2009-02-26T21:24:00.001-06:00

My totally platonic TV boyfriend, Alton Brown, gave me this recipe last night.
Best pancakes I've ever made.

Addiction

2009-02-24T23:29:00.002-06:00

We watch Cars several times a week... like 4 or 5. It's ridiculous. But, I really like Cars, so if Lucas wants to watch a movie I am much more likely to promote Cars, than say, Teletubbies. And I think I like the Cars toys just as much, if not more, than Lucas. I have to stop myself from going to the toy section at the store and seeing what they have. Is it wrong if I want Ramone in every color? I am from New Mexico, after all.
I think I have a problem.

Fetish Friday

2009-02-14T21:49:00.003-06:00

I found an article on the top 10 most expensive shoes in the world. Six of them were designed by Stewart Weitzman. He teamed up with jeweler Le Vian to make this pair.
They have 185 carats of tanzanite and 28 carats of diamonds. At the time the article was written, no one had worn them yet.
The best part is that they would totally match that replica of the The Heart of the Ocean you bought in 1997.

Price tag: $2,000,000

my new obsession

2009-02-10T22:43:00.002-06:00

The bagel. A few weeks ago I decided I should try making bagels. For my first try I used an Emeril recipe that left me with flat bagels due to flipping them while cooking. The other three times I'm used this recipe from Baking Bites and it's worked much better.
I am the girl who always messes with a recipe, so I have never made a plain bagel. Mostly I have made raisin/cinnamon/walnut with part whole wheat flour and part white flour. So, at least they are a little healthy. And they are pretty yummy, too. If you want to try, use about a cup of raisins, soak them in hot water and a sprinkle of cinnamon for 10 minutes or so, then squeeze most of the water out. Then throw some cinnamon in the flour mixture and add a good amount of walnuts, too. This will require you to add more flour to get the right consistency due to the raisins.
Yesterday I wanted to try a New Mexico bagel - green chile and cheese! I was a little nervous at first, but they ended up just fine. I used about 7oz of green chile, but they could have used more, then about a cup of cheese in the dough, plus some sprinkled on top. They are pretty dang good as well; although, I feel more guilty after eating them. But, I did use some whole wheat flour with these ones also, so there's a bit if nutrition, but just a bit.
I don't know what kind to try next. Any ideas? What about cranberry something?

HUGE SALE.

2009-02-07T13:33:00.002-06:00

FYI - Dillards is having a huge shoe sale. I just bought Antonio Melani Vanish in red/black. They were $26 (70% off). It seemed like the whole shoe section was 70% off!

Fetish Friday

2009-02-06T08:36:00.004-06:00

Meet Monique by Via Spiga. With her patent leather rose, she'd be a lovely accessory to your little black dress.
Can't you just see yourself wandering through the streets of Paris with your hot mystery man (or your husband)? And then when you reach the Eiffel Tower, its lights sparkling, he envelopes you in his arms kisses you fervently. Onlookers are amazed at the passion you two possess... but more amazed at the beautiful shoes bestowed upon your feet.
$198.00 at Piperlime.

Fetish Friday

2009-01-30T00:49:00.004-06:00

Pretty sweet for a little dude, right?

Puma Infants "Voltaic" - $48
see them here at Dillards.

evidence of a yummy day

2009-01-29T23:18:00.003-06:00

Fetish Friday

2009-01-23T07:00:00.000-06:00

There's a sale going on at Piperlime until Saturday. If you order a sale item, you can receive another 20% off the sale price using the code SALE at checkout.
Originally $110, Carlos by Carlos Santana's Conspire is on sale for $69, so you could get them for about $55... They come in blue or chocolate. I was immediately drawn to the chocolate, but I really like how the blue has blue in the platform, too. Aside from the colors, I dig the shape of the heel. You could totally rock these.

Old Age

2009-01-22T17:39:00.002-06:00

A friend of mine was saying that her parents always get excited for their favorite TV show to come on and say, "Oh, LA Law is on tonight," when in fact, LA Law is not on... some other show is. It's just habit from the 80's.

I've got the exact same problem. Every week I say how excited I am for Friends on Thursday night. When in fact, I really mean The Office. But I do miss those college days when we would all be home at 7:00 and gather around the TV to see if indeed Rachel and Ross were gonna hook up. Then I'd go swimming at the late hour of 7:30.

Now I watch The Office, put Lukie to bed then do something boring like clean. I guess I'm getting old...

The Snoogly

2009-01-17T22:21:00.002-06:00

Spike Fereston's response to the Snuggly...

Baby Jingles

2009-01-15T14:16:00.003-06:00

I got this little gem with the ads on Tuesday. I immediately noticed the fine craftsmanship and attention to detail. Too bad the banana doesn't come with Baby Jingles... for $30 I think they should throw in the banana. Just remember, Baby Jingles is not a toy, it's a fine collectors item.
If only Christmas were this month - I guess I can always hope for next year.

