Things i Hear

sniff sniff. "You smell like chicken"

"No i don't."

"ah. Yeah. ya do"

"No i don't. You smell like chicken"

"No, its you, it didn't smell like chicken until you got in the car. Its you"

silence

Location: Red light next to a KFC

Don't worry, we figured it out.

Mi Vida Loca

My crazy life. Not that gangta'. But indeed it will be crazy.

Yesterday, i had a lot going on in my life.

As of today, i have a butt load going on in my life. Times 2.

With the intent of graduating in December next year, I am taking additional classes next "semester". I use " " because i don't really have semesters, i sorta go to school year round, which is why I constantly feel like im on the verge of a nervous breakdown. Anyhow. I'm considered a full time student due semester hour technicalities, even thought i only have classes on Mondays. Well... technicalities no more i tell you. I will be taking 2 additional 16 week classes at MATC and 2 additional 6/7 week courses at Stritch (not simultaneously, but consecutively).... to accompany my regular Monday night class.

Lets recap shall we?

Monday- Regularly scheduled class at Stritch 6-10... my next (Business Law) class starts on Monday.
Tuesday- Mequon campus MATC 5:30-7:00pm Intro to Nutritional Science... say whaa?? yeah. Its an elective. I need so many electives since I'm am already scheduled for all my required courses. And when i transfer ed my credits from MATC to Stritch, my earlier (non business degree oriented) credits didn't transfer... damn you early childhood education credits. damn you.
Wednesday- West Allis campus MATC 6:30-9:30pm Elements of Speech. Oddly enough i need a speech class, who would have thought? And allll these years no one told me. hmmm.
Thursday- Stritch (2/10-3/17) 6-10pm Managing Cultural Diversity (meh) Another elective class.
Thursday-Stritch (3/24-4/28) 6-10pm Study of Non-Western Religions <--- I'm looking forward to this one the most... diversity shmiversity
Friday- you will most likely find me drowning in a bottle of wine. maybe two.

Oh... and for $hits and Giggles (<--- one of my new favorite sayings) I successfully completed a "History of Wisconsin" course at MATC.

AND I have a CLEP Exam scheduled for Thursday. (NYE eve) Might as well finish the year off with a bang right?

I know what your thinking.... are you nuts? Its up to debate, but no. I'm not. I'm determined. This extreme overload in school will only be for a few months. Sure, I'll be stressed. Sure, I'll get some grays. Sure, I'll be the biggest B word for those few months. But it'll be worth it. I know its a lot. But thankfully, i have an amazing husband and an amazing family and amazing friends, in a nutshell, an amazing support system. And at the end of the day, I'm doing this for him, for them, for me.

In fact, it might not seem like it, but I'm actually being precautious. See, I'm scheduled to graduate... December... let me check the calendar.... December 10/11 ish of 2011. All the extra classes on my schedule end by May 18th. I chose to take all the classes in the first half of the year, didn't want to leave anything to chance, ya know?

Ok, so now that you think I've completely lost it. I plan on doing all this.... WHILE trying to get promoted at work. Come January i will be on a personal developmental plan to get to the next step in my career. Lovely.

Can we negotiate?

Santa-

I didn't want you to think i was being unreasonable. So I did a little research and found a comparable item, that is less than half the price and i like 3/4ths as much (you follow me?) as the Michael Kors one.

And i guess i could do with out the DB Florentine Vaccheta.

Santa, baby....

All i want under our MIA tree is this:

Please?

Maybe not for Saturday.

Maybe not for Sunday.

I can do Monday.

Please take into consideration how good I've been this year. And i only want this.
and maybe a DB Florentine Vaccheta (med east/west in natural)

Thank you.

I love you.

Aficionado

I would like to defer from calling my self a shoe addict. Because im not. If i were an addict i would have countless number of (useless) shoes in my closet, just collecting dust, for the hell of it. And i don't. All my shoes comfortably reside in their original respective homes. And if my chance, in translation, one of my pairs lost its home, they were given temporary (but very permanent) sterallite homes.

I label myself a shoe aficionado because i find great joy in all shoes, not just women's shoes. I also would like to think of myself more in terms of a shoe connoisseur, if you will. Very few things bring me the joy a well made shoe brings me. I think this is why, i don't like a pair of shoes. I fall in LOVE with a pair of shoes. if there is anything i loathe is a crappy pair of shoes. i mean... if your in the shoe business, you have to keep up with the Jones's (a.k.a trends). No one wants to rock parrot key nose pumps....

Its not all aesthetics people, its the fit, the comfort, the shoe run. I mean sure, i shoe can look pretty... but can you stand to" walk the walk" in them?  I recently added another staple, but non the less important, pair of shoes to my family. I am pleased to introduce the Nine West Rocha in black leather.

 Yes, if your wondering, i DID take off my shoe at work, planted that bad boy on my desk and took a picture of it. I just had to, these shoes are amazingly comfortable. Plus they look great with dress pants and skirts. They have a perfect almond toe and although 41/4 inch heel sounds a little high, the 1/2 inch platform gives them a p.e.r.f.e.c.t balance.

Disclaimer, i do not have kanckles. Its just a weird angle. i swear.

And another angle.

And to prove I'm not an addict.... i threw these in there as well.  I just wish i had a baby girl to gift these to. They are just so perfect...The color is fabulous. Every girl, even at the ripe age of 6 months, should own a  pair of red shoes. (The correct shade of red though, never bright and tacky) Velcro Mary Janes? A must for the toddler on the go! And the elastic back ensure all day comfort.

Find these here!

Mending Signs

Its funny how God sends you signs. All.The.Time. Whether or not you choose to see them is a completely different story. As for me, i feel like Truman, everything is a clear sign... though I'm smarter, I recognize them.

I know a lot of people who have a lot of anger, pain and sadness in their hearts. And specially during the holidays, it fills me with a tremendous amount of sadness, when i realize how many people are O.K with living their lives this way. Maybe its me. Maybe I'm crazy. Maybe its the fact that can (am) viewing things differently.

