That Girl is Poison

One cat likes to eat poinsettias (poisonous for cats), another likes to drink hot chocolate out of my mug (poisonous for cats), and the other likes to much on plastic shower curtains (honestly, probably not good). What the heck is going on?!?!

Good thing they are so stinkin cute! :)

These are old pictures, but definitely get the cuteness point across!

P.S.

After much ado, I did create the menu planner that I posted a link to a few posts ago!

Supa fly!

And, about a month ago, Josh turned 26! The morning highlights include:

S'more brownies!

Megan working it.

French toast madness!

One happy camper!

Dream a little dream...

I dreamed that I was getting back into wedding/corporate event planning last night. Even had the same crew with me! I was making the signs so that the guests would know to go to the 23rd floor, and not the 41st floor like the party host had broadcast on the radio. There are only 24 floors at my former work place. But really, something like that could totally happen in real life. :)

I also dreamt about an old friend (who I need to text now!) and that I was running late, only to wake up and find I was early! But kudos to me, cuz I got up anyway.

And it's snowing. What?!

But my Christmas tree is up. Yay!!

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like...

If you all wanted to know, I DID make the menu planner that I linked to below! And with super strong magnets it is sticking firmly to my fridge. :)

Thanksgiving is coming so fast! This month has literally passed me by. Tomorrow we fly out to Chicago, which hopefully the airport will not be a harrowing experience. Even my mom had a bad security check-in experience this past weekend, so hopefully we will avoid that!

Chicago will be GREAT, I just wish we could stay longer. All of trips this days are too short, but at least we get to go! It will be fun to see family we haven't seen for a while, and to experience the windy city a little more. We will have some FABULOUS tour guides!

All-in-all, I am grateful for the holidays, even if they aren't how they used to be. Every year I try to capture the same holiday feeling I had while growing up, but it never seems the same. I'll be honest-- it's a little disappointing. But what should I expect? I have another person's traditions to take on, and things just aren't how they used to be. My Grandma's house isn't the way it used to be, especially now that my Grandad is gone. I'm kind of glad the holiday season has snuck up on me-- I have a casual attitude, and not as many expectations leading up to Thanksgiving and Christmas. I'm just going to enjoy the moments and the family time. And enjoy spending time with Josh! He works so much, I hardly see him. So Chi-Town will be a welcome vacation!

And so, to properly ring in the holidays, here's a brief list of what I'm thankful for:
*MUSIC
*Glee :)
*Temples
*Jesus Christ (and my BYU New Testament classes that really helped me learn more about Him)
*Late night runs to Rancheritos
*Fried Zucchini (namely from Nick's Burgers & the Cheesecake Factory)
*Disneyland
*Inspiring Stories
*My love of reading
*Moving on & letting go
*A crazy/fun job
*Beautiful friends
*Poppies
*Puppies
*My kitties!
*Open minds & open hearts

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

SHARING!

I just found a free template for a menu planner, and it's pretty cool and cute!

Go here: http://blog.ollibird.com/2009/04/20/menu-planner/

The site gives all the directions, but me and fridge have big plans for this menu planner! :)

HAPPY NOVEMBER! <3

Getting Better All the Time...

As you probably know, I LOVE One Tree Hill, and so of course I have to follow my homegirl, Bethany Joy Galeotti's (AKA Haley James Scott) blog. She posted something really great today. I think it's very well written and very thought provoking. It is in response to the recent suicides brought on by bullying/gossip.

http://www.bjgofficial.com/2010/10/american-gossip-epidemic.html

I have to be honest, I check people.com everyday. It provides a quick escape and usually a fun update on some of my favorite people, who I don't really know. :) But I wonder, maybe I can be finding better escapes, better uses of my time? One of the talks from LDS General Conference today mentioned: "Character is a measure of how well you are spending your time on Earth. What you get is what you pay for!" That in and of itself made think about how much time I spend doing absolutely nothing! I know some relaxing is warranted (and necessary for my mental sanity!), but I think I could be enriching my life more. Balance, right?! I definitely think I give in to my gossip sites & guilty pleasure tv more than I seek to spiritually uplift myself and enhance my personal knowledge. So, here's to better living and making better choices!

