Fairy Party!

Before school started I had my niece, Adreanna, her friend, Reilly, and my friend Olivia, over for a fairy party. We made fairy crafts, searched for fairy notes and treasures and ate fairy food of course! It was cold and rainy outside (I was so bummed) so it was inside but we all still had fun. The girls all had on their fairy wings when they arrived but mine were the only ones that stayed on through the whole party. I have since gotten a new pair (they are gorgeous!) that I will post about later. Shine some light on an etsy artist!

The invitation... This is a matchbook style card. The toadstool mushroom and the itty bitty fairy both have glitter embellishment.

Adreanna made all sorts of posters for the fairy party throughout the summer. This one is my favorite- of course- because of the stars.

The hostess. :) I didn't get as many pictures throughout the day as I would have liked. Especially since I am taking this picture of myself!

The magic star wands the fairies left for the girls during their scavenger hunt. The fairies are always stealing my supplies- they have a field day in my studio. It is always a mess after they leave too. I need the clean up fairies to come with the crafty fairies. ;)

These signs hung on the back of the girls chairs. I made them with double sided sticky letters that you pour glitter on and fairy stickers. Not too hard...

The banister was decorated with all different sized tissue paper flowers that Adreanna and I made other times she visited during the summer.

The toadstool cupcakes that I made. Nothing fancy- box cake mix and canned frosting tinted pink. To make the spots I used white chocolate chips. The fairies added some pink sparkles into the cake and fairy dust to the top before they were served.

The girls making petal fairies. I wish I would have taken a picture of all the finished fairies... Boo! They also made fairy boxes. We didn't get to the fairy ornaments. Bummer!

The girls saw the camera coming this time... being goofy!

Adreanna and Reilly loaded with all their fairy goodness!

Book Review: Immoral by Brian Freeman

So I finally read the first one after I read the third one (Stalked) in the Jonny Stride/Serena Dial series. It was good. As with Stalked, I knew who was involved as soon as the character was introduced but didn't know how. There were a few curve balls thrown in there as well. All in all I thought it was pretty good and I look forward to reading the second book, Stripped, as well as the fourth book that's name is escaping me right now (Brian is a FB friend and he keeps posting about his books being published in other countries under different names and he is writing the 6th book but I don't know what happened to the 5th??? Brian- you are confusing me!). That is if I can ever keep my eyes open during The Likeness long enough to finish it! It is really good but I just keep falling asleep!

How do you like the new look?

New template called Hip Chick from LeeLou Blog Designs. What do you think? Best thing about it? Free. Awesome. Worst thing about doing a new template? You have to re-enter sidebar links and what not. Pain in the arse.

Fall Line-up- Coming soon to a TV near you!

So I have said it once and I will say it again (several times), I WATCH WAY TOO MUCH TV!! I don't know if I should be ashamed of that or not... My favorite time of the year is fall because what's on? New TV shows! Love it! So there are my old favorites starting up again but here are the new shows that I am looking forward to as well.

So You Think You Can Dance (Tues & Wed on Fox) is one of my top 5 favorite shows but it is usually on only in the summer. This year? Fall as well. I won't be doing reviews of this season like I did last because I don't think anyone cares what I think of my beloved SYTYCD! Haha!

Vampire Diaries. Cheesy, I know. It's received great buzz though and I love, love, love True Blood. Vamps are trendy might as well capitalize on it!

Modern Family (Wed ABC). Adoptive Families magazine even gave this one a thumbs up probably because it puts adoption in the spotlight in a positive way. Again, it's generating some major buzz.

Glee (Wed Fox). Did you watch the pilot for this in May? It was great! Left me wanting more. Quirky and fun and Jane Lynch is the mean cheerleading coach- even better!

FlashForward (Thurs ABC). This one seems very intriguing. Lost-ish. Good, good indeed!

Cougar Town (Wed ABC). I don't know. I thought I'd give it a whirl. It's another one getting good buzz.

Community (Thurs NBC). This one seems quirky funny. I like quirky.

(All photos from tvguide.com except for SYTYCD which is from Fox.com)

I am going to give the new Melrose Place a shot. I gave 90210 a chance- it is awful. The acting is the worst. But I liked the originals of both back in the day. (Remember that episode of Seinfeld where Jerry starts dating a cop and she gives him a lie detector test because he said he didn't watch Melrose but she didn't believe him? He totally did and cracked under the pressure of the test and spouted off everything about Sydney and Michael and Co.- that was funny!) My old favorites returning are Dancing with the Stars, Castle (a fun murder mystery show), How I Met Your Mother (one of the funniest on TV), Gossip Girl, Greek (I love it!! Starts on Mon!!), New Adventures of Old Christine (I like her 'TMI' moments- she says things that actually happen in real life but no one ever talks about), Grey's Anatomy (getting a little bored with it), Bones, The Office (I laugh out loud), 30 Rock (I used to not like this show when it first came on and then I gave it another try and I was hooked. Smart funny.), Psych (Steve tried hard NOT to like this funny under the radar show but he thought it was good. James Roday and his quick wit crack me up!), Desperate Housewives (Again, a little bored, yet still watch it), Brothers & Sisters (let the fighting continue!) and of course, Dexter (one of the best on TV today- deliciously wicked). Yes, my DVR will be full most of the time and the internet will be on overdrive at our house. I don't care, I like it!

