Just another update- Graveyards, Christmas, same old.

It's been a while, but my schedule is now back to a somewhat normal one, so I have time to blog again.

This last month has been a crazy one. I started a new job on graveyard shifts. It isn't bad. In fact, it's kind of awesome. And working graveyards usually hides the fact it's a 12 hour shift. Because no one else is up, and you just sit and keep doing the same thing all night. It's kind of therapeutic actually. The only bad part about this, is that it's ruined my sleep schedule. And now there's only 4 nights a week I can cuddle with my husband. Small price to pay for an awesome job.

Now, because I don't see my husband for half the week, it started off very stressful. We went from seeing each other all the time, to now having to make time during the week to see each other. And the days I work, I only see him when I take him to work in the morning. It was hard, and then I remembered something. Didn't people used to write letters to each other? Because I know of a lot of historic couples that only lived together for a few months a year. They somehow made marriage work. Of course they did. Writing letters has added a whole other layer to our relationship, and has made us value our time together more. It also has some of a romatic charm to it. How often do you get a handwritten letter anymore? It's been a wonderful change of pace, and it's something I'll embrace even after I move on from this job. It'll also be something for our great grand kids to find when we die. How many people do you know of, that can say they have a stack of love letters carefully put away? Probably not that many.

Anyways. Happy holidays to you all, from us and the puppies! Merry Christmas, and may you find peace during this holiday season.

Apartment Living SUCKS pt 1: Roaches

We've been living in the same apartment for a while now, Teddy Beast has been here for 3 years, and I've been here about 18 months. It wasn't until the last few months that we've really had any problems. In June, they started showing up. You expect some roaches in apartments, it just comes with the territory. I used to see them maybe once a week. I'm usually the first one up and out the door, so they aren't in hiding when I get up. Well, last June I started seeing them almost everyday. Then even during the day they've been out in the kitchen. We all started cleaning everything in the kitchen, and they just keep coming back. It's terrible! Now I've seen some HUGE ones in our bedroom, on the other side of the apartment. We don't even keep food in here >.< . My googlefu says that means the infestation has grown astronomically. Well, management seems to be ignoring stuff around here, and I'm tired of waiting on them. So I've taken matters into my own hands.

I wish they were this cute, but they aren't.

After doing some more googlefu, I've come across several roach killer recipes. Only problem is the dogs, so I can't put them everywhere. I'm just going to make some powder, and some balls, and we'll see what happens.

Roach Killer (attempt 1)

1/2 c Borax

1/2 c Flour (any kind)

1 T Sugar (any kind)

Mix together. Use as is, or add water to make balls.

I'll post an update in a bit with how it's working out.

Paleo "Corn"Bread

This started out as an attempt to make Snickerdoodles. I mixed up the batter, even added some extra almond flour, but it was way too runny to even think about making cookies out of. So I made it into bar cookies. Well, we were having chili that night, and Teddy Beast came up with the great idea to crumble it into his chili. It was a match made in heaven, the perfect cornbread texture and everything. So I played with the seasoning, and here it is. Paleo "Corn"Bread.

The edges are crispy and slightly sweet, the inside is soft and falling apart.

It's sturdy enough to hold up to a good bowl of chili. For an awesome chili recipe, check out Mark's Daily Apple's Texas Chili. We usually just use about 3 pounds of whatever meat we can find on sale. Sausage is really good in this too.

Paleo "Corn"Bread
1 1/2 c Almond Flour
1/4 c Tapioca Flour
1 t Salt
1/3 c Honey
1/2 t Baking Soda
1 t Cream of Tartar
6 T Butter, melted (coconut oil is not a good substitution)
1 Egg
1/2 c Cheese (optional)
1 Diced Jalapeno (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 325.
2. Mix together dry ingredients.
3. In separate bowl, whisk together melted butter, honey, and egg.
4. Slowly incorporate dry ingredients.
5. Fold in cheese and/or jalapeno.
6. Spread in greased 9x9 pan.
7. Let stand for about 15 minutes. This allows the batter to thicken up and give you that crumbly corn bread texture.
8. Bake at 325 for 25 to 30 minutes, until set in the middle.

