a tale of gingerbread

on saturday night we made gingerbread houses with our friends krystal and jesse. it was such a fun night! kyle impressed everyone with his mad house-building and decorating skills. and team krystal and jesse came up with the most creative gingerbread house i've ever seen! as for me, my house had its ups and downs. literally. about halfway through, my house suffered a cave-in and i had to start all over. but i came back! all of us had a blast playing with all the different candies and decorations, and seeing what we could come up with. and with christmas music playing in the background it was the perfect christmas-y double-date!

krystal and jesse putting together their masterpiece

you can already tell that kyle's house is going to be awesome!

my house was coming along so nicely...

and then earthquake 2011.
 but we will rebuild!!

dang look at that house!
with its m&m roof, clearly defined twizzler property  lines, patio, garden, chimney, and SHRUBS!!!

seriously how creative is my husband?!!
he even crushed up some graham cracker to be the dirt in his garden!

yes, that is a palm tree in front of their house.
and yes that is a helicopter landing pad on the roof!

hahaha so funny/creative!

i had to scale back my plans a little after the collapse, but i thought my small house turned out cute!

and then i added a deck, a fire pit, and a....dog?

we seriously just kept adding, and adding to our houses...

then jesse built a helicopter for his landing pad!

and i built a person to walk my dog!

and kyle made a covered patio and then made chickens for his backyard!!

hahaha i told you this boy impressed!

pinterest can be deceiving...

i love pinterest. i do. thanks to pinterest i've made all kinds of delicious recipes and cute crafts! but sometimes it can give you a false sense of craftiness. you go online and see these creative pins that really, very crafty, talented people have put together and think oh that looks so easy, i can do that! but if you're like me, a lot of times you can't.

over the past couple months i've had a couple fails with crafty pinterest projects and the latest one came this past week at the ward christmas party. i was asked to bring a treat, and knowing that i was going to be working all day, i decided to do something very simple...or so i thought. it was not easy, it was not fast, and it did not turn out nearly as cute as the original pin...

the original pin from pinterest, looks easy and cute right?

this is what happened when i tried to replicate the above pin.
not so cute.

haha, feel free to laugh at my "snowmen" a few of them look like they could be demon ghosts for halloween, some are mutilated, and a couple are missing eyes...i think i've finally learned my lesson that i need to be more realistic about my crafting abilities when i'm trying to copy pinterest!

scenes of an apartment christmas

me and the hubs live in a tiny apartment far away from our families. and this year like last year, we are leaving about halfway through the month (dec 15th!) to fly home and spend christmas with our families, where we'll be surrounded by all kinds of christmas cheer.

so last year when we were newly married, buried in school work, finals, and part-time jobs i did not do a single thing to bring christmas into our little apartment, zip, zero, nada.
this year i vowed would be different. and it is. thanks to just a few small decorations our apartment feels merry and bright, and when kyle finishes his last final next week, then he'll get to open all of his presents waiting for him underneath our 2ft tree!

merry christmas to me

santa came early this year, and i couldn't be more excited about my present!
i have 837283 things i want to make with it. you can make dough in this blender, fresh peanut butter, grind wheat, my smoothies will be smoother, my juices jucier, i can make my own almond milk, raw applesauce, and all kinds of juices, ice creams, soups, and sauces... ahhhh yes merry christmas indeed!

giving thanks

thanksgiving this year was great. i mean really great. definitely one of the best. sooo much happened tho that i need i to go day by day here:

tuesday: pack up, clean house, head to airport, meet up with little brother in terminal who just flew in from montana, run into best friend in the airport (it was movie worthy) and it turns out we were on the same flight because my parents just moved to where her parents live so now its like we're from the same place.
read "matched" on flight--i would have loved it if i was 14, arrived in houston, said good-bye to bestie, said hello to dad, drive through the city and out west to almost the country, arrive at parents new house, say hello to mom, go on a tour and oooh and aaaahhh at their beautiful new abode and feel a little jealous.
eat some delicious pineapple pico de gallo and catch up, talk with fam and then goodnight!