Forgive & Forget. Possibly the 2 hardest words in the English language. Some argue that you cant have one with out the other. Some people feel they can forget but never forgive. Or they say they have forgiven but cant let it go, forget. But why is it so hard? What is it in our nature that makes it impossible for us to do both?

Can you forgive someone with out them asking for forgiveness? Or do we feel cheated? Can people genuinely forgive someone? and at the same time forget or let go?

Sometimes i feel like people cant do both. Mainly, because people have the misconception that Forgiving is Forgetting. It is not. Forgetting is dismissing something from your mind; to stop remembering. Forgetting is being unable to remember, to forget to do something or leave behind unintentionally. Forgetting isn't Forgiving either. Forgetting is denial.

When i say forgive and forget i don't mean forget that it happened. Or forget the feelings or emotions that were felt. I mean forget it... let it go. I know it sounds hard, but by not letting go, you simply harm yourself. Many times, the person who hurt you... is no longer "there" emotionally, meaning this doesn't affect them anymore, they've moved past it. And you, well you, you are still living in the aftermath of whatever happened, you are still being eaten alive with pain, anger, sadness.

Forgiving some one is as important for yourself, as it is for the person you are forgiving. Can you forgive someone with out them asking for forgiveness? I have. But that is up for debate. Some people need acknowledgement or closure to their problems, which is an understandable request. But have you ever thought that perhaps the person who hurt, offended or sinned against you has such a tremendous amount of guilt that they are unable to face the problem? Or they sit on the other end of this problem/issue that came between you two, feeling the same way, looking for the courage to say the first word? Looking to mend your relationship. Just saying.


I leave you with this....

For if you forgive men when they sin against you,

 your heavenly Father will also forgive you.

 But if you do not forgive men their sins,

 your Father will not forgive your sins.

Matthew 6:14-15                             

I may have gotten the sign, But i hope you see the message.

Im a sucka'

Yes, That's right. I am a sucka' for infomercials. Self diagnosed Infomercial-aholic

Seriously. Ask my family.When i was younger i was able to convince my mom to buy just about anything. I seriously could not watch an infomercial with out rushing to get my moms credit card from my her purse. We eventually became the shameful owners of multiple "Ronco" line products, endless exercise dvd's (back then tapes) , anything that began with AB-roller, rocker, machine, twister etc. etc.

Whats that? Order in the next 10 minutes and you will knock off a payment?

But wait! There's more? Be one of the first 200 callers and get a travel bag, a travel size product and double the warranty? A $90 value???

And then of course i'd ask about the upgrade to expedite shipping. Which for some reason always seemed to take as long as regular shipping.

I eventually learned ... "paid actors, dramatization, results may vary, results not typical, paid audience, not real testimony" ..... were never a good sign of a good product.

UNTIL last weekend.... (my birthday in fact)

Juju and i were heading out the door and caught a few minutes of the an infomercial for the "Top Styler" (i think its from the makers of the InStyler)

I watched in awe... as clam after clam came off the models hair revealing perfectly, bouncy, healthy, shinny curls.  

And THEN ... the girl sitting in the chair did it herself. with OUT a mirror. (*warning* Infomercial-aholic speaking) And the results were perfect, and if she could do it, i could do it. 

Whats that? your telling me it wasn't her first time doing it? Preposterous!!

Anyhow.... Im not sure i'll be too quick to pull out my debit card to purchase them, if i remember correctly, they were about $100 ( plus s+h). Oddly enough, i cant seem to find them on the internet. I read a few places that they are so brand spankin' new they're not avaible.

But i actually think these things work.

** sigh **

I'll keep you posted.



A whole latte budget

To know me is to love me. Seriously. I am many things, funny, smart, strong, (in)&dependent, beeutiful, loud, animated, polite, spontaneous, goofy and a little ghetto. But in FABULOUS way.

I am an avid coffee drinker. I like all sorts of coffee, lattes, any kind of "ccinos", you name it- I'll drink it.

At work, the people at Starbucks were gracious enough to pass on the recipes for all their signature drinks. Thankfully they are not as expensive as they are at the real Starbucks, though they are the real deal, taste the same. Still it can get costly.

Grab a pencil:

A.M : Grande Verona - $1.50

Mid day Tazo tea- .75c

P.M Grande Latte ( mocha, chai, americano, etc)- $2.75 ish

TOTAL: $5.00

X 5 days a week- $25.00

Remember kids this is just on your daily fuel (coffee in case you were following along) and if you don't brown paper bag it for lunch, you will spend a minimum of $5 a day.... again $25.00/ week

grand total $50.00 week!! That's over $2,500 a year!! {gulp} Truth be told.

That was me.

So what does someone, who's a little ghetto fabulous, and on a budget do?

My friends I give you- Lolos 'faux'ocha

Colombian Instant Coffee

Ghirardelli Ground Chocolate w/ cocoa

Marshmallows ( of course )

This set me back about 12 dollars. Half a weeks worth of coffee, 3x's as much coffee. =-)

Look at that marshmallowee froth!!

Oh SN: I also have 3 different boxes of tazo teas at my desk. And i seldomly buy lunch at work now. This means im saving tons and tons of money... I think someone deserves a new pair of shoes as a reward. Just saying.

Why thank you, Flo!

Though I do think you're rather annoying.

i {heart} Target

I absolutely love target. I do. I was forced stopped going to walmart years ago. I know walmart has better prices all around, but you cant beat Target's friendly team members, their clean stores, starbucks, and great selections in their clothing line, plus they also have awesome guest designers.

(you like the makeshift photo shopping?...)

While Juj was in Michigan for his uncle's funeral i went to target to pick up a copy of Toy Story 3 ( which i adore!) As i was checking out, the cashier asked me if i wanted to apply for the Target REDcard or Visa. I politely said no. She then asked me if wanted to apply for a Target REDcard DEBIT card. Before i had a chance to speak, she began rambling on how great the target debit card was and how convenient, and no annual fee, and how its like using your regular debit card and how you save 5% every time you shop and how you can choose a charity to get that xx% cash back.... i jumped in as soon as she took a breath. I asked her to let me see the terms and conditions.