Weekly Life Update

It has been longer than a week, but who is really counting? The semester is in full swing, and shows no signs of slowing down. Who pays attention to weeks passing anyways?

Not much has happened at all in the last few weeks, just school, work, puppies, and more work. Teddy Beast is loving his new job, and the challenges it actually gives him. It's a nice change to have him coming home happy from work. It's not like we see each other that often, but it's nice that he isn't always angry and frustrated. Funny how when you live together you see each other even less than when you live apart.

The paleo diet has been off and on for the last month, due to lack of planning or lack of time overall. It is a hard diet to maintain because there aren't many quick options. If you don't plan ahead or plan at all, you're just planning to fail. But towards the end, my body was begging to just go back to Paleo. I just feel better. It all makes sense though. In just my immediate family there are allergies to all of the following; corn, dairy, wheat, soy, peanuts, and nitrates. Paleo just makes sense. I feel better and don't have a mid afternoon slump anymore. Really, it's an easy diet if you plan ahead.

Anywho, I have homework to get back to! I'll just leave you with a picture of our vicious killer puppy that attacks the socks with a vengeance.

Vegan/Paleo Chocolate Pudding

This was super quick and easy to put together, maybe 10 min of work, minus the chilling time.

Vegan Chocolate Pudding
1/4 c Sugar (for Paleo sub in 2 T Honey + 1 packet Stevia, or 1/4 c Honey, or any other equivalent)
3 T Coco Powder
pinch Salt
1/6 c Hot Water (This ends up being about 2 1/2 T)
2/3 c Milk (of your choice)
1/3 c Milk (of your choice, yes, in a separate bowl)
1 1/2 T Tapioca Starch
2 T Chocolate pieces (I used Enjoy Life chocolate chips) (optional)

1. In a small bowl, mix together sugar, coco powder, and salt.
2. In another small bowl, whisk together 1/3 c Milk and Tapioca starch. Make sure to remove all lumps at this stage.
3. Heat water in small saucepan to boil.
4. Whisk in coco powder mixture. Reduce heat to medium.
5. Add 2/3 c milk to the saucepan. Bring to a boil.
6. Add 1/3 c milk and tapioca starch to the pan. Bring to a boil, boil for 30 seconds, continuously stirring.
7. Remove from heat. Stir in chocolate pieces.
8. Pour into bowl, cover surface with parchment or plastic wrap. Chill.

Keeps for 4-5 days. Makes about 1 c of pudding.

Paleo- Mounds Bar Coffee Creamer

Since starting Paleo, coffee has been one thing for me that just isn't the same anymore. It's not that I like my coffee super sweet and almost white, it's just that black coffee is not the same as the lightly sweet and slightly creamy coffee I was drinking. Always been a shot of cream and maybe some sugar kind of girl.

I've been looking around, and I never quite find something that I want to try. While I don't have a problem eating raw eggs, I do have a problem eating them if they're been sitting luke-warm on my desk for hours. I pulled up a recipe I used to use all the time, and paleo-ified it. http://www.mrshappyhomemaker.com/2013/03/homemade-coffee-creamer-over-20-flavor-varieties/
I usually just melted dark chocolate into it, and after Paleo figured out how to make a good chocolate. Hence the oil being added. Without the oil, it doesn't taste very rich, and isn't very creamy.

I finally came up with one tonight, and it's pretty good. Still needs a little work, but it's tasty as is :).

1 c Coconut Milk (out of a carton, not 100% paleo, I know)
1/2 c Coconut Milk
1 t Tapioca Starch
2 T Honey
2 T Coco Powder
1/2 t Vanilla
1 T Coconut Oil

1. Put 1 c Milk in small saucepan over medium to medium low heat. Allow to simmer for 20-30 min until reduced by half.
2. In a separate bowl, combine 1/2 c Milk and Tapioca Starch.
3. After milk on the stove reduces by half, add the remaining milk, stirring well. Let come to boil and boil for 5 minutes.
4. Remove from heat.
5. Whisk in remaining ingredients.
6. Taste for sweetness levels and adjust accordingly. Remember that it gets diluted in the coffee.
7. Store in fridge.

