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XOXO, E

A valentine (or three!) or.... Two nerds and a girl. :]

Good afternoon!

Today, I'm not really looking forward to all the stuff I have to get done... mainly because that is managing to find my way all the way across SA (with no idea HOW to get all the way across SA). And why am I going to do this? To go pee.

Today is my drug test. Whoo. Considering the fact that I've never even had the slightest interest in drugs, the fact that I'm required to do this for every single freaking job I get, it really is just a huge annoyance. And it's awkward. And embarrassing. And ew... gross.

Anywho, so to put that off, I've been working on... about everything else. Cleaning, working on my room, looking up a way to find my way to the library, going through blogs and craftgawker, and... whatever else I can think of.

But I ran across these...

(Found on Blog A La Cart)

I remember doing weavings when I was a kid, and I always loved doing cards that way. Just doing this on a smaller piece of paper, and do this on half. Then fold to make card. This makes me feel nostalgic and nerdy all at once. And THAT is a good combo! Also, I remember doing these when I was THREE. And I was doing them by myself by then. You can start teaching your kids paper weaving really early. Just start with pre-cut strips, and then it's all positioning and gluing/taping. And there are SO many different designs you can search for to do instead (I personally usually stuck with regular weavings, but I liked to use different size strips and interesting colour combos. It gives a really cool effect!) Remember to play as much as possible!!

(Found on Wild Olive -- I love this blog!!)

Okay, this one is a lot more girly, which isn't quite my style, but still so cute, I couldn't help it. Using clear vinyl (or clear cellophane!) paint some hearts, then cut out that and coloured paper (or fabric!) using the template on her post, then sew it together. I'm really loving how you can find hand sewn cards everywhere now. They've been made forever, but now they are getting the credit they deserve! I'm thinking using this same style with bright colour blobs, or metallic swirlys. Oh, the possibilities! Would also be an awesome idea to do with your kids! Let them finger paint! Or paint little scenes that you can match up with the bottom of the envelope! Or, or... Okay, you get the idea. But would be AWESOME for mommies!

(and, seriously, remember, follow Wild Olive! You can thank me later!)

(Found at MiniEco)

This gives me the same vibe as the first one. Nerdy pleasure mixed with the fun of my youth. I love this card. It's so chic and cool, and utterly nerd-tastic, and so easy to do! To make it even easier??? MiniEco has provided a fool-proof template on their site. (Note: It's a lot of cutting with a razor, so probably isn't the best idea for a craft with your kids...)

Now that we've all got our girly, mushy v-day phases on, I'm out!

XOXO, E

Happy Fabulous, Full-scheduled February! (Plus a new recipe!)

Evening, all!

It has been so ridiculously busy! My ward choir is now in full swing, and it's been such a fun, frustrating, and VERY humbling experience. But I'm really loving the Regs. I think we all kinda bonded our first week together, and it's been so easy to work with everyone ever since. But hey, didn't they do that study before? People that sing together bond and cooperate better? It seems I read that somewhere on Cracked... (see? I'm not crazy. You can find the article here.) But anyway, that's the simple part of things. I'm also getting ready to jump into YSAs here in SA and start going to institute, which is going to get somewhat complicated considering I JUST GOT A JOB!! Yay!

Part of the reason I moved here is because there was so little work in Idaho, and since I've been here, I've barely even really been looking. This job came from, like everything else, church. One week, in my YSA class, I heard a lot of crying coming from the nursery and went over to offer to help out, and they ended up refusing to let me leave (the kids, anyway). But there was another woman in there who was also just helping for the day, and we got to chatting... about family, about work, about... whatever. Then, last Sunday, I ran into her again, gave her a hug, and said hi, and she goes on and tells me that she talked to her daughter about me, and that she wanted me to apply to a job. A few days later, she calls and gives me her daughter's number, the next day I went in for an interview (and to... you know... apply), and she gave me the job before I left.

Glad to know networking is alive and well. And VERY glad to know that the economy isn't totally shot.

And THEN, on top of EVERYTHING else, my totally awesome sister, Sheli, is GETTING MARRIED!! I'm thrilled! The guy, Mark, is so very nice, and honestly, he almost felt like my brother the first time I met him, he's just the kind of guy you feel comfortable being around, even when you're complete strangers. And the cherry on top is his daughter, Courtney, whom I love. And while she'll technically be my niece-through-marriage, we're just gonna call her my little sister, how's that? I'm so excited that our family is growing! And it's going to be fantastic to help plan the wedding! Yay! Chance to try all those fun crafts that only really work for weddings!! Eeeeee!