Cheesecake Goodness

2009-01-07T00:10:00.004-06:00

My mom and I made Barefoot Contessa's Mixed Berry Cheesecake on New Year's Eve for my sister, Carrie's, birthday. It was wonderful. We used half the lemon zest (and could have still used less). Instead of using all the berries on top, we used two packages of raspberries, mixed with the currant jelly. Then we had additional toppings available made from frozen berries. You could have your cheesecake nearly naked or fully dressed. Mmmmm.

Fetish Friday

2009-01-02T21:04:00.002-06:00

Happy New Year! Spring is right around the corner and these Via Spigas would look cute with anything from jeans to skirts. I really like the wood platform and the leather detail in front. Plus, you know how I love the peep toe.

They can be yours for $215.

Fetish Friday

2008-12-19T22:14:00.006-06:00

I saw these shoes last night at Dillards and that cherry red made me just want to eat them up. There are tiny sparkles in the leather that make my heart sing.
You could wear them with that Mrs. Claus outfit you have. Ho, ho, ho.
Gianni Bini "Celeste" on sale for $41.40. Reg $69.

2008-12-12T20:36:00.001-06:00

All my favorite colors come out right after the sun sets.

Hubbies, #3

2008-12-12T16:11:00.003-06:00

A little tip. Every girl loves to open something shiny on Christmas morning. Now don't get all ticked off... it's the truth. Most girls don't require that their shiny object come in a blue box from Tiffany 's. Honestly, we don't want you to break the bank for a stupid piece of jewelry we can't afford (and will wear only a couple times a month). Afterall, we like to eat too!
There's a gold mine of a store called Sam Moon in Dallas that sells knock offs of designer bags, wallets and luggage. But, they also have very affordable bling. This little peacock pin is $13.95, and it's in the higher price range. You can get cute stuff for $5-10! If you're feeling spendy, they also have stuff way up in the 30's.

Fetish Friday

2008-12-12T16:06:00.004-06:00

This little creature is a best seller at Piperlime. It a Marc by Marc Jacobs and some of you could really pull it off. How cute you would be in your jeans and creature shoes at the caroling party next weekend!
These are$215. Leather version with stitching available for $250.

Attn Hubbies! #2

2008-12-08T11:43:00.002-06:00

Cute dresses for your lady friends (and kids) at Mikarose. I'll take a black small in this one. Thanks.
I've also been asked to mention that girls really appreciate a good pedicure once in a while.... and jewels.

Fetish Friday

2008-12-05T07:00:00.000-06:00

I stumbled upon these treasures while I was looking on Overstock.com and couldn't resist them.
They are Squeakies and they actually have little squeakers in the heel, which are removable, but kids love them. Hey, maybe this way we could keep track of Lucas!
They are only $19 on Overstock. While you're at it, you should see some of the girl Squeakies!

Attn Hubbies!

2008-12-04T12:44:00.003-06:00

The other day I was teasing my friends' husbands saying I was going to list all the things they should buy us girls on my blog.
Well...I have a great (and inexpensive) Christmas gift idea if you want one more little thing under the tree for the wifey. Email me and I'll send you the link...

Cupcakes of Magical Goodness

2008-11-25T22:37:00.006-06:00

For Clay's birthday a few weeks ago Andrea made the awesome Oreo cake and I made the kiddie cupcakes. I wanted to make something similar to the old Hostess Cupcakes (but yummier). Plus, I had never filled a cupcake and wanted to try that, too. It was a success.
For the cake I used one of my Grandma's recipes. I filled the cupcakes with a mixture of marshmallow cream and whipped cream, and I frosted them with a chocolate ganache.
I made these last week with a cake mix and they weren't as awesome, but still good.

Cake:
Preheat oven to 350.
In a saucepan combine and heat to a low boil:
2 sticks butter
4T cocoa
1 1/2 cups buttermilk

Add to:
2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon soda

Then add:
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla

For the cake you bake it 25 mins at 350. I think I baked the cupcakes about 18 minutes.

Ganache (estimates):
3/4 cup cream*
8 oz chocolate (I used semisweet, but you could use milk or dark)
1 teaspoon corn syrup
1/2 - 1 Tablespoon butter

Put your chocolate, corn syrup, and butter in a bowl. Heat the cream until almost boiling and pour on chocolate. After a few minutes, stir to combine. It will be smooth and beautiful. Let it sit around for a while to thicken up. You could make this while the cupcakes are cooking and it should be good by the time you needed to frost them.
*I have used half and half, and even whole milk before... you know cream will taste better, though.