I read TV Guide cover to cover. My fall doesn't seemed as booked up as it was in previous years. A bunch of the shows I watch are coming back midseason. That is probably a good thing.

Museum Fairy and Gnome Program

In early August I did a fairy and gnome program for 5-9 year olds at The Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum. The Woodson is a premiere art museum specializing in bird art. Artists from all over the world strive to become a part of their annual (runs from mid-Sept thru mid-Nov) art exhibit, Birds in Art. For an artist that does anything that has to do with birds- this is THE museum to be in. It is a 1931 English Tudor period Cotswold-style home that is so beautiful. What is even cooler about it is that on the grounds there is a beautiful sculpture garden. It is a gorgeous spot for reflection and natural eye candy! This was the setting for the program!

The view to the entrance of the museum and the Terrace Garden from the entrance to the Formal Garden.

The Woodland Pond just down the slope from the Terrace Garden and the sculpture Mountain Fishing (that mountain lion lurking near the pond...). The water nymphs left some sea glass treasures for the kids to find on the scavenger hunt here at the pond.

The gnomes... Made from Sculpey.

The gnomes and toadstools in an orchid plant's pot. They're cute, aren't they?

The gnomes were hiding by the Terrace Garden wall.

A fairy ring of toadstools by a trio of birch trees. This was the sight of the fairies' midnight ball the night before.

A fairy made from wire, beads and some paper flower petals.

A number of the petal fairies.

The fairies were hiding in the Secret Garden. Can you find two of them? There is a cool rock waterfall in the Secret Garden as well as the sculpture Two Herons in the middle of the small pool of water.

Tissue paper flowers were hiding in the middle of three large pine trees. The kids found them and some of them gave them to their moms. How sweet is that? There was a ring of stones by a clump of trees where the fairies and gnomes had a meeting that morning. The fairies make a special candy, Pixie Stix, that were found by The Heavyweight, a bronze sculpture of a very large hippo. The Formal Garden had shiny gems that the gnomes are very protective of but were willing to pass out a few for the kids and the tree line at the edge of the garden had Carmelitos, a very rarely seen creature that are friends with the gnomes. If found by humans they are edible if their clear, crinkly skin is peeled back.

We made fairy and gnome bookmarks after the scavenger hunt.

As well as fairy and gnome puppets.

The kids were really great. Our limit was 15 but there was a waiting list of about 10-15 and then there were a bunch of other calls from people trying to register for it! A very successful program indeed!! I look forward to working on another program in the spring (dogs are the theme) possibly with Jayna and Erin at the museum!

A funny side note: I think this is my first post about fairies... There should have been more by now since it is an obsession of mine... :)

Book Review: In the Woods by Tana French

This book was so good! The characters were very well developed and interesting. It is set in Ireland and it is a detective story. This book won the Edgar Award and it was worthy of it. I was bummed at the ending but I heard through the grapevine that the issue will be revisited in her 3rd book. I am reading her follow-up The Likeness now and it's gonna be another good one!!

Love you!

I am pretty excited... my little one very recently learned 'Love you!' and my heart melts just about every time he says it!

Vegas Baby!

Can't believe I haven't posted about Vegas yet! Actually I can believe it since I haven't had any real time to do it. My 'TO-DO' list has been drastically shortened now. Aaaaaahhhh! I love it! Everything is done for the most part! Now onto Vegas!

On Thursday night we ate at Diablo's which was good but WAY too loud! Maybe I am getting old... Oh wait I am old enough that I don't like too much noise- it makes my ears hurt. Anyway, I ordered the Frida Kahlo Margarita and although it is a featured cocktail and said to be sweet & fruity all I could taste was tequila. It had fresh raspberries and blackberries and lime and ginger ale, sounds good right? Blech! I should have had a blended strawberry marg instead.

On Friday I headed over to the spa at Bellagio. The spa was great but I liked the spa at American Club in Kohler better (the next one for me to try is Sundara in WI Dells). It was just more cozy and relaxing at AC. It was definitely more business-like at Bellagio. I had a massage, Vichy rain treatment and a hydrotherapy treatment. I met back up with my hubby at Paris' Mon Ami Gabi which was delish (2nd fave meal)! I had chicken and Gruyere crepes. The french bread was (of course) fantastic! Could have eaten that all day... Dinner was at Noodles in the Bellagio. Casual (overpriced) Chinese food. It was really good but I liked Steve's dish better than mine. He had a spicy noodle dish that was fantastic. I can't remember what I had. Maybe it was Hor Fun... We both got a chuckle out of that! :) After dinner we went back to Paris to The Eiffel Tower Restaurant for dessert and wine. I had a chocolate souffle that I thought would be better. I don't think I have ever had souffle before and I have always wanted to make one. I'm not sure what is stopping me (besides the fact that it is really hard for me to finish many desserts)... Anyhoo, I thought it was going to taste better then it did.