 I read the fine print.

She was right, no fee, no charges, no nothing. Just drafts directly from your checking account and you get 5% off. I know 5% isn't much, but its something.

 So far, just by using the card we've saved about 18 dollars and on a separate shopping earned a $5 gift card. $23 big ones. I strongly recommend the card if you're an avid target shopper like we are.

Bootie Love

We've all heard of love at first sight, right? Whether you believe in it or not is a totally different topic. Well feast your eyes on theses puppies.... The BCBGparis BAM bootie.  Go ahead. i'll give you a second to fall in <3

Aren't they gorgeous?? They are stunning, the rich purple color is amazing, the tulip heel is so elegant, the almond toe adds an updated look to the shoe. I HAVE to have them. I just have to. Plus, i have been looking for a great pair of booties. My biggest challenge in finding the perfect pair of booties has been: 1- the foot/ankle opening on the bootie. I have seen a number of great bootiesout there  [chuckle] but once i try them on my ankle is swimming in the opening. And its NOT cute. i mean i know i have thinner legs and all, but you'd need serious cankles to fill those booties. These on the other hand, the cut is so different than the other booties out there. As you can see, the front of the opening lands more on top of the foot than around the ankle- making a snugger fit, not to mention the elastic 'cut out' And 2- Since they are so the "it" thing right now, well, sadly the prices get driven up. And like all shoes, they're seasonal.

Seriously, when i purchased my nude shoes a few months ago- I saw a cute pair at a retailer that shall remain nameless. They shamefully jacked up the price 15 dollars from one day to another. Sure 15 bucks isn't that much, but its definitely upsetting. I mean wouldn't you much rather pay $90 instead of $105?!?

Although i saw and LOVED the purple ones first. It would be more beneficial, and functional, for me to purchase the black ones.

I want to go check them our in person, since i've only seen them online. I'll let you know how it goes.

 Any chance i can get these for my birthday, honey?

My Confessions

I have something to confess to you all.

I have been a little heffer these last 2 weeks.  I have been eating really crappy and it seems that i have lost all will power. its gone. i have no idea where it went. Remember when i said i was starting insanity? Well I did. sorta. I did day 1, which was the fit test. I completed the test, wrote down how many of each exercise i was able to do in the time allotted.

Then came day 2. I woke up early before work to get my work out in- i popped in the dvd and was ready to go. I started jogging in place, i got to the jumping jacks and before i knew it, my head started pounding. i mean pounding hard- as if my brain was trying to escape my head. I shut that bad boy off and went to lay back down.

This happened the following 2 times i tried doing the workouts in the morning. Im not sure what i can attribute the headaches to, i think i just need to start my mornings off a little bit slower. Juj thinks its a lack of hydration. So i need to make some time in the evenings to workout. I just find it difficult, seeing that i have class twice a week and well, at the end of the day i'd rather crack open a cold one than pop in an exercise dvd.

Bloggiversary

I know im a little late but, November 5th marked my blogs 2 year anniversary. {enter applause}  I initially started this blog when Juj and I got engaged, or shortly thereafter. I wanted to document our plans and progress with the wedding and include our everyday adventures, obstacles. The wedding came and went. Then i was left pondering what would happen to my blog. Would i start a new one? would i just find myself to busy to continue blogging? After a rough patch of blogging, i decided that i wanted to continue writing- for myself if anything.

 I was once asked- So... what? are hoping that someone discovers your blog and wants you to write a book or publish some of your writings?. No. first, Although i do enjoy writing i dont believe i write well enough to ever be published. 2. its an outlet to help me express my thoughts and feelings. and 3. shut up. who asked you?!? ;-D

So although my blog has helped me get through some tough times, and its gone through some tough times. We're in it for the long haul. Im not sure were it will go. Not sure how long it will last... maybe through our first house purchase, maybe through our first baby, heck maybe through babys first day of school, who knows.

So raise your belated glass to toast to BecomingMrs.Juju's 2 year anniversary!

(clink)

sip

(nod/smile)

You got a minute?

Yeah? ok do this- this made me literally laugh out loud. Check it out:


1. Go to Google maps

2. Go to "Get Directions"

3. Type Japan As the Start Location

4 Type China As the End Location

5. Go to Direction # 43
 
I'll have you all know that is the only thing holding me back.

Things i hear

Boss at Product Development meeting.

Boss: "Allison, Can i take a quick peek at your rack?" Referring to a Z-Rack tucked away full of preproduction samples.

awkward.

Co-Sleeping alone

Juj's uncle passed away last week and his services are being held in Michigan, yesterday and today. He, along with my SIL & MIL left to Michigan yesterday. I thought no biggie. He'll be gone for 2 days- top. I had a meeting at church yesterday from 7-8:30 so i figured by the time i get home from work (6) and take my mom to work at 9:30, do my exercises- it'll be bed time before i know it, right? I ran to target and strolled through the aisles at a leisurely pace. I came home, ate dinner, watched a little tv. My head was pounding so i didn't exercise. Before I got into bed at about 11, I turned off all the lights in the house, except the bathroom light, as usual. I went into the bedroom to find cookie making herself comfortable in the bed. It was quiet. And Dark. I got out of bed and checked all the lights, and windows. Locked the door. Got back into bed. Did i put the milk away? I got out of bed to check. (yes, i had) I got back into bed. I put on a movie on netflix because the room so dark ( even with the light coming through the window ) and quiet. At one point cookie jumped off the bed and into her own ( nooo! i quietly cried)... and what did i do? I got up and put her right back into the bed with me. Finally i fell asleep around 1 ( last time i checked)

3 am. Then i had a scary dream. Said a prayer. fell back asleep

4 am. Woke up gasping for air. Same scary dream. Walked into Jujus closet and got his robe. Said a prayer and fell back asleep, holding on to Juj's robe.

4:45 am. Up again. Everytime i went back to sleep i would pick up right where i left off in the scary dream.

