Pumpkin Brownies

I wanted to make something sweet for Thanksgiving dinner with the family that wasn't pie. I found this recipe via Pinterest and it really is this easy to make.

Mix one box brownie mix and one can of Pumpkin, bake for 25 minutes (or whatever is listed on the box).

Just a note, however they are spread in the pan is how they will bake. So if you spread it ugly like I did, they'll turn out ugly.

They ended up being a BIG hit with the kiddos. Most of the kids did not want pie or any of the other desserts, so they really enjoyed these. I cut them into small bites and the single pan fed the army of kids. 

Jentzsch Thanksgiving { Photos }

The Jentzsch side of the family is my husbands side of the family, and it is quite large. Large enough, in fact that they needed to rent a clubhouse to host Thanksgiving Dinner. I spent most of the time socializing with family, enjoying dinner and doing the clean up, so I didn't get many photos, but here are a few of the ones I did get.

Aunt Carebear with Wyatt.

My little hamlet being silly.

Uncle Bubba and Mason playing around.

Grandpa Beanie's arrival!

Grandpa Beanie and Brayden. They love each other.

Grandma and grumpy Wyatt.

Aunt Carebear, Uncle Steven and Grandma Trudy.

The countdown to food begins!

Brayden enjoying his dinner roll as a snack.

Baby Emma and Aunt Rachel.

DIY Mini Christmas Tree

These are super easy to make. 

You'll need:

a paper plate

Mod Podge

"ornaments", like buttons, glitter, etc
Embroidery floss

Cut to the middle of the plate and fold it into a cone.

Tape, glue, etc. Then, start at the top with your floss and work your way down by wrapping it. Use glue as needed to keep your thread from riding up.

Set aside and let dry. Add ornaments as desired.

Enjoy your mini Christmas tree. Ours is residing in Brayden's room. He needs some Christmas in that room!

DIY Christmas Pennant

Our living room is more of a "man cave" and isn't really festive looking.

Plus I've always wanted to make a pennant.

The paper came from a paper pack from Hobby Lobby. It was on sale for 50% off. It cost about $3 for a pack of 48 pages. The ribbon was .50 on sale too

How to do it:

Trace out the shape you'd like. Cut out and glue (or tape) to ribbon.
Let glue dry.

Hang, display and enjoy looking at your artwork.

Vox Box Review

I am part of the social networking site, Influenster. Have you heard of it yet? If not, go check it out!

I was selected to receive the Collegate Vox Box! Here are the items that were in my goody box!

Necco Tropical Wafers (Retails at $1.25). I loved these. Candy is my secret addiction and I loved these. Don't let the photo fool you, they're BIG and the roll has lots of thin wafers in them. I shared with my husband and between the two of us these were gone in no time!
Rating: 4 out of 5

Pentel EnerGel-X Campaign Pen (Retails at $1.90 per pen). I use pens a LOT for work, as a matter of fact, all I ever use are pens, so getting a nice pen in this VoxBox really made me so incredibly happy! The grip on it is great and the ink flows so well onto the paper without smearing or smudging. It also is an easy click, none of that getting stuck crap like other click pens do!

Rating 5 out of 5 stars.
I'll be seen using this one at work!

Energy Sheets (retails at $5.95 for a pack of 10 sheets). Bubba and I tried these the next morning, before another Thanksgiving get-together with the family. We both tried them and said the same thing, they could dissolve better, but they work, and the fact that they taste like Listerine Strips make me more likely to use them in the mornings than not. Nothing is nastier than coffee breath in the morning when you are fresh out of mints or gum!

Rating: 4 out of 5.
I just wish they'd dissolve better!

NYC New York Color Show Time Glitter Eyeliner Pencil (Retails at $2.49 per pencil)

I really liked this product, and used it immediately after I got it. I've been a fan of NYC cosmetics for some time now, my favorites being their eyeliner pencils and polishes, so I was STOKED to find a black glitter eyeliner pencil in my box! I couldn't capture a clear photo of my eye with this pencil, but if I see it at the store, I'm buying more! It is wonderful!

Rating: 5 out of 5

ImPress Press-On Manicure (Retails at $7.99 for patterns). This product was the first one I tried, and I LOVE it. I'm always on the look out for new nail art and designs since that is the only way to express myself and be fashionable at work in my scrubs. Let me tell you, these things are so incredibly easy to apply, and they last! I've done the dishes twice, done the laundry, tended to the baby, showered, everything and they've lasted. I would rate these for mommies and for college students because they are durable!

This is the nails after application. They were so close to perfect fit and length I almost didn't need to trim or file them down! (I did anyways for the sake of work and my little man.)