On Saturday we ate in a little bakery in the Paris for breakfast and the raspberry filled pastry that I had was SO good!! I wanted to stop there on Sat nite after dinner to pick up something for breakfast before we flew out (early flight) but by the time we got back it was just closing! :( I was bummed to say the least. For lunch we headed over to Mandalay Bay to eat at Border Grill. It was very good (3rd fave meal) and I had the Chicken Chipolte Enchiladas and Suprema Sangria and Steve had the Poblano Quesadilla. The chips and salsas were fab here as was the service. Saturday night we went to Canaletto in the Venetian and all I can say is YUM! It was fantastic. Another great waiter and service. We started with Formaggi dal Veneto (cheese plate) and had house salads (which were plenty big- we would have been fine to stop after that but that's no fun at all!). Steve had the Margherita Pizza and I had a Chicken Asparagus Risotto. Both were super yummy!! We sat out in 'Piazza San Marco' and there was a gelato/sorbet stand just outside the restaurant that we hit up for dessert. Coconut sorbet and cinnamon gelato for me and raspberry sorbet for Steve.

This is not our first time to Vegas so we have already done a bunch of what it has to offer. We sat by the pool both Friday and Saturday afternoon and since it was cloudy and we found a spot in the shade we didn't bake to death in the 107 degree heat. Our feet were tired from walking the Strip. We both won but we didn't risk or gamble much. We came away with an extra $100. We both won at blackjack and baseball. Lost money in the slots, but who doesn't? We went to Coney Island in NY,NY and played against each other in the basketball shooting game- the first time Steve won, the second time we tied. Hehe! We went on the roller coaster (at $14 each- what a freakin' rip off!!) and had bruises on our shoulders and shins from the harnesses. We saw a hooker on the Strip at 6 am... You know the usual when you go to Vegas!

I think it'll be a few years before we go back. The restaurants can't be beat there so if you are a lover of food (which we are- every trip is planned around food) it is the place to be but we like to explore places and we have much more exploring to do elsewhere!

SYTYCD is over now... for a month

So I don't have to wait too long to watch one of my favorite shows! Only a month! I will do a quick recap of my fave moments during Week 8 & 9.

Week 8:
I loved the routine with the 3 boys. It showed their strength and athleticism. I loved Jeanine's dress for the samba she did with Ade but I didn't like the dance. Melissa & Evan's Broadway piece was cute. I loved both of Kayla & Brandon's routines especially the contemporary dance (the other was disco). Brandon had a one armed pull that was amazing where he pulled Kayla onto him- I'm not sure how he does that... He is also always so in sync with his partner. And then he did his tryout solo- AWESOME! It is just phenomenal! Melissa & Ade ended up leaving...

Week 9: The Season Finale!
The football skit by Wade with the 4 of them was totally cute. I liked Evan & Jeanine's routine to Heartbreaker by Sonja. Evan jumped on Jeanine's back and that was very interesting touch. Brandon & Kayla's Bye Bye Love Broadway number from Tyce was AWESOME! I really liked the circle turn thing- so cool! Jeanine's solo was fantabulous!!! When she did the pirouette that stopped it was so good. I knew she was going to win at that moment. Brandon & Jeanine's Paso Doble was super intense- they were made to dance that dance. This style suits them well. I liked both Nasty with the 2 boys and the skirt routine with the girls. Thursday night's result show was packed with previous routines from the whole season. Always fun! I wanted Brandon to win but knew Jeanine was going to. Brandon was GREAT in every one of his routines throughout the season and Jeanine is much more SYTYCD. Nigel is a pervert.

I have to say though that I was disappointed that Brandon didn't get anything. Katee did last year because she was the #1 girl even though she came in 3rd place. Twitch should have gotten that money because he came in 2nd. So what's up? Why didn't Brandon get a well deserved prize? That show is making enough dinero to ante up!

So while in Vegas I saw these totally cute aprons by Kaydee Designs that I think I am just have to break down and buy... The one that I really want (top picture) has a herringbone black and white print on the bottom and a pink bow and straps and says 'Domestic Diva' on it because, face it, that's what I am! (Not really!) It is just too darn cute not to buy!

SYTYCD Weeks 5, 6 & 7

I still can't believe how good SYTYCD has been this summer. The couples are just fantastic. So week 5 had Ade & Melissa in the bottom! After their great disco and waltz!! I was disappointed to see that but neither went home so it was ok. Ade's 'dance for your life' solo was phenomenal! So I was happy to see that. He just always looks so joyful when he is dancing. He has a gorgeous smile that just lights up the room. And the Seven Nation Army (by The White Stripes) group piece was pretty good. Caitlin and Phillip ended up leaving. BUT they still get to go on tour with the Top 10 which I thought was a nice enough prize as long as Caitlin & Jason don't end up doing that stupid alien dance. I did see the end of the show while we were in Vegas since we were in pretty early because of the time difference so I knew who went home.

Week 6:
The Top 10! New Partners! I have said that my favorite partners were Melissa & Ade and Brandon & Janette from the beginning... well tonight they just ended up switching! I still get my fave 4 together! The 5 girls started the night with a Bollywood dance that was fantastic. I am really digging the fact that they have brought Bollywood onto the show. Kayla & Evan did a respectable Vienesse waltz despite their height difference. Well, Evan wore heels and Kayla was barefoot (with a jewelled strap top thing that made it look like she had shoes on). I really did think it was beautiful. Evan makes lifts look effortless even though he is short and doesn't seem to be super muscular but I guess he's strong. Brandon's solo was fabulous! He had the best solo of the evening. Ade & Janette did a super cool and funky hip hop number. That was my second favorite of the night. Both of them just look great no matter what style they are doing. Jason & Jeanine were next with my favorite number of the night choreographed by Travis from Season 2. It was a contemporary piece to If It Kills Me by Jason Mraz and man, oh man, it was SO passionate and so believable that I wondered if they had a relationship off stage (which I don't think they have time for...). Kupono & Randi's Paso Doble was awful. I didn't like it one bit. And as a result they went home on Thursday. Melissa and Brandon's Aquarius piece was great. Brandon is so strong and athletic that it just astounds me. At one point he did a move that was a forward roll into a standing straddle on the balls of his feet that I had to watch over and over because it was amazing. The boys did an African dance that was high energy and exhausting to watch! It was fantastic! On Thursday they did a group Asian fusion number that was good. That's it for week 6!

