My favorite things

Here are some of the things I can't live without these days.

Sally Hansen Salon Effects Real Nail Polish Strips

This is the BEST beauty product I have come across in years.  Forget painting your nails or paying for expensive manicures.  These strips take about 10 minutes to put on and they stay for WEEKS without chipping.  They go on dry so there is no drying time so there is no way to smudge them.  They come in tons of cute patterns including special-edition patterns around certain holidays.  Here are some of my favorites:

Spun For You (Limited Edition Halloween)

 Bling It On (Regular Line)

Kitty, Kitty (Regular Line) 

Hot Wired (Limited Edition Halloween)

Winter Funderland (Limited Edition Holiday)

Filtrete Water Station

Joe bought us one of these for Christmas last year, and I love it so much!  You just place the whole base under the tap and it filters the water and fills up the re-usable plastic water bottles.  They are easy to take on the go, and I have been drinking significantly more water since we bought this.  We even bought 4 extra bottles because we go through the water so fast.  The only complaint I have is when people in my house don't fill them up.  Funny story -- I recently did a little experiement to prove to Devyn and Joe that they never fill them up, but I learned in the process that I was actually the culprit!  

Google Calendar

This is the most amazing calendar app I have ever used.  I literally could not function without it.  It lets me color-code appointments into different catergories (work vs home) and use little symbols to break them down even further (court, CFTMs, meetings, etc.)  The BEST part about it is that I can "share" my calendar with people, namely Joe, so instead of calling me to say, "What are we doing on Friday night?" he can just look in his phone!  Or, when I have a late night at work, he doesn't have to worry about me, because he could see my client's address in my calendar if I disappeared.  I haven't tried this yet, but I could even create appointments slots and share the calendar with my workers to schedule meeting times with me.  So cool!

Chevre (Goat Cheese)

I love all types of cheese, but goat cheese is especially marvelous.  Try drizzling a little honey over it and warming it up in the oven.  Heaven!

Google Music

I haven't used this a lot yet, but from what I can tell so far, this is an amazing idea!  Basically you upload all your music from your hardrive to Google's "cloud", download the app to your phone, and then you can play all your music directly from your phone without it clogging up your memory.  That means I can "store" all 100gigs of music on my phone.  Cool!

Frederick's of Hollywood Full-Figure Corset Bra

I swear to God, this is the most comfortable and supportive bra for girls with big boobs!  The lady at Frederick's made me try it on, and I didn't want to because it looks so frumpy on the hanger, but it looks HOT once you put it on!  I buy 2 or 3 now every time I go to Vegas.  They are really reasonably priced, too -- only $36, and frequently on sale on top of that.  Try one out!



Liane Moriarty

I was introduced to one of her books earlier this year in my Book Club and I absolutely loved her.  I immediately when tout and picked up her other 2 books.  Her writing style is smart, sassy, funny, realistic, and heartfelt all at the same time.  I highly recommed her books.

 What Alice Forgot

The Last Anniversary 

Three Wishes

Corona

I don't know what my deal is, but I just really love Corona lately.

Kostizi

This is the world's best discount website!  They sell gift cards to restaurants and bars all over town for huge discounts, sometimes even over 50%.  Joe and I go to The Point After by our house about 2-3 nights a week for dinner because we get the gift cards for so cheap.  I had to invest in an expandable check folder to organize all my awesome gift cards!  The coolest thing about it is that they are trying to get all the restaurants on board with using a card so all balances would be stored in one place rather than seperate paper gift cards.  Some restaurants already use the card and I'm hoping more join soon.  Paperless is the way of the future!  Also check out the sister companies, Big Deal Utah and the CW Store.

Update

I can't believe it has been 5 months since I updated this thing! Time really does fly. I figured I better check in with all (2 or 3) of my readers and let you know what we've been up to.

 

At home...

 

Joe and I are still stuck in our "upside down" condo. We'd love nothing more than to be able to sell this condo for what we owe on it, but we'd lose about $50K if we sold it today. We just want a house! Lately we've been thinking about buying a house anyway and renting out the condo until we can sell it, but it would sure make for a tight budget and I'm not sure I want to make that sacrifice right now. We actually made an offer on a house a few months back, but it wasn't accepted, so we're just keeping our options open for now until we find something we really love.

This is the house we put an offer on

Joe's ceiling masterpiece

 

My family...

