girls weekend in park cit-ay

A couple of weekends ago I went with some good friends up to Park City for a getaway. My cousin Jenn has been living in Utah for the summer and was moving back to Indiana so we needed a last hoo-rah. It was so much fun! We stayed up way too late, ate too much, and spent too much money (well, I did anyway) but it was all worth it!

I love these girls!

I found this mini letter writing kit in one of the boutiques we were in. Naturally I had to buy it...I mean...HELLO!?!?

 Oh...and we found out the hotel room only had 1 bed when we walked in. Good thing we brought an air mattress. The 3 tiny people shared it. 

The hotel room was also set up really strangely. You walked in the main door to the room, then there was a small hallway with two separate doors to two separate rooms that were no thicker than a regular bedroom door. We totally thought the guy in the room next to us was going to murder us in our sleep...Kristen was looking out of the peep hole and the guy was just standing in the hallway staring at our door! Total creepsters. Needless to say we moved a bench in front of the flimsy little door. I'm happy to report all 5 of us are still alive. 

hey! i started an etsy shop!

I decided to open an Etsy shop!

Go check it out! Also, if you have an event coming up and a theme in mind, contact me and I'll make something custom for you!

http://www.etsy.com/shop/PrettierParty 

fall is for soups

During fall/winter I make soup probably twice a week. I'm a soup person. James? Not so much. But every now and then I find a good one that is so delicious and filling that he too accepts soup as a suitable solo meal.

This is one of those soups.

I give you- Creamy Tomato Tortellini Soup. Complete with iPhone quality photo (Hey, I never claimed to be a food blogger).

• 2 whole Large Cloves Of Garlic Minced
• 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
• 2 cans 10 3/4 Oz Cans Of Condensed Tomato Soup
• ½ cups Sun Dried Tomatoes, Chopped Or Two Tablespoons Of Sun Dried Tomato Paste
• 1 can fire roasted diced tomatoes 
• 1-½ cup Milk
• 2 cups Half-and-half (I use fat-free)
• 2 cups Chicken Stock
• 1 teaspoon Onion Powder
• ½ teaspoons Salt
• ½ teaspoons Pepper
• 2 teaspoons Italian Seasoning
• 1 whole 9 Oz Package Of Cheese Filled Tortellini (I use Bertolli)
• ½ cups Shredded Parmesan Cheese
  Saute garlic with the olive oil in a large stock pot over medium heat until golden brown. Be sure to keep an eye on it so it doesn’t get too brown or burnt.
  When the garlic is done, add tomato soup, tomatoes, milk, half and half, chicken stock and spices. Bring to a simmer. Once simmering, drop noodles into the soup. Cook according to the package directions. Mine takes about 8 minutes.
  After noodles are cooked, ladle soup into bowls and top with parmesan cheese and serve with crusty bread.
  
  
  
  Mmmmm....taste the fall-ness. I can't get enough of this recipe.
  
  

so many things, so little time

Last night I was telling James how I need more hours in a day. There are constant piles of laundry on my bedroom floor, my trunk still isn't unloaded with party supplies from Abuelo's 80th birthday party I decorated for, I can never stay on top of emails for work, and I really just want to have a little spare time to put in the tile back splash in my kitchen that I've been planning for months...*sigh. But really I just want to take a nap.

James solution to all of this was a simple one- stop watching Grey's Anatomy reruns. I started watching it around season 5 or 6 back in the day, so I decided I should watch all of the first seasons on Hulu. I told him giving THAT up was not a possibility. So really I just need more hours in a day. There will be no giving up of the McDreamy or McSteamy around here. 

 

BUT the good news is...it is finally FALL! And it FEELS like it. It's incredible. I have my windows wide open and the AC turned off (which means it probably won't be turned back on until April), tomato soup and crusty bread is on the menu for dinner tonight, and I want to eat all things baked pumpkin goods.

Life is busy, but life is good. 

Here are some pictures from said birthday party! Feliz Cumpleanos Abuelo!

fall is for farmer's markets

In a perfect world, there would be year round farmer's markets, instead of moldy, puny strawberries on isle 3 in January. Blegh.

So we'll just live it up every Thursday and Friday night while we can!

pro/con

Do you ever make pro/con lists when you have a really big decision to make? Like...where should we move to next, or when should we have another baby, or should I eat the rest of that ice cream in the freezer? 

Meh. I don't really either. Although, one time my very best friend made me (MADE me) verbalize a pro/con list for these two guys I was sorta dating, one of them being my current husband..soo I guess we know the results of that one. But generally when I have a big decision to make I just sulk and complain and call my mom. 

That was a really long way of getting to what I'm actually getting to, which isn't a big decision at all, but a pros and cons list for fall time. I'm just not ready to let go of summer! It was way too good to us. I didn't even mind the heat and consistent over 100 degree weather- bring it on. 

So this in all in attempt to help myself cope with the fact that we're going out out of one of my favorite seasons and headed towards one of the worst (winter that is). I'll just really try to enjoy the in-between...