Week 7:
Ellen was a guest judge tonight and was adorable as ever! I love her. She's funny. They opened the show with the glowing contemporary fusion group dance choreographed by Season 2's Travis. Great! I was digging the glowy things they were wearing!! Evan & Janette were up first and did a jazz piece that was fun. They followed up with a rhumba that was ok except for the 'thread the needle' move that was really cool. Janette is a firecracker. Nigel said something dumb about Evan's eyelids being heavy which I believe made the audience rally back and vote for him. He should have gone home on Thursday but he didn't and he wasn't even in the bottom 2! Nigel, FYI, you can't change your freaking eyelids so don't rag on Evan's- they had NOTHING to do with the dance! He's not 'sexy' and you can't change that either. He's got a fan base regardless. But Janette, even though she was excellent in both dances (Evan brought her down...) ended up going home which was such a shame. Brandon & Jeanine were paired together for a really S-L-O-W waltz. It was good but what was that choreographer thinking? Is he trying to send them home? The song was snooze inducing. It had nice controlled lifts though. Then they had a pop jazz piece that was excellent. Again, Brandon has this really athletic way to him and did especially awesome. But HE ended up in the bottom 2 (but didn't go home!) on Thursday. Ade & Melissa were back together again! Yay! Although, Eeeek!, their first dance a cha cha wasn't very good but I liked the end move. I was scared they'd be in the bottom since they were the last 2 weeks... until their next piece which was SO beautiful and after that anyone would have to be crazy NOT to vote for them. Tyce choreographed a number about breast cancer and it was so moving and emotional that the whole audience and all the judges were crying. M&A were the absolute right couple to dance it. The lifts (or should I say catches?) were so trusting of each other. Melissa jumped into Ade's arms from a distance away that could have gone horribly wrong but because of the trust it was amazing and flawless. Kayla & Jason did really well tonight together (too bad Jason went home on Thursday). Their first dance was Broadway and was VERY good as was their zombie hip hop. So cool. As far as solos, Ade and Jeanine's really stood out as being excellent. Jeanine chose Let the Drummer Kick by Citizen Copeand had really controlled movement to the music which was really cool. On Thursday they did a group piece to One from Chorus Line that was good. They also broght back a few Emmy winning dances from a couple of other seasons. The Bench (Travis & Heidi- Season 2), Ramalama (Wade Robson's group number from season 2) and The Hummingbird and the Flower (Huk & Jamie (I couldn't remember her name in an earlier post!)- Season 3). Yay! I loved all 3 of those dances so it was fun to see them again! Katie Holmes also performed? Not sure what the heck they were talking about... It was a televised performance- I thought she was going to be on the SYTYCD stage. That was my impression. Anyway, she sucked. Boo!

The Watcher In the Woods

I was on Barnes & Noble's website looking for the cover art for In the Woods by Tana French when I saw The Watcher in the Woods DVD. Have you ever seen this movie? It used to freak me out when I was a kid but we still watched it over and over and over and pretended that she was coming to get us in the very small 'woods' behind my neighbor's house. I caught it on HBO or SHO a few months back and was horrified by how bad it was. Why was I so compelled by this movie? I have no idea but some of the TV shows that we watched in the early eighties were pretty bad as well. Remember Small Wonder with the weird 'robotic' girl or Rags to Riches? What were some of your favorite more obscure (in that we never hear about them anymore!) TV shows? I know I was also a fan of V which is being redone but I don't think I'll watch it this time around. (Poochie, anyone?) Oh the corniness of the eighties! :)

Book Review: Another Day in the Milky Way by David Milgrim

This book is an absolutely darling book for young children! The illustrations are so darn cute!! I loved it (I'm not sure if AJ even liked it but I did so...)! I just ordered it for AJ's bookshelf from Barnes & Noble (which is also where I snag all my book pictures). Give it a read if you have little ones!!

Book Review: Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer

Ahhhh, the final book in the Twilight saga. It was great. Ended just like you want a book to end. I thought it was a little bizarre but I don't want to spoil it so I won't tell you why. The one thing I did notice, and this is true of Harry Potter too, is that if they cut out a lot of the 'fluff' this would be a more managable book and not as long. I kept thinking, 'Come on, come on, get on with it!' It was pretty predictable... but I did enjoy reading it thoroughly. I'm not going to read them again though so off they go with a large assortment of other books to be donated to the library. I finished it the day before we went to Vegas which was good because I did not want to lug that big book there! I am reading In the Woods by Tana French which is REALLY good. I don't want to put it down at night but sleepy eyes win that battle. I am looking forward to reading French's follow up book, The Likeness, as well. Already bought it at Sam's!

Another Party!

