100!

Silly life, getting in the way of blogging. :) Things have been busy over here. The past ten days have included: Jake's birthday, going to a musical, dinner at friends, celebrating Jake getting a new job, ski tailgating, caterer tasting, and poker night. So, while there is lots to talk about, I want to talk about something else - my 100th post!

That's right, I someone made it to 100 posts, even though I post so sporadically. My goal for April is to post ten times. :)

Oh,wedding update: the caterer tasting went really well. I like the company we are working with and feel excited about our food choices. Our plan is to do passed appetizers, then a buffet dinner. The buffet will include salad, bread, sides, and a fish dish. There will also be a carving station for the meat eaters. I need to pick linens now. There are so many small items to think about!

Did I mention the invitations arrived? My mom and aunt have beautiful calligraphy and offered to address the invitations. Mostly, I think they were afraid of my handwriting. Who knew addressing invitations was so detailed? Do I want formal or informal? Are friends Mr. and Mrs. John Smith or John and Sarah Smith? I decided friends our age should be John and Sarah Smith, while family adults are Mr. and Mrs. John Smith. Invites won't go out for a while, but it's so nice to have them done!!

Cake Balls Disaster

Today I had an epic baking fail. I decided to make Jessica's Cake Truffles, also called Cake Balls. I've seen different versions all across the blog world and wanted to make them. I decided the combination of St. Patrick's Day and Jake's birthday would be a good time.

First up, bake a cake. I used a red velvet cake mix. No problems. I baked it last night to get a start on the whole process (and it is a long process). Then you mix in the frosting and put it in the fridge for at least two hours. No problem, except the kitchen looked like a murder scene with all the red smears. Then you have to roll the balls. TWSS.

Then came dipping in chocolate. This was the major fail. The recipe said it would make about 40 cake ball - I got over 60. It said I needed 6 oz of chocolate, I started with almost ten. Once it melts, you gently roll the balls in the chocolate and place them on a parchment. The chocolate seems really thick. I was using around .5 oz per ball. After struggling through 4 balls, I thought to myself, "why not make a ganache instead of just melted chocolate?" I have made ganaches before with no problem. Today, I got this.


That doesn't look delicious at all! Lame. I threw that out and grabbed the last bag of chocolate. I started again. An entire bag of chocolate covered 10 more balls. Obviously I need more practice with the chocolate enrobing.*


I have 45 balls of cake/frosting left. Any suggestions what I can do with them? I sure as hell am not enrobing any more. To make matters worse, they aren't even that good. Jake tried one and was like "eh. I'd rather have the real cake." I will not be making these labor-intensive balls again. Sad face.

*It's the actual technical term.

Ski challenge and results

Skiing Sunday started off fun enough. I decided to challenge myself and do some harder blacks than I normally would (steep with bumps and trees). It was slow going and I accidentally went backwards for a bit, but I made it down in one piece.

That got me feeling pretty confident, so later in the day, I decided to go fast down Starfire (very steep bits). I made it down fine the first time, but had a bit of trouble the second time. By trouble, I mean I completely wiped out. My skis flew off and I tumbled head over heels. At one point, I remember thinking "grab the ski." This happened as the ski was flying towards me. I did catch it, with my face. Luckily, besides that bop, I was uninjured. Jake was right behind me and grabbed my other ski. My hero!

Last night though, most of me ached. My face feels twingey when I make a long face, yawn or smile too hard. (I took a picture, but you can't really see the mark.) My shins ached and the top of my back was very sore. I think the shin ache was from not stretching enough after skiing and then doing my long driving commute yesterday. I sat on the couch with a heating pad for an hour or so and that helped. This morning, I feel fine. :)

Moral of the the story: skiing fast is fine, as long as there is a heating pad waiting for you at home.

Biggest Loser Rant - possible spoilers

I've been watching the Biggest Loser for three seasons now. When Mike ran a 5K at over 350 pounds, I decided then and there that I could run one, too. I've enjoyed watching the contestants lose weight and change lives. This season, Arthur has annoyed me to no end.

