LIFE UPDATE & SUCH.

Hi World! I'm coming from a place of overwhelming emotion right now.. I'll start by admitting that I'm a cryer. Meaning that if the job of official "Town Cryer" was still in existence, and his duties were being the person who goes around bawling their eyes out all of the time, that would be me. I'm not afraid to blatantly call myself out. I cry during the common things like ASPCA Commercials with Sarah McClaclahan pissing me off even more in the background. However, I find myself crying at uncommon things as well, like Extreme Makeover: Home Edition and all things Disney. I'd like to blame this crying habit on my experience with Pregnancy/Child Birth/Becoming a Mother, but my own Mother will explain that this has been a characteristic of mine long before then. As in, she once walked in on me crying my eyes out to a slow jam in one of my Chipmunk movies when I was 3. Dontjudgeme. Anyway, tonight's tears are absolutely justified, in my book. I just bawled for 2 hrs straight watching the first television interview of Jaycee Dugard. Quick recap if you don't remember who she is: The 11 year old girl who was kidnapped by two creepers in 1991, and found ALIVE two years ago, after living in a filthy outdoor compound & locked up for 18 years. I'll spare you the gruesome details, aside from the little fact that her captor impregnated her when she was 13 years old, and again when she was 16, so she has two daughters, ages 15 & 11, who had never lived outside of the compound, or in a normal society for that matter. Anyway, Jaycee's interview was beautiful & heartfelt, and I felt a special pain for her mother, who missed 18 years of her daughter's life. This entire paragraph may have been oddly unimportant within my blog, but I'd just like to explain my tears before I start. You have to understand that this is a hard time for me...uhm.. Okay, there's no relation to the family, I'm just a baby. Moving on...

A similarly disgusting story...one in which I'd like to avoid talking about as much as possible, because it's WEARING away at me! I'd like to avoid wasting as little amount of my life as possible discussing this matter, so I'll go right along & cut to the chase.. LADIES & GENTLEMEN, Introducing...the HOT MESS OF THE WEEK:

 

Classy.

 

In other news, Victoria Beckham gave birth to her fourth child...A GIRL! I feel like I'd like to be like her when it comes to the baby department. I'm not sure if I could handle three boys, but maybe at least two, before a Mini Stormi graces the Earth. I <3 RAISING A BOY! I'm from a family of 3 sisters so that seems awfully strange (it DEFINITELY was strange to me at first!) but I just love it. I'm sure her little girl is gorgeous, considering her three boys are all adorable. Not to mention, I'm obsessing over the little girl's name, even though they're the butt of jokes for it. 'Harper Seven Beckham' PERFECTION!

 

In OTHER other news, lets backtrack to the fact that the 4th of July has come/gone & we had a BLAST. We went to Freedom over Texas in Downtown Houston, which is the BIGGEST Independence Day Celebration in Texas.. Hillside concerts and a huge fireworks show to live music made for a super fun night. Not to mention, Mr. Brave LOVED his first Fireworks show! Here's a couple of pictures from Freedom over Texas:

 

The last picture was that of the very close runner up for the "Hot Mess of the Week."  1) You weren't supposed to have your shirt off and 2) If you're "fun sized" (is that a nice term for dwarfism?)  you shouldn't date a girl over 6 ft.  Also, I've had some questions about my Fedora.. It's a last season Juicy Couture, which is not typically my favorite brand, but it was very reasonably priced. Anyway, let's talk about FACES. I don't know if I've ever formally announced it on my blog, but I am NOT a Face Wash Guru. I have very sensitive skin on my face, so I like to keep it as simple as possible. Like, super simple. Like, plain white bar of Dove simple.

It's always worked for me, and gets my face the very cleanest with the least amount of damage. Lately, however, within the heat of a Texas July, I've been feeling like my face wasn't getting clean ENOUGH with just the Dove, and I realized I was in desperate need of an exfoliator. You know when you've found that one product, that you just will never stray from? I've got a couple, but when it comes to exfoliators.. this one takes the cake!