Filling:
Use about 1/2 cup of whipping cream to make 1 cup whipped cream. I didn't sweeten it at all. Add to about 1/2 a container of marshmallow cream and mix. You want about half whipped cream and half marshmallow cream. Put this mixture in a ziplock bag and cut the corner of the bag off to make a mock pastry bag.

When the cupcakes are cooled, cut little cones out of the top, much like carving a jack-o-lantern. Cut off the point of the cone, so you are left with a little cake lid. This will leave space for you to fill the cupcakes with cream. You can also dig a little more cupcake out if you want more cream. I did. Fill the cupcakes with the cream mixture and put the tops back on. Stick in the fridge for a while and it will help to cement the lid to the cream.

Ice the cupcakes with a knife. I tried dipping them and it didn't work.
If you want to make the white swirls on the top, mix 1/2 - 1 T milk with 1/2 cup powdered sugar. Get a good consistency - not too thin, and swirl away. You could use a decorators tip or just cut a tiny corner off a bag. The tip will look better, though.

If you have any left after a day you should store them in the fridge. If you're feeling a little naughty, put a cupcake in the microwave for exactly 8 seconds. The creamy center will melt a little and so will the ganache. When you bite in to the chocolaty goodness it will blow you away. You'll feel like you need to go confess you sins, but you don't. It's just a cupcake.

Preschool Musical

2008-11-23T16:20:00.003-06:00

I love how Sesame Street caters to parents, too. They have great spoofs on Law and Order and 30 Rock, but I love how they make fun of Highschool Musical here!

Here's a better quality version, but it's shorter.

Fetish Friday

2008-11-21T09:10:00.002-06:00

I know the economy is bad and money is tight right now. But, if you have a special event coming up these would really make a statement. Just zoom in and check out all the beautiful detail!
Manolo Blahnik's Putziba. $1,195 at Barney's.

Cute Cook

2008-11-19T15:58:00.005-06:00

How cute is this apron?
It beats my manly Central Market Grilling apron by a mile. There are a couple problems, though: It might be hard to cook in red heels, and something this cute requires cute shoes or at least a nice pedicure. Second, it's so cute, I might be afraid to cook in it.
$42 at Cupcake Swirl.

Snuggie

2008-11-18T13:59:00.004-06:00

Finally I got junk mail worth reading! Do you ever wrap yourself up in a blanket only to discover that you've lost your hands? Well, here's the answer you've been looking for! Never again will you be forced to watch crappy commercials because your remote is trapped under the blanket. Now you've got Snuggie! It's the blanket with sleeves!

Or you could just get a sweatshirt...

Fetish Friday

2008-11-14T07:00:00.000-06:00

The holiday season is upon us, which means you will probably have to attend at least one snazzy party. Perhaps Donora by Jessica Simpson will look cute with that hot little number you are wearing. They are currently on sale for $54 at Dillards.
Have a great time at the party!

going back to brown

2008-11-11T11:13:00.004-06:00

I'm going in tomorrow to get my hair colored. The plan is to get brown lowlights, so I can still keep some of the blonde. Then next time I will go all brown. The lady that made me blonde said I should go this route because it will hurt my heart to go from blonde to brown all the sudden. At first I thought she was crazy, but I have grown to love the blonde - just not the roots.

BUT, is this going to look stupid? Should I just go all brown?

Comments? Concerns?

Gear Grove

2008-11-10T10:15:00.003-06:00

Ben entered a contest with the Downtown Austin Alliance for bike rack designs on Congress Ave. Ben won and he will build his Gear Grove in front of the art museum. If you know where a guy can get hold of a bazillion bike gears let us know.
You can read about it here.

Fetish Friday

2008-11-07T07:00:00.002-06:00

Hi. I'd like to introduce you to my friend, Kicky. She's from Calvin Klein and she's made of beautiful dark brown leather, but she also comes in black suede.
It's hard for me to find a tall boot that I like, and I really like this one. The gathers on the front make for some nice detail and I also like the shape of the toe. The heel is a little thin, which will make it harder to walk in, but not too hard.
You could wear these Calvins with your other Calvins and cause quite a stir.
Kicky can be yours for $180.

Dear young people,

2008-10-31T13:58:00.003-05:00

Please for the love of all things holy learn to write, spell, and use proper grammar. No, you can't write a note or card to grandma like your texting. Yes, you do sound like an idiot when you write in slang. And for the record, when I text I use proper grammar.
I found this on the net today while researching conditioner for my dry locks:

Q: i used to use dove conditioner.....it dind't suit my hair.......so i shifted to sunsilk .....do dey hav alcohol in dem???

A: no.................it depends....just check out d ingredients!!!!
well using conditnrs l d tim is nt healthy fr ur hair.......so make use of some natural remedies.......u can refer 2 www.AskLaila.com
maybe dis cn help u out.........wishin u a healthy hair.......