5:30 - 6 am. Awake. That's it. Im not going back to sleep. no-uh. nope. not gonna. So i sat up and tried reading a pages in my book. My eyes were burning and feeling heavy. I turned on the TV determined not to fall asleep anymore.

7:45 am. woke up to cookie staring at me. AH $#*T. I overslept. (she could've nudge me or something)

Who knew, that after sharing (and i'll use that term loosely, since he's a bedhog) a bed with juju, one night a way from him would be so scary, so lonely. And to think, that i was looking forward to having the entire bed to myself- I ended up sleeping, curled up with his robe on his side.

road kill?

 My daily commute, depending on the time of day, can take me anywhere between 27-50 minutes.

Yesterday- was a very traumatic 38 minute commute.

Gross.

Endless bulge battle

You may know that i am a little obsessed dedicated to trimming off a few pounds, primarily, from my stomach region. I have tried numerous ways to loose a few pounds here and there, but i just put'em right back on. Im not looking to lose a lot, in fact, i dont have a "target" weight. I just want to be able to comfortably fit into my pants, bottoms and jeans.

I started watching what i ate and actually did a decent job counting my calories. I have been counting calories for close to 2 months now. I started off at 129, got down to 123, but then gained 1.5lbs. so im starting again at 125. A good solid buck and a quarter.

Today i will be starting a new workout regimen, a little something called INSANITY! wait, before you think im insane for purchasing the DVDs, my generous friend, Preeti, gave me a brand new set as an early birthday present. She is awesome! I read all the inserts and pamphlets, put up my workout calendar up, and read through the "before you being" section that everyone skips over. I took before pictures in a bikini i wore during our honeymoon. By no means was i beach body ready then, but lets just say i looked aiiight in the bikini back then. Anyhow, back to the picture, not sure if im going to post them, because, well, c'mon... im only human, that really putting myself out there! Maybe ill post it at the end of the 60 day to compare results.

Shamefully, i was a little heffer this weekend. Bread. Rice. Ice cream. Cookie. you name it, i stuffed it in my mouth, you know, like a "one last night"  sorta thing, except with junk food.

I'll try to update you on a weekly basis. Track any progress, and review the program as well. I hope to be able to call my current work pants my "fat pants" in the near future ;-D

Not My Will

You ever have those days-were its just your day? Sure! we've all found that close parking spot, or found a great deal, or an awesome pair of jeans on clearance and you think to yourself today is my lucky day!

Wednesday. all.day. was my day. I'm not going to say it was my lucky day, on Wednesday i felt God doing his work in my life. All of Wednesdays events were an act of God's will, and there is no doubt in my mind that God has bigger and better things for all of us, we just have to learn to see these things. Remember when i said that i don't talk about Religion, Money or Politics? Well today is your lucky day!

I am currently reading 2 books- one of them being "The Purpose Drive Life" by Dr. Rick Warren. I purchased them about 2 weeks ago. I was very eager to start reading it, but since i was fairly busy last week, I first picked it up on Tuesday night. In my mind, this book, that i hadn't even read a single word from was already changing my life. I was anxious to start reading it. I had been doing a lot of meditating and praying on the days leading up to the purchase of the book. I am only through the first 2 chapters, but i can feel this books affect- the ability to feel it, the understanding, the realization, the knowledge that comes with it.

I had been feeling all sorts of anxiousness. I've had so many things running through my head-  my education, my husband, my family, my faith, my career and so on. I have thought long and carefully about where I'm at and where i want to be. I know when I'm graduating, and everything i need to do to get there. I know where my career is going , and everything i need to get to my next promotion. I know where my family/husband life is at, and everything that i need to do to keep it healthy and balanced. Now when it comes down to my faith, i know where i am at, and where i want to be.

I have a tremendous amount of faith in my God. I trust in him blindly. I surrender to his will. I rejoice in all that he has given us. I have been humbled by his work in my life, all the good, all the bad, all the uncertainties- In everything.

But i want more. I want to feel his presence in my everyday life, just as i did on Wednesday. This might turn you off, but I'm am not 100% in agreement with organized religion. I don't always agree on all of the positions the 'church' takes on or against. What i do agree on is that God is good. That God is an omnipotent accepting and forgiving God. That God has a master plan for you and like the prayer, "Hagase TU voluntad aqui en la tierra como en el cielo" - His Will will come to fulfillment. That God is always there, even in your darkest hours. That God deserves your love unconditionally, the way he loves you.

And i want to grow in that. I want to grow in my individual faith. I want to set an example for those who are not there yet. I have very contradicting thoughts. I understand and accept the concept of evangelizing, but i don't believe in forcing God or specific beliefs on someone. We are here to spread his word, literally and/or by example. I know so many people who have been pushed away form religion by Cathoholics- those who are die hard religious, but cause more harm than good, intentionally or not. There are so many people who have the desire to have a relationship with God, but are not accepted by a religion because of the way they look, or who they love, or what they are not.

Back to the book,  A Purpose Driven Life, and its main concept-  Why am I here? What is my purpose? What on Earth am I here for? I think its time that more people start asking themselves this question. You might find that what you thought- isn't, and where you're going- is bigger than your big picture.

Don't mean to step on anyones toes, and this is why i usually don't discuss religion, money or politics, but after all this is my blog, and it is tittled Becoming Mrs.Juju, and  growing in faith helps me become a better Mrs.Juju.  Can i get an Amen?!

Wall Art

Juju has taken over my dinning room. That's right my dinning room, well now its his. He has set up his laptop and has spread his school books across every inch of my beautiful dinning room table. Then he uses this old, a bit broken down, white board to keep track of his assignments. Since this whiteboard is unsightly huge, he usually props it on the floor, against the wall, on a chair etc etc. because there was no way i wanted him to hang that thing on the wall.

See? It takes up 1/3 of the wall.

Here enters the brilliant idea of having it be functional for Juj and not an eyesore for the rest of the world. Since we are still working on a budget, we had to figure a way to solve this issue- inexpensively.

After much brainstorming, we decided on the project below. There was a few adjustments along the way, 3 visits to the store ( 2 Menard's, 1 Joann's) and blood, sweat and tears.

