The ABCs of Me

Wow guys! It has been forever since I've posted. My apologies! This has been a crazy summer for me and my family and it hasn't been in the front of my mind. But I'm back!

Since I haven't posted too much about myself, other than snippets of info in my posts about other things, I thought that today I'd post my answers to one of those silly questionnares. So here it goes: the ABCs of Me!

A - Available or married?
Happily Married.

B- Book?
Always reading the Bible and currently re-reading through all of Lisa Gardner’s books. Just finished Love & Respect, which I highly recommend to engaged or married Christian couples.












C- Cake or Pie?
Doesn’t matter, chocolate either way!

D- Drink of Choice?
Diet Dr. Pepper! I am super addicted. And orange juice. Yum.

E- Essential Item?
A book at all times…maybe my Kindle since it has multiple books on it.

F- Favorite Color?
Red, Gray, Black

G- Game to play or watch?
Monopoly Deal, Catchphrase, Telephone Pictionary

H- Hometown?
Fort Madison, Iowa

The Mississippi River and the largest swingspan bridge in the world, as seen from Fort Madision, Iowa!

I- Indulgence?
Brookside Dark Chocolate Acai with Blueberry Bites

J- Jimmy Johns Sandwich of Choice?
Country Club, no cheese. Plus one of those giant pickles!

K- Kids and names?
None so far. :) But I have names ready to go!

L- Life is incomplete without?
My husband and my God.

M- Music group or singer?
Phew. Now? I don’t really know. Maybe Colbie Caillat or Jason Mraz? But the band I’ve loved the most and longest is definitely the Backstreet Boys. I saw them in concert for my 21st birthday 2 years ago and it totally fulfilled my childhood.

BSB forever baby!

Me after the concert with my T-shirt....my cousin looking ever so loverly in the backseat. :)

N- Number of siblings?
One sibling, a younger, awesomer sister named Kaylyn. I’ve also been blessed with some great sibs in law— Käte and Josh are Ricky's siblings, Lance is Käte's husband and Kelsey will be Josh's wife soon.

Kaylyn and I at my graduation

My siblings-in-law with my husband and I. Left to right: Käte, Lance, Me, Ricky, Kelsey, and Josh

O- Oranges or apples?
Both but I eat apples more often since I don’t have to peel them…wow, I’m lazy.

P- Phobias/Fears?
Spiders!

Q- Favorite Quote?
If at first you don’t succeed, skydiving is not for you!
Lol. That’s a cheesy one, but I’m having a hard time thinking of a serious one.

R- Reason to Smile?
My husband laughing.  It’s adorable and contagious.

S- Season?
Summer, definitely!! I love spring and fall clothes, but nothing beats a beach or pool, a frosty drink, and a good novel.

A Purple Rain, my toes, and the ocean in Jamaica on our honeymoon

T- Tattoos?
I got one right before I turned 19, drama masks on my left hip. So far I've held out on getting another but who knows, that might change in the future!

U- Unknown fact about me?
I wear a contact, but only in one eye. The other eye has perfect vision.

V- Vegetable you love?
Zucchini, squash, carrots, broccoli, grilled onions, sweet corn, spinach…. I HATE potatoes though, which really freaks everyone out. My mother-in-law has known me for 4 1/2 years and still has to think twice before remembering. My parents, on the other hand, think that it's hilarious to offer me potatoes every time they make them for a meal and see how I react.

W- Worst habit?
Being anxious about things I can’t control!

X- X-Rays you've had?
I think I’ve had a few. My skull and spine for sure.

Y- Your favorite food?
Italian. Pasta all the way. I am a carbo-loader, my mom used to tell me that I would become a noodle if I kept it up. I need to get into the spaghetti squash trend before I blow up like a balloon (more…).

Z- Zodiac sign?
Gemini. Not a twin though, which was disappointing as girl growing up in the 90s watching Mary-Kate and Ashley.

What about you guys? Similarities to, or differences from, my answers?

Top 12 Things to Watch on Netflix

*Ahem. My Top 12 Things to Watch on Netflix.

Now, I understand that you may have some different tastes from me, but if you can't get into anything on this list I will be extremely confused. And sad for you.

For anyone who has been hiding under a rock for the last couple of years, Netflix is this awesome thing that allows you to stream TV shows and movies from the internet onto your TV or 'device'--including computers, tablets, phones, etc. It's $7.99 per month and worth every penny. Especially if you're mooching off of someone else's pennies, such as your in-laws. Not that I would ever do such a thing. (Love you, Wendy & Rick!)

