What is this scary thing?

Take a look at this picture. Focus on the part where the arrow is pointing and ignore the rest of it. (Please.)

Yesterday, I woke up with this thing on my face -- a perfect circle with a plus sign inside of it. I thought it was an imprint of some kind and ignored it. Then, when I went to take off my make-up before bed, there it was in all its glory. Still hanging out on my left cheek.

What the heck is it?

It does not itch. It does not hurt or sting. It is completely flat and smooth. It is not dry or scaly. I do not remember hitting my face or injuring it.

I know you're thinking ringworm. But I Googled ringworm and if that's what this was, it'd be super itchy and scaly. Right?

(Great, now my skin is crawling.)

Hellllllp.

Halloweentown.

Just thought I'd throw these up here to get you into the Halloween spirit!

Cinderella #1:

Such a precious angel (most of the time).

Mischievous puppy (not far from reality):

Cinderella #2 and King Arthur. And yes, he carried around coconut shells at the party we went to.

Can you BELIEVE this dress? I found it on Craigslist for my sister to wear to Prom last year. $500 in the store ... she paid $120.

Happy Haunting!

Oh, and please post a link of your Halloween pictures in the comments! I'd love to see them.

Jenna's Helpful Hint #1.

One time, many moons ago, I arrived at a friend's a bridal shower when I realized I had forgotten to put a card in the gift. Whoops. It was definitely too late to go get one at the store. I kind of panicked a little -- I wasn't looking forward to that awkward moment when the bride-to-be would have to gingerly sift through the tissue paper in search of a card while I sheepishly muttered, "That one's from me."

You probably know exactly what I'm talking about.

Well, it wasn't the end of the world, but it inspired an amazing yet simple idea. When it dawned on me, I was like, "Duh, why didn't I think of that before?"

Keep a stash of cards and a pen in your glove box.

I know. GENIUS. Sometimes, I'm capable of greatness when I put my mind to it!

I usually get the blank, non-descript cutesy ones at Wal-Mart or Target -- they're like $3 for 10 of them -- so I can use them for multiple occasions. Also, I try to keep them somewhat gender-neutral in case the recipient is male. Here's what I have currently:

Cute, right? $2.99 for 10 (plus envelopes, of course) at Target.

I can't tell you how many times this trick has made me look extra caring and thoughtful when really, I just happened to have a card handy.

Here are some situations where you might find this trick beneficial:

-Find out a family member is sick? Take them a card on a moment's notice!
-Invited to an impromptu birthday get-together? Never fear; you have a card!
-Driving past a friend's house and you want to drop her a little note of encouragment? Done!
-Returning something you borrowed but the lender isn't home? Express your thanks in a card and leave it with the item on her doorstep!*

*Only if your neighborhood isn't shady.

Also, I still regularly forget to put cards in gifts, and this takes care of that potentially embarrassing weakness, too.

On a related note, I also keep stamps in my wallet. That way, if I'm ever off to mail something and I've forgotten the stamp, I can just pull one out of my purse instead of driving all the way back home.

Question of the day: What is YOUR most helpful hint?

Taking Halloween costume pictures with an unruly toddler.

Step 1: Have someone else set the toddler down and QUICKLY! take the first picture.

 

Step 2: Hurry and snap a second picture (won't be as good as #1).

Step 3: Time's up.

Layer like the Sister Wives.

Did you think I'd forgotten about the 30 Day Challenge? Well, I hadn't forgotten, but I was definitely putting it off. There, I said it. I was getting super-dee-duper tired of the same shirts and was ready to give up. Twenty-eight outfits made from 21 pieces is quite admirable, I think. But I don't want to be a lame-o quitter. So here I am. Finishing out the challenge. One more to go!

I just finished watching two seasons of Sister Wives on Netflix. What a strangely enjoyable show. I can't imagine sharing my husband with three other women. Actually, I can't imagine co-existing under the same roof with three other women. Waaaay too much estrogen for one location, methinks.

Anyway, have you noticed how wives Meri and Robyn like to layer short-sleeved tops over long-sleeved tops? I kinda like it. I guess it depends on the top, but it's an easy way to vary your outfits and bring a little fall flavor to your style.

Yup, I just admitted that the Sister Wives inspired this outfit. Ka-ching!

But at least I don't take my cues from Disney princes. That would just be weird.

Happy Friday!

Halloween recipe: Caramel Toffee Fruit Dip

Confession time: I do not really enjoy food that looks like other non-food things, particularly gross things. Like, I'm not really interested in eating carrot sticks that look like fingers or Jell-o worms or brains. Understandable, right? For some reason, my own non-gelatin brain just can't get past the idea of eating something that should never enter a human mouth, ever. I usually manage to eat them but I'm not super-excited about it.