My baby sister, Devyn is still living with us. We love having her here, especially since she finally turned 21! We just back from a weekend in Vegas to celebrate the big day. Sadly, we all came home "losers", but that's just par for the course in Vegas. Devyn is working part time as a preschool aide at Pingree School for Autism. She loves her job and I love hearing the funny stories about her kids. We're really proud of all her hard work at school and in her career.

Joe, Kyle, and Devyn in Vegas

Devyn, me, and Alisha in Vegas

I haven't spoken to my brother, Tyson, in over 18 months now. It's been a difficult thing to deal with. I love him and miss him, and hope he's doing well. 

Cayden is growing faster than a weed. His voice has gotten so deep and he is actually taller than me! I can't believe he is in high school. This kid is so smart -- he currently has a 4.0 GPA!! We try to do a game night or a date night every month or so to stay in touch with him.

My parents have had a rough year. My dad took a new job last year but was laid off a few months later due to budget cuts. He's been looking for a new job for a few months now, but the right thing just isn't popping up. On the other hand, my mom got a new job. She decided it was time to scale back on the Mary Kay thing and time to stop working for my grandparent's travel agency since they are retiring soon. She is working as an administrative assistant for a group of salesman, and she really seems to be loving it.

Mom & Dad

My beautiful cousin, Kristyn, got married a few weeks ago. I was honored that she asked me to officiate her wedding! I got ordained as a minister online for free in about 5 minutes. It was super scary but also very fun! I had a great time putting together a ceremony specifically for her and Colt that included Dr Seuss (her favorite author) and a unity painting.

Me officiating Kristyn & Colt's wedding 
 

The gorgeous Kristyn Peterson Cannon

Joe's family...

Joe's mom and her long-time partner, Don, got engaged last year. Their original plan was to get married in Vegas on 11/11/11, but they decided to postpone that and build a house this year instead. It should be done by Christmas and we're excited to go see it! They are planning to get married in their backyard next spring. It should be beautiful.

Joe's brother, Shawn, booked a trip to come visit us next January. We're excited to see him and spend time with him!

At work...

I've been a supervisor in Tooele for nearly a year now. I can't believe how fast it has gone. I really love the job even though there have been some pretty difficult moments and some hard learning experiences. I didn't realize how much different it would be to manage workers than to manage clients, so that's been an adjustment. But overall, I'm happy to go to work every day, and I'm not planning on leaving Tooele anytime soon. I have a great boss, a great co-supervisor, and some really great workers on my team!

This is my view every morning on my drive to work :)

Joe is still chugging along at E*Trade. He has had a couple opportunities to work on special projects this year and he has really enjoyed the variety. I'm excited for the Christmas party next month -- you can't beat the prizes, entertainment, food, and open bar they have every year!

Noah's Event Center, the location for the annual E*Trade Christmas Party

Misc Activities...

I've been a Big Sister at Big Brothers Big Sisters for the last few years. I have been matched with my current Little, Alivia, since February, and let's just say it's been a very challenging experience. Liv has had a really tough life that has been lacking healthy role models and experiences to learn how to be a normal kid. We've had some really rough patches in our Match, but luckily we have a really good Match specialist that is always there to support us. It's been a tough decision, but I've decided to end the match at the 1 year mark (that's the minimum commitment) and take a break from the program. I need some time to decide if Big Brothers Big Sisters is the right charity for me, or if I want to volunteer my time and energy in another area.

Me and my bowling team (Joe, Liv, Kyle, and Devyn) at the annual Big Brothers Big Sisters Bowl For Kids Sake fundraiser

I went a little overboard and committed myself to 3 books clubs this year! I manage "Books & Brunch", a collection of DCFS workers and friends from grad school. I think I'm the only one who consistently reads the book each month, but that's okay! I enjoy the brunch dates and time to catch up with friends. We're always looking for new members so let me know if you want to join! I also manage a book club at work, and I joined my friend Natasha's book club. I haven't been able to make it to all the meetings for those, but I have been proud of myself for reading all 3 books every month. Check out my Goodreads page for titles and reviews :)

 

My favorite bookmark

Bountiful Baskets

Let's play a game. H0w much do you think I paid for all this food:

6 bananas
6 apples
6 peaches
1 seedless watermelon
1 cantaloupe
12 sweet peppers
2 yellow bell peppers
6 tomatoes
4 onions
4 artichokes
1 head romaine lettuce
1 head spinach


I got ALL of that for $15!! How, you ask, did I accomplish such an amazing feat of shopping genius?

Bountiful Baskets is how!

