Happy Halloween!

Now who's up for a physical challenge?!

Be safe, peeps!

Wish List

With birthmas (birthday + Christmas) quickly approaching, it seemed like the right time to start compiling a wish list. (Is it a little self-centered to create a list and blog about it? I am 70-30 on this... 70% uncomfortable, 30% okay with it. I'll keep you posted if that ratio changes.)

Via

I've been wanting this customized stamp set from Paper Source for awhile now. I don't send a ton of snail mail, but maybe this would encourage me to send more? Look at how cute these designs are!

You know you're losing creativity when you start asking for kitchen gadgets. I'm in desperate need of some new dishtowels and oven mitts. Does anybody else have a hole in the crease between the thumb & the rest of the hand? Warning: It doesn't feel great!

 

Via

Via

And lastly, a new travel coffee mug. Mine currently has a giant crack at the top, which causes almost all of my coffee to leak out. I brew the coffee to drink it, not to wet my hands with it.

Via

News!

DISCLAIMER: After receiving a few messages of "I'm finding out you are pregnant on the internet!," I feel ridiculously guilty for my little prank. Those of you who read my blog will NEVER find out about Baby Malone on here - I promise!

 

How many of you thought I was going to say I'm pregnant?!

Sorry for the cruel joke, but the baby above is not a Maloneski. (And c'mon - I had to!)

Mr. Malone and I are going to be Godparents! Is it okay to be this excited?!

Last Dance

As you all know, Mr. Malone and I had a very busy summer. We were completely honored to celebrate with our friends and family this year. (Seriously! I am totally floored that that many people like us that much.) Needless to say, however, we aren't crying about wedding season being over.

All of our love and warmest congratulations to the newlyweds of 2012!

* Marcus & Julia - May 5 *
* Mike & Erin - May 26 *
* Craig & Melinda - June 23 *
* Steven & Jennifer - July 7 *
* Kyle & Cassie - July 28 *
* Steve & Shannon - August 5 *
* Andrew & Alice - August 11 *
* Andy & Keli - August 25 *
* Nick & Tracy - September 1 *

* Galen & Sara - October 20 *

See It: Pitch Perfect

Shannon and I got pitch slapped last night. Hard.

And we loved every second.

Founders' Day

Today marks Founders' Day for AXO - 127 years! My experience in Alpha Chi Omega is something that I will never forget. I firmly believe in what the organization stands for and I also believe in the benefit of Greek life. Sure, there were dramatic times (and anybody who says differently is lying!), but I wouldn't change it for anything.

You done good, Alpha Chi Omega. Happy Founders' Day!

Donate to Take the Alpha Chi Omega Founders' Day Challenge!

Insomnia

Why am I awake before 6:30 on a Sunday? And why have I been awake for almost three hours?

Here's to getting my grocery shopping done early today. REAL early.

Pad Thai

We love Alton Brown in our household. We own all of his cookbooks and find his recipes to be (relatively) simple and delicious. (As previously mentioned, his guacamole is bananas.) His recipe for pad thai is no different, and has become a staple in our menu planning. The key? Prep work! Get all of your ingredients assembled in small bowls BEFORE heating the wok.

 PAD THAI

*Via Alton Brown

1 oz tamarind paste

3/4 C boiling water

2 Tbsp fish sauce

2 Tbsp palm sugar (I've always used granulated sugar.)

1 Tbsp rice wine vinegar

4 oz rice stick noodles

6 oz Tofu (Another change - I use boneless, skinless chicken breasts. Usually 2 or 3, depending on the size.)

1-2 Tbsp peanut oil

1 C chopped scallions

2 Tsp minced garlic

2 whole eggs, beaten

3 oz bean sprouts

1/2 C chopped peanuts

1 lime, cut into wedges

*Place the tamarind paste in the boiling water and set aside.

*Combine fish sauce, sugar and rice wine vinegar in a small bowl & set aside.

*Place noodles in a shallow dish and cover with hot water. (This is where we've had some issues - the package says soak for 30-45 minutes. Not long enough and they are too hard. Too long and they are gummy. It's a work in progress!)