And, now that I've rambled long enough, here's my newest recipe.

I've adjusted another recipe, but my family wouldn't shut up about mine, and it used more readily available ingredients. Always a plus! Overall, it was a huge hit!

Here you go!

Cashew Chicken Wraps

This was quick, easy, and utterly delish. It was also shockingly filling. I made it about a week ago, and I'm already getting requests for it again (and, I'm totally willing!)

Ingredients (4 servings):

• For Sauce:
• 3 tablespoons soy sauce 
• -(I used dark soy sauce, which is a little smoother in flavor and gave the chicken a great colour when it was all mixed together.)
• 
  
• 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar 
• -(original recipe called for rice vinegar, which is sweeter. I used a little less of the white vinegar and then added a tiny bit more brown sugar, along with a tiny bit of water, to make the flavor lighter. It worked perfectly well.)
• 
  
• 2 tablespoon brown sugar
• 
  
• 1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper
• 
  
• 1/2 teaspoon mince garlic WATER
• -(I got a can of minced garlic that I just found at the dollar store, and it had the water left in. I did my best to just get some of the water out).
• 
  
• 1/4 teaspoon lemon juice 
• -(optional - the original recipe called for a little bit of ground ginger, which I couldn't find. To improvise, I used a little extra soy sauce and the garlic water. But I wanted the tang you usually get with ginger, so I had the end of a lemon, so I squeezed the juice in. It added just the right amount of sour!)
• 
  
• 1 teaspoon olive oil (you can substitute peanut or sesame oil).
   
   For Cashew Chicken:
• 2 chicken breasts (about 3/4 lb. total), diced
• 
  
• 8 leaves of greenleaf or iceburg lettuce
• 
  
• 3 tablespoons olive oil (or oil of choice)
• 
  
• 1 cup onion, diced
• 
  
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic (or 2 garlic cloves, minced)
• 
  
• 1 teaspoon soy sauce
• 
  
• 1/2 cup cashews, chopped (because I used olive oil instead of sesame oil, I threw in some extra to the sauce to add a little nutty goodness to the sauce, too.)

Instructions:

• For stir fry sauce.

1. Mix all wet ingredients in a medium bowl and add brown sugar. Stir until dissolved.
2. Mix in the rest of the sauce ingredients.
3. (OPTIONAL) Saute some cashews in a small amount of oil until golden, then add the cashews and the oil to the sauce

• For chicken:

1. Heat oil in pan over medium-high heat. Toss in diced chicken and brown well. I cooked mine until it had a little bit of a crisp sear. Remove from pan.
2. Add onions, garlic, and soy sauce to the pan, and saute until onions and garlic are soft and browned. Mix in the stir fry sauce. Mix well.
3. Add in the chicken. Mix well.
4. Add in the cashews. Mix everything is coated in the stir fry sauce.
5. Spoon mixture onto lettuce leaves. Go easy on this, because the cashews are very good at tearing through lettuce.
6. If the need strikes, add hot sauce, basil, or extra cashews. We didn't even need it though. It's just that yummy.

We ate ours with some baked chips/crackers (especially good with those sesame rods!), fresh veggies, and fruit.

Enjoy! And anybody who tries it, please let me know what you think!!


XOXO, E

Avoiding Homework... again :]

Good.... err, afternoon! :D

I'm suffering from lack of motivation. This is going to be my undoing one of these days XD

AAAAANYwho.

This week has, really, been pretty bland. I've been sick for just under two weeks, so I've done a... whole lot of nothing. My bedroom looks like a hurricane ran through here, and I think I'm becoming addicted to cold medicine (haha. No. I hate the stuff. Can't wait to be rid of it! My friend and I were joking about melting some Halls honey-lemon soothing drops into some tea... and I'm actually tempted to really try it. Especially because I am getting SO sick of the tea flavors I have in my house. My consumption has increased exponentially. Which is saying something, since I've always been on a very loving relationship with tea)

I guess it's good. I've been working on homework (during the week?? WHAHHHHT??) and planning for my new church calling, and planning for crafts (yes, planning. Because I need to go shopping. and I don't WANNA go shopping. Yes, I know, I didn't think I'd ever say that either. BUT, I guess I'll have to hit up Anna's sometimes this coming week. Whooo. Linens :])

BUT, I have some great ideas for making Christmas gifts now, and I'm ridiculously excited about them. Especially because for the first time in a LONG time, I have GIRLS to shop/make for, no size limit!!! While my sister's been in Texas, it's been me and my mom against my two brothers and my dad. So now that WE'RE in Texas, we have Sheli on our side again. Plus her boyfriend's daughter, Courtney, who, honestly, I kind of adore. She's 15, and one of the coolest kids I've met in a long time, so I decided I'm going to get her and her dad Christmas gifts too... somehow. Creativity to the rescue!