Yes, we had another party! Ten days after the last one... Am I a glutton for punishment or what? Every year on the Fourth of July weekend we host a family party for Steve's mom's side. Twenty-two people (8 of which are kids). It's growing by at least 2 feet in 2010... :) This one is pretty low key. I did a taco bar this year (and last). Pretty much everything out of a can/bag! I made more pretzel kisses this time with red, white & blue M&Ms. I'll post the recipe for Chicken Soft Tacos & Taco Dip in another post- two very tasty (and easy!) recipes that are suitable for a crowd.

I made the invitations again- this one is a pocket flap card so the written portion comes out of a folder type pocket inside. I love this paper with the fireworks! Glittery and perfect! I am always looking for decent paper with fireworks on it and this one is the best one I found on my many years quest. It is by Best Creation Inc. The silver cord has red and blue beads laced onto it. The star is wire wrapped and has wire curly cues as well as a red rhinestone in the center. I love it!

The party was a success except for the fact that I couldn't find the plugs for the swimming pool. Grrrrr! They are somewhere in the house. I know I have seen them since we moved. Steve's parents came on Friday and they helped clean and organize our garage! Thanks, we definitely appreciate it! And they babysat so we could go out for my birthday (on the 2nd) to the Great Dane, my new favorite restaurant in town. I had a hot wing chicken pizza that was AWESOME!! It had buffalo chicken with a gorgonzola cheese and a garlic oil- YUM. It was just so good that after every bite I said 'mmmmmm'. It is nice to see the whole family since this is usually the only time we do. One family in MN, one in TX and Steve's parents in FL but every year they are here in WI for the 4th. Yay!

Party, Party, Party!

Back in June we had a party for some of the work types at Steve's office. These were the invitations that I made. The wings of the dragonfly are glittery and the eyes are tiny rhinestones. The grass is made from green vellum and the cattails are a brown handmade paper. This is a pocket card so the written portion of the invitation slides out of the top.

I made a bunch of new recipes for this party, which I think is kind of daring. I have no idea why I did that but they all turned out pretty well. Of course there were menus and a wine/drink list that matched the invitations as only I am crazy enough to spend the time to do that but I like our guests to know what they are eating and drinking!

I hired a lady to clean our house the day of... and she never showed up! Or called! I called twice only to hear answering machines. I was big time peeved as I then had to spend an unexpected 3 hours cleaning which I could have done a couple of days before instead. It is a good thing that I had a lot of the food prepared the day before.

The Menu:
You can click on the blue items for the recipes!!
*Turkey Tenderloin Sandwiches
*Beef Tenderloin Sandwiches
(I had a caterer make the meat and supply the rolls, but I wish I would have just made it myself since I think it would have been better.)
*Chipolte Aioli (I'll post this recipe later- yum)
*Whole Grain Mustard Aioli (very good- several people asked for recipe which is originally served with roasted french fries)
*Warm Goat Cheese Toasts with Rosemary, Honey & Walnuts
*Caprese Skewers (great presentation & color and very yummy!)
*Crudite with Chive & Garlic Dip or Southwestern Dip
*Spinach & Artichoke Dip with Pita Chips (no one had any idea it was light! I used the whole pkg of spinach in the recipe)
*Fabulous Pesto Pasta Salad (although it was not 'fabulous' more like 'decent')
*Cheese platter featuring White Cheddar, Gouda, Chipolte Cheddar, Blue & Dill Havarti (there was also a sheep's milk cheese with black truffles that my mom gave me because she didn't like it. I never even got to try it but if they didn't like it I probably wouldn't...)
*Orange Chipolte Spiced Pecan Mix (I am going to use the leftovers (they are in the freezer) in cookies. They didn't go over really well. But I think the cookies could be pretty good and very different...)
Sweet Treats:
*Oreo Truffles (I got this recipe from my blogger buddy Mel...so easy, so good and so hard NOT to keep your fingers out of. Everyone was asking for the recipe.)
*Lemon Cranberry Shortbread (I will post the recipe on a different post- so light and refreshing! My mom had made these for my baby shower.)
*Pretzel Kisses (I blogged about this one already! Yummy! I got M&Ms to go with the invitation colors... crazy, I know!!)
*Rolo Pretzel Turtles
*Cool Peppermint Brownies
*Chinese Chews
*Honey Basil Cookies (people are afraid of these because of the ingredients but I love them and once they get over it they love them too! I'll post the recipe another time.)
*Caramel Sticks (kind of similar to Blondies)

Needless to say, we had food leftover! The desserts went into work with Steve the next morning where they were appreciated by everyone!! :)

The Drink Menu:
Root:1 2008 Sauvignon Blanc (Never got opened...)
Kung Fu Girl 2007 Riesling (This is outstanding! I am a red wine drinker but this was great!!)
Root:1 2007 Carmenere ('The devil's grape'- pretty good)
Beringer Founders' Estate 2007 Pinot Noir (Never got opened)
Old Vine Red Lot #49 (Another great wine. This was enjoyed late into the night...)
Sparkling Sangria (Very nice but I think I like red sangria better)
Beer: Anchor Steam, Spaten, Rolling Rock, Heineken, Miller Lite, Stella Artois, Goose Island Honker's Ale

We moved into our house in August 2008 and this party really pushed us to hang the art that was leaning against the walls and do the little projects that needed to get done (like buy a shower curtain for the guest room/basement bathroom, clean the silicone off the tub from when we took out the shower doors, etc.) which I am glad for! I don't know when it would have gotten done otherwise...