While this is like magic, I do hear people wondering aloud what to watch next on Netflix. So I made this handy dandy list to help you get started!  Everyone else does Top 10 lists--but c'mon, this is Netflix! So I had to make it a Top 12 list. It includes 6 TV shows and 6 movies--so you should be set for at least a weekend. (Just kidding--you will occasionally have to pause it for bathroom breaks and to pass out.) I would like to specify, though, that this is an adult list--I didn't include kiddie movies on here. We do like some kids' movies, but I'm not a mom, so I'll let some other blogger tackle that list!

Here goes!

Netflix.com

Top 12 Things to Watch on Netflix:

Arrested Development (2003-present—Rated TV-PG)
A show about a crazy dysfunctional family whose patriarch has just been sent to prison and about the second son-Jason Bateman-who has to try to keep the family together. Hilarity will ensue. If that doesn’t convince you, there’s Jason Bateman, Will Arnett, Portia DeRossi, Michael Cera as a kid….it’s great. Plus, the show was renewed this year on Netflix for a fourth season, ten years after season 1.

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Supernatural (2005-present—Rated TV-14)
The premise is two (super gorgeous, well-acted) brothers, who travel the U.S. fighting things that go bump in the night. Suspense. Monsters. Comedy. Jared Padelecki and Jensen Ackles-throw in some Misha Collins in the later seasons. There’s really nothing else you need. (Beware of looking up this show on the internet though--there are some super-crazy fans out there! I promise I am not one of them--no fanfic for me, thank you.) This is literally my favorite show EVER. If you follow me on Pinterest, you probably already know that, since I have a board dedicated to it that I pin to nonstop. Sorry not sorry.

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House of Cards (2013-present—Not rated but it’d be R)
This show follows Kevin Spacey as he plots to go from Congress to the White House. It’s intriguing and fast paced, has great casting, and will shock you. Bonus: you may inadvertently learn something about the inner workings of the American government.

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What to Expect When You’re Expecting (2012—Rated PG-13)
This is a great romantic comedy—especially if you or someone you know is pregnant or has just had a baby. I’m a little surprised that this movie is so unknown, considering the cast. It stars Cameron Diaz, Matthew Morrison, Jennifer Lopez, Elizabeth Banks, Chace Crawford, Brooklyn Decker, Dennis Quaid, Chris Rock and Anna Kendrick. I think I’m actually still missing a couple. I think Elizabeth Banks is probably my favorite in this as a Type-A workaholic who thinks she knows everything about motherhood—until it actually happens to her. (This is likely because I have a similar temperament—although I sure hope my pregnancy doesn’t go the same way hers did!)

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How I Met Your Mother (2005-2013—Not given a rating but I’d say TV-14)
This show is almost too easy to watch—I think my husband and I breezed through all of the available seasons at the pace of about a season per week. However, I will say that if I were Ted Mosby, I would probably not be telling my children about all the drinking, partying, and 30-odd women that I slept with before I met their mother. Bad form, Ted.

fanpop.com

One for the Money (2012—Rated PG-13)
This is another movie that I feel deserves more recognition. Katherine Heigl, people. And for once she’s not playing an uptight character, which is kind of refreshing (although uptight is her bread-and-butter, and I’m not suggesting she give it up. I relate to her in those roles!) This movie is based on Janet Evanovich’s funny and sexy series about an inept bounty hunter from Jersey. It may not be Oscar material but it is good stuff.  If you don’t see the movie, you should read the book—as usual, the book is about a thousand times better. The series has 19 books so far and they make me legitimately laugh out loud. I have to get my husband to stop reading his book so I can read passages to him out loud and giggle to myself.

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Dirty Dancing (1987—Rated PG-13)…and other classic movies
Because really, if you haven’t seen Dirty Dancing by now, you should be ashamed of yourself.  Famous for awesome curly hair, the iconic lift, and the line “Nobody puts Baby in the corner.”  (Side note—notice the long skinny watermelons near the beginning of the movie. Is this what watermelons used to look like? Is the new rounder shape of watermelons due to our genetic breeding to get seedless ones? These are the things I think of.) Anyway…this should be required viewing, and you should watch it. Same goes for other classics like Breakfast at Tiffany’s.

