The Laughing Baby

This has been my latest fave on YouTube. You might have seen it already because it's pretty popular, but I can't get enough of it! This clip should come with a 100% guarantee to make you smile, because it works every time. 

A Letter to a Roommate

Dear Mr. Hobo,

I realize that it may be pretty hard to find a place to rest your weary legs. However, Mark and I would like you to know that you are not welcome in our home.

Please don't take it personal. We would love to make you kindly welcome, but there have been a few things that have been bothering us. I, personally, was not a big fan of the time when I saw your long legs wrapped around the edge of my bathroom door at one in the morning. We might be pretty bad insomniacs, but I think you have us beat.

And I know that Mark doesn't like it when you suddenly appear out of nowhere (you play these magic tricks all the time). We're just not big fans of the theatrics. Mark especially hates it when you try to climb his foot when he's about to chomp on his cereal in the morning. Scaring someone when they're about to eat is bad manners, you know. 

Lastly, I'm pretty sure that our landlords will not like it when they see a third roommate in this tiny, cramped apartment. Especially not one that has a pretty nasty bite.

Regards, 

Candice 

Things You Probably Don't Want to Know About Me

I've noticed that when I get bored, I get the urge to make lists. I've seen a few people post the "100 Things About Me" post, and so I'll add a few things about me, too. Alright, here I go...( I have a feeling this is going to be a marathon session of blogging)...

1. I'm the youngest in my family
2. So is Mark
3. I went to Bear Lake for the weekend
4. I LOVE Bear Lake. And Paris.
5. I miss my friends from high school that I don't really see anymore.
6. Cooking and baking are some of my favorite things to do
7. I like to play my violin too.
8. I love the smells of summer: grass, pine trees, campfire smoke, dust, flowers, fireworks, cigarette smoke, etc. I could go on forever. Oh and mosquito spray. They all remind me of good times.
9. I don't like these words: crispy, meal, balm
10. I love cats, especially my Kitty
11. I like dogs too.
12. Sometimes I think it would be fun to have dredlocks, but they would look horrible on me-I know it.
13. I'm obsessed with Mark's beard
14. And I get scared when he threatens to shave it off
15. I like doing some things the old-fashioned way...like cooking from scratch
16. That's probably the only thing that I like to do the old-fashioned way, actually
17. I ran a half marathon once and about died
18. Running really isn't my thing, but I wish it was
19. I like to ride my bike
20. I don't like Rachael Ray
21. But I do like Barefoot Contessa (Ina Garten)
22. I love naps, but hate the time that they waste
23. I'm not a big fan of air conditioning, it usually gives me a headache
24. Tongues scare me
25. I love sleeping with my window open
26. I envy people with gardens
27. I crave Cafe Rio almost every day
28. I could talk about food for about a week and a few days straight
29. I've donated blood twice and my blood type is O+
30. I played softball in high school
31. I almost got blinded by a raspberry once
32. I've sprained my ankles plenty of times
33. I had a really bad wreck on a longboard once. Now I have some pretty nasty scars. How sad!
34. I love sushi, but only the veggie sushi. Actually I do love sushi with fish, I just don't want to eat it anymore.
35. I love swimming...the swimming suit-not so much.
36. I get a sick feeling in my stomach just thinking about going back to school. Is this normal?
37. My major is print journalism
38. But I wish that I could do something with animals
39. I went to Europe three years ago, and I still have dreams of going back
40. I tried sudoku once, and it was a nightmare.
41. I have a Harry Potter-like scar on my forehead
42. I can stick my shoulder blade out in a sickly fashion
43. I can toot the french horn 
44. I am in desperate need of a new hairstyle, but I'm not quite sure I can give up the bangs
45. I struggle to be motivated
46. I wish I had the motivation to be motivated
47. One of my favorite authors is Roald Dahl
48. I love yoga
49. Knitting and crocheting are also favorite hobbies of mine
50. I was in crocheting 4-H as a child, where we ate ice cream, crocheted, and watched movies like My Fair Lady and The Princess Bride
51. And I loved every single minute of it
52. Mom and Dad are two of my heroes
53. I've been in the Olympics (neighborhood Olympics) Oh yeah! 
54. I'm kinda shy most of the time. Unless I'm with someone I know
55. I lived in Rexburg for a few months and I haven't been back since. And you know...I don't really miss it. 
56. I'm obsessed with Mates of State
57. I would rather travel than buy useless things
58. I can live without a lot of things, like a garlic press and a towel warmer. I don't really need those. 
59. Random sample from my iPod: Annie Lennox, Arcade Fire, Built to Spill, Burning Spear, Iron & Wine
60. I like Reggae
61. If I had one wish, I would wish to never yawn again. It makes me mad. 
62. My first car was a Geo Prizm and she's still goin' strong!
63. My family usually goes to the Oregon Coast in the fall, and I love the cool, salty air
64. My other name is Midge. Sadly, some people don't know my real name
65. Toilet paper's gotta go over, not under
66. I love cleaning sinks, and I love cleaning porcelain
67. I'm a big fan of Softscrub
68. I think guys look better in long sleeves
69. It is a life-long dream to own a moped instead of a car. I don't like cars and I wish I didn't have to have one to go long distances. 
70. I get sick of getting ready everyday (hence, why I don't do it a lot of the time)
71. I wish that I didn't have to wear some makeup to look decent (if I could, I wouldn't wear any at all) 
72. Christian Bale is my favorite actor, and I love the movie Little Women
73. I wish I could spout off more German
74. I love the podcast "Vegetarian Food for Thought", if you couldn't tell
75. I don't miss eating meat, dairy, or eggs
76. I love beets
77. I love my mom's garden veggies
78. I wish I could cook better things with tofu
79. We had a pet spider named Rupert, until he walked into one of our sticky traps
80. I loathe some spiders, but I don't like killing them either (obviously a dilemma living in a basement)
81. I never had an imaginary friend
82. But my nephew did, and he lived in a crack in the door
83. I hate buying clothes. Not that I don't like clothes, I just hate spending the money on something just to cover myself.
84. Shopping for pants is the worst!
85. I get really excited about guacamole
86. People from different places and backgrounds are so so interesting to me. I could talk with them for hours.
87. I like a lot of diversity
88. Seinfeld always makes me laugh and will never get old. Serenity now!! 

