AIRPLANE

Sorry I slacked on telling you all about the US Airways shoot. It all started on a cold dark night when I sent our (Aaron, Stephanie, Megan) headshots and resumes to a commercial company in response to an audition notice for a US Airways commercial...... lawl
We were chosen and on Wednesday we went to the US Airways building just off Rio Salado in Tempe for a costume fitting (they told me what they wanted and I had to pick out similar things in our wardrobes and bring them).  Then they played doll with us. "go try this and this on.......hmm no, lets try this and maybe that." back and forth trying on different combinations with our and their supplemented accessories and such.  Then on Friday night we went to the US Airways hangar at Sky Harbor where they dressed us in the clothes they'd picked out and some ladies from MAC with pink hair and upper lip beautymark piercings did our makeup.   There were about 5 or 6 other actors.

Here's the airplane!  The screen reflects light into the plane where we were filming.  The stairs to get up to that monster were kind of wobbly and really steep (they are not the ones seen in the first pic- they were on the opposite side.  Megan was scared so Aaron carried her part of the way. My high heels kept sticking in the little holes. ha ha

They took out seats so the camera crew could set up all their stuff.  Sorry I didn't get a better picture of the set up inside!!  If you know photography equipment, you should geek out when I tell you the whole thing was shot using the RED EPIC camera which takes like 240 still shots per second, so while they are using a "video" camera, it's taking stills and they don't have to switch between still and video shots. 

It turns out that it's not for an actual commercial (although they could still use it for a commercial if they wanted) but for all of US Airways promotional materials in airports/ website and training materials and videos.  We were told not to be surprised if we see these pictures in a magazine in the future.  No one had to speak and we just followed directions like, "Now look at the flight attendant, now look at each other, now look at Megan's book like you're reading something intersting, now look back at the flight attendant, now walk by and smile at the flight attendant... etc etc etc.."

We got to eat a lot of airplane snacks... What's your pleasure?  It was a snacky free for all.  And I don't know what was up with the orange bracelet.. sheee-oot!  They ended up changing my outfit a little in the middle of the shoot and made me wear someone's glasses cause I looked too young...  That always seems to be a problem.

Oy.  I look bad in this picture. however, I think Aaron looks awesome and it's been a while since I've posted a pic to show how thin he's gotten :)  What a handsome guy (they made him shave his full beard into a moutee).

We only had to stay until about 1:15am (because they wanted to get Megan in and out before a case of the tireds became a problem {halleluia}). Everyone else had to stay... It reminds me of the Brian Regan joke about still getting a whole sno cone even if he only played half of the baseball game. "So I'd rather play half game."

It was pretty cool to write up the invoice when I got home.  I told Meg that she has to put half into savings and pay tithing and the rest she could use however she wanted.  She's buying a parakeet and cage. She has wanted one forever and couldn't save up her money long enough to buy one.  fun stuff.
What is your opinion on that?  Aaron says that we are entitled to hers but I think that she should get all of it...tell me what you think.


Anywho, it was fun and I'd do it again in a second. woot.  BTW- if my posts get sparse I'm truly sorry- I'm in school, work, running carpool and boot camp, doing homework and bleh bleh bleh... boring, but busy.  Just shoot me an email if you miss me and I'll post some Steph candy.

PS- coming soon... singing at the Barrett Jackson Auction last week with William Joseph and a 300 person choir! FUN!  It was pretty cool..... shoot.. I don't want to give too much away....

There IS a RHYME FOR HUMMUS!!!!!

And it's a line from one of my favorite movies!  If you can tell me what movie, I'll make you some home-made hummus!  I'll pick one of the correctly answering people out of a hat (not literally- I'll just pick your name randomly and tell you that you won)

"We are men of action.  Lies do not become us"
and to that I add.... Anybody want some Hummus???
BOOO YAH!

How to enter:
1. Email me the answer
2. Comment and tell me you emailed (for an extra entry, quote another line from the movie in your comment)

and I'll announce the winner next Monday!