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That 70s Show (1998-2006—Rated TV-14)
Even if you saw most of the episodes while the show was running, this is still good to add to your list. You can watch it while you’re answering email or doing dishes. It will help you get a handle on all the changes in the Foreman family, figure out which Laurie goes with what season, and work out who’s currently dating Jackie. (Spoiler: in real life, it’s Kelso!) Enjoy everything that happens anytime Kitty is onscreen. Memorize some of the best BURNS! Plus, see young Mila Kunis-young Ashton Kutcher-young Topher Grace—it’s pretty much magic.

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Keith (2008—PG-13)
Keith is a weirdly addictive movie that leaves you wanting to know more about Jesse McCartney. He’s surprisingly good in this movie, which came out in 2008. He is very brooding and mysterious for a cute little pop singer. The other main character is played by Elisabeth Harnois, whom I haven’t seen much of but liked a lot in this role. What seems to be a budding friendship/high school crush turns into something unexpected and a little dark. Watch and see!

amazon.com

Good Will Hunting (1997—Rated R)
Good Will Hunting has it all. Robin Williams in a role you wouldn’t expect from “the Genie” (I know, I’m such a 90s kid); young Matt Damon and Ben Affleck, Minnie Driver, Boston accents, young angst. However, what it also has is more f-words than you thought you would hear in your entire life. So be prepared for that.

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Lost (2004-2010—Rated TV-14)
Lost is an awesome series to get all wrapped up in. You will become part of a secret society of Lost watchers who can have whole long conversations of which outsiders will not be able to understand a word. It follows the lives of the passengers of a flight that has landed on an island. It starts out intriguing but normal—by the time it gets crazy, it’s too late! You’re in too deep and you can’t get out. It boasts an awesome cast that I really want to see more from and tons of plot twists you won’t see coming. This is probably because it’s by J.J. Abrams—which usually means it’s pretty great!

lostpedia.com

Hunger Games (2012—Rated PG-13)
Honestly, I was surprised that this movie is already on Netflix! It usually takes longer for movies that are this commercially successful to make it on. I suppose they want you to be ready for the next installment—Catching Fire, which comes out this November. It would be surprising if you hadn’t heard of this one. It’s about a country in the future on North America which punishes its districts for a past rebellion by demanding tributes (children) from each district to fight to the death—in the Hunger Games. It has Jennifer Lawrence, which is pretty much a reason to watch all by itself, but there’s also Woody Harrelson, Elisabeth Banks, Liam Hemsworth and Josh Hutcherson.

fanpop.com

Bonus! Watch various Avengers movies while waiting for the next one to come out!
See, Netflix will be super helpful every time a new Marvel superhero movie comes out because you can catch up with Captain America, Thor, and the Hulk. I assume you all have the Iron Man movies because who doesn’t have the Iron Man movies? If you don’t, you should probably get the Iron Man movies. Also—add the new Andrew Garfield version of Spiderman because I hear that they finally got the rights to include him in the next Avengers movie.

Extra Bonus! Dr. Who
I feel obligated to mention Dr. Who so that people won’t be grabbing their pitchforks and torches at the end of this post. I haven’t personally gotten into Dr. Who, so I can’t really speak to it, but it seems like the people who are into it are like really, REALLY into it so…take that information and do with it what you will. I hear it’s a better idea to start with season 5 and then watch 1-4 at the end (I guess because the doctor in season 5 is more likable). There! I said it, so no mugging me at the supermarket, okay?

Which of these is your favorite?
What other shows and movies would you include on a must-watch Netflix list?
Leave your responses in the comments below!

Mother's Day

What an awesome day. A day to celebrate the women who brought us into the world, and brought us up in the world (whether those are the same or different women!)

My mama and I 

I have been so blessed with my mother. She is as strong as she is generous and kind. (And she's a little funny. Sometimes. And 'hip'....no, she really is. She knows more about my friends than I do.)

At my wedding

In all seriousness, my mom is AWESOME. She put herself all the way through school, including pharmacy school, and then she went after her dreams and is a hugely sought-after pharmacist in our area. Her customers pretty much think she walks on water. We can't go anywhere without her getting stopped by at least four people! (It's awesome though--it just shows how much she touches the lives of the people around her!) She was (and still is) a loving and dedicated daughter. She and my dad are a great example of marriage and family. She's not perfect but, man, when I think about what a rotten kid I was (am?) sometimes, I am waaaayyy impressed by how well she has done with what she had to work with.