Happy Saturday!

Megz

Makes Me Wonder

I love being crafty and making fun things for myself. Back in the day of Young Women's, I always wanted to do wood crafts. :) Lately I have been very crafty, in a good way! We've been revamping our closet storage and I modge podged (actually I just used white school glue!) cute paper on cardboard boxes to cover them up to use as "drawers" in our little wire shelf thing. I even got cute, sparkle-y black buttons to use as accents on them. AND Josh even complemented them! Win win! :)

And thanks to Holla Holly I have some new crafty plans! The cute and easy to make necklace below! I think you could do some cute Halloween-y necklaces, among all the other great combos you could do! (Click on the pic to find out how to make these!)

And this awesome floating vase! I have big plans-- I think you could also modge podge paper onto the board for a fun wallpaper feel. CUTE! I think these would also make great gifts, so hopefully I didn't spoil a future surprise for anybody. :D (Click on the pic to find out to make this!)

I also bought a cupcake tree with a 50% off coupon I had at Michael's. All of my party planning dreams have come true! I might just keep it on display at the house for kicks and giggles!

The Maroon 5 CD is supposed to come out on Tuesday, but I already have it! Sometimes CDs are released earlier in Europe, which is the case with this one, and I can download it from my favorite website: http://www.gomusicnow.com/. I have never had a problem with the site, it always makes me happy! And the most expensive songs are $0.15 each-- holla! And the Maroon 5 surprise was a pleasant one, to be sure!

Good Vibrations

Well, the fair is OVER! YAY! And I'm pretty sure it was a smashing success, but sometimes being so close to something makes you see all of the faults. And now I have an incredible lack of desire to go to work! I need like a two week vacation. :)

And I'm a little bummed because now I feel like I can finally enjoy summer-- but all of the stores have Halloween stuff in them, Josh is back in school, and the weather is considerably cooler. But I will have none of it! Normally, I am really excited for fall, but I don't think I got enough swimming, bbq-ing, and fun in this summer. We're going to celebrate summer in September! So, sometime Josh and I will go to Cowabunga Bay (hollerrrr), hang out with Emily & Matt, go camping or explore some kind of wilderness, and have fun! Maybe some of this fun can leak into October, too!

I also want the world to know that I got hooked on "The Hunger Games." A big shoutout goes to Emily Earl for lending her copy to me. Another shout out goes to this past Sunday, where I pretty much read the entire book in one day. Couldn't put it down!!! And now I have to wait for some fool to turn in their library book so I can read the next one. Someone's book is past due... they are messing with my mind!

I've also been enjoying my guilty pleasures-- "Keeping Up With the Kardashians" and "Bachelor Pad." I don't know what it is, but I eat up anything that has to do with those Kardashian girls. And "Bachelor Pad?" I have no shame.












I am in need of some serious motivation to work out more. There is a little bud inside of me, but it just needs some Miracle Gro... or I just need a kick in the pants! Any words of motivation would be greatly appreciated!

Going back to guilty pleasures, I love Katy Perry's song "Teenage Dream" and the music video for Taylor Swift's "Mine" is SUPER CUTE!!!

Ring-A-Ling

Some fun developments...

I'm really loving those Jane Austen-y movies as of late. It all started by watching, "The Young Victoria."

















Loved it! Which also began my newfound love for Emily Blunt.

















I think she looks really pretty on that cover of Elle!

And so yesterday, I watched Sense and Sensibility, with vivid memories of the Strong girls throwing pillows at our TV. :) And now, I'm pretty sure I'm going to watch something else fabulous like that. I've heard that "North and South" is good and I've never seen "Mansfield Park." The options are endless, so today is the day! Any recommendations will be taken into consideration. :)

And lastly, but maybe most importantly:
NEW RINGTONES!