We purchased the needed supplies to build a tension cord system.

Here is a close up of the metal cord, cord 'crimper', turnbuckle and eyelet thingy.

Next we took 4 (14x18 i think) wrapped canvas that we already owned, and wrapped them in fabric purchased (on sale 50% off! orig.39.99/yd) at Joann's. For anyone interested in wrapping canvas in fabric, i strongly suggest purchasing a can of fabric adhesive. Its not necessary, but it makes it a lot easier to align the fabric to the desired position. Then simply fold and staple.

Watch your fingers though, using a staple gun can be very dangerous.... here is were the blood part came in.

Here is one canvas just about done being wrapped.

Here is a close up. Pretty darn good eh?

Next we took 2 wrapped canvas an reinforced them together by adding a wooden backing, supporting each frame individually. This created 2 separate panels. In the left picture (on the right side) you can see  how we created a panel, using  2 individual canvas. We measure 4 in. from the edge and carefully ( if you drill too fast you will snag and create pulls in the fabric) drilled holes to insert the hooks that would hook on to/sit on the actual metal cord.

So here you have it- Finished project. To hide the eyesore that is Juj's whiteboard we simply slide both panels together, creating a 'mural' if you will.

AND when juju needs to use the whiteboard, he simply slides the panels apart.

Overall this project was very inexpensive. It cost us about $48, and we have a lot of left over parts, pieces, 'capital' if you will, for our next project.

Baby Cake

I bet by now you are thinking that something went terribly wrong during the baby gender reveal cake that has kept me from updating? No. not really. I think it went pretty darn good. The cake itself was Delicious if i do say so myself and the butter cream was Delicious too, the decorating part... welll... that was aiiiight. I mean I did the best with the tools that i had, which weren't many.

So on Friday after eating dinner and send Juju off to hang out with the guys i started baking the cakes. I gathered all my ingredients and invaded my MILs kitchen, since my oven largely resembles an easy-bake oven. I spent the last few days leading up to the cake i was searching for a basic cake i could add pineapple filling to it.

I decided on a classic vanilla cake, pineapple filling and vanilla butter cream. I followed the recipe from Annie over at Annie's Eats She made them cupcakes as you can see, but the recipe and instructions ( minus the baking time ) work just fine. Since I'm still a rookie, I copied her ingredients/instructions below.

Vanilla Bean Cupcakes

Ingredients:
3 cups cake flour
1 tbsp. baking powder
½ tsp. salt
1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
16 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 cups sugar
5 large eggs, at room temperature
1¼ cups buttermilk, at room temperature
1 tbsp. vanilla extract

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350° F. Line two cupcake pans with paper liners. Set aside.

In a medium mixing bowl, combine the cake flour, baking powder and salt. Whisk together and set aside. Add the butter to the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Scrape the vanilla bean seeds into the bowl of the mixer with the butter and discard the pod (or reserve for another use.) Beat on medium-high speed for 3 minutes, until light and creamy in color. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and beat for one more minute.

Add the sugar to the butter mixture, ¼ cup at a time, beating 1 minute after each addition. Mix in the eggs one at a time until incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl after each addition. Combine the buttermilk and the vanilla extract in a liquid measuring cup. With the mixer on low speed, add the dry ingredients alternately with the wet ingredients, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients and mixing just until incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix for 15 seconds longer.

Divide the batter between the prepared paper liners, filling each about 2/3 of the way full (you will likely have batter left over after filling 24 wells.) Bake 18-22 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool in the pans 5-10 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely. Replace paper liners and bake remaining batter if desired. Frost cooled cupcakes as desired.

My Adventure:
*I made the cakes on Friday night. I followed the instructions above to the T. The only semi sorta problem that i encountered was after mixing the ingredients, dry/wet/dry/wet/dry, i stopped the mixer to prepare the cake pans, when i returned to the cake mix, it seemed to be separating. So i quick turned on the mixer again, tried whipping it up to the int ital consistency. I maneuvered the bowl to get air back into the mixture and although it did come together it wasn't the original consistency. That worried me.

*While baking, my edges started browning too fast. And since the cake itself was colored, it looked very odd. next time i will ensure i prepare the pans with parchment paper, i used butter and flour. rookie mistake

*I let cake cool in the pan OVERNIGHT. And i shouldn't have. The next morning i didn't have a problem getting it out at all, but i feel it did affect the cake a smidge.

Here are a few pictures of the process. I think I can put this one down in the books as a success.

 First came the crumb coating. Since I crumb coated both layers, i kept them both cold in the fridge to ensure none of the colored crumbs were visible.

 

The filling was pineapple, I had to make the filling twice since the first time around, while trying to thicken the filling i began making "dough dumplings" because one person can only sift and stir fast enough.

 

I didn't spread the filling all the way to the edges, while researching proper filling techniques, i learned that the weight from the top layer will cause the filling to fall out of the cake if its too close to the edge.

Here is the cake crumb coated, filled and layered.

 

Here is the cake with the butter cream frosting. I know it looks a little rough, but i "wanted" it that way ;-)

  

Neutral green and yellow decoration dot thingies.

 

Another view. I wanted to add "more" to the cake, but being a rookie and all, i didn't want to mess up the "good" thing i had going already. And i didn't want it to look like too much. I wanted a simple cake that would serve its very important purpose.

I have to work on my cake writing technique, i never knew i had such a shaky hand!

Oh and if your wondering what the gender is.... Well your going to have to keep'on waiting, Gaby has yet to forward me a picture of the cut cake. blame her.

Busy Bee!

Ive been very very busy this past week. Hence, why i haven't blogged. Whats that? Why have i been so busy?

Monday- Class
Tuesday- Studying for Midterm
Wednesday- Studying for Midterm
Thursday (today) - Midterm [ahhhhhhhhhh!!]
Friday- Prep for Sat 9 am School meeting
Saturday 9 a.m- Shool team meeting, much needed: cooking, cleaning, laundry-ing
Sunday- Church, Breakfast, homework due monday.

