The Joy of Christmas

I hope that everyone has enjoyed their Christmas as much as I have.

Now that the presents are opened and the dinner is done, let's do our best to make the the rest of 2012 great!

And a smile from the cutest boy in the world!

It's an off week...

Well, I have been completely and totally awful with keeping up the blog this week. Wow.

Between getting ready to go on our trip, to getting out orders, to cleaning, to everything else that needed to be done, the blog got pushed to the back burner.

In the words of one of my favorite animated movie character -

"I am ashamed."

I figure since I have already blown off most of the week, I'm just going to take the rest of the week off. I'm going to be out of town until Sunday anyway, and then I will be flying (well, driving, but in a rapid manner) to get back in time for church. For some reason it is important for the choir pianist to be there when the choir is doing their big Christmas performance. Go figure.

I hope that everyone is getting all their Christmas shopping and preparations done. Goodness knows that I still have stuff to do.

Typical me, putting things off until the last minute.

It has always driven my mom nuts and is starting to drive me nuts too.

Another go figure moment. Go figure. :)

Toodles!

I'll be back...

Sorry for the lack of a post on Saturday. It was a long week.

My little guy came down with a fever on Wednesday night which turned into a full blown respiratory infection. Ended up taking him to the instacare and ER yesterday. Thankfully he didn't have pneumonia or RSV, but he does have bronciolitis (the baby version of bronchitis). He's actually on the upswing (knock on wood) and will hopefully be all good and ready to go to Arizona on Thursday!

I am working on a post from The Hobbit. Such an awesome movie! You should all go and see it.

That is all.

How Blessed are the Little Ones

I was planning to do a post about The Hobbit, but I am going to push it until tomorrow.

I sat down at my computer this morning, completely unaware of what had transpired in Connecticut. As I opened up Facebook, my news feed was flooded with mention of the tragedy. I immediately jumped to Yahoo to read the details. I couldn't believe what I was reading.

Children are so precious. Why would anyone open fire in an elementary school? I was shocked and saddened.

As I'm typing this, I pulled up Yahoo again just to see the updates. It looks like the shooter was a 20 year old kid whose target was his mother, a teacher of five and six year olds. Apparently he killed his father this morning in New Jersey before heading to Connecticut. He killed his mother, then, for some unfathomable reason, turned onto the little five and six year old children in the classroom before killing himself.

It is the largest school shooting ever. Columbine had 13 dead. This shooting left 27 dead: 20 children, 6 adults, and the shooter.

I can't imagine what the families of those children (and the adults) must be going through today. Here we are, 10 days shy of Christmas Eve, and instead of getting all geared up for opening Christmas presents and planning Christmas dinners, these families are now faced with the daunting task of burying their loved ones, most just at the beginning of their lives.

The one thing that makes all this bearable is the knowledge that those precious spirits returned to their Heavenly Father, since they were taken from this Earth before the age of accountability. They were sinless and are now in His presence. *

And every one of those parents will be with their precious children after this life. What a sweet and special blessing.

My prayers go out to all those affected by this horrible and indescribable tragedy. May they receive peace and comfort in this difficult time.

* If any of you who are reading are wondering why I said this paragraph, it is because I am a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and we believe in life after death. We believe that a child is pure and sinless until they reach the age of eight, and if they happen to die before that time, they go straight to the presence of our Heavenly Father.

If you would like more information on our beliefs, you can go to mormon.org/ or leave a comment. I would love to tell you more.

Diamond Candle Result

So I burned down the candle and this was the result found in the little foil packet.

(Sorry for the lousy picture. The flash on my phone made it too shiny so I had to go san-flash).

Unfortunately, it's not one of the expensive rings (sad), but it's cute. I won't wear it, since the two fingers that it fits on already have rings that are irreplaceable.

Now I just am going to figure out who to give it to.

The Diamond in the Wax

So I heard of these candles a while back, but haven't actually tried one.

 

They are called Diamond Candles.

They are natural soy candles and hidden somewhere in the middle of the candle is a ring wrapped in a little foil pouch. You burn the candle, find the pouch, discover the ring, and then figure out how much it's worth. Apparently the ring will be worth $10, $100, $1,000, or $5,000.

Overall, a pretty fun idea for a candle.