It turned out to be a great party. We didn't get to utilize the deck like I thought we would because it was a bit warm & humid but we hung out there late that night with a few stragglers. Fun, fun for everyone!

Book Review: 3 Willows by Ann Brashares

I have posted before that I really liked The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants and this book is about a different group of girls from the same town as that group only they are younger. Their story is about the summer between 8th and 9th grades. It was good but nothing fabulous and would be suitable for a pre-teen to read. One thing I really liked about it was that they pulled the girls from Pants into it in little ways (like Polly babysat for Tibby's siblings and Lena's sister worked at the same retaurant as Jo, etc) and the Willows totally idolized them. It taughht a lot about self-esteem and friendship.

SYTYCD: Weeks 3, 4 & 5

I know I am behind but I had a really busy three weeks and now tomorrow S & I leave for Vegas... Steve gave me a trip to Vegas for my birthday for this weekend (my bday was July 2nd and with the 4th... obviously it makes more sense to go the weekend after) that he has been planning since March!! This is his biggest surprise since he propsed to me 9 years ago. He had his sister pay for it since he knew I'd see the credit card bill and arranged babysitting for AJ with my parents... Crafty boy. Plus if just going to Vegas weren't enough, he snuck in a spa package for me at Bellagio for Friday morning. Say it with me... "Awwwwww. He's so sweet!!" I know. I lucked out.

Anyway, back to SYTYCD!! Did I mention that I watch the dances twice? Sometimes even 3 times... I'd love to get all the seasons on DVD just to watch the dancers evolve again. Hmmmm, wonder what those kids are doing these days from seasons 1-4...

Week 3:
Melissa & Ade, Brandon & Janette and Randi & Evan were my favorites from this week. Melissa & Ade did a fabulous Rhumba. It was hot and sexy. Usually I don't like the rhumba (I don't like it on DWTS anyway...) but SYTYCD has more freedom and is allowed lifts so it makes it so much better. M&A have awesome chemistry as do Brandon & Janette who did a super fun hip hop routine from David Scott. It was fresh & just plain slammin'. Randi & Evan's 'butt dance' choreographed by Mia Michaels was SO, SO cute. It was a really fun piece! Kupono & Kayla's Viennese Waltz was very pretty and elegant too. The other dances didn't do much for me. The Thursday night results show always has a dance by the whole group and this one was HOT, HOT, HOT!! I loved it. That was actually my favorite dance of week 3. Jonathan & Asuka were voted off. Shucks. Not really. I'm not sad.

Week 4:
Cat Deely (the host) looked so adorable in her super cute hot pink frock. She can pull ANYTHING off. Again Melissa & Ade and Brandon & Janette had my favorite routines. Do you see a pattern with me? I love these 4. I am bummed for week 6 when the partners split. Melissa & Ade did a classical ballet. Melissa is a ballet dancer and I think they did this on purpose to have it featured on the show since you can't just give someone classical ballet and expect them to do anything with it. Both danced beautifully in the Romeo & Juliet piece. Simply gorgeous. Brandon & Janette's Cha Cha was banging. I think Brandon can do it all but Janette is right there with him. When she tried out she did this split kick in the air upside down that was un-freaking-believable! She is a hot tamale. I also liked Vitolio & Karla's Quick Step to Puttin' on the Ritz and Randi & Evan's Broadway piece. It was kind of a shame to see Vitolio and Karla go after doing that piece because after the freakin' bizzaro alien piece that Caitlin & Jason did I thought they would at least be in the bottom 3 but they weren't. Weird. Although out of the 3, V&K were the ones I would've picked. Thursday's group Broadway piece was fun too.

Week 5:
Two dances per couple!!! Oh yeah!! Tonight was awesome! Cat looked so cute. Her dress (and hair and lipstick I might add) looked great on her. What doesn't though? Brandon & Janette were my clear faves with Melissa & Ade coming in second. Power couples... But all the dances were good. Melissa & Ade did a Disco that was Dyn-o-mite! and a waltz that was beautiful. Kupono and Kayla did a contemporary piece about addiction that was super intense and a Broadway West Side Story piece that was decent. Caitlin & Jason did a GREAT foxtrot and a lyrical jazz piece that I really liked. Phillip & Jeanine's Russian Folk Dance was good for what they got- but not my shot of Vodka. I think the judges (except for Tyce who said exactly what I am saying) were a little harsh on them b/c they didn't like the style of dance not the way it was danced. So obviously don't hire the Russian folk choreographers again if you don't like their cabbage. But P&J's jive? AWESOME! They did it well. Fun & flirty. Randi & Evan's hip hop dance totally suited them- clean cut and not urban. Their samba was good. And finally Brandon & Janette. Hot damn. They were somethin' fierce tonight. Their Argentine Tango was superb. Sexy and just plain hot. And their jazz piece by Wade Robson (God of dance...) AMAZING! And done to one of my all time faves- Ruby Blue by Roisin Murphy (I love Roisin Murphy!!!)! Yay! Such a fun and cool piece. That may be my favorite of the season so far... I am very curious to see who goes home tomorrow night but I'll be in Vegas so I'll let my DVR do the work and find out on Sunday...

So You Think You Can Dance: Week 2

A run down of what I thought of the dances...