wednesday: dad makes delicous breakfast burritos and even uses organic, cage free eggs! then its time for a bike ride around the neighborhood (we can do that because its in the 70s there), then its time for some pool and by pool i mean the kind you play on a table, with balls and sticks, not the water kind although my parents have one of those too now! (and later in the day my little bro and crazy hubs jumped in the chilly pool), after pool we played ping pong, i think that was kyle's favorite part of the whole trip--he looooves ping pong!

then me and my mama headed to the mall and she got me a few new goodies including a navy blue blazer that im def gonna sport at my next job interview (perhaps that will help?) on the way back we stopped at a couple model homes in the neighborhood and they were almost as cute as my parent's house.
then my dad and i shot some bows with arrows in the backyard (for real) then it was time for some din din, and my mama used organic, grass-fed beef in her dish:) then it was time for some games! and then me and kyle used the media room and its humongous screen to watch some soccer (i think this was really kyle's favorite part of the whole trip) then my older bro and his wife got in just before midnight and we all said hi and then went to bed.

turkey day: time to get my cook on! while my mom cooked the free-range, organic turkey, i made the stuffing, cranberries, and green bean casserole. while i was cooking up a storm kyle was up in the media room with the other kids. then it was time to eat! along with the stuff i made we had rolls, and sweet potatoes, and mashed potatoes and gravy, and broccoli salad and pumpkin chiffon, well everyone else had pumpkin chiffon for dessert, i had straight-up blue bell ice cream. i ate a bowl of blue bell (aka the best ice cream known to man) every singe day i was in texas.
then we all passed into a collective food coma for a while. when we came to, it was time for more archery in the backyard (i sucked and kept getting arrows in the grass, then the fence, then kyle's target and eventually one arrow in my target--you know the one i was actually aiming for the whole time. but kyle was awesome! if we ever had to survive in the wild and kyle had a bow, he could probably shoot our dinner! then my mom and dad and me and kyle (only cuz i begged him) went to see breaking dawn. as kyle said it was about what you'd expect, but i still enjoyed it!

friday: everyone but my little bro got up early and headed into the city, nope not for black friday shopping but to attend a session at the houston temple! the temple was beautiful and it was great to go as a family. once back at home we ate some leftovers, and then it was time for tennis! i loved being outside, in the sun, in the warmth, playing, exercising--i can't wait till we leave utah! being out side all the time while were in texas was the best!! after tennis we hit up the hot tub! yes i love my parents new house. after we were nice and wrinkly from the water it was time for more games and blue bell! we played scattergories, buzz word, speed scrabble, and the bean game! and then i spent some quality time with my pillow. and my pillow rocked by the way, my mom bought new pillows for the beds--they're memory foam and sooo comfortable.

saturday: i couldn't sleep in too late tho because i was making breakfast! caramel french toast was on the menu and it was delish. on saturday we were also treated to a full day of heavy houston rain so we weren't able to spend much time outside. so more pool, ping pong, media room...and then we headed to my papa's office, after he showed us his new work digs we headed to papadeaux for a lunch of yummy seafood.

and THEN we went to see model homes. (this might have been my favorite part of the trip) we went to about 8, ranging from a full-out mansion to small affordable starter homes. they were all gorgeous and decorated and soo fun to look at, even the boys got into it! then home for some minute to win it games. i put together a few games that i thought my family would have fun doing (which worked out great with the rain) and we all did them--no real competition but it was a lot of fun watching everyone! then we headed to chipotle for some grub and then i just about passed out at the table, so i knew it was time for me to hit the sack.

sunday: crepes for breakfast, then packing, one last game of ping pong, a few last minute pictures because i realized i hadn't taken ANY the whole trip. luckily my dad took a few that i was able to steal, and one last bowl of blue bell ice cream--that i ate in the car ON THE WAY to the airport, and it was time to say goodbye. we had such a blast over thanksgiving and we can't wait to head back to texas in just TWO weeks to spend some time with kyle's family!!

and a big thanks to my cousins for telling me about making collages on picasa so i didnt have to upload 40 pictures!!

my little brother nik enjoying the good life

hot tuuubb

soooo nice

sitting around eating--we did that a lot

hubby lounging in the great room

can't wait to hang out here in the summer!

