Stressed Out

Have you ever heard a song and then thought to yourself, "wow...that had a heavy dose of realism in it" or just "that was deeeeeeeep"? Well, I have it happen from time to time and one of these times it was to this song.

"Stressed Out" by Twenty One Pilots.

It really does seem like my generation is super stressed. With the economy the way it is and student loans...times when we were young do seem stress free and so far away. Anyways, I hope you enjoy this strange and unique song as much as I did! :D

Stressed Out Music Video

Also, I feel like at the part where it says, "wake up you need to make money" could totally be made into a parody for girls where it says, "wake up you need to be married". Lol. I am not sure if that is true for everyone...but I definitely felt a push to get married from my family in the same way they pushed my brother to "make money" and find a job. Just food for thought.

My Top 10 Favorite Children's Books

My Sweet Baby Girl's Favorite Book! :D

I love putting list together of things I want to share or have special meaning to me...especially when I am bored and looking for something to do! Books have always played a part in my life even when I was a young child. In fact, some of the books I read when I was very young have taught me lessons that have stayed with me through life. Others are just memorable because they are so fun! Either way, I made a list of books that are memorable and special to me from my childhood. Keep in mind that these are my PERSONAL favorites and not rated on quality or anything like that. What books are your favorites? Do you have any on this list or feel that something should have been added? I would love to know! I am always looking for new books to check out! :D

List of Favorite Children’s Books:

 The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstien

Corduroy by Don Freeman

Madeline by Ludwig Bemelmans

The Tale of Peter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter

The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle

Stellaluna by Janell Cannon

Where the Wild Things are by Maurice Sendak

The Rainbow Fish by Marcus Pfister

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs by Judi Barrett

 Chicka Chicka Boom Boom by Bill Martin Jr.

Honorable Mentions:

All of the Dr. Suess books (The Cat in the Hat, The Lorax, Green Eggs and Ham, ect)

Amelia Bedilia Books by Peggy Parish

The Berenstain Bears by Jan & Mike Berenstain

Where’s Spot? By Eric Hill

  A new favorite of mine (my child’s favorite) The Pout-Pout Fish by Deborah Diesen

The Lantern Festival

I am extremely excited to report that a Lantern Festival is coming to St. Louis!!! You know, like in the movie Tangled with Rapunzel and Eugene? YES! That kind of Lantern Festival. I am sooooo excited because this will be one more thing to mark off of my Bucket List this year! Woot Woot! :D

Saturday November, 5 2016 is the date! Which is VERY exciting because it is right after my Birthday. :D

Lantern Fest Locations and Info

A Hair Dye, Nose Ring, and Tattoo Later

Friends are awesome. Who else would put on crazy fur coats and model them with you?

Sometimes friends are the best thing about living life. I mean, of course there is always yummy food, beautiful outdoor places, travel, children, and a ton of other things that make life amazing...but what makes friends so wonderful is that they can share all of those things with you.

One of my best friends, Nina, has been going through a rough time lately and so to lighten life up a little she decided a makeover was much needed. She wanted to go from a golden brown hair to a red hair, get a Ruby nose stud, and get a dandelion tattoo. My friend Nina can be quite adventurous when the mood strikes her...and boy did it. She did not want to make these changes over a few weeks. Nope. All in ONE day. That is right! 

So, like most normal people, when you are about to embark on a crazy journey with lots of first experiences what do you do? Invite a friend to share it all with of course! 

Nina and I went to Sally's to look at the Hair Dye first (this was my favorite part of the make-over because I have been wanting her to go red for YEARS). We looked at all the colors and decided that two were close but not quite right...so I came up with the brilliant idea to just mix them (Nina is totally rolling her eyes). Hey, after you see the final result I would say it was pretty brilliant. :D

Then we headed off to learn about Nose Studs/Rings and Tattoos. Turns out that getting a Tattoo is not really a spur of the moment thing at most places, so instead Nina talked with an artist she liked and that was as much as she could accomplish. However, she was able to get the Ruby Nose Stud that she wanted!

So, after her hair dye and new nose stud...this is the NEW Nina! :D

Isn't she beautiful?! I think she is very happy with the changes that she has made and that is all that really matters. :D

If some of you are wondering why I did not get any of these exciting new things I will tell you. It is just not my cup of tea. *Shrugs* I get my kicks from going and having new experiences but I really love the way I am. Not that I won't ever have a new hair style or something, but tattoos and piercings are just not me. However, I love and support my friends in all of their exciting endeavors! :D

The Fabulous Fox Theater

Me in front of the Fox Theater (Theatre)!