PS- I think I deserve an award for the wierdest give-away EVER!!

Don't cry over spilled milk

there was just a little bit of milk left in the carton so I poured in some chocolate syrup and shook it up.... without the freaking cap on. 
milk shower!  Megan thought it was hilarious... and honestly, so did I.  It has been a few hours and I just noticed some milk on my neck that I missed with the towel. dried crusted milk. lol.  I guess that's what happens when you don't get enough milk.  err I meant sleep.  oy. I think I need a nap.

1000 words

@ US Airways commercial/photo shoot...

I'm beat. I'll tell y'all about it tomorrow....

There is no rhyme for Hummus.

I was going to title this post something cute- an equivalent of such titles as "Playing hookie for a cookie," or "Oh gosh do I love squash," But there is no rhyme for Hummus.  The closest word you can find is one just ending in "us" like nucleus or hypothalamus.  What fun is that?  "I go ape for middle-eastern basil garlic Hummus. as does my almond-sized hypothalamus."  errr..... something....

Despite it's seclusion from all words of rhyming influence, Hummus is actually quite the culinary companion for a lot of food words such as pita chips, homemade bread, tortilla chips, veggies, crackers and chocolate cake.  Just checking to see if you actually were reading or just skipping through to get to the pictures and actual recipe. That's right- I got your number, you blog skimmers (and to that you could simply say "It takes one to know one" and I wouldn't argue).  Since I know how much you love to read and read and read mundane facts, I thought I'd just post a link to the interesting origin of Hummus and get right on to the recipe. Woot!  This is SO SO SO much better than any I've tried from the store.  I also like that there is no added oil- a lot of recipes add evoo, but there is enough natural oil present in the tahini (which can be found at sprouts in the nut spread isle. Yes, they have a nut spread isle).

Hummmmmus

4 cloves garlic

2 cups or 1 can Garbanzo beans- also known as Chickpeas (reserve liquid)

1+1/2 tsp kosher salt

1/3 cup tahini (sesame paste- or sub peanut butter)
6 Tbs Lemon Juice (2 lemons)

8 dashes hot sauce (I used Franks Red Hot)

6 Tbs of the reserved Garbanzo bean liquid

Puree together in a food processor.

____________________________________________

yup, that's it.  So nummy.

You can add whatever you want to flavor it differently.  here are some ideas:
roasted red pepper
basil
italian parsley
toasted pinenuts
cilantro
sun-dried tomato
olive
lemon
chocolate cake

Yeah, I must be craving chocolate cake today. lawl.
Enjoy, y'all.

Poor Jud is dead.

Such a sad day- Our car is officially dead.  It now needs a new engine.  This old car is not worthy of a new engine, therefore we are going car shopping tomorrow and the next day.  I've got to find a car before school starts next week! bleh!  If you're looking to sell a car, please let me know.  I am hoping to get something with more than 5 seats, but I'll take what I can get.  Email me if you know of anything!

Happy news- I just finished my first crochet project ever while I waited for Matthew in karate tonight.. I've started a few crochet projects over the years but I've never completed any until today woo hoo! Here's a link to it if you want the pattern. I made mine a little bigger and dopey, but it's still cute. And here's the kicker- it was fast and easy. If it's complicated and takes forever, forget it! Anywho, sorry about the poor quality pic- my phone stopped taking pictures and I'm using Aaron's phone. booo. Me needs a camera.

Ok, I promise I'll post the hummus recipe tomorrow! Pinky PROMISE!! I was going to serve it at dinner tomorrow when we had friends over but now we're cancelling the dinner to go car shopping :( , so I guess I'm going to have to just eat all the rest of it and post the recipe instead. One thing I've learned as I've maowed on this hummus is that when you're dieting you CAN have too much of a good thing.  Oh boy can you.  I'm really surprised that I've maintained my weight.... maybe it's because I'm working out again.... speaking of which...

I started up the exercise group again if anyone is interested in working out at 5:30 in the morning for free let me know~ I'm lead a workout group that does boot camp style workouts at ASU East campus.  Lemme know, peeps!

