Oct 31, 2013

My hightower



Such a bold verse, isn't it?  To stand up and say that you are weak, you are vulnerable, you are not perfect and that you need help is sometimes excruciating, but the absolute truth. No human is strong enough, perfect enough, and has every single aspect of their lives under control, regardless of what they say and how they appear, (or put on facebook/blog). Everyone needs a little boost at times, a shoulder to cry on, a non-judgment vent session, and whether it's your best friend, or your God, you still need them. For me, it's God. Don't get me wrong, I still vent to my BFF, but God is my rock, my fortress, my deliverer. Everything I tell my BFF, I pour out to Him first.

 He is my strength, in whom I will trust- with my feelings, with my thoughts and with my prayers.

The Lord is my buckler, and the horn of  my salvation- He knows everything I've done wrong in my life, every bad thought, every bad word spoken, everything and He still loves me more than I can fathom with my human brain.

 He is, and always will be, my high tower.
Oct 30, 2013

Harry Potter Lovers Unite!

Harry Potter link-up

I happened across this adorable blog about Harry Potter lovers unite, and knew I had to share my Harry Potter experience! As part of our Europe tour in the beginning of the year, I had found the Warner Brothers Studio lot that had most of the stages and props from all the movies! After our tour had ended, we stayed in London an extra few days to see this. I'm just gonna stop talking now and dump a ton of awesome pictures on you. Enjoy!





















 
 
Hope you guys enjoyed this! And if you're ever in London, take the few hour bus ride and go see the WB Lot!
 
 
Oct 28, 2013

Ranch Dreams, hold the celery

I always always always wanted a log cabin, with a green tin roof so I could hear the rain. The inside shouldn't be all log, I do love the whites and grays and love clean lines, but still a woodland type home. Of course, for the next couple of years, we will be in Illinois. Which is fine, we aren't sure if we love it enough to move here. A couple of years will give us an answer, we are hoping! But, I like to daydream about the perfect home, even if Husband thinks it is a waste of time. We would like a wooded lot, a lake on the property would be a must also for fishing.



I would also loveeeeee as many acres as I can get! The thought of saddling up my horse, or ATV, and riding forever knowing it's all our land is exhilarating to me! I could have a full fledged ranch with horses, cows, sheep, even lamas if I wanted! The issue would be getting somewhere close enough to a large city for Husband to work, and far enough away where all the acres won't cost an arm and a leg, maybe just an arm.



 
 
 
Doesn't these look fabulous? Oftentimes, as a couple, we try to put down all technology to disconnect, and just concentrate on our relationship. Somehow, living in this woodland cabin, I don't think that would be much of a problem!
 
 
What would be your idea of a dream home?
Oct 25, 2013

DIY Zombie Makeup


 
Halloween is around the corner, folks! This Halloween, Husband has to work, so we won't be able to do any ghoulish festivities. But let me tell you about last Halloween. We were still on Oahu, and someone had heard about a Zombie Pub Crawl in Honolulu. We just had to go! I wasn't into the drinking aspect, but to dress up like zombies and participate in the "crawl" portion was fun! We saw tons of other zombies unnaturally making their way down the closed down streets... it was spooky!  To participate, you had to dress like a zombie, so I started thinking of ways to do your makeup. Clothing was easy, just get some clothes you didn't like and put fake blood, dirt, and rip them a bit. But the makeup was a challenge. Turns out, Husband had a cheap vampire makeup kit from the Halloween before, so I was determined to work with what I had.

Let me share this DIY Zombie Makeup with you guys!
 
 
It was fairly easy. The rest of my costume was a bimbo, so I did the makeup of how I'd look before I turned into a zombie. Next,  I put a couple of base layers down of this blueish grayish color and dusted with baby powder in between because, I don't know if you know this, but Honolulu is humid! I didn't want this hard work to sweat off!
 
 


After the base layers are dry for about 5 minutes, I took the black crayon that came with the kit and did a little deathly contouring to my face. Cheek bones protrude, nose, and forehead a little, then dusted with baby powder again. I don't know if you guys ever used the $2 cheap vampire makeup kits they have, but all of it is oil based. I didn't want to be shiny since I wanted my face to look like decaying flesh... I know this sounds absolutely disgusting to describe, but we had excellent zombie faces!