It's been a few weeks in the making, but I finally made some important decisions. My mom inspired it all, because she set Michael Jackson "Thriller" as my ringtone for whenever I call her. Pretty much everytime I call her she is giggling because Michael Jackson was singing in her purse. It's pretty funny! I love the joy that ringtones bring, so with my new phone, I knew that I needed some JAMS! I limited myself to three, because I don't want to go too overboard-- right?!

Everyone ringtone: Over the Rainbow-- the Glee Cast! My favorite song, one of my favorite shows, and something that will not offend the coworkers.
Mom ringtone: Footloose-- Kenny Loggins. She inspired my deep love for Kenny Loggins, and now i will be dancing everytime she calls!
Josh ringtone: Naturally-- Selena Gomez. Josh LOVES this song and I think it is hilarious. He knows every word. :) I really wanted to do "Like a Virgin" by the Glee Cast, but I really didn't want that to go off in the middle of the office. No, thank you.

So, now, I'm just waiting for someone to call so I can giggle to them. Hahaha! :)

Feel the Rain

I had a perfect moment today!

I was walking out of Hobby Lobby (love that place) after making some fabulous purchases for the Davis County Fair and I saw a huge, beautiful, bright rainbow. It was absolutely perfect, silhouetted against the mountains. As I drove away I kept staring at it and Natasha Bedingfield's song "Unwritten" came on. I love that song! It always makes me feel like I can conquer the world. And so, that was my perfect moment. And it came at just the right time.

Takin It Back to the Old School

To start off, I really wish we knew where the cord to our camera is, because I have some fab pics to share! So, uh... stay tuned!

In recent news: I MADE JAM! I got plums from my Bountiful Baskets Co-Op and I thought- I should make plum jelly like my grandma! So, I give her a call for this secret recipe and come to find out she alwasy followed the directions on the Sure-Jell box. Easy enough! I ended buying MORE plums (they're pretty cheap!) and a big ol' case of jars, and then I was ready! 4 lbs of plums is A LOT of plums but I made it work with my mish mash of cookware. You smash up the fruit boil it with some H2O, add the Sure-Jell, then ADD 8 CUPS OF SUGAR! Ahhhhh! That is a lot of sugar! After that's all said and done, you ladle the BOILING liguid into the jars. On jar numero uno, I dump the stuff all over my thumb and scream like the little girl that I am. No bueno! But I have to see this jam through to the end! So I sit with a lovely ice pack while Josh finishes the jars and seals them all nice and tight. Then we really kick it old school, or maybe poor school, because we don't have a canning rack thing, so we stick the jars in the pot and put a plate over them to hold them down. Needless to say: it worked!!

Then we run to Walgreen's to stock up on the "Please don't turn my thumb into a giant blister," stuff and wait for the jam to become jam.

And then a miracle happened! When I was going to bed my thumb burned like crazy-- so I aloe vera-ed and iced it, and when I woke up-- no pain, and then NO BLISTER or anything! YAY!!! It's a miracle and I gave a little prayer of thanks. :)

And then I actually tried the jam-- and it was fabulous! Just like my grandma's and so good that I want to have toast all the time. :) And for those of you who don't know-- plum jam is the bomb!!! This just goes to show that you don't have to be uber-goober domestic to make something fabulous. HALLELUJAH!

And on that note... I really like that new Justin Beiber song. :D

If You Wanna Go & Take A Ride Wit Me...

June has flown by and so much has happened!

I turned...

Became proficient at...

Drove to this place...

Saw these lovely ladies...

Watched this with a huge smile on my face...

Ate this... on multiple occasions...

Saw this cute kid get married...

Been married to this awesome kid for 2 YEARS...

And potentially lost one of these...

Pretty eventful so far!!! Much love.

It's A Beautiful Day!

It's been raining cats and dogs here... well maybe just cats. But it feels like it's been gloomy for weeks! And when a day starts out nice and sunny (like today), it's just a big trick. I can't wait for the real summertime!