Makes about 1 c of Coffee Creamer. Not good for iced coffee because the coconut oil solidifies on the top, but it does work for a frappe ;)

Engaged Learning- My "ah-ha" moment about my education.

I'm a senior in college, almost done with my Bachelor's of Science in Business Management. This week has been the very first week where I'm not watching the clock during class, and when class is over all I can say is "I want more time!".

For the first time in my entire life, I had a class that was too short, and that I didn't want to end. Don't get me wrong, I have had many interesting classes that I enjoyed going to. Classes that I loved learning about. But during class, ultimately I was just there to fill a seat until it was over.

The big difference this semester? It's going to sound really simple, but it is an amazing difference.

I read the chapter before class.
I turn my phone and tablet off during class.
I participate in group discussions.
I do all of the questions at the end of the chapter.

Yeah. It's that simple. All you have to do is make the effort to be part of your education, and not just get an education.

Class went from only taking copious amounts of notes and stressing over every little thing, to taking a few notes and learning a whole lot more. I'm not worried about any quizzes or tests now. I finally figured this out.

I may do a post on how I read textbooks, a modified version of what my AP Bio teacher tried to get us to do in High School, but that's for later.

And now, in resounding UVU fashion, a complete lack of school spirit, I bid you ado.

Weekly update(ish): Paleo, car accident, new job

So last week was Teddy Beast's b-day. It was a rather eventful week. I remember Teddy Beast saying that he had a feeling that last week was going to be a bad week, I didn't really believe him. I thought it was just going to be a normal finals week, but I was so wrong.

We went up to Salt Lake and wandered around, grocery shopping. Yes. We're the kind of awesome people that go grocery shopping for a sexy date. Exploring Trader Joe's and Whole Foods was fun, we figured out it's actually cheaper to pay gas to drive up there to go grocery shopping. Funny, huh? High quality and organic foods were the same price or less than most of the conventional stuff we can find down in Orem. We also found two amazing bakeries. The first one, Vosens, was amazing! Teddy Beast was thrilled to find the same pastries he had in Germany. The cheese danish was amazing! It was flaky, buttery, and cheesy; with no sugar after-coma. Pure bliss!

Here it is! http://www.vosen.com/ Tiny little place next to a storage unit, but it was worth the trouble finding it. Mmmm. We're going here again tomorrow, it's that good.

We also found a more French Patissere, with all these frou-frou desserts. They were amazing, and not super sweet either. I want to know where European pastries have been all my life. Amazing bites of heaven, instead of sugar frosted with sugar held together with more sugar and a bit of flour. The cannolis were amazing, and the rosemary cookies. Oh wow, I'm having a flashback foodgasm.

Overall, it was an amazing day. Until the drive home. We got on I-15 and quickly realized there was a huge accident, so we took a detour over to I-80 and down state street. While waiting at the light on the off-ramp, some guy with a huge white truck rear ended us. I pulled over into a nearby lot, thinking he'd be a good person and follow. I was just going to say it's all good and let it go, but he rushed out of there like he was late for something. Long story short, we waited for about an hour for UHP to show up. About the time UHP showed up was about the time I was losing coherent thought, getting nauseous, couldn't move my head, and couldn't hold a fist. I'm glad we decided to report it. After filing the report and everything, we started the drive home. I just got worse the further we drove. We got back to the point of the mountain, and I knew I wasn't going to make it home. I could barely hold onto the steering wheel, and could focus on speed or staying in my lane. We met my parents at the ER so I had a way to get my car home. It turns out I didn't break anything, just got a concussion and whiplash. Still have no idea where it all came from since I didn't hit anything and the airbags didn't go off.

After a few visits to the chiropractor I'm starting to feel better. I still have 12 more weeks or so of treatment. And the worst part? I can't use weights over 10 lbs T_T So not fair. I have enough problems maintaining muscle mass, I don't need a 2 month forced vacation from actual weight lifting. I guess I'll get over it? And just move onto less intensive stuff. Maybe. I'm going to miss my weights.