The design I got was fabulous! I am so in love with my manicure now!

Rating: 5 out of 5.
I will be buying more of this product!

VoxBox rating: 4.5 out of 5. All of the products were catered to me and my lifestyle, even though I am not your traditional college student! The products were all effective and very easy to use and incorporate into my life. I am very excited! 

Amanda's Birthday

Friday was my sister-in-law Amanda's birthday celebration! We went to dinner at Santa Monica Pizza and Pasta and enjoyed time at the Arcade and Bowling alley later! Here are some photos of the event!

Bubba and baby Wyatt. So cute!

The kiddos!

Jamie and Billy, and Jimmy harassing them. (We're not surprised).

My wonderful in-laws!

My brother in law Steve and baby Emma

Hippo yawn!

Aunt Carebear and Brayden spent some time at the arcade!

One game made gorilla noises. Brayden HATED it.

Happy Birthday beautiful girl!

Aw! These kiddos! I love em!

The Boho-Chic Braided Roll

Today I am going to show you lovely ladies how to achieve this style. I promise this is easy to do, and it looks really good! I wear it to work all the time, and I get lots of compliments from both my patients and colleagues. It is so easy to do as well!

You'll need a faux hair headband, a handful of bobby pins and a mirror to check the back of your hair.

After showering, blow dry and straighten hair (if necessary). Style bangs and add gel. Make sure hair is totally dry before you begin.

Put your headband on top of your hair, pull your bangs out and tuck any of the hair on the crown of your head that may poof. Pin in place. 

Take the hair that in under the headband, then pull it up and tuck it into the headband. Using the loops you created when you tucked it in, continue to roll and pin into place. 

Adjust any loose strands around your face as needs be and hairspray.

Oh Christmas Tree

An amazing thing happened. An angel helped us set up or Christmas tree!

Little dude is so in love with looking at the tree (he gets that from his momma). When I turned in the lights he sat back in his walker and smiled so big, yelling out "wooooooooooooooowwww." He was so gentle with playing with the tree and loved the lights. He's been enamored with it ever since.

I am so excited for Christmas!

Crescent Roll Taco Pizza

This one is easy to make, and looks a lot better than in the photo. Wanna know why it looks like a Big Mac in the photo?

My husband reminded me when he was on his seconds that I forgot to take photos. And he put Thousand Island on it already...so thats the photo you get.

What you'll need (Makes 6 "slices")
1 Tube of Crescent Rolls

1 lb Ground Beef

Shredded Cheese (Fiesta Blend melts best!)

Optional: Tomatoes, Olives

Brown the beef in a frying pan. While it is cooking, unroll your crescent roll dough to make a flat pizza-like dough by using your fingers. One tube will make a half of a cookie sheet. 

Add seasoning to the beef as needed (I used seasoned salt, but you can use Taco Seasoning, I'm sure). Once cooked, cover the top of the dough with your toppings, including the beef.

Bake in the oven at 350 degrees until the crust is golden brown. Ours took about 15 minutes to bake. 

Slice, serve and enjoy! 

(And cover with Thousand Island if you're a lunatic like my husband).  

Trans-Siberian Orchestra

Photo Props to my Dad.

Last night we went to see the Trans-Siberian Orchestra at the Energy Solutions Arena (formally known as the Delta Center) in Salt Lake. My dad surprised us all with a text about a week ago that said "clear your schedules, get a babysitter, you're going with us on Thanksgiving Eve to see Trans-Siberian Orchestra." 

This all happened when I was having a hard day at work. Imagine my shock.

I cried, I was so excited.

I had never been to a concert before, and oh my goodness. The lights. The pyrotechnics (the fireworks AND the flames!), the amount of amazing musicians and performers. It was AMAZING. I can only imagine for long it takes to create a show like that. 

This video was found via Youtube search for blogger. I do not own it and it is a few years old (I was told in 2009 when my parents first attended that the leads all had bleach blonde hair, I'm pretty sure this is the same concert they were able to see). However, I'm adding it so if you're not familiar with this group you'll know who I am talking about.

Crockpot Potato Chowder (Outback Steakhouse Copycat Recipe)

Another Pinterest recipe, I'm trying as many of my pinned recipes as possible before pinning anything new!

Ingredients:

1 Bag Hash browns (shredded and frozen)

3 cans chicken broth

1 can cream of chicken soup

About 1/4th Teaspoon pepper

Cook on low for 6-7 hours.

One hour before it is finished add a brick of cream cheese, stir well

Top with cheese, bacon bits, etc and enjoy!