Now that you are all less intelligent having read that, have a great day. I'm off to get d vacuum out and get dem dirts of d carpets. I do nt wan dirty carpets for my moms today.

Fetish Friday

2008-10-31T07:00:00.000-05:00

Happy Halloween!
I have been trying to accept the gladiator sandal. It's been hard, and I have never fully accepted but a few of them. But, now I can work my way up to the gladiator boot! There are various degrees of gladiator bootness, and this my friends is the extreme. It's by Givenchy and has been spotted on several celebrities. I thought it would make a good feature on Halloween. There's a lot going on here and it makes me feel a little claustrophobic - it's kind of like straitjacket for the leg. Don't even bother shopping for it, you can't afford it.

Fetish Friday

2008-10-24T07:00:00.000-05:00

I thought I would go with a man shoe today. I'm sure most of my faithful readers are men patiently waiting for a FF dedicated to them.
I found these colorful Sauconys on Amazon and I think they're way fun. They are only around $50.
If they are too bright for you, then check out these equally cute Sauconys at Piperlime.
It's jean season - time to pimp up your shoe collection, guys.

Wood Block Art

2008-10-23T14:10:00.005-05:00

A coworker of Ben's was selling wood blocks for a fundraiser for his old design school. The blocks were to be decorated, given back, and sold to the highest bidder. Ben bought a couple blocks. We decorated them using mod podge and various papers from Ben's paper sample drawer (and there is some Argentine money in there too). We had a fun time together and were quite happy with our finished products.
Can you guess whose is whose?

Done guessing? The butterfly belongs to Ben and the tree was mine. Ben's was much more tedious than mine, but we both spent several hours for a few nights. We don't know how much Ben's sold for. Mine sold for $60 after a bidding war between two people. Pretty good for a $10 block of wood, huh?

Cookies for Grandma

2008-10-23T14:03:00.005-05:00

When I was little my grandma would send us a box of jack-o-lantern cookies each Halloween. It was the highlight of my October because not only were they delicious cookies, but they looked awesome. AND they came in the mail addressed to me. Each Fall I remember those cookies so I thought this year I would return the favor and send some cookies to my grandma in Florida.
I don't know that they will arrive in one piece or still be yummy, but I hope she enjoys them. They aren't her recipe and they're not as big as hers were, but they're still orange.
I wanted to send them to all my nieces and nephews, but that task seemed a little expensive and difficult for now... sorry kiddos. Ask Grandma to make you some. Happy Halloween!

Yum Yum.

2008-10-21T15:42:00.004-05:00

I have a few yummy recipes to share. For my friends from the 505, you might know the corn cake at Gardunos. I love that stuff and finally found a recipe that is equally delicious. It's like a really moist, sweet corn bread. Sounds weird, but is uber-yummy.
The second recipe is for a homemade taco seasoning and I love it!
Enjoy!

Sweet Corn Cake (adapted from all recipes):
1/4 cup butter
1/3 cup masa harina (white flour will work, too)
1/4 cup water
1 1/2 cups frozen whole-kernal corn, thawed
1/4 cup cornmeal
1/3 cup sugar
2 T heavy cream (milk is fine, too)
1/4 t salt
1/2 t baking powder

In a medium bowl beat butter until it is creamy. Add the Mexican corn flour and water and beat until well mixed.
Using a food processor, process thawed corn, but leave chunky. Stir into the butter mixture.
In a separate bowl, mix cornmeal, sugar, cream, salt, and baking powder. Add to corn flour mixture and stir to combine. Pour batter into an ungreased 8x8 inch baking pan. Smooth batter and cover with aluminum foil. Place pan into a 9x13 inch baking dish that is filled a third of the way with water.
Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven F (175 degrees C) oven for 50 to 60 minutes. Allow to cool for 10 minutes. Use an ice cream scoop for easy removal from pan.

*I've used canned corn with success before. Also, I doubled the recipe recently and still cooked it in an 8x8. It just needed to cook about 10 minutes longer. The original recipe called for twice as much butter, but I really like it this way.

Taco Seasoning
1 T chili powder
1/4 t garlic powder
1/4 t crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 t dried oregano
1/2 t paprika
1 1/2 t cumin
1 t sea salt
1 t pepper

Headshots

2008-10-18T20:26:00.008-05:00

I had some headshots taken today by Jeffrey Buras. I wanted to get some done while I'm still blonde. I fear I only have a couple more weeks before my roots become too noticable and I'll have to start going back to brown. I've gotten used to the blonde and I actually like it now. The cut still bugs me once in a while, but I like it for the most part.

a b

c d

e f

Do you have a favorite?