The title of this post has duel meanings:

1. That cutey-patootie Lee Dewyze won American Idol. I also loved Crystal, but I'm happy for both of them!


2. U2 was coming just for my birthday, but now they're not. :( Bono had emergency back surgery, and so he's down for the count. But their 2nd North American leg isn't cancelled, just rescheduled. And all I really want is a U2 t-shirt that says "Salt Lake City" on the back.

And this week I'm going to turn 25! Whoa. When my mom was my age, she had just had a baby. Whoa. I still can't imagine myself actually having and taking care of a baby. I know it will happen someday (hopefully) but I still feel like I'm 18 inside. My mom said she still feels that way, and my Grandma even says that she feels that way. I don't mind feeling forever young-- it's too bad the outside won't always match up with the inside. :) But I had a great BYU teacher who once said, "It you can't lose it, decorate it!" And I'm pretty good at that! Haha.

Fave inspirational quote of the moment: "It is your reaction to adversity, not the adversity itself, that determines how your life story will develop."

And to end this mish-mashy post, I plan to listen to some Adam Lambert in preparation for his GlamNation tour! Holla!

Don't Rain on My Parade...

How could I forget???

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BABS!

Hello, Gorgeous! :)

If you didn't know I was a fan, now you know!

Tag Team, Back Again!

I made a heroic trek back to P-town on Thursday. Yes, Provo, Utah... Brigham Young University... The Lord's University. ;) And it was SO FUN! And I was pretty impressed with my "seeing as many people as I could" skills.

The intent was to go for Alyssa's graduation, and on my way...

I met up with my fave cousin, Emily Anne Earl. :) LOVE HER! And it was fun seeing her and Matt's cute apartment. And we did what all girls should-- we went to The Chocolate. YUM! What I thoroughly enjoyed about this place is that you can get a PIECE OF CAKE! Sometimes that's exactly what you need, and that's what I did. A piece of cake and a glass of milk. Holla. And we definitely had some good chatting all throughout this adventure.

Then I drove to the far side of Provo and met up with my favorite Disney roommate: Christa! Oh, how I adore this girl. I've been a lame friend, because she's been home from her mission for about 2 years, and I haven't even seen in her once! I decided that I really value her friendship and I her to be one of my current friends, not one of my old friends, and we had a blast! We ate at Brick Oven, I got to meet her hilarious fiance, and we walked down Disney World memory lane and caught each other up on the latest. It was magical. She is the bomb and she is getting married in less than a week!!!

Then I ran over to my girl, Holla Holly's house to bestow some musical gifts upon her. :) And I got to see Flan! What a treat! And he still cracks me up! The weekend before I really got to hang with Holly, Julie, Corbin, and my new boyfriend, Jack. He is the cutest kid I have ever seen!!! In P-Town Holly gave me the cutest gift, and I think some people are going to really get a kick out of it. :) She knows me so well!

Then I finally made it to Alyssa's place where we chatted, learned about leprosy, and laughed at Saturday Night Live skits. FUN! The next day was her graduation, and it was so exciting! I got to hang with her cute mom, who is such a joy to be around. We clapped for everyone, then cheered for Alyssa, and took lots of pictures. I was even inspired to really go after my Master's... so we'll see how I work that all out!! Then we went to JDawgs for lunch!!! Let's face facts, that is the best dang hot dog in the world, and I've missed it. Then we went to another delightful place... The Cocoa Bean Cafe! WOW! In my life so far, I think this is my favorite cupcake place. It was delish and had lots of fun flavors. And they have fun signature drinks that I would LOVE to try. Welp, looks like I need to go down there again. ;) And I think I need to give a shout out to the Malt Shoppe next time. I can't find a banana creme pie shake like their's, or a hawaiian shaved ice. P-Town really is a blessed place!

Other than that, I have been continuing to cook up a storm! Banana Chocolate Bread, my own beurre blanc sauce (holla at ya 23rd floor), and today Lentil Soup with Chard. Pretty tasty my friends. Thanks to Hollz for the lentil inspiration! I'm excited to try her recipes!!!

