So I helped prepare things for thanksgiving today. I thought ALL of you would really want to know what I made and my recipes... that's what we do on blogs, right?? :)
First I made this:
Homemade cranberry sauce...NBD (translation for those who aren't as into the text lingo: no big deal)
1 cup orange juice 1 cup granulated sugar (dissolve into oj in medium sauce pan over medium heat) 12 oz fresh cranberries (stir into oj/sugar and wait for them to pop and get all mashed together...DELICIOUS)
once it's cooked for how long you want it, put it in a serving dish and let it cool. Will thicken as it does. So good.
THEN I made this:
Cranberry butter....so fattening...so worth it.
I honestly don't have measurements for any of this. I used about 6 oz of cranberries and put them through the food processor, then I dumped in a whole lot of powdered sugar and mashed all that together, then I dumped in about 3 sticks of butter and whipped that all together....so basically it's like frosting but with the powdered sugar and butter in different proportions so we don't feel as bad :)
And last but not least, I made this:
and I even made it all pretty. There's just a whole lot of stuff all over this turkey. I marinated it over night in a bunch of things...maybe if I plan on ever blogging about recipes I can't just fly by the seat of my pants with all this stuff.
Much more food was had, but those were my main contributions. I had several friends from church come down because they couldn't go home for thanksgiving.
My friend Dan had a food baby.
I tried doing a food baby but it just hurt, and it wasn't super hot, so I just failed and started laughing...and that's where this picture comes from.
Here's me being June Cleaver (or however you spell her name).
I got bangs! I'll post a picture where I actually do my hair so you can see what they really look like soon :)
I need COMPLETE honesty on this response. And this is something really not important at all...but I want to know if doing this hair cut would be a bad idea (I'm talking about the mom...not the dad)...
My concerns are that I don't have the jaw line/chin to do it or that it would de-emphasize things that I like about myself like my eyes...is this shallow? I'm not meaning to be, I just sometimes see people like this girl and I want their hair so badly. I think it's so cute. But REALLY. If you think I look better without bangs or they would eat my face or anything please let me know. I will in no way be offended. I just really want to know if this is something that would look good, and not just something I could pull off. Catch my drift?? K, fire away.
Also I'll have more interesting/meaningful posts soon.
Let me make the disclaimer that I told you all that I wouldn't necessarily become a regular blogger just because I was doing really well for a few weeks.... But I am sorry!! I've been meaning to update for who knows how long but I get really nervous about putting more stuff on my computer's hard drive. I've had that bad boy since December of 2004. Just wrap your mind around how ARCHAIC it is. My hard drive is around 40 GB....people have ipods and cell phones now with more memory, and I even bought mine with extra. Technology is crazy! My family was nice enough to let me upload a bunch of stuff on their computer (fact: they don't know I am...but they will when I publish this next slew of posts)
So here is what has been happening for the last while! I'll do multiple blog posts so we all don't get visually overwhelmed.
For starters, I helped my little sister do her extra credit project for biology. I LOVE projects. I really do. Especially projects you can do in a few hours that involve planning and then hands on work. April needed to make an edible DNA and I was all over that.
April didn't want to do the sign....but I told her she should. EVERY project should have a snazzy sign.
This next pic is of my friend Melissa's face....she ran into someone's shoulder playing tag football. It was cuh-razy looking.
Doesn't that look rad??
Next up is the Lake Geneva trip 2010. I went back up to Chicago sept. 11th because I was still helping with this activity. It was really fun. I stayed in Champaign the night before with my friend Tina and then we left early so I could do a trial wedding hair run in Carol Stream (suburb of Chicago) and then head to the WI/IL border. No, I did not meet my eternal companion at this activity....
This is my good friend Tina. A lot of my family might remember her from the Lunt Family Nuavoo reunion in 2003. She lived with my family for a while and joined the LDS church when she lived in my home town.
This is my friend Eric and me. Mostly I have this picture up here because I made the card and it actually looked really awesome, though the picture doesn't do it justice. Like I said, I really like projects. Also validation.
The activity consisted of a super nice family hosting us at their lake house and providing tons of awesome food. There were also jet skis and games. At the end of the evening there was a big ferry boat with catered desserts and we toured all the houses around Lake Geneva (google it...ridiculous homes) and then had a dance. Several of my friends from Milwaukee came down so that was really nice to see them.
It was a super nice night and a really well done activity. Sunset from the boat!
So it's FINALLY started to cool down here in good ol' Charleston, IL....
but for about 2 weeks here it was CRAZY HOT and HUMID.
