Random thoughts on Thursday...

Are you excited for the Royal Wedding tomorrow? I sure am! Now I know I won't be getting up at 4:00 a.m. to watch it, but I will probably record it and watch it later. It is history after all, right? All of the media attention has started to get annoying...especially when they flip out over Kate being seen with her hair up...."does this mean she'll wear her hair up for the wedding??" Give the girl a break and let her wear her hair up once in a while...geesh!

And I used to have a HUGE crush on Prince William when I was in high school.....scratch that, I still have a huge crush on him. I even named my rabbit after him. Prince William was the best bunny ever.

Although I might actually think Prince Harry is cuter now....and of course I love his red hair.

 In other news, I've recently become obsessed with Oprah's Behind the Scenes show on the Oprah Network. Basically it is just Oprah and her staff talking about how they plan the shows and then of course they show you....you know...what goes on behind the scenes. Hence the name. Anyway, it is full of drama and so addicting! Oprah is hilarious and seeing her with her staff just makes me lover her even more. I had the husband cracking up when I was describing things Oprah said. He later told me that he was really only laughing and my crazy good Oprah impression...ha!

Also, did anyone watch The Voice this week? The husband came across it while flipping channels and I got sucked in. I've never been a fan of talent shows but for some reason I kind of liked this one. The "coaches" are Blake Shelton (love him!), Christina Aguilera, Cee Lo Green, and Adam Levine. And I have no idea who Cee Lo is....

Anyway, moving on. Some of you asked for the jello recipe I used for Easter...so here you go! It's really easy and delicious. In my family we eat this with our main meal on holidays, even though it could technically be considered a dessert. It goes either way!

Pretzel layer

2 cups broken pretzels

3 tablespoons sugar

3/4 cup melted butter

Mix together and pres into pan.

Bake 8-10 minutes at 400.

Let cool completely.

Cream Cheese layer

16oz cream cheese

1/2 cup sugar

8oz Cool Whip

Cream together and carefully spread over pretzel layer

Strawberry layer

1 large package sugar-free strawberry jello

2 cups boiling water

20oz frozen strawberries cut in half

Dissolve jello in boiling water and add frozen strawberries.

Stir until the jello just starts to thicken, then spread on top of cream cheese layer

Refrigerate at least 2 hours...enjoy!

Wordless Wednesday: Pancake Burrito

What's in the bag Wrigley?

When your husband is stuck at home with a horrible cold/cough all weekend you decide to stay home with him. You take care of him, make him tea, watch movies, heat up soup, and pick up prescriptions and cold medicine. You know what also happens? You get a little bored. So out of boredom you take way too many photos of your pets. And then decide that your blog readers will love them as much as you do....or maybe just your mom and best friend will love them, who knows?

 Anyway I didn't set this up at all. I swear. Wrigley just started going crazy and attacking this bag. I wish I caught it on video. He kept us entertained, that's for sure. 

 The sick husband had to intervene. 1. Because there were some really pitiful sounds coming from something inside the bag and 2. My laughing and photo snapping wasn't helping...at all.

 What's in there Wrigley? Why is that bag growling at you?

 Ah ha! Pancake. He was a little mad at me for not coming to his rescue. Serves him right though.

Happy Easter

I hope you all enjoyed your Easter Sunday! We celebrated the day with my in-laws and sister-in-law and had a wonderful time. And I totally forgot to take any pictures....but couldn't resist posting Wrigley in his bunny attire. 

Oh I did actually manage to take one photo of the yummy red jello salad that I made....after we all devoured it of course! I think we might have a small piece left over in our refrigerator right now...totally eating it as soon as I get home.

Oh, and get this. I learned yesterday that the husband has never participated in an Easter egg hunt! How crazy is that? I told him I would hide eggs for him next year to make up for it. Don't let me forget that blog readers!

So how was your Easter? Please tell me someone had a egg hunt!

P.S. Have you heard about Very Jane? It is sort of like Groupdealz or Living Social. Anyway, right now if you sign up their deals are free! Today they have these adorable vinyl number decals. I just ordered mine and only had to pay $2.95 for shipping!

The ridiculousness has reached a whole new level

Please watch this commercial. I saw it on TV last night and had to rewind it twice.

If someone proposed to me with a fluffy white kitten I guarantee I would say yes. But if you transform a room in your house to be a "cat room" I might just change my mind. 

Chicken pox will be the death of me....