Flufflepuff- IRL

So I found this picture on icanhascheezburger, and all I saw was flufflepuff. Made my day!

Fluffle puff reminds me of using some recreational substances without any of the side effects, other than Teddy Beast leaving the room and not coming back.

If you're not familiar with flufflepuff, the following videos pretty much explain everything.

First, "Kiss Kiss"

Lolz.

Next, "PFUDOR"

See? I was nice and only posted the 2 minute one, not the 10 min, 10 years, or any of the other terrible ones.

This week's menu! Paleo all the way!

For this next week, we're doing just paleo, no cheat days or anything. At least for me. It's Teddy Beast's b-day on Tuesday, and he said he's going to eat whatever he wants on it.

Those meat wraps are really pretty awesome, just like a regular wrap sandwich, just without the bread part ;)

Saturday:
Breakfast:
Fruit Salad
Granola
   recipe here
Coffee

Lunch:
Rotisserie Chicken (buy at Harmon's before work)
Green salad (buy at Harmon's before work)

Dinner:
Meat Wraps
  recipe here

Sunday:
Breakfast:
Fruit Salad
Granola
   recipe here
Coffee

Lunch:
Meat Wraps
  recipe here
Paleo Sushi
  recipe here

Dinner:
Steak
Sausages
Grilled Veggies (zucchini + shrooms)

Monday:
Breakfast:
Fruit Salad
Granola
   recipe here
Coffee

Lunch:
Spinach Frittata
  recipe here, it is in Czech, but you can get the drift through googlelate

Dinner:
Bacon sausage explosion
  basically a bacon weave filled with ground meat, some cheese (not 100% paleo), and veggies

Tuesday:
Breakfast:
Fruit Salad
Granola
   recipe here
Coffee

Lunch:
Shrimp Scampi
  recipe here
Zucchini noodles

Dinner:
Meatloaf
  recipe here
Baked Sweet Potatoes

Wednesday:
Breakfast:
Fruit Salad
Granola
   recipe here
Coffee

Lunch:
Meat Wraps
  recipe here
Paleo Sushi
  recipe here

Dinner:
Ribs
Assorted veggie matter

Thursday:
Breakfast:
Fruit Salad
Granola
   recipe here
Coffee

Lunch:
Meat Wraps
  recipe here
Paleo Sushi
  recipe here

Dinner:
We'll figure it out when we get there

Friday:
Breakfast:
Fruit Salad
Granola
   recipe here
Coffee

Lunch:
Meat Wraps
  recipe here
Paleo Sushi
  recipe here

Dinner:
Texas Chili
  recipe here, we just use about 3-4 lbs of meat total

Snacks:
leftovers
fruit
cashews
almonds
  do some spicy roasted ones, recipe here

Paleo Banana Bread, Take 2

Last time, the banana bread was tasty, but it didn't come out quite right, and was greasy. This time around, I've cut down on the fat, and also added some chopped walnuts and pecans.

Paleo Banana Bread, Take 2

4 ripe Bananas
4 Eggs
1/4 c Butter
1 T Coconut Oil
1 T Cinnamon
1 t Baking Soda
1 t Baking Powder
1 t Vanilla
1/2 c Almond flour

Oven 350 F

1. Mash together bananas, butter, oil, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, and vanilla.
2. Stir in eggs.
3. Mix in almond flour.
4. Pour in greased loaf pan.
5. Bake at 350 F for 35 to 45 minutes, until toothpick comes out clean.

Weekly Update- Life is Busy.

Life has gotten super crazy lately. Teddy Beast is working full time, and on an afternoon shift. I currently have two jobs and a full load of classes. Pretty much the only time we see each other is at the gym, which is nice. I used to loathe the gym, but given the option of never seeing Teddy Beast or going to the gym, I'd rather go to the gym. It is well worth paying for the membership to keep our relationship healthy.

The Paleo diet is going well. Teddy Beast is still doing mostly low carb, but has added in tons of fruit. I'm just happy to see him eating more than bacon, sausage, eggs, and steak. I've slowly been getting him to try more fruits and veggies, and so far, the only ones he likes are the sweeter ones. I never realized that someone could be this picky about food! He reminds me of my siblings and their issues with the texture of foods.