Jealous?

I have started to recap the baby gender reveal cake I made for Gaby.
I've also got news about Vegas Baby!
Rave about an awesome book I'm reading, and the next one on my list
And....
A rough draft of my Life Plan for the next year and a half or so.

What kinda baby is it?

I mentioned a few weeks back that i was going to be an auntie, a titi if you will. My older sister, Gaby ( & hubby Jesse), are expecting their first little peanut in March, and i couldn't be more thrilled. Few reasons why:

1. Takes the pressure off of us to have a baby anytime soon
2. I really want a niece. We have nothing but stinky boys in the family
3. The youngest nephew in the family is like 7/8? i know its bad that I'm not sure.
4. Takes the pressure off of us to have a baby anytime soon

I am so very thrilled to announce that i will be making a gender reveal cake for her, when the time comes to find out whether its a mister peanut or misses peanut.

Out of respect, I will not reveal the baby's gender until Gaby gives the O.K.

After all, it is her baby. (* hint hint for any people spreading her business out there)

So I'm a little nervous. I'm making the cake from scratch. I am also decorating it, or at least will try to. I have a nice set of decorating tools-  bags, tips, decorative edges etc. etc.- that i will be using. My plan is to ice the outside of the cake all white, the inside will have pink cake for a girl, and blue cake for a boy ( the filling will be based upon the future mommy's request) and the decorations will be gender neutral, green and yellow. When you cut into the cake, you will find pink, or blue cake, revealing the babys gender! I am so excited!!

We Gaby plans to reveal the gender of the baby to the family as soon as she knows what they are having. I will reveal pictures of the finished product, maybe... if it doesnt look too awful. If Gaby says its ok, I'll let you know what shes having.... until then you shall know my future niece/nehpher as niecphew. Yup, thought of that one all on my own.

Road opposite of rage

I like to think I am a pretty good driver- others beg to differ. I can admit that i am a nervous person all around so i don't like to drive when Juj and I are going somewhere. Don't tell him, but he's not a good co pilot. We'll be driving down the road and he'll say something like okay turn..........back there. Sigh. That's when i get nervous and start asking... stay right? go straight? speed up? So to avoid these situations i prefer for him to drive.

On my own, i am great! I can dip in and out of traffic, i am an excellent blind spot checker, and a very tactful driver. I tend to not use my horn to "yell" at people when they drive stupidly, or ride their breaks, or stop short, or cut me off- heck, I'm that person that lets the other person go first even when their the ones backing up into a busy street.

And trust me, I drive out to me Menomonee Falls everyday, that means i have to merge from 94 to 45 ( fon du lac) and that merging area is notorious for cars cutting others off.

And although sometimes I'm in a rush... i shrug it off. No biggie.

Why you may ask?

Years ago at church, I once heard a sermon that talked about being appreciative and being kind to others. I know what your thinking, "i do let people merge when they put their signal on... its those jerks that cut you off that make me upset." Well today one of those jerks cut me off. The sermon talked about how we all live in our little worlds and really have no idea what is going on in that jerks head- Meaning, that jerk might be having a rough week, maybe he is over worked and under paid, maybe he is rushing to his second job- just to make ends meet, maybe he is on his way to visit someone terminally ill at the hospital.... Maybe, just maybe him/her getting in front of you or in front of the line will be the best thing that will happen to him/her that day.

Crazy eh?

Only God knows why this person is in such a rush. You've been there. And I'm sure you've wanted to be given the right away when your rushing to work, school, doctors appointment, etc. So be kind. Be kind to that jerk because on occasion you have or one day will be that jerk.

Smart Man = Awesome Purchase

For a while now, I have been going to school sans a laptop. We have a home windows desktop and a mac laptop. While the mac laptop is functional, it has limited mobility due to battery life and a few technical flaws. So Juj and i have been talking about getting me a laptop for some time now. We both knew that it would be a mac operating system- that right off the bat puts me at dropping at least a grand for a barebones minimum Macbook. We searched and researched and contemplated purchasing a used Macbook/pro. We didn't want to spend too much on used laptop either, for the obvious reasons.

So ladies and gents, you are looking at the proud owner of an iPad!

The iPad was only a fraction of the cost of a entry level Macbook and cheaper than tons of used laptops that we found.

Juju helped determined what I would use my laptop for the most. We made a list and figured out that i would realistically need it for school work (word, powerpoint, excel), personal use (web[blogging],apps and [i'm very excited about this...] it doubles as an E-Reader [like the kindle/nook]) and just for fun stuff like youtube, netflix, etc. etc. Matter of fact I am blogging this from my iPad as we speak!

I'll have to learn and review more about all of its functions. I was just too excited to not say something!

Eatin' Cheap

I find that this post is perfect after my rant about budgeting. Last week Thursday, i think, i was reading a post about Restaurant.com and an amazing one day promotion they had going on. I rarely ever "take people up on discount offers", plus it sounded too good to be true so i wanted to check it out myself.

I browsed through the restaurants in my area and found a lot of restaurants that i have been to, like, or would like to try. So there i was loading my cart with tons and tons of gift certificates to all these restaurants. I know what your thinking, what about your budget? Well amigos... take a gander- this is what i got:

$50 Restaurant.com gift certificate
$50 Wards house of prime
$25 Houlihans
$25 (3)Kil@wat
$25 (2)Molly Cools
$25 Bistro Bar 333
$25 Pepino's Pizzeria
$25 Libiamo
$10 (2)Marchese's Olive Pit
$10 (2)Antigua

Ok, lets add those bad boys up... Ok, lets see carry the one... $365 dollars worth of gift certificates. Even if i got them at 50% off i would never spend that much, specially up front for them.

Grand total $17.60

And if my math serves me correct, we got all these gift cards at about a 95% discount. I know, what.a.deal!!

Please hold your applause. Seriously, sit. No need for a standing ovation.

Something funny though, Juj must have looked at the account afterwards because he was like... "wait!?! what is this purchase for restaurant.com?" He thought it was fraud since i did 2 separate transactions and they were both very small.

