mac daddy and my dream balcony

So I have very exciting news... I own a Macbook now!!!!!!!!!! Got it yesterday and it was the most random thing. Not planned at all. So I HATE my laptop, and Spencer hates on it even more than I do. For the last 3 months I have had so many problems with it, from a dying battery, to a broken charger, to it repeatedly not being able to connect to our internet. I seriously cried the other night and wanted to chuck it across the room because the internet was giving me one of those dreaded yellow triangles with the exclamation mark! Uggggg. Spencer and I had kinda talked about selling my laptop and getting an iPad since we really didn't need 2 laptops but then yesterday I had an epiphany. I was planning out Christmas presents and wanted to make this cute printable to frame for someone, and thought I could totally design this... if only I knew how to use Indesign and Photoshop... and if only I had those programs. I've been wanting to learn how to use those 2 programs for a long time now. Everyone in the advertising major knew how to use them cause they all had Macs and I always felt like the odd one out. I realize I couldn't get those programs with an iPad so this led me to just randomly search for Macbooks on KSL (Utah's version of an even better Craigslist). Not long in to my search I found a guy that was selling 2 Macbooks. Both of which were at a good price range for me. I knew there were some programs that came with Mac computers so I asked him of it had Indesign or Photoshop on it. He said no, and sadly I thought my dreams were dashed because buying those 2 programs alone would cost around $800. But alas, he immediately text me back and said "I know how to download them. It's not legal but I can do it for you." Obviously the previous statement I will immediately deny in case an FBI agents are frequenters of my blog, but with that news (and after convincing Spencer) I bought it! And the Indesign and Photoshop work beautifully (although I have no clue how to use them)! It's an older model and has some light use and scratches but it's great for what I need and the best part was that it connected to the internet immediately! Praise Steve Jobs! 

Well on another note, it's time to tell you about my balcony plans. Spencer and I haven't done anything to our balcony yet (beside add some lights) but come spring I've compiled some pictures or what I want it to look like. My mom and dad asked what Spencer and I wanted for Christmas and I sent them these pictures and told them they could make one or more of these things. They can make anything! Seriously they are beyond talented: 

Crate bench with pillows and a rug!

Ladder planter

Cinder-block planter

 And either one of these tables (the first one preferably if I can find a cheap barrel)

I ADORE the top picture! That embodies everything I want my balcony to be. So chic! So... I have been hunting for crates ever since. I've found a few, but they were all way over priced. Recently I discovered a nice man who has been selling crates locally that come from is grandfather's farm. I bought 2 for $10 each to make into the bench above and they are perfect! So cute and antique! My dad built a square piece in the middle for more support since the crates are slated and not solid. I can't wait to make a cushion for them and put it on my balcony and eat summer dinners with Spencer on it! Hurry up warm weather! 

and how was your weekend?

 

From our dysfunctional family to yours. 

I hope everyone counted their blessings and their calories this weekend! I know I didn't do either. Oops! Here is some picture vomit of my weekend: 

Temple Lights!

 

Kitty Lovin'

Is my niece not the cutest baby in the world? I know right?

My sisters and I made Christmas cards and tags after the feast. Here are mine! 

Kitty got in on the crafting too. 

For any who were wondering, my sweet potato casserole was a hit and everyone liked it! Everyone said this casserole was so good because (drum roll please) it didn't have marshmallows on it! Who'd uv thunk? I have some crafts I'm working on and it kills me that I can't post them up because they are Christmas presents! Guess you'll have to wait until the 25th! 

So has anyone heard of Bountiful Baskets? If not, you should get on it! I just ordered my first one today! They are a food co-op consisting of local produce and other misc. items like bread and nuts. There are no employees, only volunteers, so you pay rock bottom prices. I've had friends do it in the past and now I'm hopping on board. I got the standard basket (which consists of 50% fruit and 50% vegetables) and then I added the bread basked that comes with 3 loafs of 9 grain bread, 1 loaf of cinnamon raisin bread, and 1 baguette. All that food for just $25. Beat that Wal-Mart (plus Wal-Marts produce is generally of poor quality)! And they have a bunch of different seasonal packages to choose from. I might have to learn how to cook some new things now. Here are some picture examples of them below! Can't wait to pick mine up on Saturday! They are located in around 20 states and the sign up for the baskets goes from Monday morning to Tuesday at midnight. Pick up is early Saturday morning.   

Oh and I'm still in the process of editing the blog (as you can tell). However my "about me" is done and up! Read it! Peace.

happy mash-potato weekend!

Shirt: Cotton On. Jeans: Forever21. Boots: Urbanog.com Necklace: ebay 

I know everyone likes to say "happy turkey day," but I don't eat turkey so Happy Mashed-Potato Day (or should I say weekend)! Like I said in my last post, I don't like skipping holidays. So of course I have to represent Thanksgiving. I haven't done too much, and sadly I didn't get around to making a wreath like I had hoped but here are some of the Thanksgiving decor I made/bought (the mantel is seriously lacking, I know).