And last week I went to the most magical event of the year: Miss Paige Smart's wedding. It was a dream and it was so fun to be running around like a crazy person with Colleen and Jennie-- ah those good old event center days. :) It was really nice that Paige trusted us so much with the setup and such. I really do miss planningweddings. She had all the great ideas, and we set it up! The lemonade stand was to die for, the food was delectable, and the bride was absolutely glowingly gorgeous. I love that girl! I'm so happy for her and happy that she is Mrs. Paige Moore. They are adorable.

Jam I can't get enough of: Lady Gaga feat. Beyonce- Telephone.

Hey Good Lookin, What You Got Cookin?

So I haven't "blogged" in ages, and I was hoping to make my return post a little more deep than this. But I really need to share this funny story... and my pain.

I've been calling myself a CHEF lately. I have been doing the Bountiful Baskets co-op and have been getting awesome fruits and vegetables that I would never buy on my own. So, I have been cooking up a storm and looking up recipes like crazy! This past week or so I have made butternut squash soup, potato leek soup (what is a leek you ask? a green onion on STEROIDS!), salsa, and eggplant parmesan with homeade marinara. Can you believe that I have a full-time job?? ;)

In my "Mexican Pack" from last week we got dried chiles. I had NO idea what to do with these things. After a little research I learned that you rehydrate them and can make a chili paste. So, I have big plans for a slow-cooker mexican fiesta using these chiles. Maybe 45 minutes ago I set my mind on this task of rehydrating. I look at two different websites that give me the play by play. Note-- one of them said, "Don't forget to wear your gloves!" Foolishly, I think I am better than these gloves.

I chop, I de-vein, de-seed, roast, and get those bad boys in some water. I wash my hands and scratch my nose. I quickly realize I did not wash my hands good enough, because the left side of my nose is on FIRE! I quickly wash my hands again, then wash my nose, but to no avail. And so I'm sitting here, typing, and holding a bag of ice on my nose. OUCH!

The moral of the story: I NEVER want to get shot with pepper spray.

Bright side: At least I didnt' rub my eyes. :)

Glitter in the Air

Right now I'm keepin it real at Poundcake's, listen to some JAMS on the 90's on 9 station. I think as you get older, the glitter of life fades. People have always considered me to be a generally happy person, and when I was younger, probably a little naive. I used to get asked (and sometimes I still do), "Do you EVER get mad? I can't imagine you being mad!" Well, I know the real story- I DO get mad and I definitely get sassy.


Sometimes the reality of things that we love can turn out to be dreary. I've been watching the special features for my new Gone With the Wind blu-ray, and let me tell you, those days were not as glamorous as they seemed! To burst your bubble, Viven Leigh AKA Scarlett:

• smoked 4 packs of cigarettes a day on the set of GWTW
• left her husband and young child to marry Laurence Olivier
• was diagosed with bipolar
• cheated on her husband, Laurence Olivier, even though he helped her get through some of her biggest movie roles
• died of tuberculousis in her 50's or something like that.

But she still is beautiful and was made for the role of Scarlett!

If that wasn't enough, everybody had affairs with everybody to try and get the role of Scarlett (but not Vivien Leigh- the one shining moment in this post). So, that's depressing! Old Hollywood seems so glamorous & simple to me. I used to wish life was still like that, but in reality, life still is like that. LAME!

Being behind the scenes of a comedy club is also eye opening. Some of those comedians who look so happy on stage, are not so happy when they get off stage. They tricked me! They look like they're having so much fun, when really they're not feeling the crowd or they are having an off day. Well, at least they're good at pretending.

I love happy things. I love light, hope, positive quotes, & sparkly things. The older you get, the more your bubble will get burst. So in retaliation, I hold on to those things that always make me happy and will always hold magic for me:

• Disneyland,
• Glitter,
• Zebra Print,
• Music,
• Good Friends,
• Chipotle,
• In-N-Out,
• Cookie Dough,
• The Wizard of Oz,
• RENT
• From Justin to Kelly,
• One Tree Hill,
• Old Musicals,
• Poppies,
• Gone With the Wind (even with my newfound knowledge)

And I bet there are a few more. And let me tell ya, these 90's jams are pretty magical!