Fetish Friday

2008-10-17T10:52:00.004-05:00

Grrrrr.
Enough said.
Gianni Bini "Tasti"
Adopt her for $98. She also comes in Black with white trim and a red strap. Equally cute, but not as rambunctious.
I can't stop staring...

Girls Night

2008-10-15T13:49:00.003-05:00

Ben always has parties when I leave town to celebrate his temporary bachelorhood. They usually involve hours upon hours of video games and a potato chip here and there.
Ben's going to Dallas for a photo shoot tomorrow, so I think I should have a girls night at my house. We can make cookie dough, paint our toenails, watch Moulin Rouge, and end the night with a pillow fight!
Or... I could just watch The Office, put Lukie to bed, and play on the internet. Hopefully there won't be any scary noises when I'm home alone!

Mom Jeans

2008-10-15T13:04:00.001-05:00

Brenna sent me this. I've already got my order in!

Sleep

2008-10-14T07:13:00.003-05:00

Some day I would like to get this clock for Lucas. It has the option to glow yellow at night and turn green when the kid is allowed to get out of bed. Hopefully Lucas will be disciplined enough for something like that...

Naughty Craigslist Usage

2008-10-13T08:34:00.004-05:00

I saw a post on craigslist last night for a female photography student in need of a blonde model with blue eyes. She did specify that the model could not be taller than 5'8" and had to be over 21 b/c the shoot would be in a bar.
She said she would pay $70 for a couple of hours. Even though I'm taller than 5'8", it's only a half inch, so I decided to try. I emailed the girl and heard back from her this morning.
Turns out she was just looking for a blonde, blue eyed girl so she could buy her ID from her, not do a photo shoot. Lame.

Seriously?

2008-10-12T22:56:00.003-05:00

Seriously, J Crew? Really - you want us to wear this? Seriously? It's 2008, not 1985. Seriously.

UPDATE: I was watching The Cosby Show last night (aka best show ever). It was the one where Theo goes to prom with all his friends. Adam Sandler was one of his friends, and his date was wearing this exact same dress, but in pink.

Fetish Friday

2008-10-10T07:00:00.003-05:00

Apparently I'm getting old. This season I'm having a really hard time finding shoes I love. It was so easy in the summer time when almost everything was cute (except for the gladiator sandals). Now it's boot season, and I love boots. I'm just having a hard time with the shooties, booties, and moccasins. Good thing I live in Austin now and don't really need boots!
I did find some high boots I like. They have a cute heel - a 3 inch wedge. They are called Harley by Corso Como and can find a place in your closet for $295.

First Cold Shower

2008-10-07T21:58:00.003-05:00

Today was my first time washing my new hair all by myself (in a cold shower). I think I did a pretty good job. I bought all the products at Sally's yesterday, so today I did my four steps, followed by towel drying, blow drying and flat ironing. I think I did a decent job for my first time. It sure takes more time than the old wrap it in a bun and go technique. Ben and I both liked my hair more today... I think the blond is growing on us.

We went to a Neighborhood Night Out event at the pool tonight. As we were walking up holding hands a few people were staring intensely at us while gossiping about what a two timing jerk Ben was until they saw that it was me and not some skank who stole my son and husband.

(They weren't really saying such mean things about Ben, but they did wonder why he was holding hands with who was most likely my sister... gross!)

So long...

2008-10-05T20:34:00.012-05:00

...to my lovely golden locks of yesterday. I ended up getting selected for a hair show this weekend. I went to the model call Friday night for Wella and made plans to get Beckhamed on Saturday morning. I was also planning on a "halo effect" for my color - blond at the roots, fading to brown, then to red. Interesting, but worth the cash, right?

Saturday morning the "artist" informed me that he wanted to accentuate my blue eyes more - aka go platinum blond. The cut wasn't as short as we had planned, but I was kind of excited to be Posh Spice. THEN he informed me that there would be traces of pink in my hair also, but it would wash out over 6-8 weeks. I reluctantly agreed as all the hair people assured me that I could totally pull off being a blond. They showed me the picture and I wasn't too impressed so I tried to talk them into another 'do, which kind of worked, but I still got stuck with the bangs.

My day began with the cut... about 6 or 7 inches. Then the bleaching, which took forEVER, then the dying, to get the yellow out. The colorist, Cecelia, was from El Paso and she was awesome. I'm so glad she was there to get everything right! She even convinced my "artist" to go with other blond colors instead of the pink, so that was great!

Today I woke up after another semi-sleepless night, cried a little about my crazy hair, and then made blueberry muffins to eat with the boys. When I got to the convention center they put the new colors in my hair and it looked much better. I wore a cool BCBG dress along with too much makeup, and did a good job at the show. Basically you stand on a stage with the hair dresser and they tell the audience what they did with your hair, all the while convincing the people to buy the product. It was pretty fun.

