Simply Hil

About 4 months ago I did a crazy thing.  I cut off about 6 inches of my hair on a mere whim.  This was a bit of a crazy thing seeing how I have had the same hair length for the last 10 years or so.  I didn't really think that much about it, and I didn't even cry!  It was a lot of fun to give it a try, but I have decided to grow it back out for the summertime (mostly so that I can just pull it back whenever I want/need to). I never imagined how hard it is to grow your hair out!  I am at that "in-between" stage where my hair is incredibly awkward.  It can't decide if it is short or long and it is starting to flip out on its own in random places.  I feel like it is just a mess even if I try to style it and even if I pull it back it looks rediculous due to the short stubby little pony tail that it makes.  I used to wonder why anyone would want hair extensions (not just because of the price, but because of how annoying it must be to have fake hair clipped into your own...

Well, after a week of seeing my fondant every time I opened the fridge, I finally decided it was time to conquer my fears and make my first fondant cake. I can't say that I am proud of my first cake, but I am glad that I now know what to expect for the next one. I think I must have played with the fondant too much because it got really warm and too stretchy which caused my end product to be lumpy. I didn't have those special rollers they make for fondant icing, and I didn't have that special food coloring dye either. So, I had to settle with my heavy, marble rolling pin and my normal food coloring (left over from dying easter eggs). I have a long way to go and I think I need to take a few classes before I invest in any decent tools to help me with the process; but all in all, it was a lot of fun trying this whole thing out. Have a look:

It is finally spring, despite the fact that the weather has refused to prove so, which means it is spring cleaning time. This past week I have gone a little crazy with cleaning and organizing. Besides the usual weekly chores, I have added a few more things to my list. Some of the things I have tackled are: de-junked my closet and dresser drawers (I love getting rid of clothes I don't wear anymore... it makes me feel justified in getting some new clothes!) cleaned out the fridge and wiped it down good (I realize I should do this more often then every spring... and I do... but it just happened to be part of my spring cleaning this week) cleaned out and organized my bathroom drawers (I never realized how much junk you can accumulate in these things!) The things I have yet to tackle are the blinds, pantry, the oven, the stove top burners and kitchen drawers. Even though the weather is not cooperating this spring, I am hoping that I will have all of my spring cleaning done be...

I did it! I took the plunge and attempted to make fondant icing. I have never liked the taste of fondant, and I am sure that I am not the only one! In fact, I have yet to find someone who prefers fondant for the taste. They usually just prefer it for its elegant and smooth finish. While I was searching for a fondant recipe, I found one for marshmallow fondant (which claimed to taste better than normal fondant) and decided that it looked simple enough for me to try. So, I rounded up some marshmallows, powdered sugar, water and Crisco. The Crisco is used to grease the counter top and your hands because it gets pretty darn sticky! It was a lot of fun and super easy to make. The best part about this whole thing? It actually turned out pretty good and tastes a little better than regular fondant! I can't wait to decorate a cake after the fondant has refrigerated overnight. You should try it too! What you will need for Marshmallow Fondant: 1 lb (16 oz.) Mini-marshmallows (use a good qua...

I saw this first on the Today Show and found this article later on someone's blog. Check it out and join the crowd of feeling guilty... and disgusted! http://www.menshealth.com/eatthis/worstffchicken.html The Worst Fast-Food Chicken Meal 20- Chicken Selects Premium Breast Strips from McDonald's (5 pieces) with creamy ranch sauce 830 calories55g fat (4. 5g trans fat)48 g carbs The Worst Drink 19-Jamba Juice Chocolate Moo'd Power Smoothie (30 fl oz) 900 calories10 g fat 183 g carbs (166 g sugar) The Worst Supermarket Meal 18-Pepperidge Farm Roasted Chicken Pot Pie (whole pie) 1,020 calories 64 g fat 86 g carbs The Worst Healthy Burger 17-Ruby Tuesday Bella Turkey Burger 1,145 calories 71 g fat 56 g carbs The worst Mexican Entree 16-Chipotle Mexican Grilled Chicken Burrito 1,179 calories 7 g fat 125 g carbs 2,656 mg sodium The Worst Kids Meal 15-Macaroni Grill Double Macaroni 'n' Cheese 1,210 calories 62 g fat 3,450 mg sodium The Worst Sandwich 14-Quizno's Chicken ...

You would think that it should be simple to get one, right? I have been searching for a hobby for quite some time now and have found many that I would love to get into. The only problem is...they all require certain things that I don't happen to have at the moment! Below is a list of some of these hobbies that I would love to have: 1. Photography. I have always wanted to be a photographer. When people asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up I would reply with "a mom" but if they absolutely insisted on knowing what vocation I wanted to have, I would tell them about my dreams to be a photographer. I even considered majoring in photography in college but chickened out due to the fact that I didn't have enough confidence in my photography skills. The problem with photography (like all of my hobbies that I would love to have) is that it is expensive. Not only do you have to own a decent camera (such as the one on the left) which can cost hundreds, sometimes thou...

Craigo's Gourmet Pizza Company has the best pizza on the planet. I believe that it only has 3 locations, Rexburg, Idaho; Idaho Falls, Idaho; and Colorado City, Arizona. My husband and I were first introduced to Craigo's in Rexburg, Idaho (the original Craigo's) when we were dating. It was kind of a run down pizza joint that attracted poor college students and had a stage area where bands could come and play. It did have great pizza and was known for it's Pizza Bar. By the time we were married they had upgraded to a much nicer facility that resembled more of a sit-down restaurant than a a hang out place. We spent many a date nights at that Craigo's and it was even the place we chose to celebrate when we found out that we were going to be parents. Craigo's Pizza has a sweet, fluffy crust that is to die for. Their menu has a pizza for the chicken lover, vegetarian lover, pepperoni lover, meat lover, or even the Oreo lover. The ultimate item on Craigo's...

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For those of you who don't know me very well probably don't know about my minor obsession with the T.V. show called "The Office". I am addicted. There aren't many shows that I can make that statement for. In fact, I think the only other shows that I have had a similar addiction to would probably have to be "Saved by the Bell", "Growing Pains", and "Full House" from a few years back. However, the difference is that with those shows I was only watching them because of my secret crush that I had on Zach Morris, Michael Seaver and Uncle Jesse. "The Office" doesn't seem to have a dream-boat kind of guy in it, so there is another reason as to why I love the show. It is simply the fact that it is hilarious. I can't help but laugh out loud with each episode. (I must throw out a disclaimer at this point and say that not all of the episodes are clean. In fact I have been dissapointed a few times by the content of the ...

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I have decided that I need to have a seperate blog from my family blog to fully express myself. My family blog was created to help keep family members up to date about our happenings, and mostly about Caleb. I intend to use this blog to share some of the random thoughts I have so that I don't "clutter" up the family blog with them! This is mostly for me to be able to have sort of an online journal, but feel free to read.. I'll try to keep it interesting!