Christmas Time!!

The Glow of our tree at night :)
Up close.. YuM fruit loops, star bursts and glitter like crazy!
And alllll alone in the corner..
This is all a surprise to Mike,, I figured it would be nice to come home from training to a beautiful tree and a stuffed stocking :)

Sorry it has been forever!!!! I do believe I owe a LOT of pictures.. the baby shower.. my 21st Birthday... and a load of other things!!

Guess I'll sneak it all in soon.. the semester has been very hectic!! ::eye roll:::
Ciao4 now....
--Steens

Lots to do!!!

BABY SHOWER!

In about 2 weeks I'll be holding a baby shower for a coworker/great friend of mine..
I need IDEAS!!!
Anyone have suggestions for food, games, favors..
I'm super excited and am going all into this.. lol

Alright!... let the comments begin!!!

I MADE A.....

B!!... on my history midterm! How exciting is that?!!... and to think .. I completely thought I failed it! .. Fhew.. what a relief that is! BUT, now I have a paper to have written by Tuesday,, *sigh* the fun never ends :) lol.
Alright.. time to get started on some English... and hopefully tonight I can get to those photos I wanna post.

Laterdays,
-Christina,, whose abdominal area is swollen and unusually in PAIN!!!

Happy Hump day!!

Well, Today is my last day of fall break.. *tears swelling*
It's been fun.. but I must admit that I am super anxious to find out what I made on that History midterm.. I'm really praying that I passed it.. The last two chapters we studied were quite difficult and just had too many random events to remember. Guess we'll see tomorrow morning xcrosses fingersx
Onto other things! I got to try a fried Oreo at the state fair... mmm. .. and I'm totally craving one now! It was surprisingly delicious.. (and probably deadly lol)
I'll post about it with a picture or two soon.

Hmmm... Other than that! Any great ideas on something fun to do this weekend? I have run out of creativity in that department and my weekends are getting to be monotonous.
Thanks!
Steeeeeenerz

Blech...

Today has been quite boring..
I took my history midterm.. (hopefully I passed)...
and NOW I'm on fall break! woo... unforturnately.. i have nothing to do..
I am REALLY wanting to go to the children's home,,, but no one has emailed me back..
guess we'll see!

-Steens

My Pastry Adventure :)

I finally got a little time to do something before midterms start and fall break.. etc.. I was online the other day at work and saw some icelandic pastries.. My grandma is Icelandic so the pictures inspired me to try something new..
I saw how they worked with the pastry and made it absolutely beautiful.. Here is what I ended up with :)
Sugar dusted butterfly with plum in the center. *flutters*
My favorite of the bunch... apricot and pear w/ cinnamon sprinkles
mm.mm..mmmm
Plum and apricot... this one was tasty! The one that has the star in the center is the one I made for my grandmother.. she said they would call it a braid... Definitely love it :)

Fresh and flaky from the oven.... YuM

Some close-ups..
The plain looking pastry on the right was filled with chocolate hazelnut filling.... Heavenly.. it reminded me of kindergarten in Germany.
My lovely fruit and spice filled cups... :)

Alright enough for now!

Ciao :)

OH. EM . GEE..

I was just on NBWB... looking through links.. and.... IM STILL LISTED ON FOODIE BLOGROLL!!!
I don't know what happened?!... guess i'll have to repost the blogroll on my page now or they'll definitely take me out!!! lol. I'm a nut

Steena

Happy Hump day!!

Ugh! I'm ready for the weekend..
Here's what's new right now..

• I'm bored at work (the usual).. Looking at Halloween costumes online. I honestly doubt I'll even dress up this year.. I did, however, decorate the front door to my house :)
• I'm frustrated about us trying to get a house.. I feel like we have to do it quickly or someone will steal the house we like.. (and prices will keep rising.. etc..) then we wont be able to afford one.
• I envy pregnant women. I don't really think now is the best time for a baby...BUT that doesn't mean that I don't want one! ,,, In fact, I really want to start a family.. I guess I'll just continue to wait it out.. :0(
• I went shopping on Sunday and bought lots of fun stuff to bake with!!!!! :) But, I have been non-stop busy and haven't had a chance to start on anything.. HOPEFULLY, this evening I can get to some baking therapy.
• I hate my car. If it weren't for the fact we are trying to get a house.. I would totally look into getting something "newer".. But used and easy to pay off (NO crazy payments please!).. Hmmm.. I would also LOVE to look into a washer and dryer.. I absolutely dislike having to go out to do laudry and search for quarters.. I just wanna be able to do my laundry any time I feel like it and in my own home.. Oh how I look forward to the day we have our own set!!!!!!!