Signing off!

Oh- remind me to tell you about the celebrity function Aaron and I will be singing at on Monday with William Joseph and the commercial shoot for US airways we'll be doing in a week! Boo-yah!

Ahhhh my 31st birthday

Today, January 9th, is my 31st birthday.  It doesn't feel special at all.  Not because people haven't made it a special time, (because I've had a blast this weekend which I will tell you about in a minute) but because I have realized that your actual birth day doesn't mean very much.  I think that instead of celebrating your birthday, you should throw a party every time you change for the better or learn a life lesson or accomplish something great.  I want to send out an invitation to a party that reads "Come to my party celebrating 40 pounds lost!" or "I've just learned a major life lesson involving tears and many sleepless nights- give me presents."  LOL  But really, we make it easier by celebrating each year in hopes that you've done something with the last 365 days to better yourself and mature a little.  So now when I hear someone say "Happy Birthday"  I'll have to think about the previous year and decide if it really is a happy birthday or not.  Have I changed for the better- at least a little?  Or have I wasted this year? 

This birthday is a very happy birthday.  I have a husband who loves me despite my faults and many attempts to convince him I don't deserve him.  I have children who have good hearts and are smart and who love me.  I have parents who are strong in the gospel, love each other, and have been the ultimate examples of sacrifice, humility, unconditional love and wisdom.  I have wonderful supportive friends and family who have seen me through a very difficult and life-changing year and make me cry when I write this. stop it.  But most importantly I have my Savior and Redeemer, Jesus Christ, who has sacrificed all for me.  Who has let me know that no matter how I falter He loves me and has atoned for my sins so that I can live with my Father in Heaven again.  I cherish this year. Through all of the trials and blessings I have learned a lot of lessons that have changed me and will stay with me forever.  I would be an ungrateful wretch if I didn't publicly thank my Heavenly Father for the blessings I've received and for the gift of forgiveness in my life.  Thank you, everyone, for your roles in my life, especially in the last year.  Happy Stephanie's Birthday to you.

Ok, as for YESTERDAY!!!!  My parents didn't make the flight- they fly standby so they rely on the flight having empty seats and there weren't any yesterday, so they're planning on coming next Saturday.  It'll be fun- I'm kind of glad that they're coming on a day when I can spend more time with them- that gives you all a week to think of something touristy for us to do- Start thinkin, people!  Sooooo.... we ended up going to Liberty Market for my free brunch of biscuits and gravy, a bite or two of cinnamon roll and breadpudding-french toast, nummy breakfast potatos with horseradish sauce (OMGundersnatch it was goood), and southwestern style scrambled eggs.  And Orange Juice (the best drink on the planet besides water and milk-which is why I capitalized it).  Afterward we went over to the Gilbert Farmers Market and sampled some local produce, honey, salsas, hummus (ew. mine was WAY better- tutorial coming soon, sorry), and pastas.  We drove home, I took a nap, then we dropped the kids off at their aunt Valerie's house and headed to Elements Massage for our 4:00 55-minute couples massage  :)  Aaron has never had a massage before and he was nervous- it was pretty humorous to listen to his moans and groans during the session.  The therapist told him he was pretty tight- which I've been telling him for years. She said she could probably bouce a penny off of him. HA HA!  It's impossible to pinch that man's bum!  I really liked the girl that did mine- she was really good.  I think it's the best massage I've ever had.  Word to the wise- TELL the therapist what you want. You will enjoy the massage so much more. Also, did you know that if you refer someone to Drs Goodman and Partridge and they tell them you referred when they set up their first appointment, you get a free 30 minute massage at elements?  Just thought y'all should know.  That's how we got ours and we just paid to upgrade to hour long massages.