Maybe I'll have some success stories to share on here. Maybe I'll even have time to make a few tutorials again!.... someday XP

In the meantime, I'm trying to break into the LDS YSA group, which I'm starting to freak out about. I can't go to institute, because it's like half an hour away on the freeway, which I have STILL not braved (scoff not. I've only been here for 6 weeks... and three of those I've been sick in bed! The other three have been unpacking, which I'm STILL not done with! Plus my car sucks! And Texas drivers are crazy!! And... shut up. I'll do it someday -.0) And I don't know ANYBODY who goes. It seems all the "friends" I've made so far are adults in the choir. Lol. My people found me, but they're not going to help me out on this. I guess it's time to buck it up and get over it.

Wow, this is a lot longer than I intended. I guess I REALLY don't want to do homework.

Oh well, here's some inspiration for today! Because even with everything seemingly going wrong, everything still seems to be going right. <3

(and because the first two are some of my favorite quotes EVER)

XOXO, Emiebee

My adventures in the new life...

Hello all! Here I am... avoiding my homework that is due tomorrow night. Stupid, but with my current nasty little headache, I'm writing it off as necessary. It's been a busy few days. Sunday, it was announced in my new ward about my TWO new callings (yes, two... which they didn't seem to remember to tell ME about, but whatever), and then I was set apart for both of them afterwards. I also sang in the choir while I could barely even talk... THAT was interesting. I'm just grateful that I was able to hit (most of) the notes and I didn't start choking on the stand. :]

On top of that, I was approached by probably a dozen or so people about the choir, which I am now COMPLETELY taking over. The coolest part? The majority of them weren't people currently in the choir, their people that want to be a part of the choir but have always been too nervous/embarrassed to participate,  and SEVEN of these people told me that for some reason, my being called to the choir director gave them the courage to want to join. Even cooler than that, there are a few people that speak very little english that have always avoided the choir because the current choir only performs in english. And they're asking ME to help them to be able to participate.

Which inspired an idea...So now I'm in the process of looking for a song or two in spanish for all the spanish speakers in the ward, that I can help the current choir members to sing in a few months!! Which will be AMAZING since there's a good portion of the ward who only speaks spanish, and has everything translated for them. I think it'll be amazing for the choir music to be directed towards THEM for once. I'm ridiculously excited about it.

It's going to be crazy, very busy, and definitely going to force me out of my comfort zone, but I'm finding the faith I need to feel confident. It's definitely scary, and stressful, and I'm going to need a lot of help, but these people are really making me feel like this is what I'm meant to be doing right now. I'm so grateful for the opportunity.

And over the last few days, one quote keeps coming to mind...

Here's hoping for the best!

X,

Emie

Diary of an exhausted girl

Well, we officially passed the one month mark since we've been living in Texas. It's been interesting, it's been fun, but it's been absolutely exhausting. My room is STILL covered in boxes and random STUFF, as is the media room, and the garage (oh yes, I'm parking my punk rocker ugly van in front of my nice, respectable little cottage home. My neighbors must be thrilled. To date, my dogs have escaped TWICE (but, the first time, I was saved by my very own KISA (knight in shining armor), a very sweet man who drove past me, then circled back and helped me catch my dogs, then helped me walk them back. That's right, officially the first (okay 3rd... My sister's boyfriend, Mark, and his daughter, Courtney were like the day before) Texan I met was extremely nice. And that's been the case all along. Granted, the drivers are all insane, but whenever you cross the pass of someone in person, there's something nice said, or a big smile exchanged with everyone. Everyone just kind of excepts people to be nice around here. I keep noticing that people look at me weird when I say excuse me in stores. It's like you can actually hear them saying "oh honey, I KNOW you didn't mean to step in front of me"... but then, that could be because pretty much immediately afterwards, they say something along those lines. But hey, if that's the kind of "you're a freak!!" behavior I get, then I'll take it!

Church has also been interesting. The ward here is a lot smaller than my old ward, and much more spread out. And a lot of people don't know each other, where my old ward, everyone knew everyone. So it's a little less intimate, but not any less comfortable and homey. I had two weeks of taking two steps before someone grabbed me to say hi and introduce themselves. And it usually goes along the lines of "I saw you last week, but you disappeared before I could come over and talk to you." Yeah, that's because someone else found me. You would be shocked how many hugs I get a week from people I don't recognize or know their names. I also get tackled constantly about my shoes. Apparently stilettos aren't a big thing in the ward. Most women I see are wearing flats. So me with my designer heels collection seem to be grabbing some attention.