Every year, my in-laws host a themed Halloween dinner. This year, Dill's mom asked me to bring a "cute" Halloween-themed fruit side to the dinner, and I was at a loss as to what that should be. I looked on Pinterest and all I found were a lot of nasty-looking brains, fingers and worms. So I turned to my girls at Our Best Bites for a delicious and not creepy solution (I can always count on Sara and Kate!).

Oh yeah. Nothing says Halloween quite caramel apples, right? I loved this twist on a classic fall goody, and I think you will too. Especially because it's SO easy! And made mostly of cream cheese. What's not to love?

Here's the full recipe, including a tutorial on how to make cute bat- and pumpkin-shaped cinnamon dipping chips.

Caramel Toffee Fruit Dip (courtesy of Our Best Bites)

1-8 oz. package of cream cheese
3/4 c. brown sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
1.8 tsp (pinch) nutmeg
1/2 bag of toffee chips

(I left my cream cheese out for about a half hour to soften it up a little.)

With an electric hand mixer, combine cream cheese, sugar and spices until fluffy. Resist urge to sppon the entire mixture into your mouth. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Then, gently mix in the toffee chips, spoon into a hollowed out pie pumpkin (the cute little ones) and top with a handful of extra toffee chips.

Serve with Granny Smith apples or other fruit dippers.

And most importantly, ENJOY!

Facebook jerks.

I've told you before that I LOVE Facebook. It feeds my wedding obsession, keeps me connected to all those people who never said a word to me in high school and provides me with comedy more often than I could ever hope. So it's pretty much a winning concept in my book, no matter how many times Mark Zuckerberg decides to mutilate it.

But enough of the unsolicited Zuck hatred, right? It's not like we're paying for it.

Anyway, Facebook is also really good at satiating my drama cravings. Facebook's the new Jerry Springer, only you might actually know the people who are going head-to-head and NO COMMERCIALS.

(I do miss the rowdy crowd-chanting, though. "JERRY! JERRY!")

It seems like some people log on solely to be mean-jerkfaces or to put up their dukes. So unfortunate, considering all the wonderful wedding, baby and fashion pictures at which there are to gawk.

Let's start with the one-uppers. Their posts aren't outright rude, but it's obvious they're desperate to inflate their own egos by making everyone else look bad. For instance, you post something like, "My son just took his first steps! YAY!" One-Upper replies, "My daughter was walking at 8 months. Then, she ran a half marathon before she turned 2. Congrats, tho!"

Uh ... thanks ... !

There are also those Facebookers who, without fail, turn even the most benign status updates and pictures into something alarming or tragic. You know what I'm talking about -- I call them fun-suckers. For instance, a woman posts a picture of her cute toddler in a baby wading pool on a sunny summer day and Fun-Sucker says, "Hope she doesn't develop melanoma from such irresponsible sun exposure." Or maybe someone posts, "I'm having spaghetti for dinner tonight" and Fun-Sucker replies, "It better be gluten-free and organic. Otherwise, you can kiss your digestive system goodbye."

Here's some advice: If you make a comment on something and everyone else's comments are nice and supportive while yours is a direct quote from Debbie Downer, something is WRONG with you.

(Wah-WAAAAAH)

Oh yeah, and adding "LOL" only adds insult to injury. So just don't do it.

Then, there's those Facebook users who refuse to lose an argument. They just don't know how to quit. Letting go of a debate is not in their program. I'm all for some healthy back-and-forth once in a while, but come on -- leaving 14 humongous and obnoxious comments about Herman Cain's 9-9-9 plan on someone else's Wall is not a sign of genius; it's a sign that you didn't get enough attention as a child. MOVE ON, before you develop carpal tunnel syndrome.

Here are 10 things you can do instead of being a jerk on Facebook. I call them my "I Spent Too Much Time Arguing on Facebook and Now My Head Hurts and I'm Grumpy -- What Should I Do?" list:

1) Watch "Yo Gabba Gabba!"
2) Bake cookies
3) Read Harry Potter
4) Make a tulle wreath
5) Play with your kids
6) Do your homework
7) Paint your toenails
8) Read my blog
9) Have a nice conversation with your husband or wife
10) Take a nap, Grumpyface

All are sure to make you feel better, especially #8. LOL.

Question of the Day: What are your Facebook peeves?

Wedding pins.

I'm weird. Make no mistake about it. And to prove my weirdy status, I have a Pinterest board I call "Wedding Do-Over."

(Oh yeah, I'm on Pinterest. Follow me!)

Remember that time I blogged about how I'd love to have a wedding do-over? Yeah, Pinterest has fueled this obsession further. Well, maybe not obsession. Fun-yet-strange fantasy? Yes.

But seriously, who doesn't love weddings?

So, without further ado, I share with you my "Wedding Do-Over" pins.

