Wordless Wednesday - pretty much the cutest nails ever.

[don't click on it to make it bigger. just trust me, it's better small. my camera on my phone sucks like a vacuum.]

Disney has a knock-out line-up this year, dawgs.

The Avengers. Out May 4th. [p.s. tune in tomorrow at 9AM PST to see the new trailer on Apple]

Brave. Out June 22nd.

And last but possibly the one I'm most excited for - Frankenweenie. Out October 5th.

YOU GUYS! Frankenweenie is a new stop-motion animated film by Tim Burton! (Think Nightmare Before Christmas.) I can almost guarantee I'll love it and I really cannot wait to see it. I wish it was coming out sooner.

Things I learned on Pinterest: messy bun updo

[original source, pinned by me]

To be completely honest, I'd been doing my hair almost exactly this way long before I saw this blog post. But, I did follow the tips she gives and this is what it ended up like...

Nailed it.

side note: I hate taking pictures of myself, but I'm trying to be better about it.

Helpful tips:
- bobby pins are your friend. My hair is a whole bunch longer than hers, so I pinned all the extra hair up, messily.
- I didn't use the fancy clear rubber bands she used - just plain ol' hair elastics - and I think they worked just as well. Those clear things wrap my hair around them like they're conjoined and I lose hair. No bueno.

Related tip:
- put your bobby pins in your hair with the the zig zag side down, towards your scalp. I just learned this and can say without a doubt that they hold hair better that way.

An open letter. To your mom. Or not.

Dear Vanity,

We've had a good thing going for about a decade now - your pants were cute, cheap [cheaper than Buckle, anyway] and a decent value. But lately, things have changed. You're prices are going up, you closed my stores so I have to buy pants online, and to be honest, your pants are crappy. The last three pairs I've owned have had issues within a month of me buying them. For the seam to split after 8 washes, or the zipper to break literally the fifth time I've worn them, I can't justify spending $60. We're over.


Dear Target,

Thanks for finally realizing girls have long legs. Your $23 pants that are long enough for my stupid legs came just in time for me to rebound from Vanity with you, and I couldn't be happier.


Dear skinny jeans,

I know I hated on you. But I wore you yesterday for the first time and boy is it easy to put boots on with you. Not saying you're easy. Okay, maybe I am, but it's a good easy.


Dear PR people,

Please stop sending me product information about baby products. I know you don't read my blog if you want me to get behind something for infants, and if you don't take the time to at least read my 'about me' page, why in the hell would I take the time to evaluate your product? You can suck it. You get deleted without a reply.


Dear Rihanna,

If you get back with Chris Brown, it'll make me think less of you. [I'll probably still listen to your music though; you kinda rock.] Sorry, but it's the truth. People can change, yah, but there's no excuse for beating up girls.


Dear Utah weather,

I am completely fine with a no-snow winter. In fact, if you could skip straight to Spring at this point, I'd be alright. But please understand, if it snows any later than tax day, we're in a fight.


Dear Zumba,

Thank you for kicking my ass. Really. I hurt and my muscles HATE me, but I love it. You're a blast.


Dear weekend,

Thanks for being here. This week has been wonky.


Dear [person reading this],

You are beautiful and an amazing person. Don't forget that, k?


One last thing...

If you don't laugh at this, you need more fun in your life. This is hysterical to me!

A new spin on an old classic. The yearbook.

I have a really hard time in a typical school setting. Because of that, I failed about 25% of my classes through the first three years of high school. The only reason I graduated was because I was able to enroll in an alternative high school where the learning was at my own pace and I didn't have to sit through classes of teachers talking straight through my ears (seriously, why was I not enrolled earlier?). Fun side effect of that - I had very few friends at my high school. Meaning that yearbooks, to me, are nearly worthless. It's fun to look back at the few signatures I do have, but I don't care to browse through them and laugh at all the fun times I had, because high school was simply a torture for me to sit through, and I have no pictures in the entire thing other than my typical person shot.

I wish TreeRing had been around when I was in school. TreeRing offers a customized yearbook option. How cool, right? Typical yearbooks are put together by the yearbook team, which means the things they like get a lot of space. With TreeRing, 80% is from the yearbook team, 10% is by the student body, and 10% is by the individual student. A customized, relevant, meaningful yearbook. And, they plant a tree for every yearbook they sell. A huge wow factor! You can add pictures with your friends that don't go to your school, or activities you took part in outside of school, or seriously anything you want. This is genius. How cool would it be to be able to look back at your yearbooks with your kids and grand kids and have things that actually apply to you? I love it.

What do you think? I think it's a brilliant idea but I would love to know your thoughts!

In case you want to sign up, if you mention my blog during the school sign-up, you'll get 20% off for the entire school.

Because today is Friday. And I'm out of words.

Digital scrapbooking freebies for all!

Most of the time when I post these freebies, they are for My Memories software only. But today's freebies are in .png files, which means you can use them with any digital scrapping software! Cool, yah? And, they are pretty dang cute. They are 4x6 size, so you can add them to your bigger layouts or use them for postcards. Just click on the picture to be taken to download them. And remember, if you're interested in buying My Memories Suite, go here, and use the code STMMMS5671 for $10 off!

Things I learned on Pinterest: wish-I-was-a-Butterfinger

This household loves Butterfinger candy bars. So when I saw homemade Butterfingers on Pinterest, I was intrigued. When I learned they only have three ingredients, I was smitten.

