22. Learn how to make Guacamole

I was never really into guac until I tried it just a few years ago and now I'm hooked! AND Erin makes the best guac ever, so I figured I had to.. no NEEDED to learn how to make it myself!  One night while Shans was over at Erin's apartment, I had the bright idea of completing this goal, with an audience watching!

It was rough, to say the least, but now I'm a pro!

First! Get enough avocados to fulfill the tummys of your guests.  There was only 3 of us, so we used 4.  Cut the avocados in half and take out the seed.  Then spoon out the inside of the avocado into a bowl

Cut up about a half an onion, if you aren't fond of onions I'd say a quarter of an onion would probably be fine also.

Put the onions into the bowl with the avocados and then cut up and crush a piece of garlic and add in as well.

Take a 'bunch' of cilantro, about the size shown, and chop that to small pieces.  Erin taught me an easy way to do this! Roll the cilantro into a little taquito looking thing and then start chopping.

Use about a lime and a half, depending on your preference, and squeeze the juice into the bowl.  If you cut the lime in half and then take a fork and squeeze the half around the fork you'll get the most of your lime! Erin also taught me that!

Mix it alllll together!  Taste and see if you need anything else! Add serranos, cayenne powder, and salsa if you wish to make it spicy! Which we totally did!

*Also, somewhere in the mix you can add tomatoes too!  I didn't because I don't like tomatoes, but its a regular ingredient in most guacamole dishes.

ENJOY!

What's on your Christmas list?

In lieu of the holidays and it being TEN days until Christmas.. I was wondering what everyone was asking for???

I had a bit of a hard time this year giving ideas to my parents and David, but I feel like I asked for just what I wanted, and would have probably bought myself - which may be why I couldn't think of what to ask for.

Heart of the Matter by: Emily Giffin

Erin and I love Giffin's books and have read all of them! This is Giffin's newest delight and I cannot wait to see if Santa brought it to me so I can dive in!

Lauren Conrad is quite the fashionista but she is also an amazing author! I have also read all of her books thus far and have been patiently waiting for this! Of course, by the time I thought to finally purchase, Christmas is right around the corner!

I love love LOVED this movie and it recently came out.  It is among a few movies that I'm craving to watch bundled up eating snacks with David.

Of course my little gems that I hinted to David about cannot be shown because the site will not let me save them but one can be seen here :)

This 'Torque' ring is so fascinating and I feel like it is so unique!

We'll see what Santa brings!!!

Share with me your gift ideas!

Keep A Child Alive

Buy Life

"There is a profound difference between living and life. Living may extend time for another day. But life is far more than sleeping and waking. Life is more than merely existing. And, although it would be easier, life cannot be bought in a pill. That is why Keep A Child Alive buys more than just the pills needed to fight HIV/AIDS in Africa and India."

You may have seen celebrities posting their last tweet, post, or blog recently in order to raise money for an amazing cause.  Kim Kardashian, Khloe Kardashian Odom, Usher, Justin Timberlake, Alicia Keys, Lady Gaga and many more have given up their digital lives until $1,000,000.00 is raised for the Keep A Child Alive organization.  It is an amazing cause and it is really easy to donate, not to mention it's the coolest charity I've ever seen!

There are MANY ways to donate!

1.  This is the BEST way! Find someone wearing the barcoded Buy Life shirt and scan their barcode using the free downloaded 'Stickybits' or 'WiMO' app on your phone.

I have purchased this shirt if you plan on donating and would like to participate by scanning my shirt, I WOULD BE HONORED!

2.  Text 'BUYLIFE' to 90999 to donate $10 to buy their lives back. 

*Make sure you reply YES to the confirmation to complete the donation

3.  Using a free downloaded  'Stickybits' or 'WiMO' app on your phone you can log on here and scan the barcode on the computer screen in order to donate also.

4.  On the same link, click on Buy Life Now and you can also donate that way.

5. On the same link, enter in your mobile number there and automatically donate via the website.

All donations are a $10 minimum

To purchase the barcoded shirt or other items from the Keep A Child Alive foundation click here.

91. Get a Kobe Bryant Jersey

OH YA! I recently purchased a Home Jersey for #24, Mr. Kobe Bryant! I figured since I was going as far as joining a Fantasy Basketball League, I might as well go the full 10 yards and get the MVP's jersey :)

SSSUPPPERRR Cheesy Picture, I know! But it's all I could do!