89. I was always jealous of the kids on The Magic Schoolbus

90. Sometimes I think I am ambidextrous. 

91. The D.I. is my best friend

92. Ethnic foods are my favorite. Never was a huge fan of meat and potatoes. 

93. I get attached to things pretty easily, and I hate giving them up

94. I get really sad when I see a lonely old man or woman. 

95. Movies with lonely old people make me cry. So do movies where animals die. (Have you ever seen King Kong? Yeah, I sobbed.)

96. I don't really like TV, and I don't have cable of any kind

97. I love documentaries

98. Another favorite movie is The Road Home. I think you should watch it. 

99. Wasteful things really bother me 

100. I've never broken a bone. (Can you believe it?)

101. Oh--and I've never been stung by a bee either. 

Well there you have it...101 useless facts about me. Now I need to go to bed. Did I mention that I love sleep?

Finally!

I'm not one to really get overly excited about things, especially movies. But I CAN'T wait to see this one: 

Anyone else?

Recipe for Disaster

1. Relentless hay fever (first allergies in my life, by the way. I'm a newbie at this.)

2. Add some of this:

As you might imagine, this isn't me. I actually didn't do much other than crash and swallow gallons of lake water. I don't envy this guy though. 

3. And then top it all off with too much of this:

Sadly, there is no picture for the end result so I'll leave that up to your imaginations. Try imagining something crispy and stiff...with a tissue permanently attached to one hand. 

Happy 40th, Mom and Dad!

Happy Anniversary to my parents! They have been married 40 years, can you believe it? (I can't even imagine LIVING for 40 years...that's about twice as old as me, so crazy!) I am so glad that I have such amazing parents. Thanks, Mom and Dad, for everything you've done for me and for giving me a family of best friends. You are the best examples anyone could ask for. I hope you have many more to come. I love you!

I'm obsessed with hummus...

You are all going to think I'm weird...but I'm in love with hummus. I love it as a veggie dip, with pita bread, or in a veggie wrap. You can do so many things with it! I used to buy it...but if you have a food processor, it really is so much easier (and cheaper) to make it yourself. 

Hummus

1 can chickpeas (or about 1 1/2 cup cooked beans, if you are making from scratch)

2 cloves garlic

1-2 T. tahini

1 t. cumin

juice from half a lemon

salt to taste

1 t. olive oil (or you can use water)

Blend in a food processor, scraping the sides until smooth. You don't want it to be too pasty or too runny, just a smooth consistency. 

You can add roasted red peppers or other vegetables and I'm sure it would taste delicious.

Okay, okay, you caught me. This picture isn't mine, and I didn't make that hummus. But hopefully from the picture, you can see the right consistency. There is a pool of olive oil in the middle (optional, of course), so this isn't necessarily how it'll turn out. But every time I look at it, I just start drooling. Doesn't it look amazing?