We like to party (DIY)

9 times out of 10, I always seem to be planning some sort of party.  Dinner party.  Birthday party.  Holiday party.  Happy hour party.  Outdoor Moving Watching Party.  {Determined to make that one happen soon.} I always seem to find an excuse to throw a fete.  So having a readily available supply of decorations is pretty useful.  For my latest party endeavor, I decided to whip together some streamers from Made.

And yes, I have a chandelier on my patio.  I'm fancy like that.

 Have you ever seen something on the internet and tried to make it, only to find out it's either not near as cute in real life or so time consuming it isn't worth the effort?  These awesome streamers do not fall into that category.  If you can sew in a straight line; you can make these streamers.  And aren't they so much cuter than regular streamers?  Infinitely so.


To make these beauties all you do is turn the tension in your sewing machine to the highest number possible and turn you stitch length to as long as possible.  Then place your streamers under the needle and get to it.  I could burn through 2 entire rolls in about 15 minutes.  And because it's so easy, it's pretty cathartic, at least for me...this blog isn't called Create.  Cook. Survive Law School for nothing.  Am I the only one who uses crafts for therapy?  What do you guys do to let off steam?

You start with this...

...And end up with this!

And to keep everything organized I made a shoe-box holder.  Simply create a hole on either side of shoe box.  Thread a skewer through one side of the shoe box, both streamers, and out the other side of the shoe box.  That'll keep your streamers from tangling and let you sew through them lickety-split!

So if you're having some sort of Halloween gathering tonight or you want to decorate your doorstep for all the trick-or-treaters, you still have a couple hours to whip some of these beauties up.

 Roy and Dolce definitely like to party.

Happy Halloween to everyone and a very Happy Birthday to my mom!  Love you!

Jason Runs a Half Marathon

Jason is a runner, apparently always has been.  Although he runs often and pretty far, he's never ran a half marathon before.  That all changed this past weekend.  Jason ran his first half marathon (13.1 miles) in 1:28:24.  That translates to 6:44 per mile...for 13.1 miles!  I'm not sure I could run 1 mile that fast.  Out of over 1600 people running that day, Jason finished 44th overall and 8th in his age division.  I'm definitely very very proud of him.

8 miles in

Official time

Jason, my aunt, and her running partner.  

Great job baby!

Autumn Vignettes From Around My House

On October 1st my fall decorations go up.  Not a day sooner and not a day later.  I always get really excited waiting those last few days before I can put them up.  Something about a decorade house always makes me happier.  The fun thing about fall decorations is that they're so versatile.  I'm not big into Halloween so I go the more "autumn harvest" route.  My friend loves Halloween so her house is a Halloween extravaganza.  So fun.

And if you're looking for a good Halloween craft, don't forget my trick-or-treat pillows from last year!

Presenting...

...ROY HOBBS, the newest member of our family!!!  We adopted this little (giant?) guy this morning. He was scheduled to be euthanized a mere 6 hours after I picked him up. 

Jason's wanted a running dog forever, and we're really excited to welcome him into our home.  Dolce's not 100% sure on him yet, but I expect they'll be great friends in no time!  And apologizes for the terrible pictures.  I took them on my phone.  Every time I tried with my big camera, the big goof would come over and sniff it.

I was a little nervous when I first got him, because he was pretty frantic.  I was afraid I'd brought home a crazy dog.  But after a bath, a big meal, and a new bone, he settled right in.  I currently have a cold (yes, my immune system and I have not been getting along this month.  I missed both class and work this week.), and it was so nice to see him cuddled up near me.  He's currently snoozing soundly on the floor by my bed.  :)

A HUGE thanks to my college roommate, Ashlee.  She volunteers at the shelter, and went above and beyond to get us the information we needed to decide to adopt him.  If you're ever in need of a dog, I highly recommend rescuing and I also recommend checking out the Sherman Animal Shelter.  Their fees are very reasonable.  The people were very kind, and they will do whatever to enable you to rescue a dog.

All in all we're really excited to have him home, and SO thankful we got all our ducks in a row in time to save him from an untimely death.

Super Nifty Trick

2 posts in a week!  Go me, go!