 
 
Now, I needed a gash or scratch or bite area where I would've been "infected" by another zombie. For this, I used the clear Elmer's glue you bought as a elementary school child, and drum roll please.... toilet paper! I applied a layer of glue to my face, then toilet tissue, and waited a few seconds for it to be tacky, then more glue. You can play with it a bit to make a cut or just a big chunk missing from your face. Once you get it the way you want, you have to let it dry out for about 30 minutes or so. Or do like me and use the hair dryer because you're not patient enough! Remember to switch off to the cool setting of the hair dryer every few seconds, you don't want the rest of your makeup to run!
 

 After that, I just thought about where a zombie would bruise when dying... gross thinking... I know. SO I added bruise like colors to those areas.



Once dry, add the base color and set it with the baby powder and then start adding the blood/bruised colors! I used the red crayon for this, as well as fake blood.


This was lots of fun, check out our pictures! I also had Husband and our friend Joe as my victims and made up their faces too! Husband was the redneck zombie and Joe our mechanic zombie!




 
What's your favorite Halloween costumes? Have a great weekend!
Oct 24, 2013

No Knead Yeast Rolls


 
 
I love the yeast rolls that my elementary school use to serve us, and I have been on a hunt to find them since.  I'm happy to say- I found the perfect recipe!!! These are super delicious and don't be surprised if you make a meal out of rolls! They smell heavenly while the dough is rising and even better while baking! Ok, enough chit chat, let's get to the recipe!

No Knead Yeast Rolls

 2 (1/4oz) packets rapid rise yeast
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1-1/3 cup lukewarm water or milk
4 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp. salt
1 large egg- room temperature
8 Tbsp. melted butter- divided

  In measuring cup, dissolve yeast and 1 tsp. sugar in water. Let yeast mix sit 5-7 minutes to froth. In medium mixing bowl, sift flower, salt, & sugar. Add in egg. After yeast develops, gradually add to mix. Add 5 Tbsp. butter, mix until blended. Place ball of dough in a large, buttered bowl. Let sit in warm, draft free place with a damp kitchen towel over bowl for 1 hour to rise.
  After 1 hour, use ice cream scoop to measure & place dough balls in a greased pan. They need to be even to bake properly. Optional- Let rise again for 1 hour or bake immediately, your choice.
 When ready to bake, use basting brush and brush on butter. Bake at 400 degrees for 20-22 minutes until light golden brown. Brush remaining butter on tops again before serving.


Check out some of the photos I took while baking!



 
 




Oct 22, 2013

DIY dog bed for $10



Have you guys priced a dog bed at the pet stores lately? Outrageous! There are other things I'd rather spend $50 on. And, like most of you I'm sure, have a few extra pillows in the closet just collecting dust. So I came straight home and started to make it myself! I'll tell you how I did it....


What you need
2 standard pillows
Scissors
Lots of large safety pins
Large needle
Thread


One pillow was used as the base, and I cut the other pillow, length wise into 3 equal parts.

 
The hard part is keeping the stuffing in and pinching the two outer pieces of fabric closed while matching it with the base pillow and then safety pinning all of it together. Do this with one long side of the pillow.
 

Next, bring the second cut up piece of the pillow and pin the sides together, then start pinning the rest of the side.
 
Close up of the corners.




Once you get to the corner, bend it around and continue to pin. It should look like the picture below.


Now that it's all pinned, you need to do is sew the edges together! I used an over and under stitch- totally not the correct name for it, but it describes it the best! Also, I wanted to sort of seal the edges because all dogs love to tear up stuffing.


And you're all done! Looks mostly like the ones at the store.



The best part for me is- I cover it with some unused beach towels and I can change them out every day and wash them! This helps my allergies tons!
 


 I think I have one happy customer!


 

Oct 21, 2013

Let me introduce you to your new addiction- Super Easy Tortilla Chips



Welcome to your new addiction! These tortilla chips are awesome! I can't make them fast enough!
It's ridiculously simple but so much better than store bought brands. Here's how I do it-
 
Ingredients-
 
I package of flour tortillas
1/4 cup of olive oil
salt, pepper
Hungarian paprika
baster brush
pizza cutter
 
1. Baste olive oil onto tortilla
 
 
 
 
Step 2. Add a dash of salt, pepper, and paprika.
 


 
Step 3. Cut with pizza cutter.

 
 


 
Step 4. Arrange on a non-greased cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes, or until lightly golden brown.


 
 
Step 4. ENJOY! These things are amazing!