Shoe Strings : ONLY

We aren't broke broke. We are cant-afford-to-take-a-vacation broke. We have food on our table and a roof over our heads. We have clothes on our back and a borrowed washing machine to wash it in.

I joked with a coworker saying "We're on a shoe string budget, meaning, i cant afford to get the shoes, just the shoe strings"

Its difficult trying to work with a budget because you know that you cant "splurge" on much. We have done very well trying to cut down on unnecessary expenditures. We have reduced the number of times we go out to eat or get take out. I try to keep the fridge stocked with food so we can eliminate the "There's nothing in the fridge" thoughts, that have so easily led us to go out to eat. No one said budgeting would be easy, but if they did, it was most likely because they had a large budget. With Juj working less, we became more aware of what, how, where we are droppin' the dough.

I've been doing some research and according to many budgeting websites and tools your budget should looks a bit like this:

Housing- 25-30%

Food-15%

Gas/Transportation-15%

Utilities-10%

Payments on Debt-10%

Savings-10%

Entertainment-5%

Medical-5%

Charity-5%

Clothing-5%

Now I'm not going to bore you to death with all the details of our finances, but we tend to shift around the allocated percentages.

Housing-  23%
Food-10%
               -I tend to be a very smart shopper, finds sales, stock up on BOGO (cheese freezes well) and
                since for the most part we don't consume much meat we tend to not spend too much on food.
Gas/Transportation/Ins-28%
               -This is for our car payment, insurance & gas
Utilities-12%
               - This includes household and our cell phone bill we pay for 4 lines ( juj, MIL, mom, & I)
Payments on  ALL Debt-25%
               -Oh this is high. too high, but it does include just about everything, credit cards, student loans,
                regular loans etc etc.
Savings- ~%
              - Some months are better than others, some months we are able to save 10% others 1%
Entertainment-5%
              -This is varies, we can go weekends with out spending anything, then there is times when we
               drop F-bombs when we pay our part of the tab/bill. We for sure spend 9 dollars on netflix/mo.
Medical-0%  
              - Thankfully we've got more than enough money set aside in our Flexible Spending accounts to 
                cover any medical bills our insurance doesn't cover
Charity-0%
             - Though I volunteer my time at different charity events, we give no monetary donations.
Clothing-5%
             - I can seriously say that i have not spent much out of pocket money on clothing. For example, i
               had gift card to kohls, a merch. credit, kohls cash and my employee shop day and employee
               discount. I purchased 3 tops for roughly 25 dollars. NOWHERE near the 5% that I we should be
               using.( hint hint babe!)

I know that by this time you've take out your calculator and figured out that totals 108% and taking into account that a few of our areas fluctuating, such as savings and entertainment. Well ladies and gentlemen, somehow, i make it happen. Well, we make it happen. Even though i do most of the bill paying we both try to keep within our budget. Over time things such as the debt area will go down, perhaps we'll take a leap and purchase a home, but a lot of things can throw a monkey wrench into our budgeting plans, i.e. Cookies expensive medical bills, new brakes, etc etc. Conveniently, I just got a sweet raise at work- so that's always a plus!

Overall its not difficult, it would just be a lot easier to manage if we were just given one big lump sum at the beginning of the month =-D

Things i hear

Boss at meeting:  "Im Excited! We aren't all Idiots!!"

It's Over

Finally. It's over. There will be no more hearings. There will be no more depositions. There will be no more living those horrible moments that Cookie endured.

The kid who brought the pitbull into our yard and attacked cookie was 'sentenced' to serve his year probation at a Rehabilitation Treatment Center, RTC today.

Today we heard any last arguments. I addressed the court once again. I was composed and was able to express my empathy for this kid and his mom. I made it clear to the court that this, this whole case, went beyond what happened to Cookie, beyond the money and beyond any 'retaliation/seeking justice' for my dear Cookie. This was about getting this kid the help he needs to have a fighting chance at being a productive member of society when he grows up. This was about helping him find his way onto the correct path. This was about saving another person from potentially spending the rest of his life in jail. And we did.

The kid addressed me. He apologized, he sobbed... and i cried right along with him. My heart went out to him- because at the end of the day he is just another child, a victim of his family's inability to raise and educate him properly, another broken child, product of a broken home, who was never shown or taught how to be a good kid.

Today i feel such a sense of relief.

I really hope that we have changed his life for the better. I hope he can one day look back and feel appreciative of what he went through and know that if it wasnt for us, well... who knows where he'd be. I can only hope.

The Things i Hear

Last night in class:

Student: "How did they manage to leave?" (something along those lines)

DR H : "Oh, they simply snookied out of the situation"

JerseyShore Fan much?

Mo' money Mo' problems

Generally, there is 3 things i dont like to discuss with people: Money, Religion & Politics.

But lately all i have been able to think about is money money money money mo-ney... mah-nay! (sing to the tune of the money song) But i've been thinking about it in a good way. Everyday as i read through my status update feed on my facebook, i see people talking about how much money they have, or how much they make, or at least make it a point to insinuate that they have money. I loathe those people. Not because im envious, nor jealous... But because it shows how superficial those people are- always talking about what they have, where they are going or what they just bought.

Its funny because Juj and I were having a conversation about people who have money, or at least try to front like they do. Those people, who brag about how much they made, or how much they shop, really don't have money to live the lifestyle they say to have. Those people tend to live out of their means just to keep up with the Jones's- or simply to keep up with their own charade. That's why mo' money comes with mo' problems.  People who have real money are not running around spending it frivolously- and then talking about how much they spent. People who have real money are humble, hard working, financially responsible and don't have the need to proclaim how much they have.

My good friend is quite loaded. She and her husband own a few businesses and recently built a gorgeous home. She takes simple vacations and is modest in her appearance, never flashy- but always put together. Her children aren't spoiled and her parents are never in need. She never talks about money- but she is quick to help friend in need. That my friends, is people who have real money.