ping pong time

the pool table is underneath

kyle's favorite room--look at that huge screen!

the cute room we stayed in

minute to win it games

the one of my mom is my fav

could you keep 3 balloons in the air for one minute??

stack em' babe

unfortunately because my dad took all of these pictures he's not in any of them but he WAS there and having fun with the rest of us!!

its my party, i can post two weeks late if i want to...

i know, i know,  halloween is soooo over. but today i'm posting about mine.
for my birthday i wanted to be surrounded by my friends....and i got my wish!

they came as robbers and cowboys, creeps and death-eaters, some came dressed as themselves, and others came straight from work, but all were equally welcome. everyone was given 5 pieces of candy try to toss in the pumpkin bucket--whoever got the most pieces in at the end of the night won the bucket of sugary treats!

and then there was food. oh boy was there food! we had 7-layer dip and chips, apple slices, cucumber sandwiches, cupcakes, pumpkin cookies, monster munch popcorn, and all sorts of candy. but i think everyone was a little sick of sugar from ward parties and work parties, because all the dip and apples and sandwiches were eaten up and lots of treats remained (too many treats remained! and kyle and i were stuck with eating them for the next week).

then we talked, we listened, we laughed, and when we were all caught up, we played a game: have you learned anything from horror movies? we split into teams and then had to answer....

you car runs out of gas in the middle of nowhere, you can't get any cell service, its growing dark and the only places nearby are an abandoned-looking house, an amusement park, and a seedy looking bar. what do you do?

you have just shot the psycho murderer 3 times in the head, 2 times in the chest, and 1 time in the leg. he appears to be dead. what do you do?

the zombie apocalypse has happened. where is the safest place to hide. (note: you must remain on earth)

we answered about 15 of these questions and it was so funny to hear everyone's answers. i got the idea from a website, that for some reason isn't working today, but it was called ghoulfriday.com.

and then too soon it was late, and the party was ending. but i had the best time and it was so great seeing everyone AND i have pictures! Except i have no idea how to do picture collages. you know, the ones that everyone else who blogs uses, so that pictures don't have to put up one by one on blogger? if you are one of those bloggers, please let me know your secret!

my mad scientist husband and the birthday ballerina!

bank robber and cowboy 

and a dental hygienist!

a death eater and little red riding hood

they were from dr. who

salt and pepper!

my gypsy friend!

if we'd had a costume contest, i think they would have won!

time to blow out the candles on my bithday cupcake!

my husband and andrew doing "the creep" from SNL

my living room--haunted by ghosts, infested by bats!!

cobwebs have taken over...

freshman year friends!

fall behind

wow i have really fallen behind on my bogging this fall. (ha ok that was my attempt at a pun) but for reals i haven't blogged in weeks and i'm sure my 10 followers have just been dying to know what's been going on in my exciting life! well here you go: 

we did a puzzle. a fall puzzle! (told you my life was exciting) if you look closely you can see all the jack-o-lanterns and the people in their costumes. we did this puzzle about a week before halloween. and when i say we, i mean kyle did 10 pieces and i did the rest because he has to do other stuff with his time like homework and study (not me--i get to do puzzles!)

i also turned 24 on all hallows eve! and to celebrate we threw a rockin' party--post on that coming up.

also in honor of my birth me and the hubs had dinner at communal. they use local ingredients and meats for all their dishes and were they ever DELISH! we had cream frache perogies, steak braised w/red wine sauce and chantrelle mushrooms and other fancy ingredients that i can't pronounce, fried buttermilk chicken and grits with goat cheese (i love goat cheese).

and on my birth day i woke up a blonde, in the middle of the day i was a red-head and by evening i was brunette! yep i've gone dark and so far i'm lovin' it. no more ugly roots, no more feeling pale and washed-out. i mean, i'm still pale but now at least i have some color on top of my head to help balance it out.

RED HEAD! they had to re-pigment my hair before they could dye it brown so i took an in-between shot. they asked me if i was sure i didn't want to stay this color. yes. i am sure.

my new hair color!