The pros/cons of Fall:

Pros:

• Sweater, scarves, and boots- oh my! And I'm just gonna do it this year- I'm buying Jillian and myself a pair of Hunter boots. Just gonna do it.
• Pumpkin EVERY thing. Kneaders has a "count down to pumpkin bread" running on the board outside of their store and it's nearly torture. 
• Leaves changing colors- it's absolutely gorgeous 'round these parts when they do!
• Apple cider. I'm not necessarily a huge fan, but there's something about apple cider in the fall time that just makes me giddy.
• Pumpkin patches and hay rides. Things like that are infinitely more fun once you have kids.
• Anniversary! Our 5 year anniversary is this October and we're headed off to Florida to ditch let Jillian stay with Nana & Papa while we go off for a bit (to a destination that has yet to be decided...ideas are welcomed)
• I don't have to turn my AC on = lower electricity bill for 3 months.
• School supplies are everywhere. Although I'm not really ready to get back into a school/work routine, I love, love, LOVE buying new school supplies. 
• Soup! I usually only make soups in the fall/winter season...like 3 times a week. And man oh man have I pinned some delicious soup recipes the last couple of months just-a-waitin' to be simmered on ma' stove. 
• The farmer's market is open and we go every week!
  
  
  Well, that's more than I was expecting to come up with.
  
  Cons:
• Summer is over.
• No more snow cones
• No more swimming
• It get's darker earlier 
• Means winter is coming...*shudder
  
  Really if I could live in a place where there were just 3 seasons- spring, summer, and fall, life would be grand. If you know of such a place, do share. I'll make a pros/cons list of why we should move there ;-)
  But that totally helped me cope a little better with summer being over...and maybe, just maybe, get a little excited for fall. _________________________
  
  And a few random things from this week:

 

1// Designing my business card for my new Etsy shop! More on that later.

2// Check out this book I found at the library called "Everybody has a Tushie". It's literally a book for kids about butts.

3// One of my neighbors decided to rig up a hammock on the parking structure...

4// James dislocated his shoulder playing soccer and has to wear that beauty for a couple of weeks.

the family came to town

My parents and little bro spent the last two weeks with us here in poo-tah (my family's affectionate name for Utah). We had such a great time! I also love that anytime my Mom visits I revert to a teenager and she takes over "Mom" role (cooking, cleaning, laundry)..yeah..I'll milk that for as long as she still does it. Ain't ashamed.

It was so sad when they pulled out of our house this morning to head back to the airport- Jillian sat in the grass and cried, which of course made my Mom cry as she was waving and blowing her kisses from the car.

 This was one of the greatest summers- marked by Popsicle stains, sunscreen, and sidewalk chalk. I'm trying to breath in all of the last little bits of it. We'll have to squeeze in a few more pool play dates while the weather is still hot enough for it.

Now that they're gone, summer is officially over. I start work again tomorrow and I'm ALL but ready for it.

It will take me a few weeks to accept that summer is done and welcome all of the yumminess of Fall. But for now I'll just sulk about it...in the sun...with a snow cone.

a day at the zoo

We had a fun day at the zoo this week when my parents were in town! Jillian loved it. 

We also caught two gorillas doin' it right behind the glass. Zoo animals sure aren't shy, are they? 

Anywho, here's a little video from that day! (Gorilla whoopie-making is excluded from said video).;-)

how the houlins do pizza

I'm pretty sure pizza should have it's own separate group in the food pyramid. Then again, it does kind of hit each area, right? Grains...dairy...vegetables...meats...sometimes even fruits! All around seems like a good idea to me. 

Anyway. I never used to consider pizza a "favorite" anything really. That is, until I branched out from the usual Domino's and the like to buy and even make real, quality stuff.

Now I consider pizza a favorite. 

I love, love, LOVE these recipes I found for pizza on the grill. It is so delicious and tastes way better than anything you could buy from the freezer section or even homemade baked in the oven. 

Look at those grill marks on that crust! Yum-o! It is also pure culinary coincidence that it is shaped like a backwards Louisiana. 

I'm really loving discovering all of these new things we can use our grill for...it's panned out to be quite the investment. 

Last night's deliciousness: 

Greens on White

('lotta cheeses, arugula, proscuitto) 

Not Your Mama's Margherita Pizza

(roasted red pepper, garlic, fresh mozzarella, basil)

The third pizza in the back is what my dad named "Man Pizza". He thought my pizzas sounded like "chic food" and wouldn't be filling. He even mocked my delicious prosciutto calling it "gay ham." Haha...But he also used pizza sauce that came in a squeeze bottle. No big picture or recipe description there. You're probably safer with $5 Little Caesars. ;-)

Now go. Grill. Eat. Be happy.

minnie mouse headband tutorial

Jillian's 2nd birthday party was a Minnie Mouse-palooza! 

There were Minnie and Mickey Mouse ears for everyone...naturally. 

I decided to make them because they were WAY too expensive to buy (like $6-$8 a pair), and the cheap ones at the party store were..well, cheap. So this was a good alternative. They were about $1.50 each to make.

Materials needed:

• Black headbands (I found mine at Hobby Lobby for $1 each)
• Black stiff felt 
• Something round to trace (however big you want the ears to be, I used a tape roll)
• White paint pen (or something else to trace your circles on the felt)
• Hot glue
• Red ribbon

Step 1: 

Trace your round object on the black stiff felt using the white paint pen.

I was able to get enough circles for 6 headbands on 1 felt sheet using my half-used tape roll.

Step 2:

Cut out the circles in pairs leaving a space in between, like so:

Step 3:

Place the headband in that space where you cut the two circles out. Make a design with your hot glue, then fold those two babies together.

Step 4:

Once they are glued, trim off any places where the circles don't match up exactly. 

Step 5:

Add a bow to make them into Minnie (instead of Mickey) ears!

Check out the other Minnie Mouse party related posts below!

The whole party 

Mickey Mouse Oreo pop tutorial 

"Two" shirt tutorial