1 2 3 4 5

I should probably just become a wedding planner or something.

What wedding trends do you LOVE?

What I am.

For the record:

from Mark Mabry's Reflections of Christ project

I am a Christian.

I believe with all my heart that Jesus Christ is my Savior and Redeemer.

I believe He suffered for the sins and pains of all humankind in Gethsemane so that our spiritual lives can be renewed through repentance on his name.

I believe He died on the cross at Calvary and raised Himself from the tomb so that all of us can have physical life through resurrection after death.

I believe He is the literal Son of God. I believe He is the perfect example.

I believe we can come to know His will by following His doctrine: keeping God's commandments, loving our neighbors, serving others unconditionally, forgiving all men who hurt and betray us and having faith in Him.

Jesus is my brother; He is my friend. He knows me perfectly. He loves me.

We can discuss the particulars of Christian theology 'til we're blue in the face, but at the end of the day, I know what I believe.

Enjoy this video of more amazing artwork from Mark Mabry (music by Freddie Ashby):

Pei Wei FTW!

Last Friday evening (also my half-birthday), Dill's parents had Bubby over for their traditional birthday sleepover, which they kicked off with Cars 2 at the dollar theater, dinner at Sbarro and a little shopping trip. Posh life, I know.

Since we were down to just one kid, Dill and I bravely decided we would all go to Pei Wei for dinner.

I know, you're like, "You only had one kid and you still had to mentally and physically prepare for dining out as if you were instead jumping out of a moving train?" To which I answer with an emphatic YES. Have you ever taken a food-chucking toddler who will only eat breads, dairy products and sugar to a restaurant? Let me just tell you -- if not, you haven't lived.

Anyway, we showed up to Pei Wei and ordered our food (while Smush screamed to be put down so he could run amok) and then took our seats. Me, being a smarty and a possible food hoarder, grabbed a handful of free fortune cookies to quell the raging beast. It pretty much worked.

Then, our entrees came out.

I have no idea what was going on in the kitchen -- maybe one of the cooks got dumped earlier? -- but my food uncharacteristically SUCKED that night. The rice was, like, dry and even crunchy. And the tofu was just sicknast. And of course, to make matters worse, my son refused to eat anything but the crunchy white rice and fortune cookies. Every mushroom, carrot and broccoli spear I offered him ended up on the floor in a matter of nanoseconds. I was getting super ticked and stressed out and GOSH DANG IT MY FOOD WAS SUB PAR and I paid a fair amount of hard-earned American dollars for it.

But hey, at least we only had the one kid! Silver lining!

I went home and tweeted about it as follows:

"Happy happy half-birthday to me (to me!). 24.5 Whoop whoop."

"In celebration, I had a mediocre dinner @PeiWei. Rice was dry and crunchy, tofu was dry. :( I usually love it. #sadday"

I really thought that would be the end of it, but no! Pei Wei is awesome. And besides having delicious food (normally), they also have quite amazing customer service.

Later, I got a reply from @PeiWei:

"@momtheintern I'm sorry! Which restaurant did you visit? Can we make it up to you?"
I then told them the location and they asked for my address in a direct message.

Today, I checked my mail and ...

Pei Wei! I could kiss you!

Two things learned from this:

1) Squeaky wheel gets the grease
2) Good customer service goes along way.

Thanks for being a pal, Pei Wei! I'll be back (minus the pint-sized food-flinger this time).

Four years ago ...

... This is what I was doing.

It was a wild ride, but she made it safe and sound (and almost a week late, as you can tell by her massive size). One of the most joyful and precious days of my life.

Happy birthday, little Bubby. May the next four years not zoom by quite so fast.

I'm related to Cinderella.

We had Bubby's 4th birthday party on Saturday and it was off tha HOOK, let me tell you. Bubby had been saying she wanted a princess dress-up party for ages so I knew it had to happen. Non-negotiable.

I decorated the table like this (those are candy necklace kits on the plates):

The view of the room.

The FABULOUS cake, made by DeKadent DesignZ (Jen the Cake Lady happens to be my neighbor. So lucky):

It was seriously the most DELICIOUS chocolate cake I've ever eaten. I may or may not have had 5 slices since Saturday.

Anyway, this cake also came with two dozen scrumptious cupcakes that looked like this:

My gorgeous princess dressed up as none other than Cinderella (that's my bridal tiara on her head).

After we made our candy necklaces, knock knock knock! CINDERELLA (aka my little sister Mariah) showed up! The girls were thrilled. Who wouldn't be? She read them her story in the most dramatic fashion and it was riveting, of course.

The whole group of teeny princesses and Cinderella (Bubby is trying to keep her crown from falling off her head):

Then, we played "Pin the Crown on the Princess" with Cinderella's help.