Bountiful Baskets is a local food co-op that allows you to buy produce for about 2/3 less than you would pay at the grocery store. I heard about it from my boss a few weeks ago, and then it came up again when we started doing a Local Food Challenge this month at work. I got my first basket this morning and I was so amazed at how much food was in there!

My favorite part about it is that you don't know ahead of time what food you will get each week (except that it's half fruits and half veggies) so it really forces you to think outside the box and try new recipes. I already made a peach-pear smoothy for breakfast and some fresh salsa for lunch. Tomorrow I'm going to bake some onion rings. The artichokes seem like a challenge, but I am excited to try them!

Day 12: My favorite recipe (for real this time)

Creamy Southwest Chicken Crockpot

Combine in crockpot and cook on low all day:

• 1 lb chicken breasts (raw or frozen is fine)
• 1 c salsa
• 1 c chicken broth
• 1 can corn (drained)
• 1 can black beans (drained)
• 1 pkg taco seasoning
• 1 can green chilies or jalapenos

During last 30 minutes, stir in:

• 1 c sour cream
• 1 c shredded cheese

Serve with tortillas or over tortilla chips. Enjoy!

Day 11: Your celebrity crush

Day 10: My favorite neighbor

I don't have a favorite neighbor. I hate them all, specifically:

• The skinny, white, wanna-be gangster who wears the same wife-beater-style Lakers jersey every time there is a Lakers game
  
• The family above us with two small kids, a dog, and wood floors
• The guy downstairs who threatened to sue us for something the previous owners of our condo did
• The guy in the next building who doesn't have car insurance but decided to drive his car anyway and rear-ended me in the process
• The lady with one arm and her ghetto friends who tried to get me in the middle of their cat fight
• Whoever is responsible for the cops being here at least once a week
• All the people who pile their trash up next to the dumpster rather than throwing it inside
  
• The new people across the hall who really need a Diaper Genie

Day 9: iPod on shuffle

Well, it's not actually an iPod, it's a Zune, which in my opinion is much better :)

First 100 artists on shuffle:
(duplicates removed)

Grace Potter and the Nocturnals
Beck
Queens of the Stone Age
Robin Thicke
Atmosphere
Paulina Rubio
Sufjan Stevens
The Game
Regina Spektor
Janelle Monae

Green Day
Blue October
Carlos Ponce
2 Live Crew
The Black Keys
The Frames
Buddha-Bar
Daddy Yankee
Sharleen Spiteri
Liz Phair

Dave Matthews Band
Papa Roach
Zero 7
The Dirty Projectors
Jane's Addiction
Semisonic
Alanis Morissette
Mary J. Blige
Citizen Cope
India Arie

Busta Rhymes
Maroon 5
My Chemical Romance
Gin Wigmore
Sara Bareilles
Rilo Kiley
Thelonious Monk
The Vandals
Girls Aloud
Carrie Underwood

OK Go
Goo Goo Dolls
Sia
Shakira
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
Fleetwood Mac
Bjork
Ani DiFranco
Destiny's Child
Flogging Molly

Indigo Girls
Tracy Chapman
Jill Scott
Nek
Mark Ronson
Madeleine Peyroux
Missy Elliott
Hilltop Hoods
Elvis Crespo
Tegan and Sara

Elbow
Gym Class Heroes
Fey
Warpaint
Creedence Clearwater Revival
Jack Johnson
Hoobastank
Felt
The Kooks
Otis Redding

Outkast
Ray Lamontagne
Beyonce
Neko Case
Sam Cooke
Lily Allen
Mercedes Sosa
Bettye Swann
Them Crooked Vultures
Local H

Joan Osborne
Joss Stone
Julie Andrews (Sound of Music Soundtrack)
Gary Jules
Foo Fighters
Mr. Cheeks
Kelly Clarkson
Curumin
Marit Larsen
Keller Williams

Shelby Lynne
Linkin Park
Alesha Dixon
Dispatch
88 Keys
The Killers
Seether
Griffin House
She Wants Revenge
Phoenix

How many artists do you have in common with me?

Day 8: When I was lost

Working in Tooele brings some adventures and challenges that I never experienced in Salt Lake. Since Tooele County is so large, we sometimes have to drive many hours to our client's homes. The farthest locale is Ibapah, which is basically in the opposite corner of the county. You have to drive 90 minutes to Wendover and then south through Nevada and Utah for another 90 minutes to get there.