97. Try making a new recipe each month - November

Pumpkin Pie in a Jar!

Who doesn't love pumpkin pie?? Well Erin and I have just made that experience better! We made pumpkin pie in a jar for individual consumption!

Ingredients:

For a serving size of 12 jars

Pumpkin pie filing - double the recipe

 (however you'd normally make it, everyone is different - we used this one)

3 frozen pie crusts

12 mason jars

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to cook the pie crusts (check temperature depending on the crust)

2.  Cook crusts for half the time allotted, around 5 minutes is perfect

3.  Mix the pie filing just as you normally would for a regular pie

**REMEMBER: Double the recipe

4.  Once the pie crusts are cooked and cooled, mash up one and a half of them into crumbles

5.  Change the oven temperature to adjust for the pies to 400 degrees

6.  Fill the bottom of the jars evenly with the mashed up crust

7.  Pour the pie filing into the mason jars, leaving about 1/4 of the jar empty

8.  Place the jars on a cooking tray and place into the oven for 15 MINUTES

9.  Once they have cooked for 15 minutes, change the temperature to 350 degrees and cook for another 15 minutes

10.  Take your favorite cookie cutter and make 12 little cookies out of the rest of the baked pie crusts

11. Brush melted butter onto the cut outs and sprinkle sugar over them

12.  Place the cookies on top of the pie

 **Make sure that the pie is cooked enough that they won't fall into the filing - try one and if it starts falling in, cook the pie a little longer!

13.  Cook the pies for about 5 minutes longer with the cookies on top

14.  Let them cool for about an hour before putting them into the fridge for about 3 hours

If you'd like, top them off with a fun decoration!! COMPLETE!

And REMEMBER! Never bake alone!

Have a slumber party at Madalyn's apartment and cook her and Erin dinner! November 12-13!

Yay I'm super excited for this weekend to happen! I will be completing #77 on my list - Have a slumber party at Madalyn's apartment and cook her and Erin dinner!  AND we have expanded Shans and Shannon will also be joining us!
I wanted to have this night as the girls were making big steps in their lives as a sort of congratulatory night for all of us to spend together.  It is rare with all of our schedules and I get to join in on their outings, so I wanted to make a special one that I could definitely be a part of and pamper them a little.  Swissy (one of the more appropriate nicknames for my sister) got a new job with Western Digital and finally was able to escape Suite 430! and Mad (you guessed it, one of many nicknames for Madalyn) has this new beautiful apartment that has come together and is ready for company!  Shans and Shannon are our other girls who are totally apart of our live and I'm excited to share this night with them as well! 

Tonight I am making a delicious dinner that Swissy has shared with me - my favorite dinner of all time is spaghetti and she added yummy yummy additions and twists that I will be preparing for my ladies.  I don't want to give too much away because I'll have pictures and such for later!

BE JEALOUS!

10 Fun Facts About Kissing

I just thought this was really interesting - maybe you will too!

1. Two out of every three couples turn their heads to the right when they kiss.

2. A simple peck uses two muscles; a passionate kiss, on the other hand, uses all 34 muscles in your face. Now that’s a rigorous workout!

3. Like fingerprints or snowflakes, no two lip impressions are alike.

4. Kissing is good for what ails you. Research shows that the act of smooching improves our skin, helps circulation, prevents tooth decay, and can even relieve headaches.

5. The average person spends 336 hours of his or her life kissing.

6. Ever wonder how an “X” came to represent a kiss? Starting in the Middle Ages, people who could not read used an X as a signature. They would kiss this mark as a sign of sincerity. Eventually, the X came to represent the kiss itself.

7. Talk about a rush! Kissing releases the same neurotransmitters in our brains as parachuting, bungee jumping, and running.

8. The average woman kisses 29 men before she gets married.

9. Men who kiss their partners before leaving for work average higher incomes than those who don’t.

10. The longest kiss in movie history was between Jane Wyman and Regis Tommey in the 1941 film, You’re in the Army Now. It lasted 3 minutes and 5 seconds. So if you’ve beaten that record, it’s time to celebrate!

[Source: http://yahoo.match.com/y/article.aspx?articleid=8952&TrackingID=526103&BannerID=708649]