Wish-I-was-a-Butterfinger

1 lb candy corn
16 oz jar peanut butter (probably go with smooth here)
package (16 oz) chocolate candy coating (I used chocolate chips and it wasn't as easily spreadable or dippable but still worked)

Melt the candy corn in the microwave, starting with 1 minute and then in 15-second intervals, stirring after each interval, until fully melted. Stir in the peanut butter. Spread the mixture into an 8x8 pan lined with parchment paper. Let cool.

Melt the chocolate candy in the microwave, using the same process as the candy corn. Dip the cut squares into the chocolate. Place on waxed paper to cool and set.


The verdict? A whole lot closer to the right texture than I anticipated, and pretty close to the flavor as well. Not a Butterfinger, for sure, but pretty dang close. And super freaking easy.

Helpful tips:
- make sure your candy corn is melted completely, and add the peanut butter QUICK. The candy corn goes back to hard fast so get them combined as quick as gravity will allow. (no, I don't really know what that means.)
- I poured the chocolate over the top of the pieces rather than dipping them in the chocolate, and I poured it over after I had cut the pieces down. When I make them again, I'll pour it over the top before I cut them. Way easier.

The Secret World of Arrietty, not such a secret anymore.

Punk and I went to a special screening yesterday so now we know all about Arrietty's little world, and I must say, it's pretty cool. Now I want to read the book it's based on. Here's the synopsis:

Residing quietly beneath the floorboards are little people who live undetected in a secret world to be discovered, where the smallest may stand tallest of all. From the legendary Studio Ghibli (“Spirited Away,” “Ponyo”) comes “The Secret World of Arrietty,” an animated adventure based on Mary Norton’s acclaimed children’s book series “The Borrowers.”

Arrietty (voice of Bridgit Mendler), a tiny, but tenacious 14-year-old, lives with her parents (voices of Will Arnett and Amy Poehler) in the recesses of a suburban garden home, unbeknownst to the homeowner and her housekeeper (voice of Carol Burnett). Like all little people, Arrietty (AIR-ee-ett-ee) remains hidden from view, except during occasional covert ventures beyond the floorboards to “borrow” scrap supplies like sugar cubes from her human hosts. But when 12-year-old Shawn (voice of David Henrie), a human boy who comes to stay in the home, discovers his mysterious housemate one evening, a secret friendship blossoms. If discovered, their relationship could drive Arrietty’s family from the home and straight into danger. The English language version of “The Secret World of Arrietty” was executive produced by Kathleen Kennedy and Frank Marshall, and directed by Gary Rydstrom. The film hits theaters Feb. 17, 2012.

Arrietty's mom is absolutely hysterical! Totally crazy in the greatest way. She's probably my favorite in the entire movie. I like that it's more anime-ish than most Disney movies. Reminds me of my days watching Digimon. (Yah, I was 15 and no, I am so not ashamed. That talking dinosaur is the cutest little guy.) It's a super cute story and I definitely would tell you to go see it.

I'm in training for the zombie apocalypse.

I have a doctor appointment this afternoon at 1 and I have to fast for 6 hours prior. I've been eating breakfast and exercising a lot lately and guess what? I AM STARVING. Like, near death, chew my fingers off, starving. For real. Who had the bright idea to make an afternoon appointment? That was a terrible idea. I had breakfast at 7 this morning and am now incredibly hungry, 4 hours later. This is an incredible test of my willpower.

I am starting to think my job doesn't actually exist and I got my insurance license for naught. I have now been licensed and ready to go for over two weeks and still am sitting at home, bored out of my mind and craving human interaction like a rabid raccoon.

Zumba is really awesome. For anyone that wants/needs to exercise but hates it (that's me), try Zumba. It's so much fun and the time flies. Before you know it, an hour has passed and you feel ready to blow zombie brains against a wall with a baseball bat. Or your legs. It's pretty great.

Yoga is an ass kicker. Not only did I smash my face into the ground repeatedly, I found new muscles I didn't realize I had because they hurt so bad for two days. It's awesome, but it hurts.

Did you know Wheat Thins can talk? They can, I promise. They are talking to me right now, from the pantry. "You know you want to. Just one won't hurt. Eat me, c'mon! You know how good I taste with cottage cheese and tomatoes." Shut up, you assholes!

I thought about mailing valentines out this year and then procrastinated so hard. So I'm not sending them. All of you, imagine you get a cute valentine in the mail from me today. You're welcome! Isn't it cute? I knew you'd like it.

Have a good Wednesday. I'm going to lock myself in the bathroom until my appointment before I cave and eat something.

Out TODAY! Lady and the Tramp diamond edition. Got it yet?

Lady and the Tramp is out today on Blu-Ray for the first time ever, in the new Diamond edition. You should get it. In fact, get two or three so you can pass one along to your kids. This is a must-have, definitely.

I remember watching this for the first time when I was pretty little, and the scene with the spaghetti was soooooo gross. How could she like a BOY?! Just eww. But I get it now (one would hope). How classic is this?



The Blu-Ray has bonus features that are all new, like three deleted scenes (I love!), and even a never-recorded song, "I'm Free As The Breeze". Lady and the Tramp is so dang cute and much needed for your Disney collection, so go get it!

(Nearly) wordless Wednesday - they say after awhile, humans start to look like their pets.

I wasn't sure I agreed...



...but I think this photo verifies it.