Ibapah is located on the Confederated Tribes of the Goshute Indian Reservation. I was asked by the Tribe to come out and give a presentation about child welfare and to meet the ICWA (Indian Child Welfare Act) specialists that we work with on the reservation.

Remember that scene in the Hangover when they show up late to Doug's wedding and Stu says, "Sorry, Mapquest took us a on really crazy route." That was my life last Tuesday when my coworker and I drove to Ibapah.

Things were fine until about an hour south of Wendover, when my GPS said to take a left. You would think the fact that it was a gravel road would cue me in, but I was oblivious. We drove higher and higher into the hills for nearly 30 minutes before we realized how lost we were. We drove through a little abandoned mining town called Gold Hill. Then the GPS conveniently lost its signal. The higher we got, the wetter the roads became. It got so slick and muddy at one point that I didn't dare stop the car for fear that we would sink and never get started again. We wouldn't have been found for days.

I bet I am the first person to go 4-wheeling in the State's Civic. Bet you didn't know that your tax dollars got spent on things like that!

On top of being lost and pumped on adrenaline, I had to pee like a race horse. I nearly had to pull over and pee on the side of the road in front of my male coworker. There aren't even trees or bushes to squat behind!

After being lost for over an hour, we decided to give up on the presentation and make our way back to the highway. Turns out if we had stayed on the highway rather than taken that left, we would have made it to Ibapah about 20 minutes later. We eventually made it, and were still able to give the presentation. Lucky for us, Native Americans have a very fluid sense of time, so they really didn't care that we were late. They were even gracious enough to enter us in their drawing in which my coworker and I both won a prize! Where else can you win a prize for being late?

There are many other funny tidbits from that day, including the police officer who bullied me during my presentation and the embarrassing sex scene in my book on tape, but I'll save those stories for another day :)

Day 7: What invention would you like to see in your lifetime?

I hate when you have this great idea to invent something, and then you find out someone else already invented it! When I was about 10, I had this amazing idea to invent a drive-through gas station. Why go inside if you could order your Diet Coke and your Hot Tamales from the guy in the little window?! I was SO MAD the first time I actually saw one of these places.

I also hate it when you see the coolest, simplest invention and you think, "Why didn't I think of that?! I could be a millionaire right now!" I should have invented:

• Those photos that looks like letters by Letter Perspectives
• Monthly shoe clubs and/or monthly purse clubs
• Dr. Scholls Fast Flats (I never would have had to walk around Vegas without shoes!)
• Electric wine openers
• E-book readers
  

I think it's funny to hear about other people's ideas for new inventions. My college roommate wanted to invent a GIANT person-sized blow dryer to put in your bathroom and stand in front of when you get out of the shower. It would dry you instantly so you'd never have to use towels or be cold. That sounds so stupid to me!!

I can't wait to see what sort of technology is invented before I die. I hope one day I'll be able to buy my groceries or board a plane with a simple scan of my eyeball (a la Minority Report). I want to be able to see images on the backs of my eyelids, like movies, books, or the internet. Maybe one day we can get cell phones and MP3 players implanted in our bodies so we can control them instantaneously just by thinking who we want to call or what music we want to hear. And of course, I would love the ability to teleport (cheaply) so I can visit any place I want and never have to commute to work!

Day 6: My first encounter with a bully

The first bully I knew? Myself!! I was a really mean kid in elementary school. I distinctly remember at least three times I got in trouble for bullying other kids:

1. I pulled the chair right out from underneath a kid who was working on an art project. He had done nothing wrong to me. He was just dorky so I wanted to make fun of him. He fell FLAT on his ass and everyone in the class was laughing hysterically.

2. A group of "mean girls" and I got kept inside during recess for a whole month by the school social worker to participate in some group activities designed to teach us about the evils of gossiping. We played that game Telephone in which one girl starts by whispering a sentence to the girl next to her, and by the time it gets through 10 girls, it's a totally different sentence. For example, "The leaves are in the trees," could be, "Australia has kangaroos and wallabies." OK not that drastic, but you get the point.

3. My mom and dad got summoned to a meeting in the principal's office to address my penchant for pinching my peer's butts. Pretty bad boundaries, right?! My parents were mortified because I learned it from seeing my dad do it to my mom all the time.

Why was I such a mean kid? I think back on this a lot because I'm so ashamed to admit I did those things. My best hypothesis is that I was trying to compensate for a pretty mortifying medical problem I was experiencing at the same time -- chronic urinary tract infections, which contributed to me peeing my pants in public at least 3 times that I can remember in elementary school. Excuses aside, I still feel horrible for my behavior, and I hope I never caused long-term emotional or social damage to anyone. Maybe my career choice was a subconscious way to counteract all the bad things I did when I was younger.