*Measure out all other ingredients into small bowls. Again, this will make your life easier!

*Press tamarind through a fine mesh strainer and add to the fish sauce mixture.

*Heat a wok over high heat. Once hot, add 1 Tbsp of the peanut oil.

*Cook chicken (or tofu) until done - just a few minutes. Remove from wok and drain.

*If necessary, add 1 Tbsp of peanut oil to the wok and heat until shimmering.

*Add 2/3 of the scallions and garlic. Cook for 10-15 seconds.

*Add eggs; once eggs begin to set, stir to scramble.

*Add the remaining ingredients in the following order and toss after each addition: noodles, fish sauce mixture, 2/3 of the bean sprouts, peanuts and chicken.

*Toss everything until heated through, but no longer than 2 minutes.

*Garnish with remaining bean sprouts, scallions, peanuts and a lime wedge.

YUM!

Read It: My Sister's Keeper

I think I may be one of the last people to read this book, but it was worth the wait. I don't even know what the hold up was to begin with... so many books, so little time!

Jodi Picoult is Jen's favorite author, and during one of our regular dinners, she brought this along for me to borrow. I was hesitant to get started, because I assumed it would be so emotionally draining. And while it was sad, the way it was written didn't leave me feeling sorry for anybody.

I think everybody is aware of the main premise: a thirteen-year old has acted as a donor for her older sister, who is battling a rare form of leukemia, for all of her life. (In fact, she was genetically "designed" to be a perfect match.) But now she is wanting to make decisions for herself, as opposed to having her parents choose for her. I'm usually not keen on books that are written from multiple points of view, but I think that is the only way this can work. There was no confusion, no thoughts of "wait, who is this again?," and it was absolutely crucial to understanding how each character is being affected by this situation.

It really is a heavy subject, and left me wondering "what would I want if I was Anna?" or "what would I do if I were her parents?" With the different points of view, the reader is able to learn about each character on a deeper level; and the smaller stories help the reader escape the burden of cancer. For me, the book was nearly impossible to put down.

This recommendation is a no-brainer for me - read this! (But maybe not on the bus or in the office... you never know when your tear ducts will start working overtime.)

Sara's Bridal Shower

I like love playing hostess. I really, really do. And with the help of Mama Jewski and my sisters (ok, ok... and Pinterest), we could open a bridal shower business.

My cousin Sara is getting hitched on October 20 - which is also my parents' anniversary. (Fun fact: My parents' wedding was the first wedding Sara ever attended... she was only 19 days old!)

I couldn't be more excited for her - Galen is a wonderful addition to our family and is a great match for Sara! Can't wait to boogie in a few weeks at Melrose Market!

Emily's cupcakes are the best!

Manchego & Almond Covered Grapes. MAKE THEM.

Sara & Aunt J

Congrats, S & G!

Organizers Anonymous

My name is Lauren. And I am an addict.

Meet my new best friend - the Sterlite container. Fred Meyer had these on sale last night, 10 for $10. A DOLLAR EACH, PEOPLE! I picked up five to help contain our bathroom drawers and our abundance of cooking oils & vinegars.

And then this conversation occurred (after I had admired the pantry for the thousandth time) - 

Mr. Malone: "You are weird."

Me: "Well, I wouldn't want to see what your pantry looked like without me."

Mr. Malone: "I just think that if you had the option to do something else or organize, you would choose organizing."

He's {probably} right. Sue me.

P Dub Love

Back when this blog began, I declared my love for The Pioneer Woman. Nothing has changed - I still enjoy her website and manage to check it daily.

Every now and then she has these photo contests for her readers. It's easy. All you have to do is upload a photo to her group in Flickr and wait to see if she will post it on her website. There aren't any prizes. (Except for maybe bragging rights!)

Imagine my surprise when I was scrolling through her fifth group of favorites and saw this:

The theme was "Phone Photos" and I chose to submit something for fun, not thinking it would have any chance of being re-posted. (I also just really love this picture!) Needless to say, I'm pretty darn excited to see it on there!

And now you can say you know someone who got randomly selected out of thousands of phone photos famous!