By the way, I really do like the Wella products - my hair is not fried or dry like straw. Their bleaching product was great - no singing eyes or skin like normal. And the other dyes (that go dark) aren't bad for your hair at all.

Here are the pictures:

Before

After Day 1

after the show w/more colors and disgusting makeup

after a long day, side-swept bangs.

I still don't know what I think. It will be fun to be blond for a while. People at the show really liked it, but I'm just not this cool. The cut is so trendy and the bangs are extreme. I think I will try to do the side-swept thing as they grow more. Then, when I start getting roots, I will do some dark lowlights and eventually get back to my brown self. And no, Ben is not a fan, but he's not being a jerk about it.

Things I learned:
*It's bad to shower in hot water - makes your hair and skin dry. From now on I have to wash my hair in cold water.
*Don't let your stylist put you under the dryer when they color your hair - it makes it work faster, but damages your hair. My hair took all day and would have cost about $350 in a salon due to the time/technique.
*Your hair dresser is supposed to be weighing the products they use to dye your hair so they get the right ratio. Most just eyeball it.
*Hair is in bad shape after three years and needs to be cut - the reason some people's long hair looks so drab and yucky. After it gets cut it will grow faster because it won't break off all the time.
*If you're going to model for a hair show, be ready for anything.

Baby Shower goodies

2008-09-22T08:56:00.003-05:00

Megan and Jeff are due with twins in November, but won't make it that long. Megan is on bed rest in the hospital for now until they come - hopefully not for several more weeks. She's handling it like a champ and is in a much better mood than I would think possible. Go Megan!
Saturday we had a baby shower at the hospital. Due to Megan's persistent asking and a few tears, she was allowed to get out of bed, put on real clothes, and be wheeled down to the dining hall for a good old fashioned baby shower. We had great food, a "guess the birth date" contest, and a really cute pregnant girl and her hubby her company.
Jeana and I made a diaper cake, which served as hospital decor, and several people made the yummy treats for the big event. I made these cookies:

My mom gave me the recipe that she found in a magazine. They are like sugar cookies, made with brown sugar, and the frosting is made with browned butter.

2 1/2 cups flour
1 t soda
1/2 t salt
1/2 t powder
1 cup sour cream
1 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup shortening (you could use part butter, too)
2 eggs
1 1/2 t vanilla
2/3 cup walnuts, chopped

Combine dry ingredients.
Whip shortening and brown sugar until fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla.
Add alternately, dry ingredients & sour cream. Add walnuts.
I put mine in the refrigerator for a while to get cold.
Bake at 375 for 10 - 12 minutes.

Browned Butter Frosting:
3 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 stick butter
1 t vanilla

Melt butter, stir with a wooden spoon. Once it browns a little, add to powdered sugar. Add vanilla. I used an electric mixer and had to add some milk to get the right consistency. I might have let my butter cook too long.
You could make another half of the recipe so each cookie gets a good amount of frosting.

Fetish Friday

2008-09-20T08:02:00.005-05:00

I like wearing cute flats with jeans, and today I wanted to find an affordable shoe we could all wear. I remembered some really cute red shoes Jamie got from Payless. I don't think these are the exact ones, but they are cute none the less.
They are the American Eagle Cherish Mary Jane Flat. A lot of name for a little price.

Treats

2008-09-16T14:32:00.010-05:00

We had a Senior Social last week for a youth activity at church. It wasn't seniors in high school, it was seniors in citizenship. The kids sat at tables with the seniors and we all shared stories and talents.
I made some sugar cookies to have for party favors. I wanted to play around with the frosting I used for the hippo cake. It was a pain in the butt, but after three hours of frosting, they ended up looking really cute. I think the more fattening fluffy frosting tastes better, but wouldn't have been nearly as cute.
I made 41 cookies total, using two different recipes. Ben really wanted a cookie and was whining and whining. Finally I made him his own very "special" cookie using scraps. In the end I left him one in his car with a nice note. He ate it on the way to work. Here is a shot of the trail of cookies as well as the finished party favor.

I was also in charge of flowers. I wanted to do something with underwater flowers that I had seen online. It was kind of a pain and I was working with limited materials. I ended up with this:

Orchids would have looked really cool, but I didn't have the budget for orchids, plus Costco doesn't carry orchids.