I even joined the choir. It feels great. I never realized how withdrawn I had become with my music. But I guess I was just needed here, since I walked into the choir the first week, and had the entire choir (about ten people) pretty much at once jump at me and asked what I sang. When I said I could sing either, but preferred alto, they pretty much begged me to do soprano. I found out why very soon after... There is only one soprano, and she can't read music or carry a tune unless someone is singing next to her. So now, after dragging my mom in as well, we have a few sopranos. Whew.

But then, they're going to lose one as well, seeing as LAST week on my WAY to choir practice, I was snagged by a member of the bishopric and asked to be the ward music chair... which in this ward means planning all the music for Sundays, scheduling ward members to perform, planning and putting on all the special music numbers (Christmas, Easter, etc), plus leading during sacrament meeting and... yupp, directing the choir. This girl is going to get very busy. That on TOP of making a conscious effort to get involved with the Young Single Adults, for the first time... ever.  And yet, I STILL can't transfer to the ward, as, once again, I have a full time calling in my home ward. Bahahaha. I'm really not meant for a single's ward, am I? But, I am going to do my very best to attend institute and YSA activities, which I have NEVER done before. Adventure!!!

Let's see... what else? I'm looking for a job. I'm unpacking, cleaning (constantly), attempting to not kill the men in this house (for MAKING me constantly clean), doing homework, cleaning again (and again, trying not to turn to homicide when my lazy brothers tell me I'm lazy and spoiled after I finish cleaning up after them. AGAIN.), cooking, organizing, running errands, attempting to explore the area (not easy, since I'm still kinda AHHHHHH about the crazies on the freeways), preparing for Christmas and my momma's birthday, trying to settle on a design for my room, finding the time to DO that design, be crafty, excersize, swim (yay! we have a swimming pool!) and stay warm (one day: 75 degrees, the next day: 45 degrees.), stay healthy, this is the SECOND time I've been sick since we've been here. Both times it's been bad enough that I am forced to stay in bed. Sucks.  Yes), and.... I think that's it.

Alrighty, I rambled enough.

Love, your exhausted (and currently cranky) friend.

XOXO, Emiebee

Sad, exhausted, and cranky... in a very happy way.

Today was utterly draining. It was officially my last day at my church, since we're moving the DAY AFTER TOMORROW.

And it's about bloody time. ^.^.

But really, today I said goodbye to my kids... all of them. From all SEVEN years I've been teaching. I'm not much of a cryer (unless I'm alone, then the lamest of rom-coms can make me tear), but the whole day I was fighting to not cry. So naturally, I just kept reminding myself that my makeup looked amazing, and that church was not the place to audition to be a member of KISS. :]

But, it was definitely a sweet day. The kids all had their primary program today (and did AMAZING) and then I went and sat in primary, instead of going to my class. The woman who leads the music is a friend of mine, so she made a point in both junior and senior primaries of having the kids sing my favorite song. Awwh. And it amazed me how many of the older kids knew me. I mean, I've always been with the younger kids. On the LOW end of the younger kids. I don't remember the last time I've gotten so many hugs from 12 and under year olds.

I was kind of surprised, really. Lately, every time we talk to anybody outside our immediate family, it's felt like we were visitors outstaying our welcome... "Oh, we've loved having you, we'll miss you leave.... but no really... when are you leaving???"

And while there was a little of that, it really struck me how lucky my family and I are. People I don't even know know me and my situation. It's very humbling... and somehow frightening. I'm used to my little bubble.

Oh well...

Tomorrow's another busy day. And tonight, I'm utterly exhausted.

Ooooh, but exciting news!! I got a commission job lined up! So I'm not doing as many as I'm used to, but my old Halloween tradition is not dead! Heck, maybe this year I'll dress mySELF up!! What's the most morbid thing I could be that I could still look fabulous as? That I could dream up in just a few days??

Ahhh, I love halloween!!!!
 More later...

XOXO, E

It is so far past official...

I hate moving.

HATE.

H.A.T.E.

It sucks. Epically.