The original tutorial for this sign used tan/brown paper behind the letters. I went and bought a half of a yard of burlap for $1.30 and glued it to that instead. I love the results! 

These leaf strands were 80% off at Michael's the weekend after Halloween. I wrapped them around my balcony and put one on the mantle place. $1.20 each! 

The scarecrow and hay I got at Michael's were also part of their after Halloween sale. The hay was $4 and the scarecrow was $2.40! Such a steal. I wanted to cut off that bamboo stick but I never got the chance. 

On another note I mentioned last post that I had gone to the Bijou Market (which is basically like real life Etsy shops all in a row). I bought these 3 pieces of handmade jewelry below. Sensing a theme here? What can I say, I love turquoise! Everything was $22 total!

So who hasn't seen these dino magnets on Pinterest? But seriously they are to die for. So of course I had to make them this weekend... in gold. I found packs of dino toys at the dollar store, cut them in half, and then painted them with some metallic gold paint I had from a previous project. Ta-da!

(mine)

Also I'm currently living in these Pac Sun leggings I just bought. Living!! They had a bunch of other colors that I wanted to get too! God bless the inventor of leggings! You can bet I will be wearing these to stuff myself on Thursday. 

Recipe of the Day:

This isn't so much of a Pinterest find, as it is a Pinterest re-vamp. I found this panini recipe here, but then decided to make it my own for last nights dinner. Ours had pizza sauce, mozzarella and parmesan cheese, tomatoes, pepperoni, and basil leaves. I also added some potato wedges as a side because I needed to use them up before the holiday break. An easy way to dress up potatoes is olive oil and rosemary. And Voila! A great meal. Me and Spencer watch a lot of the show Chopped, so it's a little joke with us to say after every new Pinterest meal I make whether or not I would have gotten chopped. I can safely say this is a chopped-free meal. 

I'm making my mother-in-laws sweet potato casserole for tomorrow! Wish me luck! Here is her recipe below. Of course I however am making the dairy-free version to appease many of my family members. Sssshh! Don't tell Spencer! ;-) 

Sweet Potato Casserole:

3 cups cooked, mashed sweet

potatoes

2 cup sugar

2 eggs, well beaten

4 tablespoons melted butter

½ cup milk

1 ½ teaspoons vanilla

Topping

1 cup brown sugar

1/3 cup flour

1 cup chopped nuts

1/3 cup melted butter

Beat together and pour into a buttered 9×13 baking dish.

Mix together topping and place on top of potatoes.

Bake at 350 for 35-40 minutes.

christmas list

I'm all for celebrating holidays in order and giving them their individual attention, but yesterday we put up the Christmas tree. I only did this because it was in pieces on our balcony and the rain was drenching it so I had to bring it inside. Spencer and I were blessed enough to have someone give us their old fake Christmas tree this year and although I've always been an advocate of real trees because of the smell, I don't think we are allowed to have them in our apartment (fire hazard), and hey, it's free. I'll just have to get a pine scented candle to make up for it.  

I hope all of you are making your Christmas list to Santa! I know I am. Here are a few of the things on my "gotta have it" list (sorry Thanksgiving):

Cute rain boots!

Coconut Body Butter!

Hair Chalk: In the past I have colored my ends using the Kool-aid method, but I think hair chalk would be a lot easier. It's a great way for some non-permanent change. 

 

A UV Gel Nail Light: seriously ladies if you are in love with gel/shellac nails, you could probably save a lot of money by investing in one of these. Of course you aren't going to get the cute little designs (unless you are talented like that) but at least you wont have to be completely helpless while you wait for your nails to dry. This purchase I am still pending on as I recently found out there is a hair school by my house that does them for $10 which is 50% less than what the Asians were charging me (although I'm sure the Asians do a higher quality job). The lower watt machines are between $20-$30 (higher watt it around $80) and at Wal-mart the nail polish is around $10 a bottle. 

Fake Bake: I've heard wonders about this stuff. Amber Fillerup from http://www.barefootblonde.com/ is a religious self-tanner user and swears by it. I've also read a ton of great reviews on how natural it looks. I hate being white in the winter, but I don't like going indoor tanning unless it's an emergency. Can't wait to try this stuff!  

When my mom asked me what we wanted from them, I sent here some picture of the future balcony I am planning to have and asked if her and my dad could make one or more of the items I wanted so we didn't have to spend money on patio furniture. I'll post those later this week. 

this is not a cooking blog... right?

I realized that my blog has been all food lately! What the heck! I'm not a cook! I'm more into fashion then I am into cooking. Why is this looking more like a cooking blog than a fashion blog (even though it's neither)? So in order to switch things up every once and a while (since Spencer and I never take pictures) I thought I would throw in a mirror-picture outfit post:

Pants and shirt: Forever21. Necklace: Ebay. Shoes Urbanog.com.

I have to say, I'm a sucker for the top not hair these days. Spencer is so befuddled by the bun craze that's going around and thinks it's just females being lazy, but I can't wait to throw my hair up in a bun the minute I get off work.