Fetish Friday

2008-09-12T14:27:00.004-05:00

It's so bittersweet to see the end of Summer. I don't like bidding farewell to the pool, the barbecues, the warm summer nights, the freedom of being out of school. I also don't like to say goodbye to the flip flops, peep toes, and sandals, which bear our beautifully bronzed toes.
But, time passes, and before you know it, you put those sandals, shorts, and swim suites away in the closet. And you pull on those tight curvy jeans, long sleeve shirts, and drag out the boots - or if you have really bad taste, the moccasins.
Perhaps it's because I am from the great Southwest or because I actually have good taste, or maybe I'm just a jerk, but for whatever reason I hate moccasins. I hate them with every inch of my being. I am sad to see them listed on the Fall Trends page at Piperlime. There are lots of them. Some are tall, some are short, some with heels, some are flat. But all have fringe and some have layers and layers of fringe.
These moccasins are by Minnetonka Moccasin and can be your's for only $80. The best part is that they come with a beaded tassel that you can interchange with the feather. How awesome is that? They might as well stick a dream catcher somewhere in there, too. Ugh..
Just remember when you are shopping - if you pick a pair of these up, repeat the word "moccasin" to yourself. You will hear the word "sin" and then remember not to buy them. Please don't ever let me a) purchase a pair of skinny jeans and/or b) buy moccasins to wear with my skinny jeans. Although, if I did I could go to Sundance this year...

Can you spare a vote?

2008-09-10T09:01:00.004-05:00

Ben's been working on these four shirts for a long time. He wanted to get them all up so you can vote at the same time. They are at Threadless and if he wins and one gets printed he will get paid and some free shirts. It's a win-win: we can afford real fruits and veggies for Lucas instead of just fruit snacks AND Ben can wear something besides free Whataburger shirts he gets from the closet at his office!
It's easy to sign up for an account to vote, so go ahead and get busy. We really appreciate it!

By the way, the best score is a 5, and if you say that you would buy the shirt (the "$"), it is supposed to help scoring. If you don't like them, you don't have to vote. Thanks!

Product Review - Special K Bars

2008-09-09T21:43:00.004-05:00

I bought these Special K bars the other day to have around the house for snacks. I let Lucas gnaw on one during church on Sunday and I could smell it from a couple feet away... smelled like some sort of sweet candy/poison. But he chewed on it for a while.
Today I actually took a bite of one that was left out on the counter (I assumed from one I gave Lucas yesterday). You wouldn't believe it, but these peach and berry bars actually don't taste a thing like peaches or berries, but they do taste remarkably like poison.
Poor Lucas was probably confused that I kept giving him poison for snack because he's usually not allowed to play in the poison cupboard.
It turns out the one I took a bite of today was one that Ben tried this morning and couldn't stomach. We decided that the nasty flavor is probably from aspartame, which is basically like poison. Great. Now we're all going to get brain tumors.
If you want to try an absolutely fantastic granola bar, try Kashi's Cherry Dark Chocolate bars. I love them AND they're good for you - no poison .

Hippo Cake

2008-09-02T22:42:00.008-05:00

So, here are the details for Lucas's hippo cake. It was supposed to look like the hippo from Polar Bear, Polar Bear, What Do You Hear?
I wanted to copy the idea from this other cake, where the lady made a giraffe out of royal icing. Instead of real royal icing (with egg whites), I used another recipe just using powdered sugar, corn syrup, and milk. It was way easy and tastes good, too.
I put a picture of the hippo on a cookie sheet with wax paper over that so I could trace the hippo. It worked out really well. I liked this idea because I knew I could make as many hippos as I needed instead of just one if I did it right on the cake.
My first hippo was too big, but looked pretty good. I originally considered him a practice hippo. When I decided to make a round cake instead of a 9x13 cake, I knew I had to try again. My second hippo was even better, but this was the day before the party, so I knew I was risking it not drying enough. FYI - to get the colors looking so varied, I actually mixed blue food coloring with some almond extract (mostly alcohol) and "painted" chunks of blue with my fingers.

I went on my merry little way and made my marshmallow fondant and my coconut cake. When I finally decided to transfer the hippo, it broke and broke and broke. Finally I decided to keep it on the wax paper and tear the paper around the edges. This worked, but I still had to basically do the hippo all over on top of the cute hippo. Luckily I had saved all my icing from the night before.
It didn't turn out as cute as the other hippos, but it still looked good.
I added color to some of my white fondant and made a little fondant braid to go around the bottom of the cake. It looked really cute and I was pleased.
Most importantly, Lucas loved the cake. Friday afternoon I had to keep him from trying to play with the cake or stick a spoon in it. He actually got a spoon out of the drawer and brought it over - hence the dent in the fondant.
Here are some pictures of the process:

First rolling out the fondant.

Then draping the fondant over the cake and trimming it around the edges.

And finally the finished product vs. the original:

Fetish Friday

2008-08-29T23:53:00.004-05:00

These are Ellie's teeny tiny feet. She came along with her parents, Wendy and Blair, to Lucas's birthday party tonight. We all fell in love with these cute shoes. Sadly, there wasn't a brand printed on them. Good luck finding a pair of your own.