Well, I think that's all for now!

Ciao4now

Steens

Hmm.. Booted from foodie blogroll..

Wow.. Just got on to check out some of the food pages I usually look at,, and BAM ... I've been foodie "jousted" from the blogroll.. W.T.F?
I guess I haven't posted 80% food blogs... or I haven't been on everyday.. But that doesn't mean I don't have a passion for food. Oh well I guess..
I'll just continue on.. blogging about my LIFE and food.. (without the blogroll)


Smitten
Christina

Why I haven't been on in over a month..

Happy birthday Mike.

No, this is NOT Jesus coming from the sky.. this is our our parking lot at about 3 am on Mike's birthday ... His car had caught on fire..

It was a month of suck-ness lol...

Dealing with insurance.. $$$ ... and just the DAMN car ... ::cough cough:: again..

Right when things were looking up.. BAM.. in our faces...

Not only did it catch on fire.. but then, the tow truck cracked his BRAND NEW bumper...

yeah.. it was a month of "one thing after the next"..
Anyways.. things are back to good now.. and we've survived.. so you'll be seeing more of my posts:)

hmm,, pictures might take a while.. (at least new pictures..) *yep, you guessed it, ,, my camera broke also.. * Like I said.. last month was NON stop..

ok.. enough for now.. I'm at work,, and thats a WHOLE nother suckfest in itself!

laterdayz

Steens

Ariana's Birthday Cake!

Ariana's birthday! (august)

She wanted a vanilla cake, with sprinkles inside... and decorated with her favorite colors.. notice her hair barrets on her wrist and how they match her cake lol.. nice one.

Welp.. Hopefully it made my little sister's birthday a little better!~ :)

Mike'b boob birthday cake...(or attempted)

These were made for Mikes 21st birthday..
It was actually a last minute thing.. and I was SUPER short on time.. BUT, overall, I think it turned out quite well :)
Mmmm.. Extra cake batter from Ariana's birthday cake.. and a little love! :)

Back from my "Vacation"! :)

Our day trip to Wilmington Beach..

This trip turned out great... and soooo relaxing :)
random ducks... hiding from the heat.
Are you lost sweetie?... Let me take you home! ;0)

The pier
Goofy faces!

The End..

More pictures to come..

I'm "IT"

WoooooHoooo! I've finally been tagged! Lori from "I Spend Most of My Life in the Kitchen" has tagged me!
This means that I have to tell 8 things about myself. .... AND tag 8 new people!~ :)
Here goes!-

*I'm addicted to Big Brother 8. I seriously rush home on lunch breaks to watch the tivo'ed episodes at my mother's house!..... and NOW, it's getting down to the nitty gritty in the house :)
*I love to run. It makes me feel SO good inside... It's such a release for stress and the adrenaline is amazing.
*I love trying new things-- food, music, sports, arts and crafts. I hate the "same ol' same ol' routines"...
*I come from a close family. We've all been through a lot more than most people so it's brought us together over the years.
*I got married in a court house at 20. (This past February)... We kinda. . . eloped? I love my Mike though! :0*
*I love culture -- it's what drives the world. I can never stop learning about what makes us all unique and beautiful.
*I am working on a major in radio/tv/film... It would be my *ultimate* dream to be an anchor or have my own television show. (dammit! I'll even be a weather girl if I have to! :)
*When I was younger I wanted to be a scientist or a singer.. I was always very into discovering new things or entertaining people.... guess I still am the curious artist?! :)

Me and a little boy in Colombia.. This picture def. sums me up--- I love children, helping people.. the arts and crafts .. making people smile.. and traveling.. (even though most would stray far from a place considered to have "high crime".
And.. the NEXT to be tagged!. . .
Hypatia's Story
All-Purpose Girl
New In The Kitchen
Chicken, Again?
A Taste of Tina
A Craving For Perfection
Bake Your Cake and Eat it Too
Carrie's Cooking Adventures

YOUR IT!
--Steeeeeena :)

Mmm. . . A new restaurant in town.

Norah's opened up recently and I've been eager to try it out.. Well~ Sunday I got the chance:)
It's supposed to be "international cuisine/healthy food".... But I was a little disappointed..
Not with the food, because, don't get me wrong, it was very *tasty*.... BUT not really healthy.... and there wasn't a big "international" selection.. the menu was actually pretty small.. and I think the most "international" item was Jerk chicken... not that exotic. :0/
As far as health goes.. here's an example- sure they had "spicy vegetables," but they were greasy veggies.. and yeah, they had "Calypso rice" but it was so thick and starchy.. :-/
Another downside... the wait.
The freshly grilled entrees are probably the reason for the long wait, ,,, but it was a little TOO long.. I def. think they need to work on a better system back in the kitchen.. or hire a few more staff. Some people were ready to leave by the time their food was brought out... Luckily me and mom were willing to stick it out!
The meat was grilled up deliciously though.. they get all the point for that.. mmm! Full of flavor and very light! :) Their tea was also very good.. nice and fruity.. and SUPER refreshing on a hot day!... But their coconut corn muffins are what will bring me back!