Day 5: My favorite recipe

Well I might not say it's my favorite recipe of all time, but it's my favorite this week, because it won me the "Most Creative" prize at our office bake-off!

Cake Pops (a.k.a. Cake Balls)
1. Bake a cake.
2. Let the cake cool for about 20 minutes.
3. Crumble the cake into a large bowl (use a hand mixer to crumble very finely).
4. Stir in 3/4 -- 1 can of frosting (depending how creamy you want it).
5. Blend with a hand mixer until a dough forms.
6. Chill the mixture in the fridge for about 30 min (this makes the next step easier).
7. Roll the dough into balls. Place on wax paper on a cookie sheet. (I use a melonballer so my balls are consistently-sized).
8. Freeze the balls for many hours (otherwise they will get crumbly and fall apart in step 9).
9. Dip the balls in melted chocolate.
10. Enjoy!!

The first time I made them, I had a hard time getting the chocolate to coat the whole ball evenly. It was really bugging me because I wanted them to be perfect. The next time I made them, I put sticks in each ball (hence the name "pops" this time) and it was MUCH easier to dip because you don't have to worry about 100% coverage. I won't do them without sticks now.

You can use any flavor of cake/frosting/chocolate that you like. I tried white cake/chocolate frosting/white chocolate as a trial run before the bake-off. Then for the bake-off, I used red velvet cake/cream cheese frosting/white chocolate. They were a huge hit both times! The next flavor I want to try is key lime, and I might coat with salt.

You could also use various toppings or decorations for added pizazz. I did U of U for the bake-off. I heard about someone else rolling the balls in crushed candy bars. I also heard about someone who decorated each pop like an owl for her daughter's birthday party at the aviary. Cute!!

It was easier for me to break the process into two nights. Day 1: bake the cake, forms balls, and freeze all night. Day 2: dip in chocolate. Sounds labor-intensive, but it was really simple that way. We also found that the pops tend to taste better the next day. Overall summary: easy, cheap, popular, and delicious!

Day 4: My first concert

My mom never let me go to concerts, so my first one wasn't until I moved out. I was 18 or 19. I saw Green Day and Jimmy Eat World at the E-Center (now the Maverick Center) with two friends from my ward and high school, Beth and Dusty. Those bands are okay, but I don't like them enough to pay to see them nowadays. I think I just went for the sake of going. I remember there was so much pot in there! I couldn't figure out how people got away with that at the time. The coolest part was when the drummer from Jimmy Eat World and his entire drum set turned completely upside down! It was pretty sick. After we left, Beth rear-ended someone in my car. Luckily it didn't do any damage.

Now, I have a concert addiction. I guess I'm trying to make up for lost time. I would go to a concert every night if I had the money. My next few concerts are:

• Janelle Monae & Bruno Mars
• hopefully Adele if I can get a ticket
• Brandi Carlile & Ray Lamontagne

Day 3: Memories about your doctor, dentist, or a hospital

I had a huge crush on my pediatrician when I was younger. He's not so sexy now, but I swear he was 20 years ago. Or maybe I just liked him because he was always giving me drugs.

Dr. Jed VanDenBerghe

This one time, I had to get a shot of antibiotics in my butt. The stupid nurse hit my nerve and I could not sit down for 2 days, literally.


Another time, my 8th grade Spanish teacher thought I had chicken pox, so she sent me home from school. I was so pissed because I liked school and I didn't want to miss out. Turns out I had Pityriasis Rosea. Pretty cool name, huh? It's basically a benign rash. I was so excited to have it just because the name was cool, and because I got to tell my Spanish teacher she was wrong.


I got my wisdom teeth out when I was a sophomore. I knew my oral surgeon's son because he was friends with my friend's cousin. Apparently when I woke up and the anesthesia was wearing off, I told my oral surgeon that his son was so hot and I was in love with him.


I got food poisoning from Chili's Triple Dipper appetizer sampler one time. I know the Southwest Egg Rolls were one of my choices because I was throwing up corn for hours. After 12 hours of never-ending expulsions from both ends, Joe finally took me to the ER. They pumped me full of fluids and anti-nausea medication. Chili's claimed no responsibility because they said it takes 12 hours for food poisoning to kick in, but I know that's where I got it. I have to admit I still eat there.