Your Vote Counts

2008-08-28T10:15:00.002-05:00

Ben has this shirt up at a new website he's trying called uneetee.
Go check it out and vote for his shirt if you like it.
Thanks!

big pimpin'

2008-08-24T22:12:00.003-05:00

This is how I rolled home from church today:

Ben took the bumper of the car to use as an object lesson for sharing time today. Then after church he volunteered to switch cars so he could take Lucas home while I took care of YW stuff. As I walked to the parking lot I was greeted by this ugly car with an overbite and a tumor. Utterly embarrassed, I climbed into the driver's seat and weaved my way out of the parking lot stopping several times to explain myself. Driving home I got several stares of wonderment, but I just smacked my gum and pretended everything was normal.
It's always more embarrassing driving a car with damage to the front of the car because they people assume your the idiot who was tailgating. But in reality, I had nothing to do with the accident. Ben was stopped at a stop sign for crying out loud. The other girl was the one who didn't turn the corner in her land and knocked the bumper off.

Fetish Friday

2008-08-22T17:46:00.003-05:00

I try to squeeze every last bit of fun out of summer while I can, which is why I chose this very summery shoe today (school starts next week in Austin). This is Breeze by Bettye Muller. She's on sale from $395 to $150, which is always exciting. If you have a hot little red party dress, this shoe would love to accompany you to your next function. You could put a red flower in your hair to make the look complete. Ahhh.... Summer.

Fetish Friday

2008-08-15T08:48:00.004-05:00

Sometimes on F.F. I just need a good laugh. I saw this Steve Madden and immediately thought of Cosby sweaters. You could get this shoe for $99, order a Cosby sweater for $375 and you would be set. Maybe you could hang out in Pee Wees Playhouse or something because I can't think of anywhere else this would be acceptable.

Bye Bye Beardie

2008-08-15T08:41:00.000-05:00

When Lucas and I came home from Albuquerque we were greeted at the airport by a hairy form of Ben. I don't know if Lucas recognized him right away or not. Ben hadn't shaved the whole time we were gone, which was fun for him. And I guess his coworkers liked his new facial 'do, but his coworkers are... different - you know, austin artsy type (come to think of it, I think 3 other graphic designers have beards).
We agreed (which apparently means I told him) that he would shave it off before our weekend at the beach. Ben wanted to keep it for our vacation, but I prefer to have a kissably soft husband for vacation. It was ok for a few days while he was working since I only saw him for probably 4 hours this week, but for 4 days together, I wanted my Ben back.
Last night before Ben and Lucas got in the shower Ben reluctantly started the shaving process. I remembered that both my parents had requested a picture of the beard, so here's it is after one stripe shaved down the middle.
While Ben was shaving, I was printing maps for our trip to Port Aransas. Every few minutes he would come in and show me his progress - like the horseshoe mustache, then the porn star mustache, which was revolting, eventually he was back to Ben and I was happy again.

Guys, you have to learn that girls do not like facial hair. Has Santa or Castro ever been sexy? No. Even if facial hair looks good (George Clooney), it's not fun to kiss. You can't get a good seal and it scratches your face. Smooth is good. A nice manicured scruff (just a few days worth) is hot - even though it scratches our faces - but it has to be manicured - no cheek scruff.

Ben can grow a beard whenever he wants, as long as I'm not in town and as long as he doesn't have any important meetings. Sorry for being a meanie.

Trash the Dress

2008-08-12T15:14:00.005-05:00

When I got home last night from my trip, the CD with the rest of the pictures taken at Memory Lane were in my mail box. If you feel like ruining your wedding dress or taking some other fun pictures, call Val and Bryan from Lightwave Foto.

*LINK TO DRESS PICTURES*

chocolate takes the cake!

2008-08-11T15:02:00.007-05:00

My mom and I made two really good cakes last week. I'll look extra shapely in my swimsuit next weekend because of them...

The first was a chocolate cake with mint filling and ganache frosting. I wanted to make it for my nephew, Aaron, who thought my chocolate mint brownies were the "best he's ever had!" He said this cake could be his birthday cake this year.

We wanted to play around with the ganache again, so for our next cake we got a bit fancier. We were going to just do chocolate cake, raspberry jam filling, and ganache frosting.

Instead, for the filling I put layers of rasberry jam, ganache, whipped cream, then whole raspberries.

The outside of the cake was inspired by Jenna Bush's wedding cake. I put a thin layer of ganache on, then stripes of thicker ganache. For the top we poured the ganache over the cake so it would drip over the stripes.

It was wonderful and tasted like something from a bakery. It was an expensive cake, but a keeper for sure!

You aren't really supposed to refrigerate ganache - it doesn't look as pretty and it gets harder, but this cake had to stay in the refrigerator due to the whipped cream. I think next time we would wait to pour the top ganache on until about 30 minutes before serving, then it would stay shiney and gooey.