Anyway, my mom and I play in a Bunco group and tonight was our Christmas party. Usually everyone bring a $10 unwrapped gift and people get to choose a gift at the end depending on their score. 

For the Christmas party we do a wrapped $25 gift and do basically a white elephant/gift steal game. Each gift can be stolen once before it is claimed and can't be stolen again.

I must have been choosing all the good gifts, since I was the first one to choose and had three gifts stolen, ironically becoming the last person to choose.

The last gift on the table was one of these Diamond Candles. I decided it would be a fun thing to try and went with it.

Since it was pretty late when I got home, I didn't start burning it. I think I will get it started first thing in the morning. The nice thing is that the scent is Cinnamon Roll, which is perfect for this time of the year.

We'll see how lucky I am once that little foil pouch is revealed!

I'll make sure to do a follow-up post on the result!

Christmas Snowman and Santa!

New items went into the etsy shop today!

Presenting...

The Snowman Cocoon and Hat Photo Prop Set

 

and

The Santa Cocoon and Hat Photo Prop Set

 

Aren't they adorable?

Perfect for that baby photo shoot for the holidays!

The Snowman can be found here and Santa can be found here.

Hurry and get them before Christmas!

Blog Spotlight - High Heels and Handywork

Today's blog spotlight is the work of the very talented Tara.

You can find her blog here --> High Heels and Handywork

I just clicked through a couple of the posts that Tara has done and she is amazing!

Not to mention that I absolutely love the title of her blog!

You can find recipes, DIY projects, and some tips and tricks that anyone can use!

Two of the recipes that I really want to try are the delicious looking:



Recipe here

and the has-to-taste-great-since-it-looks-great (I am serious!):



Recipe here.

I don't know about you, but my mouth is watering just looking at the pictures!

As for projects, I think this one is simply fantastic and the perfect way to hide just about anything that is an eyesore in the home.




It's a Mirror on Hinges! Seriously, why can't I come up with ideas like this?! So simple and is looks beautiful!

Instructions here.

The other thing that I am really wanting to try are the Mickey and Minnie Champagne Flutes (or in my case the "Sparkling Cider" Flutes).



The Disney fan in me is loving these and wondering how many different characters I can do. Time for a Disney set!

There aren't instructions for these yet, but she has said that she will be posting them up. Count me in for trying it out!

Anyway, we have come to the end of this Blog Spotlight. Hope you enjoyed it!

I may make the spotlight a weekly thing...we shall see.

More to Come!

Talk about a busy day yesterday! I even forgot to do a new post! Gah!

Anyway, this is going to be short because I am on my phone. :)

I think I will do a spotlight on a random blog when I post later.

Stay tuned!

Star Trek Into Darkness Fangirl Moment

I know this is going to be my second post about Star Trek Into Darkness within a week, but I found out something today while watching the new trailer that sent me into fangirl insanity for about 30 minutes and has only tapered slightly since then.

Here's the trailer, if you haven't seen it yet.

This version is the Japanese release, but don't worry, it's all in English. This version just has a few extra scenes that the other release didn't have.

So, back to my fangirl moment.

Anyone recognize that voice? No, it's not Patrick Stewart, though it really sounds a lot like him at the beginning.

No, it belongs to someone that I discovered just this year (another thank you to Netflix) and has flown to the top of my favorite actor list.

I'll give you a clue. He's a British actor who is the main character in a show about a rather famous detective.

Second clue. The actor who plays his sidekick/friend/writer/person-who-talks-sense-into-him is the main character is another movie coming out written by a rather famous author. It's the prequel to a trilogy that was absolutely over the top awesome and involves everyone from short, furry footed people to tall people with pointy ears.

Third clue. This actor also happens to be participating in the aforementioned prequel. One of the parts he does is the voice of a large, scaled, flying lizard.

Still haven't figured it out?

Here's a picture:

 

It's Benedict Cumberbatch! AKA Sherlock, the Necromancer, the voice of Smaug, and (in Star Trek) Khan (not 100% confirmed, but most likely).

I started watching Sherlock earlier this year and fell in love. I love the books and Benedict's portrayal of the famous detective is nothing short of amazing. He acts how I always thought Sherlock to be. Now, I really, really like Robert Downey Jr.'s Sherlock, but there is something about the way Benedict does it that just makes it more real. 