I get that he is the biggest contestant ever, and that everyone wants to help him. I was just so glad he got voted off. His crying and everybody fawning over him just grated me. Do I hope he loses a ton of weight and lives a happy and healthy life? Definitely. Do I want to watch him for several more weeks? No. Am I excited for next week's episode after watching the all-girl black team completely dominate? Heck yes.

And, rant over.

ABCs

Because everybody's doing it.

A. Age: 28

B. Bed size: full. I am a small person and don't need much room.

C. Chore you hate: taking out the trash. I loathe it. Always.

D. Dogs: meh. They're cute, but I prefer cats. I like the way cats ignore you.

E. Essential start to your day: Put in my contacts. It's the first thing I do once I get out of bed. Sight is important!

F. Favorite color: Pink! All shades.

G. Gold or silver: Silver. I own one pair of gold earrings and hardly ever wear them.

H. Height: 5’1.

I. Instruments you play: currently none. I've played clarinet, piano and handbells.

J. Job title: Attorney

K. Kids: maybe later? I nannied for a year and feel no urgent desire to have babies right now.

L. Live: Currently in Denver

M. Mom’s name: LuAnne (we're Southern girls with our double names)

N. Nicknames: Annie (what everyone calls me), Ree-Ree (Grandmere calls me this), the winks, twinkle toes, stinkerbellsky (last 3 are courtesy of my dad).

O. Overnight hospital stays: a week when I was 13 at summer camp. Stupid spiders + yellow jackets = hospital for Annie

P. Pet peeve: people who are chronically late.

Q. Quote from a movie: "They're not the lost boys of Peter Pan - they're the bloodsucking Brady Bunch!" I'm not sure why I love this quote so, but I do. :)

R. Right or left handed: right

S. Siblings: Karl, my older brother

T. Time you wake up: between 5:45-6:45

U. Underwear: I wear it

V. Vegetables you dislike: um... I honestly can't think of one I dislike.

W. What makes you run late: very little. I'm the girl who is awkwardly early.

X. X-Rays you’ve had: one at 14 to check for a broken arm - it wasn't.

Y. Yummy food you make: I'm known for my brownies

Z. Zoo- favorite animal: Big cats and adorable otters (have you seen them hold hands? I die from cuteness).

There are my ABCs, what are yours?

Loot

Whew. I managed to be quite productive this morning. I got my shot, called my landlord re: broken disposal, and got my oil changed! I had a coupon for an oil change, so I ended up driving to the suburbs instead of my normal garage.

Afterward, I spied with my little eye something ULTA! I needed new eyeliner. Seriously, mine is over 2 years old and making my eyes itch. I was greeted by giant signs of "FREE GIFT!" Sweet. If you spend $17.50 on Ulta brand makeup, you get to pick one of three free gifts.

So, this is what I bought: black eyeline, brown eyeliner with smudger, and black mascara. Total cost $26.

And here is what I got as my FREE GIFT: makeup bag, four brushes, travel mirror, two eyeshadow quads, two double-sided eyeliners, mascara, lipstick, double-sided lip gloss, blush AND a nail polish.

Not too shabby, especially since I bought makeup I 'needed' anyway.

After Ulta, I ran into a Ross. Y'all, I need it to be spring so I can wear these treasures. Wedge sandals and a pair of colorful gladiators. Best part - each pair was $16.99. Reason #18 I love Ross, great prices on shoes.

So that's my loot for the day. Now I need to crank out some quick work.

Have an incredible weekend, my lovelies!

New friends

Meet Gatsby the Great.


Sadly, Dr. Bunsen Honeydew II passed on. Jake and I decided we wanted another Beta fish. We settled on this blue beauty.

Yes, he lives in a gin bottle. No, there is not gin in it. Yes, there is enough room for him. Most beta bowls are 1/3 the size of this bottle.

When we went to get him at Petco, they had two cats up for adoption. :( Neither of us has room for a cat in our current apartments. Maybe once we get married and move in together, we can get a kitty. I am allergic, but I really want one!