On another note, I think I'm gluten intolerant, on top of everything else. For cheat days and even the day after, I just feel terrible! I've tried doing a cheat day gluten free, and I didn't have near as bad of stomach pains after. After doing a lot of reflection, I've decided to just cut out "cheat" days altogether. Most places we go out to eat do have options for Paleo. Now, I know it's not going to be organic or really good quality of meat, but it will be better for me. If any of you are just feeling like crap all the time, instead of an elimination diet, I'd try the Paleo for a few weeks and reassess how you're feeling. I never realized I was constantly in so much pain until it was suddenly gone one day.

Anywho, hope you all are have a wonderful day!

Paleo Blueberry Muffins

I decided it would be a great idea to put my Blueberry cheesecake scentsy blocks in today. And it created this gigantic craving for some blueberry muffins. I went digging around online, and decided to go with a simple recipe.

 The verdict? Next time I'm just going to add in some cinnamon, and a bit of cream of tarter and turn them into snickerdoodles.

Paleo Blueberry Muffins
(adapted from living healthy with chocolate)

1/2 c Almond flour
1/2 c Coconut flour
1/8 t Baking Soda
2 T Honey
1/2 c Water
2 T Coconut Oil, melted
1 Egg
1/4 c Dried Blueberries

Oven 350 F

1. Let dried blueberries soak in 1/2 c water for 30 min.
2. Whisk together honey, blueberries and soaking water, coconut oil, and egg.
3. Stir in baking soda.
4. Stir in flours. It will resemble cookie dough.
5. Fill muffin cups completely, it won't rise up over the top.
6. Bake at 350 F for 20-25 minutes, until toothpick comes out clean.

Paleo Banana Bread, Take 1

We went to a family reunion the other day. One of my aunts brought this amazing banana bread. Teddy Beast told me I had to find the recipe. Well, I found one, and it looked super easy to change into a paleo version. Why a paleo version? Because cheat days come only once a month.

The conclusion of this version? Cut out half the butter next time. It ended up being too greasy to set up properly. But it still tasted amazing, kind of like a banana bread pudding.

Paleo Banana Bread
(adapted from our paleo life)

4 very ripe Bananas
4 Eggs, seperated
1/2 c Butter
1/4 c Coconut Oil
1/2 c Almond Flour
1 T Cinnamon
1 t Baking Soda
1 t Baking Powder
1 t Vanilla
pinch Salt

350 F Oven

1. Soften butter and coconut oil.
2. Separate eggs. Add yolks to butter and oil, keep whites separate.
3. Beat egg whites to stiff peaks, set aside.
4. Add bananas, almond flour, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder, vanilla, and salt to butter and oil mixture. Use a potato masher or whisk to combine well.
5. Gradually fold egg whites into batter. I did 4 additions.
6. Spread in greased loaf pan.
7. Bake at 350 F for 30-45 minutes. It's done when the toothpick comes out clean.

Caveman Diet and New Job!

This last month, Teddy Beast and I decided to try out the caveman diet. The 2 second version of this diet is you eat meat, veggies, fruit, nuts, and some seeds. That's it. Teddy Beast was super worried the first few weeks that it would undo all of his work with the no-carb diet in the last year. Apparently he's been feeling a lot better on it, and he's still losing the weight, so it's a win-win.

The new diet has been a huge struggle, mostly because we've had no stove for 2 weeks. We keep talking to the management, and they keep saying they only have one maintenance guy. Yeah, likely story. Probably because no other maintenance guys will work for them because of crappy they treat people. Sorry about the rant, I just want a stove so I have some sort of quick option for food other than the crockpot or grilling.

I got a second job at Harmon's on 8th north, and I'm super looking forward to it. It means my schedule is going to be super crazy, but it's money. As much as I love New Grains, they are paying just enough to make ends meet.