I'd give them 6 stars out of 10....
ALMOST, but not quite.

Mrs. E

I finally had time to make something~!!!

Mike was interested in some peanut butter chocolate pie... So it was my mission to figure out how the hell to make it!

I searched the Internet, but found nothing to suit my fancy.

THEN! I started searching through all of my mother's old cook books... I didn't find a recipe for "peanut butter" chocolate pie... BUT I did find a recipe for "Creamy Chocolate Pie"

So creamy chocolate pie it was!

I had everything already in my cabinet except whipping cream and a pie crust (I was too lazy to make my own pie crust and I had to work,,, so time was an issue)

Here is the simple and easy recipe:

Creamy Chocolate Pie

(Just thought I'd mention that this recipe book is from my birth year.. 1986...wonder if mom was craving desserts? lol)

Ingredients:

1 (9 in) baked pastry shell

3 (1 oz) semi-sweet chocolate squares

1 (14 oz) can of sweetened condensed milk (NOT evaporated milk)

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 cup hot water

1tsp vanilla extract

1 cup (1/2 pint) whipping cream (and some additional to top pie)

chocolate shavings

Directions-

In a heavy saucepan, over medium heat, melt chocolate with sweetened condensed milk and salt. Cook and stir until very thick and fudgy, 5 to 8 minutes. Add water; cook and stir until mixture thickens and bubbles. Remove from heat; Stir in vanilla. Cool 15 minutes. Chill thoroughly, 20 to 30 minutes; Stir. In large mixer bowl, beat 1 cup whipping cream until stiff; fold in cooled chocolate mixture. Pour into prepared pastry shell. Chill 3 hours or until set. Garnish with whipped cream and chocolate shavings. (as you can tell from my pictures I just garnished with chocolate shavings :)

** To make it "peanut butter-ish" I smoothed creamy peanut butter on the pie crust before I poured the chocolate mixture into the pie shell :)

From what I tasted in the mixing bowl, it was DELICIOUS.. but we'll find out when my Mike gets home today and trys it!

Let me know if you try it out and how it went... I'll probably add some mint to it next time...YuM!

Mrs. E

This is a time for celebration!

WHY? Well, Mike has been recommended for... dun dun duuhhhhhhh..

Promotion!! :) How exciting is that?!
He is always so down and frustrated because of the people he works with, but his hard work(and persistence) has paid off!! I am so proud of him for sticking through it!!
Anyways!
I'll just keep praying that it all works out for him! Weeeeeeeee'll see!

Other than that, I should be making SOMETHING (finally) tonight..
and I am def. feeling something sweet :)

Ok, enough for now,, my head is killing me ::::cough cough :::coworkers that slack off non stop!!::::

Mrs. E

Happy Hump Day!!!

Well, as you can see from my stagnant blog.. my life over the last few days has been pretty uneventful.. :0(
Have I baked anything? no. Have I gone anywhere crazy? no. Has anything super fabulous happened to me? no. So what do I blog about?

hmm.. I guess I'll just throw out some random stuff.. (don't get tooo excited! lol):::

• Here are some new P.j.'s I bought from target.. me and my mom thought they were super cute.. (and super "me") They are berry pie pajamas.... with berries, baking soda, eggs... lol...

• hmm... Dad might be coming home EARLY!! (like, October) :) So I guess that's pretty cool!
• uggg.... Uncle Tim went in for back surgery and ended up with bleeding on his brain.. :0/ (not as nice)... so he was flown out to Georgetown... (which is DEF. better if he was going to need brain surgery or something.. ) I'll just keep praying!
• Did I mention how I seriously thought I had a stroke this weekend?!!! lmao(I know, I'm so silly) But honestly!, I woke up and my whole left arm was tingling [like it was asleep].... But that's not all.. it stayed like that ALLLLL day.. no matter how much I rubbed my arm to get blood circulating.. it would continue to tingle. After a while it really started to freak me out! and not to mention how annoying it was. . . At around noon, my left leg wanted to start falling asleep.. that's when I called Dr. Mom lol She reassured me I didn't have a stroke and that I must have pinched a nerve or injured myself..

hmmm,, "injured myself"?... how could I possibly have done that?...