I got back to using my St. Ives Apricot Scrub (I've literally used it since 8th grade!) and my face has never felt cleaner & more vibrant! Trust me ladies, if you have not tried this scrub, IT. IS. A. MUST. I have to admit that it CAN be somewhat harsh. The beads are rough, and it gives you a good scrub, so I suggest using your hands rather than a rag or "scrubber." Good to know it still works for me, even with my "Old Woman Skin" (Insert 30s, 40s, 50 yr old women's sigh here..) :))))

Remember that undie pic I promised? ;) Here it is!

 

Little cutie.. He feels SO confident in his new "big boy undies" haha. I find them absolutely HILARIOUS.

 

Another backtrack; last weekend, my little sister (who has started doing some photography) wanted to take some pictures of me & Cash to get some shoots under her belt. It was 2pm in the South Texas heat (102 degrees!!!!) and naptime was creeping on us, but I agreed and got dressed quickly. We started discussing some pretty places to shoot, and finally agreed on a place...and boy, am I glad we did. I am very very very VERRRRY blessed to say that I grew up with all of my Grandparents, as well as my GREAT grandparents. My Papa's mother (Great Grandma) held a veryyyy special place in my heart, and went back home to Heaven when I was 10 years old. She was outspoken, passionate, COMPLETELY over the top & LOVED her big jewelry. She also loved telling anyone who would listen that I was her favorite grandchild ;) She used to say that I reminded her of a "China Doll." Needless to say, when we decided to take pictures on her land in the country where her house used to be, I know she was looking down on us & wishing she was playing with Cash & I. This is the result of 15 minutes of shooting.. I'll cherish these pictures forever!!!

 

Thanks Lex for capturing these ;) Enough backtracking for now! Stormi's Cheer Studio is well on it's way to becoming cute ;) I snapped some pictures after the first day of working on it with my Mom & Sister. There's definitely a loooong way to go but it's a start :)) Makes me feel very accomplished!

As for the bulletin board, as you can see right now I'm the only one advertised :) I'd love to put some local business cards if you make bows, cakes, or anything else! Message me to let me know so I can help spread the word ;)

 

PRODUCT HIGHLIGHT: I'm totally obsessing over this product from Benefit Cosmetics... "Benefit High Beam" Described as a "luminescent complexion enhancer" it creates that dewy, supermodel shimmer on the cheeks that you see all over the tv screen. I'm loving it for summer! I almost turned away at first when I saw the pink color (having naturally tan/olive skin, pink's typically do NOT work for me!) but I was blown away when I was told that it works on ALL skintones. Or as my mom would say, in reference to her favorite old school rap song, "Rappers Delight", "The black, to the white, the red, and the brown, the purple and yell-owww." Anyway, CHECK THIS OUT! It's totally work the $25 price tag, because just a tiny bit goes a looong way. PS, I bought mine at Sephora!

 

FOOOOOOOOOD TIME! I've got a random array of recipes for this blog. I'm going to admit a deep dark secret... I have a VERY serious obsession.... and that obsession, is MEXICAN FOOD. I honestly could eat it every day if I was allowed. I think about it at least once or twice a day, and wish that J shared in my obsession. Because he doesn't, I'm forced to cook tiny plate-sized portions for myself, which is fine by me. Anyway, LOVELOVELOVE. I know I posted a recipe for Sour Cream Enchiladas, but there's always room for improvement & this one tops the last one x 10! If you haven't already made the last one, TRY THIS ONE INSTEAD! Also, along with my Mexican food obsession, one of the specifics is Chuy's Creamy Jalapeno Ranch Dressing... The next recipe is for a dip that is as similar as you can get to it.. I could literally make a sandwich out of this stuff! But I won't.. that'd be just weird. Here ya go!

 

EVEN BETTA SOUR CREAM ENCHILADAS

NEED:

For the filling:

Four boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon black pepper

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/2 medium-sized onion, diced (about 3/4 of a cup)

For the sour cream sauce:

2 cloves of garlic, minced

2 Serrano chiles, diced

2 tablespoons of butter

2 tablespoons of flour

2 cups of chicken broth

2 cups of sour cream

1 teaspoon of cumin

1/4 cup chopped cilantro

8 fresh tomatillos, husks removed and cut in half or one 10 oz. can of tomatillos

Dash of cayenne

Salt and pepper to taste

For the enchiladas:

12 corn tortillas

1 tablespoon of canola oil

2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese

1/2 cup chopped cilantro

STEPS:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Sprinkle the chicken breasts on each side with the salt and black pepper. In a large cast-iron set on medium heat, and cook the chicken breasts on each side for three minutes. Place in the oven and bake for 30 minutes. When the chicken is done, take the chicken out of the oven and let cool. Then shred with two forks. Keep the oven on as you’ll be using it again.