Sorry I've been a bad blogger lately. With the weather being crummy and the husband sick, I just haven't had anything exciting to write about. So let's talk about the time I passed out in the doctor's office, okay?

It all starts with the chicken pox. I am one of those "lucky" people who have never had the awful pox. My mom tried to expose me to it when I was little, but it just didn't take. Yay strong immune system!

So, when I was 12 or so I had the chicken pox vaccine. I don't like needles. At all. So it was awful. But better than actually getting the actual chicken pox, right????

Cut to when I'm 18 and decide to work the summer before college at a hospital. (That's a whole post in itself. Worst job ever.) Anyway, if you work at a hospital they check you out to make sure you're, you know, healthy and all. Turns out I was NOT immune to chicken pox. The vaccine didn't take. So, I had to get the vaccine again. Great.

Now, it's almost been 10 years since I've had the vaccine. And I haven't been tested again to see if it actually worked. So basically I live in fear of the chicken pox. My mom, being a nurse and all, suggested that I ask my doctor about it...since apparently if you get chicken pox while pregnant (I'm not!!!) it is really dangerous. So since I'm being responsible and thinking ahead about my future children I ask my doctor. And she says, "Good question! How about we draw your blood and find out!" Really, she said it just like that. All excited and all. So she calls in a nurse to draw my blood. Now, remember how I don't like needles? I forgot to mention that last time my blood was drawn, 10 years ago, I also passed out. But I was young and scared and totally worked my self up about it. Not this time. I felt fine with it, not scared at all, and knew if I just didn't look at the needle I would be fine. I joked with the nurse about my passing out history and she just laughed and said I would be fine.

And that's the last thing I remember.

When I came to I was being held up by my doctor. My head was literally spinning. My first thought was, how on earth did I fall asleep at the doctor's office?!! How embarrassing! So naturally I started to apologize for taking a nap in the exam room. I mean, who does that? But then they told me the truth....I didn't fall asleep, I passed out. The nurse brought me some juice, which I swear was the best juice in the entire world. She told me I was talking to her and then I just slumped over in my chair and she had to call the doctor to help "revive" me! Ha! Oops.

Want to know the worst part? She didn't even get the blood sample. Dang it!

So I'm now 2 for 2. And still don't know if I'm immune to the stupid chicken pox or not! My doctor told me I could actually just ask to have the vaccine again and avoid all this blood sample drama, which is probably what I'll end up doing.

Does anyone else have this problem, or is it just me???

But I thought it was Spring...

This is what greeted me this morning as I looked out my front door.

Um, excuse me, isn't is Spring???? Why is it snowing???

It was even worse when I left for work this morning. It was so warm last weekend, and now this? So not fair. Please remind me why I live in Michigan.

In other news, we did absolutely nothing this weekend. The husband was sicker than sick, so I spent most of the weekend disinfecting the house, making chicken noodle soup, buying cold meds, and sipping hot tea with him.

I did get to spend some quality time with my DVR though....totally caught up on Real Housewives, Pregnant in Heels, and Vampire Diaries. Just keeping it classy with my TV show selections.  

I also go to watch some movies this weekend. Of course first I watched Harry Potter! I bought it on Friday and had to watch it as soon as I got home. Love. I can't wait for the final film to come out in July.

 I sort of liked 127 Hours.....except for the whole chop your own arm off part. It totally creeped me out so I had to close my eyes!

And I finally got to see Country Strong. It was good....but not great. I loved the music though. And now I have a major crush on Garrett Hedlund who plays Beau in the film. He was adorable. I kept thinking he looked familiar but I just couldn't place him....and then I realized he was also the main character in Tron. Ha! (and yes, I've seen Tron! We watched it last weekend....let's just say it was the husband's pick, not mine).

Who's Excited?

I am! My husband thinks I'm a huge nerd for getting excited over this, but I don't care! I'm going out and buying this tomorrow for sure. I love me some Harry Potter! Who's with me?

Wordless Wednesday...What a Tough Life

How to make a trifle and impress your friends

Okay dear blog readers...I'm going to share something very special with you today. Something that is sure to dazzle anyone at a party or get together....my famous fruit trifle. Well, actually this recipe comes from my mom, but I think I make it a lot more than she does, so it's officially my recipe now!

Doesn't it look delicious? And guess what....it's easy! It is by far the easiest dessert to make....and it yields the most compliments and requests for the recipe every time I make it!