Teddy Beast and I have been going to the gym at least 4 times a week for a few weeks now. Teddy Beast has goals, just to lose the weight. I've been looking for some motivation, and now I think I've found it. We're looking to do a 5k in September, either the Dirty Dash or the Color Me Rad. They both look like a lot of fun, it's just a choice of running around UVU, or running through mud. Either way, I'm super excited.

And here's a picture of Teddy Beast cooking the other week, just because I can.

Recpie: Season Salt Mix

I've never been a huge fan of seasoning salt, for the plain and simple fact that I don't like salt all that much. This Seasoning Mix is an all purpose one that works on pretty much everything, and it does have a little bit of heat.

Mix the ingredients together in a jar, and that's it!

2 1/2 T Paprika
2 T Salt
1 T Black pepper (ground)
1 T Onion powder
1 t Cayenne
1 T Oregeno
1 T Thyme (finely chopped or ground)

Raw Paleo Vegan Cherry Chocolate Brownies

I've been craving brownies something fierce lately, so I found this super easy recipe. All you need is a sturdy food processor, and about 5 minutes of actual time.

Raw Paleo Vegan Cherry Chocolate Brownies
(adapted from Out To Lunch Creations)

1 1/2 c Dried Cherries
2 c Walnuts
1 c Cocoa Powder
1/4 c Dried Dates

Soak dried fruit in water to cover for an hour.
Put walnuts in food processor. Pulse until you have a mixture resembling cookie crumbs. Remove from processor and set aside.
Put dried fruit in processor, reserving soaking liquid. Process until a smooth paste forms.
Add in half of the cocoa powder until incorporated. Add in remaining cocoa powder. Add reserved liquid 1 T at a time if mixture becomes to thick.
Stir together walnut crumbs and fruit mixture, either in processor or by hand.
Press into an 8x8 pan or 8 inch pie crust.
Freeze 1-2 hours min.
Then cut into bars to serve, or roll into balls.

Yields: about 10 1 inch servings

Paleo Peach BBQ Sauce

With the Paleo diet, more than anything, I miss quick and easy meals. With our stove being broken right now, the closest thing we have to a 15 minute dinner is going outside and grilling something. While a freshly grilled steak is amazing every few days, every day it just gets old. I ran across this recipe a while ago while looking for "clean" (ie organic) BBQ sauce recipes. We tried it out today, and OMG! It was worth every penny! Teddy Beast approves, and says it tastes more like a Dijon mustard BBQ sauce than a tomato based one would.

Paleo Peach BBQ Sauce
(adapted from Canning Homemade!)

4 Peaches, diced (peeled or not, your preference)
1/2 Bell pepper diced, any color but Green
1 T Onion Powder
1 T Garlic, minced
1/2 c + 2 T Maple Sugar (or Honey, or Coconut Sugar, or Maple Syrup)
1/4 c + 2 T Apple Cider Vinegar
1 t Worcestershire Sauce
2 t Chili Flakes
1 t Mustard Powder
1 t Salt

Add everything to a crock pot, cook on High for 4-6 hours.
Stir every 10 minutes until there's enough liquid to cover peaches; then stir about every hour or so.
After peaches are tender and mostly cooked down, turn off crock pot and let cool for 30 minutes.
Blend smooth.
Store in an airtight container.

Yield: About 2 1/2 cups

Sick Puppy and Finals

This week has been a rather stressful week for us. Between me having finals, Teddy Beast having a new job, and Moose is sick. This week would have been better if it was only 2 out of the 3, but all 3? It's kind of been a disaster. Moose doesn't just have the "I don't feel good so I'm just going to sleep" sickness, it's the liquid shit every half hour kind of sick. It's not a huge deal with just work. With our different schedules she's alone for maybe 4 hours a day. Through finals in there though, and that means she'd have to be alone for over 5 hours. Not going to happen when the longest she's gone without having to go out is only 2 hours. >.<

I brought up the solution of a kennel or keeping Moose in the bathroom. Teddy Beast said absolutely not. I don't like kennels either, but sometimes other things in life are more important than not putting your dog in a kennel for a few hours. Apparently we really disagree on this. Oh well >.< It's not going to be that much of a deal next year, so it isn't worth fighting over.