Melissa & Ade (Jazz by Sonya): Again they had my favorite piece. They are both so strong and intense. I thought it was just plain HOT! I hope they are in until the end.

Randi & Evan (Jive by Louis van Amstel): I thought it was a lot of fun and high energy. The judges were doggin' on my boy Evan a little but he didn't deserve it. In the end, I suppose it makes him a better dancer. I don't know if that is true since he doesn't have to dance the jive ever again if he doesn't want to. But he really should...

Caitlin & Jason (Hip Hop by Shane Sparks): Jason has so much charisma. I like him. The piece was kind of whatever but I am not sure if it was the dancers fault or the choreographer's...

Janette & Brandon (Disco by Doriana): It was hard to keep up with these two! It was so fast. I like the disco numbers that Doriana puts together because I like lifts. This was one of my favorites of the night and Lil C finally gave Brandon some great praise.

Kayla & Max (Pop jazz by Brian Friedman): It was kinda bizzare but it was good. I liked it. they ended up in the bottom 3 and Max went home so apparently other people didn't like it. But hey, someone has to be in the bottom 3 and go home...

Ashley & Kupono (Hip Hop by Shane Sparks): Again I had the same reaction as the other Shane Sparks' piece... was it him or the dancers? I thought it was eh. So did everyone else and so Ashley is now gone.

Asuka & Vitolio (Waltz by Louis van Amstel): Gorgeous. The song helped make this piece so dreamy.

Phillip & Jeanine (Tango by Tony): Eh. Jeanine looked hot though, kinda reminded me of a dominatrix... She looked like a latin dancer.

Karla & Jonathan (Contemporary by Stacey): I thought they did really well and I loved their performance. Something about Jonathan bugs me. Maybe, I don't think he is a good enough dancer to be there? But he did way better than if Tony would have stayed and he would've gone last week...

So I am definitely looking forward to next week's show but I am not sure when I am going to watch it since we are having a party on Thursday night and Wednesday will be spent preparing for it. May have to watch it Friday night and not read the internet to see who went home!

Book Review: Stalked by Brian Freeman

On my Facebook profile I have Harlan Coben listed as a favorite author and Facebook is how I found the very talented Brian Freeman. On the right sidebar on FB there are advertisements that pull things from your profile (example: if I have a certain TV show listed it will tell me when it premieres, kinda cool) and one day one of them said 'If you like Harlan Coben, you'll love Brian Freeman.' So I decided to give him a shot. He's good. He's very twisty turny and dark but it was solid writing and kept me turning the pages. I figured some things out but not everything so the book had succeeded in keeping me hooked and keeping it interesting. I am kind of bummed that I started with this book though. It is the third book following Jonny Stride and Serena Dial and I wish I would have started with Immoral and then Stripped. I think it'll be okay that I read this one though. There may have been some details from the first & second in the third but hopefully I have already forgotten them. It is odd to say that I 'like' this book because it is pretty sexually graphic with rape and murder and how do say you 'like' a book like that? It is a good read though!

Book Review: Fearless Fourteen by Janet Evanovich

A quick read- I read it last weekend without even trying to read it fast since the type is so big and the spacing seems bigger too- was Fearless Fourteen by Janet Evanovich. As you know she is one of my favorites because she is fast and funny. It was a typical Stephanie Plum book and had me giggling out loud a few times. Lula, her ex-ho BFF, who is sassy and voluptuous (but tries to put her voluptuous body into clothes too small and tight) is planning her wedding to her 'boyfriend' which was a very humorous story line. All in all it was an entertaining, light read. Just the way they should be sometimes!

Book Review: Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer

I finished Eclipse last week and I really enjoyed it. I took my time reading it- didn't rush through it like Twilight, Midnight Sun & New Moon. I am waiting now until I am done with Stalked (which New Moon, Eclipse & Fearless Fourteen had backburnered) to start Breaking Dawn. I am still curious how Bella & Edward's story wraps up and am thankful that no one has spoiled it for me! My babysitter (who is now a junior in HS) was shocked that I didn't know how it ended but when you are on the verge of 34 (2 1/2 weeks), my gossip circle is a little different than a 16 year old's! I guess high schoolers ruin books for each other. I heard that Breaking Dawn is the best of them all after you get hooked in with Twilight so it should be good!!

Southwestern Chicken Pasta Salad

I made this Southwestern Chicken Pasta Salad tonight from Cooking Light. Yum. It had great flavor and was a nice summery cap to what I think is the actual beginning of summer weather (This last week we broke records 3 days in a row for highs in the low 50s...). It was gorgeous today- sunny and close to 80 degrees. But back to the pasta... I used regular cooked chicken instead of the lemon herb which I don't think mattered and I skipped the green onion as my husband is not a fan. One thing- cool the pasta before adding it to the other ingredients. The cheese kinda melted on the warm pasta. It was a good solid recipe. It would be nice to bring to a block party or BBQ too. The other thing I liked about this recipe was that it was fast and not too involved so I can make it on a weeknight easily. Now though I have to find something to make with the other 10 oz of the 11 oz can of chipolte chiles in adobo sauce. I am off to find a recipe that uses it!