We have officially been packing for TWO MONTHS. Isn't that disgusting? Who knew one family could have this much JUNK to pack??? But, I'm very happy that we're FINALLY getting close. We're now aiming to be leaving this coming Tuesday, which means we'll probably be in our new house by Friday. It's apparently still going to be crazy, pull-your-hair-out busy since my momma decided she wants us to jump into our new church, so she signed us up for everything under the sun, including several halloween activities. Most of them happening on Saturday. As in, a week from today. As in ONE day after we get there. Plus a halloween party. Plus I've been told we're going to celebrate my birthday (again) once we get down there (which, FYI, will be the fourth time I've celebrated my birthday this year. My family always jokes that my sister always tries to make her birthday into a week long event. I think I got her beat with my month-long party bahaha. :])

ANYWAY. Since I'm supposed to be doing my homework right now (I still have last week's in addition to this week's. Yupp. Moving. Rocks my socks. In a way that creates the SLIGHTEST glimmers of homicidal tendencies. Just saying.), so in an effort to keep this short, I'm just going to share a few photos that have been particularly fun (or stressful. I can't decide) to me this week.

And for more photos, don't forget to follow me on We Heart It, which I'm apparently completely addicted too :]  http://weheartit.com/Emiebee

 I ended up not feeling like baking for my ACTUAL birthday, so we did cheesecake instead. All these boys here were pretty happy to just eat it straight, but I took each plate and decorated them in different ways. All the creative fun without actually having to bake. BUT.... really, it would have been better if we had something other than paper plates. Bahaha.

 Here's our newest "little" addition to our house. And sadly, it's almost full already. We're getting a SECOND one of Monday. See? We have a ton of CRAP. And out front yard is looking rather white trash about now.

 This is one of my puppies, Einstein. He's the only one of our four dogs that doesn't run away the second he gets outside, so we let him out while we were packing up the truck. He thought it was the coolest thing ever. He's been figuring out different ways to get into the truck, too, between finding the lines on the ramp that don't have the no-slip spikes on them to using the piled up boxes as stairs. He's a smart little bugger.

 And THIS is Cooper. It was waaay too cute that when we were packing stuff in the living room, and randomly had this wardrobe box on the ground, she kept sneaking in there and laying down. She loved it.

 Or maybe she just wanted to make sure we didn't leave her behind.

 I'm in the process (or was, two months ago :]) of making an entire line of these creepy, grungy little monster necklaces. I'm having wayyy too much fun with the morbidness of it all ^.^

 I love halloween. Always have. And since I'm probably not doing my commission cosmetics this year like I usually do, I fully intend to bake and make some silly ghoul treats this week. Fortunately, I'm finding SO many that are VERY inspirational. I have WAAAAY too many ideas.

 Anyone remember that old cartoon Ahhh Real Monsters? Or Monsters, Inc? I want to do as many different and interesting designs as possible!! Send me ideas if you have 'em!

 My mantra for the up-coming months.

 AND... how I'm surviving now :]

XOXO, E

Oh, Sadness becomes me. :D

Bonsoir mes amies!!

I am VERY sad today. In a very happy kind of way.

As many of you already know, I am in the process of moving from Nampa, Idaho to San Antonio, Texas.

And I have about another week before I am actually moving.

But yesterday, what did I discover?

WHO is in San Antonio? THIS weekend?? The weekend of my BIRTHDAY?? The person whom to meet would make the MOST AMAZING BIRTHDAY PRESENT EVER??

Oh yeah. This guy.

Tim Gunn.

And guess what?

I'm missing it by a WEEEEEEEEEEEEEK.

If you didn't hear, he did a free fashion show for Lucky Brand today (utilizing REAL women as the models. How cool is that?) and was giving away his autographed book (which is awesome, if you haven't, you need to read it. It's one of my read-again-agains. I honestly read it like a self-help book whenever I need a confidence/nicety boost.) for those that spent $100 or more at Lucky Brand. I'm not gonna lie. I would consider doing some very silly things for that book. I'm too broke to buy it. Fortunately, nobody can seem to find it in my library... Because it's always at my house :]

For those of you who know me personally, you know that I'm not exactly the type who withers when meeting a celebrity. Or talking about a celebrity. There's actually not a list of many that I really want to meet. (okay, there's THREE I would love to meet). But Tim Gunn is one of my favorite TV personalities ever. Not only is he so big in fashion, but he's blunt and honest, holds respect and manners very highly, is shows great confidence in who he is, and gave at least this girl the self esteem to feel beautiful again. I can only hope that someday I'll have the fabulous privilege of meeting this interesting man.

I can't even explain how disappointed I am. If any of you have the VERY lucky opportunity to meet him this weekend, PLEASE tell him how a very nice little girl who respects him very much was very sad to miss the chance to meet him!!

Seriously, how cool a birthday present would it have been to meet someone I've wanted to meet for so long??