The secret to making a trifle is...are you ready for this?......A PRETTY BOWL. Trust me. Anything you put in a trifle bowl automatically looks professional and all kinds of awesome. Really all a trifle is is some cake, pudding, whipped cream and fruit. It's the bowl that kicks it up a notch and makes it a real dessert.

Here's what you'll need:
1. Some cake. For a fruit trifle I like to use angel food cake....it keeps everything light.
2. Some pudding. I like to use sugar free fat free vanilla. I've had the full fat/sugar kind and really, it doesn't make the trifle any better, so save yourself some calories and get sugar free. And buy the large box, not the small one.
3. Some whipping cream. You really need a little more than I have pictured above....I sort of ran out. So buy two small cartons. And yes, you have to whip the cream yourself! It's not hard at all. And it tastes better than the pre-made stuff.
4. Some fruit. Strawberries and bananas are a must. Sometimes my mom makes this with blueberries too, but I don't like them so I left them out. Really you can use any fruit you like.
5. A pretty trifle bowl....I can't stress this enough! You can get one for cheap from Bed Bath and Beyond.

 Step one, mix the pudding and place it in the refrigerator to set. 

Next, start chopping! I used two bananas. 

Cut your cake into one inch pieces. They don't have to be perfect. This is a good job for a husband or child to help out with!

Chop your berries. You can make them all pretty if you like. Usually I save one of the more perfect berries for the top of the trifle. (I didn't do that this time, so don't freak out!)

Once everything is chopped, whip your cream. You'll have to add a little sugar (maybe one T) or some sweetener to it...just enough to sweeten it up a little but not so much as to make it too sweet.

Then whip out that trifle bowl and get to work. First layer some of your cake. I usually do not end up using the whole angel food cake. The husband always loves the left overs.

Next, drizzle half of the pudding on top of the cake. Remember, it doesn't have to be perfect.

Then you will make a layer of whip cream. I guess I got tired of taking pictures at this point!

Top the whip cream with all of your chopped banana.

Then start again with another layer of cake, and the rest of your pudding.

Now, usually I would then add the berries and then top with the remaining whip cream. (That's why I usually save one strawberry for the top). But, like I said before, I didn't have enough whip cream to completely cover the top and make it look pretty. So don't be like me....make sure you buy enough whipping cream. The simple solution was to layer the rest of my whip cream on top of the pudding and then place the strawberries on top to cover up any imperfections. Easy enough, right?

Yum. I made this last week for a work potluck and it was a hit, as always! Oh, and make sure you use a paper towel to wipe the "ugly" parts of whip cream on the top, which I forgot to do. Again, don't be like me!

 I'm linking up with one of my favorite blogs, These are a few of my favorite things, for How-To Tuesday!

Thanks for stopping by!

Yeah...this happened

Mud Puddle Lover

At least he tried to look a little ashamed.

Can you take my picture?

You know what I highly recommend? Traveling with a professional photographer. It also helps if the photographer is one of your very best friends. They'll capture you in the best light and make you look fabulous. And possibly take the one and only good photo of you and your husband from the entire weekend. Many thanks to Erin for snapping some Vegas worthy shots of our weekend. Can you follow me around and be my personal photographer?

The girls: Me, Erin, and Ali

The boys: Jon, Mike, and Mo.

What happens there stays there....

Did you miss me? Sorry for the lack of posting....we've been on a mini vacation! The husband and I set off for Las Vegas on Thursday and just got back Monday. We went with two of our favorite couples: Mo and Ali, and Erin and Mike. Needless to say, we had a blast! It was the perfect mix of sleeping in, eating great food, yummy cocktails by the pool, fun shows, and nights out. 

 

I didn't take nearly enough pictures. But Erin has some cute ones on her blog right now. When she sends me some I'll post them. Her pictures are leaps and bounds better than mine!

The husband won $150 on a Deal or No Deal slot machine. It was so fun to watch the amount keep going up and up. We cashed out pretty quickly since we're not really big gamblers. 

Me with the Shake Your Booty machine. I did NOT play it. But the husband thought it was funny.

We all stayed at the Wynn and it was gorgeous!

Our room.

Hello awesome view!

And the buffet. Oh my word.  

The dessert bar was to die for. We talked about it all weekend. So yummy.  

And does this dress look familiar? 

Let me give you a hint....

I thought Mandy Moore looked great at the Oscars. This dress was seriously amazing and so beautiful in person. I had to stop and stare each time we walked by (which was a lot because it was in a store in our hotel!)

We had a great time with great friends. Now we just need to adjust to Michigan time and weather again. Is it spring yet????