I cancelled my subscription to Cooking Light maybe 2 years ago because I felt I wasn't reading it. This was a recipe I tore out in August 2005 and has been filed but not used until now. I have A LOT of recipes on file (more like stacked in a file box with no rhyme or reason) that have never been used. And when I say a lot, I mean A LOT- like probably 5000 maybe more. And this isn't even including my cookbooks which don't get enough love. Am I ever going to use 5000 recipes? Doubt it- maybe more like 500. I don't know though. If I do about 60 this year... 500 actually seems attainable. But have you noticed that a bunch of the recipes that I give thumbs up to are from Cooking Light? Maybe I should rethink that subscription...

So You Think You Can Dance!

Do you watch this show? If you don't, you should! I love SYTYCD! I don't watch Idol, America's Got Talent or many other reality shows but I look forward to this show every summer. And this year it is going to be on in the fall too? You have got to be kidding me!!! Last night's competition was so good that I honestly didn't know who would go home. Usually it is pretty clear. Melissa (aka the Naughty Ballerina) and Ade's piece absolutely AMAZING! Those lifts were redunkulous! Evan & Randi? Thought I wasn't going to like her but you pair her with the adorable Evan (Mr. Broadway- let's hope his bro makes it to the top 20 this fall because those 2 together are unstoppable) and give them one of Tice's coolest jazz pieces ever and you have magic. Kayla & Max will be there in the end after their muy caliente salsa. Caitlin & Jason- their Bollywood number wasn't as good as Katee & Joshua's last season but it was still a ton of fun and had me bopping along with them. Jason has some charisma that is non stop. And Phillip & Jeanine's hip hop was another of my faves. Phillip is funky. I hope he can pull out the ballroom dances. Kupono & Ashley's piece was weirdly wonderful. So entrancing. I was sucked in immediately. I think it had something to do with the Goldfrapp song and the fact the Wade is a GOD when it comes to choreography. And I don't want to forget Brandon & Janette. Brandon had me at his audition last year. I couldn't believe he didn't make it to the Top 20 last season BUT then I wouldn't have seen his totally amazing audition this year! It was so powerful and moving, I have no idea why Mia & Lil C are dissing him. The foxtrot was beautiful, enough said.

Did I mention that I am about as coordinated as a turnip? I know I can't dance but I have always loved, loved, loved to watch it. I have seen a ton of dancing movies and even if the acting is the worst (and it usually is if the dancing is good- Center Stage, I mean you.) I will watch it again & again & again. If I catch just a glimpse of the dancing, I can't pass it up. That is why I love SYTYCD because you get to see every genre choregraphed by some of the best and danced beautifully. And I don't have to sit through the stupid plot to see it! The Pas de Deux that Will & Katee danced last season and the Hummingbird Dance that Huk & whoever he danced that with a couple of seasons ago are my all time faves. Will was amazing on that show and I hope he is doing great things with his awesome talent.

So watch it! And enjoy it!

True Blood's Second Season is almost here!

Can I just say that I am so excited for this show to be back for the summer!!! Between True Blood and So You Think You Can Dance I am a very happy camper. The only thing I wish is that the shows they used to run on summer cable (ie Dexter, Entourage, and all the other delish pay cable channel shows) would run in the summer instead of the fall! There is too much to watch in the fall- bring them back to June! A new show that I am definitely getting a kick out of is Nurse Jackie starring the ever talented Edie Falco on Showtime. It is a rare treat!

Movie Review: Angels & Demons

We went to see Angels & Demons a couple of weeks ago and I have to admit I liked it. I hated The DaVinci Code on screen, it was so poorly done and Tom Hanks in the role of Robert Langdon was all wrong. Plus it was just plain chaotic. If I hadn't read the book I wouldn't have known what was going on. But Angels & Demons was different. It followed the book really well, Tom Hanks didn't bother me in the same role (he didn't seem as smug) and some of the special effects were really cool. Ewan McGregor was really good as Camerlengo McKenna. I couldn't remember the book as I was watching it since I read it 4 or 5 years ago so I was on the edge of my seat most of the movie. Also, another little thing was that I liked A&D book better than DVC too. I think it is worth the ticket in the theatre.

Food, food, I like me some food!

I made 4 really great recipes in April/May that I absolutely have to share!!

Fannie Farmer's Classic Baked Macaroni and Cheese from the internet. Can I say YUM!?!?!? I made it with half and half (called for cream), 2% milk (it is from 1946 and you know they are talking about whole milk... I just couldn't do it) and corn flakes instead of breadcrumbs. It was absolutely delish!!

Grilled Pork Tenderloin Sandwiches from Cooking Light. I am terrible at grilling... This still turned out super good even though I burned the crust because I had the wrong cut and can't control my grill temperature. The barbecue-ranch sauce was really good and as simple as mixing the two bottled sauces together!

Chicken Tamale Casserole from Cooking Light. This was so good I have already made it again! And EASY! It takes no time to whip this treat up and it is even good as leftovers and I am not a fan of leftovers!

Thai Chicken Saute from Cooking Light. I think I made this a little different then the recipe... Instead of using Sriracha, I used chile garlic paste that I believe was a bit more concentrated. And I used a dollop of cream of coconut and milk instead of coconut milk because that was what I had. It was spicy but had the sweet from the coconut and it was gooooood.

If you decide to make them- enjoy! :)

Happy Anniversary, Steve!

7 years today. We had a wonderful day for a wedding. Hard to believe it has been 7 years since that day. We went out Friday night to Great Dane & to see Angels & Demons (more on that later!) to celebrate. Marriage keeps getting better! :)