Siiiiiiiigh.

Anywho. Tomorrow, my last birthday in Idaho. And I'm going to spend a great deal of the day packing. And the other part doing homework. Whooo. Do I know how to party :D

XOXO, E

Today, I feel proud to be a woman.

It's pretty safe to say that I'm a feminist. I've never made any secret of that. However, I think that often when I tell people I'm a feminist, it's taken incorrectly. Especially by my friends that know me well. I've never been the type to turn away help or to blow myself up to be more than I am. But I believe that women have the right to feel beautiful and powerful and... hello, FEMININE!! And I strongly believe that there is NO reason that that any woman can't be all of those things.


I've spent a lot of time with other women in attempts of boosting spirits and increasing confidence. It's one of my favorite things. Today, I was able to see the fruit of my labors in one particular situation. A woman I met on an online forum a few months ago, whom I've been talking to regularly, had a problem that she chose to talk to me, a complete stranger about. She had been a victim of abusive relationships, both emotionally and physically, and had sadly lost the courage to feel beautiful.


Because, we all know, it definitely does take courage.


Today, for the first time in several years, she stood up for herself, pulled herself out of a bad relationship, and as she said, felt powerful and stunning for the first time in a VERY long time after it was over. She is now working to turn her life around. I feel very blessed to have a small part of this.


So because I'm feeling amazingly touched today, I'm filling a request that I've had asked many times.


Usually, the women I work with, I give a mantra to remember. I have several I use for myself, to boost my own confidence, and others have mentioned them working for them as well. I've been asked many times to make them as icons or a wallpapers to be used as a reminder.


I finally got around to it.

Please don't hold it against me that these aren't great. I'll probably remake them sooner or later. Moving is just kicking my butt. :]


I hope these can help whoever needs a feminine - boost. Please share these as often as you like. It would seriously make me feel fantastic to see these floating around the internet.

XOXO, Emiebee

Pictures, Quotes, Distractions, Oh my!

Exciting news!

I am moving! To Texas!

But, leading up to finding up, there was a whole lot of waiting to find out if the job making the move possible was going to go through. The first one was a bust, but the second one, success!

But anyways, while waiting for the call, I was EXTREMELY bored, mainly because I couldn't leave the phone, so I spent way too long on my computer. And my phone. So I was drawing random stuff, taking pictures, then with my random budding graphic arts talent to tweak them.

Okay, I was in need of a distraction.

Here's what I randomly came up with.

XOXO, E

A few geekies :] (CAKES!)

Good morning, lovelies!
I've been busy! Really really busy! I'm gonna get the hang of this blogging here sooner or later. I keep saving stuff to be put up. But then I never do. Boo. I know. Shame on me. I seriously have a folder that's called 'for blogger'.... and it's not empty. But whatever.


Here I am today sharing some really geeky cakes that I've done lately.


These are both... from my brother's birthdays. Bahahah, random.


I'd like a little disclaimer here, though. I am totally and completely NEW at cake decorating. 
I absolutely would love to hear opinions and tips, but please, be kind. I know they're messy.


On top of that... I just barely started using fondant. And I haven't quite gotten the hold of it. Part of that may be because I use my own fondant instead of store bought, but I really don't intend to buy any anytime soon. I've been told mine is pretty good. :]


BUT anyway, here we go!


This first cake was for my brother, GB, who's birthday was on Sunday, and when I asked what kind of cake he wanted, he said 'ice cream Dalek / Tardis cake'. For those of you who don't speak uber-nerd, they're some weird... things... from the Doctor Who series. I started doing both, but it ended up taking longer than expected, and my time was cut short. So I skipped over the tardis and just made the Dalek. I'm not gonna lie, I'm kinda proud of it, since 1) this is my first attempt at decorating like this and 2) I had no *****ing idea what a stupid Dalek was (I may be a nerd, but I'm not a crazed DW fan). So the fact that this thing resembles what it's supposed to?? ... SUCCESS!

Cakes by Cholle <3 Dalek B-Day cake

 On this cake, my mom was actually the one to make the cake, I just decorated. She apparently couldn't decide what KIND of cake to make, because it ended up being a very messy layer cake as follows - brownie layer, candy bar ice cream layer, tie-dye yellow cake layer, ice cream, brownie. In other words, death by sugar. Especially since this was a HUGE cake. We still have like half of it. (and the day after, a friend brought us ANOTHER cake. Oy).