I made a post a few months ago about "Waiting for Wicked" and how excited I was to FINALLY be seeing it. IT DID NOT DISAPPOINT. It was AMAZING. I had such a great time and it was worth every penny. If you ever get the chance to go see Wicked...grab your Best Girlfriend and GO. Seriously, like right now...you should be looking up where you can go see it. We went to go see it at the Fox Theater in St. Louis.

The Ceiling was Breath Taking

This was my first time being to this Theater and it was a spectacular surprise. I had no idea how elegant this place was. I wore a cocktail dress and felt a little under dressed. This is saying something because I am usually over dressed. I easily could have worn one of my evening gowns and fit in marvelously (I know for next time!). The coolest thing about this theater is that it has it's own separate "Women's Lounge". This Women's Lounge includes a beautiful spiral staircase that leads down into a parlor/sitting area and leads into a restroom and drinking area. When I was walking down the stair case I am not going to lie...I totally pretended I was on the Titanic...before it went down of course :p

They had a Wicked themed Christmas Tree!

The whole experience was wonderful and hopefully I will be able to go back to the Fox soon!

Bailey's Chocolate Bar with Tiphanie and Nina

Nina and Tiphanie on Bailey's Birthday Date!

My friend Nina and I have made a bit of a tradition since moving to St. Louis. Each year on our Birthdays we take each other to Bailey's Chocolate Bar! We LOVE it. The atmosphere is amazing, the food taste like it fell out of heaven, and everyone is friendly and accommodating.

"Tiphanie being a HAM" is how Nina titled this one. I think it is accurate. :D

Almost every time we go we get the exact same thing. We are such creatures of habit sometimes, lol.
We get either the Cheese Platter/The Aphrodisiacs Platter and then some kind of dessert or BLT Sandwich. Their BLT's are amazing! This time around we got the cheese platter. As you can see below it comes with a lot of food!

The Cheese Platter! It comes with bread, three kinds of cheeses, and dried fruit and nuts.

We were feeling really full after the Cheese Platter so this time around we settled for a Cream Soda instead of a dessert or Chocolate Martini (what they are famous for). 

The Cream Soda here was AMAZING. I need to find this brand in stores! 

Our next date will be around July for Nina's Birthday and I can't WAIT. If you are in the St. Louis area this is definitely one of my highest recommended places to visit! 

Our Table Setting

We got ham to go with our cheese platter and we made mini-sandwiches- delicious!

I love candles! They make everything more fun...and they are great hand warmers.

My Personal Bucket List of 100 things I would like to accomplish

~WORK IN PROGRESS~BUCKET LIST~

My First Snowman...why yes, he DOES have an Icicle Mohawk, a leaf mustache, Celery stick eyebrows, and Girl Scout Cookie Thin Mints as eyes...and yes we did eat them later. You just can't let Thin Mints go to waste even for a snow man as cool as this. :D 

Most everyone has goals and dreams that they work towards throughout this crazy journey we call life. Some people even categorize these goals and dreams into a list of things they want to accomplish before they "kick the bucket". Thus, we have the Bucket List. This is my personal bucket list. I hope to one day accomplish most of these goals but if I do not it will also be okay. These are goals to work towards but over time sometimes goals change, are accomplished (then you acquire new ones), or are simply forgotten or were just not priorities.

I was looking over a Bucket List I made back around 2009. I was surprised to see that many of my Goals on that list had been completed!  Goals such as: Get Married, Have a Baby, Carve a Pumpkin, Visit a Foreign Country, Buy a House, Own my own Car, ect. So, maybe in 6-7 years from now I will look back at this list and see that many of  these goals have been accomplished! Or maybe I will be productive and move things from the Bucket List to the Accomplished List as I do them. Who knows? ;p That would be amazing. Anyways, here is my Bucket List. Enjoy!

I did look at a few other Bucket List for some ideas and these were my favorites:
http://bucketlistjourney.net/my-bucket-list/
https://www.pinterest.com/explore/bucket-lists/




