Giving the Gift of Good Health

I've been called germaphobe in my day. Weirdo. OCD. Paranoid. Call me what you must, but I absolutely despise getting sick. Anything that I can do to prevent it, you can guarantee that I will do it.

Everyone around me at work has been getting sick lately. There have been stomach flus, regular flus, colds, coughs and fevers. I know that I can only do whatever I can do to keep myself clean and germ-free, but can't necessarily make other people be germ-free, too. Or can I.....?

Everyone, meet my work-friend Christmas gifts.

Sanitizer Snowmen!

Going Green With Our Garbage

This summer we had a very sad, very poor attempt at composting. The problems we faced were mostly related to the lack of space and the fact that we share a yard with several other people...and all of their animals. I did a lot of research and I think when the time comes that we have our own house I will know enough about composting to be able to do it effectively and efficiently. Looks like that counter top compost container wasn't a waste of $30 after all! :)


One thing I found out about composting is that most cities and counties in Utah offer composting services! If you have a garbage can that is specifically for yard clippings, you have your own large compost collector. Our "compost can" is our brown garbage can. This is where we put the usual garbage...grass clippings, pulled weeds, raked leaves, etc. I thought I would share with you the other items that can be placed in these bins in order to save you space in your regular garbage bins, clear up space in the landfills, and help turn these natural fibers back into nutrient rich soil that can in turn be used to grow more plants and trees!

Think twice before throwing out the following items into the regular garbage bin:

• Coffee grinds
• Hair clippings
• Nail clippings
• Egg shells
• Expired produce
• Freezer burned vegetables
• Paper towels
• Matches
• Banana peels
• Old spices
• Potato peelings
• Orange rinds
• Q tips (ONLY if they have cardboard middles, not plastic)
• Houseplant trimmings
• Corncobs
• Nut shells
• Apple cores
• Lobster shells (if you eat meat, of course)
• Lint from the dryer
• Dust bunnies, and other things you empty out of the vacuum cleaner
• Feathers and bird cage tray cleanings
• Dead flies and bees you clean out of your windowsills
• Sunflower seeds leftover from last baseball season
• Leftover Jack-O-Lanterns (sad, but I know that there are still a few sitting on porches)

Pretty cool, huh? I will keep you posted as to how the composting goes when we get our new place. I hope to be completely self-sufficient when we grow our own garden. Next year....next year....

Yummy Asian Noodle Salad

Our friend Graig has the best - I mean, BEST - recipe for ramen salad I have ever had in my life. True story. Every BBQ or potluck everyone always requests that he brings it, and we all look forward to it!
It's light, it's tangy, it's fresh, it's crispy, it's filling but not heavy...it's basically everything a pasta salad should be!

I finally got him to send it to me, so since sharing is caring I am doing the same for you. Enjoy!

Dressing:

• 6 Tbsp. Sugar
• 3 tsp Salt
• 1 tsp Black pepper
• 3/4 C. EVOO
• 3 Tbsp. Sesame oil
• 9 Tbsp. Rice vinegar

Mix up all the dressing in a shaker, or blend with a wisk until the sugar and salt dissolves.
Add to 16 oz. coleslaw mix and 2 packages of crumbled up ramen noodles.

Enjoy!

Notice: This is NOT my photo, but this is similar to what the fnished salad will look like :)

My New Adventure

It's taken a while to muster up the courage to do so, but I finally decided to start my own business.
I have always loved party planning...the attention to detail, the creative challenges, and limitless possibilities are something that I thrive off of! My experiences at the Reception center and flower shop both equipped me with the skills that are necessary to making this kind of venture a success. I am greatful for the opportunities I have had in the past, and the doors they have opened for me in the present.

I got my first break after meeting Jason & Janna from Griffin Catering. They asked if I would be willing to help them with their dinner presentation at their most recent event. They wanted to keep it simple, elegant, classy, and formal looking. The color palette we were given was black, white, and burgundy. Check out the end result:

Needless to say, I am pretty stinking excited. I played a very small part in this dinner presentation, and the food was so beautiful it didn't really take much work at all. The tiered centerpiece was fun to make, and I am very pleased with the outcome. The floating candles and black rocks help to keep it elegant and simple. I love how everything turned out!!

If you (or anyone you know) is currently planning an event, send them my way! I would love to take care of them for you! They can check out my blog here, or my Facebook page here.

Much love.

Public Service Announcement...

Hello. May I have your attention, please? Can everyone hear me? OK.

There are 54 days until Christmas. Count them up: that equates to be approximately FOUR paydays. That's right. I said it.

Christmas day itself doesn't hold much excitement for us. We don't have kids. We despise waking up early (especially on a day off). And most importantly - we spend Mike's birthday doing everything BUT celebrate his birthday. In that regard it's kind of a bummer. On the flip side - the month and a half leading UP to Christmas is absolutely fantastic! There is the music, the shopping, the lights, the sights, smells and sounds, the  Festival of Trees, and all the other wonderful things that the Christmas season brings like no other time of year! I am STOKED. I fully intend on Christmas-ing the crap out of everyone around me.