So this next picture is it all put together (I'm glad I had the sense to realized that it would be stupid to decorate ON the cake. That ice cream would have melted all over the place bahaha)

Cakes by Cholle - Dalek Birthday Cake

This second cake was made for my OTHER brother, Jake, for his birthday a few months back.

Cakes by Cholle! - Panda cake set.

Pretty goofy, I'm fully aware. The panda thing is an inside joke. But again, first try EVER at using fondant (oh, and on top of that, I didn't have food coloring. Yeah, see that blue, yellow, and green? Those were all colored with sugar crystals. Oh yeah, be impressed.)


I had GB's help on this, and I would be minimalistic to say that he and I have different tastes. I try to be very specific and clean, he's artistic. I'm not sure if they meshed very well in this. Oh well.


If you're curious, the cake is actually... not cake at all. It's made out of brownies. Jake could create a new brownie monster. The cupcakes are my own recipe for a white cake... that actually tastes more like sugar cookies. They're pretty darn yummy. Especially with some cream cheese frosting, brown sugar, and cinnamon on top. Yummy!


Oh, and if you're wondering about the candles, that's my brother's age.... in binary. Oh yeah. Nerdtastic.


Well, chillens, that's all I have for you for one night. Until next time, I'm off to go digest insane amounts of cake and ice cream. Ooooof.


xoxo,
E

New look, New goals!

Clearly, I just redesigned the look of my blog. Still not in love with it, but a vast improvement, I think.
Along with that, if I like my blog more, I MIGHT just post more often.

But...

Not tonight! I have an early morning tomorrow, and I have stayed up wayyyy too late as is!

AND YET: I do have a list of books that I need to write my reviews for... I'm so excited! I've actually been getting good books lately! Yay!!

YAWN. I'm falling. So here's just a quick <3, sweet dreams! Sleep tight, let bedbugs bite!

Chat soon!

xoxo.

Live, let live, be happy.

I'm becoming a Crowdtap Junkie

I've been so ridiculously busy, and I miss typing random crap onto my blogs! Sorry I haven't been around much.


It's really early. Blah. Or late. Whatever. I'm barely awake. It's 2:10 AM, and I'm about to pass out, but I wanted to share a little bit about what is going to be my excuse for being online a lot more.

Click here to find me on Crowdtap!


J'adore.


Now, I always quickly mention that I'm an over opinionated nerd, and this site let's me do JUST THAT. And guess what? I get free samples as long as I write a review for it (hey, I usually do that anyway!) but that's not even the best part. I'm getting PAID for it. No, I'm serious. I'm actually getting paid. Several of the actions will give you a couple of bucks, and some of the bigger stuff, like reviewing samples, which I'm starting to do now, gives you a decent chunk of free cash. Booya!


Want some free money??? Who doesn't!! CLICK HERE!


I'm such a free stuff junkie, I'm just excited about getting the SAMPLES. But I'm also getting MONEY for WRITING about the FREE STUFF I'm getting.


Another cool part about it? You're donating to charity. A charity of your choice. (I'm doing To Write Love On Her Arms. I've always loved what this charity does! <3). It automatically donates a part of your earnings (it's not very much, so you don't get the 'oh yeah, you're giving me money then taking it away!' syndrome), but you can choose to donate more of it if you prefer. If you choose to redeem your money, it's a gift card.


Hey, I am sure not complaining!!!


So far it's been fun. I haven't actually gotten any cash yet, because you have to earn a certain amount before you can cash it out, but I'm really looking forward to doing more of these actions. I will absolutely keep you up to date on whether it works or not.


If you'd like you check it out for yourself, check out this link:


Click here to go to Crowdtap, and make sure to add me (it'll let you automatically)


Then you can add me as a friend on there, and then we help each other earn some more moolah. Sound fun? Ooh yeah. Let's hit it.!


Or should I say tap it???


Seriously, how cool is this idea??? If anyone of you have used it (successfully, or otherwise), wanna let me know what you think and any tips, etc?? If not, oh well. I'll be sure to update on it for everyone very soon!




XOXO


Cholle (who is not officially passed out. whew!)

Live, let live, be happy.

Tee-hee: let's be friends. Shoot me an email

here!


Last chance! Click here and add me on Crowdtap!

Remember to like and share my blog on Facebook or twitter!
If I get enough people following me, I'll make some new pages. :]


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Cholle's Bookshelf: A book review of Gossip Girl, book #1 in the Gossip Girl series by Cecily von Zeigesar

Evening, people! I've been completely lazy lately! But I am back. And what's more, in my laziness, I have been reading. Yay me!