THE WOoOoOorm!!!! darn my break-dancing skills!!! hehehe... Right away she said "yep, that's it!, That's how you probably hurt yourself!!" and then she mentioned the usual "Christina, you are 20 yrs old.. you're getting to old to be flipping around the floor!" lol

I love that lady!

• I've decided to start *decorating* the bedroom! If I'm gonna be stuck in this apartment.. I might as well make it nice while we are still living here! :) So painting will be worth it to feel at home!

Right now, our room is just so white and plain.. I just don't feel at home.. I feel like I'm in a dorm room/holding cell/barracks.... It's just not comfy. So let the decorating process begin!!!!!!

Alright, that's enough for now.. I'm going to start designing my new room.. I'll be back! (cause it's a LONG day at work today.

Mrs. E

Here is an email I got to read last night..
It's my mom emailing my dad in Iraq...
Earlier in the day he had received an email from an old highschool friend who basically said.. that with all of her hussle and bussle in "L.A." she'd forgotten there was even a war going on..
Needless to say.. he was pretty upset by her email.. For people like my dad, the war is VERY real.. and an everyday thing.. He's lost twenty friends so far.. and nearly lost his life.. so for his "friend" (who knew about all of this) to mention how she's oblivious to the war.. yeah.. wasn't too pretty...
Here is the response to my dad's email.. It's my mom..your U S Army wife... (the foundation of most military families. :) (oh, and fellow blonde friends, please forgive my moms "blonde" comment... lol :)
"Well Odie, What can I say.... You know how I have felt about Shari...not really knowing a whole lot about her, but that she seemed to be living the life...skiing, cruising, LA, and here I am holding down the fort, raising kids, working full time, waiting, and worrying about the only man I have ever loved. Her true colors with a capital "B" have finally been made clear to you...."BLONDE". LOL...and you might have expected me to use a different "B" word, which at this point could apply.... yeah, tell me how someone could not know there is a full blown war going on now for the past "5" years!!!!!!!!! And I thought only someone like Paris Hilton would say something so shallow. It is a shame, she hasn't had to get a call early in the morning at work to be told her husband was injured in a roadside bombing, and to have to first absorb what has just been said, and then to choke up the words, and the courage to ask, "Can I ask you something, is he going to live?" THEN have to tell her kids what has happened.. Or maybe she should have to take some time out of her "busy LA lifestyle" to have to make KIA & wounded official notifications to worried wives who are afraid to answer the phone, or like myself to receive the call just as you are in the midst of hiding Easter Eggs for your kids as you try to make life as "normal" as possible for your children who worry about if their dad will ever return. Or maybe she could have to stop, and pull over the side of the road, or tell your kids to go ahead in the store without you as you pull out your calling roster, and one by one, over, and over again, what seems like day after day, call the same wives with just another notification not of one, but of "9" names of people who have died, their lives snuffed out in a moments notice, or maybe she could try attending a memorial service, not just one, but each month to pay honor to those who have given as they say, "the ultimate sacrifice", and think about the many children who will no longer have their father. Maybe she could see what it's like to see "13" photos displayed at one time and hear all the guys who have been there, experienced it, tell of their love for their friend, to fight back the pain of knowing they are gone.... What a dumb "B"!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And this time I don't mean Blonde!!!!!!!!!!! Ok, there I said it... Odie, I am sorry like I have said in the past.... No-one could ever love, and appreciate you as much as I do, or as your kids do. She should have to feel what it's like to send emails not just to say Happy Birthday, or here's a little California sunshine, but in my case sometimes just to know that as long as you continue to reply, I know you're still alive. I thank God for His miracles, for saving your life not only that day on March 28th, but in the past... I know God is with you, and I continue to trust he will bring you home safe to me. I want you to know... you are always in my thoughts & prayers, you, and all those there with you... my heart breaks to know they are injured, or struggling with what they have experienced... I pray for them to find God's peace, and to know that I am proud of you & them, and can't wait to have you all home where you belong! All my love, Diana"
It had me in tears.. But I guess this all just struck a nerve .
Alright.. enough email snooping!!! Get back to the kitchens!!! :)
Mrs. E

Any suggestions for interesting workout music?

Let me know....
I need some new stuff on my ipod for running and motivation!!! lol

Foodie Blogroll and a SEMI-failed attempt

A flourless chocolate cake.. I'll have to post the recipe,,, BUT I don't recommend it..
I made this last week and it just wasn't as great as the rave reviews it got on allrecipes.com.
I won't be making this again..

Also I would like to mention that I have added an addition to my page..
***foodie blog roll***..
SO, if you enjoy ~my posts~, check out a community of food lovers JUST LIKE ME! :)
Mrs. E