Yeah. When I found out that it was Benedict in Star Trek, I literally squealed in excitement while sitting at my computer. 

The next 30 minutes were devoted to looking up fun stuff I could by that had the Sherlock theme (there is some seriously awesome stuff!) and reading up on Benedict. He's a very down to earth actor, which I really like. 

So yet another reason to watch Star Trek Into Darkness when it comes out in May of 2013. 

I believe that a midnight showing will be in order.

*scampers off to buy Sherlock stuff*

National Sacher Torte Day

Happy National Sacher Torte Day!

No joke, that is what December 5th is (yes, I know it's technically the 6th in Utah, but it's still the 5th in Cali!)

What is a Sacher Torte you ask?

This!

Looks yummy!

Apparently a sachertorte (one word according to Wikipedia), is a chocolate cake that was invented by Franz Sacher, an Austrian who lived in Vienna. It was created in 1832 for Prince Wenzel von Mettternich. Wikipedia has a wonderful post about him here. 

And for your enjoyment, a picture of said Prince:

 

Handsome looking fellow, no?

Anyway, back to the torte. 

Not only was in created for a prince, but it is also one of the most famous Vienna culinary specialties.

And, as a special bonus for all of you just dying to make the delicious looking cake, here's the recipe (courtesy once again of Wikipedia - I love that site).

Sacher Cake (Sachertorte) "This is the original recipe, obtained through the courtesy of Mrs. Anna Sacher."

3/4 cup (170 g) butter; 6 1/2 oz. (180 g) semi-sweet chocolate; 3/4 cup (170 g) sugar; 8 egg yolks; 1 cup (120 g) flour; 10 egg whites, stiffly beaten; 2 tbls. apricot jam; icing: 1 cup (225 g) sugar; 1/3 cup (80 ml) water; 7 oz. (200 g) semi-sweet chocolate;

Beat butter until creamy. Melt chocolate. Add sugar and chocolate to butter; stir. Add egg yolks one at a time. Add flour. Fold in egg whites. Grease and butter 8-9" cake tin. Pour mixture in. Bake in 275 degree F (140 degree C). oven about 1 hour. Test with toothpick or straw. Remove to board; cool. Cut top off and turn bottom up. Heat apricot jam slightly and spread over top.

 Cover with chocolate icing, prepared as follows:

Cook sugar and water to thin thread. Melt chocolate in top of double boiler. Add sugar gradually to chocolate. Stir constantly until icing coats the spoon. Pour on top of cake.

I may have to try this one of these days. Looks quite easy. Wonder if mine will come out looking like the picture...

Disney and Netflix

So I just read that Netflix and Disney have come to an agreement that will allow Netflix to stream Disney films.

I am doing the happy dance!

The deal includes Pixar, Marvel, LucasFilms, and the good 'ol Disney we know and love. The only thing excluded is DreamWorks.

Anyway, I can't wait to see what movies are the first to show up. It is going to be so fun!

Star Trek Into Darkness

So they just released the poster for Star Trek 2 - Star Trek Into Darkness.

 

Of course the style of the poster was immediately jumped on as being very similar to other posters. Not surprising, since it is getting hard to come up with completely original poster designs. It's the same thing with music - you can almost always hear a tune you already knew in the new songs. (Lady Gaga and Madonna anyone?)

But back to the original topic.

Does the Into Darkness poster movie remind you of a previous movie poster? 

I happen to personally like the Star Trek 2 poster. There is something about the main symbol associated with the series being portrayed in buildings being destroyed that is just, well, awesome.

Another example of movie posters that are similar:

 

Three great movies, three great posters. I really want that Joker one too.

Anyway, I don't know about you, but I am really looking forward to Star Trek Into Darkness. If the poster is any indication, it is going to be as awesome as the first one was. 

The Fun of Science

Anyone figure out how to do yesterday's challenge?

Here's the solution.

ake the gum and stick it to the bottom of the bowl (yes, your fingers will get wet).

Stick the candle on the gum and light it. Immediately put the mason jar upside down over the candle.

When the flame goes out the water will be sucked up into the jar and you can get the coin out without touching the water!

Gotta love science.