Anyways, the finals went well, and my other 2 classes I get to play catch up in. It's my fault I get to play catch up, but I needed the extra time with my half semester classes instead. It's getting down to crunch time, with only a semester and a bit left in school. The light is at the end of the tunnel, and it's not an oncoming train.

Oh, and Teddy Beast got me something. It's shiny, it's pretty, and I love it!

1850's Funeral for a Wedding?

This story starts out with Teddy Beast deciding he wanted to marry me. I had no problems what so ever. Then he said he wanted to have a funeral for the wedding. I seriously thought he was crazy, but after doing a lot of digging and research, it is going to be a lot of fun.

We're not going to be doing just any funeral (wedding). We're doing one right out of the 1850's. It's going to be a challenge figuring it all out, mostly because everyone just stops and thinks for a minute, then says "that's a great idea". No one, even online, has any help or sources or anything. Maybe this is where all that money I gave to college comes in handy?

The Starting Point:

Teddy Beast showed me one of his favorite music videos that he wants to recreate. "Until Morale Improves" by Murder by Death. This is pretty much exactly what he wants.

Well, we're in Utah, and wilderness is super easy to come by. The ceremony is going to be out on the Salt Flats. (photo from a dog and a camera).

The rest of the details will come later, but this is pretty much the starting point for the aesthetics for the wedding.

Blueberry Snickerdoodles

Snickerdoodles sounded like an amazing idea, so off to google I went. Usually when I'm looking for a recipe, I just click onto the 4th or 5th page and start there. So glad I did this. I found this post by Bakegirl, and it sounded delicious.I made a few modifications to the recipe to suit what was in the cupboard, and they still turned out amazing. Moist and chewy, and a crunchy sugar cinnamon coating. Nomnomnom.

Blueberry Snickerdoodles

1/4 c  Butter, softened
1/4 c Coconut Oil (room temp or melted is fine)
1 c sugar
1 Egg
1 c Flour (plus 2-4 T seperate)
1/4 t Baking Soda
1/4 t Cream of Tarter
1/8 t Salt
1/2 c Blueberries
1/8 t Cinnamon
2 T Sugar
2 T Raw Sugar (the big crystals, or you can sub in regular sugar)

1. Preheat oven to 375
2. Cream together butter, coconut oil, and 1 c sugar.
3. Mix in egg, salt, baking soda, and cream of tarter.
4. Stir in 1 c Flour, adding more if necessary to create a non-sticky dough.
5. Carefully fold in blueberries.
6. In a separate bowl, combine cinnamon, remaining sugar, and raw sugar.
7. Roll cookie dough into 1-1/2 inch balls, roll in cinnamon sugar, and place about 2 inches apart on greased cookie sheet.
8. Bake 11-13 minutes until edges are slightly browned, or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

Makes about 1 dozen cookies.

Grilled Salmon and Avocado Salad

This was just a last minute, walk through the grocery store, and pick up whatever looks good. I found avocados first, and have been seeing all sorts of stuff with grilled avocados on Pinterest. I figured it was about time to try it for myself. Not a fan of grilled avocado, but the salad was still really good.

Grilled Salmon and Avocado Salad
1/3 head Romaine lettuce
1 c Spinach, chopped roughly
4-6 oz Salmon fillet
1/4 Onion, chopped thinly
1/2 Avocado, leave in peel
1/4 c Bell Pepper, diced
1 t Seasoning salt (I use a saltless mix, recipe is coming soon)
1/8 t Chili Powder ( I use an Asian variety that is pretty much just ground dried peppers)
2 T Limeade (or 1 T lime juice + 1 T water)
2 T Vinaigrette (I use this Blush Wine Vinegrette)

Get a piece of foil, about a foot square. Lay out the onions in a layer about as big as your piece of salmon. This is so the fish won't stick to the foil. Sprinkle both sides of the salmon with the seasoning salt and chili powder. Lay the fish on top of the oil. Add the bell pepper on top of the fish. Start folding the fish up into a little envelope, before you close it completely, add the limeade. Finish closing up the foil.