While the chicken is baking, in a pot melt the butter. Throw in the diced Serrano chiles and cook until soft, about three or four minutes. Add the minced garlic and cook for another minute. Add the flour and cook for one more minute. Pour the chicken broth into the pot, and whisking constantly cook until chicken broth has thickened. Stir in the sour cream, cumin, cayenne and cilantro. Remove from heat.

If using fresh tomatillos, place them under the broiler on a foil-lined sheet and cook on each side until blackened, about four minutes per side. Place in a blender along with the sour cream sauce and puree into smooth. If using canned tomatillos, skip the broiler step and just place them in the blender with the sour cream sauce and proceed.

Heat the canola oil in a skillet and cook the corn tortillas on each side a couple of minutes until soft. Wrap in a cloth to keep warm as you continue to cook all 12.

To assemble the enchiladas, pour one cup of the sour cream sauce in the bottom of a casserole pan. Take each corn tortilla and place in the middle 1/3 cup of shredded chicken, 1 teaspoon of diced onions and 1 tablespoon of cheese (I’m not usually this scientific but if you’ve never made them before and desire exact measurements this would be it!).

Roll the tortillas around the filling and place the rolled tortillas seam side down in the casserole dish. Cover the enchiladas with the remaining sauce and cheese and bake at 350 for 25 minutes or until top is brown and bubbling.

Serve topped with chopped cilantro. Makes 12 enchiladas.

CHUY'S CREAMY JALAPENO RANCH:

NEED:

1 packet Hidden Valley Ranch dressing mix (I used Buttermilk recipe)

1/2 cup Milk

1/2 cup Buttermilk

1 cup Mayonnaise

1 jalapeno ( I used one & then an extra half! But I'm crazzay)

2 scoops of Sour Cream




STEPS:

1. Add all ingredients into the blender & blend on high for 1 minute.

2. Taste to see if its spicy enough, if not add another half of the jalepeno.

3. Chill in the fridge or just enjoy right after you blend!










...And for dessert, the greatest invention of ALL time.. BROWNIE BATTER KRISPY TREATS! Oh my.. I died. I didn't even know something this amazing existed. Basically it's a regular Rice Krispy Treat, with Brownie Mix Powder aka Heaven on Earth. Make it. Love it.

 

BROWNIE BATTER KRISPY TREATS

NEED:

4 tablespoons (½ stick) butter

6 cups mini marshmallows

5 cups Crispy Rice Cereal

¾ cup brownie mix (the powder, not the batter)

½ cup mini chocolate chips


STEPS:

1. Line a 9x13 inch baking pan with foil and spray with cooking spray. Set aside.

2. Melt the butter and the marshmallows in a medium sized saucepan over medium-low heat. As the marshmallows begin to melt, slowly add in the brownie mix until it is incorporated with the marshmallows and butter. Quickly stir in the crispy rice cereal.

3. Pour the marshmallow-cereal mixture into the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle the chocolate chips on top and press to combine. (I like to spray my hands with cooking spray and use them to press the treats into the pan – just be careful not to burn yourself.) Cool completely before cutting into squares.








This isn't really a recipe, but it IS something like sitting on a cloud. Okay, I'm getting a bit ridiculous with the descriptions...but this one is THAT good. There's no real "recipe" these are just the ingredients. Mix together and dip ANY of your favorite fruits. I have a hard time eating fruit without it now, which completely defeats the purpose of the "healthy" part of fruit. I think this is best with Strawberries!!! PERFECT party dip!

 CREAM CHEESE FRUIT DIP

1 8 oz pkg cream cheese


1 cup sour cream


1 jar (about 7 or 8 oz.) Marshmallow Creme


1 14 oz. can sweetened condensed milk










Ta-ta for now!