We went to Kona Grill for dinner and I got the Roasted Asparagus Salad and Lobster Mac n Cheese and a Passion Fruit Creme Brulee for dessert. nummy :)  Then we headed to The Big Bang Dueling Piano Bar in Tempe.  It was really cool and fun.  Oh my the homeless people were collecting in droves last night- and some of them had funny signs- Two guys had boards with a number on each and then one big one that said "You've been rated" One time we passed I was an 8 and the other time I was rated a 9.  Not bad for 31, I say ;)  Another one said "Please help- zombies ate my brains and...."  Aaron didn't let me stand there long enough to read the rest, but I started busting up laughing.  There were homeless people every 15 feet or so.  not even kidding. I thought there was an anti-loitering law in Tempe that passed in 1998 or so- maybe the law lapsed and it's allowed now? I dunno.  I gave all my change to the first girl that we passed and then everyone who asked for our change after that (and we told that we'd already given away all we had) cheerfully said "it's ok, thanks for supporting the cause!"  What cause?  The cause of homelessness?  The cause of you not supporting yourself through gainful employment?  Anyway.. We rode the elevator back down to our car with a woman who was high and made our way home.  Going to Tempe always makes me appreciate our wholesome (by comparison) Gilbert home.

Anywho, today was a good birthday- after a lot of Happy Birthday wishes at church we came home and I got started on the homemade bread- I brought four loaves to dinner at Aaron's parents' house where we had scrumptious creamy potato soup (amazing) frito salad (always a favorite) and homemade angelfood cake with strawberries and whipped cream and fudge sauce for all of the chocolate lovers. Thanks Kristen and Julie for a yummy dinner!

Thank you everyone with whom I've associated this last year.  I've grown and you were unknowingly a part of it.  I hope to continue to improve my life little by little and you can see just how far I've come if you continue to read this blahhhg. For now I feel good, I feel great, I feel wonderful. :)  Goodnight, Blogiverse.

Birthday Weekend

 

I'm so excited about today!  My mom called me yesterday and told me that she and my dad were flying in to take me to lunch today for my birthday :)  How awesome is that?  They fly for free because my brother works for SWA.  Sooo... where should we go to lunch?  Or brunch, I should say, because we are picking them up from the airport at 9:15 and taking them back at 2:30.  At 3:00 Aaron has something planned for us to do for the whole rest of the day and it's a surprise!  I'm sure I'll tell y'all about it tomorrow.  What a fun birthday!  I really hope I have time to stop by Liberty Market to get my freebie meal-even if it is take-out and I have to eat it tomorrow.  I love that place.  Ok, I've got to get busy and get ready!  This is going to be a long day (oh yeah, our car broke down this week and we have to exchange the truck with my mother in law's tahoe so we can all ride together today- so that needs to happen by 8 at least so I can get to the airport by 9.  crazy sched.)

For my birthday I want one thing from y'all.  comment!  I see that the blog is getting a lot of traffic and people talk to me about things they read here but, alas, no love.  Come on peepolas! Give me some blog sugar!

Resolutions

Hey howdy hey, y'all. Goals are such an important part of life.  Without setting goals you're kind of a wanderer not knowing where you're headed exactly and not striving to improve.  It's customary to set goals and resolve to do things better each New Years Day to last throughout the coming year.  I know, I know, it's already the 6th and I'm just barely telling you about my year's resolutions.  Well, that doesn't mean I haven't started, it just means I procrastinated the day I have to be accountable for any of it. :)  So... drum roll please.... 

STEPHANIE's RESOLUTIONS for 2011

1. Be a hugger.
Yes, I know. that's a little strange.  Especially since I'm a self-proclaimed non-hugger.  no-touchy. wow. that was a lot of hyphenated words just then.  Anywho, I was at my friend, Shelly's house three weeks ago and we were leaving and she said oh wait- hang on!  I need to give you a hug! and she came up and hugged me- She said "We (she and her husband) decided that we are going to be huggers."  I really liked the idea.  Just avoid the awkward to hug or not to hug Macbethian conundrum altogether and just know that you're gonna hug.  I tried it out on my sister in law,  She was leaving our house and I said "Oh, wait Val!  I need to hug you!" She gave me the eyebrow- "You- a hugger? Wow!"  I surprised my mother in law the other night by hugging her.  She's been my mother in law for 11 years now and I've maybe hugged her 3 times.  When we leave every Sunday night she hugs my kids and my husband and I don't get one because I've made it known that I just don't hug.  It felt good.  And now writing about it I'm getting all teary cause it really did just feel good.  I love my in-laws.  why not just hug 'em?

