Killer's Concert

Ever thought about why fitting room attendants insist on counting garments themselves before you can enter?  Why don't they count them on your way out?  EVER?  

We went to the Killer's concert - which, BTW was AWESOME =)  But the 'search and frisk you' attendants were, let's put it, not trained properly.  I got to the front, they ask 'do you have a camera?'.  I say 'yes' - at that point there was no frisking me at all.  (I had already drank all my water and thrown the bottle away because water bottles were not allowed either)  Were they perhaps more interested that I might take a video and post it to youtube more than if I had a weapon????  I was whisked away, everyone telling who ever they saw also working at the WaMu convention center 'she has a camera!  We need to check her camera'.  Okay, that was the funniest thing ever!  Somehow there was miscommunication about the importance of priorities over 'do we freak out over someone having a camera or something dangerous'?  I also had a backpack - in the midst of all this rushing around leading me to where to check in my camera - no one even asked to search my bag.  Hmmmm, very strange indeed.  Not only that, but there were plenty of people with cameras - not counting how many people were using their cell phones to take photos or record video - but actual cameras of which I just had to check in because they were not allowed at the event??   So, I have concluded: bring 2 camera's and admit to having 1, have 1 camera checked in and you're good to go.  Bring in that second camera AND all the bottled water you want ;)  haha

go here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n6r4KT8-VX0 to listen to 1 of the songs. 

Brady really wanted to attend for one of his birthday gifts - and this was Jonathan's first concert he's ever attended!  We all loved it!  We are loving their style of music =)

Happy 16th Birthday

H a P p Y   16th   B i R t H d A Y   B r A d Y!!!

We took Brady to Ocean Aire restaurant in Seattle for seafood for his birthday - he likes calamari!  I've discovered a great way to delay dating . . . Brady doesn't have his driver's license, so he won't ask a girl out yet - great tip for parents with kids not at the dating age yet (delay driver's ed school) ;)

a message in a bottle . . . and on a bottle

I made invites for Girl's Camp from recycled frappuccino bottles (freecycle) for the YCL's and we presented them in their wards on Easter Sunday for Kickoff:

The theme:

Follow the Yellow Brick Road was around the lid, raffia tied around the bottle with a star button glued to it and filled with Easter grass and chocolate eggs:

I designed a wrap around label for the jars with all the info (just the detailed info has been deleted):

Who doesn't like an invite with chocolate? ;) I rolled up a survey for gathering their ideas and input inside the bottle too.

ummmmmm, yumminess

Taco al Carbon with Pico de Gallo:

Yes, it was tasty - probably better than the restaurants . . . you know you want some Stacy!  ;)

Brine the thinly sliced beef in water, liquid smoke, pepper and garlic for 12 hours.  Marinade in olive oil, lime juice and southwest seasoning.  Let stand room temperature for 4 hours - grill and slice.

Pico de Gallo:

1 large onion, chopped

6 cloves garlic, minced

1/4-1/2 jalapeno, minced

1 bunch cilantro, chopped

8-10 roma tomatoes, diced

2 cups red cabbage, chopped

Juice squeezed fresh from 1/2 a lemon

1 tsp kosher salt

1 large avocado, diced

     Mix everything together and serve!

that sensation

I recently took a CPR, BLS & AED course and have assessed that giving mouth-to-mouth is a creepy sensation . . . on a dummy - can you imagine what it would be like on someone who's basically dead?  The Annie doll feels like a real person, I know that's the intention, but it's still weird ;)  I highly recommend investing in this handy tool:

Those Annie dolls are very lifelike, so much that before I could give it 2 breaths, I actually caught myself looking for boogies in the Annie doll's nose before putting my mouth on her mouth.  This is after I had already swiped an alcohol wipe over the entire face of the doll . . . after being assured that the doll was already sterilized.  Hmmmm, sure it was: I don't know that the person who used and cleaned the doll was as thorough as I would be and I'm positive that the doll was not placed in a sterile package after it was cleaned!  =)

Annie looks like a he, perhaps it the nakedness or the lack of breast tissue.  But hey, practicing on a flat chest is probably much more comfortable for all present ;)

Our dental office was offered a free course through another dental office, so I made their office cupcakes (with the texas sheet cake recipe I made up) as a thank you:

And I bought a handy-dandy (blue's clues famous saying) cupcake carrier to transport them in:

From Costco - it holds 3 dozen cupcakes - or if you flip the white tray cupcake holder over (completely removable), it is flat and can be used for other goodies or appetizers - I love it!

if I touch it, will it poke me?

so, even though it clearly appears that it will indeed hurt if you touch it, 6 year old Colten asks anyway =)  But, I didn't consider *is it a plant or an animal*

"Let me see the porcupine!" said in a very demanding tone by 4 year old Andrew:

Porcupines and cacti both have sharp needles - of course they're bound to be confused with one another ;)