Bucket List 2015

• Have a Second Baby
• Have a Book Published
• Read the Whole Bible
• Adopt a Shelter Pet
• Adopt a Child
• Ride a Hot Air Balloon
• Paint a Painting...that I actually want to hang up :p
• Have a Legit Garden (I shared a Garden this Year, I would like to have my own at some point)
• Own Chickens
• Volunteer for Habitat for Humanity
• Learn a Foreign Language
• Go on a Mission Trip
• Volunteer 
• Go to a Wine Tasting
• Visit Japan (See the Cheery Blossoms, visit the Pokemon and other Gaming stores, Tour Studio Ghibli, Visit a Shrine, Attend a Tea Ceremony, have a Geisha Makeover, Relax in a Natural Hot Spring, Sing at Karaoke)
• Visit New York (eat at Cheeseburger Cheeseburger, have Breakfast at Tiffany's, Spend a day in Central Park, See a Show on Broadway)
• Learn how to play at least one song on a Piano
• Learn how to play at least one song on a Guitar
• Learn about more charities
• Do a Color Run
• Run for a Cause
• Learn how to Ballroom Dance, Tango, or any kind of partner dance really
• Go to a Lantern Festival (yes, like in Tangled) 
• Visit Australia and New Zealand (Dive the Great Barrier Reef, Visit Hobbiton, Explore the Cave of Wonders, Catch a Wave Surfing, Try Vegemite)
• Stay at the Ice Hotel in Sweden
• Read 100 MORE books (I already read the first 100 from the 2009 Bucket List)
• Visit Italy (Ride in a Gondola, Eat Spaghetti and Pizza, St. Peter's Basilica, Feed the Birds)
• Go Play Paintball
• Have a Spa Day
• Go to Carnival in Rio de Janeiro 
• Swim/Stand under a Waterfall
• Visit a Castle
• Make 50 Tie Blankets and Donate to a Shelter
• Name a Star
• Go to a Shooting Range
• Send a Message in a Bottle
• Start a Blog (oh WAIT...CHECK :)
• Do a Road Trip across America
• Serve Meals to the Homeless
• Donate Blood (or convince someone else to if I can not)
• Dog Sled
• Indoor Skydiving (I am too chicken for the real thing, lol)
• Ride ATV's
• Stay in a Cabin while it Snows
• Go White Water Rafting
• See an active volcano
• Fly a Kite
• Horse Back ride on the Beach
• Ride in a Horse and Carriage
• Take a Falconry Class
• Witness a Solar Eclipse
• Create a Flower Arrangement
• Throw a Surprise Party
• Be Surprised
• Take a Specific Cooking Class (Cake Decorating, Italian)
• Be a Cartoon Voice or Extra in a Movie
• Complete the IMDB Top 100 Movies
• Eat Food from a Food Truck (They actually have these IN St. Louis, gotta try one!)
• Attend a Murder Mystery Dinner Show (Have this in St. Louis!)
• Be a part of a Scavenger Hunt (I actually put together an AMAZING one for my Bridesmaids..SO FUN...now I would like to be in one I didn't make up :p)
• Go Camping for more than one night
• Try out more cocktails
• Have a Signature Cocktail like in Black and White Movies
• Have a "Usual" at a store/restaurant
• Learn one recipe from each culture 
• Celebrate MORE Holidays from other countries (I already do Chinese New Year, but Day of the Dead would be fun!)
• Make a Geocache (I have gone to find Geocache's but I have always wanted to make one)
• Go to a Renaissance Faire
• Attend a Convention of every Genre I like: Comic, Anime, Gamers, Literature, Sci-fy, and Technology (Most of these have Cons in St. Louis! Would be so much fun! 
• Learn to shoot a gun
• Learn to shoot with a Bow
• Go Flounder Gigging (again! I did this when I was a child but I would love to do it as an adult now)
• Take my daughter to Disney World and see it through her eyes
• Renew my Boating License and take a boat for a drive!
• Ride in an Airplane (idk...I am really afraid of heights, maybe I put this on here more as an incentive to get OVER my fear of heights, lol)
• Go Star Gazing late into the night
• Play in the rain (with my children...I need to get rain coats!)
• Take my children to see plays (I want them to love the theater as much as I do)
• Ride in a Limo
•  Draw a Picture for each day of the year
• Write a Poem for each day of the year
• Write a Quote for each day of the year
• Take a Picture for each day of the year
• Design a Dress and then have someone make the real thing!
• Learn to make Homemade Soap
• Milk an animal
• Bring a horse to a gallop (while riding!) 
• Go on a mini shopping spree for a new wardrobe
• Write with a Quill and Feather Ink Pen 
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Things Accomplished:
Learn to Can Foods
Learn about health foods/fitness

Ice Festival 2016 at the Loop in St. Louis

Have you ever been to an Ice Festival? Me either! Until today that is. St. Louis hosts an Ice Festival every year in the St. Louis Loop for families and friends to get together and enjoy. There was amazing Ice Sculptors, Ice Slides for the Kiddos, lots of free samples and giveaways to try out, and even a giant Zip Line. Even though the weather was a little bit chilly it really was a beautiful day to be out and about enjoying the sights and sounds of a festival.

White Hot Chocolate! Yum!