2. Do one act of kindness every day.
This can be as simple as a phone call or email "just because," or babysitting or taking someone a treat or out to lunch.  Today I'm cleaning my husband's long overdue closet out. :) and hopefully I'll get to the rest of the room, but if not, at least his closet will be nice and organized.  I'm really excited about this goal because there is no quicker way to happiness than through service. and I really want to be happy all the time. I hate being sad. Hey- I can probably work the hugger thing in to this goal as well.... look out world!

3. Be able to play the piano proficiently by the end of the year. 
I can read music and play the piano, but very jointedly and slowly.  I'm a much better vocal sight reader because that's only one note! not 4 or 6 notes at a time!  Anyway, I have a piano and a synthesizer but the piano is 150 years old and is missing  some hammers and some of the hammers are miss-aligned so one key plays two notes, besides which it is out of tune enough to make a deaf person cringe. Oh, and I can't find the AC cord for my synthesizer. So I've been practicing on a mute synthesizer for the last three days. HA HA!  Hopefully when I clean and organize our room today I'll find that dang cord!
BTW- I'm glad to announce that I haven't missed a single note- at least none that I can hear. dont laugh. ;)

4. Play a gig somewhere.
I know I know. what?!?!?!  I just have really wanted to do this all my life and I decided that this is the year.  I don't even care what kind of music it is or where I am.  I'm not even in a band. LOL I'm gonna have to pull a few strings, but I'm gonna do it. 


Two weeks ago we had a family home evening lesson on setting goals and the kids paid attention the entire time! wha?! so I thought I'd share the lesson with you all. Click here for the scribd file
Good luck with your goals!  Comment and let me know what your resolutions are!  I'd love to hear!

HAIKU WEDNESDAY

Made me some hummus

Blender painted walls Chickpea

Yummy Redesign

(It is so scrumptious!

I'll post the tute tomorrow)

Blog Explosion....

Oh my I think I'm about to have a blog explosion...... yuppp.....  I'm about to make EASY homemade cream cheese, ricotta, hummus, and sun dried tomatoes.... I can't even tell you how excited I am... Oh yeah, and there'll be a new refashion tshirt tutorial... Oh, and I'll be planting my garden in the next week. hooo-ee! I need a real camera!  This is gonna be big... dare I say.... epic?  Keep in touch for all the recipes and tutorials :D  Gotta get it all done before I go back to school......and clean my house.

Christmas and other Decembery stuff

Helloha y'all  Just thought I'd catch up with some pictures before my life gets crshmazy again.

First is the pic they took of us at Aaron's work party-

Aaron has since trimmed up his scraggly beard and gotten a hair cut and I have gotten squishy with all of this holiday food plus no exercise (I'll tell you about that later)! boooo!  I'm ready to start eating fresh again.  I love it.

Here are the kids and their cousins at their school Christmas Concert

awwww..what dolls.

Like Meg's tights?  We attacked a pair of white tights with a red permanent marker ;)

This next pic was Matt's attempt at taking a picture with my phone.... he moves it so it's more blurry than usual.  You should've seen Meg try it- LOL She is like a 90 yr old woman when it comes to my camera- we didn't save any of those.

Here are the kids at their Christmas Parade. They got to march with their school

I took the kids to the temple lights early in December- bad quality pic, but oh well!  I'm pretty sure that for half of the month I had someting on the right side of the lens so all the pics are blurry.

Christmas!!!  I'll get more pics from Aaron- I know he has some he hasn't given me yet so I'll add later

This is what we did during the day:

and

Fun stuff!

Then Matthew's birthday 3 days later...

He's 6!! holy shrimp! (that's his favorite expression)

And lunch at Joe's of course!