Then we opened the swag.

A Cinderella doll, OF COURSE!

Then it was time to blow out the candles perched precariously on Cinderella's gown.

Ah, such a fun time. I sure love throwing parties, but boy was I exhausted by the end! It seemed like everyone had a good time. No one cried and no one got hurt or lost any vital body parts. And Smush so graciously napped the entire time! Win!

Bubby will officially be 4 tomorrow. I'm trying not to cry. It's going TOO FAST. Slow down, time! To celebrate, we are going to Avakea, Bubby's name for IKEA. It's where she wants to party so I guess we're going! Dill's taking the day off, too. Go big or go home, I guess.

Comic-girl.

Maybe this is what I should be for Halloween.

c/o Andrea

What think ye? Scary? Cool? Something in between?

P.S. We can finally wear pants without dying of heatstroke. Fall is HERE!!!

A Christmas concert you NEED to go to.

I've told you all I'm pretty musical and all that jazz (pun totally intended). A few months ago, I auditioned to sing with Mormon Choral Organizations of America. Much to my excitement, the director so graciously let me in once I found a competent male singer to balance out the numbers.

It was a good day ... until I found that male and then actually went to our first rehearsal.

Then, it was a seriously GREAT day.

I realized this group was so much bigger and more amazing than I ever could have imagined. I left that first rehearsal with my heart soaring, feeling so blessed to be part of something of this magnitude. I immediately called my mom and gushed for a good 15 minutes about how technically and musically talented the choir was. It was a choral experience like none I'd previously had (and I have even sung in Regional and All-State choirs).

Since then, we've been rehearsing our Christmas music for our upcoming concert at the Mesa Arts Center, titled "Come Ye to Bethlehem." And if you live anywhere near the East Valley, you're cordially invited!

I know, you're like, Why would I want to go to a boring CHOIR concert? Well, here's why.

-Good choir music is NOT boring, for starters. And this is stellar. So no worries there. You'll be entertained.
-235 member audition-only adult choir
-Full 25 piece orchestra
-Super cute (and talented!) high school and children's choirs
-Amazing sacred music about the birth of the Savior, including a ...
-Totally rockin' African mens' choir piece and
-some never-before-heard choral arrangements of favorite Christmas songs and hymns
-I promise you will NOT be disappointed.

There is one piece in particular that I cannot sing without becoming physically emotional, the music is just THAT beautiful. I sure hope I can get it together in time for the concert!

Anyway, I am so excited for everyone who will attend this concert. Especially the first-timers. They have no idea what they're in for. It's going to knock their socks off!

Go here to get your tickets. (P.S.: if you wish to avoid pesky surcharges, head down to the Mesa Arts Center and purchase them at the box office directly.)

The time he got pulled over for looking like a punk.

So, our second year of marriage, we were living in Provo in an awesome, brown-shag-carpet-with-popcorn-ceilings apartment. Which is to say, we were flat broke. So when Halloween came around, we knew we'd have to be creative. Both our employers (me: Cougar Creations, he: Wells Fargo) asked that we dress up for work.

I found this ladybug-in-a-bag costume at Claire's for like $5 and I knew I was set.

Dill, on the other hand ... we were clueless as to what he should be.

Then one day, I was folding our laundry and I came across his Flogging Molly shirt. It dawned on me: PUNK ROCKER. It would not only be cheap but also very ironic, since my husband is known for being a clean-cut, conservative -- even geeky -- type of guy. All we'd need was some hair gel, a studded belt, an armband and some black eye-liner. The armband cost about $1 at Claire's or Hot Topic, the belt was another super-cheap clearance purchase, and the rest, I already had.

This is how he turned out:

Super-convincing, right? Made me giggle a lot.

I was at work later that day when I got a phone call from my beloved. I knew immediately by the tone of his voice that this was NOT going to be a Happy Halloween after all.

"So, I got a ticket on the way to work," he said.

(facepalm)

"Were you speeding?" I asked. Duh.

Dill proceeded to tell me that yes, he WAS speeding ("but just barely") and yes, he did feel like a total arse talking to a cop in his punk rocker costume. Then, he insisted he'd been unfairly profiled due to his faux-hawk and black eye make-up.

Well, hunny, hate to break it to you but those radar guns don't lie. And looking like you might enjoy Mary Jane in your spare time probably doesn't help your case.

Anyway, it made for a funny story, one we recall with fondness every Halloween. And also, I'm sad to report that Dill has not been a punk rocker for Halloween since that fated day.

Question of the Day: What are YOU dressing up as for Halloween this year? I got invited to a totally kick-butt Halloween party and I have no clue what to be! I'm thinking maybe a hipster ... or maybe, a PUNK ROCKER! Suggestions are welcome, but I'm on a budget. Like, $5. Keep that in mind.