I LOVE this one of her..less of me, but Mother's Day is about being selfless, right?!

I was so sad that I didn't get a chance to go home this year for Mother's Day. This is the first year Mom hasn't had my sister Kaylyn and I both at home...instead she has neither! (Kaylyn is on some sort of 'marine biology' trip to Key West that looks a lot like playing at the beach)

This is Kaylyn, looking all science-y. I didn't think she'd appreciate bikini pics on my blog. Although, she is smokin'. I'm just saying. 

I did get to call my mama this afternoon and we talked for over two hours! It was a great conversation and it's amazing that although sometimes if feels like your mom can be your biggest enemy (but Mom, I don't want to do the dishes before I go to the movies! Wow, I'm a brat), she is always your biggest ally. And cheerleader. And friend. 

For some of you out there, your story/relationship with your biological mother may have not been as blessed as this. For you, I would encourage you to think of other women in your life who have stepped up and been there for you. This may be a grandmother or other family member, a woman in your church or community, a teacher....the point is, she was there for you and she's great! Spend some time with that woman if you can this week, and if that's not possible, then just spend some time reflecting on her and the others who got you where you are today. Remember that there are other kids out there just like you were, and try to be a support and encouragement to them! You never know how far your love reaches. :)

In that vein, I have to mention my mother-in-law: uber sweet and encouraging

My mother-in-law and I at my bridal shower

My mom-in-law, me and my mom at my wedding

And my adorable grandmothers and grandmothers-in-law! They are amazing and deserve tons of recognition on Mother's Day too!

My family and both of my grandmothers (and my grandfather) at my wedding

Ricky and I with his grandmothers at our wedding (side note: weddings are great for having ready-to-go-to pictures of your family!)

Anyway...gratuitous family pics aside, mothers pretty much make the world go 'round, so give your moms and mom-stand-ins some lovin' this Mother's Day week! Some people think Mother's Day is too "commercialized," just another holiday to sell cards and flowers. Well....no. Moms deserve way more appreciation all year long! Doing something for her on Mother's Day is really not too much to ask (in my humble opinion).
So, to my mom: Mamasita, (we're not Spanish..we just like the way it sounds!)....you're the best!

Saved the best picture for last!

"Personal" Shower

My awesome sister-in-law Käte (it's German, pronounced Kate-uh) is getting married in a few weeks, so this weekend I threw her a personal/lingerie shower (along with my cousin-in-law Ashley and our friend Kelsey--Kelsey will be my other sister-in-law someday soon!). It was simple but very fun!

Marriage is such a cool thing, and it was exciting to be able to celebrate Käte's upcoming marriage...and to help her out with some 'exciting' things for the honeymoon.

We used some typical Party City decorations for the plates, cups, banner and 'poufs'.

It's hard to see, but the banner was personalizable, and this was a lingerie shower. So naturally we made it say, "Let the good times roll!" We are awesome. Although we almost forgot the 's' on 'times'...Let the good time roll would have been kind of sad. "Here you go, girl, here's all this lingerie but choose wisely cuz you only get one good time!" = not awesome. But we fixed it so we're good!

Anyway.

For the table decor, we used a pink and orange ombre picnic set that my best friend gave me last year for my wedding--thanks, Jessica!

Food included pasta salad, chips with salsa and guacamole, chocolate-covered strawberries (which I looove to make-if you ever need some, let me know!), apples and caramel and flavored 7-Up (courtesy of Ashley), and amazing strawberry pound cake cupcakes (courtesy of Kelsey). There was also diet Coke hiding in the fridge. We did the typical make-way-too-much-of-everything thing with the food, so there were plenty of leftovers. The punch dispenser and some of the platters were borrowed from my mother-in-law, which was great because it really helped the table display look really pretty.

A great thing to do at a shower like this is to get the bride some thank-yous and hand out the envelopes at the shower. People can put their names and addresses on the envelopes so that the bride has one less thing to worry about later! We did this-although I actually just used some "Mr. & Mrs." thank-yous that I had left over from my wedding last year. Win-win.

We also played some fun games! We started with a crossword of words that related to Käte and Lance's relationship-apparently there are crossword generators online that Kelsey found. How helpful! We also played "Relationship Status"--I found status updates from Käte and Lance's facebook statuses that weren't too obviously them and had everyone guess which page they were from. It was fun because Lance does some non-typical-male statuses. Even Käte got one wrong!