Heat up the grill for about 5 minutes. Turn the heat down to medium. Over indirect heat, place the salmon foil  seam side up and the avocado cut side down. Close the lid and let cook for 5 minutes. Turn the avocado over, and rotate the salmon 90 degrees, keeping the seam up. Close the lid and let cook for 5 more minutes. Remove the avocado from the grill. Check the salmon, if not done, place foil pouch back on the grill for another 5 minutes. When fish easily flakes apart, remove fish from grill and turn off grill.

Mix together romaine and spinach and put into bowl. Cut the grilled avocado into a large dice, sprinkle over greens. Open the foil packet and using a fork gently flake the fish. Place contents of packet over salad. Drizle the vinaigrette over the salad.

Bridesmaid's Invites

So, even though the marriage is over a year away, I'm just getting all the little ends tied up early. And it's a distraction from midterms ;) Always a good thing.

 Here are all three of them. I want to say I changed the paper on purpose, but I ran out of the other paper. Oh well, it works for my junior bridesmaid just fine. Here's a close up on each.

 "Because to me you mean so much

I have one thing to say which I will phrase as such,

Nothing would give me more joy and pride,

Than to have you up there right by my side,

You've stood beside me through out thick and thin

And I want you to be there when I marry Him.

Many great memories I have shared with your smile,

So, I want you to meet me at the end of the aisle!

Will you be my Bridesmaid?"

And of course I had to make a special one for my awesome Maid of Honor. She doesn't know it yet, but hers is in the mail on its way. ;)

"I realize just how special you've always been with friendship,

love and guidance and a shoulder there to lend.

Not a mother or a sister but a blending of the two,

A good friend in my life always when I've needed you.

You can make me laugh on any given day.

You listen with your heart and know just what to say.

Soon I will be married and I still look forward to the friendship,

Love and guidance that has always come from you.

Will you be my Maid of Honor?"

Things I Hate About Working Customer Service Part 1

1. Customer's that blame you for their lack of research. I recently had several over privileged teenagers email in, I'm calling them teenagers because any actual adult would not act like they do. Here's a short ad-lib of how the conversation went:
CUST: you suck! I sold all of my previous models and all attachments that I thought would come with the new one, also you moved to an SD card and didn't tell. You owe me all the mounts and a new memory card.
ME: *facepalm* All of the information was available on our website prior to you ordering.
CUST: I didn't see it. You owe me x$ worth of stuff because I didn't see it.
ME: Let's go to the store, and select the product. Yeah, scroll down, all the way down. There's all the information that would have saved you a lot of trouble.*
CUST: your company owes me!

It just degrades from there, but you get the point. Before you spend a significant amount of money on something, do even just 5 min of research about what comes with it, any additional products you need to purchase, and the compatibility with your existing equipment. Really, 5 minutes saves you time, money and frustration.

*Not actually what I said, I just told him a generic "all of your "x" are still compatible with our new product".

2. Sending multiple emails within a short amount of time to the company. Really, we got the first one, we'll get to it when we get to it.

Our company sends out a generic email response after you email in letting you know that we usually answer emails within 1 to 2 days. Just because you didn't get a response in 5 minutes doesn't mean we are ignoring you. You may think I'm joking, but this happens.

Email 1: my camera no work! 12.25 pm
Email 2: ????? 12.27 pm
Email 3: hello??? 12.28 pm
Email 4: y u ignoring me?!?!?!!?!?!??!?! ANSWAR ME!!!!! 12.30 pm
Email 5: ......... ***** customer service. ANSWARME ALREADY CAMERA NO WORKING!! 12.35
Our response 1: We need some more information about your camera. Is it not turning on? Is it not taking videos? What is going on with your camera? 2.45 pm

The response is either helpful or a long rant about how horrible we are we took forever to answer the email, even though it was less than 3 hours >.< . Really, tell your kids they aren't that special and they get to sit in line sometimes. There is no magic way to get to the front of the line, and annoying us with excessive emails just means it's going to take longer to get back to you because we won't respond until the end of our shift, dragging the whole process out for several days longer than it needs to take.