So back to clothes. Since I've been married, there are a few pieces of clothing I've had to alter to make them modest. Here is a dress I got at Pac Sun for $10. Loves it, but there really was no way to wear it with my special Mormon underwear haha. So, I made it into a skirt! And by made I mean cut! :) I think I'm going to save the top as a swimsuit top cover-up.

And now for the food. Pinterest hits only this week (yessss): 

Cripsy Parmesan Garlic Edamame

This was a MEGA hit for me. I've always loved edamame but this took it to a new level. I didn't use finally shredded parmesan like the recipe called for, but it was just as good! It's a good popcorn alternative. I almost wish it was more crunchy, but I'm sure you could just stick it under the broiler for a bit. Recipe here.

I also made some Chocolate Chip Cookies. Not super exciting, but I had all the necessary ingredients so I thought, why not. This is one of my favorite recipes. When they came out of the oven I had two! You heard me... two! For those of you who know me, this is a big deal. I've never been much of a sweets person. The key is you under cook them, and then let them cook the rest of the way on the hot baking sheet on top of your oven. This way they stay soft... even days later. Recipe here. 

However I've been curious to try this recipe here. I've heard it's the best but there are several ingredients in it that I don't own. One day. 

ODDS & ENDS

Meanwhile... still at the Hansen house:

Week and 1/2 later and he still hasn't moved. 

Well folks... I said you'd never get me back in there again! But I'm back at plasma. I decided that I needed to pay for my hair extensions on my own because $300 was just a lot to take out of our budget all at once. Only 4 more weeks to go!

Spencer was telling me a story about an annoying, nerdy, fat Asian that was in line with him at the Halo midnight game thingy. This was his impersonation. Pretty spot on I think.

For those of you who don't know, I have a cat. Her name is Kitty Magoo and she is my baby! Sadly she now lives with my parents because I can't have her at my apartment but...

I'm now obsessed with Persian cats! Haha they are so ugly that they are cute! They are straight out of a cartoon! My dream is to one day own one (after I get my bulldog of course). 

And some more Spencer embarrassment... Spencer would not stop listening to the Halo 4 soundtrack and so I put a basket on his head... but obviously it didn't faze him.  

And lastly, tonight we are going to a friends wedding, ice skating, and then to the Bijou Market!! I'm so excited. This is Provo's legendary homemade and vintage fair/boutique! Spence is going to have to keep his wallet close. Everyone go!

i was cold this week... a lot

This last week I've done a couple fun things (or at least things I thought were fun): 

I ordered fabric for throw-pillows for Spence and I's bed. This is the fabric... not the actual pillows. 

Well it was 70 degrees one day, and then the next day It was 38 and snowing. The good news is it's beautiful, the bad news is that it's FREEZING! I didn't get any good pictures of the snow but here are some I got off Instagram from friends. It seriously is a winter wonderland here.  

Spencer had a football game and I came armed with a vanilla-caramel latte from a new place in Provo called Mawka Moka. It has all coffee free drinks which is great because I get sick of hot chocolate and I hate the taste and smell of coffee. Go Purple Cobras! 

Sadly this week my boss retired. I love her to death but luckily we have a new boss that is just as amazing. For her farewell party we all brought treats and I was so excited to try another Pinterest find. They are called Turtle Cookies, except I decided since a lot of people don't like nuts, I would use toffee bits. I love toffee and my decision paid off. For anyone who decides to substitute the nuts with toffee, just keep in mind toffee melts (unlike nuts) so take the cookies out periodically and take a spoon and press the melting toffee back up onto the cookie. Or you could just put the toffee on after you bake it but I'm not sure how you would get it to stick. Maybe sprinkle it on the caramel? Anyway they were a big hit at work and I came home with only 2 left. Granted mine don't look as pretty as the ones in the recipe (found here). 

Amazingly enough after last posts Pinterest misses, I had yet another hit. Tonight I made vegetarian lasagna roll-ups. For some reason when I took them out of the oven they were still a little cold so I would suggest cooking them longer than the recipe says. Spence and I couldn't wait any longer so we just zapped it in the microwave for a sec. I also put more cheese and sauce than it called for but I add extra cheese and sauce to any pasta! You can never have enough! Anyway it was really good and I can't wait to have left overs tomorrow. Recipe found here. 

This week we also got tickets to the last BYU home game of the season. Spence has had to work almost every Saturday this fall so we haven't been able to go to any of the games. On the way to pick up the tickets we stopped at Chubby's in Pleasant Grove. I had heard such good things about it and I wasn't disappointed. I love little dives like this! It was sooooo good.

However the BYU game was not so good... well we were totally dominating them, but it was also 20 degrees and we couldn't feel our toes. Needless to say we only stayed until the 3rd quarter. There was no snow to be seen on the fields... but it was all over the stands.

The good news however (and yes I took this picture on Friday)....

It should be melting shortly! :) 

Happy Sunday!