Drowsy Aurora Etsy Shop

For those who haven't heard, my Etsy shop is finally open! It's not exactly booming with business or even favorites yet (aka the poor gal's shopping spree), but it hasn't been open for long, plus I only have three listings.

Itching with curiosity yet? Here's the link: DrowsyAurora - Etsy

Here are a couple pictures to whet your appetite.

Howard, Raj, Penny, Sheldon and Leonard from
The Big Bang Theory

Chell from the video game Portal

Hermione Granger from Harry Potter

Variation on Steamed Vegetables

Well, ANTM (America's Next Top Model) and the overwhelming pins on Pinterest has spoken: healthy and fit is the new skinny. Sure, it's easy enough to click "repin," but what can you do to start eating healthier? Most people that I've talked to simply don't like the taste of most, if not all, vegetables. Also, many don't know what to do once they do buy them.
The recipe I'm about to share was originally suggested by my husband, surprisingly enough. We've slowly managed to collect a decent number of garlic dip cups--that buttery dip that you occasionally get with pizza. We don't eat pizza without getting a new one, so they've been accumulating. We found another use for them.

First, you need a vegetable. Today I used broccoli. Rinse it off, then cut it into bite-sized pieces; they'll cook more evenly if they're about the same size. Put them all into a saucepan.
The broccoli should still have some water on it from the rinse earlier, but if not, add a tablespoon or so now, depending on the quantity.
Now, pour your garlic butter sauce over the broccoli. (If you don't have some pre-made on hand like I do, melt butter, mix in garlic and a little bit of sugar, to taste.)
Place the lid on the pan, turn the heat to medium-low, and watch the magic. The broccoli is done when it's bright green, but only as crisp/crunchy as you prefer. If it's turning brown, it's past being done. Take it out. Now. Broccoli is so pretty when it's cooked properly. :)
After the broccoli is cooked, take a spoon and gently mix it, scooping some of the butter and pouring it over the broccoli.

Serve! It's better when it's hot, so try to cook it right before you're ready to eat--if you leave it on a burner on low, it's going to turn brown. Please don't do that. It doesn't deserve it. (Yes, it's only food and it probably cost you $2. I'll forgive you.)

I ate mine on a bed of rice, using the butter as my sauce. Sooooo good!

Green Tastiness

I wanted a grilled cheese sandwich. The only cheese to be found in the fridge: pepper-jack, feta, and cream cheese. No cheddar.
It was then that I remembered that I had avocado that would soon be going bad. We also had plenty of tortilla shells (the soft, burrito-making kind). This is what I decided to make:


Ingredients


1 Avocado
1 Tortilla shell
1-2 oz. Cream cheese
Garlic powder
Salt
Pepper

First, spread the cream cheese onto the tortilla shell; lightly sprinkle garlic, salt and pepper on cream cheese, to taste.


Microwave the tortilla for 20 seconds. 
Halve the avocado and slice it.


To the best of your abilities with your avocado, spread onto half of the tortilla (I did all of it because I doubled the recipe). 
Fold over, cut (or tear) and enjoy! 


-- If you decide to make one with two tortillas, keep in mind that one avocado is really high in fiber and other nutrients, which basically means that it'll fill you up faster than you might think. Using just one tortilla doesn't seem like much, but it is really filling. You may be able to eat more, but if not, don't say I didn't warn you!

Custom Jones Soda Labels

Well, the wedding is over. I unfortunately didn't get nearly as many pictures as I would have liked (I blame it on being in close quarters with too many people for too long, which resulted in a not-caring attitude on my part). Anyways. 

Here are our wedding favors; they turned out really well, if I do say so myself:

The things tied to them are luggage tags, which we used as the place cards.

Non-Aeromatic Florals

I finally finished my bouquets!! :D The large one could probably be sold for at least $100 on Etsy, and the smaller ones could probably be sold for a decent amount, too. I'm fairly happy with them, though the bridesmaid ones did turn out to be a bit smaller than I had originally planned; alas, I have less than two weeks before the wedding, so the length of time it would take for completion of some tasks needed to be shortened. It is pretty exciting to be able to check off another item on my list of things to do before I leave for Florida. ...which is on Saturday.

The Mouses

I was holding out for something from the President, but so far I haven't received anything. Here's the postcard I received from Mickey and Minnie Mouse though:

Hypoallergenic Flower Bouquets

I decided that live flowers would be too much hassle for what I'd like to pay for them. So, I began making flowers out of fabric. Yes, it's tedious to make each one, but it's rather enjoyable to make them while watching a movie or catching up on TV shows (such as Voyager). The bridesmaids will have white/ivory bouquets, so I purchased some muslin from Jo-Ann's with a coupon for $1.50/yd, some small pearl beads, and floral wire; I will wrap them with some ribbon (50¢ a spool) once I finish. The pictures below are of the flowers I have made so far. I think I could make 1 1/2 bouquets out of them; we shall see. I'll post pictures of them when I'm finished, too, of course.