Random Thought of the Day

Did you know that you can get a coin from the bottom of a bowl of water without touching the water (no using something else to try and push or pull the coin out or tipping the water to one side of the bowl).

It's quite an ingenious solution that involves chewing gum, a candle, a match, and a small mason jar.

Care to take a guess? 

I'll post the solution tomorrow.

And I can't forget to thank Beakman's World for bringing this fun challenge.

I loved that show. Thank you Netflix for bringing it back.

A Colloquy of Disney Collections

I am a huge Disney fan. Just ask anyone who knows me.

I grew up in So. Cal. all of an hour and a half away from the Happiest Place on Earth. We went several times a year, had season passes, and I even had my Grad Night there (best night EVER!).

When I moved to Utah to go to school, I missed my frequent visits, but was happy knowing that I could go when I went home during breaks.

Then the rest of my family decided to move up to Utah the next year.

Major sadness.

Luckily, that didn't stop the visits. My dad does a lot of business in Cali, so it wasn't too hard to figure out when he would have trips that would have extra days with nothing in them. Cue puppy dog eyes and I was packing up my suitcase, trading pins, and Mickey ears headband in no time.

One thing that I discovered early on (probably to the dismay of my parents) is that Disney makes things to be collectable. Literally everything that they make can be defined as a collectors item. You like snowglobes? Collectable. Trading Pins? Collectable. Shirts? Collectable. Sweatshirts? Collectable (don't believe me? My dad bought a new one almost every year and rarely got rid of the old one for at least three years.) Pens? Collectable. Plushies? Collectable. Dolls? Collectable. Ornaments? Collectable. Mickey Ears? Collectable. Need I go on?

When I was little, the cheaper things were enough to keep me happy. I love collecting things (drove - and still drives - my mom nuts). Disney + me = waaaaay too many options. So I had my pen collection, my plushy collection, my figurine collection, the start of my pin collection, and a few other things.

Then, as I got older, I discovered the more expensive collections. When I started decorating little Wesley's room, it was a no brainer at what the decor would be  - the good 'ol happy mouse. It was then that I truly discovered Vinylmation.

(I don't have this one, but I want it!) So now Wesley has the start of Vinylmation collection.

Then they had the Princess Designer Dolls. Awesome collection - became an absolute nightmare halfway through.

I managed to get all of them, though it took a bit of patience and a lot of luck. My Ariel doll actually came from the UK. She was all sold out in the US and I would have had to pay around $400 to get her on Ebay (so not happening). She was still available on the Disney UK site, but the catch was that Disney UK doesn't ship to the US. Strange, but ok. As I'm trying to figure out how I am going to get Ariel from the UK to me, I remember that I had a friend from high school who had recently moved to the UK. Props for FB on this one because I shot off a message and the friend agrees to accept the shipment and then ship it on to me. I will love this friend forever and ever.

Then Disney decides to release 6 Villain Designer Dolls, which I got as well.

Disney did higher number count and hiked the price up a bit, probably thinking the demand would be the same as for the Princess Designer. It wasn't, and they actually ended up going on sale over Black Friday weekend (I was none too pleased with that, since I paid the higher price. Oh well, what to do).

Now I have a new thing that I really want to start collecting. It will probably fall into the "sweatshirt" collection category in the sense that I would only buy a new piece every couple of years. But at the price they are, I think that's completely okay.

I give you...

The Doone and Bourke Collection.

I. Want. This.

If you go and look at the Doone and Bourke bags available, they are pricey! If you want a bag for under $100, then you are going to be getting a very small bag - it's all wristlet bags at that price. Then you have the slightly larger bags in the $100-$200 range, and then it just keeps going uphill from there. The bag pictured above is $210 (and is currently in the #1 spot on the want list - if only the label wasn't covering Tink's face).

I met a lady over Thanksgiving weekend at Joanns who had a Doone and Bourke bag. Needless to say, we immediately began speaking Disney. She told me that the bags hold up really well - I think she had bought hers around three years ago. In her opinion, it was totally worth the money to get one because you really got a high quality and long lasting product (which you definitely want at that price). 

So now there is the desire for yet another collection, on top of the many that are already there. I just wish I had more money to spend one the wonderful treasure of Disney. *sigh*