I handed out ribbon-wrapped pink nail polishes to the winners--they'll be perfect for the wedding, since Käte's using various pinks and a vintage theme. 

My favorite, though, was probably opening all the gifts and naming the lingerie. We put each of them in a bag with the name on a label on the outside and kept a list for Lance to choose from based just on the name. There were some creative ones- I'll post some of the names after her honeymoon!(So her husband-to-be doesn't see them first! Not that he's probably going to be super into my blog about recipes and crafts and showers but hey.) (No pics of the lingerie--trying to preserve a tiny bit of her privacy--use your imagination!)

There were a couple people who got her comfy items--a cotton robe and a nightgown that's cute and sexy but still perfect to *actually* sleep in. Great idea--I've been married a year and I'm always looking for stuff like that. Not that Ricky really notices, but I always feel a little weird starting off in lingerie and ending up in sweatpants. Not that there's anything wrong with sweatpants. Or even better--yoga pants, also known as 75% of my at-home clothing. Ahem.

After the gifts were opened and named, we tried our best to demolish the rest of the food while watching Bride Wars. (Side note--I freakin' love Bride Wars. Kate Hudson, Anne Hathaway...awesome. If Emma Stone was in it, we'd have a trifecta.)

Some of the gang ^ enjoying the Kate/Anne antics. And food. This picture doesn't do justice to the amount of food we consumed.

Here's a picture of the planners with the lovely bride! Me, Ashley, Käte, and Kelsey. Love them!

What are your favorite games to play at showers? Best shower foods? Best wedding movies? Leave them in the comments!

Hey everyone! Welcome to my blog. I’m just going to be posting about things that go on in my life—recipes that I find and like, décor that I try out in our apartment, outfits, things like that. Now, I am a poor law student, so there won’t be $600 bags or anything on this blog! For me, it will be a great way to get my mind off of law school for a little while each week. For you, I hope that it will give you some ideas of things that you might like to try! Feel free to leave your feedback in the comments section.

For my first post, I decided to do a super easy and yummy dessert recipe that I found (where else?) on Pinterest. They’re cinnamon sugar crescent rolls. They’re great because even though I looooove cinnamon rolls, I don’t like how difficult it is to make them without having really hard and crusty outsides. I’ve seen a few different versions of this recipe, sometimes called ‘resurrection rolls’ or ‘hocus pocus buns’ but as far as I know, none of them have recommended the Big and Buttery crescent rolls, which I’ve found make them waaaaay better and easier to wrap.

For this recipe, you will need:

One roll of Big and Buttery crescent rolls

Marshmallows—I used the jumbo kind and cut them in half, so I used four (divided in half made 8-one for each crescent roll, if you use mini ones you may need two per crescent roll)

Butter or margarine (2 tablespoons)-I used margarine, not that it really makes this much healthier. (Did I mention this is an indulgent recipe? Who cares, you deserve it every once in a while!)

Sugar and Cinnamon (I’m sure something like Splenda would also work but I haven’t tried it)

Steps:

1. Pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees

2. Unroll all of the crescent rolls onto a large cookie sheet and separate them slightly so they aren’t touching one another

3. Mix some cinnamon and sugar together in a small container (I use about a teaspoon of cinnamon and two tablespoons of sugar, but I never actually measure—I just kind of dump some in there until it looks light brown)

4. Heat your butter or margarine for 30 seconds in the microwave (put a napkin or something over the top unless you want butter all over the place)

5. Roll the marshmallows in the melted butter, then roll in the cinnamon-sugar mixture

6. Place each marshmallow in the middle of the big end of a crescent roll, fold the outside corners around it and roll the crescent up (make sure to pinch the dough together in any area where there is a gap so that the marshmallow is completely closed inside)

7.  Spread the rolled up crescents around on the cookie sheet and bake for 12 minutes

8. Enjoy!  (but give it about 3 minutes to cool first—my husband is always burning his fingers and tongue because he can’t wait)

Notice that the marshmallow ‘disappears’—it dissolves into the dough, creating amazing deliciousness.  These are also really fun to make for other people when you’re entertaining—I usually get them ready to go into the oven before people arrive but I wait to bake them until right before we’re ready to eat, because they aren't nearly as good once they've been sitting around for a while-you want them while they’re warm!

Let me know how they turn out!