I saw this video a while ago, and I wanted to share it immediately.  But I decided to test it out before I did.  {I mean, it wouldn't be responsible blogging to recommend things that I hadn't tried myself.}  The results: pure awesomeness.  You really can peel an entire head of garlic hella fast using this method.  I didn't actually use two bowls.  I just popped the clove pieces in a mason jar.  Worked like a charm.  And if your household goes through as much as mine or you love 40 clove chicken, this trick may change your life.  Hyperbole?  You clearly don't know how much garlic I peel.

How to Peel a Head of Garlic in Less Than 10 Seconds from SAVEUR.com on Vimeo.

Weekday Meals: Fish Tacos

Hello friends!  I know I disappeared...again.  Here's what been going on in my life: eye problems.  Lots of them.  My eyeballs have apparently been swollen for a month, which last week completely prevented me from seeing or thinking straight.  Dolce had an allergy test.  He's allergic to 23 things.  Things are looking up for him now though.  Coordinating a trip to the State Fair for 125 people.  A wedding in New Orleans (pics coming soon!).  Lastly, my case note draft was due Monday.  Lots of stress.  Not so much sleep.  A couple bouts of tears.  Oddly enough, I'm feeling pretty good.  There's something satisfying about checking so many things off my to-do list.

Since I am so strapped for time (and I know most of you are too), here's a super easy recipe for fish tacos. I happen to love seafood, but I know some people don't.  I find that weird.  A couple tips regarding seafood: it shouldn't tasty "fishy."  Fishy tasting seafood is a sign that it's not so fresh.  Personally I think that all good seafood has a slightly sweet taste.  Find a fishmonger who sells fresh fish and I promise your opinion will change.  If you are scared your fish will be fishy, soak it in buttermilk for a while.  The buttermilk will remove the fishy taste.  Not sure why, I just know it works.

I had this meal on the table in under 30 minutes flat.  It's great for those oh-so-busy nights.

Summer's Fish Tacos

Ingredient's

• 1lb mild white fish; I usually use tilapia.  It's cheap and readily available.
• 1 cup shredded purple cabbage (or go super easy and buy the pre-cut stuff; that's what i did)
• 2-3 tbs white vinegar
• 1 tsp sugar
• 2-3 tbs sweet chili sauce
• Sriracha (optional), but I'm addicted to it.  It's replaced ketchup in my life.
• Salt and pepper
• 1 avocado, sliced
• Sour Cream Chipotle Creama: loosen some sour cream with a splash of milk and mix some chipotles in adobo or just adobo sauce.  Add as much adobo as you like.
• Lime wedges
• Corn tortillas

Instructions:

• Mix the vinegar and sugar in a bowl until the sugar dissolves.  Alternatively you could heat them on the stove if you're really in a hurry.  Mix in the cabbage, sweet chili sauce, sriracha, and salt and pepper.  Let sit for 15 minutes until the vinegar breaks down the cabbage and sort of pickles it.  Note: these measurements are approximate, since I never measure anything.  Adjust everything according to taste preferences.
• Wrap the tortillas in a damp dish towel and place in the microwave for 3-4 minutes to steam.
• Heat a griddle or a panini grill on medium-high heat.  Brush the fish with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Place on grill.  If using tilapia, it should only take around 7 minutes total.  Once the sides of the fish start turning white/opaque; it's time to flip.  Slice the tilapia.
• Add everything to the tortilla (I usually double them up) and serve!

Outwit. Outplay. Outlast.

Anyone else feel like that should be the motto for law school?

As it stands, that's actually the motto for a little tv show called Survivor.  It also happens to be one of my friend's favorite shows.  As law students we're often incredibly strapped for time (understatement of the century much?).  So we decided to carve out one day a week to get together and watch Survivor.  And to make things a little interesting we drew names and picked players to cheer for.  And to make it even more interesting we each threw in a bottle of wine, so the winner gets 4 bottles of wine.

I was charged with creating some sort of poster to keep track of who'd been voted off the island.  So I did, at 11:00pm.  It's a pretty awesome poster, I'm not gonna lie.  I may have taken the poster thing to a new level, but I never said I wasn't a massive overachiever.

I am not really a fan of Survivor.  I am a fan of seeing my friends.  And I'm really a fan of knowing it'll happen outside of school once a week.  And the chance to win 4 bottles of wine doesn't hurt either.

Color me happy.