We are hoping to go again next year! We hope to see you there! :D

Corner 17 Restaurant

So, I tried out a new restaurant today! Yay! I was in the St. Louis Loop for the Ice Festival and it was time for lunch after all the playing and walking and other various shenanigans. My normal go to is Fitz's. Seriously. I LOVE Fitz's. I will do a post on it at some point, I promise! Anyways, I was feeling adventurous today and I wanted to try something new. The Loop is full of interesting restaurants to try out. We walked down the road and eventually passed a place that caught my eye.

 Corner 17 Noodles and Bubble Tea. Being that I have never tried Bubble Tea I knew this was going to sate my curiosity about it AND my need to be adventurous...because going out in cold weather to an Ice Festival with a 2 year old could never be considered adventurous enough (sarcasm). :P

 I was very excited to try Bubble Tea but I had NO idea the choice tornado I was going to find myself in. Who knew there were SO many different kinds of Bubble Teas? From the flavors, the choices to go IN the tea, and the KIND of tea...I was so lost. Luckily our waiter, Yan, was very patient with me. I told him what kind of things I liked and he suggested I try the Coconut Milk Bubble Tea with boba. Well, he picked the perfect one for me! It was DELICIOUS! I am sooooo ready for another one! Okay, well, I did forget to ask about the amount of Caffeine in them so maybe not the best thing to binge on if you are like me and have bad reactions to caffeinated beverages. Still, wonderful for a splurge!

 Then there was the nom noms part of the meal to decide. I went with the pan seared noodles with chicken. You can actually watch them make the noodles from scratch from a window close to where you are seated (I am a nerd okay and I like learning new things). I was not disappointed with this meal. The noodles were somehow a mixture of savory, sweet, and the perfect texture. These are the best noodles I have ever had. They were delicious! Oh, and did I mention, they were only $8.99?! On the Loop that is extremely reasonable for a meal and I personally was able to make it TWO meals because I had enough for left overs.

Sigh. It is going to make trying new things on the Loop even more difficult now that I have another favorite place to eat...and drink because that tea was amazing. I would definintly recommend trying this place out if you have not. The wait staff was extraordinary (a waiter brought my daughter fortune cookies to snack on until the food was brought out), the food was great, and the specialty tea was unique and fun to try! :)

The Bubble Run

Video is brought to you by YouTube and copyrighted via http://www.bubblerun.com/upcoming-locations/st-louis-mo/

I am SO excited to share this! I am DOING IT! Woohoo! I have been practicing and training to do a 5K and I finally bought a ticket. This run really just looked too fun to pass up. Bubbles? Who doesn't love bubbles? I still have a few months to get in even better shape though and shave some of my run time off hopefully. I started looking at 5k's offered in the St. Louis area and it has SO many amazing races to choose from that I had to make a spread sheet to keep up with all the info! Of course, choices are never a bad thing.

I tend to want to do charity runs more so than just "fun" ones because then I know my money is also going to help someone. Running for a cause if you will. I don't believe this one is charity driven, but like I said it was in the right time, right price, and right amount of FUN zones for me to take the leap.

Hopefully I will be posting some pictures from this in April/May! Wish me luck! :D

Scaring the Poo Out of a Cat...Unfortunately Literally

This is Firefly and that is his favorite spot.

So, I had a very interesting and unfortunate thing happen to me the other night. If you have not gathered what from the title then let me explain.

My cats are not allowed on the kitchen counters. Ever. That is my pet peeve when it comes to cats (teehee...pet peeve). I do not want an animal that steps all over and buries its feces running around on a surface that I fix food on. It is just a major yuck factor for me. The cats are very aware that they are not allowed on the counters. They have been reminded with sprays from a water bottle and verbal reprimands every time. I like to be consistent. This isn't a huge issue but sometimes they try to test their boundaries.

Anyways, the other night I was feeling a little restless. Everyone else was asleep but I felt like I needed to get up and check things (I do this occasionally...I know I am strange). I am making my way around the house turning off lights that we may have forgotten.

Well, as soon as I round the corner...there he is. Up on the kitchen counter. Sneaky little devil! So, I rush towards where I keep the water bottle, which is very close to him, and then it happens. Right there, on my pristine kitchen counter, he poops! Okay...maybe not "pristine" exactly, but certainly better off before there was poop! I was in shock. My cat literally just pooped on my counter!

Needless to say I did not go back to bed for awhile and I was very grumpy at a certain adorable fluff ball named Firefly. I had no idea that this could happen to cats but according to google it does happen. I am hoping one day I can look back on this and laugh but for now we can leave it at Firefly:1 Tiphanie:0