This year is going to be really hard for me in a way - this will be the first year in four years that I won't be working at VS. I will be sad that I won't be a part of the festivities and the excitement - and I will definitely miss the extra money - but when I am able to spend a Saturday making gingerbread houses or sledding, or Christmas shopping during the week, it is REALLY going to hit home that it's OK to sit back and enjoy my family and friends. You know - the major element of Christmas.

As I sit here now, Frank Sinatra is serenading me with "The Christmas Waltz. Keep it comin', Frank. I'm gonna need your help. My boss must have known about my illness - my sick infatuation with the month of December. He has put in in charge of the Christmas party this year. Am I freaked out? Yes. Am I excited beyond all reason? You betcha. Pinterest will definitely help ease some of my stress. In fact, look at these wonderful lovelies that I have already come across!!

"Frosted" jars with candles

Hot Chocolate Bar for the kiddos!

Possible centerpieces for the tables

I decided that the theme for our festivities will be "Baby, It's Cold Outside". It's (one of) my favorite Christmas melodies. Plus, I figure if I'm throwing the party I get to choose whatever I want, and everyone else can just deal with it. :)

Ideally, everyone would bring old and new coats, gloves, scarves, boots, socks, sweaters, and anything else that we can donate to The Road Home to help them from being...wait for it....wait for it ...COLD OUTSIDE!  Ya see how I did that? Just brought it full circle.

If you have any ideas as to decorations, food, or anything otherwise that would help fit into our theme I would LOVE to hear it! I have until December 8th to get my list made, check it twice, and have it all in the bag. Santa's bag.
Too many cheese Christmas puns?
OK.

Before I go, I'll leave you with this dreamy little number. You're welcome.

Nothing New

Cool fact of the day: October is "Buy Nothing New Month" in Australia. True story!
Instead of going to Wal-Mart or Target every time you realize you need (or, let's be honest - want) something, (this includes all the cool stuff in the $1 bins up at the front of the store) this whole country is encouraging each other to trade, borrow, rent, up-cycle or thrift items. How cool is that?

If you think about the enormous impact that buying new takes on our environment (as well as our bank accounts) then it isn't really hard to make the decision to be more conscientious before making new purchases. I have challenged myself, as well as my sweetie, to try and keep true with this concept for this month. It's only one month, right? We can totally do this. And, hey. We may even be pleasantly surprised in ourselves and decide never to go back to our old ways of thinking, when it comes to being consumers.

Something that makes this especially interesting is that we have started our Christmas shopping already (only 5 paydays left until Christmas, folks!). It will be cool to see how creative we can be in our holiday preparation. Luckily for us, I have been collecting DIY gift giving ideas for months now on Pinterest. Cross your fingers, send me good vibes, and all of your positive and creative energy! *We will see come December 25th, how successful I actually was in my endeavor*. :)

I encourage all of my friends and family out there to challenge themselves this month to really think about it every time they make a purchase. Every time you pull out your wallet, swipe your card, or count your change at the check-out counter - really evaluate your purchase and ask yourself, "Could I have made this myself? Do I need this for keeps - or could I have borrowed it from someone else? Could I have gotten this same item second hand? It will be hard, but I know that we can all do it!

Host a swap meet with your gal pals, to trade old clothes, decorations, clothes for the kids, purses, etc. It will be a great way to get everyone together, trade things you don't need for things that you do want, and help with the whole carbon-footprint hippie stuff that is so near and dear to my heart :)

I can't wait to hear all of your stories of success! :)

Chocolate Chip Cookie Cupcakes

Last night after work it was SO cold and dark - I got home, put my slippers on and my cozy clothes, turned my favorite Christmas music on (OK, OK! I'm mentally ill, I know. I need help!) and preheat the oven. It's not secret I love to bake treats - cupcakes are especially dear to my heart. Last night, though I was feeling adventurous and decided that instead I would make chocolate chip cookies.

The house smelled fantastic, the kitchen was warm and toasty, and I was curled up on the couch reading my book, (turned the Christmas music down low so I could also hear the rain) while I waited for the cookies to be done. Once they got out of the oven, I will admit, I was a little let down. Let's face it - cookies just aren't as cute as cupcakes.

The solution to my problem was simple - take something perfectly delicious on it's own, and add it to something that was perfectly adorable. I heat up my mini cupcake maker (weird, right?!) and whipped up some yellow cake batter. I crumbled the cookies and put some in the bottom of each cupcake paper. I filled the rest of the paper with cake batter, and cooked them completely through.

I covered them off with chocolate frosting, and used more crumbled cookies on top. My boss calls me an evil genius - I say I'm just mixing the best of both worlds. No matter how you slice it, I learned my lessons.

 #1 Everything tastes better when it's mini
#2 It's OK to go outside of your comfort zone on occasion
#3 The mini cupcakes will always prevail