Now, if you haven't heard of the Gossip Girl show on the CW network, you must be living in a hole. It's everywhere. The show stars Chance Crawford as Nate, Ed Westwick as Chuck, Penn Badgley as Dan, Taylor Momsen as Jenny, and of course Blake Lively and Leighton Meester as Serena and Blair.


Now, I completely admit.... When I saw the commercials, I thought it looked shallow, drama filled, and kind of boring. I ended up watching it recently (right before the beginning of season 4), and let's just say I watched the first three seasons in about two weeks. And... Well. I was right. It is kinda shallow and drama filled, but in oh the best way.


So like I usually do, when I was paying attention to something OTHER than the show (and that took a while) and I finally noticed that little note at the bottom of the screen that said "Based on the book series by Cecily von Ziegesar", I immediately rushed to my library website and put in a reserve, and picked it up not long afterwards.


Okay, I picked up the first five.


Now, onto the book. I was totally and completely.... kind of... DISAPPOINTED. You know, it wasn't a BAD story necessarily. But.... Ahhh. Okay. Here's the problems I had with it. The first book is basically the first episode of the show. BUT there are some major differences. First and foremost, the characters have no, well... character.
In the show, Serena had a lot of awful things in her past, but she was trying to improve her life and herself. In the book she's just a dirty whore who shows no remorse for anything she does. 
TV Blair is sneaky and catty, but she had definite charm, You can't help but like her. Book Blair is boring and pathetic, just hunting for everyone's approval and only thinking about sealing the deal for the first time, the only reason being a failing relationship. Yeah, sure, that's 'waiting for the right time' BOO.. 
Chuck is disgusting, with an amazing soul underneath... though the soul is shown later, so I'm not too terrible with his book character. 
Vanessa... Vanessa. If you've seen the show, you know the very pretty Jessica Szohr who plays her, with her tan skin, stunning blue eyes, quirky style, etc. Though, you know... pretty annoying. You just want her out of the story. Now in the book, she's trying so hard to be indie, she just comes across as pathetic. A girl who shaves her head because she's going to a private school, and pouts when she can't wear plain black, all the time? Really, how cliche poser is that? Down with fake indie, up with the real stuff!
And Jenny. oooooooh Jenny. They turned Taylor Momsen's cute and fiery little blond character who finds some edge into a boring little brunette with Shirley Temple girls and a size DD chest, and what she gains in chest size, she looses in charm. HATE. 
Even Dan looses his likability when he's portrayed as the sex-crazed pompous jerk. 
It's like the only one that is the same is Nate, the self conscious hot guy who's afraid of making decisions and is in love with someone other than his main squeeze. How fitting they picked the gorgeous Chance Crawford to play the part. Loooove.


Yes, I know that von Zegesar wrote the characters first, but I'm telling ya Cecily: THE CW DID THEM BETTER. I don't know if I would like the characters at ALL if I had never seen the show.


So to say the least, I was disappointed with the characters in general. But the book itself was kind of just... boring. Nothing really happened. Nothing that you wouldn't expect from a group like this.


BUT. like I mentioned, I got the first five. So I'm reserving judgement until I get a little further in the series. I guess miracles do happen, right?


Parental Guide: 
Language: There is a lot of language including... well. everything. And it's all through the book. 
Social Behaviors: Constant drinking and smoking, skipping school (skipping the country to be groped by old Frenchmen). The majority is done by minors.It also includes some parental almost-abandonment, as the parents are pretty distant from their children as they take on the assumption that if they let their kids to anything they want, they wont go out of control and crazy. WRONG. There is also talk of homosexuality, as it's revealed that Blair's father left her mother to be with another man. Also through Blair's story, there is talk of Bulimia. 
Sex and Nudity: An almost-sexual part that gets somewhat explicit, explaining her nudity, and his well... urge to get to the actual sex part. There is also some rather explicit dialog throughout, and some very loose mindsets when it comes to sex. Families that encourage families to think of sex as a marriage-only practice, or at least as special, etc (as I think it should be), would probably not find it appropriate. To finish up, there is a near rape. 
Violence and gore: None, really. Most of the damage is done through poor choices, and most of it is emotional.


Never knew all that would fit into a book that's only about 200 pages long, didja?


For those that would like to read it, it's very simple. I read it in a few hours, only half paying attention.


I would say only appropriate for (tentatively) ages 17+ (yeah, it's kind of overkill, but I think that just because so many teens know so much about sex doesn't mean it's good to be immersed in it. I still believe in innocence!!)


Do I recommend it?: Withholding judgement until I've made it through a few more books.


"You know you love me, XOXO"


~Cholle <3


Live, let live, be happy.