We all deal with things in our own way...some of us by staying home in front of a fan as much as possible (me)...others by driving around in their air conditioned cars (most people)......
and then.....
there's this guy.......
what better way to beat the heat then to have as little clothing on as possible while out on your hog?? His outfit is complete with old-man boat shoes, SHORT cut-off denims (all right if anyone has ever watched arrested development...never nudes??? ahahaha oh I love it)...and top it off with an almost (not quite cut to the seams) sleeveless shirt that has been handily rolled up to be a mid-drift top.....
So hot right now......
Brought to you by the every day population of small town mid-west.
I must say, that's a pretty cute kid, huh?? And she's even a new born!!!! Usually those are kind of tragic looking for a while haha.
She was born this morning at 4:30....2 days late....Mommy wasn't very happy about that but is very glad she is here now and is healthy and safe! Everyone is doing well!!
That is niece #6 for me which brings the grand total to 9!! And I have two more on the way!!!
I love being an aunt....also it makes me want babies....but I'll wait till I have a husband to change their diapers :)
Just completed my first web-site. Woot! It's to promote my work as a hair stylist. It only has a few of my events up there right now and the home page is a little bare because I'm waiting to get another picture sent to me to put as the background yadda yadda yadda...but check it out!
And if you live in Illinois or know people living in Illinois or the bordering states that are needing anything fancy done with their hair or just looking for a good stylist for everyday...go ahead and throw my name out there :)
I did the hair and makeup for a wedding back up in Chicago last weekend....oh, by the way...I moved back home...so I'm no longer in Chicago....surprise, I guess? Anyway, went back last weekend to do the wedding and went to the John Mayer concert that night with some friends. This is my second time to see him live. He has definitely improved as a musician...and as a tool. For those of you wondering what a tool is, I'm pretty sure you can urban dictionary it...but I don't actually know what urban dictionary says about the term...and it's probably inappropriate because a lot of stuff on there is...so maybe don't do that... but anyway. So amazing live, but you can definitely tell he thinks he's the cats meow. He was wearing the most ridiculous outfit I've ever seen. Let me paint the picture for you because I just don't think my pictures do it justice.
He was wearing white, um, slip on tennis shoes maybe? I don't know they kind of just looked like sports socks. And then his pants, or should I say...man-pris???? That's right....he was wearing capris...but he's a man...so therefore 'man-pris'...they were hidious. I don't know if they're some designer something or other so thats why he wore them but I spent the ENITRE concert trying to figure out what on earth was going on. They were *gulp* tapered on the bottom...just below the calves...and then they ballooned out on top...like parachute pants..... PARACHUTE PANTS!!!!!!!! seriously, John Mayer??!!!! SERIOUSLY???!!!!!! for a while I thought he actually had capri over-alls on and had done the super hip, mid-90s folded down at the waist look with the straps hanging down...I could never quite tell.....they were also made of I've concluded a really really shiny black denimn...that looks a lot like leather....so upsetting.... Then he was wearing a white, sleevless shirt....apparently too sexy for sleaves now-a-days. That was followed up with a Brett Michael's bandana on top....truly awful. I used to think this man was really attractive...but I'm having my doubts. Thank goodness he is a ridiculously good musician or I would have lost all faith in him. Is that shallow?? Whatever.
Anyway, here are some pictures of the evening and a little diddy I got during his encore. I ran up closer to where he was playing...potentially with the intention of perhaps throwing a certain supportive undergarment that some women throw at live music gatherings....but obviously I'm a chicken and did not...plus I didn't have a second one with me....so it just would've been an awful idea. Again. Don't judge me. I was caught in the moment. Someday I will though...hopefully at Neil Diamond.
These guys were the opening band. The Avett Brothers. I loved them!!! Seriously they were folk-rocking it out. So amazing. And they all sang really really well. Their singing style isn't the trendy breathy thing that so many male singers are doing right now but more of a belt it all out deal. That's really hard to do live and they had a really clear tone and it was pretty impressive. One guy was literally walking around playing his cello during part of it too....celloooooo!!! That's amazing:)
I attempted yet again to take a group picture...this is try one...
and try two...
and I still fail. I at least got a portion of everyones face...
J May...seriously I wish you could've gotten a detailed picture of his outfit...
Just thought this pic was kind of cool. Looks more like a drawing...
Mark and Kathryn had never been to a concert before. Crazy to me. We broke them in.
During the encore. We were closer to him so it's a little more detailed. The next one isn't so blurry.
And heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeere's Johnny!!! And no, I'm not that voice singing loudly over john mayer...but at least she knows the words.
Also I feel like I'm giving everyone the false impression that I'm going to become a regular every-other-day blogger. That probably won't be the case. So enjoy it while you can:) I'll definitely be better than I was before though!!
Cranberry butter....so fattening...so worth it.