Money has such an affect in our lives. I've never been a conformist, but I'm not money hungry either. Money changes people both in a good and bad way. Not having money really makes you take a step back and realize how truly blessed you are to have what you have- very humbling. Not having money makes you aspire to have it, but for all the right reasons.

One day, i want to have money... by the butt loads if possible. I want to do good things in this world, i want to give back to every person who has ever been there for me, i want to be able to provide for my family, my friends or a homeless man in on a corner.

Even if it kills me

I've always been a fruit eater. Even as a child I loved me some fruit. Any kind at that. I used to consume an entire cantaloupe by myself- when i was 7. The one and only fruit i will not eat is papaya- for smelly reasons- other than that... bring it.

And so the apple brought it. One lovely day, years ago, while enjoying a nice crispy Gala apple, something happened. About 3/4 bites into it... i began getting an itchy, tingly sensation around my lips and gums. Meh. Didn't think much about it. So there i was munch. munch. much. My throat started feeling funny. So i walked over to the mirror to find that the inside of my mouth was bright red and it looked like blood had rushed to the surface in some areas and my throat was red and swelling.

There you have it ladies and gents.... I was allergic to apples.

That was the abrupt end to my relationship with apples. Recently, i have been having immense cravings for apples. I mean, what is the fall season with out apples??? A while back i discovered that i am mainly allergic to the actual apple peel. (Thanks a lot factory farms who have made it nearly impossible for me to enjoy an apple, with all your chemicals and toxins you use to produce your apples)  If i peel the apple the affects are significantly less, but its not the same, you don't get that crunch and satisfaction of biting into that outer peel. I have succumbed into temptations a few times at work, but i make sure i tell a co-worker that I'm having an apple, just in case i loose consciousness due to airflow restriction.

Last week at the grocery store, while picking up a bag of apples for juju (lucky punk), i made a decision.

Apples, your not the boss of me. I am the boss of you, sorta.

So i took to bags, one for juj and one to make applesauce with. Last night i peeled, cored, and chopped up a bag of apples. I added a pinch of cinnamon and a special secret ingredient.... and tah-dah! Homemade applesauce, super easy, super fast and it is au naturale- no added nothing, well except cinnamon and my secret ingredient =-)

I only taste tested it last night since i was exhausted, but i didn't feel any reaction coming on. Although it does not offer the crunch i long for in an apples, it satisfies my cravings for them.

Vegas Baby! (maybe)

Last year, before my fabulous birthday in Chicago with Mon and Christy, I decided that i wanted to do something "big/special" for my 25th birthday. Yeah i know, 25 isn't that big of a milestone, BUT my golden birthday was when i was 4, and im pretty sure my mom had absolutely not idea what a "golden birthday" was so i kinda lucked out. Now Juj, his birthday is June 30th-that means his golden birthday will be when he turns 30 and that's a big milestone, again... sorta.

So I would really like to go to Vegas this year for my birthday. Its a lot harder said than done, specially with Juj working part time we have very little discretionary income. But i really want to go.

The plan is that the gang- Juan, Maria, Christy, Mon, Juj and I- would all try to go but making it budget friendly, because honestly, no one of us is balling out of control.

If there is one thing you should know about me is that I'm a planner. I like to plan things. I like to know what we are doing, when we are doing it, who's going, what time, etc etc. Though i do like spontaneity, i don't like to leave big things to "chance". I want to get all of the possible Vegas entourage together to further discuss the plans, what dates, etc etc.

As a planner, I've been doing some research. I started looking at hotels, reviewing attractions, checking on flights. As of now a round trip non stop from MKE to LAS is at 255 (incl tax). Not bad. BUT it could get better. I want to find the air fair more along the vicinity of 215-235. I know in the scheme of things its only 20 dollars cheaper but that could at least cover any luggage we would need to check. As far as hotels, we have yet to decide if we are going to do a 2 queen for 4 of use or try to get a suite for all 6 of us, either way we'll do even Steven- making it more affordable for everyone.

Wish me luck in my planning endeavours. I'll hopefully be able to say that i celebrated my 25th birthday in Las Vegas (Baby!)

Is it because im a girl?

Just a quick vent. So I'm currently taking a statistics class. I really like math, always have, always will. But stats? well, um... i do like it, but i feel the professor could do a heck of a better job with his teaching techniques and it also doesn't help that the traditional 16 week course is crammed into 6 sessions.  Any how, back to my vent. So we have a team project to complete by the end of the class, which just happens to be next week. My team consists of 2 guys and 2 girls (including myself).

We decided to do some sort of test ( Z/T/Hypothesis) on NFL quarterbacks. Fine. I like football and the more i understand it, the less number of question i pose during each play, and the more enjoyable it is for those around me. So there i go, i find statistics ranking the 32 quarterbacks giving their age, seasons yards ( passing, completed, rushing), completion rates etc etc. So i did my homework on this, not only this but i bounced off ideas off of a few sports enthusiasts at work. So before i met with my team i emailed a nicely formatted spreadsheet with all my statistics. I have to admit i was a bit proud of myself.

Once i arrived at Starbucks for my team meeting:

Me: "Hi Guys! Sorry I'm late!  I emailed all of you a spreadsheet of what i think is a great foundation for our project"

Guy #1: "Oh, I'm not online, I haven't checked my email"

Guy #2: "Oh yeah, I looked at it"

Me: silence....waiting for feedback.....
       "Well?..."

Guy #2: [smugly] "Oh, I deleted it"

Me: "What? Why?"

Guy #2: [confidently] "We can't use it, Its outdated information"

Me: [SLAP]  [OK, j/k i didn't, but i wanted to]

Me: "Really? Outdated data? So do you proposed that we use this years data? The football season literally  just started"   A Durrrrr!

Guy # 2: [with tail between legs] "Oh, i knew that... let me get it out of my recycling bin"

In the words of Stephanie Tanner.... How rude! I was so upset, i couldn't believe both of their attitudes. I mean seriously... what year are we in? Is a woman not capable of have a little knowledge (sorta) in a male dominated sports industry? Sure maybe I'm not a football guru but I'm not stupid, and brought a heck of a lot more to the table than those 2 bird brains!